A Pinterest "Meh."

I love me some Pinterest.  I'm AWESOME at pinning all sorts of things, but my execution is lacking.  Being that it's summer and I am a lazy bum haven't been motivated for major projects, I decided to try an easy project that popped in my mind.

The post I saw showed a flat paint with a same-color high gloss paint as a contrast.  Knowing my patience level and tendency towards the OCD, I thought it would best to keep it simple.  To the foyer I went . . . well, after Home Depot!

Before.

I considered doing chevron striping, and I'm sssooooo glad I didn't.  It would've sent me into a compulsive leveling and straightening from which I might never recover.  Instead, I did two wide stripes.

Taped off and first coat of paint.

Then I didn't like two big stripes & taped off/painted a smaller stripe in between.

 The tape came off much easier than I thought, and I was thankful for that.  There just isn't much of a difference in the two paints.

After.  Not much of a difference, huh?

Kinda looks like shadows, but Todd said it's not too bad.  So - it stays.

Overall it was an easy project - maybe 2 hours total.  I only wish it wasn't so "meh."  Oh well . . . off to find my next Pinterest project!

Summertime!

After a reallllly long, realllllllllly difficult year at school for both of us -- it is officially SUMMER!  We plan on relaxing, recuperating, and doing a few things around the house.  It won't be much, but it's what we need.  Todd and I will both be working with new people next year, so we need the downtime to prepare us for August.

For our official first day, I made the dogs "pops."  They LOVE their pops, and they are a healthy way to treat the dogs and cool them off during the hot Texas summers.

Pops are very easy to make.  Here's my so-called recipe:


DOG POPS

1 large tub of non-fat, plain yogurt
1/2 c. or so peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
leftover meats and veggies

Pull out the blender and add non-fat plain yogurt, some peanut butter, and whatever leftovers you have in the fridge.  (This time it was chicken, some corn, and a piece of zucchini.  Literally any meat and/or veggie we have goes into the blender.)  Puree and pour into ice trays to freeze.

Remove pops from ice trays after frozen and place in a sealable baggie.  Label as "DOG POPS" unless your dogs don't mind sharing.  :)  Enjoy!

Pippin and Steve waited for me to hand out seconds, then got embarrassed after I tried to take pictures of them begging!

SO PROUD

As of Friday, May 11 at 3:30pm, Todd OFFICIALLY has his Master's Degree!  After everything we have been through this past few years, he still did it.  I am a very, very proud wife.

Sprucing Up for Spring

A few weeks ago, I noticed (yet again) that the rockers we have on the front porch were definitely looking more than ragged.  It was time for a fix.  Thanks to Pinterest, I learned about an awesome sprayer gun thingy for spray paint cans.  I found one at the local Wa.lM.ar.t for less than $3!  I got my favorite Rust-oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover 2x in black, slipped on my spray gun, and got to work!

Have sprayer, have paint, have dingy chair - will paint!

Chair before (front) and chair after (back).  So much better!

FINISHED!  It was so easy, so fast and looks so much better.  Best of all - there was NO paint on my hands or really anywhere but on the chair!  How did I survive all these years without my easy spray gun????

Need to put my Cricut to work and monogram the chairs again.

Now I'm going through the house and getting ready to paint anything that needs it or is not nailed down.  :)

(**Note: I am not being compensated for my opinions or handiwork.  I just like sharing great stuff!)

Kristin Go BOOM

Had myself a lil' car accident.  Wellllll, "lil" is putting it very lightly.  Almost totaled my car.  It involved a red light that looked green (to me), some speed (by another), and a few automobiles.  Luckily, my car can be repaired . . . to the tune of over $14,000.  Thank God for good auto insurance and accident forgiveness coverage.

OUCH.

Actually looks a lot better than it really is.

Both my airbag and the entire right-side curtain airbags deployed.  Scary & stinky.

To add insult to injury, when the ambulance arrived on scene it ran into the REAR-end of my car.  Seriously???  We were sitting in a heap in the middle of the intersection, so it's not like they didn't see my huge Honda Pilot!  Glad I wasn't in the car or in between the crunch of cars.  Add another repair and another claim and another report and another contact.  FML.

Rear-end damage courtesy of Dallas Fire and Rescue.

I am so thankful that nobody was seriously injured.  As soon as I started to get out of my car, I was barely able to remove my wedding ring because my hand was swelling very quickly.  While the airbag luckily saved my face and head, it did hurt my hand and forearm upon deployment.  I refused treatment on the scene but wound up at an urgent care clinic the next day since I couldn't use my hand at all.  A week later (after being unable to use my hand for days), the swelling and bruising was slowly subsiding.

My big, fat hand - finally can see some knuckles.

Lots of finger bruising a week later.

Two weeks later, I am able to wear my wedding ring again although my hand looks a little green-tinted.  Just glad that was the worst of my injuries and my car can be repaired ---- eventually.  God was watching over me that day, and while I hope He continues to do so, I am tired of all the ridiculous stuff going on in my life this year!

Did you say KLAW???

Can you spell backwards?  I hope so!  Let's just say that the dogs like to go on a KLAW.  Step 1 should be 'Get on your leash.'  Instead, it's this:

Every time Steve barks, Pippin's citronella collar sprays . . . leaving the entry a fresh scent for our departure.  Geez.  Our dogs are nuts.  We are simply their humans.

Life with Steve

Dogs are bigger and heavier than they may appear on your monitor.  The video speaks for itself.  :)