(As I was typing up this post, I got a call from the vet to check in on Molly. You might be wondering how she’s doing. Surprisingly, she’s doing really well. The antibiotics – which we administer with a dropper into her mouth twice a day – yes, it is ridiculously chaotic every single time – seem to be working. No more messes and no more crying kitty. Thanks so much to all of you who checked in on her – looks like she’s going to pull through!)

So today was supposed to be an exciting day – the sewing repair shop was finally opened. I read some reviews online of people who took in their machines and had a quick and easy repair done while they waited. I was hoping that would be my story and that I could come home and start sewing again this afternoon.

Instead, I found out that sewing machines are supposed to be serviced every 2-3 years – it’s been 15 for mine – whoops! So as the repairman looked, he saw that there was definitely a problem with the feed (“feed dog” is apparently what it’s called – fits in nicely with my “cheater dog” sewing) and some other problems with the bobbin. Also, it just needs a really good cleaning and once-over. The final answer? TWO WEEKS! Oh my gosh, that’s a long time for me to wait. (The repairman was super friendly, and I felt like I learned a few new things about sewing just by talking with him about my machine. And it looks like the button-hole setting is going to be fixed. And he did like my skull and crossbones sticker quite a bit.)

And of course, for the rest of the day, all I could think about were projects I want to finish that need a sewing machine. (Cue the sad music.)

BUT! After leaving the repair shop, I ventured down the street and checked out an antique store and a thrift store. The antique store had some cute vintage jewelry that I snapped up. (They also had a big jug of kids’ toys at the front that were free – one per child – brilliant idea for a store where the kids can touch ABSOLUTELY NOTHING). I also hit a thrift store that I’ve only been to once before – but they had a sign outside “$1.00 Clothing” – my favorite! I found some vintage blouses, a couple of dresses (one to alter – look for that post after my sewing machine returns), and a pair of white jeans to cut off into shorts.

After that, it was a mad dash for lunch and swim lessons, and then, after thinking about the Hoosier from Lilly’s Bargain Barn, I decided to start painting it.

So, the story of the Hoosier:

When we were first married, we had a tiny little on-campus apartment (I talked a little bit more about it here). The kitchen was ridiculously tiny (and it had a hot water heater that fit under the counter – so we didn’t have much storage space OR hot water). We had a microwave, but it took up almost all of the available counterspace, so I went to Lilly’s looking for some sort of microwave stand. We found the Hoosier for $100. I didn’t even know what a Hoosier was, but I loved it. It was painted white with a white enamel work surface. It had a metal flour bin at the top and a metal drawer at the bottom.

I can’t find a photo of the Hoosier in its original state, but we clearly had the Hoosier at the time this photo was taken because I don’t see the microwave. I do see the small stove, the unbelievably minute refrigerator, and one very unfortunate haircut. Seriously, I look 5 years older than I am right now. I WAS 20!!

Anyway, the Hoosier is pretty primitive – probably not a “real” Hoosier, but something constructed from leftover pieces of wood. I had romantic notions, once I learned what it was, of a sweet farmer building it for his wife after she saw a photo of one somewhere. Maybe that’s a far stretch. Either way, it’s old and not super sturdy.

We kept it its white for a little while, but then Husband wanted to paint it. Blue and yellow were having a moment, so we went with blue. We didn’t have space to paint it at our apartment, so my brother drove 100 miles from Knoxville to haul it back to my mom’s house 200 miles away, and Husband worked on it during fall break when we were home.

Over the years, it’s served several purposes – microwave stand, china hutch, and pseudo-bookshelf (as seen above with Molly in one of our apartments). At the last house, it lived in the garage and helped corral all my “project” supplies. I even added clip-on spotlights so I could go in the garage and and have a little workspace.

When we ripped out the carpet in the den of the new house and started brainstorming this room, I decided I wanted the Hoosier back inside to serve as a workspace yet again. (I mean, if I’m EVER going to launch my little handmade shop, I need somewhere to work, right?)

After we painted the den Smokey Eyes, the blue just didn’t go. I know Husband loves bright color, so I was happy to paint it something different – orange? red? kelly green? But he actually liked my original suggestion of white, so it’s going back to its original glory. (Well, at least for now.)

So after swim lessons today, I took off the doors and started working. Now, I am a pretty terrible painter. I can make decent images in watercolor, but for some reason, solid color on flat surfaces just gets me. But I was feeling “tenacious” (thanks, Chelsae), so I went for it.

BB was doing some yard work, so he watched me paint for a bit, but he REALLY wanted to paint, too. I let him tackle one of the doors, and, honestly, with just a little bit of coaching, his door looks WAY better than any of mine. I don’t get it – why can my 5 year old do it, and not me?

So, together, we got through the first coat of white on all the doors. Tomorrow I’m hoping to finish the second coat and start on the body of the piece. I think I’ll just let BB do as much as he wants. It will look much better that way.