Porch Beautification with Thompsons Water Seal

Our house has a pretty awesome front porch. It spans the whole width of the house, and gives us a great view of the street.  In our neighborhood we tend to spend alot of time talking to neighbors on porches...esp since our house doesn't have AC...the breeze out there feels great at night.

The only problem? Our porch was UGLY.

It looked old, dirty and tired. However, in a house built in 1890 it was really low on the list of projects to tackle (yay for having plaster that cracks off the wall at random times!). So imagine my delight when I checked my email one day to see an offer from Thomposons WaterSeal to review some of their products.  Looks like the old porch just got a violent shove to the front of the to-do list.

After talking with Karla- who was the sweetest lady ever- she let us know that before we stained we would need to use the Heavy Duty Deck Cleaner to get rid of the gunk before applying the new stain.

 

 

This stuff is pure awesome in a jug. No lie.

 

 

All we had to do was put it on with a rag, let it sit for 15 minutes then power wash it off.  Seriously, it made the wood like new again.

 

 

Doesn't he look good with a power washer?

 

It took us a total of about 3 hours to clean the whole porch and the adjoining fence, which is a pretty big job.  After it dried, you could totally see the difference.  We let it dry for a full 24 hours before getting to work with the stain.

 

 

Holy cow- its clean!

 

The instructions said to thoroughly spray down any plants this product may come in contact with before you start, cover them to protect from over spray, then spray them again after you finish. We sprayed before and after, but didn't cover them...hubs claims that was my job, and I forgot. It didn't really matter though, because they turned out just fine.  Beneath our porch in the flower beds we have hydrangeas, lilies and roses and not one was harmed by any chemicals in the product.  

 

 

We used the Thompsons WaterSeal Deck and House Latex Semi Transparent Waterproofing Stain, which we had tinted at Sherwin Williams to a color called Banyan Brown.

 

While at the store we asked the guy working the counter which brush would be the best, and he suggested this guy.

 

 

The brush is super thick, and made the stain go on super easy. Once we had all of the tools, then it was time to paint. I have used other stains in the past, and with this one I must say it was SO easy to maintain a solid color.  No blotchy spots to be found, it glided on so super smooth and thick. We had absolutely NO problems with puddles or drips, and I'm a horrible painter so that in itself was a small miracle.  Although I did have a *minor* freak out moment.  I had labored over the color choice for days, and when we started to paint I noticed that the color did not look like it was supposed to.  Then my hubs pointed out that as it dried it turned into the color it was supposed to be- just like latex paint, it changed as it dried.  Once it dried it looked perfect. (You can see my complementary brown color on the side back there- sneak peak of the porch saga part 2!)

 

 

All told it took maybe three hours to paint, mostly because of all of the spindles on the railings. Within an hour of it being done, five of our neighbors walked up to see it- because it made such a difference from the street view.

 

Seriously, it was so easy to do.  I hate painting with a passion, but this was so quick and easy.  The porch measures 30 feet by 8 feet, plus the fence and railings.  Total of work time was maybe six hours- which is nothing when you consider it looks like a brand new porch.  Now the when it rains you can see the water bead up, which lets us know the wood is truly protected- not just painted.  That's really a relief, because in a climate where it rains and snows a fair amount we're no longer worried that it is going to rot and need replaced in a few years.  Plus, with the stain being semi transparent you can actually see the wood grain- which I love.

Clean up was so simple, it was just soap and water.  Typically stains are horrendous to clean up after, because you need a chemical solvent- but not this time.  The paint brush and paint cup were clean and set out to dry in less than 10 minutes.

I'm so super grateful to Thompsons for sending us this amazing product- the hubs has already gone out to buy more to stain our back fence to match.  Plus the neighbors a few doors down have decided that they will be re staining their porch as well.  If you are thinking about re-staining or staining any wood product, I HIGHLY recommend these two products. I know that after using them I will never use anything but Thompsons products for staining again- they made the process so easy and user friendly.

 

Next up is to paint that u-g-l-y green that is chipping off and get some new porch furniture out there! Even the hubs is excited to get it finished...and that never happens! 

Water Baby

As I said in our 8 month post- we started swimming lessons with the Y.  At first I was a little nervous, because some kids freak out at the water even if they like the bathtub. 

My kid?

Walked right in.

He loved it. The only time he cried, was when we tried to take him out. 

That first night we did front floats and back floats.  In the subsequent lessons we've mastered cruising on the kick board and going under the water.  Oh and flirting and making kissey noises at our 16 year old instructor. This.kids.going.to.be.a.handful.

Looks like this kid will be spending lots of time this summer in the water...and thats okay with this Momma. I need a tan, stat.



Eight Months Old

Grayson Boy-

Sweet baby boy, you're a constant amazement to your Daddy and I. You're trying to hard to grow up too fast in my opinion...and I know that as the days and years go by you're just going to keep on going.

This month was a bit of a struggle to get your pictures because you would.not.sit.still!

At first I tried it by myself because Daddy was outside working, but I quickly realized this was a two man job. You have quickly decided that you don't want to sit still for a second, and you are more than ready to walk. Gravity however, is a little bit of your enemy as your body is still pretty darn wobbly. You love cruising on all of the furniture, and will even pull yourself up on Kaos if you have the chance.

Your fifth tooth is just about to come in, and its been a bugger. You already have your bottom two middle teeth, and your two eye teeth. Which kind of makes you look like a little vampire, but its so darn cute I love it. The one were waiting on will be a middle tooth, and I'm sure the other will not be far behind.

You're still in 6-9 month clothing, but we've started putting you in some 12 month shorts- just so they fit you all summer. They're a little big, but they work. 

You babble all of the time. We have distinctly heard you say Mama, Dadda and Nana- but you haven't associated them with any of us yet. Please little guy, for the sake of my belly that you kicked and punched for 9 + months, please say Mama first.  Otherwise Daddy's head will get so big we wont be able to get him out the door. 

Daddy ran his first half marathon with Grandma, and you were there to cheer them on the whole time. You also got to go running around with her in your jogging stroller, and you fell asleep each time. Grandma still thought you were a good running partner though.

You eat everything. It doesn't matter what were eating, you want to try it.  So far we have only found that you dislike applesauce and some baby foods. Tonight you chowed down on broccoli and mushrooms and were happy as a clam. I hope these good eating habits continue, and you don't switch it up and become a picky eater on us.

You started to learn how to really play with your toys this month. You know where to put the cars to get them to come down the track, and the balls go in the top of the gum ball machine. When you want to turn the toy on you know where the buttons are, sometimes even Momma cant find the darn things.

You started swimming lessons and you are a FISH in the water.  You love the water, and even dunk yourself in your baby pool outside.  The swim instructor has been so impressed with you, he said you're one of the best babies hes seen in the water. We'll keep you in the water as much as you'd like, and we're going to keep them going as long as you seem to enjoy them.

We started putting you to sleep in your crib on your own- a huge step for Momma.  We used to let you fall asleep in your swing, but you're quickly out growing that and so we had to try this whole sleep training business.  It took you one night of crying for 20 minutes, then one night of less than 10 minutes to going down in less than 5 minutes tonight.  You've also started staying asleep longer and you seem to be less tired during the day, so its a win win for us all.

You gave up your bink this month. One day you just decided that you were over it and didn't want it anymore.  Its pretty amazing how you seem to be raising yourself, but really I wouldn't mind if you let Daddy and I help a little bit.

Thats about it for this month big boy. You are the most amazing blessing we could ever have asked for, and you fill our days with joy, laughter, pride and hope.  We love you to the Moon and back, and wouldn't trade a minute of our time with you for anything in the world. You continue to learn things and do new things every day, and amaze us with how smart you are.  We cant wait to see what is in store for us next month, especially cause Mommy will be off and get to spend three whole months watching you grow.

Love you Always and Forever,

Mommy





Motivation Needed!

Tonight I started my Couch to 5k program.

When hubs and I met, I was a size 4. Eight years, many late night pizzas and a Grayson Boy later my ass couldn't squeeze into a 4 with a tub of Crisco and a prayer.

Via

Do I want to be a runner? No not really. I find it boring. But I need to do something to get myself back into shape...and back into the single digit sizes. This seemed like a good place to start.

It seems pretty doable. Tonight as I got on the treadmill I said- there is no freaking way I can run for 60 seconds straight.  But to my own amazement I did (or perhaps embarrassment as Hubs was on the couch and I didn't want to collapse into a heap in front of him...Id never hear the end of that after his arse ran a half marathon).  You run three days a week for about 30 minutes total, and I can do it after Grayson goes down for the night. Lucky for me he can sleep through the thump thump of a treadmill from down the hall.

So pray for me lovelies...as I attempt to get my bum back into shape without killing myself first. 



Bye Bye Binky!

Grayson has weaned himself from his bink at 7 1/2 months old.

Remember the kid who held on to his binky with both hands?

Was in love with his wub-a-nub?





Those days are gone.

Now, he'll rub the stripes on the monkey and chew on the foot but he doesn't want the bink and refuses if you try to slip it in his mouth.  Today at Grammys she tried to slip his bink in as he was falling asleep with a bottle in his mouth. As soon as he realized it wasn't his bottle he woke up, tossed the binky across the room, gave a loud yell, rolled to his side and fell fast asleep. Almost as if to say I don't need no stinking binky, I'm a big boy.

I know I should be glad, because we wont have the three year old walking around with a binky- but I have to admit it makes me a little sad.  Hes growing up too fast for my liking, but from what I hear it just keeps going faster and faster.

Love this little man.



My Hubs ran the Half Marathon- and I ate doughnuts.

Last weekend was a busy one in our house, the Marathon was upon us.  Patrick had been in training for a few months getting ready to run his 13.1 miles side by side with his Momma. 

It was a gorgeous day, a little warm for those people who had to actually run, but perfect for taking the little guy out to see his Daddy and Grandma cross the finish line.

And that they did in two hours, twenty nine minutes and forty five seconds.

Getting all pinned up for the race

Someone was not thrilled at being woken up so early to see Daddy run.

Using iron on transfers I made Grayson a little t-shirt that matched his Daddy's bib number- we had SO many compliments on it, it was unreal.

Before pictures- the two runners.

I melt.

Big Buddy, Little Buddy and Grand Buddy

Grayson was clearly over the picture portion of the morning.

Eating doughnuts and drinking some milk while Daddy and Grammy ran- well we had to do SOMETHING for two and a half hours :)

Wearing Daddy's medal in the park after the finish. 

So proud of them...Lord knows I would have died.

We saw them take off, then part way through the race- but we missed them crossing the finish line because the time tracker said they were two minutes behind where they were.  Oops.

Next year Ill try harder...maybe Ill even skip the doughnuts and head straight to the finish line to get a spot. 

Being a Momma- A Glamorous life?

A friend of mine recently shared her desire to have children with me, she cant wait to be someones Momma.  She talked at length about all of the things she wants to do with her future kiddos, and her expectations and hopes. It was a great conversation, because I could relate to alot of what she was saying with how I feel about my bean. What I found ironic about our conversation was when she said

"Your life is so much more glamorous than mine, I'm jealous." 

Now this girl is married to a gorgeous guy, travels all over the world, goes to bi-monthly spa dates with her friends and is always dressed impeccably with a perfect manicure. So shes hardly living an un-glam life.

After asking her first if she was kidding, then after confirming she was serious suggesting she go get a CT scan I started to think- is my life glamorous?

I remember my pre-Grayson life.  I had my hair cut and colored on a regular basis. I went and had mani/pedis at least once a month. I went out to cool restaurants and stayed up till all hours of the night. I had a closet full of clothes that fit.  It was pretty great at the time, but I wouldn't have called that life glamorous.

My Momma life? Totally different.

I haven't colored my hair since before I learned I was pregnant, and I haven't had it cut since October. I have had maybe one pedicure in the last 8 months, and lord knows no manicures. I'm in bed shortly after Grayson goes down, which is to say I'm usually passed out by 9 pm.  I prefer to stay in for dinner now, because I don't want to mess with our bath time/bedtime routine.

I wake up on days I'm not working and put on my standard Mom-a-form.  That's my Momma uniform, and it usually consists of black yoga pants or capris and a tshirt. My hair is usually always pulled up off of my face because little man has a thing with pulling on it. 

If I'm not careful when I'm changing a diaper I can get peed on, and have received one or two showers for not paying attention. I have caught spit up in my hand, and certainly had it on my shoulder a time or two when I left the house. I have held my little guy down and used the booger sucker to clear out his nose, taken his temp in places no thermometer should have to go, and cleaned poop off of his little boy parts gagging at the smell while he giggled at me from the changing table. I have ordered food in a restaurant only to have to leave it because a little guy started to cry and needed held, walked or fed himself.

I'm sure at some point in his life I will have to clean poop out of the tub, eat something soggy that he has already drooled on and is now shoving in my mouth, and clean up full fledged vomit from every imaginable surface.  As a boy I know there are going to be messes that will have the phrase "Just wait till Daddy hears what you did" jumping from my mouth, and I will clean those up too.

So no, my life certainly isn't glamorous, by any stretch of the imagination.

 Is it pretty perfect though? Yes. I wouldn't change anything about it for the world, that's for sure. 

Although I wouldn't mind the occasional hair cut and mani/pedi. Just sayin.