Hair Cuts

When Brad and I got married, one of my longtime/childhood best friends gave us a hair cutting kit as a gift. I was shocked when Brad actually wanted me to use it to cut his hair! I had never cut hair, other than trimming my sister's LONG hair.... a man cut with clippers was totally new to me. We sat down in front of a mirror so he could see what I was doing, and he guided me through it (his Dad had always cut his hair so he knew a little about the process). It took about 2 hours and I was covered in hair and unsure if I ever wanted to attempt it again. Fast forward 7 1/2 years and I not only remain Brad's exclusive stylist, but I now have two little tow heads to keep trimmed up as well. It's not a process that I necessarily look forward to, but I'm much faster now, I've learned a few things, and it saves a lot of money.

Owen Before:

Owen After:

I use a combination of clippers and scissors for Brad and Eli, but I wanted to keep Owen's hair relatively long. It's much shorter than I was going for, but I messed up his bangs, then I watched some helpful videos on youtube and was able to fix it with a complete scissor cut. I find it helpful to use smaller scissors on toddlers, and to invest in some blending shears! I also sprang for a child's cape and a cape for myself this time - I figure 7 1/2 years of detesting the feeling of hair stuck in my clothes warranted me a cape! It also helps to strap the kids in a booster chair, plug in a movie on the portable dvd player, and give them endless goldfish and yogurt raisins!

The Setup:

Here are links to the video series I watched in case you are inspired to try this at home.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Ta-Da!

Once upon a time, we moved from Massachusetts to Missouri, and left our kitchen table behind. That table was one of the only pieces of "new" furniture we ever bought, and even though it was from K-Mart and came in pieces that we put together, it served us well for a few years. But alas, it was a bit small for our growing family, and to be honest, I was plain tired of looking at it!

When we got to Missouri and I started online "window shopping," I found this gorgeous set:

CLICK HERE TO SEE IT

But alas, even on SALE it was nearly $700 and would include shipping. I'm an HGTV fan and was convinced that I could re-create the look in no time for much less money. Well, I was right about the second part at least. As for the time it took - fast forward 4 MONTHS from date of purchase and you get how long it took. There was sanding, chemical stripping, sanding and more sanding, staining, stripping off the stain, staining again, then finally a few coats of polyurethane. There were times when I definitely regretted getting started, but now that it's done, I'm pleased. It's nowhere near perfect, but I like it. The table is a solid OAK piece I snagged off Craigslist, and the chairs are Walmart.com purchases. The total cost for the table, chairs, and refinishing supplies totaled under $300. So all in all, a good deal eh? What do you think?

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

This is just a picture of my kitchen (the table would be behind me while taking this picture). But you see that lovely black stove hood (metal thing above stove that has light and fan, lol)? Well Brad and I just put that in this weekend - also a Craigslist purchase! The existing one was white and didn't match the kitchen... we got this "new" one for $15! Woohoo!

PS - I painted the kitchen too - all by MYSELF! It's called "Paprika" - a nice terracotta color.