Tabled Again!

When we moved to California we knew that we wanted to get a "real" dining room table. Well, actually what we wanted was a table to eat at in the "great room" (that isn't all that great) but something that would seat more than four people comfortably, or six people awkwardly.

We had moved the antique family chairs I painted and the table I embellished to California, but it wasn't really large enough. And, it wasn't the look I wanted in this house, in this room.

So, then we began our quest. We/ I looked online. It is tough to imagine what tables really look like when you see pictures online. We visited "discount" furniture shops. Nothing looked/felt appropriate. We stopped by a Danish furniture resale shop. We loved a few of the tables and sets of chairs, fine modern furniture from the 60's, and priced as such... and not really my style. Finally we stopped at Fenton MacLeron a furniture shop in Berkeley. I can't tell you how many times I drove by this shop. I thought it specialized in "Mission" style oak furniture. How surprising that they have so many other options!

The final choice

The shop has so many different tables that we spent hours walking back and forth and vacillating between different tables and different chairs. We left one day, putting a hold on the round table. We came back the next, and decided we wanted the rectangular table. Oh, but wait, here's another rectangular table with prettier legs. Here's one with a pedestal. And so it went.

We did the same thing with chairs. I felt like we were reliving Goldilocks. This chair is too tall. This chair is too straight. This chair doesn't feel good on my back. On and on... back and forth, and back again!

After a lot of deliberation we finally selected a table and chairs that we both liked! Ta-daaa! New table! New chairs!

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch: Flunking

The weather couldn't be nicer - at my house and at Patrice's. 

I'm going to take a break from all of my fun... and work.... 

to chat on the farmhouse porch with other friends!

Here are this week's questions:

1. What's your favorite type of chair?
2. What was the last play you saw?
3. If you could spend an all expenses paid week in a cabin in the mountains, a cottage at the beach, or a townhouse in a city with lots of great attractions, which would you choose?
4. What's your favorite condiment? 
5. What's your favorite breed of dog?

I am gonna flunk this Chat on the Farmhouse Porch! I don't know the answers to some of the questions. Oh geesh...it's been a long time since I flunked a test!

1. What's your favorite type of chair?

Oh, man.... I don't know. To watch TV I like an upholstered chair that isn't too deep. It's nice to have a chair large enough to curl up in, or to have one with an ottoman. I'm not particularly fond of recliners, however. In my kitchen I'm really enjoying my painted chairs. I have an antique child's rocking chair that I really like. I remember my mom remaking the rush seat. It's a chair that my brother, sister and I all used as kids, and may have been used by either of my parents. I'm not that certain of its history. I have two Adirondack chairs on my front porch. They're comfy after working in the yard. But, I just don't step out there to sit that often. However, the nice thing about that type of chair is that it rocks me back and 'cuddles' me... and it's not as easy to hop out of as a regular chair. So, sometimes I do stay sitting longer than I intended to... which is a nice thing!

2. What was the last play you saw?

At first I didn't think I knew the answer to this question. Then I realized the last plays I saw were when I helped out in a community theater a few years ago. The last production was a "twofer" with "Under Jekyll's Hyde and "Man of the House". I was in charge of the props, making sure that everything was where it needed to be each evening. The plays were cute and even after watching them almost a dozen times, I would still find myself laughing at some of the silly lines.

3. If you could spend an all expenses paid week in a cabin in the mountains, a cottage at the beach, or a townhouse in a city with lots of great attractions, which would you choose?

By nature I am the cabin in the mountains type of person. But, since I rarely get to 'do' cities, I think I might opt for that experience as it is so very different from my day-to-day life.

4. What's your favorite condiment?

Oh, here's another easy one. Maybe I won't flunk this chat after all! I love ketchup. I don't use it on everything... but I must have it on all but the goopiest hamburger or cheeseburger. And I like it with fries. I've never been a ketchup with egg type of person, but I have been introduced to, and enjoy, salsa with my eggs.... so ketchup isn't that far a stretch!

5. What's your favorite breed of dog?

Oh, dear. Maybe I will flunk! I don't know! I love so many different kinds of dogs that I'm not sure how to answer this. I can't even narrow it down to a group of dogs! I had Golden Retrievers for many years and still love them. They are the most wonderful dogs. I love Bernese Mountain dogs and Newfies. I think Corgi's are cute. Australian Shepherds are nuts! Well, then there are mutts. I've known and loved a few mutts; the last being a cross between Great Dane and hound....maybe?

I guess I would have to say that mutts win the prize. They win my heart!

Take me to a shelter and I'm in trouble as I want to take each and

every one him with me!

If you'd like to join us, 

click on the image below to see what others are talking about!

All But One.... Done*

* OK... I know I should use 'finished'... my English teacher friend made sure our students knew(and the lesson stuck with me as well) that potatoes are 'done' and people finish things.

But I wanted it to rhyme!
Sorry, Ms. English Teacher!

If Chairs Could Talk

From my earliest days I remember these chairs. They were our kitchen chairs when I was growing up. Several years before I got married my parents moved and the chairs were sent to a consignment shop. They didn't sell, even though they looked a lot better then than they do now! Lucky for me! When we were planning to get married my mother suggested that we get the chairs back from the store. Since then the chairs have moved with us from New York to South Carolina and have now landed in Colorado. 

Two of the chairs are black with a Hitchcock type of stencil design. The other two are green, with a folk art design that my mom painted. I always thought that my parents were given the chairs as cast-offs from my Grandfather and that my mother painted two of them, but never got around to the other two.

It was always my intention to repaint them.  I was going to paint the two black chairs to match the green. But, after two children and a cockatiel that liked to perch on the chair backs and pick at the wood, I decided it was time to redo all of the chairs.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the black chairs are not identical to the green chairs. There are a few differences in the size and height of the seat and the angle of the legs. The differences are subtle, so I'm not all that surprised that no one noticed it before. I know my mother painted the green chairs, but based on the fact that there was only a coat of primer and the green paint, I'm thinking she either bought some unfinished chairs or painted some chairs that had previously been stained, or there is the possibility that she was more fastidious about sanding than was I! But, why didn't she paint them black to match the others? Or, did she get the green ones first, and then got the black and never got around to painting them? It's a mystery and I will most likely never know the answer.

I have found out that they are called rabbit eared spindle back plank chairs - that's a mouthful! They could be 100 years old, plus or minus. There are no markings on the bottom of the seat, so no clues there. I don't know the origin of the chairs. I wish they could talk. I bet they have interesting stories to tell of the people they knew and the places they've been! If you have any insight, I'd love to hear what you might know!

Well, just wait until you see what I've done with them! Uh... you may have to wait for a bit. It's taking longer than I anticipated! But, here's a sneak peek at work in progress:

Do you have furniture that you wish could tell you its story?