Just a quick post to let you'll know where things are.....the drywall is getting finished this weekend!!! I can't explain how excited I am - this means that next week I can start to:
Clean, clean, CLEAN
Prime and Paint - the entire house
Install my fridge, microwave and stove
Apply the back splash in the kitchen
Get all the light fixtures installed
Tile the shower in both bathrooms
Install the stool and sink cabinets in both bathrooms
Install the kitchen/dining room ceiling - excited about this can't wait to share pics
Clean, clean, CLEAN some more
Wash all my dishes and put them in the cabinets
Remove the last of the carpeting and try to clean the hard wood (sanding it in the spring) - any suggests to remove carpet/padding marks without sanding are appreciated
Clean out the fireplace and haul a couple loads of wood - starting to get cool here
and then start MOVING IN!!
Time left before my first house guest arrives: 20 days
In that time I also have to get 5 more sessions already shot edited (one of which is a wedding with LOTS of pictures), attend and take a few pic's of a friends wedding next week, 7 photo sessions to shoot(which of course all need to be edited for possible Christmas gifts) and I'm decorating a wedding Nov 20th with fresh flower arrangements- only 40 tables, no biggie! Plus basketball has begun so I 'have' to attempt to attend as many games as possible every Tuesday and Thursday night.
This post isn't meant as a complaint in any way, shape or form - I'm LOVING life!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Ceiling Work!
When I purchased my home, it had these ever so lovely acoustical 12" spongy ceiling tiles in the entire house. If you've driven by my house you've probably seen these tiles neatly stacked up at the end of the driveway waiting for the trash man to pick up. You wouldn't believe how many 'locals' have commented on the neat piles of the ceiling tiles (that would be my father who neatly stacked them up).
The only room that still has these tiles is the mudroom. It's a winter/cold weather day project so they'll stay up there for a few months or so. I need to get the actual living space in working condition before I tackle this room.
The only room that still has these tiles is the mudroom. It's a winter/cold weather day project so they'll stay up there for a few months or so. I need to get the actual living space in working condition before I tackle this room.
As of Monday night, most of my ceiling looks like this (below)......drywall!! I'm not entirely sure what type of treatment I want in the living room so in the beginning it'll be flat white paint - exciting, I know. The kitchen is getting a faux metal tile application. Hopefully I can start on that next week sometime.
The two bedrooms have pine tongue & groove boards in excellent condition. I was hoping the entire house would have these, but no such luck. Let me rephrase that, it has tongue & groove boards but they're covered in felt and layers of wallpaper. I'm going to leave the natural wood in the two bedrooms. I have to caulk the cracks so the insulation will stop falling down and then I'm either going to varnish or white-wash them. May start with varnish and then white-wash if I decide the wood is too dark (rooms are only about 12x12). 
Johnathon just LOVED taking the nails out of the ceiling! Can't you tell?I've received some strange looks and comments on leaving the ceiling the natural wood and not covering it up. I think it'll give it a rustic look. I may hate it in the long run but want to give it a try and besides, what's it going to hurt to put a layer of varnish on my ceiling?
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Congrats Lindy & Isaiah
If you haven't heard yet, Lindy & Isaiah are new parents!!
A couple months ago they officially adopted their little foster bundle of joy - De'von. He's in the picture below of them before they headed to the hospital, isn't he just a doll?
Around 6pm on October 18th, Josiah James Stonecipher came into this world at 19 and 3/4 inches long and weighing 8 lbs.
If you know Lindy and the medical issues she's had, you know how much of a miracle and blessing this baby is. Congrats again to the new parents, everyone in Illinois is so very happy for you two.
Thanks to Aunt Eileen for posting a few pics on Facebook (which I then stole for on here - don't think she'll mind).
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Bathroom Tile
I've been having issues determining what I want to do for the tub/shower surround in my bathroom. I made a trip to Lowes and purchased this tile (looks a little darker in real life). I was happy with my purchase and had convinced myself this was what I wanted.
Then my brother informed my that a tile that heavy (these are stone tiles) has to have a backer hung, it can't be hung on the sheet rock. So they'll have to tear out the sheet rock they just installed.
I stopped that quickly and decided to take the tile back (actually it's still sitting in my bedroom - that stuff is HEAVY, need to get it back to Lowe's soon). Now once again I need to decide what to do in my bathroom!
If you know me very well and have been in my bathroom at different times through the year you know that I typically change my bathroom 2-3 times a year. So I'm thinking to keep it as simple as possible I'll just put up white 4" ceramic tiles. My sink/vanity is white and the tub is white so white tiles on the tub surround will fit in nicely. As an added bonus I can change the wall color and accessories in the room to just about any color I desire and my tile won't clash with it!! Isn't what I originally thought about doing but the more I think about it the more I come back to white tiles..........I'm not sure I'll have time to tile the bathroom next week but everything else should be complete. Before and after pictures of this room coming soon.
House Update: Week 22
So it's been a while since I gave you updates from the house. I decorated way too many weddings/events this summer and any free time I may have had was spent at ballgames - seriously, they're never ending and basketball starts Saturday! As is with most old home fixer-upers one thing has lead to another and then another......my thoughts of simply tearing down a wall and building a bathroom and closet have morphed into pretty much gutting the ENTIRE house.
Good News! I hired my Uncle yesterday to help my brother/dad with the remodel - upgrade. My cousin called and told me she's definitely coming for Thanksgiving so I now have a deadline to be in a 'live-able' home with house guests! Figured an extra set of hands was needed to achieve this new goal.
So here's where we're at:
1) Most demolition has been completed.
2) My new bathroom has walls, electrical ran, plumbing installed, light fixture installed, tub installed, pocket door installed, walls mudded and waiting to be sanded. My sink, vanity and stool are there ready to be installed as soon as the walls are sanded and I get to prime & paint. I need to purchase tile for my tub surround and get that tiled. Then I'll just need to 'decorate' it - woo hoo it's almost done.
3) My new closet has walls with sheet rock on the inside, walls are mudded waiting to be sanded. Electrical is ran along with a light fixture. Once the room is sanded I'll prime & paint it. We still need to hang the door and install hardwood flooring which I still need to pick up.
4) Guest room closet has the 2x4 frame but no sheet rock. I need to determine what kind and size door I want on this and go get it.
5) Two bedrooms need sheetrock on the hall between them and the doors hung. Both rooms need the cracks in the ceiling filled with caulk, lightly sanded and varnished - leaving them the pine wood. Both also need a couple coats of new paint, floors sanded and sealed, and window treatments.
6) Demolition of the existing bathroom is 'in progress'. Cast iron tub should be moved to it's new home in the guest bathroom today! Guest bathroom has had nothing done yet. So it still needs the framing, sheetrock, electrical, plumbing, painting, and fixtures - it's just an empty space in the living room right now.
7) Kitchen: I've painted the cabinets, they're pretty much ready to go. Old bedroom wall has been removed along with the ugly ceiling tiles. New outlets have been installed along with a gas line for my stove. Carpet should be coming up & out of there early next week - YAY. We have to lay a thin subfloor over the existing tile before I can install the new flooring. A new back door has been cut, the old doorway needs to be framed out then we can sheetrock the walls and ceiling, mud, sand, prime, paint, install laminate floor, and move in the appliances! I've purchased new cabinets for between the stove and fridge but need to still get a few more for my island. I want to replace the dining room window with a door that will eventually lead to a back deck too.
8) Living Room: not much has happened here. It'll kind of be in limbo, don't want to put much into it until next spring when the front door gets moved. The ugly ceiling tiles have been removed though and the carpet in this room will also come out sometime next week! This room has beautiful oak hardwood floors hiding under the carpet. The ceiling and south wall will have sheet rock hung, mudded and sanded soon too.
9) Utility Room is where the existing bathroom is, so it's waiting for bathroom demolition to happen. A washer and dryer were left in the house and are hooked up somewhere else so the utility room can technically wait until after the holidays.
10) Mudroom: nothing has been done. It'll be a project for the cold winter months with nothing to do. Plan to paint the existing paneling and paint the cement floor, new window treatments and maybe a few shelving units and some cool hooks.
11) Basement: nothing has been done (except for me piling up loads of 'stuff'). Need to get everything out that I've carried down there and seal the floors (course in reality I'll just move it to one side, paint, and then move it to the other side). I hope to get lots of electrical boxes ran down here soon cause I NEED them! I'm going to paint the walls (probably different colors in different areas) and partition off areas of the basement: photo area, scrapbooking area, wedding prep area, and general storage. Too bad there's a monster furnace in the middle of the room! Eventually I'll get some type of storage going - shelves and/or cabinets. Also need to move the light switch and build the stairwell wall up to the ceiling - kind of has more to do more with the mudroom.
12) Doesn't have anything to do with the remodel but I need to get firewood gathered from the woods. Sounds like a good job for Johnathon and I! Temps have started falling into the 40's at night so here real soon I'll have to get a gas tank too :)
My dad and brother were making steady progress, but I think an extra knowledgeable person will make a huge difference. Excited to see what was accomplished today when I go home tonight!
Good News! I hired my Uncle yesterday to help my brother/dad with the remodel - upgrade. My cousin called and told me she's definitely coming for Thanksgiving so I now have a deadline to be in a 'live-able' home with house guests! Figured an extra set of hands was needed to achieve this new goal.
So here's where we're at:
1) Most demolition has been completed.
2) My new bathroom has walls, electrical ran, plumbing installed, light fixture installed, tub installed, pocket door installed, walls mudded and waiting to be sanded. My sink, vanity and stool are there ready to be installed as soon as the walls are sanded and I get to prime & paint. I need to purchase tile for my tub surround and get that tiled. Then I'll just need to 'decorate' it - woo hoo it's almost done.
3) My new closet has walls with sheet rock on the inside, walls are mudded waiting to be sanded. Electrical is ran along with a light fixture. Once the room is sanded I'll prime & paint it. We still need to hang the door and install hardwood flooring which I still need to pick up.
4) Guest room closet has the 2x4 frame but no sheet rock. I need to determine what kind and size door I want on this and go get it.
5) Two bedrooms need sheetrock on the hall between them and the doors hung. Both rooms need the cracks in the ceiling filled with caulk, lightly sanded and varnished - leaving them the pine wood. Both also need a couple coats of new paint, floors sanded and sealed, and window treatments.
6) Demolition of the existing bathroom is 'in progress'. Cast iron tub should be moved to it's new home in the guest bathroom today! Guest bathroom has had nothing done yet. So it still needs the framing, sheetrock, electrical, plumbing, painting, and fixtures - it's just an empty space in the living room right now.
7) Kitchen: I've painted the cabinets, they're pretty much ready to go. Old bedroom wall has been removed along with the ugly ceiling tiles. New outlets have been installed along with a gas line for my stove. Carpet should be coming up & out of there early next week - YAY. We have to lay a thin subfloor over the existing tile before I can install the new flooring. A new back door has been cut, the old doorway needs to be framed out then we can sheetrock the walls and ceiling, mud, sand, prime, paint, install laminate floor, and move in the appliances! I've purchased new cabinets for between the stove and fridge but need to still get a few more for my island. I want to replace the dining room window with a door that will eventually lead to a back deck too.
8) Living Room: not much has happened here. It'll kind of be in limbo, don't want to put much into it until next spring when the front door gets moved. The ugly ceiling tiles have been removed though and the carpet in this room will also come out sometime next week! This room has beautiful oak hardwood floors hiding under the carpet. The ceiling and south wall will have sheet rock hung, mudded and sanded soon too.
9) Utility Room is where the existing bathroom is, so it's waiting for bathroom demolition to happen. A washer and dryer were left in the house and are hooked up somewhere else so the utility room can technically wait until after the holidays.
10) Mudroom: nothing has been done. It'll be a project for the cold winter months with nothing to do. Plan to paint the existing paneling and paint the cement floor, new window treatments and maybe a few shelving units and some cool hooks.
11) Basement: nothing has been done (except for me piling up loads of 'stuff'). Need to get everything out that I've carried down there and seal the floors (course in reality I'll just move it to one side, paint, and then move it to the other side). I hope to get lots of electrical boxes ran down here soon cause I NEED them! I'm going to paint the walls (probably different colors in different areas) and partition off areas of the basement: photo area, scrapbooking area, wedding prep area, and general storage. Too bad there's a monster furnace in the middle of the room! Eventually I'll get some type of storage going - shelves and/or cabinets. Also need to move the light switch and build the stairwell wall up to the ceiling - kind of has more to do more with the mudroom.
12) Doesn't have anything to do with the remodel but I need to get firewood gathered from the woods. Sounds like a good job for Johnathon and I! Temps have started falling into the 40's at night so here real soon I'll have to get a gas tank too :)
My dad and brother were making steady progress, but I think an extra knowledgeable person will make a huge difference. Excited to see what was accomplished today when I go home tonight!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Peppermint Mocha
I've found a new LOVE! I read a comment someone made a few days ago about Peppermint Mocha Coffee-Mate, saw it on my trip to Walmart the other day and decided to give it a try.
OH MY!!! It tastes like you're eating candy or some type of dessert with every drink of coffee. I was afraid the peppermint flavor would be stronger than what I'd like, but I was wrong - it's so delicious.
I was just visiting Coffee-Mate's website and found this recipe using the Peppermint Mocha creamer:
Peppermint Mocha Cheesecake!
Ingredients:
2 cups ground Oreo's Mint N'Cream cookies
3 pkgs (8 ozs) room temp cream cheese
1 cup Peppermint Mocha powdered creamer
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 container (16 oz) sour cream at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350F and grease bottom and sides of a 9" springform pan.
Press cookie crumbs into sides and bottom and place in freezer for 5 minutes.
Beat cream cheese, coffee-mate and 1/4 cup sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour into crust.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes until edges are set but center still moves slightly.
Combine sour cream, remaining sugar and vanilla; mix well. Spread over surface of cheesecake and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove from springform pan.
ENJOY!!
I haven't tried this yet but it sound YUMM-O!
Planning on making some for the holidays.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
5,5,5
Interesting fact.....
I hadn't realized that we have 5 full weekends this month, not that it really makes any difference - just thought I'd share it with you! If you think about it, there are 10 weekend days of the 31 days in October so basically 1/3 of October is a weekend.......hope you have a great October!
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