"Chip off the old block . . . ."

As some of you will remember, Melanie's apartment was burglarized about a year ago; and one of the things that was stolen was her jewelry box full of her total accumulation of class rings, bridesmaid necklaces, and earrings. We have been slowly adding things to her jewelry collection, but jewelry boxes are either really big and expensive or little, portable things like Vera Bradley makes. I have been looking for one; but no luck.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try eBay for a jewelry box, and there was a used, wooden jewelry box that looked kind of neat for a really reasonable price. On impulse, I bought it for the "buy it now" price with only 10 minutes left on the auction. Well, the seller shipped it; and it arrived yesterday. It was tightly wrapped in bubble wrap with lots of padding, and the box was marked "FRAGILE" and everything. However, the glue was evidently old and dry; and the shipper didn't take any extra care from the look of the box. The jewelry box literally fell apart when I removed the bubble wrap. At first I was kind of angry and feeling like I got gyped, but then I looked more closely and decided it probably was not the seller's fault.

Today I found the wood glue out in the garage and got some books and rubber bands and a sheet of paper for the kitchen counter-----and I got to work! Here's my work in progress. I think this is going to be okay with a little elbow grease. What do you think? The compartment behind the glass door has a little rotating hanger for necklaces.

When Greg saw my handiwork with the books and the rubber bands, he told me that I had to take a picture of it and put it out here so my dad can see it. He said it was pretty impressive and definitely has the McHenry stamp on it. Here's to you, Dad! You showed me how to fix things . . . a least with glue.

While I'm at this post, I also went out to Bed, Bath and Beyond this afternoon for a couple of things. I am a fire bug, you know, and my "Autumn Leaves" jar candle from Yankee Candle is getting low. I needed some more fall fragrance . . . especially when Greg was in his bacon-frying mode this morning! I digress. When I was shopping at BB&B, I saw a wall full of clocks. I have been wanting another wall clock for the family room ever since I repainted. The one we had was too small and kind of plain, but it told the time and served the purpose. It just didn't have any . . . personality!

Well, I found a clock on clearance and used a 20% coupon to buy it! I think you will agree that this clock has a personality. You can't really see it too well from the picture, but it has kind of sparkly, cut glass looking things around the outside. It also stands out a little more against the new paint. I like it. When I asked Greg if he liked it, he said, "It's a CLOCK." I guess he doesn't get the personality thing. Oh, well.