Rain, Rain, Go Away

OK, so I know the rain is cooling things off a bit and watering my poor neglected porch plants that have been relocated to the middle of the back yard until the house is painted, but... the painters are not able to finish painting the house when it's raining, and since Monday was a holiday, well... I'm ready for at least one thing to be finished.

Painting my Vanity

Since we're kinda in limbo upstairs until the contractors put in the pocket door between our bedroom and closet, I decided to go ahead and paint the yellow vanity I bought at an antique store for only $25. I think it might be from the 50's. Anyway, I used this two-part finishing kit in Distressed Ivory made by American Accents that I bought at Lowes. I painted on two coats of ivory, distressed it with a little help from my husband, stenciled it, and varnished it. A big improvement! Here are the before and after pictures...

Paint, Paint, and More Paint

We ventured to Home Depot to purchase some paint today. I've decided to do a technique called "color wash" for the bathroom walls. Here is a picture of what it should look like (except for the color).

We also bought the two shades of yellow paint for the kitchen walls and cabinets. The ceiling will be brick red, a little bold for me, so I hope I don't chicken out!

History of Our Home

Another new link to share with you... Click on "The History of Our Home" to view the small amount of information we've discovered so far. Still nothing yet to verify the age.

Home Wish List

Today, just for fun, I created our Home Wish List. It's a site that contains some cool things we would eventually like to have for our home. Just click on the link on the sidebar under "Archives." Take a look!

Summer Vacation is Here!

Today is the first day of my summer vacation! As I am taking a short break in my attempt to get the house somewhat in order (almost impossible with all the construction going on), I decided to create my "Summer House To Do List." If I put it in writing, it is more likely to get done.

Not necessarily in this order:
1). Master Bedroom: After the contractors finish putting in a pocket door that will lead to the new walk-in closet, I will paint the bedroom walls. My plan: A Glidden color called "Calm Matter." I'm going to be attempting to do some decorative painting, so I'm not sure yet what technique I will use, if any. (UPDATE: Done!)
2). Vanity: I purchased an old vanity for $25 at an antique store that I am going to paint using stencils. I took a picture of a beautiful buffet at Hermann's Furniture Store, and that will be my inspiration for the vanity. (UPDATE: Done!)
3). Upstairs Bathroom: Once the contractors have completed their part, I will be painting the bathroom using a color wash technique. The colors I have chosen are Glidden's "Restoration Teal" (how appropriate!) and "Belize Coast." (UPDATE: Done!)
4). Kitchen: The contractors will replace the ceiling and install ceramic tile on the floors. After that, the rest is ours to do: priming and painting the kitchen cabinets and island a color called "Corn Silk," painting the beadboard walls and brick wall a color called "Sweet Corn." (Both Glidden colors). Gary will see if he can move the dishwasher over. Right now you have to take an extra step, which may not sound too inconvenient, but trust me...
5). Dining Room: I hope Gary doesn't read this too carefully, but I plan to brush on a lighter color to the dining room walls to give an appearrance of texture to the flat color we have now.
6). Staircase: I don't know if I'll get to this one, but I would like to paint the walls going up the staircase. Don't yet have a color picked out, but it will be something in earthtones.
7). Parlor: I have no idea of a color yet for this room either. I'll have to paint over the current wallpaper. (UPDATE: I'm considering a brick red for this room).
8). Yard: The most important thing... Watering it when the contractors move all of their equipment and moving my plants and chairs back onto the porch. (UPDATE: We removed all of the nandina shrubs from the front of the house. They are too small of a shrub for such a big house).

Wow! That's a lot!!! Anyone who would like to come help, give us a shout!

We're on Our Way Now!

Today, the painters continued to paint the body of the house. They have finished the front and one side, but they still have the other sides and all of the trim work to be done. We are getting close!

To My Students...

To all my students at Moore Elementary...

Thank you for listening to my "home improvement" stories. You each have been a tremendous blessing to me, and I will miss you greatly over the summer. Best wishes in 5th grade and beyond!!!

Love,
Mrs. Tackert

We've got Plumbing!

The plumbers started working on the plumbing in the new bathroom today. Yea!!!

We've got a Blue Ceiling!

In the "olden days," homeowners would paint porch ceilings a sky blue so that birds and wasps would not build their nests there. So... we now also have blue ceilings. The color is Sherwin Williams' "Bewitching Blue." The pics also show progress made on the body of the house with our beautiful "Down Home" taupe.

One more picture of our busy little bee...

Walk-in Closet

When the contractors removed the bathroom cabinet, an old fireplace was revealed that we had to dismantle down to the floor level. So here are some pictures of the work we've done today in what will be our walk-in closet. Even our daughter is pitching in!!!

Living Room Update

Some before and after pictures of the living room...

Dining Room Update

We had painted the dining room a couple of weekends ago, so I wanted to update you with some before and after pictures...

Dismantling the Bedroom Closet

Today, we began taking out the previously-added on closet in the master bedroom. The old bathroom will be turned into a walk-in closet with a pocket door leading from the bedroom. We call our bedroom the "green room" because, well... it's green, but not for long. Last weekend, Gary began to take out a door that led from our bedroom to the guest room. We will soon have much more space.

And the Bathroom Remodel begins...

We came home today to find our toilet, bathtub, and sink in the back yard. The contractors started on our upstairs bathroom remodel a little earlier than we expected. They began the process of ripping up the carpet in what we have been calling the "blue room," which will soon become our new bathroom. The old bathroom will become our new walk-in closet with a pocket door leading to the master bedroom. Here are the "before" pictures.

And the Painting Begins...

It looks like we may be soon out of the "hideous" stage since the painters began to do their magic today. The sample area they painted confirmed our decision to go with a dark taupe/white color scheme. We are convinced it is going to look beautiful! Let us know what you think!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to my mom... the most generous, giving, and gracious person I know. I love you!

Men at Work

Today was the first time we got to see the work going on in progress. We also met with the painter to finalize the colors the house will be painted. We decided upon Sherwin Williams' "Down Home" for the body and "Dover White" for the trim. The painting will begin on Monday!

A Scared Kitty Cat

May 9, 2006

We came home today and found a very frightened cat trapped in between the ceiling and wall of the upstairs balcony. Our cat, Oliver, had been enjoying staying out on the balcony during the day... that is until the construction began. He had evidently tried to hide from all the noise and movement of the workers!

One Word: Hideous!

May 8, 2006

Our seven year old daughter took one look at the house as restoration began and exclaimed, "I've just got one word for it... hideous!" We are now into week two of restoring the exterior of the house. So far, most of the rotten wood on the porch has been removed, and new braces have been put in place. The painters are continuing to scrape off the old paint. So, yes, our house may currently be hideous... but not for long!

And the Restoration Begins...

Wednesday, May 3, 2006

We finally were able to begin restoration on the outside of the home this week! The contractors began scraping paint, as well as removing and replacing rotten boards. We are currently trying to decide on paint colors. More details to come...

Taking a Little Break to Get to Know Our New Town

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Yesterday, we decided to get to know our new town a little bit better, so we drove a whole two blocks away to downtown for antique shopping. It couldn't have been better... shopping with my mother and my daughter! I found some wonderful items to add to the furnishings of the house. A restaurant had been recommended to me by a friend, so we ventured there for lunch. It is now my new favorite place to eat! Next time, I will go just for the dessert!

We Did It!

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Well, we finally moved into our new (old) home. We overcame some huge obstacles, but we made it through. Today marks the end of the first week in the house. We are continuing to unpack, decorate, replace lighting, etc. and soon will begin with painting and remodeling. Continue to view our site for more updates and pictures.