Island Get-a-way...ish

We haven't exactly spent a lot of time at home so far this month and I fear that our lives will continue to remain busy.  But, it's better than being bored, right?  That being said, on to the next project that may or may not get done within the next month depending on where life takes us.  In other words, it might be a two-month project, but it will get done. 

A few months ago Anthony and I were in Habitat for Humanity's ReStore looking around for painting tools for a service project when I spotted these four posts that I knew would make great posts for a four-post canopy bed in our room. 

They're not exactly the shape I had in mind but since they won't really be seen once the curtains are hung and for the $2.00 price tag, they're perfect!  Of course they'll also need to be stained - my first time staining - so that'll make them look even better.

I've had this idea in my brain for some time now and have really wanted to fill the space we have in our bedroom a little more.  We have great high ceilings and I feel like there's a lot of unused space up there - in comes the canopy.  We already have a four-post bed but the posts aren't high enough to construct a canopy without knocking yourself over the head before bedtime.

Our budget for this canopy project - less than $25.  My plan is to use our existing sheer window curtains to create the breezy canopy and then make roman shades to take a place over the windows.  I also have a "headboard" makeover of sorts in mind, but that will come later. 

See you on the island!    

Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos

Last weekend Anthony and I made a little excursion to New Orleans where we we had some delicious beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde, walked through the French Quarter, visited St. Louis Cathedral, and most importantly, got a peek into the life of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos.  He was a German priest who came over to America during the Yellow Fever Epidemic and gave his life helping those afflicted with the disease, even until it eventually took his own life.  You can read more about him at http://www.seelos.org/.

His remains are housed in St. Mary's Assumption Church.  Read more about this gorgeous church here.

I couldn't get enough of the super-ornate, arched ceiling...incredible!

This is where Blessed Francis' remains lie and also where many people quietly kneel and pray for his intercession to our Heavenly Father.  Two prayers are better than one you know, especially if Blessed Francis is pullin' for you.  :)

This is the sternum bone of Blessed Francis.  The bone closest to his heart.

This is a glass-enclosed display in the museum dedicated to Blessed Francis showing a little of the history associated with Yellow Fever and what was thought of it during his time.  We thought the antique bottles of quinine and other medicine they used to treat the disease were so cool.  History is incredible!

Saints are one of the many treasures of the Catholic Church and hopefully one day Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos will be officially regarded as one.  There are many saints today - a saint being a someone who is recognized by the Church to have lived a life of heroic virtue and charity and, because of the life he/she lived, is now believed to be in heaven.  To read more about the process of officially declaring someone a saint, go here.  To read about the lives of other saints, go here.  If you don't understand the Catholic Church's teaching on saints or other subjects, find out more here, ask questions here, or read the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Many miracles have been performed both during and after the lives of these amazing people, so ask for their intercession in anything!  The Lord hears their prayers along with yours and will seldom refuse any request from an open heart!  Just make sure you are open to the will of God and remember that His plan might be a little different than the one you had in mind!  :)

 

Green Thumb Reward

Our first year at being amateur gardeners has paid off and we've had a few scrumptious (and cheap!) meals using our home-grown plants.

This is one of our favorites - caprese.  We used our own ripe, red tomatoes, placed a chunk of yummy, fresh mozzarella cheese on each slice, and then topped them off with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic salt, and our own basil.  Mm, mm!  It's a great appetizer or snack!  A word of advice though, always use a cutting board when cutting the tomatoes and cheese.  A long trip to the Emergency Room last year and several stitches taught my good-lookin' and good-cookin' husband the hard way.  :)

Also sooo good:  Chicken and Pasta with Pesto

After grinding about a cup of basil leaves together with olive oil, garlic salt, and some chopped garlic, we smothered some pesto over some chicken breasts before we cooked them and then threw the rest in some hot, cooked linguine and, oh boy, was it good.

The only draw-back, we used almost all of the basil our little potted plant had produced. 

Luckily it springs back pretty fast and there's still enough for a few sprinkles in another dish or two.  But it did look a little sad.

Anyone else have any delicious dishes you've made using your own, home-grown plants?  I'd love to know! 

All In A Day's Work

I woke up this morning and started getting ready to go see Jesus when my husband (who had already left the house) informed me via text message that he had our only set of car keys in his pocket.  So, my plans for the day changed and without a car to run errands and being stuck in the house, of course I zero-ed in on a small project I could get done in a day.  :)

Yesterday, a few of my pals and I went on a see-what-we-can-find-for-cheap shopping spree to a local treasure of a discount store.  We all walked out with a bag or two in hand and me, well I walked out with a bag and a side table...a Target side table I found for 5 beans that is.  The top was a little knocked-up but nothing a good coat of paint couldn't hide.

So after scrubbing and sanding down the top, I applied not one...

...but two coats of primer to make sure my paint stuck and also because I wanted my table a cream color instead of the black it was.

So, after about an hour of painting coats with drying time in-between, this is what evolved:

Since it's going in our living room, I wanted it to match the hutch I painted that sits on the opposite side of the room so I used the same paint - Cream In My Coffee by Valspar.

Then, just as I did to the hutch, I distressed my little three-legged find by using a fine-grained piece of sand paper and lightly sanding each edge just so that a little of the underlying black would come through.

Cost - five buckaroos, some paint and primer I already had, and an hour of my time.  It's all in a day's work for this Bean!

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'Bean In Love' Blog Housekeeping Note:
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Home Office Project: Signing Off

The month of July is now gone and it's time to move on to another room.  Our office looks so much better than it did and I'm satisfied with the work I've done.  It's been a super busy month for us with a trip to Florida for me while Anthony was in Georgia and Tennessee.  At the end of the month we had Vacation Bible School and a parish trip to New Orleans which sucked up all of our time and energy.  On top of all this, Anthony has been busy reading and studying for his Masters', hence why the office this month was completely my project.  But we got through it all and are the better for it.  It's hard to believe I even had time to paint and concoct a space to get our business done but I did.  Decorating and painting is my time to relax...if you can call it that.  I love doing it and it's, for the most part, mindless work so it's easy on the brain.  Anyways, here are some before and after pictures to document the mini-transformation.

Before

After

Before

After

Small changes but everything jives much better and it's so much more inviting, especially when we have to be in there to update our Budgeter or pay bills.

Here's a close up of more "floralizing" I did.  I put together the fabric flower on our pillow cover the same way I put together the one on the lamp.  Find out here if you didn't read that post. 

If you've been following along with our home office project, you'll notice we didn't get everything done we/I wanted - the homemade headboard, a homemade cushion for the window seat, picture frames up on the walls, spiffying up the bookcase, and new "real" closet doors.  Those projects will come another day, another month...in other words, when we find the materials we need either on sale or for cheap.  We're really excited about August's project in our bedroom, which I'll spill more on later.  Until then, ta-ta for now!