Monday, May 28, 2012

A Working Holiday

Okay, let's see if I can stay awake long enough to get this written and posted.

Today was one of those days when we got 403 little things done, but there's no BIG progress to show for it.

Yesterday I put three coats of poly on the baseboard moldings for the living room which got installed today. It rained all day yesterday, but we fired up the wood stove in the garage and with the big exhaust fan running on low, working in there was no problem.

We had to take some of the trim around doors off to get the flooring on so that got trimmed to the new correct size and put back on today.

It was Monday so, of course, I had to get the laundry done. A basketful of ironing is still waiting for me though.

B was here and we talked over the final plans for the new top portion of the above unit which will hold our TV, stereo, DVD player, etc. She was planning to build it in her shop, but now is thinking she may build it here. It will go from the top of the unit up to meet the book boxes (shelves) above and fasten together as one unit. This might be kinda tricky building it off site since the measurements have to be exact.

We want to put the fireproof brick on the left side of this same cabinet since it will be closest to the wood stove.

Oh, yeah, I don't think I ever mentioned that the extra brick we had to order did arrive, well packed and not one brick broken, and that corner is finally finished.

Hunh. Looks like a big shower stall, doesn't it?

But back to the side of the cabinet . . .

After (a gourmet) dinner (of scrambled eggs) tonight, Papa Pea and I bit the bullet and even though we sure didn't feel like it, we got all the brick for that area measured and cut and ready to be put on tomorrow.

We've been living with living room furniture . . .

. . . (and various other things) in the kitchen for about two weeks now. I wonder if we'll ever get any semblance of normal order back around here?

20 comments:

Judy T said...

I have a love/hate relationship with those days where you are busy but don't feel like you did anything 'big'. But all those little things add up. The corner looks wonderful and I'm sure will look less shower-stall-y with the stove in there. Hang in there and get some good rest.
Judy

Tombstone Livestock said...

Well if you got 403 things cross off your list at least the list got a lot shorter. Every thing is looking good except the air compressor in the house.

Carolyn said...

Looking good there Mama! I am insanely jealous, BTW.

Sue said...

It does look like a shower stall, but not for long. It's looking so nice and comfy. No rest for the weary!

Anonymous said...

That area for the stove looks absolutely fabulous! I hear you on the 403 things...that was my day yesterday too, and while I did make progress, it isn't visible, at least to me. Hope you have a great Tuesday!

Jenyfer Matthews said...

Hang in there! It will be finished and FABULOUS before you know it :)

Erin said...

I'm glad you finally got your brick! I had to laugh at the photo with the air compressor in it, that was a regular piece of living room furniture for us too for far too long LOL!

Mama Pea said...

Judy - I think when THE LIST is so long, days when nothing really gets crossed off breed frustration. I may start adding all those "little" jobs to the list just so I can cross them off!

Tombstone Livestock - Air compressor? What air compressor? Oh, THAT air compressor. I thought it was a permanent decoration in the house. ;o}

Carolyn Renee - Don't be jealous of the nearly complete exhaustion that goes hand-in-hand with extensive remodeling! ;o}

Sue - And, boy, are we ever starting to feel weary. (Or maybe it's been that we've BEEN wary for a loooong time!)

Stephanie - Thank you, ma'am!

Jen - Do you promise?? At least on the finished part, please.

Erin - I know this will all be a dim memory someday but right now it still feels like we'll never have normal, non-remodeling days!

judy said...

brick looks good and safe.does the lady with the white glove test show up on a reg.basis.cus even amongst all your working on the house ,it looks spotless

Mama Pea said...

judy - I can state for certain that the house is about as far from spotless as it can get. No way can I clean around all the tools, equipment, supplies, etc. Nor do I have the time or energy! You should have seen both of us after we cut and ground down all the brick last night. Thank gawd we could do it outside because it spread fine cement dust all over a four acre space. papa Pea and I looked like we'd been sprinkled with gray powdered sugar. Nice. Not.

Karen L. said...

Wow, a shower stall right in the living room. How convenient is that? You could watch TV while showering ... as soon as the TV gets set up in the living room. And boy, you got that brand spanking new kitchen that works so well and now it is a storage unit. So sorry but it really will all come to an end soon ... just not soon enough, I suppose. You guys are really getting a workout. Don't forget to breathe!!!

Lisa said...

LOVE the brickwork! Why is it when we do so many 'little' things, we sometimes feel we haven't done enough?! Hang in there. Your place is coming together beautifully. Thank you for keeping us up-to-date on your progress and letting us enjoy the transformation along with you. Do you feel like you are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel?

Susan said...

You are really making progress! That brick facing looks nice -- and soon you will actually have your living room furniture in your living room - can you stand it?

Tina - Our Rustic Roots said...

The brickwork looks GREAT! My husband would love to have an air compressor in the house, so consider yourself lucky instead of crowded, lol! :)

Anonymous said...

Everything looks fantastic at your place!! I had to laugh when seeing all your stuff in the kitchen. Our house looks similar because we decided to empty out our storage space in town. Boxes are everywhere and full of stuff we forgot we had and didn't really need. It's time for (yet) another possessions purge! It will feel so good when its over!-"M"

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Glad to see that brick came in and it came out beautiful. Once the stove is back in there I dont think you will see shower stall. It is coming along very nicely.

Mama Pea said...

Karen L. - Lordy, lordy, if we didn't keep a sense of humor through all of this we'd have been checked into the loony bin by now! We were standing in the living room looking at the "shower stall" this afternoon and hubby said a hot tub for six would fit really well in the middle of the room.

Lisa - I think I've forgotten what a light looks like! One of the reasons I'm not yet really excited about the living room being done is because we don't have any furniture that fits it. "My" chair is a recliner and there really doesn't seem to be a single spot in there to put it. We don't have a second bedroom (and I'm awake in the middle of the night a lot) and would love to have a couch to go read on in the living room but we have never had anything in this house but a love seat so we have to find a couch. Basically, the room arrangement in there is going to be difficult because of the smallness of the room and the many doors in it. But it will all work out. I just have to give it time.

Susan - Thanks mucho for the encouragement!

Tina - As they say, everything is relative, isn't it? :o}

"M" - Why, oh why, do we ever collect so much STUFF?? Good luck with your "unpacking!"

Jane - The stove needs to be repainted . . . we thought it would look better when it was given a good cleaning up but it doesn't. So now we're trying to pick out a color from the chart of high-temp paints. Too, too, too many decisions!

DFW said...

Everything is looking great. Am so enjoying your posts!

Mama Pea said...

DFW - It's readers like you that almost convince me that my (boring) drivel (for my own records) is worth publishing. Thank you so much!

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