mantle makeover...

Tyler has always wanted to mount our TV over the fireplace. I, however, was not a fan of the idea. I don't really like the idea of the TV being the center of attention. However, I finally gave in to the idea and the idea of having a whole extra corner in our living room for seating. The only hitch to the project was that the mantle was too high for viewing. We were able to find a mount at a thrift store, brand new that was full motion (it tilts down and to the side)for $15!! That's super cheap by the way. But even with the full motion it was still too high, especially for Adelaide if she's sitting on the floor, and goodness knows we have to be able to watch VeggieTales without getting a crick in our necks. So we cut the mantle down 4 inches. 

This was after the mantle came off. You can see from the dust lines on the wall how tall it was originally. I love our mantle, it's huge. 

This is the corner of the living room the TV used to sit in. Tyler was working hard to remove the piece of wood the mantle was screwed into. We got to remove the TV stand and create a whole new seating area with my flea market chair. We'll be selling that TV stand at a garage sale the last weekend in May if you're interested.

I didn't take a picture of the whole process but we just cut 4 inches off of each side of the mantle and reattached. Here's what it looks like finished. 

With pictures around it the TV doesn't stick out too bad. I'm hoping to sort of redo what's on the fireplace slowly but this works for now. The wall behind the chair is screaming for a picture. We're getting family pictures done at the end of June and that is going to be the perfect place for one. 

A picture of our full finished living room. 

This is the awesome piece Tyler found at an estate sale last week. It actually has 3 levels but 2 fit better here. The doors flip up and you can push them in. So cool. I think I'm going to hang the 3rd level in the extra bedroom/craft room. We were able to put an extra lamp in the living room because of this which is great since there are no installed lights in this room. 

The other cool project we finished not too long ago was a sofa table. We wanted a place to put the laptop that wasn't on the coffee table where Adelaide could get at it. We got some old barn wood from a neighbor of Tyler's parents for free and then bought some metal pipes and presto, you have a sofa table. 

Restoration Hardware-ish

One more cool thing we've added to our house...

I've always been in love with the Pottery Barn kitchen set but am totally unwilling to pay $250 PER PIECE to buy it. Someone in Leawood was selling theirs for CHEAP! We got two of the 4 pieces for $25! The other 2 parts weren't in good condition. Adelaide loves it, it's the perfect height for her. She likes to crawl into the oven for some reason. See below...

Weirdo!

She's learning so many things so quickly now! Still not walking but getting close. She can say nose and point to it and to her belly. She gives kisses and every time she sees a fish she opens and closes her mouth. Also roars at every lion. Loving this age!

our ever changing lives...

It still amazes me how much we change and evolve in such a short amount of time. I guess when you see a child grow in a year it gets you thinking about your own life but I've been thinking a lot about this lately. In the almost 7 years since we graduated high school we've gotten degrees, married, a dog, moved 4 times, had 4 jobs (between the two of us), bought a house and had a baby. Whew! Sounds exhausting right? Well it was/is and during that time I was using that excuse to stay distant and apathetic towards Christ. I was too busy and things kept changing too much and I would get to it when things settled down. And now they have...

I feel like our family is evolving once again but in a good way. We aren't changing houses or jobs or having another baby just yet but we're changing the way we're living our lives. Starting to rely more on God's will and less on ours. I've forgotten that in all the hustle and bustle of life. Although I had a reminder of God's constant love in the blessings He's given me and my family, I chose to say thanks, this is great but continue on in my daily selfishness. We've recently started our small group at church and have also started the membership process as well and are so excited to be plugging in and serving in our community. These people, although we've only known them for a short time, are already blessing us more then they know. The accountability and friendship are just what we needed. It finally feels like we've made a home here in Kansas City and a church family to love and share our lives with. I feel like I can already see the difference it's making in our marriage, our family and parenting Adelaide and the way we live every normal day. It feels so good. So we'll continue to change as we always will but keeping in mind that all these things are not for me or my family but for God's glory. 

So anyway, enough with the heavy, here's some pictures of what we've been up to lately. I've been a bad blogger and haven't posted in forever!

Here's Adelaide and her cousin Allison in the Barbie car at Grandma and Grandpa McKee's. They actually look kind of alike in this picture.

This is Adelaide and I outside that day, it was very windy. 

Here she is playing in the kitchen. This girl loves to be naked!

Playing with Cheerios on the kitchen floor. 

Our first attempt at finger painting (it's edible, don't worry)

The finished product. 

This is one of Adelaide's new best friends, Elijah. Elijah's parents are in our small group so they play together a lot. He's one of the sweetest little chunks you'll ever meet. There is our recent lives in a nutshell. Hope to keep keeping you posted!