"Cheese!"

I'm so proud. My second son seems to have inherited my penchant for pictures (like that fun little alliteration?) and now grins hugely and says, "Cheese!" every time he sees the camera pointed in his direction. My first son, sadly, turns his head and runs in the opposite direction. Which means I was ecstatic to snap a photo of the two of them cuddling cutely on the couch (ooh, more alliteration - sorry, I couldn't resist) while watching TV. A rare moment, indeed.

With a little coat (or two!) of paint...

This $13 Goodwill side table:

becomes this:

(Lack of "styling" due to still-damp paint. Haven't yet decided what to put on top, anyway!)

Must share: Look what the wonderful Tara at Blondie 'N' SC sent me. She gave away these beautiful tea towels (made by the talented Teresa Sheeley) and I was the lucky winner of the one on the right!

(Photo borrowed from Blondie 'N' SC)

If you haven't checked out Blondie 'N' SC, please do. She's so sweet and fun (and a very talented photographer) and I know you'll just love her!

{Note to grandparents and anybody else hoping for pictures of the boys: Sorry for the lack of pictures lately. I haven't been on top of the picture-taking lately - I've been a bit scatter-brained. I'll post some soon, I promise!}

P.S. If I sound a bit loopy, I apologize. I took some Sudafed and it makes me very out-of-it (but at least I can breathe!). I just realized I hadn't posted anything in awhile and wanted to get something up. I hope I made sense!

China Cabinet: The Reveal

Yay! I'm so glad the china cabinet is finally done. Danny removed the chicken wire from behind the glass and we sanded (and sanded and sanded...) then painted it the same cottage white as the buffet. We used some leftover paint from our family room for the inside. Now I'm wondering if we should do something to make the detail on the outside stand out a bit more. I can't decide! What do you think - add something or leave it alone?

From Arizona to Colorado...and back.

After approximately 20 hours in the car (round trip - we made lots of stops!) we're back from our trip to Durango, Colorado. It was wonderful to spend time with family and be surrounded by lots of green (oh, pretty green trees, lovely green grass, how I miss you already...) but it was a L-O-N-G time to sit in the car. With two very energetic boys. Thank goodness for travel DVD players!

Wyatt, at the beginning of our journey

I try so hard to get good pictures of this man...

First "Finding Nemo", then"Cars", a little Baby Einstein, some"Robin Hood"...kept them mesmerized!

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{Hours of looking out the windows at brown desert followed. No pictures of this.}

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Finally, something interesting to look at!

Outside Durango

All three cooperating for a photo...almost!



{Thank you, Aunt Billie, Uncle Roy, Aunt Barbara and Christa for making it a lovely visit! We love you!}

One down...

...and three to go!

Technically, the china cabinet is almost done, so I'll say 2 1/4 to go. It makes me feel better!

The sanding took forever and I got endlessly frustrated with the primer, so Danny helped a lot. But even with his help, it was still impossible to do any more than the dresser/buffet and china cabinet, so the table and small dresser are going to have to wait.

I think it looks a lot better!

{Sorry about the awkward angle on the "after" picture - I was having a really hard time getting a good shot of the whole dresser!}

We're leaving tomorrow to drive to Colorado for my grandmother's memorial service, so I'll post a picture of the china cabinet when we get back...

And by posting this, I will make it happen

We're gearing up for a seriously busy holiday weekend...at home. Danny's list is fairly extensive, but mine just involves a lot of paint.

My plans? Paint the following:

1. This lovely behemoth of a dresser {currently functioning as a buffet in our dining room}


2. This china cabinet (shown in its former thrift shop home)


3. This dresser


I'm also inclined to throw in the kitchen table {currently black but dying to be painted a nice cream so he fits in better) but I'm already thinking I might just be a little crazy to try to paint the three pieces. You're probably wondering why I want to paint all of these pieces in one weekend {my husband is wondering the same thing}. Easy: I very much dislike painting projects. I despise the preparation and the huge mess and being covered in little spots of paint from head to toe. But I'm painting each piece the same color {cottage white}, so I'd rather just get it all over with at once.

I am a bit crazy, aren't I?

I'm off to do some research on products that will allow me to avoid sanding all of these furniture pieces. What do you think? Should I resign myself to lots of sanding or is there really a miracle, no-sand preparation that will work? Wish me luck - and have a wonderful holiday weekend!

P.S. Do you think I'll have time to make the coolest cake ever?

It's hot in the city

Oh, it's hot. All of a sudden it's really, really hot in Phoenix. And when it's hot, we try to stay inside. What have we been up to, you inquire?

Let's see. Well, a swarm of flies has taken up residence in our backyard {please, flies: GO HOME}, preventing us from spending time with our freshly planted vegetation. The kids are begging to go out and play in the water and I have to keep putting it off for tomorrow...if the flies are gone. Seriously, we're talking gazillions of flies flying around your body if you so much as set foot out on the patio. Anybody know of any tricks to make horrible, evil flies disappear? So far nothing we've tried has worked.

Okay, I'm done with all the fly talk. I'm sure you didn't come here to read about my fly woes. Where was I?

Oh, yes - recounting our hot summer day activities. 'But it's not yet summer', you say. Oh, then clearly you aren't in Phoenix. Don't you know that summer started weeks ago?

Yes, we've had many fun trips to the library and Target.

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Dear Danny,

Don't worry. I only spent $40 at Target today. It was on necessities, I promise. I won't mention what I spent at Marshall's, for your sake. I know you can only handle so much talk of money in one day.

Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate you going to work every day and bringing home the bacon?

Love,
Your Frugal-Minded Wife

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We've also reinstated our Netflix membership...and now to catch up on the past few years of movies we've missed {recommendations gladly accepted}.

Try as I might, I just don't think my California-Nebraska girl blood is ever going to acclimate to this hot desert climate. 6 years and counting...and I still feel like I'm dying every summer when it starts to heat up. Call me a wimp if you will, but I much prefer cool temperatures. Oh, to live somewhere where the nights cool down in the summer (and I don't mean into the 90's - that doesn't count). I'm off to go bury my nose in "Better Homes and Gardens" and "Country Living" and dream about green landscapes and cool summer nights.

Oh, wait - was that a little voice I heard on the baby monitor? It was! You know what that means: naptime is over...library, here we come!

Our backyard "reveal"

Our beautiful backyard, February 2009

Almost 9 months after we moved into our new house...


We finally have a REAL backyard!

April 2009

Freshly planted {by my amazing husband} over the weekend: vines, shrubs and pretty spring blooms now populate the garden along the back of our yard. That other little garden you see along the far wall? That's our vegetable garden.

The view from inside. Aah, that green makes me so happy.

Backyard in action: I think Sydney enjoyed the sprinklers as much as the boys did! She ran around snapping at the water and barking like crazy {I'm sure the neighbors were appreciative. Sorry, neighbors.}

Coming soon: pictures of our new patio

He's got wheels!

Adrian recently learned that he can ride his tricycle backwards and has been practicing his newly-discovered skill in the backyard. Unfortunately, the {ahem} lack of expanse of our backyard isn't very conducive to tiny bicycle maneuvering....





....so Adrian was treated to a trip to the mailbox with Danny as soon as Danny arrived home from work on Friday...




Before they left on their little excursion, Adrian assured me that he would be careful to look both ways before crossing the street - and he would show Daddy what to do!

(****Check back for a little teaser of our backyard "transformation"!****)

Springtime

Water fun on Easter

Inspecting the goodies

Looking for ladybugs in the backyard

Oh! Look what I found:

Left: Thrift store mirror I found months ago and painted.
Right: Original mirror's twin that I just found at another thrift store (and promptly painted). I just thought it was so cool - I had to share!