Week's end . . .

Yes, I'm there !!!

I spent my day painting and repainting my small hallway. However, there are seven !!!!! doorways in this small space. 

The ceiling had already been painted.

I re-taped the ceiling to keep the wall color in place. Then I taped each doorframe and the base boards. It was almost 11 before I finally got started painting.

I finally finishe a couple of hours later. I kept seeing places that I missed. I was having the same trouble with the walls that I had on the ceiling - too dark or shadows. All I really could do was take my time.

 

I was so excited to get this space finished that I even rehung the photos.

I'm slowly getting things put away as I go since I can't paint 24/7.

The next big project will be to remove all the woodwork, strip and refinish it. I'm not in any big hurry for that project. But it will be gorgeous when it's completely finished.

I brought a small recliner home from Mom's yesterday.

This evening I set up this small vignette. The chair had been my grandfather's, the table Honey Do found in a warehouse (it needs refinished too),

the doily was made by Mom and the bird's next was a scent warmer that my niece sells.

All in all, it makes me happy.

Thanks for stopping by,

Wishing you as many blessings as I've received today :)

What a glorious hump

This week has been busy and stressful, but we are half way through. 

I've been trying really hard just to try and take things as they come, but sometimes it's hard.

Monday . . . all day at the doctor office, blood draw, xrays and physical therapy for my son. We did have an enjoyable lunch at a Mediteranean restaraunt. It was fun to try something new :)

Tuesday . . . we tried to stay home and did some painting. I suffered from a migraine, so things were forced to slow way down. We did manage together to get the hallway ceiling painted. I wanted to do a little more, but decided to just take things slowly. I worked on my wool for a bit, but not more than an hour. 

Wednesday . . .

I have been so extremely blessed. This beautiful piece may not be extremely expensive (not that I know how expensive it really is) but my mom richly blessed me with this piece. The doors need new glass inserts, but otherwise, the piece is in good shape.

I am absolutely in love with this piece.

A few weeks ago, Mom blessed me with her favorite china.

 

It is a simple, elegant set of chine from Johan Havilland, Germany.

It is stunning and I have always loved it and now it's mine :)

All the china has been removed from boxes and put in the cabinet. I just couldn't wait to put it away and keep it safe.

We used the china for dinner on Easter Sunday and Mom was absolutely thrilled that I pulled it out and used it. She was afraid that I never would. But we did and that made her very happy.

There's still quite a bit of painting to be done and reorganizing to finish the rooms completely, but we are off to an excellant start.

I will be spending my evening working on the wool. We'll see how far I can get. 

Thursday's plan is to stay home and finish painting the hall and begin in the diningroom. 

Friday, I am blessed to spend the day with Honey Do. More about that later. He's going to spoil me :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Wishing you as many blessings as I have received.

Spring Break

(Yahoo image)

It's been a long week already and it's only Tuesday. After just a couple of days, I'm already hearing how bored and there's nothing to do . . . 

Me, on the other hand, doesn't know where to start.

 

The hall was primed on Saturday after I ran back to the home improvement store to get some supplies. I also picked up paint for the walls and ceiling in the diningroom, which was partially primed on Saturday. I ran out of water-based primer and it was too cold to use oil-based because there wouldn't have been enough ventilation.

I hope to finish priming in the next day or so because it should be warm enough to open the windows.

I did managed to get the ceiling in the hall painted today. Newton helped because I ended up developing a migraine. I'm not usually prone to them.

Newton was charged with getting his room ready next for painting. There was paneling up and we are removing it. He did that today and will have to move on to scraping the glue off the walls before we patch and prime. Things are moving along in the right direction.

BF is in Florida this week at Disney. Her youngest daughter will be marching with the school band and this is her senior trip. So proud of her: she paid for the whole trip on her own and even had spending money saved.

I'm off to Mom's on Wednesday to pick up the china cabinet with Newton's help. So very excited to get this piece of furniture.

I already have the chine that she gifted me, but more about that later.

I'm working on my wool again. I've promised myself a minimum of an hour per evening, more if my hands will hold up with all that stitching.

March goals were lacking, but I'm pleased with what I have finished. I'll just work harder to get caught back up. Wool was my priority.

Thanks for stopping by,

Wishing you a blessed day.

A week of making progress

This is the gorgeous sunset Tuesday evening. My phone camera doesn't do it justice. But I was so appreciating that it was a little warmer and Rocky and I went for a walk.

I got a gift of squishy mail from Honey Do. Isn't it adorable? 

I just love it and am hoping for a day or two of cooler temperatures so I can wear it before it gets too warm.

It's Wednesday, so my plan is to stay home ALL day - no errands, no leaving the house except to the back yard with the pups.

This is the view from my livingroom window as I opened up and began painting. The room will be finished painted. I've called the carpet guy to schedule the appointment to have the carpets cleaned. I know this is the week before a holiday, so I'm not expecting them before next week but that's ok. I just wanted to get on the books. I'll just move on to the next room to be painted. At this rate I might just get the first floor done before the end of April. That's a room a week, including a hallway and foyer - both are pretty small. 

  

These plates were a worn-out antique gold that my mother-in-law chose years ago. I really like the look of them, but they were really tired. So I purchased a small can of spray paint. They were supposed to be bronze but came out more on the silver side. I still like the refreshed looked against my taupe walls.

LOVE the new colors.

As I painted I put on You-Tube and just let it play.

By noon, I had two walls painted with a second coat and the third wall had its first coat.

The room is officially done other than the china cabinet and putting pictures back on the wall, and getting the carpets cleaned - that's scheduled for next week.

Thursday, I got to spend the day with BF :) 

Again - I didn't take pictures of what we were working on.

She finished a Christmas stocking gift for her youngest daughter, brought a table runner that was gifted to her but needed some finishing touches so she purchased a couple of small tassels for the points and some pretty buttons.

Then we sandwiched a wall hanging that she's going to machine quilt.

As for me, I took a simple flannel quilt to be sandwiched. It was done a couple of years ago and will be a Christmas gift for my son this year. His room is getting painted too. So fresh, new linens will be appreciated.

All the flannels were new except the dinosaurs which were pajamas I made for him when he was little. Thought they would be a cute memory. 

This quilt is actually the leftover squares from two baby quilts I made for great-nephews. So I got a lot of mileage from those flannels. All I need to do now is tie it and bind it and it will be done. One of my goals for April :)

Thanks for stopping by.

Wishing you a blessed Easter weekend.

(Yahoo images)

Weekend

In my humble opinion, the weekend should begin on Friday. After years, most of my adult life, I worked and by Friday you were thinking only of the weekend :)

So I began my "weekend" by catching up on emails. I get quite a few blog notices there and once I get behind it's almost impossible to catch back up. Well, I'm caught back up.

I called a couple of places for replacement glass for the china cabinet that I'm getting from Mom. Of course, you have to have sizes and quauntites (which I don't know yet). But at least I have a local company that can provide me with what I need. I love working with local.

Household chores done :)

And the weekend was off to a good start :)

I stopped at church to get my supplies for Sunday School, picked a project for Vacation Bible school and worked on the bulletins.

 

When I got home I noticed the dwarf daffodils were blooming. The weather and temperatures have been so up and down lately, it was nice to see something - anything - that said spring.

I've been doing a marathon run of "The Property Brothers".

Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm a HUGE fan of home improvement shows. One of my original favorites was a show called "Trading Spaces". These shows offer lots of inpiration and motivation - especially if you are lacking in that department as I am.

Anyway, I have been whining and complaining about my home for quite some time - mostly in the realm that bigger was better. I've given myself an attitude adjustment and have decided that I really need to be grateful for what I have. To that end, I have decided this is the year of HOME !!!!

Which really only means that I'm going to be more caring and loving to the home I have. I need to paint, clean and de-clutter and make my house feel like my home.

It started this weekend. Honey Do graciously took me to the local home improvement store and helped get the supplies I needed to accomplish my goals. I am starting in my living room . . . remember the China cabinet :) 

Craft and quilting projects and supplies have been removed. . .

Pictures and chackies (sp?) have been removed . . . 

Furniture has been moved around and covered.

(this is a repair that was done a few years ago - see why I need to get this done?)

Walls have been washed and tape has been put up.

We spent Saturday and Sunday prepping and priming.

And on Monday, I painted the ceiling.

It's hard to tell that this is a creamy tan. It is definitely lightening up the room. Can't wait to get the wall colors on Tuesday.

Well, I'm off to fold and put laundry away. It all got washed while I was painting. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Productive playday

 Spent Thursday morning with BF. We've been meeting lately to tie a flannel scrap quilt. Boy were we shocked when she unrolled it and found that we had all but one row left to tie. Needless to say, we stayed the few more (maybe 15) minutes to finish tying the quilt. All she had left to do was finish sewing the binding which was partially done already. We were both very excited to have a finish. 

She's encouraging me to get one ready to be tied. I have a flannel top top for Newton finished. It just needs sandwiched. So I guess that's next, although I think I need to get batting, which I might just pick up today :)

This is what else BF is working on . . .

Isn't he adorable? I, of course, asked to borrow the pattern. I need to make this one. It is just adorable. And, it should finish up fairly quickly. Every section has beads incorporated into the stitching. It's just beautiful.

BF is getting ready to go to Disney/Florida for spring break with her youngest. She's a senior in high school and is traveling with marching band to march in Disney over spring break. So she's been looking for sundresses and both of us have outgrown and out-worn the ones we have.

Well, Joann's had McCall's patterns on sale for $1.99 !!! So we both chose the same dress patterns and I found a couple of shirt patterns that I really liked and have fabric to use.  The pincushion pattern was bonus and too cute to leave behind. It will be a great use of scraps. Not to mention some wonderful, add-on swap gifts :)

So I've found some distractions to squeeze in among the wool quilting, which is coming along slowly but surely.

It's easier to see on the back how much is done, but I still have quite a bit more to quilt until it's finished and ready to bind. Trying to get it done in a week with my schedule was too ambitious.

What ambitious goals are you all working on?

Thanks for stopping by.

Mid-week updates

There is not much progress to share with you on the wool. As I've said before, it's very slow going.

It's that time of year to start thinking about new projects, inside and out, that don't require needle and thread . . . 

 

 

After I made my list of what I want to do in my livingrom, I located a book I found on another blog and purchased from Amazon and then a couple of pictures from magazines I've been saving for a while.

This is all starting because Mom is gifting me with a china cabinet that she no longer wants. My sister got the original dining room set which included a china cabinet. I was offered the set first, but felt I didn't have room for it in our home. This time, when Mom offered I took her up on it.

We have pretty much decided that we are going to be in this home for at least a while. I've been putting things off like painting, but now it's time. I'm also having a heart-attitude change. I need, and want, to be grateful for what I have. I really don't need a mini-mansion. I just need to make this house more of a home and that's my plan for this spring and summer.

There will still be stitching and sewing, but over the next few months it will not be my priority. But I'm so looking forward to giving my home a face lift. 

So my day was spent reorganizing a closet, sorting through cookbooks, putting away some novels that I have every intention of reading - probably next winter. I've planned out placement in the room after the painting is done. Paint will be purchased this weekend. I'm also planning on beginning in the livingroom with washing walls.

So looking forward to having a home I love and can be proud of - it's how we should all feel about where we live.

Thanks for stopping by.

Monday, Monday . . .

It's the day of the week that all the miscellaneous things that don't get done over the weekend get done.

Laundry

Leaders' meeting for Bible Study

Preparation for the Children's lessons on Tuesday

Errands

I get home roughly around noon if I don't have to stop anywhere. I didn't today :)

So pups go out, laundry gets switched, dinner gets started, kitchen gets cleaned up.

After everyone is home and the rest of my chores are done, I finalize my preparations for the children's lesson and the rest of the evening is mine.

I'm trying to decide what I want to work on. No, the wool isn't done yet. It's a slow process and I'm thinking I need something that's going to move a little faster, but I'm concerned about stepping away from it and not coming back to finish it.

Honestly, that's what I should be working on.

Time to pull up the old boot straps and just get to it.

Thanks for stopping by.

** All images are from Yahoo.