Projects!

Besides doing the finishing touches on moving out of the old house, there are a few projects on my plate, just desperately waiting to get done.

First up: We need to move our raspberries. They're in our neighbors' yard, so we have a bit of time, but I'd prefer to get them transplanted asap so that they can use the boxes for something else. BUT, first we have to build boxes ourselves. And we want the new boxes to be longer-lasting and nice-looking, so....

Insert the heavy-duty materials. We have 24 row feet of raspberries, which I'm condensing down to 20 feet. Two, 10'-long boxes, but with heavy-duty 1.5" thick wood. The plan is to make the corners with tall 8' long beams, that way I can easily trellis them. We'll see! Plus, they also need to be stained and sealed, to increase the boxes' longevity. Whew. AND, I'm constructing them with bolts, for extra heavy-duty-ness, so there will be clamps and pre-drilled holes, and then ratchet sets used. Whew! Hopefully finished today or tomorrow. Photos to come!

Here they are, last year's raspberries. They've more than doubled in number this year.


Next project: OUR NEW DINING ROOM TABLE! This table will be used day in, day out. We decided that instead of putting a small table in the kitchen for daily use, we'd have a dining room that was used constantly. The house has a formal feel, but we didn't want to daily use a nice dining set. We had our eyes on this baby, but whew, it was too expensive for our blood. Then, this one appeared on Craigslist:
It's stained a dark brown, with a nice layer of seal on top. We may only use one bench and add chairs around it instead (so it looks less picnic-y), but I LOVE it. The benches are high, so you don't feel like you're sitting on a squatty table. Plus, it's rustic but not too rustic. It fits the room, I think.

But, the table needs tightening so it doesn't wobble, and the one bench needs a leg secured a little better. Totally doable, but still, another project.

Oh, and I should add that table is over 90" long. We can easily fit 10 people on it!!


And, of course, there is the desk that needs refinishing. Due to rain, I never got around to finishing it before we moved. So, that needs to get finished too.
Right now it only has the drawer fronts that have been sanded and stained. Sadness. We'd love to have a more functional office!

So, that's just three projects. Don't get me started on the nightstands, the wine rack, or the purchases that need to be made (another rug, a lawn mower, an outdoor storage thing), or fixing the chicken coop.....