Sunday Funnies for Your Monday

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Man does the beginning of May have it all in obscure holidays we love to celebrate! What did you do for May the Fourth? We were at EPCOT with about a million and a half other people and one very hot sun. Note to self: May is no longer jean-weather at Disney World. Second note to self: do not spend the day before and after a race (of any sort) walking around a giant park. feet. so. sore. The race, however, was totally worth it and will be massively re-hashed in a future blog this week.

Now, for all those people that did not get enough fun in this weekend, or, maybe got a bit too much, we have some Sunday funnies for your Monday morning. Last week I was sucked into the black hole of time others call The Bold Italic. My addiction to this blog may be certifiable reason for those who care about me to worry. But really, I love it too much to care.

After seeing this one, I tried to explain it to my husband (without the handy pictures or actual funnies). My comedic timing was not on par and he, sadly, did not understand how hilarious this was. Thankfully, I have not made that mistake with you today and will simply be sharing the hilarity that I found. Did you laugh like me? Surely all of us know a person or two that we think this about. Heck, we may even be that guy to a few people as well.

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This one also made me laugh out loud. Oh, and this one is pretty hilarious too... In a flashback to childhood type of way :)

All of these are from The Bold Italic, a San Francisco based blog that almost solely writes about San Francisco. Even though most of us do not live there, we can all surely relate to what these are saying. Which one was your favorite and what other funnies do you enjoy reading?

DIY Tree Stump Side Table

Ever since Ellen started her show all those many years ago, I have been obsessed about her coffee table. Back then, a tree stump was not something commonly made into a table and getting one was near impossible. Flash forward a decade and they are everywhere, usually costing upwards of $200. Now, do not get me wrong, I love home decor as much as the next Emily Henderson addict, but $200 for a sanded and stained tree stump just seems plain crazy.

Enter the tree stump DIY. Tree stump DIY's were created by people who, like me, do not enjoy paying wads of cash for something from their own back yard... No matter how perfect for that one random spot. The best part about these tree stump DIY's is that you have the choice of where the tree is from and can rest easy knowing you are not contributing to deforestation for decor. Finally, my conscience can rest easy. 

Like so many people out there, it took me a long. time. to warm-up to this whole tree stump DIY. My DIY skills end far before painting anything and my patience is that of a two-week-old puppy. Thankfully, this stump is way easier to make than it looks, and does not take that long either. Trust me, if I can do it, you and your 4-yo can as well. 

Remember, all of this should be done in an open, well ventilated area. 

Supplies

• Tree stump
• Chisel and hammer for bark
• Pain brush
• Power sander and sandpaper
• tarp
• rags
• stain

1. Pick a Stump

My stump is from a downed tree in my in-law's yard. The maintenance guy cut it level for me and removed the bark. If your in-laws do no have a downed tree, check out local lumber yards, lawn companies, or tree cutters. Chances are that they have some spare stumps they would almost pay you to take. The stump should be free and, if you ask, they will probably level it for you as well!

2. Remove Bark

This step does not have any pictures since it was done for me, but it is rather simple to do. All you need is a hammer and a chisel. Place the chisel between the bark and the wood and hammer the top of the chisel handle downward. The bark should come right off. Do this to the entire tree. 

Here is a great how-to for this step :) She does her tree table a bit different than mine, but this is also a great resource if you want to add legs to yours. 

3. Dry and De-Bug

We want to make sure that the wood is dried and there are no critters hiding in it. I completed a termite and bug removal on mine just to be safe. Bug and termite wood removers can be found at your local hardware store. Complete as directed, then allow the stump to dry. If your stump is older, it may already be dry enough. Otherwise, leave it in a dry place for a week or more. 

I left mine in our dry garage for a year, but that was procrastination over safety. 

4. Sand, Sand, Sand

Next up is sanding. It is best to use a power sander for this part, but some serious elbow grease will work all the same. I wanted my stump to have a natural, non-shiny, look and decided to use a stain alone. Whatever stain you choose should have a sandpaper grit recommendation. Mine recommended 220. 

Sand the top, sides, and bottom until all are smooth to the touch. If your tree stump has any large cracks, use sandpaper to sand in them as best you can. 

Once finished, wipe down so no dust remains on the stump. 

5. Wood Filler

My stump had a pretty big crack in the center that I decided to fill with wood filler. If your stump has any large cracks or divots that you wish to fill in, use a wood filler that is able to be stained and use according to filler directions. 

The wood filler will need to dry; this could take anywhere from 15-minutes to 4-hours, depending on the size of the crack or divot. When dry, the filler should be hard to the touch.

6. Sand, Again

Once your filler is dry, you will want to sand it down so it is level with the stump. I also sanded off any excess that got on other areas it was not needed. This is highly recommended since the stump will look more natural with less wood filler used. 

Again, wipe the stump clean so no dust remains. 

7. Stain

The stain you choose makes a BIG difference to how the stump will turn out. I plan to bleach my next one, but this one I wanted a bit darker grey so I used Weathered Oak by Minwax. Stain according to package directions. Be sure to use a good paint brush or cloth for this step. The key is to get as few bubbles as possible and have the color blend well. Next up is wiping that stain off.

8. Wipe Clean

If you do not want your stain to be dark, do not leave it on long. The longer the stain is on, the darker the stain will become. Minwax recommended I keep mine on for 5-15 minutes. I started wiping excess stain off after 5-minutes. 

To wipe stump, use a clean, dry rag that will not leave fibers behind.

9. Let Dry

If you want more than one layer of stain, let the stain dry according to directions. This is usually 4-6 hours before adding another coat. Complete as many coats as desired with the same stain, then dry process. Do not sand between staining. 

Once you are happy with your stain amount, let the stump dry for 8+ hours. 

When the stain is dry, you are ready to bring it inside and marvel at your accomplishment. See, I told you it was not that bad! Sure, it does take a while for the drying times, but at least you do not need to be working on it for those 4+ hours! 

How to Reward Yourself for Accomplishing a Goal

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I have heard before that there are two ways people are driven to accomplish their goals. The first is reward based- you accomplish a goal and get a reward. The second is punishment based, meaning if you do not accomplish a goal, this will happen. Which are you? I am the latter. But, I am desperately trying to become the first. 

Part of me loves the idea of getting a reward for accomplishing something, but the other part of me thinks, "if you do not accomplish the goal, you will not get that thing you really want." No fun. And, I know that all those goal oriented, reward driven people are saying, "then accomplish the goal, silly." You are right, but it is still hard. This may seem funny, but the way I have worked around the not-getting bit in the past is, are you ready? Not deciding a reward until after the goal is accomplished, then rewarding myself with a prize that seems appropriate for the effort. It works, and man does it work well. But, for a new goal I have, I have decided to do the more traditional route. 

This time, I have chosen a reward before the goal is accomplished. Gasp. You may remember me talking about this Run Yogi Run shirt on a previous post (if you have hung around with me for that long). What you do not know is that I still have not bought it and I still thiking about it, pretty much, everyday. Do not ask me why it is not mine yet; maybe it is the price ($25.99) for a t-shirt, or the fact that I have to wait for it to be delivered before wearing it (we do live in an instant gratification society), or the fact that I cannot decide which color. Any which way you throw it, the shirt is still not on me and I still want it. 

Drum roll please. I have decided that when I accomplish the Nike+ Run competition I am in right now, my reward will be this shirt. Yes, I am putting myself out there and the scariest thing is not the work it will take to win (which is A LOT), it is the idea of not getting the shirt I have been wanting for so long. If I fail, does that mean I never get the shirt? Do I just do another goal with the same reward? Should I get the shirt even if I come in second? Gah, there are so many questions that I think we will answer along the way. 

Thank you for listening to the crazy ramblings of a not-type-a personality. If you have any goal making/succeeding recommendations, man would I be happy to hear them! For now though, let's go on some runs and beat some boys. Oh, and be sure to check back tomorrow and Friday at some pretty exciting new posts that I have been looking forward to (for one) for over a year now. The other is something that kind of fell into my lap and I am so excited about!! 

Also, I have had dreams about this bread and have very serious plans of making it and eating all of it on my next splurge day. 

Housekeeping

Sometimes, there are little updates that I feel need to be made but are too random to put at the bottom of a post itself. Today, I decided to make an entire blog post about all those little details that should be told, but the timing just seems all wrong. 

There are some exciting things and exciting projects coming up for P+K! Of course, one of the big ones is that we will be leaving for the summer in just over a month! Like last year, I plan to blog my usual days and only take Saturday's as a rest day. This may be a bit more difficult this year since it is our last year at the Michigan location of Circle A. You are awesome though, so please forgive me if I miss a Sunday post or have fewer workout pics than usual... And that brings me to the elephant that has been following me from room to room forever.

So, I know that I have majorly dropped the ball on the whole Sunday posts bit. It is quite funny considering that they are my favorite posts and I have been getting a really positive response on them. Promise, you will start seeing more regular weekend posts and I will stop being lazy or busy or whatever I have been :) I have also really been loving the short, fun article posts. It feels a little silly sometimes since they are tiny and not on health or fitness, but let me know if you want me to keep them or just get back to the fitness stuff. 

We will also be having a few guest posts coming up that I am super excited about and a few other surprises that are too new to discuss yet. But, I promise you will love them! 

There we go. Whhooo, I feel like I have gotten a lot off my chest now. Hopefully that helps clear the P+K air. And for those who prefer lists over long paragraphs with filler, here is the long and short of it

Sum Up

• We are leaving for Michigan soon, but fear not, blogs will continue coming as usual.
• I will start-up those Sunday posts again and keep them regular.
• Guest posts and surprises to come!!!!
• Do you like the little product or article posts? If so, let me know and I will keep em'. 
• You are awesome. That one was added in, but sometimes we just have to hear how awesome others know we are. Have a wonderful day :)