Oh, the horror

I starting putting the piano back together and discovered that I completely missed part of the piano. You see it when the keys are closed. I obviously didn't know that side showed. Ahhhhh!

So, pause all the plans. Not moving in piano this Saturday probably. I haven't actually cried, but I should have. But you can see that it will look really cool when done... in a while, the weather forecast is cold for quite some time, and I'll need to put on at least three coats of pain. I mean paint.

Poop.

Lost tooth

Pulled it out during nap time at school.

I'd like to bear my testimony...

about this soap. Axel's school uniform shirt came out of the dryer with a big ugly grease stain on it. I rubbed it down with this soap, left it over night soapy, washed in the morning, that stain was COMPLETELY gone.

Maggie got antiquing stain all over her pants, shirt, and coat. Fels-Naptha got it out.

I don't want to go as far as to say that laundry is now a pleasure, but I do think, "I wonder if it can get this out?" I feel like I'm on a commercial: (in an energetic announcer type voice) And the stain is gone!

I started making my own laundry soap, not because I'm super green, or because I like no dyes and perfumes, but because I can buy it in bulk and it doesn't take up much room and it works as my year supply while I go through it. There are not many soaps that can double as hand washing soap and washing machine soap, and this does. Plus I do like being green and babying my daughter's eczema.

The recipe:

Equal parts grated Fels-Naptha, Borax, and Washing soda. Use 2 Tbls./load. Really, that's all, and it works.

When I have a really bad stain, like the two examples above, I just rub the soap right on the clothes, and it's taken just about everything out. Blood, I still have to use oxiclean on. Nothing beats oxiclean for getting blood out.

Do you have any stain removing tips?

Today I put on the 6th and, I think, last coat of paint. Saturday, install new keys.

By the way, got this piano for free from some kindly people in our ward. 4 years ago they stood up in church and said, anybody want a free piano? My hand shot up. I'm a sucker for free stuff.

This is my new/old project. I saved this couch from a dumpster about 3 years ago. It's not smelly, it's really sturdy. The wood is a little chipped and paint rubbed, the upholstery is junko, but it's biggest flaw is there's no bottom cushion.

I fell in love instantly. I dragged it out. That took a while to do by myself and not damage it. Then I had to find a truck to transport it to my house, it was at a friend's dumpster, and to add to the head-ache, it started to rain. While driving in a different part of town, there was a random HUGE heavy duty plastic sheet balled up on the sidewalk of a busy street. It was like a sign from heaven from the deceased first owner of the couch who still loved it. I jumped out at the red light (again, how convenient) grabbed the bag, drove to the couch, and covered it, so the rain wouldn't wreck the delicate carving of the wood. Here it is before you. Beautiful.

However, Paul is hoping it exits the back entry soon.
Look at those arms.

Today I removed about 300 little tiny nails holding the upholstery on.

A few funny things from the kids.

While cleaning up near the kids room while Maggie was supposed to be sleeping, but 1 hour later STILL crying, I heard her hopeless voice, between sobs, "I can't do this!"

I read a story to Axel about a moose who fell in love with the most beautiful moose in the forest, not for her beauty, but for her heart. I said, "We love people for their heart, don't we? Do you love Mom because she's beautiful, or for her heart?" Axel answered with a sweet voice and smile, "Because you're beautiful." I didn't correct him. What a good boy.

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?