Under Construction

Lakeside

We've got wifi here at the lake. But no camera cord to show you all the swimming and playing going on. I did notice that in my absence my blog got kinda popular thanks to links from Poppytalk (super awesome blog) and Mod Podge Rocks (a new to me but super fun blog). That was cool. Welcome, new folks. I'll try to be more interesting again soon.

As for vacation, I've got a gigantic bag of books to read (plus a Kindle just in case) and we've got many bottles of red wine. Biscuit has three cousins and a set of grandparents to play with (but, alas, no toothbrush--really need to buy one). My parenting responsibilities are about nil. I'm trying to go for a jog/run/walk/excuse to come back and have a margarita every afternoon. That about does it for the daily routine.

Do you think they'll notice if I just move in here? Dang it, naptime seems to be over and was surprisingly brief. Gotta run.

Hope your summer is relaxing.

And then we were very tired

Fortunately I don't have any after photos.

 

All four of us completed a half marathon yesterday which was slightly amazing considering how little all four of us trained for said half marathon.

Since it's my blog, I can probably mention that I came in first out of our foursome. Of course we weren't exactly breaking land speed records so that translated to coming in 1000somethingth in the overall race. I was feeling good about my time until I called a good family friend who was running a marathon this weekend. And came in second. Overall. In front of everyone but one person. We all have our strengths. Running isn't mine.

Still, thanks, Laura for signing us up. At least I can check "run half marathon" of my New Years Resolution list.

Learning to swim

The only way to link this post to crafting is to note that I made that swimsuit. It was a the prototype that worked better than the actual. Still isn't great. But it works when the decent swimsuit is in the wash.

 

So Mr. H seems to have taught the kid to swim. I failed to sign her up for lessons but some patient coaching from dad and she can now get to the side of the pool.

 

Barely. But it's enough and it's all I ask of a four-year-old.

 

It's kinda fun that she's also learning to do a cannonball.

 

Which is what happens when dad is your swim teacher.

Original art

"Hang art" has been on my to-do list for weeks. It may not be perfectly arranged but for 3 minutes' effort I'm pretty pleased to have the front of the house a bit more personal.

In the messy phone area (don't you appreciate the real life nature of this blog? No staged, perfect house photos to be found ;) Biscuit's landscape postcard on wood gets equal billing with an original oil by Lauren Brandy.

Around the corner, I finally took down the leaf heart (after about 6 months--it lasted incredibly well) and replaced it with an original collaboration piece.

You probably can't even tell who did what since I don't paint as well as a 4 year old but I painted the hills/sky/moon. Then it was really ugly so I threw it in a box until I discovered the little houses that Biscuit had created out of cut paper and glue. Not sure when she did those but I love them.

So I pulled the canvas out of the box, she painted on the grass and trees, I pasted her houses onto the hills and we called it done.

It'll do until we can buy one of Lauren's larger pieces or someone around here learns to paint a bit better.

Tricks that work (this week)

I can't get her to go to sleep at night (only Mr. H has that magical power). But I do have a few solid tricks up my sleeve.

For leaving the library:

"Let's see who can get their books checked out first! Oh look, you won"

For taking a nap:

"Do you want quiet time or do you want to take a nap?"

"NEITHER!"

"Ok, if you can lay here for 15 minutes without getting up or talking then you don't have to take a nap OR have quiet time. I'm going to go set the timer...."

"Zzzzz"

For cleaning up:

"I bet you can't pick up all the crayons before I count to 10! 1, 2, 3...."

For getting dressed:

"Let's see who can get their clothes on and socks and shoes on first. Oh look, you won!"

Notice a pattern? It's all about the competitions lately.

Problem? Meet solution. (patio furniture edition)

Problem: boring, grungy patio furniture

 

The solution: 6 yards of bargain fabric and 6 cans of Rustoleum in paprika. Plus several hours of sewing, sanding and painting.

 

Now we just have to reassemble the table and we'll be back to outdoor dining. But this time, in style.

::

And a dinner observation by Biscuit

 

"That poop shape looks like a heart."

Yep.

Problem? Meet solution. (part 1)

I've noticed that I've been on Twitter/FB less lately and when I do check in, it's usually to post some sort of problem/complaint. And then I never report back. Not that anyone especially cares but occasionally on FB some kind person will post suggestions for me which is so nice and makes me feel guilty.

So, in case you are facing similar, random, not-at-all-important crises, some solutions.

And I'll be posting this in several parts to satisfy my friend Allison who complains if I don't post. Hi, Allison!

My problem posted June 24:

Aaaand the iPod has stopped playing my audiobook. I was halfway through. So frustrating and I CANNOT seem to fix it.

After much googling of "my iPod plays audiobooks too fast" and "my audiobook stopped working on my iPod" I slept on it and figured it out!

Don't sync the iPod!

More detail for fellow sufferers:

My library offers free audiobooks. You download using a program called Ingram Media Manager. Once the book downloads onto your virtual bookshelf (where it remains for three weeks) Ingram gives you the option of putting it on an iPod or playing directly from Ingram. If you click iPod, you have to have your iPod plugged in at that exact moment and the book goes onto your iPod and into your iTunes library. You can play it direct from either location.

BUT if you go back later to charge/sync your iPod it automatically syncs with the iTunes version of your book which will. not. play. leading to great frustration.

So, if you happen to use Ingram, once you get a book onto your iPod turn off audiobook syncing if you need to connect your iPod to your computer again. Or just don't sync your iPod until you're done.

On the up side, the iPod holds your spot wherever you stop listening.

On the down side, if you download two books simultaneously and both have chapters labeled 1, 2, 3 etc the books will organize themselves numerically so you'll have 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, of alternating books leading to a lot of skipping about. Still, free audio books. Love it. And the audiobook version of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was excellent.

Stay tuned this week for more posts (with photos!) of upholstery and apricot problems.  Oooh, sounds scintillating, no?

Upholster your dresser in vintage sheets

This is a project that can be completed in an afternoon (or two afternoons if you’re painting). It’s a great way to spruce up a boring dresser. I was inspired to cover my daughter’s dresser after finally completing a quilt for her bed and wanting the furniture to match.

Before (boring):

After:

 

Directions:

Choose a piece of furniture without any engraved or textured elements. The drawer faces are curved on this piece but a contoured drawer edge would be difficult. Also, choose something with drawers that overhang the front of piece (as opposed to inset drawers).

Gather your supplies: sandpaper, large paintbrush or foam brush, mod podge, scissors and pieces of lightweight fabric large enough to generously cover the drawer faces. I used scraps of vintage sheets for a cheap and cheerful option that matches the vintage sheet quilt on the bed.
 

Remove the drawer pulls or other hardware and take the drawers out of the dresser.
 

Lightly sand your drawer faces. Four-year-old assistant is optional (and not all that helpful) (no idea why this photo is sideways)

**NOTE: if you are working with a lightweight or light background fabric (like a sheet!) and you intend to paint your dresser, paint the drawer faces at this point. I learned from my mistake--the wood grain shows through my fabric and is quite obvious against the white paint.**

Cut rectangles of fabric to the size of your drawer front plus a few extra inches on each side. You’ll trim it later.

Roll a tube of scrap paper and stuff it into the holes from the hardware. You don’t want to fill the hardware holes with glue!


Brush the entire drawer face with a thin, even coat of mod podge. (pretend those paper plugs are already in the holes in this photo--I was learning as I worked).

Pull the plugs and lay the fabric over the drawer face using your hands to smooth out any bubbles. Do not leave this task to a four year old.

I found that adding another coat of mod podge on top of the fabric led to an unpleasant, rough texture. Therefore left the fabric uncoated which means the dresser will be easy to stain and hard to clean but the fabric feels nice.

Once the front is smooth, trim the fabric so it wraps around and meets the drawer sides without bunching up. Notch the corners to remove bulk.

Spread mod podge on the back edges of the drawers and wrap the fabric around folding the corners to make them look tidy. A binder clip can help hold the fabric in place while the glue dries.

If you’re going to paint, paint the rest of the dresser and the hardware. Allow to dry.

Once the mod podge is dry on the drawers, you’ll be able to feel a dimple at the hole for the hardware. Use something pointy (scissor tip?) to poke through the fabric and replace the hardware.

Enjoy your beautiful new dresser!

10th

Today was our 10th wedding anniversary! Since we both had the day off and we had a free sitter we celebrated in style with lunch AND dinner out and a movie in between.

It was a perfect day. Love you, Mr. H!

Oh, and because this blog is now 100% the Biscuit art blog, here's one of the three pictures she drew us for our anniversary.

And in case you're looking for recommendations for a day-long date:

Tres Hermanas: good food, bad service

Knight and Day: exactly what you'd expect and a totally fun action flick.

Mulvaneys: great food and service to go with the special-occasion-only pricing