Sweet Marguerite, It's Alive!

I planted a few of the Sweet Potato Vines this Spring. Apparently, they really like this spot as they have taken over this bed and have spilled out onto the lawn. Each time we mow they get hacked off but by the next mowing they have grown even further. There are several shrubs and perennials underneath this mess and I have to the cut the vine back around them as well. I probably should just go ahead and do a severe trim but I'm kinda curiuos to see how far they'll go before season ends...we still have a couple of months to go.

Best Laundromat Ever!

As soon as the floor was finished, I went to work on the paint and trim in this area so we could move the washer and dryer in permanently - they don't work so well in the middle of the living room. During the kitchen remodel, the laundry area was moved so we went without a washer and dryer. Once the plumbing rough-in was finished, we attempted to use the washer but that was a disaster - the drain was capped off somewhere under the house and water splashed all over the floor during the spin cycle. A few times we put the drain hose into a 33 gal trash can but that was lots of trouble, too. It would fill the can about 2/3 of the way during one wash and that thing is pretty heavy to haul outside and dump. And we have a low water washer - I can't imagine how much water those top-loading numbers use. We survived by wearing clothes multiple times and resorting to clothes we haven't worn in years (not sure why we still had some of them). Heck, once we even broke down and bought Michael new socks - don't laugh, it beats going to the laundromat. Have you been to one of those places lately?

First Supper

It finally happened! I was able to use my stove for the first time. The gas company came out to run the gas line over a month ago but didn't have the part to convert the stove to LP gas. They would have to order the part and come back. A month later it was still on backorder. I didn't push the issue then because we couldn't get into the kitchen anyway due to the floor situation. But when I realized the floor drama was coming to an end, I decided to go online and order it myself. Three days later (and $50 cheaper) it was on my doorstep so I called the guys back to hook up the stove. Calzone isn't quite what I expected to be cooking for the inaugural meal but it was quick and didn't require a lot of dishes. When we moved here, all of the kitchen items were taken straight to the attic since we were renovating the kitchen --with the exception of one skillet, one pot, a good cutting knife, and a couple of place settings. We'll probably unload the attic this weekend but until then dinner is gonna be quick, simple and on disposable foil platters like this one.

Band Profile

Finally got all of the doors and windows trimmed out so things are starting to look finished now. The rest of the house has 1x4's with backband so this is what I'm doing in the kitchen. Of course, I ran into a problem. I can't find the backband. The stuff I found at the big box hardware stores, and the local hardware store, fits around standard door casing that is only 11/32 - not 3/4" leaving a gap between the back of the backband and the wall. Too large of a gap to caulk. Found a millwork place in Raleigh that carried it. They didn't have any in stock but they did have something so similar, "You wouldn't notice the difference". I drive an hour to Raleigh and it's different. Not so much that you would notice it, but different enough that it won't fit without cutting it. The sales guy tells me it's made for 7/8 so you MIGHT have to run it through a table saw and cut it down. Now why didn't he tell me that before I drove an hour (two roundtrip) - how did he know I had a table saw...what if I didn't...jerk. Anyway, it is much nicer than the other stuff and I did drive all that way...guess I'll get it. Here's the profile of the backband -pretty substantial.
I ran it through the table saw and it fits great. Now it's time to prime and paint. Still have to do a little more work on the banding that goes around the dining nook windows not to overhang the window stools - probably have to run those pieces through the shaper. After all this work, maybe I should have just made my own.

Spot Free Shine!

The floor is finally finished (this was a two-month project). We ended up having to call a different flooring contractor to finish the floor. The first one refinished it several times but each time the spots reappeared. He was as frustrated as we were and agreed that we should call someone else because it just wasn't working out for him. Nice guy - I felt bad for him. So, the new guy finished the floor while we were in Florida. Apparently, there was a communication problem and the stain color turned out much lighter than I would have liked. But there is nothing I can do about it (the floor has now been sanded 5 times which is pretty much the life of hardwood flooring) so I'll just have to live with it. It's still nice - just not the dark color I planned on. It's growing on me. But hey - NO SPOTS! Yeahhhh!!! And I can finally get into the kitchen!

Cousin' Bubba

Here is Pete and his "cousin" Bubba (Michael's Dad's dog). These two could almost be twins and they have the best time hanging out together. Pete loves going to visit Papa Richard and lives for going for walks with him and Bubba. We all had a great time in Florida but it's always nice to be home...although Pete is still looking for the chocolate chip cookies Papa Richard hands out.

Back Seat Driving

We went to Florida to visit family this past week. It's a long drive and this is how the pups pass the time. We stop every two hours or so to let these guys run around outside and sniff stuff. Occasionally, Cessie gets restless (you'd never know she is twelve) and has to come up front and hang out:

Overall they're good travelers --Pete didn't get sick and neither one of them asked, "Are we there, yet?"