Table Anatomy!

My husband made a beautiful, farm house style table for our kitchen. It's 8 feet long and seats 10. I am so excited. The best part? The entire table from the wood to the finishing clear coat was around $200.00. He's planning to make a bench for the side with no chairs, but that will have to wait a bit. At least we get to enjoy it for Thanksgiving!

This is the natural, unstained oak butcher block he used to make the entire table.

The staining process.

These are the legs, pre-stain. All 4 legs are pieced together, and this photo shows all of them clamped in place while the glue dries.

The 'greenhouse tent' he installed in the formal living room to create a debris-barrier and warm environment (there's a space heater under there too) to expedite drying times.

The finished product. No turned legs, no intricate detailing, just a beautiful, shaker style farm table designed to last a life time. I wish I'd taken a closer picture, but at least this way the entire table is shown. I really want some new chairs now :) The bench will come fairly soon, but chairs will definitely have to wait!

p.s. The top alone weighs about 300 pounds, so it was a chore to get everything into place. We had to use some creative engineering to allow me to 'help' without using any muscle (because I don't have any :)

Snow Thoughts!

Well, we've officially gotten our first snow of the season. It's only a couple of inches, but it's enough to blanket the city in white and it really does look incredible (we'll discuss driving in it in another post :)

The mildly humorous part about this is the other day Cory and I had the following conversation:

Me: "In holiday movies or TV shows, it's always snowing at Thanksgiving. Where do those people live? The movies/TV shows are made in Hollywood where it never snows. Why do 'they' assume everybody up north experiences white holidays? It rarely snows here at Thanksgiving, but on TV it's always snowy."

Cory: "It's possible to get snow here at Thanksgiving."

Typical Cory response. Limited to as few words as possible to make his point. And he made it. So, here we are with snow at Thanksgiving.

But it really does make me wonder.....how did the holidays come to be associated with snow? In Australia it's summer. Does Santa (or Satan as my niece so lovingly refers to him) wear board shorts? Does he have reindeer? Inquiring minds want to know!

Cory Boy!

I asked Cory what I should blog about and he said, "how cute your husband is." So, for your enjoyment, or amusement, whichever. Be entertained!

Giving Thanks!

It should go without saying that I dearly love my family and hope I do not take them for granted. But what about the little things in life? Those little luxuries that make life more enjoyable, and make the day to day routine a lot more pleasant? In 15 days we'll be sitting around a table with family and friends sharing what we're thankful for, so I wanted to get a head start with a list of 15 THINGS (not people) I'm thankful for:

1) The internet! I'm a research hog and I use it for everything. Just tonight I needed a one minute timer and was too lazy to go upstairs, so I just googled 'online timer' and voila, before I knew it I was counting down a minute.

2) Sharpies! No permanent marker writes as deep, dark and flawlessly as a Sharpie.

3) Automatic ice makers! I drink a lot of water, and I like it icy cold. So after many years of filling (and spilling on my way to the freezer) those stupid little plastic trays, I am oh so grateful for my automatic ice maker.....p.s. I think mine's on steroids because it makes a ton of ice!

4) Multi-ply toilet paper! If you think this sounds ridiculous, visit a restroom with single-ply paper. It's the scourge.

5) Fleece! It's wintery around these parts, so it made the list. But seriously, is there anything more delicious than the feel of a soft, fluffy, fleece, pick one....sweatshirt, jacket, vest, robe, etc.?

6) Silicone bakeware! From spatulas to muffin pans, it comes in a wide array of colors, can handle temperatures over 500 degrees and allows baked goods to pop out like they were self propelled.

7) Post-It Notes! No matter how much electronic capability I have within my reach, nothing reminds me of a priority better than a brightly colored 3 x 3 piece of paper stuck to my....again, pick one......mirror, microwave, refrigerator, computer, etc. :)

8) Facebook! Sure, this could probably fall under 'internet' but it's my list and I wanted it to be it's own category. Could I live without it? Sure! Should I live without it? Probably. Do I plan to live without it? No. I love having a super quick glance into the daily lives of my friends and family. From seeing the latest pictures of their twinkly-eyed offspring, to learning what they're doing at that precise moment, to realizing how frustrated they are with the salesperson who won't take no for an answer, it's a phenomenal way to stay instantly connected.

9) Target! It’s my happy place. I’m always in the mood to go there and I rarely leave empty-handed.

10) Fur-trimmed apparel! I’ll admit it, I pet the cuffs on my coat and the collars on my vests.

11) Notecards! I have a pretty nice collection of them. It’s a quick, thoughtful way to convey my feelings. And who doesn’t love getting mail?

12) Gum! I’ve considerably slowed down my chewing, but I still love a good piece of gum, especially bubble gum.

13) Blueberries! They’re a powerhouse! A super food. They’re especially good when they’re dipped in caramel; even if it does take away from the nutritional value.

14) Magnets! I love them. Whether they’re the glassy little gems you stick on your metal bulletin board, or the rare earth magnets that can secure a small child to the refrigerator door, they’re fun.

15) Hairspray! I’m guessing this one doesn’t need any explanation.

Happy Thanksgiving!