This and That

Took advantage of good weather and got the chicken coop mucked, and just before the rain moved in.  I did a little bit of sweeping on the front porch, and swept living room.

Craft stuff put away until big repairs are complete.   I really don't have time to create right now.  I will try to carve out a break time for my self some how.

I guess I'll be collecting more boxes.  I have two more cupboards to empty.

I purchased a new toilet paper holder for the bathroom remodel.  It pivots up, and has no spring thing to deal with.  It should arrive today.

My kitchen is full of boxes that Daughter K needs to come and move yet.  Sigh....I do not like my house looking so chaotic.  In time it will be looking spiffy.

Here is our big job to-do list for this year:

1. Rip out some counter tops and cupboards, rip up flooring and sub floor, replace joists, re-do sub floor and complete new flooring, put cupboards and counter top back in, hutch back in, and re-fill with the dishes that are already boxed up.

2. Rip out entire bathroom off kitchen.  Replace dry wall, all new flooring, install new shower and toilet.  I already pulled a tall shelve unit that I will clean today and put out by the road for free (just needs painted again) and I'm too lazy tired to haul it all the way into town to donate.  I will paint the entire bathroom as well and Hubby will install a fan (never had one for some reason).  We already have the new shower and paint for this job.

Note:  When this bathroom is all done, we will hire someone to re-tile the master shower floor.  We hired family the last time and the grout washed away.

3. Rip up part of front room floor, replace joist, replace sub-floor, replace carpet (painting will be next year I think).  Replace furniture (dogs destroyed it).

4. Rip out and replace all carpet in stairway and upstairs.  Again, dogs, cat and rabbit destroyed it.  Painting and removing old wall paper will be another year.  No time for that this year with a garden.

5. If we have the time, rip out old carpet in our master bedroom and replace with new flooring.  Remove and install closet door to a change where the entry way is (it's in the center of a wall right now) so we can move furniture into place better.

6. Build new chicken coop and covered run.

7. Purge garage

8.  Utility room will get new flooring and paint (next year).

We already hired a friend to finish the unfinished new hallway, and have someone coming out today to give an estimate on the two floors that need new joists.  If it's out of our budget, we are doing it ourselves.  The hall can wait for now, but knowing someone is hired already gives my brain a rest.

Now....what to make for breakfast?  And dinner?  That is top of the list this morning.  I will figure it out after I down some good ol' coffee.

Progress with the repairs . . .

I am still working on re-homing the Rock Band.  We don't have the games anymore, and it's leaving as soon as I hear back from people.

Daughter E is taking all the board games, so those will be out of my living room.

A guy is stopping out this week to give us estimates on both kitchen and front room floors.  Whoever put the woodstove in way back in the day, simply cut out the corner of the floor. It has to be ripped out, new support system in place and new sub floor.  Kitchen problem is a bad joist that needs replaced.

We will need to go to town and buy furniture sliders to move the heavy stuff too.

I had to re-do some e-mail paperwork, but next up is to clean up the entire corner of the kitchen to prepare for taking cupboards and counter tops out, which means unhooking the computer and moving that to another room.  There will be a blip in blog posts I imagine.  

In the process of getting kids to clean up their stuff they have left, I am filling boxes of my own for donation.  You don't really realize how much you have until you have to box it up to move to put in new flooring.

Thank you for your prayers regarding the missing 22 year-old.  Unfortunately, they found her and is now in Heaven (so, so sad to hear this).

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weekend was super busy, but Daughter E squeezed my husband and I in for a haircut.  I actually got a hear treatment while she cut his hair.  It was way over due.

It hasn't been decided yet, but due to my husband's new position at work (12 hour days) and lack of help with the garden, I may be doing more downsizing for this garden season.

Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, and now I am technically a "homemaker."

I will link up later when she posts (and if I can remember to, ha ha!)

The weather . . .

It will be a nice sunny 70 degree day, but rain will resume for a few days.

As I look outside my window . . .

...checking a trap we set for an unknown pest

Right now I am . . .

Starting the washing machine, writing this post, and making a list for the grocery store, and figuring out a meal plan.

Thinking and pondering  . . .

Oh....there is a ton of this going on.  Trying to make a plan to get someone hired to rip out the kitchen floor.  I have someone to install new flooring, but we have yet to go purchase that.  First, we need the plan for the person to do the more serious work, and then buy supplies to get the job(s) done.

Homemaking tips . . .

Honestly, my brain is over-worked right now, so I have nothing that comes to mind.  If I do, I will come back and share.

How I am feeling . . .

Mentally and emotionally exhausted, but hopefully that will change as we get thru the week.

On the breakfast plate . . .

Leftover omelet we had Sunday morning.  My dear husband made them with mad hatter peppers.

On my reading pile . . .

Still waiting on my used book order.  I don't have time to read right now anyway.

On my TV . . .

Anything we find interesting.

On the menu . . .

-Italian sausage/bell peppers/red onion

-have no idea yet

From the camera . . .

The roses my husband surprised me with are absolutely beautiful, and smell wonderful.

Looking around the house . . .

I'm glad Daughter K is finally moved, but she has a lot of stuff yet to move and clean up.  She left the living room a pigsty.

On the to-do list . . . 

-dishes

-laundry

-tidy bedroom

-start cleaning living room to make room for kitchen tables, counter tops and cupboards (first big job on the home to-do list)

-clean up computer area (which will also be moved to do kitchen floor repair)

-dust down the Rock Band and re-home

-start cleaning porches on good weather days

-muck the coop next best weather day (ain't happeneing today)

-clean out fridge and do a re-check on freezer

-put out going mail in mailbox

-put trash out

-burn down burn pile

Prayer list . . .

A 22 year-old missing girl in the area about 1 hour from our location.  She is the daughter to a co-worker of my husband.  Last seen on March 18th.

Rainy and Windy Day

 

It was not really the best weather day to do this, but we drove to Hobby Lobby and with my wire cutters in hand, made this in the truck on the way to the cemetery.  It wasn't cheap, but worth every penny to put together.  I think it turned out very nice.  

We (my husband and I) also put flowers on my Grandparents grave (next to Moms), and drove to the town where Dad is buried and put flowers on his too.  

On the way home we realized how many graves we need to yet visit this year - his parents, his sisters, our grandson, his nephew and his nephew's son.....just too many sadly.

Today we will be having Christmas with our Daughter T and the grandkids.  I know it's March, but it's been a whirlwind since Christmas (or before that).  The grandkids will be tickled pink to get presents in March.  She was unable to visit with us Christmas day, and she has a busy work schedule.

My blue roses are blooming beautifully.  I'll try and remember to take another photo of them today.

It's a brisk wind-chill of 32°F here his morning, and the wood stove is warming up the house.  I hear trickles of rain, but hopefully that will stop so we can burn down the burn pile, only to add more to it later today.

Blue Roses

 

My husband is simply the best!  I was surprised with this delivery yesterday.  He knows exactly what I need and when I need it.  Mom loved blue roses and so do I.  They don't exist in the real world, but one year I found a blue rose plant at Home Depot.  I could not for the life of me get it to bloom blue.  It takes a certain soil to bloom blue, but I really, really love my surprise delivery.  I very well may search for a hybrid plant this year and try again. 

Although Daughter K is "officially" moved, there is much still here for her to move to her apartment.  I plan to box up anything for her if needed.  Now that she is out, I spent a good day cleaning (but oh my, she left the upstairs, downstairs and bathroom a mess).  My fitbit has finally gotten back up past the 10,000 mark.  Yeah, there was no way I was logging my "stress" on that fitbit, as it was at a all time high (for several reasons).

As soon as we toss the couches into the burn pile (her dogs chewed up the cushions, we'll take down the kitchen tables and start ripping out the one half of the kitchen (hopefully very soon).  That repair job is first on the list, and a must-do job before garden season is in full swing.

I had to be stern with Daughter K last night.  In no way are her dogs to visit us.  We will visit them at her place.  Once they are out they are out.  Now she will be forced to better train them, as she is in an apartment.

It's raining today, and it's the only thing holding us back from starting on the kitchen floor project (need to empty the living room to make room for two kitchen tables, all the chairs, cupboards, hutch and stove.  It really stinks not having a crawl space to do this repair, so cupboards and all will be pulled out to rip out the floor and replace the joist, sub floor and then new flooring while the kitchen is empty.

Beautiful Spring Day

 

The weather has been beautiful.  Today the high is 71°F.  Porch weather, and we are loving it.

I have not run out of things to catch up on or clean.  My kitchen is full of door wreaths of Mom's I put one on each door, and plan to donate the remainder.  She had a knack for finding the most beautiful ones.

Considering my brain has not yet re-charged, I will be relying on notepads to keep me in check.

I'm considering getting a barn cat this year.  We are getting a few field mice.  I think Jasper, who is a great mouser, is on leave ha ha!  Country life at it's best.

My homemaking tip today:  sure fire way to catch a mouse in 24 hours or less.  Use the snap traps.  Put a small piece of cheese on it, covered by clear tape, poke a few holes in it and wa-la!  Their teeth catch in the tape and tripper the trap.  Otherwise they get away with the snack and trap never goes off.

How long does arrowroot powder last?  My bulk buy container does not have an expiration on it?  Hm?

Short post today.  I'm off to get this day started, and dig thru the freezer for something to grill.  We'll be taking advantage of this beautiful day.

Tuesday Tidbits

 Although I thought  my brain would re-set, after a break, it has not.  Yesterday I forgot my husband's birthday.  Sigh.  My husband told me yesterday I was a "hot mess" and not to drive anywhere today.  There is nothing worse than instinctively picking up my cell phone to call Mom and realizing I can't.  I guess the ol' journals will be coming out again. Maybe designate one solely for chats with Mom.  It will take time to get thru this for sure.

The chickens however, are back to laying a good amount of eggs.  I never got around to baking a breakfast, so that must be done today, or my husband has no to-go breakfast for work.

The weather is warming up enough for drying clothes on the clothesline, so I'm going to tackle all of the remaining laundry today.

I felt like everything, at a point of the day where I just wanted to relax, went wonky.  First my scanner froze in scan mode.  Then, when that was fixed, my emails were not going out.  It's all working again this morning thankfully.  Electronics can be a headache for sure.

I still have a huge pile of mail to sort, toss and take care of. My computer desk area is in total disarray.

Meanwhile, Daughter K continues to move stuff out of the house.  Her rabbit is now at her new apartment.  However, I am constantly on dog duty, meaning that first early am trip out is on me.  I am not eagerly excited about taking two dogs out in the dark.  Her cat Jasper is acting funny, and possibly needing a trip to the vet for a check up.  On a good note, her new job will almost double her pay.  

Hopefully this crazy schedule and mass load of things to be done will taper off soon.