A whole new room

A few months ago, we decided it was time to remove the old carpet from the playroom and replace it with tile. As with any remodel project, it is never as simple as you think it is going to be. We ended up replacing one whole side of wall board and most of the trim in the room, and re-painting the walls and trim.

Here is a before picture of the room on a regular day.

Here it is after cleaning most of the toys out.

Here we have pulled out the carpet and now in the middle of putting in the subfloor. Just in case you are wondering what is involved in the process of installing tile there is one layer of mortar, a layer of concrete backerboard (screwed in with 50 screws for each 3x5 piece), then mortar and tape over all the seams of the backerboard, then another layer of mortar, then the tile, and finally the grout and sealer.

Here the floor is done and we've installed the new wall board on that back wall. That wall had been bothering us since it looked like a previous owner had taken out a window unit (air conditioner) and put a piece of ply wood in the spot. It had been painted to match the rest of the walls but it never looked very good. Daniel tried to replace just that one section, but the big box stores don't carry the exact board that we needed so we had to replace the whole wall to make sure it all matched.

I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I painted the playroom that gold color a couple of years ago. I thought it was going to turn out a little more neutral but I never liked it and always felt like we were surrounded by school bus yellow. So I went back to a very safe color. The girls helped throughout the process. They learned how to rip up carpet, spread a few feet of mortar, and caulk. They also painted a few parts that they could reach.

I have a little experience tiling since I have done 2 small bathrooms, but I'd never attempted a job as big as the playroom (around 250 sq. ft.). Daniel and I spent several years remodeling, renting, and selling houses when we lived in NC so neither one of us are afraid to tackle renovation projects. This project did prove to be challenging in many ways as we ran into a few unexpected delays/problems. It was hard enough to fit all of that work in during our free time. Remember Daniel is still teaching 2 classes a semester during summer school and working on his dissertation, and the girls and I are still homeschooling and dancing--oh, and there's the garden too. Somehow, we managed to find the time to get it done. I am so pleased with the results. It is not complete as we will be adding some more furniture including a couch and tv area and a large desk for our homeschool corner.

As I said, we started the project a few months ago. Besides the fact that we worked on it only on weekends (when not traveling or celebrating a holiday) and in the evenings, Daniel also replaced a toilet in the bathroom and a drain pipe for the washing machine. So, a few plumbing emergencies over the past few months held up the tile process too. Isn't it beautiful now? It feels so fresh, clean, and indestructible.

Catching up

As you may have noticed, there has been a bit of a delay in the blogging lately. It has taken us a few weeks to get adjusted to our new fall schedule and the blog has been low on the priority list. Daniel, like always, will be teaching 5 courses between Midlands Tech and USC. He is also spending more time researching and writing for his dissertation. I've started teaching 6 ballet classes that will continue through the year. The girls have started a more rigorous homeschool schedule in addition to beginning their ballet and contemporary dance classes. Our homeschool coop classes will resume next week, but I've volunteered to do a little more organizational work for that this year which has kept me busy these past few weeks.

I did finish most of the cabinets. I did all the doors but still have to do the drawers.


Daniel worked on this cool project last weekend. Mimi and BB gave these chairs to us a few years ago. They were lounge chairs, but the intense sun exposure on the back porch caused the webbing to deteriorate. Daniel had removed the first section of webbing that is made for resting your feet. We sat on them a few days then the seat part fell through. We both hated to throw these chairs away since the frame was still in good shape. Daniel came up with a wonderful solution and designed these wooden seats. I picked up some cushions on clearance at Home Depot and now we have a comfortable, cozy spot to enjoy these beautiful late summer evenings.There are only a few veggie plants left in the garden which is mostly full of buckwheat cover crop. We do still have beautiful eggplant, peppers and basil coming in. Here is a 5 gallon bucket full of basil I harvested this week. I love it even though I'm getting a little tired of preparing pesto. We will be happy, though, as we are eating it all winter long!

Final summer house project--the cabinets

I've been sanding and painting the cabinets in the kitchen these past few days. Like all home remodeling projects it's going to take longer and be more complicated than planned. I was hoping to get it all done by the end of this weekend, but I don't think I'll finish it tomorrow. Mimi has been in town to celebrate an early birthday for Ellen and has helped a ton just being around and hanging out with the girls so I can work on the cabinets.

The girls were once again happy to help. We had to take everything out so that I could sand in kitchen.
This is one of the rooms that we stored all the stuff that was in the cabinets. One of the fun parts about home repair is you get to live in chaos! We put it all back late last night so now we just have to live without the doors for a few days. I had fun getting rid of food and junk that I know we'll never use but has been shoved in the back of the pantry:)

This is what I've looked like for the past 2 days.

I'll post pictures of the finished project soon!

Spring, I mean, late summer cleaning

We went to Charlotte last weekend to visit Daniel's family and do some shopping at IKEA and Trader Joe's. Friday was spent with William. We went to the Matthew's farmers market and toured the organic CSA that William is involved with. It was encouraging to see a beautiful, successful organic farm.



Saturday we spent the day at the pool by Gail's house. Here's Ellen and aunt Anna playing in the pool.


Sunday we stopped at IKEA for a new bunk bed for the girls' room. They have been sharing a double bed since we moved to Columbia. They didn't ask for a new bed, but we thought it was a good time to give them their own space. We had quite a fiasco when we got home to Columbia ard realized the box of bed pieces was missing two of the long boards that hold the slats. Daniel had to drive back to Charlotte to get those pieces since IKEA wouldn't ship or deliver them to us. It was quite frustrating, but everyone was calm and collected and we finally got it all assembled on Monday night. The girls were right there with us at every step putting the bed together--reading directions, sorting pieces, holding things, tightening screws, hammering, etc.

Since we were moving the double bed from their room to the office we decided to go ahead and rip up the carpet in those two rooms. There is nice wood flooring in there. That inspired us, or rather forced us, to do some rearranging around the entire house. We moved the office, bedroom, dining room and den around. We now have a guest room where the office was. Daniel and I cleaned out files along with many other things. We loaded up my trunk twice with all the stuff we got rid of. I still have a pile of old carpet and a recliner on my porch waiting for the next load to the dump. Here's a picture of the massive pile of papers Daniel recycled.


It feels so nice and refreshing to clean, organize, and de-clutter the house in this way. I think it's a good thing that we don't have much storage space (no attic or garage). It forces us to get rid of things that we don't need and would probably store if we did have the space.

Painting and planting. House, shed, and garden updates

I'll start with the shed. Daniel put a new roof on while we were at the beach a few weeks ago. Then he painted it purple and brown. It looks so much better and very cheerful next to the garden.
Next is the kitchen. I couldn't decide on a color. It was a pale green color. Here it is while I was sanding and trying out 4 different colors. I thought I could be bold and use a nice blue or rusty red, but I was too scared.
I went with a neutral taupe/tan color. Next I'll be sanding and painting the cabinets and replacing the hardware. Sorry about the bad pictures but you get the idea of the color.

In the garden we've (I really should say Daniel since he does about 95% of the work) made quite a few changes. He cut down all the bush beans that were finished then cut out the brussels sprouts that didn't do much. He pulled out all the potatoes and planted more bush beans. He has also pulled out the tomatoes that got blossom end rot (or some disease) and has planted a cover crop of buckwheat in all the empty spaces.

This is the bed of bush beans. You can see how he has put lots of wheat straw on the bed. The beans are growing right up through it.

Here's a shot of the buckwheat coming up through the straw. There's a cabbage and some peppers still at the end of this bed. We've harvested 3 medium cabbages and have loved having that for a change. There' s still a few out there.

Here's a close up of the okra. I'm sorry that flower is not open. I could grow these plants just for the flowers because they are so beautiful. We've got a lot of okra but not too much yet. I've really enjoyed it this year cooked in everything -- soups, sautes with pasta or rice, on pizza and of course deep fried.

Here's a few butternut squash on the vine. Daniel already harvested a large one a week ago. I haven't cooked it yet since it stores well.


The watermelon, okra, and sweet potato patch.
We have four o'clock flowers in several spots around the yard. Most of them are yellow, some are pink and some are like this one below.

Flowers and other stuff

Columbia is so beautiful in the spring. The dogwoods, azaleas, and wisteria are blooming all over the place. We have all those trees in our yard and it is such a pleasure to walk outside. I especially love this wisteria that is growing up a teepee bamboo structure that Daniel built. It smells so amazing. We talk about how we find ourselves walking around it all weekend just to be near its scent. This is not a great picture of what we see everyday since it is close up but here it is anyway.
We planted dianthus flowers and gerber daisies in this bed in the front yard. I love having instant color. Although it is in the front of the house the flowers are a little small to see from the road but they are a pleasure to walk by throughout the day. We (the girls and I) spend a lot of time with front and back doors open. We go in and out all day while we sit out for lunch, take breaks for playing with the dogs, or just wander around in the sun. I am so thankful for the beauty that surrounds our house, and even more thankful that I'm home most of the time to enjoy it.
We have been eating from this patch of collards all winter. As the weather has warmed and the days have gotten longer the plants have grown huge. I took this picture after we harvested a large grocery bag stuffed with collard leaves. I noticed at Earthfare that a bunch of organic collards were about $2.50. We have been eating a bunch every day for free! In case you are wondering how we eat them, I usually chop them and then saute them with a little oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and soy or tamari sauce. Then I add them to everything--beans and rice, burritos, grits, pizza (actually I add them raw to top of pizza before cooking) or we just have them as a side dish.
Daniel planted loquat trees in the front yard. He pulled these up from around a large loquat tree at Midlands Tech where he teaches. He got them last fall and put them in pots and mulched them over the winter. He dug out this new bed a few weekends ago and planted these 4 trees in the front yard and they have some new growth! Loquats get to be about 25 feet and produce an edible (pear-like) fruit in the late summer.

Here's some watercolor paintings the girls did over the weekend. The design came from one of our drawing books. I put them on this mat board and we have it hanging in the playroom. I like to change the art in the playroom every few months.

These last three pictures were taken by my friend at a party this weekend. She loves taking pictures. It's a hobby for now but she's building a portfolio in case it ever turns into something more. Jennifer King Photography 2009

Remodeling

We spent the entire weekend doing some remodeling projects. First was the marathon (2 1/2 hour) trip to Home Depot to collect the supplies. We were trying to avoid making another trip but that didn't really happen.

The first 2 projects were replacing the insides to both of our toilets that had recently started to run. That was fun. I don't have a picture of this...you can get a good look at your toilet insides anytime. They are pretty easy to work with so if you have a leaky toilet this is a good beginner project!

Next was putting in a new marble counter and sink in the master bath. Of course the sink didn't fit exactly right. So I go back to Home Depot, return the sink and begin the process of ordering a custom top. After talking to the very helpful clerk I decided having a marble top that hangs over 1/2 inch more than I'd like is better than spending more money on a lesser quality top that fits exactly right. Then I go back to the front and buy back the exact vanity top I had just returned! That was Home Depot trip #2. We had to go back Sunday to find pipes to fit since the sink is now in the middle instead of on the side.
Before

After
While I was gone dealing with the vanity, Daniel installed a new light above the kitchen sink and began putting up the new sheet rock in this spot by front door. We took down a piece of wall a while back so now the only thing left to do is replace the ceiling drywall and the hardwood floor.
Next was replacing the kitchen counter top. Cutting the hole for the sink was a major pain but Daniel handled it beautifully as I stood over him double checking all the measurements. :) We were both nervous about cutting into such an expensive piece but it turned out beautiful! I love my new counter! We also changed out some plumbing under the kitchen sink that you can't see, but trust me it sure looks shiny under there now:)
Before

After (also notice the new light!)
What were the girls doing the whole time? They did help here and there holding pieces and tools. They learned a little more about plumbing and carpentry. Mainly, though, they were playing together. Here they are after clearing out a patch for their new fort in the back yard.

They still can't resist playing in cardboard boxes!

Weekend Projects

Project #1 Blueberry Picking
Friday we went to pick blueberries. The whole time we were there, the girls and I couldn't stop saying, "Wow, look at all the berries." It was amazing to be in a forest of blueberries! The trees were 20 years old and in some places the branches would cross up and over the path in between the rows. We stood there in the shade and simply pulled hand-fulls of berries down into our buckets. We ate a few hand-fulls too:) We came home with a little over 2 gallons (about 12-14 lbs.) for $17. I spent the afternoon putting the berries away-- freezing several quarts, canning 4 1/2 pints of jam, and rinsing the rest to eat as fresh treats for the rest of the week. Making blueberry jam was a little easier than the strawberry I made in the spring. The blueberries are so easy to prepare since there is no peeling or cutting. I used panoma's natural fruit pectin again and the jam came out awesome.



Project #2 Painting the deck

Daniel and I made a plan to paint the deck last weekend. It was a project that we have wanted to do for a while but the garden has taken most of our weekend energy this summer.

The deck was painted green but it was old and worn down. It was also causing the back of the house to be even hotter than it should be. The green was absorbing the heat and getting so hot that it would burn our feet in the afternoons. We went to work Saturday morning pressure washing and scraping the deck clean. That afternoon we began the primer. Sunday was spent painting.
The girls were very involved in this project. They both got quick turns with the electric pressure washer. They stayed out in the hot sun with us and scraped and scratched old paint off. Then Saturday they both had their own brushes to help apply the primer. Daniel took turns with them rolling the paint on Sunday. It takes a little extra patience having small hands help out. They had great attitudes and really wanted to be a part of this entire project.

Help please

A Better Bathroom

We have removed all the old wallpaper. The previous owners had painted over at least one layer of wallpaper. They had also wallpapered over an old fixture and it looked terrible. Now, I need help deciding what color to paint the bathroom. As you can see there is already a lot of yellow (we are not attempting to remove all the wall tiles) so we need something that will go with the light yellow. keep in mind that the floor is white with little blue square tiles. I am thinking to paint it white since there is already so much color. Daniel is thinking there may be a color that goes with the yellow and will add some warmth to the room (we both think white seems too sterile.) So please post a comment and tell me what you think!!

Family Time

Daniel is pretty much done with his semester. He did an amazing job juggling all the papers he had to write or grade and all the tests he created and graded. It is so nice to have him around again. After several months of very long days and 6 day work weeks we now have about a month to take a little break and enjoy more family time. We also have a list of house projects that we want to start tackling although we are trying to be realistic about how much will actually get done. Daniel finished putting up the crown molding yesterday while I worked on removing old wallpaper in the bathroom. Some other projects we hope to get to are sanding and painting house/deck, removing old carpet and sanding hardwoods underneath, painting bathroom, knocking down walls, etc.


Since he doesn't have to rush off to campus, Daniel is enjoying long walks with Jay and the girls in the mornings, extended imaginary play times in the playroom, gardening, and yesterday he took the girls to their art museum class. Today we spent the first half of the day just playing around in the backyard.
This is a view from Arianna's perspective.
Enjoying the beauty of a fire.
Nutcrackers and bird watching

"The hawks wings were this big."





This broccoli has been growing since september.

Garlic that will be ready in spring. I planted about 30 cloves. Greens coming along behind the garlic. In the picture below they are putting up frames to make it easier to cover the potatoes when it gets too cold.


I have become addicted to crocheting. I learned the basic stitch from my grandmother a long, long time ago. Then I starting knitting a few years ago. A few months ago I started a blanket for Alder but I never could get it to look right. I have a very hard time reading patterns! Sorry to say that I gave up on that and ripped it out and now I'm using the yarn to make shawls for the girls. I'm also making a few little presents for Christmas. I carry around my little bag of yarn everywhere I go these days slowly working my way through these projects.