She needed a face lift….

I am loving this beautiful fall weather we are having in St. Louis this year but not enjoying it on my patio too much these days.  My table is a wreck and it makes me cringe every time I walk out onto our deck.  For some reason the legs held up nicely but the top is all worn and rough.  I couldn’t stand it any longer.  Today I had to take action.  I ran down to my basement and dug through my paint.  I decided on Annie Sloan’s Duck Egg Blue.  Then I gathered my supplies and really didn’t put a whole lot of thought into it.   This is a picture of my ugly table before

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This chair shows exactly how nasty the table looked.

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I DID wash the table first.  It was filthy.  Those who know me know that I HATE prep work……yes, even cleaning a piece off.

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After the table was cleaned and dried I applied two coats of paint.  NO PRIMER and NO SANDING.104103

I allowed about 2 hours dry time.  It didn’t take very long because it is sunny and quite warm in St. Louis today.

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Next I grabbed a few lanterns and this cute basket of balls my sister gifted me with the last time she was in town (Thanks Kim)!

I did NOT apply wax to this piece.  You are not supposed to apply any wax on outdoor furniture.  The heat will make a mess of it.

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I am happy with the way it turned out.  Now off to make some iced tea and enjoy my new table!

Peace!

 

 

Love, Football, and Home Improvement

A long time ago, when we were dating, hubby took the time to explain football to me. This is a smart man. 20+ years later, and he has a built-in football buddy. Last Thursday he texted me that our hometown team the Rams would be playing that evening. I replied, “Awesome!” Dinner and then bonding in front of the tv. 

We settled into the recliners. Dog started sniffing around. Dog wanted a walk. Hubs got up and took him. Came back silent — that’s not good. And. . . football night in America. . .ruined. Of course hubby was mad about more than walking the dog. The dog’s walk must have given him time to think about all the things he was mad about. 

The next day I decided to look into The 5 Love Languages. I heard about these from my smart sister but thought I’d have to read the whole book and somehow persuade hubby to read the whole book to make use of them. Sigh. Two seconds of internet research turned up this: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/, the 5 Love Languages Quiz. 

Turns out that my “love language” is Acts of Service. I do things for people to show them my love. I do, and I do, and I do. I clean for them, I cook for them, I shop for them, and woe to them if they don’t notice! Sometimes I get sad when I realize that no one has done anything for me lately. I don’t want gifts, just a little help. Not that I need the help; it just shows me how much you love me! 

Met hubby for lunch with my new-found knowledge. Talked him into taking the quiz. His love language is . . . you’ll never guess. . . Physical Touch. Yes, I know. The Love Languages guy, Gary Chapman, is some kind of genius for stating the obvious and making a bajillion dollars for it. Anyway, something clicked for us. 

Last night, during Monday Night Football, hubby was in the garage. . . helping me paint the dining room chairs. Love, Football, and Home Improvement. A holy trinity for a Monday night.