Old Crow Show + August update

In no particular order of importance, here is what has been happening lately around here:

1.  Last weekend we went to see the Old Crow Medicine Show + The Lumineers.  I am now contemplating quitting my job(s) and spending my time following around them on tour.

2.  Lucy was bit on the face by a copperhead snake a few nights ago.  Fortunately she has recovered just fine.  I played dog nurse for a couple days and as it turns out had all the tools at home required to help her make a complete recovery.  Poor little lady..

3.  Erik bought a new (used) car.  We will be flying up to NY in November to pick it up.  It is a Volvo wagon.  Large backseat for kiddo's and a trunk large enough for Lucy to have a dog party in the back.  Yay family car!

4.  Things are moving right along with the new house purchase.  The inspection showed a few issues but fortunately the sellers have agreed to fix the big ticket items.  Once the loan business gets finalized we can be 100% certain it will be ours.  I am already going into "decorator mode," furiously pinning ideas to my pinterest boards.

5.  I have had a wicked cold this week.  If this post makes no sense whatsoever, I blame it on the cold medicine that has me completely spaced out!

Here is a look at the happenings, mostly courtesy of Erik's iPhone:

Erik & I at OCMS

OCMS.  Mason jar chandeliers above the stage.  Yes please.

Love the perspective and composition of this one.  Looks like we were pretty far back, but in reality we had one of the best views in the whole place standing on a raised stair in front of the sound booth. 

Stage in the background...

OCMS @ Cary Koka Booth Amphitheater.  Wearing my $1 dress....

... and thrifted boots.

Lucy's swollen left cheek.  Me in the background furiously researching copperhead snake bites on my laptop...

 That's all for now folks!

love one another

This weekend I finally got around to finishing a project I started over a month ago.  I have been eying wall art on pinterest made from pallets (heck I even have a board devoted to it) and finally gathered up the necessary supplies to create my own.  Here is a brief overview on how I did it:

"love one another" pallet art

Inspired by pallet art seen here

I started with a piece of a pallet that I found at the school near our house where I often take Lucy for walks.  It was sitting just to the side of the dumpster with some broken chairs and other irreparable furniture, just waiting for me to take it home.

Using our power sander, I smoothed out the surfaces and sides of the boards.  

It was surprisingly easy to pry the boards apart, but I was left with rusty nails sticking out the sides.

 

 After hammering out the nails, I was left with four pretty, sanded planks of wood.

Unfortunately this is where I stopped taking pictures of the process.  I let the wood sit on the back deck for several weeks before I was able to get around to finishing the project.  The next step was to hand sand the edges of all the boards.  I then put on a coat of danish oil, which stains and lightly seals the wood.  After that dried, I used a length of 1"x2" board that I had cut to size, and put the pallet boards back together.  It is much lighter and smaller than the original boards.  I put it together with dark color screws, using the same nail holes as before.  After it was all assembled, I used a 3" letter stencil and yellow craft paint to add the words.

The bunting was made with scrapbook paper, twine, and clothespins that I made smaller by cutting off the ends and sanding smooth.

I am so in love with how it turned out, and the message puts a smile on my face every time I read it.  We really have no place to hang it up in our current house, but I think it will look lovely on the fireplace mantle in the new house!

The Bee's Mobile

After two failed attempts to write my own crochet pattern, I have finally succeeded on my third try.  My first two attempts were a crocheted monster that ended up looking more like a fat cat, and arm warmers that I just can't seem to finish...  This time, I decided to create my own baby mobile after not finding exactly what I wanted to make online.  It turned out so cute I decided to publish the pattern and sell it on etsy!  I am very excited about this, and have plans to make several more mobile patterns.  The one I just finished is a Bee Mobile, with four happy bees flying around a sweet red strawberry.  I currently have it hanging above my laptop in the living room so I can enjoy it every day  : )

If you would like to purchase this pattern to make for yourself, please visit my etsy store:

"the birds & the B's" by Kendra Kat on etsy

Direct link to "The Bee's Mobile" Pattern here:

In other exciting news, the offer we put in on that house a couple weeks ago was accepted!!  We are still in shock and so excited thinking that we could be living in that awesome house in just a few months time.  The sale is of course, is pending the home inspection which will take place this week.  If all goes well, we will be closing next month, the day after my 30th birthday!  Fingers crossed that the inspection goes well.  It is an older home so we expect them to find a few things that need repair, but hopefully the list is short and the repairs are easy...  Hopefully I will be bringing more good news in my next post!