Interrupting the regularly scheduled program for the following announcement:
Pending contract on my house with a closing on 1/31/2007. WOO HOO!!!!
Now back to your regularly scheduled program.
Category Archives: Home Improvements
House Woes
It was a very interesting long 4th of July weekend. I sure missed ya’ all. I took the weekend off and never once went online. My computer at home sucks big time and with the Spaces update, I can’t even get to my own Space any more. So the internet is going. 
So you ask, what did you do this weekend? I’m glad you asked. My very last "guest" moved out of my house on Monday. It was my step-father who is disabled and he has lived with me on and off (more on than off) since 2000. So for the first time since I was 18 years old, I live in a house all by myself. It has only been two nights so not a big deal. My house had become known as "The Inn" since any time a room opened, someone was waiting to move in.
So all day Monday and Tuesday I cleaned. Cleaned and cleaned and cleaned even more. My step-father lived in the front part of the house and I lived in the back preferring the view of the back yard as opposed to the busy street out front. He lived in his "space" for almost two years and, not wanting to invade his territory, I stayed away as much as I could. BIG mistake. I have seen cleaner bathrooms at the Chevron station. 
I am also still trying to sell the house so I started the "spring" cleaning routine. You know, baseboards, windows, cupboards, walls, etc… I still have three rooms to go. I also did the lawn and trimmed the trees (hate yard work 
).
My next thing to do when it is all clean is to "flip" the house around. I am going to move into the front of the house and use the back for storage. Every room will be different than it is today.
When I have finished I plan on calling a realtor (hey Nooner, can you sell in Florida?) and having it professionally listed. The house will get more exposure through mailings and internet. Then I don’t have to answer the calls either.
Just wanted to update the house saga. This Space started out to be about the house, remodeling it, decorating it but I got away from that.
To read the story on the house use the category Home Improvements and the link below is when I first started ocnsidering the sale.
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I will be by to visit everyone soon. Until then…Enjoy!
Talking about color the trim
Trim color. Hmmmm
So I go to the paint store and the nice lady at Ace that has been helping me says "What color today?" I told her I was looking for a brown for the trim. She didn’t like it. "Brown on yellow?" Yes I told her. I need something to tone down the room since my couch is brown. She convinced me that the sample I picked was too dark so I went lighter (Kingsport Gray HC_86). Lessons learned – Trusts Your Instincts!
So it was only a $3.50 sample so no harm done. Today I’ll go back for the darker Davenport Tan HC-76. Or maybe I’ll just take my chip and have that matched and be done with it.
I purchased the rest of the curtains last night. When I arrived they only had two sets and I needed four. Fortunately, they had stock in the back. Online order would take 4-6 weeks. uugg. Next – on to the rods.
Busy Busy
Well the trim is painted (sort of). Hired a "friend" to do it since I was having such pain in my shoulder. Well let’s just say that there is alot of touch up to do. ugggg Will the painting ever end?
A friend came over and helped me hang the curtains. YEAH!!! They look good. Pictures to come soon.
The dining room set arrived (finally) and it is beautiful. Big china cabinet to fill up.
So what’s left – need to paint the tables, finish the mantel, put out the nick knacks and hang pictures. Detail work. Of course there is the floor to do. Well that’s the next big project.
Photos – Look at the mantel I got!!
Well I can’t seem to get these in an album but I’ll try again another day. Look at the fireplace mantel. Cool huh? I thought the space needed something.
The lack of progress
Is the reason I haven’t written. Apparently the painting has thrown my shoulder into some type of dis-jointed state and is very painful. Thus, the lack of progress.
I did hang two of the many suns I have in my collection. They look fabulous! I keep meaning to take a picture of them to post. I was given a small orange with gold trim sun that is a candle holder. I put that on top of the tv and it really looks good with the yellow walls.
Still trying to decide what color to paint the end tables. Red would be too much and I don’t want the trim color since it matches the couch. Don’t want the wall color and have it blending in with the walls so I need to find another color. I was considering black weathered look. hmmmm Sort of like the photo from Pottery Barn (pic in album attaching is not working).
Now I am rearranging rooms. My sister is giving me her dining room set that will be too big for the small area that is now the dining room. So the living room (towards the front of the house) is now going to be the "formal" dining room. What is now the dining area will become a utility room for washer/dryer (which is currently in the family room). I’m going to move the small table and chairs into the family room (back of the house) for a small eating area.
nearing completion
So spent all day Friday painting. Man was I sore the next day! Took mom out Saturday then Sunday – cleaning. Could not deal with all the disorder around. Rearranged furniture. Hung a couple things on the wall. But the house is starting to look good. The trim is the last to complete. Mostly the higher trim. Damn it should have had them boys do the high stuff. The kitchen needs a second coat. I’ll do photos soon.
Vacation Days – YEAH!
Happy dancing all around the room.
You would think I never had a day off I’m so excited about having two days off. Friday and Monday for a four day weekend and two week only having to work four days. I’m going into major burn out at work. Don’t want to be here and when I am can’t concentrate. So will two days off fix it? Probably not.
But I will finish painting. Bound and determined to get to done.
Have to pick up mom from sis and take her home on Saturday. Sometimes that can turn into a 4-5 hour event depending on where she wants to go.
Monday is all mine! No plans, just sticking around the house and probably adding the "finishing" touches.
Color the trim
Trim color. Hmmmm
So I go to the paint store and the nice lady at Ace that has been helping me says "What color today?" I told her I was looking for a brown for the trim. She didn’t like it. "Brown on yellow?" Yes I told her. I need something to tone down the room since my couch is brown. She convinced me that the sample I picked was too dark so I went lighter (Kingsport Gray HC_86). Lessons learned – Tusts Your Instincts!
So it was only a $3.50 sample so no harm done. Today I’ll go back for the darker Davenport Tan HC-76. Or maybe I’ll just take my chip and have that matched and be done with it.
I purchased the rest of the curtains last night. When I arrived they only had two sets and I needed four. Fortunately, they had stock in the back. Online order would take 4-6 weeks. uugg. Next – on to the rods.
Color my world
So I spent the weekend painting the living areas of my house. Two coats in the family room, one on the dining and livingroom.
The house is a split plan with a livingroom, bathroom, a porch (which has been a bedroom) and two bedrooms in the front – the kitchen and dining area in the middle and a family room and master bedroom/bath at the back of the house. It is really a big house and when I moved in there were lots of people living with me to fill all the bedrooms. Now just me and step-dad and the dogs. I did not like the house at all when I bought it in August 2004 (closed the day before hurricane Charley). We moved into it as a rental in 2003 because it had enough "space" for everyone. The landlord applied all the rent to the closing costs so it made it a very attractive deal so I bought it. BUT it needs alot of work!!!
Soon after buying the house I wanted to paint. The ex-boyfriend wanted to tear things down but he wasn’t very good at putting them back so I was trying to distract him by painting. I wanted a soft green color and he wanted blue. This went on for quite a while until I gave in and picked a blue. A blue I didn’t think he would actually buy but, you got it, he did. So it was a bright turquois blue. I was tempted to put a basket of sunglasses by the door for visitors. Now the strange thing is I have people saying they don’t remember the blue wall. So was it just me…
Now that I’m alone in it I feel as if I need to make it mine and to feel comfortable it it. So it has begun.
So why is it soo aganizing to pick a paint color? It’s only paint, right? So why did I have to go back to Home Depot on a Saturday morning to have the paint ligtened? And then it still was too dark? I started with a Parchment color and it was too gray. The room and I needed something with some pick up in it. I found that Benjamin Moore sells a small sample of paint. Really cool. I bought mine at Ace Hardware.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/wrapper_pg1art.asp?L=color&K=colsam&N=colsam&art=5.5.0
So I tried a few. I finally bought 309 Ambiance, which is a buttery color, for the livingroom, family room and dining area. I chose 481 dill weed (green) for the kitchen area which is very small protion (over the cabinets and one small wall). The family room will be trimmed with a gray-brown color. So now the search is on for trim paint. So all this means nothing unless you know that my couch is microsuede taupe (gray brown that sometimes looks olive color). I have curtains in a stripe of green, beige and red. I really like red and yellow together and with red being my favorite color, the curtains seemed to work.
