Headboard for a twin bead

Project number 1 on the queue is complete! Shown below, I stained, finished, and assembled a headboard for O.'s bed. It features a shelf, which is a currently a good place for his stuffed animal friends and his Ocean Wonders crib music/nightlight (behind the pillow), and later he can use it for books and a reading light, I suppose. The stain is Minwax "Early American" on pine wood, with four coats of a tung oil for the finish. I think the wood color looks nice with Mom's quilt and pillow sham, and it's close enough in color to the bookcase.
However, I'm not completely happy with some of the details with this headboard kit. I suppose you get what you pay for, and it wasn't like I was hoping to make an heirloom piece of furniture, but I was a little surprised at the little things.

For example, several of the joints have white streaks. The photo below shows the left side; the right side, which faces the wall fortunately for us, is even worse. My guess is that the streaks are residual glue. They only appeared after I stained it. I did go back and try to sand out the glue and restain, but no luck.

And there is some unevenness to the wood grain. For example, this big white spot in the top of the shelf. Again, it didn't appeal until after staining, and no amount of sanding would take it out.
I should have known that the quality control with this company was going to be an issue when the shelf support arrived cracked and two camlock pieces of hardware were not supplied. The company was good about about sending a new shelf support, and the camlock was standard and I purchased more at a local hardware store. However, we were thinking about ordering a headboard for our own bed to finish, but after seeing this, I don't think we'll order from this company again.

Oh well, O. is content with the headboard and his new shelf for animal storage.

There's something about this photo that makes me long to see a 1980s era Stephen Spielberg film. Hmm...I wonder why?

Oh. That's why.
...
And what about the pesky project #3 on the queue, i.e., the storm door? Eh. We're on step number four. Out of 14 steps. And that's just part 1. Parts 2 and 3 have yet to be addressed. So, we're getting there. Slowly but surely.

Too busy to post...

...spending all free time outside. Just a couple of quick photos.

First, my sous gardener, trying to restore the Allium purple sensation that he picked.
And my new favorite spot, the hanging basket, next to the front door. It contains a coleus, a Torenia "Golden Moon," and a muehlenbeckia (aka wire vine.) I think they look sweet there, and hope they have enough light.

Insert Title Here

I can't think of a cohesive title for this post, mainly because the topics are not easily cohesive-able, and I think my brain is a little fried from finals week grading this weekend. Let's march forward anyway.

For my birthday, I received a gift certificate to our local True Value, and last weekend I cashed it in for mulch (not pictured) and a Dappled Willow. We set out the dappled willow last weekend in the rock bed on the East side of the house. In theory, if the willow likes this spot (and fingers crossed that this spot is part-shade/part-sun enough), it should grow to 5' x 5' and take up the space between the bedroom and bathroom. The picture does not do it justice; I really like the way the tips of this little bush looks against the brick.

The castle continues to be a source of wonder and delight for O. With the leaves on the tree, it really feels like you're in a jungle, and O. really wants to have a snack here most evenings.
Last night, E. the cat was out with us, and I threw her into the castle with O., thinking that this would be a short-lived experiment. I was wrong. E. likes the castle too. In spite of the annoyed expression in the photo below, she quickly realized that the castle is prime spot to survey the neighborhood.

Year 2 of the Herb Garden. The oregano, lemon balm, lavender, thyme, chives, sage, spearmint, and catnip all came back from last year. The rosemary is hanging in there, but just barely. I'm told that rosemary usually does well here but they're not as cold-hardy as other herbs, and this winter was colder than usual.

I've replanted several basils, marjoram, and cilantro. I've also added nasturtiums and marigolds that I started from seed. The red pot just off center of the photo below is a yarrow, and the purple ball flowers are allium, called Purple Sensation.
I've been trying to be outside for as much as possible right now, before the mosquito season begins. We're already beginning to see them. The photo below was taken last week, and I've included quarter next to the mosquito for size reference. Huge, and these are just non-biting kind.