A Super Cool Work Bench Anyone Can Build!

I am a blog-addict. I can get sucked down the black hole of  blog world pretty easily but I find really cool blogs this way. The other day I found a DIY site called, One Project Closer and they had a workbench that I fell in love with.



One Project Closer's Workbench. Praying that mine will turn out this nice. NOTE- I WISH MY WHOLE SHOP LOOKED THIS NICE.



So off to Home Depot (their recommendation because you all know I am a Lowes girl) to get my supplies. Also, Home Depot was the only place I could get these Simpson Tie brackets and I found out that they are the POO for this application and they are only about 6 bucks a piece!!!!!!!! If you get a chance to get to Home Depot check out their display of Simpson products. Here is what the ones I used look like:



Simpson Tie Bracket



Simpson Tie Bracket

 I also followed their suggestion of getting cabinet grade 3/4 inch plywood and having Home Depot cut it in half length wise to save you a step when you get home. Well I won't do that again because they did kind of crappy job at it. If you don't know how to cut a piece of plywood please check out Kristen @ Pink Toes and Power Tools. She has a video on How to cut plywood with a circular saw. Worth your time to watch it!

Here is me starting my bench. You are suppose to cut the legs at 36". When you add the casters and the plywood the finished bench should have be around 40".I am 5'5" on a good day and I am not getting any taller and the 40" was just too tall for me so I cut me legs at 30" which put my finish bench at 36"

Here is my bench upside down so I can place the brackets for the bottom shelf. Irwin Quick Grip Clamps are a MUST!

The leg is clamped to help me.

Putting on the bottom brace and casters. Remember every project must have a random kitty in the pic!

Bottom shelf in and getting ready to put on the top.

Where is the top?

Here it is!!! BEAUTIFUL! I love it! It is AWESOME!

Here is the scene looking out my workshop window! 2 of my 5 horses.



Shop kitty~ Baby T

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I did a few modifications but the step by step plans are are so easy and the bench looks amazing! You can get the plans here: Workbench plans. While you are there, look around. You will not be disappointed!

What to do when you waiting on the steps?

I talked to my construction buddies that are assisting me with moving the steps and the official date is...........(drum roll please)..........

VALENTINES DAY!!!!!!!!!

Yepper! So in the meantime the inside of my house is all tore up. It isn't like war zone but it is definitely messy to live in. I have found that I have been spending way too much time watching TV. I hate to admit it but it is true so I decided that I was going to try my hand at something completely different- Furniture making. Please refrain from rolling your eyes but I REALLY love mission style furniture and I have always wanted my whole house filled with it, however, it is a little pricey for my taste. So I am going to make my own with the help of my new friend Ana White! If you have never been on her site then you are in for a treat. Here are a few of the plans that I plan on building for myself:

I want to build this because I have this:

Just remember that FINN is N-O-T as innocent as he seems here. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have said yelled, "FINN! GET OUT OF THE GARBAGE!!!!!!!!!" So my first project is going to be a trash bin that tilts out and hopefully will outsmart Finn. You can find the plans here: Trash Bin Plans

The next project I love is this farm house queen bed but I am planning on staining it instead of painting it. You can find the plans here: Farmhouse Queen Bed

How about a nightstand? You can find the plans here: Farmhouse Bedside Table

How about a dresser? This one does not have a mirror. (Thank you Little Baby Jesus) You can fetch the plans here: Farmhouse Dresser

If you got to Ana White there is so much information that my computer takes a while to load all the images. I would love to know what others think of this site! It has truly inspired me to do something besides watch TV at night.

How to build a play ground for your kids without a hammer and nails! Really!

Okay, Maybe the title was a little misleading but if I said, "How to build a playground for your GOATS with out a hammer and nails" you may not have read it. But here on my farm we raise Nigerian Dwarf goats with the herd name of Zen Goaties and you can check out the website at: www.zengoaties.com or on Facebook (shameless promotion of my goats)

Well goats really are a playful animal and I can watch them for hours. Especially the babies in the Spring! My friend Jim at Wesley Acres , who also has goats, called me to let me know that he found some electrical spools on Craigslist and wanted to know if I get some. Get some??? HELL YEAH!!! They were $20.00 a spool and were new! So we hitched up my truck and trailer and got us some spools! I got them home some time last month where they sat around in front of the barn,  Today Big L took it upon himself to make a "goatie playground AND he actually took pics. Wow! A mothers proud moment. So this isn't really DIY stuff and I had no part of it but I liked the pics enough that I wanted to share with anyone that would look. By the way, this is what I see out my window when I am washing dishes . Life is good.

Enjoy scenes from Spool Mountain! 

Alex, the Queen of the herd, exclaims from the top, "WOW!! A new playground! Everybody come and look!"

Faline says, " DO NOT even think about coming on my spool!"

Isadante, "Marco" Dolly, "Polo"

Clara asking the other goats, "Could someone give me a hoof up? PLEASE?!?!"

Alex yells from the top of spool mountain, "I AM THE HERD QUEEN!!!!"

You got to love the big personalities of the little goats! So Spool Mountain cost me $80.00. Fun for the goats: PRICELESS!!!!!!

Blueberry Barnyard-

Back in October I bought another farm because I didn't have enough to do. No because I have always liked "destination spots" When my kids were little we always planned an afternoon to go the local pumpkin patch and we would walk the fields looking for the "perfect pumpkin." But it wasn't just pumpkins, it was a petting zoo, apple cider and pony rides. And it was an memorable afternoon of family time with my kids. Then there was the Christmas Tree farm and that was as fun as the Pumpkin Patch........... just a lot colder!

I have always love the idea of having a "U PICK BLUEBERRY FARM" and I have told this kids enough times I am sure they are sick of it. My biggest hang up was, my farm is on a dead end gravel/seal coat road that you can not get to with GPS. I have no parking and there is not any tilled land right now. Just not the "right" setting for a public place.

Then there was a farm that came up for sale down the road from me that sits on a main highway. When it came up for sale I drove in the driveway and looked around. I always loved it and I could still picture the old man that lived there out feeding his cattle. He passed away a couple of years ago and place went into an estate where it was bought by a local BIG AG farmer. The farmer wanted the ground but not the 1897 house and barns. Wow. So I forgot about the place until my daughter Cheeo made me call the realtor and make an appointment, We looked at the place and the price was right. $109,900. for the house, out buildings and 5 acres. I told Cheeo that the farm had to have a purpose because I didn't need another payment. At that moment I realized that THIS PLACE was going to be the destination place I have always wanted. Cheeo was on board and we made an offer. The survey come back wrong (how the hell that happens I don't know) so we ended up with 6.5 acres, house, and out buildings for 115,000.00 Here are the pictures and you will see why I fell in LOVE with the place.

The east half of the property




This is a a front view Cattle Loafing Barn



The rear view of the cattle loafing barn. Can you see where they loaf?

Inside the rear of the cattle barn

Inside the main cattle barn

Inside the main cattle barn. Now that is some post and beam construction

Hog farrowing house..........in sad shape.

Out side the production chicken coop. Yep it needs help too.

Inside the chicken coop~ why do people leave me their crap?

Inside the chicken coop AND MORE CRAP!

Inside the chicken coop and yet MORE CRAP!

Machine shed with the corn crib in the background.

Corn crib- rear view

Antique scale in the corn crib

Machine shed

Inside the machine shed. More Post and Beam!

This the 3 car garage that I would like to make into a house with a loft.

There is more stuff to show and I will as we progress. All need is time and money! But here is the very beginning of the:

Blueberry Barnyard!