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cefreeman_gw

Week 10: What can we accomplish next...

CEFreeman
9 years ago

now that so many decisions are being made (or not) and projects are being completed (or not!)?

Today I'm going to put down a few more wheel barrows of woodchips and plant the remaining hosta I've chosen.

Then I'll go to work.

Comments (112)

  • schicksal
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It totally works. This stuff looks just like what I found under the wallpaper at my last house so I'm sure that's it. To put it in perspective, I was able to remove about 300-400 sq ft of wallpaper in an evening without any tools, scoring or damage to the walls. I just pulled and squirted with a water/dish soap mixture. There were perfectly primed walls underneath.

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Y'all would have been very proud of me (5 or 6 years ago) I took down wallpaper in the entry hall, DR, LR, hall bath, and my office. Luckily, almost all of those were only 35% wallpapered because of masonry exterior walls, walls of built in cabinets and weird paneling. But the entry hall was some weird stuff. And the wall was all kinds of uneven beneath. So I skim coated and sanded it. Yes, I used to do a lot more.

    I HAVE LIGHTS! WOOO! Electrician left a bit ago. Most receptacles and overhead lighting are complete.

    My three main accomplishments thus far today kitchen-wise have been:
    --chat with the electrician and have him suggest that it made just as much sense to put ALL the recessed lights in today since we had to place two the other day so he could place and use the boxes or something
    --run to home depot and get two more recessed lighting housings. This is a result of getting ripped off to the tune of 4 of them. I bought a box of six that only contained two. That will be a fun trip to the return desk to ask for credit for 4 things I didn't get. I only had to buy 2 more because we were going to return 2 (waffled between a pattern of 6 or 8, went with 6).
    --narrowed the paint color down to two colors, and I will not change again. They're almost identical. I may flip a coin. (SW Northstar or Misty)

    MIL is going to come over in a bit and bring some painting supplies. I'm going to go into the garage and see what I can find (though I'm not optimistic that I can actually GET to them). I'm planning to wash things down (I have walls that have to regularly be vacuumed, and some have been behind cabinets for 30-ish years) and prime the exterior walls today (no drywall to be patched). Then I can paint those and prime the ceiling and walls tomorrow after the drywall guy leaves. Not sure if I'll get of that truly painted before cabinets friday. Not sure how long I have to wait in between any of the steps.

    And I potted up a couple houseplants this morning.

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Way to go!
    Okay just flipped between your two choices...um Northstar has a bit more oompfh..but I still like Sea Salt the best. ;)

    Why is it that when we get spoiled in the summer with fabulous warm/hot weather (and maybe it's only a PNW thing) that a full day of rain SUCKS! It's certainly never so hot that a full day of rain is considered respite! Lol it's just a glance of what Nov-May will look like. Blah..

    Well just to make more cozy in here. I just tossed two chickens in the oven, to be followed by au gratin potatoes.
    I even made more coffee for Mr.17 and I. Not helping btw!
    My toes and fingers are still cold!

  • schicksal
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sea salt sounds like a winner to me too.

    I put up a couple of pieces of grasscloth to try and get an idea of what in up against. This is going to be a mini adventure. I need to Google how to get perfect seams that don't pull away every so slightly. Overall it's OK so far though.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    terri- location, location, location! Today we were in the upper 90s, will be that or 100+ the rest of the week.

    My pool (my husband built a solar heater for it) got up to 90 today.

    Good news is that means comfy night time swimming.

    Wish I could share some with you.

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Shicksal, that is going to look awesome! I love the little pattern your light puts on the wall too.

    Well Mrs. G, I could not live in TX. That is too hot. So just pinch off a bit of the heat and fling it NW. ;)

    It's supposed to heat back up. But of course our summer highs are your Fall lows probably.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lol, other parts of Texas are more temperate but I live in the panhandle with some of the most extreme weather.

    As an example, 5 years ago my daughter was born in the beginning of March and the day she was born we had a record high of 85. Two weeks later we were hit by a blizzard that shut down everything.

    I was telling my husband the other day that I think we are probably more adaptable to weather than others who live where the temperatures don't vary to such an extent.

    I hope it does warm up for you, and if you want to send some moisture down this way, I'll be glad to trade!

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Correction, only got the masonry walls and a bit of the ceiling washed down. D.I.R.T.Y.

    I did buy my paint though. SW Misty. I asked the guy for his opinion on Northstar vs. Misty. He said Misty was greener and warmer. Sold. (Also, family calls me Missy, so there's that.) Once someone told me that Sea Salt was a bathroom color and it can look like toothpaste, it was done for.

    MIL invited me for dinner. I spied some speckled bananas on her counter. If I had an oven... Maybe I'll suggest SHE make some banana bread. :)

    Today was the first day of our first stretch of 100+ this summer. We've been very lucky. (Though we had some in the spring.)

    I also bought a little tiny dorm fridge. I used to have one in my classroom, then with budget cuts they became forceful about not having electronics etc. plugged in, so I gave it away. I'll use it for the next couple weeks and then take it to school. (Too hot to be trecking to the garage for fruit and such.

  • schicksal
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    All of this work calls for some pictures!

    terri_pacnw, not sure what I'm going to do with the light. I don't know if it's original nor not... it's sort of colonial revival so it could be late '50s, but nearly the whole thing is made from plastic. It could also be from the 1970 remodel because the shape of the light really went with the linoleum and wallpaper they chose for the kitchen. I can tell somebody was into the whole late '60s/early '70s spanish revival thing from other choices they made. Urban archaeology is fun.

    If I were to swap out the light I'm not sure with what. It makes cool shadows at least.

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I suppose it doesn't quite go with the sleek modern aura you have going.
    It's a little bit of quirky. Is it the only light like that in the house? But that is a fun little futuristic star on the wall.

    More freakin rain!

    I've had about 4 hours of sleep. 1/2 of the usual needed amount! I think a nap will be in my future, at only 6:30, I've been awake since 2:48!

    On my second cup of coffee. :)

  • schicksal
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bad times... 4 hours of sleep would not be good around here. The MIL's bags wound up in Pittsburgh and she was told they would be dropped off here by 9:00. At 12:30am the doorbell rings twice and it's someone with the bag. Needless to day the dog goes nuts and we're all awake.

    As a whole the light looks sort of lantern-y because of the shape and small chain it hangs from. The stars are actually flowers in person (daisy?). It's the only light of the sort in the place. Since I can't think of anything that would look better there it could very well stick around another 40 years. It has no electrical defects like the chandelier in the dining room has. You've gotten me curious; I think I'll peek behind the trim at the ceiling to see if the outline of some other light is hiding in there.

    From a decorating standpoint this kind of entry hall is really hard to work with. The ceiling is 8' so lights can't hang much but recessed lighting is too much like a spotlight for the location. The hall is the same width as a regular hallway so a table won't fit. I may be able to put something on the wall but that's it.

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Not a kitchen pic, but here's our entry hall light. I like it and the bi-fold walnut doors. DH has warned up to the doors, but not the light. I still don't see it changing any time soon.

    Can NOT get going today. Woke up just after Terri at 3:45. Gave up and got up at 4:15. Thought I'd start early cleaning the ceiling, but nope. I'm also avoiding going out to water, but it's just going to get hotter and hotter.

    ETA: Forgot to say, cool wallpaper!

    This post was edited by cal_quail on Thu, Jul 24, 14 at 10:06

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cool light, Fits your green wall.
    My entry light is one of those cheap white globes. There are 3 or so others of varying sizes and white or clear ribbed glass through out the house, and all different finishes. Lights, door handles, hinges. All miss matched!
    We have replaced 2 lights so far. Oh and big globe bulb light bars in the bathrooms. Lovely stuff.

    I took an almost 2 hour nap. I might be able to function now.

    Rain finished up, sky lightening. I'm going to put chicken bits and veg in the stock pot. Not sure about painting. Need to go to HD and figure out the carpet order for my mom's house. MBR.

  • kaylarus
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "Texas_Gem": i'm sure your adaptability to changes is weather way outstrips mine. the weather is very mild in the SF bay area. i was born here but when i was in second grade my mom moved us to the valley near Sacramento where it gets very hot. i never got used to it. a few years latter she moved us to the east coast. that was another adjustment i never made. i used to wear 3 pairs of socks and knitted gloves under huge mittens you'd wear to Alaska!

    now that i'm back where i was born my system is so happy. i will wear a tee shirt when it's 65F but tourist caught off guard will be frozen wear both sweaters they packed. i start sweating when it hits 72F!

    "schicksa" & "cal_quail": do you both suffer from insomnia? i often wake a 3:30ish and never get back to sleep for the day.
    yesterday i got passed my resistance and finally wrote the last 2 checks for my mom's estate for her brief visit to emergency before she passed. i read that she was not necessarily responsible for those bills but i really wanted to pay them.

    accomplishing this took a huge load off my shoulders and i was able to start making my kitchen functional for the next 2 months. (i had started putting things away and not unpacking some things because i thought the kitchen renovation was at hand.) i also had to reconcile my finances with the things i want to buy. so i remembered that i have a plastic outdoor chair i can use in the shower -- i don't need a fancy spa stool, that i can pick up a beat up dresser and fix it up for the kitchen linens. our linen closet is on the third floor. a bunch of these ideas came tumbling into my head once i decided that i should not spend any more of the money i inherited. i got a new couch and a few other things but i need to put that money aside.

    today i'm going to home depot or a smaller place nearby to look at kitchen faucets. eventually i'm going to need new faucets for the kitchen renovation. so far i've only been looking online.

    then i will face the sad job of cleaning up my failed container garden - attempted transplants of my garden in our last place.

    just loving the weather as it actually warms up today.

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    kaylaurus-Not often, just when stuff is happening like being ultra ready for drywall to happen so cabinets can happen. Pretty much when I'm excited or worried.

    The 4:00 range isn't too bad for me. My normal time to get up is around 5 during the school year and earlier if I work out (which hasn't happened for a long while). But I've been exhausted mentally and sleep-wise with the kitchen stuff and I REALLY could have used some more sleep.

    I'm sure your insomnia is due to all the stuff you've been going through. Good for you taking care of those business bits and being thoughtful about your spending.

    And I SO hear you about depressing failed gardening stuff. I need to go move the hoses around outside and I'll see my 5 ft tall x 4 ft wide x 6 ft long mass of tomato plants that now have like 5 puny tomatoes after being covered with big fruit which disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    Sounds like they're staring to tape/mud drywall. I teach at 8pm. It's almost noon. I'm hoping I can get a nap AND some priming done before then.

  • kaylarus
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    cal_quail good luck with that nap! i don't think i could nap when someone was in the house to tape/mud drywall. i'm impressed.
    i had a great garden at the last place we lived. it was a rental so it was supposed to me moveable but it wasn't. i had these containers with handles on them that ripped the first time someone tried to move one. my new place is very hilly. i don't think i can grow veggies inn the backyard until i get it terraced or something. i plan to grow herbs and baby greens in containers once the deck is safe.
    notice how i've gone to home depot (not!)

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    no, hoping to nap when the drywall folks are done. Though I have almost fallen asleep sitting on the couch. And while I can't leave, I could be walking around and getting things done in the rest of the house/yard. But...no.

  • schicksal
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Rant:

    At what point am I allowed to kick out my MIL? While I was at work she decided things were too disorderly in the dining room, which we already said was a work zone where the tools go and to kindly leave alone. So she moved everything around and mixed it all up, bought some crappy plastic shelving lost hardware and drill keys and who knows what else. How hard is it to leave other people's things alone? Nothing says you're place is inadequate quote like this.

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Aww, that sucks. Can you find some enticing thing for her to do out of the house most of the day on other days?

    I've been accused at being able to see the other side of any 'disagreement' pretty well. (Philosophy degree) Perhaps upon hearing all you've done, SHE's feeling inadequate. Maybe she thinks that this is the least she can do. Even if it's not true, since you're stuck with her ;) I'd get it in your mind that she did it with the best intentions.

  • rmtdoug
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    schicksal - Losing a drill key would be the final straw for me :) Mine are now all taped to the cord but I completely understand your frustration. In fact, I recall seeing one of your earlier pictures of your island and there was a screwdriver-like tool lying haphazardly on the floor and I recall thinking, yep, I put tools exactly where I want them on purpose and they had better still be there when I need them again.

  • kaylarus
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    schicksa:
    i consider that totally outrageous behavior!
    sorry but my grandmother used to do that to my mom all the time. my mom was a scientist, very into logic while my grandmother was an artist and like me very visual. my mother wrote massive papers for science journals and was always working on the next grant application. but my mom did not use filing cabinets. she had miles of desk space made out of flat hollow doors and she made stacks that were logical to her. my grandmother would come to visit and be shocked by the "disarray" in my mom's study.
    like you my mom was dismayed and angered when she came home to see her stacks "straightened out". she tried to throw my granny out (it was only a visit) but she refused to go and they argued late into the night instead. they were both very strong personalities.
    my granny couldn't stop. every visit she would "fix" some part of the house. it was true that my mom had no sense of how to decorate etc. but she liked the way thing worked in her own house. my mom might have worked her way up to banning her but then granny moved into her own house two minutes away from my mom. this constant contact made her stop. she was worn out by taking care of her own house and trying to "fix" my mom's.
    i always thought that her behavior was deeply ingrained in her personality. she could only see things from her own point of view. if it made her nervous to be near a messy room then the room was objectively a mess. the fact that my mom didn't consider it a mess did not enter her mind. to her all messes have to be fixed because the world should be beautiful. to my mom messes don't matter one bit. but granny never understood that. love her dearly but i think she was a narcissistic or something!
    i send you my sympathy and hope you can establish some limits. make her find the things she lost!

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, not even a full day there..eek!
    Well I'm guessing that you already knew she'd cross boundries or you wouldn't have set things in the dining room. (Out of the way!)

    CalQ, did they get done, are you gonna get that nap?

    It's windy out now.
    I have lots of delicious chicken stock for the fridge and freezer. Still have to pick the meat out a bit more.

    Mr. 17 and I delivered and picked up "the boy" car to the glass shop.
    I have my final canvas covered in paper for my last square of "cheap" art. This one will have our initial on it. Then it's trying to figure out how to hang them.

    I still have 30 empty TP rolls, to cut, glue and paint for "homemade" wrought iron.

    Oh I found an older white Maytag gas range for $60 on CL. I'm thinking about getting it. It's a little lower modeled than the one I put in my mom's 10 yrs ago. 4 burners, bigger oven, Cook and hold, delay bake, (favorite programs!). So I am very familar with it's pros and cons!
    So that would help me not push hubby so much for a new range! I might be able to survive a year or more with that in there. ;)
    And save up for a bit better than I would have settled for.

    I even found a plumber that does gas lines. :)

  • mgmum
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, schicksal! I'd be so mad! I have an old metal drill my Dad gave me, I think it's Skil, and it has the key attached to the cord. I too put stuff where I expect it to be the next time and would be furious if someone decided to "clean up" for me.

    Terri, the oven sounds like a good deal!

    CalQuail, I like that entry light! My foyer is about 3' square, it's SO small, and the light was a chandelier bulb in a "flower" thingy on the ceiling. When I put in the decora switch, I must have done something wrong because for the outside light to work the foyer light would have to be on too, so I just took out the bulb. It was pretty useless anyway.

    Today, my 12 year old helped me mix up the self leveling concrete and we poured it. It was difficult to do in a timely fashion, and I think it was too thin. Either way, it's going to be far more level than it was. I'll wait until Saturday to see how it looks before I start the tiling.

    Tonight my 12 year old made stir fry for dinner. Yesterday my 9 year old made Skinnytaste's Santa Fe Turkey Stuffed Peppers. Yum! This summer I am making them choose and cook a meal each week they are here. That way I don't have to cook and they have a new appreciation for how much work it is. :)

  • schicksal
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am out at the moment so will be short. Sometimes she is trying to help, like last time she was here and unexpectedly primed some of the Barney purple walls in the family room. Unfortunately no drop cloth was used so I spent the next two days getting dried primer off the wood floor.

    The dining room on the other hand, we actually spoke briefly about yesterday and I said it's still a construction zone on purpose because work is not complete yet and that tools and materials have their place in there. This was a "I'm doing this and they can deal with it" thing. Not the first time or the last I'm sure. The FIL arrived today so maybe she'll chill out now but it's hard to describe... She just does things against the objection of others.

    I will be quiet and put up more wallpaper this evening.

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    He finished. No nap. Lots of watering. Ate (a nice salad makes everything better). I'm not going to attempt priming or painting before cabinets. I'm sad. I'll wash down the ceiling and leave it at that. Unless I wake up at 3:30 tomorrow morning, and then I may.

  • CEFreeman
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Teri, you can definitely dig those iris up and move them. They're hardy.

    Shicksal, my practice in-laws were like yours. We lived in a 2nd floor condominium in Silver Spring, MD. The 1st time they visited, she cleaned everything in the whole place. I tried to keep up.

    The 2nd visit, I told it was insulting to have her visit and indicate to me my home wasn't clean enough for her. To do nothing. I came home from work and all my windows were washed. I could only envision her hanging out of the window with her big (fat) husband holding her even fatter ankles so she didn't fall out the window while she got to that last speck.

    The 3rd visit I said, "Screw it." She cleaned and I drank wine.

    Today I have no idea what I did. I received Morgan's ashes yesterday and have been in a fog. I just finished my weekly steak and didn't have anyone to give the scraps to.

    I put a You-Dig-'em offer on Freecycle. A nice lady and her mom came today and tagged crape myrtles, generic Japanese maples, hellebores, spiderwort and lilacs. Some they can take now, some they must wait until fall.

    I have someone coming tomorrow, and Saturday morning.

    I've managed to identify some tagless hosta on a wonderful English site. They post pictures of over 2000 hosta leaves, which you click and it'll take you to the detail. I have 4 leaves sitting here right now, I'm going to try to find when I'm done here. It's incredible how many there are, and how they're all just a little different. I love hosta.

    Wanna see my hall light when I get it installed? Sure you do:
    {{gwi:1913784}}

    I have so much to do and just don't care. I think I've hit the mid-summer doldrums. I hate sun, I hate heat, I hate pretty much everything today. I don't even have any Reese's cups.

    On that happy note, I'm off to check out the hosta.

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That's a cool light too..

    Yeah. I'll move the Japanese Iris' and bring some bleeding hearts over here too, probably this weekend.
    Got Daylilies, Crocosmia (Lucifer) and a few Dahlias and Bearded Iris to move a little later.

    I'm sorry your heart is heavy.

  • rmtdoug
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Seems everyone is having a bad day. My last 24 hours included what I thought was a bad ethernet cable in the wall (good thing I ran conduit!) but turned out to be a bad outlet on the patch panel in the wiring closet; 4 hours wasted.

    I then sat down last night at about 9:30 to review work from my helper and my network attached storage had froze up. Another hour wasted. In bed after 11:30, way past my bedtime.

    Made a trip today to get a couple of bags of mortar. It was heavy but high overcast with a north wind so I figured it was safe to haul the bags in the truck. Ha!! Coming home it started raining. The top bag was damp but I think it will be okay.

    It does not look like I will get the flooring done in the bedroom this weekend. I'll be lucky to get the mortar on the chimney in prep for tiling.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm so sorry to hear everyone has had such a rough day.

    Schicksal- I am so grateful that my MIL isn't like that. I don't know how you stayed so calm.

    CEFreeman- I wish I could Amazon drone drop you some Reese's and cookie dough right now!

    Cal_quail- for your sake I hope you don't wake up so early. You need sleep!! Especially since you didn't get a nap in today!

    Terri- I hope the rain has let up some for you. You need some sunshine and warmth.

    MGMum- I can't wait for my kids to be old enough to do that! The oldest is 6 right now. I actually was telling her today how when I was 8 I had to cook dinner once a week and it had to be a full balanced meal.
    Since I have 4 kids that means when their older I hardly ever have to cook right?!?!

    As for me, my plan for the week seems to be progressing nicely. Tonight I scribed the counter to the wall, attached the build up strips and made the sink cutout.

    Tomorrow, maybe Saturday morning, I will attach the counter, put on the end cap and hook up all the plumbing and by Sunday morning, I should have my wet bar fully functional!!

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    TG - Fully functional wet bar! Party in Texas!

    CEF - I like that light. It can go so many ways.

    MGMum - I love the plan. I remember summer things like that where we'd do X one day a week and Y one day a week. Good memories, as well as practical training :)

    KD called today. She found (my words, not hers) my sample door. I ordered my cabinets 5/11. It was sent 5/28. Still nice to have.

    Got the rest washed down. I will try to get the ceiling done in the morning. That's doable. The GC has the cabinets all mapped out, so I guess if I painted the walls it could cause a problem for the installer. And...I don't think I love Misty. I painted some swaths which will be behind stuff and I think it looks too much like a baby boy's room blue. It seemed more gray/blue, not blue/gray. But with the white LED's, it reads cooler. So I may have a bunch of extra paint. I think we need warm.

    I wonder what the installer will get done tomorrow? I wonder where he'll start? I wonder how much of my living room I'll get back!

    ETA: All the talk of digging, dividing, moving stuff...I have some Chasmanthe that I miss the window on every. year. And I also didn't want to dig and store, because I did that with a bunch of them once and then lost them. I now have a place, I should get that done.

    This post was edited by cal_quail on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 2:00

  • schicksal
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Rough days run in packs it seems.

    I'm trying to figure out the formal living room situation. It's too dark in there. I have a lamp on a switched outlet + another lamp across the room next to a chair for reading. There is another switched outlet on the other side of the sofa available but nothing plugged in. I think I need some kind of overhead lighting to light up the room as a whole but have never bought any for this situation before. It's become very important because if I'm to remove the double gang box and put in a triple it must be done NOW.

    Otherwise wallpaper is going in ok. It would be great if I could do it faster but since it's going in without a big fight I'm happy.

  • CEFreeman
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Shicksal, you've done an incredible job on those seams! One of the reasons I've never cared for grass cloth is just that. I remember being in Jr. High and my aunt putting in grass cloth. In itself It was really pretty, but all my eye could see were the seams. And since the grass in the cloth doesn't line up, well, I guess my OCD tendencies were evident even then.

    Thank you, Texas_Gem. I am going to make a pit stop and pick something up. I've gained so much weight in the last few months -- ok, since December -- that I guess I shouldn't stop now. Might really go into withdrawal.

    My dad taught me how to make a martini when I was 4. Of course, those were in the Bewitch and Beaver Cleaver days when all the parents downed them the minute they got home on TV. Then I learned how to make kippers & crackers, 1000 Island dressing for rolled up lunch meat hors d'ouvres.

    Anyway. Today I've got someone coming over to dig again.

    My Hugoculture little lady is coming out to measure. I'm telling ya' this was not well thought out. How would she think she, (5' about 40 lbs) and her two teenage boys were going to cut down (no, they can't use a chain saw) strip, move and place full grown trees. In 2 days be ready to plant. And I don't have 450 lf of trees I want to cut down. So....

    I've been contacting tree service people and they're all willing to bring out full trees -- when they have them. Then we have the digging part.. I'm smart enough to put out right from the front, that I'll supply the land, and the dead trees on it. But I am absolutely not going to dig, water, or maintain this peony garden in any way. Of course, I probably will.

    Ok. Espresso time. Maybe a peanut butter sandwich.

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mmm...peanut butter sandwich. I think you just planned my breakfast.

    It's CABINET DAY #1!

    Should be priming and painting. Got up at a reasonable hour (for me). Cleared off the tops of the cabinets in the living room that we've been using as a 'table'. Trying to put all the little things that won't be needed for a while (switch plates, air switch etc. somewhere out of the way but accessible that I won't forget!

    What got me distracted from priming first thing was looking for something to put a little paint in to cut in around the lights. I'm still at a loss. I can think of several things I'd sacrifice to hold some paint, but no idea where they are...in what box.

  • schicksal
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I read peanut butter espresso sandwich and for a second, that sounded really good! If that's what I'm reading perhaps just the espresso part is what I need.

    All of this talk about cabinets going in calls for some pictures :D Is cabinet day #2 going to be tomorrow or Monday?

  • countryatheart
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I haven't checked in for about a week and am so behind on everyone's progress. You have all been really busy! I slacked off on a long weekend at the lake last weekend. I vote all weekends start on Thursday! While there I did trim the bushes and pull some weeds, and paint a headboard that DD is taking for her college apartment. This week all I got accomplished were the usual mom things. Groceries, cooking, cleaning, errands, laundry, etc. I've got to reboot and get going again. Still have a few more things to get done before I go back to work. Hope everyone has a productive (or restful) weekend.

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Originally cabinet days were going to be Th/F and S if it was going to be a short, finish up day on Sat. Since now, day #1 is Friday...don't know. I have assumed it will be Monday, but I won't complain if it's tomorrow.

    All I got done paint-wise is that I cut in around the lights and edges/walls with primer for the ceiling. If I'd have started right when I got up, I would have at least gotten the ceiling rolled. Oh well.

    I finally pulled the card from my 'real' camera and uploaded my before and during pics, so far. Here are a couple before and a couple current. The whole photobucket is just house stuff so browse around if you like.

    Not all the same perspectives, but the same walls.

    ETA: 8:45 pacific time...he's here! Going to fill in the trench cut in the slab for the electrical to the island, then go to HD. Gah! Start with the cabinets already!!!

    This post was edited by cal_quail on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 11:53

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cal, did you go to HD or your "guy"?

    I like the little blue paint cup with the spout and handle. I reuse them. Just them, just get out as much paint as you can and dry overnight, if it's to be a new color. Need to put it away for a bit during project. Slide it into a bread bag, tie as tight as you can and stick in the fridge.

    Shick, that looks great and I see the daisy looks just as cool on the grasscloth. ;) so what are the rest of your current household doing while you are wallpapering?

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Guy went to HD. I took the dogs to the groomers so they're out of our hair today. :)

    I posted on the laundry forum. I have Asko W/D on order, and they won't be in until a week later than I'd like. Not catastrophic, but that made me review my alternatives.

    We want to minimize screaming 'laundry in the kitchen', because even though that's perfectly acceptable in other parts of the world, not so much here. The Askos were the only small ones in something coordinating with Stainless. They're 'titanium'. Still not a perfect match.

    Well, Miele makes some panel ready ones. I'd always discounted Miele due to: a) price, and b) they only have white. But, now that I see they have panel ready ones...I'm thinking about them. So I'm reviewing specs to see if there are any differences in how they'll size the enclosure to see how much time I've got to decide. Hours or days. I called Miele Concierge and confirmed that they're available and that I was reading the panel thing right (they come with a white panel so we could use them like that until we decide differently. Then we could get door-fronts OR we could get something powder coated to match the Cobalt Bluestar. Probably not the latter, but you never know.

    But they're MUCH more. Like a whole extra appliance. But everyone loves their Miele's. Hmmm...

    He's started carrying things into the kitchen!

    ETA: Ordered the Miele.

    This post was edited by cal_quail on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 17:01

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oooh...fancy new toys!

    Well I went and did the quick roll-over every surface of the living room, hall, entry and dining room at my mom's and it worked!

    I have to call her and tell her the carpet is going to be another $125 for her MBR. But it's a much better carpet and it's a 72 hour purchase-install which is easier on me. She wanted the top of the line pad but one of the off the roll crap carpets. ???? But that's my mom. Makes zero sense.

    So that's all that happened today. Painted and carpet sorted out.

  • kaylarus
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    terri_pacnw congrats on getting the carpet sorted out. it can be hard to buy things for other people. and splendid painting at the end of a tough week.
    cal_quail - i love your old kitchen! maybe it's the warm light be the cabinets look good to me. i guess it's more my style than yours. rolling the ceiling is backbreaking! maybe you'll get inspired at 3:30 AM
    countryatheart the lake sounds wonderful. we are so hot here today and i could use a lake or two in my backyard!
    schicksal - what an amazing job on that wall paper! i've never tried it because when i saw "I Love Lucy" wrestling with wall paper i could see myself doing something similar. i am as clumsy and she pretends to be. but of course when i do it it's not funny.
    Texas_Gem i'm so impressed with you DIY skills!

    the biggest thing i got done today was clean up the porch. it gets covered in live oak leaves and i guess soot from the highway, tiny berries from a tree i don't know etc. once i got the deck cleaned up i moved the worm farm where it won't get direct sun and "installed" the door mat. i also set up my little twig burning stove on top of a bunch or soapstone samples i collected. i got rid of all the junk that was so easy to stash back here instead of making a decision.

    so now it's really pleasant to come and sit. it's the only part of my deck that's safe to go onto and it's shaded from the afternoon sun so it's perfect for me.

    i also when grocery shopping and cleaned the house so the cleaner could clean. she's caught me cleaning the stove it was so gross and laughed taking over to make all my efforts look like child's play. humm, this is what happens when you're 60 and you let yourself get out of shape.

    i plan to make a cake for my husband's birthday - which was over a month ago but i was too stressed to conquer it back then. he was very understanding but i know he loves this german chocolate cake i make only once a year.

    this is why the back deck had to be tackled. it will be impossible to stay in the house once the old oven is on. have a great weekend all, kaylarus

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mmmm I love German Chocolate Cake. No one else does so I don't make it.
    Okay the truth is I love the pecan/coconut/brown sugar/butter. The cake is just a vessel. ;)

    The lady helping me at HD was good. I told her where I was at and where I wanted to be. After we were done, I said well this could go two ways. I pay the difference and the carpet goes in and I never tell her I switched it. (The sample of the new one disappeared, on the roll one she chose.) Or I tell her she's getting this one and she coughs up the extra $. Either way she's getting this one. Lol

    Well dinner is done and waiting on the Big Guy.
    Simple: Basmati in the oven, pork and peas on the stove. (Ground pork/snap peas cut in half, half a yellow and orange pepper for color.) then Asian-y flavor additions.
    Mr. 14 LOVES it, Mr.17 gave me the sad face. He'll pick around the veg and eat a huge bowl of rice under the meat. Then whatever rice is left after he eats the meat off, he'll salt. He has the plainest palate ever.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Got the end cap installed on the counter and the sink set.
    I also got a metal rack that was full of junk in the garage all cleared off and moved into my pantry to serve as temporary shelves until I figure out the exact dimensions for my shelves and get them built.

    Tomorrow, I will router the end cap overage off, cut and mount the corner blocks, attach the counter and hook up the plumbing.

    Tonight I'm going to enjoy my pool and a Colorado bulldog (or 2) after a long week.

    I hope everyone else finds a way to relax tonight!!

    This post was edited by Texas_Gem on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 21:18

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    kaylaurus - I really didn't hate the look of the cabinets, the floor, and I didn't even mind the laminate (except where it was missing). As I looked at the progress on the cabinets today, there are areas that are really just a small swap and some that are a large swap. I worried that DH was picking cabinets that were too similar to the old ones when he was looking at a particular shade of maple. But honestly, the natural cherry is far closer to them than that maple would have been. And that's okay, because, I too, liked the wood. It was just SO. DARK. The only kitchen light you can't see in those before pics is another of those anemic squares. Why we didn't re-do the lighting years ago is still a mystery to me. And it was SO non-functional/wasteful. The U inside the peninsula area wasn't bad, but beyond the peninsula was a wasteland of junk. Always. There were too many reasons for it NOT to be.

    A cleaned off deck/patio/porch sounds great. I definitely should have done that so we'd have had it to use when we were living with all the cabinets in the living room.

    Terri - when you said 'a quick roll-over' I thought lint roller...which is what it would mean at my house. :) Obviously, something much more lasting than de-dog-hairing.

    TG - Awesome to hear about the laminate work. I had a roommate once who built an awesome desk. I always thought...I could do that! But I have never come close after that.

    Installer left a little while ago. He. was. awesome. I'm very impressed.

    And in the 'stuff I got done' part of things, besides switching the W/D (still haven't cancelled the ASKO, playing phone tag with that salesman) I also ordered my UCL from Environmental Lighting. It'll ship Monday, I'll have it Tuesday. I also talked to my granite guy (early enough in the day I thought we'd template Tues or Wed, but I texted him later and said it could be as early as Mon (hopefully he can do it Mon). And I talked to the guy I ordered the fridge, range, and vent hood from and talked about what I should look for spec wise from these guys (since I've had to watch them on some things) and asked about who does what part of the hood/venting/roof cutting. When we had our roof done in the spring, the roofer said to just let him know when we were getting the new kitchen and he'd come cut the roof so he knows it was done right, but I'll have to ask him if his guys do the ducting too.

    This post was edited by cal_quail on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 21:35

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    TG, I am just amazed at how this all sounds. You've got skilz!
    CalQ, yeah I can imagine, what that means for real. In this case it was a quick "fix" with paint.

    Dishes are done, trash out, floor swept. Big Guy "nappin", oh I mean watching the Mariners Game. Lol..
    Boys are killing wizards and warriors on their respective "machines". Mommy is in her favorite room in her favorite spot, doing Mommy things. ;)
    I declare the weekend is here!

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I put the 3rd coat of poly on the table, baked a pan of bars for church on Sunday, mowed the lawn, applied the 4th (and last) coat, then went for a swim in the neighbor's pool. I'm tired, but satisfied!

    I'm not bringing the table in the house until Monday night - I want to give it plenty of time to cure before I start using it. And maybe I won't - after the work I've put in, I might not want spaghetti sauce slopped all over it!

    Here's one of the leaves, between coats 3 and 4. No stain, just oil-based polyurethane. A friend thinks it's probably ash, not maple.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Annkh- I won't pretend to be an expert on wood but my grandfather was and I would agree with your friend. It looks like either Ash or White Oak which can be difficult to distinguish between.

    My cabinets are built out of ash and the grain pattern is virtually identical to your picture.

    Maple has a much finer grain pattern unless its birdeye maple.

    Beautiful piece! Can't wait to see it completed.

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice Ann, very nice!

  • CEFreeman
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Annkh, you have done a great job and made Citris-mama proud. LOL! Isn't it amazing how little effort it actually took with this great stuff? I have the headboard of my antique bed to do, but will take care of that maybe tomorrow when I have a couple hours. Hours. Not weekends!

    About that oil-based poly. Excellent choice for a high traffic table. However if you check with the Woodworking board, you'll discover oil based stuff can take as long as a month to cure. Hot weather and humidity will prolong this. If you take it in and start using it, the finish could be pushed around. i.e. heavy items making marks, things being slid across it (bad, anyway!) I'd suggest putting it someone in a normal temperature room and hiding it. Make certain that stuff is really hard. Polyacrylic cures in a weekend, not oil based poly.

    Friday.
    Someone came and dug out plants. 2 hellebore, a bunch of euphorbia, several 'Invincible' hosta, a couple of shrubs. This left me room for:
    planting 7 more hosta, and laying out 12. I realized the trees I've planted in one garden over the last 10 years actually have created a shaded area! So I limbed up a false cypress 'Vintage Gold' and my 'Golden Dawn' redwood. OMG, I have a beautiful, accessible garden! Hosta 'Potomac Pride,' 'Bressingham Blue,' 'Sea Dancer,' 'Gold Standard,' 'Hillbilly blue,' 'Blue-haired Lady,' and some others will make a beautiful pathway. I can't remember the rest.

    I've decided to move all the boring hellebores (ivory blooms) to my roadside hill. Those gawd-awful ornamental grasses I've been trying to kill for 3 years have always looked skanky., Hellebores will at least be evergreen, one height, reseed, and bloom in January-March. And I can't stand throwing out a plant.

    The peony lady came to mark out her peony bed.

    I should have mowed, but didn't. I sat on the porch and had a glass of wine and surveyed my domain. Missed Morgan being in the way.

    No rain in almost 2 weeks. If it would rain, I might do something inside.

  • brightm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    CEF - Pictures required.

    Ann - That is truly beautiful.

    DH got home last night about 10.

    GC and installer should be here at 8 (15 min). GC needs to something electrical so the Susan and everything that radiates out from it can be set.

    The decision on where the island will be needs to be final today, I bet. Struggling with optimum aisle spacing vs. saving money by not moving an existing pendant mounting location. SO hard for me to see these things.

    I've got a couple classes this morning/early afternoon. I might try to give one away. The other...I'm the only one who can teach it (other gal on vacation). Half worried about the noise (other end of the house), half worried about the distraction factor. Luckily, these two classes would be my choice on a day like today.

    Dreading calling the ASKO guy to cancel that order. We played phone tag yesterday.

  • countryatheart
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ann-absolutely beautiful. I have always loved the refinishing process. Strip the wood and all of a sudden there's this beautiful grain showing. The citrastrip makes it so much easier.
    CEF-Your property sounds idyllic. I love beds of mixed hostas, they really look wonderful in a shady spot.
    Kay-now that you've got a shady spot to sit, make sure to enjoy it!