It only took 6 years, but the particle board is gone!

When we bought our house from Brent's sister and her husband, they left behind the rather large entertainment armoire for our use.  While we appreciated the gesture (because we could not have afforded anything else at that time), it was a light-colored particle board wood finish that clashed with the darker paneling on the walls.  I have wanted something new, but it was pretty low on the list...

This year, we traded in our old TV (in which EVERYONE had a sunburn) for a flat screen.  Which meant the armoire part had to go.  Here is what we have been living with for several months with the top part removed...

Notice the lovely wires and cables, the removed doors, and the right-side door that just wouldn't stay closed...

Luckily, I found Ana White...  My latest project was her Workbench Console.  I've been wanting a console for my dining room for a long time.  I thought about it for a long time.  I debated building it for a long time.  Finally, I bought the lumber and started building! 

After I started laying out the lumber for the table top, I thought to myself... "Self, this looks a little bit large for your dining room..."  So, I took my handy-dandy measuring tape inside and measured my space.  (I know... that SO should have come first...)

So then I remembered!  I needed a media console to FINALLY replace our teeny-tiny, well worn base thingy.  I measured the space, and I decided that I still needed to make some adjustments to the size.  I shortened the overall length by 10 inches, and it fits perfectly!  Here are my not-so-perfect pics of the finished project:

 

Here are some closeups of the base.  I love these legs and the base shelf...  Ana did a fantastic job of designing something beautiful that even I could build.

Shower Cakes...

This baby shower cake was for a twin girls shower.  I found the tea set for two which seemed perfect for the twins.  The nursery theme was Noah's Ark, so I found some cute and very soft animal rattles.  Also included in the layers were burp rags, onesies, and socks that coordinated with the pink and purple ribbon. 

This cake is a towel cake that I made for a bridal shower.  The cake was used instead of a money tree.  I cut out flower shapes from coordinating paper that the guests signed and attached their monetary gift with a ribbon.  I decided on the colors once I found the floral ribbon. 

School Days, School Daze

Emma woke up on the morning of Meet the Teacher Night excited and ready. "Is it time to go to my school NOW?" she would ask. All day long this was her refrain. When we finally got dressed up and went, she got shy and cried a little. I think the excitement got to her. I gave her my camera and she took some pictures of her classroom. That made her feel MUCH better. Then "My-best-friend-Makenzie" got there. She was thrilled! They are in the same class!

All of this transition time worked wonders for the first day. She didn't even look back as she went to class. The next day, she didn't even want me to walk her to class.

Ben started 5th grade with his new boots and a closet full of Wranglers and John Deere t-shirts. He's excited to spend time with his friends and is getting excited about being closer to Jr. High.

We saw Biggio hit 3000

Wow, what a night! Ben's best friend, Trevor, and his mom took us to see the Astros for Ben's birthday. Little did any of us know that it would be a HISTORIC night! Craig Biggio hit his 3000th hit. We were on the third row behind the on-deck circle! Jennifer called out to Biggio, Carlos Lee, Berkman, and others. They heard her and most of them turned around and waved or at least smiled back. I don't think the boys understood what an important night it was for Astros fans and baseball history. Jennifer and I were amazed....

Homecoming Pep Rally 07

This was Em's first pep rally. I got her a cheerleading uniform because I knew she would love it! She did! I got to ride the bus with Kindergarten. I didn't get to sit in Em's seat and that made her cry. That was crazy! Here's Em and me during the pep rally. She finally smiled when I got to sit with her...