Call Me Crafty: Entryway Table Edition!

A few months back, we Josh and his dad painted our entryway and we debated between putting in a hall tree or doing a table of some sort. I had something in my mind and we eventually decided that a table would work best. I wasn't having much luck when looking until Wren and I took a stroll through a flea market and came across this little beauty:

We definitely didn't want to keep the light wood and the cream, especially given the color of the entryway, so I decided to go a little HGTV on it and it turned out great!

First I sanded and primed... 

Followed by 2 coats of paint... 

...and a drawer pull (1/2 off at Hobby Lobby!)... 

And it turned out beautifully! 

I love the curves and everything turned out surprisingly well. I wanted to add a coat of clear gloss polycrylic to make it shiny (and also to help prevent dents and scratches), but when I tested it on the back, it scared me. It was bubbly and we both already loved it so I didn't want to risk ruining it. So it stayed as it was. 

Now we just need to find a coordinating lamp and put some pictures up. So still a bit of work to do before it feels nice and welcoming, but this is a great start!

Catching Up: May!

The big event in May was a trip to Boston for Wren to meet her Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Lisa and her 2 cousins, Alex and Austin. And it was also our first time meeting Austin, who was born in January. So that is a series of posts--Wren had a lot of firsts on that trip (first flight, first trip to the beach, first time in the pool, first time seeing a cow!)-so there will be a series of posts all about our trip later on.

In the meantime, here are a few cute pictures from the rest of the month. Each year, Purdue hosts a big faculty/staff event called Spring Fest. There are all sorts of events for employees including a big picnic and a 5k walk, among other things. Our office always has lunch together and then we take a fun walk. For the past 3 years during the walk, I remember thinking how fun it would be to bring a baby in a stroller. Last year I was actually pregnant with Wren when we did the walk. So it was really fun to actually bring her this year!

We had picnic lunches...

She posed in front of the big P...oh so adorable! 

And then she napped for most of the walk! 

In May we also started her in swim classes. We had to miss several, and they were really kind of pointless at this age, but we wanted to get her used to the water since we have the neighborhood pool. Her classes started after she tried the pool out in Boston, but here's a picture of her and Daddy at swim class: 

Here's a little video of their time in the pool:

She also watched Daddy vacuum! The floor was already vacuumed but he had to do it again just to see her watch. :)

Wren's Flower Garden

In early May, we planted Wren's very own flower garden!
I can't get over this picture, she looks so tiny!

She was pretty excited to have her own little spot in the garden. (Notice I had to help her sit up...she was still a little wobbly at that point!) 

We planted lots of different types of flowers and they're starting to bloom this week. So she donned proper gardening attire and we headed out to see how things were going. She was quite pleased with her own green thumb! 

But she needed to check out the quality of the dirt. She even tried to taste test it to ensure the best outcome. 

Next, she checked out the durability of the various stems. "Yep, that one holds up pretty well to my pulling and yanking! Too bad I can't say the same for Mommy's necklaces!" 

Here she is without her sunhat. So adorable! 

And here is a closeup...I can't get enough of this sweet face! 

This Year's Garden

When we bought this house, we inherited 15 raised bed gardens, so we have a ton of veggies this year!

Here is a picture from our planting day back in May. As you can see, we also have pavers all around the gardens, which have caused us Josh quite the headache this summer! We have to figure out another option, or maybe we will have to pull them all up...we've Josh has been tossing around different ideas, but there is a bit of a weed issue and it's pretty hard to keep up with.

Wren helped us plant, but not before being slathered with sunblock. She wasn't necessarily happy about it...(I totally love her prissy hands in this picture): 

And she had a real issue with the sunhat! :) 

Here is the other side of the yard and the rest of the boxes. This picture is from the last week of June when we picked.

We have 2 types of peas, they are SO good! 

Corn:

Green beans: 

Here is a picture of the green beans (center) and the cucumbers (they'll climb up either side): 

Lots-o-tomatoes! (We have 12 tomato plants): 

Almost ready!! 

And here is our herb garden. Mainly, you can see that it is taken over by mint. Anybody up for a mojito?!

We have 12 or 16 different kinds of pepper plants: 

Wren was our little pea taste tester. She gave her (slobber) stamp of approval! 

We picked our first two carrots. They weren't quite ready, but we have several more yet to go. 

Other things not shown: okra, radishes, zucchini, turnips, kohlrabi, squash, and strawberries.
Next up, Wren's very own little garden!