Tiny Little Man Meets Big Man Cave

Hello! 
I've been trying to begin writing this post for approximately 30 minutes now. Not because this topic is groundbreaking or earth-shattering in any way. But because there is now a tiny human quietly napping in his bouncy seat to my left, who grabs my attention with every little squeak that comes out of his adorable little mouth.

Jiminy cricket you guys, I'm a MOM. 

Harrison Edward was born Thursday, April 18th, and each day after has been a whirl. Every single aspect of his arrival was more incredible than anything I could have ever imagined. From being admitted to the hospital and realizing "Holy sh*t we're going to leave here with a baby" to the second they plopped him on my chest, covered in who knows what, I was happy. Like a DEEP happy. The kind that shows up as crying, nervousness, shaking, and a little swearing.

Eric and I walked into the hospital as two, and left as a family of three. Our son wasn't the only one born that day, both of us transformed from husband and wife to Mom and Dad. A simple title change really, but one that is wrapped and bound by so much love it takes my breath away.

We're just a tad obsessed with him. 

OK, enough adorable baby pictures...for now. 

I want to back up a bit and share a project that was on the " Do Before Baby" list.  While I was busy nesting inside the house, Eric was busy outside getting the Man Cave ready for the arrival of another little man. This included; removing the glitter texture on the two black walls, repainting all walls, painting the trim, removing and replacing all carpet and laminate flooring, updating the light fixtures, and giving the bar a complete makeover. 

You know, no biggie. 

This entire process started approximately a year ago, but with a due date quickly approaching, he kicked it into high gear and was able to achieve practically everything he wanted to. 

Old carpet and laminate out, new sub-floor in! 

Eric found the flooring on an auction site, and was able to get it at a fraction of the price compared to it's in-store value. I believe it is originally from Home Depot. Because of the quantity he received, Eric decided to change the layout slightly by making the carpeted area smaller, and bringing the hardwood deeper into the space. 

I am so impressed with how this room turned out. Eric installed everything himself, and besides asking my opinion every once in a while, made all of the design decisions on his own. I've never been so proud! 

One element of this room is especially awesome; THE BAR. To refresh our memories, when I last talked about the Man Cave, the bar area looked like this; 

Now take a look at this bad boy! 

Same bar, now completely tricked out! 

Eric removed the original front legs, built out the new sides at an angle, then took old wooden pallets and framed the whole thing to give it that cool industrial vibe. As for the top, he first painted it white, then created a unique pattern by laying out old 45 rpm vinyls. 

Each record is secured with double sided foam tape, so when he poured the clear epoxy resin over top nothing would float or move. Before pouring, he edged the whole thing with industrial tape to create a lip and keep the epoxy on the table. After a few layers, he removed the tape and let the next layer of epoxy drip freely off the side to naturally smooth the hard edge. This was done before the floors were finished, which made clean up a breeze. 

Other updates include rehanging the long black shelves, but this time using pipe brackets to tie into the new light fixture. That we found at Cincinnati Open Box Outlet for practically nothing, along with another light that ended up hanging over the poker table (pics of that to come later). The bar stools were from one of my favorite places; Bargains and Buyouts. 

Piece by piece this space has completely transformed. I've lost count how many hours Eric has spent out here, and the only things left are small details like hanging pictures and covering electrical outlets. After all these years he still amazes me at what he's capable of. 

Now that our family is growing I'm foreseeing lots of nights spent in the Man Cave watching movies, playing games, and "play dates" where the kids run loose and the adults just chill. Of course our son will need to gain a little more head control before then, but still, it's fun to imagine. 



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