Name three things - 2017

[micknsnicks2mom]

this will be a designated quiet day for me. i've spent the last three days going 'full steam', so i've earned a quiet day.

i do think i'll pull out a log of slice and bake cookie dough, put it in the fridge to thaw, and then bake a tray of shortbread cookies in the toaster oven this evening. and i'll probably run the washer this evening too -- i've got the two new duvet covers and shams that need washing. i'll also deduct the (unplanned) Home Depot order from my budget.

i've already written some more online reviews today, to earn credit on my next order.

yesterday i did work on that one plank of the feature wall. i ended up stripping the polyshades off carefully with the belt sander. that took about half the day, but i had all the polyshades off the plank and down to fresh smooth wood again. so i applied the pre-conditioner and waited the 5-15 minutes, and then applied the polyshades again. i had thoroughly stirred the polyshades, but something (not sure what exactly) was terribly wrong. it went on just totally wrong...'line-y' and real thick. i mean, the difference was strange...just from one day to the next the stuff changed. so i groaned and uttered 'a few choice words', and said to myself that there was no way i was going to let that stuff dry and then spend another half a day carefully sanding down to fresh smooth wood again. so i made an 'executive decision'. i'll let the 'stain gone wild' dry, then use the belt sander to scuff sand -- so the paint i'm going to use on the plank will adhere well. i'm also going to prep a new plank, as i have extra planks. i'll paint both planks, then decide which looks better and use that one. i chose the color 'ceylon cream' (really a lovely color, that will go very nicely with the rest of the planks that have polyshades 'pecan' on them) in Behr's premium plus ultra -- BEHR Premium Plus Ultra 8 oz. #HDC-CL-17 Ceylon Cream Interior/Exterior Satin Enamel Paint Sample-UL22016 - The Home Depot, which is paint and primer in one. i bought a bunch of the 8 ounce samples, because i don't need a gallon of paint for two planks and i got them for $1.75/8 oz which is less per ounce than the gallon would have been. each plank i installed has it's numbered spot on the wall (so the screw holes correspond perfectly), and the plank that had the problems is halfway up the wall -- #9 of 17. good news is that the planks i had stained yesterday look gorgeous, and felt dry to the touch yesterday. i'll get back to those later this week, letting them thoroughly dry in the meantime. i'll re-install all planks, except the one which will be painted, around the end of this week.

 

[Winchester]

Keep pushing micknsnicks2mom ! I like that color, Ceylon Cream is really pretty.

Monday morning and back to work. Rick has a vacation day today.

• Breakfast for the kids, Rick emptied the dishwasher, so I could go back and fix my nails from my messy manicure last night (got way too much color on my cuticles and it looks bad), made the bed, grabbed my shower
• Put $20 worth of gas into the Tucson on my way to work
• Bring the boy (Clarence) home tonight
• Grocery night

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

Keep pushing micknsnicks2mom ! I like that color, Ceylon Cream is really pretty.

<snip>

thank you for the encouragement! i think it's a lovely color, the Celyon Cream.

just late last night i got an email from home depot, saying the paint samples in that color were on backorder. i called them, and they do have Ceylon Cream in the gallon size, so i bought that -- and they canceled the samples. i had looked through many, many other colors in the cream/beige category, but none looked as good/like it would go as well with the stain coloring as the Ceylon Cream. and the gallon is estimated to get here 6 days earlier than the samples would have too.




today i washed the dishes, scooped the litter boxes. i did bake the carob shortbread (slice and bake) cookies. and i worked on my budget for quite a while yesterday, but elected not to run the washer/dryer yet.

i also wrote some more online reviews today, to earn more credit towards my next order.

later this morning i have a phone call to make. other than that, it'll be a pretty quiet day here.

 

[Winchester]

I am starting to sleep much better this week and I am thankful. I don't know how long it will last, but I'm thankful for what I'm getting now.

• Breakfast for the furkids, emptied the dishwasher, made the bed, a bit of straigtening-up around the house, grabbed my shower.
• Put $20 worth of gas into Clarence on our way into work
• Scoop boxes tonight
• This is Tuesday, so not too much going on around here tonight

 

[foxxycat]

sleeping better because it's COOLER. was 46 at my house this morning. SLEPT like a LOG zzzzzzzzz. that's a thing right?
Made phone calls for Jon.
Cooked corn on cob last night.
Grocery store to get stuff for Jon-some restless legs supplement to help..which he then says I don't have restless legs anymore..grrr. I said ok why are you acting like lightening through your legs at night??! Men.
Watched tv and play online.

Today:
Scooped boxes
tuna for cats
lunch for me
shower
more phone calls. both mechanic and hospital for records transfer which has been a nightmare.
The truck has check engine light on. Read with my code reader. 430 which is emmisions/vacuum. and 449 which I didn't look up yet. The light came on on vacation for a week then went away. oh it's hard starting in the morning too...probably something wrong with catatlae (sp) converter or other. need oil changed again. and right front tire loosing air so once a month I put air in it. They were supposed to look at it the last 2 times but guess they got too busy.

 

[artiemom]

Yesterday: Stripped bed, washed and remade bed
Washed bed quilt
folded and put away an overflowing basket of clean clothes
picked up mattress and box spring, by leaning it against furniture
good vacuum under bed
vacuumed 2 bedrooms and great room
picked up Arties Bathroom
and regular Morning Artie stuff, made supper

Then my back and shoulder were really talking to me.. so rested

Today: errands....
dump trash in dumpster
Church
Trader Joes--out of yogurt...
Drop off 4 bags of clothes to Salvation Army
Pick up more food for Artie
Not sure about supper.......
may go for an ice cream.. one of the last ones of the year for me...
and regular morning Artie stuff

 

[AbbysMom]

- call the dentist about an insurance issue
- grocery store
- walk if the rain moves out

 

[Winchester]

• Breakfast for the kids, made the bed, ran the dishwasher (Rick forgot last night)
• Sorted laundry
• Trash night
• Laundry night

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Go to the grocery store
Drop off some items at the thrift store.
Iron. (Yuck, notice I put this last. )

 

[Winchester]

• Breakfast for the kids, emptied the dishwasher, made the bed, general straightening in the kitchen, grabbed a quick shower
• Scoop the boxes
• A quick vacuum and Swiffer about the kitchen and living room tonight

Rick is bowling early, so once he leaves and I'm done with my chores, I'm grabbing my iPad and going to bed

 

[artiemom]

Go to the grocery store
Drop off some items at the thrift store.
Iron. (Yuck, notice I put this last. )

What's IRON???

 

[Winchester]

I was really hoping today was Saturday. Alas, here I am....

• Breakfast for the kids, emptied the dishwasher, made the bed, general kitchen clean-up, grabbed a quick shower
• I'm probably going to end up mowing the yard tonight as the weekend is to be on the showery/rainy side.

And that's pretty much it.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I was going to iron. Notice that was on my list for yesterday. Today is almost over and I still haven't done it.

I did spend time with Snoop
Sat on the porch with Snoop
Played in the yard with Snoop
Held Snoop in my lap and read a book.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

today i haven't got much to do -- i did it all yesterday. i'll cook some pasta, wash the dishes, and take a photo to submit as part of the reviews i've been submitting to receive credit towards my next order. i'm also going to move a bunch of (washed) canning jars/lids/rims to the big box i store them in (makes it easy to grab clean ones when i need them).

and for those interested, a new photo, from yesterday's work on the feature wall......

you'll note the empty space about midway up the wall -- that's the #9 plank's spot. i got a new plank 'done up' for that spot yesterday -- i had a couple spare planks that i'd already started, so just chose the better of the two, did a little sanding down of one end (so it's vertically aligned/level with the existing planks ends, on the side where the ends are exposed, next to the kitchen doorway), then sanded the sides and top and prepped for painting it.

the paint is another story. i ordered the gallon of Ceylon Cream paint, but when that package arrived on thursday enclosed was 'Ultra Pure White' colored paint. and no, they hadn't mixed that paint to create ceylon cream. so that's in the return process, and they've shipped out (what i hope is going to be) Ceylon Cream. that should arrive around mid-week. once that gets here, i'll paint that #9 plank. 2 coats, but could need a third -- we'll see. i can apply the second coat after two hours of drying, so plan to get that done in one day. then i'll let it fully dry in the mini barn for about a week.

i also took a look at what kitty wall furniture i have on hand yesterday. i wanted to make sure i have what i thought i have, which i do. so while i'm waiting on the paint, i'll be working on the fine details of the kitty wall furniture placement on the feature wall. all the wall furniture is in either beige (carpeted) or dark-ish brown (both carpeted and stained pieces), which is why i liked the pecan colored polyshades for the feature wall and part of why i chose the Ceylon Cream colored paint too.

 

[Winchester]

Such a great job! I'm impressed. That wall is going to be gorgeous when it's done! I can't wait to see it!

Mowing did not get done last night. I tried to start the mower and drained the blasted battery. Something is not "catching" right; Rick knows about it and he can finagle it around, but I cannot. When Rick got home, he figured we could wait til Monday to mow. I think he'll do it while I'm smoking our pork butt on Monday. We ended up running down to Target for meds for The Beast and heading to Lowes for a few things. I wanted to get a few steps in, so we went to the mall for a slice of hoagie pizza (I had to give my tomatoes to Dear Richard, but the pizza was good anyway.)

• Breakfast for the kids, emptied the dishwasher, Rick will scoop the boxes when he gets up from his nap
• We're heading down to a bath store about 60 miles or so south of here, just to look. There's a bath lighting store not too far away from that, too. I want to stop at the grocery store for just a few items for our Labor Day dinner. Rick wants to be home as soon as possible because Penn State plays this afternoon. I will soon become a football widow again.
• While Rick is immersed in his football game, I'm going to the basement to see what fall-ish things we have for the kitchen. Time for a different tablecloth on the kitchen table and to put some different things out on the hutch for a while. Pumpkins and turkeys! Black kitties! Until November, when I start decorating for Christmas in the kitchen.

 

[LTS3]

I need to take a package to the UPS Store to return. I scored a deal on a really nice designer business tote bag at Ebags but it's huge It's 18" wide by 15" high. On a petite person like me, it's too unwieldy and bulky to carry on a shoulder or just by the handles. So it's going back. I did order a smaller (and pricier) bag and it's much more manageable to carry and just as nice and well organized. I do wish it had a clip or something to attach keys to and slightly longer handles or adjustable ones.

While I'm in town, I'll head to the bank and CVS.

Then the supermarket for groceries.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

thank you, Winchester ! there are some flaws in the feature wall, though nothing major. i suppose that's because it was 'man made' as opposed to a kit or such -- where everything was ready to simply attach to the wall. i'm very pleased with it, and that's coming from a (reformed) perfectionist.

may i ask if you'd post about your trip to the bath store? i'd be very interested in hearing about it all.



today i've scooped the litter boxes, moved another jar of spaghetti sauce to the fridge to thaw, and submitted another photo (to earn more credit).

later, probably early afternoon, i'll make a batch of hummus, take two more photos to submit, and more than likely will go ahead and wash the dishes i made from making the hummus.

after that, i'll watch a tv show or two, or a movie.

 

[Winchester]

micknsnicks2mom you know, when you're doing something like that yourself and it's not from a kit, you're going to find little flaws here and there. In my mind, that gives your wall some character and is proof that you did it. It will be fine. Honest. It's going to look great! It already does look great!

Our venture was just so-so. We had been to a large home remodeling show a while back and Rick had wanted to visit one of the vendors in that area. It was not difficult to find, but Hannah (the car nav) had us going around Fensten's barn to get there....in pouring rain yet. When we did get there, they had two shower displays. Two. That was it. Rick was very disappointed. So we checked out another store/showroom where we made out much better. Lots of gorgeous displays (that we can't afford!), tons of fixtures, just rows of toilets, tubs, etc. All different brands, too, so there was a good selection. Plumbing Supplies | Heating Supplies | Roofing Supplies Central PA They also had a lot of tub displays, but we're not doing a tub. The other showrooms were closed; we forgot about it being the Labor Day weekend. Their shower displays were the standard small fiberglass shower displays and Rick swears he's not going there.

There was a gorgeous set of sink fixtures that I fell in love with. Unfortunately it was almost $800.00.....for one set! That's not going to work; that's not even feasible. So all is all, our trip was a bit of a bust. We came home more confused than ever. We're going to try again, maybe out around the State College area, preferable on a nicer day; it was a bit of a hassle trying to drive around in a downpour.

• Breakfast for the kids, made the bed, made the cookie dough for cookies I'm going to bake later on this morning, (Rick is scooping boxes as I type)
• A bit of a vacuum and Swiffer about the kitchen and living room

All else depends on the weather; we are to have scattered showers and t-storms throughout the day. I may do some work in the basement.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

micknsnicks2mom you know, when you're doing something like that yourself and it's not from a kit, you're going to find little flaws here and there. In my mind, that gives your wall some character and is proof that you did it. It will be fine. Honest. It's going to look great! It already does look great!

Our venture was just so-so. We had been to a large home remodeling show a while back and Rick had wanted to visit one of the vendors in that area. It was not difficult to find, but Hannah (the car nav) had us going around Fensten's barn to get there....in pouring rain yet. When we did get there, they had two shower displays. Two. That was it. Rick was very disappointed. So we checked out another store/showroom where we made out much better. Lots of gorgeous displays (that we can't afford!), tons of fixtures, just rows of toilets, tubs, etc. All different brands, too, so there was a good selection. Plumbing Supplies | Heating Supplies | Roofing Supplies Central PA They also had a lot of tub displays, but we're not doing a tub. The other showrooms were closed; we forgot about it being the Labor Day weekend. Their shower displays were the standard small fiberglass shower displays and Rick swears he's not going there.

<snip>

i think you're absolutely right! i do have a couple little touch-ups to do though -- would like to change the switch plate to a dark-ish stained wood one, and would like to touch up with stain on the about 1/8 inch exposed on just 5 planks over the edge of the end of the wall (on the kitchen doorway side) -- i'll need to buy a children's watercolor set type paint brush for that.

when i look at the feature wall, i do see the whole process of creating it, and all the details.



today i've scooped the litter boxes. later this morning, i'll wash the dishes, i'm going to sand/prep for painting a second plank, and likely will add the quilt (in duvet cover) to the bed.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

today i washed the dishes, baked a sheet of oatmeal peanut butter cookies, made some strawberry jello, and worked on the budget for a bit. litter boxes were scooped yesterday afternoon, so will scoop again this evening.

later this morning (or early afternoon), i'll work more on the budget. i'll also continue to work on my grocery list for my upcoming shopping trip. i may watch some tv too, if i have time.

and, for those interested, a couple more pics, of yesterday's work on the feature wall --

the top pic shows the second spare plank i had. that one had a defect in the piece of lumber, which a few other pieces that were cut for me had too -- likely from the same 16 foot length piece of lumber. you'll see in the lower pic where i have taken steps to fix that problem. i drilled two drill bit sizes up in the pilot hole in the plank (but not through the drywall and stud in the wall, so can still securely attach), so when i put the screw in it won't want to split that defect open again. i also used construction adhesive (hate that stuff, always a sticky mess with me and glue) to reconnect the split. and the piece of cardboard serves several purposes here -- as a makeshift clamp to allow the adhesive to dry holding the wood split together properly, so the adhesive doesn't stick onto the plank above the (not painted yet) new #9 plank, and ensures that the plank will fit properly into the #9 spot (before i let the adhesive dry). the cardboard may (likely will) stick to the side of the plank a bit, but i can easily sand that stuck on part off before painting.

i think the top pic gives an idea of what the feature wall will look like after the #9 plank is painted and reinstalled.