Fourth of July

Hope you all had an AMAZING weekend!  The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays.  The past few days were absolutely gorgeous and we filled our long weekend with tons of pool time, sun, music, food, cook-outs, fireworks, sparklers, family and friends.  

Plus, July 5th was our 6th wedding anniversary!   We went to Dante in Tremont and had a fabulous meal.  Seriously, Cleveland has some of the best restaurants around.  Even my husband, who grew up right outside New York City, is blown away by the depth of the culinary talent in this city. 

Just sharing a few pictures of our weekend.  Hope you all ease back into the week very nicely.  

Refinished Picnic Table

This summer we were in the market for some outdoor furniture.  After looking around, I couldn't find anything that I liked for a halfway decent price and honestly, I really am not fond of new, cookie cutter furniture.  So I started perusing Craigslist and found this old 10ft picnic table for $15.00!

When I first saw the table, it was a sad, tired and worn little thing.  But for $15.00 and the fact that I could easily sit 8 people comfortably, I was willing to give it some much needed TLC.  

The benches were sinking.  The boards were bowing. The wood had numerous spots which would deliver painful splinters if hit a the correct angle. No biggie. With a little elbow grease and the right tools, Matt and I took some time to fix all of those imperfections.  

• We started by wiping down the entire table with a wet cloth to remove any dirt or cobwebs
• Then we got some coarse and fine sand paper and sanded this baby down until it was smooth as a baby's behind
• Next we drilled in some long deck screws to reinforce the boards
• We then added two 2x4's in the center of each bench for additional support
• Finally, we coated it with two coats of each oil-based primer and exterior paint  
• Material list: 2-4 coarse and medium grit sandpaper or sand sponges. 2 rollers with pans, 2 paint brushes, 1 gallon of each oil-based primer and exterior paint 

It's not perfect by any means but those minor blemishes give it character.  And I love it so much because my husband and I restored it together.  Normally I am solo on my furniture projects. He was doubtful at first but after seeing and actively participating in the transformation firsthand, I think I can now recruit his help for future DIY adventures!  

We placed the screws where needed

If you want the table to last a few years, definitely take the time to apply a primer

Exterior paint offers more protection for the outdoor elements

We used Sherman Williams Ibis White with a satin finish

Here is the table with the first coat of primer.  To make the painting easier, be sure to coat every nook and cranny with primer.  

This is with two coats of primer applied.  We let it dry overnight.  

The finished product after the two coats of exterior paint had been applied.  

The umbrella is from Pottery Barn.  Since we got it later in the season, there was a decent sale.  We look forward to spending many summer nights out here sipping on some drinks and eating some food with our good family and friends!   

Howe Meadow Farmers' Market

One of the things I LOVE about summer is all of the farmers' markets that pop up around the Cleveland area.  Lately, I've been dreaming of living on a farm and getting away from all of the noise that fills up the daily grind.  Since that is not an option right now, I like to make the most of what our local area has to offer.

Matt and I went down to the Howe Meadow Farmers' Market today.  Twice.  As we found out when we arrived, they are not "dog-friendly".  But everything looked so amazing that I talked Matt into taking Gryff back home and going back.  

The market was fantastic.  Managed and operated by the Countryside Conservancy, these markets feature producer-only, local vendors who sell some of the freshest produce and meat around.  They also had a variety of eggs, cheese, honey, jams, soaps, pierogies and pastas.  

Going back to the meat... they had numerous vendors who sold humanely raised chicken, steak, pork and lamb products.  One of the farmer's explained to me that all of her animals are free-range, grass-fed and hormone/antibiotic free.  She went on to tell me how the animals have great lives... just one bad day.  I thought that was clever.
  
If you are planning on going to a farmers' market, I suggest you get there early.  Right when it opens if possible.  Since there is not an endless supply, things get picked over very quickly.  The whole dog fiasco resulted in me not getting the hand-picked strawberries I wanted.  Oh well... there's always next week! 

"But Mom!  You drove me all the way out here and we have to go home already?!?!"

I ended up getting some farm fresh eggs, mushrooms, kale, Thai basil, chives, orange-tarragon chevre cheese, blackberry honey jam, tomato basil sausage and pierogies.  Now I'm off to the kitchen to make some homemade ravioli out of these gorgeous ingredients!