Happy New Year

Thank you. And to you and yours and all here.

Happy New Year to you Judie and to all. Juno

Bringing up the west coat: Happy New Year!!!

Thank you. I'll leave my coat off, and wish everyone a Happy New Year from the West. ;-)

Just watched 15 minutes of fireworks from a window in the front of the house, in warmth and comfort. I do believe it's now 2010.

"Coast"! Dammit!

And yes, I am now 35 minutes into 2010. Which reminds me that I should write that year on about 20 checks, I know for sure I'm going to get to the 200_ before I remember to get the 10 in there.

We are having a weather pattern called the "Pineapple Express". Very warm, very damp weather comes from the south over the ocean, and produces *massive* amounts of rain. Right now it 53 degrees, higher than it's been all day.

That is good because when you get done using the weather, it usually comes here. I see in the forecast that we'll be going up into the 40s, which is happy news. Maybe this danged snow that's been piled up for nearly two weeks now will melt away. Instead of getting new top layers like it did twice this week already.

I've been circling the dining room chairs, eyeing them carefully. I have fabric, batting, and a new electric stapler. The thought of redoing the covers with the old hand stapler sent me to the heating pad. Now to decide if I should go get some foam to put under the batting which goes under the fabric, or say the heck with it and plow right in. These chairs have been around about 100 years (though not around me all that time) and they don't get coddled. I've covered them a couple of times in the past 25 or 30 years, too. Maybe Beverly would come help?

Thanks everyone - and a Happy Fabric-y New Year to us all.

Lizzy

Back atcha!!!

Sure darlin' just name the day. It's definitely a two-person job. I have recent experience, older DD and I just recovered my six teak dining chairs, bought new in about

1971. I used fawn-colored upholstery grade faux suede, and added 3/4" of foam, cut to shape with the electric knife then tapered by hand with scissors on the edges so it wouldn't "show". The old foam was still pretty good, but I figured some additional cushioning wouldn't hurt.

I tried to find a good electric stapler but had no luck, everything seemed to be pneumatic. I replaced my

40-year-old hand stapler which was shooting about every third staple crimped. It was hard enough pulling out the thousand staples I used when I re-covered the chairs 20 years ago without having to pull out new damaged ones.

I am very happy with the new look. I figured I could risk this fairly light colored fabric since I no longer have toddlers around and probably won't for at least 10 years.

Oh you are a dear! Maybe I should just send you the six chairs. Oak with barley twist legs. Not great chairs, but they do the job. I found some of the tapestry cloth I used last time. Got it at Mill End cheap because it has a flaw, but it's easy to cut around that for chair seats. There's a wood frame, then a sheet of wood - plywood on some of them - with the padding on top of that. I've wondered how they were done originally. Probably with webbing, but I'm not messing with that! They don't get all that much use. I use one, but the old man gets his dinner on a tray at The Chair where he has his earphones for the TV, his desk, all his eyedrops, pens, pencils, books, notebooks. I do not "entertain." I've never given a dinner party in my entire life and don't plan to start now.

I've been feeling good because I solved a couple of kitchen storage problems this past year. My kitchen being 1927 "modern" meaning small. I found a knife block that mounts under the upper cabinet and swivels on a lazy-susan turntable - just upside down. Then I got an "oak" file holder to be mounted in an office and had it put on the end of a cabinet to hold my trays. Both were expensive for what they are, but worth it to me because of the solutions to where to put the danged stuff. I do love it when I can do that.