Excerpts of my summer vacation. . .

  . . . and why I did not go anywhere.

Four years ago I used Olympic deck cleaner on my front porch before painting and it annihilated the wood. It may have been applied on too hot a day, but whatever the reason, it's been going downhill ever since.  Cracks, splinters and serious fissures abound.

 So I rented a drum sander, hired a sanding guy for 4 hours, and then spent 3-1/2 days using a palm sander, a 3" belt sander, and hand sanding everything else.  A long and tedious process to be sure.

 Many of the spokes were loose with rusted out nails at the bottom and required Gorilla glue.

 Serious fissures.

Painting with Rustoleum 2x on the rails and spokes was a smart choice.  It filled in a lot of problem areas.  More serious problem areas received Bondo, an autobody filling compound prior to painting.

Three base areas on the french doors were also rotted out and required layering treatment with autobody compound.

Serious layering, eventually sanded down.  This took 4 hours.  After each layer, everything was left to dry for 15 minutes.

The covered porch ceiling required extensive long-handled brush scrubbing using various chemicals not certified by the EPA.  My cervical vertebrae C6-7 will never be the same.

Side bar:  Always wear a hat when scrubbing mold reduction chemicals on a ceiling and try not to look up while anything is dripping.  Oh, and before starting such activity, make an appointment with your chiropractor.

On Monday, Memorial Day, I got the first coat of Rustoleum 10X on the porch deck, taking great lengths to fill in the multiple fissures.  Five hours and 6 gallons of paint later, the first coat was done. I returned to the store for 6 more gallons.  Now that it's raining, I'll wait until everything dries well before putting on the final coat.

Meanwhile, I've had time to read the reviews on Rustoleum 10X and discovered some very unhappy people not to mention a class action lawsuit.

Will the paint live up to it's hype not to mention a 120-pound pup?  Only time will tell.  I'll take plenty of photos and keep my receipts just to be sure.

Let me know if you've had good or bad luck with this product won't you.  Perhaps on my next vacation we can house swap, but only if you live in Maui and have a really good chiropractor.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

A tiny glimpse

of phase I, renovation.

Fabric filled cabinets, all 4.

One consolidated bin of cut squares - different sizes, 4 containers of baggie projects going back 30 years, one bin of solid colored pieces for 2 different projects, one large flat bin of string piecing paraphernalia, and one bin of strips.  The gold bin is baggies.

The very last batch of fabric to be ironed and folded.  When I can get to it.

Sorted and categorized lights, strips, and a box of triangle units.  Can you hear my feet dancing.  The organizing is almost complete.

And to celebrate,

I took a Saturday off to work on an old project.

It's a good feeling, being this organized.  Yes, it took 8 months, and I'm not quite done.  However, this is a good stopping point while I take time to refinish my porch, paint some windows, put up some fencing, build a few gates, and work on the garden.

Of course there's company coming in too.  One a college friend I've not seen in 35 years.  Where oh where has the time gone?

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

The Merry Month of May!

Since May is not only my birthday month, but also includes Mother's Day, graduation, and Memorial Day,

I'd thought I'd share this wonderfully decadent, easy to whip up chocolate cake recipe.  As a matter of fact, it's so moist, you won't even need to make icing for it.  Unless of course you want to.


Triple Chocolate Cake

Cocoa powder for dusting.
1 - 18-1/2 ounce box deep chocolate or devil's food cake mix
1 - 4 ounce box instant chocolate pudding mix
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup toasted, chopped almonds
4 eggs
3 tablespoons almond liqueur
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup chocolate chips

(Note:  I usually leave out the liqueur and replace the almond extract with about 1 teaspoon of mint extract).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 10-inch bundt pan and dust with cocoa.

Place all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a large bowl and beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed.  Mix in chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until cake tests done.  Cool on rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Place warm cake on serving dish and drizzle with glaze or dust with powdered sugar.

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon almond, vanilla, OR mint extract

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl.  Let stand at room temperature until ready to glaze cake.

This is a time tested recipe.  If you keep the chocolate cake mix and instant pudding in the pantry, you can mix this cake up and have it in the oven faster than you can say Happy Birthday.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .