Proposal Anniversary

J proposed to me this day, two years ago. It was exactly one day before the one year anniversary of us meeting each other. We were actually engaged for longer than we dated. While I don't have any pictures of us from that day, I thought I would share one from a few weeks earlier. Love him!

New Favorite Blog

Melinda introduced me to my new favorite blog Young House Love. If you are unfamiliar, it is written by an extremely cheery and positive couple as they renovate their home. The style is not always what I would choose, but their upbeat attitudes and fearless approach to projects is truly inspiring. I hope you can get inspired, too!

Birthday Party!

Today is my niece's 10th birthday. She is the youngest of the family's three babies born in the same year - I can't believe how old they are! Usually she has a pineapple upside down cake for her birthday party, but this year she chose a wet cake from our local Cuban bakery. Delicious!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

This will be the last kid birthday of the year until December 27, when my nephew turns 11 (the oldest of the three mentioned above).

Nancy Drew

I love Nancy Drew. When I was young, I obsessively read those yellow hardback mysteries. The only way I could stay entertained in antique and thrift stores was by pouring through the book section looking for a Nancy Drew that I didn't already own. Good times.

I have a confession to make. I play Nancy Drew computer games with my sister. We are both in our 20s. We have no shame, though, because now we are living out our childhood sleuthing dreams. You should definitely check out these games if you are looking for a young mystery lover; it is perfect for preteens, but is great for girls of all ages :)

Adventures at Habitat for Humanity

Mom and I went to our local Habitat for Humanity store and found some great furniture. If you don't mind sifting through some rather.. interesting stuff and you love a good project then Habitat may be just what you are looking for. Mom talked them down in price on a few items. She said to always check the price tag because it has the date; if an item has been out for a while, it is usually easier to get a better price. Check out some of our purchases!

Super cute chair for a little girl, $10

needs cleaning and spray paint, but is sturdy and has new fabric

Small bench, $15

Cushion needs to be redone, wood is in good condition and well built

Really long and low wooden bench, $15

Great shape, well made - Mom bought it before it had been tagged 

Two chairs, $20 each

Mom plans on painting the wood and recovering the cushions

Wooden magazine and book holder, $10

Good condition, Mom will probably repaint

1950s plant holder, $10

I bought this for something other than plants (maybe candles?) - it was just too cool to pass up! I will definitely be repainting it. It is put together with wooden screws and comes entirely apart.

My new dresser(?), $60

It is 6 ft long and a ton of fun. The veneer is cracked off, as you can see in the pictures below, so Mom talked them down from $75. I may put it in my future family room, or maybe the dining room as a sideboard. Of course, the first step is to acquire those rooms. 

Three drawers are behind the rolling slide piece on the left

The missing veneer can be repaired. I did not notice the missing veneer immediately, but if I do decide to have it repaired I know a man who can get a piece of veneer, stain it to match, and then place it on the furniture surface. I will keep you updated on my decision! Have you found anything cool at Habitat or someplace similar?