A Likely Story and "We" Made It!

Because I am sure all 21 of you really care I can explain my week long bloggy absense...

My modem died.
Again.

(Note to you--Actiontec sucks.)

I tell ya, I don't know why people even had computers before the internet. Thank heaven I still had my phone. AND when the new modem got here I was so impatient that I hooked it up myself. Yeah. I know. I am so great.

Anyways, back the the excuses. I had good intentions. I had a long list of posts I was going to write... and a few of them may still get written... but I have waaay too much to do to allow that much of a back log. So I'm sorry and let's pick up where we left off...


My parents were here over President's Day weekend. They rented a minivan that was so super nice to drive around in and made me want to replace the crap wagon that much sooner... We've started repeating Sam's husband Roon, who keeps telling Sam that they can buy a new car "in two weeks." Which we all know is code for about four to eight months.

While they were here Grandpa helped Dad clean out the dryer vent thing and now my dryer works good as new. Seriously. Buy one of these, they are awesome. Ohh... and make sure that there aren't a bunch of stupid birds building a freaking life in the vent on your roof. Idiots. No wonder it works now.

I also took advantage of Grandma being here, she is fabulously talented. She and I covered the top of the coffee table that she gave me (the one that Dad's parent's brought to us when they came right after Christmas). We did an awesome job. Don't you like how I made it sound like I did anything to help? Sort of like when Dad and I were getting married, and Mom and I were doing wedding stuff. When I said "we" would do something I meant Mom would. So "we" made an awesome cover for the ottoman that used to be a coffee table. I handed her the pieces and the scissors. Until she took the scissors away from me. After they left Dad sprayed painted it for me and then I distressed it and sealed it. And now it has gone from this:

(Please ignore the mess. People actually do live in my house.)

To this:

It is so amazing. I love it. And I was DYING to post some pictures but I had no freaking internet for several days!

If I had tried to make the cover by myself there would have been swearing. And bleeding. And calling Mom. Any buying more material. And crying. Or rather, more crying. I'll admit that after I had it all sanded and started spraying the clear coat on it I may have called Dad bawling because it was crackling. And because I was having a lousy day. It was a hair too cold out to be spray painting. But I was impatient. It all worked out in the end. I sanded the few little crackly spots to let a little of the brown underneath come through and now they totally look like I did it on purpose. Which I did. That whole story about the cold and the crying, that's a lie. 

What can I say? I'm a liar.

Thanks for the table Mom, and for making the cover. She seriously said "Why didn't I do this when it was at my house?"

If you plan to try it make sure that your stapler isn't a stupid wimpy girly stapler that probably should be pink. Or you'll have to spend a couple days freaking out every time your kids touch it because you can just see them tearing gigantic holes in the awesome cover your Mom made, because it's not yet properly hooked to the table top. Seriously. You'll have nightmares about having to make another one. (No worries, it's not going anywhere now.) Don't inhale the scotch guard, that crap stinks. And don't worry that it will smell like that when it is dry, it won't. Don't over sand or you'll have totally intentional spots of ivy green on one of the feet. And don't forget to buy a longer screw for the awesome new knob you bought for the drawer or it'll still be sitting on your desk a week later.