Hi. Mandi here.

Hi, friend.
So, like,
I do this thing, where I see something cool on Pinterest, like this:

and then I just haaaave to do it nowNowNOW for like everyone I ever met, and I go buy materials for it,
like so,

and I think this is gonna be super fun, because it's so non-painty of a project, and I can totally handle stain 'n stuff,

and then reality rears its ugly head.

And I headed over to the Daddy-o's house to borrow his band saw,

and regard that these are not my hands. 2 reasons for this:

1. I suck at using the band saw
2. I suck at using the band saw

Also, I needed to take a picture, so the Daddy-o filled in.

Next time I'm sticking to a scroller saw. The scroller saw and I understand each other. Mostly. Somewhat.

And I sanded all the wavy ins and outs with the Daddy-o's cool sander thingy.

And I stained them a nice esssss-presso color. I finding staining to be so choice. It's so fast and non torturous.

And then I got to slap a cool little journal on because I'm a journal dweeb and I've got something to give to my visiting teaching peeps.
(Visiting Teaching: it's a Mormon thing. It's basically how we watch over and care for the ladies in our neighborhood-- we check in on each other, see how we can help, offer love 'n support, etc. It's pretty cool.) 
Here's the thing:

I've started and/or finished half a dozen little projects like this, and then I wimp out and don't give them to anyone because my great! idea suddenly seems lame and dumb and no one would want my handmade junk anyhow.

I'm gonna do this this time. I am. I think.