Bedroom Renovation

Working from home has my creative mind humming. Sitting in my newly transformed to home office, I can see directly into the master bedroom. This makes me start to loath it. There is cedar plank on every square inch of it. Ceiling and walls. Mini nails pop out here and there and snag me. It MUST GO.

Voice 1 ,"Be polite your mother raised you to be a nice person!"  Shake my head - I am the fool who signed up for this... But seriously who does this? It is a Pinterest Project that fooled me for sure. CURSE a blue streak. 

Voice 2, "Your mother raised to say nothing at all if you have nothing nice to say." I know, I know... I really should not be left to my own devices when bored and I also know that everything in this house is half @$$ done. Again, there is a notable continued amount of cussing.

Voice 3 is saying (the annoying voice of adult reason) Seriously woman, have you learned nothing in all these "little projects" I promise I love a challenge, but this has becoming a true repeat issue out here.

Voice 4 pipes in, completely true to form with perpetual PMS, is snapping out a slew of profanity… @#$%^&*  ISSUES !!!! !@#$%^& Sigh, sort of tired of her being correct.

Voice 5 comments with today’s uplifting quote.  "Today is a Perfect day to be Awesome"

Voice 6, pops in with all her happy sparkly personality, with all the determination to take over the world one step at a time, tossing glitter along the way smiles. This is for Oakley and I to enjoy,  embrace it. I will love it when it's done...SO here we go AGAIN, toss that Glitter and work away.

Tara the splinter covered, vinegar smelling, paint splatters, unicorn has this!!The results are as follows.

Ceiling is 1st. Oh so very pleased to find more wood... This is actually pretty though, its old and dingy, but a coat of high gloss bright white and I am pleased. Well not with that light fixture. Now it must go. A trip to the hardware store later, purchase a new crystal mini chandelier. Much nicer.

Whopper jawed bi-fold doors with a hole in them, must go. The plan is to put sliding barn door style ones up, but still have not gotten that far.

Take all the cedar off the walls, friend who is watching the live demolition via SnapChat says she wants it all - happily have her and her husband come pick it up that night! No clean up issues - WE KNOW this is a thing for me. What was under the cedar is terrifying. The prior owner didn't take the drywall to the ceiling, so that will have to be have to fix that. Better plan, after staring at it for hours - buying trim to hide it!!  The horrid, wallpaper proved to be a challenge - but hot water and vinegar soaking worked like a charm. It would have probably been easier too if I had a real proper tool not my kitchen spatula, but hey it worked!

Walls are now patched and painted to a lovely shade called chrome. This paint rocks! It actually has glitter in it. That new light makes it look so pretty.

I am semi-pleased and know it will be marvelous. But, yet again must play the waiting game, because who starts a project but doesn't have the know-how or tools. YUP, me. I will wait, ever so patiently for my father to assist me with the replacement of a drafty goes to nowhere window to be turned into a book shelf and the door to be hung and the trim to hide the ugly imperfections of the drywall.

Ahhh, Home ownership. Love it!

Thanks for the read! XOXO

We have a Garden

Ahhhh... Life in the woods is so serine. Relax, lean back, breath... But, is that the reminiscent hull of a raised garden? Oh, wouldn't having a garden be nice??? YES and YES! That is a garden... or what was once one.

Here we go! 

Step one - unearth the hidden by years of neglect and no love landscaping timber.

Step two - calculate how many new pieces of timber will be needed and head off to the supply store.

Step three - erect the raised garden! Holy cow, so many rocks, so much ivy. Oh what in heavens name was I thinking??? Now realizing this is why it has died the unsightly death. It's a serious pain in the rear end!!!

Step four - complain to cousin and her soon to be husband about how you will never be able to plant it without a tiller. Amazingly, wonderful future in-law comes over and tills it for me the next day, God sent angle in my eyes!

Steps five & six - going to a greenhouse, shops for seeds and seedlings, & plant them!!!

Ahhhh... Life in the woods is so serine. Relax, lean back, breath... AND NOW WE WAIT, Oakley & I cannot contain our excitement over growing sunflowers, peppers, tomatoes, green beans & broccoli. I wish he didn't like to inspect it so very much, because he seems to trample them every time he goes down for a sniff, but I mean, he is a dog.

Shoosh - Cabin Life... We do really love it! 

Thanks for the read XOXO!!

Mowing season - again

That claim they didn’t ever mow was definitely a lie.…..Someone had to have mowed the one patch of yard. I want the goats who used to maintain it back, Reel Mowers are mid evil torture devices. 

The impossible to push mow the hill which is too steep, is gonna have to be concurred. 

Voice 1 and her quote of "Be polite your mother raised you to be a nice person!"  Has me thinking this hot mess to deal with is yours and you can't finger point, suck it up buttercup.

Voice 2 "Your mother raised to say nothing at all if you have nothing nice to say." I really want to seek the former owners out and shout LIARS!!!

Voice 3 is saying (in that annoying voice of adult reason) No need to stress, ask for help.

Voice 4 pipes in, with that perpetual PMS, snapping out a slew of profanity… @#$%^&*this HOUSE really is gonna be the death of me & the @#$%^&* LIAR, LIAR sellers

Voice 5 comments are filled with uplifting quotes. “one positive thought in the morning, will change the way you look at the day"

Voice 6, determination for taking over the world one step at a time, tossing glitter along the way – says ask a professional for help, one you know and trust this time!!

Call the PRO it is, Brother-in-law to the rescue. He has a light weight self propelled push mower that can tackle the hill, and it works like a charm!!! 

P.S. Posted that Reel Mower on MarketPlace and SOLD it to another human who thought, oh these are great - So long torture device, you will not be missed.

Thanks for the read! XOXO

Alternating Tread Stairs

Who buys a house with multiple levels that you cannot get to from inside the home? ME! I am that person. The main floor cannot access the lower level. Well, then you add a stairwell, am I right?

Let the nightmare begin!!!

Hire yet a 3rd contractor. This one says oh easy fix, done in 3 days.

Step one. Move laundry room...Takes an entire week, so yeah.... 3 days my fired up tail feather!!! They need to reroute the plumbing, build a platform for the washer and dryer, do electrical work, reroute the vents, enclose the area they have now created. Okay - now we build the stairwell.

Step 2. cut the floor so there is a giant death trap hole. Me, ummmmm isn't this dangerous? Contacted crew, nope - it will be enclosed when we finish. Okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. (Know the voices in me are all flipping out)

Steps 3-5. Buy all the material for steps and rails. 1st set up won't work- you walk directly into the wall! Return material. Buy all new custom cut material to fit the proper measurements. NOPE! still too steep. WHERE do I find thee people you ask... I am starting to worry about my "friends" who recommend them, because now I cannot return the materials because they where custom cut!!

Step 6. Bring in another set of contract folks.

Step 7-10. Side walls up. Stairs cut in an alternating tread style, with landing platform are installed. Banister & handrail set in place.

I am semi-pleased. Set off to stain the new woodwork.

Lemme tell you. When staining new work you see everything!!! EVERY imperfection in the workmanship.

Voice 1 who always says, "Be polite your mother raised you to be a nice person!"  Shake my head - It is very hard to do this because for the umpteenth time I must remind myself, I am the fool who signed up for this... CURSE a blue streak. 

Voice 2, "Your mother raised to say nothing at all if you have nothing nice to say." I ignore this voice again today. The job took them legit 3 month to do!! Not the 3 days. I hate the unfinished laundry room they keep trying to get me to add this or that to. The work is not what I wanted. They way missed the price mark by 4x. There is a notable continued amount of cussing.

Voice 3 is saying (the annoying voice of adult reason) Why did I do this???? Have you learned nothing in all these "little projects" Seriously, I love a challenge, but this is becoming a real repeat issue here.

Voice 4 pipes in, with her perpetual PMS, is snapping out her usual slew of profanity… @#$%^&*  ISSUES every turn of the way!!!! !@#$%^& Sigh, she isn’t very wrong, plus all the others are not so secretly thinking the same thing. 

Voice 5 comments with today’s uplifting quote.  "Learn from yesterday, live for today, dream for tomorrow"

Voice 6, with all her happy sparkly personality, with all her determination to take over the world one step at a time, tossing glitter along the way smiles. This is for Oakley and I to enjoy, stressing over what is done will not fix it, simply embrace it. I will love it when it's done...SO here we go, toss the Glitter and stain away.

Tara the stained and satisfied unicorn has this!!

** Visitors either love the steps or hate them. As for me I have embraced their unique touch and love not having to go outside to get to the lower level of the cabin. However, it must be noted - alternating tread stairs take a minute to get used to, but Oakley & I got it down**

Thanks for the read! XOXO

No Cleanup

Okay – recall how pleased I was with the work of contract crew number 2?? Yeah, not so much anymore. Now that the snow melted and the I cleaned the insane amount of leaves up… There is debris, total wreckage, trash, and I have come to believe more nails on the ground than in the structure!

Voice 1 who always says, "Be polite your mother raised you to be a nice person!"  Shake my head. At this point there is nothing polite I can think of to say.

Voice 2 always reminding me, "Your mother raised to say nothing at all if you have nothing nice to say." I contemplate this because, well if I never speak to them again that is fine. I don’t have to ever hire them again..

Voice 3 is saying (in her normal annoyed voice of adult reason) These things happen. Yeah, yeah.. My idea of cleaned work area and theirs is clearly obvious. I mean really! I am going to have a truck bed full of scrap!!! Oh and the way they tossed the decorative stone against the house has me lit on FIRE. Who thinks this is okay?? These fools apparently.

Voice 4 pipes in, having perpetual PMS, is snapping out her usual slew of profanity… @#$%^&* AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T INSPECT FOR YOURSELF!!!! I must say she is not wrong. It was lazy on my behalf to assume they cleaned up and put back the stones.

Voice 5 comments with today’s uplifting quote. “A clean house will result in inner peace” and hunny – your yard looks like the county DUMP!

Voice 6, with all her jolly personality, determination to take over the world one step at a time, tosses glitter and says remember the goal & core reason for this home is happiness for me and Oakley. Breath….

End result, voice 1 will handle with the yes they did timely work, voice 2 will simply not recommend them, voice 3,4, & 5 – I BREAKUP WITH YOU 3 for today, voice 6… my favorite… I do love the addition. It isn’t done as I thought, but ill hire a new crew this spring. Clean the yard, give the material to BIL so he can recycle it, and then tear out the decorative rock and replace it with natural stones found out on the farm in the woods. It was a great form of exercise and Oakley had a blast chasing me about the woods 😊

Thanks for the read!!