~~kICkeD tO tHe CUrb~~

Kurt worked late last night on the bed and this was what I found this morning. All primed and the door just needing some sanding and then ready for primer too.

And poor Ollie (that's what the boys call our Honda Odyssey minivan) has been left in the driveway for two nights now... poor thing...

~~mURphY BeD cONtinUEs~~

I don't know what day we're on with this whole murphy bed project that we got from Knock Off Wood. It's going remarkably well considering neither my husband nor I know what we're doing. I always feel fairly confident that if I have instructions I can do most anything. But I tend to like to be mentored along. I'm just a social kinda gal.

There was a little "adjusting" for a couple short cuts we made. (It was a typo on the cut list but Ana corrected it - so don't worry) We decided against some hinges that we got and replaced them with a standard piano hinge. There was just a little less confusion going that route.

Kurt got a chance to use his new nail gun and compressor. If he thought about it he would have done the Tim Taylor grunt but the giddy look on his face when he shot the first few nails??!?! PRICELESS.

This is the cabinet that will be attached to the wall that the mattress will be stored in. Yup, it's taking shape. And just in case you were wondering. I have been in the garage with him. Cheering him on, reading the instructions, brainstorming questions... and the monkeys encourage him too...

My mom and sister will be arriving on Wednesday so it would be ideal to get this thing done... now? Nothing like waiting to the last minute to complete a project, huh? Yeeash.

~~iDlenEss & fEAr~~

 

What am I doing? I have to ask myself that *all* the time. Frequently my response to myself is "nothing". Well, that just has to change. I have been able to finagle "free time" to the point of potential excess, and well, after re-reading Proverbs 31 two things stuck out at me: 1) She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. 2) Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Maybe this blog can keep me accountable and keep things in perspective. I'm so glad you joined me! And maybe tomorrow I'll post what the heck this photo is??!?!!

~~wHEre DoeS tHE tiME go?~~

I moved into my beautiful new home two and a half years ago. I still don't have my garage clean, pictures on my bedroom walls or window treatments. But I did get around to potting my first houseplant. Can someone say, "LAME"!!

~~sAWdusT seTTleS~~

It looks innocent enough...

We have overnight guests fairly frequently and, well, I felt reeeeeeaaaaallllllly guilty making them sleep on our resident torture device, i.e., hide-a-bed. I thought that if I bought one *brand new* that it would be better. But no. There is little or no hope for this sleeping contraption. The only real solution is to put the thin mattress on the floor and fold the thing up and act like it never pulled out in the first place. I just wanted to have a guest bed but didn't want the space that it would require. So after about six months of looking at options, my husband and I decided to do this!!

Off to Lowes to buy our supplies. This could very well be the most expensive murphy bed if we don't use the new air compressor after this project. I digress...

Here's the wood. The guys at Lowes were looking at me funny as I snapped a picture with my phone. Yeah, leave it to a girl to document this part. Oh well. We took all the seats out of our mini van and the big ol' sheet of MDF slid in there like it was custom made for a wood haul. {sigh - love my Odyssey}

That night hubby made the first cut (of several... some not right... but, hey, this is our first major build!!)

Did I mention that we were new at this kind of thing?? Because we discovered why it was a good idea to keep the garage door open while cutting MDF after this failed attempt at a picture...

Yes, that's dust flying everywhere - not a dirty lens. Well, it's dirty NOW! 

And I'll end this post with a ...to be continued...

~~fOr tHE bIRds~~

I'm not trying to be a miser or anything, but I keep thinking that when I want to send a note off to someone that sometimes a card is overkill. But I still want to make it *pretty* - not just a scrap of notebook paper crammed in an envelope! (ha) I used my Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch from SU as well as the Scallop Trim Border punch. A little Certain Celery grosgrain ribbon to add a little variety to the set too. I tried out some of my Cuttle Bug embossers too. The possibilities were getting ~~crazy~~ so I stopped at that. Now... would it be cheesy to start out a note to someone on one of these with, "A little birdie told me..."? Uh, yeah. It would.

~~jUSt fOR LaS~~

She doesn't know it yet but I made some monogram cards for LAS. When she was here visiting she mentioned that she like fleur de lis and so now whenever I see one I think of her. And would you believe that one of the {ippity} stamps was one in the new line and I found an embossing folder... they just pop up all over the place now!!

This was my first project with my Just Right stamps too and, boy, do I dig those! I have a weird desire to personalize stuff and these sets were right up that alley. I kept this design super simple shooting for an elegant, sophisticated look. I just hope LAS *loves* them... and that she will not hesitate to *use* them!