Lessons Learned In Box Building

As a final project for one of his computer classes last semester, Chris was instructed to learn a new skill.  I thought this was a little on the odd side for a computer class, but as his professor explained it in the real job world, employers will be interested in what you know and also your ability to learn new things.

After a couple of trips to Home Depot and Harbor Freight he was ready to build a storage box for his numerous video game accessories.  Thankfully we had the wood cut at our local Home Depot for free, because we learned the store closest to my parents actually charges a nominal fee for each cut.

I assisted with spray painting the gold hinges with the blog popular oil rubbed bronze paint.  Lesson Learned #1 - Don't let them dry on the newspaper that you sprayed on.

I was a big fan of how the color turned out!

While I was busy trying not to get high, Chris was busy sawing pieces of wood to assemble the box.  Lesson Learned #2 - Use the right type of saw.  Chris learned pretty quickly that the reciprocating saw was not cutting it with the thick pieces of wood.  A little drilling, wood glue, and sanding later and he was ready to attach the lid.

Chris wanted the handle on the front so he designed a notch in that piece and an extra block on the lid.

Once the lid was attached (after much cursing to get the hinges somewhat, but not entirely straight), Chris started in on etching video game symbols to add a little detail to the outside.

I didn't understand why he etched in some parts and not others until he stained it.  The staining made certain parts pop over others that were just sanded.

And now for the finished box! 

Can you make out Mario on the side?

Is it perfect?  Not even close, but we both thought that we had to start somewhere.  We learned some tips along the way and will be heading out to pick up proper tools (with tips from KillerB Designs and YHL) for our next project.  The box does it's job of holding onto all of the accessories (so glad I don't have to see cords all over the place now!), and he earned a 97 on it.  I guess the professor was happy to see something other than another presentation on changing oil.

What were some of your first tool related projects like?  Did you get better as you had more projects under your belt?

You Know You're Getting Older...

...when you get sad over a toaster.  A toaster! 

Chris and I were out at BB&B trying to pick up a couple of things that were left over from our registry and I really wanted this toaster.

Via Bed Bath & Beyond

Come to find out they only sell it online, sad face because that meant I couldn't use a coupon for 20% off.  Luckily it was on Amazon without tax or shipping, and will be heading our way next week. I was able to use coupons on more towels, mixing bowls, canisters for dog treats and a collapsible colander.   

I also hit up Target's after Christmas sale and picked up decor items for 70% off.  Can not wait to decorate for next year!

Have you done any post holiday shopping?

Holiday Week Review

Why is it that the weeks you have off from work are always the ones that fly by??

It seems like Christmas came and went in a flash!  We enjoyed the weekend with my family, good food, presents and games.  My family loves some Christmas bingo!

Trying to use up some coupons before they expired, we headed over to paint some more pieces for the house.  We're planning our future kitchen to be black and white with pops of, you guessed it blue and green.

It hasn't all been relaxing, mom and I spent a decent amount of time cleaning out the apartment.  I am making a point to clean out the fridge more often in the future!  We also did our final walk through, turned in our keys and will be waiting 30 days to see what portion of our deposit we'll be getting back.

No big plans for New Year's Eve since Chris will be closing at his store, but hopefully we'll get to enjoy some wine together as the ball drops.  I hope everyone has a happy New Year!!

What are your plans for New Years?

Holiday Cards

I'll be excited for 4pm today because I will not have to turn the work computer back on until January 3.

Chris and I have been doing Christmas cards since we started dating, I think this was number 5 for him.  When we unpack and I can find the older cards I hope to put them in a scrapbook.  Here's a look back at the pictures we used in past Christmas cards:

2007

2008

2009

2010 We used one of our engagement pictures

And here was our card from this year, which I ordered from Shutterfly.

I thought ordered enough but sadly I did not :(  Next year I'll be sure to order extras. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season! 

Bacon Sausage Crescent Bites

Well, in my case these were more handfuls than bites, but that didn't sound as great in the title. This recipe is modified from a pinned recipe off From the Aisle to Aloha.

Ingredients
- Crescent Rolls
- Left over Sausage
- Cream Cheese
- Turkey Bacon

The original recipe calls for jalapenos, but since I'm not a fan I replaced it with left over sausage I had from another recipe.  After cooking up the bacon, I placed it, some sausage and a dollop of cream cheese in the center of each crescent.

I should have read through all of the post and cut the crescents in half like she did.  Using the perforated triangles left me with some larger than intended bites.  Next time, I'll be sure to make them smaller.  Pull the edges up and pinch the sides together, wrapping them like a little package.

Into the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and come a buttery, flaky, tasty bite.

Have you ever missed a step in a recipe?

Settling In

Well the move is now over.  I can't believe the amount of stuff we had, even after donating a truck full to charity and trashing anything that we no longer use.  My brother really lucked out and received pots, pans, glasses, plates, a can opener and toaster because we'll be breaking out the wedding gifts when we move again.

A sampling of the clothes that were donated

We originally thought we could just rent a u haul and do it ourselves, but in the end dealing with heavy furniture up and down the tight stairwell at our apartment building wasn't gonna work for me.  The movers worked hard, took 3.5 hours (which included the drive from our apartment to our new storage shed) and were very much worth it.  I'm glad we opted for the 10x25 shed because we never would have fit everything into the smaller one we originally planned to get.

Settling in is taking a little getting used to, going from a 2 bedroom apartment to one bedroom and a gameroom loft, but we'll be able to handle it and are so thankful that my parents are giving us this chance to save on rent.  We still have to go back and clean out the old apartment (so not looking forward to that!) and then turn in the keys before the 2nd.

And now for a little more catch up with WEverb11:

#17 Discover - What did you discover (big or small) in 2011?
I'm still learning, but I am discovering a love for photography.  It's nothing that I would really dive into, but for capturing our vacations, craft projects and food recipes...that's right up my ally.


#18 Teach - What lesson or advice were you able to pass on to others this year?
The only memorable lesson that comes to mind would be wedding advice for my friend who was married in August.  It was such a blast to have someone close to me that was also planning a wedding, and to be able to share some of the advice that I picked up from our day.  Although the tip of not leaving the wedding license behind didn't quite stick.  Too funny that we both left it behind and had to have someone go and pick it up!

#19 Laugh - Tell us about your biggest belly laugh in 2011
I may be a little behind the ball, but I've laughed out loud reading Damn You Auto Correct.

#20 Plug In/Unplug - How has technology affected your life (positively or negatively) in 2011? Do you want this to continue for 2012?
It's probably sad, but I am pretty much plugged in everyday either by laptop, iPhone, work laptop or crackberry.  I enjoy taking vacations, especially out of the country, which will somewhat force me to unplug and enjoy time away from technology.  I'll be shutting off technology when we go on our cruise in April and I can't wait!

#21 Ripple - The butterfly effect posits that a small change can ripple across whole ecosystems. Who do you credit for the small action that made all the difference in your life this year?
Getting married is no small action, but that made the biggest difference in my life this year.  I am now constantly thinking about what is best for us and not just for myself.

WEverb11 Weekly Wrap-up

This week has been pretty hectic packing everything up and moving so here's a quick rundown of the WEverb prompts from this week.

#12 Thrive - What was your healthiest habit of 2011? What would you like to change or do differently in 2012?
The healthiest habit of 2011 would probably be focusing more on savings.  We saved so much for our wedding which meant sacrificing in some other areas (like going out all the time), but it was so rewarding to know that if we make a financial goal, we can do it.  I would really love to get back into healthy eating and working out habits in 2012.  Its something that happens every new year, but this year my mom and I are determined to motivate each other to get out there and get healthy.

#13 Read - What article or book changed your outlook on an issue or life?
Joining a book club and getting that kindle provided some great reading material this year.  The book that had me thinking about the way others live and made me rethinking some of my "first world" problems was Same Kind of Different As Me.


#14 Breath - How did you make space + peace for yourself in 2011? I'm going to combine this one with #16 Persevere - Describe something that disappointed you in 2011 and how you persevered.
The actions of some people in relation to our wedding really disappointed me.  It hurt me to see what a toll it took on my husband. At one point we decided to just step back and I think it has really helped with some of the stress and anger we were feeling.  Hopefully things will change in the future, but for now we're focused on putting our family first.

#15 Surprise - What event of 2011 affected you in an unexpected way? 
I can't think of an event that affected me in an unexpected way.  Most of the events of 2011 were planned in advance (25 month engagement), so I don't really have anything for this prompt.

This month I'm participating in WEverb11, you can find out more info here. Thanks to Kim for setting it up!