Side Table Re-Do

In the past few weeks I've managed to help put a brand new grill together, move our bedroom to a different floor, build a crib, and even re-do a piece of furniture. It's been a while since I've gotten my hand on a lovely piece of trash and turned it into something pretty.

Cue this nifty little side table, scooped up from the curb while there was still snow on the ground...

He sat in the garage for several months, just waiting for me to find the motivation to get 'er done. Of course I had to wait for the weather to let up, but once we started planning our relocation to the "lower level", I knew I had to make this piece worthy of our new space.

I cleaned him up and sanded him down, then went off in search of some paint. There's paint cans galore throughout this house, some of which belong to us and some to the owner. Not all are usable and I ended up opening a couple that needed to be tossed. Luckily I stumbled upon some white paint that would do the trick.

I did the first coat with a really coarse paint brush and hated the way it came out. So I whipped out the sponge brush and got to work applying the second and third coats, which made for much nicer, smoother coverage. Sponge brushes are my new favorite thing.

The top of the table wasn't in bad shape, and once I had the bottom painted white I knew I wanted to stain the top.

I used one thick coat of Minwax Special Walnut and let it sit for about 10-15 min before wiping it off. Then this little guy sat in the garage to dry completely for another day or so before he made his debut downstairs.

Stella wakes up from her morning nap to get in on the action.

I was worried that without some kind of sealer on top we would ruin the finish, but so far so good. The table was free and all supplies were on hand, so even if he does get a little banged up I won't be sad. This project came in at a grand total of $0, my favorite price!

Time Warp

Has it really been 2 months since I last updated? Yes, yes it has.

What the hell have I been doing? Let's recap...

I was bartending at work up until April-ish when it was more or less decided that the longer hours, climbing up and down ladders, and heaving cases of beer probably wasn't a good idea anymore. So I switched over to serving, which has resulted in a cut back in hours (and cash -- sigh) but as we get closer and closer to a hot and humid summer, I'm realizing this is the best route for me to take. Especially since the belly is almost completely blocking the view of my feet now:

I'm also reminded as Memorial Day is upon us that I have less than 3 months to go. Gone are the days of eating saltines and drinking ginger ale and hugging the porcelain throne at night. What is still ahead are a couple more months of inevitable weight gain, a belly that will increasingly make it more difficult to do basic things like bend over and get out of bed, and most likely feeling really, really hot and sweaty thanks to long stretches of 90+ degree days.

But then August will be here, I'll turn 25 and little one may or may not get here before that happens. In the meantime, I've begun to nest...

A space that started out like this:

Quickly turned into a teenager's dream bedroom. Then I got preggo and after a few months of deliberating Ev and I decided that our current bedroom just wouldn't provide enough space for us and the baby, so we set out to claim this lovely retro "lower level" as our own. Over the past week it has transformed into this...

Since this house is a rental, there's not a whole lot we can do about the crazy red rug or the dark wood paneling or the linoleum stairs or the boob lights... BUT with some great finds on Craigslist (2 Ikea Poang chairs for $30 a piece, a 9x13 area rug for $75) plus some other great discounted finds like our Nate Berkus duvet cover from Target, marked down from $90 to $45, and two burlap shaded lamps from Marshall's coming in at $18 and $20, I'd say we've done a decent job making this space cozy. To be able to carve out an ample sleeping/living/baby space in an otherwise small 2-bedroom rented house (while living with 3 other women) is nothing short of a victory.

Now all we need is baby to complete the space :) And lots and lots of diapers.