Baby Bird Update!

I know I promised some pictures of our baby birds! Sadly, the way the nest was built it was really hard to get any pictures while they were still wee baby birds, but here is a more recent picture! They are probably more like teenage birds now.


They are all peeking out of their nest. So cute! We think there are four baby birds. Here they are hanging out on our porch, probably getting ready for a flying lesson.


I love having baby animals around!

A new use for something old

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Gee, I wish I knew what to do with all these doilies!"

If so, you have come to the right place.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

I painstakingly attached this doily to the pillow using safety pins the sheer force of my will! For a project that took a total of 3 seconds, I'm really happy with the results! If you are inclined to make something like this more permanent, it would be super easy to run a few stitches around the edges as well.

Happy Friday, everyone! What are your plans for the weekend? I would love to hear about them!

A little story for you...

The other day, a man named Josh was calmly sitting on his couch and sipping a new "flavor" of beer. (I know, you're probably wincing that I just referred to beer as a flavor, but I really don't like the taste of it. To me, all beer tastes like dish soap).



Moving on...



So he was sitting there, calmly sipping away and probably reading something about gold prices in Turkey, when suddenly, he felt that he was being watched. He quickly glanced up. Across the room, his wife was eyeing him. Or was she eyeing his beer?




Unsure of how to react to the sudden, penetrating stare, he carefully set the beer down (on a coaster, of course) on the coffee table. Was she angry that yet again he had failed to replace the toilet paper roll when it was empty? Was she livid about the fact that he had actually worn socks with his flip flops the other day?



"Honey, is something wrong?" He asked, his voice faltering with trepidation. There was always an answer to that question.



Ok, now this is the real Mikalah here. Sorry for the soap-opera themed commentary above, but I thought it would make this post more interesting.

You see, I believe in finding potential in even the most mundane of items. Like beer bottles. So that's how these 3 pretty green glass bottles ended up on our windowsill. Oddly enough, it was also the same week that design*sponge did a feature on green glass. Ha!



So the nugget of wisdom here is... don't be afraid to "shop" out of your recycling bin. Or just straight out of your hubby's hands.

Side Table Remix

I found this cute little side-table at GW a while back for under 10 bucks.

I loved the clean lines and the way our magazine basket fits perfectly underneath. However, I did not love the cracked and peeling varnish look.


So, I spent some time working on it this weekend and transformed it!


It was really easy, but it did take some time because I had to remove all the old varnish before I repainted it. Here's what I did:

Step one: Remove the varnish


I used a chemical stripper to remove the old, nasty varnish. I painted it on using an old paintbrush, and of course I wore gloves as well!


You "paint" it on the varnish, and then after it starts to bubble you can just scrape it all off.


I had to repeat that a couple of times to get all the varnish off! Then, I gave it a good sand-down.



Finally, I spray painted on about 3 coats. I used a glossy paint so the surface is easier to wipe down.


And voila! I love easy, cheap makeovers!

The Catch-All Room

I love doing home improvement projects around the house, but inevitably our 2nd bedroom turns into this:

I affectionately call it the "Catch-All" room. During the larger projects, we throw things in there and just close the door. Instant peace.

I think I have cleaned this room out approximately 4,571 times since we got married last August. It's like the gift that just keeps on giving! So, it was the subject of another deep clean a couple of weeks ago, and I can finally leave the door open again. But, I wanted to share this picture in hopes you would get a little giggle or two out of it.

I bet that even Martha Stewart has a catch-all room, don't you think?

Summer Refuge

We went up to Josh's Grandpa's cabin this weekend. It was such a nice, relaxing break from the hectic pace of life!

There was a lot of eating, lazing around, and doing crafty things. Those are the best weekends, I think.

And isn't my sister gorgeous?

I got some great ideas for projects from my mother-in-law... She is pretty much the queen of knitting/crocheting/crafting. She spins her very own wool- I think that says a lot!

So, check back soon and I will share some of the fun ideas with you!

P.S. I'm Un-Cognito

Anyone notice a little change here on my blog? Yup, that's right, I changed the spelling of my name. Apparently, my little "Pseudonym" of Michela was starting to confuse friends and relatives who read my blog. So my real name is Mikalah. Same pronunciation, different spelling. How's that for confusing? =) At first, I wanted to be careful about sharing personal information online (since it used to be that you could type my name into Google and bring up 4 results- all pointing directly to MWAH). But now, thanks to Mikalah Gordon of American Idol fame, I feel better about using my real spelling!

Happy Wednesday!