Life on Main ST.: October 2011

10.28.2011

I've spent the last week

Painting, painting and painting some more.

We are done with paint in our bedroom and the kitchen.

YES! War Whoop!

It's looking fantastic and I'm so excited about putting the floor down next week.

It actually snowed here last night!

Sounds like we might have a nor'easter blow in tomorrow too.

Yay! We've been counting the days till snow arrives.

It's cool for now, but give it two months and we'll be stir crazy.

I took a few shots of friends of ours last weekend.

Something about the autumn sky makes picture taking

an absolute pleasure.

Gotta run.

Packing up the kiddos to take them to grandma's for the weekend.

They're crazy excited.

So am I.

10.21.2011

The floor that almost landed me in the ER...

Some days I don't think we know when to stop.

Some days I know we don't.

This whole kitchen project actually started as a laundry room re-do.

Really.

But since we're putting a laundry/mud room, we decided

to move the bath out there too.

And since the bath was located in the kitchen,

it got tore out and now the kitchen was a mess.

Besides, the kitchen was done in 1971.

Very dated.

So we tore into the rest of the kitchen,

which led to tearing down a chimney,

which led to re-drywalling a section of the boys' room.

You get the point.

So when we shopped for flooring, we got this infamous idea.

Our bedroom floor had grown mold and was rotting.

A bona-fide health hazard.

Because of all the square footage, we got a good deal on flooring.

So we tore out our bedroom floor.

Which leads to repainting and retrimming the bedroom.

What a coupla suckas.

At this point I do not know whether to laugh or cry.

Although crying has been high on my list of options.

Not only am I out of a kitchen,

but I'm also out of a bedroom.

There are pieces of bedroom furniture, closet paraphanelia,

and tools, paint and cranky kids everywhere.

On Saturday we tore out the old bedroom flooring

And I got an allergic reaction.

To the 100 + year old dust, or mold, I don't know.

I spent most of the night fighting to breathe,

and was tempted to run to the ER.

But I made it through, and I'm not dead yet.

The nasty mold growing on the floor. This was taken after the first layer of floor was ripped up:

My man doing what he likes to do best: demo.

We found some history in our floor boards.

The backs of some of them were stamped with a company name.

After doing a google search,

we found that they were milled right here in our little town.

The company that milled them originally made wooden bins but in the late 1800's went into hardware flooring.

They got bought out and moved to Chicago in 1930

during the Great Depression.

So most of the flooring in our house was probably installed

in the early 1900's.

Under that floor is the original plank flooring.

It's still in really decent shape, except for the corner with the mold.

So, yes, we will replace it.

And yes, my walls did get painted black.

It will all be worth it. Yes, it will.

Said to self in my most convincing tone of voice.

Please, Lord, give me endurance.

10.14.2011

One More...

This week we made ONE MORE run

to the lake.

It has been so amazingly warm

and while I chatted with two mommy friends

the kids ran on the playground

and collected shells on the lake shore.

On the rainy days we've had,

in between the warm, sunny ones,

I got out my paintbrush

for just ONE MORE paint project.

My middle name should be Painter.

It's my husband's biggest nightmare.

Coming home to a wife donned in paint attire

with a wicked paint brush in her hand.

He's says, "So , what were you doing today?"

When inwardly he's thinking,

"Oh gracious, is there still house left?"

I paint on a whim.

Fast and furious.

Cause if a paint project drags out,

I lose steam.

I'd like to think I'm the ' Little Engine That Could'

and just keep chugging at it.

But really,

I'm more like a rocket.

I'm only moving my painter hand

when there is a fire in the burner.

That's my scary painter face right there.

and my favorite pair of pants

forever ruined by the dropped quart of black paint.

I'm serious. It happened. A year or two ago.

In the old kitchen.

Which was a good thing,

Because really , you couldn't make that room

Look worse than it already did.

See why my husband's blood pressure goes up

when he sees me with a brush in hand?

So this week I picked up the brush

ONE MORE time.

and painted the Waye green walls of my room

Black.

Cause black is a color, and I really love it.

So, give me ONE MORE second

while I go fuel the rocket

for the second coat of paint.

10.12.2011

View from the Street

My view from the street:

Love these colors of fall.

Even if today is dreary.

It's why we live this far north.

Not for the cold,

but for the change of seasons.

The smell of frost and dry leaves.

Kitchen 3...end in sight.

My drywall guys have finally arrived!

Mwah...I could kiss them.

Except I won't. Ew.

I'm married. Happily.

That was a rabbit trail.

Back to the subject:

Drywall.

And it's so beautiful.

I'm actually having a hard time believing this is happening.

I mean, drywall is like big, right?

It means paint is next.

And then beautiful kitchen cabinets.

Farmhouse sinks.

Chandeliers.

Wood Floors.

And a kitchen stove.

Whew.

I could really get into some dance music right now.

But I don't have moves.

So I'll just show you some of the elements that are inspiring

and will be featured in my kitchen.

It's gonna be a beaut.

I present: my kitchen sink

This over-weight, silky skinned lovely arrived by semi truck to the curb on main st. It's one hefty beast, but it's exactly what I dream of.

Next up: lighting

Whoabatmanmybrainisfried.

I have spent literally hours perusing lighting stores and websites.

Lights are like, whoa, expensive.

But I found these and I love 'em.

The pulley thing-a-ma-bobs bring the kitchen back

to the early 1900's era,

when they used pulley's to lower gas lanterns to refill them.

Speaking of which,

We found old gas lines when we gutted the kitchen

that powered their gas lanterns hung on the walls.

Cool.

My chandeliers look like this:

Found these at el-famosa Lowe's.

The location of all our hot dates this summer.

Nothing builds a marriage

like standing in a Lowe's aisle.

Anyhoo...

One of these will go above our eat-in area

and one will go above my sink.

Because I figure-

if i've got to wash dishes, it might as well be grand.

And who has a chandelier over their kitchen sink, anyway.

Flooring:

The floor story went a lot like the lighting.

Picture in my head.

Transfer to husband's head.

Go to many floor stores.

Feel nauseous at prices.

Can't find what I want anyway.

Finally, at my local Floor Fashion, I score.

Always shop local, people.

You'll be suprised how much can be found

in the local mom-and-pop.

So in keeping with this house's integrity

we went with a gorgeous hand hewn, distressed floor.

Oven range hood:

No, that is not my kitchen,

but it sure is wow.

My cabinet guy has this picture

to try to duplicate the range hood.

Hope it turns out this gorgeous.

And the rest of this kitchen story

is going to have to wait.

My drywallers have left for the day.

And my husband is due home any minute.

I think he deserves that kiss.

For being so awesomesauce

and working his tail off thus far

so I have an amazing place

to cook his meals.

10.05.2011

New Niece

I've got a new niece

and she's a beauty

Welcome to the world, little one.

Camp Meeting

This is going back about a month or so.

But it's just too good to miss.

I'm so grateful my kids get to grow up remembering this as an annual summer "camp" week.

Every year our "little"church does a week long camp meeting...

full of:

camping, fellowship, food, and some of the best worship and God-presence you'll find anywhere.

We like to call it a "Holy Ghost blow-out".

We spend months preparing for hundreds of people to invade the 'borders of our tent' and have seen lives changed forever by the intense presence of the Father.

Nothing compares.

We set up a ginormous tent. Nights are chilly, but there is always this overwhelming warmth in the tent, plus the dancing and praising Jesus get your blood pressure up and the chill is never noticed.