What I Have to Offer…

I have started forwarding photos and instructions of cool project-y things to my SH (Sweet Husband), DL. He can figure out how to build just about anything, and I am able to visualize, so we are a great team.

Today, I forwarded him a link to a blog with instructions for a cool coffee table made out of pallets. His response was “cool… but this woman has beat you to a blog about upcycling furniture.”
This woman?
Only about a thousand of them.

First of all, I am not about ‘beating’ anybody. I think there is room for everyone who wants to blog. I think sharing ideas is GREAT, as long as you give credit to the person or place you find your inspiration. I think I may give a little different spin to a homemaking blog…because I tend to be a little snarky, a little sarcastic, and a little irreverent–so my blog won’t be for everyone.
Mine is less Martha Stewart and more “Martha after she’s had seven martinis” blog. My ‘HOuse ‘HO blog, meant to be tongue-in-cheek, has now become reality.

If you’re interested in reading a blog that’s a little less sweet and warm-hearted and a little more kick-a$$, yet is still about making home a place you love, then tune in. If not, it’s all good.

There are a thousand others.

A Nice Problem to Have (?)

from the Christmas ornament site.com

Yesterday, I traveled down to the shop after having three several a couple of beers at RB on the RH, which is the Wednesday teacher hangout. They have some really awesome drink specials, and we take full advantage.

Upon arriving at the shop, I was informed that two of my side chairs sold, as well as a good portion of my Christmas ornaments. Tomorrow is the Christmas Open House and wine tasting and my booth is basically…empty.

Don’t get me wrong–I like making money. But the stuff is leaving quicker than I can get other things ready.

In my attic? I have a dressing table that needs a second coat of paint, a coat of stain, and a wax topcoat. I have a chest of drawers that needs wood putty to fill the holes of the original handles and it needs to be sanded, painted, and new handles both bought and applied.
This afternoon I need to scrounge around for something…anything…to take down to Elizabeth’s, because the booth needs to look great. And right now, it looks naked.

Stay tuned for pictures from the wine tasting!

Holiday Wine Tasting

Join me (and a bunch of really fun other people…not that I’m not fun, but so is everyone else) Friday (that’s tomorrow, peeps!) at Elizabeth’s at Hanes Park (it’s easy-peasy to find) for an open house and holiday wine tasting!

It starts at 5:00–so stop and have a little vino on your way home from work!

Elizabeth’s is near the intersection of Northwest Boulevard and Reynolda Road–down across from the baseball diamond at Hanes Park. It’s before you get to that big arrowhead-y looking thing that splits Reynolda into West End and Broad. If this is too confusing, call me. I’m in the book!

We are Living in Materials World…

My lovely assistant, DL (who also happens to be my husband) is a chemical engineer by trade, but he is also very handy to have around the house. Which is why he has enlisted to help me out by building things to put in the shop.

This is his latest creation–a very utilitarian table that can be used for a dozen different things–a potting bench, a sofa table, a narrow table for a hallway, or to hold your flatscreen. The shelf on the bottom is perfect for baskets or bins, and the color is my own special mix of a pale green paint (wiped off wet) and a hand-rubbed gel stain. The effect is exactly what I wanted; very weathered, as if it’s been outside for a couple of years.

The best part? Is that it cost nothing to make! Why? Because DL is the Materials B!t@h.

This great table started out as pallets that DL stole recycled from work. All materials in this bench (with the exception of screws) are leftover from another project. The paint is from the master bedroom, the gel stain from touching up a water-damaged spot in another house, and the tools were…well, we have every tool except a nail gun and DL thinks it would be foolhardy to put me in the same house with one.

He may have a point.

Anyway–we’re really pleased with how this upcycled project came together, and we’re confident it’ll sell quickly.

Beans, beans…

This photo courtesy of cooking in kc

Soup. As my friend Gesh says, “It’s the salad of the winter.” To me, soup conjurs up memories of Sunday nights, when my mom would let my brother and me eat soup and sandwiches in front of the television while we watched “Lassie,” followed by what I thought was “Wonderful World of Disney,” but wikipedia tells me otherwise…that it was “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.” I do remember Tinkerbell hitting the word ‘color’ with her wand, at which point it would change, but I had a black-and-white television, so what the heck do I know?
Anyway, back to soup.
What I love about soup, besides its inherent deliciousness, is that you can add all kinds of odds & ends together and come up with something great. Frequently, there are sales on soups and soup mixes and you can even save a few bucks. Which is what I thought I would do when I bought a dried bean soup mix. I put in some leftover white wine (I know! I had wine left over, instead of drinking the whole bottle!), some celery hearts, about a quarter of a small onion, a can of tomatoes, and some homemade chicken stock along with the leftover chicken. I cooked it exactly as the instructions called for and after the three hours, the beans were still crunchy.

After six hours? Still crunchy.

After twelve? STILL crunchy.

After twenty-four? Yep.

It was the never-ending saga of the beans that would not cook.
So instead of saving money, I have two large plastic containers of soup with crunchy beans. Lest you think this may be acceptable, I can assure you it is not. Crunchy beans are disconcerting.
I am going to see if I can find a website that has some information on breaking down the chemistry of beans, to see if there are any ideas regarding the softening of said legume.
If not, I’m going to puree the heck out of the stuff and use it as a base for something else.
Or, if push comes to shove, I could always feed it to Lassie.

Trunk Show! (and tell)

With the day off today, I decided to make a dent in the things I’m getting ready to sell at Elizabeth’s. They are open on Friday from 8 until 8, and I want to get my space all decked out for the wine tasting on December 2nd.
I need a larger item to contrast with some of the smaller things I have for sale in the re*new booth. This trunk seemed to fit the bill when I found it at an estate sale.
I love trunks and smaller chests, but one of the things you have to be careful of is smell. This trunk didn’t have one, so it was a no-brainer.

I decided to line this trunk with fabric because the paper lining was tearing away. I’m not sure how old it is, but I’m guessing 1960s. There is a remnant of a sticker for a college in Virginia–I can’t tell what it says, despite trying.

The fabric is something I’ve had around…all I had to purchase is braid and some hot glue sticks. (My stories of expertise with a glue gun will have to wait for another day. Suffice it to say that I have to keep a bowl of icewater nearby.)

Glorious Food!

This is the time of year when we eat. And eat. And eat some more, despite the fact that we are stuffed. And I will cook and cook, despite the fact that the Thanksgiving meal will be at a table for two.
Some years our family just can’t get it together for Thanksgiving, with so many of us scattered to the four winds. My husband and I have to realize that there may be a “divide and conquer” mentality for the day. But I still cook, regardless of the number of folks around the table.

This year, my son will be home, and we will have the requisite turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. We’ll also have baked apples (he is not a fan of cranberries) and sweet potato casserole. I’ll make a few small pies-tarts, really-and have some cookies, if there’s time to make them.

In my house, the meal has to stay the same, even if the participants don’t.