Entertainment Center Part 1

So I had previously decided to wait until we were completely done with building our entertainment center before I blogged about it, but I can’t resist showing you (especially our parents) what we have done thus far.

Monday July 25th-

We went to Home Depot and bought all of the wood… we have probably been back to Home Depot/Lowes 6 or 7 times to return things and buy more supplies.

I (Stephanie) spent a few hours marking all of the wood to prepare it to be cut. I don’t know the exact number, but I would guess that there were a total of 100 pieces of wood that needed to be measured out. I had no idea that it would be so time consuming, but making sure the corners were square and then double checking the measurement sure did take a LONG time!

Tuesday July 26th-

We don’t own a circular saw so we rented one from Home Depot. We only had four hours to do it, so Matt had to work fast. It was a good thing that we measured everything out the previous day because we returned the circular saw with only 20 minutes left!

Wednesday July 27th -

Matt woke up early to start the assembly, but we immediately realized that the first few pieces we cut needed to be cut 1/4 inch smaller. (Matt insists that the directions are wrong- they do give us two conflicting measurements). We debated on renting the saw again, but we didn’t want to pay for it again (in order to stay on budget), so we just decided to put the project on hold until we could ask everyone we knew if they had a saw we could borrow. That night I went to mutual and asked my bishop (who also happens to be our home teacher) if he had a saw and he did!

Thursday July 28th-

We picked up the saw from Bishop’s house and Matt got to work! I thought I was going to be doing everything for this project (since it was my idea and I was the leading force behind it) but Matt REALLY enjoys doing it so he has been in complete control of the project since this point. He put together the middle bottom portion of the entertainment center minus the doors. (The entertainment center has 6 parts- 3 on top and 3 on bottom- Matt start with the middle bottom portion because that is the portion that the TV will be sitting on and that is the most complex part). He had difficulty fitting the door in so he decided to stop and finish the doors the next day.

Friday July 29th-

Matt finished the doors in the middle bottom portion and also put together the left and right bottom portions. Matt and James then sanded the bottom middle portion and called it a day.

We are hoping to finish the construction of it tomorrow (the 3 portions that still need to be done are the easiest portions). After the construction we need to sand, prime, paint and MAYBE distress the furniture. We still have a ways to go, but the progress is on track and looking great! I am so happy with how it is turning out and here are a few pictures of what we have so far!

This is the middle bottom portion (the part that the TV sits on):

I haven’t taken a “finished” picture of the left bottom and right bottom portion, but here are some pictures of them during the construction stage:

Here are some pictures of Matt and James sanding the middle bottom portion (James is using it while it was on and did a GREAT job!) :

We still have a lot to do (even on these pieces) but I am so thrilled about how it is turning out!!

Portland Preview

Our weather has been SO random this past week- even the meteorologists think so! It will be really hot with clear skies and then 30 minutes later it will be rainy and really cloudy. Today was no different, but I was able to catch James on film. He loves playing in the rain, which is a good thing since that is what Portland is all about (or so I hear). We will eventually have to find James a raincoat, but for now, he just uses his outer shell of his winter jacket. Oh I love our little boy!

Notice in the picture below how SOAKED his pants are… they are typically a light khaki color :)

It is hard to tell in the picture, the the rain was pouring off of the roof in this spot specifically. He loved putting his hands and head in the stream of water:

What we’ve been doing….

As most know, we will be moving to Portland at the beginning of August for dental school. With no furniture, we have been busy finding furniture and getting ready to move/prepare for a baby girl. We have found some great deals on furniture and with a little TLC from us (mostly Matt), we love what we have! Here is a little of what we have been working on:

A side table:

I really wanted a side table to have in our living room. I came across this little gem (see below):

But the color theme of our future living room will be gray (the walls), white (the furniture) and yellow (pops of color throughout). This definitely didn’t go with our color scheme…. so after priming, several coats of painting, and a few coats of polycrylic, here is our new side table:

 

Our Kitchen Table:

When we picked up James’ big boy bed, the same person offered to give us their dinner table along with chairs for $20 total. We thought it was a steal, and since we didn’t have either, we accepted. The table was black, and even though we liked the thought of a black table, this table was in ROUGH condition- lots of chipped paint, dinged up wood and not too sturdy. I forgot to get a before shot, but this is the first picture that I have of it:

It took Matt a while to sand down all of the coats of paint that had been applied, but after he sanded, primed, painted, sealed, and fixed any rickety parts, it is now wonderful!! Here is the after:

Did I mention that this table converts into a larger table? Well it does :)

While Matt’s been outside working on our furniture (I have helped with coats of paint here and there, but Matt really enjoys working on the furniture), I have been inside with the sewing machine and James. Between caring for James, I have been able to finish these little projects:

Decorative Pillows:

I made some slipcovers for 4 pillows that will match our future color scheme (remember gray, white and yellow). Well here they are:

Car seat cover:

One thing that I really wanted when James was a baby was a car seat cover, so I figured I would just make one. Car seat covers keep the baby protected from the elements- wind, rain, etc., the sun from directly hitting them while in the car, and to keep out the light and some noise while the baby is sleeping(why I wanted one). Most car seat covers that I have seen don’t have a peek-a-boo pouch that the mom can look in without opening the entire thing, and this is something I most definitely wanted. So, here is the final product:

We still have lots to do: refinish the dining room chairs, make an entertainment center (HUGE project), make a nursing cover, and refinish our two dressers. We still have lots to do, but are confident and excited that we can get them done!

Polynesian Cultural Center

We were very grateful for the opportunity to go the the PPC- for those that don’t know it is a tourist place that the church owns where you learn more about different Polynesian cultures. It has the layout and size of a theme park, but it feels more intimate and unique. Matt and I were able to go to a luau and that was amazing! Here are some pictures of what you can see if you go!

Sand, sand, and more sand!

James loved Hawaii, but his favorite thing was the beach, more specifically- the SAND! He loved digging, eating, and pouring sand on people! Here are pictures of him doing what he loved most!

This is James’ first experience with sand the first day that we got there. He was a little hesitant about how it felt, but it was hard to get him out soon after! :

Throughout the week:

Our Little Hawaiian Model

I love looking at pictures of James, and like all parents, I think he is so adorable! Here are some pictures (taken in Hawaii) of James being goofy, cute, or adorable:

(He is showing us his blue popcorn) :

James loves to play hide and seek:

More Hawaiian Adventures

We did so much in Hawaii- this vacation was the perfect mixture of relaxation and sightseeing. One of the places (a couple of times) was the North Shore. That is the beach that is renown for the awesome waves. We went there once to go surfing/play on the beach and another time to check out these turtles. They were HUGE!!! :

We also went to the Dole Factory where we were able to see pineapple plants and fish:

North Shore fun:

 

Snorkeling and playing at the beach near our condo (from left to right: Grandma Mauger, Ashley, Kristin, Amber, Matt):

 

Pearl Harbor: