A door, is a door, is a door...NOT!

We FINALLY have a new door!!! Thanks to Colin's parents for buying it for us, we have NO draft coming in from the garage! There used to be about an inch and a half gap between the flooring and the bottom of the door which let a ton of cold air flow through. Who would have though a year ago Colin and I would be elated about getting a door? :) The old door was a hollow wood door that had the split top you can open up. It also had a big section that had been ripped off, from a dog probably, exposing the hollowness of the door inside. Our new door is really sturdy and after getting painted the same white as the trim, looks awesome!

The door from the inside of the house.

The back part of the old door. With a bit of damage! (Not from us!)

We got the frame in...somehow.


And our new pretty door! We still need to paint the molding and the wall where the paint came up. But it looks SO much better!

Our "New" Bedroom

Here's the bedroom pretty much all finished! Aside from new blinds and flooring one day, this is what we came up with. I made the panels behind the bed which we will be spacing out a little more and Colin and I both worked on the bed. Although he did most of the work. :) We got a new duvet cover and comforter which are so comfortable and warm! In the right corner where that lighted Scentsy pot is, I have that black trunk I just finished painting with a few things on it like a basket and a little box. Well, just thought everyone would like to see it all put together! Things are definitely coming along with the house. It's actually really fun to see things change into our own. Today we're working on installing the new door Colin's parents bought us leading into the garage. Pictures to come!

"More" please!

I have to blog quickly about something very special to me. My good friend Tiffani called the other night to tell me her 10 month old daughter, Madison, signed "more" for the first time after she had taken her Cheerios away. I was so excited to hear this news that I thought I'd share a few reasons why signing is important in a child's life.

*Before babies are able to develop their vocal cords they already have their small and large motor skills in place. Babies are able to sign WAY before they are able to talk.

*When parents teach their children how to sign, they feel less frustrated because their baby can communicate earlier in life, which results in a less fussy baby.

*Signing helps babies develop their fine motor skills earlier.

*Research has clearly demonstrated that using sign language does not mean that a child will not learn to talk.

*Many studies have been done on children using sign. One study involved two groups of children, one group that was taught baby signing and another group that was not. The researchers found that eight-year-olds who had learned a simple form of baby sign language using invented signs did better on IQ tests than comparable children who had not learned baby sign language.

*There's no need to make excuses for not helping your baby out anymore! ASL Pro has a baby sign dictionary that shows videos on how to sign a specific word. But remember...consistency is the key!

Ok, I went a bit off my rocker but thought this info is interesting. Many parents don't know the benefits of signing with babies...but here you have it! I hope all of you with babies or future babies follow Tiffani and Trent's lead and give their children the gift of communication. Why not...right?

Don't let the bed bugs bite!

One of Colin and my biggest projects lately has been making our new bed! We found directions online on how to build our own platform bed and decided it sounded a heck of a lot cheaper than buying one! We researched how much it would cost to buy a similar bed and it was upwards of $700. With all the wood, paint, screws etc. we bought, it only cost us around $150 to build. And thanks to a gift card my sister and Justin got Colin for his graduation we only paid $50! We are pretty happy with it and it was fun to do together, although Colin did most of the work.

Yay for wood! And LOTS of it!

The bottom frame. There are 2 parts to the bed. (Sectioned out in 7 total parts.) We built a base, which is below, then we built a platform which hangs over the base around 6 inches.

These are the platform sections. Don't mind the messy garage. Still not completely organized from the move!

And here is the final product! Without the sheets of course!

The bed feels like it weighs a thousand pounds! That's why we made 4 total sections so we could move it when we are ready to move again. (Hopefully in the FAR, FAR future!) Colin did an amazing job and I, as the little helper girl, probably won't be asked back to help! I messed up some of the paint and also dropped the frame trying to move it. Oops! A few hiccups aside, I love the way it turned out and it looks MUCH better than just a mattress on the floor! :)

Why Not...

I...

I am: a sign language interpreter
I think: into things WAY too much
I want: to loose weight. More than Allison and Bethany so I can win $100
I dislike: how much it costs to buy basic things for the house. (curtains, blinds, sheets etc)
I miss: my family and best friend.
I fear: I'll never get married and have kids. :)
I hear: Colin's ridiculously loud new speakers he thinks he needs turned on turbo mode.
I smell: the new specialty blonde hair conditioner I got today.
I crave: any kind of food that's bad for you. Mostly sweets!
I cry: when I'm overwhelmed or frustrated
I search: on the internet way too much!
I wonder: what is in store for me in the future
I regret: not keeping in touch with old friends.
I love: my family, friends, Colin, Duke, Diesel, our new house, my car, scrapbooking, chapstick and fuzzy blankets!
I care: how my house looks when people come over way too much.
I always: get at least 8 hours of sleep.
I worry: about little things that I shouldn't
I am not: skinny or thin...but working on it!
I remember: my grandparents, uncle and grandpa who passed away all the time.
I believe: that ghosts, spirits - whatever you want to call them - exist!
I dance: only when I'm drunk and at a club. Or just plain old drunk.
I sing: really badly and hardly ever.
I don't always: listen - as Colin would say. I do try though.
I argue: really badly. I can't get my thoughts together enough to have a fighting chance!
I write: too many lists. Grocery, goals, to do, food log...many different kinds!
I win: at scratch it tickets...on Christmas. $12!
I lose: debates with Colin, or anyone for that matter.
I wish: I was able to get married and have kids younger.
I listen: badly to Colin. Great to my friends.
I don't understand: the stock market, politics, accounting and men. :)
I can usually be found: Lately, at home, OSU or the gym.
I forget: things way too often.
I am happy: with my life now. Just want another kitty, that's it. Oh, and a new flat iron so I don't have to wear pony tails everyday.

TAG... if you are reading this... you are it!

I never really do these but since I'm taking a break from organizing the closet, I thought I'd give it a whirl! Thanks Suzie :)

And we're on to more projects!

I recently got a trunk from my parents that my mom got when she was younger from her grandma. My mom had antiqued it a long time ago and it was starting to get a little dingy. Colin and I decided to refinish it for our bedroom. As you can see by the pics below, we stripped the paint off, then repainted it black. It looks pretty dark because the metal parts of the trunk couldn't be saved - there were too many divits with paint in them so we had to paint over it. I think I might distress it a bit, but I haven't decided how to do it yet. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Before

After stripping as much paint as we could get off.

After it was painted!