Shelving Project

Over the past week, Sean & I have been working on a project that I have been wanting to do for awhile now -- some shelves!  When we moved into our house, I really wanted some sort of open shelving in the kitchen.  Since tearing out our cabinets & replacing them with shelves was out of the question, I thought that making some & placing them next to the kitchen would be a nice alternative.  This ended up working out great because it offers a nice way for me to display my books & some plants.  Here is how we made it!

We bought one piece of wood (sized to our preference) & some Minwax wood stain in the color dark walnut.  The first step was to stain the wood!  We let the board dry for about 24 hours.  Once it was dry, we measured the wall where we wanted to hang the shelves so we could cut the board accordingly.  

Once the boards were cut (& after some more staining) it was time to drill the holes.  This was my first time ever using a saw & a drill with that weird bit thing to make the holes.  I was intimidated at first to use the power tools, but I am glad that I'm learning!  Hopefully that means I will be able to make more projects like this in the future :)

Next, rope was used to connect the shelves, hooks were screwed into the wall & then...

...we had the finised product!  I'm so happy with it & think it turned out pretty great!  What do you think?  XOXO

September Recap

I can't believe that tomorrow is October 1st & that September is already over!  I must say, this month has flown by.  September is one of my favorite months.  It's the month that my husband & I started dating & also the month that we got married! Different years though, of course ;) I love the beginning of fall; the air gets a little crisper, the leaves begin to change colors & everything smells & feels so much better to me.  It's so refreshing, especially after a hot summer.

This month has been a busy one.  Obviously, I've been lacking in blog posts...but at least I'm getting one done before the official end of the month, right? ;) We attended two weddings, celebrated our five year wedding anniversary, took a few day trips, celebrated my brothers birthday, worked some more on our house (never ending project, I tell ya) & we were even able to take a few days to go visit Sean's sister in Spokane.

Last year for our anniversary, we bought a nice camera so that we could take up photography as a hobby & as a couple.  We have had so much fun learning together & this month we have really been getting some good use out of it!  Most of the time this entails getting up super early so that we can catch the sunrise for good lighting.  I am definitely not a morning person, but I have really enjoyed these early mornings with Sean.  It gets us outside & spending time with each other, which has been wonderful!  Here are some of the pictures that Sean has taken this month, with the exception of the one of him...I took that! :)

Doesn't he do a great job?!  I am continually amazed at how good of a photographer he is becoming, I can't wait to see how his pictures turn out as he continues this passion.  I am looking forward to learning more about it, too!

To officially say goodbye to summer, we lit our fire pit last night.  It was a perfect way to wrap up one season & move on to another.  I'm now ready to wholeheartedly welcome fall!  Bring on all of the pumpkin scented candles, haunted corn mazes, fall decorating, kettle corn & salted caramel mochas.  September may be one of my favorite months, but October is my favorite color :)

We're Homeowners!!

My husband & I have been waiting to buy a home for what seems like forever. We started seriously looking at houses about a year & a half ago. After seeing countless properties in four different cities, we have finally committed! Not only did we buy a house, we bought TWO!

That's right, we bought a duplex! We will be new homeowners as well as landlords...yikes! Just kidding about the yikes. ;)

Initially, I was not interested AT ALL in buying a duplex. I wanted a single family home. After living in a condo for the last two years, I was adamant about not sharing any walls. Well, I guess I wasn't that adamant because I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. My husband & I both did! After thinking about all of the space we would have, plus the appeal of having a little rental income, we decided it would be a great investment & serve us well as our very first home! We are so very excited! House tour & inspiration posts will be shared soon. :)