Desk is Done!

I Finally(ha...the finally is so big that you can't see the I) finished the desk that I got at the restore a few months ago! I have actually been finished for a while, and I have even had these pictures for a while, but I was hoping to get it outside so that I could get better pictures. Unfortunately, Mother Nature's schedule has not matched up with mine...so, here are some inside pictures that I have....

This is the before...not really a whole lot wrong with it, but it is dirty, scuffed, and missing knobs....

So, after some sanding...oh yeah, the sanding...let me just say that I found out AFTER trying to use paint remover, sanding by hand, and then using my electric hand sander....that you can sand till your hand falls off and slaps you in the face for being an IDIOT...if the top of the desk is LAMINATE, it's not going to look any different than it did before the hours of sanding you so lovingly attempted...well, it will be a bit shinier...but lesson learned, "check to see if it is laminate or real wood first!"

Oddly, the rest of the desk was all wood. So, after some light sanding (again) and priming, I painted it with a creamy white paint (two coats with light sanding in between) and a dark brown glaze. I used polycrilic on the top to protect it.

I also used Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint for the original hardware and then I bought glass knobs for the top two drawers...I LOVE glass knobs!

I love the way it turned out! I started to attempt to take the cow print paper out of the drawers...well, lets just say that I didn't have hours to peel really, really stuck paper off the drawer (I used up my extra time sanding), so this was the alternative...

I used a piece of drop cloth and lined the edges with wide brown ribbon. I like that you can see the cow print under it, but it is muted. I'm going to be really sad taking it to my booth...but I just sold my vanity and it left a bare spot that is just perfect for this piece (unless I go to the thrift store tomorrow, find another great piece, finish it beautifully, and run it down there instead...hmm?)

What would you do? Well, I'm off to watch Despicable Me with the "fam," and try to NOT eat the yummy snacks  :(

I'm linking this to:
Restored It Wednesday
Make it Yours Day
Power of Paint Party
Creative Share Wedneday
Hookin up with HOH

A Christmas Gift for Me!!

Merry Christmas to Me!!

Hope Your Christmas Has 

Been Just as Wonderful!

I'm off to spend another day in my robe and fuzzy socks, playing with my children,

but I'll be back soon!! 

A Comet and A Wise Queen

Good Morning! It is Christmas Eve and I jumped out of bed at 6:30 a.m. intending to finish up my list of things to do. I had planned on finishing everything yesterday so that I could spend the next two days just enjoying Christmas, but we jumped in the car with our hot chocolates and drove over to Chesapeake Beach to see their lights. I'm so glad we did! Not only were the lights beautiful and fun for the kids, but the moon was huge and yellowish/orange!! So, here I am NOT doing anything on my list as of 7:47 a.m, drinking my coffee, reading my favorite blogs, and trying to squeeze in some of my own. I am trying to add in everything that has happened around here before the new year ends because I would like to use one of the companies that takes your blog and makes it into a book. I think that is the best idea ever---I have great intentions of scrap booking every year and I love buying all of the stuff...then I pack it away. Blogging will allow me to record special moments/projects throughout the years that I may forget about later.

So, on that note...both of my daughters were in Christmas plays this year. Kenny was a Comet in hers...

Brittany is helping her with her hair and make-up before hand...

Awe, sisters....gotta love em...

Some of the gang who came to see our little shining.....comet....

A part in the play with the moon and the stars....

My little comet makes her debut....sniffle...sniffle...and oh my, she does not look like she is ten up there!

 I wish she would turn around so we could get a better picture...but...well, that just isn't part of the play...so whistling to get her attention would probably not be a great idea...we showed great restraint...

There we go! Now we can get a wonderful blurry picture as they line up to take their bow :)

Cookies and Juice after for everyone there!! We are so proud of her, she did great!!

Then, my little Nyla had a play of her own in her preschool...

She was a "Wise Queen," yes, she takes after her mother :) They sang some songs....

Rang some bells while singing "Jingle Bells!"

Sang the Jesus version of Bingo was his name-o...

Then they ended it with singing "Happy Birthday" to Baby Jesus!

A group picture....

Aahh...so adorable!!!!

Me and my girls....

and Nyla's Jake...sorry Britt!

I love watching these plays, it is one of the best parts of Christmas for me...it is always a great reminder of what is important during this time of the year!

Yep...it's the most wonderful time of the year!!

Now, off to quickly finish my to-do list so we can start our holiday! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!

How We Have Been Filling Up Our Days Around Here!

I am still not ready for Christmas to be here! Are you? I still have wrapping, baking, buying, cleaning, and crafting to do! We still haven't been able to do our traditional driving around looking at all the Christmas lights, while drinking hot chocolate/coffee, and singing Christmas songs. We have, however, been filling our days with some fun, festive things? Ugh, coffee has not kicked in yet and my brain is obviously still  mush, so I can't come up with anything better than things right now...sorry! Anyway, here are some pictures of the fun we have been having!!

The girls unwrapped their "make it yourself advent books" and spent the night creating their own Christmas story.

We had a Maggie Moo birthday party to go to and it was fun and tasty...

Can you guess which ice cream she chose to try?

Their famous "blue" cotton-candy...

So glad my will power won out over my temptation to try her blue ice cream!

My mom, niece, and sister came to my house for the weekend and we made Christmas crafts....and a big mess...

My niece Haley...AKA "Ruby Sue!"

The boys were too cool for crafts so they played games on the Ipad instead...

Maybe next year baby Cali will be able to craft with the girls, but for now she is just going to have to lay there and be cute and get lots of attention...(this is when it was time to clean up the crafting mess)

Thankfully we were able to squeeze in buying our Christmas tree...

And the whole family came with us....

My daughter Brittany, her husband Jake, and my Granddaughter Cali...

My hubby and my son Toby...

My mama and my sister Melissa...drinking the free hot chocolate...

Me and my honey with our tree....

Every year the kids play chase Toby through the Christmas tree lot and "No," it does not bother the other customers or the owners...they think it is just as fun and cute as we do!

 I finally got my Nyla to stop running so I could take a picture of her...

 Kenny is hiding so she won't be caught...

Next year Cali will be able to run around the lot and chase Toby too...

Finally, we (and by "we" I mean my husband and my son) got the tree up and we are heading to my daughter's Christmas play! But that is a post for tomorrow, this has already turned into a small novel! I'm off to wrap more gifts, bake, cry, shop, etc. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!

It's Here!!

It 

Finally 

Came!!

This was sitting on my doorstep!!! 

This is what was in it...

I

Love

the box

(the opposite of a Tiffany's  box, but for a cake lover...what is inside is just as good!)

It came with a cute card too...

and....

when you open it...

So Adorable!!

 However am I going to choose?

I could keep them all for myself...

but that would be too stingy, especially during the giving season...

I could just close my eyes and pick one, but

what if while my eyes are closed, my aim is off and I accidentally hit one and it falls to the floor and shatters???

I 

could not 

let that happen...

so, I decide that I shall open each one of them and take a peek inside...and what do you think I see?  To my absolute horror...

     there, right around the top of each one is yummy, delightful icing that forgot to slide to the bottom of the jar!!

Except for this one

It's the Lemon Poppy Seed

(and no, that little indent to the right of the heart is not my finger imprint...and the swipe above it isn't my finger going back for a second try either!)

Anyways,

I just had to clean up the extra icing that was 

sadly stuck to the top of each of the other jars

(i'm not going to share the method I used to clean them...it is top secret...but, I can tell you that I washed my hands after each clean-up...and not because my fingers were covered in icing either...I just like to wash my hands...a lot!)

After much debate, I have decided to keep the 

Lemon Poppy Seed one for me...

and the rest will just have to go to someone who won't be reading this post someone special :)

 

This was a great gift to win

thank you to Pizzazzerie for the give-away

and to Fantasy Frostings for the extra calories yummy cakes!