Turns Out, I’m Not Super Woman

**I now have hand drawn note cards available for purchase.  So far I have added 1 set, but I am working on several others that I hope to have available by the end of the weekend.  I also have a couple of paintings in the works that I hope to have available very soon.  As always I am happy to take custom orders.  You can use the code SNOWDAY25 for 25% off your purchase for one more week.**

The Husband has been working out of town lately, about 2 hours away.  The kids and I went for a weekend visit recently.  Since we had to drive by Ikea to get home, I couldn’t resist a trip inside.  The last time we were there we found a table and had debated buying it.  We came home, measured the space, and decided it would be a perfect fit, so I stopped to buy it. 

The box weighed a little over 100 pounds.

I convinced the 2 big kids that they should help me bring the box into the house. I ignored the oldest when he suggested that we leave it in the truck and wait for Daddy to take care of it when he got home.  I also ignored the eye rolls I got when I announced that I was going to put it together.  I could do this.  How hard can it be, right?  So I put the kids to bed and set about to assemble my table.  I opened the box and this is what I found.

Okay, so I was a little discouraged.  But there are instructions.  I can do this.

Okay, so there are no actual words with these instructions.  Just pictures of a little man smiling, then looking confused, and finally calling Ikea.  I considered closing the box at this point, but no, I was determined.  The husband was going to come home and find the table all assembled in the hallway we had chosen for it.  So I set about finding the screwdriver and hammer the instructions said I would need.  I couldn’t find them.  So then I put the top on the box and gave up.

The box sat in the hallway for a day or two, taunting me as I stepped over it.  Again I began to feel like Super Woman.  I can do this.  So I set out to find the tools that I needed again.  The oldest opened the garage door and there was the hammer sitting on the step.  Yeah, I looked in the garage several times for that hammer.  Okay I won’t let the fact that I’m obviously half blind stop me. 

The legs were pretty easy.  Most of them were already together.  I just had to attach two small pieces. 

That part was complete.  Time to move the legs out of the way and attach the leaves to the top.  Screw four screws into four hinges.  Simple, right?  Wrong!

Those silly screws would not go it for anything.  I tried and tried.  I looked for the husband's battery operated screwdriver, and of course I couldn't find that either.  So then I did give up.  I was starting to strip the screw and I was afraid that I would cause more harm than good.  So I decided that I wasn't actually Super Woman.  I put it away and waited for the husband to come home and fix my mess.

He came home and got those screws in fairly quickly.  So here is my new table.

It has three drawers on each end.

Here it is with the leaves open.

I have it in the small hallway between the kitchen and the den.  I really like it.  It is solid birch, except for the drawers.  This thing is sturdy.  I did say the box was 100+ pounds.  It opens to a good size that will be great as a kids table when we have people over.

I love the way it looks with the leaves down.  I need to find some things to put on it.  I found some pretty vases that I think would look nice, but it is in a pretty high traffic area I'm afraid that glass is not a good idea. 

The wood is a bit lighter than the other wood in the kitchen.  I am tempted to paint it, but I'm nervous at the same time.  I have a bunk bed that I am going to paint.  I think I will see how that turns out before I go after my new table.

So maybe I'm not Super Woman, but I do have a pretty table.

                                    Anne