My First Furniture Flip: Server Turned Into TV Stand

I had this server type table that my stepfather gave me and that he probably found somewhere on the side of a road with a sign that read "FREE". I decided that I would use it as a TV stand until I bought a new, fancier one. That was more than ten years ago!

This table became an eye sore in my living room. I wanted to get rid of it so bad, but I couldn't get myself to shed a couple hundred bucks buying a new TV stand. Why buy a new stand when this one did the job? It doesn't help that I'm frugal - uhum - cheap! The only other option I had was to flip this furniture piece and make it into something more useful to my family. 

After looking through dozens of Pinterest posts looking for some inspiration, I finally decided to go for it! 

I didn't take a before picture because, honestly, I thought that I was going to make a disaster out of this project therefore I wasn't going to post about it lol. But then I changed my mind and decided to take some pictures for my own purpose :).

This is what the table looked like after I started sanding. I opted for a medium grid sanding block. This process took lots of time and elbow grease because this table had been stained and varnished over and over again! But I was determined...

After I finished sanding I made sure to wipe down the table with a wet rag and making sure to thoroughly clean all corners with a little brush to remove any particles left behind from sanding. 

With a foam roller, I painted a couple of layers of Zinsser primer, waiting about three hours in between layers.

Because I didn't know how this project would turn out - aaaand, I was doing it halfheartedly, I decided to go with cheap paint from Walmart. I opted for black because I figured that it was the best color to cover any imperfections. 

With the foam roller I applied two coats of the black Glidden paint, waiting for it to dry a day in between coats.

We took some measurements and went to Home Depot to purchase a piece of plywood that we could place on the area where the drawer used to be and where the cable box and game console would go. I was pleasantly surprised when the gentleman offered to cut it to size for us *yay*! We used some wood glue and small screws to keep it in place and *wallah!*, shelf was in place!

After the shelf installation, I painted it black and made an opening across the backboard, right over the new shelf, so that we could put the cables through (not pictured). 

We're still looking for baskets to place on the bottom of the console (not an easy task to find the right size *sigh*) where we can put the controllers and kids games in. But this is the finished product...

With some Christmas decor... 

So there it is - our first finished furniture project :)! We love our "new" TV console! And the best part was the price; it cost us just a little over $60- to re-purpose this piece, and that was because we had to buy paint brushes and paint plates! 

Flipping this piece of old furniture taught me that there's no need to spend hundreds of dollars on new furniture pieces to give your home a new look. Sometimes all you need is a brush, some paint, a vision and a lot of determination...oh some Pinterest inspiration wouldn't hurt hehe...to make what you already have, look like a totally different piece! 

After this piece came out looking so nice I regretted not buying better quality paint. This is something I will definitely keep in mind for my next project. Maybe I'll just take the money that I saved from not getting a new TV stand and use it towards buying better quality paint for my next projects ;)!

Soooo, now that this project is all set and done, I want to flip every piece of furniture in my house lol (OK, maybe not every piece, but several!). So be prepared to see more of these posts in the future! 

I even know what my next project will be—an old baker's rack that has become an eye sore in my kitchen :D...

Until next time - um, flip - my friends! 

~ Yamilka <3 ~

The Big Ten

“When I wake up in the morning, I want everyone to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me” – Julissa

It’s the big 10!

And last night before going to bed, Julissa announced to the entire house that she wanted a big wakeup call; all of us singing happy birthday lol. She loves being the center of attention and has a sense of humor to go along with it!

Inevitably, my “baby”…my girl, did wake up being 10 today! And let’s be real – there was no singing in the morning. Due to the fact that our house is a crazy place (much like the mornings in that movie, Home Alone) in the mornings…there was only lots of running, complaining (boys) and some...okay, a lot, of yelling (me, of course) because we needed to get out the door on time! So definitely no time for singing. But there was more than enough time to stop and give her a big smooch and a tight hug. And time to take in some of her sweet smell and wish her a very happy birthday!

“It’s like I’m having a birthweek, instead of a birthday” – Julissa

On Wednesday, she had a softball game and she wanted to make cupcakes to share with her softball team so I went to my favorite website – Pinterest – to look for some cute cupcake ideas that we could use. I found these really cute softball cupcakes and on Monday we went and bought all the ingredients needed to make them. Julissa loves to help out in the kitchen, so she was really excited about making her own birthday cupcakes and on Tuesday, after getting home from school, she went directly to the kitchen immediately after getting home from school. She did a great job mixing and baking and the cupcakes turned out really cute!

For the fondant, I couldn’t find a food coloring that was close enough to the color of a softball, (which is something between neon yellow and bright neon green) so I went online and did some research. I read somewhere to mix a very bright yellow and a couple of dots of bright blue, which I did. It took me a few tries but I finally got it close enough. I’ve been working with fondant a lot lately, so this is good tip to keep in mind. I also wanted to use coloring markers for the baseball lines but I couldn’t find them in the stores and it was too late to order online, so I ended up using piping gel.

Finished product

Closeup...

Wednesday, after the game … which they happen to win ... the girls sang Happy Birthday to Julissa and had cupcakes and juice. The cupcakes were a hit with the girls and the parents alike and Julissa was all smiles :)! *win win win*

Because my hubby works the night shift and he worked the entire week and weekend, we decided to wait until he was home to get a cake. On Friday, Julissa asked to have a couple of her best friends sleep over, and they really enjoyed themselves! They ate brunch out in the yard and played with their American Dolls.

On Saturday I went and bought her favorite cake —strawberry shortcake — which on the way home she destroyed because her nagging brother started to bother her in the back seat of the car, and she decides to swing her cake at him. But in Julissa's words "It's my cake!". So we got home and sang HB with a mashed up cake!

So I guess Julissa was right...she got to celebrate her birthday the entire week. It was definitely a birthweek for her this time around! :)

~•* Yamilka *•~

A Squared Deal

I've officially made my first Craigslist purchase – a beautiful, woood table with six chairs. 

Ever since we moved into our house (going on six years now), I've been searching for the right dining room set for our kitchen. I wanted something where the kids could sit and do homework, crafts or have a quick meal. I also wanted the natural wood look because it would go in the kitchen and I didn't want it to look too formal AND I didn't want to pay full price for a new set. So I started to look on Craigslist here and there to see if I could find what I was looking for on a decent price; hey, trying to be frugal is not easy!

Well, this week I finally came across a “moving house sale” post on Craigslist. I checked the images and came across this beautiful light wood table set with six chairs…just what I had been looking for! But what made this post so exciting was the price - $200.00 for the table, six chairs and a stool. I couldn't type fast enough when sending the seller a message asking if it was still available. She took what felt like forever to email me back but when she did, she promised to hold the set for me for a couple of days, since it was an hour away.

I was so pumped to have found the kitchen table set I had been longing for so long! Being patient really does pay off … *hands up* woot woot!

So a couple of days later, off I went with Jovan to pick up the table set. My husband happen to be working that evening, so I was a little - OK, a lot - anxious about going to meet someone at their house in a city that I am completely unfamiliar with, but I really wanted that table set!

When I got to the house the lady turned out to be super nice. And I ended up loving the table more in person. It turned out to be bigger than what I had expected because it had a leaf that had not been extended when she posted the pictures. Jovan really took charge and removed the legs off the table, helped me load and unload everything from the car and then helped me put everything back together when we got home.  

Here's the fully extended table.

It's a beautiful color and practically new! Definitely a bargain for the price.  

And Jovan putting the table legs back on. He's growing into such a helpful young man *tear*.

Now all I have to do is make a nice Easter dinner and invite my big family over to eat :D.

~Yamilka

New Orchard, Old Apples

Fall is my favorite season! I love the beautiful colors of the changing leaves, the crisp air, pumpkin everything and cider donuts ... with a cup of coffee, of course. But what I especially love about fall is apple picking! 

My Mom and stepfather started taking me to the orchard every September since I was around ten or eleven. They would always buy the combination box of apples and nectarines because my siblings and I could never decide on what fruit we wanted. We always made it into a full day and would get all kinds of treats at the orchard shack and spend a couple of hours with my younger brothers at their petting zoo and playground. We used to really enjoy these special days and I have fond memories of these outings!

Naturally, when I got married and had kids, I carried on this family tradition with my family. And after all these years we still go to Tougas Farm - the same orchard that my parents took me when I was younger. Their farm has grown so much since we first started going there! Their fruit is always fresh and crunchy - our favorite are the Gala apples (my mouth waters just thinking of them). The farmers are always polite, smiling and super helpful and their kitchen always has warm cider donuts. And their kettle corn? Delicious! Oh, I can't forget their pumpkin tree - okay fine, EVERYTHING about this farm is amazing and there's something for everyone, which for a family of six, is a big deal lol! My kids and I just love this place! :D

Although Tougas is my go-to orchard, a few weeks ago I was scrolling through Groupon on my iPhone, when I came upon this great deal for apple picking at an orchard close by. I had never been there but it looked and sounded like a good place and the reviews (I check reviews for everything! lol) were good, so I bought the Groupon. 'Why not? It's time to try a new place once', I thought.

So this past Sunday off we went to pick some apples! We had amazing weather, which was on point with the Fall season - sunny but crisp - and it was a nice scenic drive getting there. It really was the perfect day...until we got there.

This is what we came across....

Rotten apples! 
Yup, the majority of the apples looked like this ...

We had two bags to fill - a small and a large. With all the apples looking like this it was hard to fill a small bag, never mind a large one! Ugh...I just wanted to run away. 

Galas - our favorite apple! Not the kind you'd want to eat though.

"Where are all the good apples?!" Hubby looking to see if he could find some edible Galas. He was not happy!

There were plenty of Cortlands (which nobody likes at my house) but had no choice but to take home. Guess I'll have to look up some apple baking recipes on Pinterest! 

There was a small but nice pumpkin patch and, guess what?, their pumpkins weren't rotten! Lol

My auto tech guy found an old truck and had to take a picture with it :). 

Kids always find ways to enjoys themselves; they might or might have not thrown a few rotten apples at each other lol!

Well, there it is...our yearly visit to the apple orchard. I was super annoyed at the "failed attempt" for a good family Sunday, but going out with my crazies makes it a time well spent!

I did learn one lesson - never cheat on your favorite apple orchard. 

I guess this calls for another orchard day...this time at our favorite place! ;)

~ Yamilka ~

First Week as a Sophomore - Jovan

And off he goes on his first day as a sophomore...

I still can't believe Jovan is a sophomore *sigh*! His first week of school is officially over and even though it's been a go go go sort of week, it was a great start to the rest of the year.

Between BTS shopping and getting settled into his new classes, meeting his new teachers and football practices, it has been a busy first week for Jovan (and this Momma, who has the "honor" of getting to drive him all over the place lol), but it feels as if he never really left school since he spent his entire summer going to football practice and weight training sessions. *Umm, about that—he's gotten so healthy looking and fit! He's changed so much physically...he definitely doesn't look like the freshman that he looked like last year. He's looking all grown up!*

Sending Jovan to WTHS was the best decision I made, he just loves this school! He's spent at least 3-4 days on the school grounds throughout the summer but he kept talking about how he couldn't wait to go back to his "shop" so he could work on cars and see his friends! He was so excited to go back that he woke up at 5am the morning of the first day! He was rushing out the door when I caught him just in time for a pic :).

Happy first day of school! So this is what being a sophomore looks like...

To end the week, his football team played their first football scrimmage of the season. He did great!

My favorite picture of my handsomely-dimpled football player!

My child would kill me if he saw this, but part of my job as a parent is to mortify my kids once in a while, right?! Soooo here's a picture I caught of him while he wasn't looking lol. Doesn't he look like a football player striking a ballerina pose?! Hahaha...

Well, if this is the start of what God has in store for us for the rest of this school year, then I think it'll be an amazing year! I feel so blessed to be the Mom of such an amaz teen. 

Here's to a fun, productive and blessed school year! 

~ Yamilka ~

College Week at Becker College

First week of school is officially done for my trio! 

This year's Seven Hill's College Week started on Tuesday, August 5th at Becker College (Worcester campus) and it was a total success! The kids really enjoyed the campus, especially the undergraduate guided tours! They took advantage to learn about all the opportunities the college has to offer and would come home each day talking about the days' activities and what they learned, such as: chemistry, art, archaeology and criminology. They also had a lot to say about the three-level library at the college.

Becker College! (Photo credit: SHCPS)

The first day of school started off a little rocky because, well -  nobody seemed to be ready for it. Abdiel had a totally unfounded tantrum about his pants being "too big", Julissa was taking her sweet time in one task and Adrián didn't feel like getting up, never mind dressed! You'd think that it gets easier as they get older, right?! *sigh*. We finally managed to get out of the house and in the car, but not before taking some pretty delightful pictures...hey—you get what you can get....lol!

I've got myself two middle schoolers...

Abdiel - 7th Grade

Adrián - 7th Grade

...and a very cool 5th grader! :)

Julissa - 5th Grade

Friday was family day at the college and Hubby and I were blessed and excited to be able to attend. 

We met up at the park to see a dance performance by some very talented students, have a picnic lunch in the park with the kids and then tour the Art in the Park projects that were displayed at Elm Park in which the Seven Hills students had the honor to participate in.

According to Mr. Brown, thousands of pounds of tape were donated to the school by a company which the students used to cover hundreds of items that were also donated. After all the items were covered in tape, a local artist then used the colorful items to make marvelous art displays that would be displayed at the park, among others! 

I must say that I was impressed by all the displays.

A couple of the Seven Hills art displays (I totally regret not having taken more pictures).

Best friends

An interesting alien-lookalike statue

I loved this wood display!

Proud daddy and Julissa with a "daddy-stop-hugging-me-in-front-of-all-my-classmates!" sort of face lol.

My fancy girl!

The boys were not interested in taking any pictures *what else is new?!*, which is why I don't have any of them. As far as they were concerned all they wanted was to be dismissed early.

Well, that's it for the first week of school. It'll be interesting to see what this year has in store for us! Hopefully it's not a reflection of the first day lol.

~ Yamilka ~ 

Leicester Triple Drive-In

Hubby and I took the kids to the Leicester Triple Drive-In last night and we had such a fun time!

The kids have been asking me to take them to the movie theaters to watch The Minions and Pixels, but anyone with a large family would understand how much money a night at the theaters would involve for a family as large as mine. Just to put it into perspective -  typical visit to the movie for my family of six is a minimum of $80, and that doesn't even include popcorn or drinks. Oh, and don't even get me started on 3D *rolling eyes*! Talk about paying big bucks just to sit and watch a movie in front of a glorified screen with loud speakers!

So yesterday I was looking for something fun and inexpensive to do with the kids, when I remembered about the Leicester Triple Drive-In. I immediately went on their website to check for fees and show times. The entrance fee to the drive-in was $25- per vehicle for two movies, and they happened to be showing The Minions and Pixels on one of their screens—how perfect was that?! That's just a little over a whopping $2- per head...now THAT's. one. awesome. deal!

I immediately told the kids to get ready but didn't tell them where we were heading. It was funny seeing them go crazy trying to guess what our destination was lol! I grabbed a few lawn chairs, the cooler, blankets and stopped at Walmart on the way there to load up on snacks, drinks and candy to munch on.  

The first movie was supposed to start promptly at sundown, which was right around 8:15pm, but when we got there at 7:30pm I was surprised to see how packed the place was! There were kids playing with footballs, soccer balls and glow-in-the-dark Frisbees and parents chatting on their lawn chairs and sipping on...umm, hot cocoa lol? It was just a fun atmosphere :D!

They were huber excited! ✔️

Shortly after arriving I realized I had missed something very important: BUG SPRAY! As soon as we opened the car doors the Mosquitos started having a feast with us! We were stormed and nearly eaten alive in just a few minutes! Thankfully, Walmart is just down the road from the drive-in, so off I went with Julissa to grab some much needed protection lol.

Munching on some candy and snacks :).

The Minions and Pixels movies! If you asked me, I couldn't tell you which one was my favorite - they're both funny and cute.

We left the drive-in at around 12:30 am and it was all worth it! We laughed until our bellies hurt and everyone left there happy. So if you are looking for something fun to do in central with the kiddos you should give this place a try. It's a good alternative to expensive movie theaters during the summer months and I'm sure you won't regret it!

Before last night, I had forgotten about this wonderful place (which is just a few minutes from our house), but I definitely won't be "forgetting" about this little gem again. Maybe I'll make it a family tradition while it still exists! <3

~ Yamilka ~