Yay! It's the weekend!

I love weekends. I slept in, got donuts, and hit some yard sales. Who could ask for more?
I woke up to this lovely creation by Mimi:

The story goes something like this: Moe gets poop everywhere, and I am not happy with him! :) I even have mean looking eyebrows! She said I am yelling, which I can see...especially with all that poop!

The author:

Poor Moe. :) Subject of many stories involving wrong-doings and discipline.
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Handsome Ralphie. He is so cute. He is losing his puppy look and getting that "mature" look. Can't you tell? ;) He is blurry in this last shot because he kept trying to attack the camera string.
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And finally....I found a good bargain this morning. 4 kitchen chairs for $5 a piece. They are growing on Kevin. He is unsure of the color. I loooove it!
They are in terrific condition for being so old! I haven't investigated the brand or year yet. I wiped them down, and put them at the table. Maybe later this evening I will find our more about them. What do you think?

Have a great weekend!
~Karen

Killer Fungus in the Squash

We noticed this powdery substance on the zucchini and squash leaves, but didn't know what it was. We googled it and learned we had a FUNGUS! AGH! The chemical fungicides are everywhere, but we didn't want to go that route, so I started looking around online and found a great recipe:

1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup water

Shake and then spray directly on leaves. I prefer to do this in the evening when the sun isn't shining brightly. I do this every 4-5 days and I only spray the leaves with the powder.

After two applications we are back in business! We have new growth and new veggies growing.

One website recommending breastmilk, but those days have long passed for me, so cow milk was their 2nd option.

~Karen

Why not?

PPP

Post Project Pain. Seriously, it should be a condition in all medical literature. Although you are happy with the end results of your home improvement project, you hurt. You hurt a lot. But before the painful symptoms of fatigue, muscle soreness, and irritability fully set in, you get kind of euphoric and you take on other projects...like rearranging furniture or starting an entirely new project. The initial project with the added work of additional ones is simply too hard on a body. You need rest, relaxation, and toddlers that have self care skills. :)

I moved furniture around. I like the results, but I am tired.

Have a great week!
~Karen

Before:

This project took a couple weeks total. I did a lot of the door and drawer painting in the garage with makeshift tables made of wood. It allowed me to work in an assembly-line fashion.

Kevin did a lot of the harder parts...Drilling holes for new hardware & hanging.

After: (Ignore clutter on counter!)

I chose a latex primer, latex paint, and then a polyacrylic layer on top. A couple tips I learned:

~apply thin layers
~follow drying times
~make sure if you are working in a garage it is well ventilated and not humid
~don't rush it even though it is a pain to have your kitchen torn up

Other:
I purchased the hardware from Target. I was amazed how quickly you can spend $100 on knobs and drawer pulls! I found Target sells economy packs from $9.99 to $29.99 and they come with 6-10 knobs or pulls. And they sell individual ones if you do not get enough from the economy packs.

Phew! I am tired..SO is Kevin. Thanks for all your help Kevin! :)
~Karen

Is it Friday? I hope!

The bees love my basil. Thankfully they spend the entire day there, and don't mind when I pick around them. Kevin took these pics, and I think they are pretty cool. I like their buggy eyes.

The kittens have opened their eyes. Mother of the year, Mrs. Pacman, abandoned them today. While she ran the streets the 4 babes cried. It kind of got on my nerves. She finally came back this evening and nursed them. She will walk on them to get to us. They scream as she is stepping on them. You can see how she got her nickname.

Ralphie, our new dog, has adjusted to our schedule. He is a fun dog for the kids. He tolerates a great deal of toddler abuse.

The kitchen cabinet doors and drawers have yet to be put back on. I plan on doing that some time this weekend. I am going to put a layer of polyacrylic on it first. If you use latex paint you should go with a polyacrylic. There are many good things about going with latex instead of enamel.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!
~Karen

Our Farm

Mrs. Pacman

Inky

Blinky

Pinky

Clyde

All are thriving. The momma is no mother of the year though. She tries to get in our house every time a door opens. One night it rained and she took refuge on our porch, but left the kittens in the rain! Kevin had to rig an umbrella over them!

Ralphie is doing great, and is already housebroken. He is sleeping in his crate at night and that is great.
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What do people do who already have too much going on????
Take on more work, of course.
I started painting the kitchen cabinets. Here is an early pic:

More to come later..I am simply too tired to upload more pics!
Have a great week!
~Karen