That Old Thing?

My 3 favorite little words right after "just take it".  

Those words began my chair project

The finish was shot and the seat was just formed rubbery plastic, not even a real rush seat!  But I knew immediately what I needed to do.  I washed off the bird poop and the old dried bubble gum.  I gave it a light sanding to remove the loose debris.  I got out a jar of my Country Living Caromal Colours Paint in 'paprika' and got to work under the shade of my big oak tree.

If you have never used these awesome finish products you just have to give them a try!  They bond without stripping, have a great vintage feel and you can layer the products to create all different kind of looks.  I gave this chair one good coat of paint, and then sanded away some for a vintage, worn effect.

I added a fun quote by tracing it on the chair with carbon paper and then going over it with a permanent paint marker, then lightly sanding again.

Since it was going to be out in the sun and the rain I used an outdoor poly coat to seal the whole chair.  I had part of a roll of chicken wire out in the shed that I cut up and formed into my 'basket' to hold the dirt and flowers.  This was probably the most tedious part, but I totally love chicken wire, so for me it was worth every minute!   I bought 2 coco-fiber window box liners at Big Lots for $4 each to form my liner to fit the odd shape .  Perfect!  

Added a few plants and voila`

Now enjoying a new life on my front porch!

I am so excited to see how much better it will look as the summer goes on and the plants mature  :D

The old shall be new

On this you can depend

Trellis Something Good

I don't want you to think a week has passed that a project has not been started or completed at our home.  In fact I was just thinking the other day that more days than not you will probably find a nail gun instead of dinner on the dining room table.  We had some exceptional weather this past week, and we took full advantage of every single day of it!  It won't be long before it will be too hot for me to be outside after about 10 AM.

I'm sure if you have a garden, or even a patio you have priced a trellis.  They come all shapes and sizes, and of course price ranges.  We have a large shallow garden area on the lower patio/fire pit portion of our back patio that had bushes at one time, but we found it hard to keep them from encroaching on the patio itself.  We decided to tear out the bushes and add vines- primarily evergreen varieties that would keep the leaf debris cleanup to a minimum.  And let me add that the space gets the full Texas sun all afternoon.  I honestly get fed up with publications that show amazing gardens grown places like Washington state!  It takes True Grit to garden here as well as a modicum of masochism! 

Our trellis needed to be over 10 feet long and 5 feet high!  We are so fortunate to have been able to recycle cedar scraps from a work project!  I still plan to add some vertical strings to help coax the vines to fill in.  My son cut out, sanded and assembled it since my husband still does not have use of his arm.  I think it turned out great!

 

 I also took advantage of the shade from our large oak tree in the back yard to work on and paint an old chair.  I should have the project fully completed for the next post! (pending no continued rain-out)

Here is a peek:

A pic of my kitty enjoying the catnip I planted for her

And to keep with our wood/fence/outdoor theme today here is a great free background for your personal use

And to all the Moms out there- Happy Mother's Day!

One Extra Day- God's Day of Grace

Today I was asking myself- what would I do with one extra day?  

 

I stopped to admire the beauty of this awesome place I am blessed to live on a perfect spring day

 

 

Sitting in this place I contemplated grace.  Living in grace.  I thought about Marjorie Holmes's prayer 'Just For Today'

 

Oh, God, give me grace for this day.
Not for a lifetime, for for next week, nor
for tomorrow, just for this day.
Direct my thoughts and bless them,
Direct my work and bless it.
Direct the things I say and give them blessing, too.
Direct and bless everything that I think and speak
and do. So that for this one day, just this one
day, I have the gift of grace that comes from your presence…

 

 I had one perfect day.  Because this one day is all you have.

 

Eat Your Veggies!! A Recipe To Help

I love vegetables!  Not all, but most (sorry Brussels Sprouts).  Every year I start a vegetable garden~ I imagine myself with a bushel basket in my arms, overflowing with the fruits (& veggies) of my labor...sharing with my neighbors.... "why, YES! I did grow these myself.....no-no....I have plenty...please enjoy!"

In reality, this is what I get:

Yes, it's true.....I have yet to eat a single berry, bean or melon from my own garden!  Every year the same optimism~ every year I am dealt a crushing blow from Mother Nature.  I guess that is what comes from a Big City gal trying to be Fanny Farmer.  I am hoping that some of you out there can help me by telling me what it is I can do to fend off rodents sweet little bunnies, swarms of locusts, the stealthy possum and grow food in drought combined with searing heat.  One thing you do learn early on in Texas gardening is when the tag on the plant says 'full sun' it hardly ever means 'full Texas sun'.  Is it any wonder I rely on the local markets for my produce? 

I do love to cook.  I love my kitchen! I love chopping, kneading, baking, grilling and most of all- eating!  So what if this was not my reality:

I can still enjoy veggies!  Luckily, my kids love them as well, and my poor husband who was raised by someone who's cooking skills shall we say....were lacking?....has come around to crave them as well.