Little thoughts and ramblings

While awake at 2am this morning I had a few thoughts. Would hubs make it back from work ok? We had an ice storm here and I worry. The other thought is, I wish my dad was able to remember things better. He suffers from Alzheimer's and even though it's in it's early stages he still has a hard time remembering things. He forgets at times that we moved into this hicksville to be closer to him and mom. We only live 5 blocks from them now. He forgets that we are fixing up the bungalow.
I think he would be so happy to see what we are doing to the house. My father has restored and renovated every house he has ever owned. He is an awesome woodworker. He was a plumber way back when and knew enough electric stuff so he could just about anything to a house. To look at the houses he remodeled and restored. I really wish he could see the bungalow and remember it. Oh well.

Ok people I have an issue

Ok the entrance and hallway wallpaper stripping has come to screeching halt. But I've got some trim painted white, does that count? No? Shucks.

What's my issue? What's my problem? Well. I'm 5' 3 1/3" the DMV makes me choose either 5'3" or 5'4" so I choose 5'4" to feel better, but that really stretching it. Now I have some *really* short friends, so I often forget I'm short as well. BUT I remembered it recently. Yup, the stupid hallway leads into the stairway, I have no idea how to get the wallpaper down from there. Hubs has an idea, but for the life of me all I can see is one trip to the ER for me.

Oh and BTW here is Don Helfrich's signature from August 1985.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Front hallway

So we are starting on the front hallway. Stripping the wallpaper off and and GLUE and such. ICK. Why oh why did they have to wallpaper every square inch of this house? Why Don Helfrich? He wrote his name on the walls on 8-20-85 quite a lot in this house. At least we can paint over it. I have chosen a nice beigey tan for the hallway. Then we have to PAINT over the wallpaper in the dining room. A big no-no I know, however....there is lead paint in the dining room walls, so the lead inspector said it would be best not to remove the wallpaper. Since we have children under the age of 6 in the house that's what we are doing right now. (We are planning on removing a wall from the kitchen to the dining room in the future, but that is the future's problem.)

Anyway just one more post about removing wallpaper. To anyone out there that doesn't know. It's a pain in the butt. A big one.

Freaking Cold

Ok it's cold. I'm talking -35 degrees below zero cold. This brick house just ain't cutting it. So hubs and I are talking blown in foam insulation before next winter. It's either that or tear out the lath and plaster, something I am not keen on doing. That and get the stupid fireplace functional. What I wouldn't give to be able to burn wood in that fireplace.

As far as I know that fireplace has NEVER been used. There is no way with me not working right now that we can afford to get an insert in that thing. Nor are there any chimney sweeps willing to come and unplug the chimney, (imagine that -35 degrees below zero and no one wants to climb on my roof, go figure.) Can you imagine the crap up there? I don't want to think about it. Ick.

Well since it has been cold and I have been home more I've been baking and cooking more.....I found this awesome site..recipezaar The people there are really friendly. You review a recipe, and they will Thank You for it.....neat. Of course I can never follow a recipe......I have a disease that makes me think, oh it would be neat if it had this or I did this instead, so most of my reviews are only 4 stars cause I have to play with the original. I'm so bad that way. I don't post many recipes because, well I have another disease that prohibits me from measuring. I kinda just eyeball it and call it good. Sad I know.

So if ya'll know anything about blown in foam insulation let me know!

Living Room- Complete!

Well, all but one sixteenth of a wall. That doesn't really count...right? Right!
When we were stripping the wallpaper on the OTHER side of the living room (have you seen the beam?) we had a wall that decided it wanted to chunk apart. Yes that is my technical term for it. Thank you very much. So hubs is fixing it. Did I mention he LOVES working with plaster and drywall.....it's better than sex to him, no really. So once that wall is done the living is painted, the carpeting is up, the light fixture is replaced....baby we are as good as we are going to get for a year or so.

For Julia Kiss This

This one is for you!
(Sorry to all the housebloggers out there, yes this one is OT)

I heard it through the grapevine
My new neighbor don't like my big red barn
A '47 Ford, bullet holes in the door
Broke down motor in the front yard
I got half a mind to paint a plywood sign
And nail it up on a notty pine tree
Saying I was here first
This is my piece of dirt
And your rambling don't rattle me

Some people care about what other people think
Worry about what they say
Let a little gossip
Coming from a loose lip ruin a perfect day
Say, blah, blah, blah, just a jacking their jaws
Got a letta roll off-a my back
I don't give a dern what other people think
What do ya think about that

I wear what I want to, overalls work boots
Crank my music up loud
Like to sling a little mud in my four wheel drive
Trek it all into town

Shoot a little eight ball down at the pool hall
Drink a beer with my friends
Now don't judge me and I won't judge you
Cause we all get judged in the end

Some people care about what other people think
Worry about what they say
Let a little gossip
Coming from a loose lip ruin a perfect day
Say, blah, blah, blah, just a jacking their jaws
Got a letta roll offa my back
I don't give a dern what other people think
What do ya think about that

Some people care about what other people think
Worry about what they say
Let a little gossip
Coming from a loose lip ruin a perfect day
Say, blah, blah, blah, just a jacking their jaws
Got a letta roll offa my back
I don't give a dern what other people think
What do ya think about that

Say, I don't give a damn what other people think
What do ya think about that
What do ya think about that

Some progress

Well well well. A new year and finally a new start on the living room.
The only before picture I could find of the living room was on the realtor site, sorry!


But the small half of the living room is done! Whew! Hubs was really impressed by the fabric softener taking off the wallpaper paste! :-) His wife does know a thing or two outside of the kitchen!

We have the new light fixture in the living room, thanks to hubs, knowing me, if I touched ANYTHING electric I'd be fried!


We decided to paint the trim white instead of tackling the job of stripping it all this year, and you know what? Hubs and I both really really like the white with the walls and the floor! So I think we might not be stripping the trim next year. I don't know. I still want to strip the staircase, but that will have to be done with stripper, not a infrared paint remover thingie. I really love how the start of the living room looks, all I need now is window treatments!!!!!!

Bob was only slightly mad at the change in the color of the walls, he only turned the light on in the bedroom last night twice. So that's not too bad. He didn't move anything and he didn't turn the kid's lights on.