Feeling a little Coo Coo?

My home is hectic to say the least. My three year old daughter has held on tight to her terrible twos and at three she could turn the most rational person a little insane! To match the mood in our crazy house I recently decided to add a touch of whimsy and symbolism of our life in the hopes that one day I could hand it over to my daughter when her children drove her to the same state of mind! Bring on the cuckoo clock!!

I searched high and low for an antique or retro version I loved and wouldn't break the bank but everything was too ornate or way out of my price range. I turned to the eBay and decided to bid on a reproduction. Solid hand carved wood - perfect! Price tag - less that $100 including shipping!

Once it arrived I immediately pulled it all apart. I'm sorry but hand carved or not this baby was cheesy and cheep!! I took out all the interior components and front cover plates, taking photos along the way so I could remember how to put it all back together.

A little idea of what the hand carved wood looked like before.

The special mini screw driver set I had to buy to take it apart.

After several coats of high gloss Painter's Touch spray paint it was a matter of letting it dry over night. When I woke up in the morning I sprung out of bed and rushed to the garage to gather all the parts and pieces. I looked through the photos I had taken of the disassembly and managed to pull off the reassembly without any problems. Batteries in, switch on and wouldn't you know it! "Cuckoo, Cuckoo"

I literally ran to the dining room with my hammer in hand and bashed a hole in the old plaster wall!! In all my excitement I forgot nails and hammers don't mix well with lath and plaster! Rob reminded me I needed to calm down and get the drill with a nice size screw to do it right! Off I went!

I think I try to cross my eyes in the last few minutes of finishing a project so I don't see too much and am able to see it in it's intended position so I too may be wowed by the outcome. This baby certainly knocked my socks off!! I absolutely love it!! I pulled a chair out and sat there admiring it until my daughter woke up and the fun began! I pressed the button to activate the birdie... she giggled and said "do it again! do it again!" Now every time she hears it chime, no matter where she is in the house, she comes bolting to see the birdie do his coo coo dance!

More than anything this whimsy clock now symbolizes a precious time in our lives. We are all a little coo coo in our own way, our clock just reminds us every hour to smile about it!

The cheesy wooden clock transformed!

I Love the elk head!

I couldn't resist adding a punch or orange to the hands.

No matter how hectic or coo coo a day, remember to smile!