Book Room, Part II

Project Time! 
... AND PROJECT UPDATE!

So a couple weekends ago, we got the first part of the mini library completed: the large bookshelf. It wasn't necessarily a complicated process; I'd call it more time consuming that "difficult." Not a bad problem for a DIY project. 

Yesterday afternoon, between the morning & afternoon visits with my cousin, Rob and I made a trip to pick up the lumber needed for the reading bench. The original plan was to go ahead and get the second bookshelf materials as well, but well.. things happen and you decide that you don't really wanna do it just then and so you don't. And so we didn't. Meh. Another day. 

So today, we did church and then a much-needed and much-loved lunch outing with the Ricks and Costanzas, before coming back home to tackle the bench. Rob assisted me with some of the sawing [I could use that thing every day and still manage to cut off something that isn't lumber...], and then I hauled the cuts upstairs to build the bench.

First things first: baseboard removal. Somuchfun.

It's a box. I built a box. Not super complicated, but again - time consuming. Especially when you decide you're going to make pocket screws, sans kreg jig or any other foreseeable solution outside of winging it. I'm good at that, so it worked out :). 

Here's the before: 

freshly vacuumed :) 

a box & some suuuper pretty "pocket screws" [haha]

Rob has relentlessly teased me about my plans to make this thing sturdy enough to support half the house, and well, he's not wrong, and in the event that it does need to support half the house, well, WE'RE GOOD HERE. :D 

Anyway, fast forward a couple hours, a couple drill batteries and several stripped-out screws later... 

final touches: hinges and hatch opening!

And thennnnn: 

ta-da! 

because i'm not about wasting space... 

She's done! 

phase 2!
... of... 4, i think. 

So if you can picture a smaller white bookshelf (to match the existing one) situated in front of and of the same height as the bench, then you've seen the next step. I'll add a bunch of memory foam and cool pillows+blankets+comfy shtuff on top of that & it'll probably be my new favorite place in the entire house. 

Also, YAY for not having to paint ANY of this so far. While I don't like cutting corners, I also don't like creating unnecessary work for myself. Everybody wins. 

Oh, and if you had no reason to turn your clocks forward today - or if you're among the rare who don't have a cell phone that automatically updates, well.. make sure you do that before tomorrow morning :). 

Here's to another solid week! 

Cheers,

xo | cms

Mangos, Maricor & Macarons

My wonderful cousin was in town today for work. She made it a point to see me before and after, and I feel so loved for that.

We started the day with brunch at First Watch, complete with morning tonics [and no, not alcoholic].

good morning tonics! 

We went our separate was after that; I had the day at my disposal; fortunately I have a husband who obliges my unplanned requests to go lumber shopping in the middle of the day. I've had my written plans in place for a couple weeks now and continuing the mini library upstairs, and am so thankful that he goes along with these things. I don't know how I got so lucky... even if we both decided halfway through circling laps through Lowe's that we didn't feel like getting the entire sum of material we'd originally planned. This would do for now.

gosh. i love him.

Our DIY plans fizzled as soon as we got home from Lowe's, when we both looked at each other and admitted neither felt like starting on that specific project. Rob's been working on a motor rebuild, and I owed it to him to have time for that, instead of hoarding him to help me build a bench. I took the opportunity to run a couple errands.. and some other unplanned stops:

i will pencil this place into any agenda... and on any day. 

Macarons are kinda sorta YES and ABSOLUTELY YES in my book. I was craving some blackcurrant today, and of course one thing led to another and well..

blackcurrant

*Sigh.

i'll just take 1.
..... pair of boxes.... please. 

I circled back home, relaxed for a couple hours while I waited for Maricor to wrap up at work. She eventually finished, and Rob and I met her at Chuy's for dinner. If there's anything I'd ever wish in an imperfect world, it would be that all my favorite people lived closer. 

♥

Our first HOUR was spent waiting past other parties who'd arrived long after us, and we were a little skeptical on how the rest of the evening would fare in terms of service. We were proven so wrong, so quickly, by the awesome server named Bobby, who not only made us smile every time he came by, but gifted us a free sopapilla at the conclusion of dinner.

If it's possible to have a spirit animal for a night, well.. Bobby... ya nailed it.

sopapillas = divertidas ;) 

I couldn't have asked for a better self-paced Saturday, except for maybe one including Sydni. Next weekend, though. Next weekend. 

For now, we're fed, happy and calling it a night. 

Happy Saturday! 

xo | cms

The Busiest Non-Busy Saturday...

Well, I'd say that over 75% of the day today was spent at the house, but looking back at the past 12 hours, it was anything but lame.

First things first, breakfast - the timeless classic that  my mom made for us growing up: Cream of Buckwheat. Sounds weird, but don't knock it til you try it. :) 

nommmmmm.... :) 

Once breakfast was off the list, we made an attempt to gather our thoughts for how we'd take advantage of the day [which was beautiful, btw]. We settled on some necessity things, which turned out to be a perfect way to spend it.

Sydni was ready to go: 

i just... i can't. i love this so much. 

Item 1: Poor Subie. She's been singing the infirmary song of her people for a couple weeks now: her rear brakes are going bad and a couple weeks back, we drilled a pothole in the never-ending field of them en route to Milford. My fiance, being the stand up guy that he is, ushered in the assistance of his contacts at the tire repair shop, where we left Subie for the better half of the morning.

In the interim, we made our way to Oakley: Michael's and lunch. I can't spill all the beans now [since I know this page is frequented by a certain someone whose birthday may or may not, but in this case may be approaching in like... 4 days or so], but the Michael's mission was a success!

Lunch at Which Wich afterwards wasn't a shabby experience, either: I always enjoy showing new dives to Rob & Syd. 

love at which wich!

Back at home, Rob set out on the second half of his quest to fix my car, while I set to work on my.... "project(s)." I suppose I'll leave you with one small spoiler for now, but that's it!

that's all you get [for now!]

The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out together as a family, doing our own separate tasks, but there together. Sydni made a little flower garden and some mud pies, Rob changed my brakes and fixed Subie's squeaky hubcap, and I was able to finish the craft tasks on my list. We all had our hands busy, but were all within earshot of each other and free from the distractions of technology for the afternoon. It was beautiful! 

Evening eventually found us, which meant dinner... which I was bound and determined to make healthy for us: 

salad salad salaaaaad

And yes, I count it as a monumental life victory that my kid will eat salad without protest. I don't have this whole parenting thing down to a science yet, but it's small things like this that remind me we're doing something right :) 

Goodnight, blogbots! 

xo | cmd

Level UP : Knitting GOALS ;)

#trueeeeeeeeeeeeestory.

Okay okay okay... so I've been knitting a whole bunch so far this year. I spent a few hours tonight working away on the current project for Jessica's grandma, but I discovered THIS somewhere in the middle of my own work and breaks spent perusing social media.

The link has the full deets, but long story short, it's THIS:

want. need. want. need. want. need. 

The lengths to which this gal went to create this blanket seem pretty grueling, and I'll be the first to tell you I don't have my own personal collection of wool [........... yet? haha] to move on this. It looks.... fantastic, though. Add this one to my bucket list of other Pinterestesque ideas that may or may not ever find fruition.

That being said, I'll stick to my individual projects here, pale as they may be in comparison to that behemoth of a creation. If you want in on one, let me know! ;)

#6 & 7 so far this season!
$20/each - i will customize if you're interested! 

Yay, DIY-ers!
G'Nite, blogbots ♥

xo | cmd

All Things Monday

What. A. DAY.

This has been a pure blend of surprise, celebration and mourning. It's all here, on one day.

First things first, today is my cousin Maricor's 30th birthday!

happy birthday!!!!

It's a rare blessing I think, to have someone so closely aligned with you, who isn't technically a biological relative [I'm adopted, remember?]. With splitting hairs aside, this woman is still my best friend, an inspiring soul, a wonderful mother to her beautiful girls and much, much more. Our daughters are 1 week apart, and although we don't see each other nearly as often as we'd like, we never miss a beat. Happy birthday, Maricor!! LOVE YOU!!

On the tails of morning birthday salutes, I found this in the mail:

yay, continued staffing education!

^ Yep. Another year's worth of being certified as an EUCP. Thanks, Express (:  

 

And then THIS: 

finally!! yiiieeee

^ About a week or so back, I gave in and finally ordered some waxed polyester cord; it's the same material [I think] used to make the famous Pura Vida bracelets. I have several of their bracelets, but decided that it's high time I start making some of my own, inspired by their design, but customized exactly how I want them. I started today, and have to say they didn't turn out bad. Marianne is the lucky guinea pig who gets the first set:

fun!

Oh... the possibilities.

Now for the sad - and I mean truly sad part of today:
By now it's been on every headline out there, but today the world lost Robin Williams.

I realized today that we don't always recognize the fact that personalities who as adults themselves defined large parts of our childhood, continue to age just as we do. I won't say I was a prolific follower of all things Robin Williams, but he was absolutely an iconic figure in my mind.

I mean c'mon.. he was the GENIE!
He was Adrian Cronauer!
He was Patch Adams!
He made Flubber!
He was Rainbow Rudolph!
HE WAS MRS. DOUBTFIRE!!

That list is obviously so long that it warrants more accolade than I could give on my own. Outside of his acting career, Robin was a philanthropist with a huge heart; Shriner's and the USO found much of his dedicated time, and the man contributed to the advancement of humanity in ways we didn't always recognize.

And he left this world today, after battling severe depression, ultimately leading to his suicide.

"genie, you're free."
 - the academy of motion picture arts & sciences

And okokokokokay.... to clarify, NO, I'm not propogating the idea that suicide equates freedom.

NO NO NO NO NO. The more I examined that statement, given by The Academy, the more I could justify why many people were offended by it - yes, in its immediate simplicity, it does leave room to suggest that by committing suicide, RW was "liberated."

NO NO NO NO NO. What I'm hopefully assuming the Academy meant to convey was the same sense of remorse so many other people feel at his passing: the long and excruciating struggle is over. It did NOT end the way it should have, at all, but it is over.

I have seen what happens to families ripped apart by suicide. I do NOT believe that the act of taking your own life delivers freedom to ANYONE. My heart hurts to think that, regardless of his celebrity status, RW has family and friends who are intimately destroyed by losing him.

Here's a solemn call-to-action for all of you out there.. from me to you: If you, or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts.......... talk. TALK to someone. It's only too late if you choose to ignore it. I joined the AFSP in 2009 after losing my friend Jena to suicide and watched her family and the rest of us blindly picking up the pieces.

Rest in peace, Robin. The world lost a remarkable soul today.

xo | cmd

Crafty Cards & A Four-Year-Old Four Wheeler

Elisa and I did something today that we've never done before.
We... played.. hookie.

Okay, so that's kind of what we told ourselves, but really all we did was take a dual lunch break and make a pitstop at Findlay Market. I gave Becky & Mike a heads up that we would be stopping by, and the four of us had a chance to chat over some gelato for a few minutes.

Oh, and there are hanging glass terariums at Market that give me the urge to transform my entire house into a gallery of tiny hanging succulent bulbs.

love!

And cacti:

d'awwwww (:

Sure, we made it back to the office in a reasonable amount of time, but for the sake of pretend rebellion, yeah, we went there. ;)

Anyway, with Monday gone to Sydni and my play-doh party, Tuesday gone to the circus episode of retrieving brick pavers, and last night gone to volleyball, I was left with tonight to start and finish the production of our Mother's Day cards.

So,

THANK YOU, PINTEREST. 

I had the format for these ready to go in my head on like, Sunday night, with every intention of having them completed and in the mail by Tuesday at the latest. Oh well.

They're done, we're happy, and here they are (:

to my mom ♥

open

front & top views

And the personalized but still mass-produced outcome?

dawne. mom. kate. mindi. carolyn.
"[some of] the moms"

add a little bit of a personal touch! ;)

While I was finishing the last bits of final touch on the cards, Sydni got bored and wandered outside to help Rob with the yardwork and re-arranging he was doing. It wasn't long before I heard, "Mooooommmmyyyyyyy!!!!!" It wasn't the panicked cry, rather that mischevious inflection that sounds more like, "Mmooooooommyyyy..." I opened the back door and found a giggly girl and Mr. Rob doing loops in the backyard.

i. friggin. love. them. ♥♥♥♥♥

They're amazing.

We're some happy people in this house, tonight ;)

Happy Thursday!!!

 

xo | cmd

Post-Dated Easter Cards & Mini Pot Pies

Happy MONDAY!  

love love loooooove!!

My little Easter egg is back, and we started off our week with a mama+mini selfie, because... we can (: We had big plans for this evening, so we made it a point to get started as soon as we got home.

1. DINNER!
I'm going to share this one with everybody, because it's just... that easy. And delicious.
Here ya go. Here's the scoop on making mini chicken pot pies:

NEED

2 cans pillsbury grands dinner rolls
1 bag frozen veggies (the peas/corn/green beans/carrots work well)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups of shredded chicken (or 1 can.. if you're into canned meat)
Shredded cheese, if you please!

Muffin tin
Cooking spray (or flour, if you do it that way)

DO

1. Pre-heat oven to 375. Thaw your veggies & cook your chicken if you need to. Put all the ingredients in a ziploc bag.

looks great. uhhhh.. haha

2. Prime your muffin tin with either cooking spray or flour, whichever method you like best. Try not to have a heart attack while opening the grands container.... even though we all know what's coming, if you're like me, it still scares the crap out of you every time.

3. Stuff grands rolls into the muffin tins. 





gettin' there.

4. I used 2 tablespoons of the bag mixture per dough cup. Spoon everything into the muffin tin. Bake at 375 until the dough starts browning slightly. Since everything in the mixture should be cooked already, be sure not to overdo it.

noms.

5. EAT!

deeeeelish!

These were a huge hit tonight. I wouldn't say I have a picky eater, but it was exceptionally easy with this one. No, not the healthiest thing we could've done, but we don't regularly eat this way.

Anyway, that was the solution to dinner. The rest of the night was dedicated to the creation of Easter cards! Okay, correction: Post-Easter Easter cards. It's never too late for well-wishes ;)

prepared earlier last week!

here we go!!!

Our dining room table transformed from an eatery to a craft bench:

colorful girl

mister rob, come help!

markers & colors & eggs, oh my!

love these nights

After what seemed like "fooooooreverrrrr, Mommmyyyyyyy," the glue had dried on all the eggs and our cards were ready:

egg cards!
artwork compliments of miss sydni herself ♥

........... Whew! That's a lot for one evening, but we're caught up now and relaxing together like we should be. Here's to a great week!

xo | cmd