Friday, October 30, 2009

How Google saved my son's life...

So, the other day, this guy who claims to be my kids' grandpa suggested he come over and torture me help out with the pumpkin carving this year. I told him I was maybe going to let the pumpkin carving tradition fade away, but agreed this was probably not the right year to do so. He wanted to come help me out because he knows that while THIS is adorable:












This:








Makes me feel all, like this:





While we were starting our clean up process, I noticed this on my beautiful, expensive kitchen table:











And I realized it was THIS:


So then I was all, like THIS:




So, after some attempts at wiping it with various non-abrasive, non-surface-defacing products, and some sharp pointed comments towards the culprit who was soon formerly to be known as Grant, I decided to google: "How do I get sharpie off my wood?" And wouldn't you know there were several hits! I knew, by experience, not to use the Magic Eraser if I wanted to keep my finish, so I found an article that said to use this:







And guess what? It worked. After I buffed out the eraser smears and wiped it with some pledge oil, it is barely noticeable. So, then we were both all, like this:









Thanks Google! The child still known as Grant thanks you, too.


KEEP BELIEVING

23 comments:

  1. awesome!!!! I cant wait to try it! my table has marker over it too....and i've found the same with the magic eraser!

    Jessica

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  2. Awe...

    Everything worked out!!

    Gotta heart google..

    Hugs to you more importantly,

    Stephanie

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  3. HA!!! I unfortunately can understand what you are going through -- but my kids almost died because they thought it would be HILARIOUS to start throwing the pumpkin insides at each other. No Google search was going to save them, only a time out for mommy while they cleaned it all up.

    So glad your pretty table was saved and Grant is still with us :)

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  4. Phew I'm glad everything worked out for you...and Grant.

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  5. Okay, you are officially my hero because I have no excuse to not carve pumpkins except I'm too damn lazy. Hell, I didn't even BUY pumpkins this year. I keep "forgetting" or "getting busy" (aka Hey, Kids, let's go get a RedBox movie!)

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  6. No way! I'm sure I'll need to know that, too, at some point in time. And kudos on not doing away with your own child.

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  7. Hi, I'm a lurker in central Illinois who's been reading for a while. I just wanted to share a story with you. I'm not sharing it to say, "you should be like this," okay? I just want to share it.

    My husband of 19 years, my best friend in the world, divorced me 7 years ago. It was so strange and out-of-left-field. I was (and still am, at times, if I'm honest) grief-stricken and distraught.

    Afterwards, as a present to myself, I bought a beautiful dining room table (I'd never had one before). At the time, our son was 12, and I was so hyper-vigilent of the table.

    Now he's almost 20 and will be transferring to an out of state university this January. We were eating the other night and I sat down at his place--I don't know why. I realized that even with all my mania about protecting the table, there are tiny little "homework" divets at his place.

    I am so grateful for those. So glad they're there, as they prove to me that we were able to make a good life, a routine life, a "normal" life together as a family these last seven years.

    Your story triggered this for me. (Again, no "moral" here--his computer battery recently left a big white mark on the table and I googled how to take it off and did!)

    Cheers-- D.

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  8. whew! i was on the edge of my seat about this one. glad it worked out. go google!

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  9. Whatever did we do without Google?!

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  10. Hey Angie....

    FYI....ToothPASTE (not gel) works wonders on permanent marker on a kitchen table, too. In fact, my table has never looked better:)

    Em

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  11. Now I am like this :-) (that's a smiley face sideways...Pam taught me how to do it).

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  12. That is awesome - I love reading about your life! Enjoy your Halloween - hope to see you tonight!
    Gretchen

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  13. WHERE is my Pink Pearl? I needed it earlier today and now I REALLY need it. It's not as though my table is gorgeous (covered in marks, and the only way I was able to un-goo it from years of use was a Magic Eraser...sigh...), but there are black Sharpie dots all over it. I've been trying to convince myself that it adds "character," but failing miserably. Grant, thank you my fine man. Hope you kissed your mama several times over, and that you give her a hefty portion of your peanut butter cup haul tonight. :)

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  14. Maggie wrote with Sharpie on the dining table in a vacation rental in Florida once!! She was little. I remembered hair spray works well on ink stains and went out and bought a big can of aqua net! It actually worked too! But the eraser is good to know.

    I'm glad Brian's dad helped with one of those tasks that's just not one you enjoy! So glad you have so many there to step in for things like that!

    Hugs sent your way!
    Marcie

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  15. Google saves the day!

    I featured you on my Sunday Funnies page: http://tinyurl.com/yzrdjf7

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  16. Fun! Loved seeing the pictures of Ed with the boys. What a great grandpa!

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  17. I wonder what gets black sharpie off of dark brown leather couches?

    I find the magic pillow over that spot works best.

    Hope you ate some good chocolate last night, Angie.
    Much love to you.

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  18. LOL! What a funny post!

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  19. Angie,

    You are hysterically funny and so creative in your writing. Hope you had fun on Saturday.

    Love to you, Shawn from TN

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  20. What a great post! And I love the pumpkins. Very nicely done.

    And I wonder if WD40 would have damaged the floor. It gets crayon off of anything, even car windows. And it gets perma-marker out of stuff, too.

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  21. Wish I'd known about that years ago when I, like Cheri's kids, used nail polish remover to 'fix' Mom's table. My butt still hurts at the memory!

    Oh, and those pumpkin guts... when we lived in the country we buried them. Next year we didnt' have to go by pumpkins. Nor did the neighbors. Or the relatives. Or... you get it... LOTS of pumpkins to share. LOL! The next year I tried picking out the seeds to roast. YUCK! So glad the next year boys had grown out of wanting to fool with it!

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  22. Yep. My kitchen table has large "magic eraser" marks, replacing what used to be sharpie marks!

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  23. YOU ARE A HOOT!!! (and the Google Queen)

    One in the many reasons we love ya'
    (:D)
    Kris

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