wishlist: living room rug

i like it b/c it's bold and modern, but has a traditional element --- the damask print in the center. not bad for under $300.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Suri-Indoor-Outdoor-Rug-79-x-112/4058446/product.html

diy faraday cage: the shredder

my first faraday cage ended up being so useful that we set out to build a bigger one so we could fit a whole kit inside it instead of testing each device individually.

this is the old skool faraday:


this is our new-fangled shredder:




the shredder ended up being a month long work-in-progress. here a little photo montage i took along the way...


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diy bamboo refinishing job

this is what our bamboo floors look like now:


at some point in time we'd like to refinish them to look like this:
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problem is we've found a couple of cons to diy refinishing:
1) bamboo burns easily --- we'd have to either be super careful with the refinishing/sanding machine or hire a pro
2) bamboo does not stain well --- it's not as porous as other woods so we'd have to stain the floor a bunch of times to get that deep rich cherry brown we want
3) we don't have the time OR extra funds to do a major project like this right now --- this is definitely sometime in the DISTANT future

living room ideas

found some great living room decor ideas on the internet.  thought we'd model ours after these...

itt bitty cornuts chips are yum!

another great example of cable rail stairs

just talked to mike about our big stair revamp and he says we can get cable railing parts for cheap at the marine supply store b/c that's the kind of railing sailboats and marinas use. i'm super stoked! i'm thinking we can get it done more like in the near future as opposed to the far out future!

gems!

little red tag means i haggled my way to a hefty discount.  i later scored some matching gems @ joann fabrics for > $5!  yay me!

eenie meanie miney microcell

...or femtocell --- depending on which carrier we're talking about!

kira + bijou

my PM brought his puppers into work today. bijou is a little over 1 month old + is being potty trained.

where all the nom-nom magic happens...

*swoon!*

diy cable railing

we found a local company that specializes in these types of railings.  we're hoping they have DIY kit so we can upgrade our currently mismatched wood banisters.

homemade spicy sausage italian wedding soup + texas toast

brad said, unsolicited, "my baby is such a good cook!" as we were serving ourselves seconds...

brad's brother's father-in-law on the seahawks landing page

ribeye steaks w/ carmelized red onions in balsamic vinegar + aspargeese!