before and after, again....

Before....


And, after! There are still touch-ups needed, and since we couldn't get the drawer handles off, I am going to get some chrome paint and just paint them while they are on there.

I found baskets for under the tables I re-did a few weeks ago! Here is the Before pic again:



I found them at Marshall's for $9.99 each. I would rather get them on clearance somewhere, but sometimes you find exactly what you're looking for, and there were only two there.

Suzanne chalked painted her desk this week, an old battle scarred, or should I say CHILDREN scarred desk. Someone, who shall remain nameless, carved his favorite word into this poor desk, and his favorite word happens to be a$$. So I bought some wood filler, and Suze re-did the desk. It still needs a coat of finish, I think we're going with polycrylic instead of the wax finish. Evelyn has been working on the downstairs bathroom. She painted it gray with paint leftover from her room, used some of the paint I used on the bathroom cabinet to paint the cupboard above the toilet, and put in new towel bars, and the mirror from the thrift store. It looks so much better.

I shoveled the driveway a few times today. It snowed last night, then rained on that, then turned back to snow. So the snow is like cement, each shovelful feels like it weighs five hundred pounds. But I enjoy getting out of the house.

So here's what's going on here:

1. Two of my lucky daughters are going to California! Aaron bought plane tickets for Kathryn and Evelyn to go visit in April!

2. We are going to Florida next month! Well, 98% sure...the van has been burning oil, so if it checks out all right, we'll be good to go, because yes, we will be driving down.

3. Abigail wants me to bring her a jar of Skippy peanutbutter, to Norway. I think I'll bring her some chocolate chips too. Margaret wants American candy, Reese's peanut butter cups, actually. (Norwegians aren't big on peanutbutter)

4. Can you say half-price Valentine's candy? I only bought a few bags. The kids are on school break (the three girls who go to real school), so we are going through more food, no offense girls. Anyway, Ev was looking for chocolate, and I reminded her of that bag of yummies...so she cracked open the Hershey kisses...I had one. And that's all I'm having. It was so so so so good.

5. They say that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. I used to be skinny, way back when. I'd like to be skinny again. But in the mean time, I think it would be nice if I would lose a few pounds by saying NO to chocolate every day. I like chocolate. I like chocolate with almonds, chocolate with peanuts, chocolate with caramel, dark chocolate and milk chocolate, and white chocolate too. In fact, I have had this on the brain: white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. With Craisins. Or maybe oatmeal with Craisins and macadamia nuts and white chocolate. I know better than to make them. One of these days I'll do a carb up day and make some...

6. Is it just me, or is the word c-a-r-a-m-e-l just beautiful?

7. Sorry, my brain has gone off on a tangent, temptation is banging at my brain, I WANT CHOCOLATE.

8. We are stuck here in the house because of bad weather. Things get cancelled, plus we can't really get out of the driveway. Paul came home from work early, and said the roads were awful. I am hoping it gets better by Thursday, and maybe I can take the whole crew of them out and about somewhere or other. Maybe bowling, or to the dreaded mall. ugh. But that's the wrong attitude, isn't it?

9. Paul is leaving again on Saturday, he's going to France.

10. And kids are milling around me, I need to give them some attention....