Project 52, Week 16: Sunglasses!

Trevor has wanted Carter to have some sunglasses for a while to protect those precious eyes! I hadn't found any I loved, until I stumbled onto a pair at Gap! They are adorable. So mission accomplished on finding the sunglasses, but now I have to get a toddler to actually wear them. We made a really big deal about wearing them, and how Mama and Daddy where them too. It worked, and he loves to wear them. Well, it worked a little too well. Carter now insists upon wearing them a lot, including but not limited to in the car, on walks, in the backyard, in the car at night and in the house during breakfast and lunch. They now have to be kept in the car, because if Carter sees them, he wants to wear them!

We got Carter a sandbox, and decided to prep a small area so Trev wouldn't have to mow around it. Trev was hammering some stakes in, so we had to get Carter's hammer so he could help. Apparently lots of things could be hammered, while of course wearing his sunglasses.

The lawn mower being hammered:

The tarp can be hammered:

The concrete can be hammered:

And the slide...

 Helping Dad hammer the stakes

  

 

Project 52, Week 15: My sign of warmer weather

Carter is observing more and more each day. I rearranged our living room furniture last week (which I am in love with now), and his reaction was adorable when he saw it. It literally stopped him in his tracks and he just looked at me like "what happened mom?" But he adjusted quickly. Well back to another change he noticed: my toe nails painted. I don't think that's happened since last summer, so when he noticed the bright shade of pink my nails were sporting, he was fascinated. I said "pink toes" to him, so now he plays with my feet saying "pink toes, pink toes." Be aware those with foot phobias, as my feet did make it into the pictures for the week.

This is his coy look...

Hmmm, looks like I needed to warm this one up a bit more!

The beloved John Deere truck

And I just liked this one :)

Epic fail on this picture. This is what happens when shooting on manual and you go from shooting with my back the window, then to facing the window! But kind of a cool look nonetheless. Next time I'll try to remember to change my settings!!

And I have to share two funny stories from this week.

1. I was cleaning the toilet while Carter was awake (and I have since learned my lesson). He had the duster and tried to put it in the toilet that I was cleaning. I stopped this and said that we do NOT put the duster in the toilet. He left the bathroom, and I heard him running, then the other toilet lid go up! I was too late. I found Carter with the duster fully immersed in the other toilet, swirling it all around just like I did with the actual toilet bowl cleaner. Think it's time for a new duster :)

2. Carter played with his cousin, Siena, this week. And they were just adorable together. They followed one another around, calling each other "Car Car" and "Sienena." They snacked together on the bar stools, sat together on the John Deere (Siena did not love this part) and hugged and kissed goodbye! And now all I hear all day long is "Sienena, Jack, Layla (really Leia) and Bria!" He can now say almost all of his immediate relatives names, so it's pretty cute to listen to him run through the lists!

Oh, and Carter amazed me this week! I was wearing a shirt with writing on it, and he pointed to the letters and said "R, C, K, C, H and L!." All those letters were on my shirt and he was correct on all of them!!

Have a great week!

 

Project 52, Week 14

So I feel like a broken record, but for week 13 I literally had no good pictures. I am shooting a birthday party this weekend (yay!!), so all of my time is spent preparing for that. I had to cheat this time and take some pictures today so I would at least have something. It was 1:00 pm with the dreaded overhead sun casting some nasty shadows and harsh light. But it's all I have. I apologize for these. I like them since they capture what our lives revolve around lately (being outside!), but they are not frame worthy. He has his own lawn mower that he loves to push around. His dad has a new (to us, but it's actually a 1982) John Deere rider! Carter was obsessed with it and got to ride on it. And now he is terrified of it, so he's just sticking to his own little one (that doesn't make beastly noises!).

If only this actually cut the grass...  And look at those lovely locks blowing in the wind!!

Trying to dump out the sidewalk chalk (he's big on getting all of his toys out of the bin, so this was only appropriate to do the same to the chalk)

Wandering with the chalk. Carter is a roamer. We want to get him a swing set, but he only plays on them for a few minutes, then he walks around. Maybe we should just save the money :)

Look at those pants!!

The culprit making his pants so dirty

Resting after a lot of walking!

Thanks for sticking with me through these not so great weeks. I promise better pictures to come, hopefully soon!!

Have a wonderful week!

 

Before and After: Dresser!

We had been looking for new bedroom furniture and a friend called to tell me about a dresser at Goodwill (yes that is a good friend to share, not take it for herself!). It needed some love, but was well built. It was solid wood, the drawers slid well, had dovedailed drawers and dust covers between drawers! And all of this for $29.99 (plus 10% off of course!).

Here is the before:

The top needed some work. But since I was planning on painting it, not stripping and staining, it wasn't a problem for me. In fact, the more banged up the piece is, the more character it has.

So I went to town with soap and water (obviously!), and fixed a few spots with wood filler. I took all of the hardware off, which I ended up using. Once the hardware was off and the drawers removed, I primed with Kilz. I use spray paint usually when refinishing. It's so easy, and I don't love brush strokes showing. My preferred brand of spray paint is Krylon; it has the best nozzle. I decided to paint with Ivory gloss. Once it was dry, I glazed with a black glaze to give it that old feeling. This dresser didn't have a lot of detail to pop, but the glaze was still a nice detail. I used a oil rubbed bronze spray paint on the hardware, which turned out awesome!

So here is the after:

Please excuse the crooked middle knobs. Carter thinks it's fun to turn them...

So there it is, and I love it. I'm linking up with some other amazing transformations throughout the week (although some don't start until Friday), so go check them out!