We Are Taking Some Time Off

We are going to take some much needed time off here over the next several days.  Time to recharge the batteries.

We will be back with you the middle of next week.  In the meantime, think of a project you would like us to talk about and send us your idea.  Or send us your questions.  We look forward to hearing from you.

We Are Taking Some Time Off

We are going to take some much needed time off here over the next several days.  Time to recharge the batteries.

We will be back with you the middle of next week.  In the meantime, think of a project you would like us to talk about and send us your idea.  Or send us your questions.  We look forward to hearing from you.

We're Painting My Bedroom at Crest Avenue

We are painting my bedroom at Crest Avenue.  This has been, and continues to be, quite a project.  The room is small.  Actually, I believe this bedroom was originally intended as a spare bedroom.  But I took it as my bedroom because it is in the back of the house.  It is quieter back here.  And this bedroom does not get the glaring morning sun like the larger bedroom in the front of the house.  The larger bedroom I turned into my office.  I need a large office space.  I do not need much space to sleep.

The first thing that needed to be done was to disassemble the bed and get that moved out of the room.  Then it was time to prime the wood paneled wall.  Some time ago we knocked out this entire wall.  We then installed a new light switch, a new electrical outlet and a new cable and phone connector outlet.  After that work was completed, Bob installed the wood paneling.  This is not the 4' x 8' sheets of wall paneling from the '70's.  These are the tongue in groove panels that were popular in the '40's and '50's.  Many of the homes built during that period used these panels for basement walls.  They were also used in kitchens.  Most times they were shellacked with a high gloss.  I have decided not to do that.  I primed this wall in preparation for paint.  This wall will be painted in a solid color and the remaining three walls will be painted in the same color but with a color wash added on top.

Before we could start priming the walls, there was the issue of removing the wallpaper.  Originally, there was wallpaper on the walls from the '40's which took forever to remove.  I don't have any good advice for you on how to remove wallpaper.  Especially paper that has been on the wall for many years.  I tried everything and nothing made the job easier.  I bought one of those expensive steamers.  That didn't work.  All it did was make an enormous mess.  The steam turned to water on the wallpaper and the water ran down the wall and pooled on the floor.  I thought I would tear my hair out.  Good money down the drain.  I tried chemicals. I tried one of those wallpaper monsters which you roll over the paper to allegedly "loosen" it.  That did nothing but damage the wall underneath.  The one thing that worked the best was just a cheap spray bottle from Walmart filled with hot tap water and a wide blade putty knife.  That was what worked the best to remove the wallpaper.  You see above how I was able to loosen the wallpaper backing to get it off the wall.

Here is another section of wallpaper being removed.  I removed the original rose patterned(?!?!!!) wallpaper.  Then I began installing grasscloth.  I did not like the grasscloth once I saw it on the wall, so I removed it.

When I began the grasscloth installation, I painted strips of dark color where the wallpaper met.  The reason for that was to alleviate a tiny sliver of the white wall showing during the winter months when the paper contracts.  When the humidity level decreases, the paper contracts.  When the humidity level is high during the summer months, the paper expands.  And believe me, we have plenty of humidity here in the spring and summer.

So all of these dark swaths had to be primed before applying the new color.

The back wall of the bedroom, all paper removed and repairs made.

The northeast facing wall.  Same deal.  All paper removed and repaired.  This picture was taken in the early morning.  You see there is some early morning sun which comes through this window.  But nothing like the front bedroom.

This pillow, which I got from IKEA, has all of the colors I will be working with in the new color scheme for the bedroom.  Blues, teals, grays, mauves and golds - all of these beautiful colors which I am excited to bring into the room.

And finally, the best helper in the whole wide world.  Baxter.  It's been awhile since we talked about Baxter. He is fine.  He is very happy that spring has finally arrived.  And he is excited that it is Memorial Day weekend.  So there you have it for right now.  We are well into this project now and have some very busy days ahead of us.

We're Painting My Bedroom at Crest Avenue

We are painting my bedroom at Crest Avenue.  This has been, and continues to be, quite a project.  The room is small.  Actually, I believe this bedroom was originally intended as a spare bedroom.  But I took it as my bedroom because it is in the back of the house.  It is quieter back here.  And this bedroom does not get the glaring morning sun like the larger bedroom in the front of the house.  The larger bedroom I turned into my office.  I need a large office space.  I do not need much space to sleep.

The first thing that needed to be done was to disassemble the bed and get that moved out of the room.  Then it was time to prime the wood paneled wall.  Some time ago we knocked out this entire wall.  We then installed a new light switch, a new electrical outlet and a new cable and phone connector outlet.  After that work was completed, Bob installed the wood paneling.  This is not the 4' x 8' sheets of wall paneling from the '70's.  These are the tongue in groove panels that were popular in the '40's and '50's.  Many of the homes built during that period used these panels for basement walls.  They were also used in kitchens.  Most times they were shellacked with a high gloss.  I have decided not to do that.  I primed this wall in preparation for paint.  This wall will be painted in a solid color and the remaining three walls will be painted in the same color but with a color wash added on top.

Before we could start priming the walls, there was the issue of removing the wallpaper.  Originally, there was wallpaper on the walls from the '40's which took forever to remove.  I don't have any good advice for you on how to remove wallpaper.  Especially paper that has been on the wall for many years.  I tried everything and nothing made the job easier.  I bought one of those expensive steamers.  That didn't work.  All it did was make an enormous mess.  The steam turned to water on the wallpaper and the water ran down the wall and pooled on the floor.  I thought I would tear my hair out.  Good money down the drain.  I tried chemicals. I tried one of those wallpaper monsters which you roll over the paper to allegedly "loosen" it.  That did nothing but damage the wall underneath.  The one thing that worked the best was just a cheap spray bottle from Walmart filled with hot tap water and a wide blade putty knife.  That was what worked the best to remove the wallpaper.  You see above how I was able to loosen the wallpaper backing to get it off the wall.

Here is another section of wallpaper being removed.  I removed the original rose patterned(?!?!!!) wallpaper.  Then I began installing grasscloth.  I did not like the grasscloth once I saw it on the wall, so I removed it.

When I began the grasscloth installation, I painted strips of dark color where the wallpaper met.  The reason for that was to alleviate a tiny sliver of the white wall showing during the winter months when the paper contracts.  When the humidity level decreases, the paper contracts.  When the humidity level is high during the summer months, the paper expands.  And believe me, we have plenty of humidity here in the spring and summer.

So all of these dark swaths had to be primed before applying the new color.

The back wall of the bedroom, all paper removed and repairs made.

The northeast facing wall.  Same deal.  All paper removed and repaired.  This picture was taken in the early morning.  You see there is some early morning sun which comes through this window.  But nothing like the front bedroom.

This pillow, which I got from IKEA, has all of the colors I will be working with in the new color scheme for the bedroom.  Blues, teals, grays, mauves and golds - all of these beautiful colors which I am excited to bring into the room.

And finally, the best helper in the whole wide world.  Baxter.  It's been awhile since we talked about Baxter. He is fine.  He is very happy that spring has finally arrived.  And he is excited that it is Memorial Day weekend.  So there you have it for right now.  We are well into this project now and have some very busy days ahead of us.

A Few Pictures of Spring Blooming

I got a few shots one morning this week of some of the beautiful spring blooming in the front yard at Crest Avenue.

This massive pink and purple flowering hydrangea is as healthy this year as any year I can remember. This is truly a specimen plant.  A few weeks ago I shared with you that I trimmed the existing wood considerably and snipped out the dead wood.  We may only get greenery this year since most hydrangea flower on the wood from the previous year.  But that is OK.  It had gotten too gangly from not being trimmed over the years.  Last year it was full of blossoms but they kept falling over because they were too heavy for the branches.

Two more hydrangea that were planted last year in close proximity to the specimen above.  The soil determines the color of the blooms.  Since the large specimen plant has pink/purple blossoms and these are just a couple feet away, I expect they will have the same colors.

Our banana tree is thriving.  It made it through the winter.  And as we all know, this was a very harsh winter throughout the country.  If this banana tree made it through last winter, then it will make it through any winter.

Another view to show you how strong this is coming back.  It should be glorious in about a month.  I have some diamond grass that I want to plant in this area also.  We will be covering that in the next few weeks.

Lots going on in the landscape these days.  And lots to do.  We have had plenty of rain this spring and it shows.

A Few Pictures of Spring Blooming

I got a few shots one morning this week of some of the beautiful spring blooming in the front yard at Crest Avenue.

This massive pink and purple flowering hydrangea is as healthy this year as any year I can remember. This is truly a specimen plant.  A few weeks ago I shared with you that I trimmed the existing wood considerably and snipped out the dead wood.  We may only get greenery this year since most hydrangea flower on the wood from the previous year.  But that is OK.  It had gotten too gangly from not being trimmed over the years.  Last year it was full of blossoms but they kept falling over because they were too heavy for the branches.

Two more hydrangea that were planted last year in close proximity to the specimen above.  The soil determines the color of the blooms.  Since the large specimen plant has pink/purple blossoms and these are just a couple feet away, I expect they will have the same colors.

Our banana tree is thriving.  It made it through the winter.  And as we all know, this was a very harsh winter throughout the country.  If this banana tree made it through last winter, then it will make it through any winter.

Another view to show you how strong this is coming back.  It should be glorious in about a month.  I have some diamond grass that I want to plant in this area also.  We will be covering that in the next few weeks.

Lots going on in the landscape these days.  And lots to do.  We have had plenty of rain this spring and it shows.

Steven's Birthday Bag

Of course, we couldn't very well throw a birthday party for Steven last Saturday without gifts.

I put together a bag filled with some fun things.

First up, Woolzies Dryer Balls.  We have talked about Eco-Nuts Dryer Balls here in the past.  I couldn't find Eco-Nuts for his birthday.  So I got Woolzies.  They are the same product as Eco-Nuts without the intriguing name.  So now he can dry his laundry in half the time like many of my friends who have already received these as gifts.

I thought this pillow was really cute.

And finally a citronella candle in a sea urchin shaped vase.  This was the perfect gift bag.  He is, like most of us at this age, difficult to buy for.  What do you get someone who has everything.  Well, you get creative and put together a gift bag like this.  He loved everything so I was pleased with what I selected.  If you have a birthday coming up, get a gift bag and start filling it with things you think the recipient will like.  Then add a little tissue paper and a card and a little balloon, if you like, and you are ready to go to the party.

Steven's Birthday Bag

Of course, we couldn't very well throw a birthday party for Steven last Saturday without gifts.

I put together a bag filled with some fun things.

First up, Woolzies Dryer Balls.  We have talked about Eco-Nuts Dryer Balls here in the past.  I couldn't find Eco-Nuts for his birthday.  So I got Woolzies.  They are the same product as Eco-Nuts without the intriguing name.  So now he can dry his laundry in half the time like many of my friends who have already received these as gifts.

I thought this pillow was really cute.

And finally a citronella candle in a sea urchin shaped vase.  This was the perfect gift bag.  He is, like most of us at this age, difficult to buy for.  What do you get someone who has everything.  Well, you get creative and put together a gift bag like this.  He loved everything so I was pleased with what I selected.  If you have a birthday coming up, get a gift bag and start filling it with things you think the recipient will like.  Then add a little tissue paper and a card and a little balloon, if you like, and you are ready to go to the party.

Repairs to the Vertical Blind Valance

Every day brings us something new.  Some days it brings something good.  Some days something bad.  And some days it brings annoyances.  This particular day brought us an annoyance.  The valance on the vertical blinds in the kitchen just all of a sudden decided it was tired.  I walked in one day last week and it was no longer clipped to the supporting rail.  With all the things I have to do, this was not something I needed right then. But, it had to be fixed, so here is what we did.

Here was the sad, hanging valance that I saw as I entered the kitchen.

I thought, "This is odd.  How did it do that?"

Upon closer inspection, I found that the plastic clips which hold the valance in place had miraculously snapped.  Maybe with time these clips lose their resiliency and this is what happens.  I don't know.  But clearly we needed to get this fixed.

So off to Lowe's we went.  I wasn't certain where I would find these clips.  I ran into two guys who were very helpful and found them for me right away.  Way to go Lowe's.  I decided to get two bags so that we will have some in stock for the next time this happens.

Here are what the clips look like in real life.  The top portion with the plastics pins clip over the valance supporting rail and lock in place.  The front section that is slightly curved attaches to the valance strip.  You need only to squeeze the top and bottom of the valance strip to fit them into the grooves on the clip.  The whole process couldn't be easier.

You see in this picture the old, broken valance clip which had come loose from the supporting rail.  These were removed.

And a little while later, ...

Our valance was back in place and better than ever.

Actually, that is a very accurate statement about them being better than ever.  I added additional clips this time around.  The blinds came with only four clips.  The valance now has seven clips holding it in place.  I believe this will keep this problem from happening again.  It is a must sturdier installation with the extra clips. So, thank you to Lowe's for taking care of a very good customer.  Me!!!

Repairs to the Vertical Blind Valance

Every day brings us something new.  Some days it brings something good.  Some days something bad.  And some days it brings annoyances.  This particular day brought us an annoyance.  The valance on the vertical blinds in the kitchen just all of a sudden decided it was tired.  I walked in one day last week and it was no longer clipped to the supporting rail.  With all the things I have to do, this was not something I needed right then. But, it had to be fixed, so here is what we did.

Here was the sad, hanging valance that I saw as I entered the kitchen.

I thought, "This is odd.  How did it do that?"

Upon closer inspection, I found that the plastic clips which hold the valance in place had miraculously snapped.  Maybe with time these clips lose their resiliency and this is what happens.  I don't know.  But clearly we needed to get this fixed.

So off to Lowe's we went.  I wasn't certain where I would find these clips.  I ran into two guys who were very helpful and found them for me right away.  Way to go Lowe's.  I decided to get two bags so that we will have some in stock for the next time this happens.

Here are what the clips look like in real life.  The top portion with the plastics pins clip over the valance supporting rail and lock in place.  The front section that is slightly curved attaches to the valance strip.  You need only to squeeze the top and bottom of the valance strip to fit them into the grooves on the clip.  The whole process couldn't be easier.

You see in this picture the old, broken valance clip which had come loose from the supporting rail.  These were removed.

And a little while later, ...

Our valance was back in place and better than ever.

Actually, that is a very accurate statement about them being better than ever.  I added additional clips this time around.  The blinds came with only four clips.  The valance now has seven clips holding it in place.  I believe this will keep this problem from happening again.  It is a must sturdier installation with the extra clips. So, thank you to Lowe's for taking care of a very good customer.  Me!!!