What's Been Happening and Happy Thanksgiving!

The kitties and I were quite surprised to see a skiff of snow on the ground when we got up on Saturday morning.  I don't know if it was the weather or what, but they were into everything over the weekend.

They probably knew BG and I were trying to get a lot done with the bathroom remodel and decided to test our patience!

 
Sorry for the poor quality of the photo, but I wanted to show you what Stormy has been doing the last few days.  She just doesn't want to leave the plant alone that is on the entertainment center.  She thinks that if she walks behind the TV she is hiding and we won't see her.  lol!   

I spent the better part of 2 hours one day repotting some 8 or 9 houseplants and I had a lot of help with that job from my furry crew.  It was a job that I've been putting off, but now it's done and all the tops of the cabinets and refrigerator are also clean where I keep them away from busy little paws.  Except for the couple on the entertainment center that I have to watch for telltale signs of chewing.  

I do know that pothos is toxic, but not deadly, to cats and it doesn't seem to bother Stormy.  I  purchased a container of grass for them to chew on at the pet store, but they ignored it.  

  
Friday saw me heading back to the home center again, but first a little detour was made to the Amish country for some pies and other goodies for Thanksgiving.  I was so focused on thinking about what I needed/wanted that I didn't think to take any photos until I was leaving.  The day was cloudy and dreary as you can see in this quick snap through my dirty windshield.

 
I'd rather have been napping over the weekend, but BG and I worked on the bathroom getting the trim back in place, hanging the closet doors, putting the cabinet back in place in the divider, hanging the mirror, and semi-installing the vanity.  We still have the vanity to finish and new closet doorknobs to install and the trim around the new window needs finishing and installed.  I think that's about it!  

Meanwhile, Kim and J were still working on the walls at The Project.  They have the spare bedroom painted and now the rest of the rooms are about ready to paint.  After our bathroom is finished, we'll be helping with the painting when we can.  BG also needs to finish some electrical stuff.

I'd love to be going to Branson for Thanksgiving this year, but we decided we'd better spend every day BG has off at The Project if daughter is to get moved in before Christmas.

  
Are you cooking this Thanksgiving?  We were invited to go out to eat with J's parents.  They live near us and are a fun couple to be around, but we decided to stay at home.  Our son will be coming in and it will just be the few of us.  Kim and J will come by later in the day for an evening meal.

I most likely won't be posting for awhile.  Maybe not for a few weeks.  Life is just too busy for me to keep up with blogging right now.  I will pop in and read when I can, though.  And I still have several blog friends on my prayer list.  I won't forget you!

I wish all of my friends here in the US the most wonderful Thanksgiving ever.  I have much to be grateful for and I've put a list of a few things in my sidebar.  There is too much to list them all!  One thing I am grateful for is for my blogging friends.  You are the best and I'm thankful for each one of you.  Take care and have a wonderful holiday!

xo Cheryl 

A Rainy Monday

 

The clouds were just moving in late yesterday when I snapped this photo.  I woke up to rain this morning and a bit of a panicky feeling as my thoughts quickly zeroed in on the work still needing to be done before Thanksgiving.  I'm beginning to think that going out to eat this Thanksgiving sounds good.

There is so much clutter from moving stuff out of the big closet in the bathroom in order to get to the plumbing for the tub and putting ceramic tile on the floor.  The clutter of tools scattered around, the clutter of boxes such as the new sink faucet and the huge box which houses the new toilet.  You get the picture.  But not an actual one.  Ha! 

 

After being home from work all week with a nasty cold/virus, BG was feeling well enough to help me get the bathroom painted over the weekend.  He got on the ladder and painted near the ceiling and I rolled on the rest.  And, yes, I did find the paint I was looking for!

The vanity is now sitting below that light fixture, but not yet completely put in place.  I stood on a chair holding that fixture while BG did the wiring.  He finished just in the nick of time as my arm began cramping.  Not to mention his hand was getting a cramp, too.

I think I may have said a time or two, that when we get finished with this bathroom and a couple more rooms get painted and the basement redone, and The Project is painted, that I'm swearing off DIY projects for good!  

Meanwhile, back at The Project our daughter was painting and J, her boyfriend, was changing a ceiling light and taking out shelves in a closet for her.  

As in all painting projects that I've had a hand in, after the first coat dries you always find a few places that need a touch up or maybe even a second coat.  I had to do that for the bathroom and her spare bedroom will need the same.

At first I didn't like the color she chose, it looked so different when wet, but after it dried a bit it looked much better.  She chose a shade of brown which looked pretty and chocolatey on the sample.

Don't look at the ceiling too close, there needs to be some touch up painting done.  The only thing in this room we didn't replace was the bathtub.  It was in pretty good shape and we wanted to stay within our budget for this project.  I did decide to go ahead and have the grab bars put in because I've already wished I something to hold on to when I've had a senior vertigo moment.

How about a mirror like these that are at the Dixie Stampede in Branson for our bathroom?  I actually have 2 of the horse collars from long ago.  My dad gave me one and when he moved I inherited his.  They've been in storage ever since because they are not quite my thing!  But hey, I could put a mirror in one and hang it over the vanity.  What do you think?  No?  Me, neither. 

Before I close I want to say that my thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the horrific happenings in France.  Also my prayers are with all who are fighting against those who are doing the devil's work all around the world.  I think that the devil must be working overtime because he knows his time is growing short.  May the Lord bless us and keep us safe.

xo Cheryl

Just Call It A Gallimaufry

I ran across a new-to-me word recently and it pretty much describes my post for today.  The word is gallimaufry.  I do read a lot but I have to say this word is one I hadn't yet encountered. 

Dictionary dot com says that it means a hodgepodge; jumble; confused medley.  2, a ragout or hash. 

Sound interesting yet?  Ha!  Well, this is my way of saying that this post is likely to be all over the place today.  A gallimaufry.  Or, if you prefer, a hodgepodge of stuff to share.

I'm driving myself nuts trying to decide on a color for the bathroom.  It will probably be ready for painting after tomorrow.  

Here's another shot of the condo that has the color I want.  I called the condo Friday and they are supposed to look it up when they have time.  Hopefully, they'll get to it soon!  Meanwhile, my paint sample collection is growing.  I've gotten close to the shade I'm looking for, but the color looks different depending on the light.  Just like the walls look different according to what time of day it is or the kind of light in the room.
  
Help me, Rhonda.  I'm about to put all the colors in a hat and draw one out and say this is it!  

In spite of some very chilly nights, most days have been nice and we have a few geraniums still blooming as well as some of our Knockout Roses.  We put away most of the flower pots over the weekend.  That is about all BG and I accomplished.  Mr. Grumpy Face is feeling puny with a cold and even stayed home from work today.  I call him grumpy because he is when he doesn't feel good.  I am the same way, I'm sure!

Our daughter and her fella have been busy getting the hardwood floors done at The Project.  This is another before shot showing the sanded area and then with one coat of polyurethane.  Most of the floors have now had 4 coats with some sanding in between.  The last coat will be put on the bedroom floors this evening.  They are looking great!  

 
Let's get out of the house for a minute and away from all that paint pondering and sick men and enjoy the nice fall day.  Most of our leaves have fallen or have turned brown.  The tree above in the back yard is always the last one to lose it's leaves.  The tree in the first photo and next photo is at the other house aka The Project, so there are a few pretty trees left but they won't last much longer.  

  
Did I mention that the carpenter worked all weekend?  Oh yeah.  Fun times around here.  lol!  There will be lots of work to do after he's finished.  Dust is everywhere from the sanding of the sheetrock even though he kept the door closed.  So, if I disappear for awhile from blogland, you know that I'm busy cleaning and painting.  We're about ready to begin painting at the other house, too.   

Take care everyone and have a great week!  I'm going to the kitchen now and make some homemade chicken noodle soup for Grumpy Face BG. 

xo Cheryl

A Change of Mind and Another Before and After

It's another beautiful fall day in mid-MO with sunny skies and warm temps.  A great day for the Royal Celebration Parade in KC.  My son and his girlfriend will be there to cheer the 2015 World Series Champions.  I requested some photos since I couldn't go.  

The bathroom project is still ongoing at my house.  This carpenter seems to be slow, but he's particular and that's all good.  The table and floor is covered with boxes of tile and various stuff for this project.  Stormy likes to keep on top of everything.  :)  

Why do there have to be so many paint samples to choose from?  It's just mind-boggling!  I've about decided against the light aqua for the bathroom.  The teal blue color pictured above was in the condo we stayed in at Branson a couple of years ago.  I fell in love with the color.  If I can find something close to this, I think this will look good in my bathroom.  The color just below and right of the clock around the light switch is the closest to the true color.

When I can sit down without a couple of kitties on my lap, I get online and look for things we need such as the polyurethane for the floors at The Project.  I found what we wanted at Menards and their online site said they had 5 gallons left.  Just what we needed.  It sure saves some steps to know which home center has what and if it is in stock.

The floors at The Project were sanded over the weekend.  This is a before shot of the hardwood floor in the kitchen.  This is also before the gas cook stove was removed and the ceiling fan was replaced with a simple light fixture.  Also, the wall on the left side was repaired and everything is almost ready for paint in that room.  

This is the same floor looking in from the deck with one coat of polyurethane on it.  I was amazed at how the sander made the wood look like brand new.  The floors have gotten 2 coats of polyurethane and will get a couple more.  We wanted to get the painting done before the floors were finished, but it didn't work out.  They can be covered with some good drop cloths. 

Hubby still has some wiring to do at that house.  There is one situation that is really bugging him.  A switch in the living room that operates the ceiling fan stays hot even when the main breaker is turned off.  He hasn't solved that mystery yet.  

That's all for now folks.  Have a lovely day!

xo Cheryl