dbjc364's Blog

dbjc364's January 2010 Entries

Last Post 1 day, 14 hours Ago

| Add a Comment | Report

Jan 27, 2010 | 3:21 PM PST
Tag: playing darts with Landon..
well,drumroll please..the walls had that 60's outdated wall board. You know the kind,the 4 inch squares.It had been painted-then we painted it again when we moved in. We started taking it off in the closet area first, and Jim was quite determined to only redo the closet area,I wanted to do the whole bath,but I wasn't going to fight about it. I just didnt want to turn around a year from now and do the rest and deal with a mess again.It came off only to discover natural pine shiplap.So now the whole things getting done,as we kept going,including the ceiling tiles.Thats also shiplap.So I'll go with a gloss sealer this time around.He did most of the destruction,but I'll be doing the sealer.The mess is all picked up and gone to the dump,and his clothes can go upstairs on a temporary rack tonite.He'll be happy about that one.Next step- as the floor is also wood, to start taking that lineoleum up.The outside temps hit 45* today,and as we had 5-7 inches of rain, and now 3/4 of our snow is gone! my beds are uncovered,grass everywhere.This is not good.The dang flowers are gonna start popping out!

4 Comments

Add a Comment

Surprise-surprise..

| Add a Comment | Report

Jan 25, 2010 | 2:31 AM PST
Tag: ventilation challenges..
What do we have here....well, I'm glad we decided to tackle the building of the closet in the small bath now, instead of spring time.We would have been right in the middle of gardening chores, and discovered the problem,and been kinda stressed doing 2 major things at once.As he started taking off the old wall board & trim,we found some wet insulation,along with wet outside sheafing- a couple beginning to rot-wet framing members. No ventilation in that bath-except the small window all these years,and most people dont bother to open a window,especially during the winter when your taking a bath.More than likely the window wasnt flashed,or flashed correctly.The little dormer has to have the new vinyl siding put on anyways. So brother Rick will stop in tomorrow if no rain,to see what needs to be done to the outside.Jim will continue destruction on the inside,and instead of just doing the closet,he'll gut the whole thing.I told him I was ready to give it new paint and paper anyways. With the new bath downstairs hooked up,its not such a bummer,even if its not finished.That will be next winters project.It looks like only a couple areas that are bad and the whole thing will be more labor intensive than anything.We were given 4 full sheets of moisture proof sheetrock for bathrooms,last fall,now sitting on the front porch waiting to be used.So I quess that was meant to be.Have to pick a color now...

4 Comments

Add a Comment

Simply awesome..

| Add a Comment | Report

Jan 20, 2010 | 2:06 AM PST
Tag: a new water garden..
We're getting belted with another small-? storm.Suppose to get 6-10 inches today after getting 4 inches yesterday-which none of it we were suppose to get at all.I had Landon overnite as Daddy was on call and got called out.I'll have him most of the day today I expect.I'm in the middle of washing everything, curtains-rugs-blankets, etc.,as my new washer arrived.This machine sings a jingle at the end of the cycle,which I think is a hoot and a good idea. While I think the jingle has a nice tune to it,trying to remember what the jingle is,they should really use the "Dirty laundry" song.So far, I like it, it out performs my top loader,and is definitely more quiet.There's nothing wrong with my top loader,so that will be cleaned up and put on my garage sale this summer.My Amyarallis flowers arent performing well, lots of leaves,no flowers yet.I dont think they had their period of chill long enough.This next season I'll have to put them in the small fridge,so they'll have a long enough dormancy period.Its been 6 years,and when we moved in, we knew the tub had to go.The tub was finally disconnected,pulled out from upstairs, and thrown out the back door onto the snow.We're planning on making it into a water garden.We'll have to pick up a small fountain.The frogs should love it.Ok, we had to pull the sink out to do that,now to make a much needed closet.The small bath is going to get a redo,sheetrock,wall paper-paint,floor.So that project gets bumped up into 1st place and the downstairs has to wait awhile longer.But thats ok, as this has been waiting for a longer time,and we need that closet.One more month, and we should be into mud season....

4 Comments

Add a Comment

A new year, a new week,,,

| Add a Comment | Report

Jan 11, 2010 | 2:45 AM PST
Tag: the spoken word..
I can take as much snow as mother nature wants to hand us, its the frigid temps I dont care for. We haven't been immune to the bone chilling degrees that the rest of the country is getting.Its been below 0*,with windchills reaching into the teens some days. Yuck. Well,we made it thru the holidays,and colds,regular flu rounds.But I think we're past the worst of it.I just know we're gonna get another blizzard type storm-probaly in Feb.A trip to Bangor this past weekend for coal,this time we got nut coal to see if there was much of a difference over the pea coal.And there is. So next season, it'll be at least 2 ton of the nut.We're the only ones that chose to burn coal of all the people we personally know,even though there are many people out there that do.Since we had to do something about heating,and the furnace had to go,this is what we chose for a few different reasons.We haven't regretted our choice,but do have to do some tweaking as we go along.Our propane is running $3.59 a gal,needless to say- we dont turn on the little propane log stove except when its bone chilling.Its mostly used for the cooking stove.We're not to impressed with this forced upon switch to digital tv.Our tv messes up quite a bit and we lose our signal often.We're not the only ones suffering with this.We thought maybe it was our antenee,but others are having the same problem.We had joined Netflix quite a while ago,so this gets us thru the rougher spots,in addition to not being forced to watch idiot tv programs that the networks like to call entertainment.Thank god we can read.At least from spring to late fall,we're outside mostly,and seldom come in before dark,we're like 2 kids that have to be called over and over to come in for supper.Oh, Ma, do I have to? There's something quite satisfying about getting dirty,and not having to explain it.Most people know you've been in the garden by looking at your knees.Its a wonder I haven't installed flood spot lights in the garden area, so I can keep going like the energizer bunny.About this time I start getting the itch for gardening, after the holidays,so I resign myself to drooling over catalogs, and spring cleaning.I'm still puttering away on the spare bedroom,hoeing out whats no longer needed,dreaming about what is needed,and now have an actual spare bed for an overnite guest,instead of the blow-up mattress.Our 10 yr. anniversary, and my birthday coming up,gave way to a new front loader washer,to be installed this week. Jim asked me last nite what the 10 yr. mark is,we're pretty sure its not gold,I said I didnt know and would have to look it up,but I'm pretty sure its not sheetrock or washers,so I think we just made a new one,as the sheetrock is soon to follow.This week we get back to finishing the new bathroom part,so that'll get us thru the idiot tv nights the rest of the winter.I've been wanting a front loader for about 5 yrs.I hate dragging stuff to the laundry mat-even though its right up the street.I never seem to have the time to do it,so whatever is going, tends to sit in a pile for a long time.I hemmed and hawed and agonized over a model,then finally just did it.I hope it does a good job,as I only use the front loaders at the laundry mat and lov them.Last week, I told him,he had his front loader,bought and paid for,now it was time for mine. He had a look of horror on his face,expecting me to wanting my own John Deere,I said no, they dont come in pink. I want a front loader washer.A look of relief swept over him,knowing this purchase was no where near what the Deere cost us,but still pricey.It'll only hurt for a little while,then we'll get over it,and hopefully the laundry wont sit in a pile.Now his full length suit for outdoors will get washed on a regular basis,not that any man really cares about those things,but they can get pretty grubby.All of us have been playing "Go Fish" & "Crazy Eights" & "War" with Landon for at least a year.He's caught on pretty good, and its certainly helping him with learning what the numbers are,and the colors.He may just end up working in a Casino when he's older, as Jim is now teaching him "Black Jack", "No peek-Ums",& "Acey-Ducey".Its quite the riot.We'll make sure he knows how to play checkers and Chess.My daughter never learned Chess,so she cant teach him.So maybe now she will also learn along with him.He's been outside on the better days,with his new tractor digging in the snow, but I can tell he's not as crazy about that as he is with good ol' dirt, and worms.He likes preschool,and talking up a storm, in fact,he never shuts up.I don't know where his off button is.I seem to recall going thru this with his mother.I really think kids should come with that as part of standard equipment.But thank goodness,he still takes alot of naps.That gives me 2 hrs of quiet time,which is what we call it.Tell any kid its nap time,and watch them go beserk, and turn inside out.Say its quiet time, and life is calmer...ah, its all in the words...

1 Comment

Add a Comment

dbjc364's Blog

dbjc364's January 2010 Entries

Topics