The Kitchen Renovation

My mother just pointed out that our kitchen renovation has been done for some time, and I never posted it.  My apologies!  And...I'm too lazy to go take good pictures, so here are some where it is dirty from awhile back.

Since we moved in, we have replaced appliances, redone the floor, counters, painted the cabinets, added one additional cabinet on the breakfast bar wall, changed the railing to the stairs, refinished the steps, removed spindles, built a new column, replaced skylights, put in under-cabinet lighting, changed the ceiling fan, new backsplash, replaced hardwear on the cabinets...um....I'm sure there's more.  A lot went into it, but we managed to do it fairly inexpensively between not replacing the cabinets, and doing 99% of the work ourselves (we did not install the skylights or counters).  I'm thrilled with how it turned out.  The only think I'd like to change (other than the style of the cabinets, which isn't happening), is getting rid of the horrible swirly pieces above the sink.  I haven't figured out what to do with them, though, so they remain the last vestiges of the "western saloon" that once was my kitchen.  Enjoy!

Just for reference?  Renovations take a lot longer with a toddler.  BIG thanks are owed to both of our parents who helped out by watching Robby on big renovation days, and to Chris who used a lot of vacation time.  Otherwise?  We were doing it at night after he went to sleep.  SOOOO tiring.  He goes down at 8, so we were often up until at least midnight in an effort to get through a stage.   

I appear to generally have avoided taking pictures of what my hideous kitchen used to look like?  Here's a couple were you can see a bit.   There were lots of spindles.  And medium brown cabinets.  And ugly laminate counters and floors. 

And...from the day we moved in.  (Apologies to those people who had hoped these would never see the light of day again.)

And now...all there is to ruin the view is toddler-created chaos.  Which is just fine by me.

Basement Bathroom Remodel

Ooh boy, am I exhausted.  It's been a long week, but we finished the basement bathroom.  Can I tell you how much harder it is to renovate with a toddler running around?  Most of the work had to take place while he was asleep.  And Chris took Friday off.  But it's done!  And it looks a MILLION times better.

The day we moved in:

Wasn't it lovely?  We lost the shower curtain immediately, but had to keep the laminate flooring on the walls for WAY too long.  Also, it had a non-functioning light/fan...ok, it functioned, but also smelled like something was burning.  Also, about the toilet was a really cruddy looking medicine cabinet/light combo that was SUPPOSED to be embedded into the wall.  It was not.  It's raw edges were out for the world to see.  Typical handiwork of the previous owners.

Today:

Yes, we have an off-beat shower curtain (we've had that awhile), but it's charming, right?  And we have a couple-joke about moose.

Most of what Chris did on Friday was put up bead board and trim.

WAY more storage.

New mirror, sconce light, and fan/light (that's actually vented OUTSIDE now, instead of to the laundry room).  We did end up only doing one sconce because of electrical issues, but I like it.

New flooring.  It's vinyl tile that we grouted, but I still think it looks great.  And we continued it out onto the landing.  We'll be using the same style, but larger size in the kitchen.  Which...is next week.  Phew.



Life Without Prep Work

This week I did one of my least favorite things.  Prepping walls for painting.  But it really got me thinking.  Would I really want to just be able to snap my fingers and have all of it done for me?  Well, maybe the part where I was scrubbing stains of dog sickness off the walls, but it did occur to me that perhaps what I am so proud of in my finished products is the detail work.  Anyone can slap a coat of paint on.  Not everyone can make it look nice.  And, admittedly, we have a few spots in this house that you can tell there is spackle underneath that isn't sanded well enough.  Overall, though, I think I do a pretty good job.

So as I spent hour after hour sanding, washing, measuring stripes, and then taping them off, I tried to remind myself that this is the part that will ultimately make the room a success or a failure.  That I'm glad I spent an hour at Sherwin Williams with them retinting a paint so that it matched (that was actually kinda fun).  And I'm glad that I climbed a ladder 5 million times, even if I'm still incredibly sore.  By the way?  Try strapping 20 pounds to your stomach after you haven't worked out in 6 months and climb a ladder.  Talk about exercise!

I do think that ultimately I'll be proud of what I've accomplished, just like I'm proud when I cook from scratch, study hard for a test, train for a race, or any of the other not-so-fun things that get me where I'm going.  I just need to remember to enjoy the journey a bit more, I suppose.  So, from now on...bring on the sanding!  Yay!  Ok, I'm not there yet.  But I'm trying. 

I Think My Husband is Nesting

Two quick notes before I dive in: 
1)  I have a stomach virus.  I am cranky. 
2)  Go check out Lizzie's post today.  It is a soup recipe I sent her.  the Mother Runner: Southwest Chicken and White Bean Soup

Chris has always been a bit of a neat freak.  Which I suppose is good because, while I'm not DIRTY, I would not be living to quite his standards if he didn't encourage it.  Right now, though?  There is a lot of stuff that is not where it should be.  He has emptied every closet in our house in an effort to reorganize, gather donations, and clear out the baby's room.  Isn't this supposed to be the pregnant woman's hang-up?

For instance, there is a chair frame that needs a second coat in the middle of our basement.  Ok, I started this.  Both in the sense that I suggested we paint it (because it was lime green in the blue and white room), and because I'm supposed to be putting on the second coat.  So...point not proven.  It's still there, though.

This IS all Chris.  This is his to-do list.  Well, two pages of his to-do list.  It goes on for at least 4.  He may have added to it.  And, alright, it's his in the fact that he wrote it down.  Again, I may be responsible for doing some of it.

Last bit of evidence?  A newly reformatted closet in our guest room.  He built in all the shelving himself (a couple months ago), but what is new is that he moved all of my sewing materials here that formerly resided in the baby's closet.  Which I SUPPOSE makes sense.

I'm not doing a very good job at proving my point, but it boils down to that he keeps leaving me "honey do" lists, and then comes up with millions of more projects whenever he's around.  And, for reference, laundry, dishes, and cooking do not count as chores to him since they are "every day".  Yes, please slap him around a bit for me.  At least we are working through everything, I suppose.  Now I must go start something since I only have done laundry and dishes.  Obviously, I'm a bum.

The Most Important Nursery Renovation

Now, for those of you who are lucky enough to not live in a "fixer-upper", you may not have ever thought of this as part of preparing for baby.  In our 1950's house, most of the doors will not close and latch.  Or if they do, they are so tight you have to throw your entire body weight against them to open them.  This comes from over-painting frames, settling, former carpeting over hardwoods, and poor renovations done by the previous owners.  Chris has been on a mission to gradually fix doors in our house.  A couple have been complete replacements (like in the basement), some have just involved new doors, but not new frames, and some, like the nursery, have received new knobs, or re-hanging of the current knobs and/or strike plates.

The nursery door would not latch.  With a couple of curious animals, this was a MAJOR problem.  Even now, we are starting to try and keep them out of the room so that it will be less of an issue when the Lion arrives.  Let's see if you can identify the most important tool for the project from looking at Chris's toolbelt.

Don't see it yet?  I'll give you a hint and zoom in...

Still nothing?  Here it is...

Yes, that is an old, busted up tube of lipstick.  Preferably in an obnoxiously bright color.  This is called "Drumbeat Red."  PERFECT for what you're going to use it for.

First, apply the lipstick to your latch, mostly along the pointed area.

Close the door.  This is what the strike plate will look like if the door is properly hung.  The lipstick will track along the plate into the hole.  However, as you can tell from the torn up frame, the plate had previously been hung too low and Chris had to chisel out the wood so it could be hung higher.

 That's just a simple matter of a hammer and a chisel, but the lipstick is really the key.  Without it, we were at a loss as to why the latch wouldn't catch.

Happy renovating!

Catch-up #3: The (re-) Finished Basement

It's finally done!  Well, there are a few minor details to be sorted out (a piece of trim here, a dab of paint there), but good enough to call done!  Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU to everyone that helped.  Matt and Kyle for your labor, Sean and Bill for your tools, my parents for moving in down there for a WEEK, and my beloved husband, who spent every waking, non-work hour on it for a better part of a month.  We couldn't have done it without all of you.  So, you want pictures, right?

Wait a minute...there's not supposed to be a dog there...  She was much too eager to help make up the pull-out couch for my brother and sister-in-law.  Good thing they were used to dog hair. 

It's nice to be able to breathe, again!  (literally and figuratively - work and mold are DONE with!)

The Weekend's Progress

Chris deserves a round of applause.  As do his friends Kyle and Matt.  Kyle came into town on Saturday to help Chris frame, and they knocked out all the framing you see.  They also installed the door.  We had ripped out EVERYTHING.  There was no wall between the laundry room and living area, no half walls, no stairs...you get the point.  While they were working, I went to hardware stores twice for them, ran a bunch of errands, cleaned, and made homemade wheat bread and lentil soup for lunch.  Which...while tasty...was a fail because I didn't realize Kyle was doing a low-carb diet right now.  Sorry!  

Sunday, Matt came over, and they laid the vapor barrier and subfloor, and put the risers and treads on the stairs.  It's starting to look like a room!  What did I do?  Another 2 trips to hardware stores (grr...wish we could just get everything AT ONCE), grocery store, ironing, cleaning, and had to feed them TWICE.  Menu for Sunday?  Chopped up some potatoes for baked fries seasoned with Lowry's and cheesesteaks with peppers and onions for lunch.  Stew with some of the fresh bread for dinner.  Oh, and did I mention Chris gave me his illness?   I was a little cranky.  And am still coughing.  I'd like to point out that coughing while pregnant is just awful.  First, you cough, then you double over in pain because it sets off round ligament pains, THEN you start to gag and try not to throw up whatever's in your stomach.  Every...single...time.  BAH.   

  

For some reason, Chris wouldn't let me help too much with construction.  I obviously helped some with loading materials into trucks, but the only thing I did in the room was hold a brace for the stairs while Chris screwed it in.  However, it sounds like I get to drywall tonight.  Woo hoo!  Haven't done that since we tore out the bathroom.  Hopefully I'm feeling ok, and will get to feel remotely useful.  

Anyway, I'm proud of where we're at, and hopefully it will get back to looking like a finished basement in time for all our company next week.  AHHHH!  My parents are generous enough to have offered to come up early to help us this weekend, so we have a prayer.  Full steam ahead!

Rain, Rain Go Away

We're looking at about a week straight of rain at this point, which all started with 6" in 24 hours last Thursday to Friday.  Unfortunately, during that first deluge, our basement flooded.  "Flooded" may be a bit of an extreme term, as there was no standing water, but it has wreaked havoc here, yet again.

Although Chris needs to be studying, this week, he has been meeting with contractors to address the water and mold issues in our basement.  When we pulled up the drenched carpet on Saturday morning, a smell eminated that was so strong that it burned our eyes.  Unfortunately, that smell was all too identifiable as mold.  It doesn't seem to have travelled too far, but we have removed all the carpet, and are in the process of tearing out the paneling, removing the bar, and seeking to address the issue.  This is yet another instance in which we realize just how unethical the woman that sold us this house was.  There is clearly evidence that the basement had flooded previously, yet she marked off "no water damage".  Just like she marked off "no termite damage".  And painted over the spot in the dining room where water from the leaking roof had perforated the ceiling.  We do realize that there is very little we could do to recover any damages from her, as the court process would be long, difficult, and likely to cost more than any remedies we have had to pursue.  Nevertheless, you better believe that if she ever showed up at our front door, there would not be a warm welcome. 

We also just don't know how to handle it at this point.  We are desperately trying to save money for various reasons right now, but this looks to be another multi-thousand dollar bill to install french drains, a sump, mold-proof, etc..., after just having spent almost that much to keep the dog alive.  So..."savings" just starts to sound like a joke.  Of course, insurance will do nothing to help since "flooding" is not covered.  We're just tired.  I've been joking every week with Chris that, "I promise that we won't have any major life events this week so that you can study and pass this test"...but I think I need to stop making that promise.   

My Olive Obsession

We like green.  A lot.  Our guest and master bedrooms were already "Bamboo" (a VERY light green), but this past weekend I painted the living room, dining room, and hallway "Tate Olive".  I like it a lot.  I understand many people would feel like they're living in a rainforest, but to each their own.  The entire house has wood floors and wood beams on the ceilings.  That being said, I need help!

Our color scheme is generally fairly "primary".  We accent with deep red, gold, and navy.  (Let's just ignore the fact that I have a purple bathroom.)  The living room has incorporated all FIVE colors.  (Red, yellow, blue, green, and brown from the floors)  I'm starting to feel it's too many colors, but I can't decide what to change.  Also, the room is pretty bare.  But I can't decide what to put in it!  Here's some pictures, and then advice would be great!  (Just don't tell me to change the walls!)

Alright, these are not the most helpful pictures (though obviously the dog IS).  However...

Any suggestions?

This is Happening

Can I just tell you how excited I am that this is happening?!?!  We can let the dog OUT!  We can grill without holding a leash!  She can go into heat and I don't have to flip out!  Oh, I am beYOND excited.

Mission Patio: Complete

We had a LONG weekend once Chris got home from his test.  Friday night, I drove over to where we used to live to get his favorite Chinese food, and we watched Hurt Locker.  Both were great.  But that's about as much energy as he had left.  That and the ability to enjoy the beer that his work had given to him.  (Thanks guys!)

Saturday, up early, I walked Harper about 3.5 miles while Chris and Matt got rolling on moving the gravel into the pit we had dug last weekend.  As soon as I got back, I started helping...and making coffee, and picking up bagels, and various other ways to spoil those breaking their backs.  Don't get me wrong, I certainly transported a lot of gravel, and tamped a lot down!  Along with tamping my big toe...that HURT.  We then went to obedience class, Matt went home, I got my first facial EVER (Erin at Antoinette is WONDERFUL for anyone interested), and then it was back to work.  Well, after I stopped at TJ Maxx to get a pair of jeans that actually FIT.  Guess jeans for $30 that look amazing.  SCORE.  I now do not have to fear that Chris is going to de-pants me in public.  He was finding it way too tempting with the jeans hanging off my rear like a plumber. 

Back to work.  That night, even though it was FREEZING and getting dark, we cut the 4x4's to surround the patio.  Incorrectly.  But we didn't know that at the time.

Sunday.  We laid the sand, the brick, re-cut the 4x4's, fixed the brick, swept the sand between the bricks to stabalize, and VOILA!  Patio.  Chris is STILL barely moving because he's so sore.  I, on the other hand, ran 7 miles yesterday and lifted.  Ok, I RAN 3.5 and walked the dog.  Still.  We're pretty pleased with how it turned out.  Though, of course it could be a bit more level, and if there's a next time we'd do a few things differently.  Proof of our labor:

Renovations with Animals

Ah, the satisfaction of putting in a hard day of manual labor.  Seeing the visible progress of your work.  Anticipating that after being dead tired...the animals will still need baths. 

Monster was never terrible when we were doing interior renovations.  For the most part, he stayed out of the way.  He might come in to check out what was going on, but was never impeding to the process. 

As I type that, I am hearing Harper running up the stairs to investigate something.  I question the cliche "curiosity killed the cat", because in our house?  He's not the one at risk.  This weekend was productive, but did involve both a cat and a dog that were very eager to "help".

Since we have so much free time, we have many outdoor projects started.  No, of course we're not consumed by getting married in 40 days, and of course Chris is just fine working full time, then immediately coming home to study for his PE exam on Friday.  But just to keep ourselves entertained, we've surveyed for a fence, started the garden, are continually planting more flowers, and then the biggies: building a patio, levelling the yard and re-seeding, and building a brick liner around the flower beds. 

Goal #1 for the weekend was to dig out the base for the patio and lay the gravel....it didn't happen.  We finished digging, but Chris and I are both barely mobile at this point.  It's hard work!  We used the dirt to level the front, and to build up an area in the back which, ultimately, will be another raised bed, with a retaining wall.  Monster and Harper?  They enjoyed helping with digging and moving the dirt...  Oh the mess.

  

It's coming...I promise

Alright, I've been stalling on doing a blog post because I know people want puppy pictures, and I have failed to download my camera.  I know, drag me out and shoot me.  So, here's a brain dump.

Wedding:  Aunt Polly, you were right.  Should've gotten married last August.  This year and a half engagement has been WAY too long and 99% of the planning was done eons ago.  Finally ordered invites, so if they ever arrive...people will be getting them.  Couple weeks maybe.

Puppy:  MUCH better.  She's been on more of a schedule, and has been a million times easier to handle.  Doesn't mean she doesn't have her issues.  #1 right now is jumping on people.  Sorry to all the recent visitors she's mauled.  She's still the friendliest cuddlebug ever, but doesn't realize how big and strong she is.

House:  Window in the bathroom cracked in the snowpocalypse, and a lot of the drywall seams are visible because of the shoddy job the previous owner did.  Strongly considering new siding and windows soon.  Bob the builder came out and told us we don't have to worry about the cracks we're seeing, though.  Phew.

Exercise:  It's weird.  I've lost 10 lbs, my clothes are LITERALLY falling off me, and I feel like I'm in great shape.  Still frustrated with my progress, though!  For instance, before work today, I ran 2.5 miles, and walked 0.75.  Not too shabby, right?  Well, other than I should be running 4 at this point.  We'll see if I make it to running 10 at a time by May 2nd yet.  Eek!  Already took the wedding dress in once, and have an emergency fitting scheduled for the week before the wedding.  Thank goodness for a phenomenal seamstress who can turn it around in time if necessary!

Well, there's what's on my mind.  I promise to try and download pictures tonight. 

Mission Bathroom: Complete! (mostly)

Toilet fixed, hand towel hanger hung, medicine cabinet installed

Towel rack, Still need the transfer piece between the tile and wood

Tiled, new fixtures, new curtain and rod

New vanity, lights, fan, paint job, still needs curtains