Around the Coop

I should start by saying Welcome to all of you new visitors! 

Ashley, over at The Handmade Home included our Laundry Room in her Make Me Smile: February Edition!

Do you ever look at someone's blog, read their words, and think..."If we lived in the same town, we would totally be friends!"? Well, I do. 

Ashley's blog is so inspirational, she is a southern gal, a talented mama, and I think we would be friends.

Ok, back to business...

The sun is beginning to shine a little more around here, 

and I am energized!

I have been crossing things off of my household to-do list lately and it feels 

sooooo good.

Hanging on the wall in our kitchen is this mirror.

It is a Pier 1 mirror that my husband brought into the marriage, and used to be various shades of red, blue, and yellow. It didn't quite go with our house, so I gave her a makeover.  

For the longest time, she has been hanging lonely on the wall, desperate for some company.

After a quick trip to World Market, where I picked up these ceramic hooks for only $1.99 each, 

I screwed them into the base of the mirror and now have a convenient place to hang my colorful aprons. 

The pop of color makes me happy every time I pass by...

and I think I may actually use my aprons more now that they are in reach.

Another bit of yellow cheer is this new piece of wall art by Anahata Katkin

I purchased it at one of my favorite online stores...

Junk Gypsy Co.

Hope you are have a sunny day!

Under Construction

Just a quick note to announce that The Farrier's Daughter is making some exciting new changes, and things might be a little out of sorts for a short time. 

Please stick around to receive updates :-)

On being Thankful

I was over at Sew Passionate, this morning reading a blog post about making some Ballard inspired chalkboards. If you haven’t seen them yet, you really should check ‘em out…they are adorable! Any who, as I sat reading the post and seeing the photos of her father’s workshop I noticed that I had a smile on my face. Not a huge, this is funny smile…a soft, truly happy smile. Soon after, I began to cry.


You see, three months ago, I lost my Grandfather, and the world lost a very special man. While he was 85 years old, his death was completely unexpected. He was a health and fitness buff that made his appearance at the local gym not once, but twice daily! He could weight lift more than men half his age, and prided himself on it. While this part of his life was important to him, it was by no means related to what he did for a living.


My Grandfather spent his working years cutting. First as a skilled meat cutter (something he continued to do as a hobby with beef from the family farm, or a prize slab of venison after hunting season), and lastly a wood worker (as a home business he had with my Grandmother). He was a creative man, with talents that made the world around him a beautiful one. He spent many hours in his wood shop, and I can happily say that I spent many hours out there with him….by his side, playing in sawdust, watching as he meticulously cut, drilled, glued and sanded. As I got older, I was intrigued by the process. I remember watching to see how he arrived at his final product. So many times, I was amazed at the way his mind worked. He could come up with ways to do things that most would never imagine.


This different mind of his didn’t only apply to his work. He was a different man. One who loved to give, but had no remorse for those who take. He was a family man to the end. If anyone ever crossed a Fred (my maiden name), you had better look out. He was the BEST sports fan a kid could ever ask for. The Saturday before his stroke, he drove an hour to our small town to watch my 5 year old play a soccer game. He would arrive early, cheer hard, and be the last one to leave (but not before he congratulated the hard work and gifted them with Snickers bar and cash…what more could a kid ask for?). This was the routine of he and my Grandmother for every sporting event of every grandchild. I am so thankful that he was here long enough to experience it for a few of his great-granddaughter’s. Throughout my life, this difference was perceived in a multitude of ways. It wasn't until his last week of life that I realized who he truly was….and it’s really quite simple. You do good by people, and people will do good by you. To some, he may not have seemed to have been the best at forgiveness, but I believe it’s because he felt so deeply, which also meant that he hurt deeply.


Following the unfortunate stroke that ultimately took his life, he spent a week of torture in numerous hospitals. It was an emotional roller coaster for everyone involved. A strong, proud, man whose body has been part of everything that has ever meant anything to him, now stuck in a hospital bed, with a sound mind, and depending on others to do nearly everything for him. Happy to have lived an incredible life, he was ready now ready for it to be over. For one week, he stuck true to his family values and humored us as we exhausted all possibilities for surgeries and cures. But, at the end we made the most difficult decision a family can make, and returned the favor by telling the team of doctors to let him go in peace. I pushed my Grandmother’s wheelchair into his room and we each took our places on either side of his bed. It was then that we told Grandpa he got his last wish. The doctors would no longer be poking and prodding, he could now just, “go to sleep”, as per his request. Before he went, we were given a gift. A short period of time where we could talk about memories, thank him for all he had done, and joke, as our family often does. We listened to country music, and we cried. As a family, we experienced something that no family should ever have to experience. I held my Grandfather’s hand as he took his last peaceful breath, and I am thankful to have been able to be there for him.


So, those memories of his wood shop, the sporting events, holidays, weddings, babies, they are all so dear to my heart. And I am thankful for the memories that that post brought back for me.

Paper Towel Holder Tutorial

Ever since we moved into the Classy Coop, 

I have been wanting/needing a proper place to put the roll of  paper towels.

Just seems so college-years to leave it sitting on the counter, and I refuse to buy a generic looking one from the store, soooo....

I made one!

It was super simple, and I actually took some pics so that I can share a tutorial with you! 

Here is the finished product:

Supplies Needed:

1. A round of wood (between 6"-9" and at least 3/4" thick).

2. One 1/2" floor flange (found in the plumbing department at hardware store).

3. 4 wood screws 3/4" in length

4. 12" piece of (threaded) galvanized pipe (also found in plumbing dept at the hardware store-some already come in pre-cut lengths, if not, just ask and they will cut it for you).

5. A glass door knob (preferably on the original post)

6. Spray paint for the base (I used the hammered finish & the metallic silver finish)

7. Not Pictured-a drill or screw driver for the wood screws.

Step One:

Paint your wooden round. I had some hammered and metallic spray paint left over from another project so I first sprayed the hammered finish for some texture, then quickly misted over the top with the metallic finish. You could use any color you wish for this step, I just like the way it matches up with the galvanized pipe :-)

Step Two:

Align the center of the floor flange with the center of the wooden round. I got lucky in that my round already had a pre-drilled hole in the center! Yay! If you don't have that, just measure and mark a dot with a sharpie. Once you have found the center, line up the middle of the flange and attach using the 3/4" wood screws.

Step Three:

Screw the 12" flange into the floor flange.

Step Four:

Slide the metal post on the glass knob into the pipe!

Now, if you can't find a door knob that still has the metal post still intact, don't worry...

You can still do it, just takes a little more work (See Below).

Take your knob to the hardware store and find a wooden dowel that fits snugly into the opening on the underside of the knob. Take it home, put a dab of wood glue on the end and slide it into the knob. If you want to make it really secure, there is a small hole in the side of the old knobs that you can drill through into the dowel.

Step Five:

Place your roll of paper towels in it's new holder and admire your handy work!

The best part, is that the knob slides easily off and on for easy changing.

This is my first tutorial, so feel free to ask if you have any questions...

or let me know if I forgot something :-) 

PS-I'm linking up with Kim at Today's Creative Blog

Cheers,

Lindsey

Quick & Easy, Homemade Valentine's

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, 

I was super excited to have a good friend of mine share this idea with me! 

Being a confessed procrastinator (such an ugly little word), 

I am all for quick and easy...add cute to the mix, and I'm all in!

This super cute Valentine took all of a couple of minutes and a few dollars to create. 

Just write your message on a chalkboard, sign your child's name, sit them down, and snap a shot!

I am a huge fan of Costco's Photo Center,

so it was as easy as uploading the photo, and picking them up at our local store. 

My friend had already done her research and found that Costco also offered great prices...

only $0.39 for a sheet of 4 wallets!

Grab a bag of heart shaped Valentine's Day suckers at the Dollar Tree, hole punch the picture, and tie to the sucker for an adorable Valentine.