Soooo, I have the sides done on the coffee table.  Not perfect, but it will do. 

Here is a before picture with Miss Sophie helping my brother inspect the table before painting:

I do get so much help, eh?  She had to rest after helping me out so much.  Yes, she laid on the chair with her paws hanging down and watched for several minutes.

I finished the sides and then turned the table over and did the under self and top with one coat of stain.  I just have to sand it and put on another coat.  Once that is dry, hopefully, I’ll be done with this project and can move on to others.

QuiltQua is having a fabulous give-away!  Click on QuiltQua to see how to enter.

I would LOVE to win these fabrics.  I think they are gorgeous!

A nice lady wrote me and told me she is having quilting retreats in Michigan.  Her name is Kathy Bauchman and this is what she says:

”I am having quilting retreats up at our cabin, set in the woods, near Grayling Michigan and am looking for quilt shops to display my flyers…….It is a gorgeous setting and I can accommodate 4 not including me….meals are included..I have 3 day retreats and 4 day retreats.the 4 day includes a shop hop. They are set once a month from June to Sept………price is very reasonable……there are gifts, homemade meals and a setting a bear would love…  a pressing station, cutting table and lighting is provided.”

She doesn’t have any pictures yet, but I believe will be getting some.  Her phone number is 419.810.3370 – so if you are interested, give her a call!  I do know that there are some fabulous quilt shops up that way and Grayling is a lovely area.

I don’t have any polka dot fabric.  At least, I don’t think so.

I have this idea, you see.

Hmmm…

This project started out as a walk.  Yep, my sister and I, last year, decided to lose some tonnage and decided to walk.  So, we are cruising the neighborhood and it was trash night and I spotted this coffee table.

So, I snagged it.  Told my sister to guard it, ran home and got my CRV and came back and we loaded it up! 

It has some water stains and some of the edges are banged up but it’s in great shape. 

Yesterday, I started sanding it.  Stay tuned!

Miss Princess wants a barbeque/sleepover party for her birthday in July.  She *wants* to sleep outside in a tent, but I’m not so sure about that.  Call me paranoid, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.

She also wants to roast marshmallows and make Smores.

So, it will be a good reason to bring this out:

I will need to get some wood and find some good sticks for the kids.

We will roast hot dogs and figure out the rest of the menu.  Fill the cooler with ice and stock it with soft drinks – got that part figured out.  Chips and some other goodies… any recommendations and recipes are welcome.  The kids are all about 13-14 years old.  And, the party will be in early July.

We did a lot this weekend.  First, we clean up a little and then decided to hit a consignment shop to see what it was like.  Very nice place, just LOADED with top of the line furniture.  Not really the style I was looking for – but very expensive, ornate stuff, for instance, tables that could seat 10 easily with very ornate carving, etc.  Plus matching china cabinets.  Wow.

So, we wandered around there a bit and then we saw it.  The perfect kitchen table with two bench seats.  We looked at each other and said, let’s get it.  So, out came the debit card and into the CRV it went!  It’s white with a white tiled top – very clean and fresh looking.

So, we got it home and cleaned up the old kitchen table and put it out on the back porch.  We are trying to decide if we will paint it – I want a blue top with white legs and Missy Poo wants it all white.  Frankly, it looks good with the original oak out there.  So, we shall see.

I scrubbed the kitchen floor and got rid of some clutter and we brought in the new table and put the legs on.  Looks great.

I need to get rid of some more of the stuff in there and we plan to take down the wallpaper – I will NEVER wallpaper again – and paint the one wall and wash the rest.  I’m thinking yellow for that wall – would look great with the dark blue Corian counters and birch cabinets.

I think I want to get rid of the old ceiling fan in there, also – put up some sort of neat light – will have to look around and see what we can find.

So, we are winding down the day and I’ve never mentioned it but my Shetland Sheepdog has epilepsy and he had a heck of an attack.  Three full blown seizures in a row.  He is finally resting now.  Poor guy.  I so love that dog it just kills me when he goes through this.

I should go to bed now.

Tags: dog epilepsy, remodeling

Just some thoughts that have wandered through my mind.

Did ya ever think you see the day when a bunch of old white dudes claim that they were being discriminated against?  Hello?  The quote is:  "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life."

Clue fairy hit old white boyz – she’s right.  As a matter of fact, I think most women would reach better conclusions than you narrow minded old white dudes.

Who elected these guys?  Nevermind Richard Shelby – any village missing their idiot …he’s in Washington DC.  Go get him please.  PLEASE!

I love the congressional hearings on closing the automotive dealerships.  Yeah, it totally sucks, but WTF?  The car co’s have to cut back – in case you haven’t noticed, NO ONE is buying cars.  Again, hello?  Now, you notice that your constituents are getting screwed?  Woot!  Really?  Are they bitching big time to you now?  Afraid you won’t get elected next time because they won’t be pouring money into your re-election campaign?  Well, duh.  Maybe you shouldn’t have held the domestic automakers feet to the fire back during their hearings and coughed up more money for them instead of the banks and good ole AIG. 

And, while I’m on the subjects of the banks – the domestic automakers are trying to be transparent and tell the US what they are doing.  They actually have a website up – GM Reinvention .  Go check it out.  Hell, we own most of it so you should.  I see that AIG has a few blurbs on their website.  But what about the banks?  Looks to me that they just took the money and guess what?  We have heard nothing from them.  Glad they are enjoying our $$$.  Twits.

Had a tasty little conversation with my mortgage company, Bank of America yesterday.  I thought I would just give them a nice little call and say, hey, I wanna refinance this loan.  Whatcha got?  My loan is a 30 year fixed at 6 percent something and I was thinking .. just lower it a tad and I would be happy, after all, I have paid that puppy religiously for many years.  So, I get this cute sounding little stud muffin on the phone and we start chatting.  The bottom line is, I can’t refi because GUESS WHAT – my house comp is too low.  Well, yeah… right?  Why do you think I’m calling, cute little studmuffin?  I found out that my loan is a Fannie Mae but that still isn’t helping.  I’m kinda pissed off about this one.  Am musing my options.  Maybe if I’m not too busy tomorrow I might call Fannie Mae and say WTF?  And, then, maybe write a buncho letters to those shitheels in Congress and raise a little hell.  Why not?

Other thought patterns…I liked Obama’s speech in Cairo today.  He rocked it.  You go, First Dude. 

I watched the ABC (was it ABC?) special on what it’s like in the White House.  Check it out.  Can you imagine all that stuff going on in such a small space?  I think the press secretary (Gibbs?) seems like a cool guy.  But I would have to bitchslap Rahm Emanuel.  I’ve worked in offices all my life and pissers like that need a whack upside the head now and then.  Sort of like what Gibbs does on NCIS.  Attitude is everything, Rahm baby, and he needs an adjustment.  I don’t care how cool you think you are, you ain’t that cool. 

So, that’s it for today.  Aren’t you happy?  Ha!  Not your usual Mommy Blogger post, eh?  Hell, I’m an old Mommy Blogger.  We need a different name, I think. 

I love this:

Go to Jannypie Crafts blog to see how she made it and she gives a material list and everything.  Now check this out – what a great cutting table idea.

Go to ikea hacker to check it out – instructions there, too!

Another great workstation – cutting table.  It’s on Flickr so I can’t put a picture here but if you click desk – cutting table, you can see it.  I thought I saw the instructions on this one somewhere, but I can’t find it.

Another idea – good way to utilize a corner – I would leave off the top shelf – plans and everything here – click the here.  A lot more work but if you are handy…

And, this is way cool – using an old door and I think you can get these sawhorse legs from Ikea.

Go here for a better look and how-to.

Then there is the Ikea desk I’ve been looking at.  Get this and one of their tables and it’s probably mucho easier to just put them together and then you are good to go!

Ikea Expedit Desk

I guess I would have to clean out the sewing room first, eh?

Oh boy.

Big trouble, yep.