DIY Gray Dresser

This past year I have been addicted to redoing furniture.  Something about buying something that has been loved to death and refinishing it makes me so happy.

On one of my yard sale adventures I found an old dresser that was hand made in Mexico.  It found its way to Alaska with a military family and for just $40 became a Messinger.  The MR couldn't believe I wasted $40 on a dresser but I couldn't wait to show him how beautiful it could be.  

With a lot of sanding, primer, paint, and new hardware it is now my favorite piece in our home. 

Dresser Before

Look at all that detail waiting to be sanded and painted

Dresser After

V-Day Flowers & Dresser

A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this dresser.  After cutting myself trying to take the old hardware off (attached with thick wire) the MR jumped in to save the day.   Apparently the gentleman who originally made this beauty didn't have a tape measure so the hubby also had to get out his circular saw to make the top rectangular. 

So what do you think of her?  I think she needs a name, do you have any ideas?

With Love,

MRS DIY

The Williamson's 2nd Alaska Voyage

Last year my parents visited Andrew and I in Anchorage, AK and even with the rainy July we were having Alaska managed to steal both of their hearts.  I think my mom was happy to be under the same roof as her oldest daughter and my dad fell in love with the great outdoors.  

This year they arrived just in time for the heat wave of the century (70's & 80's).  Stores were selling out of fans (no AC in Alaska homes), sun screen and bug spray.  For a week or so we were warmer than Hawaii!

Back to the parents... This year while I was working they took a day trip to Talkeetna with Sierra.  If you want to see a beautiful view of Mt McKinley Talkeetna is the place to go.  Unfortunately, they went on a cloudy day but they still had fun taking Sierra for walks and talking to the locals. 

Mom in Talkeetna, AK

Dad and Sierra in Talkeetna, AK

For Solstice we took a weekend trip to Seward where we enjoyed the midnight sun, whale watching, and hiking to a glacier while dad was fishing.  

Mom and Dad in Seward, Ak

Mom and I in Seward, AK

The 2nd weekend we made a spontaneous trip to Homer, Ak where we had to force dad back into the Jeep.  He was ready to take an early retirement and just stay in Homer working for the local police department and fishing on the weekends. Don't worry Hunter and Whitney, he also found jobs for you and your loved ones ;-)

Mom and I in Homer, AK

Mom and Dad in Homer, AK

  

As you can see we had a fantastic visit and I can't wait for my dad to come back to Alaska in March for the dog sled races if he doesn't move to Homer .

With Love,

The Mrs
AKA The Oldest Daughter

The pictures above complements of Jack & Jerilyn Williamson (my parents)

Flying with FlyLady

About a month ago I stumbled across the FlyLady website and it has changed my life.  Before FlyLady I was just making it through the week and then spending the weekend s doing all my chores.  I started to dread the weekend because I wouldn’t be able to do all of the chores on my list to perfection.

Week 1 & 2 I started off simply shinning my kitchen sink before bed (which means the dishes had to be done).  Waking up to a shiny sink made me feel good and want to do something more to make my house “blessed”. I also signed up to get the free FlyLady emails.  Warning: You get a lot of emails each day but I love it because it keeps me flying.

Week 3 I jumped in a little further with her Flight Plan (Link Here).  It only took a few more minutes each day and I was getting so much more done.  It was little things that made so much sense, such as emptying the dishwasher while the coffee brewed, checking the calendar every morning and evening and laying out clothes for the next day.  Since using her flight plan I have got complements on my outfits every day.  Amazing what a little planning can do!

 

Week 4 (this past week) I went all in with the FlyLady plan and I blessed our home and cleaned the zone of the week.  Blessing your home is all about changing your mindset on cleaning.  As a wife it feels so good to bless my family with a clean home.  I didn’t think my husband would notice but he did!  Throughout the week when he got home from work sometime between 2 and 5 am he would wake me up to tell me how blessed our home looked and felt.

Since I started flying with FlyLady I have been a much happier person and have really enjoyed blessing my home and our family. 

Love, Mrs. Messinger (FlyBaby)

Sierra and her bone also helped bless our home.  She was a trooper and followed me all over the house.
 

P.S. This is just my view of FlyLady... The information and links are from www.flylady.net

Our Home

Being the interior designer for the Messinger Family is a huge job that i don't take lightly. You see the Mr is in the military so we move A LOT and have a lot of white walls to work with. White walls aren't always a bad thing because you can play with lots of colorful accessories and don't have to worry about them matching the wall color.

After many sleepless nights of stressing about our home decor, I finally am starting to feel like our place is complete.

Here are a couple of pictures of my favorite room in our home. Enjoy

Sierra and I love hanging out in this room.

The pillow I made...

The dry erase board I made...

In May we will have lived our place for one year.  Would anyone like a tour of our home on the blog for our one year anniversary of living on Anderson Cirle?

With love,

Mrs Messinger

Evening Walks

Longer and warmer days are reminding us Alaskans that Spring and Summer are just around the corner. Sierra and I are starting to come out of hibernation and walking the neighborhood once again. There is something about the cool fresh air that calms this Type A personality. The ab workout from laughing at all the silly things Sierra does on our walks is just a bonus.
Jen Hammer Photography did a wonderful job capturing our evening walks and Sierra's funny faces. We love them!
With Love,
Mrs Messinger

Beautiful day for a FAM...

A year ago this week I got a job at Visit Anchorage and I will forever be thankful for all of the adventures that this job has provided.  Flight seeing over and around Mt McKinley, creating large donuts out of trash bags and paper, & showing travel agents around this great state are a few of the many memories that I will never forget. 

This past weekend we had a group of travel agents from all over the lower 48 in town so they could see the ceremonial start to the Iditarod. 

Some of the highlights of the first day of our FAM include the Anchorage Museum and a little hike at the Eagle River Nature Center.

The Arctic Flight Exhibit at the Anchorage Museum

This beautiful plane is on loan from the Aviation Museum located at Lake Hood

A display at the Anchorage Museum

The Viewing Platforms at the Eagle River Nature Center

The nature center is a wonderful place to view birds

Eagle River Nature Center

The view from Earthquake Park

The weather on Friday was perfect.  It snowed in the morning and then the sun peaked out in the afternoon.  Lunch at Muse was picture perfect thanks to the huge snow flakes that were falling.  

Love,

Mrs Messinger

The Alaska Zoo

The Mr was away on Valentines Day so the Mrs went on a date with a Polar Bear at the Alaska Zoo. 

Miss Polar Bear

Fox

Sitka Deer

Musk Ox

Wolves

Snow Leopard

Doll Sheep

Swans & Ducks

Camel

Something big???

The behind the scene tour at the zoo was such a wonderful treat and I would highly recommend it!

Love,

Mrs Messinger