This is Pretty Much Only Awesome to Me

I couldn't have timed this better if I tried.  Coming on the heels of my Birthday Bulbs post, what did I spy this evening?

Baby Begonia Sprouts!

See, there it is!  There are actually two sprouts in that same pot.  Before I pat myself on the back too hard these bulbs were most likely ready to sprout with or without my help.  Or they have some mutation and their rapid growth will soon result in Begonia's crying out "Feed me, Seymour, feeeeed meeeee!".  And then they'll try to eat Kenny.

Sure, these guys are hanging out in a pot, in my basement, without any knowledge that it's 15 degrees outside with 20 mile per hour wind gusts.  But, there is hope in growth.  There is also hope in the fencing going up in the Home Depot parking lot.  I have it on very good authority this is in fact happening so unless they're receiving a super early shipment of Christmas trees, that means the Garden Center is expanding, which means plants are coming and so is Summer.

Monitoring the growth of these baby sprouts will now give me something to do while I'm watching paint dry.  See, I totally have hobbies. 

Birthday Bulbs

As February comes to an end, so do my birthday celebrations.  Sunday was the last celebration, spent with my bestie.  Initially the plan was to do what we do best - plant shopping.  But it turned out to be a happy birthday for Toyota too, and I had to shell out an unplanned lump sum to get my car serviced.  This took a toll on my plant budget.  As I forlornly reported this to the bestie she merely smiled and told me to open my birthday present.

Proving she is my true spirit animal, a gift card to our favorite nursery awaited me.  To feed the addiction. 

I'm in love.

Included with the gift card was a dish towel featuring one of Kenny's cousins that speaks the truth, AND some pre-planted Hyacinth bulbs ready to come to life.  I truly love this idea; it's so unique and thoughtful.  What an awesome, awesome gift - thanks again, stud!

My gifted bulbs helped inspire my own bulb work.  I often overlook bulbs because they require patience.  I'm more of an instant gratification type of girl, anxiously awaiting the before and after.  But bulbs seem like a great way to fill the time between now and Spring, so I'm giving them a shot in some planters.

Pictured here are two types of Begonias, and pink and purple Freesia.  Not pictured are the Ranunculus bulbs that were soaking in luke-warm water.

And before you even ask, yes.  Yes, my Begonias are going to look exactly like that.  

All bulbs are planted in a variety of planters, catching rays by the basement window.  I'm holding my breath, and checking their status daily.  I. Just. Want. Flowers. 

Introducing Lorraine

Late last Summer, so late it may have even been fall, my mom and I hit up one of our last yard sales of the season.  It was also the day we both got some new ink and I bought the chair that has (partially) re-designed a room.  This yard sale had lots of vintage treasures pulled straight out of an older home not far from me complete with the original glass door knobs on all the interior doors, and steps leading up to the house that were impossible not to trip over.  I bought a planter, a vintage green juice bottle complete with "new" screw-on lid technology, and this table with matching chair:

I failed to take a picture of the matching chair, which kills me now, but it was the same color and had the same sweet little flower decal embellishment.  This little set was a thing of beauty.  If it were up to me, I would have left them as is.  If it had been 10-years-ago and I was living in my little apartment in Bethesda, I would have kept it as-is and used it for my dining room table.  But alas, I was the only one to feel that way, and this set was pretty grimey.  The previous owner had painted it (I would soon come to learn it had been painted twice, as there was green underneath the blue), and years of residing in a garage or a basement had left it fairly dirty.  Dirty to the point of no return.  So I only had one option:  strip it.

And I did.  I started stripping and sanding the table-top the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving.  I finished stripping and sanding the table-top that Thanksgiving weekend.  And then it sat.  And sat.  And sat some more.  It was begging for stain, for paint, for love, for something, and I neglected it for months because I wasn't ready.  The clean wood was so promising and so full of opportunity but I couldn't see it yet.  I knew vaguely what I wanted it to look like, but I wavered.  I kept going back and forth.  I kept waiting for divine intervention.  And finally, divine intervention came in the form of a foot of snow on our doorstep and a fresh can of stain.  And now, here's Lorraine:

Her top is stained in a warm, rich, chocolate brown and sealed with a gloss poly.  I went with the gloss poly because it's unexpected.  This lady is older and a little rough around the edges but a little gloss goes a long way and gives a shine to her vintage look.  I repainted her legs a matte dark grey, which are a strong contrast in many ways to the warm, glossy tones of her top.  But the contrast was necessary to highlight her features, she's matte and shiney, she's cool and warm.  She's a little bit of old made new again.  

And her chair, a bright, bold cobalt blue pop of color that compliments both the grey and the warmth of her stain.  

I was so excited to take her picture.  The weather was nice last weekend, and I wanted to take her picture under natural lighting.  Terry wasn't home, so I schlepped this lady out solo, careful not to ding or scratch (her, not me; I'm plenty dinged and scratched).  I set her up and staged, and took lots of shots from lots of different angle.  The sun was on my face and in my eyes but it felt good.  I had a thousand other projects going on at the time, but I wanted to tackle her before the sun set.  Unfortunately in my excitement, I failed to take a a picture with her leaves opened (she has leaves!) so I can't list her on Craigslist until I do.  That means waiting until this weekend to take more pictures outside in the sun (while it's significantly less nice), with the leaves up.  

But she's a beauty to behold in the meantime.  Thanks Lorraine, for patiently waiting on me.  I hope it was worth it.

This Isn't A Real Update

I totally had an awesome blog post in my head.  It was full of fancy pictures and funny anecdotes and it was going to be amazing.  And then I tried to eat more vegetables and made spaghetti squash for dinner and it took forever.  

And it tasted like pumpkin.  Let's just say it's a good thing my bff brought me cupcakes today because the most delicious thing on that plate were the croutons in the salad.  

In somewhat related news, my Aunt sent me an inspirational quote today about how it's ok to not look like girls in magazines.  

I'm not sure I know how to take that.  

First of all - which magazine?  I feel like we need to specific about which girls, and what magazines because we might be thinking of totally different magazines, with totally different girls.  That's a pretty significant detail to leave out of an inspirational message.  Second of all - I'm pretty sure this happened because I had Fettuccine Alfredo for lunch yesterday, and I didn't consume a vegetable beyond iceberg lettuce.  But it was at Olive Garden and they're not known for vegetables they're known for breadsticks, plus I'd had a banana earlier in the day and that totally counts because bananas are located near the vegetables in the grocery store.  They're like vegetables by proxy. 

I digress.  All just to say the amazing blog post is going to have to wait because it's late, and I'm tired, and if I'd just eat more vegetables I'd totally have more energy.

Here's a sneak peek of what's coming up this week:

 Wait for it...

Kenny photobomb!  Terry was out of town this weekend, so I did what any good girlfriend fiance would do and sent him pictures of the boys.  This was supposed to be a picture of Frito.  It didn't work out that way.

 

Mom, I saved the spaghetti squash leftovers if you want them.  But the cupcakes are totally mine.  

Valentine's Day: A Week Later

Terry got me a beautiful flower arrangement for Valentine's Day and I got to enjoy them for exactly 3 days before I had to leave for Atlanta.  I wanted to prune the stems before I left but ran out of time so I gave them fresh water and crossed my fingers they'd last until I made it home.  In my absence I only lost a couple roses and some filler/greenery, so when I returned home today I pruned and rearranged.  

Replacing my engagement Tulips in the blue vase are my white Hydrangeas. 

Placing arrangements in front of a mirror makes them appear fuller and the reflection is striking.

These Hydrangeas are massive.  I was afraid I'd have to break out the chainsaw to prune their stems.  They are absolutely stunning, and a week later they're still going strong!  My absolute favorite flower, these guys are a nice reminder that in spite of the snow-dirt on the ground Spring is coming.

I love this picture - the reflection from the mirror creates a perfect spotlight for these lovely pink ladies.

These are the prettiest pink Roses I've seen and I'm sad I lost some while I was gone because I think the full half-dozen in the original arrangement would have look precious trimmed down to fit one of my vintage milk bottles.  But the three remaining do the trick nicely, and they're gorgeous with our grey bedroom drapes to serve as a back drop.  I love the reflection of the roses in that last shot!

I miss my flower friends outside. It's hard to believe under the foot of snow Tulips and Hyacinth, Peonies and Salvia are waiting patiently to come to life.  Until then, cut flowers along with all my indoor plant friends help bring life inside.   

In other news, Terry keeps remarking on how wonderful the flowers smell, and how he can smell them throughout the entire house.  I don't have the heart to tell him he's smelling the scented candle I got for my birthday.  

 

Engagement FAQ

People cry a lot when you tell them you've gotten engaged.  I'm hoping this is a good thing, and I think I'm safe in my assumption that it is because the tears are almost always followed by a near-suffocating hug of congratulations.  Immediately following the tears and the hug are the questions.  So I figured I'd create an Engagement FAQ for all of our friends and family that aren't near-by to crush our larynx in a hug and ask all the impending questions.

How'd it happen - did you know?
I never really know how to answer this question.  I mean, I knew once I had the ring on my finger but literally up until that moment I thought we were sitting down to have a serious discussion about pizza toppings.  Suffice it to say, nobody was more surprised than me.  It happened here at home, in our little living room in our little house with our little dogs.  It was the day we'd tackled the big move of the wardrobe and I'd been hard at work trying to put the room back together.  I was hot, I was sweaty, and I was hungry.  I hadn't eaten much all day because I'd been busy moving furniture, putting furniture together, etc. I had suggested we order pizza since that would allow me to keep working.   Terry kept hollering for me to come into the living room and I kept ignoring him because clearly I was in the middle of doing something.  Finally I acquiesced, and once I sat still long enough he asked.  And I don't really remember what he said exactly because all the blood rushed to my ears and my stomach felt like it was in my throat and I couldn't stop looking at the ring, and the next thing I knew I heard Kenny chewing on something.  I had to interrupt Terry to find out what the dog was eating, which turned out to be my ring box.  Once I'd retrieved it, Terry was kind enough to remind me that I hadn't actually answered the question.  The answer was yes.  And I'm still waiting on that pizza that we never got to order.  

Have you set a date?
Nope.  We know we want it to be warm outside, and that's about it.  I do know that I can't get my life together enough to try to coordinate something for this year, so it will most likely be in 2015.  There, 2015, that counts as a date.  

Do you know where you want to have it?
Another nope.  I would like to have it outside, with lots of flowers, our dogs, and maybe a pinata or two.  I'm kidding - Axtell/Sapper Family, please do not go out and purchase 15 variations of wedding pinatas.  I'd love to have it in our backyard, but presently with the exception of my mother, I am alone in this vision.  My thought is if we can build a 7' Snow Chihuahua in our backyard we can have an intimate wedding back there.  Needless to say, we're still considering our options, and ultimately the location will help decide the date.

Are you going to wear a dress?
Yes, I'm going to wear a dress.  I'd prefer that Terry not wear a dress but I will support him in whatever wardrobe choice he makes. 

Where do you want to go on your honeymoon?
Are you kidding me - I've got to plan a wedding and a vacation at the same time?!  I call dibs on our family beach condo in Ocean City for a week - date and time TBD.

So there you have it.  I'm frustrated with my lack of preparation for this.  It's like the world's worst pop quiz; you know the most important answer, but it doesn't count for much if you don't know all the subsequent answers and I didn't have time to study.  Because it's me, I want it all planned yesterday.   The way I look at it is this will be my greatest DIY project to date.  Just short of building and refinishing all of the tables for the reception, I think we can all agree that I will be relatively hands-on.  And with all my projects, they don't always pan out in a linear fashion.  So sure, there are big details outstanding like where and when, but little things like centerpieces are not only determined but purchased and sitting in my basement.  Once I stop thinking about it the answers will come to me.  I can see it, I just have to figure out to how to make it happen.

A special thank you to my dear friend Anne for the beautiful engagement tulips.  I'm done taking pictures of them now, I promise!  And in all seriousness - Terry and I are extremely grateful for all the well-wishes we have received from friends and family.  All of your support means the world to both of us, thank you.

Drawer Shelves

Way back when we gutted the wardrobe to make room for the shelving, I asked Terry to save the drawers that were inside.  There was some muttering under his breath as he went out to rescue them from the trash and it sounded something like "Why can't we throw anything out" but I chose to ignore him because once he saw what I wanted to do with the drawers he'd thrown in the trash he'd be eating his words. 

Today was that day.  I was going to to hang the drawers on the wall as shelving.

This was a project I really wanted to tackle when Terry wasn't home.   Not to be surreptitious but because Terry can be bossy when it comes to projects like this.  I knew what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it.  But since my way isn't necessarily his way, he decides it best to take control of the whole project and then suddenly it's a thing and it didn't really need to be a thing because I knew what I was doing in the first place. 

He's going to be so mad if he ever reads this.  The last post he read was my final update on the wardrobe.  He complained I made him sound like an ass.  I explained that if that was his perception of my post, than so be it.  A journalism degree taught me to only report the facts, and the facts were on that particular day he was being very bossy (namely about watching the carpet).  Incidentally that was the same day we got engaged. 

I digress.  Terry isn't bossy, he just likes to do certain things his way.  All the time.  The one hiccup with my shelving plan was a small lip on the bottom of the drawer fronts which would have prevented them from being flush with the wall.  My solution was to trim the lip.  Terry's solution was to talk about all the reason's why we couldn't trim the lip.  We didn't have a straight edge, we didn't have a clamp, hell we didn't even have a pencil to draw the straight line where we needed to trim.  

I found a pencil.  He drew a line.  We used my mini-skill saw.  The end.  

To be fair, Terry was helpful.  He found me longer screws to hang the drawers with since the screws I planned on using weren't long enough.  He also taught me how to countersink the screw heads so they'd be flush with the wood instead of sitting on top of the wood.

And when all was said and done he said "Wow! I'm really glad we didn't throw those drawers out!"

 This is hardly an innovative idea, but it is something I've wanted to do for a long time I just haven't had any spare drawers laying around.  I toyed with the idea of refinishing the drawers themselves, but ultimately they were in pretty good shape.  A little Old English, and they're good as new.  Check out that wood.

These are hanging in our bedroom and I love the warmth of the wood against the cool of our wall color.  The texture and color helps break up the space.  They're perfect, and have reinforced my belief in never throwing anything out ever.  I may have even made a believer out of Terry. 

Snow Day!

Winter gifted us a foot of snow this morning, which made for an official Snow Day for me and Terry.

It's amazing how much one can accomplish on a Snow Day.  

While Working From Home I answered emails, took phone calls, coordinated shipping arrangements for a lab I have next week in Atlanta (Atlanta, please get it together by Tuesday), drafted a couple documents, and even did some minor IT trouble-shooting.  

During my breaks I fixed us lunch, did 3 loads of laundry, ran and emptied the dishwasher, endured two rounds of shoveling resulting in clear sidewalks and a path to the driveway, and got a jump-start on dinner.  

After dinner I worked on 4 different projects in the basement which involved sanding, staining, and painting.

While I was doing all of the above, my beloved was doing this:

Meet Snow Kenny.  What began as simply digging a path in the backyard for the boys to go outside (the snow is taller than they are), Terry decided it was best to make them a backyard track so they could run around.

They're Chihuahuas and it's cold; they don't want to run around.

Please note Kenny, lower right corner.

 

A massive snow mound developed as a result of creating his dog track and what better to do with a massive snow mound than sculpt a massive Chihuahua.  Kenny, to be exact. 

Please note the red bow.

I need a Snow Day to recover from my Snow Day and judging by the snoring coming from the couch, I think Terry does too.

Exciting News!

YOU GUYS!!!  OMG!!!  

I FINISHED A TABLE!!!  

Meet Josephine!

Josephine is a gorgeous solid oak drop-leaf accent table in a grey stain.

I distressed the stain to give her a rustic finish, which helped in highlighting her natural wood grain.

I sealed her with wax.  I wanted to stay true to the rustic finish I was going for, and a satin poly just wouldn't have done the trick.  Josephine (Jo for short, we're close like that) is listed over in the Furniture for Sale section, and you can check out her Craigslist posting here.

Oh, and what's that hanging out with Jo?

It's my sweet little Lecky picture!  Remember this is what she looked like last week when I brought her home.

I wanted to punch up the frame a little bit to bring her beautiful colors to life.  And now here she is!

She's darling, and you can check her out under the Littles for Sale.  I am so happy with both pieces - I couldn't wait to share the exciting news!  

What?  Were you expecting an update on some other exciting news?