DIY suitcase endtable

After my Grandpa passed away, my parents were going through my grandparent's house in California and sent us some pictures of his things to see if there was anything we wanted.  Right away I claimed his old suitcase.  I knew I could do something cool with it, and loved the idea of having something of his too. He probably would've thought it was silly to paint a perfectly good suitcase and use it for something else, but I know he'd like that it was being used and loved!  

I don't have many pictures of the process as there wasn't much to it.  I used a can of paint we already had that was white paint and primer.  I had to do two coats and it was a little tricky because it was hard to paint all the parts of it and had to be done in a few shifts.  But overall it wasn't too bad.  I painted two coats of of the primer and then two coats of the paint itself.   I bought paint at Hobby Lobby and it was American Decor Chalky Finish.  

 At first I had planned on buying legs for the endtable and screwing them into the bottom.  I looked at Home Depot at wooden legs and they were $8 per leg and I'd still have to paint them and figure out how to attach them.  I decided to buy a luggage rack at Bed Bath and Beyond and just set it on there. It cost $20 and worked perfectly.

(prints in the frame above from Emma Joy Designs)

It's in our guest room/my craft room and I love it.  I love the reminder of my Grandpa and love how it looks in the room!

IF

The last two days I attended a local IF Gathering conference and to put it simply, it was just so good.  It was good for me to have hours away from home and by myself.  It was good to spend time worshipping God and remembering how faithful and big He is.  It was good to listen to women share their hearts, encourage each other and worship together.  It was good for Chris and Addilyn to spend so much time alone together.  
It's been a really long time since I've felt a renewed passion and desire to pursue God deeper.  It's easy for me to find excuses to not attend things like this, and hard for me to feel motivated to go, but I am beyond thankful that I did.  Friday night during some prayer time at the conference I was praying that God would speak to me and was also praying at that moment that Addilyn would go to bed easily for Chris, as I tend to get anxious around that time of the night when I'm not home.  Right at the moment a friend, who did not know where I was or what this weekend looked liked for me, texted me that God put on her heart to pray for me right then.  Isn't God amazing?  
Ending something like this is hard because I have a million thoughts in my mind.  There were so many talks and stories that have me processing through everything.  I have a notebook filled with thoughts, verses and ways God may be trying to work in me and I don't know what to do with all of them.  
Sometimes it feels so overwhelming and I think easy to compartmentalize this weekend and not spend time really thinking about all the things God can teach me through it.  I'm thankful for this blog, as a place to write things out, a motivation to share what God's teaching me and encouragement in finding others who feel the same way.  I'm excited to look over my notes and even listen to some of the talks again.  
At the end of the conference you were given a rock and were asked to write on it your next step in being obedient to what God wants you to do.  The place that God may be calling you to go and that despite fears you were saying yes to it.  To be honest I feel a little lost in that at first.  I don't feel like I have this specific calling like my friend who is called to be a foster mom or another woman there who is an advocate for anti human trafficking.  I kept thinking I needed something huge like a new ministry God was calling me to or a specific area in my life to work on.  
But I think God is simply calling me to pursue Him deeper.  To stop asking for wisdom and growth, but then not spending time reading His word and in prayer.  To rearrange some of my priorities. To long for closeness and deepness and to go after it so that I can really know God.  
I want to look back at the weekend and think that was a turning point in my faith.  I want what I wrote on my rock to be the start of a deeper relationship with the Lord.  

It's safe to say . . .

dress:  c/o sheinside   boots: zulily   jacket: old navy  

that I wasted three minutes of my life attempting to take a picture of this outfit outside.  It snowed more than a foot last week and I look justifiably freezing in each one.  Here's the best there is.  

that I have no where in my house decent enough for pictures.  I lack any blank walls and can't ever seem to get a good picture.  I guess my tripod doesn't really cut it for fashion blogger status.  

that I don't need any other clothing items that are black and white stripes, yet I couldn't wait to get this dress. I love the leather pockets and that I can wear it with leggings now and will wear it in the summer with sandals.  Oh summer you feel so far away!

that since it's only $13 you should probably buy this dress too!

that I am so excited to attend a local IF gathering conference this weekend.  Hope you all have a great weekend!

DIY Towel Hooks

Our extra bathroom had been painted a maroon color with a mix matched shower curtain for years.  I never loved it after I painted it but felt like it was too hard to fix.  After reading The Nesting Place I was reminded how much paint can change a room for not too much money or time.  Bathrooms are a pain to paint but totally worth it.  I love the color and it feels brighter and bigger.  I have a few other things I need to add and will share the rest! 

Like most things, I found this idea on Pinterest, so I can't claim it but figured it's always nice to hear that a project really is cheap and easy!  I bought the wooden boards at Hobby Lobby for $1.50 each.  I already had acrylic paint, painters tape and brushes, so I only had to buy hooks which I got from Home Depot for $3 each.  Altogether this project cost under $13.  

I painted the boards white and once they dried, used painters tape to make stripes.  Then I painted the stripes grey.  

The towel hooks came with two screws each but they were too long, so we used some smaller ones that we had.  Chris drilled them in and then I just used command strips to hang them on the wall.  I love how it turned out!  Plus I painted stripes on the other wall so it matches perfectly!

Happy 1/2 birthday Addilyn!

On your first half birthday we celebrated by making donuts.  You watched and I ate them.  I'm pretty sure you enjoyed it a whole lot more this time around.  I think we'll keep this tradition every year!

At 18 months you are 21 pounds 4 ounces and 31 1/2 inches.  You're in the 30th percentile for weight and 75th for height.  You have the tiniest little legs.  Sometimes I watch you run around and still can't believe they hold your little body up.  I am not sure if you're legs have grown much since last winter because you can still fit into the same pants as you did when you were 7 months old.  Daddy and I both have short legs and longer torsos, so I'm pretty sure you've got that trait too!

Whenever you say please you say "please dada" as if it's one word.  I'm not sure if you've ever said please without the dada, which is weird considering I give you the majority of things, since we're together all the time.  But we can thank daddy for that one when he was teaching you please. 

You've started putting three and four words together often.  The other day I turned around and you had climbed up on the counter and I just looked at you and you said "Get down Addi!" You like to boss Molly around and yell at her to "Lay down Mol, speak! No Molly No!"  You also walk around house saying who's things are whose.  "Mama's chapstick.  Daddy's deodorant."  
Speaking of deodorant, you're obsessed with personal hygiene.  You'll carry deodorant around all the time, and love chapstick, toothbrushes and toothpaste.  
You love having your cousins close by and say their names all the time.  You also call Uncle Jim, Jimmy and love singing "night, night Jimmy" over and over when I put you to bed.  
When you were sick the other week you laid on my lap and watched tv and movies, which you never sat still for long before.  We watched the Let it Go song from Frozen over and over.  You now will sing Let it Go all the time and it's pretty adorable.  
You still love playing in the bath, love playing in the water in the kitchen sink, going down the slide in the basement, climbing on everything in site and running and jumping everywhere.  
You're silly, wild, talkative, shy, sweet and the cutest little girl in the world!  We love you so much Addilyn Jane and you just keep getting more and more fun and we love being your parents!
Love, 
Mommy and daddy