Ingrid we would love to see your gardens and wildlife...I had asked about photos too of your Rugosas...Photos paint a thousand words and I've always had a fascination with more rare roses. I am still waiting for Rosemeadow/Karen to again return with her rare, more unusual roses. You can always link to your garden through Photobucket as well, Ingrid so we can see and enjoy. Another side note, though, I can't imagine Boxofrox's getting any more "beautiful" than what it already is, LOL! LOL! He will always be Landscape Architect Summa Cum Laude. Also, the dangers of growing all roses too as opposed to Boxofrox's scattering of several prolific roses amongst an abundance of other flowers and shrubs is the succumbing of roses to the dreaded BS and key rose diseases. I am thinking roses buffered by an abundance of other flowers and other plants keeps the garden more protected and ecologically balanced. Granted this is just a kooky theory of mine. But to me the more variety in a garden the less likely disease will keep spreading and infesting. I believe Boxofrox's has a particular style that is absolute perfection and goes beautifully for his climate and location and what his style is, is bold color and bursting contrast . Some people have more of a romantic, English sort of a garden with tumbling sort of roses, some people have a more austere-Zenlike Japanese Garden, some have that -Southern Estate Garden style. To each everyone has a very distinctive style. Boxofrox I am very much looking forward to Amazing Abe (Lincoln)!

No, bee. I'm rather adverse to blogs. Wayyy too much like Facebook in disguise: No one needs to know my every move. OTOH, you all do here! I guess someday I could consolidate my posts, trials, tribulations and triumphs and put one together. javachick, don't be afraid. It'll only slow you down. Just realize that if you break it, you gotta fix it. See, I started behind the 8-ball. Every time I turn around I find I must either pay to have something redone my DH [ahem] did, or figure out how to do it myself. I admit to saving for big redos, like the plumbing, roof, electrical, windows, drywall, etc., but I'm handling the things that don't scare me to death or I can lift myself. Building and hanging my cabinets, my counter top, lower drywall, I'll paint, and figure out how to install the moldings and trim. Then we have the outside that's not finished... Don't be scared -- but don't settle! Angie_DIY, that is way too funny. Sometimes the things I do have me thinking that. "Oh, Christine, can you be more stupid?" or, "owwwwwwwwwwwwww". Yup. Today I'm going to clean up a bit so I can drag in some of the base cabinets and try to fit them in. :) YEAH! All this under an existing counter top....

1) I've read that I need to use a wood conditioner and THEN stain...is that correct? > Maple tends to "blotch," that is, absorb some stains unevenly. Wood conditioners are supposed to help. The problem is, they don't work very well, particularly when used as directed on the can. The one in the yellow can is simply a highly thinned varnish. It works better if you let it dry overnight instead of following directions on the can. But a much better approach is to use a good gel stain. Minwax oil-based stains are often a blotch problem because most colors have a lot of pigment in them and that is part of the problem. I would recommend samples to make sure your selected stain works the way you think. You should consider running tests on the underside, stripped and sanded as the top side. Be sure to add finish to get the final effect of the stain + finish. 2) Do you think Colonial Maple is the appropriate stain for this piece? It's pretty close (at least on samples) to what was on the table before > Colonial Maple is only someone's interpretation of a color suggested by that name. It will definitely vary both by manufacturer and by the wood it is applied to. Generally though, it means medium brown without black, red, or yellow undertones (at least that is what it means to me). This sort of brown is very traditional for maple. Often, "appropriate" is a matter of taste. 3) Is satin poly (oil based) the best choice for a kitchen table that's going to get abused? I'd considered something like waterlox...but then read it might not hold up to the abuse I'm pretty certain it will get. > This is probably a decent choice for a to-be abused utility grade table. My schedule for brushed varnish is: 1. Thin varnish 50:50 with mineral spirits and apply generously, but not puddling or running. Let dry overnight. 2. Repeat step 1. 3. Sand with 320 or 400 grit sandpaper. Sand as much as you can without removing color or wood. You now have a sealed surface. Wipe off dust with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits. Do not use Steel Wool. Apply varnish thinned about 2/3 varnish and 1/3 mineral spirits with a good brush. Apply the minimum you can and get everything wet. To give you an idea, 1/4 cup should be plenty for the whole table top. Do the edges first, then the top. Wipe off the brush with a clean rag and holding it nearly vertical and with minimum pressure run the brush from 1" from the starting edge, off the opposite edge. Repeat for the whole top while it's still wet. Overlap the strokes slightly. Brush in the same direction as the grain. Leave the area to maintain dust-free condition. Let dry overnight. 4. Sand _lightly_ with P320 or P400 sandpaper. Remove defects and create an evenly dull surface. Wipe off dust as before. Thin varnish 9 parts varnish to one part thinner. Apply as in step 3. 5. Repeat step 4, if needed or desired. You will, of course, do the legs at the same time as the top. I'd probably use light gray or maroon 3M Scotch-Brite pads instead of sandpaper, as it will conform to the shape a little better. In the beads and coves, run the brush around the feature, not with the grain. Alternately, you can wipe on a varnish: Thin a varnish 1:1 with thinner. If using anything other than gloss, stir well before thinning and often during application, as the flattener will fall out of suspension quickly. Repeat three times - Wipe on a thin coat. A common analogy is "like a teenager at Denny's wiping down a table between customers." - Let dry a couple of hours until fingerprints not left, but still a bit tacky. - Wipe on a second coat as the first coat. Wait same amount of time. - Wipe on a third coat as the first two. - Let dry overnight - Lightly sand to remove defects and create overall dullness. - Remove dust with a rag dampened in mineral spirits So you have 9 coats, three per day over three days. This is about equivalent in time and build to 4 coats of brushed on. You don't need to develop good brush technique, clean brushes, and it's generally fool-proof if you can follow instructions. Just about any mistake except blotching can be recovered from by stripping and starting over. Love the sawhorses in the kitchen.

Sheryl, I went through the loss of my husband 2 years ago - I am feeling your pain. He loved the sun and water and Florida. We lived in Missouri and had the big house on the lake and the boat - he was living a part of his dream. He would have retired in May, 2007 - he passed away in April, 2007 from pancreas cancer. We had planned to retire to Florida in the fall of 2007. When he was near the end of this horrid journey, he told me to go ahead and move to Florida, which I did - he said he would go with me in spirit - I feel his presence every day. Yes, he would have absolutely loved living here! Every day, I feel a bit guilty to be living in paradise, in a place we should be enjoying together, but it wasn't meant to be, but he is with me in spirit. Please enjoy your vacation and take your husband's spirit with you. Spend some time alone and heal your soul if you can - the ocean is great therapy!