Project in Process - Adirondack Chairs

Not the most challenging project I've ever done, but fun nonetheless. I have four plain pine chairs, and I thought it would be best to stain them before the (admittiedly pathetic) winter comes. A nice coat of sealant will keep them in good condition.

Before I started staining the chairs I grabbed some sandpaper, because when pine gets wet the woodgrain rises and roughens. To keep the chairs feeling nice I sanded the grain of the chair arms back to smooth. Next I laid out plastic and gathered my supplies including the chairs. It shouldn't take more than a gallon of stain to finish all four chairs. I chose a tinted sealant in hopes if mimicing the color of our ipe deckwood. I found an old plastic container and a decent paintbrush, decanted some sealant and got started. I figured that beginning with the chairs upsidedown I could later fix any drips or blemishes.

I didn't realize how many nooks and crannies adirondack chairs contain. Just when I thought I had finished the underside, I would spot a bare patch on the side of a slat. The project is going to take me longer than I originally anticpated, but that's alright because I like how it's looking!

I will post final photos when I get them all done.

But I don't feel old

Why is it that I didn't, with any ounce of my being, consider going out to the bar before 10 pm. And now? Here it is 9:38 and I've served dinner and hostessed a full evening of food, drinks and fun and I'm going to bed!

Farmers' Market in Oceanside

When I woke up yesterday morning, I didn't feel healthy. When I don't feel well I usually try to find something in my cupboards to make me feel better. Yesterday, we had nothing. No healthy food, no milk, no vegetables, no bread.

I decided I needed to change that. I jumped in the shower, threw on some clothes and hopped in the car. I knew where I could find some good eats, the Oceanside Farmers' Market. Every Thursday morning, the city blocks off a section of street next to City Hall.

It's a small but well stocked farmers' market. There's a fish monger, people selling handmade wares and always quite a few vendors with beautiful flowers. The bouquets previewed the season with rich autumnal palettes.

They were pretty and tempting, but I wasn't at the market for flowers. I went searching for color in other places, like this vegetable stand. I bought two bunches of the beets. I can't wait to cook them tonight.

I also picked up some swiss chard that I think I'll wilt with some garlic.

I had my evening menu all planned, but my neighbor stopped by and invited us to the nighttime version of the Farmers' Market. It's more food related than the morning event. There were interestingly exciting booths, like Kebabistan

and Animal Pretzels. (?)

As good as those sounded, we enjoyed some (maybe not the healthiest) lobster bisque while we listened to the band and hung out with our new friends.

Happy Birthday Emily

It's here! Finally my calendar is correct!

Today is new mum Emily's birthday! (Is she going by mum or mom?) Enjoy your day!

Pink

It takes every ounce of my being not to write the title to this post as, PINK! PINK! PINK!!!!!!. I love pink. I think it is just so exciting. I don't know where this obsession came from or what day it began. I didn't even realize I liked pink as much as I did until I received some hot pink kitchen trays from my mother-in-law one Christmas. I remember being dumbfounded as to why she chose pink trays for me as opposed to any other color of the rainbow. She simply said, "Because you love pink."

I didn't argue with her. But that day has always stuck out in my mind as the day I realized that I do, I love pink. It's insanity.

Alright, maybe it's my purse collection that's insanity, but I love the pink backdrop Thomas chose for my wall of purses. If I could, I would use pink in every room of the house. But since there's a man that lives here I stretch my color palette and discover pink other places in the world, like this sunset in La Jolla last evening,

the fuschia from our wedding,

and the Lola's slurping tongue.