The needs of the one...

I found a great cabinet last week on Craigslist for $79. I don't love the top though. I don't hate it but I was thinking since I am getting so proficient at refinishing I could refinish the top of this pretty easily. I found a nice man at Southern Lumber that was willing to walk me through the steps - caution on the get-the-top-straight-the-first-time step - and then left me to look at about 20 different veneers. The veneers are unfinished so I can stain it whatever color my heart desires. I saw this Birds-eye Maple (see above sample that isn't half as fabulous as the piece I saw) that I was drooling over. Then I pulled out the roll to look at the cost. $243 for a 24"x 48" piece. Are you kidding? My heart sank. My dreams rolled away towards the horizon. The idyllic state of my bliss was smashed like a mobile home in a twister. It's wrong. I know. But I think I am coveting a small piece of wood right now.

Fabulous Find!

I have been searching literally for years for a smallish piece for our long downstairs bathroom. I always thought I was looking for an upright cabinet that had lots of glass, was white or chrome.

I found this piece on Craigslist last week and hemmed and hawed about it. I just wasn't sure, the photo was dark it looked dirty...

I went over to the woman's house - she's 94 and finally moving in with a family member - and saw this darling cabinet. She bought it in the '60's and used it as a liquor cabinet. It was only $79 and is really a sturdy piece. I think I'll love it for the next 50 years.... What do you think?

FHE Chart Art

I made a new FHE chart last week. My old chart was poster board and looked, well, old. It had been through several grubby hands helping change the tags to their new assignment for the week.

I found these great 11 x 14 wall stickers at Michaels. On sale. Score! I had to wait three weeks to get all three frames on sale but it was worth it.

I used stickers on the front of the glass and a dry erase pen to write in the assignments. Nice.

Doing the Flamingo

I love watching people who can dance well. I love watching their grace and skill at executing a dance beautifully. When a neighbor told me I was about to be flamingo'd I thought, "What fun! Where do I go?". Little did I know that this is what she meant...

Fun but not exactly what I expected. :-)

More Important Things

I want everyone to know that I have not been lazy during the last three weeks. I know I haven't blogged but blogging gets in the way of other more important things. Those more important things have been ... drum roll please .... spackling and painting. Have you ever just looked around your house and thought it looked shabby? That's what I had been thinking about mine for months. It was not horrible just shabby and dull.

Yes, MORE spackling and painting. I painted the family room walls, and moved on to the living room trim and may have had to paint that entire room because I touched up a wall and it didn't match. (I was so annoyed about that.) Jim mentioned he was tired of the green in the dining room so we could a very nice Behr color, Newport Blue, which I finished today. I am set on doing the trim tomorrow which should finish off the downstairs nicely.

So, that means since June I have painted: T & C's room, Lauren's room, my bathroom and vanity, the upstairs hall, the stairs, the downstairs hall, the entire family and living rooms, my office touch up and the window trim, the downstairs bathroom, the dining room including painting the windows twice, touched up the kitchen and laundry area.

Now our house has that freshened appearance of a house soon to be on the market. No we're not moving but I keep telling the kids we are to keep me motivated to finish.

Next on my agenda: ceiling touch ups (long PVC tube with a paintbrush duct taped on), strip and refinish the three hall doors and refinish the coffee table. I'm thinking I should be done by Connor's birthday??

Good Will

Creating good will requires some effort. Good will can be accomplished with people who are willing to agree with me. Let's agree on the following:

1. The bear you got from your aunt - that you don't remember - isn't a "sentimental" item.

2. The sleeping bag you used when you were 5 isn't precious.

3. The clothes you have NEVER worn and have now grown out of are of no use to you.

4. The games that you no longer play because you are over the suggested age can be donated.

5. You will never use the PS-whatever it is again because you have a new PS-whatever.

6. Crunchy pillows, no matter who gave them to you, should leave the house.

Now if I can get my husband to realize that he will not be wearing those '90's suits or plaid slacks ever again we will be in great shape.

(Filled up the back of the Suburban and made a Goodwill run today!!!)

Moments of my life I will never get back

Time spent:

1. Spackling - If done right no one knows or appreciates it.

2. Sanding - See above.

3. Trim work - See above above.

4. Cleaning for painting - Can't I just paint over the snot, blood, hand smears, etc.? No. SAAA.

5. Negotiating for things not to be put back in a fresh clean room. Well worth it but SAAAA.

I may never get this time back but as I pause at the boys bedroom door to admire the work I will think to myself only about 7 years and I will have to do it all again.... :-)

Magic Stone

I hate cleaning my toilets. We have hard water and we have had ring-around-the-toilet for years. I have tried cleaners recommended by friends, things touted on the TV and Internet fixes for everything from gout to grout. Nothing has worked but I've spent a good deal of money trying to find that magic fix.

I was wandering the aisles of Ace Hardware waiting for Connor to finish shopping and as I regularly do walked down the cleaning supply section. I was surprised to see a pumice stone on a stick sitting in the middle of the chemicals and solvents. I had to look, why not? Pumie is 100% natural and environmentally safe with a tag-line "Cleans when the strongest acid cleaners fail". I knew all of the acids had failed, I'd used all of them. So, I purchased it. I thought, "I'll use it on the kids toilet so if it scratches it I won't have to look at it daily.".

I got home and ran up to use it immediately. Could this possibly work? Would it scratch the toilet and then we'd have to spend $$ to fix that? I tore open the packaging and held it up looking at it's rough pitted surface. No way. Maybe? I wet the stone and went to work. I scrubbed a small area and small pieces of the stone started to crumble off. No worries, it's just sand. I scrubbed on: it was working! 7 minutes later I had a sparkling bowl with no hint of stains OR scratches! I ran to the next bowl and scrubbed away - stunning! And the last, don't fail me now. It worked!

I now have three gleaming bowls and I have to say I have lifted the lids more than once just to admire my handy work. (Please note: Husbands aren't nearly as impressed with toilet rings being gone as you may be.)

Hardscape - Like Escape only not.

Front walk, steps and driveway path
Path to back patio, fire pit and jacuzzi platform
Deck (almost done!)
Bocci Ball court (not regulation)

After two weeks of construction it's almost done. We (that's the royal "we" meaning Jim) took out all of the cracked and tilted concrete and put in pavers. It turned out very nice and I can almost look at it and not be mad (don't blog in anger, don't blog in anger). I think we are going to be able to use it for many years to come.

Bocci ball anyone?

3 Old Bags

I did something today. Some people would say I was heartless but I did it. I tossed 3 old bags to the curb. No hesitation. No mercy. They had it coming I tell you! They had been haunting my every move in my own house for months. I couldn't walk in my own basement without them staring me down. I know you're wondering what the 3 old bags were doing in the basement: well, I put them there. I did. I couldn't help it. I didn't mean to leave them down there so long but you know how it goes. You get embarrassed at first that you did it at all. I mean what had they really ever done to me? Oh, sure, they got in the way, cluttered my life in a way that I was tripping over them constantly. I tried to be polite and gently push them out of the way but you know how old bags can be. They fall apart at the least nudge and then collapse in a pile. I was through with it. Done. They had to go and I'm not sorry in the least. Good-bye and good riddance!

5 of 5 Finally!

Let's do this backwards ... End.
Dresser is done too...

The beginning ... ugh!

Paper Works

This wasn't the real start but I forgot to

take pics of what it really started. This

is the recycling from 5 boxes of kid art.

Those 5 boxes turned into 3

labeled and lovely.

New Posts 5 of 5 Day 3

Okay, I know it's 5 days late but it's finally being posted. This was
what Jim and I did on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
you get the picture. I only had about 10 Advil over 3 days... Not bad.

5 of 5 Day 2

Poor pics, what was in my head didn't translate to the lens obviously. Jim is building a deck, taking out the walkway and possibly front walkway as well. I am his lackey. I am totally counting this - even though it will be spread out over days and not done in one - as one of my 5 of 5. I know the rules but when your husbands says let's build a deck since I have 3 more weeks off you pretty much are helpless to say no. BBQ at our house when it's done, or pretty close to done.... ;-)

Stripping for a Living

I have decided NOT to be a stripper. Yup. There is just not going to be enough money in it for the work and effort needed to do the job. I have been toning up my arms for a whole week and I'm still sore after the first stripping job. I thought I had put enough effort in to make this easy and yet I was surprised at the effort it took to get the job done. And quite a job it is! I had no idea! The hours spent on your feet, the shoulder work alone would cause some people to faint. The attention to detail is important too. I can't leave out one single step or everything is messed up. I thought I could miss a bit here or there and be fine, but no, you have to fill in everything to make it work. I tried to rush it a bit and found that couldn't be done either. You need patience and hard work. You need to really understand the job and I obviously didn't. And don't get me started on having the right tools! I have committed to doing it another 3 times but then I'm done. A promise is a promise so I'll power through but just know I won't be stripping for you.....

Empty / Full

This is my clean and empty family room.

This is my new couch, the family room is full. And, already taken over by the teenager.

Baby Steps

Several - by several I mean 12+ - months ago our master bathroom faucet started to drip. Since I hardly ever use that bathroom during the day and it's upstairs it didn't bother me until bed time ... drip, drip, drip. Used a wash cloth for months but then the dripping got worse so it would soak the cloth at about 1 a.m. .. drip, drip, drip, even worse than before because now it was a rain drop into a puddle splash. So, Jim and I found a set of new faucets, thank you HD for having them on sale for $67! Here is our "remodeled" bathroom with new matching pulls on the drawers. And no drips... ;-)