Cubes

I am so picky about furniture, that I have started building stuff just so I get exactly what I want (also, I live no where near an ikea). My first project was organizing the Monkey's bedroom. I am really happy with the way these cubbies turned out, and did learn some important things to remember when I start my next project.

*Refuse help at Home Depot. This rule is not for everyone, but is vital for me. Seriously, if I need help loading a sheet of plywood I most certainly will ask for it. Please don't insist just because I'm a tiny girl with a kid, you just make me feel nervous and uncertain. And then I won't carefully choose my wood to make sure it's not warped.

*Measure the exact spot where a piece is supposed to go. Just because your math says that the slot should without a doubt be x inches long does not mean it is.

*Prime plywood. You would not believe how much paint the inside of a 2'6" x 3'6" shelving unit sucked up.

Next up, debates about whether I need a miter saw or table saw more.

Shorts

This is a deceptive picture; I am not actually in Okinawa. Luckily it turns out Alabama has bamboo forests too.

This summer was loooooong and weird, and I am glad to be moved, and have Monkey back in school. Planning then canceling an international move, then moving within the country on short notice can mess with a girl. But my home is where my boys are, where I keep our stuff, where I sleep at night. And I am glad to be home.

Amongst all the craziness of this summer I did get a lot done, the very best thing this pair of capris. At 5'2" and shaped like a cardboard tube, pants are very hard to find. I have no waist. I have no ass. Even sewing them myself is no guarantee: I have tried so many different patterns, and the very best I have come up with qualified merely for "don't hate them". After an unsuccessful attempt at drafting I gave up and tore into a box of scrap fabrics containing one perfect pair of jeans that have disintegrated past the point of decency (even with extensive patching). Out came my vorpal scissors, seam ripper and craft paper, and I now have the patten for exquisitely fitting pants/shorts/capris. I am no longer a slave to the fashion industry in regards to clothing my lower half! I have actually made two pairs of these so far, exactly the same save the fabric (the second pair is dark green denim). They are the most comfortable shorts AND best fitting shorts I have ever owned.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, when I show off my kick awesome woodworking.