Chalk it Up to Goodwill

Have I told you about the Goodwill stores here?  They are amazing.  I hated the Goodwills where we used to live.  They were skanky and gross and expensive.  But here?  They're still skanky and gross, and sometimes expensive, but they've got good stuff.  What kind of stuff?

Well, for one, Target donates all of the clearance items that don't sell.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  It's amazing.  So the kids and I swing by the local store at least once a week.

When we first moved here, we didn't have any of our furniture.  Still don't, actually.  We're {patiently?} waiting for our house to sell.  We lived for 27 days {not that I was counting} in the 'resort camping' lifestyle.  I'm not a fan.  We now have a king-sized bed and a lovely new sofa.

Before that lovely sofa arrived, I wanted to DIY some type of coffee table.  I decided that I'd know it when I saw it, and headed off to the old GW.  That's what the cool kids are calling it these days:  GW.  I came home with this beauty:

MacGyver did not share my vision.  Also, that is not our lovely new sofa.  That is a crappy Ikea thing we got years ago.  And a lawn chair.  Ah, memories.

But I knew she had good bones, and decided to make the top a chalkboard.  I knew the adults kids would love it.  I scampered off to Lowe's to grab some chalkboard paint and nearly had an aneurysm.  $25 for an itty-bitty can?  No thanks.  I decided to try Martha Stewart's method for chalkboard paint.

 I very much suggest using a throw-away container for mixing.  The obvious choice for mixing would be a paint stick.  I didn't have one, so I used both a straw and a plastic spoon.

Since I really wanted the actual look of a chalkboard, I went with a classic gray color, but you can do any color you want.  I bought the 94-cent carton of grout, and a little $2 trial size of gray paint, so this was a pretty cheap project.  For the legs, I decided to add some color and go bright yellow.  I had a coupon for a free tester from Benjamin Moore, so I scouted out the local Benjamin Moore retailer for that.

The whole project was pretty easy.  Here's the finished table:

The verdict?  We all love it.  The Sunbean loves drawing on it, and we think it will be great for keeping score while playing games with friends.  The space still needs some serious work, but we're happy with what we've got so far.

Here's a cost breakdown for you:

table (Goodwill):  $10
grout (Lowe's):  $.94
gray paint (Lowe's):  $1.94
fresh foam brush (Lowe's):  $.98
yellow paint (Creative Paints):  free
supplies:  already owned

total:  $13.86

Winning!

Sunday, Sunday

• We're here in our new place and getting settled.  Moving is always an adjustment.
• It was a much smoother adjustment until the internet guy disconnected our free cable.  We haven't had cable in 4 years {and will probably never have it again}, so we felt pretty cool for those first few days.
• Did I tell you that Starbucks is a 5-minute walk from my front door?  Well, it is.  Awe.  Some.
• We attended our new ward today.  I had been in Sunday School for about 4.6 seconds and I missed Primary.
• The ward is great, though.  The Sunbean loved nursery and met some new friends.  About 5 million people introduced themselves and everyone was very welcoming.
• I'm so thankful to be here with my husband.  Our house hasn't sold yet {it's only been on the market for a few days, so no worries just yet}, but we made the decision to move as a family.  We'll have double the expenses until it sells, but I'm so glad we're all here together.
• We are in the land of the Buckeyes now, and I'm absolutely amazed at how 'stylish' Buckeye apparel is in these parts.  That trend will have to grow on me.
• We are just a half hour from some dear friends of ours, and spent Friday night with them.  It was so nice to sit and have pizza and milkshakes with some familiar faces.  I've been homesick, so it was great to just relax and be myself with people who love me.
• We now live in, apparently, a ritzy little place.  You know, the kind where they don't use store logos.  It took us forever to find Lowe's and Home Depot because they are disguised in this large brick buildings with itty-bitty signs.  For the love, people, the new citizens of this town have a hard time finding Wal-Mart when it looks classy.
• Life is good.  Quite different, but good.

Deep Breath In, Deep Breath Out

I will make it through this week.  I will.

Via here.