I've moved back in, and I love it!
The movers brought in as much as they could Saturday without overcrowding us with boxes and furniture that we couldn't put against the walls. Everything is in the middle of the floor while we waited for the painter to catch up with us. I picked him up this morning at 8:00, and he got started. He finished the baseboards and window sills, so as soon as they dry, we can move the furniture back - but wait, we have the brown trim around the perimeter to paint first.
I talked to the painter about adding the brown stripe, and he agreed to do it. Then we discussed finishing the floor with quarter-round or caulk to make it look finished. He suggested quarter-round. so that's what we'll do. I have enough paint to take care of that, and I'm thinking that by next weekend, we'll be done!
I started unpacking boxes. I put things in the pantry, my dresser, and my closet. I had a huge trash bag of hangers that I had to untangle and I filled the bar in the walk-in closet with them. Where did they all come from? I don't think I took clothes off hangers to pack. At least I didn't for the other closet. It was so easy to put things back because I just grabbed a section at a time and put them in the box. One box held all the clothes from one closet. They're wrinkled, but I can fluff before I wear.
I've probably emptied about 10 boxes, and you can't see any progress yet. There's an overwhelming number of boxes in the garage still.
I took the painter home about 12:30 and had the rest of the day to myself, all by myself. What to do? I sat in front of the TV for a while, then I realized I was wasting time, so I put the TV on the jazz station and got to work. I showered, washed my hair, and put on a different outfit and makeup for the first time in days.
My daughter and I went shopping for drapers and rods. She suggested a soft green, very pretty drapery panel for the living room. I would have never thought of that. I was looking at neutrals or reds. I only bought one panel so we could test it before I committed to buying 8, actually 15 more. I like the grommet panels because I like opening the curtains during the day and closing them at night. Having the rings or grommets will make that much easier. I'll have double rods with ivory sheers behind. We picked out clear ball finials that are absolutely stunning. I'm so excited.
I'm only going to be here 6 more years, or at least until I retire. Then I'm moving close to my family. I'm 20 miles from my daughter and about 27 miles from my sister. I'd prefer to be closer to them, but it's nice being 4.5 miles from work.
My daughter isn't crazy about the floor, but she likes everything else. She said it looks so light and airy. I think it's because I don't have curtains on any windows yet. But the colors on the walls are really nice, neutral, and relaxing to me. I'm very pleased with everything that's been done.
There's just a little touch-up painting, the perimeter brown stripe, quarter-round trim, caulking the bath tubs, installing the microhood, replacing the ceiling fans, adding drapers and bookcases, and I'm done. My boss told me to think of Murphy Brown and Eldon. Remember that show? Her small home improvement project took on a life of its own. He said that he had the same thing happen - scope creep kept their floor covered in brown paper for 6 months.
I'm thinking of having a dinner party for my crew to thank them for all their time and effort. They've spent so much time here that they consider my home their second home. They're here every evening and weekend. There would be the packer, main man, painter, Superman and his 3 sidekicks, the electrician, and the AC guy.
Then the "reveal" party. Knowing you're going to be invited to check out my handiwork really puts the pressure on me to get 'er done right!
I'll tell my landscaper, who has been conspicuously absent the last couple months, that I'm having this party and I'll be glad to mention who did the landscaping. It can be a good thing or not - it depends on him.
While I'm unpacking, I'm purging and putting everything in meaningful places. If I don't need it, use, or absolutely love it, it's going. My cedar chest, which was a hope chest that held things for the future, will now hold things from my past like wedding photos and things I can't bear to part with but don't want to get rid of.
Nesting is the period between chaos and order when I get to really bring it all together.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Home again!
I'm back in with furniture!
We emptied the POD, and it's gone. Some of the contents went into the house, the rest is in the garage. The painter hasn't finished the painting and touch up, so much of the big furniture is in the center of the rooms.
Wait! That's the end of the story.
Wednesday, after I took my car to the shop, I couldn't think about anything but the house and the floor. My emotions were raw, and I cried at the drop of a hat. At 2:30, I finally ask my boss if I could leave for the day because I wasn't doing anything productive at the office. I went to Home Depot, got some floor shine and new mops, and that evening, we swept, mopped, and waxed the floor. I still didn't like the way it looked. We moved in tables to set the TVs and computer on for the cable guy the next day.
I was so excited! The appliances were actually going to be delivered Thursday, and the TVs, phone, and internet were going to be reconnected! Life was going to be back to normal soon.
The fumes and concrete dust were gone, so we set up the air bed for me. I had the day off Thursday; I thought I'd be able to sleep in. Because I couldn't turn off my brain, I was up at 4:45 Thursday morning, ready to do something - anything - to make the floor look better. I decided to paint the perimeter of the floor with a dark color to hide the divot patches and paint residue. I headed to Home Depot to get my newest batch of supplies. At this point, I've spent so much on little things that I was complaining of hemorrhaging money. I chose Cafe Urunia for the perimeter stripe, and headed home with renewed enthusiasm. I spent an hour or more taping the stripe from the dining room all around the kitchen. I started painting in the kitchen because the appliances would be delivered first. Once I painted the first stroke, I freaked out. It was purple!!! What the hell? I sat there for a few minutes trying to decide my next step. I didn't have the paint chip or the booklet it was in, so I had nothing to compare what I had with what I requested. The cable guy was going to arrive at the house between 11 and 12. It was 10. Did I have enough time to exchange my paint because surely, she mixed it incorrectly? I decided I would make it, so off to Home Depot I went again.
I complained that the paint color was purple, she calmly opened the can, put a spot of color on the paint chip, and it matched. DANG! In anger and frustration, I chose the red above it and ordered a gallon if it. I shopped around for some more painting supplies and low-luster sealer and the supplies that go with it. By the time I got back to the paint department, I had calmed down and looked at the paint color sample chips and realized I chose the wrong paint color AGAIN! I chose tile red, when brick red was what I really wanted. Now, instead of purple, I had dark pink! But, dang it, I was going to make it work. I went home, painted the kitchen, then the dining room because that was where the china cabinet was going. Then I did the laundry room because I was desperate for my washer and dryer, and I was taping the office where the computer armoire was going when the cable guy started having problems getting things to work, so I spent the rest of his time there answering questions. He replaced my DVRs with some from his truck, and they still didn't work. He realized I removed a very important little piece of equipment (a splitter) that he needed to make everything work. Of course, it was packed somewhere, so he gave me another. Once he left and the TVs were working, I turned on some Jazz and started to tape off the office floor.
The cable guy took the focus off getting 'er done, and I stepped back and took a look at the color I was putting down. It's a cool red, the floor is a combination of warm colors, so it doesn't look as good as I had hoped. Plus, there are still spots that need to be covered. I decided to make the stripe wider and to paint it walnut - a deep dark brown.
The appliance guys arrived with a huge refrigerator, range, microwave, and dishwasher. The refrigerator is black on the sides - something I didn't notice in the store. I guess because they're displayed side by side, and I didn't look at the sides; I focused on the front instead. So, now when I look into my kitchen, instead of seeing white (like my old fridge), I see a black hole with silver, which makes me think the door is open. I'm getting used to it. I figure it'll be covered with stuff as soon as I find my magnets ;o), so no big deal. The refrigerator is about 8 feet tall. I couldn't even reach the top shelf, so I had to lower it. I thought I'd try a freezer on the bottom, now I'm not so sure about it. Instead of just opening the freezer door and reaching in for ice cubes, I have to open the drawer, and pull out another drawer. Hmmm. I didn't think this one through very well either. I'm hoping I'll get over this too. The delivery guys had to remove my front door and the little catch for my storm door to get the fridge in. They replaced the door, but not the catch. I put it back, but the door didn't close properly. This morning I figured out how to adjust that. I'm becoming so resourceful!
I truly wasn't expecting all these little problems when I started this project. Problems crop up almost every day. When mowing the lawn, someone hit a sprinkler head. I heard it, but they told me it was a rock. I knew I don't have rocks in my front yard. Then when I saw the broken head, he admitted he thinks he hit it. Someone broke a light in a ceiling fan with the 8-ft ladder. Someone cut the telephone wire and removed the box in the living room (trying to be helpful because I was having them remove dead boxes), so the phone base has to be in a room I wouldn't normally have a phone. The clamp to hold the washer drain hose was inadvertently thrown away. I have to figure out what to do with the concrete dust all over the back yard. Someone broke the glass on one of my hall wall sconces. I bought new hinges for the kitchen cabinets, and after a couple hours of putting them on, we realized they don't work because now the doors don't align with the panels and drawers above. Of course, all the little plastic bags they came in have been hauled out with the trash. Luckily, they didn't cost a fortune, but I'll still have antique brass hinges when all the other hardware in the house will be brushed nickle or chrome. I'll just keep my eyes open for something else to use. Pity party over.
By the time my crew showed up Thursday evening, I had my plan. I told them we were going to reseal the floor, and while that was being done, I wanted Superman to clean off the back porch and front sidewalk because we were constantly tracking in concrete dust. So, do you know what we had to do first? We had to disconnect the TVs and get them and their tables and my bed off the floor!
The Behr sealant I got was soooo much better than the stuff we used before. I think it did the same job but without the horrid fumes. I only got one gallon when I should have bought 4, but they made it work. The floor feels amazing. It's smooth, consistent, and I am much, much happier.
When all was done and dried, and everyone was gone, I was left without a bed. It took 2 of us to get it into the garage. Hmmm. I managed to wrangle it back into the house. Except for my coffee pot, suitcase of clothes, and a shower curtain, the house remained empty looking. The TVs and their tables were in closets.
After work yesterday, we started moving furniture back into the house. The POD people called to say they would be by between 10 and 1 this morning to pick up the POD, but our plan was to have it empty because Superman and his sidekick couldn't be back this morning until 11 at the earliest. AND they're bringing the painter with them! Yea! The painter hasn't been well, and now that he's feeling better, he's been having car trouble. He's been trying to get his car fixed so he could get to my house. Superman tracked him and told him he'd bring him to my house because he's holding up the progress. Plus now the painter will have more spending money to fix his car.
While we were moving things in last evening, a coworker came by and hooked up my computer, wi-fi, TVs and phones! Yea! No more having to go to the library to check emails, turn on the AC, and blog.
The POD was empty, swept, and ready to go. I was told it had to be empty, swept, and unlocked. I received it dirty, but I swept it because I can't afford to be charged for anything else! They're refunding $29 because it's not going to a storage facility, but they're charging $74 to pick it up. I don't understand why the $74 isn't included in the total cost. Oh well.
I'm certainly enjoying being back home. I want to do something to nest. While I'm waiting for my crew, I guess I'll wipe concrete dust off whatever I can.
I've decided to replace my drapes and rods with the new style with grommets. I had rings clipped on them before, and I really liked the ease of opening and closing the drapes. The grommets look so much nicer. I'll have double-hung drapes with sheers behind. I had ivory sheers with gold linen-look drapes and they were on one rod. When I opened the gold, I just spread the ivory. It functioned well, but it looked tacky. Actually, I've lived without drapes for 2 weeks or more, and I really like the natural light. I'm even over the privacy issue.
I saw some drapes at JCPenney that I like. Even though I have paint chips that I carry with me at all times to match colors, I think I'll buy a panel and bring it home to see if I like it here. I was really disappointed that JCPenney doesn't carry inventory in the store for most of their drapes. You have to order them online. They don't even have the prices by the panels. They have a range of prices. While you're in the store with credit card in hand to buy, you can't buy. Sigh. My daughter and I will shop for the drapes and rugs. I can't buy anything else until next Wednesday, so this will help prevent impulse buying.
I talked to the electrician about replacing all the ceiling fans in the house - 7 in all. Home Depot has some for $60 and they all match. I currently have at least 3 different styles of ceiling fans in the house, just like my door knobs. It will be nice to have everything matching. Then there's the floor, which is crazy. Now that I see furniture on it, I like it much better. But it still needs the perimeter stripe. So, I'll spend each evening either taping or painting until it's done. Once the baseboards are painted, I'll have to tape them off because I'm not a detail painter by any means.
So, you're up to date on the house update. I see little things that have to be done, and I'm putting blue tape on everything. We'll all have to go through the house hunting for blue tape before it's all done.
Monday the microhood will be installed, and the dishwasher will be installed with the granite counter tops. That's at least 2 weeks away. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It helps to have some of the comforts of home in the house to calm my fears.
We emptied the POD, and it's gone. Some of the contents went into the house, the rest is in the garage. The painter hasn't finished the painting and touch up, so much of the big furniture is in the center of the rooms.
Wait! That's the end of the story.
Wednesday, after I took my car to the shop, I couldn't think about anything but the house and the floor. My emotions were raw, and I cried at the drop of a hat. At 2:30, I finally ask my boss if I could leave for the day because I wasn't doing anything productive at the office. I went to Home Depot, got some floor shine and new mops, and that evening, we swept, mopped, and waxed the floor. I still didn't like the way it looked. We moved in tables to set the TVs and computer on for the cable guy the next day.
I was so excited! The appliances were actually going to be delivered Thursday, and the TVs, phone, and internet were going to be reconnected! Life was going to be back to normal soon.
The fumes and concrete dust were gone, so we set up the air bed for me. I had the day off Thursday; I thought I'd be able to sleep in. Because I couldn't turn off my brain, I was up at 4:45 Thursday morning, ready to do something - anything - to make the floor look better. I decided to paint the perimeter of the floor with a dark color to hide the divot patches and paint residue. I headed to Home Depot to get my newest batch of supplies. At this point, I've spent so much on little things that I was complaining of hemorrhaging money. I chose Cafe Urunia for the perimeter stripe, and headed home with renewed enthusiasm. I spent an hour or more taping the stripe from the dining room all around the kitchen. I started painting in the kitchen because the appliances would be delivered first. Once I painted the first stroke, I freaked out. It was purple!!! What the hell? I sat there for a few minutes trying to decide my next step. I didn't have the paint chip or the booklet it was in, so I had nothing to compare what I had with what I requested. The cable guy was going to arrive at the house between 11 and 12. It was 10. Did I have enough time to exchange my paint because surely, she mixed it incorrectly? I decided I would make it, so off to Home Depot I went again.
I complained that the paint color was purple, she calmly opened the can, put a spot of color on the paint chip, and it matched. DANG! In anger and frustration, I chose the red above it and ordered a gallon if it. I shopped around for some more painting supplies and low-luster sealer and the supplies that go with it. By the time I got back to the paint department, I had calmed down and looked at the paint color sample chips and realized I chose the wrong paint color AGAIN! I chose tile red, when brick red was what I really wanted. Now, instead of purple, I had dark pink! But, dang it, I was going to make it work. I went home, painted the kitchen, then the dining room because that was where the china cabinet was going. Then I did the laundry room because I was desperate for my washer and dryer, and I was taping the office where the computer armoire was going when the cable guy started having problems getting things to work, so I spent the rest of his time there answering questions. He replaced my DVRs with some from his truck, and they still didn't work. He realized I removed a very important little piece of equipment (a splitter) that he needed to make everything work. Of course, it was packed somewhere, so he gave me another. Once he left and the TVs were working, I turned on some Jazz and started to tape off the office floor.
The cable guy took the focus off getting 'er done, and I stepped back and took a look at the color I was putting down. It's a cool red, the floor is a combination of warm colors, so it doesn't look as good as I had hoped. Plus, there are still spots that need to be covered. I decided to make the stripe wider and to paint it walnut - a deep dark brown.
The appliance guys arrived with a huge refrigerator, range, microwave, and dishwasher. The refrigerator is black on the sides - something I didn't notice in the store. I guess because they're displayed side by side, and I didn't look at the sides; I focused on the front instead. So, now when I look into my kitchen, instead of seeing white (like my old fridge), I see a black hole with silver, which makes me think the door is open. I'm getting used to it. I figure it'll be covered with stuff as soon as I find my magnets ;o), so no big deal. The refrigerator is about 8 feet tall. I couldn't even reach the top shelf, so I had to lower it. I thought I'd try a freezer on the bottom, now I'm not so sure about it. Instead of just opening the freezer door and reaching in for ice cubes, I have to open the drawer, and pull out another drawer. Hmmm. I didn't think this one through very well either. I'm hoping I'll get over this too. The delivery guys had to remove my front door and the little catch for my storm door to get the fridge in. They replaced the door, but not the catch. I put it back, but the door didn't close properly. This morning I figured out how to adjust that. I'm becoming so resourceful!
I truly wasn't expecting all these little problems when I started this project. Problems crop up almost every day. When mowing the lawn, someone hit a sprinkler head. I heard it, but they told me it was a rock. I knew I don't have rocks in my front yard. Then when I saw the broken head, he admitted he thinks he hit it. Someone broke a light in a ceiling fan with the 8-ft ladder. Someone cut the telephone wire and removed the box in the living room (trying to be helpful because I was having them remove dead boxes), so the phone base has to be in a room I wouldn't normally have a phone. The clamp to hold the washer drain hose was inadvertently thrown away. I have to figure out what to do with the concrete dust all over the back yard. Someone broke the glass on one of my hall wall sconces. I bought new hinges for the kitchen cabinets, and after a couple hours of putting them on, we realized they don't work because now the doors don't align with the panels and drawers above. Of course, all the little plastic bags they came in have been hauled out with the trash. Luckily, they didn't cost a fortune, but I'll still have antique brass hinges when all the other hardware in the house will be brushed nickle or chrome. I'll just keep my eyes open for something else to use. Pity party over.
By the time my crew showed up Thursday evening, I had my plan. I told them we were going to reseal the floor, and while that was being done, I wanted Superman to clean off the back porch and front sidewalk because we were constantly tracking in concrete dust. So, do you know what we had to do first? We had to disconnect the TVs and get them and their tables and my bed off the floor!
The Behr sealant I got was soooo much better than the stuff we used before. I think it did the same job but without the horrid fumes. I only got one gallon when I should have bought 4, but they made it work. The floor feels amazing. It's smooth, consistent, and I am much, much happier.
When all was done and dried, and everyone was gone, I was left without a bed. It took 2 of us to get it into the garage. Hmmm. I managed to wrangle it back into the house. Except for my coffee pot, suitcase of clothes, and a shower curtain, the house remained empty looking. The TVs and their tables were in closets.
After work yesterday, we started moving furniture back into the house. The POD people called to say they would be by between 10 and 1 this morning to pick up the POD, but our plan was to have it empty because Superman and his sidekick couldn't be back this morning until 11 at the earliest. AND they're bringing the painter with them! Yea! The painter hasn't been well, and now that he's feeling better, he's been having car trouble. He's been trying to get his car fixed so he could get to my house. Superman tracked him and told him he'd bring him to my house because he's holding up the progress. Plus now the painter will have more spending money to fix his car.
While we were moving things in last evening, a coworker came by and hooked up my computer, wi-fi, TVs and phones! Yea! No more having to go to the library to check emails, turn on the AC, and blog.
The POD was empty, swept, and ready to go. I was told it had to be empty, swept, and unlocked. I received it dirty, but I swept it because I can't afford to be charged for anything else! They're refunding $29 because it's not going to a storage facility, but they're charging $74 to pick it up. I don't understand why the $74 isn't included in the total cost. Oh well.
I'm certainly enjoying being back home. I want to do something to nest. While I'm waiting for my crew, I guess I'll wipe concrete dust off whatever I can.
I've decided to replace my drapes and rods with the new style with grommets. I had rings clipped on them before, and I really liked the ease of opening and closing the drapes. The grommets look so much nicer. I'll have double-hung drapes with sheers behind. I had ivory sheers with gold linen-look drapes and they were on one rod. When I opened the gold, I just spread the ivory. It functioned well, but it looked tacky. Actually, I've lived without drapes for 2 weeks or more, and I really like the natural light. I'm even over the privacy issue.
I saw some drapes at JCPenney that I like. Even though I have paint chips that I carry with me at all times to match colors, I think I'll buy a panel and bring it home to see if I like it here. I was really disappointed that JCPenney doesn't carry inventory in the store for most of their drapes. You have to order them online. They don't even have the prices by the panels. They have a range of prices. While you're in the store with credit card in hand to buy, you can't buy. Sigh. My daughter and I will shop for the drapes and rugs. I can't buy anything else until next Wednesday, so this will help prevent impulse buying.
I talked to the electrician about replacing all the ceiling fans in the house - 7 in all. Home Depot has some for $60 and they all match. I currently have at least 3 different styles of ceiling fans in the house, just like my door knobs. It will be nice to have everything matching. Then there's the floor, which is crazy. Now that I see furniture on it, I like it much better. But it still needs the perimeter stripe. So, I'll spend each evening either taping or painting until it's done. Once the baseboards are painted, I'll have to tape them off because I'm not a detail painter by any means.
So, you're up to date on the house update. I see little things that have to be done, and I'm putting blue tape on everything. We'll all have to go through the house hunting for blue tape before it's all done.
Monday the microhood will be installed, and the dishwasher will be installed with the granite counter tops. That's at least 2 weeks away. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It helps to have some of the comforts of home in the house to calm my fears.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
I'll go to the Library and turn on the air conditioner
How many times have you said that? Let's see, I've said it twice this evening. I have the CPS Home Manager programmed thermostat, so I need the internet to turn my AC on or off and to adjust the temperature. Normally, it's great. But when you don't have internet service, you have to find the closest Wi-fi you can borrow. And for me, that's our local library branch. Thank you God that it's just about 1/2 mile from the house.
I had a great morning after a wonderful sleep. I really enjoy having coffee and conversation with my friend every morning. One more, then I'm back on my own. After lunch, things started slipping down hill. I had a doctor appointment, then I was to meet with my sister to close on my Dad's little house. The AC in my car decided to stop working today. I got stuck in traffic in the Medical Center for 10 minutes, until I finally u-turned out of there. I was late to the appointment, which made me almost 1-1/2 hours late to meet my sister. I rushed out of the doctor's office so fast that I left all my prescription meds on her counter. DANG! I was stuck in stop and go traffic on 10 and 1604 from the Medical Center to Huebner and 1604. Needless to say, when I arrived at the title office, I was pretty scary looking. Everyone was still there - Yea! And we took care of business. This was one more piece of the final things "we" have to do as a good-bye to our parents.
I've been using the term "we" very loosely lately. I guess it makes me feel like a part of a team, even though I'm more of a cheerleader and a wallet than a team member.
Today is the final step in the floor preparation. We are supposed to wax the floors, so I needed to rent a buffer with a stiff bristle brush (critical, the instructions say) and a soft bristle brush and a buffer. Well, since I was running late, I suggested to my crew that they replace the door knobs until I get home.
To save time, I decided to stop at the Home Depot at Bandera and 1604. They didn't have tool rental, so I couldn't save time in traffic, I had to go all the way to Culebra. DANG!
When I got to the house, I was reminded that I had locked the garage door and they couldn't look for the doorknobs, but they did remove the ones in the house and they wiped down the baseboards. They are such good workers. I can trust them to keep busy if at all possible.
I got them all set, read the instructions a few times, left them to get started and I headed to the library to turn on the AC and to get sodas at Sonic. When I returned, they met me outside. I looked at their faces and said, "What!" They just said, come in and see.
Applying the wax with the stiff bristle brush is taking some of the stain off the floor. I reread the instructions, and of course it didn't say anything about this happening. Maybe my bristle brush is too stiff? They were uncomfortable using the brush and preferred the buffer. I told them we'd follow the instructions, and if some of the stain came up, that would be OK because the floor was much darker than I had anticipated in the first place. Once they finished the first bedroom, the floor had to be swept because it was actually smoothing the surface again. It was dull like the instructions said, so I told them to continue. I noticed we were a bit warm in the bedroom, That was because the AC wasn't on. It was 85 in the house. So, I had to head to the library yet again to turn on the AC.
Here I am in the car in the library parking lot, windows down, enjoying the breeze and birds, blogging about my life. Will it get any better than this? I thought I'd wait to see what the temp was in the house before I head home. The program manager will tell me the temperature in the living room. How cool is that? or warm in this case. Well, it's cooled from 85 to 82, so I can safely guess it's still on. Until the morrow!
I had a great morning after a wonderful sleep. I really enjoy having coffee and conversation with my friend every morning. One more, then I'm back on my own. After lunch, things started slipping down hill. I had a doctor appointment, then I was to meet with my sister to close on my Dad's little house. The AC in my car decided to stop working today. I got stuck in traffic in the Medical Center for 10 minutes, until I finally u-turned out of there. I was late to the appointment, which made me almost 1-1/2 hours late to meet my sister. I rushed out of the doctor's office so fast that I left all my prescription meds on her counter. DANG! I was stuck in stop and go traffic on 10 and 1604 from the Medical Center to Huebner and 1604. Needless to say, when I arrived at the title office, I was pretty scary looking. Everyone was still there - Yea! And we took care of business. This was one more piece of the final things "we" have to do as a good-bye to our parents.
I've been using the term "we" very loosely lately. I guess it makes me feel like a part of a team, even though I'm more of a cheerleader and a wallet than a team member.
Today is the final step in the floor preparation. We are supposed to wax the floors, so I needed to rent a buffer with a stiff bristle brush (critical, the instructions say) and a soft bristle brush and a buffer. Well, since I was running late, I suggested to my crew that they replace the door knobs until I get home.
To save time, I decided to stop at the Home Depot at Bandera and 1604. They didn't have tool rental, so I couldn't save time in traffic, I had to go all the way to Culebra. DANG!
When I got to the house, I was reminded that I had locked the garage door and they couldn't look for the doorknobs, but they did remove the ones in the house and they wiped down the baseboards. They are such good workers. I can trust them to keep busy if at all possible.
I got them all set, read the instructions a few times, left them to get started and I headed to the library to turn on the AC and to get sodas at Sonic. When I returned, they met me outside. I looked at their faces and said, "What!" They just said, come in and see.
Applying the wax with the stiff bristle brush is taking some of the stain off the floor. I reread the instructions, and of course it didn't say anything about this happening. Maybe my bristle brush is too stiff? They were uncomfortable using the brush and preferred the buffer. I told them we'd follow the instructions, and if some of the stain came up, that would be OK because the floor was much darker than I had anticipated in the first place. Once they finished the first bedroom, the floor had to be swept because it was actually smoothing the surface again. It was dull like the instructions said, so I told them to continue. I noticed we were a bit warm in the bedroom, That was because the AC wasn't on. It was 85 in the house. So, I had to head to the library yet again to turn on the AC.
Here I am in the car in the library parking lot, windows down, enjoying the breeze and birds, blogging about my life. Will it get any better than this? I thought I'd wait to see what the temp was in the house before I head home. The program manager will tell me the temperature in the living room. How cool is that? or warm in this case. Well, it's cooled from 85 to 82, so I can safely guess it's still on. Until the morrow!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Are we having fun yet?
I can tell you what NOT to do when acid staining your floors. I think I'll have to write a book about it.
Saturday morning I decided we were ready to begin staining the floor. If it doesn't look good, I can always carpet it or add laminate flooring or something. 1-800-588-2-300 Empire! kept running through my head. I figured, it's not the end of the world if it's not beautiful.
So, we neutralized the concrete and prepared it for the acid stain.
It dried pretty quickly, so we put down the first stain, waited for it to dry and then the second coat. Sunday morning I took a friend to see it because I freaked out when I saw the floor Saturday night.
She was trying to make me feel better by repeating what I said - the imperfections are part of its charm. Well, it's pretty darn charming because it's definitely imperfect. Once the stain was down, all the places where we didn't remove the glue and paint and the divot fillers, which blended in with the concrete before, practically glowed. She reminded me that that was what area rugs are for. But the main problems are along the baseboards, where the rugs wouldn't be. Hmmm.
Friday night I decided I could always paint a dark stripe along the perimeter of the floor to hide those imperfections. But, by Saturday, I was done with it. No stripes, no more delay!
Sunday we did the second color and it actually looks better. We neutralized the stain and called it a day.
This evening, we'll seal it, and tomorrow we'll wax and buff it to a beautiful lustre. Then Wednesday night, I'll sleep in my bed for the first time since June 1. Of course, it won't compare the comfort of the bed I've been sleeping in at my friend's.
Thursday I'll take delivery of my new appliances and have the cable guy come by to reconnect and hook me up with cable, internet, and a phone. Thursday evening the crew will start throwing everything back into the house. A friend volunteered to connect my computer and TVs. We'll see how much actually gets done. Friday we'll finish unpacking the POD and Saturday, I'll start the fine arranging. My daughter volunteered to help with that.
I'm so stressed out. I've been eating tortilla chips and dark chocolate for my main courses. I'll have to detox once this is all over.
Thanks for the encouraging words and sharing this experience with me.
Saturday morning I decided we were ready to begin staining the floor. If it doesn't look good, I can always carpet it or add laminate flooring or something. 1-800-588-2-300 Empire! kept running through my head. I figured, it's not the end of the world if it's not beautiful.
So, we neutralized the concrete and prepared it for the acid stain.
It dried pretty quickly, so we put down the first stain, waited for it to dry and then the second coat. Sunday morning I took a friend to see it because I freaked out when I saw the floor Saturday night.
She was trying to make me feel better by repeating what I said - the imperfections are part of its charm. Well, it's pretty darn charming because it's definitely imperfect. Once the stain was down, all the places where we didn't remove the glue and paint and the divot fillers, which blended in with the concrete before, practically glowed. She reminded me that that was what area rugs are for. But the main problems are along the baseboards, where the rugs wouldn't be. Hmmm.
Friday night I decided I could always paint a dark stripe along the perimeter of the floor to hide those imperfections. But, by Saturday, I was done with it. No stripes, no more delay!
Sunday we did the second color and it actually looks better. We neutralized the stain and called it a day.
This evening, we'll seal it, and tomorrow we'll wax and buff it to a beautiful lustre. Then Wednesday night, I'll sleep in my bed for the first time since June 1. Of course, it won't compare the comfort of the bed I've been sleeping in at my friend's.
Thursday I'll take delivery of my new appliances and have the cable guy come by to reconnect and hook me up with cable, internet, and a phone. Thursday evening the crew will start throwing everything back into the house. A friend volunteered to connect my computer and TVs. We'll see how much actually gets done. Friday we'll finish unpacking the POD and Saturday, I'll start the fine arranging. My daughter volunteered to help with that.
I'm so stressed out. I've been eating tortilla chips and dark chocolate for my main courses. I'll have to detox once this is all over.
Thanks for the encouraging words and sharing this experience with me.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Ready for this to be over!
It's nice to have a great crew, it's nice to see progress, it's nice to have a great place to shower, sleep, and veg, but I'm ready for it all to be over so I can get back to "normal."
I miss my family, I miss relaxing, I miss having a meal at my dining table, I miss being able to check my emails and blog at will. Right now I'm sitting in my car in the library parking lot using their wi-fi so I can check my emails and blog while I'm at lunch.
I've come up with a plan and schedule so we can empty the POD in time. I'm supposed to have the POD from May 30 to June 30. But, since June 30 is a Sunday, they'll pick it up the day before, so it has to be empty by 7:00 am so they can pick it up. Hold on! Not only am I NOT getting it as they said all along, I'm losing a whole day because it's Sunday! I had to negotiate to get the POD person to say she'd request a PM pickup! That means with my schedule, we'll have Friday night to move everything from the POD into the house. We still have to paint the baseboards and touch up the walls. Yikes!! I talked to my muscle and asked for them to bring as many hands as possible. We may only have Friday night. I'm going to make sure they realize they can't leave until the job is done. Not just 4 hours and then leave like usual.
Can you tell I'm grouchy today?
I miss my family, I miss relaxing, I miss having a meal at my dining table, I miss being able to check my emails and blog at will. Right now I'm sitting in my car in the library parking lot using their wi-fi so I can check my emails and blog while I'm at lunch.
I've come up with a plan and schedule so we can empty the POD in time. I'm supposed to have the POD from May 30 to June 30. But, since June 30 is a Sunday, they'll pick it up the day before, so it has to be empty by 7:00 am so they can pick it up. Hold on! Not only am I NOT getting it as they said all along, I'm losing a whole day because it's Sunday! I had to negotiate to get the POD person to say she'd request a PM pickup! That means with my schedule, we'll have Friday night to move everything from the POD into the house. We still have to paint the baseboards and touch up the walls. Yikes!! I talked to my muscle and asked for them to bring as many hands as possible. We may only have Friday night. I'm going to make sure they realize they can't leave until the job is done. Not just 4 hours and then leave like usual.
Can you tell I'm grouchy today?
Friday, June 21, 2013
The right tools
It's amazing how having the right tools makes things happen faster and better.
On Monday, when my guy started sanding the floor, we didn't have the right sander, and after 3-1/2 hours, he barely "scratched" the surface. Having the right diamond tipped grinder worked so much better and faster. And the difference was amazing.
Then, once the dust settled and we saw what was needed next, we grabbed the tools at hand and got to work scraping the edges along the baseboards. We used trowels, 5-in-1 tools, chisels, whatever we could get our hands on, but we weren't making any progress. Finally after 3 nights, we realized we needed a sander. Of course, we knew that, but we were hoping a couple would fall out of the sky. When they didn't, it was up to me, so again, off to Home Depot I went. My car has been there so many times, I think it can go without me next time. I bought a RIGID 5 rotary sander with a dust bag to cut out "90% of the dust in the work site." Yea! It was amazing how fast and easy it was to get rid of the paint on the edge. But the dust was almost as bad as having the big sander or grinder. If that's 10% of the dust, what would 100% be like? I was told that the secret to dust collection was having the proper holes in the sandpaper. Why didn't they tell me that? Well, they might have if I had read the instructions. We pulled it out of the box, put sandpaper on it, plugged it in, and went to work. The 4 of us were fighting over the sander. We still have lots to do before we can start staining.
The deadline to return the POD is looming very closely at hand. I have a picture of my furniture in the house upside down, with boxes on top of it, whatever could be done to get it out of the POD as the rig is backing up to take it away. I have a week! Pollyanna here thought we'd be using the POD to clean out my garage this coming week because everything would be back in the house, done. Wow! Was I wrong!
But, I still have a week . . .
Another tool I found was an amazingly comfortable bed at a friend's house. I can't believe I didn't bug her the first night. She offered her extra bedroom, and, although I've been a "lone reed" for almost 4 months, I took her up on it. First, I had so much fun talking and catching up. And she has a furry family that I got to pet. I love animals; I miss having something to pet - I just won't have any in my house again - except to visit [well, maybe a housebroken (not litter box) cat]. Once I was showered and I climbed into bed, I knew what heaven was like. That bed was so comfortable and I slept so soundly that I didn't realize my arm had gone to sleep until it was beyond painful. Once that was relieved, I was right back to sleep. Awesome! And that amazing night's sleep was followed by coffee and conversation on her back patio this morning - something I've wanted to do, but never started. Maybe I'll sell my house and rent a room in hers.
Not only did she offer her amazing accommodations in her well-appointed home, she mentioned that I could have borrowed her sander. Well, I couldn't pass up that offer. Now I have 2 sanders! Watch out world - I'm armed and dangerous.
On Monday, when my guy started sanding the floor, we didn't have the right sander, and after 3-1/2 hours, he barely "scratched" the surface. Having the right diamond tipped grinder worked so much better and faster. And the difference was amazing.
Then, once the dust settled and we saw what was needed next, we grabbed the tools at hand and got to work scraping the edges along the baseboards. We used trowels, 5-in-1 tools, chisels, whatever we could get our hands on, but we weren't making any progress. Finally after 3 nights, we realized we needed a sander. Of course, we knew that, but we were hoping a couple would fall out of the sky. When they didn't, it was up to me, so again, off to Home Depot I went. My car has been there so many times, I think it can go without me next time. I bought a RIGID 5 rotary sander with a dust bag to cut out "90% of the dust in the work site." Yea! It was amazing how fast and easy it was to get rid of the paint on the edge. But the dust was almost as bad as having the big sander or grinder. If that's 10% of the dust, what would 100% be like? I was told that the secret to dust collection was having the proper holes in the sandpaper. Why didn't they tell me that? Well, they might have if I had read the instructions. We pulled it out of the box, put sandpaper on it, plugged it in, and went to work. The 4 of us were fighting over the sander. We still have lots to do before we can start staining.
The deadline to return the POD is looming very closely at hand. I have a picture of my furniture in the house upside down, with boxes on top of it, whatever could be done to get it out of the POD as the rig is backing up to take it away. I have a week! Pollyanna here thought we'd be using the POD to clean out my garage this coming week because everything would be back in the house, done. Wow! Was I wrong!
But, I still have a week . . .
Another tool I found was an amazingly comfortable bed at a friend's house. I can't believe I didn't bug her the first night. She offered her extra bedroom, and, although I've been a "lone reed" for almost 4 months, I took her up on it. First, I had so much fun talking and catching up. And she has a furry family that I got to pet. I love animals; I miss having something to pet - I just won't have any in my house again - except to visit [well, maybe a housebroken (not litter box) cat]. Once I was showered and I climbed into bed, I knew what heaven was like. That bed was so comfortable and I slept so soundly that I didn't realize my arm had gone to sleep until it was beyond painful. Once that was relieved, I was right back to sleep. Awesome! And that amazing night's sleep was followed by coffee and conversation on her back patio this morning - something I've wanted to do, but never started. Maybe I'll sell my house and rent a room in hers.
Not only did she offer her amazing accommodations in her well-appointed home, she mentioned that I could have borrowed her sander. Well, I couldn't pass up that offer. Now I have 2 sanders! Watch out world - I'm armed and dangerous.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Red Roof Inn
I managed to function pretty well on the weird sleep I had Monday night. But I decided it was time to sleep on a real bed so I spent the day deciding where I should go
Tuesday evening I returned the grinder. My Jaguar has been a real trooper hauling cardboard boxes, paint, floor stain, sanders and grinders. I hope it survives all this. My funds are running thin, so when I returned the grinder and he said the balance was $89 (after a $175 deposit), did I want to swipe my card to pay the balance, I choked. Naive me. I expected a refund. Oh well, it's still cheaper than tile.
While I was at Home Depot returning the grinder, I had 3 guys (Superman, his brother, and a friend) at the house scraping what the grinder couldn't get around the toilets, inside closets, along baseboards. Again, I was dusty and disgusting. My back yard looks like it is covered in ash. The workers didn't know what to do with the dust they gathered, so they were sprinkling it around the utility box in the back. They had the windows open with a fan blowing out the window and the flowerbed below looked like it was covered in ash. One of the workers said it looked like the house was on fire with all the dust coming out the windows. I wish I'd taken a picture of the dust in the house, but the less evidence, the better, right?
I saw that Red Roof Inn, less than a mile from my office had a room for $49.99, so I made a reservation. I assumed it had a blow dryer and coffee maker. Not the $49.99 room. For that, you don't get bells or whistles. But it was clean, and it had a bed and wi-fi.
Well, the wi-fi didn't work. Or maybe it was the 3 pages of terms and conditions that put me off. A TV! I forgot what it was like to have a TV! Once I settled in, I turned it on to HGTV. Isn't that what got me in there to begin with? I sat down with the floor stain instructions and finally had a chance to read them. Well! We're doing it all wrong. But it is what it is, and we'll just muddle through.
The shower was great. It felt good to be clean and in a normal room. I finally crashed about 10:00, and the bed felt like cardboard with an inch of cotton on top. The sheets were really soft, and it was a bed. I slept pretty well, but actually, I was more comfortable in my car the night before. Nothing beats a Jaguar for comfort, right?
I ran by the house for some food. The fridge is still on the back porch, and rather than buy meals out, I decided to stick with my diet as much as possible. It's really funny - normally I can barely make it to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee to get started and I'm starving. Yesterday, I got up, dressed, ran by the house, withdrew money from one credit union, deposited the money into another, got to the office, blogged, checked my email, and before I knew it, it was 8:30 and I hadn't had a cup of coffee or eaten yet.
Last night, Superman and I mopped the floors. They are really looking good. I'm concerned because you can see the swirls from the grinder. I don't know if that will affect the stain - I'm assuming YES! There is still a lot of scraping and hand sanding to do. But you know, I'm just about to say, after tonight, let's go with what we have and consider the flaws "character." I'm not into perfection. Perfection has to be maintained. The painted concrete that I had wasn't perfect. As a matter of fact, we started out with 3 or 4 of us splotching it. I gave each pie pans with paint, pieces of sponge, and an area to work. I gave them general instructions and left them to their own creativity. You could tell exactly where each worked by the different type of pattern they did. I took photos of the progression of the living room floor. It was fun looking at it the other day when I was packing and unearthed it.
Before we left, I washed the dust off my hibiscus and lantana in the flowerbed below the window. I watered down the concrete dust they left sprinkled on my granite pathway.
I made reservations to stay at LaQuinta, another hotel close to work. As I was checking in, a friend who lives about 3 miles away from me, and I completely forgot about, called and asked if I needed a place to stay. I told her no because I was checking in. DANG!!! I can't believe I forgot about her! And she has animals I could pet. It's funny, I miss having pets.
Again, I didn't sleep well. The air conditioner sounds weird, so every time it turned on, I woke up. I couldn't get comfortable in the bed, and I woke up every hour. There's no place like home.
So, you're up to date. I'm thinking I can sleep at the house tonight. My goal is to have the guys scrape while the packing/cleaning maniac and I wipe down everything to get rid of the concrete dust. I managed to find the wood grain in my antique dining table last night. The lion claw feet still need a good pedicure, but it looks better than it did.
The best part of all this, besides the obvious is the physical activity I'm doing. I feel awesome! I actually had to keep pulling my jeans up last night. I had become such a slug sitting in front of the TV or a computer, or at times both, but not doing much. This has been such a blessing. My Chiropractor is surprised that I'm doing so well after being rear-ended in April, and I think it's because I'm so active.
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