Blog Brain Dump ed.1 (2013)

It's been a while since I posted a brain dump so here goes.

Let me first say, that I love my husband.  But, sometimes we don't see eye to eye on projects around the house.  He says I'm more red-neck than he is and most time, I'll agree with him.  But, sometimes his red-necking skills surpass even my wildest imagination.

Take this for example.  This is what will become an elevated garden.

I say... let's build something like this.  He says I'm crazy if I think it will hold up.

See, the problem with where we live is that we have a huge drainage ditch that run through our backyard.  It's not pretty.  We've never pretended to like it.  That's why we got such a great deal on our house.  But, because about once every 4 years when we get a torrential Spring rain, the ditch will flood.  So, in effort to utilize more of the space in the backyard, Randy decided that he'd build elevated planters in the off chance there comes a flood.  In other words... my idea of a an elevated planter will wash away, while his elevated planter will last through the apocalypse.

I'll keep ya posted on how the final product turns out.  He said he's dress it up a bit to make it not such an eye sore, but his "dress it up" is well... not my idea of "dress it up."  Either way, we will have fresh fruits and veggies in our future.

I recently finished up a small project that I think turned out pretty cute, considering I spent $6.50 on it.  I use a stool to sit on while I am at my kitchen computer.  I picked this stool up at Goodwill several years ago and just last month the cushion on it ripped.  So, I decided it was time to give my little stool a makeover.  I found this sample can of paint at the Home Depot for $.50.  (Yep... fifty cents.)  I was looking for black, but when I saw the red paint and the price well, the rest is history.  I found the fabric on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $2.00.  It is corduroy and just shy of a yard, so there was plenty to work with AND some left over pieces for scraps!  (I love fabric scraps!)  And finally, the foam cushion was $4.00 at Hobby Lobby.

I mixed the paint with Plaster of Paris to make chalk paint. I love using the chalk paint because it applies easily, there is not need to sand/prep wood, it dries quickly and is very forgiving.  Plus, it sands nicely, leaving a nice smooth finish.  I definitely recommend trying it on a small project first though.  I sanded the paint to give it a more vintage/shabby look and I finished it up with some Minwax Paste Finishing Wax (which I already had on hand.)  This stuff is awesome!  Just buy it to have around.  It's amazing!

And there ya go.  My stool is a pretty little accent to my kitchen. 

In recent news, I've taken on some volunteer responsibility with our church.  I'll be updating their website and doing graphic design on a "need-to" basis.  I'm happy to be using my gifts and talents in a way that glorifies God.  I had stepped away from serving at our previous church because I needed a break.  So, now that we are at a new church, I knew it was time to get involved again. I'm excited to see what God has in store for me in this new role.

Well, I had another bad eBay experience last week.  To make a long story short, the buyer said my item was damaged when she received it, blah, blah, blah.  However, it wasn't.  And I have multiple pictures to prove it that the jeans were not damaged or ripped. Truth be told, the tear in the denim fabric looked fresh and the rip was at a stress point... i.e. interpret that to mean... the lady ripped the jeans when she tried them on.

But, I have since learned that buyers have the upper hand in all things eBay related (that was a hard lesson to learn...) and my only recourse was to chalk it up to the cost of doing business, issue a refund and go on down the road.  The problem is... that it left such a bad impression with me, that I want to give up all eBay selling and not mess with it anymore.  But, I want to buy a laptop.  So, press on I must. 

And for the record... I cannot stand dishonest people.  And there are so many levels of dishonesty... some not so blatant, but still deceptive all the same.  Just be forthright and honest people.  Is that so hard? Really?

So, how's that for a blog brain dump?  You also got a bonus soapbox too!

Y'all have a good Monday.