Photo a week...

It's time for Italian Prune Plums again....I saw enough at the grocery store to make three loaves...and am still looking. I can't understand why they have so few. They are the backyard variety. And..not cheap. I need to find a neighbour with a tree full. I forget how many I managed to bake last year..but, it was not enough! This is a great tasting loaf. You need a cup of cut up plums for each loaf. ...MMMMM.. pictures and recipe from last year on my Tea and Scones blog.











and hey! I grew a tomato.... I have no idea what kind it is as the baby tomato plants were a gift from a gardener friend ..

They must be a grape or cherry type.... this little guy is a good inch long....and I am going to taste it the minute I get off here. It's exciting to grow your own goodies.... the only edible things we tried this year were a few tomatoes in pots ...and some chili peppers in pots too.... and...have already had some lovely hot ones to use from those...and now have several more larger and very red peppers to pick. The tomatoes were so slow to get started that we got caught out and didn't get wire cones on them in time. Then...I was procrastinating on tying them up or tied a few with twine when thicker strips were needed... because two branches.. (yes, by that time they were almost branch size) keeled over from the weight of the tomatoes! so..of course, we lost that branch full... I was pretty devastated. But...there are several more..one plant is a yellow variety...I'm looking forward to tasting those...











Hahahah.... some of you think I am a patient person because I have been at the renos for so long. NOT!! It's just the only way we can do them. I am a grumpy person... and getting grumpier by the minute. This better be over with this year...or ...well, I'm just saying.....it better be over. We never would have bothered if the area wasn't so perfect... older, well developed and has lovely trees and large lots. It was the only house in this area that we could afford all those years ago even with both of us working two full time jobs each. We did plan to do a bit of fixing...but not quite what transpired. But, some of you know how it goes...start with something and all of sudden another thing gets involved. Besides...both of us are pretty particular about how things get done and after hiring out for several years...we got fed up with the results and headaches of babysitting the tradespeople. And...got some shoddy workmanship to boot. So...then we began to do things ourselves... which takes a long time when you can only get to things after work or on weekends and also have to study up on how to do any of it. So.... that's what's been happening. And...then...after years of it... Mr. BV got so tired of it all that we hid our heads in the sand for a while and lived in limbo. Things finished to the point of utilization...but, not pretty if you know what I mean. Then, we did the whole bathroom ourselves..it took over a year...and now...the laundry room is nearing completion...another year. All was ripped right out to plumbing bits sticking out...no electrical... cement and studs...that was it. We have done it all now.... just the tile in the laundry room needs sealant...and the sink then needs to be attached... wheeee!! The upstairs bathroom just needs a cabinet... and so on. But... my handman ran out of work at his paying job at the end of June...and the company seems to have nothing in the forseeable future..so the timing is perfect. He can just stay home and paint, build and finish things off.... we keep pushing each other daily now to do at least some small things each 24 hours.... and already we are seeing a difference. However, in the downstairs... the difference means that 4 rooms are now totally in disrepair...empty of furniture and we are repairing some cement stuff... laying missing floor tiles in the landing area...and awating our final decision on the choosing of the perfect carpeting (it's taking us forever to decide, but it is an expensive thing and will have to be there many years..so it better be right) ....and the office is going to painted in about 5 minutes... we did the undercoat yesterday... because we are going from oil based to Latex.... the last of the oil base in the house is now history. Today... first coat of a new green..... the original was called Carriage House Green...and we have been trying to have it custom matched because we painted the tv room a few years ago and wouldn't you know it...they don't carry the colour anymore...I hope the colour match is perfect today. We have been back and forth more than a few times already... the first baseboards I painted it on... ick...it was a funny taupy camo colour. After much calling around.... the piano movers... who charge less than regular movers.... will be here Wednesday to cart out my old washer and dryer...and... the...list goes on....must go make a few more calls.... bye for now....

Photo a week...

Here I am again...a day late and a dollar short... and short my last 3 marbles too. I don't even know what day it is anymore. And...I don't get enough play time on here anymore either..... whine.........

My other half has been off work since end of June and my loosely woven schedule has gone to aitch ee double hockey sticks in a handbasket.

Tuesday, almost Wednesday ...but, hey...I'm still around!!

We were supposed to get busy as soon as he was off work (before somebody finds him more work to do) and begin some of the little (and even the not so little) finishing jobs of our past 23 years of renovations..... I have not had a backsplash in my kitchen for many years now. Somehow, almost two months have flown and we have finally just begun doing some tile in the past week. Then, today he hit me between the eyes with some other projects that we have not even discussed....but, now...will also be part of the ongoing saga of this Money Pit. If my laundry room doesn't get finished by the end of next week, somebody else is going to get something between the eyes too...

I had my rant and now am scrubbing these little guys in preparation for the sealer...











Friends and relatives all think that because we tackle all sorts of household repairs we know what we are doing. We know jack squat.... well, I can't say that anymore now...because over the years we have learned plenty! But, in the beginning... we knew nothing.... ..nada...zippo.... But, finally, we tired of paying so called tradespeople to do things and getting crappy jobs in return for big bucks. We baulked... ..we quit hiring and just gave things a go on our own. We find info on line...go to the hardware stores and tile and paint shops..and pump and quiz them up one side and down the other. We even buy books on some of the projects... and then...we just get busy and do them. We have made some mistakes...and sometimes things turn out a bit differently than they should...but, mostly we make it right by the end of things. Even if it takes a second and a third go round..or ripping off tiles... or re-doing shower bases... or ... lifting bathtubs one too many times and not lifting anything for over 6 months while recuperating.











This is our first time for tiles this tiny...half inch mosaics. There are three types of glass tiles and some travertine in the pieces. One type of glass has a nubbly texture. At the tile shops... they don't always have display tile grouted....and you have no idea how it should look when finished. This was the case with this particular tile. However, while grouting... we knew that if we washed off too much the sharp corners of the travertine bits would be sticking out of the grout...and be difficult to wash regularly...or be really sharp...so we kind of had an idea that the grout should be left almost as high as the surface of the little tiles. We were a bit surprised to see the grout remain in the nubbly surfaces of the glass...and even more surprised to have grout stick firmly to the flat glass tiles as well. So..it took a lot of cleaning the day after to make sure the smooth glass was clean ....even though we didn't want to clean out the grout on the nubbly surfaced tiles. It makes them look almost like a greenish veined marble piece now.... we did check immediately with the tile shop while the grout was still soft...and they said people do it either way. On the short run in the laundry room... we actually applied a bit more grout...because we had already washed out a bit more than we wanted to ..... but, all is well. The wall will fall down before the tiles fall off and the grout is not going anywhere...my finger nails will attest to that fact. They are wrecked from trying to scrape off tiny bits on the flat smooth glass bits..... and my neck is killing me...but....all is ready for sealer tomorrow. The sealer is apparently "bullet proof" ..... and a good thing, because me and tomato sauce have a thing.... if you know what I mean. Every single time I use tomatoes.... I get little spatters on every surface ...so, it better be bullet proof...I don't want any orange on my creamy whites over the stove. Now...for the backsplash behind the sink ....... woohoooooooo ... well, maybe next week...I won't get too excited this week.














....but...I sure do love this little run of tile behind my stove .... .......

Before and now....

what was left once we got the old drywall and fluorescent tube lights off the ceiling... ... right back to joists... then we did some wiring for pot lights... and placed a suspended tile ceiling.














drywall off and back to cement walls and studs... re-working the plumbing and also some ducting for the dryer..











ready to go to work... here is the dream plan.... tweaked so I have everything exactly where I want it.











first order of business... build SOLID boxes for the machines to stand on to get the doors to the right height ...and also to withstand the spin cycle of (if you can believe it) 6,000 rpms. To buy pedestal bases at the appliance store... $599 each for the particular size of these appliances. Aackkkkk!! What?? They are referred to as European size..whatever that is.. and are twice as much as the $299 pedestals for American made washers and dryers for some strange reason. Probably because they don't supply as many.... forget it......we are not paying that!! we built one a lot cheaper. These things weighed a ton and are solid frames with built in drawer housings ...











new venting for the dryer along the top; machines in position... glad I didn't have to lift them! Thank you Mr. Darcy....











first cupboards installed.











New ceiling...lighting...doors all built, sanded and painted. The colour is a soft sage-y green, the walls are a different green ... called Carriage House Green... ... but greens seem difficult to capture on any photo... the light one seems to look barely off white and the wall looks more taupe in pics..but not in real life... now.... waiting for the counter top and then we can measure up for the last two doors to hide the plumbing and electrical outlets.. oooh..it'll be so tidy then...











I was originally thinking on a medium dark framed mirror over the sink on the opposite side of the room...but...a designer friend suggested perhaps I might want to try a silver framed mirror to continue with the brushed nickel knobs and won't compete with the counter top... Yeh...that could work..... so far I've only seen two.... still have a few places to look.... but, I am slow at getting my day organized sometimes and who wants to be out and about in the hub bub every day anyway...I love my home..... and the peaceful aura of it.














I'm going to get an interesting little rug too.... lovely greens with a few interesting colours tossed in for good measure. That's also on my list while I'm out there "hunting".

Cabinet capers....

Although the washer and dryer have been in operation for several weeks now... we are still working on cabinetry. We did start the day with a lovely latte ... not going to be all work and no play around here! Mr. BumbleVee is perfecting his skills as a barista as well as a renovator.
I finally have learned to run the washer (it was a simple thing I was doing incorrectly and somehow activating a child safety lock feature.... talk about feeling a bit stoopid....duh... ) .. but, now, I absolutely love it. Both the washer and dryer have some unusual and novel features. Like... if you don't take things out immediately after the cycles are complete... the drum rotates every so often just to keep the clothes from getting excess wrinkles. Washer and dryer.... one time the drum rotates in one direction...and the next ..in the other. Cute... and effective too....

Maybe this is not all that interesting to the gals if they are not into renovating and building as I am... ...so perhaps consider this one to show the hubbies.... we bought a special jig (one made in Canada) at Lee Valley; don't you love that store? They have so many neat things...not just for building...but for gardening.. so I am there each time anybody says he is going in that direcition. And, ohhhh... you should see the selection of door hardware.... I'd like to put about 20 handles and knobs on every door....... or have some with easy change snap ons... so I could use different ones for every day of the week.











Look at this thing! The perfect "jig" to make life easier when making your own cabinets. We used to line up every single drill hole... me making sure the drill is straight from one angle...him trying to check from the other...but this...hahahha...what a lark! Once you get it set on the side pieces... locked into position (it even has a measuring device that helps you do that)...











...then you just move this little metal hole along the rails...stick the drill bit into the metal hole and drill where you want your holes for the shelves ... et voila !... perfect straight holes... perfect distance apart... ... oh, man... the time and effort saved is amazing.










On the edges...of which I have no picture, darn it......we also set it to drill perfectly spaced, perfectly straight holes in which to insert small glued dowel pieces to attach the other sides of the cabinet. They were lots of fun to build this time. Lots of grinning and woohooing happening in the garage... instead of muttering and swearing and wrestling with trying to make sure the brad nailer was shooting in the perfect direction so as not to puncture the sides or edges.
















Told ya it was not all work and no fun....

.....stop for a snack on the patio.... enjoy the sun..... a sip of wine and some cheese and crackers.... and onward to hanging cupboards.















Ohhhh...love 'em.... ........... 21" deep ...and 24" wide. I can go 10 deep with paper towels now when I find them on sale. Perfect for stocking up on sale days.












Two of the largest in position and we now have critical measurements between the two outer panels so we can begin the cabinets for the centre area... which will not be as deep to allow plenty of head room for using the folding/sorting counter that will be under them. Eventually all the electrical and water stuff will be hidden behind the counter and more cabinets ...with opening doors to get to them if need be. All of the cabinetry is screwed into position so that if we have to remove a washer or dryer or do any work... everything is accessible.