Some views!

The Porch

 The Dining Room

 

 

The Office/ Spare

(Late) Anniversary Gift for M.

Even time...

To recover the cushions in the dining room.

Nothing fancy, in fact cheated with some plywood and staple gun.

Lots of curves makes it challenging.

But I got it done. 

(Small mistake in middle cushion. Confused what was the back of the cushion- may redo another day!)

Wednesday's Plan

It's WELCOME HOME day!

Painting:
None

Other:
Cushions in dining area
Clean bedroom
Clean upstairs hallway
Vaccuum (upstairs, downstairs, laundry room, stairs, stairs)
Laundry
Pick up a couple of things (D, M)
Hang hooks
Shelf out of O's room

How did I do?- Tuesday Edition

Painting:
Paint bookshelf accent colour (regretting the work this will be!)- Check!
Pick up paint for Dining room - Check!
Paint dining room, two coats - Check!

Other:
Up to school, printing - Check!
Decorate office!!!! - Check!
Clean! Clean! Clean! - Hoping to do some before I go to bed
Hang hooks in bedroom - Hoping to do before I go to bed
Buy Command hangers - Hoping to do before I go to bed

Let there be light...

I meant to say... The lanterns ARE lights! Battery powered. (On clearance!)

Reminding myself

As I am faced with cleaning messes like this...

like this...

and like this...

I am reminding myself that I could not be happier with this...

By the way, those messes were only the upstairs, I have two other floors to clean!

Update

I am sure it is no secret that I have lost steam. I could not be happier to see the painting stuff in the garbage.

Needless to say mom can say I told you so- I should not have done the dining room....

... but it is done!

Also done is O and M's "Welcome Home" wreath.

So much f--king cleaning to do! I feel sick.

Final coat of paint...

Won't be done fast enough!

One job done...

... The bookshelf is finally done-- it was painful but it is over!

It is in Otis's room right now- I will put it in the room once it dries!

I'll be honest...

... I don't feel like doing this anymore!

Tuesday's Plan

Painting:
Paint bookshelf accent colour (regretting the work this will be!)
Pick up paint for Dining room
Paint dining room, two coats

Other:
Hang hooks in bedroom
Buy Command hangers
Up to school, printing
Decorate office!!!!
Clean! Clean! Clean!

How did I do - Monday Edition

Well, it is not a very visual post tonight... getting tired!

Painting:
Buy new primer- check!
Paint book shelf with new primer- check!
Paint bookshelf- white- check!
Paint bedside table- check!
Spray paint mirror- check!
Paint bookshelf- sea glass- NOPE!

Other:
Run with T at 8am- check!
Out for dinner with Jodi and Ashley- check!
Clean bedroom- NOPE!
Clean kitchen- NOPE!
Clean basement- NOPE!
Welcome Home craft- NOPE!
Hang hooks in Master- NOPE!

I do hope to do a little cleaning tonight before I go to bed. 

Update

Well, things are getting taken off of the list!

I went for a run today and have not showered. I literally have not stopped running!

But the good news is that I am starting to get to do the fun things....

Monday's Plan

Painting:
Buy new primer
Paint book shelf with new primer
Paint bookshelf- white
Paint bookshelf- sea glass
Paint bedside table
Spray paint mirro

Sewing:
No more time for sewing... sigh!


Other:
Run with T at 8am
Clean bedroom
Clean kitchen
Clean basement
Welcome Home craft
Hang hooks in Master
Out for dinner with Jodi and Ashely

How did I do - Sunday Edition

Very little to post about the progress - All of my projects are kind of half way and I like to show the end products.

The truth is today was not a great day. Apparently, home improvements are fun when they go smoothly. Not so much today. 

Other:

Finished a little bit of shopping, including Michael's

I did one fun craft, you can see it tomorrow!

Sanded down and hung the doors - tough to shut, but hey, they are up!

Painting

I tried to do the painting of the furniture today. 

Bedside table has a coat of primer on it

The bookshelf... well... apparently, the waterbased primer was not enough... ARGH!

I think I can pick up some Kilz or whatever it is called tomorrow!

 

Well, I have a couple of small things to finish up and then I am heading to bed as Tamsin and I are running tomorrow at 8AM!

Hung

Well, they are hung!

It was not easy, it was not fun, but it is done.
I still have some work to do... they are very hard to close! I need to do some more sanding, I just can't handle it today!
Does that look like a whole day's work? NO!

Status

Project:  HALF done
Me:        COMPLETELY done


No more bi-fold door!

I just finished hanging half of the bi-fold closet door as a real door!

Worst job ever! And I still have half to go.

The problem is that the door was already tight in the frame, so by adding hinges, it is too tight so I have to use a hand sander and sand it down an entire centimeter (half each side), It is such a messy and nasty job. Unfortunately, I did not realize that the dust would go everywhere and I started the project in my newly painted office, with a white bedspread! Don't even get me started.

AND ONE MORE THING, I got this idea off of Pinterest (aka someone's blog), and while this woman described how SHE did this job... there is no way that she did this project ALONE. You should not use the word "I", if it is "WE" ... because some fool like me will try it alone, WITHOUT my carpenter husband, or at least someone to help hang the door!

Sunday's Plan

Painting:
Shelves
Bedside table
Mirror?

Sewing:
Towels for MO


Other:
Michael's
Hang hooks in bedroom

How did I do - Saturday Edition

Painting:

The office/spare is pretty much done except for the touch-ups.

(Pictures taken at night)

I also started a project that I almost regretted, but alas, I am okay with my choice. I decided to paint the closet doors... which is pretty much like a HUGE shutter.

But its done

And then there is the dining room mess... argh. No more updates from the dining room until Tuesday.

Other:
Lots of reno shopping, EXCEPT for the paint (grrr)
No crafts today

Pretty tired. Heading to bed after I wrap up all of my brushes etc. 

Update

Okay, there was a mix up. The paint store closed at noon and now I do not have paint until Tuesday!!! Now I have a dining room that has only been primed for next "three" days.

This is what I get for supporting local business... Rona and Home Depot are open tomorrow and Labour Day, but I decided (for once) to support the local business!!! That will teach me!

I did finish the accent wall. Pretty happy with it! Just a few MINOR touch ups and two rooms will be completely painted.

So what will I do over the next THREE days? Oh-- the list has plenty still on it!

Saturday's Plan

Painting:
Prime dining room (and maybe one coat)
Accent wall in bedroom (first coat actually already on... didn't sleep in as I had hoped)
Office furniture

Other:
Shop: Paint store (pick up dining room paint)
Shop: Home Depot and Rona (done... didn't sleep in as I had hoped)
Crafts, if I am not napping

How did I do- Friday Edition

Painting:

Appled primer AND two coats of paint to office
I only have the accent wall to do.
Primer and one coat of paint on the desk.
The pictures really aren't that different than earlier post...

Sewing:
I was able to think of one more sewing project for the sunroom
I made this: 

What is it? It is a overcoat for our hanging lamp.
This is the before and after:

 

BEFORE

AFTER

I am very happy with the way it turned out. The lamp is still exactly as it was before. I just have a little white coat over the shade (velcro and all... very removable)

Other:

I did not get to the cleaning and up to work... but that is okay.

Update

Painting:
Amazingly I already have primed and given the office one coat of paint. I am so exited. I did not realize that you only had to wait 30 minutes after priming to put on a coat...
I also did the same coats to my desk!

The colour is white... it does not have a pink tinge as it looks in the photo!

I owe all the accomplishment to...

... the breakfast of champions: An Egg McMuffin and a large diet coke.

Now, I am climbing into the bathtub, perhaps even with another chocolate bar, and relaxing for a while before I head up to the school.

PS: I cannot tell you how invigorated I feel. I know it is a lot of work, and I am exhausted in many ways, but this is the ONLY thing that I am doing right now-- and it is amazing to have this much focus on one "fun" little thing.

Friday's Plan

Painting:

Apply primer to office
Apply first coat to office IF it is not too hot
Start painting bookshelves and desk

Sewing:

Work on fun towels
The sewing is my favourite, so this is break stuff

Other:

Go up to work

Clean what I did not clean Wednesday and Thursday

How did I do- Thursday's Edition

Painting:

Applied second coat of white paint to porch (before it gets too hot!)
-sorry, photo was backlit

Prepped office for painting

Sewing:

Finished curtains for porch
-see photo above

Not only started but FINISHED pillows for porch

INCOMPLETE:

Craft or two of choice

Clean what I did not clean Wednesday - and OH MY the house is getting MUCH worse instead of better.

I am off to bed... ZZZZZ

Update

Prepping the office/spare is done, so hopefully I can get up early and paint tomorrow. I just finished taping the roof and I looked like my dad after he mowed the lawn. I cannot paint this room in the evening. Either in the early morning or the middle of the night!

Off to start the pillows for the porch!

The math does not add up!

Okay I admit defeat. I cannot get all the painting done. I have done the MATH ...

BEST CASE:
2 X 5.5 = 11
(I can do two coats of paint a day, which means between now and next Tuesday when MO return, at MAXIMUM, I can do 11 coats.)

11-1= 10
Tonight I can not do anything because the room that is prepped is too freaking hot to do ANYTHING in.So I am down to 10.

10-2= 8
Really, I should not do any the day before they come home because I want everything put back together and neat, so I am down to 8 coats of paint! 

8÷3=2.6
Each room is 3 coats (primer and two paint), which means I can only do 2.6 rooms. 

So alas, defeat.
And even then I will have to do a coat in the morning and at night everyday except 1!

I had hoped that it would miraculously work out but it is absolutely impossible without some kind of time warp!
I have decided that at BEST I can get the porch, office and dining room done, and even that is iffy.

**AMENDMENT:
Just moments after posting I realized:
I am doing one accent wall in my office and the other paint must be dry in order to do this, so I have to factor in two extra coats...
2-2=0
0 extra time. I have to do a coat in the morning and evening every day until Monday!

Update

Valences are up. Each valence took me between 30 and 40 minutes, so three hours isn't too bad... except when you do it all in one sitting.

I have had a realization... I do very little physical labour! I am exhausted and physically sore! I have a 20 minute break before my next task!

For the record, all but one is up, I have to do a little "fix-it" job because one of the rod hangers is missing!