Hello and happy Monday to you! How was the weekend? Good? Great?!
Ours was good, busy, and productive…including this latest project for the kitchen.
We’d been trying to find something to put on this wall in our kitchen, and after recently finding this wine rack console on Amazon, we decided to order it…only problem was, it was black. Our first thought was to sand it down and stain it to match our cabinets (we have the matching stain), but the wine rack wasn’t real wood (which we discovered after purchasing), so we were nervous to sand it and stain it.
Instead, we attempted our hand at chalk paint, but I’ll be honest…we didn’t love it. At all!
Each piece required 2-3 coats and even after applying the wax, it still just seems like it’ll be able to chip super easy. I don’t know, maybe we got a bad kind (we bought Valspar from Lowe’s) or maybe we’re just not good at chalk painting. But the whole project easily took us 7-8 hours total…much more than we were expecting.
Luckily it’s done though, and it does look alright…I think it’ll look much better once I’m able to fill it/decorate it, too. We shall see!
Thankfully, we had a few uninterrupted hours on Saturday to work on our project thanks to Lucas spending some time with my parents. He’d been asking all day to go to Nana & Papa’s house, so after checking in and seeing they were around, I dropped off for a few hours of fun.
And fun they had! Throughout the evening, I got updates on what they were doing…including a trip out for dinner, where he even got spoiled with a milkshake.
And after that, they went bowling for the first time! My mom sent me a video which was so adorable, and he was having a total blast.
Way to go, buddy!
It was actually pretty weird to be at home for such a long stretch and having it so…quiet. Usually we head out for dinner/date night when Lucas is with my parents, but it was nice to be able to just stay home, get some stuff done, and make a delicious dinner.
Another thing I made this weekend? Heath Bar Crunch Cookie Bars.
AND the original recipe (from 2010!) got a major makeover, so definitely be sure to check it out. The old photos just did not do that recipe the justice it deserves. These things are so. freakin. good.
Sunday started off busy and eased into a nice, low-key evening. I set my alarm early to be able to get a workout in for the day, then after getting ready and having some breakfast, Lucas and I were off for some fun at a birthday party.
But first…a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts to see whether or not they had cookie dough iced coffee yet…aaaaaand, THEY DO.
I’m not sure what was going on with my cup there, but oh mannnn, am I thrilled to have this stuff back. I am in trouble.
So with coffee in hand, we made our way over to the TreePaad. It was our first time ever visiting and, wow, what a place!
Lucas was clearly in his glory.
My friend Heather’s youngest son was turning two, hence the reason for the par-tay, and it was great. The play place is big enough for adults to go through, which was good in helping him get acclimated to it. We did all sorts of climbing and sliding down slides (which was not easy…).
And then he eventually got the hang of things so I was able to stand back a bit and just observe.
He must have done down that slide a couple dozen times!
After the party, we came home for a nap (he was exhausted), I took care of some blog work, and we did a few things around the house. We played outside for a bit, measured outside for a potential back deck, heated up leftovers for dinner, and let Lucas end the evening with some iPad time. All of it going undocumented, too.
It was a fun and productive weekend, and this week ahead is likely going to be a very busy one at work, so I’m quite sad to see if come to an end. But I suppose that’s how the cookie crumbles, right?! Here’s to hoping for a good week ahead for all of us…hey, I mean, it’s almost March, so that’s definitely a positive!!
FYI: Thanks to everyone who entered the Kohl’s Gift Card Giveaway! The winner has been chosen and has been emailed!
What were some of your weekend highlights? Do any baking? Go anywhere fun?
Brynn says
Lucas looks so happy bowling and at the party- such a sweet smile! I had an afternoon of free time on Sunday, which was relaxing and rejuvenating.
Linz @ Itz Linz says
No baking over here (but I was drooling when you posted those bars makeover!!) and I made these bacon wrapped biscuit egg cheese cups for Sunday morning breakfast! So good!
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
My weekend highlight was binge watching Fuller House on Saturday. I multi-tasked so I felt less bad about it (scratch that, I didn’t even kind of feel bad despite Netflix attempt by asking me if I was still watching 1 minute into the new episode).
Your cabinet looks really nice, maybe it’s just the picture but I love it!
Melissa says
Thanks for always sharing your food. I want both that dinner and the cookies now!!! Also, making your crock pot chicken for the second week in a row for dinner/leftovers this week. Love it!
I really like the table but that stinks about the paint! I always find painting anything takes me about 3 times as long as I think it will in my head.
Rachel Schlosser says
Those cookies look good, and speaking of cookies I had my first cookie dough iced coffee from DD today, OMG so good.
Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me says
I think your handiwork looks amazing! It’ll look even better once it is filled, but I want you to know how amazing it looks right now too!
Katy H says
That stinks about the chalk paint! I’ve only ever used Annie Sloan, which is expensive, but I’ve had a fabulous experience with it. I painted a coffee table, chairs, a breakfast table and other knick knacks with no problem. 1 coat of paint…2 max worked for us. I know a lot of companies are trying their hand and making chalk pain, but I’m leery to try it. If you decide to give it a try again, I’d def go with Annie Sloan.
Heather @ Life In Leggings says
Yikes – that project sounds like a nightmare. But, it turned out awesome! Good for you guys :) Looks like Lucas had a blast. He’s so cute!
Julie says
I saw this morning that Cookie Dough is back and instantly thought “I wonder if Courtney knows yet!” haha It’s so good, at least from what I remember. I’m having a pregnancy coffee aversion right now that I know you can relate to :( Also, I’ve been curious, do you know of any bloggers who are recently pregnant? I’ve already stalked like every post of yours about your pregnancy with Lucas and baby #2, and a few other blogs I follow with their old posts too, but it’d be fun to find one close to where I’m at. Thanks :)
Courtney says
Haha, that’s too funny you thought of me, thanks Julie! I actually don’t know too many who are also pregnant right now except for http://www.thegirlishblog.com/! :)
Courtney says
Also, congrats on your pregnancy! I wanted nothing to do with coffee for the first 12-14 weeks or so either ;)
Jen says
I was wondering if the CD iced coffee was back at DD, and thought I’d check your blog to see if you’d posted about it.. and sure enough!! Too funny. I find the standard to be a little sweet (still delicious) – does your cup mean you get 3 pumps of the CD?
Courtney says
Haha, I love it! I usually get 2 pumps in a medium (they say the standard is 3) and it’s plenty sweet enough (assuming they are actually giving me 3…you never know) ;)
Kaila says
How do you take your cookie dough iced coffee? I need to try it!! I’m always afraid that chalk paint will chip! Keep us updated on how you like it once you decorate it!
Courtney says
Just with skim milk! It’s sweet enough so I don’t find that it needs anything extra :)
Taylor says
What a fun weekend!! I haven’t tried chalk paint, but it sounds like a little too much work for me :)
Marie says
The cabinet looks great! You’re going to love it that much more now since you guys put that much work into it. :) That slide looked so high up; Lucas is so brave!