29 and Junk

Happy Birthday to me (and my twin sister)!  I turned the big 2-9 on Saturday and was luck enough to celebrate with my parents.  They brought me chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes from the same bakery we got our wedding cupcakes from.  Yummy!!!

My mom and I drove to Omaha to do some birthday shopping.  We went to lunch with my friend Lacey at my all time favorite, Lazlo's.  We ate a delicious meal and I got a free piece of birthday pie!  Again... yummy!!!

Lacey told us about an antique/garage sale/junkyard thing called Junkstock.  I bunch of vendors had set up shop in a field selling antiques, recycled and rescued stuff.  And this field of fantastic finds was only 5 minutes away!  Obviously, we had to go and I'm so glad we did!  It was really neat!  I saw a lot of super cute stuff but didn't have a spot for any of it in my house.  It's an annual thing so I'll be finding room (or adding an addition?!?) for future finds.  Man, I am all about alliteration today.

Junkstock!

Why were they selling koozies?

Cute bookshelf

I loved these owls

Hair twins!

We hit a few home decor shops before heading home.  And when we got home Rob had completely finished the bathroom remodel.  Just kidding.

I'll be posting about that later

And after spending a week with Grandpa and Gramcy, Nola was NOT happy to see them leave.  She started crying as soon as they put their shoes on.  It was sad and cute at the same time!

  

Secret Project- Nailed it!

As mentioned in my summer to do list post, I have been planning a secret house project.  It was a project that I knew my husband wouldn't understand until it was done- he has a hard time envisioning my crazy brilliant ideas.  I also knew he wouldn't be thrilled with all of the holes and I understood that but I didn't care because when I get an idea about something I have to do it.  The End.

Last Sunday I was doing my best to convince Robert that we should start ripping out the second bathroom.  He was tired and didn't want to.  (The part I hate most about summer is that we are on completely different schedules.  When he comes home from work and on the weekends he wants to relax because he has been working hard but I want to be productive because I feel like I haven't done anything all day.  Ugh.)  So instead of starting the bathroom I told him about my secret project so that I could start it.  He wasn't thrilled but was too tired to try and stop me! Ha ha!!

I've seen a lot of string art on Pintrest and liked how it was kind of a throw back to the 70's string art with a modern twist.  So I went to school and projected the word Relax on a big piece of paper and traced it.  I had already measured the spot so I knew how big it needed to be.  Then a hung it up on the only empty wall in the spot I was going to create my masterpiece.

After deciding I liked where it was I got my supplies.  We have a huge stash of nails so I grabbed a bunch and put them in a plastic bag.  I ripped a hole in it for my thumb.  I also grabbed the string a bought a few weeks about when I thought up this crazy idea.

I started with the "x".  I put a few nails in following the line on the paper.  The nails were about 2 1/2 inches apart.  It didn't take too long to finish the first letter so I took the string and started to wrap it around the nails.  I wasn't crazy about it, the nails were too far apart.  I did some googling and read that the nails should be about an inch apart.  Robert was already telling me that the drywall was going to fall apart so I didn't want to add anymore nails... until he was at work.  So the next day while Rob was at work and Nola was eating breakfast I added more nails until they were about 1 inch apart.  After I put Nola down for a nap I carefully pulled the paper off the "x" leaving the rest of the word.  I started to wrap the string again and loved the way it looked! 

The next day I did the same thing- nailed letters while Nola was eating and did the string part while she was napping.  I managed to finish everything but the "R" in one day.

As I watched TV that night and admired my masterpiece I got a little nervous about it being so close to the ground.  Nola's basket of toys sit next to that wall so there is a little bit of a barrier but I still was a little worried.  I talked to Robert about it and we decided that it would be best if I changed it to a lowercase letter that way it wouldn't be so close to the ground.  So the next day I cut out a lowercase "r" and taped it to the wall, nailed it and added string.

I LOVE the way it turned out!  And so does Robert?  He hasn't given my a straight answer about it yet so I'm going to assume that he loves it too :)

If you want to create your own string art here are a few tips:

- Don't worry about the holes.  Holes are easy to patch.  Before I switched to the lowercase "r" I had put about 15 nails in the capital "R" so I had to patch and paint them.  Guess what?!?  It was easy to do!  You can't even tell they were there.  I have no idea how long we are going to be in our house and I'm not going to not do something for fear that I might have to take it down one day.  I'm going to enjoy my house while I'm here.  That means there might be some holes to patch in the future and I'm ok with that.
- Be careful with the hammer. I hit the same finger 3 times.  Twice within a minute.  It hurt.
- Use two hands while stringing. If you miss a nail the whole string will loosen and come off the nails.  Use your second had to keep the string tight. P.S.- The "elax" is all one long piece of string!
- Don't do this project right after you do a Jillian Michaels video.  If your arms are sore before you start they are really going to hurt after!
- When you sting, be random but have a pattern.  I would first go through and do the outline then go back and forth in a pattern.  After that I would go through the opposite direction but be more random.  That way it didn't look perfect but was completely covered.
- This looks like a lot of work but goes up pretty quick.  I'm estimating that I spent about 3 total hours on it which is perfect because we had friends visiting the day after I finished!
- Try some different things.  How fun would it be if you painted the letters a different color first or did an ombre effect?  Maybe on my next sting project...
- Don't tell your husband about it :)

Summer = Lots of Photos!

Spending the summer with Nola means I take A LOT of pictures of her.  I can't help it, she is constantly doing cute things!  Last week we went to Blair, Ne.  A friend of mine just bought a new house and I hadn't seen it yet.  Nola and I had a great time and her house was so cute.  I got Nola ready to leave but apparently wasn't moving fast enough so I got this look.

I think this picture is so funny.  She might have a little bit of an attitude?!?   

    

First ponytail!

Helping with laundry by putting Dads leg sock on her head.

Friday night we dropped Nola off at a babysitter and went to a wedding reception.  The reception was more like an open house, no dancing just drinks, appetizers and good company.  It was in a large house that use to be a Bunny Club.  FYI:  Bunny Club = prostitutes!!!  The house has been renovated (and cleaned ;) and was beautiful on the inside.  The food was great, the drinks were free and I enjoyed spending time with my handsome husband.

Just kidding...

Love you Rob!

We spent Saturday with another friend who bought a new house.  She is eight months pregnant so she needed help getting moved in and fixing some things.  (Have I mentioned that in the last week I have helped 2 people move and seen 3 houses/apartments that need to be furnished and decorated?  Now all I want to do is re-decorate and/or move).  I love that Robert is so helpful and handy.  We locked ourselves (and Nola) into a room and switched out all of the switches and outlets.  After that we laid Nola down on a mattress and conquered the hallway and bathroom.  I had to peek in on the baby and take a picture of her.  She looks so little on a regular mattress.

Look Familiar?

She's growing so fast.  Everyday she knows more words than the day before.  One of her favorite things to say is "Hi baby."  She loves looking at herself in mirrors and on my phone.  Here is a super cute video of her saying hi.  The front camera is on so she can see herself.

 

Summer To Do List

Every summer I make a To Do list for myself.  If I can't check things off of a list I feel like I haven't accomplished anything.  My first summer after teaching I didn't make a list and I felt like I wasted 3 months of my life.  I doubt I would feel that way now with a toddler to entertain but I still like to have a list-it gives me something to put on the chalkboard wall!

DO ACTIVITIES WITH NOLA
Why this might happen: I've looked on Pintrest and found great activities. Nola and I went to The Dollar Store last week and got some supplies and EVERY SINGLE ELMO THING THEY SELL.  We didn't buy all of the Elmo things but they ALL made it into the cart.  We have a lot of fun stuff planned!

Why this might not happen: It will. Nola deserves to learn and grow and I'm a teacher so it's kind of my thing.

Bag of Dollar Store activities

MOW THE LAWN

Why this might happen: Every summer since we bought this house we have paid someone to mow the lawn but last month my parents gave us their old lawn mower.  I've used it a couple of times now and it's been good. I like the feeling of accomplishment I get when I'm done and the lawn looks nice.

Why this might not happen: SNAKES and my general discomfort with nature.  There are snakes in our backyard.  The first time I mowed I saw a dead one and a couple of snake skins. When I mowed this week I saw a real live snake.  It slithered next to the house behind some weeds.  I couldn't see the snake or get the mower close to the house so I just shoved the mower into the weeds while yelling, "DIE, DIE".  The snake is either dead or very, very angry.  Also, the kids playing in my neighbors backyard might be scared of me?!?

LOSE 1 POUND A WEEK
Why this might happen: I think it's easier to eat better in the summer. There are a lot more yummy fruits and I have time to think about what to make for dinner. Summer also gives me more time to workout- while Nola is taking her nap or sleeping in until 9:30!

Why this might now happen: I love chocolate and I hate working out.

RENOVATE BATHROOM (IN 5 DAYS??)

Why this might happen:  My parents are taking Nola for a week giving us 5 uninterrupted days to work.  Plus we have already gutted and renovated a bathroom so we (sort of) know what we're doing.

Why this might not happen: Our first bathroom renovation may have given us some experience but it also took us 2 1/2 years which is somewhat longer than five days.

It needs some updating.

MAKE A QUILT (OR 3?)
Why this might happen: I took a quilting class! I've already started my first quilt.  It matches my living room and will serve as a comfortable blanket I can use when Robert is home, he likes the house much colder than I do.

The first finished square.

Why this might not happen: I think I will for sure finish all of the squares but I'm not sure how to do the middle and backing.  Im hoping to find someone to help me with that when I'm ready for it!


FINISH MY BLURB BOOK
Why this might happen: I made a book with all of Nola's pictures from her first year using blurb.com (I highly recommend it).  You can check out her book here. Now I want to add to it to create a "yearbook" for our family. I'm almost done with it, I just need to sit down and do it.

Why this might not happen: I would rather quilt then sit down and finish it.


SMALL PROJECTS
Why this might happen: I have a few small projects to finish. One for my sister-in-law, one for a friend, one for Robert and one for the house (this is a secret project that Rob doesn't know about).  Each should take less than a day.

The wall where the secret project will go.

Why this might not happen: Nola. She's a little distracting.


PAINT AND ORGANIZE THE GARAGE
Why this might happen: If we can buy shelves and get organized before we start then the actual process of painting and putting things away shouldn't take too long.

Why this might not happen: I'm not super excited about it, Robert is the one who wants to get it done.   It will be up to him to motivate me to do it!


RENOVATE THE KITCHEN, FIX FLOORS AND ADD BASEBOARDS, PATCH CEILING
Why this might happen: We could win the lottery and hire someone to do all of it.

Why this might not happen: We never buy lottery tickets.