Oh My Lanta...what have I done?

I am sitting here on my couch looking at our "new" dining room furniture. I found it on Craigslist this afternoon and we went and picked it up this evening. It is SO UGLY! I can't post a picture of it yet...it's too hideous. I'm embarrassed. I have a lot of work ahead of me! I'll give you a description, and you can picture it in your head.

Picture this:

Farmhouse trestle table with a laminate wood top

Four un-matching chairs in blue, cream, and black with paint drips all over them (I'm not exaggerating)

A bench with barns and apple trees stenciled on it

All the seating was "re-upholsted" in some kind of brown vinyl...I'm scared to see what's underneath!

Did I mention the STENCILING? 

You're probably thinking "well, why in the world did you buy it then?!?" Answer: It was c-h-e-a-p. We have more projects than money right now, so I'm willing to substitute some elbow grease! Besides, I love this kind of thing. When we moved down here to Tulsa, we had to leave our old dining room chairs behind because they wouldn't fit into our 5X8 Uhaul. So, for the last 5 months we have had a table, but no chairs. Dinner on the couch gets old after a while! No, really, it does! So, I am happy to have something to sit on besides the couch.

The main reason we got it is because it's solid wood (besides the laminate top - Jeff is going to build something to replace it) and it's the style that we want. I believe that if a piece of furniture is solid wood and sturdy, then there is a whole lot you can do with it! I'm going out and buying an orbit sander at Lowe's...we are going to be pals. 

This is what I'm closing my eyes and envisioning as the finished product:

 (random picture I found online)

Baller! 

I love that chair...I'm envisioning that too!

Wow, I'm in a mood! 

Goodnight! 

{Emily}