Bench Redo

Since I have owned my own home I have really gotten into furniture redos. I love what you can do with an old piece of furniture. The other day I found an old bench in my parents garage and knew it would be perfect in my sunroom. First, I cleaned it and sanded it down. 

After sanding

Then I primed it

Then I painted it and searched the world for cushions. I couldn't find the perfect size so I got two that 'worked' and added some pillows. I love the way it turned out. 

Yoga and Home Improvements

I cannot believe it has been a month since my last post. I have been busy but not too busy. I guess you can say I have been distracted. However, lacrosse season has ended and summer has started. My tennis league began on Wednesday and I am looking forward to being around more this summer. I also decided to finally jump in and do the yoga challenge. 

I began on April 30 to try and complete 60 classes in 60 days. Today I finished my 13 class in 11 days. I will take a class tomorrow and then will need to take off for the weekend. It has been so awesome so far. I see major differences in just these first 11 days. Almost 1/4 of the way through! Here is my pretty little chart that hangs on the wall at Bikram Yoga Chesterfield. I get a sticker each time I complete a class!

Just for an image... here is me after a double I completed. I did a 4:30 class...rested for a half hour...then did a 6:30 class. I had to do that to make up for the days I will miss this weekend. I wish this picture could truly capture how sweaty I get in this thing. It is so hard but so awesome.

Tom and I have also had lots of fun doing house stuff. Here is Tom using his new bbq grill he got from his family for his birthday. I am so excited to grill on the patio this summer. Behind him are the veggies I am attempting to grow!

We also did our first outdoor work this past weekend. It was pretty tough. The old owners had a raised garden bed but it was all deteriorated. We decided to pull up all the railroad ties. After much work we got them up! AND CARRIED THEM TO THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE! woof.

 Next job: fill in the trench and figure out what to do with the back grass. Home ownership is fun, but exhausting.

I will try to be better and keep yall posted on my 60 day challenge and more home projects.

My Favorite Gift

I haven't posted in a couple weeks because life has just been normal. I have been working and and cooking and hanging out and enjoying a not too crazy St. Louis winter. I have enjoyed all of those things. Lacrosse started this past week. It's nice to be back on a more strict schedule and be back in the gym with the girls. I have been quite impressed by them in these first couple of days. Everything is pretty normal. Not ho hum, but normal. This past weekend was wonderful and relaxing. Friday was a night in watching a movie. Saturday morning I ate my dad's famous french toast and hung with a couple siblings and their kids. Pretty laid back and fun. Saturday during the day I hung out with these guys....

Claire and Dane showing off their Valentines they picked out

And Relaxing in the cart together

Saturday night we went to dinner and hung out with Tom's family. Today was spent sitting on the couch watching football. What a wonderful weekend of family time and relaxation. As I was considering finally blogging after a week hiatus I remembered I never blogged about my favorite gift I GAVE this year for Christmas. I love to give unique gifts. I spent a ton of time creating this little gem for my four youngest nieces and nephews. I stole the idea from Jodie Allen at Fresh Art Photography. When I saw her alphabet book on her blog I knew I had to do it for my young nieces and nephews. They absolutely adore each other and I knew they would love a book full of pictures of their favorite people and things. Here are some of the pages... An alphabet book with family pictures.

I LOVE the drool pic

and the kiss pic

and the scared pic :) All awesome expressions from this little guy.

All four of them yawning

And sleeping.

This was such a fun gift to create. I took, gathered and organized pictures. Then, I categorized them on my computer. Threw some out. Took some more pictures. Created the pages. Added the words. And had it printed. I love how it turned out.

For the Crafties and Foodies

I have really been enjoying all the fun projects I have been finding on Pinterest lately. I have done multiple projects and made many delicious treats and meals. Below are a couple of my favorites from most recently.

My team has a DIY gift exchange every Christmas. This year I had tons of ideas to choose from as a used Pinterest for my resource. I searched and searched and pinned and pinned. Eventually I decided on a jewelry hanger since my Secret Santa's mom makes jewelry. I bought all the parts from Hobby Lobby. I started with an unfinished wood frame. I spray painted it with gray Krylon spray paint. I then added knobs to the bottom to hang necklaces or bracelets on. (My brother in law did this as it involved sawing and drilling). Then, I painted an E in the middle of a piece of burlap using black acrylic paint. I printed the letter on paper first and taped it behind the burlap to ensure the letter would be perfect. Finally, I attached the burlap using a staple gun and tripped the excess fabric. Here is the final project:

Sorry...couldn't get the photo to turn :)

Burlap to hang earrings and knobs for necklaces and bracelets

And for the foodies:

Last week I made a delicious homemade veggie burger. I got the recipe from a friend. I had never ventured into something like this before and was eager to give it a try. I even took pictures as I went :)

The ingredients

First: cook 1/2 cup brown rice

Heat tbsp. extra virgin olive oil with 1 small yellow onion diced, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp salt together for 7 minutes

Add a can of black beans and rice and cook, stirring for 2 minutes

Add 1 tbsp fresh cilantro and mash with other ingredients to get cohesion

Let the mixture cool until easy to handle.

Form into four patties and allow a few hours in the fridge to set.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet.

Sprinkle flour on both sides of the burgers

And grill into browned.

Top with your favorite ingredients and ENJOY!

I used colby jack cheese, avocado and tomato on a sesame bun. YUMMY!

These are some of my favorites from the last couple of weeks. So so pretty and yummy and easy too!