Boston Redsox Cornhole Boards

I found cornhole boards that looked amazing on Etsy.com for my husband's birthday! So close to what I had thought up in my head... but wow, $200? That is a lot of money (at least that is what I thought - more on that later) and they aren't exactly what I had in my head, plus I couldn't be sure of their ACA regulations, so I decided to build them myself.

Since I had plenty of time to get this project going, I went to Lowe's and started getting supplies. But then I needed more supplies. Then I needed to buy some tools (palm sander) to make the job easier and better. Then I needed to borrow some more tools (6" hole saw) and made errand after errand after errand between putty drying. 

20 hours later, here I am, built and primed. TWENTY.EFFING.HOURS.

What is keeping me sane is that I know what went into the construction... stainless steel fasteners, exterior grade wood filler, the best primer, paint, and poly - these babies are built to last.

But such high end products come with a high price... So I start tallying. Oops, by the time I had bought the paint and poly, I had spent well over $200 (this does include very cute embroidered bags too). Granted, I did save the $65 shipping charge from the pre-made boards, but is my time worth $1.50 an hour? Because I think that is what it ended up working out to...

Blue and Red Added

Boston 'B' stencil in place

Ready for logos and polyurethane!

 And, finally, the finished product. My husband was thrilled, but has been watching me slave over these for the past month - he had to be patient with the perfectionist! His birthday is September 2nd and I set the goal of my birthday (the 28th) to be done with them. Barely made it.

Final Boston Red Sox Cornhole Boards & Bags!

What I would do differently next time:

1. Lowe's mentioned that they sell the unfinished boards in their store... I think I would do a little more investigating on that and/or seeing if I could find the boards unfinished elsewhere. Although I love painting and designing, I am not that great (or fast) at woodworking.
2. I would plan to make more than one pair at a time. Once you have all the stuff out to do one set, what is another set or two?
3. Maybe not be so worried about all the paint being perfect and exterior grade. Once I polyurethaned everything, I realized that since the whole thing was coated and protected, the paint didn't really have to be that high of grade (and I spent $90 on paint and paint supplies). I mean seriously, if a hurricane comes we could probably float away on these...

Pregnant Pepper?

I guess the pepper from my garden was expecting! There may be something wrong when my organic gardening makes the weirdest shaped vegetables...

Simple Beauty

Simple beauty... even when driving in road construction. :)

Niners/Colts Split!

The San Francisco 49ers played the Colts on Sunday and our Minnie had outfits for both teams! I am a Colts fans (still holding onto my Indiana roots) and my husband is a big 49ers fan. A couple of weeks ago I bought Minnie some jerseys for no other reason than it is hilarious to see her dressed up in people clothes.

Well, I think she may be the good luck charm because the Colts killed the Niners 27-7 on their home turf in San Fran! My husband swears she looks better in red though... Thoughts? :)

Wheel of Misfortune

Oh my goodness... there is one thing that I beat myself up about from my past - leaving my bookbag hanging on the back of my chair during lunch one day while I was traveling in Spain, which ultimately got it stolen. I think the total loss on this mistake was about $2000.00 (and a ton of trouble), and it still can get me heated to this day.

But THIS is something I could never forgive myself for! A contestant mispronounced a word on Wheel of Fortune and it cost him more than a MILLION dollars... what a doof. If he would have just taken a breath and spoke clearly, he could have been a millionaire!

Emerald | Color of the Year

Why can't emerald be the color of the year every year? I love this color.

Children's Discovery Center | Final Photos

Not too long ago, I wrote a post about the Grand Opening of my favorite project, The Children's Discovery Center, here in Mt. Pleasant, SC. Well, here are the completed professional pictures we just got back! I am excited to share these with you.

Front Left View

Front Right View

Discovery Room

Nursery Room

 

 For more information, check out www.ChildrensDiscoveryCenterSC.com

Ryan Reynold's Model Wives

Thought it was interesting that both of Ryan Reynold's wives, ex Scar-Jo and current wife Blake Lively, were one page a part in the magazine I was reading at the Dr. office. I wonder whose perfume smells better?

I'm team Blake.

Never Forget | 12 years

Remembering 9/11 and the World Trade Center today. 

Still praying for all those families, our country, and the leaders who run it. May we never forget.

Found this image interesting about how the New York City skyline will forever be changed.

 Where I was when the World Trade Center was attacked.

Frenchie Commercial

This commercial will for sure make you smile if you are a dog lover of any kind - especially frenchies!



Love it!

What to Wear | Construction Site

One of the biggest challenges I have of going to a dirty jobsite as a female architect is knowing what to wear. Oftentimes these meetings are on site with the contractor, before or after this meeting is with the client, and you may have additional meetings off site that you want to be prepared for as well.

The above picture is my opinion of what you need for a successful jobsite visit:

• Jeans, plain and simple. - A darker color in a boot cut fit is preferred, but anything else will get dirty or get you made fun of by contractors, no skirts!
• A collared button up Shirt. - I am showing a white one with some accessories for a pop of color, but these extras would work best for wintertime. If it is summertime, I would suggest a collared shirt with a pattern, maybe a vertical stripe, and perhaps a belt. You want to be taken seriously, and there is something about a collar that can do that for you.
• Boots. - No, they don't need to be that rugged for a regular basis, but I would suggest keeping a pair similar to that in your car, if nothing else. The weather is unpredictable and on a muddy jobsite, you are likely to need them once in a while. Boots are not only useful, but sometimes required on certain jobsites. No heels or flip flops for sure and no flats until the site is paved and dried in!
• The right Tools. - Make sure you have everything you need including the drawings, measure tape, pen and paper, etc. Although I don't normally prefer a shoulder bag for my day to day use, I do prefer a shoulder strap while on the job site. You need to be hands free to carry the drawings, take pictures, and write notes; too much stuff in your hands can hinder that.
•  Protection. - Anyone who will be on a job site from time to time in their lifetime should have their own hardhat. But did you think about your eyewear? This is a great place to add a statement piece as well. Boots also falls under this category.

Although I believe that the best thing you can bring to a meeting is mental preparedness, having all the right tools and clothing can be a part of it - for your safety if nothing else. I keep most of these things in a small tub in my trunk since you can't always plan your site visits. Just remember to change before you get there!

My TV Personality : Captain Kirk?

I took an in depth quiz on the internet that asked very specific questions about my characteristics... for example, is being 'excitable, dependable, agreeable' more or less like you, etc. I really tried to answer these honestly (maybe a little too honestly) and my result was Captain Kirk, so I took it again. Then it was Thor, so I even tried to take it again, and it was Captain Kirk...

I was kind of disappointed until I remembered that Chris Pine played him in the remake! Wait, why am I excited that I am most like a hot guy? This is weirding me out a bit.

I think what was bothering me is that my results were mostly men. I was also similar to two of the lead female doctors on the show House, but they don't seem very happy! I think I am taking this too much to heart, but I guess I was just hoping for someone like Robin on How I Met Your Mother or Kate Beckett on Castle.

I guess I'll just be me! :)

Irish Spring Architect

This made me laugh :)



Buuuuut, if I am being critical (the answer is: always), then I would tell you that architects don't handle dimensional lumber on site with dirt on their face. Just sayin'.

50 Shades is Cast!

Well, I was 100% wrong in my casting predictions for this movie adaptation in my last post about 50 Shades. I guess it doesn't necessarily mean that I was wrong, it just means that they made a different choice...

The casting of the two lead roles in E.L. James' novel - 50 Shades, goes to Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson, as stated in USAtoday.

The actors normally look like this, which is why I was confused at first:

 

They don't look anything like what I pictured in my mind while reading the book... but after a quick google search, I think I can be OK with it if they look more like the below:

The big thing for me for Christian is that he looks picture perfect all of the time, something that longer hair doesn't really do for me. I picture him as more of a clean cut type of character. And Anastasia MUST have brown hair... any other way just wouldn't work in my opinion.

Can't wait to see what they do with the storyline! Girls' Night? :)