Mobile Monday and Weekend Update:Fishing and Farming, March Madness and The Walking Dead

Farming:

Friday night we planted tomato and pepper plants in our garden!  My husband was sweet enough to remember I don't like green peppers so he bought red and yellow pepper plants.  I am so excited.   I actually love the red and yellow.  I know most people think they taste the same.  They don't.   Green actually make my physically sick.   We also planted Jalapeno peppers because it is Texas y'all!

Sunday we planted 6 knockout rose bushes which I am so excited about.  I left all my old roses at the house I sold last August and I think the new owner has torn them all out.  This almost killed me because I had some very special varieties there.  Anyway, moving on, I found some knockouts and planted them but I still want to get a few other bushes that are not the knockout variety but have specific colors because there are a few I just love.   

Also, after planting 2 peach trees and 2 pear trees and getting ready to plant 2 pecans (we are debating where for those) we decided we had room for one more fruit tree in the front and since I feel like 2 of the above are more than enough, I decided to go plum.  Husband wants a fig too but I can't find one and we have 1.2 acres so I am pretty sure we can find a spot.  :)

Have I mentioned that in a few years I am going to need to learn to can?  Seriously, either that or I am going to have to give a lot of fruit parties!

Fishing:

The lake was beautiful!

Saturday morning we woke up around 3am (that was the dogs fault) and by 4:45 we were on our way to the lake.   I made a mess of breakfast tacos to eat all day because we planned to fish the day away.

Hubs is so cute when he is serious about something!

Now, to be fair, I am not much of a fisherwoman, in fact, I like crappie fishing not much at all.  Jigging isn't really my thing.  I like casting my line and waiting for my fish to find my bait not constantly, every 15 seconds moving my line and dropping it down into a hole.  My arms hurt after a day of jigging but hubby loves it and he is good to me so I try to be good back. :)

My Crappie is in there, prob the Big  little one!

We had a slow day but believe it or not, these 14 males (yep, all males) yielded a bunch of fish for our fish fry.   I caught one crappie and one big mouth bass.   Gotta admit, the bass was the  most fun thing ever. They fight like crazy but dang they are fun to catch.  We don't keep them though.

After we got home because a day on the lake wasn't enough work, hubs decided to work on the garden a little more and then we watched Notre Dame-Kentucky.   Now, if you are new, you don't know but my birth family and I are big time Notre Dame fans,   I mean, live, die, and bleed blue and gold.  In fact, Notre Dame plays Texas in the first game of the college football season in 2015 and even though I went to Texas and am a Longhorn, I always cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame when they go head to head.   Only time I ever do that but it is in my blood.  Anyway, back to Saturday, I have never been more proud to be a Notre Dame fan.  They were not suppose to play with Kentucky and they nearly beat them.  They were amazing actually.   That aside, I went into the game thinking if Notre Dame didn't win, I would pull for Kentucky and the undefeated season.   2.3 seconds of listening to their total idiot of a head coach and his arrogant, obnoxious, and supreme lack of anything resembling sportsmanship later and I can't wait for someone to take him down.  

Meanwhile, Sunday night the Notre Dame women advanced to the final four.   Yay Lady Irish!!!

The Walking Dead:

I am going to try really hard not to spoil anything for anyone who didn't watch last night.  Let me just say this, My husband has a hard time staying up for the show on Sunday night and usually falls asleep next to me while I watch either in bed or on the couch.  Last night was no different except for two things, the season finale was 90 minutes and I woke him up at least twice screaming at the TV in fear/horror!  That episode was so intense and I am going to watch it again, maybe tonight because I need to understand everything and I may have to watch it a third time because that is how much there was there.   So much going on and I was just wishing there was 5 more minutes when the end finally happened.   Oh. My. Gawd!!!

Thankfully, in a couple of weeks I will have a few things to occupy my thoughts on Sunday night, Rangers baseball, Game of Thrones, and endless furniture projects to finish!  Otherwise, it would be a very long summer.  Oh. My. Gawd, The Walking DEAD!!!!   Oh and the new Walking Dead spin off.  I am so excited about that too! 

Thursday Favorite Things Blog

Thursday's Favorite Things with Katherine's Corner

Thursday, my favorite day!  Time to link up with Katherine's Corner for Thursday Favorite Things.   Honestly, I don't know if I do this blog hop right.   I think everyone else just links their favorite posts of the week.  Me, no I am special and I create a post.  LOL.   So I have given in a little and included links to my favorite posts this week but still created a unique blog because, I am a ginger and we are genetic mutants.  (That's my story!) 

I have had this table up for sale for about 3 weeks and while everyone has told me how beautiful it is and I know the price isn't off  (because I searched for simiar styles and they are selling for $250+ more than I am asking for this piece) so I couldn't figure out what was wrong.  A friend of mine suggested perhaps I need to work on furniture staging.  I don't know the first thing about this stuff.  This is my first attempt at staging and while I wish I had pretty hardwood floors to show this off, tile is the best I could come up with for the time being until we refinish the stuff under the carpet.  So, how did I do?  It probably looks much better than the old picture sitting infront of the sofa with nothing on it.   Maybe I am just appealing to wine lovers? 

My flowers from last week look even better this week!  This is our first spring in this house so I am surprised everyday by what pops up out front. 

We have an 1.20 acres and we are planting some fruit trees!  In a few years there should be pears, peaches and pecans for everyone!  We also have a garden planned.  Ah, fresh tomatoes!  I think I am going to have to learn to can and make jam soon.  Oh darn!

If you missed my blog on this dresser transformation click here to see how I did it.  I really love the semi-industrial feel of this piece. 

And I can't tell you how much I am loving these end tables I transformed from ugly 70's to cute green and cream dreams.  If  you missed Monday's blog click here for the makeover info.  I have been wanting a pair of these forever and they turned out even better than I dreamed!

Oh, and I finally got my tickets for Rangers Baseball!   April 10, 2015 is the Home Opener.  YAY!!!

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DIY DAY TWO: Chest of Drawer Wars and Maison Blanche La Chaux FrenchLime Paint Review

When I bought this chest of drawers to refinish I had no clue how much work or how complex it was going to be. 

Before 

This was my first major piece to upcycle that was not a piece I already owned.  What I learned is:

-Always open all the drawers to make sure they slide easily,

-Always inspect all the drawers carefully for cracks, 

-Inspect all sides of the furniture for water damage, veneer damage, and just general pulling away of 'stuff'.

I spent a lot of time sanding swollen drawers down, gluing dovetailed drawers back together and regluing veneer on which I wasn't completely prepared for when I purchased this piece.  It worked out okay but it was a lot more work then I originally realized.   

After primer 

Once I had everything glued, sanded, and ready, I primed this piece because I wasn't taking any chances.  I hadn't used the paint product I was about to work with before and this piece is old and had some different veneer on it than I had ever seen. 

Drying process-La Chaux 

La Chaux by Maison Blanche is an amazing Lime Paint product.  I absolutely love it. My husband was on his 7th annual guys only (thank heavens) camping and fishing trip last weekend and I took advantage of the opportunity of a boat free garage to paint and free up some space. 

 First I covered the piece in Maison Blanche Maison White paint then...

Amazingly thick! 

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La Chaux French Lime Paint in Garconniere.  The French Lime paint is different from regular mineral and chaulk paint.  It is super thick and after you paint it on, you go through a process including swiping your piece with a plastic credit card type obtect when it is not quite dry and polishing with a plastic bag when it is still not dry...

Here is the video I watched about 5 times before doing the project. 

Now, an aside here, I didn't follow Annie's process completely.  After I was done swiping with a plastic card I found some areas where too much paint had come off so I went back and loaded paint on the plastic card and swiped paint directly from the card onto the chest which may be why my piece looks a little bit like leather or marble.   This process isn't hard but I wouldn't call it easy either.   It looks great when it is done but you have to be willing to stick with it and not give up.  Also, I wouldn't do this again on a day that is below 70 degrees.  I painted on a day that was 56 degrees and it took forever for the paint to dry.  I was, luckily working on two projects at once so I had something else to occupy my time but this took more than a day to finish.  (The end tables from Monday's blog were my other project).

Once it was all dry, I covered in a coat of polycrylic then clear wax and I added black lime wax and Silver Organza wax also from Maison Blanche and another coat of clear wax.   I guess you could say this thing is well sealed.  

Almost done-how rich is this? 

The paint dries with different tones to it based on the way you manipulate it.  It is truly amazing.  It has such a depth and when you add the wax it just brings it out even more.  I really love it and look forward to using it again on special pieces.  It isn't for everything, but for special pieces.

Center after Black Lime Wax 

This piece turned out to be special and I learned so much from it that I can say, it was truly worth the growing pains.

Shadows effect thie look on this photo a little but I wanted a pretty setting 

I love how this piece turned out in the end.  If I had thought ahead I may have filled the handle holes and totally changed out the hardware but I went with the original and I like the slightly masculine feel they add to a piece that seems dainty to me with the floral inlay.  

The final product!

And it is finally completed!  

*Nobody asked or paid me for this review.  The opinions expressed are mine.

DIY Day: Ugly 1970 End Table Makeover Amazing Transformation

Really ugly old 70's tables after I started sanding 

I spent all weekend working on a couple of projects, this being one.  My grandmother had some of these tables when I was a kid.  I think maybe she had square ones but I remember loving opening the doors.  Anyway, because I have that 1970 house, I have been dying to add just a touch of period piece to the home.   Nothing crazy like green shag carpet or orange counters.  I am not going for the Brady Bunch, just a little nod to the homes time. These tables were perfect! They were ugly dark and perfect.  Originally I thought I wanted to stain the tops of these but the more I started working with them, the heavier they felt and the more I realized I wanted them light and airy feeling because of how heavy they feel.  Something about these tables and the thick, carved, dark wood that made me feel weighted down. 

Light and airy!

So normally I mix my own chalk-like paint.   I usually use a flat latex and add calcium carbomate which is chalk and some water and get the perfect chalky finish but I had some wonderful Maison Blanche paint on hand and I LOVE Maison Blanche paint because Annie Omar who is the creator of the brand lives in Frisco, Texas which is a hop, skip and a jump from me and the lady I buy my paint from, the wonderful Melissa AKA Dumpster Diva  is always so helpful when I go in with a problem.  (Just wait until I blog my second project, nothing but a problem!).

Hardware back and finishing  touches in works

So the paint I used from Maison Blanche for this project is Creme De Menthe and Franciscan Gray for the base, mixed in about a 2-1 ratio and the top is Maison White.  I used a polycrylic top coat to seal it and then I added brown wax to antique both the top and the base.   I am going to be honest here, the doors on this piece were a pain but aside from that, this project was easy peasy.

So adorable!

These tables are in my *formal living room and my only regret is that somehow I lost one piece of the hardware when I was working on the tables in my garage and I am going to have to crawl around on my hands and knees until I find it so I can hand the final knocker.  Yes, people, I lost my knockers!

So what do you think?   I love the tranformation.   My tables turned out so adorable.   These were so simple.  The project I am going to share later on maybe this week has been a royal pain by comparison and the piece turned out amazing but it isn't mine. ;( 

I know I say this all the time but I just love turning old and ugly into knew and pretty!!!

*By Formal Living Room I mean the space we don't have a TV.  This room has the fireplace and originally my thought was 'reading room' but it is right next to the family room and the TV and honestly, very rarely does anyone sit in there.  In fact, when I was changing out the old glass and metal tables I had for these, I noticed a layer of dust on the sofa.  No, I am not even kidding. :)

Thursday favorite things Blog Hop

Time to link up again for Thursday Favorite Things with Katherine's Corner (link below).   I love this blog hop and since it seems so similar to my previous Wed. blog topic I have decided to stick with this one instead.

Katherine's Corner

Here are my favorite things this week! 

My hubby helped me get this hung straight and while I know a Towel Rack isn't everyone's idea of exciting I am LOVING it!   My kitchen was truly missing this and now I can get the towels off the counters!  It was so much fun to make and I love the antique mismatched hardware I got at Trade Days to complete this piece, even if it is hidden by the towels!  Monday's post  gives you a little more of the DIY on this piece.

My DIY Project in action!

The flowers blooming (between the weeds) in my front yard!  I guess it is time to weed, after all it has been a week since snow! 

I picked this beef jerky up at the Trade Days an not only is it amazing but it is made just minutes from my home which makes me feel all that much healthier for eating it. 

Sugar FREE!!

We had GNO at my place Saturday morning/afternoon.  First we met up at Trade Days in Mckinney for some SHOPPING then we went back to my house and I grilled us a lunch of burgers and we chatted.  Trade Days is definately a must for me.  I loved it! 

me with Janice

Robin

Trish and Shanna Love them,  (How cute are my cabinets?)   

Some of the ladies had to come 40 minutes to get to me since I live on the other side of the world from them.  I LOVE me some Trish and Jan for making the trek!   Robin and I had a great time talking crafts and Shanna is just a hoot and a half.   I loved having friends over and showing off my half finished house.  I just love my friends.  It is so important to have good friends!

Paint/Painting:  I swear to you I am obsessed.  I dream about paint at least 3 nights a week.   The other day I had a nightmare that I found wood worms in a piece I brought home.   I am totally obsessed.  My next minor project is Milk Paint.  I really want to give this a try on my cabinets in the bath which are builder grade boring!   Is it possible to overdo paint in your home?  I am definately not afraid of color! 

My house: I am really trying to not get too involved in projects for the house that I can't finish in a weekend right now because we have to decide what to do with the carpet and if we can salvage the hardwood floors or we want to put something else down for now and wait to decide on the floors for a year or 10.  (I am leaning toward putting something else down because refinishing the floors is looking more and more like a project way above my head.) 

My Home Decor Page Turn Back Time:
Everyone has been so positive about the things I have up for sale and the things I have made.  I love all the support.  Everyone is so great!   I have given this business a year in my mind to really take off and I know I only have a couple of pieces available at this point so it isn't like I have a ton of product out there but I am overwhelmed by how everyone who has seen the stuff (even when it wasn't the right size---boo) has loved, loved, loved my stuff!  I know it is just a matter of time before I find the right homes for my stuff and in the meantime I continue to work on projects to clear out my garage and make my hubby happy.  :)

Okay, so what are your favorite things this week?

Have a Pinteresting Wednesday: #1

Yes, I changed my Wednesday blog hop up a little but that is mainly because I found a great blog hop on Thursday's which similar to What I'm Loving and I love the hop so WILW lost out.  That's okay because I used to do a Wednesday hop about Pinterest so I will just focus on that.

And away we go!

Crafts:

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A version of this is happening in my bathroom.   I love this and I am so tired of having my travel bag on my counter...not to mention my clutter!

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I had already decided to do something like this for my bathroom however as much as I love rustic, it won't fit my bathroom so it is going to be something a little fancier but definately a His and Hers towel holder!

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I have a theme going here...Ball Jars.  Ah well....too CUTE!!

Quotes: 

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I honestly thought to myself "This is marriage, no wait, this is parenthood, no wait, this is my relationship with my mother!"   I am pretty sure this is every meaningful relationship in life.

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Amen!

Recipies: 

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Well, they look good!

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Admit it Walking Dead Fans, you want Carol's cookies every time she bakes them.  I know, I know!

Furniture:

It really wouldn't be a blog by me if there wasn't paint or furniture or both.  BTW, pray for me, I am going to try Milk Paint next and I can't wait! 

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This is a painted or stained surface with milk paint.  I ADORE that chippy look!

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This is the same type paint on raw wood.  It looks AMAZING!!!

Alright, that's what I have been pinning!  What about you?  Anything knock your socks off?

Link up below and join in the fun! 

Where everybody knows your name: Life out of the fast lane

Last week we went for our second annual spring break to Uncertain, Tx.  Lake Caddo is beautiful and charming and kind of spooky all at the same time.   I blame the Spanish Moss for the spooky but it is so amazing, who cares.

What I love about this place is that even though we have only been twice, the people there treated us like regulars.  We were just a little family who lives somewhere else and came to visit.   The guy at the mini-mart told me the whole town (all 50 of them) were talking about my orange Ram pickup because the color is so different.   My favorite little fishing and watering whole was maned or womaned by the same folks as last year and they all remembered our trip last year.   Every person we met vacationing there became instant friends.  Eveyone is your neighbor, buddy, pal.  There are no strangers.  They even learn your name.  Your actual name, first and last.

Uncertain/Karnack is by no way rich.  By Dallas standards the people are scraping by.  What makes it special is that they are happy.   They are happy to see you, happy to help you, and happy you vacationed in their backyard.   They don't make a fuss out of things.   Specialties of the house are chili cheese dogs at the lakeside kitchen/fishing dock at Johnson's Ranch. Karen, the absolute doll behind the counter and Chaz, our fishing guide for both trips last year and this, are the best.   There is a charming little authentic Mexican place not far from the lake called Aseret (Teresa, the owners wife's name backward) where the owner will come and chat with you and sometimes play you a song.  For the big dinner out, you go to River Bend and eat fresh fish.   They were closed Monday and Tuesday so we missed it this year but that is how we found Aseret and it was a win.

So, having been back a couple of days there are some things I have noted about my trips to both East Texas where my husband has land and Lake Caddo.   Small town life is way simpler and way less cluttered.   People in small towns are much friendlier.   For whatever reason, people in small towns seem happier.  Maybe it is because some of them use to live in big cities and they have come to appreciate the simple life.

All of this thinking has me really questioning my life and my desires and how they effect my happiness.   Is it possible that my wanting 'things' actually leads me to be unhappy?   Is it possible that my need to make things perfect has backfired in making everything a mess?   Is it possible that, for me anyway. a less complicated life is what I really need?

I go through stages thinking this way and then I get back in the grind and forget everything I feel when I get back from places where life moves just a little bit more Andy Griffith-like.   (I am pretty sure this drives my other half nuts because he never knows which me he is getting.)

It's funny because I have been so focused on working on recycled furniture lately and a friend of mine just sent me a message telling me how much she would love a little Towel Plaque for her house like the one I did in yesterday's blog.  Maybe I think  dream too big.  Maybe I need to scale it down, in life and in everything else.   I guess we all do that to some extent.   I know one thing for sure, we (my husband and I) have too many cars/truck for two people.  You know how they said when Harry was born Charles and Diana had an heir and a spare? We have a vehicle and a spare each.    Maybe I need to worry less about getting new floors for the house and more about enjoying the house in the country.   Maybe being happy really isn't about what you have but who you have. Maybe it is time to appreciate people more and things less.

I look around and can't believe it is the middle of March, already!   Time goes by so much faster when you get older.   I don't know what happens to the clock but it is just rushing, rushing, rushing. My favorite times are the times alone at my house with my family watching the dog and the kid play and reading a book while my husband does something crazy like chop wood because he can't sit still.

I don't know what this all means.  I don't know anything really.  I guess you can say I am as uncertain as the town in Texas.  Just the muddled ramblings of a woman back at the grind and wishing she were sitting on a boat dock, drinking a beer with a pole in her hand and a fish nibbling.




For Vacation photos check out my blog here

Towel and Trade: Craft Corner

This past weekend was 3rd Monday Trade Days in Mckinney, Tx. This was my 1st 3rd Monday but I plan on making it a regular thing. If you have never been to a Trade Day it is like a giant flea market. Tons of venders selling everything from antiques to food.  We even met an author who autographed a book for my daughter that she can't wait to read.  (The child was actually disappointed I didn't buy her more books from him.)

I found this drawer front for $2 and the antique or vintage hardware was $2 each and comes from Amish country in Indiana. I was born there so I was pretty happy to add a little Indiana to my little piece of Texas.




First it got a coat of red chalky paint I made with a Valspar sample and Calcium Carbonate.



For those curious about what chalk is, I googled it for you! :-)

There are amazing boutique brand chalk type paints. Annie Sloan owns the term "chalk paint" so I will refrain from using that term in my blog even though I think it's silly that she has her attorney sending letters to individual people to stop using the term. My homemade paint is paint plus chalk. Just a little aside here, people can get very militant about paint brands.  I have never seen anything like the paint wars I have witnessed on some websites.  Simply put, use what you like.  If it works for you, it's a good paint.   Also, in talking with one of my friends this weekend we talked about how when you take painting classes you hear over and over "What if I mess it up?"  It's just paint gang.  Paint over it.  Do not be afraid of paint.   Paint is your friend.

Anyhow, I digress. Once the red was dry I covered it with a light blue and let the piece dry overnight. I then stenciled the "towel" on and covered in a polycrylic spray. I have some black lime wax I may try...I'm still debating but I love how this easy project turned out and it is going to be totally functional!

Meanwhile I continue working on "The beast"


Sanding and priming at done. I hope to finish this before I die! :)   This piece is pushing my capabilities but only because there is so much repair work I am doing.  I didn't realize when I bought this baby that I needed to fix all the drawers.  We will see how that works out.   I am googling like crazy to do this right.  

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday Favorite Things: Caddo Lake

If you watched True blood you may recognize this place from the opening.  This is Caddo Lake, the Texas side. I know, I know, it looks like Louisiana but a big, huge chunk of this lake is actually Texas water and apparently this house was once a speak easy during prohibition. 

How amazing is that hand made hutch? I wanted it but have no where for its. 

What I love about this part of Texas is how amazingly friendly the people are. We went there last year and met a great guide (ask for Chaz) and we met Karen at Johnson's Ranch at Caddo Lake. They are the greatest!  Helpful, kind, and they always have a smile.  

(It rained a lot so Johnson's Ranch was wet) 

If you come on the 1st or 3rd weekend the trade store is open in Uncertain, Tx and you may find a treasure.   You can always check out Jefferson.   We did but aside from some amazing fudge, I didn't find anything there I couldn't live without or talk myself out of the crazy antique mall prices.  It's not cheap buying antiques and I don't want to have to work on a piece I spent hundreds of dollars on to fix them. :-) 

Aren't these tree amazing.  We got home Wednesday afternoon and I sneaked a nap in...and dreamt about these bad boys! 

These sweet things just sat there taking a nap and ignoring use

This is the place I want t to retire.  So beautiful!