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The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. -Proverbs 1:7

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding.-Proverbs 4:7


Sunday, August 19, 2012

Remember that couch?


Remember that couch?  The one I started trying to fix a gazillion years (or 3ish months) ago and
never touched it after the first week?  It's sort of finished.  I still have to put the back cover thingie on, but I'm out of staples.  (Which means maybe I'll get to it in another 3ish months.)

I am mourning the loss of summer.  Dramatically.   Usually, at this time, I'm sort of ready (or at least not hating the idea) of going back to work.  Structure, you know.  Typically, without structure being forced upon me, things tend to go a little awry after awhile.  To the point where I know outside intervention must occur.  Outside intervention = Forced Structure.

This year is different.  Nothing is awry.  Everything is sort of perfect.  The illogical side of me wants to stay in this spot forever.  Must keep moving forward...otherwise things will no longer be perfect.  (See?  I can be logical.)

Nonetheless...deep mourning of the loss of summer has been occurring for a few days.  It manifested itself in denial (and if I can just stay busy and try to not think about it, that means times won't pass and it won't happen, right?).  Staying busy for me means starting a million projects that generally create substantially more mess than what I already have going.  If you've been to my house this past spring/summer, you know I didn't need to create anymore of a mess. 

I was too busy "being still" to be bothered with cleaning all summer. 

A "million projects" for me is generally going to involve paint and it's always a surprise what I might decide needs painted.  (Should I mention painting must send up a giant flag to everyone in this house and they all kind of walk around on eggshells wondering when I'm going to implode..well...maybe explode?  Case in point: I unknowingly had the same Jason Upton song on repeat for over 2 hours and nobody said anything about it.  Surely they noticed?  Even if I didn't...which is a whole other conversation.)

At any rate, the point of all of that is work is happening tomorrow and I don't want to go.  So, I spent the last 3 days sewing and painting stuff.  (Mostly furniture, because it was not unified and looked like it came from the side of the road or something.)



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This blue chair...it came from the side of the road.  It's now black.



This lovely thing...I got it from a yardsale awhile back for $2.  I was going to put it on the side of the road, but then I decided to paint it black.


3 a.m. one night.  Most of this is part of a chess table.  One of the few pieces of furniture we have that didn't come from the side of the road, some yardsale, a discount store where you bring it home in pieces and then have to assemble and finish it yourself or something I built compliments of Ana White.  It's a real piece of furniture built by my grandpa who is a legit carpenter.  It was red oak (probably from a tree on his farm).  I will say, even though it didn't match anything we have, painting it was kind of a stretch for me.  The kids were not that helpful about it.  "Did you ask Dad if you could paint it?"  Umm...it's black now.  This might have occurred on the aforementioned "Jason Upton" night.


If you scroll up, you will see this bench was yellow.  Not anymore... :-)  Oh yeah...my walls aren't green anymore either.  Well...most of them.

Truth be told, I liked all those happy colors, but Alicia told me I was grown and should pick something a little more traditional.  She also said she was tired of looking at green.

The above picture is probably more representative of the color.  I took it yesterday when it wasn't raining.


Today, it is raining.  ;-)  That mirror...got it from a yard sale for $1.  Pretty sure I'm going to paint it black.  And the couch...it has issues.  Because I've never reupholstered anything and was kind of hellbent on doing it for the least amount of money possible.  Because I have animals and kids and whatnot.  I only need it to last for a little while until I can buy new furniture.  I decided if people have nothing more to do than inspect my couch closely...whatever. :-)

There is still the other couch (which is actually 2 recliners).  Umm...maybe I'll just put it out on the road?  Thinking about starting that project is not a pleasant thought.


 The other side of the living room...  You can see that phone chair thingie over there.  In the other corner is that chess table and the black chair (and my clarinet/music stand should I decide to figure that out one of these days).

That table in the middle makes me laugh.  It's from IKEA.  We only bought it for the kids to have a place to set up their Playmobil stuff a gazillion years ago.  And then they got too big for Playmobil and I tried to give the table to my friend Nell who didn't take it and it never moved past this space.  I was going to paint it black, but Ryan said "Really?  It's the only piece of real furniture we have."  Which makes me roll my eyes...IKEA, lol.  Leaving it as is for the moment...at least until I bring out that black paint again.