The Queen's Chair

Today I am back with another painting project. Back in May or June we all spent a morning going to garage sales in the area. It was a gorgeous day and we had a good time walking around. I don't think we came home with much but I did manage to pick up this lovely chair for $5.00. It actually had a mate but the back of that chair was broken and the previous owner had created a fabric covered back instead. Looking back I wish I had gotten the other one too. The chair is sturdy, well made and very comfortable!

Here she is now in all her Tiffany-inspired turquoise goodness. The color is Annie Sloan Provence.

I picked up some black and white fabric from Joann's for the seat.

I did some light distressing and finished it with a coat of dark wax to tone down the color a bit.

Painting this chair was a bit of a chore with all its details but I love the final result.

She's a beauty! Fit for a queen and in our house, that's me, lol. 

Freaking Out!

Here is the conversation I was greeted with as I walked into the house after work the other day…

Josh…“Do you know what June 26^th is Mom?”

I reply, “No, what is June 26^th?”

Josh- “the last day of school” and then quickly added “Do you know what June 27^th is?”

Again I say “no”

Josh…”graduation day.”

Kaleb chimes in…”you know what else Mom?”

Me…”no, what?”

Kaleb…”I’ll be driving”

I quickly stuck my hand up and demanded they both stop talking immediately!

I wish I were an ostrich and could just stick my head in the sand but no, I have to face reality.

Reality starts today when we take a tour of Finger Lakes Community College.

My momma’s heart is freaking out.

Cabin Bedroom Make Over

As promised, I am back today with some pictures of Josh's room. The quilt that I bought has great colors in it and reminded me of a cabin. As soon as I saw the quilt my mind went to some great Pinterest posts on creating a wood wall. I knew Josh would totally go for a cabin like feel in his room. I wish we had remembered to take before pictures but this is as close as it gets.

The room was painted white and there wasn't much interesting going on in there. Add to that the general messiness that is normal for a 17 year old young man and the before picture probably would have been hideous. I knew a tan color was the ticket and after looking at gads of paint samples I ended up with the same color we painted our living room, Bennington Gray by Benjamin Moore in a satin finish. Greg painted 2 coats on the walls. It already looked so much better and we hadn't even gotten to the good stuff yet.

The local paint store has a back section of the store filled with mis-tints and discontinued paints and stains. I picked up several different colors of stain for $1 a can. I spent one evening staining the boards a variety of colors in preparation to do the wall. 

Here is Kaleb helping to put the wall up. He did most of the cutting on the chop saw too. Man training as Greg calls it.

We started at the top of the wall so we would be sure to have a full board along the top and then worked our way down. The boards were originally 8' long and we cut them down to various lengths to give it a random look.A nail gun definitely made this job easier. As it was this wall took about 4-5 hours to complete, I can only imagine how long it would take if we had to nail them in by hand.

We all stood back and marveled at the final look. Then we patted each other on the backs, lol.

I took the blinds down and gave them a good cleaning as well as the windows. The brown valances still worked so they went back up. The dresser was put into place. Notice the lamp, it was a woodshop project Josh did 2 years ago and fits nicely I think.

We thought we would let Josh pick out some wall art or decorations so the room still has a bit to go.

What do you think?? Josh was surprised when he got home and I think he likes it. It was a lot to absorb after a 7 hour car ride home.

Since this isn't our house I was a bit concerned about doing this wall but it can be a) removed or b) painted over if the next folks don't like it.

I am reminded that a little paint can change the whole look of a space. Next is Kaleb's room. We are scouring Pinterest for inspiration. 

Singing the Blues...

Yesterday Josh returned home after a month long stay at Jon and Gail’s place in Massachusetts. Jon offered Josh a job working with him in his flooring business. Josh is no stranger to long summer trips away from home and now that he is 17 he has dreams of buying himself a truck some day. He jumped at the chance to help Jon and put some money into savings. The last month flew by and we are glad he is home again. Face time on the iPods every few days made him feel not-so-absent from us.  He worked hard and learned a lot, got to go to Fenway to see the Red Sox play (and win!), went kayaking and so much more. We are grateful he had the opportunity. And more than a little jealous that he made it to Fenway before the rest of us.

Anyway, last week while browsing TJ Maxx I spotted a quilt that I thought would be great in Josh’s room; it was full of rustic colored stripes. That quilt set an entire room remodel into motion. Tell me I am not the only one that does crazy things like that?! The room was begging for something and the quilt was just the catalyst to make it happen. Having a deadline helped too. Greg, Kaleb and I worked hard for 5 days to pull it all together before Josh came home. I will post pictures tomorrow of how it all turned out.

One big part of the remodel was a dresser make over. I purchased this dresser a couple of months ago at a thrift store for $50. As you can see by the photo, it sat so long it became another work surface in the garage.

The dresser is made of pine and although it looked a little dated, it was in great shape.  It had signs of a quality piece… drawer dusters, dovetail joints and wheels hidden underneath for easier moving. The brass acorn shaped pulls were cool but I knew I wouldn’t be keeping them on this piece. It sat in the garage for 2 months because I wasn’t sure what direction to go with it in terms of paint color.  Once we decided to remodel Josh’s room, I used the quilt to dictate my color choice…Annie Sloan’s Napoleonic Blue.

Now she is singing the blues, but in a good way.

I knew this dresser had potential but it turned out better than I had hoped.

Because of the pine and possible bleed through with the knotty areas, the whole dresser got a coat of Zinsser shellac. I also gave the insides of the drawers a coating of shellac just to freshen things up. The dresser then got 2 coats of Annie Sloan’s Napoleonic Blue chalk paint. After a coat of clear wax I distressed the piece and then did a final coat of dark wax. Greg drilled holes in the drawers to accommodate the new nickel colored bin pulls I bought.

Things I learned:

-Shellac inside the drawers is a good thing and I will probably do that again on other projects

-I {heart} bin pulls

-I now know how the Karate Kid felt doing all that waxing, lol. I got some blisters and sore arms from this project.

-dark wax is a lot less scary over dark paint

The dresser looks great in Josh’s room but I did give him the option of going back to his old dresser if he wanted. I think the blue one is staying.

Lake Vacation 2013

In July we enjoyed a wonderful week at the lake. Chris, Melissa and the boys are kind enough to let us crash their cottage. It was another restful and fun week. Here are some of the highlights of our week...

(you should be able to click on the pictures for a bigger view)

Kaleb in the kayak chillin' out...

Their canoe garden. I love that they used a beat up old canoe to hold their plants.

Josh and Bailey go for a ride. As usual, Bailey spent more time in the water than out.

Melissa and I did a project mid week. How is that for a studio? I could get used to working like that!

Thumbs up to lake time!

Joshua knee boarding. This was the first summer trying out a knee board and we managed to get all the kids up. Looked like a blast but was a bit of a trick to get up on. 

Tubing cousins.

Boat cruisin' cousins.

A gaggle of cousins, lol...

The PA cousins joined us for a day, along with Thom, Mom and Dad. It was wonderful!

Logan was the youngest to get up on skis at 5 and Dad was the oldest, at...well, let's just call it 35 :)

Go Dad!!! Impressive indeed.

We had lots of first times this year. Kaleb skied on 1 ski for the first time. He makes it look so easy.

After many, many, many years of trying Joshua finally mastered 2 skis. I am so proud of him for not giving up.

Lots of weird weather during the week. This was on July 4th. A complete rainbow, actually a double rainbow but the contrast between the dark and light on either side was cool!

A lake neighbor let us borrow a home made disk. I wish I had pics of neighbor John (in his mid 60's) demonstrating how to ride this thing. Crazy is all I can say. It was just a round piece of plywood, no handles or anything fancy. Oh the good 'ol days when you had to use your imagination to create fun. Greg was determined to give it a whirl. 

And he did...

Lots of swinging from the rope swing...

and tether ball...lake style

We watched a purple martin evict a tree swallow from its home. It was a Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom moment to see the mama swallow toss her babies over the edge to their eventual death. The stress was just too much I guess.  A fascinating and upsetting event to observe.

Fish were caught and eaten.

Greg got to sail the open waters.

Good times.

Desk Make-Over

When we sold the house in Ransomville we had to downsize some of our belongings. We went from a 1650 sq ft house to a 1200 sq ft house and it wasn't all gonna fit. One of the things we got rid of was our big desk. The computer and printer still needed a place to go though so for the last 10 months we have been using a 4' folding table as a desk. Not an ideal long term solution. The budget just doesn't have room for extra's these days and honestly, the table functions just fine even if it isn't pretty.

We held our own garage sale 3 weeks ago and were able to get rid of a lot and make some extra money. After paying some bills there was enough left over that I had some pocket change to shop at other people's garage sales. Yep, we sold our junk so we could buy other people's junk, lol. It was the same sale I bought the bread maker at. It was a very fruitful neighborhood sale and my little Vibe fit it all in!! Love that car!! Anyway, I found a desk that fit the bill and only cost me $15. Or was it $20? I don't remember exactly, but either way, it was the right price, the right size and the right look...almost.

A simple oak desk with a slide out keyboard tray.

The top had some artwork on it that needed to go. The oak didn't match the dining room decor where the desk is going. (Either does the plastic folding table, but it served its purpose) The oak was soon to be transformed.

After a bit of sanding, Greg primed it with Kilz. Then it got 2 coats of black latex paint and 2 coats of poly.

Now she looks like this...

Things I learned...

-Like I said in my last post, I am not a fan of the paint and poly process. It takes too long!

-painting with black paint in a dimly lit, cramped garage doesn't work very well. (I got impatient waiting for the rain to stop)

-painting in rainy weather makes everything take even longer to dry, ugh.

- Painting is not exactly my strength!

-I am pretty impatient. No, really impatient! Maybe this is the wrong hobby for me. Or maybe it is the thing to teach me patience.

-I didn't distress this piece and wish I had.

-someone's else's trash is now our treasure.

In the end, I like it. Muchly. It looks better in black and definitely better than the folding table.

Round Table Re-Do

So, I told you I have been working on something new. I really needed an outlet, something to do with myself creatively. This is again where Pinterest has gotten me! For months I have drooled over people's furniture make overs. It is crazy how a piece I would designate to the curb can be brought back to life with a little paint and attention. I read tons of blogs on various painting methods. Chalk paint. Latex paint. Distressing. Waxing. On and on and on.

Here's the thing about me...when I find something I like I tend to go all in. Sometimes even more than all in. Greg can tell you how the "gone nuts" gauge pegs at red at times. Because I am such a self-actualized individual and I know myself so well (excuse me while I spew soda, lol), it took me a long time to decide to try my own hand at making over a piece of furniture. I had to be good and ready in case the gone nuts meter pegged again. I had a good idea it might.

Several weeks ago Kaleb and I went to a large community garage sale in the city. I had heard people rave over this sale and the crowd certainly was an indication that many people agreed. We walked and walked and walked. In the end, we lugged a 12 pound bowling ball home ($2), Kaleb bought a weight bench with lots of metal weights ($20 and by far the best deal of the day!) and I got this lovely piece for $23.

Isn't she purty???

She sat in our living room like this for weeks. It took that long to decide what to do with her and to take the plunge. She was in fairly good condition but the top had water stains and such. In the end I decided to paint the body with chalk paint and refinish the top to keep the natural beauty of the wood.

Now she looks like this...

Now she really is purty!

I love the brass hardware on the drawer and the feet.

After all the reading I did, I went with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White and then waxed it with Annie Sloan clear and dark waxes. It has a little bit of distressing with sandpaper but I didn't want a heavily distressed piece when I was finished so the sanding and dark wax were done with a light touch. For the top it was Dad to the rescue! He helped me figure out that the finish was shellac and then showed me how to take it off with denatured alcohol. After I let it dry for a couple of days, I put on 2 coats of poly and then Greg finished it off with paste wax. I love that the original stain is still on the piece, as are some of the original dings but now the surface is smooth as butttahhh!!!

Here is a picture of it taken inside, it shows off the brass feet better.When it was stained dark, the feet got completely lost.

Things I learned...

-I like working with chalk paint, very little prep which is great for an instant gratification gal like myself.

-Reddish stains are some of the few things that will bleed through chalk paint (there are a few light pink spots on the table but they are part of her character now, I am not re-doing the re-do)

-waxing is a work out

-waiting the 3-4 days it took to remove the finish off the top, poly and wax it was agony. I did the painting and waxing of the rest of the table in a day! Well, maybe a day and a half.

-this house isn't big enough to store all the pieces I know are out there, lol!

If this piece was the litmus test, I think the result is more please!

And those weights Kaleb bought? They were a bit rusty so he used some steel wool to clean them up and then spray painted them with black Rustoleum paint. They look great now! And he didn't even need weeks to ponder his actions, he came right home and got to it. He is so pleased with his bargain purchase and I am so proud of his efforts!

A Plethora of Strawberries!

If you are a local reader then you know that life in Rochester lately has been rain, rain and more rain. I am not sure even Seattle is getting the rain we are! The boys had final exams last week and since both Greg and I were working, they often had to ride their bikes to school in the rain. It was either that or ride the bus and stay all day and neither one of them wanted to do that. Roads and parking lots are flooding. The sump pump runs almost non-stop since the ground is so saturated. The dog doesn't even want to go outside, lol.

Saturday we actually had a break from the rain so we all set out to a local farm to pick strawberries. The picking was great, we were given our own section to pick and it was loaded with berries. In no time at all we had picked 20 pounds of strawberries!! Plus the *?* pounds we ate as we went. We made the boys pose for a photo op...

We really should have thought through how many pounds we needed. Really?? 20 lbs??? What we were thinking? 

Because of all the rain, many of the berries were very juicy and I knew they wouldn't last long. The first order of business was strawberry shortcake with freshly whipped cream. Oh my! We all ate ourselves silly. 

Sadly, we hadn't even made a dent in the 20 pounds so I made 6 batches of jam. I haven't canned anything in 2 years because of our move last year and I have been looking forward to strawberry season so I could make some jam. I don't think freezer jam actually counts as canning but I was ready to replenish the stash of homemade jams. The jam is in canning jars, so it looks like I canned, right?! I had to resort to store bought jams and jellies in recent months and they just are not the same! 

I love the taste of strawberry freezer jam. It tastes so fresh. And I love the bright red color. Yes, there is enough sugar in the recipe to send a diabetic into shock but the taste is so awesome.

Even after all of that we still had tons of berries. We enjoyed some dipped in chocolate today for dessert and the rest is being frozen to use later in smoothies.

Note to my 2014 self....10 pounds will do just fine!

Creating Joy

Hello friends and family! I am back and guess what? This post has nothing to do with cereal, lol! 

Now that winter really is behind us I think spring is springing up inside of me as well as outside. I finally got tired of being inside, doing not-so-much. Don't get me wrong, I am usually doing something...cooking, cleaning, laundry, couponing, carting the boys places. It's not like there is an indent of my behind on the sofa from being glued to the TV. My creative juices have just been frozen since our whole move process began last summer. There was no room, or time, or funds or whatever to do much creatively. All my stamping supplies are still in boxes in the basement. I did not realize how much it was affecting me to not have a creative outlet. Mama has been a bit unhappy of late. And you know how the saying goes..."If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

It has helped to just get outside and do some things around the house. We cleaned up the flower beds, planted some new Hosta's and several Impatiens, hung some hanging baskets on the back porch, got some tomato plants going in 5 gallon buckets and various other projects. The yard is looking nice, now if the rain would just go away so we might be able to enjoy it!

One of my winter addictions was and still is browsing Pinterest. Oh the things you never knew you needed or wanted!! I have a new list of places in the world I want to visit some day thanks to Pinterest. I also have loads  of new recipes to experiment with, hobbies to try out, and so much more.  

One of the bugs I got in my head was to make homemade bread. The problem is all that kneading and work for something that gets gobbled up in seconds. I found this wonderful blog post, via Pinterest of course, that shared a bread recipe that starts out in a bread maker. Genius! Except for the part where I realize I don't have a bread maker.I told you Pinterest makes you want/need things. Buying one new was just not in the budget so I have been patiently searching out thrift stores for a couple of months. Nothing. At least nothing that I thought I could work with. Two weekends ago I got up early and went to a local neighborhood garage sale. Bingo, there was a barely used bread maker in perfect condition calling my name. Really...it was calling "Tracy....buy me, together we will make fabulous bread". After a bit of wheeling and dealing with the seller, the bread maker was mine.  Here is the lovely Breadman Ultimate Plus herself...

It was so clean inside and out all it needed was a wipe down and for me to download instructions since the seller didn't have those.

The next day I tried it out using the recipe and instructions from that blog. I love it when something comes out just like it is supposed to! That night we enjoyed warm slices with bread and jam, mmmmmm. 

The boys even wanted their school lunches made with the homemade bread. When I was a kid I was always embarrassed to take homemade items in my lunch. I know...what a silly girl I was. I tell you though, the dark German rye bread sandwich and a side of apple paled in comparison to the peanut butter and banana sandwiches and Twinkies my friends had. No one ever traded with me. Never. I am glad my boys know that homemade=better most of the time. 

We ate that loaf up so fast there was no time to take photos. So here is a shot of loaf #2. I let it rise a tad too high but no harm done. It tasted delicious. I am just giddy over the whole process. The bread maker makes the prep so easy it is sure to be repeated often. Baking the bread in the oven gives it better taste I think and lets me control the loaf shape. The loaf looks normal, not bread maker shaped.

Since stamping is kind of out of the question right now, I am using my creativity in a new way. Stay tuned for more on that!

Cereal Taste Test 2013

I seriously don't know where the year went since our last post. Much has certainly transpired. I guess we were so busy living the craziness that we didn't have time to blog about it. Perhaps some day we will blog about moving, selling our house, resigning jobs, starting in new schools and jobs and various other "are you crazy?" events that we have experienced lately. Honestly, it is all too overwhelming to think about, let alone blog about. So, for now just know we are well. Greg is once again away for school, his last session...praise the Lord!
The boys and I sat down for a cereal taste test and got a laugh when we realized that was the theme of our last post. Must be the time of year companies release new cereals, who knew?! And it means January must be a really slow month with not much to do, lol.
Companies usually make great coupons available when new products are released and this time was no exception. All the General Mills cereals we tested were free after sale and coupon. The Kellogg's were between .60-1.00 a box.
Because inquiring taste buds want to know, here are the results from our new cereal taste test...again we rated them on a scale of 1-10, 10 being best.

Scooby Doo scored 4, 5, 9

Cinnamon Jacks scored 6, 7, 7

Mini Wheats Crunch scored 4, 5, 6

Fiber One Chocolate scored 6, 9, 9

Honey Nut Cheerios Medley scored 7, 7, 9

Peanut Butter Toast Crunch scored 7, 7, 9

Fiber One wins this round. To be fair, I am not really a big cereal fan. The mood has to strike just right for me to eat cereal but the boys practically live on the stuff so they balance me out. My personal fav was the new Honey Nut Cheerios but you can tell by the scores that none of them was a complete bust. That is a good thing since we have a big stash of free/cheap cereal that will be getting us through the winter.

Now that your life is complete with the aforementioned information, we promise to post again before the next release of new cereals hits the store shelves.