9 Days Till Thanksgiving... I Need to get my Rear in Gear

I can't believe it's November 15th already! Thanksgiving is only nine days away and I am hosting Thanksgiving at our home this year.  With family coming the night before, I have so much I still need to do to get the house ready... (Ahhhh, insert panic here!). That means I only have eight days to get everything done.  

Finish the dining table restoration, sand, paint and upholster all six chairs, trim upholstery edges on chairs (that is, if the trim arrives in time)... make the curtain panels for the formal dining room, clean the house from top to bottom so it looks great when our company arrives (oh, how I wish I had a maid!!!), plan the Thanksgiving menu (ie- breakfast, full Thanksgiving meal, snacks for mid day, drinks, then do all the grocery shopping and when I'm done, pray I didn't forget anything. Oh yeah, dessert... I absolutely can't forget the dessert!  Whew, I'm pretty much exhausted just thinking about it...

We are still working on the dining table renovation project.  The table is almost done, it just needs a the final clear protection coat on top. The dining chairs are still being sanded which is a major project since the legs had been beaten up from many years of kids toys banging into them. The goal for this dining table, plus the three leaves and six chairs is to get it all finished in time for Thanksgiving. However, we do have one potential hiccup! It all depends on whether or not the trim that I had to custom order for the chairs will arrive or not. I ordered the trim about 9 days ago and Joann's store said it would take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to get here. So, I am holding out hope that it will arrive this weekend.. (Insert a prayer here).  If it does not arrive, it will be plastic yard chairs in the formal dining room... Somehow it just won't be the same... But, either way we will make the best of it!  

When we found the set via Craigslist, I figured upholstering the chairs would be super easy. In the past I have removed seats from chairs and just used fabric and a staple gun... wrap the fabric around the seat, staple to the back... it was super easy. However, when we discovered that our chairs all are made with strapping and have springs inside, there was no way to remove the seat to reupholster (uhh ohhh), but I didn't panic, I just went to Joann's and found a book on How to Upholster. It covers exactly how to cut the fabric, how to tuck it in, how to nail it, how to trim it... etc..., so I'm hoping and praying that it won't be too difficult.  It is definitely way more involved than the prior chairs I have covered, but I am always up for learning something new!   

No matter what I know the dining set will turn out beautifully... The table has already had a major transformation! Do you remember the before pics... I have put the before and after below just to remind you.  Wow, when we found the table I couldn't stand the honey color finish on it... It reminded me of furniture I had in the 80's and 90's, golden oak and honey pine (no offense to anyone who still likes those colors).  Given the shape and frame of the table I knew it had tons of potential. I love how it looks now.  I can't wait to get it in the house!

 Table Color Before Refinishing

After Sanding Down to Raw Wood...

After Stain and an Antique Glaze

Alright, I suppose it is time for me to stop blogging and to go and get my rear in gear.  I just have to figure out which item on my list to do first. Wish me luck...

Blessings,