Dumpster Diving

I am SO happy that Michelle is now here, and living right around the corner.  She called the other night and asked if I might have an interest in dumpster diving.  Ummm....YES.  We went over to the dumpster to find old school furniture that was going to be carted away.  Thankfully, our husbands were champs and went back to retrieve two pieces for each of us!  We each ended up with a cubby unit and a bookshelf.  They all need some work...but that makes it more fun, right?  (If I keep saying that enough I will believe it....right???)


Here are the pieces that made it into my garage...
The bookshelf needs some work, but I dig the casters...

I love wondering about the students that I am assuming wrote on this piece...


And...the cubby!!  I wasn't sure about the pegboard - if I was more patient, I may have pulled it off and put some plywood on the back; however, I'm not :)  And, part of me likes it.  Michelle thought this might work for the nursery, and she was right!

Free piece....finally done.

So, several months back, we picked up a free buffet and hutch from craigslist.  I gave the top away and kept the bottom with the intention of painting it and moving it to the basement to serve as storage for toys.  I started working on it a month ago, and slowly but surely, it is now done.  First, I worked on the hardware.  Then, I sanded...washed...then primed...A LOT.  I did at least four coats of primer.  Then, I moved onto painting the inside gold (more to come on me and gold paint), and then painted the outside with three coats of glossy white.

It didn't come out as nicely as I had hoped...
1.  Once again, the whole time I was thinking that I wish I had a paint gun - although, I hear mixed reviews on those too.  Anyone have thoughts on them??  But...of course, as always, I have lots of botched spots/drips, etc.  I always thought I was a perfectionist...now, I am starting to wonder.

2.  The white paint seems to be a little yellowy in spots - especially on the doors.  Not sure why.

3.  The doors are having a hard time shutting.  I am not sure if it is because of the 7 new coats of primer/paint, humidity, or how I put the doors back on.  Either way, I will try to use some pledge or gulf wax to see if I can get them to open/close a little more easily.

But...for free plus a little labor...I am very happy!  Now, I just feel like I need some nice colorful curtains to soften up the cinderblock basement walls!!

Okay, enough rambling, Meghan!  Onto the before...


After (need to get some better shots):

Hardware Clean Up

So, I never realized that the free piece we got off craigslist several months ago could take me as long as it did to get cleaned up/painted.  First, I tackled the hardware.  It was brass hardware that had basically turned almost black over time.

The piece before I started taking it apart...
Before:

Just like I did with the red desk, I used a mixture of vinegar and table salt to clean the brass up.  I don't know how much of each I used, but I basically filled a 9x13 glass pan with enough vinegar to cover the hardware and then I put a decent amount of salt in....maybe 1/8 cup?   I let it soak for a while, but it still wasn't looking as bright and shiny as I wanted it to.  I decided, since this piece was free and not 'precious' to me, I would use an SOS pad to help me get some of the grime/tarnish off of the hardware.

After - sorry for the bad night time shot...it really is amazing how normal household products can have such amazing results!

Basement Curtains & Late Night Mishaps

So, I caved, and bought one of the fabrics that I had recently written about in order to make some basement curtains. 


I opted for the Waverly Wonderama Toucan because:
1.  It was all of a sudden back in stock!
2.  it went on sale at Fabric.com
3.  I was able to also find another 15% off coupon (and free shipping!)

It was the best deal out of my options, so I went for it.  I was nervous about not seeing it in person, but the fabric.com return policy seems great, so I forged ahead. 

So, that brings me to my topic of late nighters.  I had spent many nights obsessing over this silly decision, and if I am totally honest with myself, most of the time I stay up really late, I think I just get lost in the internet/blogs/shopping, and I really don't get anywhere.  Well, one of these late nights, I placed the order.  I could have SWORN I placed it for 20 yards.  I needed 18 yards (6 panels at about 3 yards each), plus I needed extra to accommodate the shrinkage of the fabric. 

Well, the fabric arrived, I still thought I had 20 yards.  I wanted to cut corners and not wash it, but I did wash/iron it (wow, it takes a long time to iron all that fabric!).  It did say dry clean only, but being the horrible launderer that I am, I ignored that.  

I decided that two nights before we headed on vacation, I should try to crank through all the curtains so that I wasn't thinking about working on this project the whole time we were gone.  I was prepared, and sort of excited to pull a late nighter getting this done.  All was going well until I cut the last two panels and the realization hit me that I had completely messed up and only ordered 18 yards.  ARGH!!!!  The fabric had shrunk a good bit, leaving me with only enough for five panels.

a friend reminded me to measure twice, cut once, which I did...too bad I didn't order correctly!

So....I had thought my late nights are usually worth it as I was rounding the corner to the completion of sewing all the panels and hanging of them.  But...then I had to re-question myself when I realized that I make silly mistakes, like ordering the wrong amount of fabric, when I stay up too late!  Five panels later, I could only laugh at myself and re-order more fabric to make my last panel.  Pictures to come once I get things wrapped up....but here is the window with the missing panel :)  This definitely qualifies as a 'keeping it real' shot as evidenced by the plethora of plastic that lives in this part of the unfinished basement.

Destination: Storm King Art Center

Right in our backyard, there is a very unique outdoor art center - Storm King.  Hallie had sent us a membership as a housewarming gift, and we have really enjoyed it.  It is basically an outdoor museum with hundreds of acres of land, surrounded by rolling mountains with beautiful, unique and intriguing sculptures scattered throughout the land.  It is a great place for kids to run, explore and learn more about sculpture.

It is free for military this summer, and I hope we will get many more trips in!

breathtaking scenery...
 My favorite installation are these coin chair and bench.  I want one of these for our house!
this was back in September when Hallie & Nora were visiting...
the house at Storm King.  Can you say, dream house?

Nasturtiums

Considering my obsession with Isabella Stewart Gardner, I figured I must try to plant her favorite flower, nasturtiums.  They plant these at the museum every April for her birthday...however, they start these plants in their greenhouse something like ten months in advance to grow them super long, and then they spill down from the third story balcony and into the courtyard...amazing.


I am glad that these took because they tested my patience.  I NEVER read directions - or, I guess I usually half read them, which is worse.  But, with these, I read the directions.  It said that they would do better if you use a nail file and file down each seed.  So...I did that...however, I dropped every single seed in the process.  So then it was a constant game of hide and go seek.  These are also edible...have to figure out how to work them into a meal!

 Isn't it nice how well they match the lovely construction fence that doesn't seem like it is ever going to go away?

Mocktail of Choice

Hallie introduced me to the citrus mint cooler last spring, and given that my mint has actually been growing this year, it is now my favorite mocktail.

I modify the batch as follows:
--I cut back on the sugar to 1 cup or less
--When mixing the drink, I just do 1/2 mint juice and 1/2 ginger ale.

Mixing the brew...

It is so yummy!  Sean prepared a couple for April and I on the 4th (notice, he is getting good at details...the umbrella and lemon slice...NICE!)  Nothing says summer like a refreshing drink!  
Cheers :)
 

Potato Goodness

So, I am definitely not the model CSA member.  I am slow to use my produce, and I am not a fan of this mess o' greens we keep getting.

But, recently, when reading a menu for the Peekskill Brewery, they had these potatoes on the menu that sounded delicious:

Bacon Wrapped Fingerling Potatoes
Carmelized Onion Puree and Caper Aioli

When we arrived, they weren't on the current menu.  Since the pregnancy cravings seem to stick with me until satisfied, I decided to use up our CSA spring onions and tiny potatoes and give these a whirl on the 4th.

First, I caramelized the onions by cooking them up in butter until they were a delicious caramel brown and were very aromatic.


I then pureed the onions using my immersion blender.

While I was working on the onions, I had the potatoes boiling.  I waited until they were nice and soft, and then got ready to assemble.


Let the assembly begin!
 I finally figured out that the quickest method was to smear some of the caramelized onion puree onto the 1/2 strip of bacon and then roll up and toothpick it together.
 Throw those babies on the grill!
 Mmmmmmmmm.....
 Pardon my 'cute' blue plastic bowl for the caper aioli- I was too lazy to put in a cute bowl!

We loved them...would definitely do these again!

Basement Curtains

I feel like basement curtains aren't really a wise investment right now, but I am trying every which way to justify them.  The concrete walls just need to be softened up...and I think I would spend more time down there if I liked how it looked a bit more.

I have been obsessed with trying to locate a fabric that brings in lots of different colors so that I could hopefully reuse these curtains elsewhere once we move. For the basement, I would love a fabric with a colored background to bring as much color as possible, but looking forward, that may not be the most re-usable option.

Here are some of my current favorites...



Living Room - back in progress?

I had posted a while ago about the new rug I bought for the living room.  I do like the rug, but I'm thinking a couple of things...
1.  Why didn't I just pick all neutral colors for my house?  :)  I love pops of color, but I am feeling like this might be a bit too much.  I recently visited a new friend's house, and it was done in all neutrals and was so calming and lovely.  It made me want to come home and start from scratch!
 2.  I think my coffee table and end tables are a bit too heavy for the style of the rug.    I keep searching craigslist, but no great finds...yet!  I might lose my mind from running the same searches over and over and over again!!

Before:

Testing out the rug...

With all the furniture back in place...


Outdoor Time

Last fall, we sold our trusty old patio set.  It had served us very well over the last 6 years.  It took several new coats of Rustoleum paint, but it was just old and tired.  So, since last fall, I have been contemplating what to do about outdoor furniture.

Our requirements were basically:

1.  Eight chairs would be ideal.  Stackable would be even better.
2.  Want table that can seat eight; however, this would take up most of our current patio space, and we don't know what type of yards we will have with our future moves, so a huge table could be problematic.  Ideally, we wanted a table with leaves or one that had the capability to expand.
3.  A non-matching table/chairs.

So, after much debating, we settled on some stackable chairs from Lowe's.  We got 8, and I couldn't be more happy that we did.  We have already had several occassions to use all 8 of them, and I love that we can store two of them down by our basement door.  Stackable seemed key for all the moving we will be doing!


The price has dropped a lot...these are the Garden Treasures - Key Largo Stationary Patio Chair
The table was a bit trickier.  I found a couple of guys on craigslist who make picnic tables with pedestal legs which I really liked...after having one guy up the price quote by $100, I decided against that option as I was hoping to find something at a better price.

Sean and I started thinking about making our own table.  We knew we wanted metal legs...but that was all we knew.  Then, I got this crazy idea that we should make our own table out of pallets.   On a whim, we went and picked up 5 free pallets.

I liked these types of designs...but then we would have had to fill in all the openings on the tops of the pallets, we would have had to basically make two tables in order to be big enough, and the pipes to make the legs are pretty expensive.  This was starting to feel like a lot more work than I was ready to put forth.

Then, finally - we lucked out.  We found the perfect table to meet our requirements and budget!  The IKEA Applaro drop leaf table...costing only $129!  It has two drop leaves on the sides.  Sarah was a good sport about joining me for the Ikea trip to pick one up while she was here.  Then, I learned that she loves to assemble things - NICE!  So, thanks to a long Paddy nap, she got it assembled, and we got it outside!  YEAH!
I had thought that the chairs fit under the table, but they don't - the table is about an inch too short.  So, my dad is going to be helping us with that.

We get full sun in our backyard, and I love being outside with Paddy during the summer; however, the sun gets pretty intense.  So, I ordered this umbrella from Overstock.  It looks like it should arrive tomorrow. 

We need to stain the table, probably soon.  I am contemplating trying some sort of gray, washed out look.  We will see!  For the meantime, I am just adoring the new table.

Happy Fourth!

Thank you to all those who protect our freedom - especially to those who are deployed, those who have been injured, and those have given the ultimate sacrifice...and, not to be forgotten, their families.

What a wonderful country we have.

from a recent walk across the Brooklyn Bridge...

Destination: Blooming Hill Farm

We have joined a CSA for the summer through Blooming Hill Farm.  I had never been out to the farm itself, but heard that it is very fun.  We decided to check it out one recent Saturday morning.  It was dreamy.  I didn't have very high expectations....but wow, this place is just precious.  I want to live in a place like this.  I found serious inspiration everywhere that I looked while we were there.  Our quick stop turned into a nice long visit with playtime in the stream and a yummy brunch.

Check out the attention to detail....
beautiful herbs...
loved the drink presentation!
quaint inside seating area...notice the flower box separating the shopping area from the eating area...cute!
YUM.
love.
notice the mountain rising in the background beyond the tables...
love the rustic charm that abounds...
I want that sign!

Classic

Gotta love what posted on our front and back doors a couple days ago....


We have to evacuate for two days (some people even have to leave for three days in a row!) while they look for unexploded bombs.  Nice.  Perfectly normal, right?  And, of course, this happens on the day that we have company arriving.  Even better!

Stormville Flea

Stormville Flea is definitely worth the trip.  (CAUTION:  You may need a lot of patience - it took Paddy and I about an hour and ten minutes to drive the last two miles into the flea market - just stopped traffic all trying to get to the same place).   There were two sections of the flea market - the 'old' stuff and the 'new' stuff.  I was glad that they split the vendors up that way as I was really only interested in motoring through the old stuff.  If you are looking to eat, Paddy and I loved the grilled pretzels they have!

I went last month and came home with some fun finds.  I found a chair/ottoman, a fun 70's hanging light, some tulip bowls and a milk glass vase.

It is going on this weekend - I am contemplating trying to jet out there again - however, I would want to go super early to see if I could beat the traffic we got caught in last time!

My finds from May:
retro hanging lamp...
chair & ottoman from the 40s or 50s, for the nursery...

MIA

I always want to blog, but seem to not make it enough of a priority...hmmm, sounds vaguely familiar to me and exercise.  :)  Anyways, we have had a busy last month and a half with a trip back to Chicago for Paddy and I, and we have been lucky to have LOTS of fun visitors! 

Quick recap:  Paddy and I had a great week back in Chicago - got to see lots of family and friends.  Paddy was entertained by super fun activities and people who were very sweet to give him lots of attention.  By the way, I was BLOWN AWAY by how amazing the Morton Arboretum is now.  If I lived in the area, I would rush over there to become a member.  The enormous children's section was astounding. 

Thanks, Mom and Dad for spoiling us for the week - it was fabulous!

Check out this huge giraffe made with succulents at the Arboretum...swoon!  I want one of these :)

Sarah - we are so thankful that you came to visit!  We had a blast! (NYC at Sweet Revenge)

We are also thrilled that we are expecting number 2 in early October!  After having a miscarriage at 11 weeks late last year, we kept this one pretty quiet, but now that I am almost 26 weeks, it is feeling very real.  We feel very blessed that this baby seems to be doing just fine!  Paddy has been kissing the baby in my belly, and we are so happy that he will have a little brother to pal around with soon!

I have lots of projects that I am scheming in my head for the house, nursery and myself, such as:

1.  Curtains for the basement now that I have finished the 'free CL piece'
2.  Making a driftwood side table for nursery
3.  Finding new coffee table and end tables to lighten up the living room
4.  Finish as much of Interior Design Class as I can before baby #2 arrives
5.  Be a better blogger (if I could just drag and drop photos, I swear, I would blog everyday.  Does this take anyone else FOREVER and a day?  I know I must be doing something wrong.  But the long posting time of pics always seems to deter me from sitting down to blog!!)

but between:

1.  Realizing that we will be out of here in a year or less (how much more money/effort should I invest in this home?)
3.  Enjoying family time4.  Spending as much QT with Paddy as I can before #2 arrives
5.  Enjoying hosting visitors
6.  Trying to do activities in the Hudson Valley and NYC to take advantage of our time here
7.  Taking some upcoming vacation...
 I somehow am not getting ANY of the projects done! 

Bottom line - I need to be a much better manager of my time.  

Change of a Dresser

Our master bedroom has been so ignored.  A few months ago, I finally painted my shabby chic dresser that I bought after graduating college.  What color?  Yellow.  Seems to be a completely unintentional theme in this house.  I just used some left over wall paint from the downstairs half bath.

Before:

Keeping it real...the piled up dog beds that Glory never slept on...and the rug that didn't match the Gray Owl walls...

After:

Dog beds are gone...split leaf philodendron has been added...

ABCs

While I so wish that I could have been back in good old Glen Ellyn with my mom a couple weeks ago to celebrate her 60th, we were fortunate enough to be able to celebrate early with her when my parents visited over Easter.

Thanks to Sommer, who made a book for my birthday last year using this concept, I copied her idea and, along with the help of my brother, we created the 'ABC's of my mom and put them on the clipboards as a fun greeting for her when she arrived.


Since Sean's birthday was in early May, our clipboards are now sporting his 'ABCs' :)

A little landscaping

Our front yard has really needed some love.

Here is the bad before shot....you can see the one random rose that was growing...

Last fall...since we had Paddy's Baptism and family party afterwards only a few weeks after moving in, we needed some quick improvisation...enter a few Boston ferns and mums to line the flower bed.

But check out the awesome plastic brick-looking edgers...

Those needed to go.  Last fall, Hallie was a huge help in aiding the throwing out of the plastic brick-looking things.  Good thing we live next to a creek with lots of rocks...can I also mention how much I LOVE living by this creek?  I wish we could sleep with the windows open year round because the sound of the creek is so soothing.

While my mom was recently here, she helped transform the front.  I didn't want to spend much money on it, so thankfully, we have a huge hosta garden on the side of the house.  My mom was hard at work dividing hosta and moving them to the front.  She trimmed the dying evergreen, planted impatiens, mulched, etc.  It was looking so much better!

Since mom left, I added two fuschia plants in the Hungarian baby bath, a Boston fern on the porch, and a flag.  The flag has been my favorite addition, but it has also been a comedy of errors.  First the flag pole holder broke.  Then, we got a new metal one - thanks to Sean for installing that.  Then, the flag pole lost a piece so only the top of the flag was attached and was flapping in the wind.  Finally, the new spotlight and timer turned into this possessed strobe light (sorry, April and Brandon!).  So, I guess I need a new set up.


Glory impatiently waiting for me to finish taking pictures in the rain...

we finished off both the left and right flower beds...
gotta love flowering shade plants!

Thanks so much, Mom.  None of this work would have happened without you.