Trash to Treasure #1: Coffee Table

I hope that this can be a series of posts.  I am super thrifty and have found so many online tutorials about how to revive old worn out pieces, that I think it’s going to be a habit that I try to stick with.  The plan is to only buy essential pieces for our home, and everything else will be hand me downs that have been refinished or thrift store finds that I bring back to life.  A lot of this will depend on Jason’s patience with me and my creativity.  I get the feeling that the first one will wear out quicker that the latter.

But  anywho, here is our first project: a revived coffee table

Backstory: Jason owns a beautiful cedar chest that we will NEVER part with.  We used it as our coffee table for the first year in our house.  But after 12+ months of fighting with the remote signal to reach the cable box over the coffee table, I have had enough.  Plus, this is about the time that I started reading a bunch of craft blogs.  Funny how that works, huh?  So one Goodwill trip, I come home with what has to be the ugliest coffee table in the history of America.  JASON COMPLETELY AGREED.

BUT IT ONLY COST $4!!!!!!!

$4! YEP, LET ME SAY AGAIN, $4!!!

So it was mine.  It sat in the shed for a month or two and after a recent trip to Lowe’s, aka, my favorite store ever!, we had supplies to bring this baby to life.  (Sorry I don’t have pictures of the before)

But here is the after:

What we did:

      1.       I hated the grove around the top that you can still kind of see.  So we filled it in with wood filler and sanded that down after it dried

      2.       All of the legs, the frame and the top were sanded down

3.       The legs and frame received about 2 coats of primer

4.       I painted the legs and frame with Krylon Hotel Vanilla spray paint.  The top received a total of 4 coats of a mahogany stain and then a couple of coats of wood sealer/protector

5.       Jason cut me a second shelf and fit it in.  This is why he’s super handy to have around, and as long as I let him play with power tools, he doesn’t complain about my crafting quams.  Plus, he normally gets a new toy out of the venture.  I have a feeling that will eventually come to an end.  But then again, those guys at Black and Decker are pretty innovative.

6.       The second shelf was painted and sealed

       7.       Everything was put together

The end result:

Oh yea, I did distress it a little.  I kind of wish I had done a little more distressing.  But it was my first project and didn't want to go overboard.  Live and learn

You're dagum right I straigtened up and dusted and even lit a candle before I took these pictures

Zeus got nosey, so he got to be in the picture

Yes, we do have a subscription to both of those magazines.  It's my attempt to be both fashionable and fit at the same time.

Hahah!!  Both of those are gift subscriptions, who am I kidding?

BTW: When Jason called his dad, who is a manager at a furniture plant, he said the following: “I’ve been making a coffee table.”  Pssh!  WTF, I did the hard part, I spent the $4!!  (Love you baby, thanks for the help!)

At first we thought: Gosh! It sure it short.  The cedar chest was so tall and that was the problem, so it took a little while to get used to, but I love it.  And after the inital reaction, I haven't heard Jason say anything about it's short stature, so I guess he's become accustomed to it to.  Just food for thought.

 What do you guys think?  Are my trash to treasure ideas good or should I just leave the furniture making/painting/reviving to the professionals?  AKA: Target and Bed Bath and Beyond

Love and Seasons Greetings,

Meredith

Christmas Time

Okay, I'm going to try and post a little more often in December.  But everything I want to write about is what I'm making for everyone for their presents.  It's going to be a handmade holiday for Me and Jason. 

But to start off the Christmas spirit, I'll start with this Christmas survey.  I found it at this blog site: The Sunset Lane.  It took me a minute to figure out that it originally came from this site though: I Rock So What.


So here goes.  I would love to see everyone else's answers too!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate on 99% of my winter days, but I always make sure to get at least one cup of Egg Nog with a little something special to top it! 

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa most definitely wraps presents under the tree.  Stocking stuffers are left unwrapped though.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White is so pretty.  So definitely white.  It helps the colored ornaments stand out more.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.  Jason said you have to shoot it down from the trees, which is both tricky and unnecessary.  We do have a pretty holly bush or two outside the house.  Maybe I should bring some of it inside.

5. When do you put your decorations up? When I can get me house clean enough to junk it up again.  So probably right before the girls come over next week for a early Christmas get together. 

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Grandma’s sausage casserole and the orange juice that she makes you drink.  I love both, but it makes me laugh that Grams makes sure we have OJ on Christmas morning.  I guess it makes her feel good knowing that at least one day a year she can help with our Vitamin C intake.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Lying in bed with my sister and poking her until she woke up and swearing up and down that I just heard Reindeer bells.  She thought I was crazy, but I KNOW WHAT I HEARD!!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? The one year that mom and dad forgot to sign some of the presents from themselves.  But I should have realized it when I was about 6 and we caught mom and dad still putting the toys out when Sis and I got up to go to the bathroom.  They did good though, claiming “we were just seeing what Santa got you before you did.  So hurry up or he’ll turn around and take them back since you’re not asleep.” Ha!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Oh yea, we go to Grandpa’s every year on Christmas Eve to exchange presents and stories there.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? It’s a mix of purple and gold ornaments (for ECU, Go PIRATES!) and hand me down ornaments (since I apparently didn’t own any when I was 21, thanks mom….I think) and funky ornaments given to me by friends throughout the years.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Dread it!  It’s pretty for the 10 minutes that I want to be outside in it.  Then bluh!!  Get rid of the awful stuff.  Besides, when in NC do we EVER get just snow?  Too much ice and bad drivers for me.

12. Can you ice skate? I guess.  Been a few times, but we don’t have many rinks in driving distance around here and the lakes don’t freeze with thick enough ice to skate on.  I went with my best friend Em once though and played freeze tag.  She was taking a break and I didn’t know it until I was already going up to tag her.  She saw me and next thing I know, I slide tackled her.  It wasn’t very nice of my 15 year old self.  Oops.  Sorry lady!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Not really, because I like all my gifts.  The boom box with the Alan Jackson CD when I was 9 was pretty kick ass though.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Trying to stay focused on what the Holidays are really about.  It seems that every year, it gets harder and harder.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Snow Cream!  Does that count?

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Well, we can’t do it anymore, but calling and talking to my great-grandparents in Iowa and Arkansas was always really special to me.  And when I was a little bit older, seeing my Grandpa hand out money envelopes.  We always joked that he was the God Father.  It was never about the money, but the smile on that old man’s face when you gave him a kiss on the cheek.  Aww…shucks, I’m starting to tear up now just thinking about him and all my grandparents that aren’t here anymore.  I SURE DO MISS YOU GUYS!

17. What tops your tree? A star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Of course I prefer to give presents.  But I would be lying if I didn’t say that receiving presents isn’t totally awesome too.

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? They make pretty decorations, but otherwise….Meh.  They take too long to eat.  Small candy canes are a good alternative though.

20. Favorite Christmas movie?  National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation!!

Here are a few of my favorites quotes too:

            I hope no one I know sees me standing in the yard in my pajamas!

            Shitter’s full

            Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanakuah, Kiss my ass, Kiss his ass

            Why is the floor wet Todd?! I don’t know Margo!!

And of course the best quote from the entire movie:

I don’t own this movie, but sure would love to have it in my collection *hint* *hint*

21. Saddest Christmas Song? Silent Night

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Little Drummer Boy

I would love to hear everyone else's answers.

All my love and here's to a wonderful holiday season!

Meredith

HAPPY GOBBLE GOBBLE DAY!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I am thankful for so much each and every year, but this year, I have been truly blessed.  I have a beautiful man by my side that supports EACH AND EVERY CRAZY new thing I do and I love him so very much!

I have an adoring family that anyone would be lucky to have in their life!  And when you can't share the holiday with them, they will call non-stop to make sure you're not alone.  Thanks guys!

Here is a peak at our Thanksgiving was spent.  Thanks to Roscoe Sr and Ophelia for joining us too.  It was so lovely to be able to spend some quality time with them.





First thing first...must make dessert

I even made the crust from scratch!!!! Booyah!





yes, you can call me Betty Freaking Crocker!

This Recipe was courtesy of my brand new Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook <3 BHG

This is where Jason gets a little Camera happy and my attire for most of the day

Note the smirk on my face....pretty much..."put the camera down now"

Also...check out the prep work in the background... I am awesome...yes I am

Stuffing...Recipe courtesy of the old man..

Final product...

I think I missed a step though...it was not NEARLY as good as Dad and Sis make it.

Maybe if they would have let me help in the kitchen in year's past, I wouldn't have missed the flavor in this.

Maybe the bread was too big or I didn't use enough spices...not sure

Sweet Potato Casserole

Recipe courtesy of Opheila Walker and the Walker Family Cookbook (aka...the only cookbook I really will ever use)

Seriously, if you ever need a basic recipe without the flash and pomp and circumstance found on the internet and celebrity chef's cookbooks, call me. I got the hook-up with this cookbook. No, you can't have mine. Hands off! 

BTW: I think Jason ate more of this than the Pecan Pie...Maybe this should have just been dessert!

And finally...the TURKEY!!

We decided that we didn't need a ginormous bird to celebrate Thanksgiving.

This recipe is courtesy of Food Network's magazine. It's really good too and gets everything done in one pan.

Check out the steam!

The turkey induced coma didn't forget us this year either.

 Some pointers for my self for next year:

1. Gravy had no flavor, just use the canned stuff

2. Stuffing was cold, keep the lid on

3. Stuffing had no flavor...get Dad/Sis to just make it for me ahead of time

4. Pecan pie was awesome

Well I hope everyone is passed out on the couch watching some football and won't be able to read this for a few days!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE

All my love!

Meredith

 P.S. Shade and Zeus enjoyed their turkey prequel this morn

 Also...watch out if you come over to the house in the next day or two..Jason made deviled eggs and that can only mean one thing....Bring on the smell good spray!

Meet Zeus

Jason proofed my story prior to publishing.  His notes are in italics.  I was just too lazy to retract my portions of the story.

Zeus is our special child.  He’s one big handful after another.  But like all things special, he holds onto your heart just a little bit more than you would expect.

Zeus was originally Jason’s dog but as we have grown as a family, he’s become my adopted child too. 

Jason tells the story a lot better than I do, but I’ll give it a whirl.  Jason works for the NC Forestry Department and his first assignment was in Granville Co, NC.  If you’ve never been to Granville Co, don’t worry, you’re not missing much.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful area.  There are trees and fields everywhere, and I swear I think time moves a little bit slower there.  Jason lived on a big farm with all kinds of land around it, so naturally he needed a farm dog to help with the company. 

Jason was going into work one day when he saw a Budweiser box on the side of the road.  Now, this is where the details are a little fuzzy to me.  I don’t know if the box moved somewhat or if Jason actually saw little baby Zeus poking his head out, but whichever it was, it peaked Jason’s interest.  And I’m pretty certain he told me he went on into work and didn’t think too much about it.  But on his way home, the box was still there.  Well only Jason would stop to check out a beer box on the side of the road.  Well low and behold; there was a very tiny, very skinny, big eyed puppy that looked just a little too sweet for Jason to leave him there.

Ok, now for the actual story of how I came to own Zeus.  I was never going to work at all. I was actually riding around looking for deer land 1 Saturday.  I saw a little puppy standing on the side of the road and when I drove by, he ran back in his Budweiser box.  I stopped the truck and got out to see what deal was.  When I got over to the box, Zeus had curled up in the corner of the box.  So I snatched him up and put him in the bed of the truck and took him and his box home.  Once we got to the house, he lived upstairs for a week, out of sight of the landlord, because I wasn’t supposed to have pets.  Anyway, I found a way to smuggle him in and once the landlord saw him, she couldn’t say no.

What a cutie pie

Jason took him back to the farm and raised him to be the crazy dog he is today.  His big eyes needed some work due to his eyelids turning in.  And he also had a hernia when I found him and also he was allergic to doggy flea shampoo and had a bad reaction.  Jason got them fixed by a vet and now Zeus is left with the saddest, droopiest eyes you’ll ever meet.  So don’t be fooled when you meet him: he’s not always that sad, he just looks it!   And because he lived on a farm, Zeus was able to play and chase deer and bark at horses and overall just run amuck!  He loved getting under the barns and in tight spaces to stay warm and to sleep.  He smelled something awful most of the time, but hey, he mostly stayed outside, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Fast forward three years and here we are living in Spencer and on a busy street with lots of neighbors and no place to run and chase and (thank goodness) get in ponds to get smelly.  As much as we hate having to do it, Zeus has to be on a leash when he’s outside and boy does he hate it!!  Hopefully soon we’ll get him some more land to run crazy on.

For now, Zeus likes being inside.  He’s the master of his domain.  He will bark at anyone even walking the street past the house.  It can be annoying, but for Halloween, I always knew when trick-or-treaters were at the door! BTW: Zeus looked very handsome in his Halloween collar.  (I’ll post a how-to on this eventually).  He gets his own bed to lie in every night.  One of his best qualities is his enthusiasm though!  Talk about a dog who is excited to be outside: every time Jason or I even get close to the door or his leash, Zeus turns into a kangaroo.  I wish I was joking too.  Literally on his back legs with the front ones repeatedly leaving the ground plane.  I don’t know if he thinks that the extra leverage will get us to jump up and down too, but whatever it is, there is no denying the excitement that a red leash brings him. Or at least the idea of being outside.  I doubt it’s the leash because as soon as we’re out the door, the leash is his worst enemy.  Go figure.

One of Zeus’s other qualities is how sweet he is (most of the time).  When you’re lying on the couch watching TV, Zeus always wants to show you he cares.  He does this by being just on the other side of arm rest and looking/breathing directly in your face.  Aww…the love.  Don’t worry, he’ll share the smell of his breath with ya.  You’re welcome. 

Zeus also loves to share in the chores.  He helps mop the floor in the kitchen by putting the water from his bowl on the floor for ya.  It just won’t stay on that big ‘ol tongue like it should, so he shares.  You’re welcome.

Well I guess that pretty much sums it up, Zeus, our crazy, special, scares the neighbors, no idea what he is kind of dog.  Feel free to visit for a proper introduction.  Don’t bring over small animals though, he doesn’t like them.  And trust me, you don’t want to know.  Don’t wear black either, or you’ll be taking some Zeus home with you.  And I’m currently running low on lent roll sheets.  Sorry.

Loves as always!

Meredith

Catching up (w Friends and a blog posting)

This blog is a few weeks late…sorry.  But I want everyone in the world to know that I truly am one of the luckiest girls ever!  Well you see, not only do I have a wonderful fiancé and absolutely amazing family, one of the most well behaved dogs you’ll ever meet and truly enjoy my line of work, I have some of the best friends in the world.

These are the lovely ladies that I met in college and here we are 3 ½ years later and we still take the time to see each other a couple of times a year.  It’s never easy getting to see one another, because we live all up and down the east coast.  So when we can accomplish the miracle of miracles where our schedules line up it’s always a good time.

This year we made it to our Alma Mater, East Carolina University, for the Oct 1 football game against the Tarheels.  We all stayed in Amy and Sean’s house and it was tight to say the least.  But we made it work and had some adventures along the way.

So here a couple of the highlights:

Stacey is now fully aware that sleeping on the couch is a bad idea: Jason and I slept on the air mattress beside her and we wake up at 7 am at the latest

Going to your favorite bar from when you when in college sounds like a fantastic idea.  Until you realize you have arrived at the bar so early they aren’t even charging a cover yet, you’re the oldest people there and showing up in jeans and a comfortable yet cute top was cute 3 years ago, but now, not so much.  Dresses and heels are the norm.

The UBE is beyond crowded on game day when tailgating doesn’t start until 3 pm

When you think you are at a standstill in the trip to the tailgate field, just tailgate wherever you’re at.  Like someone’s front yard

9 people, two cornhole boards, 3 coolers, 6 chairs, a couple of cameras and bags will all fit into a Yukon.  However, a Yukon cannot be successfully maneuvered out of a blocked parking space with only 4 foot of total clearance

Some people like to share, a lot.  Sometimes sharing is not necessary.  Fart biscuits can forever remain in the possession of the original owner from here on out.

Corn hole bags will not stay in tack during rigorous play if they are not stitched properly.

Asking a UNC fan if they want to lick your feet is not nearly as funny if you haven’t stepped in the muddy waste area near the port a johns.

Wrangling 9 people to stay together for the entrance to the football game is impossible.

When you jump to the front of the line as some line-cutters like to do…you are part of the problem for the rest of us.  Not the solution.

It doesn’t matter how long we have to get ready for the tailgating to begin, we will still be late

Watching the Pirates get beat badly is a lot easier to swallow when you have friends like these:

Here are a few more totally awesome pics for your viewing pleasure:

All My Love,
Meredith