A toolbox in the kitchen

See, this old wooden toolbox has been hiding in my garage since the middle of August. It came from the bottom of a super old, falling apart outbuilding on a farm outside Murfreesboro, TN. It was very, very, very dirty. So dirty that it's just been sitting in my garage taking up space & continuing to look like I should just throw the dern thing away.

While I was 'doing' things this morning, I figured I may as well clean the poor thing up some. I spent 40 minutes just trying to get surface grunge off this thing, but now it is (mostly) funk free....

Yeah...it's very sunny today. There was no spot in my garage that was 'sun free', so enjoy some free sunbeams. 

The toolbox doesn't know it yet, but it's going to become a cool centerpiece type thing for my kitchen table this week. Yes, an old toolbox filled with pine cones (from my baking pine cones post) & other 'autumn' type things totally 'works' in my kitchen. 

Shortly after cleaning this I cut myself on another piece...so all work has ceased for today, because nobody wants blood messing up their dirty old toolbox. 

Ding! My house smells like a Christmas tree...

Alright, all of my pinecones (save for a couple tiny ones that hid from me) have been through their little baking trip.

I lined a cookie sheet with tin foil, because really, you don't want sap all over your cookie sheet, do you? No, you don't.

I left some space in between them because I'm weird like that.

I preheated the over to 300 degrees & popped these little guys in there for 20 minutes.

And then....ding! All done! They've all opened all the way up, even the tiny ones.

Let them cool a while, ok? Having an 'I got burnt by a pinecone after I baked it story' probably won't impress most of your friends. You just saved a few bucks by not having to go to the store and buy these. Easy peasy. 

Your house smelling like a giant Christmas tree is a nice bonus, at least it was for me.

Pine cones, assemble! Prepare to be put in the oven!

I've got a box of pine cones that have come into my life...and I need to make sure there are no creepy crawly things on them, & that the sap is less....sappy.

To the oven I go. I shall report back once I am done baking these little buggers.