Crafternoon with findings from The Refindery

I have a penchant for trolling shops and other emporia that stock old timey estate sale things. Bureau drawer knobs and big slabs of slate. The things I could do with them! The junky things I can make using mod podge and dryer lint! My personal kryptonite are planks of wood, though. I love a good solid piece of wood that cries out to me, Paint me! Gold leaf me! Take me home!

My virgin visit to Chattanooga's The Refindery afforded me the ultimate souvenir. A wood plank that was...you might want to sit down for this and grab a paper bag in which to breathe...hand-carved. I know. It was like winning Powerball or giving birth to an heir to the throne and not having to tell the media right away. At least, that's how I imagine it would feel. Finding your handcut wood and the salesperson at The Refindery saying, "How 'bout $12?"

Boom. Sale. Done and done.

She said it was probably a remnant from someone's fireplace which was lovely to think about this being a literal part of someone's hearth.

Here is what happened when I got home:

1. Sanded wood to clean off any excess crud.

2. Painted with acrylic paint and then covered bottom half with chalkboard paint.

3. Allowed to dry and posted some kendraspondence in chalk on my new fireplace fixture.

I think it looks quite fetching and will definitely return to The Refindery for more woodchips from the Planet Krypton.

That one time I got to rant on Fox Television

Thanks to Scott Moore at Fox 61 Chattanooga for the invitation to share my true feelings about school drop-off and pick-up. You may remember an extended version of this essay that appears here. MyFOXChattanooga

5 things the #H20challenge taught me

1. I strived to drink 70 oz. of water every day for 30 days, eliminating caffeine and soda. It turns out that 70 oz. is totally possible and once I started drinking more water, I wanted more water.

2. I have the power to break my addiction from caffeine. I have never gone more than a 14 days without caffeine since at least 2007, maybe earlier. The first 2 weeks were most difficult (see also: headaches like woah, moody pants all day, foggy brain) but the more water I drank, the better I felt. Coffee is now something I can enjoy but don't need. Woop.

3. I started this because I have never been a good sleeper and my iron is often low and it turns out, less caffeine, more protein can remedy a whole bunch of maladies in my life. Funny thing, that. Fringe benefits: leaner waistline, no coffee spills on my clothes.

4. Accountability is so clutch. All my peeps who joined me chugging the h20--you made the difference. I didn't want to fall off the wagon because I knew you were cheering for me or running the race with me.

5. I think the dark circles under my eyes faded a bit, don't you? Please just nod your head and hand me that latte, won't you?

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