Storms, Sugar, and Hinge & Screw Stew

My parents had a garage sale this past weekend, which Matt and I contributed a few things to. None of us fared too well on the selling side of things, but we did get to spend a fabulously stormy day together!

The storm rolled in...

Meanwhile, Sugar kept us company!

After the clouds rolled away, Sugar took interest in a tiny pear...

Mom and I found this little guy wandering around outside of the garage. He was tiny!

Matt and I did a little work in our hallway earlier this evening. We took the doors off of the linen closet and also removed the door that goes upstairs. All of this was to prepare for Patty's trip over tomorrow to help Matt paint the trim & doors. They were going to work on our dresser, but it is so hot and humid in the garage that it would take forever to dry! Not to mention the awful working conditions. :o(

We counted about 3 layers of paint under the hinge...

Door to upstairs

As for our Hinge & Screw Stew, we'll be serving it at the next family BBQ. :o) Matt found an awesome, eco-friendly idea online for removing paint off of metal surfaces (ie. hinges, screws, & door knobs). Place everything into an old crockpot, add liquid laundry detergent (just a bit of it), and set it on low/medium overnight. I don't really trust our old pot, so I had it on for a few hours tonight and Matt will turn it on again in the morning. However, when I took this picture, I was able to easily peel away some of the paint with an old butter knife. It revealed the beautiful brass underneath!