bodner006

I have a friend who is running the Boston Marathon. That just seems crazy to me. I run . . . but it's a struggle to keep my mind off the fact that I'm slamming my feet into the ground, constantly thinking about how many more steps I have until I'm finished. But this friend is running for a cause . . . kids who have cancer. That hits home for me since my son battled leukemia less than 2 years ago. No child and family should have to battle that horrible disease and the only way to combat it is research, research, research. And that takes money. John is doing his part. And now I'll do mine. I created these signs, costing $26.20 each with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Program at Mass General Hospital for Children . If interested in purchasing a sign for this charity, you can find them here on my Etsy page. If you would like to donate directly to John's cause, please go to this link . Thanks everyone and have a great day, Debbie

After visiting my sister and her family, I got to see their new basement renovation, featuring a ping pong room. I had forgotten we had one in our basement as a kid. It was very nostalgic and thrilling to see these teenagers enjoy the game as much as I did at their age. They are an athletic family and talked about how cool it would be to have a hockey rink sign, with all it's warnings, but not for hockey, but ping pong. No such sign existed. Until now. I framed it out and then distressed it a bit. I wanted the sign to look worn, like something you would see from the movie Ice Castles. Yup, I'll admit it right here. Loved that movie. My niece and nephews are perfect little dorks. Here they are in action (bet you didn't think I would post this Samantha): Haley came back from the weekend obsessed with ping pong. We don't have the room for a full sized table, but they are happy with this one. :) I not only need a sign for our room, but a helmet as well. Have a fabulous day,...

OMG. I just realized that I had no posts in November. Life just got away from me. Honestly, I thought by now, I could be posting 2-3 times a week. HA! I guess I (and you) will just have to be happy with the occasional monthly post. :) I hate throwing away my running bibs. On down days, I could always look at them and say, "See, you did that." Then I'd have another cupcake. Anyway, they have been stored in between pages of my notebook for years and then I thought they would make a great display. After deconstructing a pallet, I used some of the larger pieces of wood to make these displays. The hooks along the top left are obviously for holding the running bibs and the hooks along the bottom are for hanging medals (you've scored the jackpot if you get a medal AND a T-shirt). After sanding down each piece very well, I just used paint and THIS technique for making the lettering. I love this: I Did It. And I'll do it again. It's so badass. This sign is one I have ...

Meet Jenna, the hutch. She's a solid piece of furniture but a bit outdated, for my tastes anyway. I had to do something about that. First, I knew the glass had to go. Personally I have no problem with glass, but I've always wanted to add chicken wire to furniture and she is my guinea pig. I wanted the contrast from the creamy white to the pop of blue, and I continued that throughout the whole piece. I love furniture that has keys intact. It gives it a bit of historical charm. I wish I had room for her in my little cape, but alas, someone else will have to dress her up with their books, baskets, plates, and other knick knacks. Have a great day, Debbie Sharing with: Finding Silver Pennies Cozy Little House Coastal Charm Our Home Away From Home Beyond The Picket Fence

So, my husband's weekend away with the guys was fast approaching and he decided they must have a cornhole set for their big getaway. Now, I've been to parties where the game was played and remembered the flimsy sets you can buy at the sporting good stores, and knew those bad boys wouldn't hold up to a weekend of drinking beer and tossing bean bags. In so many words, he said to "get on it". That was translated as, "get your butt in the garage and make me a sturdy cornhole game in the limited time you have." :) Whenever I take on a new DIY project, I scour the internet for tutorials. I read quite a few of them and often take a little bit of information from each. But I settled on one cornhole board tutorial because it was so complete. You can find the link to the tutorial right here. I have to say . . . . . he was happy. This particular tutorial had the legs going back at quite the angle to avoid collapsing legs during play. Wouldn't want to mess with ...

This happened. I made it for our living room from these fabulous plans on Ana-White's website . Note to self: do not use coffee table as a train. Second note to self: never put wheels on tables; kids will always use them as trains. Kids and adults, that is. ;) In her glory days Anyway, we needed a new coffee table and in a hurry. We had guests staying at the house the following week and they needed some place to drop their refreshments. Since I had to move fast, I used what I had sitting in my garage. And here she is. Yup, a piano bench. And one in very sad shape at that. This was left in the house when we bought it and I held on to it for some reason, and now it's going to make itself useful. From a wallflower piano bench to a showcase in our living room. We wanted a smaller table for the space, so the footprint of this piece was perfect. I just cut the legs down to size and added a bit longer and wider top to fit our needs. I even kept the door that hinged open so we utilize ...

You can find the first post about our inaugural gutter garden here . So, we are three months in. And now we have an update . . . . . . We still have strawberries, and they did very well, the ones that made it, that is. I had transplanted the strawberries from someone else's garden, so I blame their death on my inexperience. But we did have three harvests with our lettuce.  I've replaced many of the flowers, since they did not bloom all summer. Herbs love the gutter garden. What I've learned about our gutter garden: 1. Birds love strawberries. Make sure you cover them up with netting. 2. Not all flowers will bloom well in shallow soil. Will have to do research on better garden flowers for longer blooms next year. 3. Lettuce and herbs are the way to go. 4. If you are going away for a week in the summer, expect on coming home to a thirsty garden. 5. If you plan this with your 5 year old, yup, you'll be doing it all by yourself. Thanks for reading, Debbie