Dresser Makeover

We have recently hit the roadside jackpot! Matt was driving through our 'hood and spotted this lovely dresser out for trash pick up. My loving husband knew I had been in the market to replace our tv/media cainet with a made over dresser. So check out the before and after!

Recognize this? It was in your grandmother's house circa 1980.

Sanded and center drawers removed. New shelf created.

Backing, sides and bottom created. Painted white and knobs sprayed a dark pewter color.

I used my sand block to rough up the edges and corners to give it a little more of a worn look.

Total cost - about $15.

Next up is another freebie found literally in front of our house. Our next door neighbor was throwing out 2 dressers. We have been eyeing this one at Ikea for a year or more now ut since we had a functioning dresser we never could justify buying a new one just because we liked it more. The only problem was that one of the big drawers was broken and so was a support bar. These were not problems as far as Matt was concerned. He used pieces from the other dresser, rebuilt the drawer then used wood glue and paint to repair the support bar. You can actually see it more clearly in the picture than you can in real life. See the dark spot (from a scratched lens)? Just to the right  is the repainted patched spot. And I don't even remember which drawer he rebuilt. You can't tell at all. Pretty impressive for a "not very handy" guy!

Total cost - $0.

Play Room

I have moved the boys into a shared bedroom to create the space for a play room. Here it is!

Alphabet wall - because letters are important!

Polka dots are decals courtesy of Groupon reward bucks!

Reading corner and artwork display. Currently all artwork belongs to Connor, but Cam just eats paper and crayons right now. Give it some time.

Even the Kitchen Sink

We had a leak in our kitchen faucet and we decided to replace the whole darn sink. Matt did it all himself. I am so impressed with his growing desire and ability to repair things and improve our house.

The old sink & faucet.

Going to work on the removal.

Oh what a mess!

Looking down through the counter.

The new faucet.

So it's not just Connor who likes to help!

Hi Mom!

The finished product!

So there was a major glitch in the whole thing. Connor, who loves to help with anything, was in the kitchen during all this mess. He was not responding to instruction so I was scolding him (while I was also on the phone with a friend). As he walked toward me he was looking behind him and whimpering because he was in trouble. He stepped onto the edge of the old metal sink (possibly one of the broken metal clips that hold the sink in place) and immediately turned and sliced his big toe open. I guess the cold metal startled him and as he turned the metal just opened his little toe right up. I didn't realize right away that he was hurt because he was already whining. I ended my call, got up and picked him up to take him to the other room. As I picked him up I realized that he was hurt and rushed him to the bathroom where I began rinsing his foot. There was so much blood gushing and I couldn't tell if all his toes were cut or if it was his foot. Once Matt came in with me we determined it was the big toe and that it was very deep. I wrapped his foot up in a towel and sat with him in the rocking chair. I was pretty sure we needed stitches but since Matt's mom (who is a nurse) was visiting I decided to wait until she returned from picking up dinner to check it out. I also told myself that I needed to wait to see if it would stop bleeding in a reasonable amount of time with some pressure & elevation. So we rocked. He got his pacis and we just cuddled and prayed and sang a couple of songs. Julie got back not too long after that and immediately checked out the wound. The bleeding had stopped much sooner than I expected and she was fairly confident that it couldn't be stitched due to the angle of the cut into the toe. She agreed that it was pretty deep though. We had butterfly bandages, gauze and tape on hand as well as antibiotic ointment, hydrogen peroxide and band-aids. Nurse/Grandma Julie went to work on the toe while Connor and I cuddled in his bed and read books. He amazed all of us. This boy has an incredible pain tolerance. He would occasionally fuss or flinch while she worked on him but he never cried or pitched a fit. The next morning I still had a pit in my stomach that we needed to see a doctor so I called the weekend clinic at our pedi's office and luckily she was available to see him that morning! We really love and appreciate our pediatrician and I was so grateful to get to have her look at it. She was very reassuring that stitches were likely not possible in spite of how deep the cut went. She cleaned it again and re-bandaged him. She told me to watch for signs of infection but mostly just to allow time for it to heal. We tried to carry Connor as much as possible on Saturday and when he did walk, he rolled his foot to walk on the outside of it. It kills me to see my kids in pain and there is nothing like seeing them bleed. My stomach is in knots now retelling the story. I might just go sneak into his room and give him another kiss! WARNING! Some of the following pictures might be a little graphic.

The cut wraps from between the big toe and his 2nd toe and goes at a diagonal about 3/4 of the way around.

Yes, I got into his crib. Matt was kind enough to remind me that there is a weight limit on those things and that I exceeded it.

After we got him all cleaned up and bandaged we made the mistake of putting him in his regular seat to eat dinner. With all the downward pressure of his dangling feet, the bleeding began again. After that we were more careful to keep it elevated.

Resting on the couch - watching Buzz & Woody!

Cabinet Refinishing

Since we bought our house we have disliked the finish on our cabinets. After seeing how easily some friends re-stained theirs we mustered the courage to do ours. We started with the smallest ones, our hall bathroom. Here's the evidence:

Sorry I didn't get any before pictures.First Matt removed all the doors and hardware. Then we lightly sanded everything to create a rough surface.

If tools are involved, you better believe Connor is right there in the mix!

And if Big Brother is doing it, by golly so is Cameron.

Then I wiped off all the dust.

Next I painted on the first coat of stain and let it completely dry.

The instructions said to use a fine grade steel wool and lightly rough up the first coat. Then I wiped off the dust again and allowed it to dry. Last I painted on the final coat and allowed to dry for several hours.

Some re-assembling was required.

And the final product...

$5 Make Over

We inherited these large vases last Fall and I have just been at a loss as to what to do with them. I knew I wanted them but I also knew they were dated and just didn't really match my decor. Today I bought a $5 can of spray paint with a "hammered metal" finish and voila! New vases!

They still need a little something to make them complete but that's a project for another day.

Nursery Make-Overs!

This post is months over due but here it is.
Connor's room used to have a glider rocking chair and changing table in it.

Before:
This was taken before the new toy storage but after he pulled up on the side table I had next to the rocker. He pulled it down onto himself, broke 2 legs off the table and the lamp that was sitting on top. It was pretty traumatic for both of us.

Now, we added some cube shelving to house toys and books.
After:




I still have bigger visions for Cameron's room but for now, this is where we're at. His name is on the wall hanging from painted stick vines and green ribbon.





Why elephants?
We decided to go with an elephant theme based on what we've learned about the importance of a father figure in a male elephant's life. In Donald Miller's book To Own a Dragon: Reflections on Growing up Without a Father, he talks about how male elephants take very seriously the role of "mentoring" young males in the herd. And more importantly how aggressive and rebellious the young males become (even fighting each other to the point of death) without that older male to guide and teach them. The older males teach the young to be care takers, providers, protectors, etc. of the herd. This really resonated with Matt and his desire to father his children well. Having two boys first has deepened the desire to raise Godly, responsible, wise men who will in turn father well. So...elephants are on Cameron's walls & shelves!

Weekend Project

Matt and I have learned that our thumbs are any color but green. In fact, we now know that we are just not do-it-yourselfers in any sense. We usually just end up frustrated and disappointed in the outcome of whatever project we attempt. Because of this, buying a new house with no landscaping was a big mistake. In our two years in this house we have done basically nothing to our yard. We planted some bushes, one of which we killed with bug spray stuff. My parents however, are quiet good at lawn & gardening projects so while they were here for the holiday weekend we put them to work. We dug out (note: when I say "we" I mean "they") the bushes that have been not growing for nearly two years and the grass around them. Then we put down compost then top soil and mulch with white bricks as a border - which we (again, not really me) lifted from a nearby house being built. Don't worry, they were in the trash pile. After that, I placed the bushes where I wanted them as well as 2 Lantanas, 3 Mexican Heather and 2 Esperanzas. Here's the result:

Planting the bushes the first time around. Notice the sod still hadn't taken yet.

The front of the house back in July of 2008. (Pregnant with Connor here.)

Closer up, November 2008. (Connor's first walk in the stroller.)

July 2010

See that ladder? I brought it to them!

I also got them to hang my welcome sign that's been in my garage for over a year now!

I have bigger visions and hopes for flower beds, trees and lush landscaping but the bottom line is those things take time and money and most of all, sweat! I don't like that. This may be as good as it gets folks - and I appreciate others sweating to make it happen!