Weekend project and popcorn coma

As I think I've said, this will be our third spring/summer in this house, and despite the nice deck and big backyard, we'd yet to get any patio furniture.  This is mostly because we couldn't find anything we really loved, within reason... and also we refinished the deck last summer and thought we should wait until after that was done to put furniture out there.  Anyway, my parents offered us an old set of theirs, which had been green and pink flowered 10 years ago and is now super faded green and pink flowered. :)  Not exactly what we were looking for... especially since our house is on a corner, so a lot of people go by the backyard each and every day.  However, after much looking around both in stores and online, we found chairs and an umbrella we liked, and finally decided to take the green metal table from my parents and do a little painting project.  Exhibit A:

A bit of sanding, three cans of spray paint, and two hours later, ta-da:

And now, the new and improved deck:

Finally!  We love it... it turned out so well.  Although, note to self: spray painting can be hard work, specifically on the digits holding down that little trigger!  My fingers are still a little numb.  But the paint matches perfectly... thank you Lowes!

A little side story... for St. Patrick's Day this year, one of our print vendors (Shamrock Solutions, hence why the occasion is celebrated with gifts) sent us a tin of popcorn.  Now, my job does not come with a lot of perks, but every once in awhile something like this will show up and bring a little joy to the day.  Anyway, upon receipt of this tin, we expected it to be filled with those predictable three compartments of cardboard-y tasting plain/cheese/caramel popcorn, but we opened it to find something even worse: all plain.  Until we took the first handful.  It tasted like perfect movie popcorn!  And even better... seven weeks later it STILL tastes like perfect movie popcorn!

I'm not normally a snacker during the day, especially in the morning, but let me tell you that every day since it arrived, at exactly 11am, I've stopped for a little popcorn break.  Elliot's had a bit here and there, and so have Kyle and a few sporadic visitors.  But by and large, I've eaten this entire tin by myself.  I even wore all the paper off the twist tie, down to just a little metal string.  It gives me a real sense of accomplishment--or maybe that's just guilt.  Anyway, here is a picture taken last Friday:

Woo!  Nailed it!