Refinished china cabinet

So last summer I had borrowed my parents old mini van and I had to take advantage of this vehicle. With a new china set on the way as a wedding gift I knew I needed a china cabinet but didn't want to spend a lot. I found this cabinet on craigslist for $100 but we had to move it out ourselves (and it doesn't come apart) which was rough but, my husband and I got it in the van and back to our garage where it sat for about three months until our wedding and honeymoon dust had settled. Then I went to work. I decided I wasn't up for a total stripping and refinishing project so I decided to try the rustoleum furniture refinish kit ( I'd been dying to try it). We agreed on the expresso finish. Overall I'm very happy with it! I didn't really want to invest in new hardware in case I ended up hating it so I just painted the existing hardware with the rustoleum brushed nickel (TIP: if you are using this on something and notice that the metallic in the paint starts to pool on the item then spray the paint onto a plate ( or fast food lid like I did lol) use a cotton ball for application- that evens it out and prevent excess paint which I found to cause the pooling and sliding. The process did take three weekends and some sanding during the week but, I like to do it right. Below are my before during and after photos. I get tons of compliments and my friends can't believe I did it all on my own!

The hand me down table and chairs, which you can see in the last picture, are on my list for this spring. I'm thinking white chairs and table bottom with a matching expresso table top but we'll see.

Third times the charm!

So first I called it 'Aim to Organize', but i found the name too limiting and felt like I could only write about house stuff. Then after some major changes in my life I tried "Mrs-Esq" which is who I am a new Mrs. (who would have thought) and an attorney, but somehow it just wasn't inspiring me. Then this morning, while I was putting on my makeup in my bathroom decorated with botanical prints (which I found here: http://www.adailysomething.com/2013/03/free-printable-botanical-prints-01.html for free and I love them),  it hits me, a new name, that accurately reflects me and my passions "A Gardener's Granddaughter". A perfect opportunity to open the window and talk about my passions: my family, gardening and my home. General enough to still leave it open to talk about DYI and home improvement and life in general. Lets hope this name sticks, I'm over changing it but I want to feel inspired!

 

A history of my Gardeners Granddaughter meaning: "I grew up sitting under fruit trees, listening to my Grandfather's stories, helping him tinker with his latest project, garden and learning about the world around me. Now as an adult, I've brought the lessons I learned and the values I gained into my own home, garden and life.

Finding time to meet the demands of my career as an attorney, decorating our home, landscaping our property myself, taking care of our beloved dogs, a new baby on the way and spending time with family and friends can be challenging but, I'm up to it!"

NOTE:1-27/15 it still wasn't right, so again have changed it. One of these days I will figure out what I want to write about. But, I have decided to use old names to categorize entries. That way if anyone does read this blog, they will see where it all comes from!

House of Horrors

We bought our house last March and moved in the first weekend in April. It was completely redone and i love it. I cant wait to do the landscaping but inside.... its getting to me. We had some plumbing problems and had to rip out some sheetrock (frozen pipes that were properly insulated by a bathroom vent and a leaky tub drain). So sheetrocking had to be done in the laundry room ceiling and the downstairs bathroom ceiling. Luckily my brother and sister came up, with a truck, and helped me get the supplies to the house. So the bathroom looks great- amazing- like nothing ever happened. And it didnt hurt that the contractors left the paint so there was no issue matching colors.

BUT the laundry room repair got out of hand. what started as a 10x 10 inch hole turned into a 3x4 ft hole!. the patch doesnt match up and we tried taping and spackling and spackling and sanding and spackling and sanding on and on and on.....

so it looks terrible...

once we get a different vehicle im starting over!

ohh and during the cleanup i broke a beer bottle (we store our alcohol on a shelf in there) and cut my hand made a mess and got glass in my foot and and my dog tried to lick it up and then pooped on the floor,..... it was BAD

And to make things better my broken stair that just keeps braking (despite my tyraid of nails- 23 to be exact) is broken becuase the main frame of the stair is cracked.

Maybe i should just quite my job and be a contractor.....
Ugh

Gardening Obsession

While my winter is filled with sheetrock repairs from frozen and leaking pipes and some quality closet and drawer organizing, I can't help but dream about my garden. Last year I convinced my husband that the old OLD bushes in front of the house need to go and that i will replace them with something more leasing (and that leaves more room for flowers!). Well while I was traveling for work, mindlessly surfing the internet for gardening tips while I rode the train, I came across a site that talked about app for your ipad that help you plan your garden!
Of course I couldnt resist and decided to downloan iScape. An app that allows you to design your garden by slecting a picture of your house. To say im obsessed is an understatement.
Heres the picture i stated with (yes my garland is still up - its been like 0 and the snow hasnt melted)


See the ugly bushes! there were more coming out at an angle from the house that ive already ripped out. Im saving the rhonodendron- yes its a little thin, but it blooms a gourgous color and with enough plant food and pruning i think it we make something of it ohh and Im saving the winterberry on the other side of the house, i prunned it hardcore last year so its not a pretty this winter as it can be but give me time...

ok so this is what i will have (ps the house faces north and is heavy shade)


all of the plants i've picked can handle the sandy acidic soil we have with heavy shade (well the sypress shrubs i have here will probably have to be american holly but i didnt like the picture they had of the holly).

OK im a dork but im obsessed and it will help me plan what i need to buy/split! hurry up spring!!!!!!

Perfection

"Have no fear of perfection you'll never reach it"- Salvador Dali

These are words for me to live by. I try so hard, so very very hard to reach perfection and I can't seem to get there. Just for one day I want my house to look like its out of a magazine. But alas, the dog throws up, the other dog shreds something, the pillows are on the floor the blankets are unfolded and the dishes always seem to be in the sink despite my constant running of the dishwasher. And, why when someone spits toothpaste, I'm not going to name names, do they do it all over the faucet and mirror and not in the sink where you can rinse it down? I would like one day where I look around and say yes, I've achieved this perfect home to match my perfect life. But lets not get started on my lack of perfect. Ohh well, a girl can dream, and then she needs to clean up after her puppy and husband....

A puppy

I have a dog. I had one coming into the relationship. I grew up with dogs, cats, rabbits, fish and whatever reptile we found in the road (normally turtles no snakes allowed). My grandfather raised hunting dogs, needless to say i love animals. But my husband never even had a fish. He wanted a puppy so badly, specifically a lazy bulldog. We work full time, he works a second job so I'm home at night (usually with someone but that's besides the point) and i have the cat and dog, and a new house... and recently a wedding. Needless to say a puppy was not my dream especially since my dog is younger and just getting calm. OK so back to his puppy, the bulldogs are crazy expensive and sickly, who would have thought they would cost like 3 grand?!

So, being from hunting dogs, i suggested basset hounds- me and my big mouth. After a long campaign which included him recruiting my father to butter me up, we got a basset hound, and I have to say i love her. Eleanor. So cute, but shes houstraining, eating everything, and keeping me up at night. Ohh i cant wait for her to calm down. because right now I'm ruled by the dogs....


PS this is not her, but i hope when shes older she looks like this when she runs lol

Dinners....

A Vent: My husband and I come from different families completely. My family is up in every ones business, loud and constant. His family is quite and less informed of each others lives. Along with our different communication styles we have different styles of eating. My mom was an army cook in another life. She cooks in bulk always, because shes ready for whoever drops in, we eat leftovers because shes too busy to cook another meal every night, and its so good why would we want her to. His mom cooks a small meal every night, a bit more basic.. and in my experience its generally pork. I don't really like pork for several reasons: they are cute and can be pets (think pot belly pigs), its greasy and fatty, and most importantly, they are most associated with humans. Yup, want to know how long a corpse has been laying in a field, well forensic scientists put a pig corpse in similar conditions to figure it out. Need a skin graph, you can use pig skin. There is also research that suggests we can grow human organs, for transplants, in pigs. it has been found, based on cannibalistic tribe information, that human flesh tastes most like pork. That's enough for me not to eat it. But i digress... we have different eating habits and likes.

So now that we are newly married and i have assumed the more traditional role in the household, which is fine because i have my masculine job during the day, i cook.  I'm not my mom, why would i be shes so good i never needed to. but I've picked up some of her simpler recipes and found healthy foods that i try to eat to fight the battle of the bulge. But he doesn't seem to agree. IN fact he refused to eat pasta because it makes him "gain weight" (I cook with the smart pasta that's full of fiber) but he can eat pounds of fast food and grease.



So the struggle continues, i want to eat lean fish and chicken, he wants fried and pork....

it seems that I'm making headway but I have to wonder, is this something unique to our relationship or do other new wives (esp working ones that don't have time for gourmet means every night) have similar problems?