Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Mo' Movember Humor

Even this car is getting into Movember :)
(more info on Movember can be found here)

The Calendar of Facial Hair

Today marks the last day of Movember (long known as No-Shave November and commonly known as November), so in honor of it, I thought I would post this Calendar of Facial Hair. It was created by a Bible study I co-led last year. One night, we were all sitting around and the guys started talking about how they weren't shaving for No-Shave November. Some of us felt that it wasn't fair for November to be the only month associated with facial hair, and so this calendar was created:



“Januhairy” - Don’t shave or pluck or cut any hairs on your body. Give your back hair a chance. 

“Fu-bruary” - In honor of Valentine’s day, because nothing says “I love you” like a full Fu Manchu. 

“Moustache March” - We will not alter this month as it has been laid down by our forefathers as the correct thing to be doing at this time. 

“April Fus” or “Anchor Beard April” - Two to choose from this month. Don’t let the French have all the fun.

“Mutton Chops May” - May your chops be fluffy and (not necessarily) white. 

“Well-Groomed June” - With the arrival of summer, it’s time to stop hiding the fact that you’ve been living in Januhairy for the last 6 months. Keep yourself well-groomed. A full shave is optional. 

“Summer Soul Patch” - Give your face a chance to cool off and your spiritual life a chance to grow. 

“Augoatee” - We know it doesn’t rhyme or alliterate, but give us a break, we tried hard. And you know you’ve been waiting all year for the goatee. 

“September Sparrow” - Set sail for awesome this month, show your pirate spirit, and get ready for International Talk Like a Pirate Day by growing a Jack Sparrow facial thingamajig. 

“Octoberfest Beerd Bong” - Don’t let one drop go to waste. Facial hair makes an excellent alcohol reservoir, though few have been fortunate enough to discover this fact prior to the publishing of this publication. 

“No-Shave November” or, for the more brave among us, “Neard November” - shave all facial hair except for what grows on your neck.

“Decembeard” - Keep your face warm for the first of the chilly winter months by growing a full beard by Christmas.

Did you know that there's a World Beard and Moustache Championship?

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Puppies!

Is there anything cuter than a pile of sleeping puppies? Me thinks not :)

My parents just had a litter of 7 goldendoodle (half poodle, half golden retriever = a sweet tempered, family dog that won't shed) pups. Seriously, they are such sweeties! I mean look at those ears:


Waking up and groggily looking for mama. Their mom is so good too. She was outside and one of her pups yelped and she flew to the door to be let in so she could check on them. I'm amazed she heard that one little yip from so far away.


These guys have the sweetest faces, and they grow up to be such loving companions. Makes me wish I had a bigger place so I could have one too.

Looking at these pictures just makes me want to snuggle with a puppy :)

Monday, November 28, 2011

Whirlwind Trip to SoCal

As I mentioned this morning, my friend Kelsey and I spent Veteran's Day weekend in Southern California because I was presenting a paper at a conference and she was kind enough to keep me company so I wouldn't have to drive there are back on my own. We decided to make the most of our time in SoCal so we hit up Hollywood on Saturday afternoon and spend Sunday at Disneyland.


Hollywood wasn't quite what we expected. It certainly isn't as glamorous as it looks on TV or in movies, but it was still fun! We decided to visit the wax museum and since it was a combo ticket, we went to the Guinness World Record Museum as well.


Captain Jack Sparrow greeted us as we entered and I so I snapped this photo for my sister and co-blogger, Ashton. She loves Johnny Depp!


I love Gwyneth Paltrow, so I just had to take a photo with her. It was amazing how life-like the wax statues were...not that I recognized that many of them, but I suppose that comes of growing up without watching many movies.


Ah, the entrance to Disneyland.


Kelsey insisted we go on the It's a Small World ride and though I was dreading it, it actually was really awesome! The song did not get stuck in my head because they change it for the holidays.


The decorations inside were amazing. This is as simple as they got.


Since I went on It's a Small World, Kelsey humored me and we rode the carousel together (I don't know what it is about them, but I ride carousels whenever I get the chance).


Here we are together in the lower left hand corner of the mirror.


The mast of the pirate ship we set sail on.


Mike Fink, King of the River's cabin. Davy Crockett was visiting! I had to snap this photo because I have way too many good memories of singing "Daaavy, Daaavy Crocket, King of the Wild Frontier" with my siblings.


Ah, the haunted mansion. It was awesome!


Before dinner, we watched the parade. The chimney sweeps were our favorite part. These guys were super talented!


We ended the evening with a trip on the Disneyland railroad followed by the holiday magic fireworks show.

Overall, we had a great time in SoCal, though we were both very glad to return to the land of tree-canopied cities and rarely-glimpsed skyscrapers.

Photo of the Week


A friend and I drove down to Southern California for Veteran's Day weekend. On the way down, we saw a lot of cotton bales along I-5, something neither of us had ever seen before, but knew instantly when we did. When we got to our hotel room, I wrote a Haiku about it:

Driving to SoCal
Cotton bales fresh harvested
Lining the highway

Check back this afternoon for more pictures from our trip!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Weekly Round-Up #33

Happy black Friday! I hope you all get some amazing deals today - or stay home and relax while eating leftovers :)

Some entertaining things from around the web:


Barbie and Ken wedding photos

The everyday life of a stormtrooper

Useful key fob :)

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Childhood Memories



I don't remember many of my childhood clothes and accessories. Sure, I have impressions of favorite dresses, that pair of striped three-sizes-too large shorts I always liked to wear, a favorite metal purse (it had a picture of hello kitty on the front). But none of these things conjure up the feelings of warmth, contentment and security like seeing a pair of these slippers.

Growing up, as the weather became crisper my Mom would pull out the Land's End catalog and turn to the slippers page. Back then the slippers she would buy for us looked very much like the one pictured above - right down to the contrasting trim and 'sleeve.' I would eagerly await the arrival of my pair - I always chose bright colors: purple and turquoise, pink and purple, lime green and purple (I kind of liked purple). When the UPS man finally delivered them, I would tear through the plastic packaging to feel the soft fleece. I always felt toasty and warm with them on. It's funny how just the thought of these slippers takes me back to cold early mornings, jumping out of bed, pulling on my slippers and running to the couch so I could wrap myself in a blanket. Evenings playing in our cold cement-slab playroom, feeling invincible to the chill. Late nights reading while wrapped in a down comforter with music softly playing in the background. Lazy weekend mornings. Opening Christmas presents. The common thread through all these scenes: my garishly bright yet warm slippers.

Is there an article of clothing or accessory that instantly transports you back to your childhood?


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Gift Guide: For Your Awesome Parents

I don't know about you, but I always find it a challenge to buy gifts for my parents. They are well established and so usually have most of what they want or need (or at least those items that are in my budget ;). So I tried to come up with a list of things I know you can always use more of. My Mom loves to have guests over and entertain, and she likes to have nice accessories and dishware to serve her company on. For this particular gift guide I'm focusing on that aspect of gift giving.

1. A Beautiful Seasonal Table Runner

I think this is so pretty! And not too red-green Christmasy, but gives a subtle nod to the holiday instead :)

2. Nice Napkin Rings

My Mom like to use cloth napkins when we have company, but as far as I know, she doesn't have enough nice matching napkin rings to go around if there's a crowd. I think this would be a neat and unique gift.

3. Sturdy Glass Coffee Mugs


Aren't these nice? I love the clean simplicity of clear glass mugs.

For my Dad, I am afraid I will most likely be going back to the old fall-backs that I know he likes.

1. A Historical Book


I recently read this particular book, and I couldn't put it down. It is such a heart wrenching part of medical history and will definitely make you rethink many things about medical research. I know my Dad would enjoy this, but I might change it up with another historical book :)

2. Fancy Tea


My Dad drinks a lot of tea. But he doesn't have fancy tea very often. A couple years ago I drank some blueberry tea from Teavana, and it was amazing! I still think about it after all this time, and so I think that some delicious gourmet tea would be a nice gift :)

What about you? Do you have any gift ideas for parents?

Monday, November 21, 2011

Photo of the Week





It's been rainy and cold for the last few days here. These pictures remind me that fall is still a beautiful time of year, even when it isn't sunny outside. I hope you have a cozy Monday!






Friday, November 18, 2011

Weekly Round-Up #34

From around the interwebs....

An intriguing article discussing the value we place on art (and how context plays into it more than we may realize)

A free Thank You printable from YoungHouseLove

Ashton is enjoying the new CD released by the Broadway cast of the Jersey Boys musical - Jersey Boys Christmas. Check it out here on youtube :)

The most gorgeous cupcake I've seen



very cool art

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Thoughts for a Stressful Thursday

Friends, I am finding myself overwhelmed today with so many things to do today. I have fallen woefully behind on any sort of housekeeping this week - it's all I can do to keep on top of my work related commitments. But I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel! I just have to get through the next 48 hours and it will be much better - and will be even better Tuesday morning :) Here are my reminders to myself during this insanely busy season. What would you add to this list?

To make spending time with my favorite person a priority - and to spend some of that time simply relaxing and holding hands.


To take a moment to catch a breath of fresh air and glance at the clouds while I'm at it.


To take a relaxing bath to reward myself for accomplishing all I could in a day - even if it wasn't everything on my list.


To notice the beautiful details around me - especially the gorgeous fall light playing off leaves or grasses


I hope there are moments of relaxation as you end your week!

My Cute Piano Student

Earlier this week I was teaching one of my 5 year old piano students in her home. She had been playing with this little toy (it's a happy blood drop) and had tied a bathrobe belt to it to use as a leash. Here it is where she tied it up to the piano (I'm assuming so it wouldn't run off during her lesson :)


Not the best picture quality but it's still pretty cute I think :)


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Day I Became a Capitalist. Or, A Six-Year-Old Comes Face to Face With Socialism's Flaws

I love the show Modern Family (warning: tangential start to this post!). One of my favorite scenes from a recent episode was when Mitchell is freaking out as usual so Cameron tries to calm him down with a heartwarming tale from his childhood. He tells of a calf that disappeared one night. They searched high and low but never found it. Then a year later, a full grown steer shows up in their yard - same markings and everything! The calf had found his way home after all that time....and that night - at this point Mitchell interrupts: "I know, I know, you ate like Kings."

I love this story on so many levels! One, because I often repeat stories to the hubs multiple times. So I told him that from now on when I'm repeating myself to interrupt me with Mitchell's quote and I will not only stop telling the story but die laughing as well :)

And now I shall regale you with the Tale of the Day I Became a Capitalist.

Once when I was a child our Sunday school class received the exciting news that if we memorized a Psalm that was about 20 verses with less than 5 mistakes, we would get a free trip to Marine World!!! I was soooo excited! I worked extra hard and after weeks of work, I did it - I got the free trip! As did my little sister Adri. My parents couldn't go, so they sent us with the group. As soon as I found out about the trip, I began saving up my money doing extra chores so when we went I could buy what I called a hard animal (a very literal name - these plastic toys could inflict a nice bump on an annoying sibling's scalp if used as a club). I collected these treasured toys slowly, as they were expensive by my young estimation - $8-$18 each.

After a long day of playing on an incredible rope obstacle course, seeing tigers, whales, and dolphins (and getting soaked!), I was able to stop at the hard animal shop. I chose carefully, as I knew I had limited funds. A killer whale and its baby and a dolphin. A fitting tribute to the day.

None of the other kids had brought money, or if they had, they spent it on cotton candy so I was the only one who purchased a souvenir. When we boarded the bus to go home, our Sunday school teacher came running up with a plastic bag. "I bought everyone a toy!!" she exclaimed excitedly. We were all thrilled! This was an unexpected treat :) She began handing out hard animal tigers - cute little baby ones. I was in the middle of the bus, and she handed one to my friend who was sitting next to me, then turned her back and walked past me. I was confused. When she was done passing one out to the last kid, I asked her if I could have one as she had skipped me. She replied, "No. I bought these for everyone else. You don't get one."
"But why?" I asked.
"It's not fair that you bought a toy and the other kids didn't so I bought them all a toy too. But not one for you. Go sit down and play with your whale."
It didn't make sense to my six year old brain. I had worked mopping floors at 25 cents a room, picking up dog poop at ten cents a day....basically slaving away for weeks and saving every penny so I could buy a toy. Yet now I was being excluded because I had planned ahead and worked hard so I could afford said hard animal. What could have been a generous gift to all the kids in her class became a chance for her to play some sort of vindictive game with a young child - a reverse form of favorites, where all were favored but me. I sat in my seat and tried hard not to cry. The other kids played with their tigers around me. "You can't play with us." They said. "Your whale doesn't have legs. We don't want to play with a dumb whale."






But that's not the end of the story :)

The 6 year old went on to collect many more hard animals. She had countless hours of fun playing with her whales and dolphin - who were later joined by a humpback whale and its baby. The hard animals lived happily with their brethren in a large plastic tub and were played with by many a child. Eventually the whale and dolphin passed from this world after being chewed and eaten by a puppy.
Later that summer the girl saved up more money. She bought herself three baby tigers.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Weekly Round-Up #32


Of interest this week:

A handy guide for the mustachioed man in your life.

When love finds you.

Bakerella did it again! Check out these incredibly detailed Muppet cakepops

It's family photo season! Some great tips on what to wear.

Jon Acuff wrote about the effect of travel on family time. While the post is geared towards adults with families, we think it's applicable for everyone, regardless of their stage in life.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Musings on My Desire to Have Children

Monday morning on my way to work, I was thinking about a conversation I had with friends the other day about how many kids I want to have someday (after I'm married, of course). For the past 7 years or so, I've thought that 4-10 kids would be the ideal number of children for me.

Although I've always said that I would be happy with "however many kids God gives me," on Monday morning I realized that wasn't really true. While I was thinking about this conversation, it was as though God asked me, "Adri, would you be happy with 2 children?" Yes, I thought, I would be...well, maybe not happy, but I could be content. But then God asked me, "What if I don't give you any children, Adri, would be you content then? You say you'll be happy with whatever I give you...what if I give you no children at all?"

And I realized that I could not even be content with not having any children...even now, typing this, I am nearly brought to tears - not the good kind, but the ones of bitterness and anger - at the thought of never having children. It's something I've always wanted, but if that's not God's will for my life, what am I supposed to do? What will that mean for my relationship with him?

Obviously, this is something I still need to work out. This is an area of my life that I only just realized is not surrendered to God...and I'm not sure that I want to surrender it. This is a time of testing for me. Will I surrender my deepest desires to him? Or will I hold onto them and let them come between us? The easy answer is that I will surrender it, but that's not necessarily an honest answer. And I think it's important to be honest, with God, with myself, and with others.

A Couple's Thanksgiving

This year we will be spending Thanksgiving day with my family at the beach. I am very excited about this because I love, love LOVE the ocean and being on the beach. Plus I always find holidays that center around cooking a huge meal for 10 hours to end up being rushed and chaotic. But a day with family at the beach? The exact opposite. I think this really is a genius plan - skip the traditional feast to instead focus on simply being. As a family.

We also won't be doing a traditional Thanksgiving meal with the hub's family...just spending a day relaxing and playing with the niece and nephews.

But part of me is really missing the idea of eating all the delicious food (despite my protestations above). So I thought, why not make a mini-feast for the hubs and I to enjoy?

And that is just what I am going to do! However, neither of us likes turkey (thankfully! because there is no way I am tackling that kind of a project - I lose interest in things too easily to try to cook a turkey). So we will be forgoing the bird in exchange for some steaks. Oh yeah. I think we will be winning in the end :)

Here is my menu:


Drinks: White and red wine, sparkling cranberry juice

These look so delicious. We both love bacon, so of course we have to find a way to work it in! Also I love how crispy both the beans and bacon get in this recipe.


I might make them this way, or I might simply wrap them in foil and let the yams bake in their own juices - they are very sweet that way on their own and we find we don't even need to add brown sugar or butter.


Side 1: mashed potatoes
with garlic and tons of butter...perfection!

Side 2: Crescent rolls
These look really good! I will probably just cheat and use pillsbury dough ;)


Side 3: jello salad
My Grandma makes this every year - and I almost hate to admit it...but it's one of the things I look forward to the most!


Dessert 1: pecan pie
I'm probably not going to attempt this - I'd hate to risk screwing it up - so I plan on buying one from Marie Callender.


I will be making three mini cheesecakes (I've found two friends who love this as much as I do). So excited for this!!! Pumpkin cheesecake is my favorite of all holiday desserts :)


Writing this post is making me hungry! Only two weeks to go :)

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Backpacking in Hetch Hetchy: Or, Why Fallen Logs Are Nice For Sitting, Not Sleeping

Last week in the Pinterest Challenge post, I teased the story of why we have a black bear ornament on our tree. I thought today would be a good day to share that tale, so pour a cup of coffee and enjoy :)

Last year for the Hub's birthday he asked to go on a backpacking trip to celebrate. Of course I was thrilled to say yes! We love spending time backpacking and don't get to do enough of it - sadly we've averaged only one backpacking trip per year since we were married. But when we do it, it's amazing. The scenery, being away from all concept of time and techonology....walking to the point of exhaustion and beyond...we love it.

We decided on Hetch Hetchy because it would be more secluded than Yosemite but still have great views. We finally arrived at about 3pm and chose a trail - one so rarely used and secluded that it's "free camping" which means you can set up your tent anywhere there is a clearing (as long as you are 100 yards from any water sources). It was a free weekend, so all we had to pay for was $15 to rent a bear cannister. We crammed all our food into it and headed down the trail. Which very quickly became UP the trail. Up and up and up. And up some more. Since we were getting such a late start and wanted to make 8-9 miles before setting up camp, we were hoofing it. But the trail continued to get steeper and steeper as we hiked toward the crest of the ridge which surrounds the reservoir - trust me, it's much farther away than you would guess. We rarely rested as time was not on our side. Finally about an hour after we reached a point of physical exhaustion I've never been to before or since, we saw hikers descending. We asked how much longer until we reached the hidden lake (our - or really my - goal) and they reassured us it was only a 1.5 miles ahead. At this point the sun was setting and dusk was already upon us. We hiked another 15 minutes and came to a relatively flat clearing. There was a large boulder with four or five fallen logs strewn about. We decided to camp there - we could sit and rest on one of the logs and eat, and get our tent up before it was pitch dark. And that's what we did. We carried our bear canister 200 feet away from where we were sleeping and left it in the open so it could roll freely (if you wedge it against anything the bears will use that as leverage to pry it open - sneaky buggers). We each pulled out our knives so they would be accessible just in case. I've read too many Reader's Digest "Bear/Cougar/Shark/Alligator Mauls Girl - But She Lived to Tell the Tale" to not come prepared with our longest blade - which is only 4 inches, but it made me feel better. Then the Hubs pulled out his knife...or should I say letter opener. Seriously, it was a mere inch long blade IF THAT. I'm not sure what he was planning to do with it if we were attacked by a man-eating bear, but to each his own. Perhaps I should have prepped him by making him read some of those articles.

We fell asleep. But within hours were awakened by a snuffling sound. Then more snuffling sounds. Then a ripping and pawing sound. Because what is in fallen logs that bears absolutely love? Fat juicy grubs. Yes. We had inadvertently set up our camp right in the middle of a bear feeding ground. We could hear more and more bears arriving. It seemed like there were at least three or four of them pawing and scraping, sometimes yipping at each other. We lay very still for hours. Occasionally a bear would meander toward our tent and sniff it. Finally I was so exhausted I fell into a fitful sleep. But each time I would adjust my position on the hard ground, my sleeping bag (made from that super noisy material all backpacking bags are made from) would rustle noisily. Which got the bears attention - I imagine I sounded suspiciously like a rodent in the grass. Immediately a bear or two would lumber over and begin nosing at the tent. This repeated itself innumerable times throughout the night as the Hubs lay there wide awake. I imagine that, Readers Digest or no, several of those mauling scenarios were running through his mind. I however slept on, completely unaware.

Finally the sun began to peak over the ridge at 4:30am. I was awake by now, listening to the last remaining bears disinterestedly pawing at the logs. We heard two bears pad over to our tent. Suddenly, as the first ray of sun hit the top of our tent, the outline of a bear standing on its rear legs became visible, as if it was trying to peer into the top of our tent. Never have we been so still or held our breath for so long. After what felt like hours, the bears left. When all was quiet for a good ten minutes, we warily peeked out. They were gone.

All in all, it was a glorious trip. And as all ended well, it left us with quite the story and a valuable life lesson: Camp far away from fallen logs.

:)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Gift Ideas: For Your 14 Year Old Comedic, Goofy, Cyclist Brother

Today is the eighth installment of gift guides!! Click here to find previous ones for babies, toddlers, spouses, and siblings :)

My little brother Jon survived being the youngest of 6 bossy and opinionated siblings by developing a sense of humor which he used to diffuse situations involving his bigger siblings. This skill has served him well. He now uses his humor in writing hilarious and ridiculous stories. He is also extremely driven and dedicated to his sport of cycling. He is tough to buy for because (like his older brother Nano) he always wants super expensive things - like an itouch or bicycle gear in the high several hundred dollar range.

So here are my ideas which hopefully will still leave him happy on Christmas day :)

1. Candy Card


This would be such a fun "stocking stuffer" type present. I would use at least 25 candies so it was extra big, and would put it on a giant stocking-shaped poster board - perhaps even hung above the fireplace so it would instantly catch his eye Christmas morning :)

2. Inspirational Racing Poster


Working through pain is what it's all about - and now that he has his own room, it would be neat for him to receive some large posters for the walls to tie in with the tour de france theme (his room is painted in the tour's colors). And along those lines....

3. Official Tour Posters

How cool is this tour poster?! I would love to get him a series of 3-5 of these (preferably from years with especially intense races) for him to put on one wall of his room. I think these are classic enough that he would keep them for a long time!

4. Book


Jon also loves to read. A book of any sort would be a gift he would enjoy. I chose one about cycling to use as an example, but anything with an exciting plot would work just as well.

5. Touchscreen MP3


What he really wants, though, is a touchscreen mp3 player. I found this one for $50, and it's actually quite affordable for all the options it comes with. Although not an itouch, I still think this would be a gift he would be thrilled about :)

Monday, November 7, 2011

Photo of the Week


I love fall! Glad to be wearing sweaters, boots and scarves again :)

Photo taken in Denver Colorado

Friday, November 4, 2011

Weekly Round-Up #33

From around the interwebs:

this puppy is too cute!!

An apt apology for the next time I'm hungry :)

Some of Ashton's favorites from the recent pinterest challenge...


embroidered fingerprint art



Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Pinterest Challenge: Painted Ornaments

I am so excited to be participating in the fall edition of the Pinterest Challenge (created by Katie Bower and YoungHouseLove)! Seriously I pin waaay more things than I create, so I knew this was my chance to knock out one of my pending projects!

But which one to choose? It was a tough call, because I want to do all the projects I pinned...but I decided on making ornaments! Those who know me know that I have a major thing for ornaments - every single one on the tree has to have a story attached to it. Oh, that wooden bear ornament? Yeah, it reminds us of our trip to Hetch Hetchy - the time we accidentally set up camp in the middle of a bear feeding ground. Sea turtle? Bought on Christmas day on our honeymoon in Maui. Sparkly car? Reminds us of the year we had to repair our cars (as in engines, transmissions, major stuff) eight. times.

For this challenge I was inspired by these gorgeous ornaments made by Alyssa Ruklic

(found on her board here)
As soon as I saw these I was in love! I asked her how she achieved the affect. She told me by putting the paint inside drop by drop, swirling, and tapping the sides to encourage the streaking affect. I knew this was the project for me to try :)
I decided to base my palette off this painting I posted back in September:

(original post with link to the artist here)

My equipment: glass ornaments and Americana acrylic paint


First two drops of paint:


This pic is blurry, but if you kind of squint you can see the cool marbling affect that happens inside the ornament as you swirl. Sadly this isn't visible once the bulb is finished.


Almost finished!


I wasn't sure if I needed to let them dry, so I let them rest for an hour, nervously checking back every few minutes to make sure the paint was sticking. They were fine :)


This one was my first - yellow, gray and white.


The other side has more marbling and less streaking.


My second ornament used all four colors - gray, yellow, white and purple. This ornament is my favorite because it has two distinct pattern variations depending on how you look at it. The subtle purple side:


The bolder side:


Finally I tried a purple, white and gray variation. I was impatient on this one so I'm only going to show you the good side:


And there they are! This was such an easy and rewarding project. It only took about 10-15 minutes per ornament (I'm sure it would be faster once I felt more confident too) and the effect is so gorgeous. It really does remind me of the type of modern art pieces I love.


I am off to buy some more paint colors so I can try more variations - and maybe if I'm patient I can get mine to look more like Alyssa's :)


Feel free to share a link to a project you've recently completed (Pinterest Challenge or not)! I'd love to see what you've done :)

Be sure to check out the hosts of this Pinterest Challenge:
Katie of Bower Power
Sherry of YoungHouseLove
Ana from Ana-White.com
Erin from House of Earnest