Meet Carlton.

This is the new addition to our family. We got him last night from some wonderful people who must've done something right in raising him, because he is such a sweetie. This is obviously a big transition for him, so he's been hiding most of the time.

Tonight, though, we got him out from behind the couch and onto the rug. He's been purring ever since, and is getting more comfortable by the minute. I'm sure he'll get into some trouble by the time I get home tomorrow. . He's sort of coming when we call him (and coax him) which is more than I expected out of a cat, too. Basically, he's a huge love bug, just like his owners said.

In other news, John is a total hypocrite. He has been working with Carlton more than I have. It's very adorable, and I have video proof, but have vowed to keep it in the vault.

More pictures to come. :)

Happy Easter!

Everyone is headed over later this afternoon to have a potluck meal. We aren't technically hosting - my parents are just re-doing their kitchen so we volunteered to have it here. Doesn't matter where we are or if it's a holiday or not, my family is the best that anyone could ask for.

Happy Easter to all!

100th Post!

This is my 100th post on this blog, so... Whoop Dee Doo! Ha. I am not fancy/creative/motivated enough to have a giveaway or special blog post, or "favorite posts" type thing.. so.

Instead, I will share my most recent creation. I really didn't modify it at all, and I can't take credit. I was trying to find a way to hide a litter box and ran across this post. I looked around my favorite online shopping sites and found that this was the best way (and best priced way) to go about it. So, my sister and I went to Ikea where I bought the piece, it took John about 3 minutes to cut out the piece, and took me about 10 minutes to assemble it. I think it fits well.

 It's in the corner of our downstairs bathroom. The closet next to it houses our broom/mop/steam mop. This is the only room downstairs that we haven't painted. Too many turns.

 Hopefully an out-of-the-way, quiet place for the cat. And why not put the cat bathroom in the human bathroom?

 View from the door. A bit obvious but more subtle than a litter box.

 View from the hallway.

 I'd like to get some hooks for the inside, but the box is long enough to hold the litter box, litter (probably get a container for it), the scoop, ziploc bags, and whatever else we need.

Top view. Can't see a thing!

What do you think? Will a cat buy it?

getting ready...

... for a new bundle of joy to come into our lives, as our family grows by one.

Before you freak out, let me clear something up:

... It's not a baby.

John miraculously (and very surprisingly) agreed to a cat. I have never owned a cat but have cared for a few. I have been reading a lot about them and trying to learn what to be prepared for. I may be totally naive, but they seem easier in many ways than a dog. Don't get me wrong, I still consider myself a dog person, but I actually think a cat is a better fit for us right now. I'm sure I'm in for a lot of surprises, but I am just so excited to have a companion. I don't think John even understands. I love the idea of having a little buddy, even if it's a little more independent.

So, I will take a cat as a compromise. And I'm excited.

Anyway, we've got a lead on a cat that may be a good fit for us, so I'll keep you posted.

I treated myself to buying some cat supplies (just to make it that much more difficult for John to take it back) in preparation for our little bundle of joy. I also have a plan for hiding the litter box. I don't want our house to be like, "Ahh! There's a cat here!" and totally ruin the design, so we'll see.

and a month later...

My mid-century dresser-turned-tv-stand is finally complete. I definitely put off the final coats of polycrylic because I hate sanding. But, when I got off my butt and finally did it, it wasn't that bad. I just used Fine "finishing" sand paper and did 3 coats total. I used a sponge brush on the first coat but wasn't satisfied with how it was going on. The biggest mistake I make with protective finishes is definitely over-brushing. You are supposed to get less brush marks if you put it on thick and let it settle on its own. I didn't do a good job with that, and it shows with the High Gloss finish.

There are a few imperfections, but overall I'm happy. It's never going to get bright, bright light that will highlight its flaws, so it should be fine.

 

You can see better here that the finish is pretty glossy. And, that I chose not to paint the five legs.

Here's the little surprise I saved, though. If you haven't noticed, our Blu-Ray player is missing. I'm not sure where I got the idea from, but I thought it would be awesome if we could hide the player in a drawer. But, it couldn't pick up the remote signal if it was just housed in a drawer. So, I thought about how cool it would be to create a false drawer, where the drawer front actually drops down rather than pulling out to reveal the player. Well, easier said than done. Because the drawer "pulls" are below, it is difficult to grab the front and pull it down, so that was an issue. You could hinge it on the top and flip it up, but then you'd need a mechanism that held it up. So, I was stumped.

I enlisted the help of my dad, who is infamous for being a great "tinkerer." He can usually execute anything I ask him, from trimming my hair to building a cardboard truck for a class project. He took the drawer and returned it shortly after, completely redesigned.

Before I show you pictures, there was one snag that we're still working on. The blu-ray player is about 1/4" too wide for the drawer. Ugh. We cut down the sides of the drawer and are going to make a second level with a piece of thin wood, and set the player on that. Stay tuned... We're close!

 

You have to pull out the drawer slightly, so that the front has room to flip down.

 

Surprise! The drawer was a fake!

 My dad's handiwork. He had the hinge already, which is great!

 Front view. You can see on the right where the drawer has a cutout. We couldn't cut it all the way down because the drawer front wouldn't be supported. Soon enough..

 

Overall view. I think it's FANTASTIC. My nerdy side couldn't be happier; who doesn't love a secret compartment?

More pictures in daylight to come. What do you think? Was it a success or did I ruin a piece of antique furniture?

An Ashley First

So, by complete happenstance, we are "hosting" Easter this year. I say "hosting" because we're doing a potluck-style meal, so I'm off the hook for cooking everything (I think I can handle vegetables and rolls). Anyway, that being said, I get to decorate!

I'm excited to have a big family meal in our new dining area, but I want the table settings and decor to be fresh and fun, too. Here is the first picture I have stashed as inspiration. I don't want it to be anything expensive, or too in-your-face EASTER. So we'll see what I find.

I like the mix of non-traditional items - the books covered in fun paper, the antique birds. I would also like to do something with branches. This is fresh and bright. We'll see! We have some china we've never used. Maybe I can use a few of those pieces. I'll be going to Target and Goodwill this weekend.

Attack of the...

IRITIS!

I inadvertently wore my contacts for 24 hours while flying back from D.C. on Friday. My left eye was not happy on Saturday, but I just figured it was dry. By Sunday I couldn't be in any sort of lit area (cloudy skies and TVs count) without my eye and the area above and below my eye having shooting pains.

It looked like this:

P.S. If you'd like to be grossed out even further, google-image "Iritis" and you'll find all sorts of gross eyes with oddly shaped pupils --- eeek!

So, John called the nurse hotline for me and they advised I go to Urgent Care. I got checked in at 7:30 and was there until 11:30 pm. Very annoying.

They thought I had a scratch on my cornea, but it turns out I have something called Iritis, which is basically inflammation of the colored part of your eye. It can be caused from wearing contacts too long. It causes redness, sensitivity to light, and intense pain. Check, check, and check. They gave me Vicodin (anyone want my 19 extra pills? Just kidding) and medicated eye drops that are basically a blend of antibiotics (in case it was infected) and steroids.

Yes. I am on steroids.

Anyway, my eye is much less creepy looking and I feel a lot better. I took off work today because the thought of standing in front of a projector in a fluorescent-lit room made my head hurt all over again. I also saw the Optometrist today just to make sure it wasn't a sign of something more serious. Like going blind. It's amazing what scary things you can find when you google "eye is red and sensitive to light."

Anyway, an alarming situation (anything with the eyes is scary), but all is well with me oculi.


Just thought you'd like to know.

We're comin' to America... today! (picture heavy)

I just spent the last week in Washington D.C. with a group of 11 6th and 7th graders, and I had a fabulous time. We started off with a 4 am meeting at the Airport on Monday morning, and arrived back in Washington state around 2 am on Saturday morning. All that time in between was filled with tons of activities. I hope the students got as much out of it as I did.

Monday:

We arrived in D.C. around 4, then headed to dinner, the Einstein Statue, and the World War II Memorial.

Tuesday: 

 Ford's Theater, Holocaust Museum, National Archives, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial

Wednesday:

 Gettysburg, FDR Memorial, Jefferson Memorial

Thursday: 

 White House tour, Washington Monument, Mount Vernon, Air Force Memorial, 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, Iwojima Memorial

Friday: 

 Arlington Cemetery, Kennedy's Memorial, Robert E Lee's home, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Changing of the Guards. Flight home -- delayed 2 hours. :(


Needless to say, our students were tuckered out, as were we. But, I would've never learned all the stories behind everything in D.C. We had a great tour guide, and it was wonderful not having to worry about food, driving, anything. I think my new camera did pretty well, too. I enjoyed playing around with the "sweeping panorama" feature just for fun, and I can't wait to edit some of these pictures to make them even better. :)