bodner006

 I am a stalker.  Cyber-space stalker, that is.  I am completely infatuated with Ana White and all that she is.  You see, she is a stay at home mom in Alaska (brrrrrrrr) who builds furniture, offers the plans for free (yes I said it, free), and encourages other people to do the same.  She is the b.o.m.b!!  I came across her website when I was looking for furniture plans over a year ago.  Her site is one of the few that offer them for free and they are sooooooooo do-able.  If you a person who desires to build, even on a very small scale, but are afraid to pick up a hammer, please check out her site.  She has a whole section on getting started which will give you peace of mind.  I knew her when she had only 20,000 people liking her on Facebook (only!!) and now she's creeping into the 70,000 range.  You go girl!! Anyway, I've been in discussions with Ana about building a new TV console (if she knew I stalked her, perhaps she wouldn't ...

My son is 6 1/2 years old and I feel like I don't know him.   People would tell me I'm crazy, that he's my boy and I do know him so well.   And I hope that's true.   And I hope I'm just putting way too much stock in speech.   You see, kids with Down syndrome are delayed in almost every way, including speech and communication.   Jack's speech, in general, is unintelligible.   He has only a handful of words that a stranger would comprehend.   And when he really wants us to understand what he is saying, he perseveres like no one I know.   And he doesn't lose patience with us.   I don't know how he couldn't.   A fine example is the dozens of times he would say, "Na na na" over and over.   I would just apologize up and down for I didn't know what he was saying.   A few months later it clicked:   I said, "Jack, are you trying to say Na na na na na na na na na na Batman!"   I swear his feet left the ground and he cried "YES...

I'm infatuated with upcycling. Courtesy of dictionary.com Awhile back, I came upon this great post and knew I had to try one for myself.  I've grown to love the transformation so much so, that I've made a few more and each one is so special.  If you have a bed frame that is special to you, one that was handed down for generations, or your baby's first big boy bed, but no longer have a use for it's intended purpose, re-purpose it to a fabulous bench.  I do not have a tutorial this time, but I'll make sure to add one the next time I get down and dirty with a bed frame.  There are tons of tutorials online, but I found Shaunna's  tutorial to fit the bill. This cutie was my first.  I didn't have a spare bed hanging around, and since I was revving to go, I purchased a used twin headboard and footboard on Craigslist.  I love the way it turned out.  I have it for sale in my shop.  Gosh, I love to upcycle.  One less item in our landfills. My f...

Okay, how fun is this?!?  I love functional, yet beautiful decor.  And this fits the bill.  I saw one perusing Pinterest, posted by First Home . . . Love Life and pinned it immediately.  I had to make my own.  Lucky for me, I had just the right wood in my garage.  You see, on one of my various jaunts to the local landfill, I headed over to the household demo section.  I'm at home there, tip toeing through the piles of discarded treasures.  Making sure I had on rubber-soled shoes (unlike the time I showed up in slippers),  I spotted this jewel.  It's amazing to me that someone could throw out this fabulous barn door.  I guess it's not all that amazing.  I'm just weird that way. The fabulous barn door carelessly discarded -- yahoo!! Anyhow, I took the door apart and chose one of the planks to create the ruler.  The wood is about an inch thick, 6' tall, and about 5 1/2" wide.  I cleaned the wood with soap and water and...

Yes, this the beginning of posting all I love (and sometimes despise) for all to see.   Yikes.   I've been mulling this over for a long time and taking the leap is like sticking your head out your minivan roof window while creeping down the side of a mountain (oh yeah, I did that this past weekend).   It's scary but I'm compelled to do it.   Not just because others have encouraged me, but because I need an outlet.   A place of my own . . . and it's with you.   Have we even met?!?   :) I'm a stay at home mom (often referred to as SAHM, for those of you unacquainted with the term), less by choice and more by need.   Well, I'd like to say it was by choice, but now that I'm over 6 years into it, I don't know what I was thinking!   When I say "need", I should mention that my son has Down syndrome.   Trying to be the good parent, I loaded our schedule with tons of therapies, so working outside the home was not an option for us. I love my two ...