Repurpose a Media Armoire Into a Coffee Bar

Several months ago, Our Girl Banjo and I were out for our usual morning walk when she yanked my arm to run up a driveway to greet a neighbor. The neighbor was having a yard sale. I immediately spotted this armoire for fifty dollars. I called Michael and texted him a photo of it. He said yes let's get it. So, I ran Our Girl Banjo back to our house and grabbed a check. 

The minute I saw the armoire I pictured it as a coffee bar in our new kitchen. It just needed a bit of sprucing up in order to go with our cabinets and decor.

I believe the finish is called a buttermilk wash. Nothing wrong with it, but the yellow tint made our floor look yellow and the paint look drab.

The coffee bar needed to be more white in order to flow with our new cabinets. So, I sanded it, washed it, ran tack cloth over it and then painted it very lightly with the same paint as the planked ceilings. I painted the window grills to match the walls. I got so ambitious that I painted the entire inside to match the walls and planks.

Here is a better look at the colors. It really softened and updated the look of the armoire. 

It was an attractive armoire from the start. Even though the change is subtle; it still took a few days to get it to where I needed it to be. The above photo is the before.

The above photo here is the after. I couldn't be more pleased with it. 

This wonderful piece could've easily ended up in a landfill. I had a vision when I first saw it and I made it happen That kind of thing would make anyone happy. I smiled even bigger when I put a few of my things in it to see if I'd like it as a coffee bar. Who knew that it had lights?

I could clearly see it as a coffee bar sitting there in my neighbor's driveway.

I still need to get a new toaster to go in that empty spot you see on the right. But all in all, it's not too shabby for a fifty dollar piece of new to me furniture.

Happy Adoption Day, Banjo

It's been one year since we adopted Our Girl Banjo. She seemed like such a lazy pup at the adoption event. The minute we got her home, we realized she was just exhausted from the nonstop people walking by the crates ogling the dogs all day. We got her home she walked into the kitchen and that's when we realized she had lots and lots of energy. Her personality quickly became known as rambunctious.

I worked with teaching her to sit, stay and look. She growled a lot. I wasn't sure what we were in for not knowing her breed. 

Our Girl Banjo tried hard to understand us and we tried so very much to understand her. We tried to talk to the shelter to see if her growl was going to be a problem. They suggested training.

Turns out she just needed to have lots of playtime and her growl was a playful growl. Her breed will let you know if it isn't a kind growl. She has never shown us her vicious growl or any type of aggression. 

Within a few weeks, she learned to sit and stay until I called her to me. She seemed bored with the simple commands. Little did I know that she is a very intelligent dog. 

Not being the kind of dog that likes to chew our furniture or our shoes, chew sticks were her teething toy of choice.

Lots and lots of chew sticks. She carried them around like a toddler with a pacifier. Being a shelter dog for a couple of months and just turning four months old she was a bit timid and sometimes scared. 

A lot of her stress went towards the chew sticks. They seem to soothe her as she adjusted to her new home.

The more we worked with her the more she started trusting us as her new owners. She made wonderful eye contact and anxiously awaited to learn a new command. 

The first month, the dog beach was out of the question. It was too overwhelming and terrified her. She doesn't like water touching her tummy. Water to her knees is good...any higher and she is just like me, she panics. 

We tried to put her in a child's bike carrier to get her used to the trail. She hated it, we sold the trailer and she is perfectly content to actually walk the trail. 

After having Our Girl Banjo for a few weeks, we decided to buy a new boat. That was the day that she decided that she would love us forever. 

A year later and she is climbing trees, chasing squirrels and taking me on 4 mile walks. 

The pontoon, is her favorite thing to do. She quickly took over my position as first mate. You won't find a more content dog than Our Girl Banjo on a pontoon ride.

When she isn't peacefully napping on her Auntie's lap...

she is carefully guarding our home. Well, actually she is having a staring match with our neighbor's cat, Flash. They do this for ten minutes each and every morning. 

Our Girl Banjo is a goof ball most of the time. But you know, it's okay because she is OUR goof ball and we wouldn't have it any other way. 

There was some doubt of course when we first got her as with any pet adoption. But to see her sweet face when her daddy drives off to work, is priceless. 

Actually, I lied. She did chew something of mine, just one time. She got into my mixed media art supplies and chewed my, "kindness" with little remorse, as you can see. Those eyeliner eyes though.

We've had a year of major renovations and remodeling with our fixer upper. While Our Girl Banjo hasn't been much help, she does mind her own business and let's us get the job done. 

If you see Our Girl Banjo out and about today, wish her a Happy One Year Adoption Day.

By the way, The Night Circus, the book selection for one of the book clubs that I attend, has inspired me so much this month, I had to share my take on the chocolate mice. 

If you read the book, you'll get the reference to chocolate mice.

Blog break time is over, time to get back to work on the kitchen floor tile. We said we would never do herringbone pattern again...never say, never. 

Yes Muppies, Manners Do Matter

Since being on crutches I've learned a lot about people. It isn't the elderly that fail to show respect. It isn't the millennials that are rude, selfish and ill mannered. It isn't the little ones that are so demanding and defiant. No it isn't the other generations that are so very rude.

It has been my experience that it's my generation that wins for most rude people than any other generation. Yes,the baby boomers, more specifically the yuppies (the now middle aged) that are most likely to be inconsiderate and rude.

While in line, on crutches a middle aged, trendy, athletic looking woman nearly knocked me over to get ahead of me in line. I completely stopped walking so she could continue to cut in front of me while I attempted to steady myself on crutches. Standing back, I patiently waited for her load her plate with the gluten free or carb free or whatever kind of bread it was that she considered a prize for being the first one to get it on her plate. I simply stood back and let her do what she felt she needed to do.

She must have felt rude after she got what she wanted and had to walk by me again to get to her seat. She stopped in front of me and embarrassingly said, "I'm..." I cut her off and said, "Please don't say anything. Had you apologized five minutes ago it would have meant something. But to apologize after you accomplished what you set out to do, it doesn't come across as genuine. So, please just walk away and go on about your business and leave me in peace."

She had to sit by me at a nearby table with her husband for about forty five minutes before she was able to leave. I'm not sure if she learned anything nor does it matter to me. The important thing is that I definitely saw the message in that incident. It's clear to me now that what I have to do in my every day life is never more important than what someone else has to do in their every day life. 

It's not worth cutting people off in line because you feel your time is more precious than the person you're shoving aside. As part of my upbringing, I was taught to be kind to others and to help those that are struggling for whatever reason. The return on that investment is immeasurable.

Little children have offered to assist me with doors. Millennials have offered to carry things or let me go ahead of them. The very elderly on canes, walkers and in wheelchairs have stopped to smile or make sure that we are both comfortable before we proceed to walk by each other. We middle aged yuppies, we baby boomers should take pause and wonder if it's them or maybe, just maybe is it us?

 

The past few weeks have shown me that it's definitely the middle aged that are in a big hurry. It must come from the pressure of our yuppie generation that makes us feel we need to be so competitive and so rich and so successful. It was probably quite attractive to make more, to buy more and to shove people aside more when we were younger. But we are older now. Middle aged yuppies, we muppies should know by now that the "all about me" way of thinking might make you feel good about yourself for the moment. But, how does it make those around you feel?

I'm so grateful that Mi Miguel and I don't play that game anymore. When it comes to life, less is more folks. Manners will take you much further on the happiness path than boorish "all about me" behavior. There is a time and a place for everything. The "all about me" behavior is great when you are administering personal hygiene or having a few quiet moments to yourself. But if you don't mind, could you please save the "all about me" competitiveness for tennis court or whatever sport you play and not the line at Sweet Tomatoes.

What you do during the day is what allows you to rest your head peacefully at night. Always be kind and always be wise about it. Never let anyone confuse your kindness for stupidity. 

The Night Circus, Have You Read It!

I haven't posted in a while. We've been very busy with our kitchen and a few other major projects. The kitchen has been overwhelming since a lot has been put on Mi Miguel with me tearing the meniscus in my knee. So far, we have the ceiling planked(needs white-washed) and the concrete is leveled and ready for tiling.

That's the edge of the living room. We are now piecing it together so that it flows well but yet we will have a threshold to give the room boundaries to avoid a gymnasium feel. 

This our new sink, we're hoping we made the right decision with our choice of cabinets and appliances. We had to order new cabinets because painting wasn't an option once we started taking the doors off of the lower ones, water damage and other issues. They've definitely seen better days. 

By the end of April, we will be ready to reveal our kitchen; if all goes as planned. For now, the 80's look is definitely gone and it currently has no look at all.

We've also been busy making lots of new friends here in the sunshine state. Which gives us a welcomed break when needed. By the way, the friends we've made have been incredibly supportive of our fixer upper endeavors and we thank you for that.

I've also gotten myself involved in three book clubs. We are currently reading, The Night Circus in all three of them. I'd love to start a discussion on my blog about this wonderfully interesting book. If you've read the book please share your thoughts.