What have I been doing?

Well, I've been not posting. I'll show you why.

When my parents came over Christmas, my Dad and I started on the piano that's been on my to-do list for about... 4 years. Now we have a garage to do it in. My dad removed all the old 'ivory from the keys, and glued on new 'ivory'. The keys are beautiful. We took apart all the pieces of the piano that can be taken apart. Sanded down everything to bare wood. Filled in all the millions of little dings and big dents. Filled in the bald spots where veneer should be. (My dad is a genius with bondo style wood filler.) Then we hung up the pieces so we could spray them from every angle, taped off the piano, and every warm enough day, I'm out painting and sanding.

I'm to my fourth coat, and boy has there been a lot of sanding. The wood has really big pores, and I didn't prime (thanks a lot Lowe's paint guy who reassured me I wouldn't need to) so with the gloss paint I'm using the grain shows through easily. I'm having a love affair with my new paint sprayer.

However, what to do on the many days that are below 45 degrees?

Play in the snow.

Help organize a tri-ward service project making hospital gowns (among other things) for Operation Smile.

Finish those chairs I've been wanting to finish for almost a year.

Do you know that really big clamps, brand new cost about $50 each! Luckily, my thrifty brain thought up the idea to keep the clamps really clean, with the tags on and return them to Lowe's after I was done with them. Take that Lowe's-with-the-bad-paint-advice!

Looking at those chairs should give me enough umph to finish the last two (hopefully) coats of paint on that piano + fix all the failing inner workings - Paul to the rescue. He does all the technical stuff on my projects. I do all the tedious and beautification work. Such a good man.

I might try to tackle that cute little damaged wood side table next to the chairs if I need a little pick-me-up. I can't decide how to paint it. What do you think?

High gloss yellow.

High gloss orange. I think the high gloss, bright color options will make it more fun and shorten it's time that I love it, but it was $10, and I'm thinking I'd like to make it pop.

A little safer option. Bright color still, but old-ified a little to make it a little less glaring.

Safe, safe. But maybe it's the best. It's more versatile. I can move it to a different room later when we move if we want. I'll probably use it longer. Let the curtains and the pillows be bright delightful colors.

Opposite the chairs I'll have a white or off-white couch. That's still to be done. And adjacent a glossy white piano. Yellow painting, other goldiness in the room. Bright throw pillows to follow in still undetermined colors, but I'm planning on bright patterns. I love Anna Marie Horner. I'm strongly leaning toward this fabric to be on at least two pillows and being my color guide in the accent colors with this predominantly blue and white room.

Opinions?