James the Builder

 Maybe it's just me, but I have some really ugly areas of the house that I stop noticing after years of passing. This little corner of the kitchen was definitely one of them.  I bought this ugly little cart way back when Gabriel and Alei were little for their art supplies. For at least 16 years it has moved from home to home, kitchen to kitchen, and held the art supplies that the kids use regularly. For many months I looked for a more visually appealing replacement at thrift stores and found nothing, so when we went to Ikea, I bought a little wooden chest that was only $30.

It has been sitting in the box (adding to the messy corner) for a few months until James asked if he could put it together. He is quite gifted at building things and had helped the girls assemble their Ikea furniture, so I let him do it. 

After he had successfully built it, he asked if he could paint it, so I let him do that as well. There were a few other kids who really wanted to paint it, but I let James do the job solo since he built it. (Later he asked if I was going to pay him, but I'm ignoring that part of the story.)

Now, doesn't that look better? All for $30 and left-over paint. Good job, James.