Corpus Christi~Day 3

Saturday we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed out to Port Aransas again. This time to go on a dolphin tour and do some souvenir shopping with our friends we were at the beach with yesterday. We had heard great things about this dolphin tour and specifically booked the 10 am one where they have a staged pirate attack. We chose this over the aquarium. I think we chose wrong...

We loaded onto the boat and waited to take off. Logan enjoyed the touch tank, even though there wasn't much in it yet (they would add more later). Reagan didn't really like all the noise the boat made or the pirate tour guide, so she stuck close to her parents. Not off to a great start...

Playing at the touch tank

Logan & Daddy

Logan and his BFF, Reagan

 

 

What?! A picture of me & Logan? A rarity.

 

 

 

Waiting/watching for the pirate attack

Pirate ship

After the pirate attack...

Notice I didn't get any "action" shots during the actual attack. The kids (and adults) were supplied with water guns to fight back while the pirate ship had a water cannon and a Cheetos shooter. So everyone got soaked, including me. T-Joe told me and another woman that we could stand on this platform to get good pictures of the attack, knowing full well that that spot is where the pirates aim their water cannon. We both got blasted, cameras and everything. My camera still isn't back to normal. I was NOT happy. I have emailed the company and complained, not to worry. Not to mention that we saw no dolphins whatsoever. Ugh.

 Logan enjoyed some more time at the touch tank after they emptied the net that they had been dragging. We were amazed that he was actually touching stuff!

Some souvenir shop pictures: 

 

He was obsessed with all the hermit crabs

 I think he tried on everything "pirate" at every souvenir shop.

After souvenir shopping and lunch, we left Port A (and, by the way, saw dolphins on the ferry ride back to Corpus) with no other real plans for the rest of the day. On a whim, we decided to go to Rockport. We had heard of it and Chris saw a sign for it, so we went. I looked up some things to do on the way there. *Sidenote: What in the world did we do before smartphones???* Logan slept the whole way there, which he desperately needed. We went to the Bay Education Center, it was free and in the A/C...both great selling points for me. Despite the fact that the website I looked on gave us the wrong address and it took us a while to actually find it, it was a great stop.

Logan holding up the world. 

The Bay Education Center had this really neat 6 foot in diameter "globe" with 4 projectors projecting moving images onto the sphere, making it appear as though it's rotating. Logan is still talking about the "big globe." The lady that worked there did a pretty in-depth presentation and Logan was surprisingly attentive. And apparently he really listened, because yesterday he was talking about the "planet with the rings--you know, Saturn" and I asked him where he learned about that and he said "the big globe." I was impressed.

Examining everything...he loves magnifying glasses

When we were at the Bay Education Center, we heard the Rockport Aquarium mentioned but it closes at 4 and it was 3:45...it was within walking distance, so we booked it over there. Other people apparently had the same idea, so we had plenty of time. It was a nice, small aquarium. Nothing fancy. At all. But Logan loved it. All at his level, small tanks, engaging workers, a few hands-on things. It was great. And also free. Bonus! Of course, he picked out a stuffed octopus (which he originally named Octopussy, but has since changed the name to Squiddy--thank Heavens) at the gift shop.

On our way back to our car, we decided to walk around the marina and look at all the boats. We saw a TON of jellyfish in the water there. Not a place I would want to swim...

We left Rockport and headed back to Corpus to grab a bite to eat. We decided on La Playa Mexican Cafe. We had heard good things about it, so we split Shrimp Enchiladas and bean & cheese nachos (and a couple margaritas). Everything was very good.

Back at the condo, Logan of course wanted to go swimming. Chris & I were exhausted but I reminded him how exciting it was to swim at the pool while on vacation so we took him.

Ready to go!

Swimming underwater to Daddy!

My little fish

After about an hour there, we were all exhausted and passed out in bed shortly thereafter. It was a long but really fun day!

 

Corpus Christi~Day 1

We drove down to Corpus Christi on Wednesday, and that pretty much took all day, so I am counting Thursday as day 1. 

1st morning--ready to go

This is our view from the condo~~can't complain one bit

We are SO lucky & blessed to have a sweet family friend who owns a condo down in Corpus (on the bay) and allows us to stay there--without paying. She won't hear of it. We haven't been down there since 2009, but we all had such a good time, we are hoping to do it more often. Logan was at a great age this year (he was only 2 last time). We were able to do so much more and didn't have to worry about naps, diapers, etc.


We woke up Thursday morning, got ready, and left the condo to go find breakfast since we got in too late the night before to hit up the H-E-B (oh, how I love me some H-E-B) for groceries. We had done our research and didn't want to go to any chain restaurants if we could help it (except for Chris' beloved 2-story Whataburger--which we didn't even make it to). There were 2 breakfast places that kept coming up. Hester's was one of them.

We didn't realize until we walked in that it was coffee bar. It had a full menu but the prices were coffee bar-esque. The coffee was very good, but not cheap. We split french toast, eggs, fruit, and a cinnamon roll and that was plenty.


After breakfast, we headed to the USS Lexington. Logan was definitely too young to try this last time we were here, so we were excited to see his reaction this time. It did not disappoint. There was so much for him to see, do, and climb on. It was great for a 5 year old boy. Not so great if you are trying to get him to appreciate the history of it all, but he had great fun climbing all the ladders and into all the machines and exploring the massive ship.

Getting ready to ride the shuttle up to the ship

Sitting in the driver's seat

In the ship's jail with Mommy

Checking out all the planes with Daddy

Chris enjoyed the ship and all the guns, etc. as much as (if not more than) Logan!

Laying in the old bunks

Pretending to drive one of the airplanes

We spent a good 3 hours there, I think. It is certainly not for really young children, as there is a lot of climbing and small, confined spaces. Logan didn't so much care for the history of it all, he just thought all the memorabilia was "cool and awesome" but didn't slow down to learn about it. I spent a lot of time keeping up with him so that Chris could read about everything. Good for him. History isn't my thing, so Logan & I were on the same page there.


After the Lexington, we were all starving so we did some grocery shopping at the HEB for breakfast and lunch stuff and then spent a couple hours at the condo before taking off for an early evening beach trip. We found a beach just outside of the Padre Island National Seashore park that was not crowded at all and stayed until just before sunset.

Heading out to the water

He was having so much fun

He would go out, fill his bucket with water, bring it back to the sand where it would quickly evaporate, and then do it over and over again. Doesn't take much to make him happy. :)

Headed out to the waves with Daddy. He wanted to go out as far as Daddy could go. Brave boy.

Digging, digging, digging...yet, they never completed even a small sand castle.

Perfect Logan facial expression

Checking out all the little shells going in and out of the sand

I got a shot of them doing this same thing 3 years ago...must go look up now.

Found it...look how little Logan was (and his swimsuit falling down)

Just playin'

Relaxing in the shade with a snack

We cleaned up and headed back to the condo for a fancy dinner of frozen french bread pizza (LOVE) and ice cream. It was a wonderful and relaxing day and we all slept wonderfully that night.


On Day 2 we went to Port Aransas to see some friends who were also in town and she took pictures that day, so I have to wait until I get them from her before I can post about it (but she's in the process of moving so it may be a while). It was another great day at the beach with Logan's BFF Reagan and my friend of 20 years and her family.


Just for fun, here's a link to my Corpus Christi 2009 album. Logan was SO little. Makes me sad.

Dining Room Hutch Re-Do

I am onto my 3rd Annie Sloan project (if you count the school desk)! I couldn't wait to get started and my awesome aunt and uncle agreed to take Logan for the weekend so I could devote more time to it. Chris and I enjoyed a much-needed dinner date, followed by a trip to Lowe's (I know--romantic), and ending with hardware removal and applying the first coat of paint.

This was the hutch before. I had a vision. It looks a little country but I loved that it wasn't huge and had lots of storage. And I got it for $80. Bonus.

This is the hutch top after a couple coats and a coat of Minwax Finishing Paste. I used Annie Sloan French Linen, which is a grayish-beige color. I was really nervous about it at first because after the first coat it looked white, which wasn't what I wanted. But one thing I have learned about this paint is patience. It always looks different after it dries (which is super fast) or in better light (duh).

 And the doors. These things were a bit of a beating. The paint just didn't want to cover everywhere and spots just kept popping up. Oh, and I gave up on taping off the glass but I shouldn't have. The paint comes off easily if you wipe it immediately, which I didn't do. So we had to scrape it off after everything was said and done. Not a mistake I will make again. Until next time when I am too lazy to do it.

The finished product! It is hard to tell in pictures but I did use the dark wax in some spots (with the Annie Sloan brush--which I highly recommend, or at least a brush of some sort...it was so much easier than a rag!). I spray painted the original hardware Oil Rubbed Bronze. I plan on covering the back panel in a coordinating fabric so it will make more of a statement. I will post a picture when I get that done...I am still in the decision-making process right now.

I am VERY happy with it. I can't wait to fill it with my white china (from our wedding that I don't think we have ever used) and some serving pieces. And I am not gonna lie, the bottom cabinets are probably going to house my ever-growing Annie Sloan paint collection since you aren't supposed to store them in the garage due to the heat (at least here in TX). 

Now I am on the search for my next piece to re-do!

My First Craigslist Dresser Re-Do

Ever since the Haven Conference, I have been itching to try Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I tried my hand at it with a small school desk but had my mind set on bigger and better things. Mainly a dresser for my son's room. So I set off to peruse good old Craigslist and after much searching and emailing/texting, I ended up with 2 dressers AND a dining room hutch. Let's just say I have a very supportive and understanding husband who made a late night trip down the road to pick up one dresser and then an after-work trip the very next day to pick up my other two finds. I think he was just happy that I had something other than obsessing about having another baby to occupy my time.

Anyway, a few days later Logan and I met him in Dallas and we went to Uptown Country Home to buy some chalk paint! ***oops, when linking to that I might have forgotten I was writing a post--they have some cute stuff online!*** Back to business now--I got a quart of Napoleonic Blue (for the dresser), a quart of French Linen (for my hutch), and a buffing cloth. Oh, and Logan picked out a $1 goodie bag with a wooden train, hair barrette, and a plastic dinosaur in it. Digging through the goodie bag cart kept him entertained while Chris and I discussed paint. I choked a bit when I paid $80 for two quarts of paint but from what I had heard, it went a LONG way (they were right). At least I didn't have to buy wax since Heather had won some AS dark wax at the conference and I still had alot of Minwax Paste Finishing Wax left from the school desk project. I couldn't wait to get home and get started and I needed to get started soon so I could maintain my momentum/excitement for the project because I know myself and I rarely finish projects that I start. That's why my hubby was shocked when I had this dresser done in a weekend.

So, without further ado, the pictures:

The original picture from the CL ad

We moved it into the dining room (super awesome thing about this paint--you can use it indoors with pretty much no noticeable odor), removed the hardware (ugly brass) and drawers and I got started. It probably took less than an hour to get the first coat on.

1st coat

Chris helped me with the 2nd coat and then I left it alone for the night so I could see what needed touching up in the daylight.

2nd coat (the next morning)

The next morning I could tell that I needed to do another coat. Now, most people using this paint wouldn't mind some of the missed spots, but I wanted a more modern look with little to no distressing since it was for a little boy's room and the original wood coloring was super light and I was trying to go super dark. So, 3 coats it was.

3rd coat with clear wax

After the 3rd coat, I let it dry and did the clear wax. My Minwax Finishing Wax seems to work just fine, it's just not near as soft as the AS stuff. Other tutorials I read mentioned Briwax, which I saw at Ace Hardware today, so I may try that next time. Upon the suggestion of a friend of mine who has been doing ALOT of AS painting lately, I waited to do the dark wax until the next day--she recommended at least 12 hours. It was hard to wait that long, I was so ready to see how it was going to turn out...but I was nervous about the dark wax. I didn't want it to look dirty or even antiqued. I just wanted it to darken the blue a little bit. So I researched that night to keep my mind off the dresser in the next room that was calling my name.

Pretty much everything I read agreed that you must do the clear wax first otherwise the dark wax will just stain the paint and won't be fixable without repainting. Also they said to put a little clear wax on your rag/brush (I used an old t-shirt, which I think wasn't quite lint-free as suggested...grrrr) and then dip into the dark wax lightly. It doesn't take much. Then you rub it in and then rub it off immediately with a clean rag/brush to get the excess off. So I worked on that this afternoon. It took a while. Well, that and I am a perfectionist and ended up repainting the top to make it smoother and then of course I found some other spots...stupid OCD. Then I probably should have waited another 12-24 hours before doing anything else but I just couldn't. I did another light coat of clear wax and let that dry. After it dried, I used the buffing cloth I bought (which is basically just a microfiber/terrycloth pad) to buff the wax. That got rid of some of the streaks I didn't love and shined it up just a bit. Then just to be sure it would be protected from a rambunctious 5 year old boy, I did a clear semi-gloss coat of Polycrylic over the whole thing. I don't know if that was necessary but it did give me the more glossy look I was going for so I am glad I did it. Looking back, I may have wasted my time doing the wax since you really can't tell the dark wax was even put on--partly because of the dark paint color and partly because I was afraid of using too much/making it look dirty/messing up. But it was good experience and it made me feel good to do the whole process.

While the polyurethane was drying I spray painted the old hardware with silver spray paint. I was going to get all new hardware, but once I spray painted it and put it on, it really looked good (and saved me $$$). I was barely able to wait for the polyurethane to dry before putting the new pretty hardware on.

The finished product!

In Logan's room--he is so excited to have a blue dresser (that he can open easily)!

Sorry for the poor picture quality, they were taken with my cell phone. At night. And I am not a professional photographer. Whatevs. You get what you get.

I can't wait to accessorize his room and get rid of his old chest of drawers and bookshelf that used to occupy this wall space. We are going to build him new bookshelves and I am envisioning cork board and metal baskets or display shelves above his dresser.

I can't wait to start on my hutch...or maybe I can, my arms are tired and I am exhausted. This work is tedious. My only saving grace was that it goes on really fast and I was able to do it indoors (not in the 100 degree Texas heat).

So, what do you think about my first official AS furniture re-do?? Have you used it? Do you plan to?

**Edited to add: After 3 coats of this paint, I still have over half a quart left. I watered it down on the 2nd and 3rd coats by dipping my paintbrush in water before the paint, but even if I didn't do that I would probably still have half left. It's amazing how far this goes. Now I need to find more things to paint blue...

I shared this at the Serenity Now Weekend Bloggy Reading Link Up Party!

Hand Me Down School Desk Re-Do

My aunt gave me an old school desk for Logan a few years ago. Really cute, only it was pink. Logan didn't seem to mind and it just went by the wayside. I had planned to paint it but hadn't gotten around to it until my new furniture painting obsession began. At the Haven conference I got a sample pot of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Louis Blue so my sister and I decided to paint it that color. She had won some dark wax at the conference but we didn't have any clear wax. We weren't sure if it was absolutely necessary or not, and all the stores that carry ASCP were closed today since it was a holiday, so we went to Lowe's and bought Minwax Paste Finishing Wax in Natural.

There was really no need to sand anything down since it was metal so we were able to get started quickly. We used our Purdy paintbrushes we got in our swag bags from the conference and did 2 coats of the Louis Blue and used most of the sample pot. We even watered it down a little to make it go a little further. Not sure if I thought it would go further than that or if we just used too much but I wasn't planning on using that color on anything else, so it was okay.


It went really fast. They paint dries really quickly so we were able to get the 2 coats on within about 30-45 minutes total. Then we did the Minwax Finishing Wax using old cloth diapers. After that dried (which was quick) we used the Annie Sloan Dark Wax. What a difference between those two! The Minwax was only about $5 and the Annie Sloan goes for about $27 I think, but man, that AS wax is soft (hence the name Soft Wax-duh) and goes on like buttah. The Minwax was hard and took more elbow grease for sure. And the AS wax goes a really long way with a tiny amount, so it is probably worth it to splurge, in my opinion.


All in all, it took us about an hour start to finish and my first Annie Sloan project is done! It will go in Logan's room, which will also be getting new bookshelves and a painted Craigslist dresser (see previous post).


The pink desk in all it's glory!

 After the 1st coat

   ALL DONE!!!

Logan likes it much better now!

I am very excited about how the first project came out! Now I am ready to experiment with my new furniture pieces! Can't wait to go get some more ASCP (hopefully this weekend!).

My New Obsession

I've never had much luck with Craigslist...I never found anything I liked and if I did, it was usually gone by the time I found it. Well, a couple weeks ago, a group of 6 girls (including me) went to a DIY conference in Atlanta and my obsession with painted furniture began when I was introduced to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I had heard of it before, but had no clue what it was or why it was such a big deal. Well, now I know, and now I want to paint EVERYTHING. In the past 4 days, I have spent many hours on Craigslist and have purchased 2 dressers and a dining room hutch. I have plans to paint one of the dressers and the hutch. The other dresser is going to my aunt so she can paint it for her daughter. It was just too good of a deal to pass up. I knew someone would want it, even if I painted it myself and resold it. Oh yeah, about the painting. I have never done it before, so I may have bitten off more than I can chew by starting with these large pieces. But go big or go home, right? Right?! So now I need paint color advice and any other ASCP advice, if you have used it before and have any tips for me.

The hutch (isn't she pretty??) will go in my dining room (I hope it fits!). I only paid $80 for her and she is heavy and well made!! But I need color suggestions--my dining table is dark brown, my dining room is a dark greenish/blue color with white molding. I am at a loss when it comes to finding a color that would work.

This was the first dresser I found. My aunt is going to take this one. Paid $50 and it's in great condition, just needs to be painted.

I found this dresser last and my hubby went and picked it up last night at 9:30, but for $50, I couldn't pass it up! It is very heavy and has dovetail joints and everything. I am thinking of painting it a dark blue/navy and getting some new hardware to go in Logan's room.

So, my garage looks like a used furniture store but I am excited to work on these projects (inside, of course; this 100 degree Texas weather and I do not get along) and use some of the knowledge I learned at the Haven Conference! Wish me luck and please give my advice/tips/motivation along the way!