Projects in Progress

The landing at the top of the stairs was looking pretty sad when we moved in.  Tony has declared that this little area should be my project. So today I got started with some adhesive tile and paint removal.  Not finished yet but here are some pictures of the progress...

Treasure Hunt

I picked up a few new items at the Goodwill yesterday...

Loving the seventies theme...If you dig pyrex check out this website 

where you can find pictures of the many designs. 

This vase brightens the room without any flowers.  

And a functional piece...a waste basket for all that recycling that keeps piling up at the mail station. 

Hot & Cold

One of the frustrating things about an old house is the drafts. On the colder days it seems that I am being constantly chilled by the currents of cold air running through each room.  Hence, our ridiculous gas bill the past couple of months.

One of the major contributors to the draftiness of our house is the second room upstairs. (The one with the floor project.)  It had NO insulation above it.  We have had to keep the door closed all winter.  Every time we entered the room a waft of cold air would come shooting into the hall. 

Thankfully that shouldn't be a problem next winter because Tony got some insulation into the attic.  He was also kind enough to take a few pictures for me because I am afraid of falling through the ceiling. :)

Doesn't it just look cold?

The insulation ended at the kitchen wall.

Looking back towards the living room. 

See the old chimney in the middle of the house.

Insulation batts ready to go...already looking cozier.

Rainy Sunday

If you've been to our house you know that our front yard is not in the best shape. Yes, I've seen much worse, but ours needs a lot of work.  For those of you who haven't seen the yard at all or in the daylight here is my description:  The yard is surrounded by a chainlink fence, which is, in my opinion, the most uninviting style of fence aside from razor wire. The yard is only about 40% grass, the rest being large patches of moss, weeds, and dirt. In one corner there is a large stump that needs to be gound down. Another corner is home to two sickly twisted rose bushes that have only produced curled brown leaves covered with black spots and holes.

The front porch clearly had a flower bed planted along its front at some point in the past.  The remnants of the garden were long gone when we moved in.  The cheat grass and dandelions had gladly moved into the untended beds and are now slowly creeping back into the rest of the yard. I've been planning for a while to get started on the yard but I haven't had the time, motivation, energy and I kept telling myself I should wait for Spring....until yesterdy.  On a quick trip to the grocery store I spotted some Ornamental Kale. I decided this was the weekend that the transformation must begin.

When I woke up mid-morning on Sunday it was raining.  Drat! After several cups of coffee I convinced myself to go down to the City People's store and pick out some plants to supplement the two kale plants I had selected. I purchased some grasses (a varigated green, and deep purple), two purple heathers, a trailing rosemary bush, a lavender bush, and some Cedar Grove compost.  I couldn't get a picture showing the front of the house because of the rain but I'll add one when I get a chance.  If you would like to know the specifics about any of the plants let me know and I can send you the details.

Kale Number 1

Kale Number 2

Purple Heather and Lavendar in the background

Left Side when facing the house.

Tall varigated green grass and shorter

dark purpleish grass to the left.

Right side when facing the house.

Trailing Rosemary is in the very back of this row.

The Close of Christmas

Tomorrow is trash day.  This means that the tree must be put on the curb before the morning.  As I was putting away the Christmas decorations I thought I would do a quick post about Christmas packing tips.  Most of these are from my Mother.  Thanks Mom!

(1) Christmas lights should be taken off the tree when they are on. You will be able to see where the strand is when the lights are on and that makes the whole process a lot easier. This also allows you to enjoy your Christmas lights for just a little longer before it all goes into a box for a year!

(2) Wind your Christmas lights around an empty paper towel tube as you take them off the tree.  A rolled up paper grocery bag also works well for this.  This will prevent them from becoming tangled.  Nothing is more frustrating than tangled Christmas lights!

(3) To protect your holiday candles put a nylon footie around the candle and then wrap paper around it.  This will prevent dents in the candle while it is packed away and also will prevent any discoloration that may result if a colored candle is next to fabric in your Christmas storage boxes.

(4) Collect all the Christmas cards you have received this year and put them in a ziplock bag in your Christmas storage box.  I like to look back at the cards I received the previous year and make sure that I add any new people to my Christmas list.

(5)  A wine box is the perfect storage container for ornaments (assuming you haven't invested in one of those plastic ornament boxes).  Lay out all your ornaments before you start packing and put the heaviest ornaments on the bottom.  Put a little white tissue paper between each ornament and completely wrap the more fragile ornaments with paper.  Do not use newspaper because the ink can stain ornaments with light fabric.

(5)  Pack your Christmas CD's and your kitchen linens and aprons last.  That way you can really get in the spirit with some Christmas tunes while you unpack next year. Maybe you'll even find the motivation to do some Christmas baking.