diy mirrored & stained wood coffee table.

        My husband built me one AWESOME coffee table this spring that I have been so excited to blog about! You might have noticed it when I posted some updated home photos a few months ago. This spring we invested in new living room furniture.  Our new navy blue set was much larger than our small white Ikea sofa, and the table I had upcycled to go with it was just not a practical size for the larger furniture.

       Shane designed this table on his own after I showed him some Pinterest examples of ones that I liked.  I really wanted a second level to the table so it would help serve as some practical storage. I think this is a great kid-friendly option too because it would be a great place to stash toys! For now I have a few baskets underneath where I store books, remotes & magazines.

    After the table was constructed I stained it with Minwax Dark Walnut wood stain. I kept going back and forth about whether I should put glass on the table or figure out another option.  Glass would work, and I could do a cool painting or stash photos under it.  However, with the dark color of the furniture, things really needed to be lightened up.  I had a mirror cut to fit the table exactly at local auto glass shop.   It brightened up the area so well and reflects the colors of things hanging and sitting around it! 

Old sofa and table

 

colorado & utah.

Last month, Shane and I had the opportunity to go with my family to see my cousin graduate from the United States Air Force Academy! This was such an awesome experience and we also decided to see as much of Colorado and Utah that we could squeeze into the trip! We had lots of fun and some serious family bonding! Here's some of my favorite photos from our adventures!

We landed in Denver, rented a car, and started driving to Breckenridge, CO.  However,we were not expecting the snow storm that awaited us! Shane thought we were going to hike a trail that afternoon, but we arrived to the trailhead looking like this, and the only other hikers were wearing snow shoes and equipped with some serious cold weather and snow gear:)

 After Breckenridge, we headed to Alamosa, CO to see Great Sand Dunes National Park. Think... biggest sandbox you have ever seen.  It is one of the most unique things ever! We rented sand boards and sand sleds which I highly recommend if you ever go!

 It was also insanely windy! We quickly learned just how these great dunes are formed!

After Alamosa, we headed to Colorado Springs, CO for all of the graduation festivities. I am so proud of my cousin, Bo for his incredible amount of hard work, motivation, and dedication to our country!

Do you see the planes? As the graduates threw their hats, the Thunderbirds flew over & performed an airshow! Such a crazy feeling!

 Before leaving Colorado Springs, we also went to Garden of the Gods.

We saw these guys just hanging out on our way to Utah.  Just 5 minutes before this, we stopped at a viewing area for these big horn sheep and looked through those tourist binoculars for at least 20 minutes searching for these hiding in the mountain. They were right down the road all along!

 We stayed in Moab, UT the rest of the week and hiked and explored Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

 

My awesome parents.

Some of these hikes were a little too high and scary at some points:) Found a little more adventure than we were looking for!

This was my scariest moment:)  Walking along the trail, furthest behind taking pictures, and this guy leaps out in front of me on the trail.  And.... I only have a picture because after screaming and leaping backward thinking I was going to be eaten, all my sister could yell behind to me was  "take a picture, take a picture, take a picture!" Thanks Savannah:) Thought it was a rattlesnake, but later saw one of those too!

My brother:)

 

 I loved all of the textures and different plant life we found on the trails!

 

And some of the most breathtaking views on our way back to Denver...