No, we’re not dining al fresco next to a Jackson Pollock tonight.

Just taking advantage of beautiful fall weather…for some kitchen table re-painting. And the reasons are:

1) “We’re selling the house.” (I put that in parenthesis because we’ve been “moving” for a long time now.)

2) I had a couple of nearly empty cans of white spray paint just burning a hole in my cabinet.

3) Our 21 month old daughter tipped over in on of our kitchen table chairs while I was making dinner last night. She climbs on everything! Even in her booster seat, she slinks down until she’s stretched her chubby little legs far enough to get a good push off point from the table. And over she goes. But we’ve always caught her…until last night when she wasn’t even in her booster seat…just jungle gyming in the kitchen.

4) My husband said this is the “most unattractive dinette set” he’s ever seen.

5) I’m kind of over it.

Last night, the cries were pitiful as I sat on the floor and pulled her close. “No, chair not ‘broken!’ Mommy fix it.” If our daughter speaks in full sentences by the time she grows up it will not be on account of the way I speak to her.)

The visible wear and tear was in part because anytime I leave the kitchen door open (which is often this time of year) my child feels compelled to shut it. So I prop it open with a heavy chair, which doesn’t deter her determination…just my sanity. She also beats the furniture with utensils…and tiny flecks of white have been appearing on the floor.

So another project began. This one completed in a day – not typical.

Even though I’ve had this set nearly five years (and paid $35 at a thrift store), I’m thinking new paint, pretty pictures, and a good online ad might bring double that.

But I didn’t think to tape off or shield the Formica tabletop before I sprucing up the wood trim. Oops.

So I had some touch up work to do.

And now my table top edges have been shaved and treated with protein enriched highly flammable acetone nail polish remover (would any self-respecting girl buy less?), and is ready to move.

I’m going to try to do one project a day this week while it’s so beautiful out.

What are you working on?

-RM

This is project 1 of 5 of “A Fall Weather Project a Day (and a blog post) for a Week.” Read about Project 2 here, Project 3a here and Project 3b here.