family

Cabover Camper Renovation | Before and After

Last month Dan found a cabover camper on Craigslist – perfect for our family of three. The camper was in dire need of some sprucing up so we decided to wipe off the 90’s, give it a fresh coat of paint, slap on some tic-tac-tiles and put in new floors. That was it…just paint, tiles and flooring and it looks so much better. A mini home away from home. Scroll down for the AFTER pics!

Here are some pictures from
— BEFORE —

Cabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees Knees^^^Dan with his new/used camper…So excited to take it out for a camping trip!

Cabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees KneesCabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees KneesCabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees Knees Cabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees Knees

^^^White or gray? We ended up going with gray grout. We used Tic-tac-tiles for the camper because it constantly sways and flexes while driving…real tiles don’t have any give and will crack easily if applied to campers. These peel and stick tiles are awesome. They may take a bit of practice to get them lined up correctly but the finished product looks fabulous.

Cabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees Knees Cabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees Knees

^^^^When painting veneer wood, make sure you lightly sand the wood with a fine grit sandpaper (320 or higher). Once sanded, wipe off the dust with an acetone rag. I painted everything with a primer and let dry overnight. I used a bright white water-based paint to fish the veneer and an oil based paint for the real wood (cabinet doors). Dan painted the cabinet doors with a cheap spray gun he found on Amazon…80/20 paint to acetone mix to make the paint thin enough to spray, but thick enough to cover. We tried using the water-based paint for the spray gun but it didn’t cover well. Go with Oil-based!

Cabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees Knees

^^Rust-Oleum high gloss black automotive spray paint for the camper hardware.

The Big Reveal!

–AFTER–

Cabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees Knees  Cabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees KneesCabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees Knees  Cabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees KneesCabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees KneesCabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees KneesCabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees KneesCabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees KneesCabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees KneesCabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees KneesCabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees KneesCabover Camper Renovation | A Bit of Bees Knees

^^^And a baby gate for Maggie while she naps. It can fold up and fits behind the fridge when we aren’t using it.

Well that’s it! It was a fun month-long project that we juggled between Mag’s nap times, but it was easy and we’re quite pleased with the final look – our mini home away from home.

Our Baby Turned 1!

And just like that our Maggie is ONE (on March 4th)! You’re a happy, funny, snuggly little bundle of love and our dream come true! We’re excited for all the memories we have yet to make, all the birthdays, holidays and milestones yet to be celebrated and all the adventures to be had! What a blessing it is to be your Mom and Dad – to watch you grow everyday and to share with you all the people, places and things we love. This past year has been a blast! Happiest of birthdays to you Margaret June.

In lieu of gifts or a big party for Maggie’s 1st birthday we decided to have a small celebration at home with her Grandparents and Uncle. We created a time capsule filled with letters from family and friends. We will keep the letters sealed away so she can open them on her 18th birthday.

* I thought I should share the idea here so you could make one for your own kiddos too.*

Welcome Baby Girl

It’s been awhile. Hi. Life has been busy, REAL busy. And so soooo good. We found out that we were expecting a little girl last summer and she arrived a month early!

Introducing the newest member to our family…
Margaret June

She’s a dream come true! A happy and healthy little babe. We’re all settling into our family of 3 and soaking up these beautiful days and nights with our tiny new human…she’s growing too fast! Slow down kiddo! Here are a few bump pics, Maggie’s arrival and life since her debut. We love you baby girl. We are so excited you are finally here!

Our Announcement
Maggie’s Favorite Swaddles from Aden + Anais
^^^She loves to smile at her Daddy in the morning
Sweet snuggles with me in the backyard

Click on over to my instagram if you want to see a short video I made for Dan’s first Dad’s Day

Oregon – Over the River and Through the Woods

A few weeks ago, my mom, brother and and I flew to Oregon to spend a long weekend with my Grandmother. We arrived in Medford and drove through the redwoods to Brookings where my Grandma lives on the coast. We spent most of the time talking, watching her favorite shows and looking through old pictures of when she was young. Brookings is a bit of sleepy town, but the slower pace was welcomed break from life at home. My brother and I went for a morning run everyday. It was nice to spend some quality sibling time together…even if he ran ahead of me (too cool to run with his little sis). We watched the waves, drove out to Lobe Park to skip rocks in the calm river, ate burgers at Fely’s Cafe and spent some time at the public library. It felt like a weekend from the 90’s and I loved it.

Flying over Mt. Shasta in all its glory.

I went for a morning run on the beach infront of Grandma’s house. She had a big storm roll in few weeks prior and massive waves brought giant logs onto the beach….just a 100ft or so from the houses along the beach.

OR Run
Morning runs with my brother. That tiny black figure on the road in-between the trees is Bran. He amazes me how fast and far he can run without taking a break.
Red pyracantha
Brookings OR coffee shop
The Bell & Whistle Coffee House
We picked up some coffee-to-go before we drove out to Loeb Park. It’s a cute little coffee house near the docks in Brooking harbor. I tried the toasted coconut mocha and Grandma had the kahlua latte. Both were fantastic.

Loeb Park ^^^The park is nestled in a grove of myrtlewoods and evergreens, many of which are well over 200 years old.  The icy blue Chetco River run through it – crystal clear and prefect for skipping stones with Grandma 😉

^^^Back to Grandma’s beach to enjoy a sunset walk with mom.

^^^My mom admiring the view of the mossiest tree we ever did see. We were on our way back to Medford, when we pulled over to check out a little trail leading to the river. We found this beauty at the bottom of it.