Monday Stuff

Hey, guys. There’s a lot of catching up I need to do, so rather than write separate posts, I thought I’d do one of my famous mind-dumps. I hope you enjoy. Summer is speeding by, and we’re definitely making the most of our time together. Here’s what we’ve been up to . . .

// 1. This cabinet!

I had no intention on buying a huge antique corner cabinet for the dining room. But I’ve been eyeing one at a local antique shop for over a year. We stopped by the store the other day to look around while we got Scully groomed . . . and I saw that the price was slashed nearly in half. After measuring it 50+ times, we realized it’s almost exactly the height of our ceilings. So, we jumped on it.

I’m seriously in love.

// 2. I’ve started sewing again.

I got into sewing when I was pregnant with Ada, but since I was working full-time, I didn’t fully immerse myself enough in the hobby. In fact, I couldn’t remember how to thread my machine, which is why I haven’t stitched much -- if anything -- together in the last four years. My mom helped me get everything set up, I bought a couple patterns and some new fabric, and I’ve been practicing.

My first “big project” was this Pillowcase Dress for Ada:

// 3. U-pick season treats.

It’s our favorite time of year to head out and pick blueberries and soon apples. I enjoy the warmer weather, but I cannot wait until fall begins. I’ve always said if we could just skip over summer and straight to fall for half the year, I’d be incredibly happy. One of our favorite farms have this darling cafe with the most delicious breads and doughnuts.

There are also farm animals and other things to see. Check out this post for photos from previous visits.

// 4. Summer sandwiches.

We’re on a sandwich kick. Well, I guess we’re always on a sandwich kick. Right now we’re loving toasted Ezekiel bread slathered with vegan mayo and either tempeh bacon or field roast, avocado, tomato, and a slice of swiss. Mustard, of course. Sometimes we’ll spread on some roasted red pepper hummus, too. Oh, and a heaping pile of greens for good measure.

Messy, but good!


PS: I am also excited for fall because that means I’ll be baking bread again. I take a break from that in the summer because of the heat. I make a mean ciabatta . . . so I’m trying to figure out what loaf I want to do next. I’m thinking rye.

Any recipes to share?

// 5. Blonde again.

I dyed my hair again last week. Blonder than the last blonde, and I’m loving it. I don’t think I’ll stay blonde forever, but right now it suits me. I needed a change. I’ve promised myself on my birthday that this year would be different no matter what happens. I have so little control over this baby-making situation despite what TTC forums make me think. It’s time to enjoy (endure?) the ride and get medical help when necessary. Which might be soon if this stuff keeps up.

For now, I’ll play with my hair, exercise moderately and eat good foods, indulge in my favorite activities and treats, and just try to chill out. I’m not going to lie, typing that out is a gazillion times easier than it will be to switch my frame of mind. I completely folded into myself over this stuff last year, and I can’t live life that way anymore.

// 6. Great dad.

Ada doesn’t have any cousins. Instead, she has lots of kids her age that are our cousins’ children. It’s actually turning out to be quite nice. Anyway, some of my cousins were up visiting over the weekend . . . so we got together at the park. There’s this carousel, and Ada always loves riding the big puppy around. Some kid ran right in front of her to get on it, and the biggest, craziest fit ensued.

Stephen swooped right in and talked her down for a good 15 to 20 minutes. We’ve been having some sharing regression lately. Like, she won’t share anything at all. I blame myself or the fact that she doesn’t have a sibling. In actuality, I think it’s a mix of that stuff but also just regular 3 to 4-year-old behavior. Stephen’s a great dad, and it’s be really nice having him home this summer.

// 7. My writing elsewhere:

13 Wonderful Household Uses for Essential Oils
14 Free or Cheap Toys That Will Make Your Kid Smarter
11 Cool Uses for Popsicle Sticks
6 Best Natural Sunscreens
11 Creative Ways to Reuse Egg Crates
8 Cheap Ways to Deter Garden Pests 

HAPPY MONDAY!

Don’t forget to enter the $200 #giveaway with Gallery Direct! I’ll be announcing the winner on Friday morning, so there’s plenty of time to check it out.

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Refinishing Our Salvo Table

As I wrote in our baby update last night, this week is our big week for baby classes. They meet half an hour after I get home from work until nearly 9PM. And now that I require nearly 10 hours a night of sleep to feel normal . . . there's been little time for blogging or much else.

On weekends, we've still been working on our first floor makeover project. We're always on a tight budget, so when we found this cool side table/magazine holder at the Salvation Army for $3.99, we knew exactly what to do.

It was pretty chewed up, by the way.

Otherwise, solid. Nothing a few cheap supplies and (semi-)hard work couldn't fix.


After giving the entire piece a good sanding with some medium-grade sandpaper, I filled in all the cracks, scratches, and chew marks with wood filler, smoothing over with a palate knife from time to time. My work wasn't incredibly precise because I'd have to sand it smooth again anyway.

More sanding . . .


But really, that's the hard part. Once it's all roughed up, filled in, and sanded smooth, a good quality spray paint is all you need to make it look like new. We chose a vibrant plum color for some fun against our newly dark grey walls.

Note: Preggos and others should consider wearing a mask.


In no time at all, it started looking great. But we applied only a thin layer to the entire thing -- using swift, quick sprays versus keeping our finger on the trigger the entire time -- then left it alone to avoid drips. After a couple hours of drying/more coats, it was covered uniformly.


Total cost of the project with supplies (many of which we already had hanging around our basement), paint, and all came in around $10. And you can follow this exact same simple method to rehab most thrifted furniture finds.


Grace emailed us and asked if we could have a before and in-progress shot of how our first floor is looking. I love how much more dramatic the changes seem when you place these pics next to each other!

Back in 2008:


After exposing the wood floors:


2009:


2010:


So far in 2011:


It's coming along nicely. We appreciated your curtain suggestions, but still haven't settled on anything. We're also in need of some more colorful pillows (which I plan to make myself). Just wish we had more time to work on it!

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Weekend Happenings

This weekend has been incredible. And I say "has been" because we both have the day off for Columbus Day. I'm going to keep this post short because I have a ton to do. More on that later, though.

Friday evening, Stephen joined me for a speedy 5-miler through our neighborhood. Then, we moved around some furniture in our living and dining rooms to give our whole place a new look. Seriously, we never used the dining room. And the living room felt cramped. With the updated arrangement, we have a living room, dining nook, and TV/family room. I can't begin to describe how much bigger everything feels.

BEFORE




These photos are just a sneak-peek. We're not done yet -- still finding the right accessories, etc. -- but one thing I'm thrilled about is that we don't need to re-paint everything. Originally, we planned to paint the walls a neutral tan-ish tone. I hate painting with a passion . . . with everything moved, the color doesn't feel as cold anymore. Accessories can do a lot. Seriously!

AFTER




Our TV room is still very much under construction. But, I love that we were able to make better use of our Salvation Army find from a couple years ago. It's my favorite piece of furniture in the whole house!


Yesterday my friend Dani and I trekked to Fabius, NY, and we ran a half marathon. Dani ran the Wineglass Marathon last weekend, so her finish was especially awesome. What a rockstar! I didn't PR, nor was I expecting to, but I finished in 1:47:31 and earned a place in the top 15 -- 12th women's overall, to be exact. I plan to write an entire race report once I get some more photos.

Let's just say, I'm so happy I had the opportunity to run this race. It solidified my love for the half marathon distance.


So, that's a bit of what's to come this week -- including a full budget breakdown of our first floor transformation. For now, though, we're off to do what we do best: RELAX. As well, I need to do like fifteen mounds of laundry, cook and bake, clean, buy groceries, and do all other kinds of glamorous homemaking stuff. We're also going for a short Vibrams jog . . . I can't wait!

What did YOU do this weekend? Here in NY the weather has been incredible. The leaves are colorful . . . and the sun is shining. Hope you're having a great day! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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furniture hunting: success stories

The Salvation Army can be an ugly, scary, and often smelly place. However, it is at the Salvation Army that many treasures can be found to decorate and enhance the home. Anything from old records to board games to furniture. We try to make a pass through our local spot at least once a month.

For example, last month . . . for a mere $75, we found THIS vintage console . . . which is the focal point for the most stylish corner of our house:

The $75 bought us a whole set of matching furniture -- but the other pieces weren't in great condition, so we donated them (dresser, end table, and mirror) back to the Salvo right on the spot. After a little (OK, a lot of) cleaner and some furniture polish -- it looks like we scored this console at some fancy antique store. And it's certainly a unique piece that no one else has.

Have you ever had a thrift store adventure that resulted in the acquisition of something you now absolutely couldn't live without? Or have you ever turned something you might have donated into a new piece that you now couldn't part with?

Share your story by leaving a comment, and you could be featured in an upcoming post!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts and be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever <3

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