This weekend Mark and  I attempted to be Weekend Warriors.  Because I spend so much time during the week “Redouxing” furniture for others, I have to work fast and furious on a Saturday to do any furniture for myself.  By relation of marriage, unfortunately, Mark has learned the way of the weekend warrior as well.

Mark and I are in the middle of a Master Bedroom Redoux.  So far, we have painted the walls an elegant shade of Grey and I finished the Plank Topped Sewing table. The Redoux is slow going.   I had a free Saturday, (ie, no kid obligations) and I thought I would tackle the next project.  I had my choice between painting our Armoire, or stripping and staining Mark’s dresser.  I was feeling ambitious, so I decided to take on the tough project. Of course, me being the overenthusiastic optimist, foolishly thought this would be an easy done in a day project, and I would even have time to paint a dresser my neighbor gave me that is going outside to hold outdoor plates, etc.  WRONG!!!

I spent the first couple hours doing the dreaded deed of stripping the piece.  Let me tell you, not only had the paint I had put on this free to me dresser years ago become one with the dresser, it had become one with the Fort Knox finish that had come with the dresser!

Several applications of stripping agent later……, plus a few chemical burns on my arms and feet because I was in too much of a hurry……I finally got the wood to where it was ready to be sanded and stained.  I went inside thinking it was about 1:00, time for a break.  It was 3:00!  And, it was sunny, and hot and I had been out all day without sunblock.  The fun was just beginning.

Now heading to the sanding part of the day, my orbital sander decided this would be a good day to lose the “grip” part of the stick and sand pad.  So sanding disc after sanding disc went flying into my yard…….

Finally got the dresser sanded after battling my dying sander.  We are now at about 6:00.  I am thinking the sun is not hot enough anymore, it is safe to start staining.  WRONG AGAIN!  Each streak of stain was drying so fast, I had no time, to work with a “wet edge” to get the stain applied evenly.  I decided to just finish the top, have it look like someone’s bad hair dye job.  Call it a day, and hope for the best today, Monday (when I am supposed to be working again…..)

In the meantime,  this is what I received for my efforts:

Really bad broken thumbnail and finger injuries

Messed up Pedicure and toe injuries

Mark, being the good man that he is spent his morning at a Baseball game.  Then, the bulk of his day helping out at an Emergency Preparedness Fair our church put together for our community.  Came home to work in our yard pulling out the bounty of weeds and planting all the flowers and new rose bush I had bought for myself  for Mother’s Day.  When this was finished, Mark did the grocery shopping.  He was rewarded by his back going out while in the checkout line having a nice conversation with another Mom.  Fun to have a conversation with someone while you are bending over because your back gave out.

I was rewarded with a superior farmer burn. Not just a tan, a burn.  I had a fabulously beet red neck and lovely burn/tan lines that stopped just about at the tops of my shoulders where I had rolled the sleeves of my shirt up.

To reward ourselves for our hard work  we promptly took ourselves out to dinner where we comforted ourselves with large amounts of food and enjoyed conversation while we congratulated ourselves on our toughness.

(umm, not really us)

I have no beauty pictures to show you today, except this one.  Being in the sun, sweating, wearing big ol’ sound reducing headphones on all day, and very high wind does not a beauty make.

Next weekend, we will resume our warrior status, but this time, we intend to win the battle.