So it looks like I unintentionally took the month of August off from blogging. I think I needed the break. But now, in a rambling order that will likely repeat some things some of you might have read on Facebook updates, I’ll let you know what’s been going on. Because I know you’ve been waiting to hear. Really. I could hear you whispering. But I’ll warn you right now this is long and you can feel free to skip.
It started with the garage. I really only planned to hire someone to rip out the old cabinets and finish off the sheet rock but then I took a look at the list of things that we were going to do "one of these days" and decided that one of these days was now. In the last month we have (with the help of the handyman, sheet rock guy, electrician, painter, plumbers, and the checkbook:
ripped out old cabinets in the garage
insulated and sheetrocked the garage
installed new shelves in the garage and then transferred all the junk from broken cardboard boxes to nice plastic storage containers
had track lighting installed in the library and in my office (each of which entailed a new electrical nightmare)
new ceiling fans in the library, my office, the bedroom and my husband’s office (more electrical nightmares for each of these)
new whole house fan installed (more electrical…well you get the idea. The electrical in this house was a mess.)
new recessed lighting in the living room, dining room, kitchen
new lighting that turns on when you walk in the room in the laundry room and the pantry
new lighting in the entry hall
moved/combined a total of 11 switches
installed a banister and post where there once was none
opened up the wall over the fridge for an over the fridge cabinet (still waiting for that to be built and installed)
repaired the sagging ceiling in the living room and the dining room due to poor installation from the previous owner
repaired/replaced a ton of sheet rock, floated new mud and texture over entry hall, dining room and living room
installed new window and door moldings throughout the house.
Each of those things meant making a lot decisions, where did I want the new light fixtures and what kind of light fixtures did I want and where did the switches need to go.
Going on right now is new copper piping throughout the house which means more holes in different pieces of sheet rock and more repairs.
Coming up next is the install of new faucets in the kitchen and the bathroom and I sure hope finding the right colors and styles was the worst of that but with this house I’ve learned anything is possible. And because of the new faucet in the bathroom the hardware on the cabinets needs to be replaced. Normally that would be easy but the cabinets have backplates and they are a large size which means there aren’t a lot to choose from and they are hard to find. I’d remove the backplates but then you’d see the holes in the cabinets and that’s not going to work for me.
Also going on right now is painting the entry hall, dining room, living room, kitchen two bathrooms, stairwell, hallways, an office, a work-out room and a bedroom. All that new molding and newly textured walls will need to be primed before getting painted. And all that paint meant a ton of decision-making over the various colors. In order to paint we need to empty and move two china cabinets and a bar filled with glassware.
Also coming up is the removal of all the ceramic tile in the entry hall, dining room and the kitchen. A LOT of tile. Think war-zone with all the dust. After that the wood floor will go down. And then I’ll likely collapse.
It’s not that it will be done but this phase will be. I hope it’s finished by Halloween. Please.
If I was able to do the light and breezy funny kind of updates I might have kept on blogging this month but as is my way, I feel everything deeply, even house renovations. And some people were worrying about me being so intense about it all so I just figured to keep it more to myself for a while. Because the intense stuff, well, that’s just who I am and it’s not likely to change. Everything I feel, I feel deeply. And that includes things like picking the right color of paint. 🙂
But I have been writing in the evenings once the house is quiet, working on the YA verse novel that has evolved from the poems I did about my father for National Poetry Month. It’s slow progress, but it’s progress. And I’m hosting Poetry Friday this week.
So yeah, I think I’m back.
Welcome back. I haven’t blogged much either and I’ve neglected reading my LJ friends page. And I can’t blame it on remodeling!
You must personally be keeping the American economy running! Thanks for that. Someone’s got to do it.
Hope the Father novel is feeling right to you.
Thank you. I do feel like I’m doing maybe a bit too much to keep the economy running. Would like to slow down soon!
The father poems are coming along. Slowly, but coming.
Welcome back, Susan. I’ve been out of BlogTown for about a month, too. Starting to settle back in, I think.
Wow. What a lot you’ve had going on. We’re trading the den and Maddie’s bedroom around, which involved painting both rooms (plus mine and Randy’s bedroom), recarpeting one, and turning the house into utter chaos. It looks a little better, but not much. Maddie needs new furniture. The den needs a phone jack so we can hook up the satellite, our bedroom needs lots of shelving installed for books (and we can’t afford to do it right now after our unexpected medical bills)…And that was/is all for a relatively small project. I don’t know how people survive remodeling. And I don’t even care as much about colors and such. Picked our bedroom colors in about 20 minutes at Lowe’s. The clutter and unsettled-ness of everything is what totally stresses me out.
Anyway, happy the end is in sight and that you’ve been writing at night! Yay!
Ugh, Laura, that sounds like a headache too! Yes, it’s that whole clutter and unsettled-ness of it all. I lost my mascara under a pile of I don’t know what and finally had to just give up and go buy more. I’m sure there are important pieces of mail in hiding and who knows what else we’ll discover months from now.
Great to have you back!
It’s great to have you back! It sounds like you’ve had your share of dust and mayhem! I hope the house returns to normal by Halloween! Good luck with the YA verse!
Re: Great to have you back!
Thank you, Carmen. It still feels a bit tentative and brand new but I’m trying!
You have been busy! Lots of nice progress on both the house and the writing. So good for you, and welcome back to the blogosphere.
Thanks so much for the support. I LOVE your pic!
Hi Susan,
I’m leaving early in the morning for Maddie’s cross-country meet, so I hope it’s OK for me to leave my links here in case I run out of time in the a.m.
I have a poem from Jeannine Atkins’ Borrowed Names up today: http://laurasalas.livejournal.com/234985.html
And this week’s 15 Words or Less poems are at: http://laurasalas.livejournal.com/234524.html
Thanks, Susan! Have a great weekend.
Hey Laura, no problem at all. Good luck to Maddie!
you’re writing!
and that’s the main thing. And now you’re back here, too, and that’s great – I love the sense of renewal coming back from summer has – it’s back to school, back-to-blog, back-to-productivity mode, and that’s exciting (as much as a remodel is!)
Namaste and a Hug,
Lee
Re: you’re writing!
Oh Lee, thank you. I can feel your hug from here. And yes, the writing again is the very biggest and bestest thing. Though I’m kinda excited about the house stuff too!