Kevin purchased this home in the mid '90s and raised his kids here. The house still had the original 1960s kitchen so it did not have a dishwasher.
I think selling the home with no dishwasher might be tough since it is more of a starter home and the potential buyer would not have money to gut the kitchen. The house is in a great location so we have that going for us but we agreed to do a few smaller updates so the house is more marketable.
Just a few weeks ago the new counter top was installed, along with a dishwasher and a new faucet. I kept the old nice solid stainless steel sink that would cost hundreds to replace because by golly there is nothing wrong with it. I think it turned out nice and would no longer be a deal breaker to the potential buyer.
Last weekend we painted the kitchen a light neutral color and added this bead board trim. There had been 1985 wallpaper on this wall!!! I truly regret I have no before photos to offer you. It was old, ugly and dirty. Now it is fresh and stylish. (We still need to paint that door to the garage.) A fresh paint job really makes everything look nicer.
Working on the house all weekend with Kevin was not my favorite way to spend my time, but I have to say we work well together and having good company makes such projects a whole lot less of a drag.
When I was a girl, my father would do weekend projects and they always made him touchy so we would stay FAR AWAY!! If his project wasn't going smoothly he would yell or even lash out at anyone near by. At one point this weekend I sensed a familiar tension in the air as something wasn't going well. I felt myself bracing for a hot temper to rise in Kevin. It never did. I then realized I was just remembering how my father would have handled the stress. So thankful that Kevin is such a peaceful, kind person who doesn't blow up emotionally.
Showing posts with label home repairs / projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home repairs / projects. Show all posts
Monday, January 26, 2015
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Turned it Around
I woke up this morning and it was cold and rainy so I texted Stina and we agreed to skip running today and try for tomorrow. I then happily cuddled up next to Kevin and went back to sleep.
Beanie was at her Dads house.
We slept rather late and then lingered in bed as he read his tablet and I checked Facebook and blogs. The clock was ticking and I was getting bored and wanted to get up and do something. I am not good at relaxing, especially when I am well rested in the morning.
Finally we agreed to get up and run some errand before working on the remodeling at his house. I assumed we would spend the afternoon on finishing the wall paper removal followed up by getting some fun time doing the puzzle we started on New Year's Day. (My favorite New Years Eve of all times involved a puzzle so this was something I had really looked forward to for weeks.)
I also still had to plan a workout in there some how, before I got Beanie back.....you know my NYR!
Friss called and stalled me getting out the door and by the time I got to Kevin's house to pick him up it was almost 10 am. This is VERY late for me to have done NOTHING at all yet. I was starting to stress a bit about being so unproductive. When I arrived he was doing dishes and not ready to go. I snipped at him "can't those wait till we get back?" Heavy on my mind was how crowded Wally World gets on the weekends. I hate to fight the crowds to shop and usually do my shopping at 7 am if I can.
He finished the dishes while I tried to be patient. As soon as we left he wanted to go to McDonald's and get breakfast. This aggravated me. Why the hell didn't he eat while he was waiting for me rather than start the dishes. UGH. We did the drive through and he ate in the car I had JUST cleaned yesterday. I was not "loving it". I didn't eat....part of my diet is no eating out! Wasn't that hungry anyway.
Next it was groceries for him (I was well stocked having gone shopping yesterday) and the sand paper we needed for the project. We arrived home around noon and started on the wall. Finally some progress was getting made and only half the day was wasted. GRRR I was making mental notes about how I am such a morning person that in the future I might be better off to get up and do my own thing and meet up with Kevin around noon when he gets going. My uncle does this with his wife who adores sleeping in and they have been happily married forever.
The phone rang and it was Aaron, Kevin's son, he needed a babysitter. OH GEEZ!! Now we are going to be saddled with a spoiled 3 year old. All I could think of was HIDE THE PUZZLE!
I thought this through and knew that I needed to get my work out in and then I would feel better so while he went to fetch Gage I did a run in the drizzle rain. After a decent 6 mile run I went home and colored my hair, took a shower and started dinner. My mood was much more positive and I was now looking forward to getting back to Kevin's house and eating a "family" meal together.
Luckily we only live .75 of a mile from each other because there is a lot of back and forth that goes on. The bulk of it is on me and I don't think he fully understands what a hassle it is for me to plan ahead and drag things back and forth between our homes. I so look forward to the end of March when we will finally be in one place be it is current home or a new one.
I texted JDK to bring the girl home at 5. The exact time I wanted her. I recently realized that my trying to be flexible and agreeable with him was just making me feel annoyed as I wait on his timeline, so I would be better off to just ask for what I want and if he has an issue then negotiate. So far it is working like a charm. I know it sounds easy but the process of asking for my needs to be met first is not my first instinct.
Back at Kevin's house I finished up dinner and we tried to get Gage to sit and eat with us. He was tired and cranky and is in the habit of having pizza for dinner so he wanted nothing to do with my baked chicken, green beans and croissant rolls. His Grandpa is really frustrated with how his son parents the toddler and I agree with him. The kid is spoiled rotten, has no bedtime, won't eat anything but pizza and knows how to throw a VERY loud tantrum. We ate our meal and encouraged him to join us which he refused and screamed it was icky. He cried and moaned that he needed pizza. G-pa handled it all very well and eventually the exhausted hungry boy cried himself to sleep while we did the dishes and Beanie feasted on desert because she ate her healthy dinner like a big girl.
Finally we all cuddled up on the couch to watch Property Brothers on DIY TV, a show we all three enjoy. I was in a great mood and I feeling positive. I was proud of how Kevin handled the kid. I was happy that I managed to get my needs met. I was proud of Beanie for being a good "auntie" by setting a good example. I had made my mental notes about how I will do better next time so I don't start of the day so cranky. It all worked out just fine.
At 9pm we came home and Beanie went to bed. I was very awake which is not uncommon when I am hungry. I made the best of my time by getting my workout tracking all set up and logging my calories and linking my Garmin to My Fitness Pal. I then stayed up reading until almost midnight.
It was a good day!
Oh....and after my run I weighed 137 pounds. Already seeing some progress. It is encouraging.
Beanie was at her Dads house.
We slept rather late and then lingered in bed as he read his tablet and I checked Facebook and blogs. The clock was ticking and I was getting bored and wanted to get up and do something. I am not good at relaxing, especially when I am well rested in the morning.
Finally we agreed to get up and run some errand before working on the remodeling at his house. I assumed we would spend the afternoon on finishing the wall paper removal followed up by getting some fun time doing the puzzle we started on New Year's Day. (My favorite New Years Eve of all times involved a puzzle so this was something I had really looked forward to for weeks.)
I also still had to plan a workout in there some how, before I got Beanie back.....you know my NYR!
Friss called and stalled me getting out the door and by the time I got to Kevin's house to pick him up it was almost 10 am. This is VERY late for me to have done NOTHING at all yet. I was starting to stress a bit about being so unproductive. When I arrived he was doing dishes and not ready to go. I snipped at him "can't those wait till we get back?" Heavy on my mind was how crowded Wally World gets on the weekends. I hate to fight the crowds to shop and usually do my shopping at 7 am if I can.
He finished the dishes while I tried to be patient. As soon as we left he wanted to go to McDonald's and get breakfast. This aggravated me. Why the hell didn't he eat while he was waiting for me rather than start the dishes. UGH. We did the drive through and he ate in the car I had JUST cleaned yesterday. I was not "loving it". I didn't eat....part of my diet is no eating out! Wasn't that hungry anyway.
Next it was groceries for him (I was well stocked having gone shopping yesterday) and the sand paper we needed for the project. We arrived home around noon and started on the wall. Finally some progress was getting made and only half the day was wasted. GRRR I was making mental notes about how I am such a morning person that in the future I might be better off to get up and do my own thing and meet up with Kevin around noon when he gets going. My uncle does this with his wife who adores sleeping in and they have been happily married forever.
The phone rang and it was Aaron, Kevin's son, he needed a babysitter. OH GEEZ!! Now we are going to be saddled with a spoiled 3 year old. All I could think of was HIDE THE PUZZLE!
I thought this through and knew that I needed to get my work out in and then I would feel better so while he went to fetch Gage I did a run in the drizzle rain. After a decent 6 mile run I went home and colored my hair, took a shower and started dinner. My mood was much more positive and I was now looking forward to getting back to Kevin's house and eating a "family" meal together.
Luckily we only live .75 of a mile from each other because there is a lot of back and forth that goes on. The bulk of it is on me and I don't think he fully understands what a hassle it is for me to plan ahead and drag things back and forth between our homes. I so look forward to the end of March when we will finally be in one place be it is current home or a new one.
I texted JDK to bring the girl home at 5. The exact time I wanted her. I recently realized that my trying to be flexible and agreeable with him was just making me feel annoyed as I wait on his timeline, so I would be better off to just ask for what I want and if he has an issue then negotiate. So far it is working like a charm. I know it sounds easy but the process of asking for my needs to be met first is not my first instinct.
Back at Kevin's house I finished up dinner and we tried to get Gage to sit and eat with us. He was tired and cranky and is in the habit of having pizza for dinner so he wanted nothing to do with my baked chicken, green beans and croissant rolls. His Grandpa is really frustrated with how his son parents the toddler and I agree with him. The kid is spoiled rotten, has no bedtime, won't eat anything but pizza and knows how to throw a VERY loud tantrum. We ate our meal and encouraged him to join us which he refused and screamed it was icky. He cried and moaned that he needed pizza. G-pa handled it all very well and eventually the exhausted hungry boy cried himself to sleep while we did the dishes and Beanie feasted on desert because she ate her healthy dinner like a big girl.
Finally we all cuddled up on the couch to watch Property Brothers on DIY TV, a show we all three enjoy. I was in a great mood and I feeling positive. I was proud of how Kevin handled the kid. I was happy that I managed to get my needs met. I was proud of Beanie for being a good "auntie" by setting a good example. I had made my mental notes about how I will do better next time so I don't start of the day so cranky. It all worked out just fine.
At 9pm we came home and Beanie went to bed. I was very awake which is not uncommon when I am hungry. I made the best of my time by getting my workout tracking all set up and logging my calories and linking my Garmin to My Fitness Pal. I then stayed up reading until almost midnight.
It was a good day!
Oh....and after my run I weighed 137 pounds. Already seeing some progress. It is encouraging.
Labels:
home repairs / projects,
KP,
self improvement
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Project - Remodeling
We have been working on sprucing up Kevin's house so we can sell it. I think his son might buy it but still he deserves the updates. Last week was totally consumed by remodeling. We had a crew of 3 guys there all week.
We made some changes and upgrades to the electrical and light fixtures.
By far the biggest undertaking was a new bathroom downstairs. The old one was over 20 years old and just disgusting. I didn't get a "before" photo and for that I apologize.
We also ordered a new counter top and purchased a dishwasher. The house has NEVER had a dishwasher before!!! We lose a cabinet but gain a dishwashere so it all fits in. I will put up pictures when that is all done.
I also pulled down some old wall paper and now need to paint in the kitchen.
So.....the paneling was intended to be painted but I think it looks fine. What do you think?
We made some changes and upgrades to the electrical and light fixtures.
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| New Ceiling fan. |
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| New vanity with faucet. We still need to buy a mirror. |
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| new light fixture |
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| new toilet and tile floor! |
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| new tile around tub, but kept the original solid bathtub. |
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| My attempt at a cool panoramic shot. |
I also pulled down some old wall paper and now need to paint in the kitchen.
So.....the paneling was intended to be painted but I think it looks fine. What do you think?
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