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 :)

Get to Know Me

Since I am new to blogging & because this is my very first post (yay!!) I thought it would be fun to do a "21 Questions" tag so that you can get to know me a little better. I always enjoy reading these kinds of posts on other blogs, so I decided I would give it a try...here we go! 

1: What is your middle name? Gabrielle

2: Were you named after anyone? Yes, Margaux Hemingway.  She was a supermodel in the 70s & was the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway.  

3: What was your favorite subject in school? Creative Writing & History.  I've always had a passion for writing & a huge interest in my ancestral genealogy.

4: Favorite color? I love ALL colors! But my absolute favorite would probably be teal.

5: How many siblings do you have? 2; I have an older brother & a younger sister...middle child over here!

6: Where is your favorite place to shop? Nordstrom & Sephora

7: Favorite movie? This is a hard one...I love so many movies! But my all time favorite would probably have to be Bridget Jones' Diary (anyone else super excited for the third movie to come out?!) But I think my favorite genre is classics/musicals!

8: Favorite TV show? I am a reality TV junkie! But I also love The Vampire Diaries.

9: How tall are you? 5'4"

10: What is your least favorite thing about yourself? Personality wise, my shyness when meeting new people. Physically...I have a black mark/scar on my nose from a nose piercing I had many years ago that absolutely drives me crazy!

11: What is your favorite time of the year? I love the changing of the seasons, my most favorites are the beginning of fall & the beginning of spring. My favorite holiday is Christmas.

12: What is your favorite sport to watch? Football....GO SEAHAWKS! :)

13: What is your hair color? Darkish blonde. I haven't colored my hair in over a year & I am loving having a more natural color!

14: What is your eye color? Blue

15: Do you prefer scary movies or happy endings? Both! I love a good scary movie every once in awhile, but I'm also a sucker for a good romantic comedy!

16: What is the furthest you have been away from home in 2016? San Antonio, TX

17: Where were you born? White Salmon, WA

18: Have you ever been to a different country? Yes, I've been to Canada, Mexico, Austria, Hungary & the Czech Republic. I went to Europe the summer after I graduated from high school & it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. Maybe a blog post about that will be written in the future? :)

19: How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 26! That feels so old. My birthday is August 22nd!

20: Do you wear contacts or glasses? Neither, but I probably need glasses! 

21: What is your favorite pizza topping? Pizza is one of my top 3 favorite foods! My perfect pizza has fresh mozzarella & basil, black olives, mushrooms, spinach & grilled chicken.

Well that's that! I hope you enjoyed reading these little tidbits about me & that it gave you a little insight into who I am :) I'm excited to share more with you as I continue on this blogging journey!