Dining Room

Here is our dining room right now.  It used to be my school room.  I'm still hoping to disguise a bit of school room by using the bookshelves for some educational stuff, maybe in baskets to hide the ugly.

This can serve as my more recent before picture.

Today I raised the bookshelves on 2x4 frames and put base trim around the bottom that matches the room.  Now they look more built in--no pictures yet.

But I'm also throwing around an idea.  Can you guess what it might be?  It's like a puzzle really.  I think it would be rather unique--a conversation piece as long as it's not too DIY junk shop in the end.  I hate to chop this baby up only to have it backfire on me, but it is a piece of furniture that we're not using--don't even have a double mattress.  I'm going to build something for that space anyway and this would be a cost effective, hopefully attractive option.

A bench from a bed.  Hmmm.

Transformations and Annie Sloan Paint

My boys would get excited at the first part of that title.  Their minds would immediately flip to transformers.  But I'm talking about a different transformation.

Bunk bed.  $100 on Craigslist.  Notice the shiny spots on the top bunk--dinosaur stickers peeled off but the sticky stuff left.

Side view.  Please disregard the garage mess.

Ugly rail on top.  Uglier rail (metal) on bottom.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  One quart = two coats on this bed.  No sanding or priming. They advertise that it will even go over lacquer and polyurethane with no problem.

After one coat.  This had me sweating.  You can see right through it.

And here are some crackled dinosaur spots.

Two coats!  What a difference.

I did three coats on the panels but only because I'm picky.  The brush strokes didn't totally disappear, but definitely smoothed out as they dried.

Then I took a sanding block to the whole thing and distressed the edges.  Lightly sanding the panels really made a glassy surface.

Distressing is something I've never done before, but I found that I liked the result and even had fun building some history into the piece by wearing it down more in some places. 

 Finally, I went over the whole piece twice with Minwax furniture wax to seal it.  Could have done poly, but the paint manufacturer recommends the wax so I went that direction.  Gem helped.

I'll show the final reveal when I place it inside and dress it up a bit.  The dinosaur spots did stay crackled, but considering that I distressed the whole thing, it doesn't matter much.  Overall, I'm happy with the Annie Sloan paint even though it did cost $34/quart.  Not having to prime or sand saved me so much time and energy.  I love that feature about this paint.

The other day, a friend was over and commented that it looked like something from Pottery Barn.  YEA!!!  We'll see what you think when I do a final reveal.  I'll wait until I move it inside and dress it up a bit.  I have to paint Gem's room when we get her queen size bed out of there.  

The bunk will move in and Gem will be sharing with Sugar.  We're almost ready for #6 to make her appearance.  Still tossing around names.  I'll have to take a family survey for her blog name.

HOT!!!

The other day it hit 100 degrees--100! That's a lot around here. You Texas and OK friends and family may be yawning, but all I can say is, just add humidity and 100 degrees is a different beast. At least in the southwest you can count on a breeze.

So, what do you do on an oppressively hot day? Water, of course. Actually, these pictures were taken on a day that was more 80-something. The driveway wasn't broiling, just a bit sizzily (pretend it's a real word), but I thought that I would mention the HOT day because I was feeling chatty and the universal language of chatty has a couple of staples--weather is one of them, so I went there.

While I was spray painting the front porch wicker furniture, the younger boys were having a grand time in the sprinkler. Every once in a while they would break from jumping on the sopping wet trampoline or sliding on the slippery grass to toast themselves on the driveway. If you've never done this, it's a must. Of course you have done this. I don't know a child in America that hasn't. If you have girls, they make water angels (like snow angels). But if you have boys, well--butt prints. That's what they delight in--butt prints. They also just like to lay there and get warm.












My wonderful "helper"! They used the empty spray cans to help me paint.

Granite in the Kitchen

The day after mom and dad left, we ripped out our counters. The granite guys came the next morning to make a template. So, for an entire week (while they fabricated) we went without counter tops or a kitchen sink. We ran the dishwasher sparingly and drained it into a 5 gal. bucket and had to empty it between rinse cycles. We used plenty of paper plates and plastic forks and ordered take out more than twice.

Then came the granite. They stayed all afternoon and made the entire house stink with that stuff that they use to fill the seams. It looked gorgeous, but still no sink--well, no plumbing under it. The next day I undertook my first real plumbing job. Surprisingly, it wasn't difficult. I had to glue one joint, but other than that, it was just slip nuts and washers and a little bit of cutting PVC. Then came the test--water! NO LEAKS!!! I did a happy dance.





Now I can enjoy the new counter tops. Ahhhh. That's been on the home improvement list for a long time. Can you see me kicking up my feet and sipping homemade lemonade? Yeah, neither can I. Now I'm on to the school room.

Coming Out of the Closet

Well, you didn't know it until now, but I've been in the closet the last 6 days--and I'm finally coming out!

I have no before pictures, but the after pictures are glorious--at least to me. No more shoes on the floor. Shelves that were wire are now wood. No more wasted storage space. We've gone from chaos to organization.

Jon went on a trip last week and I went into action. I had been studying the problem for the last two weeks and now it was time to act. I took out all of our clothes then pulled down the wire ClosetMaid system. The walls were disgusting--original flat contractor paint that had been scuffed up for 20 years, so I pulled a gallon of white paint from the shelf in the garage and threw a coat on the wall. Then off to Home Depot! It's my favorite store.

I found the right plywood then had them carve it up--three sheets and at least 20 cuts. Two hours later I dropped it off at home, dragged out my chop saw, nail gun and table saw and measured, cut, and hung.

Things I learned:
1) Walls have bumps.
2) The little levels with the bubble window on top must be oriented bubble window side up or else they are not level.
3) When really motivated to do something, I can accomplish both home school and the thing I want to do.
4) Walls have bumps.
5) Dads are invaluable for info. about building things--if that dad happens to be handy at stuff like that.
6) Paint before you hang it up.
7) Walls have bumps--and I loathe them.


This is the view as you walk into the closet--so much better than shoes everywhere and sweaters piled high and flopping off a shelf that is two inches too short.


Now I've turned 90 degrees to the right and we're looking at my shoes and long clothes to the right and left.


Now to the right of my shoes--my summer shirts on time and winter on bottom.

Jon returned from Chicago to find me still in the closet, painting, painting, painting. I hadn't had a shower in two days and had skipped at least four meals. Needless to say, I got no happy-to-be-home kiss. For two days I painted. Then I bought rods and hung them. I put most of the clothes back in the closet and the shoes on the shelves. Glorious! I was short a few brackets, so I did not finish until tonight.

But now...



Sigh! The only thing left to do is trim out the edge that I had to shim in order to fix the uneven wall and add one shelf that I discovered I had room for when hanging the last rod tonight.

Then, of course, there is this: it's next. But first, Thanksgiving!

Up for Fall

The kids helped clean out the garden last week. They pulled up the now scrawny tomato plants,



and the sunflowers.



The boys hunted sunflower seeds in the large heads...



And then dismantled the stalks and did what any BOYs would do with them.







After the duel was over they followed their dad, who ripped up the soil with his little rototiller, picking up weeds and throwing them over the fence.

We're ready for fall!

Compare

The old roof is on the left above the garage. The new roof is on the main part of the house. I took this picture after the first day of work.



Yesterday (2nd day) it rained most of the work day. They only got about half of the garage finished and had to leave a giant tarp over the rest. This morning, bright and early, they were hammering away again and done by 10:30. Those guys work so hard.

Stained

Another picture of the deck? Yep. Hopefully my last. Notice that I stained the support boards to match the surface--looks so much more finished. Now I have to plant flowers in the bed to fill in the gap between the ground and the deck. In a few years it will be perfect, but for right now it's done.

Deck Done

The deck is finally done. We hosted a church cook-out on Saturday evening so that was my deadline. I worked on the stair rails all day on Friday and finished that night. Jon's parents and I cleaned it up Saturday morning. It felt so odd to entertain on it that evening.



Jon's dad hard at work.

Almost There

As you can see, the porch has come a long way. Here is where it was in April. Yesterday, I finished the railing, except the stairs. I wonder how long I will look at it and see fatigue and flaws. I hope that I will just be able to sit back and relax and not think about the one corner post that is slightly out of plumb, or the bottom rail that is slightly bowed because we stored it on uneven ground, or the one section that had to have supports every two balusters rather than every three.

We're having a party at our house Saturday and my mother and father-in-law are coming on Friday. We also have the swim lessons every evening and I have to kick this house into order (at least downstairs). I could name 100 other things, but will spare you my to-do's. I'm just relieved that I don't have to do school this week!!!

Porch Progress

The back porch is coming along nicely. We have all the posts up around the paremeter of the deck. We have yet to install the posts at the bottom of the stairs. Next step is the railing. (deep breath) We're almost there.

How about a close-up of that cutie.

A New Top Hat

Our house is dressed fairly nicely: new paint, new deck, new "spot", green grass, but the thing that crowns the lovely picture is a glaring gray and black streaked roof. When you turn down our street our house is the one you see because it is at the base of the cul-du-sac. You come over the hill, and there, framed in your sights is our roof--not our house. The house is an add-on: the roof is what you see. It would help if we were at the top of a hill, but no. We're at the base.

If you look closely at this picture from March, O5, you can see streaks. They are worse now.

But, La!!! No more complaining about the streaked, 17 year old eyesore. Back in May when we went camping at the beach a nice hail storm came through and finished her off. The claims adjuster came out and pronounced the roof done--also some gutters and all the screens in my house but two (under the front porch). I was expecting a little help in replacing the roof, but was shocked when the adjuster told me, "Well, it looks like you will be getting a new roof for the price of your deductible." Shock. Awe. Thank you, Lord! I guess we did get the replacement value insurance. Just waiting for the insurance company to contact me with the settlement details.

A New Power Tool

Last week I bought a sawsall from Home Depot. Why? Does there really have to be a reason? Okay, so there does . . . to tackle finishing the deck. We've been without railing for months now. I guess building the tree house with Dad has emboldened me. I could either sink my money into hiring it done, or use it to buy the tool to make it happen. Since I view Home Depot the same way that my kids view Toys R' Us, the debate didn't take long to settle: take the option that gives you a tool in the end.



I had Gem snap a few pictures of me in action. The first is me sawing out the holes for the posts. Notice the very femininely disguised steel toe safety boots (Forgive me, Dad. I was carried away in the moment). The second is a picture of me hefting my big power tool. Never mind that my teeth rattle in my head and my wrist contorts every time I start that baby up: I look like Cool Hand Luke with a smoking gun--what's not to love about that? I'm glad that I didn't buy the big one, but I am glad that I bought this one. "There's nothing like the right tool for the job," right Dad?!

After this is done, I'll have to find a project that requires a hand held jigsaw and a router and maybe a few quick clamps.

Four with Gatorade

My kids love to drink Gatorade. Here are all my happy kids, sitting on my half completed stairs, drinking Gatorade. It's so seldom that all four are together and happy for a picture.



Side note: I finally figured out how to attach the posts for the deck, but it involves moving the stairs about four inches to the right. That's a happy/ugh realization. Also, we had to special order 3, 12 foot boards to complete the stairs. They have to be shipped, so for the next week or so we have to live with this glorified ladder.

Next Project

Now we just have to finish the deck.

That's my Mama Jo standing on the deck that still lacks railing and new stairs.

Here's another picture of the lovely Great-grandma!

Treehouse Complete

Here are some pictures of the final product. Notice the zip line to the left of Dad's arm in the first picture. The white bar hanging is the zip return pole (just pvc pipe).



The steps from the lower to upper deck are only tacked down at the bottom to allow for movement of the upper deck. When the wind kicks up it feels like a ship rocking up there.



Dad and me.



Nana and Grandpa with kids.



Sinatra checking out the heights.