Oh yeah, that garden stuff. Mowed and did some weeding today (feels like I removed ten thousand violet seedlings, worst year ever!). Finish building a raised herb/strawberry bed out of an old papas an chair. Planted a few things that I got at the plant swap on Saturday. Praising the Lord for a few days of dry and sunny weather!

It may be a few months before I work in the kitchen again at this rate.

Well, it wasn't much but I DID do SOMEthing in the kitchen today! Installed the outlet in the island although it is not powered yet. And fixed the wonky stove drawer and loaded my things into it so at least my island is clear again!

Wish I had pulled off more, but it feels good to have done any little bit again.

raee- I couldn't help but laugh at how where we live has a huge impact on our perspective.

You are happy about some dry and sunny weather, meanwhile where I live we have been under such extreme drought conditions for the past 3 years, I can't have a garden.

Wanna send some of that moisture my way and I will gladly send the hot and sunny towards you!

Edited to add: I just checked and apparently there is a level above extreme drought called exceptional drought, that's what I am in right now. Ugh...

This post was edited by Texas_Gem on Mon, May 19, 14 at 21:14

I'm still a very long way from anything being completed, but today [drum roll] I'd saved enough money for my drywall man to come for 4 hours and put the drywall up in my master bedroom.

No more insulation, studs, and stepping through the wall to get to another room. hmm Come to think of it, I think those are the only studs that have been in my MBR in longer than I care to admit. Note to self: Gotta do something about that.

The cats will have to use a doorway. I'll have to use a door.

It's incredible how even unfinished drywall changes the entire feel of the room -- and me. Who knew all that was dreaded visual clutter! It's clean, smooth, (gray) and looks like a room.

Ok. Pennies back into the jar for the next step: finishing it. (I already have the paint picked out!)

Phase 1, complete. Turned out so well, we moved to phase 2. I'm sure we'll end up redoing the rest of the house. Last Fall, things were almost back to normal, so we planted a couple thousand bulbs. Love to see them coming but boy does the grass need work.... It's never ending:). Good luck all!

Feisty: I'm with you on the stress factor. Hang in there and try to keep it as happy as you can. It does get hard, though, I know that all too well. We're now trying to empty our old house and garage from 30 years of stuff and trying to get it on the market asap. Cannot wait for this part of it to end and it's going sooo slowwwly that I fear I'm going to go crazy.

So, today we put in our tomato garden and DH moved some more stuff when I went to bed (work night shift).

Yeah for everyone's progress today! Or at least THOUGHTS toward progress!

My score:

Kitchen DIY - 0

Central vacuum corrective surgery - 1, saved me having to buy a new $500 power head and accessory kit (they no longer make the one I have for parts, so I'd have to get the new one, which none of my accessories would dock to, then). It involved cutting a patch of PVC from a leftover piece of drain pipe, fusing the patch over the broken fitting as a chemical weld strengthener, and finishing off the bad, weak design with a supporting band. Success is fun!

I did make progress in my research toward a commercial rail for the deck, and the hardwood floor reconditioning.

The new glass doors for the shower have arrived, so I pick them up tomorrow. Did a bunch of reverse engineering on silicon removal products, too. Plan is in place, and I ordered a buffer and supplies to re-polish my acrylic tub and my countertops.

Not sure which I'm sorta dreading more: hammer drilling the concrete, or doing the silicone removal. Tedious, both.

One more flower shot...

Wow. Looking at these beautiful garden pictures, I have to give my own bad self a little credit. I root pruned and repotted 42 Japanese Maples and other plants that were in their pots. Never plant anything with a maple. OMG. Heuchera, Hosta, etc.

Yesterday I used a vine killing chemical death spray to start to try to eliminate the chocolate vine taking over my 3 acres. That, and the ever-trying-to-grow poison ivy.

Today I took my Round-up and sprayed other items that are killed via foliage. Poke weed, brambles, stupid ornamental grasses that are taking over my life.

Maybe tomorrow I'll take my sawsall out and cut down a gudzillion choke cherries that are also choking out my lovely plants. Ok, some are 4 years old, but I have no fear. I. Have. A. Sawsall (and some vine and root killer to spray on the stump).

And the day before that, I mowed 3 acres and got poison ivy all over my back and butt. It must be spring.

Here's the garden closest to my front door. Oh - a rabbit built a warren in this garden, 10' from my door. Of course, my newest cat killed a baby, so I can't let them out. The irony is the nest is lined with (wait for it) cat fur. And I did mow shortly after this picture! The blue are iris that are actually spreading. I know, shouldn't happen but...

My front garden:

I try to mark something off the list every night after the kids are in bed. Tonight I touched up the wall paint that got marked up when my wife hung some antique plates on the wall. Unfortunately I'm running out of small jobs!

Our punch list
1. Paint and caulk baseboards and shoe molding
2. Install backsplash
3. Fill nail holes in wood floor with wood putty
4. DW has a good bit of sewing (banquette cushions and pillows, curtains)
5. Build pull outs for pantry
6. Reorganize cabinets

Plus some other odds and ends. Our original goal was to finish by our son's 3rd birthday in April. Obviously that didn't happen! I'm a teacher, and we only have 4 more days till Summer break. So we'll hit it hard. Hoping to finish in early June.

Got my window coverings ordered, but added another item to the list - shades for the rest of the house. Got a big discount offer extended so I'm going back with measurements tomorrow. I've needed to do this for years so may as well while my head is there. Also working on finding all the coordinating items: lighting, rugs, and stools.

Greenhaven, you asked about how we handle multiple rooms. We took down all the walls between LR, DR, and Kitchen, so essentially work on all at the same time. And because we have a split-level, we also must do the entry, stairways, and adjoining rooms at the top and bottom of the stairs. Since we're replacing trim in those spaces it necessitates replacing doors now rather than later. Reminds me of the children's book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie". We've basically completed according to need and have not finished all like tasks at the same time. We're focusing on the main floor area so paint and trim in the adjoining space will wait. Those are the jobs we do as filler when we're stalled waiting like we are now waiting for wood to arrive. We do what makes sense to keep things moving in the proper order.

Main motivators for me:
- to get out of my dungeon (that's what I've been calling my family room which feels so dark and isolated compared to my new bright and airy space)
- to get outside (garden, pontoon, kayaks)
- move on to other projects

Sounds like everyone is off to a good start this week!

So a while back there was a thread about "broken teeth." I did a quick search, but nothing but Mexican Plates came up. What that has to do with teeth is beyond me.

Anyway, "broken teeth" were those small projects we put off due to all the reasons we've been discussing. The ironic part is that when one fixes a broken tooth, it seems to be SO easy, and make such a difference that we wonder why we didn't do it before. This thread caused a big spurt in accomplishments. :)

So... what we're dealing with are those same broken teeth. Sometimes just detailing what they are helps us focus and take those baby steps we all just don't wanna [wahhh] take.

I like this thread.

Oh so good to see people rocking it out! I am jealous and a little sad for the gardens. I left behind gardens finally in their "leap years" twice now and haven't the heart to get started again here, yet. Soon enough I won't be able to stand the weeds any longer and will restart again.

Bbtrix, thanks for sharing about how you approached your reno. Makes good sense!

oldbat2be- do you remember the names of those flowers? So pretty! I'm working on filling in the holes in my bulb beds out front, and those colors would work perfectly!

I've noticed since I posted in here, I've been much more on the ball about the things I've been putting off. I weeded the garden, cursed the bunnies, planted more green beans while cursing the bunnies, did all of the laundry, and cleaned the dining room. Cabinet painting and plate rack installation is on hold. Trim this weekend if dh doesn't have any jobs planned.

Oldbat: a couple THOUSAND BULBS? Wow. I'm impressed with myself when I plant 50 or so and that seems like a lot of work. Beautiful garden for all the work, though.

Christine. Round-up the worst poison from Monsanto the most evil corporation in the world? Come on, girl. Can't you make some wine from those chokecherries? And then send some to me, k?

MrsMortermixer: Haha, I didn't see your post until now but yes, I was planning for about 2 years. Hoping that I have my stuff finished before someone that is now planning to build is posting their reveal.

Gardens. How lovely the photos are!!

Edb2n, that is great - something off the list when the kids go to bed. My only question is: how do you get your kids to go to bed at 6 PM? ;) I'm not very productive on reno stuff after 9:30 when the kids are finally settled in after stories, etc. But maybe I just tackle 15 minutes of something. That would nudge things forward!

Beautybutdebtfree - I am interested in your acrylic tub polishing efforts! Mine needs shining up. We will probably do a reno but I don't know if I want to deal with replacing the tub. I have bought, but haven't used a silicone removing product by dab. I found a very good post in this thread:
http://www.houserepairtalk.com/f33/bathtub-caulk-5981/
( 03-29-2009, 11:58 PM ) that I will follow when I get to the hated but urgent tub recaulking project.

Deedles - getting rid of stuff is so exhausting! This book is helping me so much:
Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back by Brooks Palmer
I like listening to it while I am decluttering. Some of his stories and examples are a bit extreme, but he really helps me understand how draining it is to have too many possessions. In our small home we just cannot afford to be holding onto things that are not truly loved or needed. I've read a lot of decluttering books and his is the best, IMHO.

CEFreeman - visual clutter is so draining - our home has tools everywhere, and boxes, and Ramboard. I am so happy for you that you have drywall in your bedroom :) . Have you ever checked out the paint store mistints for a budget paint option? Maybe "just for now"? New drywall will suck up paint as you know.

Today was a big day. We didn't accomplish the weekend goals and we are not ready for counter installation :( . Dh restored power to the range - so frustrated for him that it took until 1 PM with requiring undoing of some of his work from yesterday. But...the dreaded fridge gable was measured and cut. Much consternation that it was required to be a trapezoid due to out of whack ceiling and floor. Dh was not impressed with that, as expected. The panels on either side of the dishwasher were installed and the dishwasher was temporarily squeeeeezed in. Those Germans like a *tight* fit! (Miele). And my freshly "stainless" painted panels? Immediately chipped severely. Sigh. THAT won't work. The paint is a great match for the Miele stainless though - can't tell unless close up- , so I'll file that away for future reference. So much for my work all day yesterday. Need some stainless edgebanding or thin cladding product that is more sturdy than paint. Lots of "two steps forward one step back" this weekend.

Courage to everyone including those I haven't responded to directly. Most of you are much more accomplished DIYers than me and I am inspired and impressed by you!

Yesterday was not great... all that was accomplished was staining the underside of the pantry shelves and buying some more plumbing supplies. We're getting a sample of Loba Transparent on Wednesday though so I'm pumped up about that. If it doesn't look good I don't know what we'll end up doing.

The Roundup is finally working on the Virginia Creeper that it looks like people have been battling here for 35+ years. I've tried cutting and pulling but the junk keeps coming back.

Today I'm going to put the final finish coat on the pantry shelves that are made. I'm also swinging by the glass place nearby on my way home from work about the sliding pantry doors. They were going to be wood to match the kitchen cabinets but the cabinet company went out of business after making the cabinets / before making the doors. It may end up being a blessing in disguise because it would make the pantry really dark without turning on the lights before going in. Opaque glass in white is the new idea. This is the concept but with three doors (7'wide) and a pantry that is not as deep.

I really need to finish up the last of my DIY projects because our poor yard was totally ignored last year with everything going on inside! This weekend we have 27 coming over for lunch after church--my grandson is being baptized and we (DH, DD DS-in-law) are joining the church. Can't wait for all the family to be here. With that said, my finish list will have to wait until afterwards. Still waiting on my cabinet man to finish up the built-in bookshelves in our catwalk above the family room/kitchen. Once all that is done I'll start on:

-re-sanding lightly the stair treads and finishing
-finish refinishing (ha ha) the cove detail under the stairs and reinstall
-poly the new end caps on the newel posts
-paint all exterior doors including glass door. Still have the 4 paint choice finalists on the front door!
-decide on rugs for the 2 seating spaces in the open concept
-run electrical into new bookcases (brother-in-law to do that)
-organize garage after 18 mos of chaos/staging area
-touch-up all interior paint where dinged when moving back into spaces
-breathe and enjoy!

Love the water system, beautybutdebtfree! Our next project is to build a little cabin on property we just bought in the mountains. Will not drill a well but will use cistern rainwater collection with a filtration system. Yours is an inspiration!

I feel so much better about my list now! Mine is long, but I know I'm not totally alone. And for those of you that have much smaller lists - at least I know it can be done, lol

After a great start with my demolition and cabinet installation, I have been on a bit of a slide the last few weeks. We had a family graduation to attend out of town, and a rabbit hole of side projects that got me off track.
It happened like this:

I need a place to use the miter saw for my toekicks and crown molding. The shed/workshop was a very scary dark place, full of junk and droppings, and who know what icky stuff. It was too full of stuff to even walk through it, much less access tools. My sister offered to help me clean it (I really, really love my sister - she is the best!).

One weekend was spent pulling everything thing out into sort of organized piles, cleaning it (thank goodness for a good Shop Vac!!) and then putting back in what I was keeping (there's still a big pile waiting to go to the burn pile and to the curb for scavengers to pick up).

While pulling stuff out, we decided that the horse tack and random craft project junk shouldn't live in the workshop shed. So we cleaned out a second smaller shed full of more random craft project junk for tack and the *really good* project stuff.
While separating stuff, I found the parts for the chicken waterers I planned to make (2 years ago?) and realized that I *really* needed to make those, because we're going on vacation for a week in June, and it will make the pet sitters job easier if he doesn't have to water everyday. But the hose to hook up the waterer needed mending. Fortunately I found all the hose mending bits in the big shed cleanout.

Umm, notice that I didn't get back to the kitchen yet? There was even more sidetracking, but I think you get the idea.

I still needed a place to use the miter saw for the kitchen, so I bought materials to make a work bench. Another weekend was spent building 2 workbenches and putting up pegboard and trying to semi-organize the assortment of tools and tool related stuff.

So now the miter saw has a good place to live and work and I have a much better workshop and storage, but less progress on the kitchen :-) The definite silver lining is that all that other stuff was very necessary for the long term, and I think will make future diy jobs easier. No more running to HD or Lowe's to buy screws because I have 10 boxes of them in the shed, and I know where they are :-)

The kitchen list:

- Countertops - new soapstone being installed tomorrow
- Connect dishwasher, sink, and faucet
- Install drawer pulls and door knobs (umm ... decide which ones and buy them first - at least I've narrowed it down to two options)
- Fill nail/screw holes in walls and finish painting: walls, trim, ceiling touchup
- Build shelves on end of island
- Finish butcher block for island counter top and install
- Paint the island and pantry to match new cabinets
- Install crown molding and toe kick
- Build pullouts for pantry cabinet
- Decide on backsplash - tile samples are ordered
- Decide on lighting and window covering - honestly, these may never get done, but I keep putting them on lists so maybe they will percolate up to the top

I hope to post pictures tomorrow of the new soapstone installed ...

Patty

OMG Patty! Could you have wished for more productive side tracking!?! I'll bet way in the back of your noggin, those sheds and their mystery contents were a nagging, tiny voice.

My DH used to clean out his truck by putting everything in Hefty bags and setting them inside the garage. The garage was pretty empty, but you couldn't get to it over the Hefty bags.

When he bailed on me, one of my many, many tasks I assigned myself was to sort through that crap. See, I knew that if he couldn't find something, he'd just buy another.

Ultimately, I found enough plumbing, electrical and hardware pieces to return to Home Depot and Lowe's, that I probably saved myself $2500 in materials I actually needed for my burned out house.

I discovered that not only did I have most tools known to man, I had several. I also had his father's and grandfather's tools. When I took a woodworking class (to learn how to use some of them) I discovered what many of the crazy looking things I didn't throw out were. I had almost everything the woodworking shop had.

When I could afford someone to come do electric or plumbing, they'd want to run to the store all the time. NO. I'm not paying for that time. Tell me what you want and I probably have it. After initial poo-pooing, they always became my admirers, because YES, I had 142 electrical outlet boxes, all the outlets and switches. Many, many different gauges of wire. Cat litter buckets of screws, nuts, bolts, crimpers, cutters, fasteners, screwers, hammer-ers, tapes, drywall and painting equipment, the drywall, buckets of the mud, the paint, (OK, stop me) you get the picture.

So, in that long story, I know how you feel and it is wonderful that everything has a place, you know what that place is, you know what's in it, and you don't have to buy it again! The bonuses (boni?) are that you have new workbenches and the room for them, and a miter saw place. Mine is my front porch. LOL!

Congrats on a huge bunch of ancillary projects accomplished. BIG congrats!

psbjmb, I know exactly where you were! Sometimes tings just don't get done in an orderly fashion when they is SO much to do and only one YOU or you and a partner.

Looks like I am going to have to sideline my kitchen at least for oday. There is severe weather rolling in, along with the possibility of golfball-sized hail so I reallyreallyreally need to get the horse a roof under which to stand. Rain and wind she can tolerate at this time of year, but hail is another ball game altogether.

Me too Patty! Just scheduled granite install for tomorrow! Yikes. Quite a bit to do to prep.

I worked on it pretty much from noon-ish to 8:30, but I got enough of it done just in time. We are still expecting some pretty severe weather tonight, possibly large hail.

So I started with this:

At this point both batteries had crapped out:

But by the end I had this, which is enough for her to get under and not get pummeled.:

And I am here to tell you, this kind of project is NOT easy with one person. :o( You have to get pretty darn creative and resourceful. It isn't pretty, not a square or plumb or level nearly anywhere, but it will do the job it needs to do.

feisty, your granite comes tomorrow???? That is sooo exciting! Are you going to get any sleep tonight?

CEFreeman - wow, I think you earned every bit of those tools and supplies if you had to go through all the bags. Its kind of sad that he left family tools behind, but better for the tools that they found an owner to use and appreciate them :-)

greenhaven - nice work, I'm very impressed! I'm in central Texas, and I'd be happy to take that severe weather off your hands, even if it meant hail. We *so* need the rain, sigh. We had a pretty big storm last fall, and my doofus horses just stood out in it. I guess they were sort of under one of my live oak trees. Do yours mind the sound of the hail on the metal roof? If you lived close by, I'd offer a hand (if I got one in return, lol)

feisty68 - Yay, that's exciting! I hope it goes smoothly for both of us!

Patty

I've been having a little trouble with having energy to do much after work so I decided to give Monster a try and bought a 18 pack on my way home. So today I...

Ran the weed eater, cut the grass, hauled out a bunch of drywall and the last of our old cabinets for trash day tomorrow, watered the new gardenias, sanded the pantry shelves and put the second coat of poly on. I think the stuff works.

Drying...

Under the encouragement of everyone on here, I am taking May off of the reno due to my other family obligations.

That said, today I managed to get a 5 year old, 3 year old and 1 year old fed, dressed presentably, and out the door in less than an hour first thing in the morning to attend my 6 year olds awards ceremony at school. Say what you will but that is normally a 1.5-2 hr process in our house.

I also created a new cookie recipe. Her end of year field trip is Thursday and I volunteered to bake cookies for the entire grade. Yummy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. They turned out great! Soft and chewy, very peanuty, but still firm enough to not crumble.

So that's an accomplishment right?

Schicksal, lolol! I might have to go down that road if things don't pick up for me. I watched my kids drink it all these years....your shelves look great!

Psbjmb, sometimes she chooses the weather over the sound of the rain or hail on the roof. I am just hapy she has the option, lol! If I ever get aroind to building an actual horse barn I will put insulation beneath the roof to reduce condensation and dampen sound.

I unloaded the dishwasher...

...it's been a terrible day.

mrsmortarmixer- better than me. I didn't even get the dishes done today. :( tomorrow will be better...for both of us.

Bad day for me too. I calculated how much new window coverings for the entire house would cost. After many hours working on it decided that money needs to go toward the remodel essentials and changed my mind. Waste of time! I did clean the half of the wood floor that isn't covered by tools and the piano, and move some furniture.

greenhaven, great accomplishment today! Hopefully the storms aren't too severe tonight.

feisty, positive thoughts sent your way for a good install! Exciting day tomorrow!

Texas Gem and mrsmortarmixer, I have had more days like that than I care to admit. Just do what ya gotta do to get by. Texas Gem I know that could not have been a decision made lightly, so it must have been an important one. Hang in there!

I don't think our storms were too bad, lots of rain, thunder and lightning but no hail that I know of. Tuesday is still gratefully standing under her roof, lol! Not sure what is on the docket today, might drive some boxes to DIL and hug a grandbaby.

George Takei posted this on his FB wall, and I had to laugh, thinking of this thread!

Patty, I'm reviewing this thread this morning:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg051203311186.html?11

Yes, we had to schedule the granite install this morning because it turned out that it would cause massive delays if we waited. Poor dh was exhausted from the weekend but continued last night - uninstalling the sink/dishwasher/faucet, finishing the notching of the cabinets for the oversize sink. And fixing a wiring problem that arose. I had a busy day removing *everything* off the temporary counters, setting up all the tools on the dining room table, and removing the stuff from the tops of the cabinets as requested by the fabricator.

I moved all of the furniture and grill off of the back porch and deck to the pole barn and pinned down anything that might blow away. They are calling for some severe storms and we will not be home to keep an eye on the weather.

I packed up clothes for the girls. They are staying with an aunt tonight so dh and I can attend a visitation this evening after their t-ball game. I'm washing dh's dry-clean only clothes so he can look presentable. I still need to find something for myself to wear. Apparently I do all of my shopping at Hobos 'R' Us...

Those of you with wee ones: if you get to the end of the day and no trips to the ER or no deaths then it was a SUCCESSFUL day!

Today I finished testing my reversed engineered silicone remover. It's compatible with corian and cultured marble and acrylic tub, so now I'm ready to melt the stuff off when my buffing supplies arrive.

I also combed the second coat out of my GSD #2 who is blowing coat. The birds in our > 200 trees have plenty of nesting fluff, now. ; )

This post was edited by beautybutdebtfree on Wed, May 21, 14 at 16:02

schicksal - wow! I've never tried an energy drink, but I'll keep that in mind when I'm feeling a little low on energy.

feisty68 - I saw your other thread on the issues of your counter install, I'm so sorry it was such a stressful one. I hope you are satisfied with the results.

Throughout this whole remodel, I'm reminded a little of child birth - so painful during the process, but hopefully worth it after it's all over. The difference for me is that labor and delivery only lasted 23 hours, whereas the kitchen is taking months, lol

My soapstone install went pretty smoothly. There are 2 seams (left and right side of the sink) that look and feel pretty good to me. I think they did a pretty nice job of making the stone design flow across the seams. They offered to oil it for me, but I like it so much unoiled, I decided to live with it like that for a while. The stone has a definite deep green to it (especially around the veins), I just love it. I'll post pictures tomorrow - photobucket seems to be undergoing maintenance at the moment.

I worked outside while the guys were installing, so I actually accomplished quite a bit - mowed and weed-eated around the house.

I totally agree with beautybutdebtfree on the definition of a successful day when you have little ones ... survival is success :-)

mrsmortarmixer - I hope your storms aren't too bad, and I shop the same store, lol. Sorry you had an awful day, I hope things are alright

Off to bed for me now .. I can sleep well because my Spurs won :-)

Patty

Not sure which thread to use...

I'm at the point where I'm RE-shopping a flooring finisher. I was supposed to get samples in yesterday for the color, after having a hard time getting in touch with the co. because they were in Columbia and I'm fed up with it now. If there are no samples by my door today when I get home that's it. Flooring is holding up the show completely at this point. I feel like I could have learned how to do it on my own and been done with it by now.

The first two pantry shelves are now in, and the wall oven plumbing is ready to be hooked up underneath the house. I can pick up the rest of the things I need to hang the lower two pantry shelves on my way home from work today and get started on that.

I am a hammer today....BE the hammer...be ONE with the hammer.....

I spent this evening and will be spending all day tomorrow saving dh's tail on a job he forgot to tell me about. Needless to say, it didn't get put in his schedule, and it has to be done by Saturday. He's working all day tomorrow at another site an hour away. In the 4+ hours we worked on it tonight, we only got half of shingles torn off the house. I have to get the other half of the house and the garage ready for metal before he gets there around 5-6 pm. My fingers are already covered in blisters, so I imagine I'll be in for a weekend of bandages and pain relievers. I doubt much gets done on the house in the next few days.

I get to add to the list, find someone to finish the floors. The one I've been talking to is to much of a spaz to deal with. One day he says he's bringing by a few pieces of wood with a particular finish, but then he's actually in a city 90 miles away instead.

If I wasn't skeptical of my DIY floor finishing abilities this would have been done already if I did it on my own.

Mrsmortarmixer I can't even imagine! I have always thought that would be my worst nightmare, having to tear off shingles. Ugh!

Schocksal, seems like you made some important decisions. How about you come tile my backsplash and I will refinish your floors?

I've put in all kinds of backsplashes; that's something I would actually consider :-p

greenhaven- After 6 hours of tearing off shingles today, I can honestly say it's the worst job I've ever done. It's dirty, dusty, hot, and tiring. I've done manual labor before, but tearing off shingles is beyond that. We got home a little after 10 pm and the first thing I did was pour a big bowl of ice water in a bucket and stuck my hands in it. They feel a bit better after the ice bath, ibuprofen, and new bandages, but they are definitely going to be sore for several days.

mrsmortarmixer - I can't imagine how your poor hands must feel :-( I hope the rest of your weekend goes better.

Patty

'motivation'

that is such a big word!!! what does it mean???????????

mrsmortarmixer- please tell me you are wearing protective gloves while pulling shingles!. It is thankless grunt work but I will say, after I spent 8 hours on our roof with no gloves, I never made that mistake again!

Hi Weekend warriors!

Sending jumbo aspirin, margaritas (or your chillin' libation of choice), and lots of encouragement to you all this extra-day-to-make-progress weekend!

Greenhaven, thanks for the horse house pics, I missed them last time I stopped by. I assure you your horse doesn't care about level or plumb NEARLY as much as carrot pieces or a can of sweet feed! Here's a pic of my horse years ago.

Y'all, I TRIED to make progress, this week. I TRIED to order my commercial porch rail, but the guy quoted me 8 foot sections and I need/want 6 foot sections, so I have to get a re-quote. I have narrowed down the product and fasteners for the project, though. (Marine grade, I'm into buy it good enough to last.)

I also TRIED to order supplies to renovate my hardwood floor and then was called by the vendor. Turns out they won't ship gallons of the stuff to my state, only quarts and I didn't want this. Cancelled that order and will re-think the plan.

Sometimes, DIY is full of potholes and obstacles! But we trudge through with full determination.

And in the end, we have much more respect for ourselves, because we prevailed!

Enjoy your long weekend, everyone!

"Sometimes, DIY is full of potholes and obstacles! But we trudge through with full determination.

And in the end, we have much more respect for ourselves, because we prevailed!"

That is so very true....and how pretty is your pony?!

Had a couple surprises this week but not a lot of progress unless you count the arrival of my pendants and stools. Haven't even opened the boxes yet! Hope to get some things done this weekend but I am done setting goals that don't get met and feeling guilty about it.

I would be doing more pantry shelves and LED lighting but someone at work flaked out and since I'm in charge I'm the one who goes in.

Texas_Gem- I wasn't wearing gloves when I started until I noticed I was getting ONE blister. Unfortunately, by that time, there were about 12. I threw on some paper towel and black tape under gloves to hold me over until I could get some proper bandages, but the gloves didn't stop pressure and friction much. My fingers are feeling better today, and some are even mostly gone, but the one on each thumb pad are driving me crazy. If I wasn't doing yardwork today, I'd drain them, but I really hate to get a bunch of dirt in blisters this size.