I am now sick as a dog, and we are back to the work week. Brian took the kids into daycare and he went to work. I was spending the majority of the day in bed. I was so sick I did not even touch a box to unpack, I think. But after sleeping in til 10am, and maybe not getting out of bed until noon, I finally decided I'd get up and get something done. The Laundry Room is now upstairs, based on our re-design. We had only been in the house for maybe 2 days and had not used the washer/dryer since its hook-up.
I stick in a load of wash. I check back later to see a puddle coming out of the Laundry Room. My first thought is, "Holy crap! The washer wasn't hooked up right and is flooding!" My second thought is, "Ugh, this is the last thing I want to clean up when I feel like this."
If only. As I get a towel and start to clean up, I realize . . . . this is NOT water. It is something much more viscous.
Oh. Hell.
It was the Costco-sized jug of detergent that was sitting on top of our front-load washer that had jiggled itself right off the damn machine and busted open. A couple of large towels later, the floor was still covered in a slick layer. But I threw the soap-soaked towels into the machine and just ran a double rinse wash (without adding more detergent, mind you). I half expected for bubbles to be pouring out of the machine a la the movie "Mr. Mom."
We were also in a rush to get curtains up in the kids' rooms. Especially since Jacob was not yet used to the lights and the distant view of the Interstate, and had resorted to sleeping a few nights in his sleeping bag on the floor instead of his bed, which had to go near the window.
About 2 weeks into our move, Mom came to visit the new house and stay for Halloween/my Birthday. I also took the week off from work - but this was no vacation! We were busy bees getting needed items for the house and doing projects that don't really lend themselves well to two little hooligans running underfoot. After all of the pre-shopping and planning I thought I had done while building the house, it turned out there was much left to be done. And much more to spend. . .
Our first set of tasks was doing a little rug shopping. LOVE the hardwood throughout the house. However, I quickly found that we were (and continue to be) in sad shape when it came to a little warmth and colour provided by rugs. And oh yeah - they are kind of slick too (kids, be careful in your socks). And boy did I ever underestimate the mass amount of dog hair that would be shed by ol' Cooper, the hound dog. Waaaayyy more than the cat. I am contemplating getting a Swiffer Vac for upstairs and downstairs.
The first couple of projects I enlisted Mom's help with - re-colouring a couple of pieces of furniture.
First up - the set of 4 enormous bar stools I scored from Craigslist for $300. Not antique, but great form, sturdy, and in great condition. Just an odd greenish distressed country colour.
So we set about to spray paint the frames black (to match the Bar) using spray paint. We went through 5 cans of glossy black paint on the 4 chairs:
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| Here's Mom putting a cover over the seating |
Word to the wise - spray paint gets EVERYwhere. Even when you think you have it contained. Thankfully we were wearing gloves. But it flew places we never thought were at risk.
Next was the antique Welsh dresser/hutch I bought at Midland Antique Mall downtown. Another purchase I made only after some encouragement from Mom and Dad. I loved the carvings and detail. It looked like it had been used in a restaurant, and was pre-wired for an outlet. Great for using as a warming buffet, or for Christmas lights! The only unfortunate thing was that it also came with a very weird smell inside. Way back then, Mom and I had even bleach-washed the inside thinking it was mildew-y. And Dad had sent me something that was supposed to absorb smells. It's certainly gotten less, but it's still somewhat present.
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| Before |
We used something called Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan. It is apparently all the buzz on these redecorating blogs. That's all well and good. I was more interested because it claims that you don't have to do any pre-work to your furniture - no sanding, scraping, nil. That's what I'm talking about. And you can use it for chalk boards, too.
It turns out it was very easy to use, and Mom and I got the hang of it. This piece looked better with 2 coats of French Linen. It leaves a matte finish, which I liked, and I chose not to do a 'distressed' look. And to protect it, I later covered it in some Soft Wax.
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| taken with my iPhone, as I start getting ready to add Xmas decorations |
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