Projects begun...

Have you ever started a project and gotten halfway through, looked around and thought, Oh mercy...what was I *THINKING?!*...well, I'm sure 99.9% of us have at one time or another...

My current hurdle is my mudroom. Oh, I know I said I was going to paint the family room first. But the paneling behind the washer and dryer (an icky greenish faux wood "Blecchy" award winner from the late 70s) was screaming at me and put me on my last nerve.

I prime (Zinsser works wonders to eliminate the inherent blechiness of green faux bois! ;-)). That was yesterday, involved moving the dryer and front loading washer (those suckers are heavy!)...all while actually doing laundry and keeping tabs on the gruesome twosome (now three and in.to.everything.EVERYTHING!!!). The big ones (#s1-3) are at Vacation Bible School this week, at our wonderful parish (Totus Tuus, a program run/put out by the diocese of Wichita, is a wonnnnnderrrrfullll program, and if you can get one started where you are, GO FOR IT!).

I primed for hours, and the fumes, dear ladies. I had a pounder (even with windows open and the vent fan running in the adjoining bathroom. Oh my...I cannot imagine having to prime anything else...whew...

Today, 24 hours later, I was able to get started with the next layer. OIL based paint. Now, aside from the expense (I had no idea it was easily 2xs the price of latex, did you?), I have heard that it stinks, takes forever to dry, etc, etc. Well, my experience so far says it smells FAR less than the aforementioned primer (whewww, Zinsser's needs to come out with a low-odor version!), and while it doesn't dry terribly quickly, it *is* drying.

Now, before you get all "WHY did you use oil-based!?", let me remind you that our home was owned previously by a contractor. And he used oil based on the paneling...and the cabinets....and the trimwork...throughout the entire house.

Fortunately for me, I was able to use his discount at the local SW, and got my gallon for contractor price, not for standard retail (if you know a contractor who uses SW paints, see if you can use their number when you are buying some on your own--saves $$$!). ANd after I got the paint on the paneling, I went around and did touchups throughout the rest of the house...whew.

But I've got soooo much more to do. I've been spray painting (outside, better ventilation and definitely better dry times with the sun and wind we've had), and I've got some things ready to go up on the walls in the mudroom once I get the paneling dry enough. I'm going to be starting on some of the ceiling light fixtures, etc, as time passes. Tomorrow is the older children's last day at VBS, so we will be back to "normal" life next week. Which is good, and bad. Its been nice to be out and about earlier in the day, but honestly, I *like* being home.

I'll hopefully get some "after" pics once I get the things on the wall. I didn't take any before, sorry. :-) I did think about it, but honestly, between the bad lighting, and just bad paneling, it was NOT something you wanted to see. Looks MUCH better now.

Of course, now I get to paint the regular walls in there, as well as work on the family room. I'm going to be painting the trim in the family room as well, as I go--for some odd reason, the trimwork in there is all wood stain...while it is painted glossy in every other room (wait--except for the office, but that is a room all on its own, not open to other public spaces). I haven't figured that out. As if they just decided "Okay, we'll put high gloss white here...and here...but good golly no, we'll put WOOD trim in the family room...yeah, I know you can see it from the kitchen and dining room, and it is the first room one walks into...but who cares!?"

I care. It *will* be changed. It seems (especially with the deep window wells we have) to absorb the light coming in--of which there is not much to start with, what with overhangs and porches and the like. Anything I can do to lighten that room up, the better!

Hopefully, you all are staying cool where you are--its been in the mid-90s for the past few weeks, and while some things are enjoying it (corn...flies...tomatoes) other things (me. Me. ME!) are not. :-)

An interesting weekend

This weekend, the family made our first trip to Texas....Dallas/Ft Worth to be more precise.

While I think if I was going to go shopping, I'd love it...I don't think I will ever go back. There are simply WAAAYYYYY too many people...way too much congestion and traffic...and while I am sure it is a fine place, in its way, I can shop online, thank-you-very-much. We moved here to get away from such....'stuff' (traffic, large population centers, etc).

Anyway, that was my weekend. Hot, dry, and definitely something I don't care to repeat anytime soon. We did visit with some great friends, which was the only *good* part about it. But I don't think I will be encouraging any returns to Texas any time soon...

Blech!

That being said, I am trying to get caught up around the house, and online, as well, and found this http://www.c-fam.org/publications/id.1641/pub_detail.asp article and website. Very interesting, even for the non-Catholics out there. These issues should, to my mind, concern all people, Christian or not. But most especially, the Christian faithful.

Anyway, that was some of the morning's gleanings from my email inbox and other assorted online reading. I've got a ton of laundry to do, housekeeping (general) to do, and plans to make for the rest of the week. Fortunately, I have an understanding husband, and he specifically told me to *not* do anything outside today. After a very long, hot, weekend, he wants us to stay put inside today...thank goodness...

I have devised a better plan for getting my walls painted...and will be working on that late this week and early next week...one that doesn't involve me trying to paint around two mischievous three year old boys, who are entranced by any open paint can...lol...

Til Then...

Well, it didn't quite make it.

Not much of my plan got accomplished yesterday. Cake and dinner, yes. Mowing, no. It turns out that the mower needs a new fuel filter very badly, and chokes up almost immediately. Joy. ANd the painting couldn't get done, because the washer and dryer were going all. day. long. And the boys were up. Ever try painting with *one* three year old? A good, sits still and doesn't do much more than drive cars/play with dolls three year old? Yeah. I don't have one of those. I've got two of the "swinging from the ceiling fans the moment mom's back is turned" types. The kind who dump the entire container of sugar (just over 4 lbs worth) onto the kitchen floor. The kind who get the raspberry jam and eat it straight from the jar. Yes. Those kind. Even better, when I am cleaning up the mess from one boy, the other one is off making yet another.

I realize that that makes it sound like my home isn't child proof. Or that no one is paying any attention to what is going on around here. Wrong on both counts. Contrary to popular belief (and my children's sworn statements), I do not, in fact, have eyes on the back of my head, super-hero level hearing, and psychic abilities. I do, in fact, have a pile of garden and animal chores, housework, and other things that do, from time to time, distract me momentarily from the children's whereabouts.

I realize that this is a problem. Short of installing a velcro wall, and making some velcro pjs for the boys, I am in what one might refer to as a "spot". I can work for about 3-4 minutes, and then I had better go make a run through the house to see where they are, what they are doing, and what they did in those few minutes. WHich leaves my project in a vulnerable state....free to be manipulated, folded, spindled, mutilated, stapled, you name it, and they can do it....by said three year old duo. Or even one of them.

Its a tiring life. But a good one. Keeps me on my toes. Keeps my blood pressure from mellowing too much. Keeps the kitchen floors clean (that's for sure). I know that there will be years down the road where I can get things done...where I can have nifty little things on lower horizontal surfaces...and I will look back and long for the days of Mr Clean Magic Erasers, when I wore an apron with pockets big enough to hold anything and everything I can pick up off of the floor, throughout the day...but right now, I think I'd just settled for a few days where I can paint and craft in peace. LOL. Once a month.

Ah well. I've got a good life.

Thanks for the birthday thoughts for my husband. He had a delightful dinner of hamburgers (his choice, btw)--homemade, of course--and a rich dark chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. He got some nice shirts he can wear for work and the entire Bourne saga on dvd. I've never seen any of them (these are the new ones with Matt Damon in them), so watching the first one last night was quite a treat...we're planning on watching the second one tonight, so it will be a fun night...assuming that we don't have something happen between now and then, of course! LOL.

I do hope that you all are planning on a nice weekend--something around the house/yard/garden, maybe visiting with some friends. We're going to be super-busy, trying to catch up in the garden and yard (new belt on tiller, new fuel filter for the mower, and we'll be all set to go). Then maybe I can get some things done in the house...hopefully, I will get "something" photo worthy accomplished!

Til then...

Big plans, folks, big plans...now, SHHHHH!

Don't tell the husband, but since tomorrow is his birthday...and I'm an incredibly bad gift giver...I'm working on the house instead (okay, he gets a movie (DVD), dinner of his choice, and dessert of his request--chocolate cake with chocolate frosting).

Painting, to be precise. I've got some yellow...and I'm hoping against hope to be able to get "something" done tomorrow while he is at work. There's so much furniture to be moved, it will make for an interesting day, to be sure. On top of keeping dueling three year olds out of the paint can, tray, and out from under foot.

I'd also really like to paint the paneling in the mudroom, the same color as the trim and the cabinets (a creamy white). But we'll see. There's not a lot of paneling in there, but there the washer and dryer to contend with--and you know how heavy those things can be...

But trying to do both the family room (huge), and the mudroom...AND make dinner and dessert, welllllllll....I'm pretty sure it isn't going to happen.

I can pray, right? ;-)

We're finally able to mow again. Got about half of the front western quadrant of the yard done, when the mower 'quit'. Hopefully, El Husbando will be able to get it started again this evening so #1 can finish that quadrant today. Pray hard, lol.

I've been managing to get some things done around here-nothing an outsider would notice, of course, but little things like cleaning out the bathroom cabinets, reorganizing the mudroom closet, etc, etc, etc. You know the drill. Keeping things clean is hard enough, finding time for other projects is a whole 'nother thing to add to the list! :-)

Today I spray painted two picture frames. One will be made into a tray, the other into one of those nifty French memo boards. The tray will end up in my laundry room, the memo board in my bedroom office corner, on the wall. Assuming I can ever get the paint/walls painted, lol.
On top of preventing the demise of one or more three year olds, making sure everyone ate two meals (it is still midafternoon), and that three of the five children hereabouts took a nap before their father comes home...wellll...it has been an interesting day.

Lets hope that tomorrow is totally uneventful, I can get my projects done and finished and myself cleaned up in time to be fresh and perky for the birthday 'boy'. :-) Hopefully, I will get some pictures up as soon as I can get things on the move...lol. You know how that is...

Til then, wish me luck!