Dresser no More

We were tired of our make shift entertainment center. It got the job done but was very bulky and Captain Destructo was able to get into everything. So, we sold it and found ourselves a really awesome dresser for pennies. Then we got to work :)

This was functional but way to low for the little man(talk about killing your eyes!) and the shelves on either side was too tempting for him.

Um, the back of our sweet find...

There's the front!

My men working to dismantle so we may begin :)

And the finished product! (our t.v. looks so much smaller now!)

Life became quite busy and this was done over two weekends so I wasn't staying on top of things and taking pictures...whoopsie.

We took out the top two drawers, bought a piece of wood from Lowes, cut it to fit, painted it and voila...shelves! We also removed the back piece, drilled holes for the cords, painted that as well and slapped it back on once the last coat of sealant was dry. We also kept the original hardware.

This to That

Our only bedroom furniture was a mattress, box spring and one little night stand. It was time for something to put clothes in cause you can't hang underwear!
I found this on Craig's list for a screaming deal and it was new...that means NEVER used. Woot woot!
One day I decided it needed some life to it so we decided to give it a face lift. We bought some, paint, hardware and got to work.

The before dresser....

The little man decided to use the dresser as his drum...

It has flowers painted on the top drawers and flower knobs...not really my style.

Disassembling so we can start painting.

We sanded the whole thing down, but I don't have any pictures of that :)

How's it looking Gabe?

Paint!

Just letting our last coat of sealant dry before moving it back to the room.

Ta Da! New hard wear, new paint...NEW DRESSER!

I don't have a decent camera so the color doesn't look like its true awesomeness. It's Cafe blue and I'm really loving it!

P.S.
Here is the night stand but no before picture...sorry.

It's the same color as the dresser! I Swear!

We kept the original hardware for the night stand cause I really loved it.

Table top ReDo

It was time. 

This extremely cheap find(that I found almost four years ago) was looking...extremely cheap. We didn't want to dump much money into it but, it really needed a face lift.

After searching the Internet for days and days looking at painting ideas, checking prices at Home Depot and Lowe's, I decided on something...unique? Isaac was pretty excited for this project for now he had a reason to buy cool new tools(that I didn't include in the cost.)

Here goes...

The table. Dun dun dun!

The top was made of putty. Everything and I mean everything put dents in it or scratched paint off.

The supplies for the table top(all purchased at Lowe's): Wood laminate flooring samples(90 of them), Wood glue, shellac, paint brush, sander and rotor.

The husband's new toys!

And now we work! 

Well, he works. :) I watch and maybe go make myself something for lunch.

Looking good! I'm so glad we bought that sander! It took about an hour to sand.

Now that it was nicely sanded we brought it back inside, laid out the flooring pieces...

And started gluing them down.

We clamped the first piece for stability.

And after we glued(quickly) we hammered the rows that seemed off kilter then threw everything heavy we had on the top. The bags are our year books, school books and heavy book series. A very "frugal" way of holding down those glued pieces. ;)

About 20 hours later the able top was looking a little better.

Now to even up the edges and make it purdy.

Not the greatest picture. I was off with the kiddo while this was being done so I didn't get any photos of my sexy man at work. ;)

As you can see he brought the edges of the glued on flooring in further than the original edge, then sanded the edge of the original table top giving it a stacked affect.

 We dragged it back inside(that was getting old) and gave it a nice rub down, shellacked it a few times, sanded it and shellacked it one last time.

The finished product. 

The total cost (not including tools)

Wood glue - already had

90 Wood laminate flooring pieces - $.22 a piece = 19.80

Shellac - $12.80

Paint brushes(2) - $3.48 = $6.96

Total cost, $39.56

Now to reupholster the chairs...

someBODY Love

As you know, I was privileged enough to spend three years in Germany and I loved every minute of it enjoying the culture, food and scenery of that country! During all that I learned two very important things in my life: Bravery and Confidence. You could say they are almost the same thing...but, not quite.

bravery

Noun Courageous behavior or character.

Being in another country without knowing the language or fully understanding the "ins and outs" can be really intimidating but when you have to go to that doctor appointment or drive to that one place, there really isn't anyway around it. I stumbled and mumbled and made wrong turns, got lost a few times and froze when asked a question in German (even though I practiced and practiced so I could correctly respond) and thankfully I'm still here, made it to that appointment safely and managed to drive around that gorgeous country (and a few others) for three years. You could say that I grew confident in my time there but first, I had to be brave.

confidence  

Noun The feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust: "we had every confidence in the staff". The state of feeling certain about the truth of something.

All my life I have always been self conscious and insecure about my body. It controlled my life and the honest truth is that people around me fed off of my fear. I was an easy target to pick on such as family, of course(but who hasn't said things to family members, as terrible and unacceptable as it is), extended family and random strangers looking to hurt someone without feeling the consequences. 

When I would go swimming I would wear shorts and a t-shirt over my bathing suit unless in the privacy of my parent's yard, though I still found myself nervous.

Summer came along and I was invited to go to the local German pool with a friend. Water is like a magnet to me and I can never stay away from it for too long. When I got there I was geared up with my usual t-shirt and shorts but realized that no one else was: 

1. wearing anything over their bathing suit  

2. even cared about what I looked like 

3. there to enjoy the nice weather and fun in the pool. 

I eventually took off those cumbersome clothes that day (I wasn't allowed to swim with them on) and found myself holding my arms in front of me and trying stay in the water...still attempting hide while continually looking over my shoulder for that classic smirk or scoff. I never saw any. Don't get me wrong, I'm no saint and found myself rudely commenting to myself about other people at the pool.  

As that summer went by my confidence grew and my harsh words and   thoughts diminished almost to nothing (I still find myself struggling with it).

One day I went to a water park with a large group of friends(all Americans) and we were really enjoying ourselves until I realized that one guy was saying nasty, mean things about anyone and everyone that didn't meet his standards, body wise. I began to feel very self conscious...again. Then I grew angry. 

I eventually asked, "Why do you need to be mean? They are here to enjoy themselves as much as you are." 

He looked dumbfounded for a moment, but only a moment. He wasn't the only one in the group acting that way and I will never forget that day and the shame and embarrassment I felt just for being associated with them. Amazing how much my mindset had changed at that point.

We are now stateside and it is once again summer and the water is calling to me. I have been to some of the local pools and have observed something that makes my heart heavy. All the women and even some men have stayed covered up while at and in the pool. Many of these people are Mom's, Dad's and teenagers. I (now habitually) strip down to my bathing suit whenever I arrive and get in the water with my kiddo and have noticed that many women looked at me rather stunned. One woman actually took off her shorts and shirt after a little and I was so happy for her! I don't know if I was an encouragement but it didn't matter because I felt so inspired. Bravery comes in all different shapes and sizes and I hope to be that inspiration for all the beautiful ladies in this world. Be BRAVE and you will become confident and I truly believe that confidence brings out your true beauty.

People will still judge and scoff and laugh but now I truly pity them. When I'm at the pool, water park, beach or sunbathing with friends it's because I'm there to enjoy the pool, water park, beach or sunbathing not to compare with, judge or envy others. Those that spend all their time "pounding their gavels" must be so consumed by body image that the truly beautiful and important things in life are completely missed. 

You are beautiful. 

If you truly struggle with that truth then do something about it for only we can fix ourselves.

Cousins

We had the opportunity to visit family for the weekend and my little man finally met one of his cousins!

Lucky Love

The best family dog ever! He is so sweet and loving and gentle and Gabe is growing to adore Lucky Bones. I'm so grateful to have him as part of the family.

Kisses for Gabe!

Kermit is hanging out in the background. He keeps his distance from Gabriel but manages to let us know when Gabe isn't feeling well before it even happens. Dogs are amazing and wonderful blessings in our lives.

This child of Mine

When our son came into this world, we were amazed at how fierce and how consuming our love for him is. I believe that becoming a parent is a gift from our Lord so that we may have a small understanding of God's love for us.

All I can say is, Wow!

Psalm 36:7 
How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.