Jenni's Chairs

While I was visiting the family this past week, Jenni asked me to update a pair of her chairs.  The story of how she got them has many versions (isn't your family like that?), but from what I gathered, my mom got them for free from her old office, took them over to Jenni's when she first got married and left them.  They did need a little help.  

Here is what they looked like before:

 

One arm needed a little bit of gluing.

It's not like they are in super horrible shape, but they certainly aren't Jenni's style.  She picked out the fabric and paint color, and I did the work.  Well, most of the work.  I did do all the painting, but the thing about using someone else's garage to work in is that you use someone else's tools. The staple gun that my mom gave me at first was way to big for my little hands and I had to use two hands just to press down and therefore couldn't hold the fabric tight at the same time as stapling.  We found a smaller gun, but problems still ensued.  Enter the mom.  She held while I stapled. 

This is us working.

This is Jenni working. :)

I confess, she did cut off the excess fabric and tell us what staples had fallen out. Silly chairs and their lack of equal wood frame around the seat cushion. (P.S. Thanks to best friend Olivia for taking the pictures that I knew nothing about at the time and clearly came in handy later!)

All in all, I think they turned out pretty good.  Nothing like family teamwork!

 

 

Much more cherry.  I mean cheery!

Don't you agree that Jenni and Sara are lucky to have me?  ;)

Audrey's Airport Advice - Top 10

Earlier this week I returned home from my fifth trip so far this year.  No, I am not a business traveler, but I do travel more than the average person.  I still have two more trips to go before the calendar runs out.  I thought I would share some knowledge that I have obtained over my many, MANY airport visits.  They all will help your next vacation go smoother, and you keep you from becoming the person everyone else "canNOT believe!"  Happy trails!

• Have your boarding pass and picture ID already out when you get to airport security.  It WILL get checked!  Fumble for it while you are waiting in line, or better yet, before you even get in line.  It may seem like a no-brainer, but if I had a nickel . . . 
• Please do NOT try to take a water bottle, or any beverage,  through security.  I have seen even people who seemingly have it together with their other liquids at regulation size (3 ounces) and in a one quart bag try to bring drinks through, including a barely sipped, freshly made frappacino.  It does not matter if it has an unbroken seal.  It really does not matter if you just bought it.  My favorite water bottle encounter includes a TSA worker stating to the woman in front of me, and I quote, "Lady, where have you been?"  
• If you haven't flown in a while you may not know there are now full body scanners in addition to metal detectors at most airports.  You will be directed to walk through one or the other, but more often than not, you'll get scanned.  They require you to stand still with your hands over your head for three seconds.  Don't try to simply walk through them.  You'll hold up the line and have a cluster of security around you instantly.  Another tip for body scanners, clean out your pockets.  Even a tissue causes an issue.  :)
• As you move about the airport, pull over if you need to stop.  People move very quickly in airports and you'll probably get run over, cussed at, and most definitely given the "Are you seeing this?" look.  The aisles are wide.  There are gates everywhere.  Need to get something in your bag?  Need to text?  Think like driving and pull over. 
• Take Airborne(R).  Like I mentioned, I have flown A LOT.  I used to get sick after every flight.  Planes are flying germ aquariums.  Since I have started taking Airborne, I no longer catch the traveler's cold.
• Practice lifting your carry-on bag over your head.  If you are bringing a carry-on that has to be put in the overhead bin, make sure you can lift it that high.  It is much easier to drag a bag off the conveyer belt, so if you can't lift it, check it. 
• Pack a snack for the plane.  You can bring food through security.  And remember how I told you not to bring a water bottle through security?  Buy a drink once you get through.  Of course you are going to get a free beverage and peanuts on board, but sometimes (like last Wednesday night) you are delayed once you have boarded the plane and have to sit for an hour before take off.  No food or drink until you have reached 30,000 feet.  ***Please refrain from stinky snacks.  Those with weak flying stomachs do not need added grief.  Remember, small confined space.  Eat the peppers at the gate.
• Bring a sweater.  Some planes are hot.  Some planes are cold.  Unlike Goldilocks, no plane I've ever been on is just right.  Make sure to wear layers so you can adjust to the temperature.  I've been hot on a plane that has the air going full blast and cold on a plane where my air valve is shut.  Also, thanks to the outbreaks of the flu and other diseases, most airlines no longer offer blankets.  I have had to buy sweatshirts in airports because I forgot my sweater.  And you think buying a drink is expensive!
• Turn down the volume.  I realize that the plane itself is loud and your ears may be plugged, so I concede that your volume has to be higher than normal.  It does not have to be so high however, that everyone around you is wondering why you have earphones at all since they can all hear your music, show or game.  And please make sure you bring headphones.  Especially for your children's game consoles.  
• Be patient.  You are in a hurry.  Guess what?  Everyone else at the airport is in a hurry too.  There is something about them that make even those with hours to spare antsy and in a rush.  If you remember to breathe and be patient with others you'll find yourself smiling at the guy who just can't seem to take his belt off instead of wanting to wring his neck with it.  I know it takes practice.  Maybe I'll finally be good at it on trip number six.  :)

In the Flesh... Kinda

I did some digging and found this beauty! 

 The most recent photo of all three of us together.  It was taken in April.  

Pretty ridiculous that we all had to travel to get one picture together, right?

From left to right:  Sara, Jenni, and Audrey
(The cute young things are Sara's)

A Dresser Redo - Part I

Here is my latest project:

It's a bit rough, I know.  Three of the drawer slides have fallen off (thankfully they just need to be reattached, more on that later, Part II perhaps?) and there are multiple scratches and nicks.

The first thing to do is assess the damage.  Yes, I looked it over before I bought it ($10!) to make sure all the repairs were in my (sometimes imagined) skill set, but you can only determine so much in someone's driveway.  Take everything apart, remembering to save all screws and hardware in a bowl/box, just in case.

First up for repair, the bottom two drawers both have missing corners. 

My first brilliant idea to fix them was using wood filler.  I previously fixed a corner on a cabinet box and it worked great.  Once again, I recommend Elmer's.  Really, just make sure that it's paintable or stainable if need be.  (Depending on the project, you can buy wood filler to match a variety of existing colors so you don't have to paint/stain it.)  Here's what I ended up with.  I used tape to hold the filler in place while drying.  Simple, shallow fixes usually dry quite fast, within 15 minutes, and are ready to sand.  I let these dry overnight.  

Unfortunately, my brilliance was short lived.  The minute I went to sand the edges the entire corner popped off!  It was dry alright, just not stuck to the drawer like I had hoped.  Not to be dismayed, I hatched a second even more brilliant plan! :)  I took composite board left over from an earlier project and cut it into small sections.  The kind I have is thin enough that all I needed were scissors.  Next, I aligned the corners of the composite pieces together to fit snugly into the drawer corners and glued pieces together to make it 3 layers thick.   Then, I glued it to the drawer.  Clamps are best when using wood glue, but this was impossible for one of the drawers so I used my trusty blue tape again to hold it in place.

 

I allowed to glue to dry overnight.  In the morning, I used a small hand saw followed by sanding to get rid of the excess wood.  SUCCESS! 

 

Ready for primer!

 As I'm sure you noticed, this is only Part I, so make sure to keep checking back for more!

Top 10 - Things I Use Every Day

1 - Keys
I'm loving my "new" glitter keys! It makes them so much easier to find.

2 - Phone 
Just a lame not-so-smartphone for me. I'm having a hard time letting go. For now.

3 - Car 
I love zippin' around town, listen' to tunes with my girls in my little car.

4 - Sunglasses 
If I'm outside, I'm in sunglasses. My current favorite are a pair of purple ones a lot like the ones below.




5 - Wallet 
My mother-in-law spoiled me with an awesome Hobo International bag for Christmas a few years ago. It is the perfect mommy-on-the-go wallet. Plenty of room for credit cards, cash, coins, AND an extra pocket for my cell phone and lip gloss! I can grab it and go, or toss it in the diaper bag.


 


6 - Itunes 
At home, on the computer, in the car. The girls and I are always jammin'!

7 - Computer 
No comment :)

8 - Mascara (Maybelline Full N Soft. I've used this mascara for YEARS! I've tried many other brands/types, but I always come back. It makes my lashes look great, it doesn't smudge, and it washes away easily.)



 
9 - Rosebud Salve
Hello. My name is Sara, and I am a Rosebud lip gloss addict. 

I can not live without this stuff. On a "normal" day. I put it on at least three times. Once in the morning. Once before work. And once before bed. However, I also carry a tube (Yes! It comes in a tube, too!) in my purse, "just in case". And it's not just for lips! I often put it on my cuticles at night as well. 

10 - Nook
My handsome hubby bought me a Nook Simple Touch by Barnes and Noble for my birthday last year. I use it everyday. Granted, I'm a total bookworm, but it is wonderful. (And for those of you who, like me, are cheap spend your money wisely, I haven't spent an extra dime on books to read on my Nook. Instead of buying them, I can check them out online from my local library. It's kind of awesome. I bet your library offers ebook check-out, too. You should go check it out!) 


I was not paid to endorse any of these products. Although I do endorse them whole-heartedly, 100%. They are literally things that I use and LOVE to use every day.

And for those grammar nuts like me...every day vs. everyday. :) 

Summer Pasta in 20 minutes

I wanted to make something simple and tasty for dinner a few nights ago.  

Here's what I came up with.  

I put equal parts of onion, zucchini, and roma tomatoes in a sauce pan with a couple turns of olive oil.  

When the veggies were soft, not brown I added some carrot puree (for extra nutrients) and some marinara sauce. I let the sauce and veggies simmer together while the pasta was cooking.  

Then I added everything together and dug in.

It was quite delicious!

Two Toothpastes - 7 Years & Counting

On Sunday (Sept 2nd), my husband and I will celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary.  While we reach the "copper anniversary" we may still be newlyweds compared to some (my grandparents have been married 62 years!), we see no signs of stopping.  I look forward for many more years together.  Since a happy home is one that includes happy occupants, I thought I might share a secret of our success so far.

Two toothpastes.  Two toothpastes?  That's it?  That's it. 

Mine is clearly the tube on the left.  ;)  As you can see, his is pretty disgusting.  Don't get me wrong, he's actually quite neat in other areas of his life, just not this one.  When we first got married and moved in together I was appalled.  How could I share a life with a man if I can't even bear to use the same tube of toothpaste?  Then, it hit me.  Just get your own tube silly.  I refused to be one of the couples you see in the movies and on TV that are driven apart by one partner leaving the cap off.  So, now he can leave his cap off if he wants.  He can squeeze in the middle (GASP) if he feels so inclined.  He doesn't even have to wipe the top off.  It's all his.  It's been 7 years and I can honestly say that NEVER have we fought about toothpaste.  I am no marriage expert, I know, but for us, this tiny thing has made a big difference.  It has reminded us that mole hills need not turn into mountains.  And that while in marriage it's good to share things, lots of things, it's not necessary to share everything!

That said, I'm lucky enough to have found someone wonderful who makes sharing easier.  Happy 7th Anniversary Byron! I love you!