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.