Free Chair – FINISHED!

Remember my amazing curbside find?

Yes, that one. The one that even in its deteriorated state could have been $100 but that I got for free. Well, free except for the ridicule that my hubby and dad gave me until I did a little research and pointed out that it could be an $800 chair once it’s done. That shut them up pretty quick.

So, I reupholstered the seat and the back…

Sanded and poly’d the frame…

And it’s stunning. Woah baby. That’s a sexy chair. And it cost me less than $50 in materials.

Stop Brushing Your Hair - Update

I haven't cut my hair in quite some time. I added some long side swept bangs this last fall, and I cut it... last summer? But that wasn't exactly a cut so much as a shaping. Because, (drumroll please) I'm letting my hair grow out.

Yes. My hair has been touching my shoulders for quite some time now. I haven't had it this long since... once in college, and before that it was 10th grade. I haven't majorly cut my hair since right after Max was born, and he'll be two in June. I took off a little length when I shaped it, but that was to make it less A-line (which looks awesome short and upkept, but not so much long and grown out).

Today is the first day this since fall that I haven't either worn it in a ponytail or blown it straight. I wasn't sure if the waves would come back with the added length and weight, but I was pleasantly surprised - I've got some sexy waves happening. What do they call it? Beach hair? Something like that. I described it to hubby as, "Sexy bedhead waves type of thing." Because I'm specific. It's also really windy today, so it's got an extra messy element.

Brush Clearing - Buckthorn Beware!

I spent a significant chunk of time clearing out the space "behind" our shed. Technically it's to the left side, but that's where the forest begins and where the previous owners threw things, mostly wood scraps. Mind you, I use the term forest loosely. It had been cleared in the last 5-10 years so a lot of crappy shrubs/small trees had grown up - primarily buckthorn, an invasive species around here. I really wish I had done before pictures so you could really see the impact... but you can imagine, right?

See how clear that looks? That was packed with undergrowth up to and overhanging the fence. (the fence goes around the back lawn, keeping the kiddo from making a headlong run down to the gully) All in all I cleared around 250 square feet. Hells yes. I'm so friggen proud of myself.

Good trees versus bad trees: The turquoise arrow points to a maple sapling that will now have a shot at growing up to be a tree. The yellow arrow points to a buckthorn that was too big for my recriprocating saw to handle, so I girdled it and will take care of it later when it's dead. And by I will take care of it, I mean I'll have someone with a proper chainsaw come in to take down the larger trees. Between the two arrows you can see one of the two brush piles I created. My friends are all excited about a bonfire, but I really don't want to deal with that so I'll plant some morning glories on them and calling it good enough.

Oh, and it wasn't just brush - like I mentioned, the previous owner used it as a dumping area. Mostly for scrap wood, but also trash. I came out with a large trash can full. Nasty.

 See the clear-ish area between the arrows? That's the other view of the cleared area. A little harder to see in a photo, but that used to be brush right up to the pile of scrap wood (almost all of which used to be thrown back between those arrows). And I'm not done. <sigh> Thankfully the majority of the remaining work will be just brush and the occasional bit of trash, I shouldn't have to deal with too much more scrap lumber. Though there is a bit of fallen down fencing that I need to deal with, but that requires much more heavy duty wire cutters than I own so I'll have to wait until I can borrow some.

And did I mention that part of my method to remove dead brush was to jump on it? (I didn't want to waste the battery on my saw) Yeah. So I knew I was going to fall a few times, no big deal. I did miss my anticipated landing spot a couple times tho -

L: my side, R: my calf

They look worse than they feel.

Update on Max and Life

Max is feeling much better. He won't be 100% for a couple of months, his lungs were really hit hard so he'll be on inhalers through the spring. Hopefully he can wean off them this summer. His immune system is struggling to get back up and running all the way - so he's caught two colds since we've gotten home. <sigh> Slowly but surely we'll get there.

We've had a heat wave the last week, so Max and mommy have been playing outside a lot. Max mostly at daycare with the massive amount of toys they have, and mommy with yard work and grilling. Hubby and I split mowing the lawn - I did the small areas and the edges and he did the back yard. Max was pissed because I wouldn't let him use limb clippers, but I gave him a "new" toy bulldozer (that came with the house) so that made up for it. The toy chainsaw from great-aunt L probably helped too!

Even kitty has been enjoying the great outdoors - with his harness and leash. Frankly kitty isn't smart enough to not get hit by a car, so he always travels outdoors with a harness.

Spring Cleaning the Yard

I'm pretty sure we're going to have an early spring this year - not that I'm surprised. It's been a "warm" winter. Warm being a relative term and all.

The migratory song birds are coming back, and the seagulls were making a ruckus this weekend. So, I've decided it's close enough to spring to go ahead and start some yard work.

Yesterday it was warm enough after work that Max and I hung out in the yard for an hour before going inside. He inspected his domain, flung sand, checked on the cold frame (complete with pots and dirt that I didn't put away last fall) and did some swinging. I cleaned up the perennials, moved around a few stones/masonry bits, and pulled up a fence post and its footer that had finally broken down enough that I could take it out in pieces.

My goal for Saturday is to mow the lawn and perennials. Yup. Mow the lawn and the perennials. You heard me right. The phlox bed is just too shaggy, and I definitely left the grass too long last fall. I'll let you know how it goes.

Be Back Soon...

Max will be fine - but he was a very sick little boy last week. He got RSV which seemed to be getting better, but in a very short period of time (as in just a few hours) it settled in his lungs prompting bronchiolitis, pneumonia, and respiratory distress. We spent a few days in the hospital where the wonderful staff took very good care of him. He's going to need an inhaler for a few months, but is otherwise off of medication. Hopefully this won't develop into asthma, but we're keeping a close eye on him.

Needless to say, this has thrown the household into disarray, and frankly the blog is low on my priority list at the moment. I'll try to get back to my posting schedule but it might be a while. In the meantime, I suggest checking out some of my favorite haunts:

A Soft Place to Land
Get Rich Slowly
House of Turquoise
Little House in the Suburbs
Love on the Bookshelf
LuLu Kellogg
Mamie Jane's
maya*made
Nesting Place
WolfSong
www.danamadeit.com

Friday Flashback

Happy Friday
An Adventure Filled Weekend
Seed List 2011 Edition