Unless the Lord Builds the House...

A few finished projects...

2011-12-17T13:26:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a very good job of documenting projects over the past year. But if you're interested, here are a few that I've got some recollection of completing :-)
I'll start with the current projects and work my way back.

I found 2 of these old doors at the Longleaf antique mall in Alex City. I thought they were great. And at just $15 each, a steal for solid wood. The goal is to use them as sliding doors for my bathroom, which I;m sad to say has NO doors. Yes, you heard me correctly. NO DOORS!

Hoping the finished product will look something like this....

Finally gave in and tried chalkboard paint. This oval tray was $6. I liked the raised edge with slits.

The finished product is so cute... and since you have to buy the paint in a quart, and it only takes about 2 tablespoons to cover a tray, I had to come up with something else to paint :-)

The kitchen island will make a great menu board! Now I just need to remember to buy some chalk.

PINE STRAW PINE STRAW PINE STRAW!!!
The 2 words that sum up my landscaping! My yard is weird. It's bumpy and lumpy and curvy and strange. Who wants to mow that? Who wants to mow over places that aren't really even grass. So after breaking 2 lawnmowers in 1 week. I took desperate measures. I decided to spray Roundup in mass quantities and spread around a lot of pine straw. 44 bails .... and still counting!

I got this little chair at a thrift store in Montgomery. I can't remember the name of the store. Something like Helping Hands or Thrifty Hands or Dirty Hands (just kidding) It's on Coliseum Drive. It was only $5! The springs on the bottom were hanging out a but but I just finagled them back up in the chair and it had semi-broken wheels on the bottom. I just pulled those off. Now... to cover it.

I refuse to spend $20 a yard on fabric to cover a $5 chair. So, I found this GIGANTIC pile of fabric at Harvest Thrift Store. It was pretty gross and after sifting through all those bolts of fabric I felt nasty, and that I looked like I had been to the gym. However it did yield this...

... a bolt of fabric with between 30-35 yards of fabric. The fabric was $10 a bolt no matter how much was on it. I actually thought it was kind of ugly, however the back of it wasn't so bad. (The side that's mostly white is the right side. The side that's mostly brown is the back side.)
I don't really know how to sew - but with only $15 at stake, why not give it a shot. Besides if it doesn't go well, I have PLENTY of fabric to try again!

I played around with the fabric and cut it the shape of the fabric already on the chair. I pinned it on the wrong side, which was actually the right side since I was using the wrong side. (see, it gets confusing doesn't it :-)

Here's the finished product! I thought it turned out cute. It's a little short, but who cares. It works!

Curtains! I had a picture in my mind of what I wanted the curtains in the guest room to look like, but I just couldn't find them. So when I saw this Ralph Lauren duvet on sale at T. J. Maxx I thought I could make it work. But first I must tell you that this duvet, which I had 19.99 for, can be purchased on line at $329.99!! I am not kidding!
http://www.amazon.com/Ralph-Lauren-Crochet-Duvet-Cover/dp/B004RUHJSK
If I had paid that much I would never have cut it in half and hand sewed the sides. Just slide each half on an old-fashioned swing arm rod and you're good to go!

This is an ash tray. I saw it at Angel's Antiques twice. (Which probably means no body wanted it because it was going no where fast.) When I saw it I actually thought it looked like a lamp. Since it was only $10 I figured why not try it!

The Ash tray lamp!! I unscrewed the top part that looked like a bird bath and threw it away. (That was the actual cigarette part.) Then I took an old floor lamp I had that was way to skinny for my fatty furnitured living room. Unscrewed everything and took the guts out and thread them through the middle of the ash tray. It's not very sturdy, but it's a lamp! How sturdy does a lamp have to be! All it has to do is sit there and look pretty.

7 new chairs from the thrift store. They look pretty rough but they have good character :-) I really liked the feet at the bottom.
I used a magic potion of equal parts linseed oil, mineral spirits, and white vinegar scrubbed on with 00 steel wool. They turned out beautiful! I think they are my favorite project of the year.

Ta Da! Finished chair! The seats are covered with leftover fabric from the living room curtains.
The only problem with having great new stained chairs is that it makes your old painted black table look dorky. I looked and looked for a new table that fit my criteria (cheap and really big) but came up with nothing, at least so far. So, when in doubt, just paint it...

Table before

Table after

The back splash for my stove is made from 3 old tins bought at a salvage yard in Columbus. (Actually, I have a whole bunch of these tin tiles but I haven't figured out what to do with the rest yet.) They already had this cool red color on them. I just polyurethaned over the top after I cleaned them a little with a wire brush.

And last, but not least is this little unassuming table. It looks harmless doesn't it... don't be deceived. I have never scrubbed, stripped, or sanded more in my life. It must have at least 10 layers of paint on it. It was only after a few hours of scrubbing that I actually figured out it had metal claw feet on the bottom (they had been painted over).
This was the table that beat me...

This table is the definition of Shabby Chic.
Shabby Chic = I give up. I cannot get the paint off of this thing! :-)

So there you have it. Some of the projects from the year. Hope you enjoy!

I love a full house...

2011-12-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

My house has been busy over the past year. There have been more dinner's, house guests, parties, showers, and bridal brunches than I can count. Not to mention the holiday festivities which include tree decorating, pumpkin carving, Christmas parties and the like. Here are a few pics of the fun!

Bridal Brunch

Graduation Tea

Going Away party

Bridal Brunch

Pumpkin carving!

A garage is the perfect place for carving 15 pumpkins!

Candied apples

And now it is time for Christmas....

... there has been a whole lot of calories consumed in this house in the past year :-)

Wild Kingdom

2011-07-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a while since I've posted on the house blog. I'm thankful I've been too busy living in the house to blog about it. However, I feel certain many of you have been curious how life is going at the Ponderosa. If I had to sum it up in a few words it would be... Welcome to the Wild Kingdom!

Apparently when you buy a home that has been dilapidated and distraught it has a tendency to have some unwanted tenants.

In the past year I have evicted:
1 chipmunk
3 birds
1 possum
countless squirrels
carpenter bees
wasps

Here are are few pictures of my wildlife friends:

Thankfully, I haven't caught any animals in quite a while.... but there is a trap set and waiting as I type :-)

The joy of being a homeowner...

2010-09-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged much in the past couple of months. I'm not sure if it's because I have grown weary of working on the house or weary of writing about it... perhaps both. It seems the everyday tasks of home ownership are hardly worth writing about.
But, lest you think life at the Ponderosa is boring, let me assure you it is not.

Here is a little bit of a run down from the past few weeks:
house guests
yard work
put out the garbage
more yard work
forgetting to put out the garbage
house cleaning
laundry
dinner guests... lots of dinner guests :-)
decorating for fall
furry friends in the attic
the great moth ball catastrophe

Thanks for checking in... more to come on the "moth ball catastrophe" in the coming days!

Time For Fall...

2010-09-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

It's time to get ready for fall! Since I like to put up Christmas decorations at the beginning of November, (don't laugh) I have to seize very moment of fall that I can.
I put out a few decorations today...

The Great Outdoors...

2010-07-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to tame the great outdoors at the new house. It has been a hot and prickly job. Today, I cut down some trees. (Actually I think 2 of them were bushes, but perhaps bushes can be considered trees when they tower over your house.)
Maybe now that the trees are gone I won't have hundreds of pink feathery flowers on my car from the Mimosa. And hopefully, I have cut down the squirrels' stepping stones to the attic.
Here's a picture of my newly pruned greenery.

Before

After

There used to be a tree right there. Good-bye Mimosa!!

For those of you who may be concerned that I am working on these projects alone, I'd like to put your mind at ease. It seems the Wild Kingdom is my constant companion at this new house. Chipmunks, birds, bugs, spiders... and today we have a new addition...

I feel a little like Dr. Doolittle. (Except so far none of them have talked to me :-)

Red Couch View

2010-06-27T13:04:00.001-07:00

Everything is in place and it looks like home.
I thought I would give you the view from the red couch (one of my favorite spots :-)

But there's still a little problem with the back door...

Oh well, it stands as a monument to what the house used to look like.

FLOORS!!!

2010-06-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that the floors have arrived. They are beautiful hickory, and I am so grateful to have the last BIG project done. Here are few pics.

The dining room is ready for guests :-)

Curtains!!

2010-06-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yippee!! Curtains for the living room are almost finished (thank you Mrs. Marcia).
I absolutely love the fabric. The colors are so fun and the design is fabulous!
Here is a sneak peak at the finished products.

The Great Divide

2010-06-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

I love homes with wide open spaces, but it does create a problem. If the foyer flows into the den and the den flows into the dining room and the dining room flows into the kitchen which flows into the hallway... do you have to paint them all the same color? Where do you change colors? It's not like there are doorways or other "natural" boundaries.
Well, I could not bear the thought of all those rooms being the same color so I had divided the space into 2 colors, sage green and a mushroom brown. The only problem was that it made 2 wierdo places on the walls where it looked like dirt meeting grass.
Example 1 & 2:

What is a girl to do? :-) So, I got out my little yellow miter box and my hand saw and bought 2 long pieces of trim. And made a Great Divide. (I am happy to report that my hammering skills have shown some improvement since my last trim work project!)
Examples 1& 2

Fans, finials, floors, and final touches

2010-06-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard the saying, "The devil is in the details." Well, I'm not sure if the devil is in them but they are certainly time consuming. You can spend days looking for the right screw or touching up paint. Here are a few of the details I've been working on lately...
Here are the drapery rods I made. I absolutely refused to pay $29.99 for a rod and $30 for hardware. So I bought finials on clearance at Target (4.99 a pair), a pine rod from Lowe's ($2 a foot) and brackets I ordered from Target.com - I thought they were $10 a pair but it turned out there was only 1 in each packet so $20 for both. (Grand total of $21 ... that's better than $59.99)

This rod over the door is made from the spindle that was on the frame of an antique twin bed. There is a long narrow window beside the front door and I thought this would make a fun rod. The spindle was free (thank you Mrs. Merry) and the brackets were free (Thank you Mrs. Marcia). They were a thrift store find. I think they were $1. Originally they were painted shiny white but I spray painted them black and then sloppily painted brown craft paint to make them look like the ones from Target on the other windows.

Let there be light! There is now a new fan in the living room. The old white one was absolutely disgusting. I was going to install it myself :-) But after taking down the old one by myself some friends of mine felt the need to have a "fan-intervention" :-) Thanks for the help Mr. John and Mrs. Cecile.

The floor has been officially ordered. Here is a picture of the sample. It is called Burnt Barnyard Board. It is real Hickory. It's probably the nicest thing I've put in the house. It will be installed next week!! I do LOVE wood floors, so I think this is a good item to splurge a little on.

Last but not least, I want to show you this great Salvation Army find. This dresser is going in my dining room as a buffet. It also has a beautiful large mirror with an ornate frame around it. The finish was pretty cloudy and abused, but after some TLC it is looking Ponderosa worthy! We washed / scrubbed the finish with equal parts boiled linseed oil, mineral spirits, and vinegar using the finest steel wool. I love the tiger look of the wood on the doors.

Hang Time

2010-06-11T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've been hanging pictures all afternoon. And even though I used my level and my tape measure it seems I can never hang a picture on the first try. Oh well! It's not a lived in home until you've put 30 or 40 holes in the wall :-)

Fabric.com

2010-06-11T08:28:00.001-07:00

Yippee!! The fabric for the living room curtains has arrived. I always have the hardest time finding colors I like, but fabric.com had just what I was looking for.

A lot can happen in a month...

2010-06-05T15:41:00.001-07:00

It has been a busy month with moving, a trip to Gatlinburg, a mission trip to Africa, and a visit from Mom.
Here are a few of the latest updates to the Ponderosa.

The Exterior has been painted: THANK YOU Morgans

Walls and trim painted in the living room:

An Island for the Kitchen: a thrift store find with a little paint and new pulls

The deck is ready for company:

Curtains: Thanks mom for sewing

From Gross to Great!

2010-05-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here are the before and afters of the completed guest bathroom!
Before:

After:

A Finished Kitchen :-)

2010-05-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

The Master Bedroom & Bathroom...

2010-05-07T18:56:00.001-07:00

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Moving!!

2010-05-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

Yippee! I moved in this weekend. (Thanks to a lot of help.)
There is still work do be done on the house. It is by no means perfect, but it looks like a different house compared to how it looked 6 weeks ago.
I'll try to put up pictures from each room over the next few days so you can see the semi-finished product.

After 6 weeks of renovations, countless trips to Lowe's and Home Depot I thought I would share with you a few of the things I have learned and some of the quirky moments I have been a part of:
*If you are working on a house or completing numerous projects you may find that your standards for public appearance begin to drop drastically. I have gone to stores dressed in painted, tattered clothes, no make-up, hair unwashed. One day I walked around Lowe's for an hour with a big piece of vinyl floor tile stuck to my butt.
*Sometimes it's just easier to throw the brush away. I buy cheap paint brushes, and sometimes at the end of a long day, when you know you need to wash the brushes... it's just easier to throw it away.
*Most delievery men, construction workers and contractors work in a completely different hemisphere of time. In my world I have staff meeting at 8:15. I teach Bible study at 8:00. I have a discipleship group at 11:30. In delivery man, construction worker, contractor world they will come sometime between when the sun rises and the sun sets. Exact times are irrelevant. (My plan is to bake brownies and hand deliver to every company that has shown up on time - so far I will be making 2 batches of brownies.)
*The man who came to sweep the chimney was actually wearing a top hat.
*The chipmunk I chased out of the house actually had an unhappy ending. He died on the back patio the next day. I promise I didn't do anything to him. I think he got into all of the bug spray I put under the kitchen cabinets.
*If you are trying to eat all the groceries in your cabinet before you move you should not eat hamburger helper without the hamburger. It's not very good when it has no meat to "help". (However, it was not as bad as the time I was in college and put tuna in hamburger helper! Yuck!)

Maybe it's a sign...

2010-04-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day. We moved everything except the furniture. You never know how much stuff you have until you try and move it. I have a lot of dishes, and serving trays and cake stands, and lots of other things that are pretty and help to make things seem special when they are used.
I'll be sure to post some pics of the completed house tomorrow when the furniture is in.

On another note... perhaps it's a sign I am supposed to get a pet.
Today I had to catch a cat and put it out of the house. Twice! Unbelievable but true. This time it was at the old house, but still it is quite the strange occurrence.
Baby bird, cardinal, chipmunk, cat... getting bigger and furrier. Tomorrow may be a dog or a small horse. I'll keep you posted.

Thank you to my amazing helpers! Jan, Marcia, Joan, Marie, Julia, Hannah, Sarah Lynn, Meghan, and Rebecca. (And thank you ahead of time to the guys who are helping with the heavy lifting tomorrow.)

Welcome Home!

2010-04-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the beginning of moving days!! Ready or not, here is comes.
I decided the front of the house needed some flowers. The whole house could be in shambles but at least the pretty flowers outside make me feel better. Doesn't this entry way say "Welcome Home"?
I thought I would share a little of the progress from this week with you. I hung the mirror in the guest bathroom. It's made from a mirror frame off of an antique dresser. I like it. I think it adds character.

And on another exciting note... I have carpet!! Oh my, if you knew the drama that came with getting this carpet you would be just as excited as I am! Now that I have carpet it feels like a real home (and has much less echo). While the guys were laying carpet I scrubbed the garage door with some bleach. There's something both rewarding and disgusting about things changing colors as you clean them.

And just for fun I thought I'd throw in a few before and after kitchen pics for you. The kitchen definitely wins the award for the Most Improved.

The Wild Kingdom...

2010-04-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

I hesitate to tell you about my adventure of the day because it is totally unbelievable. If you have been reading the blog the past few days you have read the story of the bird visitors. So today out of the corner of my eye I noticed something going across the floor. I thought it was another bird, but when I checked all the windows there was no hysterical animal slamming itself against the glass so I thought it must have been a leaf that blew in. I went on an errand, came home, and started painting the counter tops in the master bathroom. When I was finished I turned around to find a little CHIPMUNK standing in the middle of the bedroom!

You have got to be kidding me! Is he friends with the birds? How can an animal just come through the door? Aren't they supposed to be scared of people? I've left the door at my house open before to get the mail or the garbage can, and I have never came back to find a zoo in my home!

You may not be aware of this, but chipmunks are much harder to catch than birds. I spent the next hour and a half trying to shoo him out the open doors. It was almost impossible. I did not talk to him in a sweet tone. I did not try to be his friend. I had had enough of nature. I put on my thick gloves, grabbed my broom and came up with a plan.

By this time the chipmunk had discovered he could fit under the kitchen cabinets. He would stay under for a while and then come out look at me and head back under when I moved. How can I lure him out the back door? I opened the back door as wide as it would go. Then I blocked off the large doorway between the kitchen and the rest of the house with a shutter door. (The hated shutter doors have now become my ally.) I quietly walked over by the cabinets and stood there quietly, not moving, not making a sound, and waiting for my furry friend. When he popped out from under the cabinets I didn't make a move. I waited until he had moved further away from his hiding spot. Waiting, waiting, waiting... and then MAKE LOTS OF NOISE!!!! He went running right into the shutter door and out the back door! Yeah! I won and the chipmunk lost.
Later I noticed that stupid chipmunk just sitting on the back patio by the door. I think he was waiting for another chance to come in for a visit. No way!

Moving day is in 4 days. Hopefully I can keep the Wild Kingdom at bay until then.
Here's a picture of the new counters in the master bathroom. I really like the dark brown color. There is also new tile, painted cabinets, mirror, light fixture and paint. I can see why the chipmunk wanted to have a peek :-)

Bigger and better birds...

2010-04-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

You have got to be kidding me? What are the chances that I would have 2 birds fly into my house 2 days in a row. I may have to change the name of my house from The Ponderosa to The Bird Atrium. I thought perhaps you would not believe me, so I took a picture this time before I helped my little friend find his way back outside.

Here is a picture of the finished counter tops. I thought they turned out pretty great. I might add a few more layers of polyurethane just to be safe.

And there are great improvements in the guest bathroom as well. Check out the almost finished tile floor and bead board wall paper. This bathroom has gone from scary to nice :-)

Countdown to moving day = 5

A Bird's Eye View...

2010-04-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

It's official! I'm defenitely moving in soon. I bought appliances today. The guy who helped me at Lowe's seemed very excited. I think I made his day. I'm sure his commission went way up after my visit. Here's a few pictures of the latest goodies that will be delivered to my house very soon. Now if you come by the new house I can get you a cold drink from the fridge, heat up some food in the stove, and wash all your dirty dishes in a "whisper quiet" dishwasher.

I had a special visitor at the house this afternoon. I was sitting in the bathroom attaching the new toilet seat. (Note: I did not say sitting on the new toilet seat :-) When I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. My first thought was mouse. Oh no!! But it wasn't. It was a little baby bird just walking down the hallway. He went into the bedroom and I followed him. He kept trying to fly through the double paned, closed, and freshly painted windows. I immediately felt the need to be a Bird Rescuer. So I picked up a box and tried to lure him in. This worked for about 5 seconds. Then he flew into the kitchen and landed on the counter tops I had just painted. Uuuuuggghhh! Little birdie feet imprinted on the new counters. Now he was body slamming against the kitchen window. Hmmmm, how am I going to get this little birdie out of my house? I went to the garage and got gloves out of my box of 500 I've been using for the past month. And then I became the Bird Whisperer. For some reason I thought if I talked to him he might calm down and let me catch him and help him outside. "Hi little birdie ... I want to be your friend.... I'm trying to help you little birdie... I think you're lost" He didn't seem to be relaxed at all by my little words of encouragement. So, I decided to wait until he wore himself out trying to fly through the closed window. And then when he was exhausted I was able to hold him very carefully and take him outside. He flew away chirping like crazy. I feel certain he was tattling on me to all his bird friends.

That little bird had no idea I wanted to help him. And he was definitely unaware of how helpless he was on his own. I wander if the Lord ever sees me the way I saw that little bird today. "I'm trying to help you Jenn... I think you are lost." I wander how many times the Lord has had to wait for me to tire myself out in my own efforts so I will be receptive to His loving help.

I think I'll leave the little birdie footprints on the edge of the counter as a reminder of my little visitor. And perhaps a reminder of the lesson as well.

Counter Offer...

2010-04-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

In case you were curious how the counter tops were looking...
They are on day 2 of the painting process. Tomorrow I will add another coat of oil based brown paint and then cover with polyurethane.
I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the master bathroom counters. The color looks great in that room. I'll be sure to show you a picture of the completed project.
I could see the light at the end of the tunnel today. Most of the rooms are close to finished. My "To Do" list is down to one page front and back :-)

New Countertops...

2010-04-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Well, they aren't exactly new counter tops, but they are new looking :-)I'm painting the counters in the kitchen and 2 bathrooms. You may be thinking, "I didn't know you could paint counter tops?" Well, you can. Here's a picture of the kitchen counter tops in progress.

I started with cleaning the counter tops. Then sanding them a little to rough them up. Next, tape the edges and around the sink. Wipe them down with water, and paint with oil based primer. I put on a couple of coats.
Tomorrow I'll paint with oil based paint. I chose dark brown. Maybe it will resemble expensive granite. (A girl can dream:-)
The total cost for new counter tops in the kitchen and 2 baths = about $15.
I'll let you know how they turn out.

Countdown to moving day... 9 days!

A Tale of Two Ceilings...

2010-04-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

I have been working on scraping, cleaning and painting the vaulted ceiling in the living room. It looks so much better. The new white makes to unpainted section look almost brown. You would not believe the number of spider webs that were on that ceiling. I wish I had known when I filled out my census...
Question #1. How many people live in this residence?... 1 person, 53 carpenter bees, 97 spiders.

Today is Monday...

2010-04-19T20:24:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick peak at the progress on the Ponderosa today. I had some great helpers.

Mrs. Judy kilzed the living room.

For some reason I tend to think that you can put Kilz over anything and it will automatically make all dirt, germs and stains disappear. It's like magic!
I think the clean paint makes the room look bigger.

And thanks to Brooke and Carmen :-) Who needs a handy-man when you've got these handy-girls? A little trash pick up, deck fixing, drywall mudding, and light installing.

Guest bath with ugly walls.... guest bath with better walls.

Tedious...

2010-04-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

te·dious \ˈtē-dē-əs, ˈtē-jəs\: tiresome because of length or dullness
Tedious is the word of the day. And of course it involved the kitchen floor. In previous days the floor had been cleaned and scrubbed and scraped and rubbed. I felt pretty sure the floor was clean but it still wasn't very pretty. It was obvious in many places the "whatever" that had been spilled on the floor actually ate through the color on the tiles. And it didn't appear that the tiles had ever been sealed, and the grout wasn't like any grout color I had ever seen. It was gray concrete.

So how do you turn a well worn ugly floor into a pretty one... very tediously!
First you call your amazing artist friend, Mrs. Cecile, and she brings over all her paints and color matches the off colored stains.

Then you buy some sealant and a grout stainer. I chose a khaki color to replace the gray. Oh, and don't forget your toothbrush.

Then you sit on the floor and slowly paint the grout with a toothbrush. Oh my! It really takes a long time! Now I know why they make prisoners clean floors with toothbrushes in prison movies. But 8 hours later I have a floor that looks almost brand new. Here are some pictures of the floor in process so you can truly appreciate the beauty :-)

TA- DA!

In other news, progress has been made outside as well. I had some help Friday in the yard pulling up bushes. It seemed like the roots were 10 feet long and 5 inches around. (I promise I am not exaggerating.) Donna, Bradley and Ashley helped me for hours. Then my neighbor came over with his SUV and a wench to help. These are some tough bushes. They actually broke the wench! Have you ever heard of such a thing?! We decided to let the bush that broke the wench stay. After all, we felt it deserved another day to live after beating an SUV! I have a feeling the embattled bushes and the enraged carpenter bees are going to gang up on me one day soon.

(Oh, and for those of you have been interested in how the battle of the bees is going... well, I don't think I'm winning. When I came back the next morning after my night time murdering spree I found new holes gnawed where the bees had tried to free their friends. Wow! What should I do now? While I was painting the kitchen floor with a toothbrush today I asked the Lord what I was supposed to be learning from these stupid bees. I kept thinking about how they were only doing what came naturally. The bees were doing what they were created to do. And they would not be easily deterred from fulfilling what they were designed to do. It got me thinking... The Word says I was designed to praise the Lord and give Him glory. Am I easily deterred from what I was created to do? Am I easily distracted from my purpose? Thanks for the lesson little bees, you can move on now.)

Jenn - VS - The Carpenter Bees

2010-04-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

The battle was on. I had warned them today would be their undoing. My opponent...
the carpenter bee. I know he looks harmless, but don't be deceived. This isn't a whimsical little honey bee or a helpful little flower pollinator. This little pest is the worst nightmare a cedar house can have. Just look at what she does when she decides to turn your siding into her nest.
And since my home has been unkempt for many years, and completely empty for many months, the bees have just moved right on in feeling completely unhindered by pesky humans. Well, their days of frolicking are over...

So I talked to a bug expert, Dr. Foshee, and he suggested a method for sending these little bees to Bee Heaven.

My tools...

Sevin Dust & a ketchup squirt-er & wood filler

I waited until dusk because that's when I've noticed that all the hovering bees go to their little homes in my siding. I took my deadly ketchup bottle, my wood filler and spatula and step stool. When I went outside I could hear them. Gross!! I could hear them in the siding chewing and scratching around.

I started my bee-ocide by squirting sevin dust in a hole and then covering it with wood filler. I was half way expecting all of the bees to rally together and jump out of their holes to attack me. But luckily they didn't :-) I went from one hole to the next squirting and filling. When I left I could still hear some of them in the walls. Hopefully they were on their death beds.

So now I have a bunch of dead bees entombed in the siding of my house. That may be grosser than having live bees buzzing around, but at least dead bees eat less wood!

A nicer welcome...

2010-04-14T21:13:00.001-07:00

Today was an exterior day. A house that is made of cedar and has not been taken care of is bound to have some rot. Now I have nice new wood in place of old yucky wood. (Thank you so much Cliff!) The only problem is that the house looks a little 2-toned now. Oh well, I guess I'll need to move up my projected date for staining and sealing the cedar siding.

I also worked on having a "nicer welcome". I primed and painted the doors today. (Thank you Amy for cleaning and priming some for me yesterday.) I feel certain the red front door will need about 15 coats of paint, but that's o.k. at least I've got a good start.

Old... New...

And for those of you who are animal lovers, I feel the need to warn you that tomorrow will be D-Day for the carpenter bees. (Or maybe I should say B-Day) They have buzzed their last buzz, eaten their last board, their days are numbered. Enjoy you final moments little bees...

Painting, painting, painting...

2010-04-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

Doors, window trim, baseboards, walls, cabinets, cabinet doors, ceilings, exterior trim. primer, satin finish, semi-gloss, rollers, brushes, paint pans... and so goes the renovating.

My hand may be stuck in the shape of a claw forever from holding paint brushes and rollers for hours at a time. So what jobs am I qualified for if my hand is permanently frozen in "The CLAW"?
1. Well, of course I could be a painter
2. A professional back scratcher
3. A bear imitator in a charades game "GRRRR"
4. A torch holder for the Olympics
5. I could pour drinks at a restaurant (If I could fit the pitcher in my claw hand)
6. The next American Idol. I'm pretty sure a paint roller and a microphone are the same shape. :-)

Close...

2010-04-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

They say close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades... Well, I think it should count in renovating too. So many rooms at the Ponderosa are close to being finished. Yippee! What a blessing! In a few days I will have owned this house for 1 month. I think the progress in pretty amazing. Here are a few pictures of my "close" rooms.

Almost real...

2010-04-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

Today I put up bead board wallpaper in the kitchen. Yes you heard me right - bead board wallpaper. Usually beadboard comes in big expensive wooden sheets of paneling and has to be measured and cut with a saw. But this "bead board" is great. The wall paper has a texture that is identical to the real thing. You just wet the strips and adhere them to the wall. And voila... It's ready to paint whatever color you prefer. Here's my kitchen wall. It hasn't been painted yet, but I think it turned out great!

Getting better...

2010-04-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hello friends.
I wasn't able to spend a lot of time at the Ponderosa today. It is a busy week in my "non-renovation" life.
However, I did get to hang some of the newly painted cabinet doors. Wow! What an improvement.

And when I was getting ready to leave I noticed that the unidentified, dying bushes in the front yard have been awakened by Spring and it appears that many of them are azaleas. I like azaleas!! Finally, something this house has that doesn't have to be stripped, painted, cleaned or torn down... just enjoyed!

Making all things new...

2010-04-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

I decided in honor of Easter that I would share a before and after of each room. Actually it's not an after it's more like a "during". I was thinking today about the renovation process. I can clean and paint and add new accessories, but it's still the same old house underneath. It is amazing to see the change. But today, with Good Friday behind me and Easter before me, I was not thinking not so much about renovation, but about transformation. Easter celebrates the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Easter speaks to the new and transformed life we can have in Christ. When we accept Christ as our Savior, He changes us and makes us new!

Here are a few pics of before and afters. I pray this Easter you are celebrating a life that has been transformed by Christ.

Kitchen: Before...

Kitchen: After... The cool new light fixture from the salvage yard.

Guest Bathroom: Before...

After...

Living Room to Kitchen: Before... After

Guest Bedroom: Before

After...

Master Bathroom: Before... After

Master Bedroom: Before...

After...

Living Room: Before...

After...

HAPPY EASTER!

Better than Snow White...

2010-04-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

Snow White had 7 dwarfs as her working companions. Well, I definitely had her beat today. I had 14 helpers. And none of them were dwarfs (They were all of average height.) So much work was done today, I think I'll just show you rather than tell you.

Guys pulled up the carpet.
Thank you Trey, Curtis, Wesley, and Ryan.

Leah cleaned and primed all the interior doors.
(Yes- this time I remembered to use primer first.)

Mary and Kristen painted the guest bedroom ceiling and drug a ton of garbage to the curb. I don't think the garbage man is going to like me.

Emily painted the ceiling in the office. Great job Emily!!

I just have 2 words for you PINE STRAW!! I think I can officially say that I hate pine straw. Today Michael helped me get the pine straw off the roof and out of gutters. It was so much. I had piles on the ground the size of small cars.
This is the before picture.

And here is the after.

I spent hours clearing pine straw away from the house and putting it around the flower beds / weed beds. Thank you Sarah for helping me wrestle with that awful pine straw.

Which brings me to the building.
What is this thing? Who knows!

But with a little Man Power...
It's gone. :-)
Thank you so much Curtis, Bradley, Jordan, Wesley, Ryan, Trey and Jack.

Just call me Snow White with my friends: Emily, Meagan (thanks for sanding and priming the bathroom cabinets), Leah, Sarah, Bradley, Michael, Curtis, Wesley, Trey, Mary, Kristen, Ryan, Jordan and Jack. (I hope I didn't forget anyone.)

Oops! I missed a day...

2010-04-02T18:38:00.001-07:00

Oops I missed a day of updates. I wouldn't want you to miss out on any of the fun.
Here is the update for Wednesday and Thursday.

The first exciting new addition is a new heater and air conditioner. The installer said he didn't think the old one had worked for years.

Isn't it lovely!

And check out this fancy control. I may have to go to a special class to figure out how to use it.

I have been working on the kitchen cabinets. They have gotten one coat of paint and will probably take one or two more. I will be so excited when I can mark them off of my list.

So, I have discovered that everything in this house, and I mean EVERYTHING is painted with oil based paint. Boo! That means EVERYTHING has to be primed. Here is what happens when I think I can get away without priming first.

I really want to paint the front door red. I wanted try out the color on the current door and see if I liked it... of course the door is painted with oil based paint so the red paint doesn't stick.

So, for now I have a half painted, streaky red door. I wander what my new neighbors think about that ? :-)

Rub-A-Dub-Dub...

2010-03-30T21:47:00.001-07:00

look at my new tub.
It's still a little rough around the edges, but it is definitely installed and working!

The tub isn't the only thing looking fresh and clean!
There was a lot of painting today. The master bedroom is painted and the office.

This is the master bedroom before...

And after.
For those of you who may be wandering, I'm not painting the trim gray. It just has gray primer on it because the trim is painted with oil based paint and has to be covered before I can paint it with the trim color.

I had some help with the office and with cleaning. Thanks Ashley and Destinee!

Painting the office

Oh those shutter doors and Winnie the Pooh border!!

I am so blessed to see the progress. It really doesn't look like the same house. Today, I put 2 drawer organizers in the kitchen. It felt good to do something that seemed "normal" for a new house. Organizing a drawer is a much lighter task than pulling up 1600 square feet of carpet or refinishing cabinets.
Tomorrow the new heater and air conditioner will be installed. My fixer-upper house is on the mend!!

Square peg in a round hole....

2010-03-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty exciting and busy at the house. I had lots of helpers and big jobs were being accomplished all over the house.

The tub with a hole in it is now gone. And the new tub is almost installed. There was just a slight problem... trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. The tub pieces couldn't fit through the bathroom door. So they had to cut a hole in the bedroom wall and slide the tub in. (On the plus side, when they cut the bedroom wall they cut away some of that awful Winnie the Pooh wall paper border.)

Before...

Goodbye
Tub

My wonderful helpers got a lot of work done...

Julia and Lucy cleaned the office, including the shutter doors.

Maegan took down the weird plastic on the windows and painted.

And Raelee painted the bedroom and hallway ceiling.

House curriculum

2010-03-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

After being at a 3 day women's conference, I returned to find my home waiting for me. I had dreamed perhaps it would come to life while I was gone and fix itself (sounds a little too much like a Disney movie) but I found it just as I had left it.

Today was a scraping day. I scraped the bedroom ceiling and scraped the paint off the bedroom windows. (There was about a 2 inch stripe around the inside of each window.) And of course, I cleaned the dreaded shutter doors. I appreciate all the support I received in my hatred of these doors. Perhaps we can start some kind of support group.

I have been a homeowner for about 2 weeks now, and I thought I would share with you a few things I have learned:
1. You can work harder than you think you can.
2. I am incapable of hammering a nail straight.
3. If you spray water on linoleum adhesive in an effort to make scraping it up easier, it does not work. It just turns the adhesive into sticky gray boogers.
4. Never buy paint in 5 gallon buckets. Trying to pour it into a paint tray is like trying to control an avalanche.
5. You can touch anything if you put on enough pairs of plastic gloves.
6. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers can clean anything.
7. Shutter doors should be outlawed! :-)

Shutter Bug...

2010-03-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

In the midst of cleaning, scrubbing, and renovating, it has surprised me the things that have gotten under my skin the most. It has not been what I would have guessed. Today I was surprised to find that I totally lost my patience with these jewels:

Who invented these!?! What a ridiculous idea to put doors with little tiny slats to catch every piece of dirt. These are the doors to the laundry closet. FILTHY! And there is no easy way to clean them. I think I went through 3 rolls of paper towels trying. Squirt with cleaner. Wipe with paper towel. Try to shove paper towel in between the little tiny dirt traps. To add to the fun, I discovered they were painted with oil based paint which means they have to be primed before they're painted. What a shutter bug! (Did I mention these are just the first 4? This house has 16 shutter doors!)

The kitchen, however, has been a much more encouraging project. There is a new garbage disposal and pipes, the inside of every cabinet has been "kilzed". And the cabinet frames and drawers have been painted.

And there is some progress in the yard. Thanks to my Garden Fairy. (Thanks Cecile!)
Before:

After:

Did I mention the view?

2010-03-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Monday and it was a day of professional opinions on the house. The heating and air conditioning guy came to make his estimate. And the plumber began his mysterious work on the hole-y bath tub, the hole-y garbage disposal and the water faucet that doesn't quit running.

Today was exciting because today was the first day the water was cut on. For the past week all the work at the house has been done without water. Which also means all the work has been done with out use of the "facilities'. Which can be quite inconvenient. (I have found that Walgreen's is my favorite place to visit through out the day.

But today... the facilities, or at least one of them was usable. I was so excited to christen (so to speak) the new toilet, but the only problem I noticed was the view...

Yes, this is the view from the bathroom in the master bedroom. There is no door on the bathroom... and no curtains on the windows... and no blinds on the wondows... ooop! Hello world! Just out that window is the street and the neighbor's house. (The one neighbor I haven't met yet -oh no!) Note to self: Take a sheet to the house tomorrow to make a bathroom door.

Today was also ceiling day. Painting the ceilings didn't turn out to be as hard as I had anticipated. I'm so thankful I have long arms. I can stand in one place on a step ladder and reach a 5 foot radius.

I am thankful for a house that is starting to show glimpses of being a home.

Work at the Ponderosa...

2010-03-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

It was a busy Saturday at the house. This is day 5 of work, and I am so encouraged by the progress.

Today I was determined to mark a room off the list. There is so much to do in every room, that it seems like an endless task. So, I really wanted to just have one room that was clean, and done, and didn't need anything else fixed. I picked the laundry room. I started yesterday scraping up the 30 year old linoleum. And today... it was finished!!

Here's what I am most proud of - the new linoleum tiles and the quarter round. This is the first time I've ever attempted corner round. I'm not very good at it but it is finished!

I also worked in the kitchen today. The top kitchen cabinets got their first coat of paint, and I scraped the ceiling.

Scraping the ceiling is not a very fun job. I had grand ideas to smooth the stipple ceilings in the whole house and paint them all smooth, but that grand idea has gone the way of the wind. I don't think any normal person can hold their arms over their head for that long. So I came to a compromise. I decided to just scrape off some of the soot and stalactites. When I was scraping the kitchen today I didn't realize how close I was to the fan, and before I knew it my curly ponytail was covered in giant spider webs.... YUCK!! You can't turn your back on this house for a minute :-)

My favorite new toy...

The wet dry vac. It is very helpful to have around.

So, what task should I conquer tomorrow? I'll have to consult the very long list. All I can say is that this week has given me a whole new level of respect for construction workers.

Eating an elephant

2010-03-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

What did you have for lunch today? Well, I had an elephant! (Not literally, I actually ate a salad.) But my helper of the day reminded me today of the best way to eat an elephant. One bit at a time. Fixing up this house is definitely the "Elephant". And every task completed is a bite. Some bites are harder than others.

Today I tried to tackle the laundry closet. Yesterday, I started scraping up the linoleum. What a tedious job. I picked up the scraping again this morning... and this afternoon... and tonight. But it is almost done. And I have patched holes, smoothed the ceiling a little bit, painted the ceiling and the walls, and hopefully I will have the floor completely scraped in the morning, and I can lay the new vinyl tiles and check that room off my "to do" list.
Before...

Almost after...

And check out the progress in the backyard. This was such a tough job. I am thankful for my tough helpers. (Girl Power!)
Before:

During:

After:

Tomorrow is a new day! I am so thankful and amazed at the progress so far.

Who lives like this...

2010-03-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

"Who lives like this?" could be the most commonly spoken phrase at the new house. When you are scrubbing who knows what off of the strangest places, we will say, "Who lives like this?" I have been totally amazed at the level of gross. On the plus side, all the new neighbors seem REALLY happy that I am moving in :-)

I have found when I am cleaning it is best to NOT try and imagine what you are scrubbing. So, I have made the mental decision to make every stain spaghetti. On the floor, in the cabinets, all over the counter... I just say to myself. "It's spaghetti. It's spaghetti. It's spaghetti." (I feel certain it is not spaghetti.)

The prize for the grossest job of the day may be a toss up between cleaning out the rotted, moldy wood under the kitchen sink or cleaning the guest bathroom. (It all depends on what you find more offensive.)

Here's a little glimpse under the sink. This picture does not do it justice. The garbage disposal is broken and has a big rusted hole in the side. It appears that the previous owners just used it anyway and let food spray all over the inside of the cabinets. "Who lives like this..."

And the second candidate for grossest job of the day... is the guest bathroom.
The 2 pictures above are the before...

And here it is clean, with the linoleum pulled up :-) Did I mention there was some kind of fern, that's right a fern type living thing, growing under the linoleum by the toilet! Amazing! Now if I could just clean away the big hole in the bath tub. Who lives like this?

I think the task I am most proud of is the progress on the kitchen floor. I tried to add up in my head how many hours have been spent scrubbing that floor. I think about 20... most of those spent on my knees. Here's the latest floor improvements...

And we have also said good bye to all the wallpaper (or at least almost all the wallpaper) Some went more gracefully than others. That Winnie the Pooh border is pretty wicked stuff.

So how did they live this ... I have no idea. I have thought about it a lot as I frustrating-ly cleaned off stains using razor blades and every cleaner I own. Why didn't they just clean it as they went along? How can they just spill food on the floor and leave it there for 10 years?
In the midst of my cleaning it occurred to me that I'm not that different from the previous owners of this house. No, I do not have food sprayed all over the inside of my cabinets, but there are some things in my life that I tend to put off, ignore, or let accumulate. Some are small things like laundry or mopping, but some of my delays involve more important things, like sharing about Christ with a neighbor, or writing a note to a friend I know is struggling. I think from now on when I am tempted to put off 'til tomorrow what I know the Lord intended for today I will remember all those "spaghetti" stains. And I will remember that no one was meant to live like this... delayed obedience is disobedience (a common quote from my pastor). But today I would add to that, delaying obedience, makes obedience much harder! What are you supposed to be doing today that you have put off?

Oh, and I cannot end the daily blog without thanking my amazing helpers from today, Marcia and Joan. What a blessing they were! In I John it says that the world will know we are followers of Christ by our love for one another. I certainly felt that love today. I know these ladies love the Lord and I am so thankful that the overflow of that looked like love spilling out on me today.

2010-03-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

What has happened in "Renovation World"? Well, I'm glad you asked. Here's the run-down...

1. Cleaned kitchen cabinets and removed hardware. Here is a little sample of the "leftovers" stuck to the cabinets.
This one is actually pretty good compared with some... Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to the rescue.

2. Scrubbed the master bathroom and pulled up the linoleum. Thanks Julia!

3. Marcia cleaned cabinets. (Did I mention the cabinets were really dirty?!) Thanks Marcia!

4. French doors are in... don't they look great. Jack did such a wonderful job.
Here's a before and after...

5. And cleaning the kitchen tiles again. Oh my, they were so disgusting. This most recent round of cleaning was done on hands and knees using a razor blade, Windex and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. (I felt a little like I was washing an elephant with a q-tip.) That Spanish tile is hard on the knees, but it's actually starting to look like a kitchen floor. (And we wiped down all the walls - good bye soot.)

6. And to round out our list, the half wall room divider. It is going to look great. Here it is almost finished...
Before and NOW!

I think we're doing great, especially since I've only owned the house for 2 1/2 days :-)
Who knows what amazing things will happen tomorrow. I'm so thankful to have such sweet friends who are willing to climb in this mess with me. Thank you!

2010-03-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

Oh my! Today was a busy day. The morning started with a trip to Columbus with 2 of my favorites folks, the Morgan's . We visited a salvage yard to look for doors, but ended up leaving with 4 light fixtures and super cool tin tiles that used to be on a roof (maybe a Victorian house). They have an embossed design that reminds me of a stain glass window. I hope to use them for a back splash behind the stove and for a little something on the front door.

And then, back to the cleaning. Some sweet friends cleaned the soot on the fireplace. That was a gross and frustrating job. (Thanks Jan and Marie!) It's like the stones just soak up the dirt. Here's a little before and after.

Dirty... Cleaner!

And then there was the floor in the kitchen. I just have one word for you GROSS!!! I have been to third world countries, and I think this floor ranks as the dirtiest thing I have ever seen. Scrubbing, scrubbing and scrubbing some more. I think every cleaning product made has been tried on this floor. It's looking better but still needs some work. I can tell you that cleaning Spanish tile is hard on the knees. (Thanks so much for the help Ashley!)

Dirty... Cleaner
(Am I the only one who thinks the floor changed colors!)

And then there were the french doors. I don't know if any of you have ever bought and installed french doors, but they are quite the challenge. Hoping we could get them to the house in one piece made me so nervous. (I think renovating a house is improving my prayer life!)
Here they are transit:

And here they are installed. Doesn't it look great! (Thanks Jack and Terri Leigh!) Did I mention french doors are also very heavy and the most awkward things to try and pick up and move.

Here are the 1970's broken sliding glass doors... new french door!

So tomorrow is a new day... Let the cleaning begin!!!

Closing Day & Greasy Elbows

2010-03-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today was closing day! It's official I am the owner of a home... a dirty, filthy, sticky, cluttered, dusty home. Yep! It's all mine! And for the first day as a home owner, I have to say, I think it was pretty productive. Here are just a few of the already completed tasks.

Here's what the kitchen used to look like. I'm not sure you can truly appreciate the layers of stains and food caked on every surface. It also used to have this weird trellis thingy dividing it from the living room.

And after being a home owner for a couple of hours... the trellis divider is gone. And the kitchen is clean (or at least cleaner). Thank you to a lot of paper towels, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, and a lot of greasy elbows. Thanks to my friends who let me borrow their elbow grease.

Packing...

2010-03-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

Boxes, boxes and more boxes... I decided to spend today packing. You never truly realize how much STUFF you have until you have to pack it. Are all of these things really necessary?!? I was packing up some kitchen things today when I found a waffle maker. I didn't even know I had a waffle maker. I don't remember buying a waffle maker or ever using a waffle maker. Maybe it was a gift? Apparently, I have managed to live for 5 years without this handy appliance, however, I still packed it in a box and taped it up nice and secure. And I will carry it to my new home, where I will put it in a kitchen cabinet and probably forget I have it until I move again. (And I will probably write about it on a blog, "Hey look, I found a waffle maker I didn't know I had."
All of these things are just earthly treasures. Some are more important than others (sorry waffle maker) but they are all temporary. I am thankful that the most precious STUFF I possess is eternal where moth or rust cannot destroy... and where it will never be forgotten or misplaced.

I love a project...

2010-03-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

So here are today's projects.

The copper light fixture I got for $30 at the Salvation Army... transformed into a wrought iron light fixture. (Just $1.67 for the paint at Hobby Lobby.) I thought it turned out pretty good.

And this really old frame that I cleaned, sanded and painted.I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but I love old things that look like they might have a good story. Maybe I'll put a Scripture in it, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain", seems appropriate.

I see that hand...

2010-03-11T14:41:00.000-08:00

Who is in town next week, and would like to spend some time getting in exercise and fellowship... I see that hand :-) I close on Monday... let the fun begin. If you would like to be a part of the fun just give a call or send me a message. There is plenty of work to go around! (Thank you to dear friends who have already committed to a cleaning shift.)

Showers of blessings...

2010-03-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

Today was an exciting day. I had a surprise "House Shower". I've never had a shower before! What a sweet blessing it was to be honored by my dear friends at church. The thoughts, gifts, cards, and gift cards were a wonderful surprise. I was so humbled by their thoughtfulness.
THANK YOU!

Check out these cute table decorations from the shower: pots with yard tools, paint cans with brushes, bowls with kitchen scrubbies... so creative and fun!
For those of you who are are anxious to hear about the table sanding saga :-) I gave the table a break today and sanded and primed a kitchen chair instead.
I also went to all the utility companies this afternoon to have the utilities connected in my name... Closing is Monday!

A table with an attitude...

2010-03-08T15:52:00.000-08:00

So I spent a little time this afternoon working on THE table. I would now like to say, I believe it actually has about 500 coats of paint on it. Ok... perhaps I exaggerate, but you get my point.
I sanded for hours on Saturday. Today I brought in the heavy guns - paint stripper and a plastic scraper. (The table laughed at my feeble efforts.) So I tried more stripper and a razor blade - I know, all you professional furniture re-finishers are gasping, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
By the end of the afternoon I has used 1/2 a can of stripper, one package of sandpaper, and 2 scrapers. Is is possible for tables to have personalities, because I think this one is especially stubborn...

First picture.... After hours of work...

All of this sanding, refinishing and refining had me thinking today. There are so many Scriptures that talk about how the Lord refines us like gold and silver. How He is a faithful craftsman refinishing us and sanding away the parts of us that do not reflect His glory. I had always read those verses, and thought, "Poor me, having to be refined and sanded and refinished is so hard on poor little me." But today when I was in the midst of the unending project I had another perspective. "Poor refiner... ", I mean sure, being sanded isn't very fun, but all the table had to do was sit there and cooperate. I was the one doing all the hard work.
Perhaps that's how it really is in our lives. The Lord is the one who is at work in us. Our biggest job is to be cooperative. (Maybe the Lord gave me this very difficult, stubborn table as some sort of lesson about myself... nah, surely not :-)

I can blow blue out my nose

2010-03-06T17:21:00.000-08:00

I've been refinishing furniture all day. Sand, and sand, and sand some more... now I can blow blue out my nose. (It just so happens I sanded some blue paint off a chair.:)
It takes a lot of sanding to get paint off of wood furniture - a whole lot of sanding. I'm doing it all by hand. And I would like to officially apologize for every time I have painted any piece of nice wooden furniture - Lord help whoever had to sand off that paint. My deepest sympathies. (I'm hoping that sanding furniture burns a lot of calories.)

Here are the products of my "sand-y" day:

This is the side table I refinished. It didn't have too much paint on it (thank goodness)

The top half of an old dresser

PLUS

An inexpensive mirror from Lowe's

EQUALS

A new mirror for the guest bathroom

(It's reflecting the ceiling of my carport)

My newest nemesis is this old table. It has 5 layers of paint: gold, brown, white, green, and dirt - I think dirt can definitely count as a layer. Today I discovered that it has metal ornate metal feet... very interesting.

I am thankful the Lord has provided so many wonderful pieces of furniture... they will add so much character to the new house!

All it needs is a little paint...

2010-03-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Here is the freshly painted cabinet hardware. I like the black much better that brass. I think it turned out great. (Am I the only one who always ends up with colored hands after using spray paint?)

These are the chairs I'm working on refinishing. They were originally painted retro turquoise. I sanded them slightly and now I'm priming and painting. If you are thinking the primer looks a little gray, you're right. Today I found a gallon of latex Kilz on the "oops" shelf at Home Depot. It was only $5. (A gallon is usually about $17.) It was tinted a light gray. I can deal with light gray, since I'm painting over the primer anyway, I didn't think the color really mattered.

And to top off the savings for today. I bought 6 flush light fixtures for the house. They were on sale at Lowe's for $39. Off the top of my head...that's less than $7 each. WOW! Some of those fancy light bulbs cost more than $7! (Here they are, when bought separately they cost $29.99 each.) This may be the first time in my life I've ever actually needed 6 light fixtures - it's like getting a bulk discount!

Blessings in bins and basements...

2010-03-04T20:07:00.001-08:00

Today I went to Mike's Merchandise and was delightfully surprised to find bin after bin of cabinet hardware. All the hardware was priced at 99 cents, which is very inexpensive compared to the price at Lowe's or Home Depot. It just so happens that the new house needs all new hardware for the kitchen and bathroom cabinets... so I started hunting. In case you are counting, there are about 26 giant orange bins full of random drawer pulls and knobs and other things that I really couldn't identify.
I dug through almost every bin trying to find a set of matching hardware. I felt like I was in some kind of challenge on Survivor, except I was wearing too much clothing to be in one of their challenges :-)

Two hours later, I had 26 of these cool pulls (they remind me of the handle end of silverware). I'm not a fan of brass, but they are high quality and will look great with a coat of black paint.
These are for the kitchen.

And a couple of these for the guest bathroom.
(I found the exact knob online for $5.98.)

And these for the master bathroom.
(I know it looks a little like a hair barrette in this picture, but they are actually very nice.)

Altogether I spent about $33. for cabinet hardware for the entire house, including black paint for the brass knobs.

There were certainly blessings in those big orange bins, but that wasn't the only blessing of the day. One of the sweet ladies in our church asked me to come by and look at some of the things in her basement and see if I could use any for my new home. I was a little apprehensive at first. After all, I've been in a few attics and basements and I have always found their contents to be a bit scary. I was completely wrong. This sweet lady had a basement full of beautiful antiques and goodies she had saved for years. Many of them were family treasures and had amazing stories. I was completely humbled that she would want to give them to me. The body of Christ can be such a blessing. Thank you! (pictures of these refurbished goodies will come soon)

Let the bargain shopping begin...

2010-03-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

Today I bought a light fixture. This picture isn't the exact one, but it's almost identical. The one I bought came from the Salvation Army for $30. (Thank you Mrs. Merry for for being such a great thrifty shopper) The one in this picture is from Home Depot and costs over $200. I love saving money! All I need to do is paint the bronze finish a darker black iron look and it will be perfect.

A few more pics...

2010-02-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

(guest bath - it has a few issues- second special yard building, master bedroom and bath)

It has a nice personality...

2010-02-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

So, I know it needs a lot of work, but it has a nice personality.
Here are a few pics of how the house looks now so you can truly appreciate the work in progress.
(living room, kitchen, strange outdoor buildings, front)

Getting Ready...

2010-02-19T18:02:00.001-08:00

Today I purchased my first tool, a must have for any home buyer of a "fixer upper" I bought a new tape measure. I like this one because of its bright read accents. (Oh my, that makes me sound like such a girl doesn't it?)

The time has come...

2010-02-17T21:09:00.000-08:00

The time has come the walrus said
To talk of many things,
Of shoes and ships and sealing wax
Of cabbages and kings...

Does anyone remember that little rhyme? Well, the time has come to buy a house. I have crunched numbers, driven through countless neighborhoods, and poured over hundreds of internet listings, and the decision has been made. After much prayer and thought I have decided to buy a foreclosure home that fits in my budget (there are not many of those in my town).
It needs a lot of work, a lot of help, a lot of cleaning, a lot of tlc. The goal is to make it a livable, clean, and usable home without spending too much money.
A friend of mine who knew the kind of house I was purchasing suggested a blog. She said she would love to see my efforts at fixing up my fixer upper. So here we are. I close in 2 weeks... let the fun begin.