As I mentioned here, Matt is buying a house so I have been on the hunt for inexpensive pieces he will need. I often remind my children that it took decades for me to accumulate the pieces I have in my own home...so patience!

But I find myself being terribly impatient when it comes to someone else's house. I blame it on "Fixer Upper." A couple walks into their home after 1 hour and it is perfectly decorated and styled and staged...certainly I can do that in 2 months.

HA!!!!

Maybe if he had an endless budget...but he doesn't so I have to focus on the essentials with a few "froo-froos" thrown in for good measure.

Saturday I scored a "free" sectional couch. It will be an awesome piece if an upholstery cleaner can get all the nastiness and dog hair off of it...for now it is in the storage shed along with patio furniture, garden tools, kitchen stuff I have picked up and of course his "college day" collection.

I do have a garage full of "projects" and a few of those pieces will work beautifully in his new house...IF it will ever stop raining and I can get them all repaired and painted!!! For now it is just a collection of "junk" that is stressing my OCD tendencies.

Actually I pulled a lot of it out into the driveway Monday, went for supplies, and got home just in time to drag it all back into the garage before it got soaked. Curses.

I worked Monday and Tuesday building and repairing and cleaning...making wood tops, gluing busted drawers, puttying splintered veneer and misplaced hardware holes. All the stuff you can do when it is raining and you can't drag everything out and start assembly line painting.

One piece is a neat little three drawer chest I scored while emptying out one of my apartments....

It certainly had it's issues. Laminate top, busted drawers, splintered veneer, and an AWEFUL finish!

Number one rule...if it is broke fix it PROPERLY! No sense in "making it pretty" if the veneer is going to continue to peel or the drawers don't function.

I removed all the "loose" veneer, puttied and sanded. I repaired all the drawers. And because I think this would make an awesome bedside table in Matt's new house, I replaced the top with a stained wood top....

I chalk painted and distressed the cabinet with one of the sample pots I bought when I was looking for a wall color for my bedroom. I kilzed and painted the drawer fronts with another sample! Nothing goes to waste!

And of course new hardware.

Again, I think it would make an awesome bedside table but I have a few other little projects up my sleeve Matt may like better. Nice thing about having a room in a vintage market...if he doesn't love it, someone else will!

My youngest son is buying his first home.

Two things I have drilled into my kid's heads from the time they are young...get a college education and buy a house.

I have not rented since I was in college. There are just too many advantages to owning a home. The first house I bought cost $34,000 and had a huge hole in the bathroom floor. And that was the LEAST of it's problems.

But that little "fixer upper" gave us the money to start working our way towards "bigger and better."

Even if you can't afford your "dream" home, buy SOMETHING! I think people would rather drive a nice car and rent a nice house than own a cruddy little house. Huge mistake.

Certainly I wouldn't advocate buying a house with "structural" issues...but even the worst cosmetic issues can easily be resolved. With all the information and tutorials out there, it is possible to "learn" to do just about anything.

Matt is moving back home for his "dream job"...corporate pilot for a Fortune 1 company. He has spent the last 5 years traveling the country and living in several areas and he knows now this is where he wants put down roots!

The logical next step was to buy a home!

So Saturday we looked at a few places and by Saturday evening he had a contract in place! He's like his mama...when he sees what he wants, he doesn't mess around.

It is not his "dream home." It is a nice little starter home that has good bones and has recently had a little "makeover." Of course by Sunday night, he and I had compiled a long list of additional "projects" he wants to tackle...painting the fireplace...

...painting kitchen cabinets, redesigning the entry, removing pop corn ceilings, etc.

I am past the point in my life where I personally want to tackle a "fixer upper." But I love helping my kids make their houses a home. It gives me the opportunity to pass on what my father passed on to me...maybe not ALL the skills but the confidence to figure out how to do just about anything!

I can't wait to see what he can do under the guidance of his newly appointed "project manager." (Okay, so I have appointed myself his project manager...it sounds better than "my mama said....")

My dad grew up during a time when builders poured the footings and installed the doorknobs...and EVERYTHING in between. I was fortunate to learn how to do much of what I do by his side.

There was still so much I wish I would have had time to learn from him. I may not have learned everything...but he left me a tremendous legacy...the confidence to know I have the ability to "figure it out."

Here is to the next generation...I hope I have passed on that confidence. It is the greatest "skill" one can possess!!!!