Mom, I have something to tell you...

This week, DA and I went to AZ to visit Jake. Arizona, or at least the parts I've seen so far, is covered in red rock and evergreen forests. While we were driving through a redrock canyon, DA piped up from the back seat. This was the conversation that we had:

DA: Mom, I have something to tell you.
Mom: What's that DA?
DA: This is beautiful.
Mom: What is DA?
DA: The world.
Mom: It is, isn't it? Heavenly Father must have loved us so much to give us such a beautiful world to live in.
DA: Yep! And Mom, Heavenly Father would be very sad if we broke it.
Mom: What do you mean?
DA: He would be very sad if we broke the world. Let's not break the world, okay Mom? Does that sound like a plan?
Mom: Sounds good DA.

He was so earnest while he was telling me that it made me laugh and smile with pride at the same time. It also made me want to rush out and champion recycling, go green, and cleaning up the beautiful world we live in. Thank goodness for children who remind us what living is all about.

How I do love it!

I just finished my most recent project and how I do love it! I'm so excited. I didn't get any before pictures, but believe me this thing was not pretty.


It was a medium oak all over with stickers almost permanently embedded in the top.


I saved it from the trash heap and re-finished it. I sanded down the top and removed those stickers with a very little elbow grease thanks to Jake's orbital sander. I then re-finished the top with a beautiful Bombay Mahogany stain followed up with a Dark Walnut stain. It has delicate red undertones from the mahogany stain, and still is in the dark family of wood I love.


I painted the bottom and the legs a fabulous antique white and the contrast looks amazing.


For an investment of $0 for the table and around $20 for the paint and stain I have a beautiful end table and I can say, "Ya, I did that."