Husband Appreciation Week - Dresser Reveal

Ryan's dresser is finally finished and ready for him to move in his clothes from the dinky plastic drawers from his closet! It took some sweat equity but Ryan is really excited to have more space for his shirts, socks, and underwear.

Let's just say it was a labor of love taking an old, smoke-smelling, broken dresser and turning it into a really beautiful piece of furniture.

The first step was taking off the years of dirt, dust, and grime. And ridding the bottom of bird seed and mouse poop. Which is always a lovely time.

Then it was to sanding so that I could paint it this awesome color I had my sights set on. The wood was beautiful but I REALLY like this one color and the stain of the wood didn't match the stain of all the other pieces in our bedroom.

 

The color: Charcoal Stone from BH&G. Two coats and it was lookin' good!

 

Then came the tricky part. I didn't want it to look plain so I thought I would use a silver accent to make it look fancy. With a lot of measuring, marking, and taping, I had a simple line around the outside of the drawers and on top of the dresser. And yes, I did measure and mark. I'm anal. Two coats of the silver stuff and it was set.

On a side note NEVER EVER in your life buy off brand painters tape. It doesn't work as well as you want it to so save yourself a headache and spend the extra $3.00 to get the better stuff.

Then came the final coat (or two). I took my half full spray can of and went to town putting a top coat of clear coat. Unfortunately I didn't have enough to cover everything. So I did what Ryan said I shouldn't - put a coat of modge podge on it. And you know what? It looks good.

After a little more scrubbing inside, a couple of cedar blocks, new knobs, and a little rearranging, the dresser found its home. Right into a little nook in our bedroom where our chair and butterfly table.

Easy project that just took some time. Husband Appreciated!

Supplies
1. Dresser - Free! (My parents said I could have it)
2. Martha Stewart  Metallic Paint (Polished Silver) - $5.48
3. Better Homes & Garden Quart of Charcoal Stone Paint - $10.47
4. Painter's Tape - $2.99 (Buy the good stuff!)
5. 6 Knobs from Home Depot - $1.87 a piece

6. Modge Podge - $9.00

7. Cedar Blocks - $3.32

Total cost for the project considering percentage of paint, paper, ribbon, etc used is probably close to $22.00! Not too shabby for a brand new piece of furniture. Well, brand new to us anyway.

Husband Appreciation Week Kickoff

Last night didn't go as planned but I think this week is off to a great start.

Ryan got a position tutoring for the NCAA at SUNY Albany. So when students need help with math, they go to my adorably intelligent husband who breathes, sleeps, and eats math. He's been working really hard on his studies which I definitely think is paying off. (Here's hoping he's funded next year!) On Thursday, Rye didn't end up getting home until 7:30pm because he was tutoring for most of the day. Last night he came home around 6:00pm after tutoring some girls in Calculus and Number Theory. So by that time he was starving and looking for food.

He was in luck because I was just finishing up some popcorn. I made four types: (from left to right) Milk Chocolate Peanut Popcorn, Parmesan Cheese Popcorn, Traditional Buttered Popcorn, and then Cinnabun Popcorn.

As soon as he saw them he dug right in. His favorite? The Cinnabun Popcorn. It was especially delicious. While they were good they weren't enough to get us full so Rye made us grilled cheeses with our homemade bread. All of our meat is frozen so unless we plan ahead - which sometimes doesn't happen - we eat something quick and easy. 

By the time we were done with dinner, we were both pretty beat and thought if we dropped off my car to the shop (I needed an inspection) we could come home and just relax. Well, nothing is ever that simple. One of my headlights was out for a few weeks so not knowing whether that would fail the inspection we wanted to get a new bulb. An hour later after not having the right size socket to take the bolts out - the light only needed to be tightened. At this point it was 7:50pm and I thought if we're already not going to watch Criminal Minds - we might as well get the hose Ryan wants so we can brew on Sunday. After dropping my car off we went out to Latham and to get the garden hose from Home Depot. I also picked up some knobs for the finished dresser, which I'll highlight in another post. 

When we finally got home, we broke out some beer and wine and talked with friends until 2am. Google Hangout and Mumble are probably some of the best things out there to hangout with friends who live across the country. 

I'll leave you with Ryan's latest Craigslist find that arrived this morning for a cool $50. He's one huge step closer to the kegerator he's been dreaming of. Now to roll up my sleeves and get working on making this 1960s GE fridge shine! (This might be a while.)

Honor Thy Husband, part 3 and Husband Appreciation Week

In my past two posts I've cover 1-20 of the 25 Ways to Communicate Respect to your husband. While I don't agree with all of them there are some I could work on. These ones I'm rolling into "Husband Appreciation Week" or "HAW." So before I unveil my plans for HAW let's finish up the list.

21. Admire Him -  Ryan is incredibly smart and he's chasing his dreams. While I'm not admiring him 24/7 I do think about all the things he's done and he plans on accomplishing. He's pretty amazing and I'm really glad he's mine. This might be something to work on - at least letting him know.

22. Protect His Name - I read somewhere else that you should never complain about your husband because it leads to discontent and allows others to input comments on how it should be better. I definitely bitch about Ryan sometimes. I could work on this a lot.

23. Forgive His Shortcomings - If there is one person I do not hold a grudge against, it's Ryan. Believe me, I can hold a grudge for a LONG, LONG time. But against my husband? Never. I may be a little bitter that I'm the only one with a steady job, but Ryan's doing really well at school and he's focusing on that (I just need to remind myself that in 3-4 years he'll have a fantastic job and we won't have to struggle anymore).

24. Don't Argue - THIS is impossible. And I think it's unrealistic. In any marriage or relationship there are bound to be differences. With stubborn, intelligent, opinionated people you're going to argue and have fights. I do admit that you should pick your battles but to never have an argument is just admitting you're either 1. lying to yourself, 2. a complete pushover who doesn't stand for what they believe, or 3. a true follower with no personal convictions.

25. Follow His Lead - Ryan is much more at peace not making decisions. I always ask his opinion which for the most part he's impartial. When he does have an opinion or makes a decision I know it's important so I typically let him run with it. I don't think one person has to lead all the time. As long as we make the decisions together (whether or not the other cares) is the important thing.

And that's it! So here's how I came in:

12 I need to work on (to be incorporated into "HAW")
8 Already I'm doing (feel confident I do these daily)
5 Are a little ridiculous (and most likely won't be incorporated into "HAW")

Now for the unveiling of Husband Appreciation Week, which I was going to start this week, but I think I'
ll start this weekend.

How anyone could look at that face and not smile is beyond me. He's just too cute! One of the big things I've been wanting to do for him is finish the dresser my parents let us have. I picked out a fantastic color that matches our room decor and added some silver accents. I just have to add a clear top coat and get some awesome knobs. Ryan helped a little with the sanding (I didn't ask - which is even better!) but is really excited to be moving out of the white plastic drawers he has now and into a much bigger and solid wood dresser. So here are my plans for this weekend through next week starting with Friday evening.

Overall - Number 1 no nagging. I am going to do my best with this one. I'm going to try and be calm whenever I feel like I'm about to get upset and instead put a smile on my face and tell Ryan that I love him. 

Friday - I'm going to download the seasons of Criminal Minds, make some popcorn, and veg with Ryan. With some wine and beer it'll be a perfect stay-at-home-and-cuddle kind of evening.

Saturday - As always we'll hit up the Troy Farmer's Market for some fresh croissants then head over to the Capital District Community Garden's Fall Plant Sale. It's just up the road and there might be some great finds. Then we're off to Pearl Palooza 2012! With amazing bands playing from noon until 9pm we'll be pretty beat by the end of it. It shall be a fantastic day.

Sunday - To start the day off I'll make some belgian waffles around 10am when Ryan gets hungry. And since we have so many tomatoes and green peppers in the freezer, I think it'd be a perfect opportunity for us to cook together. Between some red sauce and some baking ideas I want to try, I'll keep Ryan busy, entertained, and full! I think we might also brew (beer, again) as the next mix is set to arrive sometime this week.

Monday - Starting today I'm going to write loves notes on the white board in the kitchen. I'm not sure if he'll notice them. If he doesn't on Monday, I'll drop the notes in his lunch bag on Tuesday. Also we decided to start P90X up again. I know this doesn't seem like appreciation but he'll appreciate the motivation to stay active and healthy. Trust me!

Tuesday - Since I'll be working from home I'm going to make Ryan's lunch for him. I'll include extra snacks and some puzzles to keep his mind working all day. For dinner, I think I'm going to make pot roast and include some mashed potatoes and dressing. I'll double check with Ryan - I'm not sure if he's saving the roast for something else.

Wednesday - Ryan doesn't have school because of Yom Kippur. I'll be sure to text him during the day to make sure he's not too lonely. He complains that I never text him enough - I'll be sure to blow up his phone this day. 

Thursday - It's my birthday! I'll be turning 25 and after a long day at work and school (for Ryan) we'll do some extra exercises after P90X to finish the day off right. ;-)

Friday - It's the last Friday of the month so that means Troy's Night Out. All the shops on River Street stay open until 9pm which is great for those who don't work in downtown Troy. It'll be a nice night to visit the shops and just walk around and talk. 

I'll put up some posts about how HAW goes as it happens. Stay tuned! Let me know if you're planning something for your hubby or partner. I'd love to get more ideas. 

Honor Thy Husband, part 2

So in my previous post I mentioned 25 Ways to Communicate Respect to your husband. I covered 10 of the 25 ways. Tonight I'll cover ten more and tally up how I think I'm doing so far. In my next post I'll unveil the last five as well as plans for "Husband Appreciation Week" (or "HAW"). 

11. Eyes Only for Him - First, I just want to say that the only books I love to read (and have loved to read since my teens) have been romance novels. Not the cheap Harlequin ones, but the ones with meat. And I ABSOLUTELY LOVED 50 Shades of Grey. So much that I read it three times. I may look at other men and compare Ryan to them, but no book, actor, or other person will ever be my husband. He's real, handsome, and incredibly kind. I wouldn't trade him for anything or anyone. If you're doing it right and you have your soulmate, no matter who you look at - they never compare to the best thing you have right next to you. This one is definitely getting filed under "a little ridiculous."

12. Kiss Him Goodbye - The original post implied that you're kissing him goodbye when HE leaves to work. Well, I wake up every weekday morning and out the door about 2 hours before Ryan even sees the world for the day. So, yea...but I do kiss him every morning (generally more than once because he has adorable cheeks) right before I head out the door. I think I'm set with this - besides the fact of the sexist seeming remark that the woman should stay home and cook and raise babies.

13. Prepare His Favorite Foods - Ryan loves food, I know most of us do. But Ryan has a few favorites, namely chicken parm, and potatoes. Not together mind you but he could live off them. I thought that I was doing well with this one. I make sure we have chicken parm at least once every other week. But he's been itching for potatoes. The only problem is we don't typically keep them in the house because I don't like potatoes unless they're french fries. Ryan can't go through a whole bag by himself quickly, so the first bag we did buy went bad and we had to throw them out - which neither of us liked. But I think that I have enough potato recipes now (thanks Pinterest!) that we could go through a bag with some speed and not have any to go to waster. This will definitely be incorporated in "HAW."

14. Cherish Togetherness - Ryan and I have no animals or kids. So when we're both home it's just us. All the time. And whenever I'm home, Ryan's home. Ryan has some alone time after I go to work and I guess I may have an hour at home on Tuesdays and Thursdays now because of his school schedule. But, unless we do things separately on the weekend - and I can count on one hand how many times that's been since we've been married - we are always together. I love my husband but sometimes I just want some me time. To do that I go into another room and do my own thing on my computer. Sometimes Ryan will join me in the room and get on his computer. But we're perfectly fine with this set up - we're content to be together and do things separately. Sometimes too much togetherness can be a bad thing but perhaps I can look into this and see if I'm missing something.

15. Don’t Complain - I'll make this short and sweet: THIS I need to work on. I can complain about a lot of things and I'm sure Ryan doesn't want to hear it. DEFINITELY WILL BE IN "HAW."

16. Resist the Urge to Correct - Typically Ryan is really good with his facts and figures. He's exactly like his father with random trivia knowledge. Occasionally when I do hear him make a mistake I let it slide, especially if it's in a story where the details aren't all that important. But if he does make an erroneous comment, I'll ask him, "Are you sure? I thought it was [correct fact]." We might debate it but all in all no harm no foul.

17. Dress to Please Him - I think I could present myself a little better than I do most days, but it's not like I walk around like a slob. I think this can be incorporated though.

18. Keep the House Tidy - Working full time and taking care of the apartment is tough. Especially when I don't have help. For the most part it's clean and neat - the only disaster area is the den where our computers are and I think it's mainly because we have too much crap and not enough closets. A situation I am determined to rectify. But you better believe I'm going to have Ryan help, after all he lives there too. He's typically pretty good with helping but lately he's been doing other things when I'm cleaning which doesn't leave me too happy. Who knows. Maybe it will change?

19. Be Content - Sometimes I just want to buy things because other people have them and I want them too goddammit. The original post said, "Take satisfaction in the lifestyle he is able to provide for you." Not sure how that's supposed to work when I'm providing for both of us. I should be able to buy the things we need right? Well, I need a few things from Ikea. Ryan is very frugal which helps keep us both grounded but sometimes I just want to buy something and that makes me content. Is that so wrong?

20. Take His Advice - I often ask Rye what he thinks about things. Generally he doesn't care either way. When he does have an opinion I listen and take it to heart because if he cares enough to have an opinion it was worth the time for him to form it and feel comfortable sharing it. I value that and I appreciate what he has to say.

I feel that these ones were a mix of a lot of things I already do, with one or two I need to work on, and then of course a ridiculous one (or two). How are you doing so far? Where are you landing with these?

With twenty down and five to go, here's an updated tally on how I'm doing.

10 I need to work on (to be incorporated into "HAW")7 Already I'm doing (feel confident I do these daily)3 Are a little ridiculous (and most likely won't be incorporated into "HAW")

Honor Thy Husband...

The other day I was browsing around Pinterest and found a link for 25 Ways to Communicate Respect. I thought to myself "I can always try to be a better person for Ryan" so I took the time and read it.

I read these with an open mind, honestly looking to improve my relationship (which isn't hurting in the least). Nearly all of them have a biblical verse with them - which I did not read - but I wanted to share my thoughts and opinions on them. After I'll share my plan for a "Husband Appreciation Week" (or "HAW") where I'll try to be better for him. Because the list is long (and I'm verbose) I'll be splitting this up into three posts. Here goes:


1. Choose Joy - Seems easy. I know I can be bitchy at times (probably most times) but I think I can work on this and be a happier (not seemingly medicated) person.

2. Honor His Wishes - I think I do pretty well with this. Sometimes I forget things Rye asks but on big things I listen. For the most part I think I'm good with this. (Some of the examples I didn't particularly care for though...)

3. Give Him Your Undivided Attention - THIS I need to work on. Even while writing this post Ryan was talking about some math tidbit he wanted to share and I said "what?" at least twice.

4. Don't Interrupt - In heated debate, this is a little hard. In general, I shut up and listen until there's a pause or something important I want to share. I enjoy the rhythm of our conversation and I don't think this needs much attention.

5. Emphasize His Good Points - One of the things I probably complain most about is how Ryan doesn't have a job (or an sort of income). There are so many things I admire about him though; he's incredibly smart, kind,  and my kind of handsome. This will be incorporated into "Husband Appreciation Week."

6. Pray for Him - I consider myself a Christian person, but I don't talk to God every day or even every week. When I do pray I pray for strength and comfort when I need it most. If I told my husband I was praying for him (which I'm not sure is the point) I think he would ask "Why?" and "Are you serious?" I'm not sure how this communicates respect - feel free to shed some light on it.

7. Don't Nag - My husband has the memory of a goldfish (please note that "HAW" has not started and show I'm not incorporating number 5 into my daily life just yet). An example from tonight: he offered to finish the dishes, which means wiping down counters, stove, and the table, while I finished cleaning the bathroom. I agreed and finished cleaning the toilet, shower, and sink. He was already back in the den seemingly done with his task. Dishes? Done. Counters? Tons of crumbs. Table? Not wiped. Stove? Speckled from our messy dinner. By the time he came up to do it, after I had asked if they got done, everything was wiped, clean, and sparkly. I chose my battle and tonight was not worth it. I do nag him about the garbage, his dirty clothes, putting away his things, etc. "HAW" will have 0% nagging. Might take some working up to.

8. Be Thankful - Please and thank you are common words in our house. We appreciate the things we do for one another. I think I'm okay with this one.

9. Smile at Him - It's hard to look at Ryan and not smile. Especially with his hair longer like it is right now and when he does things like this:

10. Respond Physically - This means ALL THE TIME, not just when you're in the mood too. Now, I've heard this before...from Michelle Duggar who said that by resisting your husband's physical affection (kiss, hug, or sex) you're destroying his manliness. No wonder she's got 20 kids. Maybe this is a Christian thing that I missed out on growing up (or perhaps it was supposed to be during the pre-wedding marriage counseling we didn't take). I'm sorry, I love Ryan and I love how we are together, but if I'm feeling like shit (and sex isn't going to help) it's not happening. I'll never turn down a kiss or hug, I love those and I enjoy sex too, but sometimes I'm just not feeling it. Maybe Michelle Duggar can put on a really good show every night but as for me? I'll keep it to when we're both in the mood and knock it out of the park.

That's ten down, with fifteen to go. Here's a tally on how I'm doing.

4 I need to work on (to be incorporated into "HAW")
4 Already I'm doing (feel confident I do these daily(
2 Are a little ridiculous (and most likely won't be incorporated into "HAW")