Today me and Rob get away for Seattle, Portland, the Redwoods, and San Francisco. Any tips? My plan right now is to drink a lot of coffee eat as many meals from a farmers market as possible and hike to gorgeous heights.

Also I had an idea that we should take pictures of random crap we see in people's yards... like things they put in their yard to look "nice" please send em to me I would love to post it. sundayhatch@gmail.com

The list of Craig

I had this idea (still have it) for a bench that goes at the foot of the bed... so I search "bench" on craigslist and this redonk amazing dining room set (with bench) pops up for $350!! So we had to go get it.

However there were some issues... like a giant spot on the table, and scratched up chairs....

I didn't get a picture of the spot... heres the bench

With a little sanding you can see where the poly and stain were already coming off:

I used an orbital sander 150 grain... then 220 to smooth it out a bit more before staining

Staining Supplies:

1. Lint free towel

2. Paper Towels

3. Foam Brush

4. Stain (Red Mahogany) that I later decided was too red... switch to Special Walnut

5. Bambo Skewer - used as stir stick

I wiped it down with the lint free towel to the max... then stained. I use a foam brush because it works and because they cost 72 cents so I don't have to wash them and can throw them away. Stir don't shake the stain! There's the color sludge on the bottom of the can so mix that up and stick your brush all the way in to get the color at the bottom. I do small parts at a time, I don't let it sit too long. One time I did and it was too long and it got sticky so when I tried to wipe it off it was a sticky paper towel mess. I would rather do multiple quick coats to darken to avoid the tar and feather like fiasco. Once you've let it sit an appropriate while... wipe off with paper towels.

Section 2:

 Looks good but its too red :/

Table: Same thing 150 grit followed by 220... but I could still see the little orbital sander circles so I got a piece of sandpaper (220 grit) and sanded in a line...

horizontal sanding lines...

and done minus the polyurethane 

Better pictures to come... And I picked the light that shall go above this table... 

From West Elm

Im off to Seattle tomorrow!! Have a great week!

- Danielle G.

Dog Days

They are here.  The dog days of summer. 

You know, I never knew where that saying came from until I looked it up... on Wikipedia no less.

"Dog Days" (Latin: diēs caniculārēs) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, the dog days of summer are most commonly experienced in the months of July and August, which typically observe the warmest summer temperatures. In the Southern Hemisphere, they typically occur in January and February, in the midst of the austral summer. The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, in close proximity to the sun was responsible for the hot weather.

But this post isn't about summer, or days, or Wikipedia.  It's just about dogs.  Well, my dog.  Since I just joined Sunday Hatch, I didn't get to participate in "Dog Week" several months back.  Our Jack Russell/Beagle mix pup is such a HUGE part of our lives, I thought you should meet him properly.

And it's fitting, too, because Wednesday was Oscar's 5th birthday, and it made me reflect on all the adventures we've had in the past five years. You see, the Hubs and I adopted Oscar (aka Mr Dog) a mere two months after we started dating. Commitment had been established, but I don't think either of us really thought about what we were doing when we adopted a dog. I do seriously believe that Oscar kept us together through some of the tougher times before we were married.  

One Saturday towards the end of September 2007, I proposed that we visit the animal shelter in Lexington, KY where we were living at the time, "to see the puppies!" Tim was so innocent, he had no idea what that meant. To be fair, I don't think I had any intention of coming home with a dog, but as the story always goes... there "Lucky" was, with his little kennel cough and his huge eyes saying "love me! pick me! I'm yours."  And he was.

Oscar at 8 weeks.

And come on... I'm doubtful that anyone could have resisted that puppy face! We have been pretty much obsessed with him ever since. He's been on almost every trip we've taken together as a couple, especially road trips, and moved from Kentucky, to Texas, to Washingon, DC, and back again.

And he loves to be included in everything we do, big or small, important or insignificant. Which is why we knew he had to be Tim's "Best Dog," at our wedding. He fulfilled his duties perfectly.

And looked quite handsome in his bow tie, I must say.

And of course we're biased, but we admit he's not entirely perfect. I mean, after all, he is a mouth-breather.

And he always unmakes the beds after I've spent a good bit of time making them up. Grrrr.

And he's more than a little bit lazy. . .  and somewhat of an exhibitionist.

But he's ours.  And we love him.

Thanks for meeting Mr. Dog.

 As always, you can join me the other days of the week at alittlewhitenoise.

It's a...

1,2,3....

YAY!

It's a boy!

Hugs

Checking out the evidence

Gift from Nonni & MiMi

The photography crew

We had a little gender reveal get together last night with our parents and some friends. We filled the black ballons with blue confetti and had our parents pop them. It was such a fun way to tell them that they will have a grandson!

So this will definitely be happening....

Etsy

Oh boy Oh boy!
Danielle R.

Mr. and Mrs.

Sophee here, back to wedding planning! My weekend was once again filled with trips to local craft stores and working on DIY projects. Up next, adding a little touch to the "seats of honor". I had to battle the wood-cutting-station, or whatever you call it, at Home Depot. Yes I did cut the wood myself! A dad and his two girls walked by as I was wiping sweat from my forehead and one of the girls said "Wow, a girl can cut wood!" Sure can :) It was a very proud moment, I must admit! Anyways, I cut and stained the wood, then just bought wood paint and wrote on the back. Added some sheer ribbon, flowers, and voila the final product! I can't wait to actually see the bride and groom with these at their wedding. Sitting and laughing... listening to my speech... eek I gotta work on that! Getting close now! Hope you liked this weeks project. Enjoy the rest of your week, I encourage you to find a little project to get your creative juices flowing :)

And the best of all..... :) 

-Sophee

Get Your Glow On

It's the middle of summer which means we've all been out in the sun, and that can be harsh on your skin. So why not amp up your skin care routine and show your skin some love while you're wearing tanks, shorts, skirts and everything in-between! By love, I mean dry body oil. yep.

For the past two months or so I've stopped using lotion products all together and made the switch to dry body oil which happens to be pretty fantastic for the following reasons:

1. It's crazy fast to put on, I love that

2. Your skin glows and looks incredibly healthy

3. It goes on dry, absorbs quickly

4. You can mix it with other products  (essential oils, shimmer, bronzer) 

First I bought this at Target:

Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil, $9.00

Used it up in about 8 weeks, which was pretty good for 9 bucks, considering I was using it every other day. I intended to buy more Palmer's last week, but saw this guy instead:

Organix Hydrating Moroccan Aragan Dry Body Oil, $7.99

I've used Organix hair products before and wasn't disappointed, so I thought I'd give this a try. The scent is wonderful, very light and clean. A much needed improvement from the Palmer's "cocoa" smell. I don't want to smell like chocolate all the time, come on now.

The Organix oil rocks, and I'm officially hooked on dry body oil. I know it sounds messy and greasy, but it really does the trick, especially right after a shower or before bed. Try it out!

I did my own experiment and mixed my Organix dry body oil with my Origins Halo Effect (shimmer). Here's what I'm talking about:

I used it before going to a wedding, just to give my skin a little extra glow. What do you think?

dress: Buffalo (look alike Missoni for 1/3 of the price!) earrings: Antro, jewelry: Stella and Dot, Ana and Ava, clutch: vintage, wine: loved it! Thanks for asking:)

 

Now go get your GLOW ON. Ow Ow.

Kendall

You are what you eat.

I really thought I would have some house progress to show you... but we have hit a slow spot... and I got sick. SO hopefully later I can show you more but for today Im going to talk about Food.

Rob and I went to dinner the other day at Outback (because we had a gift card) and while we were waiting for our food, a family across from us got up and left a full plate of french fries. He asked me if I was ok if he got up and ate their french fries. WHAT!? No, you don't eat food off of other people's plates. Then Rob said something brilliant.

"Its sad that we live in a country where its more acceptable

 to throw away a ton of good food than eat it."

This statement really turns into a long chain of food/health topics. This video is a good way to start out

Not only do we throw food away, while there are starving people but because of these super portions we are demanding super amounts of crops, leading to get it quick methods of agriculture ...

It starts at the soil. By not taking care of the soil, we grow crops in mineral deficient soil leading to mineral deficient crops, weaker crops lead to less nutritional value and the need for more man-made defenses such as pesticides... that are terrible to ingest and further damage the soil. So even if we think we are eating healthy but eating tons of vegetables... how healthy are these vegetables?

And if we go beyond vegetables... we are really getting into eating processed food. Have you ever looked at one of your boxes and seen a list of 30+ ingredients.. and couldn't pronounce half of them? The ones you can't pronounce are additives and preservatives... 

We gotta do better. 

SO easy steps...

1. Eat organic, join an organic co-op or CSA where they support local farmers. 

--Here's mine: Rawfully Organic

2. Eat Raw ( I am not fully raw, but there is serious value in eating raw even sometimes)

3. Grow your own! (I'm about to start working on this myself)

4. Make a compost- there will be waste but put that waste to work making your soil better

5. Eat clean- this means eating foods with a few pronounceable ingredients (I love this blog for recipes)

Documentaries to watch:

- FoodMatters

- DIVE!

Alright, I'm off to eat a bell pepper.

-Danielle G.

A Continual Feast

Welcome to Fridays with your Friends at Sunday Hatch.

via

Contentment.

It's no wonder that Contentment is often mistaken for Happiness, which we know is not a sustainable state, but I like to think of them as separate things. Happiness is what it's all about these days. The Pursuit of Happiness, The Happiness Project, Happy Hour. Everywhichway we look, someone's marketing a new means to happiness. 

Here's the problem, though . . . happy moments are just that: moments.  Short periods of extreme elation due to circumstance or happenstance. Even the most positive of people can't be happy for all time.  People seem to base happiness not on our internal state, but rather on external variables: "If I was just making more money" or "If I just looked like insert name of any skinny rich actress with microscopic pores and shiny hair here" THEN I'd be happy. The problem with that is it's only ever going to fill you up with joy for a few minutes, possibly a few days or a week. And then you're going to want more. And more.

Moment of honesty. For me and mine, it's usually money, or related to money.  There are so many things we could do if we just. had. more. money. That's what we say. And it's not all selfish. I mean, we would like to have enough money to where we could help people in need . . . like really help people, not just hand them spare change. I'd like to have enough money that I could give back to our parents, who have helped us immensely as a young couple. I'd like to be able to fund the Arts in my community or donate to worthy volunteer programs or launch environmentally friendly startup companies. But I would also just like more things, nice things, things for my house or my body, things to make my hair shiny, things to give me microscopic pores (you know they don't look that way on their own).  And it's sooooo frustrating, sometimes I want to scream like a two year old having a tantrum. I can literally make myself a nervous wreck looking at our pile of bills and then looking at our bank account. I can get angry, very angry, at those who have more, and I get jealous of their perceived happiness.

And you know what?  We were saying that two years ago, too. "If we just had a little bit more money each year we could do this and this and this." Well, we have more money now than we did two years ago.  And it's still "not enough."

So that leads me to believe that happiness is fleeting, and that euphoric feeling we associate with happiness is instigated by fleeting things: things that won't last and aren't ultimately fulfilling.  Contentment is the type of joy that remains.  Contentment is in the heart.

In my mind, contentment is a deep and expansive sense of satisfaction.  Since I love food, I picture it as being just the right amount of "full" after feasting on a delicious meal. Not feeling like you're going to hurl and not wanting for more. (Okay, maybe there's a liiiiiittle room for dessert.) Contentment is not immeasurable joy, but measured blessedness. You know that saying, "Count your blessings"? Well, I think contentment is when you've counted and you know and feel each and every one of those blessings. It is that moment when you're enjoying a colorful, crisp fall afternoon on a beautiful wooded trail with your hound dog running ahead and your hubby holding your hand, and you stop midstep because it dawns: I don't need anything but this.


If you can count those blessings of the heart, friends, and remember them, you will never be hungry for happiness.  You will have already found contentment, for a cheerful heart sits before a continual feast.

---

A happy heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.

The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly.

All of the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

That's Proverbs 15:13-15, folks.

    As always, you can join me the other days of the week at alittlewhitenoise.

Some (BIG) News

As of yesterday, I am 15 weeks pregnant! My husband and I are beyond excited!


I have been very lucky. Not having many pregnancy symptoms. No morning sickness, major fatigue or nausea. So because of this most people have guessed we are having a boy. Hopefully in a few weeks I will be able to share the gender with you!


I immediately went to the store and bought my husband and I these books -

photos by madisoncary

I highly recommend this one for Dads-to-be. It is hilarious and very practical. My husband's favorite chapter so far - How to read Sports Illustrated to your baby. My book is not nearly as entertaining, but it is the classic go to Mom-to-be book. It has answers to all your questions (that way you don't have to Google them). Warning:  Googling everything while you are pregnant is a BAD idea. You end up on message boards and hear everyone else's issues and opinions and that is the last thing you need as a pregnant mom!


As for working out, I have continued my workout routine, just modified a bit. I run much slower (not on purpose, this is just what happens - well to me at least), I have stopped the intense training of Insanity and such and have focused more on running, walking, kickboxing and arm exercises. 


Here are some pics the husband and I took to share the news with friends and family.

photos by madisoncary

photos by madisoncary

Momma to be,

Danielle R.

Something New

Happy Wednesday!! So jumping right into it... there are oh so many things on my to-do list these days. Many little DIY projects I'm excited to share over the coming months. My past weekend was filled with trips to Hobby Lobby, Target, the post office, and the liquor store... twice. I'm trying really hard to get all the little things done at least a month prior to the wedding (meaning I have less than 2 months to do them!) since I'm sure many last minute things will spring up. So I'm sharing my tags today that I made for the "somethings"... something new, something old, something borrowed, and something blue! My mom, meme, grandma, and I will all be giving my sister her presents the day of with these attached. Can't share what the presents are just yet, but I am excited! So here are the tags I made. I'd love to know what some of the most original things you've gotten/ seen for weddings are? Can't ever have too many details :) Have a wonderful Wednesday all!

 The paper I used... probably wish it was a little more sheer.. but overall the look I was going for!

 Tried to study a little calligraphy to do the writing... not the biggest success ;)

 Hole punch for the twine to go through

Finished product! (with a little glare) But can't wait to wrap the presents in white paper with some striped ribbon and attach these for my sister the day off- adds a great touch. And everyone will be able to write a little note on the back! Can't wait!!!!

-Sophee