Another Weekend Around This Old House

We spent the entire weekend alternating between projects and relaxing and also watching a VERY tense Packer Game on tv today.  (overtime tie!)

Some of the projects around the house needed to get done.  First on Steve's list was wrapping all the hot water pipes in the basement with foam insulation, and then Steve stuffed some extra insulation in between the floor joists here and there where it needed it.  Now that the furnace is running (our temps were at 5 degrees this morning with wind chills below zero)  we did a few things to make the house more airtight.  Steve added some foam and insulation around the attic trap door, and around the edges of the upper door leading to the shaker porch.  No more drafts!

I spent some time down in my workshop in the basement.  I got another batch of sock machine weights dipped 3 coats in Tool Dip (rubberized coating)   They are one pound deep sea fishing weights that I order from a place out on the west coast.

Steve hammers down silver forks flat and bends over just the tips of the tines.  Then he drills a hole in the end of the handle.  From there, I add the weights with split key rings.  I sell them in sets of three to circular sockknitting machine people who use them for holding tension on the heels and toes as they knit.

Steve happened to find an old fashioned lock box unit for inside the door of the Munchkin toy closet. The old fashioned door knobs themselves were fine, but the inner workings (box) was broken.  He drilled out the old one and inserted the replacement... it needed a little bit of tweaking... and now the door shuts properly!

There has been a project on my mind for quite some time... so I got Steve to help me tackle this one.  The diningroom originally had a built-in hutch that we moved into my Loom Room when we bought the house.  The carpeting had been installed around that hutch, so after moving it, all that remained was the unfinished hardwood flooring underneath (YAY!  we know that we have a hardwood floor in our diningroom if we ever want to rip out the carpeting!)     Our new buffet sets in the same place, but it was kinda setting down in the open gap, and I didn't care for the looks of that.

The buffet is very, very heavy so Steve helped me put it on those sliders called "Moving Men" and we moved it up and out of the hardwood gap on the floor.   Those "Moving Men" are GREAT!   We have used them for so many things, now that we are not as young and strong as we used to be.  (grin grin)

Steve cut two boards for me that would fill in the gap, and I stained/poly'd them in the basement.  I only needed to stain the edges where it would show.   Once the boards dried, we carried them up and slid them into place, nicely filling up the gap!

AHHHHH that looks MUCH better now! 

Seeing as I had out my staining brushes, I also added a coat to this old clock.  Steve's dad had refinished it years ago, but it was more brown and satin finish to the wood.  I added a bit more reddish poly/stain and gave it a bit of a shine. I cleaned the pendulum disk and found out under the dull brown it was a lovely copper or bronze!   

It is now hanging in our foyer, but Steve forgot to get the key... so we have not wound it up yet.  We will be seeing Pa Pfundtner on Thanksgiving, so I hope we remember to ask him to bring the key to dinner!  LOL   

Also on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was the big Open House fiber event at Hidden Valley Woolen Mill and I brought out four baskets of inventory to be sold on commission in the shop. I had an array of quilted hot pads, woolen socks, and knit winter hats. 

Remember a couple blogs back I wrote about making felt 

from sheep wool at Hidden Valley in our guild meeting?  

Well, I took my sheet of felt I created and made this clutch purse and added it to the sale. 

Don't know if it sold or not till I talk to Carol tomorrow. 

During the very very tense Packer Game on tv today, 

Steve was sitting in his chair and hollaring at the television.  

I hung out in the dining room and set up the Janome sewing machine to do some quilting.

This is a kit from Nancy's Notions that had patterns for four different stained glass looking quilted wall hangings.  But there was only enough fabric in the kit to make two of them.  I had originally done the first two hangings from one of the patterns so they match.  They are hanging in my livingroom on each side of the big window.

I wanted to try out some of the other patterns in the kit.  I had some extra fabric to add to the leftovers from the first ones and I had bought two more rolls of the thin black bias tape to sew in between each colored section.  

Here are two more that I did today during the Packer Game.  

They still need the black binding around the edges. 

I am working on one more of the fourth pattern yet tonight, and might finish it up tomorrow.  I might hang one up behind Steve's chair on the other wall.  Then perhaps the other two will be runner mats on our endtables?  I didn't know when I made them what I would do with them , just that I wanted to make them.  LOL There are enough scraps now to make some matching coaster for the livingroom end tables. The ones we are using now I made for the motorhome and should go back out there.  


We have a busy week ahead of us...

Wednesday I am taking grandtot Jameson because he is off school and is coming to help me with a project.   Plus, he gets to spend the night!

Thursday we will take him along with us as we trek over to Waupaca, you know----  over the river and through the woods...  for Thanksgiving with Steve's family.  We will meet up with our kids there for the celebration.  Then Heather and Jesse will take Jameson home afterwards.  

Friday I am taking Chelsea and Clayton to watch them because their day care is closed for the Holiday weekend ... One of the busiest days of the shopping year for Erin's stores, so she has to work.  Plus it's hunting season so their daddy Mark will probably be in the woods.  We are keeping them overnight here too...

Saturday we will take those grandkids with us up to Green Bay to attend granddaughter Allegra's fourth birthday party!  Oh my.. four years old already???  Seemed like just yesterday--------  

Well, that's enough for tonight

heading to bed....

Nighty night! 

Our This Old House- Bathroom redo - Part I

It's been a week since I have posted.  We are still adjusting to being minus our furball Ducky around the house.  Duke keeps looking for her.  We are still saying "dogs" plural instead of singular.  Steve put away the extra dish and tie out rope.  It seems empty without having her laying in the middle of the walkways so we have to trip over her.  Duke always lays out of the way in a corner and keeps an eye out for someone who might step on him.  But Ducky would sprawl all over the place, hoping you would stop and pet her I suppose.  Or drop food in her mouth.   Yah.  Sigh.

This photo was sent to me tonight by my friend Juanita.  Her daughter saw this in the clouds and snapped a shot for me.  Yes, its our collie, Duchess.  Proof that

for those of you who need some help visualizing:

My folks came by for a visit for a few days... we had a nice time going through tons of old family history.  A second cousin gave mom a number of boxes of family items from our favorite Great Aunt Goldie.  She worked at the five and ten cent store in Cedarburg for many years.  As children, if we would get a bump or bruise, we would say "Go to Aunt Goldie's store and get a new one!"   I have noooo idea where that came from, but it was a common saying when we were kids in our family.  

We went through albums of photos, old letters, jewelry, lockets, engraved powder compacts, and other sweet nick knacks. Our Aunt Goldie's daughter Sylvia is now leaving this world, and her daughter passed on these things to my mom and Aunt Lois to take care of.   I scanned in a lot of photos, letters, postcards and a family genealogy that someone started to work on.

While mom and I did that, then Steve and Lowell went through Craigslist stuff, looking at cars, trucks, campers, and motorcycles.  But they didn't buy anything.

Plus they took care of the outdoor cooking duties....   and Lowell kept busy while Steve was at work.  He took care of our lawn work, and made himself comfortable watching the afternoon westerns on tv.  (through his eyelids!)

They headed out to Michigan, and we started our next project on the house...  we planted a crimson red maple tree in honor of our 16th wedding anniversary.  Also we added a Korean lilac shrub near the garage.  (notice the supervisor in the background?--- he hates to leave us out of his sight now)

Now--- on to the topic of this blog post:

This week it is time ... to tackle... the BATHROOM!!!!!   

It's in need of a re-do.  We are keeping the tile walls, but ripping out everything else.   We are re-using the toilet, the sink, and the medicine chest, but they have to be lifted out to put in the new floor first.

Here are some pics, after I had already starting ripping off wallpaper, and saving some of the tiles for filling in other areas once we pull out the tub and surround.

The toilet and sink are newer and nice quality, so we are keeping them, and the medicine cabinet is going to lose the two fluorescent lights on each side.   But everything else will be redone.

We had been touring the Appleton stores of Lowe's, Home Depot, and Menards over the last few weeks.  Checking, looking, deciding and watching sales.  Finally we went on Saturday to haul everything we needed home in one trip.  10 foot pieces of drywall, deepsoaking bathtub, shower stall, light fixture/fan, faucets, piping, trim, and flooring.  Whew!  What a load! 

The most appealing item I chose was my bathtub!   I had envisioned getting a claw foot old fashioned tub.  But most of them are only 14 inches deep. I wanted a deep tub for soaking.  So I found  this one that is 21 inches deep!   It's rather plain and straight lines, but I think the cute faucet I found will set it off nicely and up against the white tiled walls, it will be pretty nice.   I actually crawled into and laid down in it at the store!   Yes.... and the slope of the back is very nice to lay back and read books.  My last tub was too vertical and I always needed an inflatable bath pillow to be comfortable.  But this one is "just right" .... !   I didn't care who saw me in the tub at the store.  We also tried out some shower stalls together.   Steve chose a corner shower stall, extra wide and deep.  Both doors open up from corner and slide back to each side.  Kinda cool!   Like a telephone booth?

It was fun picking out stuff, and we came in under budget on our plans... even the flooring I wanted was on a sale in a remnant, and had an extra 15% off that!  The room is only 9.5 x 9 so we don't need much.  That is why the 10 foot drywall sheets for the ceiling were needed. Less seams to plaster up than if we were using 8 ft lengths. 

We got our full load of stuff hauled home and unloaded in the garage.  Whew!   Now to start.....

We ripped off wallpaper and some of the tiles we were saving.  Then Steve cut off the top portion of the wall at the head of the shower.  We could slide up the sheets of drywall into place and not dismantle the shower yet. We could at least take a shower yet tonight.  Once we tear out the tub and toilet and sink, we can use the shower in the motorhome and the toilet on the main floor of the house.  

Tonight we got all the drywall cut and lifted into place WHEW!   

Steve made me a T shaped brace to help on my end to hold it up while he got all the screws into each spot as marked.   Then we put up the light fixture that is also a ceiling vent fan for steam (and odors?)   ....  we will take it down again when we plaster and paint, but for now we still have light and still have a shower. 

Knowing Steveio, tomorrow night after work we will be ripping out a bathtub! Next step after that... taping and plastering... then priming and painting?

Little Supervisor Dukie gave us his bark of approval!