At a Standstill ~

 

Last week I had a day with watery eyes and a drippy nose.  I thought it was a bit of an allergy and the next day I would be fine.  The next day I was not fine.  Horrible headache and even my teeth and sinuses hurt.  Ok, so I have a head cold, right?  Well, it ended up being the mother of all head colds.  I pride myself on getting 10,000 + steps every day.  That day I got 572 😟  I slept almost nonstop for 2 days.  (I never even got out of my jammies or took a shower one day.  I have never done that before!!!)  It really did kick my butt.  Today is the first day I was somewhat productive.  No nap and I mowed the lawn and did a bit of yard work.  It is wonderful to feel almost human again.

Needless to say, no hooking going on.  I keep saying I hope it will be soon . . . and I really do hope so.

What is a blog post without pictures?  BORING.  So . . . this is the counter over the washer and dryer.  A little bit of fall since there has been no Halloween decorating this year and not sure any is going to happen.

At last week's hook in, believe it or not, I bought NO wool.  However I did buy a fun little Cammie Bruce pattern and this cool box from Chrisi Koehl ~ Rustic Eweniques.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

From This ~

~ to this.  I am so tired of unpacking boxes and trying to figure out where to put things 😢  I have more cupboards but they are configured differently.  I have been unboxing for several days.  I really am trying to purge things but don't believe I am being too successful.  I come by the hoarding gene justly.  My dear mother . . . a product of the depression.

So here is today's pile.  So funny.  I have never been one to shy away from pounding nails in to walls, but hate to put nail holes in my pristine walls.  In due time . . .  

These are items that I am either going to redecorate with, give away or perhaps some of the better stuff, try to sell, but I know I will get almost nothing for the items so not sure it is worth it.  What do you do with a 35mm SLR camera you spent a small fortune on?  I do have another box that is going to the thrift store.  I just want to be DONE.  It doesn't help matters that I woke up today feeling like crap.  Scratchy throat and watery eyes.  I am hoping it is allergies and not a cold.  I have too much to do in the next week to not feel well.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

The Wool Room ~

Anyone who has a wool/craft room knows it is almost impossible to keep it clean and organized.  I have been trying to fold and sort wool by color.  Problem is the wool is different sizes . . . and then deciding what color the wool is.  Is it blue?  Is it green?  Which shelf should it go on?  Is the piece too small to put on the shelf?  

I failed to take before pictures.  The shelves were a total disaster.  Here is what they look like now.  Much better but sadly I know as soon as I need to pull wool for a new project they will be a mess once again.  Another issue . . . too much wool!!!  I ended up having to put wool in two large plastic totes.  A terrible problem to have 😏

As any hooker knows, worms multiply while we sleep.  I finally sorted them.  I need to learn to cut as I go!!!

I will be dealing with this for quite some time.  It will take me a while to figure out where everything goes.  Some items will return to their previous cupboard shelf, but since some cupboards are configured differently, too many decisions on where things should go.  Plus trying to eliminate useless items!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Week 7 ~ FINI

The kitchen and bath reno are DONE!!!  If you need to see what the kitchen looked like before, you can check it out here.  I purchased my house 24 years ago this month, and the kitchen was the first thing I was going to renovate.  Obviously that did not happen, but I guess good things are worth waiting for 😉

The kitchen is small and changing the size or rearranging appliances was not an option.  I was able to squeeze in an 18" dishwasher.  

I have said several times I am not a green person, but I chose sage green for the beadboard and I love it.  This is pretty much the true color.

This empty wall will once again be home to an antique cupboard.  I am not sure if I will put the same one back.  I have 2 other pie safes that will fit there.  (I still need to purchase outlet covers.)

That wall was once the outside wall before the house was connected to the garage in 1990 and the little door was the milk chute.  I just thought it was cool and did not want it removed 😁

I used the same color scheme in the bathroom, now 1/2 bath/laundry room.    Hard to get pictures because of the size of the room.

I gained some much needed storage space in both the kitchen and bath, and there are many items that have not been used in MANY years that will not be put back in the kitchen cupboards!!!  I don't look forward to putting everything away, but it will be so good to have my house back in order.

I hope you enjoyed following along on my reno journey.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Week 6 Progress ~

At the beginning of the week Bruce said he thought he might be done at the end of the week.  He was not feeling well a couple days and had some back issues, so did not accomplish what he had hoped.  One day he worked on my cupboard doors at his shop (remember he customs makes everything) and he texted me to say he would not be here.  How refreshing to have someone you have hired let you know he would not be at your house and would return the next day ~ and did!

The washer and dryer are now functional.  How ironic.  My old dryer . . . from 1992 . . . died four days ago.  Talk about good timing 😁.  I have water in the kitchen sink.  Yeah!

My appliances were so old I just had to turn a knob or push a button to get them to work.  I swear I need washer/dryer for dummies, stove for dummies, microwave for dummies, etc 😡

Drawers are taking shape.

Trim is being added.

It is hard to get a picture because space is so limited.  This will be my vanity.  It was an old cupboard that I used for years behind my couch.  It is a little low, but the top of the vessel sink will be the height of the old vanity.

I love the old repair.

The mirror will be an old one I have had for years that has been sitting under my bed.  It is missing silvering but I think will fit perfectly above the vanity.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Week 5 Progress ~

The kitchen and bath remodel is progressing.  It doesn't look like much was accomplished last week, but with the holiday Bruce only worked four days.  As I said before, it did not go as quickly as he originally predicted, but when he said three weeks I thought he was being overly optimistic.  Even though there is still much to be done, I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I don't believe it is that freight train 😁

I am happy with my floor choice.  It is waterproof vinyl flooring.  He just has one small area to finish.

The washer and dryer will be functional soon.

I love my undermount sink!!!

That's it for today.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Week 4 Progress ~

 

Still not a whole lot to show, but I think things will begin to come together this coming week.  The project has not gone as quickly as Bruce predicted, but hey, I've waited 24 years for this so what's another couple of weeks.  I am still handling the chaos and stress much better than I had anticipated I would 😁

I did get appliances this week.

Unfortunately, the dishwasher wasn't unboxed until day 3 after delivery, and you only have 48 hours to report damage.  I was just sick to find out the dishwasher had a dent in the front.  The box had absolutely no damage, so it had to leave the factory dinged.  Thankfully Samsung has a 30 period to report issues so I will be getting a new door.  That was very upsetting!!!

The current state of the kitchen!  I am happy with my countertop choice.  Just Formica because I just could not justify spending the $$$$ on a solid surface . . . or soapstone countertops (which I really wanted!).

Soon I will actually have some hooking stuff to share.  Not much but at least I am dusting off my hook!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Happy Labor Day weekend.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Week 3 Progress ~ and More

The kitchen/bath remodel is moving along but nothing to show.  Bruce has still been doing prep work and painting.  He thought he might start bringing in cupboards on Friday, but he was still without power from Wednesday's hellacious storms. He has a generator, but it does not generate enough power to run his house and his workshop.  The weathermen say that it was a one in 500 year storm.  

Yesterday's hook in was very nice.  It didn't start out great for me.  For whatever reason, my GPSs (2 of them!!!) would not direct me to the fairground venue and I failed to see the fairground sign attached to the church sign.  I drove aimlessly for 20 minutes.  Thankfully I left plenty early (6:20 am ~ argh!) so it wasn't an issue other than stressing me out.  Sales were okay.  I came home with cash in my pocket so that was good.

Halloween stuff is out in the stores in full force!  Last year when I decided I wanted a 5' skeleton, it was too late to find one.  I found this one at Home Depot the other day.

Only $40 ~ much cheaper than any others I have found.  He will eventually be sitting out on my porch, but not until some time next month.

Amen to this!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Week 2 Progress ~

It doesn't look like much has been accomplished but it really has. 

My kitchen ceiling is tongue and groove and painted the same color the cupboards will be.  I absolutely LOVE it!

Bruce worked many days in the bathroom.  Most of the room was taken down to the studs.  Water, gas, and electric lines had to be moved/added.  Drywall is now in the "mud" stage.

The living/dining room is chaos.  There is literally a path running through the two rooms and it keeps getting worse as light fixtures, bathroom sink, and faucets are added to the piles.  The hardest part is not having running water on the main living level!  (But this, too, shall pass 😁 )

I have lots of Sauder pictures to share.  Stay tuned.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Week 1 Progress ~

Just a quick update on the progress so far.  The first day my kitchen was G.O.N.E.  The room looks so big with nothing in it 😁

The rubble fit in the back of a pick up truck.

I thought Bruce was going to finish the kitchen before starting on the bathroom, but he wanted to gut the room and get it all prepped for the work that needed to be done.  That was a big job!

The only thing I have left to order is knobs and drawer pulls.  Sure hope I am happy with my choices 😬

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren