DIY and other home projects

Please excuse my picture taking ability. I think you either have this talent or you don't. Or you learn it.

Will bought this piano bench for 5 bucks. He sanded it before taking the picture. It was shiny and ugly. Afterwards, he painted it white and antiqued it a bit. Now, we are using it as an end table/ coffee table/ toy holder. It could even be a toddler desk. Not bad for a 5.

I also added some pictures and sweet notes from Will into our empty frame wall. I don't know if I will keep it this way, but we are trying it out.

We also finally replaced our lunchroom industrial light. It now lives in the garage.



This little 16 dollar number has taken its place.



It isn't much, but that huge light has been a thorn in my side for sometime. Our new one goes well with our other kitchen light fixtures. I also don't have migraines from standing under it. Nor do I need SPF 50.

If you have the same problem, Will says this is a rather simple project. I love that he knows how to do this stuff!

We have also added more stuff to our white framed stairway. I got this idea from the young house love blog. I love it. It really pops.



This is my favorite. It is from Katie Daisy. Really warms my heart.

I will be sad when my handyman goes back to work. He is currently at Lowe's purchasing wood for my little reading nook. Pinterest has made me discontent. Projects will forever be endless.

Will's Birthday

We love birthdays.

Mainly, we love traditions. We love what makes our family unique.

Birthdays usually includes many traditional aspects, as well as fun new stuff.

When Will wakes up on his birthday morning, he has orange rolls and orange juice. This is a tradition. Then, he opens his presents. This year, Huds got to help open them.

I didn't get a good pic of Huds helping, but I think it is funny that he wouldn't put his stick down.

He got temporary tattoos, (inside joke) new shoes, and a formal invitation to an 8 to 8 man date with a friend. The date includes video games, lunch, and golf.

After presents, we went to the thrift store. Will got to pick out whatever he wanted. He picked a briefcase. This isn't a tradition. He didn't need a briefcase. He is a PE teacher.

Then, it was time for MILOS. This is a tradition. Will loves this place.

Afterwards, he took a nap. Then, we met sweet friends at Macaroni Grill. Will loves chicken fettuccine. It was kinda gross this time though.

Will's mom is making spaghetti tonight. Another tradition. The man loves pasta.

Happy Birthday

Happy 29th Birthday to my very best friend, my perfectly imperfect husband, my fearless leader, and my source of great encouragement.

Zombie fan. All around handyman. Elementary school rock star. Baseball player. Soccer coach. A hole in one kind of golfer. Punk rocker. Skater boy. Dirt bike rider. Motorcyclist. Corny joker. More than one tattoo guy.

I love that you are so well rounded. Not typical. You throw me for loops every now and then. You may wear a polo in the morning, cut the grass in a wife beater, and then leave the house in your Converse and random band t-shirt. Love that. Love you. Happy Birthday.

DIY empty frames

I felt like a new project was needed this week. So, I decided to tackle an empty wall in our loft/playroom/tv room. I decided on an empty frame wall. Not the newest idea in the book, but super easy and cheap. I can always change it.

I went to the thrift store and bought 9 frames. They cost around 8 bucks total. The paint was 2 bucks, but I barely used any of it.

I took out the glass, ugly pictures, and backing of each frame.



I sanded down the wood a little. Just to take the shine off. Then, the best part--painting them! I love to paint.



They look really loud in this pic, but it is much duller! The paint blends well with our couch pillows.



Now, on to my next project. Tackling our lunch room lighting in our kitchen! Stay tuned.

What We've Been Doing

We have been on the road over the past week.

Last weekend, we went to Montgomery to see the Creel Family. We love them. They treated us to ribs, chicken and vegetable skewers, and pizza. We were stuffed both days! We had so much fun hanging out with them, and we left refreshed and refueled. Their sweet little girl Amelia is so much fun. Hudson ran around all weekend and said, "Mia, Mia, Mia." In fact, he is still saying it. Crush maybe?



I guess Hudson can scratch off taking a bath with a girl off his "Never Have I Ever" list.

Then, we headed to Alex City to see my family and take advantage of my brother and sister-in-law's pool. They were are the beach, but they still let us swim and play Rock Band.






This past week, we spent a day in Springville with Blake, Erin, and their dog, Teddy. Huds let Teddy out of his cage while we were talking! We had so much fun spending the day with them. We talked, ate, went to the pool, and played an intense game of Clue. I forgot how fun that game is! The guys even found time to kill zombies!

Erin made the best chicken nachos! All you do is put 2 raw chicken breasts in the crock pot and pour Sam's black bean and corn salsa over it. It takes a few hours to cook, and when it is done, you shred the chicken in the salsa. We ate it over chips with queso and inside burritos. So yum.



This past weekend, we went to the lake with 4 other couples. We swam, laid out while the babies slept, and grilled yummy food.



Yes, we can swim. We used the life jackets because we quickly learned how hard it was to tread water while keeping a baby afloat!





Glad to be home. Baby is napping. I'm curled on the couch listening to a sermon. Happy Sunday.

Messy Motherhood

I had a good talk with a friend the other day about being a Mommy. I think I only thought about the positive stuff before I had a baby. There is so much excitement when your pregnant and rightly so! Many showers and gifts are given, and no doubt the new baby's room is organized down to the last onesie. It is glamorous.

Sure, you hear it is hard and that you won't sleep much, but I just figured a little bitty baby could not be that hard.

Well, I was in for a shock! Motherhood is HARD. I never knew how much sleep I could lose in one year. I'd taken sleeping late with no interruptions for granted. Not to mention eating a meal in peace. Insert a demanding toddler and that is over. Forget a constantly clean house and decor in just the right places.

I don't say that for a pity party or to discourage anyone from embarking on this journey. Before Hudson, my selfish little heart thought a baby would just fit right into my life. How silly of me! I am learning that God didn't mean for this to be easy and for life not to be hard. Raising a baby is LABOR. Yet, labor gives us joy. It isn't easy, but it is worth it. It doesn't mean we weren't meant to do it.

So, yesterday, I had shards of glass all over my kitchen floor, green beans in my hair, sauce all over the wall, and poop in the tub. I woke up a few times last night listening to my teething toddler soothe himself back to sleep. I got up earlier than I'd hoped to this morning.

Yet, at 9 am in the morning my heart is already filled with joy. I witnessed my sweet boy go for something he knew he wasn't suppposed to touch, and then turn to me and give me a hug instead. I sat in the floor while he handed me a book to read and laughed as he kissed the baby. I held him and saw how much he trusted me. I watched him smile as I sang his bedtime song.

I am confident today will be hard. I will loose my patience and have to walk away for a minute. I will grow weary from sweeping the kitchen floor over and over. I will wish I could take a nap. Yet, I am confident that this is all worth it. Motherhood rocks.

June

June has been a fun month at the Patridge household. For one thing, we have Will home most days, which is such a blessing since he is so busy in the Spring.

We started off June with our cruise, which helped us reconnect and get pumped about the summer. Will took a fishing trip when we get home, and I got some much needed time with my girls!

Then, Will bought a Ford Escape! I finally drive something that locks, has windows that roll down, a CD player that works, and most importantly, air. If your friends with us, you know we are as cheap as they come, but June has been expensive. We have purchased a couch, computer, and car! Not to mention the cruise! We better slow down!

We also said goodbye (for a little while) to our dear friends Brad and Stacey. We went to dinner at Surin and drinks at J Clyde. Although we sat outside during a thunderstorm, we had a blast. If you are not following the Booth's story, please do at www.caringbridge.org/visit/bradbooth.

On the home front, we are using the summer to do much needed work around the house, invite friends over for dinner, and schedule much needed doctor and dentist appointments for everyone! We have established Friday as family fun day, which gives everyone something to look forward to each week. We also have spent days at the pool, which is a necessity on these hot Alabama summer days! Our nights have consisted of hanging out with friends, intense games of Scrabble, and tons of movies!

One thing we love about summer is access to cheap fresh veggies! Other than our home grown tomatoes, I have made weekly trips to the Farmer's Market,and we have enjoyed honey, peaches, eggplant, green beans, squash, potatoes, corn, and cucumbers. Yum! Recipes to follow.

Hudson-

I recently gave a lengthy update on Hudson. He is still a very busy toddler! I am exhausted at the end of the day. He has still been a little more on the fussy side lately, and we hope it has something to do with molars. I seriously don't know how he is sustaining life with as little sleep as he has been getting lately. Needless to say, he has been a handful. He is really into hairbrushes and plastic clothes hangers this week.



Books-

Will has finished book two of the Hunger Games and is loving them! I read The Glass Castle and Devil in the White City. I loved The Glass Castle. It is an excellent memoir, and I couldn't put it down. Devil in the White City was an interesting historical novel, but it was a tad scary. I also finished Mission of Motherhood, and I think it is a must read for all Mommies! Since Will isn't leaving the house while it is still dark, we are using breakfast to read the June issue of TableTalk. If you haven't used this before, it makes an excellent family devotional.


Pictures of June: