Why Didn't I Do This Sooner??

I am finally on a fabulous Spring Break with absolutely nothing scheduled, other than meeting with the local internet service company. My service has been in and out for several weeks and finally went out completely a week ago. Grrr. I am super dependent on my internet and being without made me a little grumpy. Sorry to those that had to deal with me with no access. Thankfully most of the time was spent at work, where I do have limited access after working hours! After multiple hours spent talking to "great" people who told me to check the "BPP" (name changed to protect the guilty, sorry G'Pa...) website, and two scheduled appointments, I have my access back. Watch out world! (And yes, several people told me to check their website for information on my appointments and issues. Seriously? I'm calling in the first place because I have no internet from the modem that you are telling me to unplug and re-plug!!)

Other than a rocky start, it has been a great week and I have spent it catching up on little things all over the house. One of the biggest issues I've had has been in my bathroom. Keep in mind that I use that room multiple times a day, showering, makeup, etc. While noticing the line between the tile and drywall wasn't a big deal, it ate at me day after day. (Yes, I most likely need to get out more, but hey, my life is what it is...) So, I finally got fed up and hauled out a tube of caulk. After a long battle of who was more stubborn, me or the caulk, I trashed the dried tube and pulled out a fresh one. I tipped the end of the tube and got to caulking. (all brothers get your mind out of the gutter RIGHT NOW!)


In no time at all, I had great peace of mind and was finished with the bathroom. Now instead of being frustrated when I go in the bathroom, it looks completed and incredible.


Now if I can just get the paint touched up under my light fixture, I'll have another "finished" room...

One Year Ago

After one year I've managed to make a large dent in the house, but still not a big enough one. If I had a limitless budget, time and energy, the house would be finished. In trying to think positively, I using the time to research and shop for the perfect _________. (Feel free to fill in the blank with basically anything involving a house! Knob, appliance, flooring, insulation, window, plant, etc.) Enjoy the following before and current pics. I know it's not all of the rooms, but it's several and I'm working on posting the rest of the house.

Here is the scary original laundry room. To the left of the washing machine is the dryer and behind that was the insanely scary corner. When I first went to clean it out, I raked out several skeletons, yes, skeletons and it was at that point that I cried and seriously wondered what I had done. Thankfully now the laundry room looks like this. With fresh drywall, paint and baseboards, the entire room now has a clean feeling, no pun intended. The newest feature is a sink. It's a great help and I can't wait to use it for only laundry!


Ugh, the F.I.L.T.H.Y. kitchen. It was a tiny mess and that made me want to scrub in bleach after being in it. With some extreme banging by the boys, the kitchen was demolished and currently looks like this. Not really conducive to much more than cereal and spaghetti, which is fine because spaghetti is my ALL TIME fave. It also works really well to store tools.

The great news is that in 10 short years, my kitchen will look more like this than that! I cannot wait. I really want to be able to use this room for cooking and eating only, not also painting, staining, stripping (not the pole kind,) and storage!



I have no idea what the previous owners were into, but it is quite possible that it was illegal. Multiple lighters, bobby pins and alcohol wipes. Anyway, now ALL of the urine stains, illegal/legal items and pretty much any trace of male are GONE! Now my bathroom with a new potty (one thing I wasn't budging on!) is blissfully clean and really cute!



I discovered when getting ready for this, I had not a single picture of the room before I attacked it removing the NASTY carpet and scarred walls. So, enjoy this shot with no painted trim and bare walls hosting the garage sale stuff! Now it's a great room for launching airplanes, playing dollies and dress-up, and grabbing a nap from time-to-time. (Check out the fabu window treatments!) Marc & Sara often crash here during the day after working all night and the cardboard blocks 95% of the light. I have yet to fuss since the windows are old and the cardboard helps to insulate it more...


Enjoy these and keep an eye out for the next post.

One Small Step for Me

Okay, after much work, sweat, tears and a bit of blood, there is finally furniture in the house! My bedroom, except for more pretty things, a chair and a bookcase, is finished. Now, that doesn't include the closet. It's still in progress, but it's getting closer everyday. I have a couple more pieces to the ClosetMaid Selectives kit to assemble and some doors to finish painting and install. Installing those should be quite fun. Ugh. I'm quickly discovering my least favorite jobs. Hanging doors ranks right up there under painting ceilings! Don't get me wrong, the gray hair look is fine, but spotted gray gets old really quick. Hanging doors goes great until you go to close them and discover that all of the sudden they don't close anymore! I would love to blame the thickness of the paint, but since I don't know if the door ever closed, I can't prove it. I attached some pictures of all of the hard work. I also included pictures of the "before" in case you've forgotten just how bad it really was. Stay tuned for more updates, hopefully soon!

Master Bathroom Before
Master Bathroom After



Master Bedroom Before

Master Bedroom After

Wow!

I am beyond impressed with the new drywall guys. They have really busted tail today and fixed EVERY crack, chip, and hole in the entire house, barring the kitchen. They have re-drywalled the ceilings in the master, guest and green bathroom, taped & floated them and textured the living room, office, and hallway ceiling, all today. Wow! My house is starting to have an obvious change in it. With this huge change, I'm hoping that we can start painting soon, much to Marshall's delight! I know it's only been a week, but there has been no change that has been "pretty." Yes, I took out the nasty carpet and scrubbed the walls, but nothing that made me happy to see it. (other than the house itself.) It's going to be awesome!