Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Project 365



via Instagram 4/28/13: It didn't turn out to be as warm as he thought. #p365 #greyson #summerfun

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via Instagram 4/27/13: The effects of ice cream. #p365 #greyson

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via Instagram 4/26/13: Looking for some party favors but can't find Ninjago sets. #p365

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via Instagram 4/25/13: Roots of a tree growing out of the side of a steep hill on the side of the trail in COMO #p365

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via Instagram 4/24/13: thankful for great leaders. What a fun idea from #emints staff #p365

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via Instagram 4/23/13: The wipers didn't stop once on the way to Columbia. #p365

Monday, April 22, 2013

Project 365



via Instagram 4/22/13: Picking out yummy mangoes. He walked by every bin in the produce section and either told us what it was or asked us what was in the bin. #p365 #greyson

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via Instagram 4/21/13: Belly swinging. #p365 #greyson

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via Instagram 4/20/13: A wheelbarrow full of nasty weeds. This took forever but i'm so happy I had the time to start some yard work. Maybe I will get something planted soon. #p365 thx @mdianebuck for watching G.

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via Instagram 4/19/13: Checking out the cool cars at the local car show. Wish it had been warmer but the free hotdogs made up for that. #p365 #greyson

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via Instagram 4/18/13: Hmmm, who do you think picked this out of the treasure box at the hospital and then who do you think put it together??? ;) #p365

Trip to the Big City

Last week we made a trip to KC for G's follow-up MRI six months after surgery. He was such a great sport and worked with everyone without a complaint. We were amazed at how much he has grown up since his MRI last year.


He had an OT appointment before going in for the MRI. The therapist was very happy with his range of motion and strength. She feels like the skin color and scar tissue will continue to improve for up to a year after surgery. We did order a new glove. He requested black with Batman on it. He earned the medal for being so good.


Greyson's MRI followed and took about 2 hours. The interventional radiologist read the scans after and didn't find anything he felt like needed to be taken care of now. He does have some tissue filling up in his bicep area but it isn't bothering him. We sent everything on to Nationwide Children's docs in Columbus, OH and will wait to hear what they have to say. If there will be any follow-up treatments we will let you know.

We finished up our trip with a visit to the bookstore...


and PF Chang's where G learned how to use his chopsticks...



...and he did a little reading on the way home. 


The day was fun for sure.
Brooke

Project 365



via Instagram 4/17/13: Favorite thing to@do at the book store. #p365 #greyson

Sunday, April 21, 2013

What's on Your...

Ali Edwards (one of my favorite bloggers on my blog roll) shared her “what’s on your…” list today that I thought would be fun to do.

Here’s what’s on my…

VANITY | I recently bought a jewelry tree and wonderful ceramic egg holder (Anthropologies) that are helping me to remember my jewelry and display it in a beautiful way.

PERENNIAL TO DO LIST | hang pictures... Our friend Allison took some spectacular shots of us that I framed but for some reason they have failed to make it onto the walls. It has been months.

REFRIGERATOR SHELVES | Greek yogurt, leftover pizza, International Delights Iced Coffee, farm fresh eggs from Dad and Beck

ITINERARY | Work trip to Springfield, MO and then to Columbia, MO...sounds like too much work to me guess I will sprinkle in some yard work in between.

FANTASY ITINERARY | anywhere with no Internet or phone service. I would love to just checkout for a week. It could be in the mountains or at a beach...I really don't care at this point.

PLAYLIST | I am sooooo bad at listening to music. I intentionally put the Boise speaker in the kitchen thinking it would get me to play more music but that hasn't panned out as planned. We did get a new vehicle last weekend that came with Sirius Radio and the Pearl Jam station is the one I tend to pull up most.

NIGHTSTAND | My iPad mini (which is supposedly not good to look at before bed-interrupts sleep cycle), a Runners World (that I haven't read one bit of), and always a glass of water. There should be a book there, but that has fallen off my radar in the last year.

WORKOUT PLAN | Run but not as much as I have been...recovering from 44 miler is slow and necessary.

IPHONE | yes, the 5, and I can say the battery life stinks

TOP 5 LIST | hanging out with my boys, running, finding/making the perfect guacamole, our new Jeep, the rumor that Friends is coming back for a reunion season

BUCKET LIST | Travel and adventure with Greyson and Michael, family, and friends including National Parks, camping, Fiji, Italy, Greece, Alaska

MIND | why does it take so long to recover from a race, I need to finish planning my next training session since it will be my formal evaluation, and how will I plan Greyson's BDay party in two weeks

BLOGROLL | Ali Edwards, Under the Sycamore, The House of Smiths, The Pioneer Woman, and so many more.

WALLS OF YOUR FAVORITE ROOM IN YOUR HOUSE | Collonade Gray in the kitchen.

LIQUOR SHELF | a bunch of stuff we never drink. Margaritas are my favorite but not to often.

LAST CREDIT CARD STATEMENT | Michael is responsible for that but I think the last of the kitchen restyle might have been on it.

SCREENSAVER | Computer never goes untouched long enough for screen saver to come on.

TV EVERY NIGHT | Friends before bed... 1 or 2 episodes.

 

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Project Complete: The Kitchen Redo is Finished

The kitchen/laundry room restyle is done...as done as its getting for now! I decided not to call it a remodel from the beginning since what we were doing didn't really involve major construction.


It did take quite a bit longer than I originally thought (never ending painting), but we are blessed with tons of cabinets, and who can complain about that? We had lots of cabinets to sand, prime, and paint (2 coats). We found when we were hanging the doors back up that when you add that many new layers to a surface things don't always fit back the way you thought and some modifications were necessary. But did I say...it's done! ;)


To recap, what we planned to tackle: replace counters, put in new sinks and faucets (and garbage disposal), paint cabinets, paint walls, and add new decor. In doing this we created such a mess that we also added many hours of cleaning up the messes that we made in the process.


The rest of the stuff left to do is about filling in the decorating gaps. I took down a big gallery wall display on one wall and want to put something new up but I am not sure what that something will be. I need a new rug or two, I have found an alternative to buying rugs buy am not completely convinced that the "homemade" version is going to hold up. See previous post.


All in all I am OVER THE TOP pleased with the outcome. It was time consuming painting cabinets but so worth it in the end (as long as they hold up) and the color I finally went with is perfect for us.
Finally, for those of you that love golden oak cabinets...please know that no cabinets were hurt in the process of this redo but were just given a nice cover to keep them warm. ;) I still say that's better (and cheaper) than tearing them out and starting from scratch.


Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Monday, April 15, 2013

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Project 365



via Instagram 4/13/12: Checking out the new "toy". #p365 #Greyson #jeep

Project 365



via Instagram 4/12/13: Productive day but still not enough scribbles. #p365

Saturday, April 13, 2013

In Search of the Perfect Rug

I want color, I want pattern, I want cushioning, I want durability but when I shopped for that in a rug for the kitchen I came up empty handed. Pinterest to the rescue (sort of). I found this idea shared by two DIY blogs (I Am a Momma Here Me Roar and All Parenting) and thought I better give it a try.

For this project you need a plastic mat, fabric (length/width of mat), scissors, spray adhesive, paint brush, and water-based Polycrylic.

I found a plastic, cushioned rug at Wal-Mart (maybe $10?). The sites suggested the thin ones with a smooth side but I need comfort when I am standing in the kitchen. I thought the texture of the mat was going to show through the fabric but it ended up being fine. If possible get a smooth mat. 


I think the hardest part was finding the fabric. I really wated color but am a bit conservative so I finally settled on a grey and cream chevron ($8yd from Hobby Lobby). I cut the fabric so that it would wrap around the mat and have about 3" on the back. Next time I promise to be more daring with color. My plan is to find something with some orangey-reds in it.


To adhere the fabric to the mat you need a spray adhesive. My #1 tip...follow the directions on the can. If it says wait 30-60 seconds to apply fabric after spraying then do it. They aren't lying. I have had a can of spray adhesive for years and it comes in very handy. No idea how much it costs, Mikey picked it up from the floral company he worked for. 


The water-based Polycrylic I found at Wal-Mart. I was surprised that it was $17 a quart. I applied 3 coats with a paint brush letting each coat dry for more than 3 hours before adding the next. When I painted it on it did appear that I could see the texture in the mat but then when it dried all was good. I think next time I might apply 5 coats.
Here is what I did:
  1. Cut fabric by laying it flat with the mat on top. Cut it 3" larger than mat.
  2. Iron fabric to get creases out.
  3. Set up table with news paper and strips of wax paper to go around the edges of the mat.
  4. Lay mat on table with top side up. Lay fabric over mat with print side up to dry fit it. Extra 3" around edges will hang over. Do not tuck under until after applying Polyacrilic.
  5. Folded back half the fabric and spray adhesive over half. Let set for suggested time.
  6. Apply fabric smoothing out wrinkles and bubbles as you go.
  7. Repeat with other half of fabric. And let dry.
  8. Paint 3-5 layers of Polycrylic over entire piece of fabric edge to edge. Let dry for 3 hours between coats.
  9. Once completely dry, flip mat and fabric over. Dry fit edges around the back creasing the edges and folding in the corners neatly (see image).
  10. Carefully spray adhesive where the fabric will lay (I blocked rest of mat with newspaper to keep overspray from occurring). Press down firmly until completely stuck and let dry overnight. I set heavy books on top of the edges to help them stick.

So far this one has held up pretty well. If that continues I have many more mats to make in the near future.
Brooke

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Project 365



via Instagram 4/11/13: Planning another Barn gathering. #p365

Project 365



via Instagram 4/10/13: Dr. Greyson taking a splinter out of my finger on his sick day. Look at that concentration. #p365 #sickday #greyson

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Project 365



via Instagram 4/9/13: An elevator ride. #p365

Project 365



via Instagram 4/8/13: This is what got me through the day. Next time I'm thinking I need to take of an extra day for recovery. I was so sore and extremely brain dead. #p365

Project 365



via Instagram 4/7/13: Sometimes relief requires a bit more pain. Greyson calls this the marshmallow stick. #p365

Monday, April 8, 2013

Project 365



via Instagram 4/6/13: Brew to Brew Solo - 44 miles in 8:21. #p365 #picstitch

Project 365



via Instagram 4/5/13: Go Shocks! Thx grandma @mdianebuck for the new stuff. #p365

Project 365



via Instagram 4/4/13: Pretending the frog is Nemo. He kept telling him not to touch the butt just like Nemo's dad does. Pretend is so cute when it doesn't involve a gun. #p365

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via Instagram 4/3/13: Borrowing Mira's ride. Do you think she minded @chanti_b ? #p365

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Project 365



via Instagram 4/2/13: Go Cards & WSU. Thx Matt for the new shirt. He loves it as you can tell. Think he will layer his shirts Saturday and be an equal-opportunity fan. #p365

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Project 365



via Instagram 4/1/13: All was@good at the check-up for G. He wanted to take some pics so I helped him with this one. #p365

Project 365



via Instagram 3/31/13: The Hunt #p365 #greyson

Project 365



via Instagram 3/30/13: Date at Bonefish Grill. Notice all that's left is lettuce. Yummo - bacon wrapped scallops, seared ahi tuna, bang bang shrimp #p365

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via Instagram 3/29/13: Posing with his eggs. He had to lay down beside them. Thx Gramps and Grandma B. #p365 #easter #Greyson