Wooden Crate Table - Almost Done!

Well, since the girls are back in school, they have not yet begun work on the details we were planning to have them do on the table.  That, coupled with the fact that I was nervous about leaving it out in the elements for a long time unfinished, prompted us to move the table indoors.

The vinegar/penny thing is not working out at all.  So far, all we have is what looks like a jar of dingy water with a pile of pennies on the bottom.  I have been looking at alternatives, but I have to say, now that we have the table inside, I am kind of liking the natural look (though we would need to give it a light stain and seal it, to protect the wood).   Honestly, I am wondering if we need to do much else to it at all.

Once it was inside, we realized this presented an interesting dilemma. We live in a very small house.  There really isn't room for more than one coffee table, so having our old IKEA coffee table near the sofa and the new table sitting upside down on the floor in front of the entertainment center was kind of not working for us.  We decided, since we might not be able to work on it for a couple weeks, we might as well use it (very carefully, since it is still unfinished) in the meantime.  Tonight, we attached the wheeled casters and set it up.  We know we will have to take them off to finish it, and then reattach them when it is done, but that's okay with us.  

Now, our original plan involved some decorative details by the girls (script, in their handwriting, to be woodburned in by Justice), a coat of stain (blue/green) and a glass top.  Initially, I hoped to cover just the center hole with glass, but, the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be a good idea to put a glass top right over the whole thing, giving us a nice, smooth, sturdy, easy-to-write-on, worry-free surface.  I like the idea of filling the center area with different seasonal decorative items.  For instance, we might fill the space with glass ornaments and ribbons for Christmas, seashells in Summer, pinecones in Fall...   Think of the fun we can have with holiday decor ~ red, white and blue bunting & stars, colourful plastic eggs and Easter grass... We're going to have a ball playing with this.  In our tiny house, where we won't have room for a lot of seasonal decor, this will be a nice focal point.

Plans notwithstanding, I can't help but notice that it looks pretty good just as it is.  On the other hand, I would love for it to have a personal touch from my girls.  Honestly, I think it looks best without the glass top, but I think, from a practical standpoint, we might need it.

So, I am wondering ~ what do you all think?  Blue/green stain, or light, natural wood stain?  Words woodburned into the side panels, or not?  Glass over the whole top, or just the center?  I kind of know where I am leaning with all of this, but would appreciate hearing what you have to say.

This is how it looks at the moment:

Bear in mind, as cool as the money tree looks in the center, it cannot stay there.  We can't see the television over it.  I wish that didn't matter, but what's the point in having a television if you can't see it?For now, anyway, it looks awfully cool there.

Wooden Crate Table Update

Just in case you are wondering, the table project will be completed over a period of weeks, most likely. The girls are going to help me with some detail work (I am so excited about it!), and then, once that is done, I will still have to stain and seal it.  Our homemade wood stain is not making much progress, but I have read that it can take a couple of weeks to develop colour, so I am still hopeful.  I have been shopping around for eco-friendly stains in colours that might be similar to what I am hoping to get from our penny/vinegar concoction, just in case it doesn't work the way it's supposed to.  Also shopping around for a tempered glass top for the whole thing, which I know will make it look a bit less rustic, but I think we need a) the added strength and b) a smooth surface for writing, drawing, etc.  We are a writing and drawing kind of family.

Pretty sure we are going to bring it in tomorrow, to protect it from the elements, and we will take it back outside when we need to work on it again.

I'll keep you posted on our progress as we go along.

Wooden Crate Table, Day 3, Part II

8/16/12 (cont'd)

I will open this entry with an apology.  I forgot to take pictures of the two sides of the table being put together.  Actually, I didn't forget so much as I decided not to.  I figured, since I was doing the work, I couldn't take a picture of myself doing it very easily, and, if I just took a picture after I screwed them together, they would look just like the pictures from yesterday.  So I didn't take any.  You will notice, as we go through this entry, that Justice got feeling a bit better.  She came out and took a pic or two, then Shane came out and took a pic or two, also, so there are some pictures of me working, just in case you don't believe I'm really doing this :)

Okay.  So, we had gotten through measuring in the last entry, and now we are ready to cut.

BTW, these are the tools I am using:

They are awesome, and I love them.  However, I would have started work on my table sooner had they not been inside my garage with dozens of crickets.  I don't know why I am scared of crickets, but there you have it.  Shane rescued the tools for me, and I was able to build.

When you are sawing wood, it is important to protect your eyes.  This means you must wear safety goggles.  Yes, they look ridiculous.  A hunk of wood (or even just sawdust) in your eye is worse than silly-looking goggles.  You'll just have to trust me on this.  Just in case you are still reticent to wear them, I will post a picture of me in my safety goggles.

See?  You could not possibly look goofier than I do.  Get over it and put on your goggles.  Also, tie back your hair if it is long enough to get in your way.

Cutting is simple.  Just line up the blade of your saw with that nice, straight line you drew and go.  Nice and steady.  Keep the blade right on the line.  If I can do this, anyone can.  

It's also important to hold the wood still while you cut.  I am thinking clamps would have been a good idea, but I chose this winning method, instead:

And yes, I am building in a dress.  It was hot, and I hate wearing pants when it's hot.  Ideally, I think my work surface is supposed to be higher, but I managed to make this work.

Justice (who took the previous picture) was feeling well enough to come outside and get some fresh air by this time, so I put her to work sanding.  That's just the kind of mom I am.  "You're feeling better?  Oh, good!  Here, do some work."

With Justice's help, I attached the first four beams to the bottom on the table, using wood glue and screws (and clamps, which, by the way, are really handy for holding things in place).  

Then, I attached the two crossbeams, coming in from the edge just about the same distance as the width of one of the slats on the crates.  We think this will give us a good position for our wheeled casters.  I am still on the fence about whether or not to add a crossbeam right across the center.  Shane and Justice don't think I need one, and they are probably right.  I am not going to put anything very heavy there.

So, that's what it looks like at the moment.

The girls are all working together on some of the detail work, which needs to be done before we can finish the table and attach the casters.  When the glue is good and dry, we will sand the whole thing and get to work adding those cryptic details to which I have continued to allude.  Then, all will be revealed :)  I will update as soon as we have more work done.  

Wooden Crate Table - Day 3, Part I

8/16/12

Today, I decided to start actually building the table.

Forgot to mention in my previous post that, a couple of days ago, the kids and I plunked a big handful of pennies into a jar of white vinegar, in hopes it will turn a sort of turquoise colour, and we can use it to finish our table.  (Click here for more info about this)  So far, it still looks clear, but the pennies appear to be getting pretty grubby-looking.  I hear the process takes about a week or so, and, considering the other work we need to do on the table before we finish it, I think this will be just fine.  If, for some reason, the vinegar thing doesn't work, I will find a nice blueish or greenish (or blue-greenish) stain and use that, but I hope it works.  It would be cheap.  And neat.  And al sciencey and stuff :)

Wait...what was I saying?  Oh, right.  Building a table.

Justice stayed home with a fever (yeah, on the third day of school.  How much does that suck?).  I mention this because, later in the day, she rallied and was able to help me a little.

Now.  Here's what I did.

Remember how I had laid out the crates?  Well, when I did that, I made sure to look them over and find the best sides of each and decide which parts to feature on the top or side of the table, and which to relegate to the bottom.  I found, when I started to screw together my crates, that they didn't all match up perfectly.  We're going for a rustic look, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but I wanted the top to sit pretty nicely.  I did the best I could, but you will notice some inconsistencies.

I started out by standing up two crates at a time and screwing them together on the inside.  Like this:

I used a power driver and 1 1/4 inch construction screws.

I used the construction screws because they said they could be used to attach wood to wood without drilling any lead holes, and I am kind of lazy.  I also used wood glue, smearing it between the crates, where they made contact before putting in the screws.  I didn't think to do this right from the start, so hopefully those parts will be okay.  If not, I'll fix it someday.  I probably could have saved money by buying a bigger package, but the hardware store I went to didn't carry this size of this type of screw in a larger package, and I didn't want to run all over the Valley just for a few screws.

I tried to take a picture to show where I placed the screws.  Hopefully, you can see them (in the 4 corners).

I found that, in the back, I had to go in kind of at an angle.  Probably should have used 1" screws there, but I didn't have any.  One barely poked through on the inside of one of the crates, but I decided that wasn't too big a problem.  I also learned, through trial and error, to try to go in to the thickest piece of wood, whenever possible.  Those little slats are really a bit flimsy.

Now, I almost screwed the two sides together at this point, in which case, the main body of the table would be built.  However, while they were standing up like this, I was suddenly struck by the fact that, if I left them that way for a few minutes, I could use them as sawhorses while I cut my lumber.  This was excellent, because I do not own sawhorses, and was wondering how I was going to handle that.  Look how well it works:

At this point, I was ready to start measuring.  To determine the length of the planks for the support structure of my table, I lay out the crates on the tarp, just as they would be when the table was finished (remember the pics from yesterday?), and measured each side.  As best I can tell, it looks like my table will be about 27 1/2" x 27 1/2" when it is finished, so that's the length I wanted to make my planks.

Using my tape measure and pencil, I measured and marked, then measured and marked again.  (Isn't that what they say?  "Measure twice, cut once.")  I marked three dots, then, using a ruler, joined them to form a straight line.  See, Daddy?  I DID listen to some of the things you taught me.  By the way ~ shout out to my dad, who taught me how to use tools and build things.  Hopefully, I'm doing okay here.  It would be better with your help, I'm sure, but at least you're my dad, so I have all of that important stuff you taught me at my disposal.  Hopefully, I remembered enough to pull this off :)

I cut 6 (just shy of) 27 1/2" planks.  I realize this is different than what the tutorial says.  I thought a lot about how to build this part of the table, and I decided that, since we have a different plan for the center of the table than the original plan ~ and since I my building skills are kind of remedial AND since I stub my toes a lot ~ that I would, instead, place four planks across the bottom of the table in one direction (two toward the center to help close the bottom of that hole and provide the support we will need there), and two in the other direction to help distribute the weight and provide a position for the casters that will be slightly in and under the table, so I won't stub my toe on them.  I am really just hoping this will work, but Shane seems to think it will.  If not, I will fix it, but I am gonna give it a go.  

Okay.  I feel like this post is very pic heavy already, and I still have a number of pictures to go for Day 3, so I am going to make it a 2 parter.  Ending this here.  Next up: assembling the table!

Wooden Crate Coffee Table - Day 2

8/15/12

I don't know about you, but, when I go to the hardware store, I like to drive around with lumber in my car for at least a day before I unload it.  I like the smell of wood, and...um...

No.  I'm totally lying.  I don't like to do this.  I'm just lazy about unloading, so, sometimes, I do.  That's what I did when I bought the supplies for my latest project, anyway.  I think I took out the lumber that evening, but I left the crates in the car until well into the next day.  When I did take them out, I decided to lay them out on a tarp on my porch, so I could get an idea of what I was dealing with, and how it would look when I got it put together.  I think it's gonna be awesome.

Now, Shane asked me how much this project is costing me, so I tried to sort of estimate, having not bothered to keep my receipts.

The crates were about $12 apiece at Michaels (I should have waited for a coupon!  I was too excited), so that's $48.

Now, in the tutorial I posted yesterday, I think she says she used 1x2x6 for the support underneath the table, but, when I looked at it at the hardware store, I thought it looked a little flimsy for us.  We are a rough and tumble bunch.  I went with 1x4x6, which was (as I recall) $5.81 per plank.  I also bought 3, instead of the 2 called for in the tutorial, because I had decided to build the undercarriage (undercarriage??  That's probably the wrong word.  You know.  The part underneath the crates that holds it all together and supports it.) differently.  More about that next time.  That's $17.43.

Then, I got 4 casters at $2.95 each ($11.80), and two small boxes of screws at $1.99 a pop ($3.98).

So.  Let me do some math here....

I think that comes to $81.21.

Unless I did the math wrong.  You can check my numbers if you'd like.  (Math is NOT my forte.)

Not an especially cheap project, but I don't think that's a terrible price for a custom table.  I probably could have shopped around for better deals, used coupons, etc., but I'm okay with this splurge.  It's going to be a very special table.

Brief synopsis:

On Day 2, I unloaded my car, set my crates together to see how they might look as a table, and did some math.

Wooden Crate Coffee Table - Day 1

8/14/12:

I figured out what I am going to do while the kids are at school all day.  Ignore the mess in my car, and focus on the wooden crates and lumber.  ooooooooohhhhhh, pretty!

Also ignore the larger pieces of lumber.  They're for a different project.  More on that later.  

I will be attempting to build THIS.  Or something like it, anyway.  I am not necessarily going for the "antique" or "wine crate" look.  I will be using a different finish and (with the help of my lovely daughters), adding details to personalize it for out family)  Trust me, it will be cool...I think.  Assuming it turns out vaguely like I hope it will.  Wish me luck!  I will probably need it!

Out with the old...

School starts the day after tomorrow here in Sunny (103℉) So-Cal (for LAUSD schools, anyway).  Accordingly, we have been hard at work cleaning, pitching, sorting, organizing and generally preparing for the new year.

It's astounding to me how many great piles of paper five people can manage to accumulate.  My girls are all avid writers, artists, musicians and readers.  Our tiny little 3 bed/1 bath home looks like a landfill frequented by very messy, somewhat obsessive compulsive art collectors and musicians.  I cannot believe how many pieces of paper my children consume over the course of a year.  By consume, I mean "use up," not eat, of course.

Last year, we got off on the wrong foot.  Maybe we can blame that on my foot!  Okay, it was actually my knee that was the problem.  In general.  I'm not sure if the knee problem had anything to do with the gigantic papery mess problem, or if the two conditions coexist, but are not necessarily symbiotic in nature.  Frankly, I am not going to waste a lot of time trying to figure it out, so the world may never know.  What I do know is this: we had a great big, huge, overwhelming, disorganized, unmanageable mess, and I could not bear the thought of heading into another year of piles and piles of paperwork when I hadn't yet cleared out the previous year's piles.

Going through the mountains of paper turned out to be a treat, in some ways.  First, there was the great satisfaction of tossing out all the old tests and homework, and discovering tons of available space for this year's influx.  Then, there was the fun of sorting through and looking at all of the children's art, reading their stories.  I keep that stuff.  I probably keep more than I should, but I just can't let it go. It's like, if I do, a little piece of my daughters' childhood will be swept away to oblivion.  What I am doing is setting aside the old work, filing and storing it, to make room for the new.  That is going to make a huge difference.  After just a couple of days, we have found the at we have so much space with which to work, that we really should be able to find room for everything and develop a workable system.  For instance, by boxing up some of the old picture books and putting them out in the garage, we have cleared an entire shelf for the kids' textbooks.

The only caveat is that, now that we have all of this space, we need to figure out how to use it.  That's not so much a caveat as it is exactly the result I was hoping for, but it does bear some thought and planning on our part.  Shane and I batted around ideas about why the system we tried last year failed so miserably, and, ultimately, decided to change the way our home is arranged ~ change the way we use our space ~ to more accurately reflect the way we actually live.

That seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it?  What if I tell you that we turned our dining room into a library/sitting room, moved the kids' computer armoire to the front of the living room, took down two shelves, stacked the four cubbies the kids were using for their schoolwork in a single towering spire, and are in the process of deciding which books to store in the garage, and which to leave on the shelves?  What if I tell you the cooking, craft, art and comic books all made the cut and will be staying in the house, while my teaching resources are neatly and safely stashed in a rubbermaid tub on an easily accessible shelf in the garage?  What if I remind you that we didn't replace our dining room with another dining room elsewhere?  That last part is weird, huh?

But, see...we don't have room for a dining room.  I mean, what is a dining room, anyway?  You're basically taking a huge amount of floor space for one big table and a bunch of chairs.  The slap in the face, here, is that the dining table invariably becomes yet another place to pile stacks of paper, mail, half finished projects of one sort and another, mandolins, guitars, trumpets, bongos, guitar strings, ukeleles, coloured pencils, paints, canvasses, sketch books, yarn, clay and books...  Book, books, books, books and more books!  Pretty much anything other than dinner finds its way to our dinner table on a daily basis.  Then, when it's time to eat, there's no room at  the table.  Shane is usually at work, I am running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get kids to one place and another while cooking, cleaning, preparing for my own work, balancing the books, etc., that I can't even think about eating.  So the kids eat at the bar or the coffee table, and Shane and I eat later, when he gets home.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Of course, we do like to eat together as a family sometimes, and we didn't want to completely lose that option, so, a while back, we decided to invest in a pretty little wooden table with two good sized leaves that fold down, making it a cute little side table with drawers, most of the time, and a dining table large enough for the five of us (we can even squeeze in a guest or two, if we try).  It seems to be a good compromise, suits our lifestyle, and gives us most of a room (or, at least, a substantial little end of a room) to work with.  We have been using our new table for some time, now, and I have to say, we have been eating together as a family, but sort of around the living room ~ some at the bar, some at the coffee table ~ instead of around what used to be the dining room.  We still visit, chat, laugh, share the ketchup...  It's still a family meal together.  The venue's just a little different.

After trying this plan for some weeks, we decided that it really does suit our family, and, by reclaiming that space which was once dominated by a large dinner table, we have gained so much.  Today, Shane rearranged the furniture for me.  I was going to say he helped me rearrange the furniture, but it was really much more like he just did it.  He worked so hard.  I helped empty shelves, and I am now in the process of reorganizing and shelving all of the books, but he moved all of the furniture, pretty much on his own (I helped a little, but I am not allowed to lift much).  We put the computer armoir by the front window, with the cubbies right next to it.  Then, we moved the large bookshelf from the hallway to the dining area, placing it against the wall to one side of the kitchen doorway and forming a sort of wrap around bookshelf with the other lagre bookshelf and a tall narrow shelf to span the corner between them.  Next, we put the small bookshelf (the one that holds things like Nancy Drew, the Chronicles of Narnia, Laura Ingalls Wilder's books and the Harry Potter series) on the other side of the kitchen door.  The purple armchair is in one corner, right next to my cute little yellow table, which is currently being used as a stand for my new record player.  I think I will throw the floor cushions over by the small bookshelf.

Of course, there are books and other odds and ends strewn about the room and an unfinished project spread out over the half-open table but, when it is finished, we will have a cute, cozy little library/sitting room, with a table that can be opened when we want to have a more formal meal together.  By the way, I am so excited about that project.  It's also for our new room.  We're all working on it together, and I just can't wait to share when it's done.

So it is settled.  Perhaps it is a tad bohemian for some people's taste, but I like it.  Our family has always been on the quirky side, and a cozy little place to read, draw, write or daydream is far more important to us than sitting around a dining table every night.  I feel like the house is coming together in a way that works for us.  We have our bar, our little library/sitting room/art & craft area, and lots of uncluttered space.  Finally.  We're in our fourth year here, I believe, and we're continuing to look at houses because we know this one is too small for our family.  So, you know, it's a good thing we are starting to make some progress.

Walk it out

Got up before the kids, put on my sweats and sneakers and went for a long walk.

*sigh*

It was not at all like going for a run.  And now my ankle hurts.  Damnit.

However, I hear walking, biking and swimming are the way to go for me, so I'll keep working on it.  Perhaps, in time, it will grow on me.

I enjoy swimming, but it is not very convenient, since I have three kids and don't own a pool.  Swimming involves a trip to the Y, which shouldn't be so hard, but it seems like every single time I plan to do it, something comes up.  I keep saying I will take the kids with me, so they can swim, too.  We haven't made it to the pool together even once this Summer.  I guess I have to try harder in that department.

Biking is good, and it is easy to take a kid or two along, but, this morning, I didn't want to wake everyone with the noisy garage door, so I opted for a walk.  In my running shoes.

Maybe that was the problem,  Maybe, if I didn't get ready for my walk thinking, "Damn, I can't run anymore," I would feel better about it.  I don't know.  But I do know that my running shoes are comfy and good for my feet ~ and I spent a pretty penny on them, so I ought to use them for something.  Just gonna have to get over myself and move on, I guess.

It's hard.  Who would've thought it would be so hard?  I just started running again a couple of years ago.  It's not like I was a lifelong runner.  I mean, I had run throughout my life, starting in high school, but there was a very long hiatus after the kids were born.  It just...I like it.  It made me feel like me again.  And now... Well, it may sound silly, but I feel a little lost without it.  Unfocussed.

I really have nothing to grouse about.  I spent much of the past year walking with a cane and anticipating knee surgery.  Now, I have found that I do not, in fact need surgery.  With lots of hard work, I have gone from walking with a cane and/or brace and not being able to take a flight up steps to being able to do pretty much everything I used to do.

Pretty much.  Or so I'm told.

I can't turn cartwheels or move furniture.  I have to be careful not to get to close to the mosh pit when at go to shows.  Even cooler (read: totally NOT cool) ~ I have to wear my brace, if I want to dance...and I can't stomp or jump, which is hard to remember when you're at a show and the music is loud and people all around you are jumping and stomping and dancing any old way they want.  Oh, and I can't run.

There's a lot I can do:  I can walk, ride a bike or swim.  I can dance, carefully, with my brace on, as long as I don't twist at the knee.  Recently, I was able to sit cross-legged on the floor for the first time in over a year.  And I can...um...knit...and make jam.  Not exactly the active lifestyle I was used to.

And that's just it.  When my doctor told me that I could do everything I used to, except run, jump, turn cartwheels, move furniture, lift heavy things...what he didn't understand was that THOSE WERE ALL THE THINGS I DO.

The hardest thing about my walk this morning was that it was slow.  I just don't like to move slow.  I wasn't built for slow.  I have no patience, I get easily bored, I tend to be jumpy...  A slow stroll is not my speed.  However, I am not up to speed walking, so slow stroll it is.  I can't help wondering what's wrong with me.  I ought to enjoy the fresh air, the sounds of nature, the nods and smiles form my neighbours.  Instead, I feel trapped.  I want to go, go, go!  I want to run, to hear the rhythmic tet-tet-tet of rubber soles on the street, to sweat, to feel the wind in my face and just fly!  I was never very fast ~ really, there wasn't a lot of flying ~ but there is just nothing like running.  Walking, especially, is nothing like running.

I remember how much I used to love walking when Justice was a baby.  She'd ride in her little stroller, and I would take long walks.  They were meditative, centering.  I've tried to approach walking from that angle again, and it just isn't working.  I think it's because, now, I feel like my whole life has slowed to a meditative pace.  I suppose that could be seen as positive, but I don't think I was ready to go there yet.  It's disconcerting.  I used to need that break from the hustle and bustle, whereas now all I want is a little hustle.

Nevertheless, I will keep trying.  I'll keep walking, and biking, and trying to get to the Y to swim (it will be easier when kids start school next week, I'm sure).  The fact is I have to keep moving, if I want to keep moving, if you know what I mean.  I think I might take up new hobby or two ~ something to engage my mind more, so I feel busier.  I'll take my iPod next time I walk.  Maybe that will help.

In the end, I have always felt like things pretty much always are the way they are supposed to be.  Life is just a matter of figuring out how to live and thrive and be happy when things change, which they do ` constantly.  I'll manage.  What I'm going through right now is just like getting a cramp when you're running.  I'll walk it out, and then I'll be able to get on with my life without running.  Eventually.

Making Lemonade...er...uh...rock candy

What do you do when life hands you lemons?  Why, you make lemonade!  

That being the case: what do you do when life hands you an emergency light on your dashboard that turns out to mean that there is a nail in one of your tires causing a slow leak, which needs to be removed (and you tire patched), when what you had planned to do that day was drive to Zuma Beach with your friends?  You make rock candy.

At least, that's what we do.

I think.

To be honest, this hasn't come up much.  Really just the once so far.

Let me walk you through it our day:

This morning, Kaia and I got up and headed straight out to the orthodontist's office for her monthly check-up/adjustment.  The plan was to have her appointment, grab a baguette on the way home, pick up her sisters, our swimsuits, sunblock, towels, hats, boogie boards, snacks, etc., meet up with our friends, Priya, Maya and Nadia and caravan over to spend a day at Zuma Beach.  Unfortunately, on the way to the orthodontist, a light I had never seen before lit up on my dashboard.  As soon as we were situated at the office, I took out my manual and looked it up.

After a brief investigation, I dicovered the answer.  The mystery light was my tire pressure light.  According to the manual, if it illuminates and remains lit, it could indicate a slow leak or a flat tire.  Since we had already checked in ~ and since trying to get an appointment at the orthodontist's office is like pulling teeth (pardon the pun) ~ I decided to stay until Kaia was done, then check my tires.  In the meantime, I called the service department at my Mazda dealership* and asked if I could stop by and have them check it out, since I was right down the street.  They agreed.

Kaia's appointment went quickly, once she was in (they finally took her back about 40 minutes after her appointment time), and we headed off to the dealership.  The car was taken in right away, but Danny told me there would probably be about a 1-hour wait.  I called Priya, and we decided it would be best, at this point, to postpone our beach trip until tomorrow.  That's okay.  I think I'll have it more together by tomorrow, anyway.  Kaia, however, was very disappointed.  

Because there would be a long, boring wait  (and because coffee ~ or, in Kaia's case, chocolate milk ~ makes everything better), we decided to walk across the street to the Starbucks inside the Jaguar dealership.  I guess that says a lot about Jaguar dealerships vs. Mazda dealerships.  At the Mazda dealership, they have a pot of coffee and some little plastic pots of creamer.  At the Jaguar dealership, they have a Starbucks.

As soon as we had placed our order, Danny from the service department called to inform me that the problem was, in fact, a nail in my left rear tire that would need to be removed.  The tire would have to be patched, and, since I was overdue for scheduled maintenance, they could just go ahead and do it all. Sure, what the heck, I said.  I mean, at this point, why not, right?

For the next hour, Kaia and I sat in the waiting room, watching the Olympics, leafing through Audubon magazine and chatting with a 72-year old woman who told us all about how, when she was in 4th grade, she missed the entire school year because she was in the hospital with Rheumatic Fever.  She told Kaia all about how she was quarantined and had to attend a special school inside the hospital.  As the children got better, they were allowed to do more around the hospital (like go to the playroom), but when she first got there, she had to stay and have her classes in her hospital bed.  Doctors told her that she would probably not live past her twenties.  Then, they told her that she could only have three children.  She had four.  I told her that, at 72, with four children, I guess she showed them.

Too soon, it seemed, the car was ready.  We picked out a cute little turtle to adorn our rearview mirror, paid our bill and headed home.

Although she enjoyed her milk, her visit, the Olympics and the magazine, it just wasn't a trip to the beach with her best friend.  Kaia knew we would go tomorrow, but...well, you remember what it was like when you were a kid and you were all geared up to do something fun and exciting, and then the rug got pulled right out from under you.  No fun :(  She was very sad.

So, we decided to make some fun of our own.  I had been promising to make rock candy with the kids. I've never made it before, but I thought it might be the perfect combination of sugary candy and science to satisfy my girls.  I found this some time ago, and have been planning to do it for months, but we never seemed to have time.  Today, as it happened, we suddenly had nothing but time.

Each girl made her own solution, flavouring it with a drop or two of extract and colouring it with food colouring.  It is sitting on the counter right now, and, hopefully, it is beginning to form crystals.  Justice tried adding coconut flavouring, which we later realized contains oil, and her mixture kind of seized up, so she gave up on the rock candy and put tiny portions of the stuff onto waxed paper to cool, making "green coconut globs" instead.  Luckily, the other girls made enough that there will be some rock candy for Justice.  

I love that she didn't let it get her down when hes didn't work.  After all, that's what scientific experimentation is all about.  Science or not, that's really what I want them to take away from this experience.  I think it is vitally important to be able to look on the bright side, roll with the punches, not let little set backs and disappointments throw you for a loop.  To learn from mistakes, and to make their own happiness is probably the most important thing I can teach my kids.

But that stuff about super saturated solutions is pretty awesome, too.  In this case, it's even yummy.  And, in about a week, as Kaia said, "I'm going to eat science."


*It's not really my Mazda dealership.  I don't own it or anything.  It just happens to be the dealership at which I bought my car, so I feel sort of personally involved with it.