Stair Railing & Life - March 2016 Week 1

Kyle and I have been hard at work on some more minor projects for the house the last few weeks.  One thing that we tackled was the stair railing.  It was oak colored and reflected the style when the house was built (1990).  It got dirty way to easy and just needed to be updated, so after some pinterest research, we purchased some gel stain and I got to work.  It wasn't too hard of a project, but the stain was supposed to dry overnight and we had to do 3 coats and then 4 days before the top coat could go (which needed 2 coats).  Therefore, the plastic stayed up for over a week. I was beyond ready for it to come down.

This is the original look.  This is what our entry normally looks like because Tornado Madison can't leave our storage bins alone.

All taped and ready to sand & stain.

This is what it looks like on the bottom of the railing, so a lot of taping went into this job.

After the first coat of stain

First Coat

This is what your hands look like when your cheapo gloves break inside the sock you are using to stain.

The final result!  We really like it with our living room furniture & decor.  Of course the day I take the final picture it is raining outside, so the lighting is pretty poor here.

Next project coming up . . . maybe the downstairs & upstairs bathtubs?  We shall see. . .


Grandma called one morning to say that her electricity was out and she needed to bake a cake for something.  So she came over and of course the girls had to help.

Someone got ahold of my phone and took a bunch of pictures (like 16) inside the Vans store while I was trying on shoes.  Here is one that Brooklyn snapped of Madison.  (Yes, this was the best one available, most of them were of wall displays.)

One of my goals for this year is to get better at braiding the girls hair.  It has never been something I have done much of.  I have been trying to get some practice in.  Brooklyn likes having 'Anna Braids' (from the movie Frozen).

We gave the girls chalk paint for Christmas, but we hadn't used it yet because I wanted nice weather, a day when nothing else was planned, all the girls to be in a good mood, etc.  They have thoroughly enjoyed using it.  Although it can get a little tricky when little sister is around.

Madison walked around with the brown paint and her water for most of the morning.

Katelyn's flowers.