Frenchy, aka my new dresser {Before & After}

A little Before & After action for your Monday. 

BEFORE

AFTER

I found this great French Proverbial dresser on Craigslist a few weeks ago. I was a little surprised that hubby agreed to it, because of the curvy lines, but was really excited that he did. So home it came, and I got to work. 

The biggest bonus of this piece? The guy who sold it to us had already sanded the whole thing down! That saved me a TON of time. I actually really like the way the wood looks like this, but it wasn't what I was going for in our room, where this beast will live. If I had bought it to use as a buffet somewhere else in the house, I might have just sealed it and left it all beat up like this! 

  

Here's Frenchy in our room:

It must be noted that the lighting in our master bedroom is awful. Our whole house, really. This is why I can't keep a house plant alive, no matter what I do. Soo, the color is slightly off in these pics.

I didn't prime it, but I started off with a light coat of white, so that some if it would peek through when I distressed it. Then I used this great greige color I found in my stash. It was a mistint, so I couldn't tell you the color, but I LOVE it. It matches so perfectly in our weirdly "decorated" bedroom.

I swear, this room has been so tough for me. I did nothing in order, had no sort of real plan.. ugh. Not the way to do things. But with the addition of this dresser, it does continue to help lighten things up in here with our dark slate walls. You can see a peek of our bed below. It goes great with it, without being to matchy-matchy.

After two light coats of the greige, I lightly distressed the whole piece and then did a light stain- Ralph Lauren's Smoke Glaze. I didn't want the distressing to be too heavy, so this was perfect.

I also switched out the hardware and lined the drawers with some textured grasscloth liner. 

So what do you think? I love it!

Maybe someday (before we eventually move) I'll show you our whole room. Don't hold your breath, though! :)

Linking up:

DIY Project Parade

Project 52:17 {joy}

thankful for...

joy

There's nothing quite like the joy or laughter of a child. 

I am so thankful for the sweet sound of Evie's belly laughs.. and the example she is to me of what true delight looks like. She laughs at so many things. The dog, daddy, her toys, herself.

Her laughs make me laugh, and never fail to bring me joy.

* * * * *

Read more about my Project 52.

Linking my Project 52 with:

styleberry BLOG

 What We're Sayin'

Oh The Places We'll Go 

Englexas 

Wicked Kate

A wee bit tired.

I think we have some (more) teething going on here at Casa Strange y Lovely.

Sad face.

Evie woke up around 3 am crying. We typically let her cry/whine for a bit to see if she will put herself back to sleep, because 8 out of 10 times, she does. No dice today. So between the hours of 3 and 5 am, hubby and I took turns going in to hold, rock and console her, only to put her down and have her crying again by the time we got out the door.

Another sad face.

At 5, I grabbed a pillow and blanket and went in there to get her and set up shop in the rocker. My baby finally got some relief and sleep, laying on mama. I thought about trying to get up to put her in her crib a few times, but didn't want to risk it. She needed to sleep. And each time she would stir and reposition, she would say "hi Mama. Much!".. translation: Oh, hi there Mama. I love you SO much!

I don't even think she was awake each time she said it. Little sugar.

And then at 7:40 am, she woke up, fresh as a daisy. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to work out all the kinks in my neck and back throw back enough coffee to function. Wish me luck.

Thanks to hubby for grabbing me a donut on his way to work.

Happy Tuesday. You'll find me napping the rest of the day.

Evie Time {Strolling}

 

Grandy sent a gift card for Evie for Easter, so we picked out a few new toys. This little stroller for her stuffed animals and baby dolls was at the top of my list. I knew she would love it, since she's always trying to push around her big stroller when it's parked in the garage.

She's all about pushing it everywhere. Inside, outside. She'll choose one particular doll or animal to give a ride and take them all over. Cleo the Cat is the current favorite.

"Ride, Cleo?" :)

She also digs the buckle, of course. This girl is all about the buckle! She's finally mastered them, so she asks us over and over to open it back up when she's clicked it into place so she can do it again. Oh, and she also likes to yell "YAY!" and clap for herself when she does it.

Thanks for the fun gift, Grandy!!

Project 52:16 {a good sweat}

thankful for...

a good sweat 

My first semester of college I put on the freshman, oh, about 10. I never really weighed myself to be sure, but there was no doubt my lack of activity + frequent social trips to the cafeteria added on the pounds. Sarah and I met and were fast friends right before Christmas break, so when we came back for the second semester, I started running with her. Sometimes twice a day. The extra weight (and then some) flew off.

I kept up running and being generally active through the rest of college and beyond. But I haven't been running regularly in a few years.

So that's changing now. And it feels soo good so far. A friend and I signed up for a Strolling Moms group through a local running club. Two mornings a week. After a very slow run/walk start, we broke off with one of the instructors to form our own little group to run a whole lot more with 1 minute walk intervals. It's a 12 week program with the goal of training you to run a 5k, but frankly I could care less about that. I'm just happy to be hitting the pavement and working up a sweat.

It's amazing to me how good it feels. I missed it!

And these two cuties certainly help keep us accountable. :)

* * * * *

Read more about my Project 52.

Linking my Project 52 with:

styleberry BLOG

 What We're Sayin'

Oh The Places We'll Go 

Englexas 

Wicked Kate

Selling Stuff

So, I have some stuff I want to sell. Oh, sure, I have a side job where I already sell items with my mom in a local flea/antique store. But I can't very well take my barely been used leather handbag from Banana Republic there and expect someone to pay more than $16 for it. No bueno.

So that's where you come in. Do any of you sell stuff, like on eBay?? Mainly I want to unload some purses and clothing that I think I might be able to get actual money for. As opposed to my typical plan of action- drop off at the nearest Goodwill.

Right now I'm just trying to decide if it's worth it or not. I'm all for Craigslist for bigger items, like furniture, but I don't really want a bunch of people calling or coming to my home for this stuff. And, I don't know.. I would probably never look for a purse on Craigslist, but I know plenty of people do look on eBay.

So any advice? I've heard eBay has started to charge you more to list things.. is that true? I thought it used to be basically free.

I've also seen a few people sell stuff on their blogs, but I don't know about that. Probably no one would want any of my crap stuff, and then I would get super annoyed and give you the silent treatment.

Help a sister out! OR just offer to buy all of my stuff and send me a check, baby. :)

  

A good day.

Things I made my husband do with me today:

• Yoga
• Jog
• Antiquing (in the rain)

And as complete icing on his cake, I've been walking around all weekend looking like this, thanks to the crazy/tornadic/humid/severe weather we've been having:

Monica Gellar in Barbados

He's a lucky, lucky guy.

Happy Weekend! :)

Project 52:15 {My Mini Me}

thankful for...

My Mini Me

Doesn't she look just like me???

:)

I've always expected to have a little girl who looked just like me. Dark brown eyes, dark brown hair and tan skin. This was affirmed when I married my husband. Surely my dark, Mexican genes would be strong enough to pass along and give us tan little babies.

But here I am, with my blondie, blue-eyed girl. And believe it or not, she's a Mini Me. Maybe she doesn't look just like me in obvious ways, but she's definitely my daughter. From her teeny tiny little body, which seems to only grow in her big, adorable tummy, to her long hair, complete with bangs and sweet, soft curls, to her one-of-a-kind personality. I see so much of myself as a child in her. She knows what she wants, when she wants it. She likes to do things for herself. She loves to read. She loves her babies and is good little mama to them. 

And if she doesn't like the bow in her hair, she'll rip it out and throw it on the floor.

My Mini Me.

* * * * *

Read more about my Project 52.

Linking my Project 52 with:

styleberry BLOG

 What We're Sayin'

Oh The Places We'll Go 

Englexas 

Wicked Kate

17 things I could do without.

Disclaimer... I started drafting this post last week, and wouldn't you know it, at Bible study last night, a big topic of discussion was NOT COMPLAINING. Sigh. 

I decided to share anyway, and purge my complaints here and now. Still love me???

PS- we're reading this bookright now in Bible study. I highly recommend it- it's been perfect for me these past few months.

*  *  *  *  *

17 things I could do without. In no particular order:

1. Curry. 
2. Smart Cars. There, I said it.
3. The phrase 110%. I blame Lou Ferrigno. Thankfully he's finally gone.
4. Males wearing skinny pants. I feel like I've mentioned this before... probably because it bothers me so much. Not a good look. {Plus, I feel like these boys/men have no thought of their future wives and children... cutting off your circulation like that can't be good for future fathering of children.}
5. The View. Lots of blathering and yelling over each other. And nonsense, really.
6. Body hair. Still waiting to get up the guts (and dollars) to spring for laser hair removal. 
7. The term "Going Viral". I find this suuuuuper annoying.
8. Bloggers who post lots of weird, posed self portraits. Am I right??? Just odd. 
9. Green olives.
10. That timeline layout on Facebook.
11. Applebees.
12. Horror movies. Don't see the point.
13. American Idol. The Voice. America's Next Top Model. GAH!
14. Tyra Banks. See above. 
15. Shopping for undergarments. And swimsuits. Same thing.
16. A slower metabolism.
17. The whole bathroom cleaning situation in general. I would prefer to outsource.

There. Done and done.

Sorry if Applebees is your favorite hangout or you prefer body hair...  Let's still be friends, mkay?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from our family to yours!

   

We had a wonderful day, celebrating with a great service at church, Easter egg hunts and a family dinner.

 

Evie had a grand old time, running around the yard, looking cute. Actually hunting eggs? Not so much. :)
Mainly we ended up tossing them near her and trying to get her to come pick them up. But after the first few eggs she tossed in her basket, she lost interest and just ran around.

It was so nice to have Grandy come to celebrate with us!

Cousins!!

This was pretty much how the "staged pictures" part of the evening went. :)

Project 52:14 {creativity}

thankful for...
creativity

I feel like I've been in a creative funk for the past few.. I don't know, months? 

It's not typical of me, but I am happy to report that the itch to paint, sand, knit, build, sew and create is running high again. I am a creative person. Not particularly amazing at any particular thing, in my opinion, but I love to attempt and learn, and more times than not, I'm happy with what I've created. 

This chair was a curbside find from months ago that has been patiently sitting in the garage, waiting to be made over (courtesy of my mom, for dumpster diving). She's finally completed. A new coat of paint, stain and a good roughing up, followed by a newly upholstered seat. I can't decide if I want to keep her or send her to the booth to sell, but right now I'm thankful for the reminder she brings to get my hands dirty and get creative. 

* * * * *

Read more about my Project 52.

Linking my Project 52 with:

styleberry BLOG

 What We're Sayin'

Oh The Places We'll Go 

Englexas 

Wicked Kate

MY Easter basket

No, I don't really get an Easter basket, but if I did, this is what I would LOVE to see in there! :)

Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir

I've followed and loved Kelle Hampton's blog, Enjoying the Small Things, ever since I read her story in Parents magazine a few years back. Her youngest daughter was born with Down Syndrome and she shares the very honest feelings and emotions she experienced upon finding out. And a lot more. I love her writing style, pics and outlook on life. Can't wait to read this book!

 




ABC Scripture Cards

A friend tipped me off to these and I think they are the best idea ever! So pretty and a great learning tool for both ABC's and scripture memorization. And I think they would make the best gift. I'm considering a DIY version, but can't decide if it would be too muc








Harper Tote from PB Kids

I originally had a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag that was super cute, but I realized I'm just not a diaper bag girl and took it back. Which was the right choice for me- Evie never went to daycare or anything and I always just throw a diaper and wipes in my huge purse. But I love this tote bag and the colors and think it would be nice to have a bag for her that doesn't scream 'diaper bag'.










Stella & Dot Serenity Drop Earrings

These have been on my Pinterest I NEED board for a while. And I actually just snagged a similar pair in blue for a fraction of the price at Francesca's. But I still love these. Perfect color for spring and I'm trying to wear earrings more now that Evie isn't yanking on them quite as much.
h work or not.. :)

And finally... no Easter basket would be complete without some chocolate!! I am a total fan of the marriage of chocolate & peanut butter. Doesn't get much better than that. :)






So what's in your makebelieve Easter basket??? Do tell!

Anatomy of an Easter basket

Why is it so stinking fun to buy things for our kids?? I didn't anticipate this little (sometimes expensive) nugget of motherhood. 

In keeping with our no-presents theme last year, it should be no surprise that I didn't put together an Easter basket for Evie for her first Easter. She was only 4 months old, after all. Besides, we all know who would have had to eat all that chocolate candy. Moi.

But this year I'm really excited about celebrating Easter with her. I think it's a little early to try and actually explain why we celebrate- that Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead- but we have been talking about it a little and practicing saying Jesus is Alive! and He is Risen! :)

And as far as the celebration, it should be fun! My mom is coming in town this weekend, which will be fun and we're planning to throw a bunch of plastic eggs on the front lawn and let her at 'em. I'm a little bummed that our church isn't hosting an Easter egg hunt, but there are a few churches close by that welcome the public to their hunts, so we may crash one. We'll see. She's just at such a fun age and loves picking things up and putting them into buckets or baskets. So I'm hoping she really gets it and has fun.

 

So here's her basket, or at least the dry run, anyway. My mom gave her this cute little chick basket last year. At first I was worried I was getting a little carried away, but frankly, hitting up the Target dollar spot is just another Tuesday, so it's not all that bad, right? 

A few highlights:

The glasses were necessary, even though she might not wear them. I remember getting brightly colored sunglasses for a number of Easters, and they looked great with our all-pastel ensembles. 

Little People.. I just think these toys are so cute and chubby and fun. And I like to name them things like Construction Sally and Betsy Boo and Billy. This little gal looks like a Maggie to me... OH! And my daughter likes to play with them too. 

Shoes. For some reason I have been on a shoe kick lately, for Evie. She's right between a size 3 and 4 right now, which translated to real person talk means SMALL. There are basically only soft-soled, baby shoes in a size 3 or smaller. And sister is all over the place, so I feel like a bad mother putting her in soft-soled shoes anymore. Anyway, trying to find some cute, notcrazyexpensive options is harder than you might think. The white ones might go back because who are we kidding- they probably won't fit until next winter.

Books. No explanation needed.

Bunny ears are purely for our entertainment.

The plastic eggs are empty. No apologies.

So, not so bad, right??? Because, frankly, I really wish I still got an Easter basket. I think I'd look kickin' in some hot pink sunglasses and we've already discussed my love for the Little People.