Dining Table

I have been trying to figure out what the best plan would be for a dining room table, because we decided we'd really like a table long enough to seat our family and have room for guests too, and our old table only seats 6 (Courtland was still in a high chair when we got that table) so it just doesn't really cut it anymore.  I've seen this table at a store called World Market, and I really like it a lot.  I love the idea of a long pedestal/trestle table with two benches for the long sides, and a couple of pretty chairs at either end:

Although this one is only about the same size as the table we have now, so it's not nearly as long as I'd like (yes, it does have two leafs that fit in on either end, although those still wouldn't make it as long as I'd like, plus I don't think leaves that stick out on the ends would hold up over time with kids leaning on them, plus the bench would only be the length of the table, not the table + the leaves -- so anyway, this table has the look I like, it just doesn't quite fit all our needs).

So then there's this table, from Restoration Hardware (I'm pretty sure this table is probably the inspiration for the other one from World Market).  This table comes in several different lengths that would be long enough for us, but there aren't matching benches and the finish of the reclaimed wood is really pretty, but it looks to be raw wood without a stain or any finish, so I can't imagine how you'd clean it if the kids ever spilled a glass of milk or anything on it.  Plus it's thousands of dollars, just for the table (and then you'd still have to find chairs/benches).

So I was just looking on Google Images for pictures of trestle tables to get some ideas, and I cam across this one that they built on This Old House, and it looks so cool:

It gives all the details about how to build it, step by step, on the website here: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20438427,00.html  And the coolest thing is this is something I could actually do.  The legs are made up of newel posts (like the post at the base of a hand rail on a stairway in a cool old house), with corbels at the bottom, and the support beam across the middle is just a hand rail like you might attach to a wall next to stairs.  I'm totally going to build us a dining room table!  Picture this one in their picture, except about 8 or 9 feet long and with a dark wood stain instead of paint.  I'm so excited!  Guess I'll wait until we actually get moved into the house first, but I'm so excited to do this.