Sunday, September 1, 2013

Yellow china cabinet

Sometimes I have no plans for the day, but then I find a new piece of furniture or a project around the house comes up and I am busy all day. 
On Friday I drove home from work and a few doors down when I turned on my street I saw someone had put a china cabinet on the curb, so I hurried home and told Chris, of course he rolled his eyes and said yes he had seen it, but had hoped someone else would have picked it up before I saw it.  Wow he knows me too well.
So we get in the car and drive down and he helps me get it.  We have recently downsized cars from a mini van to a small SUV, and Chris had hoped that would mean no more chance of big pieces of furniture coming home, but as this was on our street I could just drive on back home with the trunk open.

I will say the cabinet was not a fine antique, or in perfect condition.  One of the doors on the bottom was broken, but I still liked the style and size of it, and I knew even if I couldn't make it work I could at least give it away to someone else who could use it.

The green was not bad, but in searching google images for "painted china cabinet" my favorites were the yellow ones, so I went and bought a sample can of pretty yellow paint.  I decided to leave the inside green for now, I thought the books and china looked good against a dark color.



 
To solve the broken door problem I just took out the panels (they were just thin plywood), as the bottom shelves I wanted to use for book shelves anyway and I didn't mind it being open.  I could get more glass panels made later on.

 
Trash to treasure, I think so!  Not bad for just $6 for the little can of yellow paint and a days painting.
 
This is my second free china cabinet, I also have this one I painted gray.
 
The one little china cabinet I paid for is more space for collecting.
 
I'm thankful for a patient husband who puts up with me for bringing this junk home, usually he is surprised with the way things turn out in the end.
 
 
TDC Before and After

Sunday, August 18, 2013

San Francisco

Earlier in the summer we were lucky enough to go to San Francisco for a few days.  Chris had to go for a conference, and he did some sight-seeing with us, but the kids and I got to have a great time in this city. 
The first thing we did after getting off the plane was to go to the PEZ museum, for the PEZ collector in the family.
 
 




 
Then on into the city and to the Golden Gate bridge.







 
 And to our hotel, fun for our family to stay in a nice old hotel, makes a change from our usual Holiday Inn Express type.



 
That evening we walked down to Chinatown.

 
And some sights for the main reader and writer in the family.  Jack Kerouac Alley:


 
Poet's chair in the City Lights bookstore







 
On day 2, Chris went to his conference and the kids and I took a bus tour around the city and were able to get on and off at a few places.
 
What happens when your 12 year old takes hold of your Iphone, you end up with a lot of self portraits.


 
Alcatraz and the bay



The sea lions at Pier 39, so much fun to watch
 
piano stairs



 Alamo square park

 Union square
 
Lunch at the cheesecake factory




 
these steep hills gave us a workout


 
 Another trip over the Golden Gate bridge that evening




At the Sutro baths park overlooking the Pacific Ocean

 It was COLD!


Breakfast the next day:
and trolley ride
 
We went to the Wax museum, and I've already shared to many pictures so I figured I didn't need to add any from there.
The last little thing the kids and I did was drive around Golden Gate park and out to Lands End Park

 where it was beautiful, but cold, so we ate our Subway lunch in the car, then back to the city, we picked up Chris from his conference and back to the airport.

 
 
Home to Texas, where we were home for about 24 hours until we packed up to New Zealand for 5 weeks.....
More to come on that later.