New Year New Happenings

It has been a while since I last did a blog post but I plan on doing better this coming year with monthly or bi-monthly updates!! I wrote this when we got back to El Paso after Christmas but I forgot to post it but here you go! 

This holiday season was quite different for both Eric and me. We had Thanksgiving plans to visit my cousins in Dallas and had a great weekend planned, but we found out last minute that travel paperwork was not properly filed and so technically we didn’t have permission to leave town.  So in one day I set up and created a Thanksgiving meal for Eric, our friend Bob, and myself! It ended up being a great day with great food, football, and the most wonderful holiday movie, Christmas Vacation!!

Our Christmas plans did not work out exactly like we hoped either. We had planned to head to Denver for a friend’s wedding then home to Alabama for a couple of weeks. Well Eric’s leave started later than we thought so making the wedding was out, so we decided to drive, YES DRIVE, across Texas to Alabama! It was a 1500 mile drive from El Paso to Bama. 850 of it was in Texas. WOW!  We thought that state was never going to end! Once we were home we were very excited to see all/most of our family and friends! Also once we were home we were able to pick up a new addition to the Norwood family - Stone.  Stone is a male Boxer which we have named Capstone Button Norwood. The name Capstone after the University of Alabama and the name Button after Benjamin Button - when he was the little old wrinkly man-baby. He is absolutely precious and couldn’t be more snuggly! Ella loved him at first, but after the first night she didn’t understand why he was staying, especially why he was sleeping in her old kennel! Ha! After a few rebellious days, she warmed up to him, and they now love to play together and sometimes nap together! I was dreading the two day trip back to Texas, knowing we would have to stop every couple of hours, and I didn’t know if he would start getting upset being in his kennel that long. To my surprise the trip back across the Southeastern US was easy breezy! Stone and Ella slept most of the time or entertained themselves.   Thank goodness!! Let’s just hope next years’ trip is just as easy with a 60-70 pound dog. 

Now that it is January, oh wait February, and we are settled back in Texas, we have just moved once again.  This move was much easier since we only moved across town and most boxes were still packed from when we arrive here in October. We are very excited to have received a house on Fort Bliss and cannot wait to have visitors come and actually have a room for them!  We hope to see many of y’all over the next few years here in El Paso!! There is a lot to do indoors and outdoors here!

Eric officially has a title at work after a couple of months of in-processing and field time. Eric is now the FDO (Fire Direction Officer) of Alpha Battery 4-27 FA! In garrison, he has many different things he does. Out in the field he has more specific fire direction duties.  In not too many Army terms, he basically makes sure all of the howitzers in his platoon fire safely into the safety boundaries he creates.  

C.Dot Designs is taking off and I am super excited for what I already have booked for this year! If you would like any type of custom invitations, cards, calligraphy, hand-lettering please contact me about anything you would like! You can find me on Facebook  and Etsy  ! 

Furniture Distressing

Distressing Real Wood Furniture

**Disclaimer** This is not going to be one of those blog how to's that goes into a personal story for every step... just as simple as can be =)

    I recently refinished our living room coffee table and end tables and had a few friends and family members ask how did you do that?! Well, first I have spent the last few months looking through Pinterest blog posts for the easiest, cheap way to do it. I did not find one blog that I liked so I took a gamble and combined a few and got this! 

I purchased everything I needed from Lowes:: $46.76 

and remember 10% military discount

Paint Brush 2"(for painting wood)...$7.98

Paint Brush Short Stiff Bristle (for applying stain at end)... $1.15

Foam Brush (for applying stain to top)... $2.44

Dark Wood Stain... Minwax Polyshades Half Pint... $7.97 

Indoor Paint...Valspar Signature 1-Quart Satin Paint + Primer... $15.28

                      ... color Malted Milk 

Sand Paper (220 and 60 grain)... $5.97 each 

Hand Sander... $5.97

I had these items around the house::

Old rag (used at end for sixth step)

Old sheets (for protection, you’re welcome mom!)

Hammer  

First::  I beat up the edges and legs with a hammer just sporadically no certain way.

Second::  I had Eric, my husband, sand the entire top portion which I wanted to just be stained not painted.

Third:: I took off the shelf and painted it and the remainder of the table a cream color.

Fourth:: Eric applied 2-3 coats of stain to the top of the tables. We let it all dry over night

Fifth:: I hand sanded (not with the tool) all the corners and sides of the table to my liking.

Sixth:: This is the somewhat difficult part. For this step I used the same stain from before, a stiff bristel brush, cloth, and damp paper towel. I lightly dip the brush into the stain, dabbed on to the cloth until there was hardly any showing, then lightly coated the sides and edges to make where I sanded pop.  Use the damp paper towel to smooth out where you applied too much stain or edges are not smooth.

Last:: Wait until it is not tacky anymore and you are finished!!  It was that easy peasy!!   

  Hope this helps you out and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask! If you arein the El Paso area and would like me to redo some of your furniture or back home in Alabama ..it will have to wait until Christmas time....I would love to! Just contact me and ask!