This and That

 

New kitchen faucet, still in the box. Can't install it yet. The plumbing is completely jammed, gonna have to call a plumber on this one...

 

New bathroom vanity. Can't install it until we figure out where the heat is coming up, trim away base tile, and re-do plumbing...

 

This is the sink from the bathroom. We are going to take it back to our current house and put it in the basement. Right now we have a toilet, and that's it, so an added sink will help with resale value. Call it a half bath in basement !!!

 

Last weekend I painted the putrid Green dining room, this weekend I painted the ceiling bright White. Great contrast, and totally in love with this room, not sure why, I just love this room...

I also threw down some peel-n-stick tile in the little half bath upstairs. Small job, cheap project, big impact. This little bathroom is going to be one of my favorite places. The toilet flushes like a dream, and there's a view.

*

And here's the view...

I can watch over my compound, and, it's hard to see in the picture, but that's St. Clements Field off in the distance, where lot's of Summertime activities will happen, I hope...

 

Here's another good project in my future. This awesome bookcase sits in the middle of the upstairs landing. I'm not quite sure what I will make of it, right now it's a mess of peeling paint, but I will think of something...

 

Once again, the guys were doing serious labor today, while I was doing decorator stuff. They finished running ductwork through the basement. We now have heat and cold air ducts to the bedrooms, bath, and a fully heated basement. Still have to run heat up to the second story. Ugh. I think we are all subconsciously putting off this arduous task.

 

Must give another shout out to that amazing brother of mine. I watched him put together a tangle of heat and cold air ductwork as easily as I would bake a cake. I wonder if he could bake a cake... probably, he's such a butthead.

 

Now, on a serious note, an update on Mom. Surgery is scheduled for Monday. They will be putting stents in her legs to improve circulation, and also taking off parts of her toes that have turned gangrenous. We'll all be there for that, so no new house news for a few days after that.

 

Carry on.

 

 

Love You Schmoopsie Whoopsie

The last couple of days have been tough. I've been at the hospital quite a bit, so the house project has come to a screeching halt. There were lots of tests for mom yesterday, and meetings with the Vascular surgeons. Complete arterial blockages in both legs and arms cause big problems.
Today, they performed Doppler studies, Echocardiogram, stress test on the heart, lung function, and who knows what else, to see if she's strong enough for surgery. In the meantime, she is strung out on so many drugs and painkillers... it is hard to watch. Tomorrow, more tests, and then maybe some decisions on treatment.
I did, however, stop at the Home Depot today, on my way home from the hospital. Brought home a lovely bathroom vanity and new faucets for the bath and kitchen. Very excited and will post pictures when I get a chance.
Tomorrow, the window guy is coming to replace the foggy dining room window, a broken bedroom pane, and garage windows. I'll shoot over to the hospital after I oversee that project, and honey pie will stay at the house to try and unclog drains.
Speaking of "Honey Pie", he is a rock, an amazing man, and the greatest partner in crime, ever...

House, Mom, House, Mom...

 

This is ductwork, running up from the basement, through the first floor closet, on it's way to the second story. This project is to be continued next Saturday...

 

 

Look... running water. HUGE !!!

When we turned on the water, there was one big leak under the bathroom, but easily fixed. But there are two slow drains to figure out. The kitchen sink and the bathtub drains. We'll try to snake them ourselves, but we may have to call out the professionals on this one.

Right now, my favorite bathroom is the second story half bath... the toilet flushes like a charm.

 

The view from Mom's hospital room, and the little flower bouquet I got her.

The house project has come to a serious halt, with Mom's Peripheral Artery Disease. She will have a couple of procedures done in the next few days in order to get some blood flow returning to the legs. In the meantime, we have been spending quite a bit of time at the hospital with her.

 

Here's what we've been looking at for hours on end... Hospitals move in slow motion.

Since me and my house renovation genius happen to be siblings, we are both busy right now with Mom's care.

 

and here's a delicious and nutritious hospital meal. YUCK !!!

While Mom ate her slop, me and Bob, and his wife, and my guy, went to the cafeteria for some dinner. We had Cheeseburgers. Not bad.

 

P.S. Forgot to add my weekend project, that I am so thrilled about...

 

This is the awesome color I painted the Dining Room. While the guys fought with plumbing and furnace ductwork, I was busy painting over horrid Green walls. It's hard to see in the picture, but this color is almost Pearl like, maybe a Navajo White. I LOVE IT !

 

House, Mom, house, Mom...

Who Doesn't Love Baseball?

Two guys from the Water Department came today. They came right on time and they worked diligently. I knew there had to be a reason that they were so efficient...
And there it was...
When one of them had some trouble turning the valve, his partner said, "You better make it work, cause we're missing the ballgame".
Turns out, they couldn't wait to get back to the shop and watch the Tiger's opening day...
I just laughed, because I couldn't wait for them to get it done so I could go back home and catch the game.
Go Tigers !!!

Please Give Me Some Water !

Third time's a charm... right? Hopefully. Tomorrow will be the third time I sit in the house from 1:30 to 3:30 waiting for the water department to come out and turn on the water. The first time, they said that we must hook up the meter to the pipe ourselves. The second time, they said that we must have the furnace fully functioning before the water could be turned on, and that was after they had to dig up the front yard to replace the valves at the street. Oh yes, and let's not forget that I sat in the house for the entire two hour window they require for an appointment time, and after they did not show up, I had to drive to the city hall and inquire why they did not show up ( I didn't have the number with me). Funny, they showed up at the house at the same time I returned, which leads me to believe that they were sitting around watching soap operas in the workshop. Too bad, I missed mine, waiting for them. If they do not turn on the water tomorrow, I am going to bring a roll of toilet paper, and set up shop in the city hall bathroom...

Good News / Bad News

Wow, got a great deal on fixing windows. Got a good estimate on fixing fences. Got two great guys to drop the chimney liner, and they got rid of the old TV antenna! Good news, good news, good news, BAD NEWS...
Mom's been in the hospital for three days now, and she is no closer to getting better. She has some severe vascular problems that may require surgery. Since my furnace guy is also my big brother, we are spending a lot more time with mom then we are the house project. We are splitting time between running back and forth to the hospital and running back and forth to the house, for estimates and jobs.
We did have a fun dinner in the hospital dining room, where I found out that my cute and funny sister-in-law likes applesauce on her mashed potatoes. What's up with that?
Tomorrow, I'll call the water department to set up a date for turning on service, and then shoot over to the hospital to take mom home, fill prescriptions, and get her comfortable.
Monday, we have an appointment with a vascular surgeon... and, we have windows being installed.
Project New House / Project Take Care of Mom...

Life Happens...

 

I don't know what Terry was doing today. He was in the basement making all sorts of noise, doing things that I don't understand. The bowels of the house sort of stuff; shut off valves, dummy covers, and open junction boxes ???

I don't even care what all of that means.

With all of the things that need to be done in this house, I decided to make it my mission to rid the dining room of this putrid Green color. I don't even care if the room isn't "ready" for painting, I just can't stand looking at these walls for one more day.

 

I did have to call him upstairs to dismantle this old ceiling fan.

 

Tomorrow, the window guy is coming to give an estimate on my foggy, double pane, dining room window.

 

 

Look what popped up in the garden!!!

 

 

Oops, change in plans. Had to take mom to the emergency room tonight, and they admitted her. She has swollen feet and is in a lot of pain. We'll wait for tests tomorrow.

 

House renovation rules:

Houses come and go,

Family always come first.