Cough Fee

I'm starting to read The Lord of the Rings series. They've been sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of years now among other series I need to start or finish. Unfortunately, after reading The Hobbit just before the movies came out in theaters, I realized that I truly cannot stand Tolkien's writing style and why in blazes am I subjecting myself to a trilogy by the same author?

My eyes started drooping at around 7:00 pm last night reading through Frodo's naps and lunches on his way out of the Shire, and I couldn't help but curl up under the blankets by 7:30 pm. I can't say whether this was from the writing style or because I've exhausted myself over the last two weekends helping my mom paint our old house. But boy, oh boy, do my screaming muscles think the new wall, trim, and ceiling colors have been worth the pain. Unfortunately, we have one more weekend of painting before I think we will be finished, but we'll have to pick my brother up too to join us for Christmas week, and all that I believe calls for lots of coffee. Coffee. Cough fee. 

Photos to come of before and afters! 

Renovation Update II

Lots of fiascos and stresses have been going on at the house over the kitchen renovation. The tile I ordered was poorly represented by the sample piece I used to select it. The sample piece appeared to have a nice, clean look, but when the tile arrived, the other pieces were so much more rustic feeling and it would not have fit in well.

As a result, I had to go tile shopping again and was able to find a replacement for less money and still looks good. It's just a shame that I can't return the other tiles without a massive restocking fee, so I'm saving them for another project in another room for another time.

My mom and I were stressing out about money, and she'd been itching to put her past home on the market, which finally happened this week. The agent she's working with had suggested she paint some of the rooms a grayish color to replace the midtone yellows and greens, only there was yet another fiasco with the painter not getting the right swatch, so the walls looked terribly white against the existing yellow trim and it didn't match the existing floors or fireplace... So we had to tell him to stop and find a new swatch to use, and now the issue has been fixed to some extent, though still ugly and not even gray, which wouldn't look good with yellow, anyway. We wish we could have left it as it was before, which honestly looked a lot better. So sad.

But the cabinets have been put in, the backsplash is up, lighting, sink, faucet, garbage disposal, and dishwasher are all in! Unfortunately we were lead to believe that the dishwasher was ready to use when our carpenter said it's "all hooked up", so when we turned the thing on we were surprised to find smoke instead of water. The water wasn't turned on! At least it was under warranty. That's what they're for, kids. So we have a repair specialist coming this weekend to fix whatever damage we may have caused.

All that is left to do now is tile the floors with the replacement tiles that should be delivered today, installing the rest of the appliances, and adding knobs and pulls into the cabinet door and drawer faces. I expect I should have some before/after photos some time next week! Hooray!

Renovation Update I

After having been without internet or television for over a week now, I've come to realize that there is actually a benefit to this scenario: shit actually gets done. Yep, our to-do projects are actually being checked off. On the other hand, having to do all these projects makes my weekends feel like continuous weekdays. I can't help but look forward to our cable installation next week so I can catch up on my shows. Potatoes gonna potate.

So far I've done a lot of packing and spray painting brass fixtures. There was a whole week of purchasing and returning sink and vent hood products before everyone actually came together and communicated about what could work. That was really frustrating. I had to call and make order cancellations probably five separate times. We figured out why ventilation hasn't been put in before for the range, because there's a structural support beam behind the wall that can't be cut through. The cabinet guy and contractor finally got together and settled on bending the vent into the side cabinet and up through the attic space. Finally.

Also, my mom's upstairs bedrooms are finished being painted a pleasant light green color, and the existing wooden built-in bookcase has been painted a creamy color. I personally would have left it as it was, but it's my mom's room, not mine! Her living room space will be painted today and tomorrow.

The kitchen this week is undergoing some plumbing modifications to reroute water to the refrigerator's ice maker, as well as electrical modifications because that apparently wasn't done correctly when the place was re-wired before.

We're also trying to figure out where the under cabinet lighting will be set for my open shelves. I've been having to shop for lighting this weekend, including a sconce over the window where I decided to go cabinet-free. All of my finishing fixtures have taken on a modern element to the design that I think will work with the space. I'm really, really looking forward to seeing the final product!