Monday morning aches

For goodness sake, I really need this flu virus to leave my household. Let me explain myself...

First, our daughter was sick two weeks ago. Really sick, as in a week out of school. Then I got the virus. Not as bad, but terribly achy and exhausted. Thought I was over it and we were good to go.

HA! How naive of me to think it would be done so quickly. 

Late last week, I was feeling better and wanted to be out and about. I went to the beach with my hubs (Lake Michigan - to collect rocks, of course), I cooked full dinners from scratch, ran to the store for necessities, walked the dogs in the glorious sunshine, and I was even up scrubbing the bathrooms and bleaching the house. And then I woke up Sunday morning. 

Asshat.

This flu, that is. This flu virus is a major asshat.  

I woke up at 7:00a terribly achy Sunday morning. I got up, started the day thinking it would subside. Then I took a nap -- at 9:30a. For TWO HOURS. Got up again and was in a total haze. Took a shower because, that should help wake me up, right?? Seriously, I think I was firing on only 2 cylinders. Decided I needed to change location to get my mojo back up and running. That worked for another few hours. Hubs and I decided to watch a movie. Made it one hour into the show, then took ANOTHER NAP. Again -- it was TWO HOURS. Got up, finished the movie. Went to bed at 9:30p and slept until 6:00a this morning. 

WTF flu virus?? I slept yesterday more than I was awake. This morning, I again am completely achy and am doing my best not to nap. I really want to gargle with bleach and run it through my veins. I have never had my ass handed to me like this from a flu virus. Blerg. I feel like I have been run over by a convoy of trucks, not just one truck.

But enough about my viral hell. 

The reason I am really on here today is because I wanted to show you the projects I DID finish last week during my small surge of energy. 

The gardening planter I was working on? Yep, it is done...and it is ADORABLE! Just what I had pictured. 

Perfection -- Am I right???

Additionally, I had started working on an old, small globe that I purchased at the resale for $1.99. It is about 10" tall and the globe itself is about 5" in diameter. 

I painted the globe black, spray painted the stand gold, and added a cute little message:  "Darling YOU are my Greatest Adventure"... 

Pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself.

I still have to put a layer of ModPodge on the globe, to make sure none of the vinyl peels up. But I just looooooove how it turned out. Now I'm on the hunt for other globes so I can make even more!

Enjoy the rest of your day -- I'm off to take another nap with my heating pad.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Well, at least in our front yard.

I know I promised more pix of the curio and frames (and just wait until you see the nightstand I found -- squee!), but I gave in to Chicago's oddly warm November days this week...it was almost 70 degrees yesterday! I decided it was a sign that it was time to put up the Christmas lights. I honestly can say this is the first time that I have ever broken out in a sweat while schlepping reindeer around the front yard. It was great.

Of course, Mother Nature is finicky in Chicago and thus she blasted us with icy coldness today. I don't think it got past 40 degrees. Or maybe it did - I really should use this computer to check in on the weather before I make such sweeping statements. Anyhoo, today was a wool-sweater-and-socks kind of day. And my first official day of whining my way out of walking the dog. Heh. Hubs, if you are reading this -- it will happen again.

So, the house...want to see how it looks? Standard issue decorations but I think they look lovely. Oh, and just so you can imagine -- the bushes are all covered in white lights. I will try to take a 'night' pix to show you. Ta-da...

Our buck; Grace says it looks like he is eating the tree.

Our doe, apparently the dog left some pee-mail there. Heh...get it...pee-mail? E-mail? Well, my kids think it is funny. Of course, they are still in elementary school...

Front porch planter -- the red twigs were *FREE*  -- made possible by me slogging through the scrub-weedy field behind our house and clipping them free from their tangled mess. Festive, indeed!

My recent thrift-store find...an old Flexible Flyer. It is not in any usable condition whatsoever (so...why were they selling it with the children's toys???), but I like the effect it has in my garden vignette. And more weed-twig bundles. Oh, and those two little black buggers on my brick -- the water meters. Seriously, they could not have put them 2 feet to the right behind the bushes??

What do you think? I am nowhere near being finished decorating outside, but it is a start. And I don't have to freeze off my little fingertips this weekend. Hooray!

I hope you and your families have a lovely Thanksgiving -- just in case I don't get the chance to write until Friday. Enjoy!

Cedar planter...

So, I took my mom a-thrifting a few weeks ago. We found this ho-hum cedar planter box at the local Salvation Army. I think it was around $3.00....had to have it. I could see the potential. And I did not take an official 'before' pix yet again -- I did include a pix of the bottom in case you wanted to know the rustic glory that it had before I whipped out my paints and sandpaper.

For your viewing pleasure -- the pix are ucky because I used my phone. I promise to use my digital SLR from now on...

I ended up painting it with Sharkey Gray -- a Martha Stewart color -- (more ivory than gray) and then glazing it first with a burnt umber and then a light gray acrylic. Topped off with two coats of poly and a few felt pads on the bottom, I think this beauteous bin deserves to stay inside as a centerpiece!

Love it.... your thoughts?

Finished projects

I just wanted to post some pix of my currently finished projects around the home. And yes, I generally forget about taking the 'before' pictures. I'll let you know when I have a before...but for now, I promise to be more diligent in the future!

I recently completed two desk chairs for my daughters. I found these two lovelies at the local Goodwill for $4.99 each...Oh you read that correctly. Five.Bucks.Per.Chair. Of course, they were *gack* hideous when I found them. Spidery, musty, gah-ross. I actually do have a before pix on my camera somewhere; I will upload it when I remember.

Anyhoo, these chairs were stuffed with -- wait for it -- STRAW. As in, horse bedding. Bug-tastic horse bedding. So, after discovering this I immediately wrapped the innards in double plastic bags and toted those off to the garbage.  I painted, distressed, re-webbed, new-foamed, and reupholstered these beauties. And yes I know some of those aren't real words, but just go with me here.

They turned out soooooo nice. Just perfect for two tween gals who needed something of their own.
Here they are --

Aren't they sweet?? Sam's green chair has a bow on the back because there is a crack under there. The spindle is broken and I wood glued it, but it is still a bit dicey. I think the bow is a nice touch.

I added fringe and tack detailing just because I thought it added a bit of whimsy.
What do you think?