Where oh where does the time go?!

I just can’t believe it has been so long since I posted something here!  I have been busy – but not that busy. 

Lots has happened (and is always happening), but I really, really want to be better at blogging.  So a mini-update:  Last spring we got 9 chickens; two were lunch for a snake, one was a rooster so we found a new home for him and the other six (Daisy, Sweet Pea, Violet, Petunia, Thelma and Louise) became excellent layers.  We got six eggs a day, two of which were colored (blue and pinkish tan).  All was well and we were one big happy family until the ladies decided to roam!  They went to the neighbor’s yard and dug up her flower beds and the solar lights on the driveway.  I refused to have chickens cooped up all the time and wanted them to be as free as possible, so my only option was to move them.  My stepson lives on eight acres so he took them and they seem happy with lots of wide open spaces.  Right now I am raising six more little chicks until they are big enough for him to take over.  Fingers crossed that we don’t have another snake incident!!!

My stepdaughter and I now have a booth in an antique mall.  I did this many years ago and after quitting I never really got over the buying part.  This is only our first month, but we are doing well and really enjoying the hunt!  Of course, some things never will make it to the booth. ;-)  We are looking forward to our trip to the annual Round Top Antiques Fair in a couple of weeks.  If you live in Texas and have never been, it’s a “must”.

One of the projects that I have accomplished lately is a makeover of our kitchen table and chairs.  I bought this in the fall from a local online sale and redid the chairs fairly quickly.  It took me a little longer to get around to the top because I knew it was going to be a little more difficult.  Finally finished it this week.

Before . . .

After . . .

I have never had so much trouble stripping a table!  I stripped it, stained it and when I put the polyurethane on, it dissolved the stain.  I had waited the hour as directed.   Okay, stripped it again, really getting all of the old stain off.  Waited 3 hours; same thing happened.  This time I only tested a small spot.  So I called it a night and tried again around noon the next day and, thankfully, it was okay.  So, I guess I will never trust directions again.  The label said that it dried 75% quicker than other stains.  

I wanted to strip it because it had this finish and a few bad places:

Got rid of those little specks and it looks like this:

Hope you are having the beautiful weather that we are having right now.  I know it might change any day, so I’m trying to make the best of it. 

Happy First Day of Spring tomorrow!!