two started projects are truly not enough

The last week I did not really sew a stitch. I did not have the time nor neither was I really in the mood. It didn't stop me from started several more projects and having a few little ones just waiting to get fixed. But my biggest fixing project is in the works and my laptop is mailed of to repairs. Just because of two little keys not functioning. Perfect timing. Right on the last days before my original warrenty is running out. Now I switch between the old slow desktop PC to get my college work done and printed and Leland's notebook to be able to upload pictures.

- Luckily you don't get to see the stove top -

 Inbetween we did a fixing up job on the house and got a new stove. This old one here is I bet as old as the house. 20 years and counting. Already sparking. Burning everything in the oven in the back and from the bottom and not getting the front baked and it's plainly a mess. It's sitting in the garage now. Until we figure out what to do with it.

After having the new stove sitting in the middle of the kitchen it was still necessary to remove several pieces from the kitchen built-in to get the new one in. That did take some time.

While the previous installer's did a master's job on the 220 plug there is gaping hole in the kitchen wall. Of course curious Antonio has to stick his nose inside and if possible sneak all of himselfl inside if I did not catch him in the last second on his back paw. I had no intention on making a bigger hole just to get the kitten back out.

I let Leland use his carpentry skills to cut and saw and whatever else he had to do to make a dusty mess and to get the new stove fitting in PERFECTLY. We still have an old kitchen, but it is already looking up.

The saw dust and mess is gone again and the kitchen will be open for cooking and baking again as soon as I figure out all these buttons.

Soren is sporting his "new table"

Last November we replaced Chiara's little table and chairs with an "old" desk and chair for her room. So Soren in herited a pink table woth  brown and white dots. Perfect size. Not so perfect color in daddy's opinion. Soren loved everything pink for a long time, no wonder with two sisters, after a while it changed to blue, even he calls everything PURPLE. He is also the biggest fan of AIRPLANES.

So just in time for his birthday I finished his table and chairs which his is showing off tonight for a picture on company of Giggly Lion.

I truly expected just to use the two blue spray cans I got and be done, but nope, I got back to the acrylic paints and paint brushes and  went all from there. It works just better for me. But best of all  Soren likes it and that's all that count.

the secret project

Chiara has a little table with two chairs in her room painted pink with white and brown dots. Perfect size for Soren. Perfect color for Soren. lol. But it truly is a little bit too small for her. So after I was clueless for a birthday present for her I came up with the idea for a desk. I looked around for a small desk, a cute desk, something that I liked and she would love and  that also fit in my budget. Nada. Nix. Niente. I even checked at Ikea and I truly love that store, but there was just not the right desk even the bookshelf and dresser she has had a fitting desk - but it look weird with skinny legs. On our way back from Austin there is only one little town between Austin area and Kempner. Florence. And passing the main intersection and the traffic light there, Karin called 'Look over there, there is a little desk'. Of course I already passed, but with all the squared planning of roads here we were quickly back at the little antique store "Cowboys & Angels" and at the corner of the intersection was standing the perfect sized desk. We looked at each other and a moment later it was mine. Brown, dirty, ... and it fit right in my trunk.

We hid it in the shed under an old carpet for a few days and on Monday when the girls were back at school we we got it out - on the coldest day of the month -  and set it in the sun in front of the garage. And yeah, we got to play with Leland's toys. lol. The ones I usually should not touch. He doesn;t trust me with any powertools besides my sewing machine. But we had one manpower help. He got the manual sandpaper.

We pretty much used every scrap of sandpaper up we could get our hands on and every bit of paint was gone by the time we were done.

Even we were dirty from top to bottom covered with dirt and dust and the next day with paint we got little and big rewards from our little helper with kisses and flowers.

After three days of work the desk lost all the brown paint, got fixed and glued where needed and a coat of white wash. Now it has a new home in Chiara's room and she LOVES it. She got it as surprise for her brithday yesterday and is already working on it every moment she can.

P.S. Thank you Karin for all your help. I don't know if I would have gotten it done by myself if I would have even found it.