DIY Train Table I Made from Free Plans

I meant to post about this before Christmas, but since I just barely got it finished (like I requested a five minute warning to make sure I got it in off the porch and hidden in plain sight as a coffee table on Christmas Eve barely got it finished) I didn't get any pictures taken. I also failed to take any while it resided in my living room until it was picked up by my in-laws.
Thank goodness Grandma was wielding her camera on Christmas morning or I'd have nothing.

That's it in the background. Isn't it cute?

Are you as distracted as I am by the adorable father daughter moment happening in the foreground?

So yeah, basically I hid the table in plain sight not four feet from the present opening extravaganza and my nieces had no idea until they got a train set. They were pretty excited it. 

When we said we should set it up, they were like, "where?" and I was all, "HERE!"

Note to self: train sets are super complicated. With four adults helping I think we got it done in like half an hour.

The only changes I made from Ana White's free Mom's Train Table plans were skipping the bottom shelf and cutting half circles on either side for opening the top. I wanted it to be flat so you could set things on top without them running in to handles, but in hindsight it also means you can easily lose the balls from your Hungry Hungry Hippos game down the holes.

I painted it aqua at their mom's request and I love the color. I distressed it a bit and stained the bare parts. I should have taken some photos of the finish, but I didn't.  I also painted the opposite side of the top with chalkboard paint so the girls can draw when they aren't busy playing with trains.

Sorry I don't have a better full table shot. I'll try to update when I get one.

UPDATE: My wonderful sister-in-law sent me a photo.

The Stocking

It's not even 8pm and I'm so sick and tired I want to crawl into bed. Luckily for you I'm on this crusade to post each weekday and I've got a streak going.

Luckily for me I drafted this last week, but never got it posted.

JOY Sign Transformation

Guess what? I finally started Christmas decorating and I can't resist a close up of anything shiny. 

I made this JOY sign last year. I was never really happy with it was so meh about it I never even finished it. When I pulled it out of the basement it looked like this.

Meh, right? A couple of night ago I revamped it.

First, I pulled off the pine cones and holly stuff. Meh.

Then I gave it a brush down with a brighter green.

Better already, right?

I thought so, but I wanted some bling. Cue tiny Christmas balls my mom picked up while thrifting and some I bought off Craigslist. I also painted over the off white on the J and Y with gesso. I didn't have any white paint.

Just two short hours of hemming and hawing over the placement of every single individual ball (and one serious hot glue burn) later I had this.

It makes me super happy. it's so shiny.

Now, if I can just get up some other decorations so he doesn't seem so lonely.

I'm taking the Make Two Challenge

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I'm obsessed with Ana White's blog. Yesterday she challenged her readers to take the Make Two Challenge.

I already have a project all picked out to make for my nieces this Christmas so it was the obvious choice.

Isn't she glorious? Don't worry. Their mom already knows and they can't read so the Christmas surprise is safe, but she's fabulous.

I'm pretty excited about building something that's entirely about fun. And pink. It's called the Dream Dollhouse and you can find the plans over on Ana White's blog. The dollhouse is designed to be scaled for 12 inch dolls. If anyone in the area needs assistance or access to a miter saw to make their own I can hook you up.I'm really excited about making it. I don't get to paint a lot of things pink.

I hesitated a bit when it came to actually committing to the challenge though. Money is tight around here and we certainly have other demands on our finances. Then I got a call from one of my oldest friends and we talked about tithing. I don't belong to a church and certainly don't tithe on a regular basis, but tithing is just another way of expressing trust in God, or the Universe, or whatever higher power you believe in. If you believe in something that will make sure you have enough there is no reason not to give to those who have even greater needs than you do. That's why I'm taking the challenge. I have faith that there will be enough and that my generosity can make sure that is true for someone else. 

Homemade Christmas doughnuts? Sure, I can do that.

My husband has an irrationally high level of faith in my domestic abilities.

At least that's what I tell myself. The alternative is that he makes ridiculous requests just to see if I'll attempt them. He thinks nothing of asking if "we" (meaning I) can do things that most people think of as too difficult or time consuming to even consider.

To be fair, I am pretty freaking domestic. I don't think about it most of the time because it's my life, but then people come over and gawk over making fresh mozzarella and cracking out home canned sauce for pizza and I remember that not everyone does that.

Maybe his expectations aren't that irrationally high.

A couple of days before Christmas he asked if we could make these beer donuts he found a recipe for in BeerAdvocate. In my head I thought, "Are you freaking crazy? Why should we make doughnuts? I don't even think I've ever deep fried anything in my life. And do you have any idea how much is involved in this process? It has to raise like three times and it will take hours. I really don't want to."

Did I express that out loud?

No.

I said, "sure."

I'm a sucker for that man. He's just so damn cute and really doesn't seem to know how hard the thing he's asking you to do is considered to be by most people. He's so adorably ignorant you feel like you're not even trying if you don't at least try (which technically you aren't). So you try. Then he wants to make several different kinds of donuts. You know, so there is some variety. Nevermind, the fact that it means you have to do all the work multiple times.

Turns out, as usual, he was right. I"m a domestic rock star and I pulled it off beautifully. I think he got the impression that I felt like this project was a lot to take on when I suggested we only make one kind. He helped make two.

Christmas Eve, after visiting his grandmother and making dinner I made a Christmas spiced mocha and we started the doughnuts. I'm not a night person so I figured it was a good preemptive strike. I knew this was going to be a several hour long project. Luckily, it involved a significant amount of waiting time while the dough was rising and I had time to devote to finishing up and wrapping some Christmas presents for the next morning.

By midnight was had two dozen beautiful homemade doughnuts and matching doughnut holes in Map-Ale Bacon (An ale based doughnut with maple frosting and crispy bacon on top) and Black and Tan (a Pale Ale doughnut with a Stout glaze). We used Tallgrass Ale in the Map-Ale Bacon and Tallgrass IPA and Buffalo Sweat in the Black and Tan.

Pretty tasty.

Merry Christmas and guess what.

I'm now officially a person who has made homemade donuts. It's our new family tradition and I'll post all about it later, but right now I need to finish off a couple more gifts before I head to bed.

Merry Christmas everybody!

If you want hilarity don't look at this girl.

I haven't posted lately. I've been too busy Christmasing. That, and most of the projects I've been working on are of a gifty nature and posting them on the internet prior to their opening spoils the surprise.

As of today, Christmas is very nearly under control. I think. Lets hope.