tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71937977651084135272024-02-06T21:04:25.174-05:00Renewed Claimed PathEverything homeChristine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.comBlogger403125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-21573952977762728792017-10-22T17:28:00.001-04:002017-10-22T17:28:13.641-04:00A Renewed Blog <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hi there, it’s been a long time. I took a very extended break from blogging to get our house ready to sell, move to a new house and do a ton of work to get the new house cleaned and painted. I’m returning with an updated blog name, Renewed Claimed Path, and a new direction on blog topics. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-13504436-45fb-b5b1-6ae2-77684913ff06" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the beginning when I started this blog six years I wanted to write about home projects. I veered off in a couple of different direction but now I am refocused back to my roots. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mike and I will be taking you through our path to updating our 1989 dated colonial, with tons of decorating and diy ideas through the way. Through updating our house we are also updating our style and trying a fresh and modern color scheme while keeping true to our love for vintage items.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We will share house diy projects, furniture makeover redos, decorating ideas, painting tips, entertaining ideas, holiday projects, outdoor projects and crochet.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks to all my readers that are still out there. I hope you stick around to see where this journey takes us. </span></div>
Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-10880026012832188962015-12-04T16:02:00.003-05:002017-10-15T14:33:09.410-04:00Lincoln is TwoWell hello there. I took an unexpected long blog hiatus. I got a little burnt
out and ran out of things to talk about but I’m back today to share details of
Lincoln’s second birthday. Having a toddler keeps me really busy these days.
It’s hard to do much else besides entertaining him. Keeping off the electronics
is key because he is already obsessed with computers and smart phones and will
try to take over for me. I haven’t been doing much crocheting lately but am
starting to introduce it when he goes to bed since the cold weather had me
wanting to make some new hats.<br />
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Lincoln is a huge fan of Mickey Mouse now and loves to watch the Mickey Mouse
Clubhouse show. He learned all the names of the characters and loves to talk
about them. The funniest one is Goofy because when he says the word it kind of
sounds like coffee. Since Mickey is at the top of his list right now we decided
to have a Mickey party for his birthday.<br />
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We had a much more low key party this year than last and kept it pretty
simple at our house. My decorating didn’t include too much besides buying a blue
plastic table cloth, red dinner plates with Mickey dessert plates and napkins.
My big creative moment came in the form of Mickey cupcakes. I used a chocolate
boxed cake mix and made homemade cream cheese frosting. I made Mickey ears out
of mini oreos and used red polka dotted cupcake liners I picked up at Jo-Ann
Fabrics. This was not an original idea by any means and I poured over Pinterest
to find something simple but still captured the essence of Mickey. We set the
cupcakes up on the cupcake stand I bought last year (also from Jo-Ann) and
topped it off with the Mickey and Minnie Lincoln got as an early birthday gift.<br />
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We kept the food pretty simple too and made chili, mac and cheese and roasted
broccoli, which are all some of Lincoln’s favorites. Everyone sang happy
birthday and he blew out the candles on the first try. It was the cutest thing
ever. Then he proceeded to devour his cupcake.<br />
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The whole thing was a big success. Lincoln got a present for his birthday
which his new favorite character and that is Spiderman. He is super obsessed and
it’s really funny. He talks about Spiderman all the time and wants to bring him
everywhere.<br />
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Speaking of talking, this kid learns new words and phrases almost every day.
He is a little parrot and is always repeating what we say. He is starting to get
more clear with his words too and it’s becoming easier to understand. Lincoln is
also so full of energy. He loves to run, jump and climb. We started him in a
toddler gymnastics class to give him something to do now that it’s cold and dark
at night. He loves the class but still needs to work on his listening skills a
bit.<br />
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Christmas is coming soon and while he may not understand the concept he has
figured out what Santa looks like and will call out any pictures or figurines
that look like Santa. We are looking for something low key to bring him to meet
Santa because his attention span is next to zero lately and he won’t do very
well standing in a line to see Santa anywhere. <br />
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One more picture to share. I was so excited to get a nice family picture of
the three of us since Lincoln has an uncanny knack for getting wiggly the second
the camera is on us. He may not have a big smile on his face but he isn’t crying
or trying to escape so I will take it as a win.<br />
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<br />Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-23576405324669883322015-08-26T08:00:00.000-04:002015-08-26T08:00:09.072-04:00Trip to Brandywine Falls<p> </p> <p>The other day Mike, Lincoln and I went to Brandywine Falls. It’s a beautiful waterfall in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. There is a short walk down to the the falls on a boardwalk. Lincoln only did about half the walk on his own but loved watching the water. </p> <p>I got to practice taking pictures of moving water and I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out. Maybe some art for the walls? I’m no pro but I finally figured out the settings for flowing water. A tripod is a must and not too much light. This location had the perfect amount of light. It’s a super popular spot for wedding pictures and we even saw the cutest couple getting theirs done.</p> <p>We are really loving the Cuyahoga Valley National Park this summer. It’s so beautiful and we’ve spending as much time exploring as possible.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uRj_JVKP9Uc/Vd0MGDuGv2I/AAAAAAAAE3I/jYoNXTj60qE/s1600-h/IMG_9343%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sn4Iic7pHl0/Vd0MG74SSwI/AAAAAAAAE3Q/GGlPZMbs7O0/IMG_9343_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8T9vOMacjuk/Vd0MHvAbKVI/AAAAAAAAE3Y/bStD5c8TQPY/s1600-h/IMG_9352%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WhY_7XciPV0/Vd0MIO2OuQI/AAAAAAAAE3g/VWm-47pDJjw/IMG_9352_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5FyUo_8vWlI/Vd0MI9Q3QmI/AAAAAAAAE3o/0ZZEwiSXF3I/s1600-h/IMG_9368%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YiNOeq_Kqf8/Vd0MJVD2TzI/AAAAAAAAE3w/W5Ao3K2iPvw/IMG_9368_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F9JV5lS2wuo/Vd0MKNugn7I/AAAAAAAAE34/ITdS-1EM0Ag/s1600-h/IMG_9369%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-juXqp_g3e-U/Vd0MK7oj7PI/AAAAAAAAE4A/IJ3l1sXmS5s/IMG_9369_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ECLVip20mEk/Vd0MLTgJzXI/AAAAAAAAE4I/Q0L3TRa7LSY/s1600-h/IMG_9372%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Brandywine Falls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZRhlwUKkbFI/Vd0MMdVYDSI/AAAAAAAAE4Q/cUJrqLx6VwY/IMG_9372_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-30443542341791212852015-08-21T09:00:00.000-04:002017-10-29T16:19:33.108-04:00How to Update a Headboard<br />
<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ACYJrioH_bo/VdKNh3_iJNI/AAAAAAAAE08/ZQ9IoRohU3o/s1600-h/IMG_9301%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7Zq5-r-ytTA/VdKNiXd0GJI/AAAAAAAAE1A/RZFc2c4TGjY/IMG_9301_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" width="654" /></a><br />
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We’ve been doing a little spruce up in our upstairs bedroom. We had a headboard for years that Mike has built but were feeling like it was time for a change. We wanted to update an older piece to make it more modern. It took a little bit of scouring at our local used furniture stores to come up with some that would work. Finding a queen headboard was harder than we originally thought. We found this headboard at out new favorite furniture thrift shop for $40. It was definitely feeling very dated but it was solid and had lots of potential. <br />
<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2o1Za2zmNMI/VdKNiwVaR3I/AAAAAAAAE1I/YSFexu55TXw/s1600-h/IMG_9143%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Br0W5E7dmxw/VdKNj2XCsjI/AAAAAAAAE1Q/S5AHE7IhIkQ/IMG_9143_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="439" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" width="654" /></a> <br />
We started by painting it with Annie Sloane Old White Paint. We weren’t trying for an exact perfect finish but did put two coats of paint on it over two days to allow for a good drying time. I actually kind of liked it like this but Mike had bigger plans for it. <br />
<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2ZRHg-6Inqo/VdKNkQxSBaI/AAAAAAAAE1Y/BuByQmYfZVk/s1600-h/IMG_9148%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M0GuLUq4V-Q/VdKNkweenRI/AAAAAAAAE1g/x92uLRF23GE/IMG_9148_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" width="654" /></a> <br />
After the paint was dry, Mike lightly distressed it with fine grade sandpaper. He focused on the edges to give it a naturally worn look. Next, he wiped the piece down with a soft cloth to remove all the dust. To finish it off and seal in the chalk paint he went over the entire piece with Annie Sloane clear wax and then buffed it with a soft cloth. <br />
<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4anBWPtEhRo/VdKNlZOrXvI/AAAAAAAAE1k/0WDNMhNIQ7o/s1600-h/IMG_9298%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P3Sy4URtiIs/VdKNlgx9J4I/AAAAAAAAE1s/PKJgDuzhx_w/IMG_9298_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" width="654" /></a> <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9xdtf_8Hwo0/VdKNmPeN64I/AAAAAAAAE10/N8tOUaSOT4s/s1600-h/IMG_9297%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WvPeQ-9h-uc/VdKNm_X-uLI/AAAAAAAAE2E/kTRUfe9gtPs/IMG_9297_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="654" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" width="438" /></a> <br />
We moved the headboard into the room and Mike screwed it into our existing metal bed frame with some large screws and washers to keep it secure to the bed. <br />
It completely transformed the look of our room. I have to admit I was bit skeptical about how it would turn out but I really like it now. Another confession is that I am not 100% sold on the distressed look but Mike has been experimenting with it and has been having fun working with that paint technique so I don’t mind trying something new for a little while. The “farmhouse” style is so popular right now I do see ways in which I like it. <br />
<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TlyJQeb9XEk/VdKNnNj39oI/AAAAAAAAE2I/08EZTuD8ZCg/s1600-h/IMG_9305%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5lDqOTNdiZI/VdKNnkAEEUI/AAAAAAAAE2U/74oPtr6-D3g/IMG_9305_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" width="654" /></a> <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8dwEGi2eiPc/VdKNoXc_uPI/AAAAAAAAE2c/7M4s5iXpK2s/s1600-h/IMG_9304%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b_VB0YmHZuY/VdKNo-9ePsI/AAAAAAAAE2k/1fLkC4o1ZNg/IMG_9304_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="654" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="How to update a headboard with chalk paint" width="438" /></a><br />
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Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-80405842168268091542015-08-17T21:24:00.001-04:002017-10-22T17:31:49.787-04:00Crochet Granny Square Blanket<br />
<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nEyJ1d5oftg/VdKJKPpgIeI/AAAAAAAAEz4/ugjyoVDCo2k/s1600-h/IMG_9341%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Crochet Granny Square Blanket" border="0" height="654" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yjSS6oE0myw/VdKJKo-284I/AAAAAAAAE0A/QQIN54fDiFg/IMG_9341_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Crochet Granny Square Blanket" width="438" /></a><br />
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I actually completed a crochet project! It’s been way too long and it was really fun to get out my crochet hook again. Mike’s niece is having a baby in September and her shower was recently. I really wanted to make her a baby blanket but in my true fashion I started the project much later than I should. I had one week to be exact to get this blanket completely finished. <br />
My first thought was to make a <a href="http://projectsaroundthehouse.blogspot.com/2013/04/crochet-chevron-baby-blanket.html">chevron baby blanket</a> because that is my one my favorite patterns. The last time I made one though it took me two weeks of working my fingers to the bone and there just wasn’t enough time. I decided to go with this <a href="http://daisycottagedesigns.net/free-crochet-pattern/free-crochet-patterns-granny-square-baby-blanket/">adorable granny square blanket from Daisy Cottage</a>. I like it for two reasons, one I had seen it <a href="http://www.maybematilda.com/2014/01/granny-obsession.html">on another blog I love</a>, Maybe Matilda and loved how it turned out. Two, it is square so I it would easy to stop when I ran out of time instead of being stuck with a strangely uneven rectangle. <br />
This pattern turned out to be awesome since it worked up so quickly. It’s also super easy to make a granny square since it is just double crochet clusters. I opted to go with four colors to match a picture of the color scheme for the room. I ended up using Aqua in Vanna’s Choice, Navy in Vanna’s Choice, Radiant Lime in Vanna’s Choice and Pewter in Red Heart with Love. I already had the navy and grey at home so I only had to get two new colors. I could have gone with all Vanna’s Choice but I was trying to avoid buying more yarn and use some from my stash. I ended up needing one skin of navy, two of radiant lime and two of aqua and one of the grey. The grey skein was much larger than the other colors so if I had used Vanna’s choice I would have needed two. <br />
I should have measured the size but I didn’t think about it until just now. I did have a little helper who thought this was a mighty fine “blankie” so you can kind of get an idea of how big it turned out. (He cried when I wouldn’t let him lay on the blanket when I was trying to take a picture.) <br />
<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xQlRwG6uiA8/VdKJLa0sSdI/AAAAAAAAE0I/7gXQbEnUHmU/s1600-h/IMG_9337%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Crochet Granny Square Blanket" border="0" height="654" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QZDhYemjkvs/VdKJL3xi3sI/AAAAAAAAE0Q/XTJi2oLY2gE/IMG_9337_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Crochet Granny Square Blanket" width="438" /></a> <br />
I love how this color combination turned out and since I still have quite a bit of the yarn leftover maybe it will end up as a new hat. I won’t get ahead of myself though because this was a major feat to get something crocheted with a 20 month running around. I had a slight delay in the middle of crocheting to unravel a giant knot because Lincoln still thinks playing with a skein of yarn is too much fun. <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I8_F_pp0wdE/VdKJMphTTBI/AAAAAAAAE0Y/_5c9l2uK-hg/s1600-h/IMG_9335%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_9335" border="0" height="438" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RVlAsImUZk4/VdKJNFnTCzI/AAAAAAAAE0g/06low03WjVY/IMG_9335_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_9335" width="654" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zEJ5nQ0j-Ok/VdKJNoFbBsI/AAAAAAAAE0o/-eywyGh9c0I/s1600-h/IMG_9341-001%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Crochet Granny Square Blanket" border="0" height="654" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-10OpJbKLwCE/VdKJOSqLRBI/AAAAAAAAE0w/8b2rhvhEnsc/IMG_9341-001_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Crochet Granny Square Blanket" width="438" /></a><br />
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<br />Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-90660160897089705242015-08-10T08:00:00.000-04:002015-08-10T08:00:10.011-04:00June and July Garden Blooms<p> </p> <p> <p>So these pictures are from June through the beginning of July. I haven’t taken any new pictures since then and these have been hanging out on my computer for a month. Even though July and August are one of the most brilliant times in the garden its due to the fact that the Black Eyed Susan and Purple Coneflower blooming for so long. <p>June is actually a really pretty month too and there is lots going on. We had tons of rain and cooler weather so everything was super happy to be soaking up the moisture. I also loved it for the fact that I didn’t have to water for weeks, although rain all the time did get a little old. <p>I think the rain and cooler weather slowed down the veggie garden because my tomatoes are just now getting ripe. We’ve had some zucchini and green beans already. Lincoln loves to go in the garden and pick the vegetables. My peppers have been really slow to grow too but they are finally starting to produce tons of baby peppers. <p align="center">My Asiatic lilies didn’t do very well this year. The black eyed Susan was starting to choke them out so I had to do some pulling this spring. I still got a few blooms but not as many and not as big. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EaMn32JU2wo/VcZBXFApY9I/AAAAAAAAExA/S6UCYtXXF6U/s1600-h/IMG_9123%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Asiatic lilies " style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Asiatic lilies " src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GlSKyjhR5zc/VcZBXiKOt1I/AAAAAAAAExI/EQSmT60blh8/IMG_9123_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="436" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">I love these long blooming Stella D’Oro day lilies. They started blooming in June and I still have a couple of blooms in August.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1GsmoGAepAs/VcZBYFWF0YI/AAAAAAAAExQ/BTn31KO__y0/s1600-h/IMG_9134%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Stella D’Oro day lily" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Stella D’Oro day lily" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sr6FicYfEE8/VcZBY9ZZeSI/AAAAAAAAExY/mPpbptOd-GA/IMG_9134_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">My royal candles or Veronica always looks so pretty when it starts blooming but by the end it’s a dried up mess. I like to remember it this way.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oQqJjcHxMkM/VcZBZXlARlI/AAAAAAAAExc/R9zhwnsNxk8/s1600-h/IMG_9138%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="royal candles or Veronica " style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="royal candles or Veronica " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXSstdvycOZtVMtpbOKQ6F9c92BpB4LAweE29616cmas9WSArf7XEc1M2Wu4Ekg1_dAasqpFwqnNJXfKCfdqdh5gdS0Lt3wQpnA7XsteoPrZLo2N6cWpOO41fYroaIVRhqjVAiPkqC_3d/?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">I tried out petunias this year when we found a clearance deal at Lowe’s. I have had mixed results in the past but these ones have been amazing. I think they will make an appearance next year as well.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aWz6gq2GlYs/VcZBajgMCFI/AAAAAAAAExw/L7QRPDNnDGs/s1600-h/IMG_9141%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="petunias" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="petunias" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xu78tvKdSkg/VcZBbFpyRII/AAAAAAAAEx4/tLPPFyX6eeY/IMG_9141_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">This astilbe looks so fuzzy and is very different from the white variety that blooms in May.</p> <p align="center"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lc3SJX_Cu90/VcZBbpCVXfI/AAAAAAAAEyA/B7zyeNlFBrk/s1600-h/IMG_9225%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="astilbe" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="astilbe" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cXnjtJ7iixw/VcZBcBapVsI/AAAAAAAAEyI/geM5N9vx13Q/IMG_9225_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">My one lone hydrangea bloom. This winter was hard on the hydrangea plus we divided it last year so I wasn’t expecting too much.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mPPntXdzuL0/VcZBcpldNHI/AAAAAAAAEyM/SVafskaTx7E/s1600-h/IMG_9234%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="hydrangea" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="hydrangea" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fEdSDiTLv-k/VcZBdEHTbEI/AAAAAAAAEyY/x73ofto2KYk/IMG_9234_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="436" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Drumstick allium with coreopsis in the background. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--m1HxLD5yjM/VcZBdj1VetI/AAAAAAAAEyg/-3DZdrHpUlU/s1600-h/IMG_9240%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Drumstick allium with coreopsis" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Drumstick allium with coreopsis" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kpCcAOtGGg0/VcZBedorqzI/AAAAAAAAEyo/xn6pfkTV6GA/IMG_9240_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a></p> <p align="center">A close up of the drumstick allium.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N0tz37mxQ0U/VcZBewZEudI/AAAAAAAAEys/fkSC3F7C93M/s1600-h/IMG_9241%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="drumstick allium" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="drumstick allium" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vDRxEuvhvfs/VcZBfeJOv7I/AAAAAAAAEy0/sM1_7hEU_nU/IMG_9241_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a></p> <p align="center">My purple coneflower really took off this year. It’s much taller than ever before and has produced tons of blooms. This was the beginning of July and it’s still going strong. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-km3XvG-SLCk/VcZBfy9JLPI/AAAAAAAAEy8/IthsidGKSoA/s1600-h/IMG_9244%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="purple coneflower" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="purple coneflower" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mIfD33fCMek/VcZBgbiXZVI/AAAAAAAAEzI/M2Ysnq4shGM/IMG_9244_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a></p> <p align="center">I saved the best for last as this is my favorite picture of the bunch and also the last one I took. This was either the first or second day of blooming for this day lily and it was really beautiful this year.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1VF-xxi84YI/VcZBg0pvbXI/AAAAAAAAEzQ/7mTHPw4L5wU/s1600-h/IMG_9285-001%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="day lily" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="day lily" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JFF1MXZFrRo/VcZBhXCTs9I/AAAAAAAAEzU/YQvxDb8p9Z4/IMG_9285-001_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a></p> Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-74229401582526865152015-08-03T20:16:00.001-04:002015-08-03T20:16:44.347-04:00Lincoln’s 20 Month Update<p> </p> <p> </p> <p>This update is much belated but I figured I better get it out before Lincoln turns 21 months old. Blogging is very much taking a back seat to all our summer activities. We also have been doing some painting around the house so my nightly schedule has been looking like this: Pick Lincoln up from the sitter, play with Lincoln in the house before dinner, prepare dinner, eat dinner, play with Lincoln outside, put Lincoln to bed, paint, watch one show on tv, go to bed. Not sure where to fit in much besides that. Also our weekends are pretty much jam packed all the time. <p>We have been really enjoying ourselves though this summer and Lincoln would rather be outside than anywhere else. He is developing quite the tan lines. The weather has been fairly cool with lots of rain for weeks and then this past week it got really hot so we have been having fun with our hose mister and the water table. Lincoln decided the other day he should sit in the water table instead of stand and play in it. He such a little dare devil climber. He has learned to climb out of the pack and play at his sitter’s and I am dreading the moment when he figures out he can climb out of his crib. He has made a few partial attempts so I feel like the moment is coming much sooner than I would like. <p>The amount of words he can say has really started to increase in the past week. He is a little parrot too and Mike loves trying to get him to say stuff. He has also learned the real meaning of “no” and loves to tell us when he doesn’t want something. He has started saying some three word sentences. He knows which cars we own. “Mommy car” and “Daddy car” are frequent point outs. He also loves to talk about his friends at the sitters, his grammy, and of course his puppy Abby. <p>He is such a little animal lover and has developed a mild obsession with kitties. There are a couple that live in our neighborhood he loves to point out all the time. He will look for them when we go out. Of course he still loves doggies too and calls them “foo foos” his way of saying woof woof. <p>Something I’m not super thrilled about is his new obsession with watching tv and particularly Wild Kratts. He asks to watch it all the time now, starting in the past week or two. He actually will sit and watch for about 15 minutes but then will start playing with something else. If we try and change it though then he immediately wants it back on. He also loves watching minions and we will watch mini videos on you tube. <p>On a not so fun note we all got sick with the summer flu that seemed to last forever. I am very grateful that we are all better now. Having a well Lincoln is so much better than having a sick Lincoln. His appetite is back in full force and this kid continues to be an eater. He loves fruit, cheese, yogurt and crackers. He literally can not get enough. After we went shopping the other day he wanted to eat everything I brought home and ran around to all the grocery bags pulling food out and asking to have it in his cup. I really don’t know what we will do when he is a teenager. I think he will eat us out of house and home lol. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9I8sORw2Z54/VcAEMr6RKjI/AAAAAAAAEvY/r_iW6QRiwPU/s1600-h/IMG_3347.2015-06-28_141516%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3347.2015-06-28_141516" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3347.2015-06-28_141516" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-prFVKuQwB3M/VcAENZ75bnI/AAAAAAAAEvg/7XH4ke9jTlg/IMG_3347.2015-06-28_141516_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Wearing daddy’s shoes</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-boXBap4nsEE/VcAES1v257I/AAAAAAAAEvo/8FvIqtn3gu8/s1600-h/IMG_3360.2015-07-03_202005%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3360.2015-07-03_202005" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3360.2015-07-03_202005" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MX2p6iTnm8w/VcAETqU3WQI/AAAAAAAAEvw/09d9SYI5r8U/IMG_3360.2015-07-03_202005_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Matching mommy</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AJbm6KyCC9M/VcAEWeBCyWI/AAAAAAAAEv4/KZovisyCDHY/s1600-h/IMG_3381.2015-07-12_172750%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3381.2015-07-12_172750" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3381.2015-07-12_172750" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vGLirO_cQgs/VcAEYNB2zbI/AAAAAAAAEwA/pTC0rXZbV1I/IMG_3381.2015-07-12_172750_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Loving some corn</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--rAYYuH3-LM/VcAEYg7YMaI/AAAAAAAAEwI/nVU_N1FFCZ4/s1600-h/IMG_3402.2015-07-26_155200%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3402.2015-07-26_155200" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3402.2015-07-26_155200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0zSl7rsWL7Q/VcAEZaTxioI/AAAAAAAAEwQ/NlptYHqOGIM/IMG_3402.2015-07-26_155200_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Family picture at the Gorge waterfall</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q5ISSznlkr4/VcAEaM0ozzI/AAAAAAAAEwY/-atG4BqC_SA/s1600-h/IMG_3406.2015-07-26_155714%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3406.2015-07-26_155714" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3406.2015-07-26_155714" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CbuMvFq6f1s/VcAEatsJ2XI/AAAAAAAAEwg/cdm2gFUDSx0/IMG_3406.2015-07-26_155714_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">A little nervous at first about the fast water</p> Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-57908288073064227392015-06-24T08:00:00.000-04:002017-10-29T16:20:02.294-04:00DIY Side Table Redo<br />
<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n_DocmHPxIs/VYiuW-3mjcI/AAAAAAAAEtg/mUe2qVkTCas/s1600-h/IMG_9003%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_9003" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n4XW3MpU3IM/VYiuXQS7tQI/AAAAAAAAEto/OSkXCiFEeR0/IMG_9003_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_9003" width="654" /></a><br />
Mike found this little gem on the side of the road a couple of years ago. It was in the basement just waiting for some love. It was a nice solid piece but clearly no one has the insight into what it could become like Mike did. <br />
<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nxoBnf01VZg/VYiuXxGp43I/AAAAAAAAEts/lbKE0V0PhPI/s1600-h/side%252520table%252520before%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="side table before" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d4PsNaOOQk4/VYiuYXY5-zI/AAAAAAAAEt4/O6ArdDNZTek/side%252520table%252520before_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="440" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="side table before" width="654" /></a> <br />
He started out by stripping the top with citrus paint removed. Then came sanding and staining. He finished it with a couple of coats of latex polyurethane. On the bottom he painted it with Annie Sloane chalk paint in antibes green. He gave it a coat of clear wax and then a light coat of dark wax. Then he finished it off with light distressing with sandpaper. <br />
The dark wax definitely toned down the green which is actually a lot brighter. It’s the same green he used for the side table in <a href="http://projectsaroundthehouse.blogspot.com/2013/11/owl-themed-baby-nursery-reveal.html">Lincoln’s nursery</a>. <br />
It turned out super cute and would make a great side table or foyer table. We didn’t have room for it so we sold it at our recent garage sale to our neighbor down the street. She seemed pretty excited to snap it up so I glad it went to a good home. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEBTKEoh-ZHuuV9MtSqL8kq72dlxRkT38sUn4uwrMn7umzW0j1INo4jxCQE2SVXbSRYYIH23TxH-j8-wUrl_zs2vdo8rnWWc8Ej_C8jzm4VTTfatnHBdpC8PkY1F6pW5t1Eb_PDuAhRar/s1600-h/IMG_9001%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_9001" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iVajQuv7mq0/VYiuZdTk2mI/AAAAAAAAEuI/SJpNLMGCQXg/IMG_9001_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_9001" width="654" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aIz-Je1Wlk8/VYiuZ3Esx5I/AAAAAAAAEuM/bvUsHOO63C4/s1600-h/IMG_9003-001%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_9003-001" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-l1hC3dBHLn0/VYiuaVqV7TI/AAAAAAAAEuU/zSdCR-nEdaA/IMG_9003-001_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_9003-001" width="654" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U9On475AZMQ/VYiua-S8dgI/AAAAAAAAEuc/-z5AS5mbrIY/s1600-h/IMG_8999%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_8999" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f6cefz0ZEsk/VYiubWUanLI/AAAAAAAAEuo/TReEyMYA81Q/IMG_8999_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="654" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_8999" width="438" /></a></div>
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Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-64573841017685348832015-06-04T08:00:00.000-04:002017-10-29T16:21:59.248-04:00Chevron Coffee Table Redo<br />
<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eJE8H1VIAiE/VW5QwQJUWSI/AAAAAAAAEqo/Zkc6pF3P8Yc/s1600-h/IMG_8990%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Chevron coffee table redo" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2uese-2WIMY/VW5Qw0R6lWI/AAAAAAAAEqw/B8CJ562m3_M/IMG_8990_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Chevron coffee table redo" width="654" /></a> <br />
It’s time to start sharing some projects around here. Mike has been working hard to redo some of the furniture in our basement. Ok, I helped a little but it was mostly him. This vintage coffee table we got at a garage sale when I was pregnant with Lincoln. It has been hanging out in our basement forever waiting for inspiration to strike. While what Mike did was not complicated it was really hard to think of a good idea for this piece. <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-443Un4q9bRk/VW5QxtShpDI/AAAAAAAAEq4/lkf_tYUERzg/s1600-h/coffee%252520table%252520before%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="coffee table before" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xdv6Q10W-y4/VW5QyRcVRVI/AAAAAAAAErA/V-wrx8fPR8c/coffee%252520table%252520before_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="440" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="coffee table before" width="654" /></a> <br />
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The before </div>
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Mike painted it with a sample pot of Valspar from Lowe’s. They sell sample pots you can get mixed to your color preference and they are perfect for painting small projects like this one. He left the spindles the original color for some contrast. <br />
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We struggled with a design idea for the top. Originally Mike painted a stencil on top but it just didn’t look right. The next idea was to try a chevron design. He used chevron Frog tape to create the perfect chevrons and gold metallic paint from Jo-Ann. Then Mike went over everything with a dark Annie Sloane wax to give it an aged appearance. <br />
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The handles were spray painted to update the look and this table was finally done. We thought about selling it but after all our hard work we tried it out in the living room to replace our oversized ottoman and fell in love. It fits well and is easy to move out of the way because of the wheels. I would love to paint our current side table to match it. Maybe that will be Mike’s next project... <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xFZ8py3z4wk/VW5QywTwhsI/AAAAAAAAErE/YhAYWW6ylEs/s1600-h/IMG_8988%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Chevron coffee table redo" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hn6KQElrXts/VW5QzSSEYfI/AAAAAAAAErQ/TwQOaKNL75Q/IMG_8988_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Chevron coffee table redo" width="654" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OPk4UXbfh6M/VW5Qz0IShiI/AAAAAAAAErU/3bhRrqiaxqs/s1600-h/IMG_8990-001%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Chevron coffee table redo" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gpsQMgI6s_g/VW5Q0n-1epI/AAAAAAAAErg/i-S3_BAIh0c/IMG_8990-001_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Chevron coffee table redo" width="654" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xRqM6kVO8kA/VW5Q1I1iGBI/AAAAAAAAEro/fCYZEsHOf3Q/s1600-h/IMG_8993%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Chevron coffee table redo" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LcBS6HTRRsA/VW5Q1vz0rFI/AAAAAAAAErw/IApwNQBi3uI/IMG_8993_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Chevron coffee table redo" width="654" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DZZZFkA3RvI/VW5Q2FeAp2I/AAAAAAAAEr0/V0AIYAqCqL8/s1600-h/IMG_8997%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Chevron coffee table redo" border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A-BRTkgnIms/VW5Q2rcm0DI/AAAAAAAAEr8/BbVFVToW4mU/IMG_8997_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="438" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Chevron coffee table redo" width="654" /></a><br />
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Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-62841356423536885782015-06-02T20:42:00.001-04:002015-06-02T20:42:05.406-04:00May Gardening<p> </p> <p>Another month of blooming has gone by so it’s time to share some more garden pictures. I spent my Memorial Day weekend planting annuals, dividing Black Eyed Susan’s and pulling some pesky weeds. I also got our veggie and herb garden planted a few days later. I got my seedlings in and planted a ton of seeds. <p>I discovered I have a little garden helper. Lincoln was thrilled to help me dig in the dirt and get my pots ready. He was quite obsessed with the shovel and imitated everything I was doing. It was the cutest thing ever. My only hope is that he doesn’t pull out all the tiny seedling before they get a chance to grow since he also has an obsession with picking flowers blooms. We are working on saying “flower” and “pretty” and learning not to pick them. We’ll see how that goes lol. <p>My May blooms were looking pretty good this year but I have a hole in my bloom time. The end of May (right now) there isn’t a whole lot going on. My Siberian Iris and chives are blooming and my lilac bush is ending. There is nothing in my large main bed so it looks a little sad. <p>I have a couple of chives plants that I just moved my back veggie bed to the front and just squeezed them in. They have pretty purple flowers right now so I think they will give the bed the pop of color that it needs. They are super hardy so hopefully they will do well. The soil isn’t the greatest and it tends to be on the wet side for some reason so I struggle with some flowers not doing well. Plus it’s part shade so that rules out a lot of flowers I would like to try. And the other issue I have is that I am running out of room to add anything else so I have to be selective about what goes in. <p>I planted a ton of petunias in the back yard that we got on clearance (they were in perfect condition so I was happy to buy them on markdown.) I haven’t had much luck with them in the front though so I got some impatiens for the front bed and calibrachoa for my hanging baskets. We just need to mulch the front bed and plant the impatiens and we should be done planting flowers for season. <p>I had lots of action in the month of May. <p align="center"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zmyR09kNKI8/VW5NNs-bnqI/AAAAAAAAEoU/1gSwImAH0zk/s1600-h/IMG_9043%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Azalea" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Azalea" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2sDvy2X-Qz8/VW5NOMKpNXI/AAAAAAAAEoc/YbTxiKAU1uo/IMG_9043_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="439"></a></p> <p align="center">Azalea</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-smOYAeBG7dg/VW5NOnAYM9I/AAAAAAAAEog/T8xXw5aNW5Q/s1600-h/IMG_9053%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Allium buds" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Allium buds" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg99b985v05VkohOW3VEq7fo08y5u3Ke1C44isrmodg1H6hbo7G0kxp8jNCqj7Ng-7Z-RGuSlDLjt2QyfXBDMLU2kNWFKTLx5r-SJ5hCjIILTP_2ZWEIJbgWhLwxqngNOFa1u_Hu-DAyYU/?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Allium buds</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bAjfSy-zRYo/VW5NPtqGmZI/AAAAAAAAEo0/saYc37dMvRU/s1600-h/IMG_9066%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Allium " style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Allium " src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Cgy2lSVEBuU/VW5NQF4HXpI/AAAAAAAAEo8/QZsfUeJCDiw/IMG_9066_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Allium in full bloom</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cgM0ylH8yTc/VW5NQ4whDII/AAAAAAAAEpE/LDYfUU3udL8/s1600-h/IMG_9081%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Columbine" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Columbine" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yUdn-iZKGlU/VW5NRYdtBfI/AAAAAAAAEpM/Sq3v6Wa06EI/IMG_9081_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="437" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Columbine</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xmwhuGalJVY/VW5NSJlLvZI/AAAAAAAAEpU/urYSjSBfdgo/s1600-h/IMG_9083%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Lilac bush" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Lilac bush" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YlDx5kJQvZE/VW5NS0C4rjI/AAAAAAAAEpc/Yfgudf2z3GI/IMG_9083_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a></p> <p align="center">Lilac bush. So many blooms this year!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mspQnzafXOk/VW5NTd8RjfI/AAAAAAAAEpk/YykKBtNpjOk/s1600-h/IMG_9102%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="Lilac bloom" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Lilac bloom" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HPbdETvwW3A/VW5NUHA0DKI/AAAAAAAAEps/k_QpS6kbPBY/IMG_9102_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Lilac bloom</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pP84NQXxbmk/VW5NUqlN6oI/AAAAAAAAEpw/qNZyhHNuuPs/s1600-h/IMG_9091%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Siberian Iris" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Siberian Iris" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bvW5WEqaeH4/VW5NU7AV_wI/AAAAAAAAEp4/DHRHoSX0zyA/IMG_9091_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Siberian Iris</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EZ-XZmWrOHg/VW5NVeTch1I/AAAAAAAAEqE/jRbGJe4wKBA/s1600-h/IMG_9096%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Chives" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Chives" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hnO9ZBcR9qA/VW5NVyE2uPI/AAAAAAAAEqI/Y3mWdn3AFjE/IMG_9096_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="437" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Chives</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RN0dz_h766M/VW5NWYXXZ2I/AAAAAAAAEqU/uDx_17No0UM/s1600-h/IMG_9097%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Chives" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Chives" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JPK5higJ9FQ/VW5NWwY5Z9I/AAAAAAAAEqY/MvT8oTxxY5c/IMG_9097_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Chives</p> Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-676132537168866522015-05-28T08:00:00.000-04:002015-05-28T08:00:08.336-04:00Summer Bucket List<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/$IMG_3134.2015-05-10_152058[4].jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/$IMG_3128.2015-05-10_152013[4].jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtj4ylRMSGNK2fbAZ5ApJUebDmmTjMHb4UNh6GD4Lw2q7zoGo72oiqVMP0wrxb6FCaG_mTEEuBScnSX0VN4ipP6vLEviUBXLAV27gdNLBrF_5AHpbX-XosgNWf97HoXoyCjhLXxG3r2_I/s1600/summer+bucket+list.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtj4ylRMSGNK2fbAZ5ApJUebDmmTjMHb4UNh6GD4Lw2q7zoGo72oiqVMP0wrxb6FCaG_mTEEuBScnSX0VN4ipP6vLEviUBXLAV27gdNLBrF_5AHpbX-XosgNWf97HoXoyCjhLXxG3r2_I/s400/summer+bucket+list.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/$IMG_3134.2015-05-10_152058[4].jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/$IMG_3128.2015-05-10_152013[4].jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is so much I want to do this summer that I created a Summer Bucket List. I want to appreciate Northeast Ohio a little more and really enjoy this summer so I have researching some places to check out plus in addition to some things we have talked about doing but never gotten around to. I tried to get a mix of kid and adult activities (but Lincoln will be accompanying us on most of these trips.) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This may be completely unreasonable and is not set in stone. I love to plan so I wanted to get a list going and I will just call it a work in progress. I plan on giving updates and sharing what we do or don’t accomplish and how the list evolves over the Summer. When I say Summer I am basically referring to the months where it is warm enough to enjoy being outside in Northeast Ohio :)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m going to break this up into a couple of different categories. Clearly doing something that is five minutes away is going to be much easier than anything that is an hour away or more. We’ve actually already started working through the list so I already can cross off a couple of things. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>To Do- In Cuyahoga Falls</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Play in the fountain downtown</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Go to a Friday night concert downtown</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Italian Fest</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Waterworks</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keyser Barn Summer Concert Series</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Concert at Blossom</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cuyahoga Falls Library</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Local playgrounds</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wading Pools</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Riverfront Cruise In</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kids Carnival (7/23)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>To do- Close By</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fishcreek Road Firehouse Park</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rubber Ducks Game</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hale Farm</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Akron Zoo</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stow Library</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Visit as many Metroparks as possible for biking and hiking</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Explore the Cuyahoga Valley National Park trails</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: line-through; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stan Hywet</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Done</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>To Do- 30 minutes plus</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Great Lakes Science Center</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Natural History Museum</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Botanical Gardens</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleveland Zoo</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Headlands Beach</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Indians game</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleveland Flea</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleveland Aquarium</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Holden Arboretum</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleveland Children's Museum</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stearns Homestead Farm (Parma)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Malabar Farm (Lucas)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lake Metroparks Farmpark (Kirtland)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hinkley Reservation</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Preston Hope Playground (Beechwood)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Restaurants to Try</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Laziza</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Newdle Bar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Flipside</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lager and Vine</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Red Tomato Grill</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nuevo Modern Mexican and Tequila Bar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Katsu sushi</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moe’s Restaurant</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Wine Mill Winery</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kiflis Restaurant and Bakery</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Flurys Café</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: line-through; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Darby’s</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Done</span></div>
Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-60746323545978689662015-05-26T21:01:00.000-04:002015-05-26T21:01:03.863-04:00Our Visit to Stan Hywet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/$IMG_3128.2015-05-10_152013[4].jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/$IMG_3134.2015-05-10_152058[4].jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
On Mother’s Day Mike, Lincoln and I went to visit <a href="http://www.stanhywet.org/">Stan Hywet</a>. Mother’s got in free for the
day and I’ve never been (or I don’t remember going) and Mike hasn’t been since
he was young. If you never heard of it, the house was built by F.A. Seiberling
and his wife Gertrude. F.A. was one of the two founders of the Goodyear Tire and
Rubber Company. The house is 64,500 square feet with 23 bathrooms, 23 fireplaces
and three elevators! They had a staff of 22-24 people to run the enormous house.
Needless to say it’s a beautiful mansion with 70 acres of amazing gardens. It’s
even one of the largest houses in the United States
<br />
<br />
The house was so amazing and ornate. It was built between 1912-1915 and it’s
really amazing how some of the features seem so contemporary for a house built
so long ago. Many of the bathrooms had a shower and freestanding tub. There was
a room for everything, including a flower arranging room and an indoor pool. The
house has been impeccable preserved and it was quite amazing to take a look back
in time.
<br />
<br />
Not only is the house amazing but it highlights a time when Akron was the
place to be. The tire industry was booming and the neighborhoods of Goodyear
Heights and Firestone Park were built to support all the families that lived and
worked in Akron.
<br />
<br />
Our day started out a little drizzly but after we toured the house it cleared
up and was beautiful. Since mother’s were free the house was a bit crowded and
we got out just before Lincoln was ready to start scaling the walls.
<br />
<br />
Lincoln did enjoy our walk around the grounds. There was a reflecting pool,
Japanese garden, a path under birch trees, and a quarry where the family used to
swim. There was even a fun playground for kids that has been created in recent
years. Lincoln had fun playing with the huge bowling pins and driving the old
time truck.
<br />
<br />
No pictures of the inside (too busy carrying the little guy or helping him to
keep his curious hands to himself) but we got a few outside on the grounds.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblE8KKFbSm9nmjfwFXV_SYGesNS937xYZWNc0-1VhrovD-eaLghsTcJo3bUGR9bs8FESD9ELlrqP777ugko7_X1DiPHmhvgJz5CpHOKfX94-wvtu9kx3PbDnczhClna8-zUSIV4pMIK_Q/s1600/IMG_3128.2015-05-10_152013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblE8KKFbSm9nmjfwFXV_SYGesNS937xYZWNc0-1VhrovD-eaLghsTcJo3bUGR9bs8FESD9ELlrqP777ugko7_X1DiPHmhvgJz5CpHOKfX94-wvtu9kx3PbDnczhClna8-zUSIV4pMIK_Q/s640/IMG_3128.2015-05-10_152013.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI55Ph1mEw-Q4F-avMUYO1dCXIgEvv8ytp1-fnVaB2VzopIOiMTfuPAysruArKAoLC6JNZIY4qVkAN-leWxXAJ53XQ5GrTkuOgM-tVXOfly-59Biuf1IVHci_Xu8I3x-kPm18Zwsb32nCQ/s1600/IMG_3134.2015-05-10_152058.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Stan Hywet" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI55Ph1mEw-Q4F-avMUYO1dCXIgEvv8ytp1-fnVaB2VzopIOiMTfuPAysruArKAoLC6JNZIY4qVkAN-leWxXAJ53XQ5GrTkuOgM-tVXOfly-59Biuf1IVHci_Xu8I3x-kPm18Zwsb32nCQ/s640/IMG_3134.2015-05-10_152058.JPG" title="Stan Hywet" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br />Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-27478234568805365002015-05-21T20:33:00.001-04:002015-05-21T20:33:56.941-04:00Lincoln’s 18 Month Update<p> </p> <p>Hi! I’m back after an unintentional break. We’ve been so crazy busy over the last couple of weeks there was no time for blogging. I actually wrote up some posts but the thought of getting the pictures ready was too overwhelming so I have some backlog. Mike rebuilt our back deck which was starting to fall apart and then we had a garage sale to purge the mountain of stuff we’ve accumulated over the years. Now that there is a third person in our house it was time to make more room for all the stuff he has brought with him. <p>Lincoln’s turned 18 months old a week ago and I normally am aware of his monthly birthday but this time I didn’t realize until a few days later. Things are getting back to normal around our house so I figured it was time to get back to writing. <p>Lincoln is turning into quite the big boy. He is starting to become much more opinionated about what he wants to do. We’ve actually be going through a bit of a rough patch because he has been getting very frustrated about not being able to communicate what he wants when it come to his snacks. <p>I’m sure it is just a phase as he is learning so many new words every day. His new favorite word is “cracker” or as he says it “cracka.” It’s becoming the universal word for food. Other words he says a lot are cheese, water, mommy, daddy, Abby, car, ball, baby, blankie, outside. He knows many of the farm animal sounds too and will call some of the animals by the sound they make. He is starting to repeat back a lot of words too. My proud moment was teaching him to say “pee pee” haha :) I am pretty sure he looked at himself in his car seat mirror today and said Lincoln. <p>He is a lover of books and will sit and “read” his books forever. He loves when we read to him but is also content flipping through all the pages and moving on to another book. When it comes to reading bedtime stories he definitely has his favorites and I always let him pick which ones to read because he won’t listen to a book if it’s not on his favorites list. He just looks longingly in his basket at the book he wishes we were reading. <p>Lincoln is 100% obsessed with being outside. He calls it “side” and will beg to go out on the deck. He lights up when he is out there and it helps to get him out of any bad mood he might be in. We are starting to collect a plethora of outside toys. We had a couple of things last year that he’s still interested in but our collection keeps growing. He loves his water table, golf clubs, push car and any type of ball. He loves checking out the garden and I can’t wait until our veggies are planted and we can pick them to eat. <p>His other obsession is toy cars. He loves the monster trucks at his sitter’s house so we went and bought him his very own and he was the happiest boy in the world. I’m actually not sure who was more exciting about getting it, Lincoln or Mike :) His matchbox cars are another favorite and he walk around saying “car, car,car” when he is looking for them. <p>We are very much looking forward to this summer and playing outside. We have already spent more time in our backyard than we did all last year. I have lots of fun stuff planned for us too to get out and explore our area. <p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0hhavBN3SPo/VV55UNTvyMI/AAAAAAAAElo/IT8U_Yv3SiQ/s1600-h/Lincoln%25252018%252520month%2525202%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="Lincoln 18 month 2" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Lincoln 18 month 2" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G0FWq0WBGMQ/VV55U94C5MI/AAAAAAAAElw/KE2lhiyb-TA/Lincoln%25252018%252520month%2525202_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Wearing Daddy’s hat/ Swinging/ Reading in the morning/ Reading before bed</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-of5lpEkJ7l0/VV55X5r_o8I/AAAAAAAAEl4/gJZ0dgDYp9c/s1600-h/lincoln%25252018%252520month%2525201%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="lincoln 18 month 1" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="lincoln 18 month 1" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SnBqgCWiMp8/VV55aCmC3YI/AAAAAAAAEmA/AG_eQ6lyRsg/lincoln%25252018%252520month%2525201_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Making silly faces in the front door/ Meeting a horse after our bike ride</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Vux2xufgWH4/VV55bH4u1mI/AAAAAAAAEmI/cUFgfuXhO68/s1600-h/Lincoln%25252018%252520month%2525203%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="Lincoln 18 month 3" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Lincoln 18 month 3" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DyfcJD7vrII/VV55cqxLJaI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/kbryaIPGNME/Lincoln%25252018%252520month%2525203_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Playing in the pool and water table</p> Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-2250720383941440752015-05-01T16:00:00.000-04:002015-05-01T16:00:03.026-04:00Cutting Cable: Saving with Sling TV<p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ptf7-7_A2Y0/VUE4d_jSZ0I/AAAAAAAAElA/tIiBF55CO0Q/s1600-h/sling%252520tv%25255B7%25255D.png"><img title="sling tv" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="sling tv" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JByStrRPyuY/VUE4etbp6nI/AAAAAAAAElI/e4_Slnv2-es/sling%252520tv_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="604" height="604"></a></p> <p><a href="http://projectsaroundthehouse.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-we-saved-by-cutting-cable.html">I wrote a post back in 2012 about how we cut our cable bill by converting to internet TV.</a> Since that post we have continued to watch shows through Hulu, Netflix and have added Amazon Prime to the mix because we got the membership for the two day shipping. I recently discovered a new option to watch tv on the internet called Sling TV. I’ve seen some reviews on it online but I felt like I needed to share my own opinion. <p>Let me first say I am writing this review completely on my own and was not compensated for it. I feel pretty strongly about the money savings we have enjoyed by not paying a cable bill but it is definitely a sacrifice since there are many shows we can’t watch through the options we have. When I first heard about Sling TV and told Mike about he took about two seconds to say we should try it. Sling TV is by Dish Network and it’s an internet TV service that offers several cable channels that include ESPN, ESPN 2, HGTV, AMC, Food Network, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, CNN, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Travel Channel, Adult Swim, DIY Network, Cartoon Network and a few more. <p>The three channels that really swayed us were ESPN, HGTV and AMC. We already were buying the full season of the Walking Dead from Amazon and this would offer us another way to watch it in addition to getting the other channels. The cost for Sling TV is $20 a month and right now they are offering a deal to get a free Fire TV stick or Roku stick or 50% off a Fire TV or Roku box for prepaying for three months. We got the free Roku stick since we already have a Roku and are familiar with the interface. I felt like it was a good deal because I looked at it as getting three free months of Sling TV by paying for a Roku stick we were already considering buying. <p>Here’s the pros. It’s pretty awesome to have HGTV again. Mike and I have binged watched it on many occasions. I am in love with Chip and Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper and may move to Waco Texas just so they can design my house. Mike watches ESPN every second he can get. We are very pleased with the channel selection and find ourselves watching it probably 50% of our tv watching time. <p>Here’s the cons. By adding an extra $20 a month to our other bills of $7.99 for Hulu, $8.53 for Netflix and $50 for internet is getting us a lot closer to a full cable bill. It’s still a big savings because when we originally switched we were saving $80 a month. I don’t count Amazon Prime in this because I would keep that subscription even if I didn’t get the free shows but it is a cost of $99 a year or $8.25 a month. <p>The Sling TV interface kind of sucks. If you watch on the computer, the app you have to install is almost unusable. The shows kept freezing and if the show restarts you can’t fast forward to get back to the place you left off. The Roku app is a lot more stable but neither option has a very good search functionality to be able to find shows. The main functionality requires you to navigate to a channel and then scroll through previous shows if you want to watch them. Not all channels even have this functionality and some of them just allow you to start watching whatever is playing right now. Another downfall is that you can only watch on one device at a time. <p>Despite the cons I am pretty sure this TV option is here to stay for now. We may decide to cancel in the future but right now I need my HGTV fix and Mike needs his ESPN. We may burnout on those channels but right now I’m not sure how we lived without them. We moan and groan over the quirks of the interface but I have hopes that it gets improved one day. That being said, if you already have cable and want to switch you would probably not put up with this service. But if you have been deprived from these shows for years like us then you will put up with the quirkiness to have a chance to watch some previously not easily attainable cable shows. Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-27272081703920880032015-04-29T15:44:00.001-04:002015-04-29T15:44:44.710-04:00April Blooms<p> </p> <p>It’s amazing how Spring comes after a long winter and I feel rejuvenated again. The budding trees and the blooming flowers have lifted the fog I’ve felt like I was in for the past couple of months. Of course going on vacation also helped with that. <p>I am feeling like spring cleaning around our house and ready to get out into the yard. We did some spring cleanup outside a few weeks ago when it was nice and Mike has already mowed the lawn twice. As in typical April fashion the temperatures are all over the place. We had a couple days in the lows 80s and we also had some snow showers. <p>Amidst all the crazy swings in temperature my garden has come alive again and I’m excited again about what has awoken after its winter slumber. Since we had to chop our big tree down out front I’m wondering if that will change the way our front bed behaves since there should be more sunlight once the leaves are out on the trees. <p>My garden always seems to bloom much later than many of the other yards in the neighborhood. I have seen tulips up but mine has not even set its buds yet. So far I am getting lots of repeat blooms from past years and one newcomer. <p>I planted a big mixed bag of daffodils last fall since most of mine had died out. I got a pretty sad turnout for what bloomed this spring. I don’t remember the different types I planted but I have only seen two different types so far. I only got three yellow blooms from the traditional yellow daffodil even though there was lots more green stems that popped up. <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xq4cbyW-rIA/VUE0fdh0hbI/AAAAAAAAEi8/NR_apjECUxU/s1600-h/IMG_8954%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8954" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8954" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p2Gk1KQG2zs/VUE0gNwLbTI/AAAAAAAAEjE/h6RMsEGo0-s/IMG_8954_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a> <p>Then I have this really interesting variety that came up. This one has done the best because most of them have bloomed. I’ve never seen a Daffodil like this before. They are half the height of the traditional one and have multiple blooms on each flower. I had most of them grouped together since I tried to guess which bulbs looked the most similar when I planted them. I will need to move a couple around so they are in one bunch. Despite the disappointment of the other non blooming bulbs these ones are really fun. <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Uurh7BQo0Vk/VUE0grnnj8I/AAAAAAAAEjM/--vlkUKLT-I/s1600-h/IMG_8972%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8972" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8972" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6Qsy7CkEPxY/VUE0hgcneZI/AAAAAAAAEjU/H8WIHkKcEoc/IMG_8972_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="437"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2kdFZhDumVA/VUE0ibTDYtI/AAAAAAAAEjc/DDE873poAoE/s1600-h/IMG_8974%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8974" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8974" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fzFcZ9DtWxE/VUE0jJmZQ5I/AAAAAAAAEjk/rcYNqU2XRy8/IMG_8974_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="439"></a> <p>My hyacinth are not looking too hot this year. They did not bloom as much as in the past and the blooms were much smaller. <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--sga2rj3eYI/VUE0jwnADWI/AAAAAAAAEjs/82SqACpPFm0/s1600-h/IMG_8957%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8957" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8957" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LvvN7AEJGWw/VUE0kwz8kdI/AAAAAAAAEj0/n8LImbtaJFc/IMG_8957_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a> <p>I’m excited to get some good shots of my magnolia. It’s really hard to photograph and I always seem to get it too late. We had a frost after it started blooming and in past years that can mean disaster for the flowers but they seemed to hold up pretty well this year. <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oOq6gpJ44_w/VUE0lrE09FI/AAAAAAAAEj8/wyiPIY9pSm0/s1600-h/IMG_8962%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8962" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8962" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hOxTZ9mzNz4/VUE0mUR5VGI/AAAAAAAAEkE/M303iNaGrUE/IMG_8962_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthNtntg7HeW8_PuvV_rvkSN0B48xFDCJZpy3nODzFYOdA-S-q3_TbBEvMMWVDljYCkC2_GYV1Ao9D_J63dQIgo571GnwDFgWloga_fq3KaBDDicwa4Lua2LIX8G5Y0azt4Mx7bdopYPBw/s1600-h/IMG_8963%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8963" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8963" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-91gzjIXWPHM/VUE0nsEz-4I/AAAAAAAAEkU/8LGj9zQlgv0/IMG_8963_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ETZqCvPe3LUgUqbQ17xdvuaKCPLQQR5V__kCe0vueeSIKsH46uvtBIuHaiLL9YlZpftZ4YGSMkekr72KJ7tcg2nnEMfv_7DUrXJ3XoqilLtZ7F5PUE6vyAFi0i1lzYuBoFIJRb9EFnZt/s1600-h/IMG_8964%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8964" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8964" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WGNryWRLtr4/VUE0pNdQYMI/AAAAAAAAEkg/9c0BAPt1GDo/IMG_8964_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a> <p>My bleeding heart is looking great as always. This one always does really well every year. It’s really only just getting started and I expect it to at least double in size. <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaceijGnS4st9ZcExO5YlLSNk6smM2WhDyzhj2GU_LyFeWQD2WG-mfE5TgDlNffLdzGV9wCGDKEh5FtvRrEzaaSft-Y3D6lSIbB-0WXqDUmF-ntDcbaGzEGpfkCj1q2gb1kWyS7wd4ZKX/s1600-h/IMG_8976%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8976" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8976" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F2yIzrXfMRo/VUE0qScsmpI/AAAAAAAAEk0/O5oFD8TGqvA/IMG_8976_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a> Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-5143949317521560662015-04-22T08:00:00.000-04:002015-04-22T08:00:01.023-04:00How to Start Vegetable and Herbs From Seed<p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LsIc2x1Luv4/VTWippcCIsI/AAAAAAAAEiA/icEvwrsWIVc/s1600-h/IMG_8923%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8923" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_8923" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PolFvRTITTA/VTWiqAqzdwI/AAAAAAAAEiI/GIKLmh2D-WM/IMG_8923_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a></p> <p>When I first really got into gardening I read a ton about starting plants from seed. I had done it in the past without really knowing what I was doing and still had success but I wanted to up my game. There are so many options for starting seeds so I’m going to tell you what works best for me. <p><strong>Supplies:</strong> <p><strong>Seeds</strong> <p>First you need to start out with some seeds. You can hit up your local Lowes/Home Depot, Walmart/Target or gardening supply store to find seeds. A chain store isn’t going to give you much variety in the way of seeds. This is the way I used to buy all my seeds but eventually I got tired of the same old selection and wanted something more. <p>Enter the internet. There are some great sites for buying seeds online. My favorite right now is <a href="http://www.superseeds.com/">Pinetree Seeds</a>. There is an amazing selection of stuff you will never find in your local stores and you can actually checkout with your Amazon account. (As a complete Amazon junkie that was a special bonus for me this year.) Another site I really like is <a href="http://www.gardensalive.com/">Gardens Alive</a>. They also carry a lot of other great gardening products too so I order from here on occasion. <p>Plants that are good to start indoors are ones that require 4-6 weeks to grow before the last frost. This includes tomatoes, peppers, basil and parsley. Plants that are better direct seeded are beans, zucchini, cucumber, carrot, radish and peas. Root, vine and quick growing vegetables do better directly in the soil but you can have success planting inside if you don’t do it too early. I’ve found they do better when planted directly outside so that’s what I will do this year. <p><strong>Soil</strong> <p>Now that you have your seeds you need some soil to plant them in. You want to use a mix specific for seed starting so it doesn’t contain any fungi and bacteria that could sabotage your tiny seedlings. I have used Jiffy seed starting mix in the past but I am not particular to any one brand and you can pick it up anywhere that sells gardening supplies. <p>My tip for using the seed starting mix is to wet it down before you fill up your containers. It is very light and hard to get it to absorb moisture at first so if you wet it down in a big bowl first it is easier to get it at the right consistency before planting. <p><strong>Containers</strong> <p>Now that you have your seeds and soil you need to put them in something. I have tried just about everything. I was on a big budget gardening kick at one point and made my own containers from newspaper. It worked but I found they started disintegrating after being wet for a while. I also saved yogurt containers and drilled holes in the bottom. I planted in those with pretty good success although they can be a little larger than necessary for some plants. I have also used peat pellets before and they were a disaster. They are wrapped in a fine mesh that I didn’t realize you have to remove and it distorted a lot of the roots of the plants I grew. Plus they are kind of pricey. <p>My latest endeavors have been with peat pot six packs I got at a garage sale in a brand new kit someone never used. I found I was successful with them but I peeled much of the peat sides away before planting my seedlings outside. Another idea is to use little paper or styrofoam cups to start seedlings. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on containers to get these seeds going and there are a million and one links out on Google for ideas on random containers to use to start seeds. <p><strong>Other supplies</strong> <p>Something else useful to have is some kind of tray to set all your seeds, a watering can, some kind of plant labels (I am using popsicle sticks right now) and a sunny window with an optional additional artificial light. <p><strong>Time to Plant</strong> <p>Once you have all your supplies, place the soil in the container and punch a little divot in the soil at the recommendation of your package (you can use a chopstick or eraser side of a pencil for this.) Place 2-3 seeds in the soil because not all seeds will germinate. Cover the seeds with soil and once you have all your seeds planted, wet from the bottom by pouring water into your tray. This is why it’s good to pre wet your soil. You ideally don’t want to pour water in the top because your seeds can wash away and once your seedlings sprout you can drown them. <p>Now place your seeds in a sunny, preferably warm place. If you have an overhead light to use as an additional grow light this will make your plants grow faster and stronger. I have used one in the past but it’s not a necessity. If you can cover your seeds to help them germinate do that now too. Once the seedlings pop up though you need to remove the cover or they will be too wet. <p>Now is the fun waiting game. Your seed package will tell you how long a seed will take to germinate. Some happen in a couple of days and some can take weeks. <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ixWsa3tG0AM/VTWiqykfEqI/AAAAAAAAEiQ/LeXq3azWLYo/s1600-h/IMG_8925%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8925" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_8925" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j36oWCjNUT8/VTWirUvzGFI/AAAAAAAAEiY/PZAVPBMxXrs/IMG_8925_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a> <p>This is what my seedlings looked like 6 days after planting them. <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzQ9zQn0FODkYV6_dtIQFb1yTC42eXcpp674Txfq9ljBO0Q5yW1rxHRw2bZiyFEzulCm7lsEGh2QhMm72GvOryjSIz29Ob24LxJmgEQXos4hX07R8TV5B2Q320nNBTKKGpHokaDRlEpSH/s1600-h/IMG_8968%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8968" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_8968" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N8SUI_6kNLU/VTWismWn6lI/AAAAAAAAEio/uqDB-5IcIHQ/IMG_8968_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="471"></a></p> Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-61987285405792585092015-04-20T20:53:00.001-04:002015-04-20T20:53:49.182-04:00Lincoln’s 17th Month Update and Atlanta Trip<p> </p> <p>I’m rolling Lincoln’s 17 month update up with a post about our recent trip to Atlanta to visit Mike’s niece Heather, her husband Kevin and their son Landon (who is five months older than Lincoln.) Lincoln learned so much from his trip it seemed fitting to share them together. <p>We took our first airplane ride with Lincoln and he did really well. He definitely got antsy but we gave him lots of snack and watched Old McDonald on the Kindle about a billion times. He just loves that silly video from a kids app I downloaded. On the way back he was a little more wiggly but I’m not sure if that was because it was early or there was a man sitting next to us and we trying not to bother him. <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n8ruE5O76w8/VTWfcEKijvI/AAAAAAAAEgM/NUw2FEzNO1E/s1600-h/994447_10200530162213193_7373707199350336414_n%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="994447_10200530162213193_7373707199350336414_n" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="994447_10200530162213193_7373707199350336414_n" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j4cKn4hgjv4/VTWfdCz4b6I/AAAAAAAAEgU/ljKLPEMbpJs/994447_10200530162213193_7373707199350336414_n_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="604" height="454"></a> <p>The first day in Atlanta we took it easy and the kids played with Landon’s electric car, the water table and ate popsicles. Mike grilled dinner and it was such a beautiful relaxing day. Lincoln was in love with Landon’s toys and quickly figured out where they were located and claimed his favorites. <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_95izcakNJ0/VTWfd2BOSmI/AAAAAAAAEgc/faZrkdk2eqg/s1600-h/Atlanta%2525201%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Atlanta 1" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Atlanta 1" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jOHiel2OyF4/VTWfejVb6DI/AAAAAAAAEgk/73UlLtW0h4M/Atlanta%2525201_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="654"></a> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYGRCFsiasPsd5k34QNOWFf8GbZ5qVrd4pXfsMNiE_4Ns5q5OPUwMS-0SgstHi2j4gY3jCh3Phc_9UvkmT8aJarABxryVE9AKnNmf8dqqUOud5t-rNYqLQxHB_YUSfw6DuDWSjPe5vLVZ-/s1600-h/Atlanta%2525202%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Atlanta 2" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Atlanta 2" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2Tlr8KXtdOI/VTWfgDWH8zI/AAAAAAAAEg0/WcHj_Cyl4m4/Atlanta%2525202_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="654"></a> <p>The next day we went to a completely overcrowded zoo but the boys had a great time (even if the parents were a bit overwhelmed by the crowd!) We ate lunch in a huge covered area and there was a pack of kids running around. Lincoln had to be a part of it all and he really started to come out of his shell. I feel like we have been so cooped up this winter he hasn’t got to experience what it’s like to run around and be a kid outside. <p>After the zoo and naps the kids took another turn on the water table and we had another yummy grilled meal. Lincoln also became especially fond of Landon’s Y bike and it had to be his favorite toy. He also loved running out onto the back deck and playing outside. <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLU89MTdr1UFZrueRo1U27s08RJKLLMfq7iYEZAufsWQkHxDfIiHVYa3RS8CMc7ITdOg8Qdb7ndVAU7CHtE8RCaY9UR85_yvrCWOD-oGpazCP6aQ-Qqvm9Y0vFAAqMHPkl-oykyjLnFppm/s1600-h/Alanta%2525205%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Alanta 5" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Alanta 5" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GTg8Hz2aijU/VTWfhur-RlI/AAAAAAAAEhE/qYlvm2rsQzE/Alanta%2525205_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="654"></a> <p>Day three was a trip to the aquarium. It was pretty spectacular and I definitely enjoyed it the most. Lincoln felt a little discombobulated by the thicker walled sea tanks but started to get interested in the jellyfish and the river fish tanks. He also came home with a stuffed penguin which I let him hold and he wouldn’t let go. He held on to that thing for dear life so we had to get it :) <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dmHqFf41MTc/VTWfiRcvdrI/AAAAAAAAEhM/bYt2MduccVc/s1600-h/Atlanta%2525203%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Atlanta 3" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Atlanta 3" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiAlc5WplVHhQBF4fezmWL2uIaE9KqFKiujxFKK1pj_yh0zuSyIXSZa3C-zU4-NyN8GR02ODB0uPP-4ChlUhEkZ6euToOBeJviCav9SPpS9Xt3rxpecxb37bSca9xzIofF0crp6LI-YAk/?imgmax=800" width="654" height="410"></a> <p>It was raining when we got home so Lincoln and Landon played in the puddles out in the driveway. They were too funny and both had a blast. Lincoln was unsure about it at first but was stomping around by the end. That night it was yummy pizza for dinner. Lincoln killed a piece of pizza so clearly he enjoyed it. <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_9AUqqIvjU8/VTWfj9jEVFI/AAAAAAAAEhc/Jx4vDspAOKQ/s1600-h/Atlanta%2525204%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="Atlanta 4" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Atlanta 4" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-268BbZhwFJQ/VTWflOpx0mI/AAAAAAAAEhg/vBCnCfDzfLU/Atlanta%2525204_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="329"></a> <p>The last day we were there we went to an art show at Piedmont Park. It was another busy event and because of the rain the day before it got a little muddy so we headed back to the house and played with the water table again. Then we went out for froyo. Landon is a froyo eating champ and felt compelled to sample from our container. Lincoln practiced eating with a spoon and did really well. We also bought him a Jelly Cat stuffed animal which is brand of super soft toys. Landon had a bunch and Lincoln fell in love so he picked himself out a rabbit to take home. Now he calls the penguin and bunny his babies and carries them around the house and loves to lay on them. <p>After the kids were in bed, we had a sitter come stay with the boys so we could have parents night out. We went to a really yummy restaurant called Wisteria and had an amazing dinner and dessert. <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r5xMu4nYzl4/VTWflmvs9gI/AAAAAAAAEhs/5kd2EkIi7fg/s1600-h/Atlanta%2525206%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="Atlanta 6" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Atlanta 6" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuZ3yJPBCOcxCZhkrYrsDSJA3QQWssDTxJZAgvmAdAdLFstMBmSGseA0SA5tINKErWT-NEAcY68uB2Dyj6w197J9j2XyNuA6rE6XBTp9O0uR3r5K4KC3JhJ__13LhmvRKCo6C1jIM-xdF/?imgmax=800" width="654" height="654"></a> <p>So that was out trip. We had the best time visiting and it was nice to stay with family we don’t see often and also understand what its like to have a toddler. The cousins played really well together. There were a couple of slaps and a bit of jealousy but what else would you expect from one year olds? It was really good for Lincoln to get out of his comfort zone. It has been hard to go out with such a cold winter so it felt great to be out in the world. We even came home to spring weather and the bulbs are blooming everywhere. <p>Other things Lincoln has been doing the past month: He is getting really silly. He laughs at himself and does silly stuff like smooshing his face in the back door. He loves to run and be chased. He loves being outside and playing on the deck or taking a walk down the sidewalk. He loves his books. They seem to be the thing that entertains him the most lately. He loves to take a pile and flip through all the pages of every book. <p>He has started saying lots more words too. New words he says are outside, water, please, mine, cookie and Spot (like the dog in his book.) He is starting to ask for more things too. His latest is “outside?” “cheese?” and “water?” <p>He still loves to eat but has been getting a little more finicky. Sometimes he will eat something all up and then the next day he wants nothing to do with it. He is starting to like spicier and more flavorful food a lot. He also loves to feed himself anything out of a bag or cup. Sometimes he doesn’t want something until it goes in a cup and then suddenly he is interested in it. He has taken a liking to nuts and even ate wasabi almonds because Mike was eating them the other day. <p>We are looking forward to the warmer weather that is finally here. We are planning on having tons of fun with our silly and sweet little boy. Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-60457958690861019392015-04-13T15:03:00.001-04:002015-04-13T15:03:14.971-04:00Vegetable Garden Plans<p> </p> <p>The crocus is my front bed bloomed last week so I know it is officially spring. This spring and summer I am not pregnant and I don’t have a newborn baby so I want to focus on my veggie and herb garden. I’ve got my seeds ready to go and I’m ready to plan out my garden. I talk about my garden every year but it usually revolves around my flowers and not as much about the vegetables so I’m going to dedicate some time to those neglected veggies so get prepared for some veggie love.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dTC3eLmUbrA/VSwS5J5GEDI/AAAAAAAAEfQ/lgkdU-L_Y6k/s1600-h/IMG_8782%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8782" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8782" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMij6P0gsc3jpvyO4IJveFNwRFc7DXgZCw7r_7MO5_A_1dsOqoVUIfl-SUmzfvy4C-sQS6V2D0fCf-NUcn5OLF3ulueCyiCVfMmcY-1WAYild79SvfvCxOZ4PdlKLOqAUO9tna7huqhaWG/?imgmax=800" width="437" height="654"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OuOOUiUPOME/VSwS6QJl6kI/AAAAAAAAEfg/aT4T_9k25v4/s1600-h/IMG_8783%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8783" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8783" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-dWtOyQ6wY90/VSwS7KW0KyI/AAAAAAAAEfo/eonuDWzsf-E/IMG_8783_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9du82PsyU_Y/VSwS7q_IIjI/AAAAAAAAEfw/0-0mUnaQjDk/s1600-h/IMG_8785%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8785" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8785" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sh2kikM1rLy3K_HksPgEleWwKdnfod8By0vDaRto5BqsaAporvUzcFVnivEbjqzAfyzA0mFfWfsnZaKfdaHlZjGu2int8RkmTCqiSYwxBgSGUzD1bM1pcIL023_TAIwSWozgioE4ynbi/?imgmax=800" width="437" height="654"></a></p> <p>I love gardening and I developed a real passion for it after we moved into our house 8 ½ years ago. I read one million and one books at the library and countless articles online about how to create a veggie garden, planting flowers, gardening on a budget and more. It was a lot of information and I’ve gone through a lot of trial and error to figure out what works for me. I do believe that gardening is personal and a lot of it depends on what works for your lifestyle and the space you have. <p>Our veggie garden has gone through a few different variations. First we potted in planters, then we dug a garden in the ground, then I had three square raised beds and now I have a rectangle raised bed combined with pots. <p>I bought a whole bunch of new seeds this year to get me excited about planting. I actually trying out almost all new varieties. I am a huge fan of <a href="http://www.superseeds.com/">Pinetree Seeds</a> and I’ve ordered some great stuff from them in the past. They have lots of unusual and heirloom varieties with great prices. <p><strong>In the rectangular bed I’m going to plant:</strong> <p>3 tomato plants- These will go along the center. I’m trying two new varieties Polbig and Gardeners Delight. Polbig is supposed to be compact and an early variety maturing at only 56 days. It’s also determinate which I’ve never tried before. Gardeners Delight is a cherry tomato maturing at 67 days so still pretty early. Tomatoes take a really long time to mature in my garden so the number of days to maturity was a pretty big factor for me. Since both varieties produce smaller fruits I’m hoping that helps too. I am counting on having a volunteer spring up from my Sungold plant since that one will come back if I leave some tomatoes on the soil in the fall. Love the taste of that variety although they are prone to splitting if you pick them too late. I’m still searching for my “holy grail” tomato so I will continue trying new varieties until I find it (if it exists.) <p>Radishes- These will go along the outside edge. I bought cherry belle radish since my old seeds were depleted. I think that is a pretty common variety. Radishes mature in about 21 days so I should be able to plant a couple of crops of these. <p>Green beans- These will also go along the edge since they are all bush varieties. They should be done before the tomatoes get big and if there is still room after they mature can plant another round. I am trying Bush Romano and Royal Burgundy this year plus I may throw in some Bush Lake and Burpee Tenderpods that I already have. <p><strong>In the pots I am going to plant:</strong> <p>Lettuce- Its pretty easy to grow but it always gets eaten by slugs in the main bed so I’m hoping to have more control over it in a pot. (Slugs can get into pots too though, I hate those slimy buggers.) One of my issues is always over planting so I will have to be more careful to control that. <p>Carrots- They do way better in loose soil and I had good success in pots last year. I am trying Napoli carrots this year. <p>Green beans- You have to succession plant bush green beans to keep them going all season so I will plant a couple of crops of them in pots. They are very easy to grow from seed and fun to pick. Lincoln enjoyed munching on them last year. <p>Zucchini- I’m trying a new variety of zucchini that is supposed to be more compact called Cocozelle. I’m hoping it will work well in a pot, which is something I’ve never tried before. My zucchini last year took over my garden so that variety will not be coming back again ever. <p>Banana Pepper and Red Cheese Pepper- Even though I have terrible luck with peppers, particularly bells, I’m going to try peppers again this year. I grew a Banana Pepper in the past reasonably well because the peppers are smaller and grow more quickly. The Red Cheese Pepper is a smaller red pepper that I also grew in the past but can’t remember how they did. One of the big issues I have with peppers is that they always get crowded out by larger plants like tomatoes or zucchini so I’m giving it another go this year in a pot. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over with different results right? Ok, kidding, I am trying something different this year with the pot because I love peppers and I just can’t give up until I figure out how to grow them. <p>Broccolini- This is something new this year and I’m probably starting it way too late to be successful but I’ll give it a try anyway. <p>Herbs- I will be growing basil, parsley, dill and cilantro. I have chives in a pot and in the veggie bed and I also have a patch of oregano growing in my front bed. <p><strong>Things I’m not growing but kind of wish I was:</strong> <p>Onions- They are really easy but they take up a lot of space and are so cheap from the store I am going to pass this year. <p>Peas- I don’t have a trellis so this is not going to happen. Plus, I’ve struggled to get these going in the past. Spring veggies are a real struggle for me. <p>Cucumber- Again, no trellis but also I have been kind of jaded with the cucumber ever since I had a horrible cucumber beetle infestation a couple of years ago. I am still wary to bring them back although I think it was growing a spaghetti squash that year that really attracted them. I’m already doing a zucchini which is in the same cucurbit family so I will keep cucumber beetle attractions to a minimum. <p>Potatoes- Ok, truth be told I’ve never grown potatoes but I think they would be really fun and delicious. Maybe I can get Mike to build me a potato planter for next year... Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-60069757706292035652015-04-08T08:00:00.000-04:002015-04-08T08:00:11.807-04:00Lincoln’s Second Easter<p> </p> <p>I think this Easter should be called the year of the Easter egg hunt. We set up two Easter egg hunts and Lincoln was (mildly) interested in them. He kind of lost interest in searching though after he learned there was chocolate in the eggs. The way to this kid’s heart is definitely through his stomach.</p> <p>On Easter we spent the day at Mike’s mom’s house and Lincoln had a great time eating, playing with his new Easter toys, eating some more and finishing the day off with another Easter egg hunt. He also enjoyed some doggie time and lots of cousin time. </p> <p>He partied like a champ and came home to a super early bedtime since he only got about a 30 minute nap on the way home. It was a fun day and great excuse to dress him up in a tie. Although he busted the matching tie before we left so luckily we had a backup one. Mike also played around with styling his super short big boy hair cut. The jury is still out on if the family likes it or not lol. My sister in law- fan. My dad- not a fan. Haha. It least it grows fast. I’m getting used to it but I think it would be cuter a little longer. </p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hiTYPMma6fg/VSHkSlieRpI/AAAAAAAAEdg/5eknmr7-1qM/s1600-h/IMG_8805%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8805" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_8805" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-0-x7tIeFRjg/VSHkT50S-PI/AAAAAAAAEdo/efLDycEHsj0/IMG_8805_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="439"></a></p> <p align="center">A family picture and we are all looking with open eyes. Success.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mVlA99f0G_A/VSHkUlVJJlI/AAAAAAAAEdw/RtwRLYVStRw/s1600-h/IMG_8790%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8790" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_8790" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDTvIH5hHSKS_PZJlSl6vX6yrNjJaDNRV-ztkBVcDQDJ08AkmrYydIV6rIpfoQ_Nov-eJwXxpRqhK85wUsRg91ciBrj6FQkZBQijiEUX_ZxttERyDPcEq93FEGsiIjbfm-yBFuDWS8uTX/?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Loving Maisie (or Abby as he likes to call her.)</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-IbITv8N_Aag/VSHkWuWB6jI/AAAAAAAAEeA/k65eH2F4XVI/s1600-h/IMG_8853%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8853" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_8853" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IK688hs9tdU/VSHkXFq01cI/AAAAAAAAEeI/1xfRFgj3Hvk/IMG_8853_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="439"></a></p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfxe2qhk1rEjURwD_7JrlgIY3kFES2QYqI51SMg8C3P2UJZ51t9d5_DfXe0yHBWH1O8b4-8S6SATeqISwq4WwRtirJVcuJ1hE8rjz1DWzvsUzkaHEmHn-TPbmejRzrc0qK9a4z5drfzfCM/s1600-h/IMG_8879%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8879" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_8879" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-RxYnA2DV2t4/VSHkYiCJA1I/AAAAAAAAEeY/08_QDUfKxAQ/IMG_8879_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="438"></a></p> <p align="center">Matching bunny glasses for the cousins.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Q0WnLokSr0A/VSHkZYVX6ZI/AAAAAAAAEeg/s6GV51dGHuA/s1600-h/IMG_8888%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8888" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_8888" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_p5lIxBQRqA/VSHkaH85GJI/AAAAAAAAEeo/a-3k0Xg_Irc/IMG_8888_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="436" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center">Found one.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zahVXEZE_lQ/VSHkas8sJ7I/AAAAAAAAEew/sZaVK7SwYDw/s1600-h/IMG_8894%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8894" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_8894" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Cx7CNSvrcRs/VSHkbRJfGUI/AAAAAAAAEe4/cHLcEg6sP1U/IMG_8894_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="438" height="654"></a></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center">I prefer the chocolate, thank you very much.</p> Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-30999204870679727302015-04-05T21:25:00.001-04:002015-04-05T21:25:09.714-04:00A Blogging Rut and a Big Boy Hair Cut<p> </p> <p>I am in a bit of a blogging rut. I have written and scraped numerous posts in the past couple of weeks. I have ideas but then I'm not sure I want to blog about them so there are a whole bunch of un-posted drafts sitting around. I have been doing a lot of research lately on making my blog better and it's really just overwhelmed me. I find that too much research can be paralyzing sometimes. <p>Something that is always easy for me to write about is my little man. We went in for pro haircut number three the other day and I did not realize what I was asking for and all his hair was cut off. I still am not good at articulating what I want from a little boy hair cut (or my own hair cuts for that matter) and the hair stylist trimmed it way shorter than I expected. I actually think it turned out cute (mostly) although I am still in a little shock over how big he looks. Where did my baby go? <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8lfMNcrAh_A/VSHgWnZBWTI/AAAAAAAAEc8/axbYc280Nrw/s1600-h/Haircut%25255B5%25255D.png"><img title="Haircut" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Haircut" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63YeLK5G4MoFDhCxV5VivMdjpAfmMXxPBmHO9MirhfFPESIOQDCLXT0eJTwVNMroioj6hHd_1WK5SvqvWZb59DsOLrZghxJ5W3FzBJxgYDdky45qiDL97zLKZ8bdcCFB7BMr3mx5eUk1k/?imgmax=800" width="518" height="704"></a> <p>He is learning new stuff all the time. He knows more words and is stacking and climbing on the couch. I have always enjoyed every stage more than the last one but wow it's crazy how far he has come. So I'll leave you with a few pre-hair cut pictures while I reminisce over how different he looked a few days ago. At least it grows fast… <p>(And Easter pictures to come this week.) <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rs-BC6PEa4I/VSHgakgroDI/AAAAAAAAEdM/Fo6Z4GuwDD4/s1600-h/longer%252520hair%25255B2%25255D.png"><img title="longer hair" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="longer hair" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yqizMaYhcQw/VSHgc2zvqmI/AAAAAAAAEdU/-y73dYPk8UQ/longer%252520hair_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="654" height="654"></a></p> Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-7777348344891994952015-03-24T20:07:00.001-04:002015-03-24T20:07:52.132-04:00What I Wore- Half Thrifted<p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1XfbhefT22U/VRH8UxE_pSI/AAAAAAAAEcE/gvn007DQxl8/s1600-h/IMG_8735%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_8735" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="IMG_8735" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-RZ-DThMu7pg/VRH8VfhmOzI/AAAAAAAAEcM/gbDGOlEf5JA/IMG_8735_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="469" height="704"></a></p> <p align="center"><em>Cardigan- Loft via Twice, Cambray- Liz Claiboirne via Village Discount Thrift, Jeans- Loft (</em><a href="http://www.shopstyle.com/action/loadRetailerProductPage?id=462336015&pid=uid1249-23275807-10"><em>almost exact</em></a><em>), </em> <p align="center"><em>Boots- JC Penney, Necklace- Gift</em> <p>This top half of this outfit is from the thrift shop. The chambray is from my favorite local thrift store the Village Discount Outlet and the cardigan is from the online thrift store Twice. I actually never thought I would buy a chambray shirt until this one even though it is the epitome of blogger style but I had to buy it because polka dots. <p>I was searching through my Pinterest style board the and <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/183592122285652769/">this picture</a> popped out at me because I own all the pieces now so I put them together for casual Friday at work. Pinterest for the win again! <p>I got my hair chopped off last weekend so this is the last long haired picture you'll see from me (unless I have any hiding that need to be posted). I haven't taken any new outfit posts since I've was sick for three weeks so this one is actually from a while ago. I'm feeling back into a style rut lately. I am putting outfits together but many of them don't feel right to me. Something will be off with the fit or the color combo or something. I think it's because I'm growing tired of my winter clothes (who isn't really) and while we are slowly transitioning to Spring it's still pretty chilly out. <p>I'm feeling very picky these days with my wardrobe and since I don't really remember what my spring/summer wardrobe looks like until I start digging it out of the spare closet, I'm not in the mood to buy much. I did get the most <a href="http://www.shopstyle.com/action/loadRetailerProductPage?id=474415858&pid=uid1249-23275807-10">amazing pair of white jeans from Loft</a> the other day (they look way better than the picture online). They were 40% off which was good but still more than I would have liked to spend. I decided to keep them because they fit so well and the denim is so perfectly stretchy. I'm on the hunt for a pair of fashion sneakers. I undecided on a pair of converse so I ordered some Keds on Amazon for a steal. Also on Amazon I got a pair of Nine West ankle boots on super sale. I have been looking for a pair since the fall that was the style and price I wanted. The fit seems pretty spot on and they are super cute. I know I can get a little bit of wear out of them because it doesn't really warm up here until May. That's about the time I put all my boots to rest for the summer. Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-88705613052465938532015-03-16T20:58:00.001-04:002015-03-16T20:58:56.840-04:00Lincoln at 16 Months<p> </p> <p>I freaking love this kid. Just like any mother does but really he is the best. We are up to 16 months and although he doesn't change as quickly as he did in the first year, there are still new things he learns every month that never cease to amaze me. </p> <p>Lincoln has recently become obsessed with animal noises. He only knows "moo" and he thinks it's what a pig says but it's pretty adorable. We have been reading his stories with farm animals and I make all the noises for him. He will pick up his book and say "moo, moo, moo." He also picks up his toy pig and says "moo." And we saw a different toy pig at the store the other day and he started mooing. I've been working hard to switch the mooing over to an oink but he also thinks all dogs and cats are "Abby" so we probably have a way to go lol. <p>His favorite in the house is still our dog Abby. It's the first thing he says when he wakes up and when we come home from being out. One day last week it was almost the only thing he said all day. He says lots of daddies and mommies too. He know what stuff belongs to Mike and will pick it up and start calling daddy. When he wants something then it's all about the mommies. When he sees food or some other object he wants then it's "mommy, mommy, mommy!" We were at the grocery store in the produce aisle the other day and he got excited and started yelling "mommy" because he wanted some fruit. We ate at the Mexican restaurant the other day and I gave him cheese dip on a chip. He licked it all off and then said "mommy." So I gave him some more. He licked it off. "Mommy!" And we repeated that until we ate all the dip. <p>And now on to some of the cutest pictures ever. There was local photographer taking mini session photos for spring/Easter at one of my favorite local second hand stores. Of course I signed up because she was also going to have an Easter bunny. We went and bought Lincoln the most adorable outfit ever. He was a little nervous but did pretty well because there were Easter eggs everywhere and he loved them. <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SVoaDjT8rM8/VQd8RSw-KQI/AAAAAAAAEbQ/wYGXTVSVPl0/s1600-h/Lincoln%252520easter%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="Lincoln easter" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Lincoln easter" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YYEcFs05QIY/VQd8SFfBmMI/AAAAAAAAEbY/sQ9porJCk2U/Lincoln%252520easter_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="654" height="654"></a> <p>Then we moved over to the Easter Bunny set. We had come a little early and walked around and Lincoln was very interested in the Easter Bunny. As soon as I set him down next to the Easter Bunny he had a freak out. He cried and wanted me to pick him up. I know crying kids pictures with holiday characters are hilarious but my poor mommy heart melted and I couldn't let him be upset. I finally convinced him to sit on my lap and leaned out of the picture. The photographer was a miracle worker and with a little Photoshop magic actually got a decent picture with the Easter bunny in the background. So here's my Easter picture of my little man who is afraid of strangers (and bunny costumes.) Hopefully next year won't be quite as traumatizing haha. <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-RFzRp9evqaA/VQd8Sx4C5tI/AAAAAAAAEbg/iS4rhQpFYgM/s1600-h/Lincoln%252520easter2%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="Lincoln easter2" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Lincoln easter2" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Qb0eKXe84i4/VQd8TrccFjI/AAAAAAAAEbo/9_2iSdCmZmw/Lincoln%252520easter2_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="540"></a></p> Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-78457645347468334582015-03-12T08:00:00.000-04:002017-10-22T17:38:53.491-04:00How To Modify The Size of a Crochet Hat Pattern<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3-IfVw-ZH3o/VP-Uo1mmsFI/AAAAAAAAEaw/YyqhD5QMNqQ/s1600-h/How%252520to%252520modify%252520the%252520size%252520of%252520a%252520crochet%252520hat%252520pattern%25255B4%25255D.png"><img alt="How to modify the size of a crochet hat pattern" border="0" height="586" src="https://lh6.ggpht.com/-DPIpiLD26OQ/VP-Upv-IRhI/AAAAAAAAEa4/H4cWDqGX4Yg/How%252520to%252520modify%252520the%252520size%252520of%252520a%252520crochet%252520hat%252520pattern_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="How to modify the size of a crochet hat pattern" width="394" /></a> <br />
I get a lot of questions about how to increase the size of my crochet hat patterns. I tend to crochet a hat for a specific person so I make only one size and when it's done I move on. Although I'm going to try and work harder at making more sizes for my patterns I wanted to share some tips on how to modify the size of a crochet hat. This doesn't just apply to my hats but to any hat pattern you find that doesn't have the size you need or isn't the right size once you finish it despite the size that was given in the pattern. <br />
<b>Option #1: Crochet the hat with a different hook size. </b> <br />
To make a hat bigger go up in hook size and go down a hook size to make it smaller. If the pattern calls for an I hook then try it with a J hook. Bigger hook= bigger stitches= bigger hat size. This method doesn't require you to modify a pattern so it is the easiest but you may not like the look of the stitches with a different hook than was recommended. This also will only work if you want to make a small modification in size. You aren't going to turn a baby hat into an adult hat by changing the hook size. <br />
<b>Option #2: Crochet the hat with a different yarn weight</b>. <br />
Sport, Worsted, Bulky will all create different size stitches. Even different types of worsted weight yarn create different types of stitches. Caron Simply Soft and Red Heart with Love will not create the same size stitches. I always pay attention to the type of yarn used in patterns I am crocheting because it's best to match the weight to get the right results. That being said you can also use a different weight to automatically increase or decrease the size of your hat without modifying the pattern. Like option #1 this isn't going to make a huge size difference but doesn't require any pattern modifications. <br />
<b>Option #3: Modify the pattern.</b> <br />
This is a little more complicated than option #1 or #2 and if you've never crocheted a hat before it might be hard to understand. If you have any experience with crocheting hats then you should be able to catch on. <br />
Most hats follow a basic formula no matter what hat pattern you are using because you start off creating a circle. <br />
Start a circle by either creating a magic ring, crocheting into a starting chain or joining a set of chains. (How you start it doesn't matter as long as you start out with a circle) <br />
Crochet a set number of stitches (8,9,10 etc) <br />
Crochet two times in each stitch <br />
Crochet once in the first stitch and twice in the next stitch. Repeat around the circle. <br />
Crochet once in the first two stitches and twice in the next stitch. Repeat around the circle. <br />
Crochet once in the first three stitches and twice in the next stitch. Repeat around the circle. <br />
Crochet once in the first four stitches and twice in the next stitch. Repeat around the circle. <br />
<em>Do you see the pattern here? Do you know what the next line would be?</em> <br />
Crochet once in the first five stitches and twice in the next stitch. Repeat around the circle. <br />
etc. <br />
After the crown increases then the pattern is followed by crocheting once in each stitch around. This is the basic pattern for a circle no matter what stitch you use. Based on this formula you can easily add an increase to the crown of the hat. Keep in mind though that if your are going by stitch count you will have to adjust the next row of stitches. <br />
Also, if you are a stitch counter (I am!) it's easy to figure out how many stitches should be in the next increase row. Figure out how many stitches you started with (8,9,10 etc) and add that to each increase row. <br />
For example <br />
Start with 10 stitches. <br />
Rnd 1= 10 <br />
Rnd 2= 20 <br />
Rnd 3= 30 <br />
Rnd 4= 40 <br />
etc <br />
Start with 9 stitches <br />
Rnd 1= 9 <br />
Rnd 2 = 18 <br />
Rnd 3= 27 <br />
Rnd 4= 36 <br />
etc <br />
There may be some deviation to the basic formula if you are not crocheting a regular beanie type hat. If the hat is a "slouchy" hat then it may be a little more complicated to modify after the crown increase. Also some pattern are crocheted from the brim up or in a square shape so the modification would not work for those. <br />
<b>Now that we've talked about modifying the pattern, how do you know what size your hat should be?</b> <br />
The easiest way to figure this out is to try the hat on your head (or your subject's head) as you crochet. Unfortunately that only works when your subject is readily available. If you are making your hat as a gift then you have to do some guesstimating. <br />
If you Google crochet hat sizes, there are lots of charts for hat size out there and they all vary a little bit. <a href="http://www.woollywormhead.com/sizing/">This one from Woolly Wormhead is one of my favorites.</a> <br />
I have found from personal experience that I like the look of hats that stretch to fit the subjects head. I like to crochet a hat a couple of inches smaller than head size to get the tight stretched look. For example, my head is 21 inches but when I make a hat for myself I will make it 19 inches because of stretch. On the other hand if I am making a hat for a baby I will only make the hat an inch smaller because that little head will grow very quickly and I want the hat to last as long as possible. <br />
Keep in mind what yarn you are using too because different types of yarn (cotton, acrylic, wool) have different amounts of stretch. <br />
<b>So now that you know what size hat to make, how do you know when to stop increasing?</b> <br />
I always keep a soft tape measure in my crochet bag because I use it all the time. You can measure the crown of your hat a couple of ways. I use the easy cheater way and measure around the circle. Usually I use a piece of yarn to wrap around the circle and then measure it with my tape measure. <br />
The more accurate/mathematical way is to measure the diameter of the circle and multiply it by 3.14 (pi). <br />
<b>What if one round is too small and next is way too big?</b> <br />
Now this gets a bit more complicated. If I really want to change the size of a hat, then I figure out the size of my stitches. <br />
Hat circumference divided by stitches = stitch size. <br />
Let's say I made four rounds of a hat with 40 stitches. The measurement of the circumference is 16 inches. 16 divided by 40 = .40. Each one of my stitches =.40 so now I need to figure out how many stitches would create the size I need. Let's say I wanted a 18 inch hat. <br />
Hat circumference divided by stitch size = number of stitches <br />
18 divided by .40 = 45 stitches. So I know that I want my last increase round to be 45 stitches. This means that I will need to start my hat with 9 stitches and have four rows of increase to get to 45 stitches. The first round would be 9 stitches, 2nd- 18, 3rd- 27, 4th- 36, 5th- 45. <br />
Not all examples work out so tidy so sometimes you will have few more or less stitches than is ideal. <br />
<b>Last, let's talk about the hat length.</b> <br />
This can tricky to get the right length but very easy to modify. I find that most charts give lengths that are too long so I usually go with the shortest recommendation. More stretch in the hat does require a little bit longer length though to make up for the stretch. It's easy to add a few more rows to hat if the stitches are all the same. If there is a variation in stitches (like in my crochet ribbed beanie) you may have to do a little guess work to add in the stitches at the right place in the pattern and still make it long enough. That's also why you should never be afraid to rip out (or frog) your stitches and try again. Modifying and designing patterns can take a lot of trial and error. If you are trying to finish something quickly it can be frustrating but it's also very satisfying when you get it right. <br />
I hope this helps you to understand better how to modify a hat pattern and the next time you need a different size you give it a try. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to help! <br />
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<br />Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-18640167893972090712015-03-10T20:31:00.001-04:002015-03-14T13:47:56.657-04:00Week Highs and Lows<br />
Oh man it was a crazy week last week. I'll start off an a high note. I went to an amazing and inspiring conference for work on Thursday last week. It was all about women in leadership and I learned so much. I really appreciate how the company I work for now takes the time to reinvest in the employees by holding events like this. It was a great day until I came home... <br />
I got home a little bit early and almost made a stop for some mommy time at the store but seeing my boy won out. When I picked him up at the sitter's she said he had slept for six hours and had been cranky and pulling at his ears. This was after Mike had said the same thing the night before when I was at the gym and my mom had also commented that he was tired and pulling at his ears. The pediatrician was still open and I drove right over. Luckily there was no ear infection but little explanation for the tiredness and fussiness, until the pediatrician noticed that Lincoln's was getting his eye teeth. This would explain pretty much all his symptoms, plus he is still getting over his cold. I gave him a dose of Tylenol for the pain and he was pretty good the next day. Until Friday night... <br />
We went to dinner and Lincoln starting fussing, then we made a stop at Kohl's and he cried. The. Entire. Time. We were "those parents." You know, the one with the screaming kid that everyone is looking at and judging. Needless to say our trip to Kohl's involved throwing a bunch of stuff in our cart and leaving much sooner than anticipated. He fell asleep on the way home. Then woke up and cried for a couple more hours until Mike finally got him to take a dose to Tylenol and he fell asleep around 11:00. Not a fun night. <br />
Saturday involved more Tylenol but by Sunday he was back to his old cheerful self. And clearly happy that we decided to stay in most of the day. Only one tooth popped through so that means we have three more to go. Ugh. <br />
Then Sunday night our oven broke. It had already been repaired once before so we decided it was just time to get a new and better one. So off to Lowe's we went and bought an amazing five burner gas stove with convection heat and steam cleaning. I didn't even know these features existed in stoves. It's going to take two weeks to arrive so it will be cook top and grill cooking for us until then. I think we are both pretty exited to have this stove arrive though. We've never had a nice appliance before but we use our stove almost every single day so we wanted something better than the cheap bottom of the line one we had. <br />
And our other news for the week has to do with out front yard. We have an amazing old tree out in front of our house in the tree lawn. It's huge and clearly been there forever. Unfortunately it's been slowly dying the past couple of years. Last summer about half the branches were dead. Mike has been worrying about it for some time and we've talked about getting it cut down. Cutting down huge trees is no joke. It's insanely expensive so I've been dragging my feet on it. Well, Mike decided to call the City to take a look at the tree and they are going to cut it down for free and give us a replacement tree next year. I'm so relieved we don't have to pay for the tree but I'm also so sad we are going to be losing all the privacy that tree offers us in the front yard. On the other hand, my front garden beds will gain a lot more sun so maybe I will have more luck growing the flowers I've always want to grow. I'm still going to miss that tree but it's becoming a hazard and it's better to get rid of it than have a huge branch come crashing down on our house or cars. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOvCCIJ_hfqZ0tiNyfkm2eNiqCgX163JAauO-fs3KXtBMg8WFI06Eyv8g5ErJWCgU8ZWEZNPkLLvY1rwH09o1WBv0k68hwE6HWb2WDBnPmnBZVEChFjtjHH23EfT5k5RwoVcjqL_jIGcD9/s1600-h/tree%25255B2%25255D.png"><img alt="tree" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HTpwF3FSUZQ/VP-M1xRYsGI/AAAAAAAAEaQ/Snds4oVmyGY/tree_thumb.png?imgmax=800" height="496" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="tree" width="654" /></a> <br />
I'll end on a high note too. The weather is finally, kind of warming up. We actually got to go on a walk outside! Lincoln loved his wagon and cried when we were done. We need a few more 40 degree + days and we might actually see the grass again. Spring is kind of, sort of getting here. We will probably get another snow storm or two but at least the end is near and it's not a moment too soon. I think I speak for all of Northeast Ohio (and maybe all of the Midwest) when I say we are sick of winter. <br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-dcXu9Bkd2tY/VP-M3rhn-QI/AAAAAAAAEaY/5VmPDy42EWA/s1600-h/Lincoln%252520wagon%25255B2%25255D.png"><img alt="Lincoln wagon" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ASVDr0shYzU/VP-M5YcBYsI/AAAAAAAAEag/pF0ntj897rw/Lincoln%252520wagon_thumb.png?imgmax=800" height="654" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Lincoln wagon" width="654" /></a><br />
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Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193797765108413527.post-49076410417519478552015-03-03T20:11:00.001-05:002015-03-03T20:11:59.942-05:00What I Wore- Marsala and Brown<p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SRyt2mFWcYo/VPZb2-cRoYI/AAAAAAAAEZo/Soyk1m8fnQ4/s1600-h/IMG_8725%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Marsala and Brown" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Marsala and Brown" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rtuYTqyJcqI/VPZb3TPaIWI/AAAAAAAAEZw/e-WOgekWneo/IMG_8725_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="471" height="704"></a></p> <p align="center"><em>Cardigan- JC Penney, Button Down- Thrifted, Pants- Express via Ebay, Shoes- Life Stride, Necklace- gift</em> <p>A cute combination that I wore a couple weeks ago. This deep red cardigan seems to be the trendy red color with the ever changing name. Maroon, Burgundy, Oxblood, Marsala. Whatever it is called I like it and even though there are technically pink dots in this button down I still think it works. It's really funny because I saw <a href="http://www.fashionablyemployed.com/2015/02/brown-cream-and-marsala.html">Jen at Fashionably Employed</a> wear pretty much the same color combination, after I wore mine (but clearly before I posted about it.) Initially I was like "Oh I really love that color combo." Then I remembered I had just worn something really similar. Clearly great minds think alike! <p>Anyway, I mentioned last Monday that I was sick but was on the mend. Well I was completely wrong because I got worse on Tuesday and ended up at the doctor with an ear/sinus infection. So after a round of antibiotics I am almost better. I was really wondering if this blog post (or any post for that matter) was ever going to happen. This sickness and the cold temps have really worn me out and I am so ready for the tiniest hint of spring. Temperatures in the 30s right now have me rejoicing. Although every time we get some warmer temperatures we get pounded with snow. I am wondering if I will ever be able to walk outside without my boots on again. <p>Then to get even more random with this post I have been getting a lot of requests to share different sizes for some of my crochet hats so I am making it a goal to get that done. I feel bad for not responding to people's requests but increasing the size of hat isn't always that simple (plus I've been a sick mess for the last week.) I am going to work on a men's version of my crochet ribbed beanie and then some smaller baby versions. Then after I get that done I want to make more sizes in my crochet bow hat. I just need to pick out some yarn and get to designing. Christine @ Projects Around The Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13270794922906131574noreply@blogger.com0