FAQ: "What's that on Your Daughter's Face"?

I don't know that a LOT of people have noticed, but I get asked this question quite a bit.

When I post photos of Baby Goats, it always crosses my mind that someone's going to ask..

"What's that on your daughter's face?"

It's a hemangioma. We call it her "spot", and I love it.

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about what a hemangioma is (you can Wikipedia that if you really wanna know), but in short, it's a growth that usually happens in young children that fades during their early years.

When she was younger, her "spot" was really dark and shiny. It was raised a little, too, so she just had a big, red bump on her face.

People would usually say something along the lines of, "Oh, ow, she really scratched herself" and young children seemed really concerned about her "owie".

As she's gotten older, it's faded slowly but surely.

There have been times that I've tried to get rid of it prematurely (thanks to the power of Photoshop).

But then she just doesn't look like her.

As it fades, I realize more and more how I love her spot and, shall I say? I'm probably going to miss it!

I make sure that I kiss it, along with her nose, forehead, chin and cheeks. It's a part of her, just like her big, brown eyes!

And don't worry. It doesn't hurt!

Stain/Finishing Review and GIVEAWAY!

There's some exciting stuff! So exciting that I get to post twice today!

You guys remember when I mentioned that I was reviewing a stain when I revealed the collapsible potting bench?

Well, it's also the same brand of stain that I used on the book caddy.

These are high-end finishes from Italy that are low VOC and made mostly from natural sources, as far as I've noticed. You can check out the products here, but I will link to the giveaway at the bottom of the post.

I want to start with the Pareo line, which is an outdoor stain.

I've been on the search for a good outdoor stain since I built my cedar shed over a year ago. And this one? I love it.

I chose to sample "medium oak" and after reading the directions, made sure to sand the surface to 120 grit.

After wiping all of the sanding dust off with a tack cloth, Baby Goats and I sat in the garage and stained the boards individually, to make sure that they were protected all around from the elements.

I was running low on stain towards the end, so I didn't cover the bottom of all of the boards, but I figured that I could get them covered with the second step, so I wasn't too worried.

The stain went on really easily. It was thicker than a water-based stain but not nearly as thick as a gel-stain. The instructions said to allow a few minutes for it to penetrate before wiping it, so I would do one "area" at a time and then wipe down the previous "area".

It also didn't make me feel like I'd taken a few too many Benadryls.

Let me explain!

I am really affected by the fumes finishing supplies give off. Even low VOC paints make me feel "off" for the rest of the day. With these, I still stained with an open garage door for good ventilation, but the fumes didn't affect me. They were so uninvasive that I felt okay letting Baby Goats help me!

This was a huge step from my other outdoor staining experiences, which left me light-headed and feeling awful, even when doing them completely outdoors.

Instructions say to do at least 3 coats of the finishing product on soft woods, so I made it a point to do just that. On the third coat, however, it seemed that the oil didn't sink in in some areas and it was tacky when wiping it off, so I don't think I could've gotten a fourth coat in if I wanted to!

It was also fairly easy to clean up, came off the brush with mineral spirits and Dawn.

Now, with all of the praises that I've given, I do want to say that there was something about this that I just did. not. enjoy.

The WAIT!

The instructions say to wait 12 hours between coats.

It killed me. This, coming from the girl that uses one brand of spray paint because it specifically says to recoat within an hour.

Fortunately I was able to get two coats in a day, but with two coats of staining and three coats of finishing, it took three days to get this finished.

All in all, will I buy this?

YES!

Now, let's talk about the Uno/Secondo line!

This is a line that's meant for indoor use and is said to be durable enough for hardwood flooring. It is also made from natural materials and says that it lets the wood breathe.

I chose to use this on the book caddy that I posted earlier today, and it was quite a different experience from the Pareo (outdoor) line.

The first thing I noticed was that there wasn't a wood conditioner available on the website. Having had such a great experience with the potting table, I figured I'd just dive right in and use it. I'd recommend that, if you do use this, you do find a good wood conditioner to use with it.

This time, the instructions say to let the stain sit for at least 5 minutes, but no more than 15.

When it got close to the 15 minute mark, it was extremely difficult to wipe the stain off as it was really sticky. I was able to let it sit for just over 5 minutes and wipe it off with ease, but I had to pay close attention to which part I had stained and how long it was sitting there. This was in 70-80 degree temps with relatively low humidity.

I couldn't find instructions on a second coat (whether or not to do one, how long to wait, etc.), so I did a second coat and didn't notice much difference. It didn't deepen/darken the color at all, so I love that it's a one-coat application.

The Secondo (or clear coat) had similar instructions to the Uno (if you can read through the stain). But you know what? The smell reminded me of bananas!

I was unable to find #000000 steel wool, but I found #00000 and used that between coats. I LOVE the silky smooth finish and that the sheen isn't super glossy. It's a nice satin that your finger just slides over.

Two things about this one that I wasn't in love with.

The wait.

24 hours between coats.

It killed me.

I also didn't find that it was as easy to clean as the Pareo line. I know it's supposed to be more durable, so that may have definitely affected it, but it was something that I noticed.

All in all, will I buy this?

It's doubtful.

I wouldn't question it if I had to refinish some built-ins that I couldn't get outside (the durability *and* low VOC paired with the natural oils make it attractive). But, even with the green aspect of it, it just didn't exceed expectations enough to justify the cost to me.

But hey! There's a giveaway!

Go here to enter for a chance to win a $75 gift certificate good for the finishing oils of your choice! If you try them, let me know which you're gonna pick and the end results. I'd love to know other people's experiences with this line!

* I was provided with a sample of the product to use to write this review, but all opinions expressed are my own.

Book Worm

I have play room problems.

Y'see... Baby Goats loves books. That's not a problem at all, obviously, but I just think that the act of putting books back properly isn't a skill a lot of toddlers have.

So books were just left out.

To cure this, I bought this amazing basket on clearance at HomeGoods to hold the books!

($7, Baby!)

But then she couldn't find a specific book, and we'd end up back where we started.

Source

Bring in the Land of Nod book caddy.

I've been eyeing this for a while, but never knew if it would work for us. After the basket idea failed, I figured I'd just go for it and then asked Ana White if she happened to have plans drawn up.

She did.

Who's surprised?

Nobody? Yeah, I wasn't either.

So I trotted my happy little bum to get wood and got to buildin'!

As always, Ana's plans are brilliant in their simplicity, so they're really easy to follow. She suggests that we don't cut the rounded edges until after the sides are built, and I loved that! I'd also suggest that you mark where the shelf boards are going to go before cutting them, too. That way they're even, based on the square corner, instead of measuring from a cut/sanded rounded corner that could vary from the others.

I used a random shot glass that I found as a template for the round corners.

And cut it out with my jig saw.

To hide the pocket hole screws, I drilled them into the narrow sides of the boards and made sure to point those downward.

That was a little tricky with the angled boards dividing the legs, but I made it work by using my kreg mini and having it sit outside the edge of the board by just under 1/4" (with 3/4" stock it's supposed to sit flush).

Of course I didn't take pictures of this, so you'll just have to trust me ;-)

What I did take pictures of was the finished product.

Along with the stain I tested for a product review.

I really love how it turned out.

And now that it has books in it, no one's asking if I'm doing a Nativity scene in the middle of Spring....

Baby Goats seems to love it, too.

But not as much as she loves to make stink faces at me for taking pictures of her while she's "reading"....

We get to see if this solves our playroom problems, and so far, it's looking hopeful! I have to thank Ana White for having these plans waiting to be built! Go check 'em out here!

It's Too Hot for This.

** If you like the finish on this piece, I currently have a giveaway running! Click here to enter, or click here for the product review **

The big kid decided one day, not so long ago, that she was going to have a green thumb.

There was no question! It was, "Mom, I'm gonna have a green thumb and we're gonna have a big garden. I know it's a lot of work, but I can do it!"

Eyes, wide.

Face, sincere.

So I scoffed and walked out of the room muttering something along the lines of, "Yeah, ok! And WHO'S going to pay for this big garden?"

Y'know. What any normal parent does. (right? please don't make me feel bad about myself!)

But then we bought seeds for her, planting them and figuring they'd die any given day.

They haven't. She actually does seem to have a green thumb, but our area for a "garden" is pretty sad. Raised garden beds are on my to-do list for the back yard, but... Well... I have a long to-do list!

Did I ever tell you guys about the first thing I've ever built..?

I have a building anniversary. It's the day after these plans were published. And I made it with a protractor I found online and a jig saw. Oh, and not a single screw in there matches because they're all ones I found in Mr. Goats' toolbox.

Sorry, back to my story. The garden area. Sad. We used my first build. But her hard work made me want to give her a place to do her container gardening.

And then I saw this collapsible potting table on HGTV's facebook page and decided that I HAD to have it.

So I pinned it and then figured it would get tacked into my long mommy-do list.

But it nagged me to see the kid working on the crappy table, and the Pinterest Challenge was coming up! So I figured it out.

source

I absolutely love it as-is, but wanted it bigger so that, if we have guests over, I could turn it into an area to put snacks, dinnerware, napkins and drinks. And I figured that the potted plants would "live" on the tabletop until I moved it anyway..

So I came up with a plan.

And about $30 later, it was built!

Wait, did I tell you it was collapsible?

If my Lowe's had straight 1x6s, the legs and bottom shelf would fit completely inside the table top! Since they didn't, I had to use a 1x4, but it still totally holds everything, and I'm thinking a bungee cord across the top (err, bottom?) will keep everything in for transport/storage.

This is especially great for people who have an "off" season and need to store everything.

Not that I know anything about that. Outdoors is accessed year-round in the desert, except the first few triple digit days where everyone's in complete shock and wondering exactly why they still live here.

Or that may just be me.

I wanted so badly to stage this for a BBQ or cocktail hour in photos, but I don't want to go outside.

It's too hot for this.

So here's what you're getting ;-)

Starting with a fully assembled table, you remove the top. Then the bottom shelf comes off and the legs fold accordion-style to tuck neatly into the top.

And then you do the opposite to put it back together! (actually, I lied, I like to unfold the legs and then put the top on first. It just makes everything easier.)

The opening on top is sized to accommodate (I never realized that word had two "m"s) this painters tray (the big kid's favorite color is blue, so of course that's what she chose!), or two of these plastic containers (which I thought would be deep enough to store juice boxes/condiments + ice).

I've seen anything from litter boxes to diagonally cut boards used as potting trays, so the possibilities are endless!

You know what isn't just a possibility, but a necessity?

The heart.

It has to happen.

I get to tell you about this great outdoor stain I used in a few days. I'll also share plans for the bench. *update: bench plans are posted here*

I hope you love it as much as I do :-)