It's OFFICIALLY April!!!!

Only 2 more weeks until the last freeze...and inspite of the numerous storms that rolled through, it turned out to be a pretty great weekend.  I managed to get my pond cleaned out and the rugs to the car wash and we colored eggs and I even started on my newest projects...two more "nasty" dressers!  Not sure what I will do with them, but I think they want to be nursery dressers...so I am going to pretty them up fit for a new baby and then find expectant parents who NEED nursery furniture!!! ​

I managed to get the drawers repaired and put a coat of Kilz on each...but it is Easter and the few who are still here expect a "holiday" dinner.​

So I stuck a ham in the oven and prepared my "go to" holiday casserole...you can find the recipe HERE!  Totally awesome and super easy.  And since we have the eggs we colored yesterday, we have plenty for deviled eggs...a family favorite! ​

I can't even complain about the rain because we need it!  ​And after all, it is SPRING!!!

Hope you had a wonderful and blessed weekend!!​

April showers....

Okay, so it's not quite April....yet.  But today is a reminder that spring brings unpredictable weather.​

I had SOOOO much I thought I needed to do today.  Clean out the pond and install a new pump. Take my area rugs to the car wash.  Finish putting down mulch.  Begin working on the two nasty dressers I brought home (don't ask me what I plan on doing with them!) ​

Nothing that requires being inside on a rainy day.​

Oh wait...yes there is!!!  HAPPY EASTER!  And for the first time in I don't know how long, I have a "want" to color eggs.  Probably the influence of that evil Pinterest...always something sooo cute that I just have to try it.​

Like the "crackle" eggs...or the colorful whites of deviled eggs (a family favorite!)​

So after my teenage daughter returns from mass this afternoon, ​we are going to color Easter eggs. 

And the weather cooperated perfectly with the thing that is MOST important...spending time with my teenager doing something we haven't done since she was a little girl.  ​

I love spring!​ 

And again, HAPPY EASTER...may this weekend be a reminder of what is REALLY important!​

Mulch time!!!

It's getting closer to "spring" so there is soooo much to do before perennials wake from their winter slumber and it is time for the beautiful annuals.  

Perennials are plants that return every year....annuals are just what it says...annual.  You have to plant them every year.  Over the years I filled my beds with perennials (hostas, liriope, vinca minor) and have plant most of my annual flowers into pots and containers. ​

But before they wake or I can plant, there is much to be done!  This year I put compost in the beds.  Many people don't realize that most cities actually sell or give away compost.  It pays HUGE to check with your city and see if they provide compost soil.  I bought a truck load for $20 just for showing proof that I am a resident.  That is MAJOR cheap compared to buying it by the bag.  I try to put compost in my beds about every other year...just to enrich the soil.

I also buy all my mulch in bulk, by the trailer or truck load.  Today I paid $25 a yard for mulch. (A pickup will hold 1-2 yards)

Now here is where I will give gardening advise...skip the pretty red or black mulches.  Years ago my impatiens would grow to 2-3' tall...absolutely beautiful.  About 6 years ago they really started struggling and I started having trouble with "crown rot" on my beloved hostas.  After a little research I found that many gardeners were pointing the finger at the "dyed" mulches that are so popular.  Seems it MAY have an adverse affect on the soil, which in turn affects the smaller annual plants and possibly the tender perennials like hostas.  So now I stick to straight up natural cedar mulch.  To each his own, but honestly, I'm not taking any chances.  And since I  witnessed a significant problem with my plants since I started using red mulch, I decided not to risk it again.  ​

It is still too early to put tender annuals in the ground, but it is NOT too early to start preparing your beds!  Get busy!​

And don't forget...pots and containers are a great way to add a little color to your yard, big or small, without a lot of work or maintenance!​

Swing into spring...

NOW is the time to do this project...too stinking hot in the summer and you will want to enjoy it during the lazy days of summer!​

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I have built 5 of these swing pergolas...two at my house, one at my daughter's first home, one at her current home and one for a neighbor.  It is not a difficult project to built but one that requires two sets of hands and a little muscle!  ​And with everything, patience!!!

I have posted a tutorial HERE​.  It is not a terribly difficult project and one I think most DIYers could easily manage.

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This is the SUPER sized pergola I built onto my house about 11 years ago...I won't even begin to tell you how it is constructed...but I can promise you, if the house is blown away, it will probably still be standing!  And notice the wisteria canopy...seriously, that stuff is CRAZY!​

Container planting!!!

Snow was blowing yesterday but we are less than a month from the last freeze date in our region....I CAN'T WAIT!!!  ​

Tomorrow I will be sharing a VERY long tutorial on building a perfect swing pergola for your yard...but today I wanted to share my container plantings...you could actually start these inside, if you have space, and transfer them outside once the risk of freeze has passed!​

Last year I decided my days of crawling around in the dirt planting flowers were over.  So I began collecting pots and anything I thought would make a great planter...be creative!!!  Think outside the box!  Pots are great but so are wash tubs and old patio grills and crocks!  As long as it has a little drain hole in the bottom, or can have one added, it will work.  I fill the bottom 2" with rock (yard rocks are great), then add "cheap" soil, then put the more expensive "planting soil" in the top 4".  Most annual plants don't root much deeper than that!​

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This is by far my favorite!  Ferns with impatiens and caladiums.  Any ole' fern, punch a few little impatiens in the soil around it and then stick some caladium bulbs into the soil.  By June it will be in full bloom and super easy to water and maintain.  If the planters are small, you can actually hack the fern in 1/2 or 1/4 and split it among several planters. 

Here are a few pictures of a few other planters!  ​On old tea server, old pots I sprayed with colorful spray paint, new pots in interesting shapes...use your imagination.  I found an old grill that is very odd...but will make a perfect planter this year.

If you have looked at my Yardscapes page, you know I love flower gardening...especially hostas.  But I love the color of annuals so rather than fill my flower beds with tender plants that take a lot of time and water, I am filling colorful planters with an assortment of flowers and scattering them around my flower beds...beautiful! And sooo easy to maintain when the weather turns brutally hot!

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Oh. My. Goodness....I can't believe I found one....UPDATE!

Okay, I told you about my absolute obsession with the mid century Lane Acclaim tables.  So in my quest for all things "mid century" I stumbled upon a line of furniture that literally makes me drool....Brasilia by Broyhill.  Manufactured in the 60s, this line of furniture is absolutely one of the most beautiful and desirable mid century designs floating around right now!   I have always wanted a piece of this line, but honestly I could never find one in my budget!

So when I found a Brasilia hutch online for an unbelievable price, I just knew something had to be wrong with it it!  It was at one of my favorite flea market haunts, White Elephant. Even though I was exhausted and already in my pajamas, I called my son, who lives a few blocks from the flea market, and told him to go stand guard in front of the hutch until I could get there and inspect it. 

Beautiful.  Near mint condition, less a few bumps and bings...but honestly, that is to be expected from someone in their 50s!  And even though I really don't NEED or even want a dining room hutch, I just couldn't pass it up!  Maybe I can trade it for the bedroom hutch I REALLY want!

I took a few days off this week but Monday morning, that puppy will be on it's way to my house! 

It is now in my garage...it ended up costing me about $1200 damage to my truck!  The hutch is still in mint condition...the trailer I used to bring it home can handle a lot of abuse...but the truck...not so much! 

Today's lesson....do not forget you have a trailer on your truck and back out of the drive way.  The corner of the trailer can do some serious damage to a side panel.  Just another helpful hint. 

Dressing up an old dresser....

I'm tryin' here! Smarmy comes easy..."witty"...not so much! 

But it dawned on me....I have never posted my dresser makeover! 

I use to have this HUGE hulking dresser in my office/dressing room.  It was a "matchy-matchy" to my bed and highboy...which I love, but the dresser was seriously huge and just seemed to shrink the entire room.  So when I was out digging around for the desk (featured earlier) I found this sweet little dresser and said to myself "Why not!" 

I LOVE the style.....kind of a mid-century modern with walnut veneer.  The top was laminate, so I knew I was going to have to paint the entire thing...and I did.  But later I found a picture online of an identical dresser and they had painted the top and sides, but refinished the wood veneer drawers...GORGEOUS! And you know how I loooove anything wood, especially walnut!  Live and learn...maybe next time! 

As with most of my furniture, I had a piece of glass cut for the top...lets me clean it with Windex! 

Jewelry shine....

I found this awesome recipe for jewelry cleaner on line...wish I could remember where I saw it but it was one of those things I printed off and keep in my recipe scrapbook (awesome idea for all those "pinterest recipes"...I will share sometime!)  

It is super easy and a great way to shine up your rings!  ​

Boil 1 cup of hot water in the microwave.​

Put a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of a bowl.​

Pour in hot water.  Add 1 tablespoon of salt, baking soda and dish detergent. Put jewelry on of the aluminum foil and let it soak for 5-10 minutes.  Then rinse and dry with a soft cloth.  If mine are really dirty, I take an old toothbrush to them...then rinse and dry!

HINT:​  DO NOT TRY TO RETRIEVE THE RINGS FROM THE BOWL OVER YOUR KITCHEN SINK!  ​Again, I do not tell you these things because I THINK something bad might happen.  After unsuccessfully trying to dig a family heirloom ring out of the garbage disposal, I finally had to take the entire thing apart....and of course the disposal was 13 years old so while I had the entire thing disconnected I might as well put in a new one...and of course all the hoses were old...those needed replacing.....

All because my rings were a tad dingy.  ​

Live and learn!​

Pull up a chair...and another...and another...

I have a thing about chairs...and tables...unfortunately, I am running out of room.  But I can't help myself...I see an old battered and abused chair and I KNOW it can be beautiful again. ​

A few of these you have seen...but I thought I would share a few more.  As I have mentioned before, I was DIYing before it became vogue so I have many pieces I don't even have "before" pictures of...I just brought them home and did my thing....​

I think I bought this little guy at a garage sale for $5.  Can't even remember what kind of fabric it had on it, but I bought it when I was remodeling my youngest son's room after he went off to college (it was the last room to get laminate...hence the green carpet)  The oak frame was in pretty bad shape, but a little cleaning, stripping and tung oil spruced it right up and the alligator vinyl is just awesome!​

Another apartment find...I remember it had orange vinyl and was in pretty bad shape...walnut maybe?  Again, strip and oil!  The seat was VERY uncomfortable so I added 4" foam and batting.  I expected the fabric to be "funky and whimsical" but it actually turned out kind of nifty looking and is perfect in my den!  What was really interesting about this chair was the little plaque I found on the underside....

Every piece has a story...I just wonder how this little guy made it all the way to Arkansas from a bank in Galveston, Texas!

I told you at one time my taste was more "traditional."  I loved antiques....I bought a mahogany dining set at an antique store 18 years ago...I think it is all I have left of "that phase."  I have six of these chairs and the table...absolutely beautiful wood. I know a lot of people are painting these now, but I just can't! Over the years I have stripped and oiled them and just recently changed the seat cushions...again.  Nice thing about these chairs...the seat fabric are easy to change when your style changes!  I keep eying the "mid century modern" sets floating around but I'm just not ready to turn loose of this set!​ Yet!

I found this nasty little oak creature when we were cleaning out a house...a little cleanup, Kilz and green and white paint and it is now a sweet little desk chair at Kaitlyn's!  Sometimes you have to be willing to look past the grunge!​

I have no idea where this chair came from.  I do know it has been in my attic since I moved here 13 years ago, and I remember moving it around for many years prior to that!   When I remodeled my office, I searched high and low for the perfect chair! 

One day I found this lurking in the back corner of my attic and I pulled it down with the intention of cleaning it up and painting it.  But after stripping away all the ​nastiness I found a beautiful mahogany chair...so I put 4 coats of tung oil on it and recovered the seat....sometimes the very treasures we are looking for are hiding behind our Christmas decorations...lol!​

There was a reason this chair was 1/2 off at a thrift store...but I saw potential!  And I think it had a little!  ( I will not mention the horrendous mistake I made during the construction of the cushion because no one but me probably notices that a very important element of the fabric design is JUST ALL WRONG and is the perfect example of mistakes one can make even when they are being VERY careful and SOMEDAY when I have an extra 4 hours to spare I will redo the cushion...until then, I just keep hoping nobody notices!​  Grrrrrrr! )

I have posted these along the way...but they are just reminders of my obsession with chairs.  And it doesn't stop inside.  In my yard I have built two swing pergolas, one large patio pergola and have started collecting the old metal lawn chairs from the 50s and 60s...I may be constantly moving, but when it is time to plant it, I want something awesome to plant it on!!!!

And last but certainly not least, my dad's walnut chair.  It is currently sitting in the corner of my room and 

every day I look at it and wonder what upholstery will do it justice.​  I've looked for fabric several times and I just haven't found "it."  I will...one day a fabric will just "jump out at me."  And it will be perfect.  Until then.....

Doing a project "right" is about being patient...taking your time..sometimes waiting for the inspiration! 

USB a mess....

Everyone in my family has an IPhone, IPad AND a laptop...a few of us even have electronic readers.  I have this stuff because I get them as gifts or hand-me-downs, NOT because I intentionally go out and buy stuff that requires I learn a new skill!​ Frustrating but I eventually learn enough to make them useful!

But my biggest frustration was never having a convenient place to charge all these gadgets!  And to top it off, my kids were always stealing my charger cords and adapters when they misplaced theirs.  ​

So last year, when I was snooping around the electrical supply store looking for kitchen lighting, I found this AWESOME little outlet/USB port combo!  Totally cool and can easily be installed in an existing outlet!!!​ Not only can you use it to charge your gadgets without the bulky adapters, you still have functioning outlets!

Lowes has one that has one outlet and two USB ports, but I like this one because it has two outlets and two ports!  And seriously, YOU CAN DO THIS!!! It really is relatively easy!  I installed my daughter's today in less than 20 minutes...and took pictures while I did it!

​You will need the new outlet ($20-$25, depending on the type and where you get it), needle nose pliers if you have them and a phillips and flat head screw driver.  If you have an outlet tester that is great....if not, you can use a mixer or blow dryer to test the outlet.  Also, I keep these little "head lamp" lights handy just in case I need additional light while working. Soooo much handier than a flashlight!!!

After turning off the power at the box, CAREFULLY check the outlet with a tester or something (lamp, mixer, blow dryer) that requires power (I use the tester AND at least 2-3 things that require power).  Just make sure there is no power to the outlet.  And trust me, don't ask someone else to do this for you!!!​

​BEFORE YOU START ANY ELECTRICAL PROJECT TURN OFF ALL POWER TO THE AREA YOU ARE WORKING!!  ​Find your circuit box and flip the switches to OFF. If you only turn off the switches labeled for the area you are working, you are ASSUMING it is labeled correctly.  Not me!  I turn it ALL off (I need to reset all my clocks anyway!)  And if you are really paranoid, you can always call the electric company and see if they will turn off your city block.  They wouldn't do it for me, but you never know! 

Once you are certain there is NO power to the outlet, unscrew the cover and remove it.  Then unscrew the two little screws holding the outlet in the box, and pull the outlet out.  You will see either 2 black, 2 white and 1 bare wire attached to the outlet, or 1 black, 1 white and 1 bare attached.  If there are two black, two white and one bare, that just means there is power "coming in" to the outlet and there is power "going out" to another outlet. ​

The black will be on one side and the white will be on the other.  Remove all the wires from the old outlet! Unscrew the little screws and then carefully "pry" the wires off!

This is where needle nose pliers come in handy! Normally the wires are "looped" around the screw...you may have to pry the loop open a tad to be able to slip it off the screw!  Sometimes, the wires may be stuck into the back of the outlet.  If that is the case, just loosen the screw and pull the wire out of the back!

My son-in-law Joel taught me an easy way to remember what goes where..."black to brass."  So the black wire(s) will be attached to the brass screw(s) on one side and the white wire(s) will be attached to the silver screw(s) on the other.  The bare wire (neutral) will always attach to the little green screw!  If you have two sets of wires (2 black/2white/1bare) you will use both brass and both silver screws.  If you only have one set (1 black/1 white/1 bare) you will attach one black to a brass screw, the white to a silver, the bare to the green, and just tighten down the extra brass and silver screw. 

Working with electrical wires is NOT as easy as it looks...they are very stiff and a tad difficult to manipulate.  Needle nose pliers are great if you have stiff hands like mine!  Once you get the wires "hooked" around the screws, tighten the screws down! ​

​After all your wires are secure, carefully insert the new outlet back into the box, secure with the two screws at the top and bottom of the outlet and put the faceplate back on! 

Now you can turn all your power back on...sometimes you have to make sure you flip the switch all the way to OFF and then flip it back to ON.!  Test your outlet again, and make sure you have power!!!​

Whether you install this in your kitchen, bedroom or entry hall, you really will enjoy the convenience of being able to leave your charger cords in the ports and still have complete use of the outlet for normal stuff like lamps and clocks. 

Super easy project!!!  JUST MAKE SURE YOU TURN THE POWER OFF FIRST!!!!!​