Dresser Reveal (Finally!)

I wrote a month or so ago about some DIY projects that I wanted to complete before the girls were born (see To-Do Lists). I am happy to say that some of them have been completed, like the office organization and the chair/table recovering. Preston's baby book has made progress, but still isn't done. Hey, I still have a month, right?!?

Anyway, that very weekend my mom and I went yard-saling and found a dresser set that I wanted to re-do for the girls nursery. Preston's dresser used to be my dads and after some stripping (of the dresser...not me) and staining, Ed made it look brand new. So, I decided to save us a huge chunk of money and re-do dressers for the girls. How hard could it be, right?

Here are the before pictures:

This is the front of the tall dresser (chest of drawers? armoire? whatever.)

and this is the other shorter dresser. Again, don't ask me what they are called. I call them both dressers. Tall and short to be more specific. I didn't take a picture of this one fast enough before we started removing the hardware, but you get the idea. 

And this is the finished product:

My original plan did not include making them shabby looking, but after what felt like 700 coats of primer and paint we found that the drawers would no longer fit in the dresser.  Ed had to do a ton of sanding and re-working to make them fit and we discovered that we actually liked it better this way AND it goes with the vintage-y look of their nursery. 

In addition to the paint, I also painted the drawers pink, added glass knobs, and lined them with a fun floral wrapping paper. It was a lot more work than I anticipated, for a number of reasons. After we started sanding the finish off we found that red dye was leaking through and near impossible to cover up (hence the 700 coats of primer and paint), then because the dressers were so old the pulls were oddly spaced so we had to fill them in and drill new holes. Add to that the humidity, and oh, a hugely pregnant woman working on them and yeah...it took a couple of months. All in all, though, I am really happy with how they turned out. I honestly couldn't have done it without help from my mom and Ed, though, so a huge thank you to them! 

Now to fill them with lots of girly clothes :-)

High Five for Friday: Recap Addition (v. 5)

I have been missing from the H54F posts for a couple of weeks so have some cute pictures from those couple of weeks!

1)) This is an anomaly! Zoey is infamous for running at the mere sight of Preston...most days she lays behind the couch where he tends to not bother her. On this day she was snuggling with me on the couch and he decided to join us...she even let him touch her. Amazing.

2)) Our good friends from Memphis, Mike and Brenna, spent a couple of months in Hawaii for Navy business and sent Preston a cute package with a lei and some Hawaiian animal crackers. He loves the lei so much that we had to put it on the shelf in his room!

3)) I have been busy trying to get things that we need for the girls, especially things that we don't think of because we already own ONE. I was at Once Upon a Child a couple of weeks ago and picked up a second Boppy pillow. Someone took it as her own almost immediately. Even today the cover is still off and Preston and Zoey take turns laying on it. Perhaps I need a third Boppy?!?

4)) Don't let this photo fool you...we have had no birthdays in our house recently. This has been my latest ploy to save sanity at the grocery store. This day in particular Preston was melting down but I HAD to go to the store. You will notice he isn't even wearing pants. Oh, we were so that family. Anyway, I got him a balloon to make our trip a little less disastrous. Anything with "Melmo" on it is awesome in this house! Also, I just threw this balloon away yesterday. It lasted three weeks. I'd say that's a good $3 spent.

5)) Oy. This photo still makes me crazy. I couldnt find Zoey for over an hour (while Preston was napping) and walked all over our yard, which is like 2 acres, yelling for her. I called my mom sobbing absolutely certain that something horrible had happened to her and/or that someone had taken her. On my last loop around the house I found her. In the flower bed outside our front door. I'm not even kidding.

** Don't let these photos fool you....we do have a second dog. A 7 year old chocolate lab named Bella. It's not that I dont love Bella (and choose not to include her). Bella is just smart enough to avoid most of the shenanigans.

If you want to participate in High Five for Friday head on over to see Lauren at Lauren Elizabeth and link up!

Stella & Dot Mystery Hostess

Hey ladies! Who is up for some online shopping on this lovely Tuesday morning?!? As I might have mentioned in a previous post, I am in the midst of hosting an online mystery hostess show for Stella & Dot as a fun fall line launch!

Just like the poster says, for every $25 spent you will be entered into a drawing to win the hostess rewards. Right now they are totaling almost $75 in free jewelry and half off shopping! There are a lot of fabulous pieces for both summer and fall and with almost 50% off the line under $50, you are sure to find something that you love!

To shop this fun show (and be entered automatically to win) just shop through this link: http://www.stelladot.com/ts/85br5

The show will be open until August 17 and the winner will be contacted directly! 

July Cara-Box Reveal!

Though, I am a little late, I am excited to talk about this months Cara Box! The theme for July was "Sail Away" -- so, it was a nautical theme. And if you know me at all, you know I love all things nautical!

I had the pleasure of being paired up with Brittany to send a box to. We found out, almost instantly, that we had a lot in common and it was so fun getting to know her! She and her husband, Adam, live in Alabama and she is just the sweetest! She's a social worker (which I loved hearing about) and does great work with adolescent boys and girls. If you want to see the box that I sent Brittany (or just to say hi!) hop on over to Adam and Brittany (Life in Dixie).

This month I received my box from Holly at Sunshine State of Mind. Holly is a momma, wife, and majorly talented photographer. She was so fun to get to know and sent me the sweetest box!

Not only did she send ME some seriously cute goodies, but she remembered all of my kiddos as well (even those that we are still waiting to meet!). Pictured you can see a pirate sword and shield for Preston, matching seahorse onesies for the girls, an adorable anchor headband, nautical rhinestone stickers, and an adorable scarf!

If you want to join in the fun of Cara Box -- head on over to Wifessionals and get in on the fun!!

H54F v. 4

I am back again this week for another edition of High Five for Friday!!

1)) Preston got a new light up laptop toy. Not only was he amused...so was Zoey. It occupied them both for approximately 5 minutes.

2)) While I didnt take this picture this week  it was too cute not to share! This was Preston pre-surgery last week. Love that YNH Children's Hospital had an array of toys in the exam rooms. This boy was in dump trunk heaven! 

3)) Yes, that says 102 degrees. I am dying. DYING I tell you! 7 months pregnant and 102 degrees dont mix...especially when only our bedrooms are air conditioned!

4)) One of my dear friends sent me this in a next this week...followed by an ultrasound picture and the message "no, I really do!". So excited for her!!!

5)) My fingers have officially become too swollen for my wedding ring. I have since added a different ring in its place (my mom's anniversary band), but its not the same! 

I am linking up again this week with Lauren over at Lauren Elizabeth!

Hope you have a great Friday and relaxing weekend!!

Monday Musings v. 3

I have been MIA the past couple of weeks due to some craziness, but am happy to be back again for another version of Monday Musings!

* We have finally received official verbal orders for our next duty station. Bremerton, Washington here we come! We have been told for the last couple of months that this is where we are going to be going but without official orders it was meaningless. Hell, with official orders its still relatively meaningless. The submarine force is notorious for changing things (often for good reason) and it can be tough to change plans on a whim. Neither of us have ever been to Washington so I'd love to hear from anyone who knows anything about the area!

* Preston had his surgery last Wednesday, which explains why things have been absolutely crazy around here and I have not posted in a while. Everything went well, but we have been running around like crazy people since. He is generally happy during the day but sleeping is rough and diaper changing has been advanced to a whole new level of torture.

* Stella & Dot has released the fall preview for stylists and there are some seriously cute pieces getting ready to come out! It's hard to think about a fall wardrobe when its 100 degrees out, though. I have been slow with S&D lately because of moving and being gigantically pregnant but I am hoping to get a couple of shows in over the next couple of months. If you are interested in shopping for some great pieces you can go here, or if you want to host your own show and get them for free just let me know! I'd love to set up a show for you!

* I am participating in a children's book exchange with some fellow bloggers. It's kind of a like an old school chain letter in that you send a book to child #1, move #2 up and add your child to #2 then pass it along to 6 other moms or moms to be. If you'd love to participate I have a couple of slots open. It's nice because you can literally just send one book via amazon and then get books from others! Everyone loves getting stuff in the mail!

Wow, this post is full of reader participation! Hope everyone has a fabulous week!

Monday Musings v.2

Welcome to Monday Musings where I discuss all of the random things that are going on around here!

* I tried out a delicious new desert today (you read that correctly...today. In my opinion, pregnant women need not wait until after dinner to have desert, though I will likely have desert again). I digress. The desert I made was a VERY easy cobbler. My blog friend Andi posted the recipe on her blog and I have been dying to try it. Run on over there to see how to make a cobbler with 3 ingredients and very minimal work. I made mine with apples. It was delish!

* We have had to implement time out around here the last couple of days. P is actually really easy to get along with, but he has decided to start testing boundaries...namely playing in the dogs water bowls and throwing his toys at them. He seems to understand that he is in trouble but it hasn't changed his behavior. Yet.

* P's urology appointment went well last week and we were able to schedule surgery for next Wednesday. It's crazy we were able to do it so soon....I'm quite nervous, especially since Ed isnt able to get out of work to go with me.

* I went to the city (NYC) with some friends this weekend to see a Broadway show, which was a lot of fun! We are all moms to toddlers and crazy pregnant, which made it even more entertaining. We went and say The Nance, which we all had mixed reviews on. The first act was pretty funny but the end left much to be desired. The one thing that made it worth it is that we were able to see it with Nathan Lane starring as Chauncey. He is amazingly talented, and funny, and I really don't know that the show would have been half as entertaining with someone else in that role.

* We are going to Buffalo this weekend to see Ed's family since he has a long weekend off. It's crazy to think that this is likely the last time we will be able to go before the girls are born.


Hope everyone has a fantastic week!