but first, let me paint a table

For my first project back in this game the plan was to do something easy, something attainable, something quick. So for my first order of business I settled on spray painting a bistro table for our backyard. It seemed like the logical first step in a yard that desperately needs mowing, massive weeding, garden beds, a new fence, a deck, a walkway that isn't broken or overgrown with grass. Because who would notice all those minor details when they have a bitchin' cute table to look at?

But here's the thing, you can't spray paint around a baby. And as my days lately consist of time spent almost exclusively with a near one year old, the process wasn't as easy or quick as I had hoped. In fact, what I intended as a two day project (with most of that time spent allowing paint to dry) became a week long venture done in many, short increments. Live and learn.

Here's the table in its uninspiring before state. Dingy and dirty but not entirely terrible, just blah. After a quick wipe down it was ready for paint (and new seat covers, but that will have to be a project for another day).

And here it is after. Just a few coats of blue Lagoon spray paint, pieced together during baby nap times throughout the week, and the table was lookin' pretty good. But, I was a little bored. I mean, spray paint a table, biiiiig deal. The table's purpose needed an upgrade too. And then as I was falling asleep one night, I realized: it could be a game table. It has to be a game table. Because someday, when my backyard resembles more of a livable space (for humans, as opposed to the forest creatures who currently enjoy its unkempt state) I am probably, hopefully, going to want to spend time out there.

As it turns out, purchasing chalkboard spray paint gave me a chance to practice another goal I have for all my future craft endeavors: follow the instructions. I am not very good at doing this. Because I like results. Fast. And in the past have regularly cut corners to just get a project done. So this time I read the instructions. And followed them. Almost. I applied the first coat. And waited the required time to do the second. And then I waited a bit more. It said to wait 48 hours to coat the area in chalk to ready it for future use. But. 48 hours is a lot of hours. So I compromised. And assured myself it was warm enough out, so surely it would dry faster. Maybe 48 hours turned into 4. Whatever man. At least I followed the instructions to chalk the whole area, which is a step that I would have skipped when I was young(er) and foolish(er). And now it's done. And I love it. And I get to share it with you.

I can just imagine sitting outside on a cool summer evening playing tic-tac-toe, hangman, or my own personal favorite...

So, please, feel free to come over and hang out in my backyard with me. Ignore the to do list yet to be started and we'll debate important life issues over lemonade. Like if you're meant to marry Bieber and have 143 kids while living in shack on Jupiter.

mischief of one kind or another

About three years ago I started this blog. And almost exactly three years ago, I stopped this blog.

I had plans to revamp the garage in our rental house, clear out all the junk and turn it into a usable rumpus room (all the while chronicling it for your viewing pleasure). The garage needed some serious attention in the form of cleaning, organizing, painting and furnishing. I liked the prospects of the space and was enjoying the beginning stages of the process when I hit a pretty awesome snag in the plan.

I got knocked up.

And suddenly the lifting of boxes, deep cleaning of the concrete floor and painting of the walls seemed a little less desirable in my condition. So I opted for lounging around watching Oprah's final season (crying) while eating Hawaiian pizza instead of manual labor. I assumed (wrongly) that I would get back to the project in due time. But our baby Oliver died. The garage became the place where his toys were bagged up, his cosleeper boxed and stored in the rafters. And though it was cleaned within an inch of its life and organized by family who desperately needed an activity in the grief stricken aftermath, it was definitely not a room I wanted to be doing any rumpus-ing in. So I forgot about it. And this blog too.

Life kept going on, of course, as it tends to do. We got pregnant again. We bought a new house and moved. We gutted the floral and glittered walls down to the studs and spent four months renovating it back to livable conditions. And I was so busy choosing bathroom fixtures and paint colors and ceiling fans that I never even thought to write about it.

But here's the thing about renovating 1652 square feet in four months: you miss a few things. Or leave a few things unfinished. Or rush into making choices because your contractor tells you he needs your final decision by 5pm...and it's currently 3pm. It turns out that even when you are "done," there are still a lot of things to fix, and finish, and change.

So I'm back here, three years and a couple of lifetimes later, ready for a project. And though there's no wild rumpus room here, there's definitely mischief of one kind or another. There's a jungle of a backyard to tend to, crown molding to install, backsplash to tile, rooms that need the final decorative touch. (And lots, lots more. Trust me. I made a list.)

And I will be documenting each project for you, one wild thing at time.