TV Stand Hack

For Christmas this year, BP and I moved into the new century.    We finally got a flat screen television.  

The Story:  In trying to be frugal, we decided that since our old TV still worked we would keep the 100 lb big box circa 1994 TV that B got when he started college.    The bad part is that I have one just like it in our bedroom.   Yes, and they still work fine... until the World Series this year and the Cardinal were playing in the World Series.   We are not huge sports fans.   Ok, I'm not a huge sports fan except when it comes to Cardinals Baseball.   We love our Cards.    However, when the Series was on, our local TV station had the game in wide screen which was great if you have a new wide screen.   We didn't.   Therefore, we had to keep up with the score and the pitch count on our cell phones.   Not fun at our house.    B gave up and went to a friend's house.  A  friend who had a giant flat screen.   B quickly made his our Christmas wish list.   Here is the before.    

  

After Christmas, we came home from the Farm with our new TV and no TV stand.   Since we were BROKE, from Christmas, we decided to hack our old TV stand.  I bought it when I was in Law School from Target.   Typical DIY furniture construction.    To hack it, I removed the top and sides of the top.  I then replaced the top on the bottom of the base unit and secured with left over brace parts.   Pretty good I think.   A new one almost identical is $200....seriously.  Anyway, I like the hack.   I'm still trying to decorate around our new TV and stand.   Any suggestions.

We love the new TV.  You can actually hear what the people are saying.  Amazing how much the picture and sound has improved in say the last 15 years.   The old TV got a new home and we have a awesome TV that streams Netflix my new favorite way to watch shows.   No commercials...yipee.   Now our 8 year old doesn't recite commercials to me for every house hold problem I have....like neat receipts for my messy desk or the lint lizard for the dryer or the drain snake for the stopped up drain.

Back in Black (Back door project)

Our door from our garage into our laundry room was in serious need of a coat of paint.    It was starting to rust where the former owners dog had scratched it.    Since this door is the main point of entry into our house (really who uses the front door), it was always dirty.   I spent alot of time using the magic eraser on it in the last few years.   Since I'm addicted to Pinterest (yes, very addicted) and DIY blogs, I checked out several people who had painted their front doors black.   

So, one weekend when BP was duck hunting, he came home to the door off  the hinges in the drive way.    I taped off the windows using newspaper and blue painter tape,  I also taped alumnimun foil over the very brass/gold handles....which are another project for another day.     BP then proceeded to critique my spray painting technique (I think he has a secret love for spray paint), therefore he finished the project.  I used a Rustoleum Black Gloss (3.5 cans).   It turned out really good (except for the white insides of the windows, but they are not too noticeable).      I also painted the brown cabinets the same color as the garage so they don't stick out so much.   

It has been a big adjustment not to think the back door is open when peering into the laundry from the kitchen. All in all it was worth the effort.  

Wedding Sign and Stamped Cake Server

Miss D, I's teacher got married on 11.11.11.    So you know I volunteered to help. 

She needed a sign for a little boy to carry down the aisle. 

I whipped this one up using a piece of fence board that we had in storage.   I started by painting the board white with trim paint.     Then I cut a stencil from adhesive vinyl using my silhouette.   I spray painted over the stencil.   There was a little bleeding under the vinyl.   I touched it up with more trim paint and then finished out the weathered look with the handheld sander.   I love our sander...just saying. I finished out the project with a little spray on clear coat in gloss and a piece of wire!

I also stamped her cake forks and cake server.

I am so glad that we got to help her out with her special day.   My girls love her and I know that she and M will live Happily Ever After!

Trunk Makeover.

When I moved into my first apartment (yes, in the late 90's...seems like only yesterday), I was in need of a small coffee table.   My mom had my great grandfather's trunk in storage.    He used the trunk when he was young so the early 1900's.    It was painted a milky blue in the early 70's and had been stored in a very damp storage location.      

I started by sanding the truck by hand....for days....and days.... and days.  The above picture was taken after 3 or 4 days of sanding and paint/rust removing.     I finally sanded down to bare metal and wood.      I used a faux leather kit from the local Hobby Lobby.  I can't remember the brand....yes, this was 14 years ago.  The kit consisted of a tan base coat and a darker glaze was applied with a wadded chamois type cloth.    I sealed the trunk with a glossy polyurethane finish to protect the bare metal and wood.    My mom covered in the inside with muslin.   This trunk has been wonderful as a coffee table and doubles as holiday storage!   

Here is the finished product.   It has held up well.  

Christmas Present from Pappy! Crayon and Marker Holders

Our art desk in the breakfast room need some serious clutter control.    The crayons, marker, pencils, pens, barbie shoes, and other random toys were crammed in a large bowl.   And while the bowl was cute it was very limited on funcitionality.   

Pappy (B's dad) made the crayon and marker holders for the girls for Christmas!  I love them.   They fit down the middle of the table and are great for finding things on the desk. 

New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! 

Pork chops, Black eyed peas and turnip greens for lunch!

2012 New Year's Resolutions:
1) Live Simply
2) Live Healthy
3) Give Thanks

Life Cycle of a Butterfly, up close on the Farm!

KP stayed with my parents on the Farm in Northeast Arkansas this summer.    My mom has a beautiful flower garden in the back yard and maintains plants that attract butterflies.   KP got to witness the entire life cycle of the Monarch butterfly in just a few days.   It was amazing to watch.  Since she loves science and had covered the life cycle of the butterfly in school, she told us all about it.   

Boston & Maine Trip (Part 2): Southern and Central Coastal Maine

Ok, the trip story continues.   You can read the first part in a previous post about Boston.  

Day 3:  New Hampshire (in a flash) and Southern Maine
Well after completely leaving the airport on the wrong highway and getting to cross the super cool bridge, we finally made it north on the I-95 toll road.   We were looking for a place to eat breakfast after the 17 flight fire alarm, leaving downtown on the T, and finding the rental car place.   Good thing I had some hotel coffee and a power bar to tide me over.   By the time we finally found a breakfast stop, we were in the middle of New Hampshire.  We fueled up on some Mickey D's...a very nice McDonald's I might add.. and a grocery stop for a case of waters and we were on the road again.  

We thought by looking at the map it would take a few hours to get to Maine....it was more like minutes.
We arrived at exit 1A Kittery!  We spent the next few hours in the Orvis outlet and the Kittery Trading Post.   What a fab store!!  3 levels!  I picked up some super socks....Darn Tough brand. Love them, I've even ordered more since we got home.  BP also got a sack full of jigs and fishing gear, what better place.   The whole basement is fishing!

Lunch was at Bob's Clam Hut!   Awesome fried Clams.  (yes, we will return here before the trip is over for second helpings).   The weather was great, so we ate out back on the picnic tables!  Yes, I'll say it "I LOVE CLAMS!"   (for the record, I love them both ways....Bob's & Lillian's).

From there (after the GAP outlet), we continued up 1A then 9, to York, Ogunquit, Wells, and onto Kennebunkport,  by this time we were hungry again and I needed coffee.   The drive up was crowded.  It was Labor Day after all. Hard to find parking in most of these coastal towns due to the nice weather and the use of the beaches.   Here is a picture of the first beach we saw...I think around York.  

in Kennebunk, we stopped at H.B. Provisions a general store and I had my first blueberry pie.  We also tried a whoopie pie.   They were both good.   Whoopie Pies are not my favorite....they are alot like an oreo cakster.  I'll hold out for more blueberry pie though.   We did not see the Bushes, but did see a lot of pictures of them in stores.   Kennebunk has a nice downtown shopping area.    We also saw this cat which I think might just be Sneakers the Seaside Cat.

Here I will diverge....good luck finding a real public bathroom on the coast of Maine.  Most of the tourist areas have port a lets.   Just saying if you see a real bathroom...use it.

Back to the trip.    We continued up the 9, until we came to the turn for Biddeford Pool.  We took the 208 out past the pool to F.O. Goldthwaite's & the Pool Lobster Company  and arrived about 4 p.m.    To get there you just keep driving and driving, when you think you've gone to far...there it is.
 

 
This is what I expected Maine to look like.    I had a lobster and BP had a lobster roll.     This was the last day for the store to be open for the Summer.   They will re-open next summer for inside and outside dining!  We ate on the picnic tables out back.    This is the only commercial establishment we saw in Biddeford.   Biddeford has some very lovely seaside homes!

Lobster #1 for the Day

Scary bird....yes, the movie "The Birds" scared me for life.

View from Picnic Table.

After leaving Biddeford, we traveled through Saco, past the old red brick textile mills, to our hotel.   The Hampton Inn, Saco is very nice and quiet hotel.     We checked in and then decided to go for an after dinner drive.    We drove out Route 9 toward the ocean.   We took Bayview Road to a beach access near Ferry Beach State Park.   The beach was lovely...and cold.   We dipped our feet in the ocean.

Our evening drive continued up the road to Old Orchard Beach.   Old Orchard Beach is a cousin to Gatlinburg, TN or Branson, MO.   Very very very touristy.  Yikes.  They have a carvinal and a bustling crowded commercial district full of arcades and pizza joints....it is on my skip next time list.   Running like crazy from Old Orchard, we took Highway 5 back toward Saco.

At this point, I was hungry again.  I know you might say I already had dinner once, but it was a small lobster so we'll call it a snack.  My mom (aka super planning danger ranger) gave us a wonderfully annotated book, map and travel hints for Maine, which was a Godsend, but for Saco the recommended restaurant was F.O. Goldwaithes and we thought they might laugh if we came back for a second dinner.

So how do you find a fab place to eat in an unknown city.   Yes, google.   I googled it and read the reviews so "The Lobster Claw" in Saco was my second dinner.   And a yummy one it was.   I had another lobster and some clams.  BP had the plate of all things fried...clams, haddock, shrimp, scallops and fries.   YUMMY!   After a couple beers and a second dinner, we called it a night!

I will continue the journey in future posts!

Summer fun on the Farm.

The girls and my nephew love to ride the tractors at the Farm.  Granddaddy or my brother usually takes them for a ride when they ask!  No wonder they love being at the Farm so much!

Little Rock Zoo.

Back in the summer, I took the girls to the Little Rock Zoo. 

Phi Mu legacies?

I am amazed at the progress that this zoo has made in the past 10 years.   If you haven't been recently you wouldn't recognize it.    It is located in the heart of Little Rock, so it is easy to stop by before doing some shopping in town.

KP loves Lorikeet Landing!

The girls also love the Arkansas Carousel located inside the zoo.   It is an "over the jumps" carousel that is one of the last known to exist of its kind.