Bathroom Facelift

Here is the mini-makeover reveal of our bathroom! It's just to tide us over until we can do the major work (floors, vanity, toilet, plumbing changes, etc), but it's amazing what a little scrubbing, scrapping, and painting will do.

The before shots don't quite paint the real picture. The dirt, mildew, cracking, and peeling are rather generously smoothed over by the camera lens. But the room was so bad that our home inspector (who crawls around, in, and under old homes) wouldn't touch anything in the bathroom with his hands when he came!

The upper walls are Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray, the tile, woodwork, and ceiling are all Benjamin Moore Linen White, and the floor is a $5 Sherwin Williams mistint that perfectly coordinates with the adjoining mudroom/laundry in Bennington Gray. Shower curtain, bamboo shades, and towels are from JCPenney Outlet.

Before:


After:


Before:


After:


During patching:


After:


Before:


After:

Feathered Friends

We have more happy avian guests than just our little chickens. Jeff called me over to the large dining room windows this past Sunday morning to watch a bevy of bathing beauties. All the birds in the neighborhood must have decided to visit our bird bath at the same time. There were four or five birds jostling for a turn all at once. It was a lovely sunny morning and we had our newly cleaned windows open, so we could even hear the splashing and ruffling. It was quite entertaining!

I was only able to capture a few of the bird varieties, but we have seen cardinals, blue jays, black capped chickadees, mourning doves, ringneck doves, and a host of others I can't yet identify. I need to get an Audubon book to keep near the kitchen sink!

Just like me!

While searching for some bungalow-related information, I stumbled upon this image in the prestigious Seattle Times. It shows a bungalow foyer with a light fixture rather similar to my new acquisition!

I love the shapely milk glass shades on this one. I'll keep an eye out for something similar, but it'll be hard to beat the dollar deal I got on my current shades!

Kitchen Pleasures

Jeff fixed a minor problem for me this evening that has been a daily annoyance. I'm glad I have such an understanding husband who really recognizes what goes in to making a kitchen work well!

As I've mentioned before, we are currently without a stove or full size refrigerator as we are planning the major kitchen remodel. I have a mini fridge sitting on a folding card table to hold my daily items, and I trek out to the shop for the deep freeze or larger fridge when needed (55 paces one way to be exact). The mini fridge is in a slightly precarious position wedged in a corner behind the kitchen door. I have to walk from the opposite corner of the kitchen (where my prep spot is), around the little island, half close the kitchen door, pull open the fridge with my right hand, wiggle out my required items with my (non-dominant) left hand, and then re-adjust the kitchen door so it is out of the walkway.

I had tried to change the fridge door swing, but hit several snags. But tonight, Jeff made it happen! I can't tell you how much better and easier this is! Every time I open the fridge, I smile. This is one upside of hardship: you appreciate little conveniences and niceties so much more!

Cracking Up

If you've ever seen paint fail, you know it's worthy the money for a quality product. I wish the previous occupant had felt the same way; it would have saved me many hours of prep work!

The bathroom plaster walls have many hairline cracks. This wouldn't be an issue, except the most recent (and I use that term very generously) coat of paint was a cheap flat finish. That's not good for a humid environment where you might be inclined to wash down the walls every once in a while (aforementioned previous occupant wasn't so inclined if the state of the bathroom is any indication, so perhaps he wasn't concerned with scrubbability)!

Everywhere that the plaster cracked, the moisture worked in under the top paint and opened up a meandering pathway of chipped color. It was an ongoing process, and I continually found little flakes of paint on the floor, on the baseboards, on the towels, etc.

It's all white on white, but on the left side you can really see the cracking paint; the dark shade on the upper right is the beginnings of my skim coat

Something was needed to stabilize and smooth the surface. So my project today was skim-coating. I scraped and sanded everything down a few days ago, and this morning began the slow process of troweling on a thin coat of drywall compound over all the walls. It's setting up as I type, so I'll be back in there this afternoon sanding and touching up. I'm hoping this will work, as Sherwin Williams has a big paint sale this weekend and I've been chomping at the bit to buy and apply my wall color!

Freshly skim-coated upper walls

Lighting it up

It's been an enlightening week, as Jeff said! We got the new dining room chandelier hung and the new (old) foyer fixture up, also. I'm very excited about both, especially since I feel I got a great deal on each of them.

The dining room was in desperate need of an update. It had an old ceiling fan that whirled dust bunnies and cold air down on our food, and glaring lights that threw unattractive shadows into the corners.

You can just make out the bottom of the ceiling fan here

I was really drawn to the lines of the Restoration Hardware "Lander" chandelier, but at over $450, it wasn't a price I wanted to pay.

My inspiration picture

So I was thrilled to find a version at Overstock.com at a third of the cost. It has the strong lines of Arts and Crafts or Mission pieces, with a touch of the more modern Transitional about it. It even mirrors the rectangle shape of the old upright piano in the room and the square fabric shades look just my dining room floor lamps. I love it on the dimmer so I can adjust the lighting and mood throughout the day.

After

Though the farmhouse is very original, all the light fixtures had been replaced (sadly), probably in the 70's if style and dust are any indication! So, where possible, I'm looking for vintage fixtures. I really wanted a focal piece for the foyer, to replace this interesting Mid-Century Modern light (unique, but not right for the era of this house).

Before
(DaVinci wanted to know what what was so photo-worthy out in the hall)

It was such a blessing to find the perfect fixture on my local Craigslist. All I needed were glass shades, which I found for $.99 a piece at the Habitat for Humanity Restore.

After

Shady Deals

The old aluminum blinds all over the house were getting on my nerves. I appreciated that we had some sort of covering for privacy (I've experienced the difficulty of moving into a new house and having to deal with lots of bare windows all at once). But these were dusty, dirty, and dated-looking. I knew something fresh would really update the rooms quickly.

The dining room windows when we were pulling up flooring

One set of living room windows before we moved in

A JCPenney clearance search resulted in just the right thing: bamboo shades in the perfect reddish wood tone to compliment the moldings. It took me part of the morning Friday to get them all hung, and then the new view motivated me that afternoon to remove the torn storm windows and clean the exterior glass. It's like a whole new world out there now! I'm working on curtain rods and drapery, so that will be the next step in the window treatment transformation.

Current view of dining room windows

Living room windows now

I had to smile at Miss Evelyn (the single woman who lived in this farmhouse her whole life). I think I've mentioned before how meticulous she was about saving and labeling items. Well, the blinds were no exception. Each piece of hardware was labeled as to the window to which it belonged, the direction it faced, etc. The header of this blind had the inscription:

Top line reads: S.E. Den window over air conditioner
Bottom line reads: Blinds restrung and new webbing #3 11-3-'82 Wed. - by Mr. "Frank Price Shutter + Blind Co."

(The #3 must refer to the fact that this is the third in a series of three windows, because the windows to the left are labeled #1 and #2). I wonder if this particular Wednesday in November of '82 was when she got the blinds back from Mr. Frank or if he did them all in one day?

And I used to think it was funny that Jeff dated post-it notes and index cards! This is a whole new level of detail!

Newly Named

Jeff and I wanted original, imaginative, and fun names for our little trio of backyard birds. Jeff is the real "punny" one in the family, so he came up with the last one when I got stuck after just two.

Meet Peckadilly Circus:

And here is Attila the Hen:

Last but not least, Atomic Cluck:

Peckadilly has the lightest feathers of the bunch (I also think she lays the very light beige speckled eggs, but I'm not certain). She is a little shyer and more reserved than the others, not as boisterous and busy as her namesake.

Attila, on the other hand, is noisy and meddlesome. She is unremarkable in coloring, but she lets you know she's around with all her little clucking. She marched right up and pecked DaVinci in the nose the first time they met! She also likes to perch in odd places, like the AC window units. Always conquering new territory, that Attila!

Atomic is the most easy-going. She has a white ring of feathers around her neck, rather like the face of a clock; hence the name. She was the first to lay an egg and seems to enjoy being petted (or at least tolerates it better than the others ;-). But she does have a nasty habit of pecking my toes when I'm in sandals. She doesn't do it when I have sneakers, so I can only assume that my pale wiggly toes look like tasty grubs or something!

Some Egg-cellent Meals

With the abundance of eggs produced from our feathered friends, I have been finding some creative ways to use our bounty. I did eggs benedict (without the ham, but I did serve turkey sausage on the side):

The sauce sort of disappeared, but it tasted great!

I added hardboiled eggs to our salads:

And I made a chili cheese puff for dinner last night:

A tasty recipe courtesy of Kelly Havens from the Indianapolis area

I have some quiches and frittatas next on the menu!

Sunday Successes

We had a productive morning Sunday. Jeff had Spokesman's Club and was gone all afternoon and evening, so we packed as much as possible into the first few hours of the day.

It was all focused on curb appeal. While I mowed and trimmed some of our wild bushes, Jeff got to work on the lamp post. It was a rusty pole with a bare bulb dangling (literally!) from it when we moved in. The before (and this was actually after priming, so you can imagine how much worse it looked all peeled, scabby, and stained!):

Just look at it now!

See the proud beam!

Then, while I was testing out shingle siding options for our dormer, I realized I could climb out on the roof from the window. This may not sound like much, but I have been trying to find a way to get the torn storm windows down for repair. The poor house has looked like it had a black eye (or three) since I've known it. I had to cut the screen and shimmy out the opening, but Jeff found me a socket wrench and we went to work removing the offending panels.

Sarah on a hot shingle roof!

Ah! So much better. Now I can see the wavy glass and the tree's reflection!

Now if I can just decide on siding for the gable, bed design and plant selection for the walk and foundation, and some porch furniture, we'll be in business. Let me know what you think of the gray-green shingle sample and if you have any ideas on trim and accent colors!

Earning their keep

The girls are producing! Today was the first day we received three eggs from three hens. We had been getting one or two each day, but I had only seen one hen for sure laying. Now we know they are all busy. If you have some great recipes involving eggs, please pass them on!

A funny aside: I remarked to Jeff how these eggs are slightly to somewhat smaller than the standard "large" eggs purchased in the store. I added that I would have to learn how to adapt them to recipes, and Jeff said "Just use more"!

I'm so excited to have brown eggs! I know all colors are equally nutritious, but
there is something so wholesome about pretty red hens laying lovely brown eggs.

A belated celebration

Since we had such a hectic summer, we didn't really get to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. Well, I thought we had celebrated it, but not in the style Jeff had secretly planned. He surprised me with a trip to western North Carolina to stay at a 1920's inn and a trip to the nearby historic Biltmore House!

We left Friday and enjoyed a very scenic trip through the mountains into South Carolina where we attended church services and stayed two nights. It was nice to catch up with old acquaintances and make new friends. We ate dinner at a Teppanyaki style Japanese steakhouse where they cook right at your table with big flames and the whole nine yards!

Our personal chef preparing the onions

Sunday morning we began our drive north and west to the Asheville area. We stopped at the famous North Carolina apple festival in Hendersonville which has been going on for over 60 years. We enjoyed fresh apples from local growers, tasty treats, street performers, and live entertainment from a nationally ranked dance troup.

Oh, how tasty the Honey Crisp were!

A living statue

A poodle-skirted tap ensemble

Since rain was in the forecast for Monday, we toured the Biltmore Estate gardens and barn area that afternoon and evening. What gorgeous grounds! Even as a lover of old houses and historical architecture, I have often wondered what the fuss over Biltmore was about. Now I know! It is absolutely breathtaking. The remaining 8,000 acres (of the original 18,000) are just amazing. And to think it was crafted from rather overworked open farm fields is even more astounding. Vanderbilt certainly knew how to hire the best men for the job!

A view of the conservatory across the walled gardens

In the Italian Garden

Monday was indeed raining, so it was perfect for spending the day in the enormous house. At 175,000 square feet, it took the better part of the morning to tour. Pictures are not allowed inside, but it rivaled the best castles and palaces we have seen in Europe.

Just a corner of the Biltmore

One of the many fine views from the house

The afternoon involved a tasting and tour of the on-site winery, converted from the very success dairy barn operation. Biltmore Estates was (and continues to be) self-sustaining, which is rather impressive in this day and age. We also saw a temporary exhibit of Tiffany Studio stained glass lamps in the exhibit hall on the grounds, which we loved. The artistry and intricacy were breathtaking, particularly the pieces that took their inspiration from nature. Jeff was particularly fond of the sculpted bronze lamp bases showcasing the fragile shades (being the metallurgist that he is)!

The Biltmore Logo on a wooden barrel

An elegant dinner at the French restaurant capped the long weekend. The rain (at a golf and spa resort) meant very few guests, so we practically had the place to ourselves. Attentive service and fine food marked the occasion.

Our accommodations and site of the restaurant

On the drive home today, we stopped by McKay's Used Books. It's a small chain of huge used bookstores. Jeff had visited the Knoxville location previously, but I had never been in. It was wonderful! I have never seen such a huge room of books (and videos, DVDs, CDs, records, etc). And it was quite busy! It was nice to see so many people still buying, browsing, and reading books. We purchased a small stack of music CDs and a few books to add to our library on landscaping and old house remodeling. What a fitting end to our Labor Day weekend!

Books, books, and more books