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dbjc364's January 2011 Entries

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Getting antsy in between snow storms here,,

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Jan 31, 2011 | 1:05 AM PST
Tag: a little color here & there..
so getting ready to dive into a project.My kitchen island needs new paint & more hooks to hang my small biscuit rolling pin etc.I also don't like the pantry color I painted 2 yrs ago-Rosemary.I like Sage-but not the color of Rosemary.I'll do one shelf at a time,so its not so clutter disrupting.I started a light cleaning of the dustbunnies out of the laundry room the other day-it turned into a heavy cleaning,de-cluttering,reorgan
izing,then a new curtain for the window,because I didnt measure the kitchen window before leaving the house.It ended up being just right for the laundry room though,love the color blends, and Jim wanted a new ironing board cover that also ended up matching the curtain.Since its going to be no time soon on gutting the old bathroom,I need a temporary closet w/shelves in there where the old shower stall used to be.I asked jim to build me one right off,don't worry about being fussy,long as its functional.Contact paper/paint and curtains will do alot.He saw a new tool he wanted on tv,so he gets to play with that after finding it at Home Depot for 1/2 the cost.Actually we have about 4 things we're bouncing back and forth puttering on,throw in some computor problems friends were having,that he fixed,then the pellet stove decided to get into the act by acting up.Something to do with the ignitor switching on,he has to see which of the 3 things it is, then order the part.At least we're able to light it manually,and still be able to use it in here.We borrowed his sisters small heater just in case.I used one of the large metal trash cans for another compost bin, and thats full now.My rolling compost bin, I have just a little more room in that,so I either start another one or let it go to trash.I probaly should do one more at least.My birthday week this week,I chose to have Lobster for supper one night,acquired 3 meal certificates in restaraunts out,one lunch out with Moms gang to celebrate all our birthdays next weekend, and daughter & Landon will take me out to lunch also this week.Wow, talk about hitting the jackpot this year.Moms kitchen came out fantastic,raising the ceiling into the attic space.The new pendant lights-track light & and ceiling fan are hung.The floor will get new flooring sometime this month.Since her cabinets were all good,they just got a new coat of finish with knobs & handles.My upstairs hall is needing a cleaning before spring,and I've noticed the stair carpet treads are looking old, and need new ones.I'm also thinking a new coat of paint at least down the stairs,so that goes on the list,that I might get to do.Its been 7 years since they got done, and some scuff marks didnt come off on the last cleaning.It seems I went thru a faze of alot of white curtains, so now I want some with color.A little spruce-up here & there to chase away the winter blahs..

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Not much to do outside,

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Jan 24, 2011 | 3:09 AM PST
Tag: chilling temps..
with these temps of -10* to -30* wind chill factor. When the wind isnt blowing its a normal 2* above.Just stay content stoking the stoves,eat good food, and watch tv.Think of something I can bake today to let the kitchen stove heat up the kitchen.Today I'll start the car and Dad's truck & let it run for awhile though.Their in their bays out of the chilling wind at least.2 more potential storms on the horizon for this week.Its possible the water line caught up, because jim has to don his one piece suit, and get into the crawl space to see if it froze.It probaly did as its a new toilet.This is the first time in 8 years,if it did.Thats the worst corner anyways being so far from the heat down cellar,and this is the coldest jan.{year} for us so far.In the spring we'll be replacing outside skirting & snugging it up much better anyways.Over the weekend we went to the kids for lunch,moved the pool table to a better spot,got the posts out of our way of playing,installed a new light on the porch and a shelf.Supper at Mom's for her birthday,and to see how her kitchen is coming along.What a difference it makes raising the ceiling.The guys are about 3/4 done now.She'll be happy to get her kitchen back I'm sure.Plenty of snow cover for us now,and we banked the skirting around 1/2 of it,but I quess we need to check the backside.The roofs are cleared off awaiting the next storm.One more month of this,and then mud season starts...

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All is calm,,

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Jan 5, 2011 | 6:39 AM PST
Tag: covered over with snow finally..
this week. Dad,who is 79, but still spry, helped me to start destroying the kitchen wall the other day.We thought we'd give Jim a hand in the project to help him along,so he doesnt have to do everything by himself,as he has much to do already.We took off the old wallboard is what I called it. It wasnt your standard sheetrock of today,it looked like thick cardboard.It used to be an outside wall, now its an inside wall & part of the living room.No wonder these old houses get so cold. Using just boards back in the old days, and between every one of them is a good gap.No amount of insulation would block any wind.Out came the old insulation,along with a dead wasp nest.Instead of moving completely out of the kitchen in the future,during the major renovation part, we've decided to keep the ceiling intact and just fix it.It'll be a little more labor intensive fixing all the boo-boo's,but will save money and time in the long run-along with our sanity. By friday, I'll move the microwave to the counter,and he can start taking off the boards & studs.After we got the wall done what we could, I started in on all the paperwork.Garbage pile,burn pile,go thru every last stack & piece of paper,and I haven't even hit the filing cabinet yet.This time I'm being ruthless with the magazines to donate to the recycle bin and out on the garage sale.I always tell myself I might want to reread a magazine article and end up keeping it,but we all know what happens.The pile just keeps getting bigger and bigger,and we end up moving them from one area to another..Thank goodness I only had 2 subscriptions going,but at least 3 years worth.This time their going out the door.oh-gee,look at that I say to myself,its a marvel how much space one has,when we purge.I get on these rolls,and one room leads to another.ok-update. After 2 weeks, the wall is now out-the header is in,and that was a freebie from the pile at the dump.A good 2X12,if thats what you call it, with the plywood sandwiched between,was Jims find of the day which made him quite happy.My brother also came down to help with moms major kitchen renovation-stayed the night here, and helped Jim put it in.Put another cabinet into place, and some shifting around,cut a little more off the old sink counter to fit the new cabinet.Well- we've only been married 6 months, but it was our normal anniversary together for 11 years, so we went out to a wonderful late lunch,and a Home Depot run.We havent been out for a long time,as we've been keeping our noses to the grindstone and paying bills,so it was nice.A little more cleaning today, and some more shifting dishes around is making the kitchen much more functional & enjoyable to work in.The pretty will come one wall at a time,so we dont have to move out completely.My moms renovation saw the complete removal of her kitchen ceiling to raise it,but it'll be nice when its done.Just seeing that in progress though, convinced me not to do that here.After the wall removal,we moved the fridge again to its 5th spot.We're going to live with it like this till we're sure this is what we want to do-or plan B.I have a pepper plant given to me,near a sunny window that is hanging in there. I'll be surprised if I get green peppers, as its getting very leggy reaching for the sun.I shoveled off 8 inches of new snow from the deck the other day,and got a good workout.We didn't have to bother with the roof, as the wind has been taking it off for us.After we get done puttering today,we'll go the kids in late afternoon & have supper with them.All is finally snow covered,but possibly another round of rain this coming week,and then we'll be back to none again.

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A quiet New Years celebration...

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Jan 2, 2011 | 2:04 AM PST
Tag: clear out the old...
so quiet I can't even remember what we watched on tv.Instead of going out this year,we opted to pick up something nicer to fix for the new years celebration,and spend the money on the kitchen wall sheetrock.I wanted Bay scallops,as they are more tender and sweeter,but the guys were just getting back to scalloping, and hadn't filled the stores with their catch yet.So we had Sea scallops instead.Bacon wrapped scallops with the left over spegitti,and the next night a round of baked scallops in lemon & garlic butter, with French Onion soup.Their ok,just not as good as the Bay in my opinion, and I think I should have just had a lobster instead.The last week and a half, we've been flying at half mast around here with both of us not feeling that great.Jim had extra time off because of the storms, and holidays-puttered about at half speed,and took naps.Being less of a risk taker than my younger years,we also wanted to stay off the roads because of the fools who continue to drive drunk.I'm sure there were accidents but we heard of no major ones.Most of our 8 inches of snow is gone now,and a round of rain tonight or heavy fog may just finish that off.That strange jet stream thats wreaking havoc elsewhere in the country is bringing in warm air up north here,which we dont need of course.The plus side is an easier fuel season for us to recoup from the last season,as prices are now going up again.Getting the vehicles ready for the new year- we filled them with washer fluid,to the car wash, a quick vac,and changed the oil.Landon spent the night, and likes the car wash, so Jim will take him this morning to wash the Honda.I'll go get a few groceries.I've already started clearing stuff away from the wall,and will have to switch places for the dishes temporarily,which will no doubt screw with the mens minds for sure,and send them to a different planet.But it can't be helped.I have to empty the shelving of the everyday dishes to a different spot,and then watch them scratch their heads & go around in circles for a few weeks.So today I'm bagging up some magazines for the recycle bin,getting rid of more clutter,shredding the junkmail,and take down the last piece of xmas garland.By tuesday he can pick up the 2x4's,that area should be all set to knock the first hole in the wall.We only have a general idea of what we want to do on this wall,so its one of those build as you go projects.As we have enough space on the living room side,we want to build a bump out for the fridge and some shelving-which frees up the space for another kitchen cabinet also.Then one long sink counter.It all sounds good on paper,but as usual there is always a snaffu,,so I dont anticipate it to go smoothly.I'll be surprised if it does,but if anything it'll be an interesting project.I predict at most 3-4 more storms for the winter,and I'm talking more than a couple inches.Even though we usually get a storm in March,this year we may not with the weather being so weird,and spring will come early.Other than the March winds,it usually feels like spring to me anyways by the second week of March.What a short winter we've had this year.Right now,I half expect the crocus to start popping...

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dbjc364's January 2011 Entries

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