Ready! Fire-Fire-Fire! ...Aim?

I'm sick of being the responsible one in the family. The one that makes people eat a green vegetable. The one who says "Where are your safety goggles?" and "What are you going to do to support the house once you pry off that moldy support beam?".

So I removed everything from my closet.

This is the closet that I've been thinking about for months, nay! Years! I stared at the gross linoleum on the floor and decided to ignore that.

I did some measurements by holding out my arms.

I found the mis-tint section at Lowes. Its cold here. I went with Mediterrean Blue to feel warm and I painted.

Jeff filled the hole in the floor - the chimney from the old gas fireplace in the kitchen ran through here before it was removed. Then he said "What are you going to do about the hole in the ceiling?".

I did some prying. I found some nice old wallpaper under that metal rectangle.

I now need to make a trip to the hardware store to find something to replace that metal rectangle, the clothes will have to remain piled up in the bedroom for a few more days.

Living on the edge requires patience. Now I remember why I usually make a project plan first.

A little poetic license

'Twas the night before New Years
and from the roof to the door mats
Not a creature was stirring,
we exterminated the bats!

Three cans of Great Stuff were piled in a hill,
A sign more holes in the house had been filled.

The canoe was hung from the rafters with care,
in hopes a spring thaw would soon be here.

The Beechnuts were nestled snug in their beds,
while visions of a new sandbox danced in their heads.

So I laid down my hammer and Jeff quieted the chop-saw.
There will be more to do next year,
So, Happy New Year's to All!

We wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe new year!

One day early

Winter arrived a day earlier than the calendar said it would. We spent the day sledding and drinking hot chocolate.

Happy Holidays!

May I take your coat?

The mudroom is mostly finished!
Here's the before shot, to refresh your memory:


And here's the much improved, filled with conveniences, now with storage, after photos:



Jeff finished the bench this morning, and if you look closely, you will notice how out-of-level the floor is. The bench is 100% level, the floor slopes about 1.5 inches.

The walls were painted Sherwin William Shagreen and trim was painted with (leftover) Benjamin Moore Decorator's White.

The hooks came from Lowes and the cabinets are the Expedit and the bookshelves are the Besta from Ikea.

We aren't sure if we'll add another bench, or just put some spare chairs to use in the other space.
I want to add a clothes hanger for drying mittens and snowsuits, a mirror, and a key-holder, but for now, its usable and lit!

Mudroom: Ready for paint

The mudroom walls have been plastered and a coat of primer applied. Ceinling was painted so we could finish the lights.

Now, for the paint. I read this article about the Best Green Paint but when we got the paint chip it seemed a little dark, so we're going with the color above it on the strip. Sherwin Williams Shagreen is the color we will be applying to the walls this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed that it works out!

Guest Room, Before

Here's a "Before" photo of our tiny guest room.

I recently rotated the bed to have the head under the window and the foot toward the door, which has opened the room up. Previously the head was against the wall on the right. Its amazing how a simple thing like a 90 degree rotation of large furniture can change a room.

I want the room to look like this, minus the twin beds:

photo from Domino magazine

The room needs a headboard, new curtains and wall sconces. Little Green Notebook posted an interesting tutorial for roman shades, reusing the old metal blinds installed by the previous owners.

It also needs some new furniture. I have plans for a bedside table with outlets so guests can charge their cell phones, and a small dresser with space underneath for suitcases. I am hoping to find something existing among the stuff in our basement that can be reused.

And, a new coat of paint is obviously in order. I hope to get this room in order before Christmas, when we have family coming to visit. Once again, I learn that I don't do anything without a deadline!

Mudroom Update

The wall hangers came and hung the walls. This photo is from the back of the basement, looking toward the walk-out. Jeff hooked up all the recessed lighting and did the framing and strapping before he ran out of energy and called in a pro to put up the wall board.
Now its really, really time to design the mudroom.