because I’ve got nothing else today.

BC’s in Cincinnati and we’re in survival mode.

Remember this? Then remember how I tried red spray paint again and I liked it?

Incident one was Krylon brand paint from Walmart. (I know! I know! I go there like twice a year whether I need to or not! And every single time I leave cursing!)

Incident two was Rustoleum brand paint from a home improvement store.

I decided to tackle the filing cabinet last night after the kids were in bed. I (stupidly) bought Krylon. Again. From the Walmart. BC needed deodorant and I only had time to make one stop. They have more color options than the home improvement store, too. And I wanted Apple Green. They didn’t have it (ha!), so I bought orange. I’m impatient. I used an entire can and you could not even tell that I’d painted anything!

This morning I went to the big orange home improvement store and picked up some Rustoleum. In Apple Green. Worked like a dream.

So, is it Krylon that’s crap? Is it buying paint from Walmart that’s crap? A little of both?

What’s your experience?

And because Alissa asked nicely…

I’ve added a picture. I still need to sand a few spots and do a final coat.

Of all the things I make, this is the “recipe” I get asked for the most.

Get some potatoes and cut them into pieces. These potatoes were small, so I cut them in quarters.

Put them in a pot and bring to a boil for 10 minutes.

While they’re boiling, preheat the oven to 250 degrees, melt a stick of butter and get out these 3 ingredients:

Also get out a pan of some sort. 9 X 13′s work great. I usually use the broiler pan that came with my oven. Possibly not this oven, but some oven that I’ve owned at some point in the last 13 years.

Pour the melted butter in the pan. Drain the potatoes and dump them in, too. Then dump a bunch of Lawry’s, dill weed, and Johnny’s on top. Be sure to use more than you think you should. Like this:

Stir it all up and put in the oven. Roast for about 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.

I uploaded some pictures I took this morning…into my July ’09 folder.

It’s not July.

Weird, ey?
My grandpa died last Monday. The funeral was yesterday. I had to lead the singing. BC was a pallbearer. My 3 oldest kids had to sing. Fortunately, my mom and step dad were nice enough to drive 3 hours to come to her ex-FIL’s funeral and wrestle Bennett in the back. He’s in this phase where he shrieks like a pterodactyl every time he gets annoyed. Which is A LOT.

They slept over and today the men installed ceiling fans (that we bought like 2 years ago) in our upstairs bedrooms. It feels infinitely cooler already.

My mom and I kept kids out of the way. And we went thrifting. Man I love thrifting.
I found this filing cabinet on wheels for $15. There were at least $15 worth of hanging file folders inside. I’m going to use it in my sewing room to store patterns, as soon as I give it a new coat of paint.

Any suggestions on the color? Lime green? Orange? Glossy yellow?

more this:

Until 3:25, anyway.

Macy’s first day was actually yesterday, but she hated me and had puffy crying eyes (something about no shoes to go with her outfit). We chose not to document that. So, here’s Keller’s first day of first grade and Macy’s second day of fourth grade.

The decision to put hard wood floors on our main level has got me obsessed with rugs. Especially this little beauty from Anthropologie.

Why must the sizes I’m interested in not be available ’til late September and mid December???

BC took the 3 oldest kids to my parents’ house at Bear Lake on Sunday. That

left me and Bennett and a HUGE list of projects to get done without “helpers”. Since Sunday I…

Decoupaged a letter C

Got completely caught up on laundry, even got it all put away
Had the floors measured for hard woods

Went to Ikea without anyone fighting and bought a blanket chest

Sewed straps on a swimsuit for a neighbor

Cleaned Macy’s room

Cleaned the boys’ room

Sanded the piano

Had breakfast with a friend

Assembled the blanket chest

Cleaned out and organized the linen closet (with baskets!)

Painted the bathroom

Removed all out of season/wrong sized clothing from all 3 boys’ closets

Cleaned the grout in my kitchen dining area (thanks for your help, Nat!)

Cleaned Bennett’s room

Took 3 garbage bags full of crap to D.I.

Went to Back to School night

Had dinner with friends

Cleaned my room

Changed out the light fixture in the powder room

Cleaned and polished about half my kitchen cabinets (so close!)

Cleaned the playroom

Cleaned my sewing room

and

finally

just this afternoon

Painted the piano.

Don’t look too closely. It still needs major touching up, but I FREAKING LOVE it.

Got an ugly bath bar light fixture like this?

Yours might actually have all the bulbs in working order, but mine doesn’t. Just keepin’ it real, folks.

My neighbor was over the other day looking at paint swatches with me and she suggested I paint the one in my Seuss-y bathroom. I figured it couldn’t hurt and even if this project was an epic fail I’d only be out the cost of a can of spray paint.

So I went for it.

I took the fixture down and gave it a couple coats of glossy red. (I know, I know! I swore I’d never do that again. But I did. And I liked it.)

Then I made a template for the flat part on the top. I used wax paper because that’s what was in the drawer behind me. Plus, I liked that I could see through it.

I used the template to cut a piece of fabric (leftovers from the towel project). Then I carefully glued the fabric to the light fixture, working from the center out. Make sure not to stretch the fabric and to only apply the glue to the flat part. I used Mod Podge.

Once that was dry I flipped the light fixture over and cut each circle into eighths, like an asterisk. I folded those sections to the back and glued them down.

Then I did a final thin coat of Mod Podge on top of the fabric only.

Final result?

I’m painting my piano.

Leaning towards the color on the left. “Watery”. The one on the right is “Halcyon Green”.

Did you know Sherwin Williams sells sample quarts for $5? You do now.

I saw this and this and this and decided to go for it.