pallet box

Pinterest. a partner. a pallet.  So much can be accomplished with these 3 things!  I had pinned a fall table-scape some time ago featuring a centerpiece that included a box fashioned from old fence posts..... 

A few days later my aunt pinned one similar made from a pallet and I knew it had to be done.  And then it appeared!  Some work was being done on a house across the street and a pallet appeared leaned up against a tree.  Although I would call it a "mini-pallet," I had to have it.  I left a note on it for a couple days asking the owner to drop it in my yard if they were just going to throw it away and as the worker visits dwindled, I took it!! It was very unlike me to take it without explicit permission but I was re-using and cleaning up the neighborhood and the house being worked on was vacant.  
My wonderful partner came home a little early one day after traveling for work and jumped on the project and opportunity for time in the shop.

This little beauty required only a few cuts on the table saw and you could customize to nearly any size with nearly any pallet. My husband left the original nails but cut them off thinking they added character and I couldn't agree more.

 I did make a mistake on the finish.  I visited a small but usually wonderful hardware store and first found the perfect handles for $4 (total). 

 I next asked for a recommendation for a stain or finish and was debating between a zero VOC polyurethane and Tung oil.  Because the oil would dry hard but also penetrate a bit and bring out some of the natural wood character, I went that route.  The poly would have first required a stain and the same green company's stain and poly in the smallest sizes offered would have totaled $50.  The Tung oil cost just over $12 for a lot bigger quantity and was more inherently green.  Unfortunately the kind salesperson did not tell me the Tung oil could take several WEEKS to dry.  The box was assembled and oiled in less than an hour but took over a month to dry.  I hauled it around the yard chasing the sun for days and finally brought it inside to set it in front of a heat vent.  If time is money this was a costly lesson, but thankfully the only cost was a delay in my filling it.
I finally gave up on it getting any more dry one day last week and filled it with fall's delights.  

I also tried flame-less candles for the first time as the person I pinned this from had started a 
fire with hers :-/
I'm still a much bigger fan of the real thing, but the soft flickering light with no fear of fire burning little fingers or the house down makes it worth it.

 

I got to put it to the dinner party test this Saturday night....

I think it would also look great in front of the fireplace on our slightly raised hearth or in front of the kitchen window filled with herbs in the spring.  Or as the pinner commented on the picture below, on the mantel filled with hydrangea balls-yes please!!

Family Command Center

Family command center has become quite the buzz phrase in this time of Pinterest and blogging.  Had we opted for the sprawling Highlands Ranch Haus, we would likely have a large desk area right in our kitchen and even maybe have an office on the main floor that would make a family command center easy or unnecessary.  Our office, however large, (for our expectations) is in the basement, and we have only one eating table, so we had to get creative to control the clutter.
I have given in to one pile of papers being on the dining table or living room side table as there is always a bill to mail or form to fill or article to read.  I am very happy with how organized our little idea turned out.....

We first had to decide between this wall where the aprons are (there is a brick chimney under there which means hanging is hard.  Those nails the aprons are on were already there.)

Or here on the side of the fridge and next to the sink.

 Per Ryan's good point of standing at the sink a lot, this spot won.  The metal board and towel bar are from Ikea and were less than $20 total. 

There is room for the family calendar, recipes for the week, and current activities and coupons are housed in that clip at the top.

Our individual and family calendars automatically sync (thanks to Steve Jobs,) and I added the recycling, large item pick-up, and Ben's school calendars so we only need one calendar displayed.  I also love that I can now look back at our weekly menus for ideas and to reduce repetition.

My genius engineer husband also came up with this idea for cooking, and I just move the clip to the side when not in use.  It was quite handy to be able to read and stir this week.  

truth

can't see the castle for the trees

....well our hope is that sooner than later we'll see less of the castle because of the trees.  Probably the biggest "con" on our list when buying this house was the castle next door.  We did check with neighbors who assured us an old retired couple lived there and was building their dream home.  The mason that did work on our house also shared that the bricks and masonry the neighbors were using was one of the most expensive techniques around.  As it turns out, Greg and Kate are not old-though they are near retirement and we remain hopeful they will keep working toward finishing their vision-whatever it is.

"the castle" at dusk

In the meantime, we decided some trees and privacy were in order.  We ended up with bigger tree$ than we initially sought, but a sale and supply led us to these.  We purchased them on our fifth anniversary and there is one for each year. :)  They say you can't buy time, but in this case, the bigger and more expensive trees will give us the privacy we desire-sooner.
These beauties are admiral junipers and, as evergreens,  will be green and full all year.  They will grow together at the bottom depending on how we trim them and are considered fast-growers.  They should top out at 20 feet. 
It is likely the new garage will come back some and be close to where the trees start.  We also thought that even if the house eventually expanded towards them, they would be nicer to look out at than a plain fence.
I'm excited to nurture these babies and watch them grow.  It feels great to finally be making improvements and purchases that are just for us with no end in sight.  It's good that I'm so in love with these guys because they were a big investment and will be the last one for awhile. :)

 

We had to remove a planter box before the trees were planted.  We're hoping to relocate it for a shade veggie garden in the spring as this was the sunniest spot in the yard.

Moving the boards proved easy.  A fairy named Moi worked through many nap times hauling buckets of dirt.  I was very proud of my level ground.

They were planted SO straight.  I'm very glad we left this one to the professionals.

 

Luke is quite a photobomber!

 

before and after