A grownup picnic table

One more item on my "build" list has been crossed off. I started building an adult size picnic table using plans from Ana at Knock-off Wood last weekend and finished in less than a week (that's with two kids running circles around me, allergies, work, and a million other projects that are in various stages of progress at the moment). When it was all done, we hauled it out to the shady area near our largest maple tree and enjoyed our first dinner outdoors together. This was a big improvement for the little guy who, upon finishing his dinner, got to crawl around in the grass and play in his sandbox, instead of throwing blueberries on my oriental dining room rug...

Because we already had the paint, I decided to also paint the adult version in cilantro, just like the Big Kids' version I made last month. Hmm, reusing the outdoor paint I already had, how very green of me. (Hee, hee!)

My mom helped me with the kiddos while I was building and sanding, and also helped me paint the table boards and hold the leg supports in place as I predrilled the holes for the deck screws. I modified Ana's plans only slightly because I thought a 5 foot long table was too small. This one is 6 feet long and a bit of a challenge for little me to move with a helper. Instead of spray painting with two topcoats of Rustoleum's clear enamel for outdoor use, I painted it on this time. I will definitely paint my topcoats in the future, the enamel goes exactly where you want it to and nowhere else,it's faster and easier to handle with less fumes.

Thanks Ana for providing so many great plans! Turns out I love building things and enjoy the smell of fresh pine sawdust, which is a good thing since these days I'm pretty much finding it everywhere... (think of all the places you  find sand after the baby plays in the sandbox and you'll get the idea!)