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cefreeman_gw

Week 20: "I did that!" .. or ..

CEFreeman
9 years ago

What have you accomplished!?
Here we are on week 20. Has anyone gone back to see how far each of us has come on so many levels? One I see, is that we've certainly come to see that even if we're not slaving away on (not "in") the kitchen, we're pretty busy people taking care of life!

Soo. on that note.
I'm off to pick up more pavers. I love 'em. Techno-Bloc in slate. Champlain Gray.. I love concrete things, so this is cool.
I'll have to have some help figuring out exactly how many square feet, but I'm excited. I'm either going to have the mished-mashed-ist front courtyard yard ever, or it's going to be really cool in design. Just gotta figure out how to cut these puppies at some point!

Texas, have you antiqued with candle wax & duct tape? It's perfect for tops and sides, where the sanding technique would look ... well, sanded. I think that's perfect for legs, but I'm really into this other, chipped look.

Didn't get the slate, Doug, but I haven't given up hope. Evidently the new home owner doesn't want to let it go, but doesn't know what to do with it. We'll see.

Shicksal, love the light. My mom had an original back in the 60s. Isn't it odd that what we took for granted, right down to those plastic, stackable "scoop" chairs, is now considered "iconic?" I must be iconic. Sometimes Ironic, too, but mostly classically iconic. Ok, I'll stop.

Off for my pavers! Have a great week.

Comments (49)

  • Errant_gw
    9 years ago

    Those are really nice pavers. I'll bet the champagne grey looks great. I love concrete color, too. My So insisted on brown for the ones we are pouring, but I think they still look pretty good. We'll be working on more this weekend. Here's a progress pic of a section outside the dining room slider. Excuse the mess and the mottled color, they even out as they dry, then we will apply sealer.

  • CEFreeman
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ohhh wow. I love your patio!!
    Tell me more about the sealer? I vaguely knew one should do this, but didn't give it any thought. What are you using, and how often must one reapply?
    Thx!

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    @CEFreeman - courtyard? What's it look like? Those chairs you describe are what I would like for the breakfast area.

    @Errant - those pavers look awesome!

    @doug - they are great cars when running well. The trouble I am having is with the injection and idle adjustments. I'm used to the Bosch Motronic system used by Porsche in the late '80s. It's simple, digital and robust compared to the analog Bosch K-Jet that Mercedes (and others) used. Any number of things can throw it off. The car runs again though... Time will tell if it decides to behave or not.

    So far I have applied the last coat of finish to the three doors in the family room and cut some more trim. Afterwords I really need to work on the fridge surround since a SZ is not in the budget until the broken house is taken care of.

    I would also like to clean and work on the pantry and LED lighting some more today.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago

    Cef- I haven't ever tried the candle wax or duct tape. Truthfully I've never painted furniture before so this is kind of a first go at it. I wanted it to look like glasses, plates, arms, etc have worn and scratched off the finish, especially on the edges, hence the sanding.

    I may try those others sometime though, they look interesting.

    I can't remember who asked in last weeks thread if I had thought about repurposing it later but you were absolutely correct.

    Once we are finished using it as an island, my plan was to move it to the back porch so my husband has a work surface for when he is grilling and smoking stuff. Then he can stop taking the folding table out there for that.

    Schicksal- very cool. I confess I know nothing about imports so I doubt I could restore a Mercedes but it sounds like it is fun!

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    Sounds like a pretty good use for the table, but I can't remember if you were planning on staying in the place once it's completed or moving at some point. I may have missed the post.

    The car is complicated... it uses a bunch of small computers about the size of a deck of cards complex mechanical fuel delivery systems. Lots of different things that can fail. The next generation stuff I've owned (designed mid '80s and newer) simplified everything with one computer and electrical systems instead of mechanical, so you have fewer things that can go wrong. In general imports of that vintage fared a lot better than domestics because the components were more robust.

    At this point the car is in a bad spot where sometimes it runs, sometimes not and later in the day it runs differently.

    Today I managed to cut, paint and install as much trim as I have material for. I still need to measure how much more I'll need and play around with the toe kick lighting. It's not finished only because I'm lazy.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago

    Schick- its our forever home. They'll have to remove my cold dead body from it if I have my way so it makes things easier. I don't have to worry about future buyers, only what I want.

    That does sound complicated. I've worked some on older cars but never with computer systems, just mechanical parts, transmission, brakes, engine, etc.

    I am by no means an enthusiast, just someone who had a dad that insisted that my brother and I learn how to work on and fix our own cars before we could drive.

    If it was a computer problem, it went straight to a professional. I couldn't even begin to try tackling that. Good on you for doing it! I look forward to pics of the car.

    Good work on the trim too, I've got some trim I really need to get installed, just been procrastinating because I don't enjoy the work.

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    Still fighting with my stupid oak table - I've pretty well resigned myself to not getting all the primer out of the grain, but I'm not willing to concede defeat until I've tried everything.

    I consoled myself with a delightful swim in the neighbors' pool - it's 84 degrees at the end of September - we have to enjoy this while it lasts! We'll probably have snow within a month.

  • christina222_gw
    9 years ago

    Last week was a lost cause as I was out of town. New sofa was delivered today and it fits perfectly in the sewing room. It's a sleeper so we can use that room as a guest room a few times a year. So that room is coming along. This has been nearly a whole home project and we're pretty much down to the guest bathroom and some small things. I want to replace the front door, add some lighting fixtures, we need some furniture pieces and rugs. Laundry room needs a sink.

    The guest bathroom I need to make a decision on. Quote came in at $3500 for what I need done. It's a perfectly fair quote but more than I can spend right now. I'm going to see what I can do myself and what can be done now and what can wait.

  • CEFreeman
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Shicksal,I haven't built my courtyard yet, but it'll be out my front door, bordered by my raised garden beds. Hopefully, in time, shaded. In the meanwhile, I gather materials.

    Christina, you know how it is! If you have the skill or talent, Do what you can your own bad Self!

    Beautiful weekend here in the Nation's Capitol!

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    What's $3,500 get? It may be a good deal. People I know are getting quotes a minimum of 2x that for their bathrooms, but they're in areas with housing boom/bubbles.

    Cars with computers are easier for me to deal with than older ones, if you can believe it. I have part of the car trouble figured out though and it's nothing to do with computers at all. This afternoon I noticed that there was no spark and after dark I went back with my wonderful assistant to have another look. I had only a little spark where it was supposed to be, but huge sparking where the wire from the coil to the distributor was burned through. Never would have noticed that in the daytime...

    Tomorrow I'll go replace it and then see how the car behaves. If I can make the surround for the fridge, finish the toe kick lighting and get the last pantry shelf installed I'll call the weekend a success. It might happen.

  • Errant_gw
    9 years ago

    CEF, the sealer we bought is Quikrete High Gloss concrete and masonry sealer. It's supposed to give them the look of being wet, which is when they look brown. We have to let them cure 30 days before applying it, and I have no idea how long it lasts, as I've never used it before. We were thinking that after its on, we will try to get a concrete stain that matches, to do the little slab that was already outside the door.

    I don't have any idea if you would need that on your pavers?

  • Aamich
    9 years ago

    The weather is finally cooperating and we have no rain, so we are progressing with staining the exterior siding. Still need to finish the first coat and start the second. Our builder had our back yard and side yard graded this week.. Woo-hoo, no more heavy trucks to tear up the yard. The excavator also dug the trench and dumped a giant pile of gravel for the drainage area that we have to build since we will not have gutters on the back, and of course, that trench is right where we need to put the ladders in order to paint. Thank goodness we have lots of 2x4s and LVL to build some platforms. Not looking forward to moving all that gravel into the trench though.

  • christina222_gw
    9 years ago

    It's a great deal Schicksal, my friend is married to a plumber! The issue is I just don't have $3500 to spend. It was for replacing the tub, tub filler and shower head, new backer board, new tile surround. New tile floor, lifting the current vanity onto feet to make it higher, replacing the mirror and light fixture and adding beadboard wainscoting. $1600 for labor, balance for materials.

    I'm going to see if we can split it into two parts, tub and surround first, as that is critical and then the floor and other items down the road. I'm also going to see what I can save by removing the old tile myself and doing the new tile myself, with him replacing the tub and plumbing and putting up the backer board for me.

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    That's a great idea, though it may be a challenge if the new tub is a different size from the old one. Do make sure they use Kerdi or Redguard as waterproofing though - I've seen too many tile jobs go bad after a few years because the tile setter forgot that little detail.

    Two out of three doors are polished now. This is HARD work! It isn't a night and day difference, but it does pick up any lint specks and make the finish somewhat clearer so it's time well spent.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago

    I got the island finished and moved inside. I went ahead and mounted one of the pendants I got for the area.

    I need to cut out holes in the ceiling and mount some more ceiling boxes to hang the other pendants.

    In the picture, you can see the blue painters tape on the floor on the left. That will be where I'm going to have a buffet cabinet with glass fronted uppers for my nice china and serving pieces.

    You can also see that I REALLY need to get trim mounted around those doors. Also need to paint the doors, they will be white like the trim.

    Now I'm gonna relax and watch the season premiere of Once Upon A Time here in a little bit.

  • springroz
    9 years ago

    DH went to the big box to get me a second gallon of stain, and they were OUT. This turned out to be a HUGE blessing! It forced me to go to Ace, where they carry Cabot, and it is SUCH a HUGE improvement over the Olympic!

    Now it looks like I have done something!

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    Frustrating day, wasted mostly on the car. I swear the thing is going on Craigslist once it's running decently. There are a couple of tests I can do tomorrow after work to narrow down which part(s) of this Rube Goldberg, 1970s fuel system is acting up.

    The pieces of the frame for the refrigerator surround are built though so that's a plus. Maybe tomorrow I can finish that up. I'd rather get a SZ and not have to deal with a refrigerator hole that's bigger than the fridge but with all the uncertainty surrounding the other house that would be unwise at this point. We already have a regular sized one we can use for now.

  • CEFreeman
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I can't figure out why I feel like I accomplished so much already today.
    I've done my walk around the yard with my coffee.
    I sat on my truck bed petting the cats, finishing my coffee.
    I came in here and looked at YouTube to see about making concrete or hypertufa pavers (I have all the ingredients.)
    I moved the box of cat litter out of the front yard (by the truck) before the expected rain.
    Went to the barn to borrow a pick ax to lift the concrete circles in the back yard, over which Bermuda grass has grown. Nasty stuff.
    Made a steak on the grill and ate the whole darned thing.
    Planned the little area I'm going to pave, because when I sprinkler, it becomes a bog.
    And here I am back online.

    So in reality, I've accomplished nothing but more dreaming, eating, and cat petting.

    Time for a nap before work.

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    Mondays are always the slowest day around here and this one was no exception. I built the small frame to fit around the fridge and drywalled it. Tomorrow afternoon I plan on putting wallpaper on it. This plan will either work out great or look horrible. There is no middle ground. Someday a 48" fridge will live there and this will hopefully tide us over.

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    Beware the double post!

    This post was edited by schicksal on Mon, Sep 29, 14 at 22:23

  • rmtdoug
    9 years ago

    Work, eat, trim, sleep.

    Spare time is spent thinking about the tile on the chimney. Wife has not changed her mind on her tile selection. We decided that the 6x6 tile would work best with the style of the rest of the house, so now I have to make it work.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago

    Springroz- I have noticed that Cabot is a decent stain, I hope it works out for you.

    Schicksal- good job on the surround and I know that feeling. What ever are we going to do with ourselves when we are actually, finally done with the house(s)!?

    CEF- I'm going to be straight and blunt with you at this point. 20 weeks ago, I was the impetus for these thread(s) starting.

    I was looking at everything that had to be done and beating myself up for all the work I hadn't done yet.

    It was you, YOU, who suggested that, instead of focusing on what needed to be done, I focus on what HAD been done.

    It started the weekly threads which, while I have benefited enormously, they have been such a great help to EVERYONE that posts on them.

    Even ideas are moving forward, so YES...your dreams accomplished something.

    Doug- you are (more than) proficient at a table saw, a tile saw won't be that much different. Its basically the same as a table saw except there is water involved and the medium being cut is different, you'll do great.

    As for me, my kids have insisted on eating every meal at the island since I installed it last night

    If nothing else, I can say my kids were really impressed.

  • rmtdoug
    9 years ago

    Texas - Thanks for picking up on my anxiety. It's not the cutting that worries me but the starting that is hard, and I now have to buy a saw, with all the analysis paralysis that entails. I've been down this road before, however :)

    Glad your island is a success so far. Like my kitchen, the space you have looks tough for an island. The prototype was a very good idea and I'm sure the time spent on it will pay off.

  • mgmum
    9 years ago

    Everyone's done so much! Love your island, Texas!

    As for me, I worked last Mon-Wed, left Thursday with my 12yo to Pittsburgh for a hockey tournament, got back late Sunday night, worked yesterday and just got home from a huge grocery run. My house is a disaster. I'm eating lunch, doing laundry and will put away the pantry items after lunch. Then I'm walking over to the school for the assembly. I have rice cooking for dinner and will marinate/rub the chicken after lunch before the assembly. I did get 5kms in before I did all my grocery shopping, so I feel good about that.

    We went to two preseason Penguins games and that was fun, especially because the second game we had free tickets. The tournament was awesome up until the last 13 minutes. My son played very well. He had 2 goals the first game, none the second (I forget how many assists, maybe some, maybe none), a goal and two assists the third game and 3 assists in the final. Then, disaster struck. They won all their games except the final, which they lost 4-5. A whole bunch of sad, sad boys came out of the dressing room. I was very proud of him and told him so. I am glad he knows to pass to let someone else get the goal if he can't. So many kids don't do that.

    Hope everyone is well! I need to really clean my house tomorrow, so that's what I'll be doing all day.

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    @TX - Cool island. What are you doing for flooring?

    @doug - DeWalt makes an awesome wet saw but it's hard to make the investment if you aren't planning on using it for more than a job or two. Still, it's the most versatile one out there IMO. The only shortfall is that the table is smaller than I'd like it to be when cutting large profile stone lengthwise.

    @MGMum - I miss hockey... there's a minor league team in the area but they're really, really minor and it's not quite the same.

    Today has turned out being a make up day for a lousy weekend. My favorite was hearing from the attorney that they were able to get a couple of certified letters out to the roofers and the material supplier (creep #1). They're sending out a demand letter to the insurance company (creep #2) tomorrow. Now the fun begins.

    I was able to finally figure out the problem and make the car start (with a malfunctioning switch jumped with a wire scrap left over from the kitchen), and then undo some changes made by a shop a couple of weeks ago that were not keeping the car from starting, but working against keeping the car running.

    I was getting eaten up by mosquitoes out there, but now when I look out the window I see 1000s of dragonflies out there eating the bugs that were eating me. They're more than welcome here and

    Now it's time to throw something in the oven and start measuring/cutting wallpaper for the fridge surround.

    This post was edited by schicksal on Tue, Sep 30, 14 at 18:05

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago

    Nice to see you all carry on.

    I have ordered a small utility cart for the kitchen. It will hold the yet to buy microwave, and a few other things.

    I've not really done much else, been outside a lot watching football and taking advantage of the last of the warm sunshine for a while.

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    The fridge surround is finished. Normally I don't put so much effort into a temporary thing like this, but I don't know how temporary it will end up being. The extra materials were already here so it only cost time. I'd rather not look at a big gap for the next year so this will do for now.

    I don't remember if I posted any door pictures but here's how the loudest one looks. No two are exactly alike.

  • rmtdoug
    9 years ago

    That's a very interesting fridge surround. You have a good eye for design. I really like the backsplash in that photo. Amazing how well it picks up the colors of the entryway.

    Yeah, I've been reading about that Dewalt. I'm all for buying good tools but I just can't pull the trigger on that for such limited use. I think I just need a basic saw that is reliable and can be made to cut accurately with a good blade. I'm not afraid to buy used, so that opens up my options. I doubt I will ever do more than 1000 sf in my lifetime, inside and outside.

    Door looks good. Always liked those birch doors. They have such interesting grain in them and it's perfect for your house.

    Well, my baseboards consist of four pieces of wood. Today I got two coats of poly on the third piece, so tomorrow I should finish that. One more round of about 100 feet of trim and it will be done and ready for the final install. The trim for the door headers is almost done too. Next week I may be ready to get serious about the tile.

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago

    I love how your little fur face seems to always be close by. Lol..

    Hey I think the fridge surround looks very design intentional! Great job!

    And I agree with Doug, the backsplash and entry tile play very nicely together! That door is a beauty too!

    Doug, you say 4 pieces for your baseboards, I can't wait to see that finished!

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago

    Doug- it is kind of tricky. That area is 12 feet wide and I wanted the wet bar (coffee station really if you can tell), buffet for storing serving pieces and serving big meals AND the island. Both for seating/workspace and also because without it, the area between the buffet and wet bar would be almost 9 feet and just seem so empty and wasted.

    I hope my final plan looks as well as what I invision. Having the island mock up helps.

    I look forward to seeing your baseboards, mine are very simple looking and I always appreciate looking at nicer ones.

    MGMum- I'm slightly jealous of you. Hockey is the ONLY sport I have any interest in and, of course, I live in a practical desert where there isn't really any hockey. I love those moments with our kids. I think I am most proudest of my girls when they lose with grace.

    Schicksal- I'm glad you asked about the floor. My house looks SOOO unfinished without the floor but unfortunately, the floor HAS to come last. We planned all along to install vinyl plank. Mid-remodel we decided that we REALLY needed to rip out the 21 year old carpet in the living room.
    Since we have an open floor plan, we decided to lay the planks throughout the main floor, except for the children's bedrooms (new carpet) and the 2 bathrooms which we are keeping as tile.

    The floor is a floating floor and, as such, cabinets can NOT be installed on top of it.
    So we need to get the island and buffet bar installed BEFORE we can lay flooring. I linked at the bottom a picture of the flooring we are going to install. My husband and I love deep, rich tones, I have samples I have put up against my cabinets, and I can't wait for the huge transformation!!

    As for you, YAY dragonflies!!! Can you send some this way? My second daughter is very sensitive to bug bites and I almost had to pick her up from school early on Friday as a mosquito bite had caused her right eye to become swollen shut.

    Your doors look nice and I agree with Doug and Terri, your fridge surround looks purposeful and well designed. Also love your furbaby and I would totally steal him away if I didn't already have 4 kids and 2 dogs. ;)

    Here is a link that might be useful: my future flooring

  • rmtdoug
    9 years ago

    Terri, Texas - Here is a shot of the trim in the other bedroom. It's the same as the room I am working on now. This shot was taken a year ago just as I was finishing the room. The wood is now well on its way to transitioning to the reddish-brown of the door.

    This post was edited by rmtdoug on Wed, Oct 1, 14 at 17:18

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    You all have been busy!

    I have nothing about which to brag - I'm working graveyard shift this week, and even though I sleep well during the day, I never feel like doing anything when I'm up.

    Fall is teasing us - it's getting cold, but not yet down to freezing, so my apples ripen. I made a pie a few weeks ago at my son's request, and even with a ton of added sugar, it was almost too tart to eat (and I like my apples tart).

    I have come to terms with my table refinishing project. I've decided there's no way to get all the old primer out of the grain of the oak, in spite of weeks of effort with different strippers. Gel stain does not cover it. It's good, but not perfect. I can't bear to just paint it, after all the work I've put in.

    So I talked to my brother - the table is for his sun porch. He said "Nothing in our house is perfect - it will fit right in!" So I've sanded it down, and I'll start the finishing process soon. I have to move indoors - it's too cold to work in the garage anymore. DH will be happy to be able to park his car in the garage again!

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago

    Ann, I am glad you can carry on with the table.
    I am not sure If I will refinish my desk or the 2nd coffee table first...so while I decide..nothing gets done. Lol..I have a stack of sewing to do too. My mom decided I could shorten curtains for her.

    Doug, that is some lovely trim. I've tossed around the idea of adding pieces to the builder grade trim on my baseboards instead of just ripping them out and adding new. And maybe even adding some higher and painting the wall to match the trim inbetween to give it the look of meatier trim.

    Not much here...lovely brisk fall evening.
    I have a pot of chili on. I just completed cookie dough too, need to turn the oven on to bake some up. And some biscuits need to be made.

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    @ Texas_Gem - I'm a little confused about the flooring. You can't run it under the island in the picture? The dog is much smaller than the fuzz implies. Without the fuzz he's about corgi sized. I need to give him a haircut already. I'm curious about how the overall kitchen ends up looking, having seen only bits and pieces of it.

    @Doug - that's some crazy nice woodwork! Someday I hope to have built ins too.

    Yesterday I made it over to the house with no roof to get in touch with the neighbor. The attorney has become very interested in talking to the person next door's roommate who saw the whole thing happen and I needed his contact info. They've sent love letters out to everyone and I guess now we have to see what happens next.

    I put the first coat of finish on one side of a couple of replacement bedroom doors. That's outside the scope of this project, but I ordered as many replacements as I was able to in order to save on shipping. I may not be at the point where I can install them yet but I can at least finish the things while the area to do it is set up.

    I also bought the replacement front door which was an adventure by itself. It's a bad combination of being something that's fragile, big and weighs more than me. Finding the least damaged one was a chore too since all of them were dinged up. The smallest person at Home Depot helped get it into the back of the truck. It's 45 years old and people stare like they've never seen a truck before.

    The counter stools arrived and they were quick and easy to put together. I'm about at the point where I can't really post pictures anymore or there will be no point to having a finished project thread. Other than that I installed the last of the clips the toe kick lighting will attach to and called it a day.

    Yesterday seemed pretty non-productive until I typed it all out. Guess that's the point of this thread.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago

    Doug- I really like that trim! I wish I could do some like that in my house!

    Annkh- I'm sure your brother will be happy with the table. You have put a lot of work into it. Glad to see I'm not the only one who kicks DH out of the garage when working on a project. :)

    Terri- Thanks! Now I know what I'm going to make for dinner tonight. Gonna start some chili up right now.

    Schicksal- The island is temporary. When I have the funds, I'm having a permanent island with some storage built in and installed by my cabinet guy. Also need the buffet built and installed.
    I'm still just sick to my stomach about the roof. I hope the attorney gets it resolved quickly. Surely the longer it sits like that, the more damage and higher the cost would be right?
    Boy do I understand the posting pics and ruining reveal. I look forward to seeing yours, toe kick lighting is so cool, is it something that could be installed after or does it need to be installed during construction?

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    That makes sense to me now...

    Toe kick lighting kind of depends. From the switch I ran Romex to an outlet in the cabinet underneath the cooktop. I chose that one because the drawers already take into account the outlet for the cooktop ignitor and are not quite as deep as the others. That is where I installed the LED strip transformer.

    The transformer allows four low voltage circuits. I used the first one for the run of cabinets on that side of the room and the second is for the peninsula side. The house is on a crawlspace so the low voltage wiring runs down there to the peninsula side.

    Running this wiring may be a challenge at your stage because I can see your walls are painted and you are on a slab. If there were some battery powered / wireless option that would be a lot easier. Wiring is the part that takes planning ahead of time but the actual LED strips are pretty easy.

    Re: the roof... it is what it is at this point. I'm very limited in what I can say due to possible litigation but I'm confident that it will all work out in the end. The note that went out to the insurance company is sure to make someone's head spin. I wanted to work it out with them; they made the decision for me to bring in an attorney by completely ignoring the issue, either willfully or by incompetence.

  • rmtdoug
    9 years ago

    Annkh - Hope you can get off graveyard soon. It's not a shift for the living, that's for sure. I worked swing at a mill when I was young, thinking I could work on my house after I got up. Not! I ended up quitting a very good, stable job just to go back to days.

    Thanks for the kind and encouraging words, everyone. I'm happy with the house so far.

    Hey CEF, what's up? You sounded a little discouraged last post. I'm sorry you did not get the slate. Maybe something better will show up just at the right time. Hope the nap helped. Mine always do.

    I got to get back to work. I have a chance of finishing by early afternoon. Woo-hoo!

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    Not too productive today... I got the wood for the trim, measured the first batch to cut and put another coat of finish on the doors I started yesterday. That's it.

    Tomorrow I need to cut, paint and install trim and get a few more things on order. It would be cool to be able to cut the windows in the new front door too but that's really pushing it.

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    rmtdoug, I don't work nights every week. I work at a research facility, and when we're testing, we run 24/7 for anywhere from 2 days to 12 days. It averages out to about once a month, and I'm not always on graves.

    I truly appreciate your concern!

    I put the first coat of poly on my table tonight, on the bottom and legs. I didn't use stain - in the test sections I did, even light stain seemed to accentuate the paint in the grain. Now that I've committed myself, I've decided that it gives the table a rustic look, which will look just right in my brother's house. Much more character than paint!

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago

    Schick- thanks for the info on toe kick lighting. Hmmm, I could do a battery operated pretty easily I think. Definitely something to consider.
    Remember Johnnie Walkers slogan- Keep Walking. I'm amazed at how much you and others get accomplished every day.

    Annkh- I can't wait to see pics of the table, I'm sure its going to look great.

    Today, and yesterday for that matter, I didn't get anything house wise done because I was helping my 7 year old with a school project. They were supposed to design a bridge out of "paper, cardboard or whatever materials you wish." She's been observing me and Daddy for so long that she wanted to build it out of wood. She designed it entirely, here is a shot of the finished project

    Not too bad for a 7 year old right?!?!? She made all the measurements and marks, I ran the table saw and nail gun but she used the drill press, hammered in the nails on top, sprayed the paint and strung the yarn and string. Here's a shot of her running the drill press. Notice the tongue out determination on her face.

    I really can't wait to see what others reactions are tomorrow when she walks into class with this. I'm so proud!!

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago

    TG, that is awesome! How was the chili? Mine was made our favorite way, mix of leftover meat from the freezer. This one was cubed meatloaf and pulled pork. I also used a bag of pintos from the freezer.

    Well an update from here. I have an interview Monday morning for the job I applied for last week.

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago

    Terri- good luck on the interview! My chili was good, (my) standard recipe. I keep wanting to try making some with leftover brisket but every time I make brisket I either don't have leftovers, or they get used in other recipes like shepards pie or, my current favorite, shredded beef sandwiches with homemade BBQ sauce served on toasted onion kaiser rolls.

    Came up with that recipe last year and it has been the most requested "brisket leftover" recipe.

    I may just have to cook a brisket stealth mode and freeze it in small portions to try my various concoctions like brisket chili. ;)

  • Terri_PacNW
    9 years ago

    Brisket leftovers are awesome in chili.
    It breaks down and makes the most meaty texture.

    I've cubed up left over grilled burgers often, but never meatloaf. That too worked really well.

  • rmtdoug
    9 years ago

    Texas - That is so cool. Your daughter is a very lucky girl, properly attired for drill press work, too :)

    I'm up early today trying to get the bulk of my work done before the weekly shopping trip later today. Then it's hopefully a couple of days on the house. I'm almost ready to put finish on the last round of trim and last night I started laying out the bookcase/door for the storage area off the bedroom. Tomorrow, I have to do a bit of touch up painting to areas around the windows that I re-caulked last weekend.

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    Texas, I noticed her tongue sticking out right away! Such concentration.

    Terri, good luck with the interview!

  • mgmum
    9 years ago

    Terri! Good luck with the interview.
    Texas, it looks awesome! You'd better send the photo to school or they'll think you did most of it! LOL
    Schick, I hope they get things sorted out soon. Love the pup!
    MtDoug, the trimwork looks awesome!

    Nothing going on here. :)

  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago

    Thanks for all the compliments. When I picked her up from school and asked how her bridge performed, she was very excited to say that it "stayed standing, even when they put the big rock on it!!!"
    She told me that a few other kids had wooden bridges and she seemed disappointed but I reminded her that hers was still unique because she researched and designed a suspension bridge and no one else had a suspension bridge.

    Sorry, not trying to be braggy but it really makes me so proud to see my 7 year old have that much dedication and ingenuity. :)

    MGMum- my husband wanted to send the pics of her working on it to school! We had the same thought!

  • christina222_gw
    9 years ago

    Texas_Gem your little girl is adorable and her bridge is wonderful! You've got a tiny engineer there!

  • CEFreeman
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Texas_Gem, she's lovely. and her project is great! I was wondering how many others' bridges stood up to the rock test?

    mtdoug, I was having a down moment. They happen. :) Thanks for asking.

    Teri, I've got my fingers crossed for you and am using my incredible psychic powers to send influence to the hiring boss. Ok, so my eyes are squinched up, my cheeks are bulging out (like a big whistle) I have my fingers pressed into my temples, and I'm making big, lifting effort sounds. Looks a little like I'm constipated, I'm sure, but I'm certain, on some level, I Have The Power. I know you'll get the job! :)

    Wednesday was my birthday. 56. Who IS that woman in the mirror? I was to meet my sister in Silver Spring for dinner at 5:00, but at 4:00 I called her just leaving Second Chance in Baltimore. I was getting onto the rush hour Balto-beltway with 15' of antique pine boards hanging out of my 6' truck bed for a 40 minute drive. I wasn't smart enough to buy a cinder block to put on the bed end of the boards, so they were tied down. With every bump they were bouncing up and down in slow motion. Wahhhh-Woooooo-wonk-wonk-Wahhh they went up and down.

    But I made it. And the best, self-birthday present ever. That, and the 20 ounce prime rib I took myself out to have, along with an unexpectedly giant bowl of vanilla ice cream. And we're talking entrée salad bowl size. Whooo woot! Happy birthday to me, as I went home feeling like a whale.

    Finished picking up my Techo-bloc pavers. Got a couple turf stone pavers and hope to pick up 20 more today. I am certainly an eclectic person. Or so I tell my Bad Self.

    All you wood working kinda people here? your homes are looking absolutely beautiful. The grain on those doors. The smooth, clean detail of the trim? Oooooo so pretty. Annkh, I'm looking forward to seeing your table!

    That's it. I'm done for the week. Saturday starts a new one!