Break For Thanks ~ New Series!

Ok so here goes the start of a new series! I am calling "Break For Thanks." I was inspired to write posts about what I'm thankful for by my friend Maci over at The Peaceful Nest. I think it is good set a time aside to reflect on all the blessings in my life. God has given me so much, and this will be a place to publicly thank Him for that.

This week I am thankful for my new job. It may sound silly at first, but finding this new position was HUGE for me. Re-wind eleven months ago when Mark and I first made the move to San Jose. I thought it would be fun to work in an optometry office instead of ophthalmology. My main reason for doing this was I wanted to learn about glasses (something I had NO experience in). I was fortunate enough to find a position at a great office. They were willing to train me from scratch, and I did learn quite a bit. What I didn't expect was how much "retail" was involved in the job. I do not like being a salesperson and that's exactly what I was. The other tough thing was I was constantly getting off at 7:15pm. When Mark went to bed at 9:00 I was only able to see him for about an hour after my long commute home. After the new year came I decided to look for a position in ophthalmology again. About two weeks later I was hired! 

I love my new office. I work with a great group of people and am doing what I enjoy again. I am so thankful to have weekends off and that I get off at 5:00 every weekday. It was a change I desperately needed and came just in the nick of time. Mark and I just found out we will definitely be in San Jose for another year, and this position helps me feel established enough to enjoy the next year down here. 

I also love that I get to constantly learn. This past week one of the doctors taught me about eye alignment. I learned about all sorts of problems like esophorias and exotropias, and am now able to test for them with much more confidence than I previously did. (If you know me, you know how giddy I am when I learn something new.)


"So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?" Ecclesiastes 3:22 


What are you thankful for this week? I'd love to hear!

~Hannah


Image 1 here

Bye-Bye Breaker Panel!

So it's been quite a while since I've posted. I decided to stop my Sunday Supper posts for a variety of reasons. I am currently toying with a few ideas to get me posting regularly again soon. If you want to read an excellent food blog check out my cousin's blog Brady Munch. She is brutally honest and quite funny. The best part is she doesn't just give recipes but explains the techniques and science behind cooking. I highly recommend it!

Any who, I finally completed a fun project this weekend I have been thinking about for months. Mark and I have been in our current apartment for 11 months  now. We love the neighborhood and the design of the apartment. We slowly made it our own in this past year. But there is one eyesore in our home that has been bugging us both since day one: the breaker panel. We have a hideous metal door that we can see from almost everywhere in our house!

In this picture you can see our dining room is adjacent to our den/office.

Our office is pretty cute don't you think?

Oh wait, what's that?!? Yep, a breaker panel in the middle of the wall.

The designers didn't even try to hide the panel in a closet or behind a corner or even match the wall color. I HATE this panel because you see it in the office, you see it when sitting at the dining table, you even see it every time you walk out of the bedroom or bathroom. It's visible from 80% of our tiny home. Now that we have decided to renew our lease, I thought it was time to take care of the problem.

I contemplated painting it at first, but I didn't want to destroy the metal door. Then I remembered this idea from Sarah Richardson a few years ago:

She hung a picture frame on a piano hinge to cover an electrical panel in one of her investment homes. So off to Lowes, and Aaron Brothers, and Target I went. I picked up this piano hinge for $4 at Lowes.

As far as the picture I used, I made a small print of Mark's favorite painting, "Parts Per Trillion" by Ed Ruscha. (The original painting, which costs a cool couple million is slightly our of our art budget ;)

I bought a frame for around $20 at target, and had the mat cut at Aaron Brothers. By the way, I have now had mats cut at both Aaron Brothers and Michaels. I recommend Aaron Brothers much more than Michaels. One big plus: if all you want is a basic white mat they can complete the order same day, or next day at the very worst. Michaels takes a week.

And here is the final product!

The piano hinge lets us access the panel every time I trip a breaker while blow drying my hair or using the vacuum :D

I hope you had a fun weekend where you are.

~Hannah


Image four here
Image six here