A little off topic...Meet William

This may be a little off topic but I couldn't resist.  This is not exactly a home improvement  or organizing project but this cute face does add a certain coziness to our house.

Meet William, our shihchon, a mix of a Bichon Frise and Shihtzu.  We got him when he was 8 weeks old and not even 3 pounds.  He is almost 12 weeks now.  He is cute as a button and light as a feather.  But 100% puppy!

The breeder told us that he was the most mild in his litter.  Which I took to mean the calmest so I can't imagine what his brothers and sisters are like!

 We got through a few sleepless nights.  By "we" I mean me, while my husband slept like a baby.
 Of course, if you were suddenly pulled away from your mom and all your siblings you might be a cry baby too.  The way they all pile on top of each other to sleep must be snuggly and warm.

We did try a "Snuggle Puppy" which was basically a very overpriced stuffed dog with a pouch to insert a hot pack and a heart that you put batteries in.  I was super excited that William was going to love it and think that it was one of his litter mates.  When I mentioned it to my uncle he laughed out loud and said good luck with that.  Now I know why.   I think even at 8 weeks William was smarter than we gave him credit for.  He was not fooled by this imposter snuggle puppy.  And I do have to say the beating heart was like something out of Edgar Allan Poe.  If someone put me in a crate with a loud beating heart I think I would be freaked out too.

We got past the first week and now he is a good little sleeper and getting more and more independent by the day.  He really loves the outside and is quite a fast runner.  Since we are on almost 8 acres we decided he has to be on a leash.  He is certainly light enough to be carried off by a hawk and most of the wild animals are bigger than he is!  So we keep him close just to be safe.

Anyway, I had to show off his cute face while he's still so little...

Kitchen is done..well almost!

It's been awhile since I've shown you the kitchen. We finally got it finished with the exception of our table and seating that I am working on! I want to create a breakfast nook with some benches but it is hard to buy existing pieces. I think I need the handyman to build something.

Here are some photos of kitchen before and after. My husband did the demo and back splash himself.
It was a process but I think it turned out great! We love the blue glass tile.

The kitchen island and pot rack came from overstock.com and really made everything come together.
You gotta love free shipping!

Kitchen when we moved in:

Kitchen after:

Mudroom artwork

I am still tweaking the mudroom with some artwork and added touches.  One thing I really wanted to do was make a section on the wall with some dog themed artwork.  We lost our dog of 14 years a little over a year ago so I felt like I was ready to put a big 8x10 photo of her up and look at it everyday without being sad.  It actually makes me happy to see her cute face every time I go to do laundry.  My husband says when we get a new puppy he may be jealous but we can add his portrait to the collection:)

We also got a wooden shutter at Habitat and distressed it and added hooks to hang in the mudroom for our keys.  I may add a little bit of cream paint so it doesn't blend with the wall color so much but I think it turned out pretty nice for now.  That is an easy fix...

Laundry Room

Once the mudroom was mostly finished then of course I had to work on the laundry room!
I can't do one and neglect the other.  We used the porch and floor paint again which really made a difference.  I have found though that it does scratch quite easily.  I guess because they are such high traffic areas and maybe I should have used a primer as a base.  Of course when I read some other DIY blogs they said their porch paint has held up over 2 years without a scratch.  Maybe they did 10coats or maybe they used a different brand.  But you live and learn!

I went to Marshalls and got some cute baskets in gray and white patterns to put some practical items in that I wanted quick access to like rags, old towels and mopping and dusting supplies.  Which was great because then they looked cute but were practical so I don't  have to hear my husband grumbling when he can't find something.  (not that he would ever do that)  Instead he is more likely to say "you organized it out of existence".  That is his favorite saying instead of admitting that like most men they don't see what is right in front of them.

 I decided to get a chevron rug for the laundry room because I love chevron and my husband thinks it is too trendy.  So I get my "chevron fix" and he is fine since it is just a laundry room:)
I did get an outdoor rug because it is so much more practical for wear and tear.  And vacuums beautifully.  My mom even looked at the rug in the mudroom and said that looked like it would be rewarding to vacuum.  (now she does love to clean so everyone may not make a comment like that)

The coat rack shown in the picture is one of my favorite things. I love, love, love it!
I had my eye on it at Ballard Designs and thought it was a little pricey but oh was it worth it.
At my old house I had to hang all my delicates on the shower rod to air dry which was such a hassle and I kept waiting for the day the rod would crash from all the weight.
This rack is rod iron so it is really strong, looks great and holds so much.  They even show it in the catalog in an entryway or mudroom for coats.  Much better than all the garment racks I have seen clients try that always fall apart.

Anyway, enough rambling. Here is the before and after of the laundry room.

I still have to tweak a few things and add some artwork but at least the bulk of it is done.

Rainy day projects...

Can you believe it is the middle of summer and we have seen very little sunshine?  I am getting tired of all these rainy days.  I guess it is good for the grass and all the plants but it makes for some dreary days.  I have been working on some smaller inside projects to keep busy.

This past week-the mudroom.  Yes I am excited that we actually have a mudroom and since it is a high traffic area I need it to be functional.  But there is no reason it can't be cute too, right?

We started out with some ugly brick red vinyl flooring and decided a cheap and easy solution was to buy a gallon of porch paint to brighten things up.  Then I found an inexpensive wooden bench and outdoor area rug to finish everything.  I was pretty happy with the transformation for only a few hundred dollars. 

 Before:

After:

More progress on the bathrooms

I have been so busy with clients the last month that I have gotten really behind on my blog.
But yes it is good to be busy!  Here are some updates of what we have done in the last month on the  bathrooms.

Downstairs powder room:
Just missing a mirror and some artwork but almost done.
I never realized how hard it would be to find a small black mirror.  I 'm still on the hunt for one.
But I love the way the tile floor turned out.

Master Bathroom:
Finally we got a new vanity installed.  Every time I placed an order the item was back ordered so this process has taken longer than I hoped.  Now we just need to touch up some paint, reinstall towel bars, install ceiling and vanity lights... (when I say we I guess I mean my husband will be doing most of this)  Poor thing- the list is never ending...

Finally an update!

Well I guess I got busy.  Family came to visit basically 3 weekends in a row and so I got a little behind.  But yes we did get the bathroom finished just in time and it has been great.  There are a few tweaks I have to work on here and there but I almost have it the way I want.  I had to search for the perfect bench to go in front of the radiator which was a bit of a challenge but finally found one.
I may recover the cushion in a more fun fabric but it works for now.  And I found a mirror at Marshalls which was the right size but a little too white so I doctored it up with some of the blue color of the walls and threw a little brown in too!  And then I couldn't find a place to put hand towels so I finally found a basket with a high handle and am using that to hang them on.  I think it works although my husband says he doesn't like it.  I thought it was a creative solution.  And best of all everything is shiny and new and clean!

Bathroom progress and kitchen demo

More bathroom progress... should be finished this Saturday!  I cannot wait.  I need to go on a hunt for the perfect mirror and a new light. Then I have to scrub it all down and organize.  Just in time for company next week!  Hopefully I will have some time for a relaxing soak between chores.

As if the bathroom wasn't enough we decided to go ahead and start demo on the kitchen. Or should I say my husband decided to go ahead and start the destruction while I was working.  The old tile back splash has been removed and the bottom cabinets have been taken out in one section.  Now we just have fix the wall, paint and move the fridge into the new spot.  Then raise the shelf so the microwave can go in and wait.  Our counter tops are not coming for almost a month and we want to wait on doing the back splash until they are installed so I guess we will have to live with the chaos for awhile.
Did I mention I really do not like waiting???

Looks like new again

I have been busy with clients and doing a lot of driving!  Living out in the country definitely has its sacrifices.  But it is worth it.  However, avoiding rush hour is sounding like a better and better idea.

Anyway, while I have been working my sweet hubby has been spray painting away.  When we bought our house the sellers left some old rusted slightly green pool furniture.  We debated throwing it out but then thought ...spray paint!  See the before and after above.  The chair on the right looks brand new and only cost the price of a can of spray paint.  Not only did we save money but we recycled something old and put it to good use.

I have a feeling we may need to start buying spray paint in bulk?

What lies beneath...

We are still working on getting the pool back to its normal state.  The pool guy came yesterday to check in and vacuum the pool but even with all the chemicals we dumped in you still could not see the bottom so that proved to be ineffective.  My husband and I are still wondering what might be lurking below that we cannot see?  We told the pool guy that we discovered a dead bird when we first removed the cover.  He said he had seen much worse: squirrels, cats, dogs and horses.
Yes I did say horses!  He said a horse fell into a homeowners pool and they did not notice until the next morning and the horse had died.  The pool guy said it took about 7 big guys to get the horse out of the pool.  What a sad and heartbreaking story.  I think I would have had a hard time swimming in the pool with that terrible picture in my head.

The pool guy said it could take days, weeks or even a month to get the pool back to its normal state.  But the good news is you can see the third step and it is much clearer now.  It has gone from a scary pond green to a more coastal greenish blue. 

Bathroom progress...

So the handymen left yesterday and this is what the bathroom looks like.
Hopefully they will be back to grout this week and then install new fixtures over the weekend!

But we are making progress...the tile is looking good!
We like the hopscotch pattern and the best part is we did not have to do it ourselves.
It is still hard to believe that the tub is going to fit in that little space.  They always look bigger once
they are installed.

Bathroom demo

No change on the pool from yesterday except that it is a lighter green color.

Today's project is bathroom renovation!  No we are not tackling this ourselves!
Yes my husband and I are handy but this is a total overhaul and so we called some handymen to help.
First step, demo. Well it always gets worse before it gets better, right?  As an organizer I know this so I am not worried.  They have completed ripping up the floor as of right now and just removed the very heavy cast iron tub.  This took 3 big guys to haul that sucker down the steps and out the front door.  They all commented that afterwards they felt like their arms were long like an orangutan.
I told them if they had needed my help it may not have gone so smoothly.  I would not even want to try to carry that thing.

 We are making progress but here are some "before" shots to see the worst of it.  Photos of before demo and photos of halfway through demo.  More to come...
Hopefully by the end of the day it will look a little bit better.  We have all our new stuff from Lowes ready to put in.  We are on a budget so we had to be conservative with spending but hey if its new and clean then I am happy!

From Pond to Pool

I guess as a first time owner of a pool, you could say I really knew nothing about pool maintenance.

But lets just say there is pool maintenance and then there is a pool overhaul!  So the pool has been sitting for a couple of years unused and yes it shows.  Upon first inspection my husband and I peered beneath the cover into the dark murky water and looked at all the trash on top and thought yuck.

 We have watched a lot of horror movies and the pool brought up an image of one of us falling in and then having nightmares for weeks about trying to frantically get out of the scary dark water.

The image of reeses cup wrappers, lots of pollen and leaves and even a dead bird was not appealing to me.  Being the germaphobe that I am I thought lets just drain the pool and start fresh with some nice clean water. 

 However, the pool guy told us to take the cover off and start filling it up to get the level back up.  We turned the garden hose on and waited and waited and let it run all night and 

barely anything.  After many hours of filling it up we finally decided to try to get out some of the leaves.  (well lets just say my husband did).  Still green and murky.

Next came the chemicals and we watched like little kids thinking that the pool would miraculously turn a beautiful clear blue in a matter of minutes.  Not quite.  Here are some photos of what looks like our pond and lets hope tomorrow it starts to resemble a pool...

Here we go again...A fresh start!

Yes I am trying my hand at blogging again!
Please bear with me as I ease into it.  I am going to try to give you a little insight into all my projects
and how I stay organized.  And of course since I just moved to a new house built in 1940 I have
many projects to do.  And my husband's" honey do" list is endless and growing more so by the day.
As much as I like instant results I have to learn to be patient.   I have to keep reminding myself of that.  It is certainly not easy but there are only so many hours in the day...

So a little background about my house.  The house was built in 1940 and is a white colonial style on almost 8 acres with lots of gardens and outbuildings.  It is in good condition but certainly needs some updating- bathrooms, kitchens, light fixtures, appliances and the list goes on!  The other thing I forgot to mention is that it was vacant for a few years so the gardens and pool were slightly neglected.

My husband and I are not farmers and have only been camping a handful of times so we are certainly going to have a learning curve.  Bugs, snakes, other critters that come out at night...
We are working on adjusting and taking everything in stride.