M: Frogger Meets His Match

Isaac hit the mother load of little boy discovery fun today when momma moved the toy bin in the back yard revealing a herd of frogs, lizards and the like! Let me tell you who doesn't like frogs though ... MOMMA! I came home today to find Isaac giddy and momma very on edge about the whole deal. She was a great sport about it, though. She let him put them in his "bug keeper" and he spent most of the afternoon playing with them one at a time. Julia didn't really get much out of it, but just give her time!

M: is for "Mobile Blog"

If you've read much of my Blog you'll notice that it it often illustrated with pics from my phone. Now I'm taking it a step further ... The whole post can now be done on the phone. I can now Blog no matter where I am and even include a photo! I won't be doing this all the time but it is a fun alternative to "breakout" while waiting for a haircut! I'm going to put the "M" at the beginning of mobile posts so you'll know I did that one while on the run (or in the can! ... Sorry - TMI, I know).

(PHOTO: my coworkers comparing phones... but mine BLOGS!)

M: Going Nuts

Julia and Isaac had a ball this AM playing with nuts. Scads of toys in their room, a dog waiting in the yard and sun shining outside and what do they get the biggest time out of? Nuts! That's it! Birthdays are a cinch from here on out! We're getting the kids PRODUCE!

Dog Park Peek-a-boo

Julia is a nut! She is a ball of energy and is so much fun to be around! We took the kids (Oliver is included in that phrase now!) to the park the other day and let Oliver run around a section just for dogs. The kids had a blast and Oliver did too (despite). Julia had every bit as much fun as the dogs there climbing in and around the apparatus set up for the dogs! One item was a plastic pipe for the dogs to run through with holes on the sides for peeking in ... and out! We had a great time playing peek-a-boo with those holes! She would move from one to the other peeking out and saying "BOO, Papa!" and then giggling in that way that just melts your heart!

The Monitor Stand Project is Done!

I wrapped up the monitor stand project last weekend. The finishing touches proved to be the toughest part - mainly the finishing! I was using good, furniture grade ply but not stain grade (Birch or Ash) I think. Nice and smooth but not really for a wood grain finish. So, I had planned on a black, glossy finish - somewhat like the phone holder I made a while back. I didn't want to get too involved with the painting so I set out to use black spray paint. I did get the good stuff, but even that proved a little difficult to work with.

The first coat was badly 'fisheyed' - marked up with little blemishs that look like little circles where the paint didn't go on. It's caused by surface impurities. My professional finisher friend, gave me some advice though that I'm sure that I'll use in the future! Prep normally by sanding and wiping/blowing off dust, but then wipe the surface down right before you paint with mineral spirits (paint thinner)! Then, put down a couple of light coats just a few minutes apart. 2-3 coats with cover pretty well and is all you want to do in one 'session'. Let that dry for a day, sand very lightly wth 200 grit paper (or so) and repeat it - wipe down and spray. The mineral spirits remove the impurities from the surface and help the paint droplets to flow together. This also reduces the "orange peel" effect that you can get. The pic above it the finished product in place. Here are a couple more 'almost done' pics:


After nailing the face frame on (red oak scraps, milled to 1"x3/4") the holes are puttied and later sanded.

I had to 'test' it on the table top -really, I was just dying to see it like it would on a desk. I like!