The Papa Joe Table: Making Memories on Memories

There's nothing like receiving a gift that once served a purpose in someone else's home, especially after that person has passed away (and can you all believe, it's been nearly a year since he's passed?!). Papa Joe's picnic table served a purpose of family gatherings during holidays and even more so, all our birthdays. Lots of memories, lots of wear and tear, and then it settled into my parent's backyard once Grandma and Grandpa found a new table. After Papa Joe died, my dad left that picnic table in their backyard. Unsure what he'd use it for, he tucked it away for a "one day, some day" type of use. Well, that "one day, some day" came over and spotted that gem hiding in the backyard....that someone? It was me. Duh. And although my parents offered to buy a brand new backyard furniture set, I chose this beauty....because there were many more memories to be had with this old guy!

How To Repurpose Moderate Sized Wood Furniture

Supplies

1 electric sander

5 pieces sandpaper (120; for sanding)

4 pieces sandpaper (220; for finishing after the major sanding)

1 can stain

3 packs cheese cloth

1 oil paint brush

Step 1: 

sand your wood furniture with 120 grit sandpaper

Keep sanding...

That's right...keep sanding til you get everything off that you need or until desires smoothness

Step 2:

Once you feel like you've sanded enough, use your 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out 

everything you've just done.

Step 3:

Use you cheese cloth on your entire piece of furniture to get all the gunk off.

Step 4: 

apply your first coat of stain

*tip: dip your paint brush into the stain, skim off one side against the side of the can,

and when applying the stain to your furniture be sure to use the same motion each time

(that's what the guy at Home Depot told me...he said the dummies go back and forth, back

and forth. I didn't want to be a dummy so I did one motion...most of the time ;-) )

all the different textures and colors bring the table so much more character...

one of my favorite things!

I loved the texture and different color it initially turned out with just one coat that I almost considered leaving it this way. However, my mind was absolutely set on having a stained black table...

which brings me to step 5.

Step 5: 

apply your second coat of stain once the first coat is dry

tip: do not do in the heat of the day!

Thanks to my dad for the gift, Papa Joe for the memories, and cheers to the repurposed Papa Joe

picnic table we look forward to using and making more memories with!

♥Cori Lou

Stanley Homefront Updates + 2 Rookie Homeowner Mistakes

The Updates

It's official. We now have a lovely glass door in the basement shower and it's safe to say we will no longer have any water draining out of the bathroom into the basement (the flooring was not sloped well enough into the drain so instead of going in the drain, it trailed out of the shower area and would continue for as long as you showered). The glass maintains the perception of a much larger bathroom than it really is and leaves the bathroom feeling very open.

We are in the process of a new roof. Seriously. As I type, I get to hear the slamming, banging around, scraping, and shingles fall to the ground as they smash my shrubs. Around our house looks like a natural disaster, but thank the Lord it's a man made disaster. Soon enough we'll have a good roof over our heads...By the end of today, the main house should be completed and over the next two days we'll have the single car garage and double car garage finished!

That garden of ours is growing like crazy. We have lettuce coming out of our ears. If you're interested in a salad, please come over and we can have a lunch date. Just wait to come over until the roofers are done, it will be much more pleasant without the noise and the mess.

Ty and I have decided that I am the breadwinner in the home and he gets to be the project king, rat catcher, and house husband for the summers. As I've been busy working, Ty has been busy catching rats that have been eating our garden. I only partly feel bad for the little guy and only because he was kinda cute. On the other hand we now get to enjoy our tomatoes now that he won't be around to eat them all! I apologize ahead of time for the photo, but Ty is excited for his catch...it was like Christmas when he came inside this morning, should've seen his face. Partly disturbing, partly hilarious.

(can I just mention Ty caught him with a piece of bacon...wondering if the rat was paleo?)

We are plugging away at the fire pit area, the laundry space in the basement, and at the basement.

Once we get any one of those completed, you can trust I'll share them!

Rookie Homeowner Mistakes

(don't worry, they're all laughable. nothing too serious.)

1. Do NOT go on a weed & feed frenzy.

I'll be honest, I never read the directions and/or suggestions on the back of the weed and feed bag. Probably why we have the problem we do. I was ready to kill all those weeds in the yard and make our yard grow the most beautiful, lush, green lawn. Little did I know that weed and feeding our lawn so frequently would not only kill those weeds, but kill some areas that would then grow bizarre grass along with mushrooms. That means we are now in the process of killing large areas of the backyard to rid the yard of the junk that's growing back there. Then we get to regrow some new grass. Yay (in the least excited voice I could ever have). Lesson learned. Take our mistake and don't go weed & feed happy or else you'll end up with a bigger mess on your hands.

2. Know your skills. Know your knowledge. 

Know that a little extra money goes a million miles.

We are excited to be homeowners. We are loving all the projects and updates we get to do around here and wouldn't change that a bit. Fortunately and unfortunately, we are a little too eager when it comes to completing projects (mostly me, but that's no surprise). When we found out we needed a new roof, we immediately planned an AMSAP (as many shingles as possible). The whole gang of family and friends were ready for a roof tear off and the roofing company was ready to come in the days after to put a new roof on. When you can save some money, why not do some things on your own, right? Well we had the drop box delivered to our house and set up the scaffolding the day before the planned tear off day...and although we knew the three roofs were steep, we didn't realize they were that steep. So that whole AMSAP, ya, it was canceled. We've decided as homeowners that although it's great to save some money, it's not worth the safety of those helping out. Sometimes the extra cost to have it done is worth more than having giant medical bills from falling off a roof.

Stay tuned for the full garden blog post so you can see how it all came together, suggestions on where to buy the garden decor and boxes, and/or repurposing that wedding decor!

Bring on that sun and enjoy another Friday!

♡The Stanleys