Life On The Homestead: April 2013

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

{Spring Project Rundown}

We haven't done a DIY house project in a quite a while around the Wendel homestead, and that needs to change soon!

With Wendel working on his Masters and me working like crazy to get my kiddos ready for kindergarten, we've just been enjoying our free time together and not working on chores.

But That. Is. Changing!

We have a few projects to work on in order to get our backyard ready for pool parties and outdoor movie nights!

Here's what we've got up our sleeves for the next few weeks!

1. Old Fashion Movie Sign

As soon as I saw this from Pink Pistachio, I just about died! We bought an inexpensive projector at the end of last summer from Woot and only got to use it once for my niece's 15th birthday party. We can't wait to do this more during the summer and this NEEDS to be apart of the fun! Now I just need to convince Wendel that have enough electrical knowledge to whip up this puppy!

2. Add To Our Cutting Garden

Who doesn't love the idea of going out to your garden and snipping a few fresh flowers for your kitchen vase? So picturesque, right? Last summer we started our cutting garden with a few simple things {peonies, gladiolas, black eye Susan's} and I can't wait to add to it this season! If anyone in the area has anything in their garden they would be willing to share...I will happily enjoy your gifts!

3. Add More Lights To Our Tree

We have a tree right off our top deck that we have a few Christmas lights strung though. We would love to add some mason jars just like Farmhouse38. This woman is amazing and while I would die for a grapefruit tree, our current sweet little tree will do!

4. Add Some Chunky Numbers To Our Pillars

We don't really have any house numbers on our house {strange, right?} I would love to add something like this to one of our white pillars! I love the look of the deep wood with the industrial steel numbers.

5. Add A Wood Scrap Edge To The Cutting Garden

I just found the blog Farmhouse 38 and I'm pretty obsessed! While I now have a HUGE desire to have chickens {yes...you ready that correctly} I just about fell in love with this garden edging used with wood scraps. We have tons of little bits from 2x4's, railings, and random wood pieces so this would be the perfect way to use these! Excited to work on this little project soon!

6. Build A Pergola

I'm pretty sure everyone in the blog world has drooled over The Handy Home's stunning pergola and I am dying to build one over our top deck. We'll see if we get this one done this year or not, but none the less...their backyard is every homeowner's dream!

6. "ReStore" Our Deck

When we bought our home, it had an above ground pool with a deck built around it. Well the deck had seen better days. We re-stained it our first summer but now the deck is starting to splinter and fade. So we're going to try to make our deck last a few more seasons using a product by Rust-Oleum called ReStore. It is like painting your deck but is totally covers the wood and puts a texture to the surface. This will take away the worry of splinters and make the wood less slick for when the littles are enjoying the pool!

We're probably going to be tackling the ReStore first so we can have the deck ready for our pool opening! Ooooo...pool opening...I see a party coming soon!

So tell me...what DIY projects do ya'll have planned for this spring??

Monday, April 29, 2013

{The Oh So Very Dramatic Saturday}

Happy Monday Everyone!

Wendel and I had quite the weekend...busy...and slightly dramatic :)

So for Wendel's birthday, he got a gun.

Hold off the judgement...let me explain!

Wendel is all about making sure everyone is okay. Anything he can do to make sure you are happy/comfortable/safe he will. So having a way to keep me and our family safe was very important to him! Our gun is very safely kept in our house out of reach of kids, in a password locked safe, with the magazine in a different location than the gun. Very safe, but accessible if necessary.

Neither of us plan on carrying, but we wanted to go through the Carry and Conceal of a Deadly Weapon {CCDW} course to learn about the safety and legality of owning a gun.

The CCDW couples is an 8 hour course and we took it this Saturday.

It consisted of lots of video's/training/demonstration followed by a written test and then a shooting test.

I was nervous. Before Saturday I had NEVER shot a gun. Probably should have done that in retrospect but coulda/shoulda/woulda, right?

Anyhoo...sat through the course {with lots of caffeine}, actually learned a lot, took the test, aced that and we were off to the range.

Oh yeah...we had a little picnic lunch half way through...a "work day" on a Saturday is no fun...but being with the husface made it better!

Okay so let me tell you how this whole shindig went down!

Wendel and I were sharing a gun so we had to be in different groups for the shooting test. We got to the range early for our shooting times thinking that we would have PLENTY of time to go over everything and calm me down.

Oh no...

We get there and they needed one more person in the group so they send me down.

I'm in a panic and I fumble to get everything in place the ammo in the magazine and get ready.

My form was horrible {as you can see in this picture} but my first shot was right in the head. Sweet...dude who is taking my baby is dead...I pass right? Nope, you have to get 11 out of 20 shots in the blue area to pass. No problem, right?

Well then our gun started to jam...like every other shot jam.

{turns out Wendel probably hadn't used the right cleaning stuff so it wasn't lubricated enough}

With every jam, I got more and more nervous. At this point I had hit 7 out of 10 in the blue but then every other shot was jamming and I wasn't hitting the blue. I was freaking out, tears were forming, and I was shaking. I was down to my last five shots and I had to get three of them.

Needless to say...I didn't get them.

Yup...then came the for real tears. I am the FIRST ever person to fail the course. Yes sir...proud to be that statistic. To make matters worse everyone around me {like 20 other people} are just staring at me and then I had to go and clean my gun. Again...I had never done this either {yes...I know...I should have practiced everything!} Many more tears came because everyone is staring at me and all I wanted to do was get in the car and sniffle my way through the rest of my strawberry lemonade But no...I had to finish cleaning the gun and assemble the gun back together...in front of a bunch of people.

Still crying...

Anyhoo...I get to go back and re-shoot to be certified. They were very sweet and knew that I wasn't going to be able to shoot again that day being so upset so I'm going to try to get that figured out here soon!

Pretty pitiful looking, right?

Wendel passed though...

And this thing now lays on our front stairs so if anyone comes in they see what will happen to them...

So we got home, more tears happened, but I got myself up, took a bubble bath, got ready, and asked Wendel to take me on a date to which he said "nothing would make me happier"

Best. Husband. Ever.

We headed to our favorite, York Street Cafe, for burgers and relaxation!

Again...the kid can't be "normal"...

I cried so much that my contacts just weren't happening, so I got to bust out my new Tory Burch glasses!

Ya'll York Street has the BEST burgers...and for $12 with a salad...it's pure heaven!

York Street Cafe is like a restaurant inside an antique store, inside an old pharmacy...I kid you not!

We love playing I-Spy in here looking for the more random things! I just happened to be sitting next to the camera/typewriter collection that night.

Then we headed to the Levee for a movie!

Let's just pray our kids get my dainty nose and now his honker :) Love you honey!

Side note...my Tory's that my in-laws gave me for my birthday in November started unraveling and so I sent them back and they sent me a brand new pair! These are my only pair and I'm OBSESSED! They're so comfortable!

We adore our city for real! It's perfect!

I love the Levee in the spring/summer. People eating ice cream and drinking coffee outside...

And awesome performers like this dancing statue dude!

So while our Saturday was a tad dramatic, it ended perfectly! Snuggled up to my husband, after a perfect date night, talking about taking our kids to the Levee one day, praying they are as cool as some of the little kids that were break dancing with the performer.

Please Lord...make the future Wendel's cooler than their parents...pretty please?

Sunday, April 28, 2013

{Friday Five}

{Totally forgot to post this on Friday...oops! But here you go!}

We have a lot going on this weekend, but this evening we're catching up on our DVR and grilling burgers!

I'm going to start a little Friday Five on the this little blog, so here we go!

1. Wendel was amazing and surprised me by purchasing a few things that were in my random carts on my computer {Am I the only one who has things in their "shopping carts" on random websites? I have at least two websites open at all times with things in the shopping carts!}

As you read here, J.Crew and Tory Burch were/are having 25% off right now and I added these pretties to my closet!!

J.Crew Striped Silk Popover

Tory Burch Flip Flops

2. My mom and dad are selling their house so we're going through everything and I've found so many amazing things! Cannot wait to share some of the precious goodies soon!

3. So blessed that I love hanging out with my in-laws but also my madre! We had a little girls dinner this week and it was wonderful!

4. We leave for Disney in 21 days...eeeeeeee!

5. We are in the planning stages of building a pergola and I cannot wait!!

Happy Weekend!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

{J.Crew and Tory Burch Sales...}

J.Crew and Tory Burch have sales going on right now and I'm dying!

Here are a few of my wishes...

Now to talk Wendel into one or two of these!

Happy Thursday!

Tory Burch Flip Flops J.Crew Pave Bracelet J.Crew Ring J.Crew Stripe Silk Popover Tory Burch Sandals

J.Crew 25% off with SPRINGBEST

Tory Burch 25% off with TBSPRING

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

{Rabbit Hashing}

Happy Monday blogger friends!

{So I'll be honest...the next couple of weeks will be dodgy for me and this here blog because I'm working like crazy getting my preschoolers ready for Kindergarten and graduation! So I'm apologizing in advance! But we're coming up on our one year blogiversary, so get ready for a giveaway that I'm so excited about!}

This past weekend Wendel and I headed to good ole' Rabbit Hash, Kentucky with my fabulous in-laws for a barn dance.

Ya'll...a real life barn dance!

I felt like I was on the set of Footloose!

Anyways, Rabbit Hash is quite the little tourist attraction... especially for bikers.

It's pretty famous because of one, tiny, super random fact...

Their mayor...is a dog! Lucy Lou...not kidding guys!

See...check it out! You can't make up that kind of random!

It's a super small, tiny town with like 5 buildings...total.

I didn't take TONS of pictures...but a caught a few!

Dress: Old Nave {on sale!} Boots: Target; Jacket: Loft; Belt: Target

{Oh and please notice how sad our pretty shelves are...I need to spruce them up asap!}

Rabbit Hash is just itty-bitty tiny! So when they do the barn dances, the parking is pretty limited!

This is where you can get dinner in Rabbit Hash. Like the only restaurant! And then you can get your drinks {sodas,water, beer} at the general store because they have they're the ones with the liquor license...yes singular.

Here was the inside of the barn. It was tinnie tiny but they crammed a bunch of people in there! This was just as the band was starting so it wasn't hopping yet!

This band was INCREDIBLE Three of them were from Paris {but played bluegrass music...huh?} and the main guy was from Ohio. Talk about a strange mash up!

Here is the cute little general store that has the most random assortment of things...

Including this massive snowman with a ginormous nose which looked even bigger next to my itty-bitty nose {Wendel likes to tease me about my dainty nose...I embrace it}

Blurry {sad face} but the only picture I got of us.

So Rabbit Hash sits on the river, such a beautiful sight right...{please please hint my sarcasm}

And here we are in the barn dance...being photo bombed by the father-in-law.

Ya'll it was a blast! We can't wait to hit this little shindig up a few more times this summer! If you're in the area, they have the barn dance once a month but check here for more info!

Monday, April 15, 2013

{Ireland Outfit Planning}

I don't know if it's the spring weather, but I am getting so excited for summer time and especially our traveling! I mentioned Friday that we're going to Disney World in May, the beach in June {for a wedding}, and Ireland {with Wendel's family} in July.

I never traveled much as a child, so I'm a notoriously horrible traveler!

I'm a bad packer, a horrible low blood sugar baby, and I really love quiet time.

But I'm super excited to learn how to "be a better traveler"

But most of all...I'm excited to wear some cute stuff through the rolling hills of ole' Ireland!

Here's some of my Ireland inspiration!

I just got addicted to Polyvore so check out my page here for all of these outfit details!

Some flowy skirts {because I'm WAY more comfortable in skirts}, jean capris, comfy layers, sandals, and converse...can't wait!

Any "must haves" for my trip to Ireland?

Friday, April 12, 2013

{The Happiest Place On Earth}

Hey long lost friends! I'm so sorry I've been slacking the past two weeks! Graduation for my sweet preschoolers is fast approaching and I have been planning like crazy for grandparent's day, spring mini field trips, last days of school fun, and of course... graduation!

I'm so excited for summer time so I can spend some time with the nieces and nephews, get some good blogging in, work on some house projects, and laying by the pool!

But most importantly, I'm thrilled because this summer is the year of traveling for the Wendels!

We are going to Disney World the day after graduation {yes...the day after}, then we're going to the beach for a wedding in June, then we're going to Ireland with Wendel's family {mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law} in August.

Excitement doesn't even cut it!

So of course I'm thinking about the most important thing when your travel..

What will I wear?

Here are some of my ideas for Disney World!