One more project down!

This one seems simple, but I think it makes a BIG difference.  I remember my mom doing this a lot when I was little.  We had this awesome antique table with the most beautiful chairs that she would periodically change the cushions on.  James and I had the table for a while when we first got married-refinished it, then passed it back to my mom who is now holding it in her garage full of treasures.  (Seriously, you don't need to go to an antique store-you just have to be patient and go hunting and you will find ALL kinds of cool stuff).

Anyway, we replaced it right before Connor was born because the chairs from my childhood table were wobbly and needed someone who knew what they were doing to repair them.  So, James and I headed to Furniture Row (which is where ALL of our furniture is from-it's kinda sad) and bought this huge thing.  It was James choice and I was too pregnant to care at the time.  I love the table, but have always hated the fabric on the chairs.

It just looks manly to me, which is probably why James picked it in the first place.  I had this huge pile of fabric that I bought a few years ago that I was going to use to make drapes.  I hung the fabric in the living room for a while to see if I liked it, but whoa mama is that a lot of floral!  It has the perfect colors for my kitchen (or really anywhere in my house), so I saved it thinking that I would someday use it for something.  Sunday, I finally attacked those manly chairs!  I pulled out the trusty staple gun and went to town!

Connor decided to help me with his pretend tools.   He loves fixing things!

All you have to do is remove the cushion, cut out your fabric to fit, stretch it and staple it.  The corners are a little tricky.  I like to fold the fabric in from the middle, then tuck in the sides (kinda like you're wrapping a present.)  It is also best if you do opposite sides first, that way the material is fully stretched accross the cushion.  Here are the final results.  Our Minot house is going to be so cute! 

Apologies for the messy table, but honestly, that's just how it always looks these days.  I would much rather spend time playing with the kids than cleaning up every little mess!

The Definition of Air Force Family

Often times, people don't fully understand what a military member means when they say "(Service Branch) Family."  I would like to share what mine means to me. 

They do what your family would do for you.  They watch your kids.  They watch your pets.  They walk into your house unannounced.  They laugh with you.  They cry with you.  They encourage you.  They love your kids and your pets as if they were your own. Your kids love them. They celebrate holidays with you.  They share meals with you.  They know what groceries are staples in your pantry.  They help you back before a move.  They help you unpack after.  They help you find a home in your new town.  They let you sleep on their couch when you are homeless before a move.  They are in essence, your home away from home.  A reason to love where you live, even if it's in the middle of nowhere.  They are all over the world and it seems as if every base we will move to from this point on, we will have "family" waiting. 

I often ask myself how many "best" friends I will have in my life....and I think I need to just scrap that term because best only identifies ONE.  I have been blessed with tons of amazing friends (read more HERE) and two that I call "best." The beauty and curse of military living is that you have friends all over the world...and none will ever be in the same place at the same time.  But, they are family and you know you will see them again...even if soon means years later. 

Brooke-I am so thankful for your friendship.  I am thankful that you are a part of my family.  I am thankful for your love for my boys.  I know that God destined us to be friends and I will be forever grateful for our long, insightful chats and for you pushing me further in my faith. 

Running to Remember

Before we graduated from Baylor in 2006, we promised each other we would get together for a 5 year reunion.  I am pretty sure we each imagined we'd be lying on a beach drinking margaritas for a weekend, but instead, we chose to run a race.  For some reason, the three of us like to prove that we are better than we think we are and can do more than we think we can and the amazing part is that we like to do it together.

In 2008 the three of us ran our first 1/2 marathon together.  This was only 2 months before finding out I was pregnant with Connor and only a month before I found out I had endometriosis, which changed my course forever.

We had only been graduated from Baylor for 2 years, so we celebrated college style, in the bar of a restaurant where Megan used to work.

We held our promise to each other and celebrated 5 years of being graduated from Baylor a few weeks ago.  But, this trip was so different from what we imagined it would be-we are different than we thought we would be.  I have two kids.  Megan is married and just bought her first house.  Audrey is still searching for Mr. Perfect, but in true independent style, built her first house.  But one thing remained constant-we love to run together.  So, we ran the Salt Lake City 1/2 Marathon together.

This time, we celebrated with a legitimate meal, with Megan's parents and child in tow. 

Not to steal Megan's blog post, but it truly resonated within me.  I run to remember.  To remember who I was, who I am, and who I want to become.  I run to remember those 22 year old dreams and hopes for the future.  I run to remember feeling free.  Free from judgement, worry, and responsibility. 

Training for this race made me remember who I once was and who is currently buried under diapers, housework, and laundry.  The 2nd Lt Courtney Schultz, Masters' student, and newlywed reimmerged.  I didn't think about dirty diapers, how many loads of laundry were left to fold, or how many dishes were still in the sink.  I simply ran and let my mind go blank for 1-2 hours.

Since moving, I've had a bit of an identity crisis.  It is hard not letting your kids define who you are.  Running and training helped me to keep ME alive and not let them be all that I am.  There is nothing greater than having amazing friends to help pull you back into reality every now and again.

I love you girls!

Another Furniture Project

Yes, I am bored.  And yes, I am painting everything that I can since I can't paint the walls.  The goal?  To be completely ready when we move into our next house to decorate the way I want to.  My project for today was to make something old new again.  This dresser was from my friend Colleen.  It was in her nursery when she was a baby (which technicaly makes this an antique since we're 27 now).  It has been a perfect dresser/changing table.  I've been mulling over ideas for two years now and finally something clicked after reading through my Southern Living magazine...to use wall paper on the drawers and pick a paint that matches. 

A few before pictures...from Connor's original nursery (pre-baby)

 

From today in the garage before I got started.

I used Eddie Bower "Mercer Blue." 

To add some dimension to the drawers, I found some textured, paintable wall paper instead of one with a pattern. 

The drawers after the first coat of paint with the wall paper. 

Drying in the garage!

The almost finished product.  I am still debating the top knobs.  I kept the original knobs on the main drawers because I like the old with the new look.  I'm thinking about some small crystal knobs.  Just not sure yet!

I have a few more paint projects in mind along with some sewing projects and recovering my dining room chairs. 

Playing Like Brothers

My boys blessed me so much yesterday.  They actually interacted and PLAYED together!  I was watching and wow, it's just not that far away when they will be running and chasing each other.  It was funny to see the way Jacob was looking at Connor.   It reminded me of how I used to look at my big sister (and still do)-full of love, respect and adoaration.  So sweet.  On top of it all, Jacob laughed!  A BIG laugh.  You almost can't tell the difference between Connor's and Jacob's. 

Barstool Rehab

I've had all of these furniture rehab ideas floating in my head for a few years now.  I think I finally have a vision for how I want our house to look and I'm determined to do it as cheap as possible-and mostly handmade if I can.  The first project I took on was transforming an old garage sale find into an eye catching seat at our bar.  I bought these from our old neighbor in Wichita Falls for $60.  Nothing a little spray paint can't handle!

This is the "before" picture.

Step one was to paint the edges a darker color so that I could later distress the edges.

Step three was to paint them an off white.

Step three was to distress the edges using a small piece of sandpaper. 

I love the way they turned out!

Another up close view of the finished product!

My next project is to attempt to sew seat cushions.  Wish me luck!

Wall-E

Connor's new favorite movie (thanks to Aunt Ashley) is Wall-E.  It's such a great movie and after watching it over and over and over and over and over, you finally get a VERY clear picture of what kind of message the movie is trying to send.  When Wall-E first enters the Axiom and is trying to find Eve, he encounters numerous very large people, flying around, talking to each other through screens even though they are right next to each other.  The first few times I watched that I thought to myself "how lazy!"  But, really, isn't that what we do now? 

Case and point-over the past month, I have called numerous people.  Each one texted me back (including my new boss).  I have looked at my received calls and the last one is from mid-March.  But don't worry, I'm not a total loser!  I reach my limit weekly on the number of texts my phone can store.  I constantly have to do a mass delete.

I admit it.  I love texting.  I love facebooking.  I love blogging.  Basically, I love doing anything that will make me avoid talking to people while still doing it at the same time.  I text to ask if I can call.   I text if I really don't feel like talking, but want to tell you something.  Basically, it's me being lazy and not taking the time to build on existing friendships or build new ones. 

James and I had a discussion today about how Facebook is retarding our ability to communicate face to face.  Slowly but surely, we are going to lose the ability to communicate with one another and the ones who can will become a commodity.   

I know I've said this many, many times before, but this time I mean it.  Facebook and texting will no longer be a main source of communication.  I have to get back to my roots and TALK to people.  I will not cancel my Facebook account as I have before, but I will not spend hours reading how people are doing.  I want to hear how you are doing. 

Do we really want to become the fat, lazy blobs that Wall-E forecasts?  It seems that we are not that far away from that becoming a reality.