Props: Shabby Chic (Jill) or Awesome Cheap (Nathan) Tables

So, this was a project that slipped through the cracks. Not so much our accomplishment of it, but our bragging about accomplishing it on the blog.

The pictures are in reverse order, so, watch the transformation unfold from end to beginning. Notice the beautiful and classy nightstands to either side of the bed (the duvet cover was a Jill creation).

Here is a close up of the job. If you're wondering, yes that is an ESV Study Bible. Great setpiece, isn't it? Notice the fresh, white paint and the illusion of age that comes from careful sanding.

Here is where the tables began their life, as a pair of cheap sewing machine tables. Jill found an antique shop out in the Indiana boonies that she wanted to visit, so we made the trip. It was about an hour outside Louisville, but it was a different world. That's an exaggeration, but not a huge one. I saw at least three places to buy a tractor on the way out.

Jill had wanted some side tables for a while, and she had hopes of finding some good ones there. I don't pretend to be an expert on these things, but there does seem to be a large market for antiques in and around Louisville. Where it all comes from, I'm not sure, but, in terms of price, things get cheaper as you move out of the city.

So, we didn't find any nightstands persay (but if I collected Coca Cola stuff, mmm, I would have been in heaven). We were about to leave before we found an almost matched set of sewing machine tables. Crazy, I know. But, with a little work, some paint, a matched set of knobs from Home Depot, and a screwdriver to remove the unneeded hardware, and you have what we see here.

I love the cheapness; I love few things more than bragging about a good deal. Apparently, though, it's a stylish result. So I hear. By that I mean, so Jill tells me.

Plot: A Cold Spell

I have been chided for letting so much time lapse since my last post. Jill just explained to me last night her vision for alternating blog posts, so, not only have I been letting my end of the blogging bargain fall by the wayside, I've been holding her up. This is an attempt to make up some ground.

It's not as though I've been entirely idle, though. Here are some of the things I (often we) have been into for the past month, working backwards:

-Today I got myself tested for tuberculosis. The test gets checked in two days. I haven't coughed up any blood so, I think things look good.

-This past weekend I took a pair of teacher certification tests. Hopefully the Praxis will be the last standardized test I ever take, maybe, for a while.

-We saw a star show at the planetarium. It was free (the best sauce) because of some of my students who were presenting there. I should thank them.

-Jill got to come to school and watch the sophomores put on a science demonstration show for some visiting fifth graders. She also got to see me entertain sixty elementary school children for a while and yell louder than she has ever heard me. I'm sure that's the part that stuck with her.

-We went out to sushi, feeling very urbane and sophisticated about the whole thing.

-We (mainly I) have watched three and a half seasons of 30 Rock. I'm less than proud of that one.

-We visited Ball State University, where my sister will be attending in the fall. I was supposed to do homework in the car. I didn't.

-We made bagels and roasted our own peanuts. Jill was excited about these. It was very domestic. You'll likely hear about them later.

-We started attending a small group at church. It's been great and we were definitely spoiled by full meals two weeks in a row. The experience has taught me that I am terrible with names and I ignore my lack of knowledge long past when it's acceptable to ask. I've been doing a lot of back door conversing, trying to get people to say their own names.

-I shaved my beard.

-Jill shaved her legs (I assume).

As I'm sure you can see, it's not like I haven't been busy. Tell Jill; back me up.