Pallets pallets and pallets

Love when I come home and see Jeff's truck full of pallets just waiting to be turned into furniture or art pieces. Hmm what will he make next?

A little scroll saw fun

This is the last thing Jeff did on the scroll saw. He was just messing around and trying to get use to the feel of it. He did this free hand, with out a template. Pretty good right?

W is for Wesley!

A little Sail Boat for Wesley

Jeff loves to fish and dreams of one day having his own boat.  So, when a co-worker was giving away an old little skiff, Jeff couldn't resist. It took him a while to come to the realization that this boat may not be sea worthy (at least not for him....actually still not sure he has given up the dream), so he decided to fix it up as a little Play-sail boat for Wes.   

This is what it looked like before.  We decided to leave the outside as is, you know, to give it a worn and rustic feel (or because we are lazy). But Jeff resinished the inside (sanded and painted) and gave the boat a new sail (made from two dowels; one big, one small, and an garage sale sheet). 

I think Wesley is going to have a ton of fun in it one day!

Vacation

This weekend we had a little family vacation up in Oroville, CA.  Who knew it was such a great little town.  We were up for a family wedding and spent a little extra time up there for some much needed rest.  Here are some snapshots of our trip.

Watermelon Mint Salad

Next time you are thinking about having watermelon with your meal, try changing it up a bit with this simple and easy recipe.  Jeff is great at coming up with unique flavor combinations and this Watermelon Mint Salad was no exception. All you have to do is add chopped mint and honey to bite size pieces of watermelon. No exact measurements needed just add the ingredients to taste. The result is an unexpected and refreshing side dish. Yum yum!

Chevron Pallet Art

Can I let you in on a little secret?  The reason Jeff gets so many projects done in such a short time is because

  1. he is not a perfectionist 2. he's a genius in creating short cuts.

Case and point: Chevron Pallet Art

First, let me show you what I ended up doing with it. I got some great ideas from a couple friends on how to spruce it up, including adding a neon stripe or cutting out our silhouettes using the scroll saw and hanging them up on the pallet.  I thought those were awesome ideas, but since my secret is that I am inpatient (and i didn't have any neon paint nor did I want to wait to make silhouettes), I ended up with this.

I used three yellow frames I had around the house that weren't really doing much for me in their present state, added a little jute string, and initial tags made from my cricut, and there you have it.

But back to Jeff's secret (not so secret any more).  This project is a perfect example because 

1. The chevrons are not straight

2. he came up with the most genius way of taping off the chevron pattern

This is how jeff taped off the chevron print.  Look at the top portion of the boards.  See how he just taped off diagonal lines creating a basket weave-like pattern?

Then using an exacto knife, he cut away the lines that he didn't need, revealing the chevron print.

I though this was so smart of him because every time I thought about painting something chevron I didn't end up doing it because I knew it would take me forever to tape it off. 

To complete the project, Jeff used an old can of white spray paint and gave the whole thing a light coat making sure that you could see the wood grain through the paint.

And in case you are wondering, this picture shows you how Jeff put the pallets together.  

Co-Sleeping at its Finest

Jeff and I both found this picture shared on Facebook yesterday, and both silently giggled to ourselves while we read the different "sleep poistions."  They are so so true for us.  Co-sleeping wasn't really something we thought we'd be doing at this point, especially Jeff, but it's our reality.  Sometimes its super annoying and sometimes its just awesome.  Like waking up to see your little "stalker" staring at you with a big smile just waiting for you to wake up is a great feeling.  Other moments, like the "neck scarf" arent as enjoyable, especially at 4 in the morning.   I have plans in the future to write about our sleep decisions for Wesley, as to why we share our bed with the most squirmmy wiggly kid in the world, but for now, just share a laugh with us if you have experienced any of these positions.  Any favorites?

From howtobeadad.com  Pretty funny website btw

If you go to howtobeadad.com they have explanations for all the different positions.  Pretty good site.

What Jeff Made for Dinner: BBQ Chicken & Avocado~Corn Salsa

Jeff got inspired by our warm weather today and grilled up some delicious barbecue chicken with an avocado~corn salsa.  It was finger lickin good!

Before he grilled the chicken breasts he covered it in this rub

And slathered it with this barbecue sauce.  This was my first time trying this sauce made from a local brewery in San Diego and I have to say, its gooooood stuff. You can buy it online here.

The chicken was good, super flavorful, juciy, and the bbq sauce...perfection.  But the real star of this dinner was the avocado~corn salsa.  Jeff got this easy recipe from our sister-in-law Jacqui last summer and it quickly became one of our favorites.  It goes with anything so Jeff always makes a ton! 

Here's what you need to make your own:

2 cans Black Beans, drained

2 cans Corn, drained

1/2 Large Red Onion, diced

4 Roma Tomatoes, diced

3 Hass Avocados, diced

Italian dressing to taste (Jeff used about 3/4 of a bottle)

Mix it all together and let sit for 10-15 mintues to let all the flavors combine. 

This recipe made a TON but it is so good for left overs.  Add it to quesadilas, burgers, with chips, whatever!

We ate dinner outside on the new deck on the new table.  We are so ready for Summer!