When It Rains,It Pours...

Well, things have certainly been interesting around here the last few days.The ceiling is just about done. We got set back a day because we spent it buying a car. My car was a 2002 Impala (which I call the Oompaloompa) and she was very faithful to me. When I bought her in 2006 she had about 50,000 miles. When we parted she had 149,000 miles.Last year to pass inspection,we had to sink about $3,000 into her. Tuesday,we brought her to the local garage for inspection. Well,she needed a new rear bumper,and new rocker panels,which were apparently rusting out from behind,so you couldn't see it. In other words,she needed more work than she was worth. So I looked on online to see what I could find.  Happily,I found a 2009 Impala LS (I love Impalas...I mean,Ooompaloompas) that only had 13,000 miles on it,and one owner. It was a great deal.She's a beautiful car,and drives like a dream. So that meant spending money we weren't planning on spending,but instead of getting a loan and paying interest,we are going to pay our savings account back each month.

 Then,we needed to fill our oil tank,which,because it's outside,requires a mix so it doesn't freeze up,so that is more than than regular oil and it  ran us over $800. Though we don't use the furnace much,we like to have it for really cold nights as a back up.Up until yesterday,the weather has been pretty mild,so our use of wood or furnace had been next to nothing.The last time we filled the tank was January.

Then.....

 Yesterday,our water heater died. Apparently,the folks we bought the house from just plugged it in to a 120V outlet,even though the heater was a 240V,which we never noticed.So our electricity has been working doubly hard for 8 years. Thankfully,our neighbor who is going to move our oven outlet knows how to add the proper voltage for the new heater. It has been a mighty expensive week. On top of remodeling!!! I am just thankful that we had enough to take care of everything. It will take awhile to put it all back,but we are determined to build our savings back up.

They say everything happens in threes,right? Hopefully we are all set on that for awhile!!!

Have you had anything like that happen to you? Things are going along smoothly,then all of a sudden,everything around you starts falling apart all at once? I'm good with that for a while,I tell you!

Have a fabulous day on this fabulous planet where ever you are,my friends!!!

New Ceiling Is Up And The Verdict Is In On The Kindle Fire

The old strapping was taken down,new ones up put up,and the drywall installed. It's almost completely done in this photo.....

                                        

                                                           .....all up in this one!

Rick tightened up the screws and Zach helped fill the screw holes with mud.Today Rick is going to tape and mud the seams. If it dries fast enough,he will sand and maybe get to put another layer of mud on today. You can see in the above photo that the white beam looks like it's sagging.That's because,like much of house,nothing is plumb. The drywall was laid straight,as it should be,which made the white beam looks more off.You can see the space on the left side of the beam where the drywall meets it,or,should I say,where it's suppose to meet!Rick is going to cut a small piece of dry wall and insert it so the gap is filled. It's always interesting what one will find when doing demo.

Yesterday I was in bed all day with a migraine,which was a bother in itself,but it also meant I had to  miss marching in the Rochester Christmas Parade with the Boy Scout Troop.Rick and Zach went,so at least we were represented. I spent the day watching Movies On Demand,as well as some Tudors on my
Kindle Fire. I really like the Kindle Fire. The video quality is fabulous,and the sound is great for a 7" product. The only thing is getting used to using the keyboard. Since I have never texted,or used this type of board before it takes some getting used to . I make a lot of mistakes because my fingers hit the wrong keys!! Otherwise,it's great.The battery life is good, too- I can get about 6 hours before it needs to be charged. If you are considering a Kindle,and want more than just book reading,I highly suggest the Fire.

The Girls haven't been laying at all for the last couple of weeks. We don't have electricity in the garage,so we don't have it in the coop. The shadows in the backyard are longer now,and the sun doesn't rise above the red pines anymore. Even at noon time,the sun is still about a quarter down from the top of the trees,whereas in the summer it is high above them and it 's sunny until about 4:00 around the coop. Now the shade is fairly constant by the coop,and sun sets at 4:30.

Have a fabulous day on this fabulous planet!!!

Kitchen Redo-Demo Begins

The kitchen demo has begun!!! The Menfolk have been taking down ceiling tiles and pulling off beadboard from the walls. Right now they are measuring for drywall. I hate the mess that drywall makes when it's sanded,but we block off the doorways to the other rooms with blankets so the dust is kept as much to the room that 's being worked on as possible. Yesterday I ordered  a new fridge and oven from Lowe's. The fridge was on sale,and we also received a military discount on top of that. I also bought a new cord for the oven,and a water line for the fridge for the ice maker that is in the freezer (it does not have a water dispenser...I didn't see the need for one). The new fridge has the freezer on the bottom. Looking at new fridges,it seems like they all have ice makers in them now. At least,the ones I looked at. I wanted the the freezer on the bottom,so the fridge part could be more eye level. I hate not seeing some leftover food that gets pushed to the back of the bottom shelf. The new fridge is a basic one door,not the french door style. For some reason,I felt crowded in when I opened it. Not sure why,but I didn't like it. Our new stove is an electric,with coil burners.I was considering a flat top stove,but you can't use cast iron cookware on them,and you have to make sure you use cookware with specific bottoms. The only thing we are debating about now is whether or not to buy an over the stove microwave. I want one,but I don't know if we will have enough space. It seems like we need cabinets to attach it to,and the space will be tight. I did see on TV such a microwave just attached to the wall. We would use a carbon filter,no regular vent. I will have to do some more investing.

Before I get into the redo photos,I remembered that I took a photo of the table at Thanksgiving:

I was going to make a centerpiece,but Rick surprised me by bringing one home. I used left over fresh herbs for a little decoration above the plates.

Now some redo photos.......

                 The horrible tile ceiling that came with the house.......
                           

Looks like this now,minus the strapping.New strapping is going up.The previous owners,who flipped the house,ran this strapping opposite to how it's suppose to be. You can also see where we put a sample of tin back splash to the right of the stove to see how it would look. It's a keeper.

Here is the discolored "beadboard." I put that in quotations because it's basically pressed wood with some sort of white plastic coating. They come in sheets,and you use some sort of seam cover where the sheets meet.You can also see on the tile ceiling where I attempted to clean it,once. No luck. Tile ceilings and wood stoves do not mix well.

Here is what the wall looks like now. All the trim is gone.That will be replaced as well. The area between the door and window is where the stove will go. Rick is going to build a little shelf under the window that can be raised and lowered as needed,so there is a bit of work space right next to the stove.To the right you can see  the stove where it is now.We have ordered a cabinet to go in that spot.

While remodeling is a pain,it's wonderful,too.I am so excited to have the kitchen I want!!!