Painting the shed

Our shed needs painting. I've been putting this off for months, despite a winter of beautiful, mild weather, because I couldn't choose a paint color! Back in the fall, I used up a small bit of exterior white paint on the trim. In order to use every last drop of paint and be able to throw the can away, I applied three coats, when one probably would have sufficed. Just painting the trim was a huge improvement, because before that, the entire shed was the same dull color.

Close up of worn away paint

After good luck in the past with paint from the Habitat Store, we looked there last week. I figured if we could find paint there, I wouldn't have to decide on a color and we'd save money. All their paint has been interior, really old, or too ugly, even for the shed. 

Last week I grabbed some paint chips on my way home. Mostly gray and brown. We painted our doghouse a lovely color of gray a couple years ago. No longer having a dog, we are planning to give away or sell the dog house and I've been wanting to paint something else this beautiful color. However, we think it looks a little too nice for our shed. If we lived in New England and the shed was surrounded by pink peonies or roses, we might use this color. But for our shed, tucked way back in the corner, surrounded by trees, we are sticking with brown.

 

 Since the shed was painted, Daniel built a small roof for our wood. I still need to paint that... 

 

Our trusty old car

Here is a bit of a draft that I wrote last year and never published. 

"Our Saturn has been a wonderful car - reliable, economical, and comfortable. With over 280,000 miles on it, we've never done more than replace the fan and water pump (in addition to preventive maintenance like tires, brakes, and timing chain). This weekend all that changed. Daniel spent the entire morning trying to discover why the check engine light is on. There were three somewhat ambiguous error codes. He replaced the thermostat and checked the air pump this morning, so we'll see if any of those codes come up tomorrow. He thinks there is some kind of problem with the transmission or drive train, which could mean that the end of our Saturn is imminently near. I hope not. Daniel has been very happy with this car. Daniel's sister taught me how to drive it before Daniel and I were an item (it's a standard). He had recently purchased it while in college and was spending the summer in Alaska at the time, so his grandparents allowed him to park it at their house, where C. found the keys and we took it out =-). I thought Daniel must be the cleanest, most organized person ever, based on the interior of his car. It was spotless. While Daniel did keep his car amazingly clean compared to my manure heap of a jeep (I worked at a barn at the time), the ultra clean vibe was in fact, because he had just purchased it."

Since last year, we have replaced the clutch and transmission and the radiator. That amounted to about $1250. Turns out the clutch and transmission were perfectly fine, and the problem was some really cheap $12 part. Oh well. I figure all that work was not wasted because now our car is better than new (although we need new tires rather desperately), and he got to spend time with his dad and now has transmission-replacing-experience.

I'll have to get Daniel to clarify and expound upon the finer details of these projects, and possibly correct some incorrect facts, but this is the way I perceive things to be.

I have a couple dozen drafts of posts, and in the spirit of organization, those need to go. 

Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are so good. Here is exactly what I did as best as I can remember. It's been a couple of days, and this whole batch of cookies is gone, so I need to make some more pronto.

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
¾ cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granualated sugar

1 large egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2  teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 cup butterscotch chips

Toast the pecans for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool for a few minutes and then grind them in the food processor until they are not chunky anymore. Can't stand chunks of nuts in anything. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

Grind the oats in the food processor also, so they are not so chewy and oatmeal-like. Pour into the bowl with the pecans.

In a new bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set this aside too.

In a 3rd bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese. Add sugars. Cream some more. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Lastly, stir in the oats, chips and toasted pecans.

Chill an hour or 2 until dough is manageable.
Bake at 350F by the tablespoon for 11 minutes on a silicone mat.

Here is the recipe that I originally set out to use.
http://www.myadventuresinthecountry.com/2012/01/02/mondays-mystery-recipe-episode-1/

Maybe next time I will try it exactly as written, but my way was darn good. 

Loveseat

We bought a loveseat off craigslist last night.
We knew we wanted a beige, slip-covered loveseat with 4 removable cushions. I read A LOT of reviews online and decided that the IKEA Ektorp seemed like the best option in our price range of less than $500. We have spent plenty of time sitting on friend's Ektorps, so we knew they are comfortable. I thought it would be best to buy a new one, 'cause buying cloth stuff used can seem a little germ-y. However, with no immediate trips to IKEA planned, I did a clgenie search. Several weeks passed, and then the ad for this one popped up on craigslist for $200, I called Daniel immediately and arranged to go look at it.
Daniel selflessly sacrificed his whole evening hitching up the trailer to drive the hour out to Durham during rush hour with looming thunderstorms overhead for us to buy it. The Dr.'s house we bought it from was very clean and we had no qualms about the transaction. Actually, the loveseat smells so good (they must use scented detergent), I haven't washed the covers yet. But that needs to change cause Jack just spit up on it.
So, not only did the thunderstorms miss us, but on the way home we drove under a rainbow. It was meant to be...