Drawer Revamp!

I am a bit of a nut.  I really really like to organize.  This isn't to say that I am super organized, but the idea of it all just calls to me.  When I was little, my parents would tell me to clean my room, and I would always start by emptying out my toybox and organizing it.  It drove them NUTS, but I couldn't stand having the floor and whatnot clean if the toybox was just going to be a mess.  Anyone else like that?

Anyways, I've been working through some residual nesting lately.  It's weird.  Maybe because I'm home all day, staring at the house, coming up with improvements that need to be made.  Or maybe it's because I return to work in less than a month, and I feel a sense of urgency to tie up any loose ends at home.  Regardless of the reason, it is causing me to spend way too much time on Pinterest. 

So here is one of the sights that has been staring me in the face.

Shriek!

Yup.  That's the drawer that holds all the spatulas and other kitchen what-nots.  Good luck finding anything in there. 

While I was still pregnant with Nora, around the time that "we" (ahem, Doug) redid her closet, I found this gem on Pinterest from www.bystephanielynn.com . We purchased the materials months ago, but never got around to it.

Until now.

Doug's so handy.  He made the insert so that it was removable.  Good idea, Doug!

"And I helped!" I put shelf liner in all the drawers this weekend.  I love the pop of color it adds! 

Squeeee! Lookit.  Lookit all the organizy-ness.

"A place for everything, and everything in its place." And then in that place, have more places for the things.

Hmm.  The store-bought attempt at organization.  Would slide all around the drawer.

Better than nothing, BUT...

For the win!!!

Maybe we should make one for this junk drawer? 

Well, there you have it.  I keep opening the drawers to see how pretty they are.  Maybe I'll just leave them open all the time now.  Oh, and last time we did a kitchen project, we were adding the hardware to the cabinets and drawers.  We were in the middle of the project when we got a phone call from the doctor saying we were pregnant!  Every time I touch a handle or knob in that kitchen, I'm reminded of that day.  (Ok, enough of the mushy stuff.  Go organize your drawers!)

Updating the Bathroom Mirror

Lately on Pinterest, I've been seeing a lot of tutorials for framing builder-grade mirrors in bathrooms.  This is something I had heard of years ago, but had never seen, and certainly had not attempted.

The mirror in our bathroom didn't bother me too much.  It was nice and big, and reflective (a quality I see as a "must" in a mirror).  However, there was a lot of water damage on the bottom of the mirror, which I had always seen as an eyesore.

Before

Before

A close-up of the water damage.  Ew.

So, with Pinterest and its access to tutorials, we decided to tackle this project.  Here are the links to the tutorials that helped me: http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com/2010/04/framed-mirror.html and http://impatientlyprayingforpatience.blogspot.com/2010/05/mirror-frame-tutorial.html

First we measured, cut, and put the frame together.  And when I say "we", I of course mean "Doug".

Measuring like a boss!

You know he's serious, because he is closing one eye.

  Then "we" applied some wood glue to hold it together.  Didn't read the blog very carefully, which said to use Liquid Nails, so it didn't hold very well.  Doug put some staples in the corners to strengthen it.

Glue time!

After that, Doug notched out the areas for the brackets that hold the mirror in place.  We had a bit of a scare, because the ones on top were peeking out of the top of the frame!  Luckily, Doug discovered that the mirror is completely glued to the wall, and the brackets were really unnecessary.  So he took them off.  Problem solved!

After the glue had dried, Doug used wood-filler for the seams and any imperfections in the wood.  Then we let it dry.

After this, we spray-painted the back black, and took it into the bathroom for a test run.  Yuck.  I liked the black frame in the tutorial, but it just looked wrong in our bathroom.  So we decided to go with white instead.  We just used some primer and paint that we already had.

Yuck.  We didn't like that either, because the countertop is more like an off-white, and so it just looked dirty.

So we took one final trip to Home Depot, and we found a grey that matched the towels in our bathroom.  And painted it ONE more time...

SUCCESS!  So we put the mirror up and traced inside of it with chapstick to see where the glue should go.  Then we took the Mirror Liquid Nails and put some gobs on the mirror.  Then we stuck it on...and prayed.  We taped it down with some painter's tape, and Doug rigged up some other ways of keeping it in place.

We used quarters as spacers, as we couldn't put it right up against the wall because the vanity is crooked.

Tape

Just to be safe.

The next day, we took the tape off, and voila!  I think it looks sooo good!  It really seems to finish the bathroom, and make it look more grown up!  If nothing else, it covers the nasty water stains.

The finished product!  And a handsome photographer!

Ta-da!

After, yo!

So that's it!  We feel so proud of our work, and ready to tackle the next project!  Well, actually we have tackled two more, so we'll blog about those soon too!

Fun Games

With the economy being what it is, we all are looking for ways to save a buck or two. This may mean eating out less, frequenting thrift stores instead of department stores, walking instead of driving, packing a lunch, etc. Doug and I have gotten creative in the entertainment department. I know what you're thinking. But that has nothing to do with the economy. No, what I am talking about is a couple of games we have invented that you too can play with your family, at absolutely no cost.

One game we fondly call, "Corral the Cricket". We play this frequently. All you have to do is randomly find a cricket in your house, and do your best to take it outside. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong. These little buggers can jump right out of your hands, even when you have created an airtight, watertight capsule with your hands. You have to constantly scoop them up, only to have them jump out of your hand again. This can take anywhere from 2-15 minutes. Doug is currently the champion of "Corral the Cricket". He had one out the door in less than 40 seconds.

Another game we like to play is "Follow the Trail of Ants". Much like "Corral the Cricket," this game starts spontaneously, when a player spots a trail of microscopic sugar ants. The object of this game is to follow the trail of ants to their point of interest and, upon locating it, destroy and dispose of their food source. This can be very difficult, as in some cases they are seeking a mere crumb in some obscure location. Then, to finalize victory, the player must zap the ants with bug killer, hoping they ne'er return.

Video Tour of the Doug Castle

Note: not as blurry in real life. :)

It's Easy Being Green

Being the homeowner's association law abiding citizens we are, we went the extra mile and mowed our lawn. With this:
Look how happy it makes Doug!So easy, anyone can do it!
Can't you just hear the Andy Griffith music in the background?

Out of Control Weeds

So here they are. The weeds that were so worthy of a letter from the homeowner's association. Seriously.

Homeowner's Association

Doug to Amanda, on a walk to the mailbox: "Let's pull weeds tomorrow." "Ok," replies Amanda.
(Doug opens mailbox.) "What's this? It's from the Homeowners Association. (Opens letter.)
Letter reads something like as follows:
During a recent inspection of your property, we noticed weeds growing on your landscaped gravel.

Then, it goes on to outline the ABQ city ordinance on weeds.

Anyways, they acted like we were nasty neighbors with out of control weeds. In truth, we had some weeds, but they were few and far between. Furthermore, we have only been here a little less than two weeks. Pictures to follow of our disgusting yard.

We're In!

Forgive the extended blogging hiatus, but we have been moving into our new house for the last week as well as fixing up my classroom. We also haven't had internet for the past week (which is probably a good thing).
Even though our house is fairly new, it has become increasingly apparent that the previous owners were not as meticulous as we are about cleaning. Or painting. We have incurred many unexpected costs as we discover more and more areas that need attention. For example, they apparently installed tile, but failed to seal the grout or ever mop the tile, for that matter. So we called Stanley Steemer...cha-ching! One room had a Spongebob wallpaper border around it, so we bought some wallpaper remover...cha-ching! It was also painted a bright green (appropriate for their three-year-old son, but not for us)...cha-ching! Flat paint in the master bedroom and bathroom intermittently spattered with what appeared to be chocolate or poo (fyi we did not do the "Baby Mama Chocolate or Poo Test")...cha-ching! Moldy caulking in the bathroom window...cha-ching! And the kicker--our washing machine stored for two years broke...cha-ching! Well, you get the point.
While we enjoy do-it-yourselfers just as much as anyone else, all of these little projects and hidden costs were simply unexpected. But we love our house and can't believe all of the space we have! It's incredible that I actually have drawers and cabinets in the kitchen that have nothing in them! One setback I discovered about having a large kitchen is that I cannot use the "one butt kitchen" excuse, and I actually have to help Doug with dinner ;)
I know I keep saying it, but pictures are to follow! Soon, I promise! Oh, and if I know you and you are in the area, come by and see our new house! We can't wait to have guests!

Closed

Ok, so, at 4 o'clock today, we signed about 500 documents. Not too much fun, but very exciting! We own a house now! But we don't get the keys until tomorrow :( Pictures to follow soon!

The Closer

It's official! We got our final approval on our loan for the house! It took a while, because the school district I work for is dumber than dirt...not only could they not verify my employment (even though I signed somewhere near a thousand documents), but they didn't even know my school existed! Don't even get me started on Albuquerque Public Schools...the future of America is in their hands...yikes!

Anyways, we are really excited and we may get to close as early as the 30th of this month, which would be great because that's a whole week before I start school!

Well, we'll keep you posted, and as soon as we move in we'll take pictures and post them.

House...the Sequel

So, we put an offer on the house, and they accepted! We are SO excited! We won't move in until August, but that's ok. We won't have to break our lease or start payments before I work or anything, so that's good. Anyways, when it is time to move in we will have tons of pictures! Yippeeee!