And these mid-century modern chairs from the 50's off of craigslist (set of 6):
And THEN for MONTHS I slaved away at these chairs. I took off the seats
and recovered them, I stripped the finish off of the chairs, sanded
them down BY HAND, then painted and sanded and painted and sanded and
painted and sanded again! Then of course I had to put the seats back on. If I
had known what I was getting myself into, I would have just thrown some
cash at new chairs! But there is some satisfaction in knowing that my
"new" chairs are a piece of work by my own hand.
The chairs...made-over:
And...(drum roll please)...THE FINAL PRODUCT!
Here's how sick I am: I'm already thinking about recovering these chairs seats with a different fabric...one that is darker, won't show food stains, and will tie the table to the chairs a little better. But for now, I'M DONE.
Warning: this post may contain some bragging and gloating.
Chunky Charlie:
Our fat and happy little chunko is still fat and happy, but now add a large dose of SASSITUDE, and that's what you'll get from her at this ten month stage. She's crawling, communicating (and quite effectively for a babbler), and putting EVERYTHING in her mouth. A great majority of the day I see her gumming something, usually something very small from the floor (yuck)! I'm head over heels in love with this little girl. She brings so much bright energy to my life.
Mindful Max:
A few weeks ago, Max exclaimed to his uncle Elliott "I feel like a real boy today!" Yes, Max loves to watch Pinnochio, but it makes me think that he is a boy now, and not my baby anymore. As he grows up, I notice the little things that are truly and consistently Max, those traits that are a part of his personality, and not a passing stage or phase in his life.
He is observant and aware: he would rather sit back and watch others than jump right in and participate, and he is taking in everything that he observes. He is careful and is a perfectionist: this means that he is almost never dirty, injured, and all of his toys are in working order! He is gentle: I have never seen him hit or be aggressive towards anyone including Charlie. He understands hurt, and never wants to make another child sad. He is also full of hugs and squeezes these days. Max is smart and loves books: we could read books for hours. I let him turn the pages because he usually likes to stay on the page after I've finished reading it to take in every detail of the illustration.
For activities these days, Max keeps very busy playing games on my tablet. He knows how to navigate it better than I do! He LOVES to take walks and eat food. He really enjoys preschool and primary. And his favorite place to be is anywhere with Nana and Papa or Grandma and Grandpa. He is such a good boy, the love of my life, and he teaches me something every day.
Jack-of-all-trades Jonny:
On almost every given day of the week, Jonny gets a phone call from someone asking for medical, dental, or computer/technology advice. The guy seems to know a little bit about a lot of things (or rather, a lot about some important things that most people know little about). Ok, ok, most of those phone calls come from me.
What actually keeps him busy right now though is applying for residencies in maxillofacial surgery. He has been traveling a lot, interviewing and rotating at different programs. The rotations are weeks long and require that he be "on his game" the entire time because in a way he is being tested to see if he is a good fit for the program. It's been a stressful few months...hell, it's been a stressful seven years for the both of us! He is such a hard worker though, and the smartest guy I know! I'm so proud of him.
Manic Mom:
Yep, that's me. I feel like a single mom most of these days with Jonny so busy and gone. Not only do I feel like I'm running the show at home, but I've taken on a lot of "extras" like refinishing an entire set of dining chairs for my first refinishing project. Nightmare!
Anyway, you all get to hear enough about my life, so I'm not going to make this LONG blog post any longer. That's the latest news from the Brennan family!
In short, I took on WAY too much this October. I made costumes for Max, Charlie, and me, had a bunch of friends over for a Halloween get together, made a few Halloween decorations, and even hosted my dad's haunted cave at our house this year! All I can say is PHEW! We had a lot of spooky fun, but this Halloween-obsessed mom is taking it easy come next year.
I recently found a new inspiration for sewing. That inspiration is...CHARLIE. Having a girl is more fun than I imagined. I've been busy making clothes and headbands galore (yes, Charlie has a headband to match every outfit and every occasion). Don't worry, my husband reminds me daily how ridiculous I am with a baby girl.
I have been looking forward to this day since I first heard about the public preschool program! As the bus approached our front door (YES! our front door!), I suddenly had mixed feelings about letting my little three-year-old venture off on his own. I was still excited to have several morning hours back to myself (well, mostly myself...I still have Charlie around but she's as easy going as can be). But for almost four years I have been with Max nearly every minute of every day. Even when he's being babysat by family or friends, I'm still very aware of the environment he is entering.
I found myself feeling a tad bit anxious. Thoughts started racing in my mind...What is his teacher going to be like? Will she be able to help Max learn and overcome some of his difficulties. Will the other kids be nice to him? Is he feeling afraid, excited, at ease, or anxious like me? I know I'm a control freak and that I just need to let go, but that's easier said than done for me!
I know that this experience will be great for Max, and great for me too. My sister-in-law, Brianne, said in one of her recent blog posts that being a good mom is sometimes knowing when you are just not enough (I'm not sure if that was a quote or her own words). I know that I'm a great mom, but I also know that Max needs other people, people with expertise, friends who can provide healthy social experiences, and he needs a place where he will be given attention when I am just plain worn out from being a mom and running a household day after day.
Well, enough about my feelings...how about some pictures to remember this day by!!!
This was Max's face just before stepping onto the bus. I can't tell you how long Max has been wanting to ride a school bus!
And we had to throw in a picture with fat Charlie! Sibling pictures are the best!
Last summer I was pregnant, so naturally I opted out of swimsuit shopping at that time. As a result, my wardrobe has been in serious need of a few updated "hot-weather" staples. I began my search online (please see previous post), ordering dozens of swimsuits, trying them on, and returning almost all of them...
See, the problem was just this. I would model my prospective suits for Jonny, hoping he would find my post-baby-number-two body sexy in anything, but found myself disappointed in Jonny's lack of enthusiasm for my choices. After a few try-on's, he finally hit me with the truth...
gravity had begun to work its sinister tricks on my upper half of my body and I had been in denial.
He informed me that I could no longer wear brands such as "Hurley" or "Lucky" and that I needed a - his words, not mine - "suit with an underwire support."
I may have called my husband insensitive and mean, but secretly realized that I was grateful for his honest opinion, though I never could tell him that to his face! Round two of swimsuit shopping commenced.
I found the following swimsuit, which is VERY flattering to my upper half, at least, I think it is...I'll let you be the judge when you next see me sporting this little retro thing from J. Crew.
THEN I found the following suit at Urban Outfitters...
Now I'm about 98% sure that Jonny will not approve of this suit due to what he would describe as its "strangeness" in nature (and because it provides very little "lift" if any in the boob department). But it's very ME and I love it! Actually, I'm sure he wouldn't mind it so much if I were sporting 5-inch heels like the girl in the picture, not to mention the "come here, you bad bad boy" look on the model's face. But we all know THAT'S not happening. Look for me wearing this edgy piece at the kiddy pool chasing a three-year-old around with a 6-month old on my hip!
I also found this very 70's looking romper at Urban that I died for. It's a little short, but I can probably only get away with a short romper for another couple of years. Then again, maybe I can't really pull it off anymore...well, deal with it!
One last mention: I found these shorts at 7 For All Mankind. So comfortable, so cute. It's worth the splurge if it's something I wear EVERYDAY in Arizona, literally.
There you have it...a detailed version of my summer shopping quests. WHEW! Now I'm off to the gym to get my pre-baby beach body back. Hey, a girl can dream, right?
This summer I searched high and low for the perfect sandal. I am obsessed with online shopping since it has become nearly impossible to do serious shopping while dragging two children through a store. I probably bought, tried on, and shipped back over two dozen shoes. I needed something versatile, fun, and most importantly, COMFORTABLE! Mission accomplished.
These shoes come in blue, orange, and black, and retail for $39 at Urban Outfitters. If you live near me, feel free to buy a pair, just not in blue because I'll be wearing my almost everyday this summer!
