The Lighting Display that caused our neighbors to call 911

Let me start out by saying we do have some decent neighbors, the ones who called 911 are not them! Bryan and I have been known to pull practical jokes on each other and the kids, it is all in good fun and most people are able to appreciate that. We hung our "lights" and about 3 hours later I see someone on our front porch. When I go out to investigate I find it is a police officer!! See our wonderful (yet very nosey) neighbors called 911. They did not walk over and check to see if the "person" was ok they instead stood at the end of their driveway on their cellphone until the police showed up. The ambulance and firetruck were fortunately called off by the police officer, who did not find the humor in our light display.

Now seriously if you saw what you thought was your neighbor dangling upside down by one string of lights don't you think you might walk up to them to see if they needed help!!

Stripping on the Stairs

My newest project has been ripping out the old/disgusting carpet on the stairs and stripping the handrail and newel posts. After removing the 627 nails, tacks and staples, I will sand down the treads and paint them. The railing and posts will require quite a few hours of stripping and elbow grease to get them ready for staining.

Step 1: Before

Note the head start my kids got on chipping away the paint, also the reason why I decided to work on this project. Apply a thick coat of Citristrip and wait 15 minutes. The directions say to wait 30 minutes, but I found it easier to scrape before it started drying out.

Step 2:

Scrap first layer of paint off with scraper. Apply another layer of Citristrip. Use scraper and coarse steel wool.

Step 3:

Apply another layer to get the rest of the residue and stubborn paint/stain. Use medium and fine steel wool to remove stuck on paint. Wipe with Mineral Spirits.

I still have quite a bit of paint to remove in all the cracks and crevices, but I feel it is more than what the Citristrip is capable of doing.

Our Christmas card

Have a Joyful Holiday!

Have you checked your Carbon Monoxide Detector lately?

12 years ago today, my daughters and I almost lost our lives to the odorless gas Carbon Monoxide, thankfully the Lord was watching over us. We had an unseasonably warm fall and we had yet to turn on the furnace. My (then) husband lit the furnace and left to do some raccoon hunting. I went about our normal evening routine. Girls and I got ready for bed, and since I felt like I was getting sick I went to bed early. I now know that the symptoms I was having were probably due to the CO, which causes headaches, vertigo, and flu-like effects. On a normal night Jason may have stayed out until way after midnight, but on this night he caught a very large coon and brought it home to show me. When he arrived at home he found our 2nd daughter having a seizure and was not able to wake the rest of us. He carried us out of the house and called 911. Luckily we were recovered in the hospital with oxygen therapy. Please check your CO Detectors and if you do not have one please invest $30, it can save your life.

99% complete

We have been working on our kitchen for almost 3 years...3 YEARS!!! That is 1095 days, give or take a few, that we have lived in a messy, dusty, construction zone! I am so very happy to say that we are almost done. Here is a before image, notice the beautiful mustard colored beat up oven, stove, and sink, disgusting chipped up backsplash and counter top, and the equally gross discolored ceilings. We also had huge island (wrap around bar) with carpet on the sides to contend with smack dab in the center of the room.

We still have some floor tile to regrout, finish grouting and sealing the backsplash, outlet covers and drawer pulls to install, and window coverings to make. I have also been enjoying hunting Flea markets and Antique stores for the perfect accessories.
Here's a couple old posts with images.
http://5monsters.blogspot.com/2010/05/were-getting-there.html

http://5monsters.blogspot.com/2008/12/progress-in-kitchen.html

We're getting there

Tile backsplash is almost complete...All the cabinets except the upper desk cabinets are in...countertop is in....beadboard is going up

Kitchen Makeover Take 2

We attempted to remodel the kitchen over a year ago and were never able to see it all the way through. So we (I use this word very loosely) have made a good attempt at finishing what we had started. Bryan took 6 days off hoping to get most of the new cabinets in, new countertops and backsplash, as well as recessed lights, trim, and beadboard on the lower cabinets. He made a huge dent in the to-do list but unfortunately I was unable to help him much. He gets to take credit for just about every project except the tile backsplash, which since there is no heavy lifting I am able to do. I need to make another run to Home Depot for tiles and trim and we need about 5 more days to work on it but the end is in sight! There is still a ton of work to do but here is an image that is the inspiration for the cabinets and the tiles we chose.

The backsplash is a mixture of these tiny 1" mosaic tiles, larger 4" tile, and the border, all are tumbled slate.

Hello again!

The last posts were from the beginning of the school year and here we are with only one more week left of this school year. So much has happened, which I could use as an excuse for why I have been absent for over 6 months.

The school year went by rather quickly, although the kids might tell you different. The progress on the house has been quite slow, but that is all changing this week, as Bryan attempts to get the kitchen remodel finished. The studio has kept me very busy, as I moved into a larger space in December and still have work to do to get it the way I would like it. Bryan was promoted at work. Which has meant he no longer gets weekends off, although I think he enjoys that since I can't give him weekly honeydo lists for his weekends! The Chatterbox and Badger Boy both did winter swim team. The Chatterbox also participated in the Community Theatre's after school program and performed 'My Homework ate my Dog'. Little Buddy enjoyed his afternoons in preschool. Miss Brainy achieved an Academic Letter and a Letter in Speech, she also did one act play and concert band. The Boss turned 16 and will hopefully be able to get her drivers license soon. My back troubles had been kept at bay for over 8 months but roared its ugly head again just as I was starting to getting into an exercise routine again. I have been able to lose 28 pounds so far even though I haven't been able to get to the YMCA for over 3 weeks.