A side table and a bookshelf

These are two pieces of furniture that have been sitting in my garage. I have been meaning to paint/stain them. For awhile now. I'm pretty proud of myself that I finally got around to finishing them both. If I'm being honest, it was really just to prove J wrong. He thought they were going to live in the garage forever. Nothing gets me moving faster than when I want to prove someone wrong. Or...ahem....help someone in need....yeah, that too...

This is a little side table I picked up at Goodwill.

I found a gallon of paint at Lowe's for $5. I really like this color. But it definitely didn't take a gallon of paint. Do you need anything painted this particularly attractive color of azul? Not that I'm offering my services. Just the paint. Unless, of course, you are a person in need.

I can't decide if the blue is too much with the orange and red. I've decided that I'm going to make it work. I've always wanted to be one of those people that can take something that shouldn't go together, and make it sensational.

I dream big. Blue with orange and red! Dangerous!
I got this little shelf at another second hand store. At first I liked the red, then decided it was too much and I needed to tone it down.

So it sat in my garage for awhile.
I hate our sander. See those circles? I ended up sanding it by hand. J said, "We should get a different sander....You're looking at me like that because that's what you said when I bought this sander, right?" Yep, good memory.

I think it turned out pretty well. It still has a red tinge but it's definitely more brown than it started out. I wanted someplace to put my little children's books. So I have a toy chest and a bookshelf for little kids.

They need something to do while they're visiting or they'll eat all my candy.

My Re-Upholstered Footstool

Last weekend when J and I were running around like crazy (story of my life), we stopped at a garage sale. They were selling a desk and we wanted to check it out. The desk didn't meet J's very strict specifications, but we still looked around a bit.

Garage sales make me feel weird. I feel like if I walk around and look at stuff but don't buy anything, then I've basically turned up my nose and said, "Hmph. Nothing good here; all of your stuff is crap." And the people who are selling stuff are watching you the whole time. When I know someone's watching me, I start analyzing how I'm moving. Which makes me start walking funny. I don't know why. But it's awkward. Sometimes I start dancing around so that it's at least intentional. Plus it gives them something to watch.

So I usually avoid garage sales, but I scored at this one. $3 for a little footstool.

The top was a little bit gross. It was missing a button and smelled kind of weird. I decided to pull off the fabric.
There were no less than 57 staples to pull out. It was ridiculous. Luckily it was a nice day out, so I just sat there and kept J company while he worked on his garden.
I didn't get the fabric for it until this weekend. Here is the bare bones of it.

My fabric cut out and ready to go. I just wrapped it around the wood frame and stapled it into place. I didn't get a picture because both of my hands were busy.

Here it is! Don't you just love it? It's perfect for my little chair. J helped me pick out the fabric. He held it up and said, "I know you like paisleys; I think this would match." Oh, he is a keeper.
I bought the buttons that you can cover with the same fabric so that they match (what I did for my headboard), but I think I like it just like this.

Welcome to My Life

Joseph and I had Friday off. I originally had it as just a random, mental-health day that I may or may not have taken. But then I had to schedule Marley-cat a teeth cleaning and J decided to take it too.

It turned into a major errand-running and project weekend.

We got up at 6:40 to drop Marley off at the vet. We had an appointment at 9:00 to pick up our new desk. We unloaded the desk then ran over to Singh Farms to get compost, and it took ten wheelbarrow loads to get it out of my truck (which still needs to be washed). We started painting the office, then tried to move the new desk into the office. And ran into a problem.

The monstrous desk was too big to maneuver through the narrow doorway, and with our hallway, we couldn't twist it at all.

Let me sidetrack and tell you a little bit about the office. Our next big project was going to be the bathrooms. Well, that project got pushed back. J has a perfectly good computer, but he has very high demands, and because of all the programs he opens, it runs pretty slow. He hasn't complained, but the few times I've used his computer it drives me crazy (it should take no longer than TWO seconds for me to be able to click click click or it just gets irritating). So I told him we could use part of my bonus for a new computer. He is going to get one of those iMacs with the built-in monitor. Because he already has a monitor, he's going to have a double-monitor. Which means he needs a new desk. And as we were talking about the desk, he decided it would be a good idea to paint. And while we're at it, he thinks shelves would be very nice.

So we have been working on the office.

Now let me tell you about the desk. J decided he needed a very large table-like desk. He wanted to have it positioned in a feng-shui manner, so that his back wasn't to the wall. So it couldn't have a hutch, and it needed to be large enough to fit two very large monitors. He showed me an ugly desk for $200 that was basically a box. I told him I wouldn't pay $50 to have that in my house. The Craigslist search was long and took a few days, but we finally found a desk we could agree on. It's always a compromise - I like more of an antique look and he likes modern, straight lines.

J emailed the lady and she emailed him right back. He then asked if she was willing to negotiate on price. There was no return email. He then emailed again. Nothing. I then emailed the lady (having changed my last name, just indicating that I was interested in the Craigslist desk) and asked for her phone number. She emailed back, and I got a phone number! Left her two messages and nothing. I was really irritated. Who posts their stuff on Craigslist if they don't want to sell it? I waited a reasonable amount of time and then sent an email indicating I would be looking for another desk (a bluff, I really needed this desk). She finally responded, and we were able to pick up the desk.

And then the stupid thing wouldn't fit into the office! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!

But we had run out of time. We had to shower and meet the Svancara's for a night of fun, so I tried very hard not to fret about it. I did however, measure the window, and tell J that we could always get it through there.

I don't think he thought I was serious.

When we got home after a very much needed night of fun and relaxation (thank you Katelyn and Brian!), we went to bed, and were discussing the next day and what we would do about the desk. J wanted to take the legs off. I knew it would ruin the desk to take the legs off, but I knew it wasn't going to get through the door in one piece. He didn't think getting it through the window would work. I told him it would.

My Saturday morning started out like that. We then finished painting, ran to Lowe's for gardening stuff, dropped off J's car to get the oil changed, ran to JoAnn's for fabric for one of my projects (post coming soon), ran to TJ Maxx for a birthday present, got J's car back, he then drove to Home Depot for additional gardening stuff that wasn't at Lowe's, I dropped off J's pants to be hemmed, checked the PO Box, put everything back in the office and now we need to go grocery shopping.

I am so tired.

And there is no "finished" shot of the office yet because it is pretty much in shambles. We at least got everything back in the office, but now it all needs to be organized.

My Most Prized Possession

I'm the type of person that likes to be prepared. A worst-case scenario type. The fact that I work in insurance really doesn't help my borderline paranoia.

I've taken a video of my house and Joseph saved it onto his drop-box (an external source that we can access from any computer). That way, if our house was broken into and his computer and external hard drive stolen (Heaven forbid) we have a record and proof of the items in our home.

J and I have our will drawn up...we just need to get it notarized. It's been on my to-do list for awhile now. But it's going to happen.

We both carry life insurance. We have an emergency fund. We bought less house than we could have because you just never know what's going to happen and I didn't want a large house payment.

I drive carefully because I am fully aware that if anyone hits my truck and totals it, I will probably get $2,000 for it. And you cannot purchase an awesome, reliable, non-gas-guzzling truck for that amount.

So it's natural that I've thought about what I would save from my home if it were to catch fire. My nice camera? Nah, that could be replaced. My laptop? Also replaceable. As I thought about the things I own that can be replaced, I realized that I had one item I could not replace and that I really cherish.

J is under strict instruction to make sure it gets out if the house is ever on fire. Statistically, I know I really don't have to worry about it, but it's interesting to think about what I cherish most.

It's my blanket my mom made for me.
The back is purple corduroy (I love purple AND corduroy) and the front is a "rag blanket" of different flannel squares. It's long enough that it covers me from chin to toes. It comforts me when I'm sick. J and I eat dinner in front of the TV on the couch, and he teases me a little because I just can't sit down until my blanket is touching me. Plus I'm usually freezing, so it's just perfect.

Nothing makes you feel loved like a good homemade blanket.

Family Photos

J and I have a photo wall that is a bit of a work in progress. It's pretty much four pictures of us at my favorite place...the beach. And a clock.

My sister Megan is a photographer. She did the sweetest thing when she took two of my favorite photos, edited them and sent me the prints.

This one is an 8 x 8 so we had to special order the frame. J suggested cropping the photo but I said absolutely not! Luckily the special order wasn't too expensive.

This print is huge. The photo of the photo doesn't do it justice, but it's a really cute pic. I love the colors!

Now I probably need to do something about the four original photos. They look a little sad next to my two super-awesome photos.

We started another photo wall with J's family (brothers, sisters and parents), and will update it with my family as soon as I get the photos we took at Christmas. I couldn't take a picture of that since it's in the hallway. There was no way to angle the camera. Maybe you'll just have to come over and check it out. (This last sentence is under the assumption that only family and friends read my blog. If I have somehow attracted the attention of an outsider....well....I guess it depends on your level of creepiness.)

Joseph the Dirt Nerd

Joseph likes to dig in the dirt and grow things. He has planted flowers in the front and trees and a garden box in the back. When he comes home from work the first thing he does it head out to the backyard to check on things. I call him a dirt nerd because he actually knows what he's doing. Certain things have to be planted at certain times. Some things can't be planted together because it increases the chance of disease. Dirt needs to be acidic or alkaline - these are dirt nerd type things.

My beautiful flowers. J cut the rose bushes down and they look sad. But he did his research and apparently it had to be done. One must trust the dirt nerd. But I just love walking up our front walk. These flowers are so beautiful and smell wonderful.

Here is some broccoli from J's garden. We ate it with some ranch and it was better than store bought.
My mom came over and they put together two more garden boxes. These are bigger than J's first garden box. He also made some improvements - there's a little ledge you can sit on and he drilled holes and inserted PVC pipe so a frost cover or shade cloth can be put over the garden.

Mom taking a break, checking her FB on her iPad. She protects it with cotton batting that is used in quilting. It cracked me up.

She found a way to help and sit down. That is the smart way to work. Always my goal.

J's new garden bed. He was showing me his different seedlings and explaining what he is planting where.

He takes it very seriously. Do you see the PVC pipe?

You can see how the new box is much larger. It was going to be a nice chunk of change to fill it with dirt. A bag of 3 cubic feet of dirt costs $8 - $11. It was going to be over $100 for dirt. For DIRT. Is anyone else wrinkling their nose? Luckily J found a little place called Singhs Farm off the Loop 101 and Thomas that sells dirt by the truck full. We filled up my truck and it was only $30. Much better. It was a cool little place to check out too; they sell vegetables, salsa, honey and different things that are grown locally.

Glass Bottles and Pinterest

I am addicted to Pinterest. Everyone and their mother is addicted. I know my mother has a Pinterest account. Where else can you go to find cute photos, inspirational/sarcastic quotes, decorating ideas, and craft projects? Heels that look like lion paws...Halloween mummy hot dogs...photos of animals with crazy captions...random tidbits of information like how to get rid of ants organically....mustaches, best friend references, beach photos, nail polish, motivational weight loss messages. You know what I'm talking about, you're addicted too!

There was one craft project I wanted to try. Cutting a bottle using string and nail polish remover. There have been multiple posts about this. There are a couple that say you only need the string and nail polish remover, but there are others that say you need a glass cutter to score the bottle first.

I wondered why there were different directions, and I figured it out.

The string is already soaked in nail polish, so we lit it on fire.

Just think of me as the crazy cat lady. These are my two babies and they hang out with us when we're in the backyard. Marley really enjoys rolling in the dirt.

After I let the nail polish remover burn for about 20 seconds, I put the bottle in the water.

Here's what happened. The string and nail polish remover alone won't cut through that bottle with the thick glass, but it broke the thinner wine bottle. So I sanded the top and now I have a little candle holder or whatever I want to do with it. Although now that I've actually tried it and demonstrated to myself that it does work, I've kind of lost interest in it. I don't really know what to do with the seven other wine bottles I have. Probably leave them in the garage until J says something about it. Yep, that sounds like a good plan.

And I didn't cut myself with the glass bottle. Nope, I cut myself with my razor when I was scraping off the back label, because I am an idiot and put my thumb in the wrong place.