Family treasures

Yesterday, Kev and I took Mom her table. It was the table that Grandma had out in the Trailer house for ceramics. Grandpa had made it many many years ago, when he was in High School. So, it was made before 1941. It's one of the things he specifically asked Mom and Sandy to find a home for. Mom decided she could use it as their kitchen/dining table, but it needed to be refinished. 20+ years of ceramics had left stain, and paint, and glaze and what all all over the table. I volunteered to take it to my house to strip and refinish it.

Two years later...it returned to Mom. (I'll post pictures later, promise!)

I started out sanding it, but the ceramic paint tended to eat up my sandpaper, so I got some stripper and stripped it, then sanded it. The table is made of black walnut. It's very pretty; now that you can see the grain of the wood again! Grandpa made it so you could add a leaf and make it bigger, but we couldn't find the leaf, so Kev said he'd make one--probably not out of walnut, because that is hard to find, but Mom said she didn't care because she'd probably cover it with a tablecloth anyway.

Anyway...after I got it all stripped and sanded, we decided to just finish it with Tung oil. Tung oil is a natural finish, and it gives wood a nice glow and brings out the natural grain. It also seals the wood--but not as much as poly does. With the age of the table, I really didn't want to use polyurethane. Tung oil is also food safe, which was another factor that made me choose to use it.

Kev and I took it down yesterday. And, once we got it out in the sun...I decided it probably needed another coat of oil. We took the oil with us, and applied it at Mom's. While it's not factory perfect, it is a pretty table.

Sine Mom now had her "new" table, we took the old one out to the farm. We figured that Andy, or another of the grand kids might need it in the future. It was a nice day for a trip to the farm. While Dad and Kev were messing with the table, I examined the stuff (really old crap) that's still out there. I looked at the kerosene cook stove and at the really old electric stove. (I kinda am thinking about maybe fixing it up to put in my kitchen...once we remodel...but don't tell Kev...yet). I also found an old washer that my 2 off-grid SIL's might be able to use.

I found Grandma's old dishpan--enameled dishpan--the same one that Daddy swears he used to wash dishes in. I carted it upstairs to take home--along with two washboards one of which is glass. I looked at the old canning jars and almost grabbed a couple more half gallon jars, but refrained. I did find a square milk bottle, and grabbed it. I then looked at some orange crates and some wooden cheese boxes, but decided to leave them there for now. Then I picked up this thing and asked Mom what it was. It was sitting by the old enameled bedpan, so I thought that it might be a urinal, but Daddy said it was the enema thing that held the water/liquid and then the hose was attached to it and to the unfortunate person on the receiving end. I decided that I really don't have a place for it...

Then, I informed Kev and Daddy that they needed to carry Grandma W's dish cabinet up.

I have been begging (and nagging) Kev to get it for several years now, and decided that yesterday was as good of a day as any to get them to carry it out. The menfolk didn't whine too badly, and carried it out. It's had a little termite damage, but it's minor. Kev and I will have to sand it down and he'll have to reglue some of the doors, and we'll have to replace some glass, and maybe some hardware, but I'm excited to finally have it where I can fix it up. I'll post photos of that project too. (But, you all know me right? Cause once again, I can't find the camera...)

I know just where this will go--and I plan on putting my scrapbooking and other craft "stuff" in it. I can't wait to show you how pretty it is!