Summertime and Picnics

Even though I haven't been getting much done in my sewing room, there has still been some creativity going on around our house in the last week.  This all started when the preschool that my kids attend sent out a request for kid-sized picnic tables to be donated for their playground.  Someone donated a Little Tykes-style table and, since we use the playground a lot, even during the summer, I discovered how handy it was to have a snacking place there.  I got to thinking it would be fun to build a couple of tables but I was temporarily stalled by the dilemma of making it weather resistant without resorting to toxic pressure-treated wood.  A friend suggested I use "that plastic wood" and I had a lightbulb moment.  We've been storing several pieces of "plastic wood" for a couple of years after completing some repairs to our deck, and they were the perfect size for this project.

I found these plans at Build Eazy and, with some modifications, my husband got to work.  I helped but can only claim consultation and fetch and tote roles.  We used 2x4 material for the frame (bigger than called for in the plans) because that is what we had.  My husband chose to bolt the frame together instead of using the called-for screws, but did use screws to attach the top and seat portions.  The good news/bad news part of this project is that the tables weigh about 75 pounds when completed (that plastic wood is heavy!).  This makes it a little hard to move around which might be very beneficial on a playground filled with kids determined to get a head start climbing the resident trees.

My kids love having their own table on our deck (we made two), and I even convinced them to hold still for a picture this afternoon.

Here are a couple more pictures that I have to share.  This past weekend my youngest was looking at a picture taken of his older brother and my husband.  My oldest was exactly the age of my youngest when this picture was taken (on the left).  My little guy tried to copy the pose and I had to snap a shot of his efforts (on the right). 

Enjoy your week and stay cool!