Over the last couple of months I've received emails here and there related to this blog. First, let me say thanks! It's nice hearing comments, especially when they are nice, and even those that are not so nice. Some people actually have offered some useful and constructive criticism, I appreciate that, and you taking the time to offer it. By far, the majority of emails I have received are related to a few photos where my daughter's play kitchen is shown. I respond to these one by one, but recently have received more, so it seemed natural to answer the questions this way for anyone who wants to know.
Here's the story. We made this as a Christmas gift out of a thrift store desk, many thrift store finds, some old fabric, old paint we had sitting around, and some other found odds and ends. Total cost-about $40.00. It was a group family effort that included, me, hubby, my son, oldest daughter, my mom, and hubby's dad--this just makes it that much more special in my mind. Wish I had taken photos of the before and after stuff, but I never even thought to. I'll try and explain from the photos taken this afternoon, don't mind the dents and dings, and the pen or marker spots, we'll touch it up after she outgrows it! She plays with this nearly every day, this kitchen will be three this year and is holding up great!
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| Since I never took photos of the before and after, this is not the desk I used, but is very similar.
It all started with an old kids desk found at the thrift store-I paid $20.00 for it. We removed the hardware, sanded, and painted a nice creamy white on the base and a fun yellow on the drawers.
We got out the acrylic paints and added some super simple little details.
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| These round knobs were picked up in a pack of six in a hardware store clearance bin--we also used them for the stove knobs |
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| These were found in the drawer of the desk--they were brown, which matched the desk. For burners, hubby just cut out some circles of thinner wood, that I painted and then screwed to the top of the desk. Hubby drilled holes for the burner control knobs, he left them a bit loose, so they would turn and he put locktite on the screw so she couldn't pull them out while playing. The sink is a metal bowl, you need one with a rim so it will sit nicely. I purchased this one at a   
The door is just thin plywood, attached and accented with some old kitchen hardware. For the inside hubby used wooden strips, nails, and a piece of thin ply cut to size for the bottom of the oven. The tray is another thrift store find, and old oven tray that happened to be the right size.
 
Another thrift store find, this was brown, so I painted it to match.
A 25 cent thrift store basket. I made a liner using a dollar store dish towel and some ribbon.
Happy girl!
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Warning--you may need a clothespin on your nose for this!
For awhile now, we've been noticing small holes throughout the yard. Along with the holes in the yard, holes began appearing in the barn. Mom has mentioned the distinctive perfume of the little black and white critters in the barn several times. When I say several, I mean a few hundred. It;s kind of hard not to obsess on when you have to smell it several times a day. Skunks have been the topic of conversation quite a bit around the swing lately. We adjusted our feeding schedule for the barn cats. Along with the typical kitty chow, they get leftovers from the fridge or canned cat food. Mom or Austin would typically feed them in the evening during barn-work. Well, since we all know that skunks are active at night, we began feeding the cats their big meal of the day in the morning. Last week one evening, Autumn was visiting the kitties--one moment all was quiet, the next my four year old was a squealing ball of joy. It was like seeing the way teen girls react over Justin Bieber. So funny! Apparently, she saw a skunk come out of the barn and run into the bushes. Squealing and screaming over and over, "It's real, I saw a skunk and it's real!" She has had a strange affinity for these little creatures since about 10 months old. I thought when she was so small, it was maybe because they are black and white. We introduced her to cows, pandas, penguins, etc.... she always chose the skunk! By four years old she has quite a little collection going, it's different and I find it to be endearingly cute. Judging by her reaction at seeing a live skunk, perhaps she thought skunks were like cartoons??? Hmmmmmm...... I am certain you can guess where this post is going, if you've read this blog for awhile, I am sure you noticed the large German Shepard in some of the photos. Yes, Skunk+Sadie=one very stinky dog! Of course, just to add to the fun, she ran through some of the house! If you have never had the honor of smelling freshly sprayed skunk perfume, let me tell you, you are not missing anything worthwhile! It starts with this overpowering chemical smell, this is soon followed by the odor of cut onions times a billion, then you get the well known skunk perfume. It burns the back of your throat, and your eyes water like mad. I can't imagine how Sadie felt with it all over her, poor girl.
The following link is to our local news station and tips about skunks. Jack Hubley, who does these segments is the proud owner of a pet skunk.http://www.wgal.com/news/entertainment/how-do-you-avoid-skunks-peacefully/-/9360122/20579708/-/2ms08uz/-/index.html
The stinky dog!
I've been sick this past week. When I say sick, I do not mean, sniffle, sniffle sick. It seems to have all started with a tonsil infection. Whatever happened next, no one knows, but apparently this first infection triggered several others that migrated through my body in bizarre ways. I ended up with a fever, a swollen tongue, covered with ulcers, and blisters over several parts of my body, and I'll just stop there. You're welcome:) Let me just say it was all extremely painful, and overwhelmingly exhausting. I could not eat, barely drank, could not stay awake, etc, etc..... okay whine over! What happened during this time though was too much time to think. Sometimes this can be a bad thing, this time it was quite to opposite. It made me stop and take notice of the people around me. The ones I see everyday. I often say I am at the wallpaper stage of my life. You know, where unless someone needs something they notice you as much as the wallpaper? That's me--wallpaper. This may be true, but I noticed those same people pitched in to help me. Autumn was played with, put to bed in clean clothes, and kept relatively happy. Believe me when I say, this is no small feat! In fact it took two teens, my mom, and I am pretty sure one of them sold their soul along the way to make it happen! Someone special ran around hopefully chasing cures for me, and made me tea several times daily. (Please, no more tea!:) Another special someone ran out just to get me applesauce and broth in hopes it would help. I realized how nobody had to do this, they did it because they cared enough to do it. They all gave of themselves, inconvenienced themselves, all because they wanted to help me. It's a bit humbling really. I realize how often I am frustrated because I feel overlooked. Am I really? Maybe I am noticed more than I realize--this makes me want to strive to be better just in case. How mad do I let myself get over something trivial? Why--does it change it? Does the time I waste on trying to fix or change something I cannot--is it time well spent? It is amazing to me how we humans can place a wall between us an someone we care for because of one moment of hurt. Sometimes this is necessary for survival--sometimes it is a way to selfishly pout. Hurt can come from so many places. Anywhere from simply ignoring someones feelings to something as deeply personal as a betrayal. It doesn't matter where it comes from, my question is should one hurtful moment erase all good? I can tell you that I have been the cause of more than a few stupid moments where I did not think and ended up hurting someone I cared about. How would I feel if for the rest of that relationship I was judged and rejudged on that one single moment? I've had a wall up between myself and someone very close to me for awhile now. I was hurt, and I wanted to go back to "before." What gets me is that thinking on it, I realize it isn't what happened that hurt me, it was the fear that something changed, that this relationship could never go back. All these months, I've spent dwelling on something that cannot be changed, instead of putting my energies towards repair. After this week, struggling with this illness, I feel ridiculous. When I think on this relationship, there is so much good, there are so many kindnesses--why was I letting one moment hold so much weight against all of the good? When I look at the big picture, this one hurt seems so very small, and certainly not worth throwing away all of that good over. I have been driving myself crazy over this, I feel like a fool, but in a good way if that makes any sense. Sometimes it is good for growing to be smacked in the face with a "knock-it off you foolish crazy lady" experience. Okay....I am done with this...I am over it.....I am a big nerd!
