I dare me...

Just above the kitchen sink there is was this annoying spot where the wallpaper was slightly peeling from water being splashed on it. Every time I saw it I just wanted to grab hold and pull...so I did. Yup. At 10:30 pm this evening. I have the annoying any-time-you-get-slightly-horizontal-you-have-a-coughing-attack kind of cough so I figured I'd prolong that fun misery by staying up and vertical for awhile. Chris had told me that he wasn't going to be the one to start the next de-wallpapering job so I stepped up to the job...and let 'er rip. 

I have to mention that the wallpaper in the living/dining room came off quite a bit nicer (in complete sheets) than the kitchen wallpaper. 

 

So I have the rest of the week off from work which works out well since I had a squeak of a voice left by the end of today. Being a speech pathologist doesn't work very well when you lose your voice...who'd have thunk it? Good thing you don't need a voice to strip wallpaper...here's a sneak peek at the kitchen minus floral print (with the wallpaper backing still on the walls)...

 

 

Snow, how I love thee...

Except when I have to shovel thee off my driveway! We got masses of the wonderful stuff this past weekend...while Chris was at work. The lovely path from the street to our garage is gravel...and not snowblower-able. Apparently, that's was God made muscles for...and man, was I well aware of them two days later. Luckily, Kelly (sis-in-law) got stranded at our house on Saturday and was happy to help me shovel to drive so Chris could actually make it into the driveway. We suited up in snow pants, etc and tackled the job...

Here is the pre-shoveled snowy drive...

Here is the snow-covered homestead the day after...

 

*Apparently, we live in a dollhouse...the monstrous evergreen in the front makes it look "pint-sized."

Throwin' a Christmas party...old home style

Since we completed the living/dining room, I offered to host Chris' family our Christmas shindig this year last Sunday. In preparation for the event, I picked up and put away tools and laundry, cleaned bathrooms and floors, sewed Poang headrests back onto cushions (Chris' big muscles overpowered the seam when he tried to get the foam insert out of the slipcover to wash it), wrapped presents and set the table, which was the most fun, mixing the different things I've collected.

The meal was to be a soup *potluck* of sorts. So after the cleaning, I hunkered down in the kitchen to whip up some Desert Storm Chili.  

Umm, problem. While washing dishes as I was cooking, I noticed the kitchen sinks were not draining. Now, to be honest, this was nothing new...they usually drain after a little bit but, this time, it didn't seem that the murky waters were receding at all. The sink plunger did absolutely nada. 

Chris picked up some drain cleaner on his way home from work and tried it...no dice. I remember him saying "Man, I hope they are late" then hearing knocks on the front door 30 seconds later. I left him alone in the kitchen while I went to answer the door. As I walked back into the kitchen carrying my mother-in-law's soup, I heard water gushing into a bucket under the sink and saw Chris taking the sink plumbing apart.

Welcome to life in this old house...so glad I have a sense of humor along with my love of old homes. At this point, I just tried to keep everyone out of the kitchen...which didn't last long. Eventually, temporary plumbing solution in place (water turned off to sink and pipes disconnected), we ate dinner. It was delicious! Unfortuately, my pretty table settings made for a lot of dishes...which couldn't be washed...so we scrounged up some paper plates for dessert. We even got a nice family picture amidst the chaos in front of the tree (Chris, Keri, Grant, Carolyn, Craig, Shari, Kelly and Matt)!

Fast-forward to Wednesday morning. The plumber contracted through our home warranty company came and fixed the problem in a jiffy. He used a power auger to break up the clogs and said it was probably grease-buildup from over the years along with some food particles (we don't have a garbage disposal). He also gave us some helpful tips on what to use regularly so this blessed event doesn't happen again. After he left, I finally washed all the party dishes...only took about an hour.

Fast-forward to Wednesday afternoon. I threw a load of laundry in the washer, ran an errand and came back to water all over the basement floor. I immediately called the plumbing company back and told them the problem and made an appointment for them to come back out the following Monday due to the holiday and us being gone. As I was getting ready to run out in search of the product recommended by the plumber, I started thinking that it didn't make sense that the water from the washer would back up because the clog would have had to almost travel backwards. Also, the floor drain, where water would back up, was not wet. Hmmm. Something was not right. I put on my rubber boots and headed back down to the basement. Upon opening the clean-out on the pipes coming from the laundry sink, I heard water running freely, however, there was not very much water going through. This was weird since it was all new PVC pipes and just water ran in them. The laundry sink which the washer drains into was almost full and there were bubbles on the faucet...uh oh...the lint trap that slides over the end of the washer hose was missing. I peered into the murky, soapy water and spotted the trap plugging the sink's drain. Oops...my bad. I quickly called the plumbing company back to explain the issue, entertaining the guy on the other end. He laughed and said "I was just about to go and yell at a plumber." Ahh, a day in my life...not very boring lately.

A non-scandalous cover-up...

My mom is the ultimate seamstress...which I have known for some time. One of her most recent masterpieces was khaki, denim slipcover that hides the harvest gold, burnt orange and avocado green nightmares on this couch (though she has vowed never to make another couch slipcover)...

Problem at hand: I hate visible clutter...especially bathroom clutter. I realize that I can't rid clutter completely...however, I can hide it. Our upstairs bathroom had no storage when we moved in...just pedestal sink, clawfoot tub and toilet. We were just able to fit a bookcase (we nabbed from Schuurmann's before they moved to Texas) between the tub and the wall to give us a little storage but even with baskets the junk was pretty visible. 

My idea was to make a curtain to cover the bottom few shelves. What I was picturing involved a staple gun, fabric and a hot glue gun. Good thing mom was there to help because what we made was a million times better. Here's the before sans junk...I had to take this picture while slouching on the toilet seat (lid down) because the bathroom is a bit tiny. 

I picked a pattern that was light but not light enough that you'd see spills, etc. very easily. The two side panels are stapled on...thank you, Craftsman staple gun, my hero. We made a front panel that was gathered (mom rocked the sewing skills), sewed Velcro onto the back of it and stapled the other side of the Velcro to the shelf. 

During this sewing lesson, I learned that sewing machines are not scary and that my mom claims to be a "slop-jockey" because she hates to pin and prefers to "eyeball" it. I did not manage to take pictures of the actual sewing itself because I was too busy trying to avoid putting a sewing needle through my finger while keeping up with mom... I recall hearing a loving voice saying "you better give it some gas or we'll never get this done tonight"... okay, I'll push the pedal all the way on Speed 1.

Getting rid of the "funky"

So, my parents trekked down to visit us the weekend before Christmas. By the time they left, Chris had eagerly expanded his knowledge of plumbing and I had learned how to use my sewing machine from the pro seamstress (see next post). 

Since showering in the basement "spa" has been getting a bit chilly, Jack and Chris decided to manufacture a fix to the main floor bathtub. Problem at hand: Overflow pipe had rusted away from the tub and due to the high water pressure, which shot water directly into the overflow opening, it leaked onto the cracked, peel-n-stick tile floor. In an attempt to curb this problem, the previous owner had placed medical tape, which had been there long enough to get "funky" per Chris, over the overflow opening.

Did you know how many different thread sizes and variations of faucet adapters there are? Apparently, a...boatload (That's for you, dad). Chris is working on learning to speak plumbing fluently. It took at least 5 trips to multiple hardware stores plus some hands-on creativity, elbow-grease and trial and error...

And for about $25, Jack and Chris rigged up a hand-held sprayer that we already had to the exisiting antique faucet on the cast-iron tub. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, Man, I would have just bought a new one...and you'd be out $300-400. Yup. That's the average price for a tub-mount faucet with hand-held sprayer. The next major project on our list is remodeling this bathroom which will include installing a ceiling-mounted, oval-shaped shower curtain rod and shower riser/faucet combo...so we'll bite that bullet then. Until that day comes, being able to shower/bathe on the main floor is definitely worth at least $25 and a day's labor. 

Our basement *spa*

Our house has two full bathrooms, which is pretty incredible given the geriatric status of our 105 year-old abode. Each bath is equipped with one cast-iron clawfoot bathtub...sans shower. However, we do have a limestone-walled basement shower...my mom told me that people pay big money for large, stone-walled, spa-like showers. 

During initial tours and final walkthroughs of our home, I said there is no way I'd ever shower in the basement. Never say never. I ate my words the first morning in the house after attempting to wash the moving-in day grime off by taking a bath upstairs the night before. The tub wouldn't stop draining and required serious ingenuity...a plastic dixie cup placed upside down over the drain (thank you, one semester of engineering) to complete the bathing task. 

We came downstairs the next morning to recenty-showered parents who informed us that they used the basement shower and it wasn't bad at all. I ran back upstairs, grabbed my towel and headed for the basement. It was actually quite fine...and you could watch for leaks in the plumbing throughout the entire basement while you showered. Multi-tasking at it's best. The shower was built into the space where the old cistern was taken out in 1949 (the date was recorded in new cement) and a 2-inch tall cement boundary to corral the water to the floor drain was added in 1957 (also inscribed). Using galvanized wire, c-hooks and a plastic, mildew-resistant shower curtain and hooks, I added a bit more privacy. 

Since this picture was taken, Chris painted the entire shower area and floor joists above the shower with bright-white specialized paint containing moldicide and mildicide. The shower chair did not come with the house. It was a thoughtful gift from Chris' mom because she was concerned he would hit his head on the floor joists...which he did a few times. 

I was talking with my family at our Thanksgiving party and gleaning lots of great ideas for house improvements and tricks of their trades. My Uncle Carl asked "Wait, you  (Keri) really shower down there?" to which I emphatically nodded yes. He was totally impressed..I beamed with pride. Whether you are horrified (common reaction observed) or impressed, we love this house and do what we have to until we can afford to redo/fix things how we want them to be. And...have great stories because of it.

Sunday afternoon projects...

"Are you as surprised as I am at how long these have lasted since we moved in?" was the question recently posed to me by Chris, who loathed the frilly, ruffly, pink-trimmed kitchen curtains to which he was referring. They came with the house. Until today, I had bigger fish to fry. 

The curtains when we were looking at the house and how they looked when we moved in...yes, in August.

 Within a few days (or hours, I can't really remember) of moving in, the top valance came down. 

Q: What do you get when you mix 1) Aunt Martha's Flour Sack Dish Towels, 2) sewing pins (which stuck into me more than the towels), 3) Stitch Witchery, 4) an iron, and 5) a few tension rods on a Sunday afternoon? See below. 

A: Much-improved (in our opinion), simple kitchen curtains that give us some privacy and let light in too. Well, they give me more privacy than Chris since I'm the shrimp and all. Now... if only there was a short-cut like Stitch Witchery for removing that floral wallpaper.