Kevin's HGTV Woes!

I like to watch HGTV! In fact you might say I'm addicted to it! So often it seems there is nothing on TV worth watching, I put on HGTV. I can clean house, do laundry, come in and out and listen to it. I can work on my lap top with it on! I can have it on in the basement and scrapbook with it on. I don't have to pay close attention to it, and they do a lot of recaps during the shows. I also get a lot of neat ideas, so that when I can't sleep at night I dream and scheme about my house! See where this is going?

Years ago, in fact when Amelia was a baby, a store went out of business. I bought their amazing hand built cabinets for our garage. 1 of them I put in my laundry room. It had 2 shelves and 2 hanging rods. Only problem it covered my window in my laundry room and recently I've been tired of how dark it seems back there! I recently saw something on one of the HGTV shows and got me to thinking. Dangerous, I know! So I mentioned my idea to Kevin. Pretty easy he said. We started measuring, looking around the garage and yard at all our scrap wood, and sure enough we had everything we needed!

So, let me show you in pictures what we built in one day, then took a couple of days to paint and finish out. We did this project for about $35.00 because we used scrap lumber :-)

BEFORE:

A family project day

I quickly painted the nook in the laundry room!

Tyler learns to use the router

I built those saw horses in high school!!

I'd given AJ the camera, this is a self portrait! He was providing weight while Amelia sanded!  Love this photo!

Nap time for the Slave labor!

Going in nicely!

A little trim finishes the job!

Its done!

My design works, food and litter on floor, baskets on shelf, and folding table on top :-)

My laundry room is now very functional! I'm quite pleased. The new washer/dryer look great with the new folding shelf. I'm so lucky to have such a skilled hubby. Thanks hun for building this and putting up with my wild ideas :-)

Do you do DIY's? (This is NOT a paid ad for HGTV!!)


Cozyflier

Spring Cleaning/Re-Arranging

Well, I haven't been blogging, haven't been face-booking much either! I've been Spring Deep Cleaning my house! Why? Several reasons, it needed it, it IS Spring, and we have
family coming into town. Cleaning the house for family is always a good idea right?

I've also been re-arranging the house! I'm moving furniture all over the place. I will post pics later, I'm so sore I can hardly move! I may never get to try our 'new' treadmill that we found on Craigslist for a bargain! I'm getting a real workout cleaning and moving!

Anyway, more later!


Cozyflier

It's Done!!!!!

I told you about my project the other day! I'm proud to say I'm done!!! 3 1/2 days and I'm finished! Here is the final product, well, I don't have things back on the wall, but the painting is done!

This is looking into the dining room from the den/kitchen. Wow, it seems bigger! I used a paint that has silica in it so it gives the wall texture as you paint :-) I love this paint.

My accent wall! This paint is a metallic paint and is done in a 2 step process. Base coat A then coat B. Base coat A is dark bold blue. Top coat B is pale. I love the metallic paint. I guess I'm daring! Have you ever tried a really cool paint?

Base coat

The old curtains went into the dumpster! Sorry, they were not worth trying to recycle. They matched the wallpaper! They were floor to ceiling and made the room even more dark! I'm going to order vertical blinds ~ I think!

I'm so happy with the result. The room is so much brighter, seems bigger, and is more inviting. Wish I had done this years ago like I wanted to! Oh well, it is done now.

Oh, and I just want to say, that painting is hard work! I even consider this a good workout! Anyone want to argue? I can feel every muscle in my body. My Fibromyalgia is not a happy camper, but I'm still alive! I'm glad I did this.

It is rare that Kevin gets 2 days in a row off! But, I made use of them! And then, Tyler had 3 days off. So he got to help me clean up and move furniture back into place! See, the key to getting a project done is having your help lined up :-) I'm no dummy!

So, the question is, what is the next project?!?

Cozyflier

Tolerance No More!

I lived in my home almost 19 years. When we moved in it was huge and there were things like wall paper that we didn't like, but figured we would tolerate until we decided to change it! Well, our family grew from 2 kids to 4 kids, and life always seemed to get in the way of changing the Dining Room. Have you ever had a project like that, just kept getting put on the back burner?

Well, no more! Kevin got 2 days in a row off, wow! 2 yrs ago I had bought paint for the dining room! Again, life got in the way. But, today, we plunged in and the dining room is finally getting painted, hip hip hooray!

Bye Bye ugly wallpaper:

Kevin puts up tape!

Kevin cuts in and I roll on the primer!

So, we finished the first coat of primer and we are letting it dry. We will do another coat of primer then start the paint. I'm so excited! After almost 20 yrs I won't have to tolerate the ugly dining room wallpaper! I'll keep you posted on our progress :-)

Wish us luck!

Cozyflier

Crazed

How can a simple job of repairing the glass in the door turn into the following? Answer: Because it is my house, that's why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





My sun room, game room, bar, whatever you want to call it! 6 months ago, when the ceiling was being repaired, there is the wall with the door, and the black out curtains on the 2 windows. (sometimes I don't always get 'before' pics)

Moisture has been building between the panes of glass, Kevin decided he would fix the glass before it got worse and also before it fell out from the kids slamming the door. The other problem, the house is 25 yrs old, and settling. When we have our monsoon season, water would leak in under the door and windows.

So, what is so hard about replacing some glass you ask? As we have learned over the last 16 years, Nothing on this house is standard! A builder built this house for himself. Everything was custom! The door was NOT standard sized, the glass was NOT standard sized. Kev's 'simple' day off job was turning into a major project. Can anyone say C-o-n-t-r-a-c-t-o-r!




Now that is a BIG hole!! I guess having a wall missing isn't that bad, but this W TX and the Wind Blows. Well this afternoon the wind decided to start blowing, and I mean really blow ~ 50mph with gusts at 69mph! I bet you can guess where this is going.... this big hole in the house, 5 hours, windy, = DUST CITY! Ah, why had I bothered to clean on Monday for my son coming??



A new wall had to be built and a frame made because the new door is only a door and one window!



Hey hey, the door is in, no more hole! Progress is being made!



A temporary paint booth was created so they could spray the door, it is fiber glass and didn't want to brush it! The cats were enthralled with all this plastic!




The final product! My new door, the vertical blinds back up, I can hide the door when I want or open them for light for the kitties! And now, I have more wall to hang stuff on. Hmm, guess I'll have to start filling frames, or maybe a run to Hobby Lobby??

Maybe I should concentrate on dusting first. I'm afraid I'll be finding dust in this house for eons! Wish me luck!

Cozyflier

Water Damage ~ UPDATE!

This is so NOT what I had planned!! Yesterday I told you about my water leak. Well, here is an update! It took the plumber, the head of the company, over 4 1/2 hours today to fix what the young kid couldn't handle in 2 1/2 hours yesterday!



The contractors and insurance adjuster told me how 'LUCKY' I was that the entire ceiling didn't explode and drop to the floor! I could have ended up with 3 feet of water on the floor and ALL my scrapbooking stuff ruined!

The extra hole back in the corner, is because the plumber had to drill a hole through the kitchen floor behind the refrigerator so he could run new 'pipe'/tubing through the ceiling so water can get from the kitchen sink to the fridge! Yeah, now I have ice and water. I only drink water and not having my filtered water was horrible, no, actually Lubbock water is horrible!!!




The mess, the first part of the mess. Bringing the ceiling down is making one heck of a mess. My ceiling light is down, I have 2 work lights in the room that is the reason why the color of the pics is off. I couldn't go to work today, and I won't be able to go in on Friday. Kevin has been out of town working and no one else is available to stay at the house. This is not the way I wanted to start the new year :(


Trying to dry out!

Cozyflier

Water Everywhere!

Not exactly how I planned to spend my day off! Last night AJ says Mom, I need some stickers! So I go downstairs. To my dismay, I smell musky damp smell, I immediately notice water stains on the table cloth and look up. This is what I see:



We try to figure out if the dishwasher or sink is leaking. NO luck. Of course, it is around 8pm at night! The basement is my scrapbooking room. The table with my friends work of are in progress is in shambles. My memorabilia from the last 6 months is ruined. Everything is sopping wet! We start moving everything. Carefully start puncturing holes so the ceiling doesn't collapse on everything I own!



The plumber comes and fixes 3 holes, and then tells me, the contractor needs to take the sheet rock down and open up the entire copper line. He needs to replace all of it because it keeps leaking! YIKES, this is NOT the day I had planned!



At least it isn't a slab leak and at least we found it before there was 3 feet of water in the basement! But, still it is a mess! Heaven help me, if it isn't one thing it is another. Happy New Year!

Over Haulin!

Sorry, these photos are kind of backwards, but I'm too tired to mess with it!


The bar cabinets and several of the doorways are wood in the house. Kevin gives them new life by re-varnishing them! They look new!!!!!!!!



I wish the photo could show the hint of color and the glitter. This is over the walls that we took wall paper off of, Kevin spackled, and then I painted. By mixing in this paint glitter it gives the wall texture! It glistens ever so slightly when the light hits it.




This is for the above and below photo!! Above is the 'finished' metallic mirror blue color. It really needs a 2nd coat, but it will have to wait!(explain later)
Below is the base coat! Yes, I'm strange, but the metallic paint really is neat. You paint on the base color, then use a roller for metallic paint. The top coat has very little color and you get this neat shiny finish. I love it!!! The base coat was my first coat, then Kevin decided to spackle the wall! Then family came, then illness, and now, I have a big Halloween Party in 3 days to get ready for. 2nd coat will wait for now.






The front door, I like the posts silver! How about you?




Stephanie and I paint the front porch posts. Don't come visit me right now, I'll put you to work!!!!!!!!!!!






Doc spackles the wall! Oh, and see that ugly wallpaper in the dining room in the background?? That will be the next project! But it may have to wait until Jan. I have a job starting next week! Yep, a real job in a ladies clothing store!


The wallpaper comes tumbling down! Ashley, Kelly, and Mackenzie help me RIP wallpaper of all of the walls. The hall didn't seem that big!


So, this is almost finished, the dining room and guest bath will have to wait until the 1st of the year. I'm to the sanding stage on AJ's desk, but the weather has turned cold and there isn't any room in my garage. Alas, the shed isn't finished either, Kevin works too much. Bills really do put a damper on life!

Enjoy the Week, and Happy Halloween friends.

Cozyflier

I'm a Glutton for Punishment!

You know that snowball effect I talked about? It keeps building!!! Now that the front porch is finished, the inside front door frame needs to be finished. New door isn't as big! Old molding doesn't exactly fit. I never liked the wallpaper in the front hall and I've HATED the wallpaper in the dining room for the 15 years that we have lived here. Do you see where this is going??

That's right. I've been pulling wall paper down out of the front hall and scraping glue/the back of paper off the walls! Have the primer, got the paint and soon I will be painting, like um, today after the Corn Maize!



The textured wall paper is down. All that rough edge around the door is still there and the 2x4 frame to fill the gap is covered with sheet rock! I have to paint and decide how we are framing the door!
Oh, and lest you think me TOTALLY crazy, I DID resign from 2 PTA board positions!!! Kevin really thought I could handle it all, but when I spent 10 days in bed I said enough!

Hope someone out there is enjoying a relaxing weekend!

Cozyflier

I'm back! Kind OF!

My computer finally died. Kev took it and worked on rebuilding it. New hard drive, reload the trend micro, and started reloading the programs I use! Last I heard it was 80% complete! Need to reload a bunch of programs!

Kevin is home for half a day, I'm using his!!!

Life has been CRAZY. Mom is out of rehab on the 2nd broken hip, refuses to come stay with me for even a short while.

Now, remember that HAIL storm I won't let you forget from last April???? The roof led to chimney repair, which led to gutters, which led to porch repair which meant redo- it was completely rotted out!!!

Here has been my life the last week. The week before I was ill, and before that I was running back and forth to the hospital!









Rain and hail rotted the side walls of the old porch. The roofers had to replace the metal on top of the arch of the roof! They had already started ripping out!


We replaced wood with bricks!



The arch needed support, the double door was a fake!


This will be the new door!


Trying to get the old door out!


There's a big hole in the front of my house!!!!!!!!!!



More holes! The brick man repairs cracks in the house, all this work is going on at the same time! It was a three ring circus!


Gutters!


Masking off for painting.


Time for Paint



more gutters!


But, I think the end RESULT was worth it!!!!




Tell me, what do you think? I take criticism well! Now, to paint the front entry hall, and get the inside of the door jams finished! The snowball effect just keeps going!!!

Have a great weekend!