From drab and dirty to fab and fun

I am rather addicted to rescuing old pieces of furniture and making them look new and fresh. I wish I had more time to go looking for potential makeover pieces, but I don’t. It’s probably a good thing because there is a very small workspace in my basement in which I can tackle these projects. So, I do them one at a time.

 There are SO many people who are also into this hobby and are making a living off of it. I do it for fun. I have sold two desks and have another finished. The money is going into my “new house fund.”

 I like to find chairs to go with the desks I do, too. I happened to have a morning free to go to a Kids’ Consignment sale and on the way home stopped at Front Porch Antiques. I hate to offer less than the asking price for things, but I wanted this chair (and another one). This one was priced $5 and the other one was not priced. I only had $7. They didn’t accept credit and I forgot my checkbook. So, out of necessity I asked and he obliged. I threw in an extra 25 cents to truly empty out my wallet. I am too honest, I guess.

I forgot to take a before of the desk, of course…but you can see the transformation of the dirty, dusty chair into something clean and crisp. My favorite part is probably choosing the color schemes. I love seeing it all come together. I don’t love this fabric as much as I thought I did at first, but it will work.  

Reintroduction of myself

I started this blog almost 6 years ago. I haven't kept it up as much as I would like, but I am still here!

It's funny how it started....click here if you want to know.

But in 6 years, a lot has happened.

I am still a wife, thank God. Thank God that my husband and I are committed to this crazy journey because it's not easy. But I am a totally different kind of wife. I am working toward being less selfish in my relationship and learning that love truly is a choice, an action...not a feeling.

I still love to cook and bake...I just don't get to go it as often as I would like.

I still love to exercise outside, but have moved my pursuits inside because the YMCA has childcare. I bike and run, just now how I used to. Swimming hasn't happened in quite some time.

I still love to make things new from old things and tackle projects around the house, it just happens a lot less frequently and in smaller doses.

I still love to bargain shop, but am definitely not opposed to spending a lot of money (oh say $88) on a pair of jeans that make my mom body feel like a rock star who might still have some shape.

What else is different is that I now run a household of one dog, two cats and two children. I am home with the kids full time until August when they will be 3 years old and 9 months. Holy hell....what a wake up call. I always thought of staying home with your kids as a relaxing vacation. Um, no way. I forget to make dinner, I neglect cleaning, I nap at random times, I sleep in chunks of 2 hours at a time, sometimes I spend money on things for convenience and saving time, I can't remember the last book I read, my craft projects are piling up on Pinterest and I am not sure I will ever get to them all, my car is always dirty, my clothing style is now mom casual, I am addicted to the slow cooker, there is dog hair on everything in my house including my 6 month old, I have really old leftovers in my fridge and I often forget to take out the trash.

My life is a crazy, beautiful journey. I have learned to be real, to air my imperfections with pride and work on making them better. I have learned to forgive, forget, reforgive and reforget. I have learned that my life isn't a magazine cover and I don't have to be perfect. I just have to be me. And, I love that. I love tackling projects and learning new skills. And I hope this blog continues to be inspiration for its small readership as well as a way for me to chronicle my progress of being just a Mrs. Ordinary!  

Mother's Day

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. Some days, I can't even believe I am a mother. I mean, really, what qualifications do I have? I still feel 21 some days...well, until I look into the mirror and see the grey hair from stressing over caring for my children in the best way I know how. I see smile lines from giggles and tickles with my adorable daughter who knows how to melt my heart. I see dark circles under my eyes from sleepless nights with my 6 month old son who just can't figure out how to make it through the night without me. I see worry and fear. I worry I am doing this job ALL wrong. I worry that I have embarked on a journey that I wasn't meant to take, because I couldn't handle it or that I was meant for something else. I worry that I am not a good example or that my mistakes will ruin my children. I lose my patience. I lose my cool and sometimes I lose myself.
But I chose to have my children. No matter how hard things get, I will never, ever regret having them. They are a joy. They are a blessing. They are meant to be here.
There are days I want to stay up later, sleep in, go to the bathroom alone, eat a meal without worrying I will accidentally take a bite of baby food, shop with an empty cart, leave the house with NO bags, get dressed without worrying about baby spit up, go on a day trip without packing a pump or do what people without children do. But when I didn't have children and could do all of those things, I was really missing out. I didn't have little partners in crime. Or someone to read me bedtime stories about the huntsman who stole all of Snow White's headbands. Or that toothless smile that greets me through the crib bars in the morning. I didn't have a reason to rush home at night. I didn't have a reason to buy tons of little tiny clothes and toys and books. I didn't have someone to grab my face kiss my nose and tell me that they loved me and that I am the best mom that she's got. I didn't have someone to nuzzle into my chest and gaze up at me like I was the world's most awesome creation and there was no one else like me. I didn't have someone to tell me that my outfits were pretty or that I needed to brush my teeth. They are honest and non judgemental. They love me unconditionally (for now) no matter how bad I screw up. (and man, have I truly screwed up).
My kids make me feel beautiful and wise and loved and cherished and honored. They make me cry and scream and shake my fists and question my sanity.
They have given me the highest highs and the lowest lows I have ever, ever experienced in my 32 years.
So tonight on a Saturday night when I used to find myself out on the town, I crawl under the covers, say a prayer for their little lives to stay safe and innocent for as long as they can. And I thank God profusely and profoundly that he allowed me to be the mother to two of his most perfect creations.

One of a kind desk chair

I must get better at taking the BEFORE pictures. Because, this one would have made for a great before and after. I pick up pieces of furniture wherever I come across them. Knowing this, my stepdad unloaded this when he saw the back of my pickup truck already full… I am sure he thought, “what’s one more chair?” A scratchy blue fabric covered the chair and it sat in my basement. I probably could have sold it on Craigslist for $5 or maybe for $2 at a yard sale, but then I came across a tutorial on Pinterest on how to redo an office chair. And what seemed impossible, became very probable.

                Making old items new is really just about taking apart something someone made and making it your own.

Materials:

Old Office Chair

Upholstery Fabric

Padding

Batting

Staple gun and staples

Screwdriver

Pliers

Directions:

1. Remove the back and seat. First you have to inspect the chair and see how it is put together. This chair had something weird going on (the back was fastened with a bolt and a screw).  However, it should be as simple as removing the oval shaped do-dad with a screwdriver. Flip the chair over and remove the seat portion. It might be screwed on or bolted on. If you need help, ask a husband or dad…that’s what I always do when I hit a roadblock. Then, I have learned for the next time.

2. Take off the old fabric. This part can cause damage, to your hands! You just have to tackle the staples. I did this while watching TV and a few times when I wasn’t paying attention, I grazed my hand with the screwdriver and drew blood. I tried to loosen the staple with the screwdriver by wriggling it under, and then pulling it out with the pliers, or some combination of both.

3. Replace the fabric and padding. I cut a piece of fabric and batting about 4 inches around all sides for both the back and seat. I did this to be sure I didn’t mess up and waste this expensive fabric. (Purchased from Fabric.com, because it was MUCH cheaper than the local fabric box store.) I cut a piece of padding to match the one that I took out. You don’t have to replace the padding if you want to save money, but it sure will be more comfortable. Then, you place seat piece down, the padding, the batting and then the fabric and kind of wrap it like a present. If this doesn’t make sense, just pay attention as you are taking apart the chair and it will make sense.

4. Staple the new  pieces to the chair. This part is something I have to practice. It’s very hard to get it very stretched and make the corners right. I just really, really worked with until I felt like it looked good. It still could have been better, but hey…it was my first shot.

5. Reassemble the chair. Voila. It’s your new awesome office chair.