It Can't be THAT hard

...says the sucker who's never done it before.  And when pricing out two matching chairs for our living room, it became very obvious that I can't afford what I would truly like - I discovered these two treasures at our neighborhood auction.   Ummm - TOO good to be true.  We were sadly mocked by the auctioneer for this purchase at $15 each.  Are auctioneers really suppose to do that?  And seriously - you gotta think that there's some 16 year old in a factory somewhere mass producing these things for $12 an hour - k, actually probably more like $4 an hour...30 years ago.  So really....how could I NOT be able to pull this off??  Well, Ralna,  Sarah Richardson and HGTV have done you a large disfavor, because it is NOT that easy, the fallacy of ease in reupholstering should not be minimized by a three second blip in a twenty minute episode and "Vintage" is NOT always cool.  Propaganda.

But - $40 in fabric for each of them and they are actually incredibly comfortable.  Completely "broken in" back in the '70s when they were bought. :)

I wish I didn't see the many imperfections every time I looked at them....and I wish my children didn't feel it necessary to rub their dirty faces on them on every possible occasion....BUT they shall do.  And I definitely learned from the experience.  It was THAT hard - but I'll probably do it again.

Paradise Island

If I were to be stuck on an island...I may just pick this one...

Construction by Dad and Aaron....

Finishing by Mom and Aaron....

Minwax English Chestnut

Eventual Cleaning/Dusting of the Island.....
                ....I'm guessing that will be me....

And the corbels...also made by my dad.  Yes, he is Superman.

Fencing in the Children.

These....my children.

And thus, penning them in was the first project.  Beyond happy and excited that dear old dad came out to help.  It was ridiculously hot and Dad and Aaron were true troopers - I believe Aaron's lip marks from the hose nozzle have finally dissipated.  It was actually completed last August, but we'll give them post-dated credit! :) Now that the cedar has aged for a year - we can power wash and stain it up.  Anyone volunteering to make a summer vacation of that??

and a few moments later...

Purrdy no?

Our First House.

Here she be...the before.  I'm hoping it will be easy to distinguish from the 'after'.  But it is our first home and it doesn't give it justice to say that we are excited.  Completely terrifying to sign the papers and have a mortgage, but I hear that's what grown ups do.  It needs a lot of love,...but it's ALLL ours! :)