How to Distress a Dresser

A few years ago, I obtained a mid-century dresser as family hand-me-down. My Uncle Tim didn't have a place for it, and I needed a dresser in my spare room, so I snatched it up. Fast forward a few years, and our new house didn't have a place in our guest room for the dresser, so I decided to use it as a buffet in the dining room. I love it because it givens me lots of linen storage! However, with wood laminate floors and a wood table, I had too many wood finishes and wanted a the buffet to contrast more in the room (see pic on left). So I decided to paint and distress it. Here's how it worked.

First, I roughed up the original finish with sandpaper and removed the hardware. I had to use putty to fill in the holes from the hardware because we changed the knobs. Then, I painted a base coat of yellow paint (leftover from the kitchen) on the dresser. I made sure to have it plenty thick on the edges, because this is where I would be seeing it the most.

Next, I painted the top coat of a brownish-olive color that picks up some of the accents from the rest of the house and the green in the wall color. I did two coats of this. I used enamel from Sherwin-Williams, but next time I think I might try a different type because it wasn't super easy to scrub off for the distressing part.

Finally, I took sandpaper to the dried top coat along the edges and natural wear lines until I had as much yellow showing through as I wanted. I also used a "rough" paintbrush to give it wear on the top and sides since the enamel was pretty hard to distress on the flat surfaces. Sherwin-Williams has these 2-inch brushes for a buck that worked really well for this. 

To finish the piece, we put on new hardware from Lowe's. I didn't want it to look too new, so I rubbed paint over the pieces and then used a dry cloth to give it an aged affect. The knobs and handles were around $1 a piece, and the paint was about $15, so I did the whole dresser for about $25! Nice, right?

Colossal Coaster World VBS

Vacation Bible School was a blast, like always. DABC has quite a few children, and with visitors too, we hit 100 kids on Thursday night! It was an exciting time and I feel so blessed to be a part of it as the director. Everyone that helped, from snacks to games to lessons to music to decorations and everything in between, was incredible. There is always going to be things to do better next time, but I thought it was really a success. We had around 20+ unchurched visitors, and are following up with them now. I thought I would share a few pictures from the week, because they say it best!

Decorations

 

 Staff dinner

 Music

 Crafts

 Snacks

 Missions

 Drama team

 Games

 4's-K class

 Family night

 Our cotton candy makers!

 What a great week!

How to can green beans

Lately I've been canning lots of beans. You can't imagine the nostalgia that this brings about. Except now, I have to plant them, weed them, pick them, snap them, wash then, stuff them in jars, and monitor the pressure cooker all by myself. (Ok, take that back mom did get me started with the first canner) When I was a kid, dad, mom, Beth, me, and Zach all pitched in somehow, and the process seemed less tedious. Still, the work that goes into preserving beans is much more manageable than peas. The thing is, for the amount of pea pods that you pick, not many actually turn out, and it takes a lot longer to shell them! So back to the beans....

To can beans, you should first snap the ends off, in my opinion, and then break the bean into about a 2-3 inch portion so they fit into the jar. Once you have them down to size, you will need to rinse them in water several times to make sure that any dirt is gone. Very important step! Next, I recommend wide mouth Ball canning jars to store them in. Begin to put the beans into the jar, and then use the blunt end of a knife to pack them in as much as desired. (As a kid, we tried to pack them in good to get the most use out of the quart) Put one teaspoon of salt in each jar for flavoring, and wipe the rim of the jar clean of any water or salt.

Meanwhile, fill a stockpot with water and get it boiling. Concurrently, put three quarts of water in the pressure cooker and turn up the heat so it won't take as long to process once you get the jars ready.

In the stockpot of water, place as many lids as you will need into the water, as this helps get the seal ready. Leave them in for 5-10 minutes, then take them out and put them on the jars. Add and tighten the rings to help seal the lids before they go into the pressure cooker. Once the lids and rings are all on, place as many jars as will fit in your pressure cooker. (Mine holds 7 jars)

Place the lid on the pressure cooker. Once you feel steam coming out of the topper, set the timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, place the topper on and watch for the pressure gauge to rise to 15 units. Once it hits 15, set the timer for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it, because you should adjust the burner heat if the pressure goes higher than 15 units. When the timer ends, turn the burner off and wait several hours at least for everything to cool.

Well, that certainly sounds like a long process, and it is in a way, but the more I do it, the faster it gets. The best part is having homegrown beans any time of the year, without all the extra crap that you find in store beans. They last a long time too! I'm pretty sure I've eaten beans from two or three years ago, and they tasted just the same. So it's worth it, for sure!!

Contentment

Sometimes, it is really hard to be content. Or, at least, to be content in all areas. I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately. Let me share some personal anecdotes.

In high school, and into college, I just thought my life would be complete with that special guy in it. You know, that perfect guy that I read about in my teen Christian romance novels (Christy Miller series, etc...) and assorted chick flicks that I watched at slumber parties. That one man would just sweep my off my feet and then my life would be complete!!

Then, after a few years, my husband and I began dating in college. (Check, I had the man). I think there is this six-month period of time when one is just happy at that stage. Then you keep thinking about the next... getting engaged... So we looked at rings, and I waited. All my friends were getting engaged. Hmph! When would it be my turn?

After a few more months, I was engaged. But now my friends were getting married. And oh, wouldn't life just be so much better if I was married already. But we have to wait almost two years till he finished school. By the time I was married, many of my friends had already been married for a year. Still, the newlywed stage held true and we were quite happy for a time.

Boy, wouldn't it be great own instead of rent? I can't paint the rental the colors I want, or change the landscaping much, and the kitchen is so small. Really, I'm sure I could find an affordable house with a better layout and location. Perhaps, a location back home. I'm so far away from home (in California) and I want to get back to Ohio. When will we be able to move back?

Finally, the jobs open up back in Ohio and we move. All our friends have kids. We don't. Is it time? Will having children make our life complete? Our niece and nephew are sure cute. We finally bought a house now, yep, renovated with our sweat and tears. But how great would it be to live in the country? We start a savings account for the "dream house" that we want to build someday for our (yet nonexistent) children to flourish in.

You see, and I'm being as honest as possible, it's so easy for me to be discontent were God had placed me. Yet He says, "godliness with contentment is great gain" in I Timothy 6:6. And isn't one of the commandments not to covet? As well as a host of other verses that I could look up on the topic. I need to find my sufficiency in Christ. I think as a woman perhaps this is even harder. I am grateful, so grateful, that God had given me contentment in many areas of my life. In others, I still struggle to be joyful in the place that I am in. Of course, I don't see anything wrong with working hard to earn a dream, but if you are like me, it can become a distraction and source of discontent if I am not careful. So if I ever seem like I have my head in the clouds on some dream, pull me back down and remind me of all of God's blessings in my life RIGHT NOW!

Our New {Custom} Dining Room Table, Part Three

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. My neighbor Bert is the best!! I posted previously about the start to our table, and below you will see the pictures of how it turned out. It's 8 feet long by 42 inches wide. There's a ton of room and it's great for guests. I really wanted benches also, so he made those too. Perhaps they aren't quite as convenient as chairs for getting in and out of, but they seat so many more and take up less space overall. We can always scoot end chairs up for more seating too. I love how the finish turned out, how the pegs look, and how I can prop my feet up under the table too. It's awesome, huh? (And sorry, but Bert's not making anymore. It was a one-time-only-deal.)

 By the way, those flowers are from my hubby for our 4th anniversary. Sheesh, has it really been four?? It has been a wonderful four years of growing together and experiencing life. I'd be lost without him and his undying love and support!

Zona 78, West Tucson

On vacation a few weeks ago, our innkeeper recommended Zona 78. It's close, and it's Italian, so we said, "Why not?" Little did we know what a treat we were in for!

Zona 78 makes most, if not all, of their cheeses and noodles in house. How sweet is that? Plus, they try to use local produce. It might not all be organic, but they sure seem to be health-conscious to those who are trying to make good choices. Beyond that, the aesthetic value was pleasing. While it's located in a strip of stores, which first made me wonder about the atmosphere, we were greeted at the door and shown right to a seat without a wait. They have a bar area, tables, or booths, whichever your preference. We sat at a booth, and the lights weren't too bright, but they weren't too dim either. (I personally hate it when it's so dark that I can't see the food I'm eating. Read: What are they trying to hide?) Families as well as couples filled the restaurant, and I could quickly tell that it was a popular place, even for a Thursday night.

When ordering, we decided to try their BBQ chicken pizza, by recommendation of our server. We soon found out why:  a thin crust with chicken, crispy bacon, caramelized onions, and fresh mozzarella cheese in perfect combination. We easily ate the whole thing!!

But I get ahead of myself. We enjoyed an appetizer too- Local Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta. They have a different take on it, because the slice the cheese and tomato, and bring out this great creamy balsamic vinegar sauce. It was tasty!!

On our way out, the door was open for us again, and the attendants were very conversational. As we were about to pull away, the manager came up to give us a coupon for a free appetizer when we returned the next time. We explained that we were just vacationing, but really enjoyed ourselves, and left.

Well, well, two nights later, we easily decided to go back. And guess what? The manager actually remembered us and made a point to come to our table and say thanks for coming back. Now that is good customer service, right? I was impressed. So we used our coupon to order the Bianco Pizza, an appetizer, and then split the Rigatoni Bolognese. It was plenty for both of us, and the homemade ricotta was very good. I only wished I lived in Tucson so I could make it a regular stopping point!!

A Growing Garden

My first garden is doing quite well! We put up a chicken wire fence to keep some of the small animals out a few weeks ago, and everything is growing well. It looks even better than this picture that I took a few days ago!

The corn is about three feet tall, and my tomato plants are a little shorter than that. I even have a few blooms on the tomato plants. (Thanks dad for the stakes). My beans are really starting to expand, and I can't wait for fresh green beans!! Oh, it just sounds so good! And my peas are looking tasty as well. I've counted several pods forming, though they aren't ready to pick yet.

I have only weeded twice or so, and even then the weeds weren't too bad. I'm so thankful for that! I did have trouble with bugs getting the bean plants early on, but they seem to be doing better now. That diatomaceous earth stuff must work, and it's supposed to be organic too. Needless to say, I always rinse things really well before we eat or preserve them.

I am hoping that by the end of the month, I will have fresh peas at least, and maybe green beans soon after. Yum!!

Making Strawberry Freezer Jam

Making strawberry freezer jam wasn't as hard as I thought. Of course, they probably have to test the directions on a bunch of people before they print them, but still, I was pleasantly surprised that all of my jam set up like it was supposed to in the 24 hour waiting period before I put it in the freezer to store. The hardest part (or most tiresome) is actually cutting and mashing the berries up. Mine were freshly picked from my parent's patch, but they had a few spots to work around and you are supposed to mash them with a potato masher, one cup at a time. (My arm is now sore, but for the record I did two cups at a time and it worked fine)  Still, it was worth the effort and I did four batches. Not all of them are even in the picture.

 

I also tried the less-sugar needed recipe, which calls for Splenda. But it's not a freezer recipe, it is a cooked recipe. I personally don't like that as much, but it is a ton less sugar (twelve small packs of Splenda compared to four cups of sugar). So it does help in that aspect. All in all, I will stick with the freezer jam, or maybe look up another recipe for less sugar that is a freezer jam recipe. Those just seem fresher when you actually use them.

Thanks for a successful canning session, Sure Jell.