Need I say More?

Wordless Wednesday - Life with Three Kids

Not Much is Happening and that is OK

Ryan's company was sold in October and he maybe  laid off.

This isn't a normal pack your box and leave thing.

The new company can't really evaluate him until January 1st.

They can make a decision around February 1st and if he is laid off it starts April first.

When we lived in Pennsylvania; that layoff he was told Valentines day his last day was in April.

In Detroit's layoff was a "here is your box, put your life in it."

This layoff gives closure if we knew he was not to work there, but we have no idea, life is in the air and it may not even be a layoff just a change of company.

What we do know is that God has given us peace.  Crazy, un-understandable peace.  We are not selling off everything except the kids.  We are at peace, I can't describe it.  I should be packing and worrying.  But here I am knowing that God has this, He got us though India and though a broken leg.
 There will be pain and confusion but really, I have no control.  I had no control.  I trust someone who knows it all; versus me who thinks life should fit in a box.

Think out of the box and your mind will be blown away.

The Hutch Handles

I decided early on I wanted the hutch to have white doors with a blue case.  Easier said than done of course.  I spent days sanding.  Menard's had the paint on sale with a rebate so I put the kids in the car and picked the paint up then.

Wood putty is my friend.  The sides where water damaged the wood were filled with it.  It is sturdy and can be played with, that is what I wanted.   I didn't want to replace the wood on the sides or back cause I didn't have anything that big.

The bottom piece disintegrated on the way home.  We also found a piece of scrap wood 3/4 inches thick for the bottom, shaped it around the support and knocked it gently up in place to just the right spot, or at least what I liked.

Next I/we replaced one of the drawer fronts.  The plywood had broken.  I went to Menard's for a router bit, we had just gotten a used router and table and I ordered the Colet on Amazon.  I found the profile of the old drawer front and then found a pack of 12 different bits for about $30.  It was either buy a cheap set and play around with them or buy one expensive bit to have for ever.  As few times as I have used a router I went cheap.  Ryan had extra plywood and made two drawer fronts.  I chipped one initially and the other one came out looking good and I glued it to the box.

New were drawer pulls.  I wanted blue to set off from the white and knew Hobby Lobby was having a half price sale.  I ran over and found 8 knobs that had close enough color.  

The problem was the shank (metal part) was too long.  Thankfully I had scrap wood.  I drilled a hole and put the pull on upside down.

We even had this little wrench we found at a garage sale this summer.  I came in a hand full of little guys that I cleaned up for only $2.00.

 I enjoy power tools so I got a cut off wheel on the dremel.  I also put a sacrificial nut on the shank so when I did cut it the nut would re thread the shank.

You can see below the cut almost all the way though.  This is where I tell you don't touch the shank.  IT IS HOT.  You will melt your fingerprint.  I know.

I cut all 8 and tucked them away until I was done painting.

sometimes they are safe

I got a new hutch!

We went to the Dysart Back Roads Vintage Market.  I got so many ideas.

Thoughts for all those yard sticks I have in the basement.

I was that mom.  I let Jonathan play in the mud so I could stand in line for Mini Donuts for all of us.

Cute door tree.  I like how the girls model and Jonathan knocks to see if it opens.

Drawers, if it opens and shuts we must test it out!

Dog and cat beds were popular in old drawers and out of old chairs.

Again the doors and drawers that open and close.  That is the hutch I got, a kids hutch.  Mustard Yellow.

I really liked it and she offered it to me for $15.  So here I am with a project.  It is missing half a drawer front, water damage to both sides and the back, the bottom fell off and did I mention that it is mustard yellow?

So I have removed the hardware, sanded the frame and wood puttied where I can.  I removed the part of the flooring that was bad.  

I chose a dark turquoise for the frame and cream for the door and drawer fronts.  I used the can of cream I got on a footstool I also got there so I need to pick up more of that.

I got some small cute knobs from Hobby Lobby both in blue and clear glass.  It depends on how it really gets painted but they had them there for 50% this week so I grabbed them.

Parts for fix:

• Get new bottom hinges
• Get a router bit to make the drawer face
• Make a drawer face
• Make a bottom piece and install it higher up
• Putty the new nail holes

Then paint and reassembly!

The New Dresser - 1920's to 1940's Oak Veneer Dresser Part 2

So I got the wheel on the dresser and made the outside pretty.  I spent a couple hours doing that.  I though all I had to do was sand a drawer and take the thing upstairs.  I won't sand, plane or glue in the girls room.  I am still working on figuring out why the one drawer won't shut.  The three others just needed a little bees wax.

That was 3 days ago.  It is in my dinning room.  Ryan is out of town so I don't have his ideas.  I keep Skyping my dad pictures and he sends me some ideas.  Never give up, which isn't an option.  I have too much time and money in this thing.  I am stubborn and it should work soon.

The side has moved away from the front.  I have tried sanding.  I also removed the bottom and put it back on.  Not sure if that did anything.

I am fed up with it so I didn't work on it today and did housework like laundry, mowed, emptied the truck of limbs, normal house wife stuff.

I brought up the power sander.I can't really nail or screw it.  Maybe I can separate it and then glue and use a strap to keep it in shape?  Wood moves so I really don't want to do that.

The New Dresser - 1920's to 1940's Oak Veneer Dresser Part 1

Lilly and Anna share a dresser.  The problem is they are girls and their clothes are poofy and they have a lot of them.  They try and get dressed at the same time and fight over whose drawer gets to be open.  I figured it was time for them to quit sharing and Lilly could have not just one drawer but a whole dresser.  I went to Craigslist.

New furniture in the store is made from particle board and just doesn't match our style.  Actually it is my mom and dad's fault. They collected and refinished old furniture.  My mom's dad Grandpa Kissell was the Dr. Frankenstein of furniture.  When I got married I inherited a lot of cool stuff and still like it.

I found a dresser that had been in an abandoned house for 10 years.  It has a mirror and all the parts which were in pretty good condition, just a drawer won't work and it didn't look that good cosmetically.

The top had the most damage.  I broke a wooded wheel while moving it.  

The part holding up the mirror is 3 parts that needs to be glued together.  I am also troubleshooting why one of the drawers won't close.

First thing I did was evaluate the condition, I didn't want to sand and strip this piece.  I wanted something quick and I called my dad.  He said there was something you could just wipe on and off.  I found it in Howard's Restore a Finish.  Here is one side versus another on the drawers.

This side has either sun marks or water marks.  The side now looks great in comparison to before.

I have followed up with the Feed and Wax which smells yummy from bees wax and orange oil. 

I went to my dresser and I knew there was a bag of wheels.  I always wondered why there were 5 wheels in there.  Maybe God knew I would need another wheel like 10 years ago because there were 5 in the bag and there are only 4 legs on most dressers.

I am still working on the drawer.  That is a whole other post.

planting and pizza