Let's see...Two weeks of updates.

One thing we are learning is that we continue to expect things to be level and square and they aren't. I have also realized that if I wait until I have time to start and complete a project that it simply won't get done. So I have to be satisfied with painting half a banister or only getting one coat of paint on something.

We decided against the fabric shade that we had initially liked and installed over the kitchen sink windows. We went with standard blinds instead. A huge bonus was they were about half the price.

We also got our fan fully installed in the master bedroom. Remember all that running back and forth from my last post...and then the light still didn't work. Well there were a few human installation errors, we now concede. After securing some plugs and taking off the installation stopper things (the ones with the big orange sticker that says, "REMOVE after installation!") it all seems to work! Sam still has to climb up in the ceiling to determine if we need to change out the electrical box or just secure it better.

Well, I don't have more time to explain all our other adventures...but enjoy the pictures.

Mar 26, 2012

Did you think we had given up and stopped with home projects?!

Well, we didn't. We just got bombarded with, well, life.

We have had a challenging two week juggling schedules, but got to enjoy my 30th birthday celebration at our place this past week. What a fun time. I look forward to many more parties and get together's at our home.

We got a dining room light fixture last week. Hooray! We were both nervous that it would be too big for the space, but it turned out really great. I love it and the light it gives. After getting through half the installation of our ceiling fan in the master bedroom I looked in the box and realized that the whole light fixture was missing! So I had to run back to Home Depot and get that one part. Then after all that, it doesn't work. Obviously this unit was opened before and thrashed or didn't work in the first place. So, that is slightly annoying. It's just the time...time is so precious right now...

Today I got the urge to take on some more projects around the house. The closet under the stairs was in need of paint or a bulldozer. I opted for the least destructive. Now I can put things in there and not be grossed out. Sometimes it just doesn't matter how much bleach you use. On that note, I also lined out bathroom drawers and cupboards with vinyl contact paper. The particle board was not very excited about allowing an adhesive to stick on it, but I think it will work for the time being. And again, now I can actually use them.

After painting the closet the dirty banister was in my line of sight and I had to tackle that. I had cleaned it before, but it needed more help - especially because I finally decided this week will be the week to pain it. After that I couldn't help but notice how gross the junction between the wall and the white stair trim was. I got a razor and cleaned and cut away old paint and caulking. Then I caulked it and man! It looks so great now!

Since I had some primer left from the closet already poured out, I decided to prime the faces beneath the stairs. I ran out of gas and decided that enough was accomplished today...so I will tackle more painting later.

March updates

Let's see....

Where were we...fumigation, check. Move back in, check. Install curtains in master bedroom, check. Fix dishwasher, check. Use razor blade to scrape off years of hand grime on stair banister, check. Buy the wrong size blinds for kitchen windows, check.

Okay, so things are progressing, but slowly. It is very difficult to accomplish the larger tasks while Sam is in school and I am working. It looks like it will be another couple weeks before we can install our bathtub in the upstairs bathroom. And I hope to have time this week to finish buying and installing ceiling fans and a dining room light.

If we were paying someone to do all these projects, of course we could have them all done in a week. But since we want to save on those costs, well, we pay by waiting and inconvenience. But it keeps us honest - you know - hard work, don't get too comfortable, going crazy.

In March we plan to pick out the baseboards and trim and install that upstairs as well. I hope March will be a month that we see big changes.

And speaking of big changes...I turn 30 on March 8th. Pretty excited!

Love you all!

Last week of February

Circus Tent

Fumigation!

Besides tenting the house and getting to stay a weekend at my parent's house, we also got a new camera! And just in time. As I turned on Taryn's camera to take a picture of the new one this morning, it said, "Battery Exhausted" (I can relate). So, thanks Taryn! Hope you can find your charger!

Electric

A huge "thank you" needs to be sent out to my Uncle Kurt this week. We now have lights up in the upstairs (and the rest of our lights work downstairs) because of the work he did. Basically things were pretty dangerous. I thank God that we are all safe with all the damage the electricity was doing.

My dad also helped us out by coming over and fixing some of the hardwood sections upstairs that were popping up. A little finishing nail, a little tap tap, and some wood putty. I think they will be my friends.

Lights

New Adventures

This past week or few days or couple hours (whose keeping track?) I was able to add a few homey touches to our house. Curtains! The living room looks so much more welcoming than with a sheet covering the two large windows. :) I felt so grown up hanging them up.

I also purchased a ceiling fan and hall light for upstairs. We have to defer until Uncle Kurt can come work his magic since the electrical issues keep piling up in this house. In the last few days the laundry room light, the popcorn hallway light and the study light have been flickering. It is like morris code. Well, it WAS like that until today when they all three won't turn on. The garage light and the upstairs bathroom light have also gone ca-put. Boo. We are running out of working lights! Sam checked the circuit breakers and things look a little sizzled.

Besides our electrical issues and curtains, Sam and the boys chopped down the mass of overgrowth that was back there. We literally had a compost back there under all the bushes. It was nice to get that all cleaned up and cut down.

I scrubbed the upstairs bathroom and made that usable. Power saws just laying on the ground - probably was not the best idea for the kids. :) By doing this, it also freed up more space in the downstairs bathroom. We can put all our toiletries upstairs - well, for the most part anyway.

The big bummer of the week was finding that the dust and dirt I kept stepping on in our bedroom in the dark was not that, but termite droppings. So we had two estimates today and hope to get that squared away in the next couple weeks.

The other homey touch (and it could probably be considered a safety issue as well) I accomplished today was putting up new electrical outlet covers throughout the whole house. We still have to change out a few of the plugs themselves (what are those called again?) as well as all the light switches and covers. I bought everything, but we can't do any electrical until we know it's safe. Hopefully by Saturday we will have more functioning lights and new switches by next week! :)

OKay, that's it for now!

Curtains and Fridge and Backyard

I need a Break

Haha...Last weekend we got more settled upstairs. The boys are in their room and Rachel and Sam and I are in our big room. Sam has his office space more to himself and the garage is more organized.

Thanks Mom for helping me finish moving stuff upstairs. Thank you Greg for installing our new garbage disposal!

Thank you Sam for getting one of the trap doors in place up in the boy's room and all your hard work around this place.

Moved upstairs!