We Do Things

MORE HOME IMPROVEMENTS

After 12 years in the same house I think it's finally hit me that we are done with moving every two years. I've really begun to decorate The House in a way that reflects us. Or reflects the us I would like us to be?

Anyway, more sanding was needed.

We found the perfect coffee table for us. Three years ago. Some of you might remember?

While I had everything out to redo the chairs for the porch I figured I'd pull the coffee table into the garage and kill two projects at once.

Unlike the chairs, the coffee table did not want to be sanded down. It sure made me trust Ikea finishes because even after sanding, heavy chemical usage, and more sanding, the table still wasn't giving in. I spent almost 12 hours sanding 8 pieces of wood.

The table didn't know about my secret weapon however.

The Dad. He always rescues me from my overzealous project doing. He rarely complains about the rescuing and he always does it well.

The next day, we set out to stain the table so it would match our other furniture. While The Dad was busy staining, I had a brilliant idea to makeover the wicker baskets.

I looked through our meager spray paint supplies and found a lovely light blue.

In the very way that is special to me, I would need two more cans of spray paint because the wicker was very thirsty. In yet another way that is special only to me, they no longer sell that particular color of blue. I found a close enough color and started over. It did have a very happy ending as the baskets look fabulous now.

The basket on top was given to me by my soon to be new sister in law whom I love dearly. She thought I would like it to hold my current knitting project in. I love it. The fabric is Amy Butler and couldn't please me more if I had picked it out myself.

 

TO THE BIRDS

I enjoy having a lot of birds around our house. The Kids get a kick out of rooting for the baby birds to make it every year. Our neighbors get crow nests, we get finch nests. It can get ugly, so The Kids have appointed themselves as finch guardians and scare the crows away. This year, it worked, we only had one baby not make it. I've talked before about our bird feeders in the front. Now I want to introduce you to our hummingbird feeders in the backyard.

Supposedly, commercial hummingbird food causes cancer in the birds. I'm not leaning either way, but I know that homemade food is cheaper. Especially when the birds are really pigs in disguise.

Around here, we call it hummingbird soup. It's 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. Boil the water, add the sugar, stir, let cool, and fill feeder(s). Repeat every 3-4 days. The feeders need to be cleaned at least weekly. I've experimented with different feeders, but have finally found my favorite.

It is made by Best. I found it at the local garden center and it cost about $15.

I wish I had some pics of those birds enjoying it, but dang if hummingbirds aren't quick!

TO COMPOST OR NOT TO COMPOST

  That is my question.  I am hoping that someone out there will let me know if I'm completely insane, or if this will be the most brilliant thing I've ever decided to do.

This catalogue came in the mail yesterday.  I usually get a good laugh out of it because while, yes it is geared towards living "green", everthing typically costs an arm and a leg and maybe even an ear.  I'm sure it's all very nice, but I find it hard to convince myself to spend that much money on a green version of a product I could purchase for 75% less somewhere "un-green".

Then, I saw these...

This is the Kitchen Compost Crock.  Isn't it adorable?  I can totally see this sitting on my newly reorganized kitchen counters.

Then, for outside, I like this one.  I have no idea why it calls to me, but it does.

The Spinning Composter.  It's sleek, yet efficient.

Last spring, we planted a small garden to test the waters.  Not only did it work, but we almost drowned in a sea of tomatoes.  Have you ever eaten fresh broccoli?  It tastes completely different.  Mmm...the carrots were divine.

This year, we are actually going to take out the little strip of grass we have on the side yard and make a giant garden.  The Kids are already planning what we will plant.

Which leads me to composting.  It seems like a good idea, but will it stink to high heaven?

Also, doesn't this just seem too good to be true?

As a dog owner who is tired of searching for a convenient, sterile, non-stinky way to handle the doo, I think I'm in love.

GOING TO THE BIRDS

I'm not sure where it came from, but about a year ago I took it into my pretty little head to put up bird feeders.  I am now in love with 'my' birds.  We get the cutest little finches, at least that's what I think they are, I'm way too lazy to actually look it up, besides, I like to call them finches and they don't seem to mind.  I'm sure I could call them, oh, let's see...piggies and they wouldn't complain as long as I continue to fill the feeders every 4 days.

We even get Mourning Doves, whom I absolutely adore.  They are so intelligent as well.  They are too big to eat out of the feeders, so they munch on the seed the finches drop to the ground.  Finches are messy little critters.  Mourning Doves are not.

The only drawback to all of this is of course, the poop.  I just hose down my patio every couple of days and we're all happy.

The other day, I was washing dishes and I heard quite the racket at the feeders, there were at least 30 finches eating their lunch.

I couldn't resist walking away from the dishes, picking up my camera and trying to get a few pictures of these flighty little critters.  They sure are nervous.

This one was all like, Do NOT disturb MY lunch, lady!

This one had to show off his pretty red coloring.  He was quite a ham. 

This one was low chick on the totem pole.  She was not allowed to eat from the feeder.  It's okay girlie, I was always on the outside looking in as well.  In a few more years, when the "cool" kids are all realizing that being cool means nothing in the real world, well that's when you'll be at the head of the pack.  Just wait a while, you'll see.

Oh, and I never realized how dang picky birds can be.  My birds will only eat "Wild Finch Seed", they don't care the brand, but none of that other stuff will do.  Please don't ever mention "No Waste Food" at this house.  They threw that stuff all over my yard and refused to come back until I got with the program.

Now, I'm off to the backyard to fill my hummingbird feeders.  They are cuties as well, however I doubt they'll pose for any pictures.  They're kind of private that way.

Also, has anybody had any luck with getting birds to nest in birdhouses?  We get a couple of nests on our back patio every year and the eggs either fall to the ground or get eaten by the evil gigantic crows we get around here.  I'm wondering if the finches would use the houses if I put them up?

ALMOST DONE

My tree arrived yesterday.  One of the greatest benefits of The Dad working from home is that he can do this on his lunch break.

So, The House that I spent all day Monday and Tuesday cleaning up after having The Kids home for two weeks, can look all put together.

The reason we are only almost done is that table.  It needs to be restained darker to match the other furniture.  I'm all about matching and order.  Just ask The Girl.  She hates matching and order.

Once we (The Dad) has that done, then my house will be complete.  Nay, not just my house, my whole life will be in order. For now though, I'll just enjoy it the way it is.

The Boy is as big of a nut as his mom.  He had to put all of The Dog's toys in a basket.  Now, it is neat and orderly, but The Dog can't get to them.  It could get mighty interesting around here.

ALL GROWN UP. FINALLY.

I have previously mentioned that we spent New Year's Day shopping for a couch.  To be more precise, we had spent that whole weekend.  We looked at a lot of places.  Just ask The Kids.  It was too bad for them that The Babysitter was out of town.  For a swimmeet.  Because you know when you finally find that one kid who is such a good kid you kind of wish at least one of your kids will grow up to be just like her, she has a life.

Did I mention that we spent all weekend shopping for a couch?  Or that we hit a lot of furniture stores?  Did I mention how difficult it is to find a decent looking couch?  Especially when, since you don't have a guest room and your parents stay with you quite often and you're sick of sleeping on the couch or in the big "comfy" chair, you need to have a sleeper, at least queen sized, in it?  Well, in case I didn't, it all is true.

When you finally decide on a couch you both can live with (meaning it's not that pretty to look at, but you can survive putting your butt on it for the next few years), you will THEN find out that there is an $89 delivery charge to drive said couch 5 miles.  At which point both you and your cheap ash husband will explain to the salesman that we are ready to pay you cash for this ok couch if you will cut us a deal on delivery.  Thus, marking the salesman as a complete idiot when he states that he can't because it is 'corporate'.

Then, you might just march The Kids and The Dad out of said store biting your tongue the whole way, when The Girl may just speak up for the integrity of The Whole Family and state that said salesman is an idiot and do we have to go to another furniture store? Where you will then respond that no, we are done for now.  Not even scolding The Girl for her name calling because you've raised her to be nothing but honest. 

On Monday, we found a most wonderful furniture warehouse in The Valley.  I must admit, when The Dad showed me the ad for Michael's Furniture Warehouse, I was a bit, um, put off to say the least.

Not only did they have exactly the sort of couch we were looking for, but they had several for us to choose from.  We had gotten used to seeing the same 4 couches at many different stores.  Not here, we saw lots of furniture options.  (They should really pay me for this commercial shouldn't they?)

The Bunny?  He had us in and out of the store in 40 minutes with our couch being delivered from The Valley for $49.  Our couch arrived Thursday, a mere 2 days after we purchased it.

We will be making the majority of our furniture purchases from them.  They've been in the same location since 1961 and out of the handful of employees working that day, 10 years was the shortest length of time being employed there.

Anyway, we needed a new couch because when The Dad and I first got together, he had a cat.  The Cat was not really a cat, but more of a tiny leprechaun person, yet, she did enjoy using her claws.  Once on The Girl, then on my (at the time) new couch...

I will spare myself the embarrasment of showing you the rest of my old, disgusto couch.  I did have a cover that I bought for it, but between The Dog and The Kids, it wasn't in much better shape.

We had looked into getting the old couch reupholstered, but the cheapest qoute we got was $750 plus we'd have to be without a couch for at least 3 weeks, plus, we'd have to pay for them to store our couch while they waited to get to it.  We decided it was cheaper to buy a new couch.  We put it off for about 3 years until we finally got sick of it and decided to take the plunge.

See, don't we look all grown up?  Now, I was going to straighten everything, but decided I would  take a page out of someone else's book and keep it real.

The table we picked up for $40 from Craigs list.  I love it and The Kids love to play with the baskets.

I'm also waiting for this to arrive:

Which not only will replace the pictures of The Kids, but may force me into painting the room that wonderful blue.  And did you know that Pottery Barn now has their own line of paint?

I would also like to take this moment to show you how The Boy kept himself amused during all this furniture shopping.

Which results in:

Static hair.

Please excuse two things about The Boy.

1. That chappedness around his mouth?  He will not stop licking himself during windy days.  Freak

2. He is not stoned.  I swear.  He simply had 24 straight hours of playing with friends and then a sleep-over, followed by more playing with friends.  Dude was exhausted.  It was The First Time that The Girl outtalked The Boy.