Table Manners ~~ A Finish

I have a finish to show you, but it's not what you might expect. It's not even (exactly) my finish. Here's the backstory: We have a growing family. Our three boys are married adults. Their marriages have produced seven children! The grandchildren are almost adults themselves now that the oldest is a senior in high school.

This growth is causing a bit of a problem on those days when everyone wants to break bread together. Since our table was intended to seat six comfortably and we were five people when we purchased it, we were all quite happy. But the girls came along and joined the fun. That was easy: add two chairs and everyone could squeeze closer. It was a tight fit, but closeness is a good thing. Did you notice that the end chairs don't match?

Grandchildren became the problem. After two or three needed their own chairs, we just didn't have enough room, but we fixed that with a children's table. Because the cousins love each other and I've always dressed the kiddie table to coordinate with the grownup table, they didn't mind being relegated to another space.

However! The some of the grands are getting to an age that they want to bring friends or dates when there's a big family shindig. I learned from my own parents that inviting young people and their friends is a way to include them in family gatherings--they come if their friends can come. At the very least, it's more difficult to excuse yourself out of the gathering.

So what to do about grown grands who don't want to be seated at the kiddo's table? We've tried mixing up into groups with adults in both groups but having to be in two different rooms meant someone is always left out. When there's laughter in one room, the others have to leave their food to come join the conversation. So Richard decided to resolve the problem with a larger table. 

Louisiana cypress. 12 foot long.  Completely hand-made, or hand-hewn. The top from smooth-cut cypress, and the base from old barn cypress. The best part? Richard salvaged the barn cypress from my parents' barn. So while the top is beautiful to look at--it has a rustic but finished look--the base has a beautiful, sentimental story that is part of our family since I was about six years old (50 years now). Richard sanded the base so that it won't splinter, but still has an aged, grayish look. This is wood that has seen things, knows things. 

Right now we have only the eight wooden chairs from the other table. I've decided to add more by purchasing mismatched ones from flea-markets and such. It will be a work in progress rather than one that is resolved quickly, but we have folding chairs that will work for a while should more than eight want to sit at the table. It took months to complete. But it is perfect! 

What do you think? Would you consider having a rustic farm table in your only dining space? 

Linking up with

Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict