Our Nesting Ground

Vegetable Garden

2012-01-30T10:24:00.000-06:00

I didn't think I'd get around to it this year, but somehow I managed to get a bed ready for our spring vegetable garden. There was already a pretty large flowerbed in the back of the yard when we moved in. It had three bushes in it, all of which died during the summer drought, and a lot of weeds.

After clearing out the weeds and mulch, I ran a soaker hose across the bed, securing it in place with garden staples. For now we have the garden hose running across the yard and set up on a timer. Eventually we'd like to dig a trench from the faucet to the garden bed and lay some pvc pipe, so we don't have a hose to move every time we mow.

Ideally I would like to move it away from the fence about a foot so there's room to walk behind it, and square out the front edges, but that will have to wait until next year...or never. I'm not sure I want to do that much digging.

I'm trying to do better at square foot gardening this year, so I can maximize the space. To help divide the bed, I staked out a 12" x 12" grid and marked it off with twine. I pulled an old laundry drying rack out of the donate box, and used a miter saw to cut it up into a bunch of little pieces, which I used for the stakes. It looked a little something like this before I chopped it up.

Source

Our next door neighbor has bamboo, which makes its way under our fence and grows up in the corner of our yard. Zach chopped it all down so we could use it to make bamboo teepees for our climbing plants. I used hand pruners to cut all the smaller branches and leaves off, then stuck a few pieces in each plot and tied them together with twine. Zach also built three wire trellises using garden fencing and scrap wood.

I also started some seeds indoors, for tomatoes, basil, broccoli, and peppers. We've got a pretty fancy indoor green house- a shop light hung across two closet rods.

Dream Foyer Contest Results

2012-01-25T14:06:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone who voted for my Dream Foyer pinterest board. I won third place and a $100 gift certificate to Layla Grayce!!!

Accent table

2012-01-24T07:52:00.000-06:00

I've spray painted many things, but never a piece of furniture. I've always thought it was a bit of a waste of money, especially when we always have extra latex paint leftover from painting walls, doors and trim. I finally decided to give it a try with the pedestal table I purchased last year, which is now in our bedroom.

Before

I thought spray paint would be a much quicker and easier way to paint the table, since it has such a curvy base. Ordinarily, I would sand the table down with sandpaper, but took another shortcut and bought liquid sander. I figured the liquid sander along with a coat of primer would help the paint adhere well enough, plus the table top would be protected by glass.

I've heard Heirloom White spray paint mentioned on just about every home decor blog that I read, so I thought I'd try it out. In addition to the liquid sander, I purchased two cans of Heirloom White and 1 can of primer.

After wiping the table down with the liquid sander and letting it dry for 10 minutes, I applied a coat of primer. I then applied two coast of Heirloom White, which used about 1 1/2 cans of paint. The Heirloom White is actually a very nice shade of white, not too bright, not to creamy.

After

I think the color helps the table tie in better with our headboard and nightstands, which are also white, and keeps it from blending in with the dark wood floor.

I spent about $15 to repaint this $25 resale find, for a total of $40. Spray paint worked great for this project, but it probably won't be my first choice for future projects. No doubt it's easier and quicker than brushing or rolling on paint, but in the end it's a bit more expensive and not quite as kind to the environment.

Vote for my "Rustic European" Fantasy Foyer

2012-01-20T11:20:00.000-06:00

Last week I created a pinboard for Layla Grayce's Fantasy Foyer contest and was chosen as one of the top 5 finalists!!! If you have a moment, please vote for my "Rustic European" foyer.

The winning entries will receive:

1st Place: A choice of any item you pinned valued at $500 (or less)

2nd Place: A choice of any item you pinned valued at $250 (or less)

3rd Place: A $100 Layla Grayce gift certificate.

The winner will be announced January 25th. I've really got my eye on that chandelier...

Go here to vote.

A healthy baby gift

2012-01-17T12:01:00.000-06:00

I found a cute bicycle print flannel at my local fabric store and bought a couple yards with baby gifts in mind. It's a fun print and could work for a boy or girl. Part of it got made into a baby blanket, gifted along with a plush granola bar.

Our New Robot

2012-01-13T08:31:00.000-06:00

Zach asked for a robot for Christmas. It only has one job but it's very efficient at what it does. It's a Litter Robot.

We bought it refurbished online and have been using it for about a month now. For the first 2 days our cat refused to use it, opting instead for the the laundry room rug. So we left him in the laundry room, just him and the robot, and within 24 hours he had completely transitioned to the new box.

Here's a video on how it works:

Automatic pet feeder? Check. Automatic litter box? Check. Now all we need is one of these:

Grocery bag holder

2012-01-12T08:49:00.000-06:00

I made my mom a grocery bag holder for Christmas using this quick and easy tutorial from make it and love it. She's got tons of great ideas and her tutorials are very easy to follow.

This holder doesn't take up a lot of space but holds plenty of bags, and can be hung anywhere. And all you need is fabric, elastic, and a bit of ribbon.

Why we make our own corn dogs

2012-01-09T13:25:00.000-06:00

About two years ago Zach and I decided to make a big change in our eating habits, specifically what kind of meat we eat. In the past I didn't give much thought to the type of meat I purchased. I had two criteria: price and freshness (i.e. the "Best by" date was still in the future). Pretty basic.

But the more we thought about it, the more we realized the importance of knowing where our food comes from. What really solidified the decision were two documentaries, King Corn and Food Inc., followed up by some online research. Another big factor in our decision was our Christian faith. For us the decision was less about improving our health and more about moral responsibility and the impact of our food choices on the environment. In essence, it was about being good stewards of what God has given us. (Relevant magazine published an article on the ethical food movement in their July/August 2011 issue. If you have time, you can read an excerpt here.)

So we decided to only purchase and consume meat that was both sustainably and humanely raised. Simply put, for poultry this meant free-range, and for beef it meant free-roaming and grass-fed. We also made the switch to buying our eggs from the farmer's market or purchasing only those marked as free-range at the grocery store. We also eat fish but make sure that what we are buying is marked "sustainable".

Because grass fed/free range meat is more expensive, our meat consumption has dropped way down. We eat meat about once a week, and because of this have added a lot more tofu, eggs, quinoa, and beans to our diet as sources of protein. Besides cost, there are also other good reasons for eating meat less frequently.

Most of the time when dining out I order a vegetarian dish, unless the restaurant carries meat that is specifically labeled as grass-fed or free range. You'd be surprised how many restaurants offer vegetarian options. I've only been to one restaurant over the past two years that did not have a veggie option, and I ended up with fried catfish. Even most BBQ restaurants offer a veggie side-dish meal....although I would love to find a BBQ restaurant that has grass-fed beef.

On explaining our new "diet", I've been surprised at how many times I've received the response "So you're a vegetarian now?" No. We're not vegetarians. We may order vegetarian dishes when we go out, or request a vegetarian meal if you invite us to dinner at your house. But we like meat. Meat is great. Especially bacon...

And that brings us to the title of this post, why we make our own corn dogs. Zach enjoys corn dogs but the poor guy hasn't had one since 5 years ago at the state fair. Let me tell you how easy it is to find corn dogs made with grass-fed beef. Nearly impossible. (If you know of a source, let me know. That and BBQ.)

So I decided to make homemade corn dogs, using The Great Organic Hot Dogs. Thank you Applegate for making a grass-fed hot dog!

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cups yellow cornmeal
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting hot dogs
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups whole milk (I used 1% milk)
Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying (about 2 quarts)
12 hot dogs

In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir in eggs and milk. (You will have about 5 cups batter.) Fill a large heavy pot, Dutch oven, or deep fryer with enough oil to submerge hot dogs; heat until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 360 degrees.

Meanwhile, pat hot dogs dry, and insert a 10-inch bamboo skewer (I used chop sticks) through each lengthwise; roll in flour to coat.

Pour batter into tall mason jar. Dip 1 hot dog into batter, turning, until completely coated; let any excess batter drip off, and wipe away extra batter using your fingers so that hot dog is coated evenly. Lower hot dog into hot oil. Immediately repeat with 2 hot dogs. (I found it helpful to turn the jar on it's side and roll the corn dog in the batter).

Cook corn dogs, turning to cook evenly, until deep golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined tray, turning to blot oil. Working in batches of 3, repeat with remaining hot dogs and batter.

Serve with yellow mustard!

After I finished frying each corn dog, I put it on a pan in the oven at 250 degrees to keep warm while the rest of the dogs were cooking. You can also freeze these and reheat later in the oven.

I got this recipe from a magazine but don't remember which one, so if anyone knows the source let me know.

Frosted Glass Door

2012-01-05T08:44:00.000-06:00

We wanted to add a little privacy to the back door leading in to the laundry room, which gives a direct view into the living room. I didn't want to block the light coming in and didn't want something bulky like blinds or curtains on the door since we open and close it so frequently.

You'll have to use your imagination for some of these photos. It's hard to take a good picture of a window!

Before

Seven7h House on the Left has a great post on "frosting" glass with contact paper, and you can even download their template for free.

What you'll need:

window cleaner and a rag (to clean the glass)
clear contact paper
scissors
x-acto knife
fine tip permanent marker
Template

I already had a roll of clear contact paper so all I needed to do was print the template. Because our window has four panes, I had to scale the template down to 85% so it would fit better. When I got to the edges I used an x-acto knife to cut off the excess contact paper.

After

If you've got a few hours and a roll of contact paper, this is a quick and affordable project to dress up any window. And if you ever get tired of it it peels right off. We're pretty pleased with the result so I think it's here to stay.

Vintage Gingerbread House

2012-01-03T12:35:00.000-06:00

Christmas has come and gone and now you're probably wondering what to do with that elaborate gingerbread house you spent hours making. Maybe you're curious just how long a gingerbread house can last. I know one in particular that's been around for two decades:

That's right. I made this gingerbread house 20 years ago. Twenty. Years. And it's been stored in my mom's freezer ever since.

We finally convinced her to say goodbye to it this year. Farewell gingerbread house, you had a good run.

Number 1 or 2?

2012-01-02T09:57:00.000-06:00

Zach has been making some plumbing upgrades to the bathrooms, all of which started with a clogged sink.

The sink in the master bathroom had been backing up so Zach decided it was time to replace the old galvanized metal p-trap with a new one made of PVC. While he was replacing the pipes, the sink stopper from the old faucet fell apart. We've been planning to redo the master vanity and sinks, and have been slowly replacing the mismatched fixtures with heritage bronze ones. Since we'd already purchased new faucets, we went ahead and installed one of them. Zach also replaced the p-trap and faucet in the guest bathroom, using the faucet we took out of the master bath. It was still in good condition and the lever style handles are much easier to use than the old faucet that was in there.

Before

After

We also picked up two BlueSource Total Toilet Repair Kits (featured on lifehacker) for each of our toilets. For $25 and 30 minutes of your time, this kit lets you convert a regular toilet into a dual-flush toilet.

Before

After

We've only been using them for about a week but so far they seem to work well. According to the manufacturer, you can supposedly recoup the cost of the kit within a few months of water bills and within a year you'll save enough water to fill a swimming pool. Hopefully we'll see some savings on our next water bill.

Vegetables

2011-12-29T12:06:00.000-06:00

I've been doing a little gardening lately...

no garden gloves required.

Fort Building Kit

2011-12-27T08:26:00.000-06:00

Growing up, my brother and I dished out quite a bit of abuse on the living room furniture, from building forts to playing Hot Lava. I came across a fort building kit on one of the craft blogs I read and thought it would make a great children's gift. Of course my three nieces are always the ~~guinea pigs~~ lucky recipients of my handmade children's gifts, so this year for Christmas I made them their very own fort kit.

I bought all of the supplies, except the sheets, at the dollar store. Then, during a trip to IKEA (to buy the bins for our laundry room), I was super excited to find three cute curtain panels in the clearance section. I hadn't thought to use curtain panels but they ended up being better than sheets, with the added bonus of tabs at the top, which meant more places to attach the ties and clips.

I made bias tape out of some cotton fabric I had on hand, and used it to add looped ties to each curtain panel.

In my ever-expanding stash of fabric I had some vintage linens, including a small floral printed pouch and an embroidered pillowcase. The pillowcase was turned into a tote bag to hold the "sheets" and supplies.

I opened up the top hem of the pouch and added a ribbon, turning it into a drawstring bag to hold all the supplies.

Using a black paint pen, I wrote inspirational words on the clothespins (idea found here).

I also included a tag to explain what the gift was. I pretty much copied the tag from the tutorial, but changed up the font and colors a bit.

Christmas Cards

2011-12-26T09:55:00.000-06:00

For the past two years I've made hand stamped postcards for Christmas. This year I decided to do cards. For the cover, I drew a picture of Zach and me decorating a Christmas tree.

We picked a quote by Frank McKibben for the inside:

"This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ."

I took the design to FedEx where I had color copies made. The copies lost some of the detail of the original, like the metallic gold I used for the garland and star, but I think they still turned out pretty cute.

Merry Christmas!!!

Laptop Sleeve

2011-12-22T11:35:00.000-06:00

I made a sleeve for my laptop using this tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew! Zach suggested adding a pocket to the front to hold the laptop charger. This seemed like a good idea but was more difficult than I expected. My first attempt was a complete failure; the sleeve was too snug and the pocket design just wasn't working. I ended up having to take apart the entire thing and start over, letting out the seams by 1/4" so that the laptop would fit more easily. With a lot of help from Amanda and Jenn, I finally came up with a pocket design that worked. I gathered the bottom of the pocket and sewed elastic onto the top edge. This added more volume to the pocket and allowed it to stretch open so the charger could be put inside. I added a button and loop to close the top and keep the charger from slipping out.

Bandana Bib

2011-12-19T08:09:00.000-06:00

I had a lot of fun with this baby gift. I used a bandana from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (circa 1995) to make the bib.

The parents have family in the Houston area so I thought they would enjoy the shout out to the Houston Rockets.

This is probably the only bib ever made to feature dinosaurs, a gun, and King Kong.

Travel laundry and shoe bags

2011-12-15T13:00:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to make a travel laundry bag for the longest time. I usually just grab a plastic grocery bag and stuff it in my suitcase, but I wanted something that was reusable, and of course, pretty. I had a couple of yards of blue linen left over from another project, which I used to sew a simple drawstring bag. (here's a good tutorial if you'd like to make your own). The lace panel on the front is actually a piece of fabric from an old blouse.

I also created a smaller version for my shoes, because who wants their dirty shoes packed next to their clean undies?

I used white cotton twill tape for the drawstrings and embroidered the word "laundry" onto the larger bag.

Zach laughed when he saw these and said they were very "Sarah."

Puppets

2011-12-06T08:34:00.000-06:00

A few more photos of the hand puppets I made over the weekend. All three are for sale in my Etsy shop.

Crafters' Retreat

2011-12-05T20:14:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I joined 7 other women at the Wimberley Quilt Ranch for a weekend of crafting and sewing.

Everyone showing off their projects, including a quilt, Christmas tree skirt, laptop case and puppet, skirt, sweater, jeans, and scarf!

I made some puppets and softies for my etsy shop, two drawstring bags, and a sleeve for my laptop...more details to come.

The Saga of the Reading Chairs

2011-12-02T11:14:00.000-06:00

A couple months ago Zach and I went into World Market during their "Rug Caravan" sale to look for a rug for our master bedroom. Unfortunately, when we got there, we found they don't carry any rugs larger than 5' x 7'. Turning to leave the rug section, we passed by the furniture and I saw an armchair with a sign that read "Sarah, buy me." Can you believe it? Ok, not really, but it might as well have said that. I'd been looking for chairs for our bedroom since June and this one had everything I was looking for. I wanted something comfy with arms that had a traditional shape and patterned fabric, preferably in a shade of blue. The "Reading Chair" met all my ridiculous specifications, and as a bonus, the fabric had a vintage feel, reminding me of the fabric on my grandmother's armchair, (which has been retired until we can have it reupholstered).

And as a super bonus, it was on sale for $240. Unfortunately, they only had one in stock, and it was already on hold for another customer. However, they told us they would be getting a new shipment in soon and gave us a rain check for two chairs at the sales price.

I eagerly waited for our new chairs to arrive, but after about a week with no news I called the store, only to find out they had been discontinued! I was frustrated. Why the heck did they issue a rain check if there were not enough chairs available? They were completely sold out online and none of the stores in Texas had any more in stock. After talking two three different managers I finally found two chairs in stock at a store in California. So I had them call California and see if they would ship the chairs to the Houston store. (At this point I'm sure a sign went up on the store front with my photo that read "Do not do business with this woman".) Sure they'd ship the chairs, but I would have to pay for the shipping. 'Ok', I thought, 'I can live with that, I really like these chairs and they're on sale'. That was until I found out freight shipping through UPS would cost around $500, at which point I knew I was defeated. Ready to give up I tried one last desperate google search and ended up at uShip.com. At first I was a little skeptical, having never heard of the website, but checked it out through the BBB and found that it was a legitimate company. With uShip you can create a free account and get competitive shipping bids from multiple companies. I posted a request to have the chairs shipped from California to Houston and by the next morning had three bids to choose from! One of these bids came in at about half of the UPS price, so I went for it. We got World Market to give us an additional 25% for all our trouble, so even with shipping we still got a pretty good deal.

Hazelnut Cream

2011-11-28T11:25:00.001-06:00

I like monochromatic rooms done in creams and whites. I suppose some people find that boring, but I think it can create a calm and inviting space.

Source: joannagoddard.blogspot.com via Kirsty on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: alifeofbeautyandgrace.tumblr.com via Tammy on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Abbe on Pinterest

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Bee on Pinterest

Source: countryliving.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Don't you feel calmer now?

The guest bedroom before. Not much to see here besides yellow walls and brown carpet. Good night moon.

The walls went from sunshine yellow to Hazelnut Cream, by Behr, and the trim and doors got a fresh coat of white semigloss.

Hazelnut Cream

I added a little color and a bit of pattern with the drapes and throw pillows, all of which we already owned. I borrowed the bench from the foot of our bed to add some seating. Zach and I both agree we like it better in here, so it will probably stay. (We've purchased a pair of armchairs for our room so we won't be losing any seating.)

Granola

2011-11-23T07:57:00.000-06:00

I was sitting in a meeting last week, staring at the wrapper from my recently eaten granola bar. The crimped plastic reminded me of stitching, and I had the idea to make a felt granola bar.

All four "flavors" are for sale in my etsy shop. I was amused to see my granola bars featured in this hippie inspired treasury list.

Gallery Wall

2011-11-21T09:55:00.000-06:00

Last week I unpacked all our wall decor. I was a little worried about finding a space for everything, since we don't have as much wall space as before. We have a fairly large wall space by the front door, which can be seen from the dining room and office, so I decided to create a gallery wall. Here's a few I pinned for inspiration.

Source: thesteampunkhome.blogspot.com

Source: birchandbird.com

Source: abodelove.blogspot.com

There are a lot of ways to create a gallery wall. Some people like to lay everything out on the floor and arrange it, then mark off spots on the wall. I just started hanging. I randomly hung up three of the larger pieces first then started filling in around them with smaller pieces. I think this is the least complicated way to do it if you're ok with a little randomness in spacing. I ended up only having to adjust two nails.

Most of the pieces on this wall were handmade by Zach, myself, or a family member. There are photos, drawings, and paintings done by Zach and me, a piece of embroidery from my grandmother, and photographs taken by my uncle. I didn't change out anything in the frames, everything just seemed to go together. Despite my love of white decor, we sure have a lot of dark framed pictures.

Birthday Dresses

2011-11-15T09:00:00.004-06:00

When going through my grandmother's things a few months ago I set aside a few of her blouses, thinking I would make something out of them, but not sure what. Then I saw a tutorial for re-purposing a t-shirt into a toddler dress and decided to turn my grandmother's shirts into gifts for two of my nieces, who both have birthdays in October. All the blouses I had were made of knit material; I was a little worried about my sewing skills when it came to knits, since I had never sewn anything knit before. In the end I was pleased with how they turned out, and my sister reports that the girls love them!

A note about the braided collar: the tutorial says to pull on the fabric to curl the edges before braiding. No matter how much I pulled, neither of my knits would curl. I scrolled through the tutorial comments and saw that other people were having the same problem. It turns out that not all knits will roll up at the edges; thinner knits work better for this. You can still braid with a knit that doesn't curl, you will just have more exposed edges.

You girls are too cute. Aunt Sarah loves you!

Mustard-Glazed Red Cabbage

2011-11-10T14:12:00.003-06:00

Source

I bought a head of cabbage to make Creamy Avocado and White Bean Wraps, and four recipes later I still had half a head left. Some veggies I just chop up and freeze until I'm ready to use them later in a soup or other dish. Unfortunately raw cabbage doesn't freeze well, so I was left looking for a way to prepare the rest of the cabbage before it went bad. I searched online and found a recipe for Mustard-Glazed Red Cabbage with Apple. This seemed like a really strange combination of foods, but I had all the ingredients so I decided to try it out.

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil
½ medium onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 head of red cabbage (2½ pounds), cut into 1½-inch chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Six 6-inch sprigs fresh thyme, or 1½ to 2 teaspoons dried
2 dried bay leaves
1 medium apple (not peeled), cored and cut into  ¼-inch dice
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
¼ cup dry red wine
4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 to 4 heaping tablespoons grainy dark mustard

Directions:

Coat a straight-sided 12-inch sauté pan with a thin film of oil. Heat over medium-high heat; add the onion and cabbage and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring with a wooden spatula, to brown the onions and get the cabbage to pick up golden edges. Adjust the heat so the pan glaze doesn’t burn.

Stir in the thyme, bay leaves, apple, and half of the vinegar, scraping up any glaze on the pan’s bottom. Boil the vinegar down to nothing.

Pour in the wine and broth, bring to a slow bubble, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the cabbage is nearly tender. Uncover and boil away the liquid, stirring in the remaining vinegar toward the end of the boil so it moistens the cabbage.

Just before serving, taste the cabbage for seasoning. Fold in the butter and mustard and serve hot.

It took a really long time to boil off all the liquid, and I was afraid it would turn out mushy. Surprisingly, it still had a nice crunch to it (even after reheating the next day), and the flavor was great! I modified the recipe a bit since I (thankfully) only had half a head of cabbage. I used white wine instead of red and Dijon mustard. I recommend adding less liquid since it came out a little runny, even after the extra cook time.

Two Night Stands

2011-11-09T09:54:00.001-06:00

I like the look of open nightstands but wanted something with drawers to maximize the storage space in our bedroom (ie I wanted more room to store my clothes). I was looking for something with at least two drawers, and found the perfect chest-of-drawers set at a local antique shop. They were already painted in a distressed white finish, which matches our headboard.

They look a little boxy in the photos but actually have a serpentine front.

I love the shape, but am not so in love with the hardware. Some well-intentioned individual thought the hardware would look better spray painted gold, but really it just looks cheap. I'm thinking about soaking the hardware in paint stripper to see if it will remove the paint. If not I may resort to spray painting them oil rubbed bronze or replacing them.

Mattress Modification

2011-11-04T08:56:00.000-05:00

We're having our first overnight guests this weekend, which motivated us to get the guest bedroom set up. Up until now it's been a dumping ground for boxes and furniture.

We have an antique iron bed, inherited from my grandmother. Someone had pieced together a plywood platform that sat on top of the metal frame, and on top of which the box spring sat. We figured it was just there for extra support, and craigslisted the wood before moving, rather than packing all of it into the moving truck. When we went to set up the bed at our new house we realized why the wood was there. Our modern-day box spring no longer fit on the antique bed frame; it was too long. I didn't get a before picture, but where the rails met the headboard and foot board there were metal pieces that kept the box spring from sitting down inside the rails. We considered a few different solutions:

Build another plywood platform? Purchasing all that wood would be expensive, and the mattress was already pretty high off the floor. It would be nice if the box spring could sit down inside the rails.

Lengthen the rails? This would require welding, and with no welding experience or tools this would be difficult and costly.

The only option left was to modify the box spring and the ends of the rails. Zach used a reciprocating saw and a blade made for cutting metal to remove the pieces of metal at the ends of the rails, so the box spring could fit down inside them.

However, there was also a rail at the bottom of the foot board that was in the way. Zach removed the fabric covering the box spring to reveal the wood frame (and other high quality materials used to build it, like cardboard).

After a little carpentry, Zach reshaped the box spring so it angled in at the bottom and fit inside the foot board.

He then stapled the fabric back on using a nail gun and brads. The entire project took about three hours to complete and was completely free! We realize if we ever need to replace the box spring we will be in the same situation, but decided that we could always lengthen the rails later on.

10 Little Indians

2011-11-03T08:27:00.000-05:00

For October book club we read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, a creepy murder mystery just in time for Halloween. In the book (don't worry, no plot spoilers here!) 10 people are lured to a house on Indian Island and are killed one by one. There are ten ceramic Indians in the dining room and one disappears every time someone is murdered.

I thought it would be fun to put out ten little Indians for book club (not that I planned on killing anyone) so I went to the dollar store and bought a bag of Cowboys and Indians.

There were a few casualties before the battle even started...

To make them look a little more like ceramic, and less like plastic, I spray painted them glossy white.

Seventy-Eight

2011-11-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

I was looking through our blog archives today and noticed something funny...

This will make post number 79 for 2011. I probably should have stopped blogging for the rest of 2011 to keep the trend going.

Laundry room progress

2011-10-31T10:11:00.000-05:00

Before

After

The laundry room is the smallest room in the house so you'd think it would be the easiest to paint, but that wasn't the case. It was pretty slow going because we had to disconnect the utility sink and pull the washer and dryer away from the wall. It was also pretty difficult to paint the wall behind the hot water heater, but I managed to do it with a long-handled paint brush. The color is called Fennel by Glidden, and is actually one shade lighter than the half-bath in our old house. Didn't I tell you there'd be no paint color surprises?

I realize this color may look similar to the bright green before of our guest bath, but it's a much more subtle shade of green, more of a light sage.

I used some of my great grandmother's china to hold items above the sink, and have my grandmother's sewing scissors handy to cut off tags or loose threads before throwing things in the wash.

One of my favorite additions to the room is these storage bins. We got the idea from Young House Love, who in turn got the idea from one of their readers. Thank goodness for blog inspiration, because these were the perfect solution! We use the top bin to hold wet laundry (mostly kitchen washcloths and dishtowels) and the bottom bin to hold our shoes. The bins are not made out of the most sturdy plastic, so the "shelf" on the top can't really be used to hold anything heavy (it bows a little in the middle). Other than that we're pleased with them.

I still need to make a new cover for my ironing board and figure out how to hang it (it's an old wooden board that belonged to my grandmother, and standard ironing board brackets won't hold it). We'd also like to build something or re-purpose a piece of furniture to conceal the litter box and create a drop spot for purses and bags.

Housewarming

2011-10-28T08:09:00.000-05:00

We've been in our new house for about four months now and decided it was time to have a housewarming party. I admit our house is nowhere near complete, but if we waited for everything to be perfect we would never have a party. We kept it simple with light finger foods and sandwiches.

The new counters in action!

I managed to dig out some fall decor from one of our many yet-to-be-unpacked boxes, and couldn't resist picking up this skeleton garland I found at the dollar store.

I added a simple handmade touch to the decor by cutting leaves out of an old paperback book. Yes I cut up a book. Books are very special to me and I would usually cringe at this idea. I can't even stand when people dog-ear pages. Therefore I made sure to choose a book for which I would feel no remorse destroying, and bought a romance novel at Goodwill....let's just hope no one reads those leaves too closely. I'm sure the word "member" makes an appearance.

I printed out images of three leaves onto cardstock, then cut them out and used them as my template. This is pretty quick to do if you cut out more than one page at a time. I could fit about two leaves per page, and kept some full pages with a single cut-out in the middle. I got the idea from the fall Pottery Barn catalog.

Source

Before the party, I asked Zach to core and cut some granny smith apples for the pumpkin dip I was making. I went back to our bedroom to get dressed and when I came back out to the kitchen I found this:

Yep, power tools were involved. Zach had attached the apple corer to the drill! His response to my laughter, "What? It goes waaayyyy faster this way."

The weather was clear and sunny, but not too hot; we were actually able to spend some time outside on the patio.

My Sicilian uncle, giving the camera the stink eye

Thanks to all our friends, family, and neighbors who came to celebrate with us!

Subway Tile Back Splash

2011-10-27T09:02:00.001-05:00

The kitchen back splash is done! I'm pretty excited to share this project because A) I love how it turned out and B) I did all the work myself! Zach gave me a ton of advice along the way, but I cut, mortared, and grouted each and every tile with my own two hands!

Here's a reminder of what it looked like before:

I've always been a fan of subway tile. It's simple yet classic, and at 23 cents a tile, just right for our budget. We priced subway tile online and called a few local stores before going with Lowe's, who offered the best price. Along with the standard 6" x 3" white tile, we picked up some bullnose trim pieces for the edges of the back splash. The tiles were pre-spaced, which means they had little ridges on each edge, eliminating the need for plastic spacers.

I used this guy to cut the tile:

It's a Skil wet saw, and I highly recommend it. Although it does get your crotch a little wet. Really. Water sprays straight at you when the saw is on. If you buy pre-spaced tile, keep in mind that those little ridges on the sides make the tile a bit harder to cut straight. This is because it has the tendency to rock back and forth against the fence of the saw when you are pushing it through. (I noticed this most when I cut a tile in half and was left with an edge that only had one ridge.)

This saw can cut beveled and mitered edges...

Both extremely useful when tiling a niche.

We took advantage of the empty wall space next to the stove to create a spot for olive oil, salt and pepper, things we use often when cooking. It frees up counter space while still keeping them within easy reach of the stove.

Zach used a reciprocating saw to cut a hole in the wall then used 2 x 4s to frame it out.

I then tiled around it, using the bullnose tile for the inner edges and beveling the tiles in each corner at a 45 degree angle. This took forever; I made a few mistakes along the way and had to pop off some tiles and re-cut them. But I eventually succeeded, raising both my mortar-crusted fists in the air and declaring victory.

After the mortar dried for 24 hours, it was time to grout. Because the space between tiles was small, we used unsanded grout. We considered using white grout to match the tiles but in the end went with a light gray color (it's actually called "silver"). We like how the gray makes the tiles stand out (Note: it also makes imperfections stand out, so you have to make pretty even cuts).

I just followed the directions on the bag of grout. (Which were unhelpfully all in icon form, kind of like an IKEA manual.) I did learn one thing; a little grout goes a long way! If you leave a lot of excess grout on your tile (even when you think you scraped enough off), you will be doing a lot of scrubbing. You can always go back later and touch up any gaps in the grout line.

I finished up the back splash by sealing the grout. Since the tiles are glazed and don't require sealing, I went with a no VOC brush-on sealer (rather than one that sprays on and seals both the tile and grout). I also caulked the seam between the back splash and counter with white silicone caulk.

Obviously we still need to work on the cabinet fronts. In the meantime I'll just view it as extra motivation to keep our cabinets organized. Not that I have a problem with being unorganized. Except, as Zach will tell you, when it comes to where I put my glasses.

Humphrey Hand Puppet

2011-10-25T08:12:00.000-05:00

Remember Humphrey?

He's now a hand puppet!

zig-a-zag-ah

2011-10-24T08:23:00.000-05:00

Our master bedroom is now a little more cozy thanks to our recently purchased area rug. We knew we wanted a rug made from natural fibers, which are generally more eco-friendly and durable than synthetic rugs. We have a wool area rug in the living room, and have been happy with it, but wool can be pricey and was not in the budget for the master bedroom. We'd heard good things about jute rugs, which are both natural and affordable, but were worried that a jute rug would not be soft enough. So we searched for alternatives and found this Zig Zag Chenille Hemp rug.

Chenille and hemp seems like an unlikely combination, but was just what we were looking for. The hemp gives the rug durability and the cotton chenille makes it nice and soft. It's a neutral color but has a great zig-zag/chevron pattern that adds a little interest. We went with an 8 x 11 rug, which sticks out a few feet on each side of the bed.

Parchment Packaging for Holiday Treats

2011-10-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

Holiday season has arrived and you may be looking for a creative way to package all those holiday treats. Ziploc bags and plastic wrap certainly have their place, but with a little bit of effort you can add a little class to your holiday food packaging. Here's what you'll need:

parchment paper
paper cutter
hole punch
twine or ribbon
sewing machine
thread

The size of your parchment envelopes will obviously depend on what you're packaging. First, cut a rectangular piece of parchment paper. I used a paper cutter to make sure the edges were nice and straight. Fold up one of the short ends (A) of your rectangle, but do not fold completely in half. Leave a few inches of extra paper at the top.

The next step is to sew your envelope closed. You can sew the paper just like you would fabric. Just sew a straight stitch up both sides of the envelope and along the top edge of unfolded paper (B). Fold down the top edge (B) to create the top flap of the envelope.

Use a hole punch to punch four holes in your envelope; two near edge A, and two near edge B. Make sure the two sets of holes line up.

Fill with your favorite treat and tie closed with twine. My envelopes were for Halloween so I used orange thread and black and white twine.

I filled them with rocky road fudge...mmm

Science geek, even in his sleep

2011-10-18T08:46:00.000-05:00

A few nights ago, I was woken up in the middle of the night by a beeping noise outside our bedroom. Zach had been studying hard all day and didn't wake up, so I nudged him.

Me: "Did you hear that beeping noise? What was it? Can you get up and check?"
Zach: Incoherent mumbling
Me: "That beeping noise...what is it?"
Zach: "It's an atom forming."

He then went on to describe the atom to me. I thought he was joking because he was awake enough to get up and check on the noise (which turned out to be the low-battery alarm for our carbon monoxide alarm).

We both fell asleep and the next day he asked "Did I say something about an atom last night?" I bust out laughing. Only Zach would dream about atoms forming.

Ninja Raccoon

2011-10-17T09:25:00.000-05:00

For a sweet boy who just turned one year old...

Laundry shelf

2011-10-14T08:53:00.000-05:00

We've got quite a bit of cabinet storage above our washer and dryer, but not much of it's accessible without a step stool. So Zach built a wall-to-wall shelf beneath the cabinets to hold all the everyday items, like laundry detergent, within easy reach.

Before

(well almost...Zach had already started putting up the shelf supports)

Here's how the shelf looked after it was installed...

Since the shelf sits right on top of the electrical outlet, Zach created a cut-out in the back of the shelf for electrical cords, which comes in handy for our rechargeable battery station. (You may recognize that hat from this post).

Please ignore my sloppy paint job. We're going to paint the walls soon, so I didn't bother keeping the edges clean.

Short people

2011-10-13T14:11:00.000-05:00

In the words of Randy Newman, short people got no reason to live.

Whoever installed the peephole in our front door was obviously going for form over function. It was situated directly in the center of the top four panels, which looked nice, but made it too high for me to see out of, even when standing on my tippy-toes. It was not a short peephole.

Peephole placement before
(in case you're wondering, that brown line is wood putty)

How to Plug a Peephole

Materials:
wooden dowel rod
wood glue
hand plane
wood putty
sand paper
drill
hammer
flush cut (or Japanese) saw
1/2" drill bit

First, I removed the peephole by unscrewing it from the inside (something about that sentence doesn't sound right). Then I took a 1/2" wooden dowel rod and, using a hand plane, shaved it down a bit so it would fit in the hole left in the door. Using the saw, I cut the dowel to the thickness of the door, leaving a little extra length. I coated the dowel with wood glue and hammered it into the hole. After the glue dried, I used the saw and plane to shave down the dowel until it was flush with the door, then applied wood putty. Once the wood putty was dry, I smoothed it out with sand paper. To re-install the peephole, I simply drilled another hole a few inches down, using a 1/2" drill bit, and screwed it back in.

Inside of door after patching the hole and re-installing peephole

Outside of door before sawing off the excess dowel rod

Outside of door after sawing off dowel and applying wood putty

Between the patched peephole and changing out the locks when we moved in, the whole door needed a fresh coat of paint. Like the rest of the interior trim and doors, we used Behr Premium Plus Ultra in Bleached Linen.

I also touched up the outside of the door with the same black paint. (Thankfully it was left by the previous owner.)

But enough about peepholes, on to the ~~mailhole~~ mailbox.

At our last house we had a community mailbox at the end of the street, so we had a bit of a walk to check the mail. In our new neighborhood, all the mailboxes are right outside the front door, and our mail carrier delivers the mail on foot. Great location but not very good placement, for this too needed to be moved down several inches. Before, I couldn't see in the the mailbox and had to reach up and in, digging around until I could find the mail, freaked out the entire time of grabbing a hornet's nest or big furry spider. Luckily this was an easy fix and now I can check the mail without fear.

And short people have got one more reason to live, thanks to the change in our laundry room. More on that tomorrow.

Cheers! The bar is in

2011-10-12T17:50:00.000-05:00

We installed the rest of the kitchen counters, along with the bar, a couple weeks ago. (Read our last kitchen update here).

A few before photos to refresh your memory:

First, we had to tear out all the drywall above the stove so we could screw the bar top into the wall.

To get the drill into such a tight space, Zach used a right angle drill attachment. He attached the bar top to the wall studs using deck screws.

For added support, we mounted wood brackets (which I primed and painted white) on to the other side of the wall, below the bar.

Networking

2011-10-03T08:30:00.001-05:00

I really dislike cords cluttering up our office space, but know they're a necessity. At least until 2030 when everything goes wireless and we're driving hover cars. But until then, we came up with a clever way to keep most of those cords concealed. I'll take full credit for the idea, and give Zach full credit for all the hard work.

We have a small closet in the hallway off our office, with a small shelf. It was just the right size to hold one of our printers (Zach recently purchased a black and white laser jet printer for pharmacy school, to cut down on the cost of printing with our color ink jet printer), our backup drive, and wireless router. Zach cut another board to make the shelf a little deeper, so the printer would fit.

My dad came over and helped Zach run new cable in the attic, and now our little coat closet is wired for Ethernet and electricity. And there's still plenty of room to store our winter coats, (for the one month out of the year when we will need them).

We plan to eventually put a vent in the closet, somewhere inconspicuous, to vent the hot air created by the electronics.

Flowbee

2011-09-30T07:59:00.000-05:00

Before Zach started school, he decided he wanted me to learn how to cut his hair, as a way to save money. When I mentioned I could cut it with a Flowbee, he got a little scared.

If you don't know what a Flowbee is, you obviously didn't watch a lot of infomercials in the 80s, or have one growing up, like I did. Fortunately, being a girl with very long hair, it was never used on me. My two brothers, on the other hand, had their hair cut with this thing for years. Somewhere along the way the original Flowbee was lost, but both my brother and dad bought new ones. Yes, my family has owned not one, but three Flowbees.

So I borrowed one of these Flowbees for Zach's first home haircut...

I think it turned out pretty well...although I need to work on my fade.

Guest Bathroom

2011-09-28T09:36:00.000-05:00

Our guest bathroom has gone from bright lime sherbet to Gentle Tide (left over from painting the living room). The before pictures are a little dark, but I assure you there was nothing dark about the paint color.

Before

After

No major changes in here, just paint and a few already owned accessories. We did add another towel bar next to the tub (which we took from the master bath) and remounted the one that was already there lower on the wall.

You may have noticed one other tiny change...it's like playing a spot-the-difference game. Do you give up? I removed the drawer handle from the middle drawer, which is really not a drawer at all, but a false drawer front. I have a thing about putting hardware on false drawers...it seems wrong, although it's totally a personal preference thing. Someone always ends up pulling on it, only to be disappointed by the lack of drawer action. So I removed the handle and filled the holes in with wood putty before giving the cabinets a fresh coat of white paint. I also patched a small hole in the pocket door, which separates the toilet and tub from the sink area. A hole that lined up just right with the towel ring. (whoever installed the towel ring drilled through the pocket door).

Fortunately, the vanity top and cabinets are in decent shape, since it's not in our budget to replace them. However, the vanity top was splattered with green paint from the walls and what looked like red nail polish and yellow craft paint. Luckily, I was able to completely remove all the marks with a window scraper. If you don't have one of these things you should get one, they're super handy to have around.

We hung a cabinet above the toilet (the same one we've had since living in our first apartment), and hope to get some wall art up soon.

Eventually we're going to move the faucet from the master bath into the guest bath, but that will have to wait until we're ready to work on the master bathroom.

Wheat Bread for the Walls

2011-09-27T11:03:00.001-05:00

The kitchen walls are about half way painted in a lovely shade of greige called Wheat Bread, by Behr. (Or as Zach likes to call it, Wheat Brew.)

But before we could paint, we had to first remove the built-in intercom/radio from the wall, rewire a light fixture, then patch, re-texture, and prime the drywall. Whew.

Before

After removing the radio and running wire for light

Patched and primed and ready for paint

After

We plan to carry this color into the dining room/office and front entryway, and are playing around with the idea of going one shade lighter for the bedrooms.

Whitewash and a bit of the Blues

2011-09-26T10:23:00.000-05:00

I've been doing a lot of painting lately. (Zach has been providing moral support, taking time during his study breaks to tell me how good the paint job looks). If you remember from some of the before pictures, there was a lot of brown going on in the kitchen and living room. The doors and trim in the rest of the house are white, but the doors and trim in the living room and paneling in the kitchen were unpainted. It took two coats of primer and two coats of white semi-gloss to brighten up the trim and doors (I used Bleached Linen by Behr). There's something very discouraging about brushing on that first coat of paint and knowing you will have to repeat the process three more times. But it was worth it and made a huge difference in the space.

Before

After

We painted the living room the same color as our last, since we had nearly a gallon of paint left over, and still really liked the color. The color is Gentle Tide by Glidden (which has been discontinued, but we've hung on to the paint swatch and they'll still mix it for you at the store). Thankfully the paneling in the living room had been painted, so no priming was needed, but it was still a huge pain to make sure the paint got into all the grooves.

More paint progress to come, all in my predictable color palette of "greige", blue, and green.

Master bedroom progress

2011-09-19T09:54:00.000-05:00

If you remember from the bedroom inspiration board I shared, I wanted an upholstered headboard with wooden trim. I wasn't set on the color of the wood, but knew I wanted something with curvy, simple lines that I could upholster myself.

Source

And so began the search. Naively, I thought it would be pretty easy to find what I was looking for. After all, there's a ton of secondhand French provincial furniture out there. We checked craigslist, Goodwill, two antique malls and a flea market, all without success. I did spot a few headboards that had the right shape, but none were queen size. I kept checking craigslist, convinced something would turn up. And I finally found something that would work....except for the $400 price tag. Why the high price? It was the Charlotte headboard from Pottery Barn, which retails for $500 (plus $75 shipping), and according to the seller had never been used.

Source

Although it wasn't a terrible price, we figured it would probably cost about the same to buy a new already-upholstered headboard. So I decided to take a chance and offered the seller $200 for it, an offer which they politely declined. By now you're probably wondering why I'm giving you so many details about a headboard I didn't buy, but there's a happy ending to this story. Three weeks later the headboard was reposted on craigslist with a lower price of $325. I made an offer a bit higher than my last, and ended up getting the headboard and a metal frame for $285!

We still need to get nightstands and choose a paint color for the walls...oh and patch the hole left from the intercom speaker.

We had to make a few changes to the frame and headboard; we replaced the regular casters with adjustable ones, to raise the height a little, and drilled new holes in the headboard to attach the frame. I also hemmed our bed skirt a few inches. I'd eventually like to add an upholstered panel, but haven't quite decided how I want it to look.

Friendly Bathroom Remodel

2011-09-15T09:22:00.000-05:00

Over the summer Zach had the opportunity to do a little home renovation for our friends Kristin and Brian. Kristin and Brian have a lovely home, but wanted to add a little more style to the vanity in their master bath. Zach took a couple before and after photos of the project with his iPhone.

Before

After

Kristin chose all of the materials and Zach got to work tiling the wall, trimming out the mirrors, and building two custom shelves. I helped by staining the wood for the mirrors and shelves and grouting the tile. We hope they enjoy their new master bath as much as we enjoyed working on it for them!

Garage door openers

2011-09-14T08:18:00.000-05:00

Part of the reason for cleaning out the garage, along with making the space more usable for the rest of our home improvement projects, was so we could park our cars in it. Unfortunately, neither of the doors had a garage door opener. A standard garage door opener runs about $150, so we were looking at spending at least $300. During a trip to Habitat for Humanity Restore, Zach spotted one for just $50! I found a second one on Amazon Warehouse Deals for just over $100, getting us two garage door openers for the price of one.

Since we're in the middle of the kitchen remodel and Zach has started school, we decided to hire out most of the installation (we used Sears). And since we saved so much money on the openers, we were still within our budget.

Baby gifts

2011-09-13T08:31:00.000-05:00

My dear friend Bethany and her charming husband Sam are having a baby girl! Bethany lives in England but made a trip back home to Texas for a baby shower. I broke in my new craft space and made her a nursing cover, burp cloth, bib, and blanket. (Thanks to Jenn for sharing all these patterns). I used cotton prints in gray and yellow as well as a polka-dot flannel.

The bib and blanket both have flower shaped cut-outs, playing off the flower shapes in the gray fabric.

A cute and easy gift wrap idea: string a spool of thread on a ribbon for a fun and reusable embellishment.

Climate change

2011-09-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

We have a digital thermostat that controls our air conditioner, which until recently was on the wall in our living room. Although we don't have a definitive floor plan for the living room yet, we decided the thermostat would be better off in the hallway, which would open up the wall in the living room for taller pieces of furniture, which would otherwise block the thermostat.

I wasn't sure what I'd find when I removed the thermostat from the wall, but was relieved to see that there was only a small hole in the paneling for the wires to pass through. I loosened the wires from the thermostat then drilled a new hole in the hallway wall.

Getting the wires from the living room through the small hole in the hallway would have been a challenge if it weren't for the convenient placement of the AC return. I opened up the return cover and (after thoroughly checking for bugs with a flashlight) squeezed myself inside the wall, where I pulled the wires out of the living room wall and fed them through the new hole in the hallway.

I rewired and mounted the thermostat in the hallway and patched the hole in the living room with a little wood putty.

Although our primary motivations for moving the thermostat were for looks/furniture placement, there's also a practical benefit of the new location. The best placement for a thermostat is often near an AC return. This is because the air at the return will be more representative of the air in the home, as the air is pulled in from around the home, and should result in a more consistent temperature. It also makes sense in our house since we only have one AC return, and it's in the center of the house.

Kitchen progress

2011-09-09T10:07:00.000-05:00

As promised, here are some pictures of the progress we've made in the kitchen. The photo below was taken after installing two of the counters and before removing the bar.

After removing the bar...

Kitchen prep

2011-09-06T08:08:00.000-05:00

Before we could install the counter tops, we had a few problems to tackle, including wiring, drywall repair, and nest removal. We weren't surprised about the wiring and drywall, but were not expecting to find what looked like a bird nest behind the wall. After a little investigating, we found an abandoned nest in the eaves of the attic, right above this spot, and think pieces from the nest must have fallen down into the wall. It was pretty easy to clean out; I just used our shop vac and vacuumed it up.

The second problem was the light above the kitchen sink. When we moved in there was no light fixture above the sink, just a hole and a couple of wires capped with wire nuts. But the repair involved more than just installing a new light fixture, because the light above the sink was on the same switch as the track lighting on the ceiling. In other words, if you wanted the light above the sink to be on, you had to turn on all the lights in the kitchen.

The hole in the photo below was actually made a few weeks ago when Zach removed the main control box for the radio/intercom system in our house. Although it still worked, the sound quality was pretty terrible, not to mention how unnecessary an intercom system is in a 1900 sq ft home, where you can easily hear someone talking from the other end of the house. And that tangle of wires to the right is where the switch for the kitchen lights was (this is the wall in our breakfast nook that separates the kitchen from the laundry room).

Zach got up in the attic, no small feat during a Texas summer, and ran new cable. Now the light above the sink has it's own switch, just to the left of the sink.

Once all the wiring was done, we repaired the drywall, since it was in pretty bad shape when we pulled off the laminate backsplash. (you can see where we patched it with the purple drywall). I take full credit for the slightly wonky drywall work, but since we'll be tiling over it, it didn't need to be perfect.

The sink we bought is designed to sit on top of the counters, but we decided to undermount it, which meant it had to be installed before the counters went in. Zach cut out part of the base cabinet to accommodate the sink apron, and reinforced the cabinet sides to hold the weight of the sink. The faucet is a pull-down model by Price Pfister, bought on Amazon. We've primed the drywall and installed the counters on either side of the sink. We'll post some pictures soon.

So what's left on the kitchen to-do list?

Remove the remaining laminate countertops
Install the rest of the the butcher block
Tile the backsplash
Install light fixture above sink
Trim out cabinet fronts
Prime and paint cabinets
Replace cabinet hardware
Paint walls
Make homemade pasta, my promise to Zach once the kitchen is finished

Kitchen Counters

2011-08-30T09:35:00.002-05:00

If you remember, part of our plan for the kitchen was to replace the laminate countertops with butcher block. We bought three Lagan countertops from IKEA for just $59 each. They came in 8 foot lengths so the first step was to cut them down to size. We needed two pieces to go on either side of the sink, a large piece with a cut-out for the stove, and a long narrow piece for the bar. Zach also cut out a windowsill for the kitchen window with some of the leftover wood. After the pieces were cut, we sanded them down, with a belt sander, to remove the existing coat of tung oil.

Since it was way too hot to stain and seal them outside in the garage, we cleared out one of the bedrooms. We had both windows open and a fan going to circulate the air but even so I wore a paint respirator.

After sanding, they got a coat of wood conditioner, followed by two coats of Minwax dark walnut stain. I let them dry for three days before sealing them with Waterlox. I coated the bottom with two coats of original Waterlox, allowing 24 hours dry time between coats. Then I flipped them over and started on the tops, applying four coats of original Waterlox, followed by one coat of Satin Waterlox, again allowing 24 hours of dry time between coats. The original Waterlox must be used as the base coat, but can also be used as the top coat, which gives a semi-gloss sheen. However, we opted for a satin sheen, and used Satin Waterlox for our top coat. (Complete Waterlox instructions can be found here).

Overall, we're really pleased with the result. The only problem we had was small air bubbles during application that caused the surface to be a little rough. I think it may have had something to do with the heat since we followed all the recommended steps to prevent bubbles. Here they are, stained, sealed, and ready to install.

UPDATE: I went back and lightly sanded the counters with a very fine (220) grit sanding sponge, then applied one more coat of satin Waterlox. It made a big difference and they are now much smoother to the touch. (Waterlox does not recommend between coat sanding for adhesion purposes, but does say a light sanding before the last coat can help with the appearance, which in our case meant smoothing out the bubbles).

August: The worst month to clean out your garage

2011-08-28T18:18:00.000-05:00

We put a hold on some of our indoor projects to get the garage cleaned and organized. The sawdust from cutting the flooring was several inches high, and it was beginning to look like a sandy beach, minus the cool water and refreshing sea breeze. So we drug everything out into the driveway and then tore out the garage ceiling. Weren't expecting that, were you? Yes, we ripped down the perfectly good drywall covering the ceiling in our finished garage. I admit it was a bit painful for me to watch, but it was all in the name of organization. Zach did most of the demo while I helped clean up the mess. Between the leaf blower, shop-vac, and air-compressor, we rid the garage, and everything in it, of all its dust and dirt. Now that the ceiling is opened up, we're able to use all the rafter space for storage, getting a lot of things off the garage floor.

We even found a couple of surprises up there, like pool cue chalk, an antique ball canning jar and a newspaper from 1970.

Lovely brown and yellow laminate covers part of the floor. For now we've decided not to remove it; it's stuck very firmly in place with a lot of glue. We will be re-taping the edge, though.

We also have a storage shed in the backyard for all our yard tools. At one time it served as a port-a-potty for all the neighborhood roaches, kind of like Joe's Apartment. Let's just say it looked like someone took a gallon tub of chocolate sprinkles and dumped it all over the floor. As gross as it was, I'd rather clean up a ton of roach poop than have to deal with one live cockroach. Ugh.

Babybel sculptures

2011-08-26T07:46:00.000-05:00

I came home the other day to find that Zach had made me a heart, out of wax from a piece of Babybel cheese. The next day it had been transformed into a rose. So ~~cheesy~~ sweet.

Then I started to wonder if anyone else had made a Babybel sculpture. And through the power of Google, my question was instantly answered. Yes.

Source

What can you make out of Babybel wax?

Table before and after

2011-08-25T09:06:00.000-05:00

My mom saved this little table from her neighbor's garbage, and it eventually found it's way to our house. I don't know what it looked like originally, but someone had tried to strip the paint off of it at one point. I kind of liked the unfinished look, but it was a little too unfinished and had some pretty bad water rings on top.

Before

I gave the top a couple coats of Minwax dark walnut stain, and painted the base with Glidden's Elegant Lace in eggshell (which was free, thanks to Glidden's customer appreciation promo). I also used a bit of brown glaze to bring out the details.

After

Right now our living room is a sea of beige: beige walls, beige couches, beige tile. I've been slowly working my way around the room, priming and painting the trim, and hope to get some color on the walls soon.

White Coat Ceremony

2011-08-19T18:23:00.000-05:00

Zach had his White Coat Ceremony today, where he was presented with his coat for pharmacy school. Class starts Monday for the class of 2015!

Peppers and Berries

2011-08-16T10:24:00.000-05:00

Before we left Austin I dug up a couple plants from our garden, including a blackberry plant and two jalapeno plants. They survived the trip to Houston and one of the jalapeno plants is even making peppers. Hopefully we will be able to get some things in the ground this spring.

Craft Table

2011-08-15T08:52:00.000-05:00

Aside from a few scratches, most of our furniture made it to Houston safely. However, there was one casualty... the glass top on my craft table.

My craft table is very dear to me, for obvious reasons (how could I do all my sewing and crafting without a good craft table?), but most importantly, because Zach built it. Just for me. With his own two hands, and a lot of love. I'm relieved it was just the glass that broke; although a bit pricey, it's easy to replace.

Which brings me to a long overdue post about how my craft table came to be.

I've actually been using the table for over a year now, but have never got around to sharing it. I guess I've been too busy crafting. Below is the sad little craft table I was using before, something I took from my mom's garage. Not much surface space and very wobbly.

Before

My mom bought me an old door at a consignment store, and I thought it would be great as a table top. So last year for my anniversary gift, Zach turned it into a table...

He used turned porch posts for the legs, and did the rest of the wood work, including the scalloped apron, by hand. He even included a drawer, with dovetail joints, for easy access to all my sewing notions. (Drawer pull from Anthropologie).

Galveston Trip

2011-08-14T14:07:00.000-05:00

Zach and I took a short trip to Galveston to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. We spent a little time on the beach, did some window shopping on the Strand, and enjoyed a couples massage at Moody Gardens.

A lesson in Utility

2011-08-12T20:36:00.001-05:00

One of the nicest things about our new house is the laundry room, which despite the hot water heater taking up space in the corner, is quite larger than what we're used to. For us, the best way to use the extra space was to install a utility sink. Between all the messy projects we do, and the shiny new sink we'll be putting in the kitchen, we knew it would be well worth it.

We spent a few weeks looking on Craigslist for a utility sink, but in the end found the best deal on Home Depot's website. Most of the plumbing supplies were bought at Habitat for Humanity ReStore for next to nothing, which helped us keep the cost of the project under $60.

The hardest part of the project was connecting the sink to the waste pipe used for the washing machine. Zach removed some of the drywall to get to the existing waste pipe, then re-plumbed it so he could attach a P-trap from the sink to the waste pipe.

Once the drywall was patched, re-textured, and primed, the sink was ready to go in. We used two hosepipe splitters, or Y-connectors, to attach the faucet to the water lines for the clothes washer.

Image source

Since we're replacing the kitchen sink and faucet, we used the old kitchen faucet for the utility sink.

If you're wondering what those funny cylinder things are, they're water hammer arresters. You can find them at your local home improvement store.

Please ignore the half finished paint job. This room is a work in progress.

Grandma Lee

2011-08-11T19:12:00.001-05:00

I said goodbye to my last grandparent this week, Grandma Lee. She was 92 years old. We will miss her.

Monster Sighting

2011-08-03T13:49:00.000-05:00

There are blogs for just about everything, even monster enthusiasts! Hop on over to i only like monsters to see a post about my monster softies, as well as other ~~cute~~ frightening creations.

Master plan for the master bedroom

2011-08-03T09:24:00.003-05:00

Our empty bedroom

We got rid of most of our bedroom furniture before we moved, which was a good thing, since we wouldn't have been able to fit another piece of furniture in the moving truck. So we'll pretty much be starting from scratch on our new bedroom. We're considering making an upholstered headboard and using some of the accessories and bedding we already have to finish off the space. Instead of regular bedside lamps, we're planning to get wall lamps. Upholstered headboard + wall lamps = hours of comfortable reading in bed. And since our closet is a bit smaller, we're thinking about using small dressers as nightstands, to give us more space to store ~~our~~ my clothes. We'd also like to include a small seating area, with a pedestal table and two upholstered chairs. We'll have a better idea of how much furniture we can comfortably fit in the space once we've got a queen sized bed in there. We may end up having to nix the seating area, or going with just one chair.

Plants

2011-07-29T08:35:00.000-05:00

I picked up a few plants at the grocery store that were "reduced for quick sale." I was expecting half dead annuals, but surprisingly I found quite a few perennials, and they looked like they were still pretty healthy. I have a thing about annuals; I rarely buy them because I can't justify paying money for a plant that is just going to die by the end of the year. I prefer perennials because they come back year after year and are usually a little more hardy than annuals.

I bought three salvia plants for 99 cents each and a gaura for just 50 cents. I'd been planning to buy a few salvia plants anyways, since they are pretty low maintenance and don't require a lot of water. Technically, salvia is an annual in colder climates, but in Texas it can be a perennial. I actually bought salvia splendens, which isn't quite as hardy as the salvia greggi that we had at our old house. I took a chance on the gaura since I didn't know anything about it. It turns out that gaura is native to Texas, grows well in hot climates, and is tolerant of drought.

When they get a bit bigger they will hopefully look something like this. We'll see...

Source

Custom Shelving and an Ode to Mr. Williams

2011-07-27T20:08:00.000-05:00

We just finished putting shelves in the office to create more storage for my craft supplies. Between our two desks, there's not a lot of floor space in the room, so we need to utilize the vertical space as best as possible. Zach designed and built the shelves himself, to fit my many craft bins.

Here's the space before. The bookshelves and file cabinet are from here. When we ordered them years ago we chose the antique cream finish, expecting something off white, but they're really more of a buttery yellow color. And yes, that's a light saber on top of the bookshelf. Can you tell this is Zach's side of the office?

Zach created a template for the shelf brackets, cut them out with a jig saw, then gave them an ogee edge with a router. He also routed the edges of the shelves with a round over bit.

Most of the bins hold fabric, the color of which is shown in a nifty little label window. I just cut out a small swatch of fabric from each bin and used that instead of a paper label.

In our old office we had room for a second file cabinet, which we painted to match the bookshelves and existing file cabinet. We used Behr semi-gloss and had it color matched at the store. Color-wise, it was a decent match, but we soon found out that the paint stayed tacky after drying, and anything we set on top of the file cabinet would stick and leave marks. So when we decided to paint the shelves to match the rest of the office furniture, we opted to try out a different brand of paint. After reading reviews online, we went with Sherwin Williams ProClassic interior latex in semi-gloss. We debated whether or not to use oil-based paint, but in the end decided against it because of the odor and the tendency for it to change color over time. I've always heard that Sherwin Williams made good paint, but one paint stroke proved it. ProClassic is the best paint I've ever used. Which is obviously no secret to Sherwin Williams, who prices a quart of the stuff at $20, similar to what you might pay for a gallon of another brand. But it's worth it. Coverage was excellent, it brushed on smooth and dried flat, not to mention the color matching was dead-on, better than Behr. In addition, the semi-gloss finish is less glossy than other brands, which I like. But the best part is that it dries hard, so objects don't stick to it. And maybe it was just my imagination but it even seemed like the paint rinsed out of the brushes and rollers more easily. (I wasn't given any compensation to gush about ProClassic, it's just really good stuff!)

The shelves may be painted and up, but we've still got a bit of work to do in this room, including organizing, buying desk chairs, and painting the walls. We're thinking about painting them a warm gray but haven't quite made up our minds.

What's cooking in the kitchen

2011-07-21T08:02:00.000-05:00

We knew right away that we wanted to brighten up our kitchen cabinets and replace the worn laminate counter tops. We looked at all the options (or at least we thought we did) and settled on replacing the laminate with more laminate..huh? We convinced ourselves that at less than half the cost of granite, laminate was the best option for us. They have some really great patterns and edge finishes now, which make for a much more attractive counter than your grandma's yellow formica...even if you do remember it fondly. We narrowed down our choices to "Perlato Granite" with an ogee edge, rather than the standard square edge.

Perlato Granite

Ogee edge

Square edge

Although we were satisfied with the choice, we weren't exactly excited about it. Then I came across these beautiful kitchen makeovers by this and that and Stillwater Story.

this and that

Stillwater Story

Dark stained butcher block, beautiful isn't it? And when Zach and I realized that butcher block counters would be cheaper than laminate, we were sold. We like that it's a natural material and more diy friendly than laminate, which has to be custom ordered. We've also got plans to give our cabinet fronts a face lift.

Here's the plan:

LAGAN countertop, DOMSJO sink, white subway tile, pull-down faucet, shaker style cabinets

Along with the butcher block counters, we'll be putting in a white apron front sink and subway tile back splash. The first step is staining and sealing the counters, which between drying and curing time will take at least two weeks. We want to make sure the butcher block's ready to install before we remove the existing counter tops and sink, since we're not fans of doing our dishes in the bathroom.

MarCraft photo contest

2011-07-19T13:22:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we entered the MarCraft photo contest via their facebook fan page. MarCraft is one of the leading makers of cultured marble and granite vanity tops. We installed one of their vanity tops in our guest bathroom and genuinely like their products; they're a good blend of affordability and quality.

The contest results were posted today on facebook:

Does that bathroom look familiar?

That's right, we won the photo contest, along with the grand prize, a refund for the retail price of our vanity top! And what, you ask, are we going to do with the prize money? Buy another MarCraft vanity top, of course. We've got plans to redo the vanity in our master bathroom, so this prize couldn't be more perfect!

Final Floor

2011-07-18T17:00:00.000-05:00

The floors are done!

There's going to be much box shuffling and furniture moving over the next several days...

Cabinets and Shelves

2011-07-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

The kitchen was the first room we unpacked when we moved in to our new house. Let's just say we like to eat, and our stomachs and wallet were getting tired of eating out. I think it was the breakfast sandwiches from Sonic on moving day that put us over the edge.

But before we could fill our new kitchen cabinets, we had a little prep work to do. We started by removing the shelf paper. In some areas there were three layers of paper. The bottom layer looked like it must have been put in in the 60s, when the house was built. After much peeling and scraping all the paper was removed and the cabinets were ready for new liner. We prefer the non-adhesive shelf liner because it's easy to remove if you want to clean it or switch it out. We use the solid-colored stuff because it's inexpensive and gets the job done, but there sure are some cute patterned papers available...

Fabric-topped for dresser drawers and closets (from Container Store)

Scented (also from Container Store)

And if your looking for prints, chicshelfpaper.com has a wide selection:

Flower Burst

Eco Leaves

Windblown Whispers

So pretty.

Aside from being a little dated, the cabinetry in our kitchen is solid wood and in very good condition. (We have plans to redo the kitchen soon, with new counter tops and a new look for the cabinet fronts...we'll share those plans with you soon.) While we didn't splurge on shelf paper, we did put up the cash for something a little more practical- cabinet organizers.

Do you see that little bit of green poking out from the frying pans in the photo above? Those are "pot protectors" that I sewed to keep the pots from getting scratched when they're stacked.

I can't stand having to pull everything out of the cabinet to get to the one thing I need in the back, and that's why I love these. Such an easy solution to such a common problem.

Let me switch gears for just a second and say that our MO for this house remodel is a bit different than the last. Since we're only planning to stay in this house for 4 to 6 years, while Zach is in school, we're choosing materials and finishes that will give us the most bang for our buck, especially when it comes to the resale value of the house. Of course we want to enjoy the house while we're in it, but at the same time, all our decisions have been driven by the question, "What's the cheapest, most practical option for us?" If we're going to put it in the house, it must be affordable and relatively durable.

So when pricing cabinet organizers, we we're excited to find this IKEA option starting at $16.

RATIONELL wire basket

Measurements in hand, we went to IKEA to purchase them. It's wasn't until we saw them on display that Zach pointed out one fatal flaw, they were side mount.We have a galley style kitchen and all the cabinets open up to one another, with no cabinet sides in between. Even though the IKEA organizers didn't work for us, we think they're still a good option for those with cabinets that can accommodate them.

The next stop we made was Container Store, to check out their Elfa easy glider.

It mounted to the bottom of the cabinet, so that was one problem solved, and starting at $25, the price was still reasonable. Unfortunately we needed 12" and 15" widths, and all that was available were 9" and 13" widths. We could have made them work but would have lost several inches of storage space in each cabinet. We were about ready to call it a day when we came across these chrome roll out drawers.

They were perfect in every way, bottom-mount, and just the right widths, but they came with a bit of sticker shock. We compromised and ended up going home with 4 drawers, instead of the 7 we had originally planned to buy. We were also able to use Zach's educator discount to get 15% off. And although we bent the "affordable" part of our "affordable and durable" rule a bit, we figure that we can always take these with us when we move.

Mop

2011-07-13T20:56:00.000-05:00

In case you're wondering how we mopped the concrete subfloor, because admit it, that's the kind of stuff that keeps you up at night, it wasn't with a regular sponge mop. That would get torn up pretty quickly.

Instead, I used a string mop, along with one of these...

Look, it even matches the walls! It's like being inside a banana peel.

And yes, I am a neat freak, but no, I do not own a commercial grade mop bucket. It's actually on loan from my mom, who purchased it years ago when she redid all of her flooring.

Removing Carpet

2011-07-05T08:05:00.000-05:00

Before we could put down our new flooring, we had to remove the carpet. This requires a bit of hard work, but is simple to do. Here are a few quick tips on the process:

A dust mask, gloves, and knee pads are a must! You will also need a large pry bar, putty knife, and carpet knife.

You will need to pull the carpet free from the tack strip. It's easiest to start at a threshold or corner of the room.
You may be tempted to pull out all the carpet at once, but don't. Carpet is heavy! Using a carpet knife, cut the carpet into 4 to 5 foot sections before rolling. This also helps come trash day, because some collecters won't pick up large rolls of carpet. (Bulk trash day couldn't come soon enough for us. Old carpet on your front porch for weeks on end isn't exactly classy.)
Once you've got the carpet out of the room you will need to remove the carpet pad. If you're lucky, the installers were light on the glue, and it will come up pretty easily. Use a metal putty knife to scrape up any remaining bits of glue or padding.
The most tedious part is removing the tack strip. Make sure you wear safety glasses for this step, unless you want to end up looking like this. Using a pry bar, pry up the tack strip. Sometimes it will come up clean, taking the nails with it. Other times the wood will break free from the nails and you will need to remove the nail from the subfloor using your pry bar. If the nail head breaks off and the rest of the nail remains in the subfloor, you may need to hammer it down until it is flush with the floor. (There may be some sparks when the hammer hits the nail, so make sure you keep those safety glasses on!)

Clean up all the debris. I swept up the big stuff with a broom then went back and vaccuumed with a shop-vac. I also mopped the area with bleach water to pick up any remaining dust and to disinfect the floor.

We removed the carpet in the formal living/dining and in all three bedrooms, which comes out to a little over 900 square feet. For our new flooring, we went with an inexpensive wood laminate in a dark finish.

We expect to reach nirvana once all the flooring is in. Two rooms down, two more to go...

Corridor expansion

2011-07-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

The doorway is finished! Isn't it pretty? We ended up widening it by 17 inches as well as raising it a few inches. Now we have full access to the freezer and pantry. (Before, both the freezer and pantry doors bumped into the doorway and couldn't be fully opened.)

Before

After

You can catch a sneak peak of our new flooring in the photo above...

Tearing down walls

2011-06-26T10:50:00.000-05:00

Zach and I decided to jump right in and tackle two of the biggest projects we have planned: replace all the carpet with wood laminate, and tear down part of the wall connecting the kitchen to the dining room, to make the opening bigger and better accomodate our side-by-side fridge.

I ripped up all of the carpeting and tack strip in the formal living/dining yesterday, while Zach got to work on the kitchen wall. Before, it was a standard sized doorway with a pocket door.

You can see in the picture below how the freezer door opens up into the wall.

Zach, looking somewhat deranged, and demonstrating his new reciprocating saw, which we bought on Craigslist for 15 bucks!

So far Zach has removed the pocket door and trim and widened the doorway by several inches. Once the doorway is trimmed out, we'll be able to start laying the flooring.

Our New Home

2011-06-23T11:06:00.000-05:00

Our new home! It's a colonial style 3 bedroom 2 bath built in the 1960s.

I managed to take a few before photos while we were unloading the truck.

Dining room (view from the formal living, which will be our home office)

Kitchen

Breakfast nook

Living room

Hall bath

Master bedroom

Master bath

My mom hard at work cleaning our bathroom. Thanks mom!

Second bedroom

Third bedroom

Now back to cleaning and unpacking...

Moving Day

2011-06-21T23:55:00.000-05:00

Our living room last week. (Dressed up for one last date night in Austin).

Enter our wonderful friends...

who helped turn our box-filled home into this:

Our empty living room and confused kitty. So sad.

We'll be posting pictures of our new house soon...

Farewell

2011-06-19T22:36:00.001-05:00

Our good friends Matt and Kelli threw us a going away party Friday night.

I created special party favors for the guests, with a nod to Zach's future career as a pharmacist:

Don't worry, those aren't prescription drugs, just ~~over-the-counter~~ candy.

I posted a wanted add on Craigslist for empty Rx bottles and ended up with a box full of free bottles. After soaking them in water to remove the labels, I soaked them in bleach water, followed up by a wash in warm soapy water. After they dried, I filled them with a variety of candy, including Mike and Ike, Good and Plenty, and Sweet Tarts. Good and Plenty looks the most convincing, especially when you sort out the colors.

I printed out labels with our new address and contact information, including a QR code that links to our blog. Zach created the code using this website. The directions read "Call or visit as needed".

Note of caution: if you post an add for pill bottles on craigslist you just might be contacted by someone looking for drugs.

Sold

2011-05-31T12:29:00.000-05:00

Image source

After only 11 days on the market, we got an offer on our house! God has really blessed us in a big way, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. We'll be saying goodbye to Austin in a few short weeks and moving to Houston. We'll share some photos of our new house as soon as it's officially ours. And of course, a new house means new projects!

NPunnieR

2011-05-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

Much to his surprise, my friend Brian heard my voice coming through his radio this morning on NPR. Since he actually came out to see me yesterday it must have a been a National Peer Repeated sound bite at breakfast.

You can also listen to it on NPR's website.

Pun Off Video

2011-05-21T18:45:00.001-05:00

My stomach got TYPED up in knots and I knew the KEY: BOARD myself up in the bathroom...but things took a fieRE TURN for the worse. When TEXT-mex went EN, TURds came out with a QWERTY smelling FUNK SHUNning away all my friends TILDE started taking SHIFTs to be near me. My twelve friends, I’ll call ‘em F1 through F12, were keeping TABs on me, AM-PERSANDly, only a few cared while the rest stared out the WINDOWS KEY because they’re just CHAR ACTERs.
My sister cruelly said “Go see Doctor Mark. Your nasty VOWELS are all CONSONATED”
CURS OR ARROW of a tongue “Don’t give me anY LIP SIS” but I went anyway.
“I’ve got a QUESTION MARK, can you fix my BACK SLASHing gut pain?
He said with EXCLAMATION, “POINT to where it hurts!”
“This BACK SPACE here”
“Lean FORWARD, SLASH that, just COMMAND get on the table”
Nurse Paige took an imPRINT, SCREENing my stomach.
He told her “PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN” to move the scanner.
“Your bowel flow is UNDER SCORE for your age.”
Suddenly his fingers made a DASH for MINUS and in a second they’re sooo HYPHEN there.
Quickly my knee CAPS LOCKed up and senses went dead, a NUM LOCK if you will.
“You have a rotten CARET and a PEAR IN THE SEAS of your COLON. Additionally your oozing PLUS. Under these CIRCUMFLEXES, you’re ASTERISK for a SEMI-COLON. You must restart your bowels, to get things under CONTROL, ALT DELETE the blockage by inducing a COMMA and INSERTing this SPACE BAR to open things up. Where you’re AT, SIGN up for a return visit”
“Give me a QUOTATION, MARK, on the price”
“From one PERCENT to another, you can’t take anY QUALs this close. Don’t think about the DOLLAR! SIGNs indicate that if you don’t put a FULL STOP on POUNDing away all that HASH, you might get a PERIOD. If you slow down your habits I’ll award you with APOSTROPHE and you’ll be SCROLL LOCKING through the hills before you know it.”

Pun Off

2011-05-20T15:23:00.000-05:00

There was a person who sent ten puns to his friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

The 34th Annual O.Henry Pun-Off World Championship is being held tomorrow, here in Austin. This year's competition is extra special because Zach is competing in the Punniest of Show competition!

We'll share his pun, and maybe even a video, after the competition.

For Sale

2011-05-06T12:44:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe, but our house is officially on the market!

Moving Sale

2011-04-27T19:29:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the total lack of posts these last couple of weeks. We haven't had a moment to spare; we've been busy preparing for one of these...

That's right, we're moving! Zach has been accepted to pharmacy school in Houston, which we are thrilled about, but at the same time we are sad to say goodbye to Austin.

If you live in the Austin area and would like to come check out our moving sale, it will be this Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 1 pm.

Image source