One man's trash...

... is another man's treasure.







Once upon a time, I rescued a piano bench out of Greg's grandma's garage. She was ready to junk it. It had obviously seen better days. When I brought it home, it had a rough, chipped particle board top that wouldn't even hold a lowly houseplant. I quickly knocked that off, so all I was left were the legs.

That was at least four years ago. (No joke. I'm sure I did that when we lived at our old house, because I remember moving the darn thing.)






Last week, I threw some stain on her. She looked kind of jazzy.

The roadblock I kept running into, which kept me from moving past the stain step, were these darn tabs on the edge. The original top had sat over them, but I wanted something sturdier. If I added anything too thick, then the top of the bench wouldn't be flush with the frame. And, I couldn't get the tabs to budge. I tried a chisel. I tried a screwdriver. I tried a hammer. I tried a pry bar. NOTHING! I didn't try the sawzaw, because I was afraid the whole thing would collapse into a big pile of sawdust.

So, I cut a new piece of plywood that would fit around the tabs. I'm not going to talk about this part. There were a lot of bad words until the plywood was attached and a lot of, "I hope the boys are still sleeping so they don't hear me cussing."

But, alas, I had victory... ish. The plywood was attached to the tabs with many screws and wood shims. I sat on it, and it didn't collapse, so I figured we might be ok.

I was ready to put fabric on the top and some padding.

There are much easier ways to do this then how I did it, but the screws that were holding the plywood in place kept getting in my way. Let's just saw I used a staple gun, some hot glue, and a whole lot of luck. Oh, and did I mention that I cut open an old pillow and used the padding out of it, because I was too cheap to buy new? Use what ya got.

And here's the finished piece.

Miracles do happen.

Pinterest Positives

Ok, so I've admitted before I'm addicted to Pinterest. Admittance is the first step, right? Lately, it seems like people are willing and ready to throw Pinterest under the bus. I've read things like, "Nobody's house should look that perfect," or "Pinterest sets unrealistic expectations for life."

I agree that every pin needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I also agree that someone could go off of the deep end trying to replicate the perfect Pinterest home. But, here's the thing, I think Pinterest is full of positives.

Let's rewind to the mid 20th century. This was the typical housewife:

{Via}

She kept a tidy home, her children were the center of her world, and she gave her undivided attention to her husband.

Fast forward to today.

{Via}

Moms have thousands of things on their plates. There are jobs, families, and other tidbits of life thrown in. Somewhere between the first picture and the second picture, I think we have forgotten how to take care of a home. And that's where Pinterest can lead our generation back to the basics. 

There are a few fundamentals of keeping house. First, it should be somewhat clean and orderly. Secondly, you should do your best to make nutritious meals. And lastly, you should throw in a little bit of love to make it feel like a home. Over time, I think people have become so focused on their jobs that they've forgotten these fundamentals. 

Maybe it's a new recipe, a tip for organizing that junk drawer, or a craft to hang on the wall: Pinterest can help the non-functional homemakers out there bring joy to their family. Pinterest brings homemaking to the forefront of our thoughts. 

Forget all the bullcrap about feeling like a failure if your home doesn't look like a magazine spread. Instead, focus on the things you can do to make your family feel loved. If it doesn't come natural for you, find inspiration on Pinterest. You don't have to be the first picture or the second, you just have to be your best self. 

Shameless plug: follow me on Pinterest.

And cue the feminazis now.

How a menu board makes my life easier

One of the great things about being married to a farmer is we always have tons of raised-by-us meat in the freezer. One of the bad things about that is the freezer!

I enjoy cooking, but I have this bad habit of leaving the meat in the freezer until it's time to prepare a meal. Then, I have to spend lots of time defrosting it. Or, I inevitably run into that, "What the heck am I going to cook" dilemma. 

So, a while back, I devised a simple menu board to help me with that planning. I took a picture frame that was laying around collecting dust with no picture, a piece of scrapbook paper, and some sticker letters. I whipped them together and bought a pack of wet-erase markers. Here's the result:

I saw much more complex versions on Pinterest, but this simple idea works for us. At the beginning of the week, I make a menu, and I do my best to stick to it. Of course, there are always last minute plans that change things. (Ie: Greg says he'll be home in 10 minutes to eat, and the meal for that day requires 30. Or, Greg's in the field or at the farm, and I need something easy to take to him.) For the most part, however, the menu board makes life simpler.

It really accomplishes a few things. First, it reminds me to get things out of the freezer. If I need corn or beef the next day, I get it out to defrost the night before. Secondly, it helps me make avoid questions like, "Haven't we already had ham three times this week?" Finally, as I plan, it helps me incorporate new recipes into our meals.

Do you guys do any sort of menu planning? What's it look like at your house?

Making a house a home... part 2

Earlier this week, I blogged about making a house a home. I talked about my desire to have everything perfectly decorated and cozy.


And then I cleaned.


What a difference sprucing up the house with some elbow grease makes! I like to keep a clean house anyway, but there's nothing like the smell and feel of pristine floors and a scrubbed shower. I make an effort to spot clean every other day or so, but a good deep clean does wonders.


This week I tried some new recipes for supper, too.


It's not rocket science, but good, wholesome food is almost comforting. I love that Greg and I sit down for supper almost every night. We set the table, we have a meal (even if it's leftovers), we pray, and we talk about our day. It's just plain nice.


So, maybe having a "home" doesn't need to cost a fortune. Why not start with the simple stuff?

Making a house a home

I did a quick Google search for "making a house a home." Lately, I've been almost restless. I have this innate desire to have a perfect, Leave it to Beaver type house. Of course, my current addiction to Pinterest does little to help. 

We've lived in our home for a year and a half now. I'm really proud of how Greg and I have worked together to fix little things here and there and make it just what we want it to be. Yet, I feel like I should be doing more. 


As I Googled, blog after blog of Do-It-Yourself and home improvements came up. However, it was the fifth website that caught my attention, from www.bible.org. It was an article titled, the Influential Woman: Making a House a Home. 


While I didn't completely agree with every aspect of the article, I did agree with the timeless passage from Proverbs 31:10-12:

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

Perhaps making a house a home isn't about having it decorated to a t, immaculately cleaned, or perfectly presented. At the end of the day, a house filled with love is a home. This year, I'm going to attempt to be more like the Proverbs 31 woman. 

But, I'm still not giving up Pinterest. :) 

"O" is for "Organization"

Here are three quick tips for organizing your home. I'll do my best to give credit where credit is due.


Problem: Plastic Grocery Sacks Reproducing and Cluttering Your Kitchen Cabinets
Solution: Fold 'Em Up
Credit: Ms. Wensink over at www.craftyenough.wordpress.com

These plastic bags are folded "paper football" style and stored in a quart mason jar. I can fit about 13 bags in one jar, and really, why do I need to keep more than that on hand?

Problem: Bobby Pins That Just Won't Stay Put

Solution: Magnetize and Organize

Credit: http://sprwmn.blogspot.com/2010/11/2-minute-bathroom-organization.html

 

For $1.97, I bought a package of magnetic stripping at Wal-mart. On the inside of one of my bathroom drawers, I put the strip (already has adhesive on it.) Voila! The bobby pins and barrettes stick to it like a charm.

Problem: Hair Ties Galore

Solution: The Glass is Half-Full

Credit: My Own Personal Genius

I took a glass we weren't using from the kitchen cabinet, and stacked my hair ties up the outside. I racked headbands around it and filled the inside with clips and miscellaneous thingy majigs. Where I did have a cheap plastic basket that I've had since college, I know have something that looks a little nicer and is much easier to maneuver, since I don't have to dig and dig, when all I want is a ponytail holder!

Happy organizing! Please share your own tricks of the trade.