Small Projects

Slowly but surely little (and big) projects are being completed around here. Caroline is my super-helper, and she had quite a hand in the painting and staining of the pieces in this post. 

Over the summer I picked up a 1960s ugly but functional dresser from a trendy little thrift store. Somewhere I have a Before picture but I can't put my finger on it. You can imagine I'm sure. I tried Rustoleum's "chalked" paint on this, since the whole chalk paint idea is good for low-prep and high coverage. The color was off the shelf "serenity" and I used their recommended matte varnish over top. The paint was a little drippy, but covered well, and the varnish was a little bubbly, but in the end I love how it turned out and I think it will be quite serviceable. 

For now this dresser is hanging out in my sewing space, holding fabric and other supplies. Since taking this picture Don and I removed the kitchen cabinet from the wall. Not as useful as it might seem. This corner of our finished basement is the last stronghold of chaos in the house - it's been the home for everything that hasn't otherwise found a home. This week Caroline and I have been spending our mornings trying to organize it all into something much less cluttered. It's looking better now; I hope I can show you a more finished area soon. 

Next up my lovely assistant models the completed bench in the completed front entry! I am SO proud of this project because it took our entry from a scuffed up wall and a lot of shoes (again, I need the before picture!) into a really lovely first impression when you come in the front door. 

Don and I built the black shelf on the wall, installed the beadboard and chair rail (I had already painted) and made the bench. We are feeling pretty pumped about out combined carpentry skills! It all warrants more detail. I'm going to try to get pictures better organized onto my computer soon and then will be back to fill in the details on this all and other adventures in homeownership! 

A Bench

Just popping in real quick to show you what we did with our Saturday. 

Ta-da!

We will be sanding and staining tomorrow. Will show you it in place when it's all done! 

But Wait There's More

I know my posts lately have been picture heavy and light on the writing, and I hope to correct that as we move back toward the regularly scheduled programming of the school year. But I can't help scroll through my pictures and see so many little images that represent moments I want to remember from the summer. No big trips or events or anything worth telling about particularly, just the projects and play that kept us busy once we actually got settled here at the house. 

Don rejoined us at the end of July. He made the drive east with his dad...and one of our cats (now THAT is a story I still need to tell). Since his sole job is to be a grad student for the next two years he had the month of August off with us, studying on his own at home before classes started this week. 

So here's little bits of the things we've been doing here. The big ongoing project I'll write about separately is all the painting...

A great picture of DWs 1 and 3.

One tiny little beach trip.

I designed and bought supplies for a safety-baby gate for our deck stairs and D made it a reality, while simultaneously itching what turned out to be the worst case of poison ivy he's ever had. 

We watched the sunset on the river after a night out for ice cream. 

That REALLY hot weekend necessitated a trip out to buy the one remaining slip-n-slide at Toys R Us. 

We set up our much-anticipated fish tank, to the delight of all. 

Another small project - setting paving step stones in the gravel under the deck.

D bought this onesie for M for his first Christmas and it was way too big at the time. I remembered to try it on just in the nick of time before he outgrows it! 

Two bags of sand in the came-with-the-house plastic sandbox have been worth their weight in gold. 

I love the expressions on this bunch in these last two pictures. They had gotten themselves all showered and freshened up before dinner one night after getting quite muddy on the slip-n-slide. 

It's so interesting for me to see all these pictures now, just a few weeks later, and to realize that the shift has somehow, subtly been made. From carefree summer into schoolish fall. It seemed like the sun was shining all summer and it shows in these pictures. To everything there is a season...