tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48162037867387959602024-02-19T04:53:58.463-08:00Our Irish ManorMorhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-65800188490191827722015-01-30T01:00:00.000-08:002015-06-18T00:28:33.440-07:00Bedroom floor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Master Bedroom</div>
Or something like that. Look, you are going to have to put up with some pretty crummy pictures in the post. If you follow my posts somewhat regularly, you are used to this! If you are new, well, you'll get used to it! Many of my pictures are taken while I'm working and I realize "oh yeah! I should share this!" So please forgive me.<br />
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Our bedroom is really the last room in the house that needs flooring. We painted before we moved in, but we figured we would redo it someday. The problem is that because it was already so crummy, we didn't much care how clean it was on a regular basis. Once a month or so I would try to dig my way out of the piles of mail and clothes, but normally it looked like...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqVlG63u3x5kEvo_ZJqlM0dMbvvy4YhPJYm3Dy1zUMCWTitG5viIMG6QKJrogucqSVbhK-lIlVA5FIvOYSVGZ2ngtVlUqxECKDjUZa-boBJIPXlFkyRj0MloURJue750Q1LD0XeiG_LB-/s1600/2014-11-24+10.07.04.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">THIS! Yes, blurriness was part of that look. Shhh</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9p6sUeWoSs5AtzeoZMYDGhZDaNzKnsaWxATZgzRzE6B8wZhyTKuJQj3EIIF8y7RnCMVKih8z6SSb2msd2zQSQyb_3BW1_vab92abIwR2-PyvPhaSlV8LZt4YD_HLuqfvWiOsWmUAKtN37/s1600/2014-11-24+10.05.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9p6sUeWoSs5AtzeoZMYDGhZDaNzKnsaWxATZgzRzE6B8wZhyTKuJQj3EIIF8y7RnCMVKih8z6SSb2msd2zQSQyb_3BW1_vab92abIwR2-PyvPhaSlV8LZt4YD_HLuqfvWiOsWmUAKtN37/s1600/2014-11-24+10.05.25.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">And our dresser looked like this. Sort of hiding a huge tangle of </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">cords that were for a no longer connected modem? I have no idea</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> why we left that all there for so long. We've had a portable wifi </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">device for 6 months!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvVPDjBgzPuqcvRGwbALdxpehSUYDihNkNkt8RPJk9NcfWTpuwrQIxbFmkGzO-raGOTGEnhDeDZum5XsEBOT2UBOKI-3GZZCSJfbsibDULfkuLCUSoAkSwvOPMQIm8aX-qIg4xKOzMkWX/s1600/2014-11-24+10.05.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvVPDjBgzPuqcvRGwbALdxpehSUYDihNkNkt8RPJk9NcfWTpuwrQIxbFmkGzO-raGOTGEnhDeDZum5XsEBOT2UBOKI-3GZZCSJfbsibDULfkuLCUSoAkSwvOPMQIm8aX-qIg4xKOzMkWX/s1600/2014-11-24+10.05.50.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My desk often looked like this. Covered, un-accessible because<br /> it is blocked by boxes of mail that needs to be shredded or filed....</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Zw0hrGnzznpTyms4NvyTbYYX9uQ7lnUkLfXOfxKki4kOzPpkDE2XQ-LMLe2BuSMymNaFg4nMkBusPkd2fpxZrPkH-C5tAi9TkE8OVOhOXhyM7bRcjkUSQm_rfQ1AbAHBP6eu-L9Zu7OH/s1600/2014-11-24+10.06.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Zw0hrGnzznpTyms4NvyTbYYX9uQ7lnUkLfXOfxKki4kOzPpkDE2XQ-LMLe2BuSMymNaFg4nMkBusPkd2fpxZrPkH-C5tAi9TkE8OVOhOXhyM7bRcjkUSQm_rfQ1AbAHBP6eu-L9Zu7OH/s1600/2014-11-24+10.06.07.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">And our closet was regularly overflowing with our clothes <br />and other assorted junk</span>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLedtkU_ITkMcy0EK44EWxLKP2NXc2qMg8vVfhYkUgVG9AQfNVbxqUnkQ0rpSZymMVfeI4ogdOSgiVqMPaxRoSc7095O3Jo7-y5Y_4a1mSnWilkguZbfVTvDc5t3Dhw3XcPk8OzSaknWDR/s1600/2014-11-24+10.06.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLedtkU_ITkMcy0EK44EWxLKP2NXc2qMg8vVfhYkUgVG9AQfNVbxqUnkQ0rpSZymMVfeI4ogdOSgiVqMPaxRoSc7095O3Jo7-y5Y_4a1mSnWilkguZbfVTvDc5t3Dhw3XcPk8OzSaknWDR/s1600/2014-11-24+10.06.26.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is my night stand. Books, mail, purses, shoes,<br />everything I might need in the next ... never.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iYHg1VvTrfxrrUKZ7Bcq__e60YQg44ProOAye9wbq1xNJLCmjA1kHCZ9WTUfpA8QfrXmLft3PsqQO43RmbKUgdJbl4_AJTh_K_lNH-EgiToKtqaiTY4zDl70qvdZeEOuntDGUpJk0dN_/s1600/2014-11-24+10.06.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iYHg1VvTrfxrrUKZ7Bcq__e60YQg44ProOAye9wbq1xNJLCmjA1kHCZ9WTUfpA8QfrXmLft3PsqQO43RmbKUgdJbl4_AJTh_K_lNH-EgiToKtqaiTY4zDl70qvdZeEOuntDGUpJk0dN_/s1600/2014-11-24+10.06.55.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another terrific picture of our closet.</span> <span style="font-size: small;">I just couldn't take it anymore! <br />We went on a trip in October and I was really enjoying living out of </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">a suitcase! To come home to this was more than I could take! Add </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">that to the other projects and messes in the rest of the house, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">and I was just about ready to pitch everything on the front lawn!</span><span style="font-size: small;">So I started purging clothes, but I knew that wasn't going to be </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">enough. </span><span style="font-size: small;">What I really wanted to do was clean up the room and </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">make it a space </span><span style="font-size: small;">we might actually enjoy being in. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">My husband hated the room too. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's difficult to care about a space that you have nothing invested </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">in. </span>I started thinking about how I was going to get it done,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> knowing that</span><span style="font-size: small;">the room would need to be gutted to do </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">ANYTHING towards improving it. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">What we needed was new flooring! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The floor was the biggest eyesore of the room</span><span style="font-size: small;">. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Really, there was no flooring. It was Kilzed subfloor with a couple </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">of rugs thrown over it. And it was dirty. I knew I had to start at </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">the bottom and work from there. <br /><br />As luck would have it, my oldest boys were asked to house/dog sit <br />for my dad over a 3 day period. I decided that I could probably get </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">flooring in this room in that amount of time. What I could NOT </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">do was expect my husband to help me during his busiest time of </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">year - Mr. Ireland is a HVAC repair man, so winter in Alaska </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">is THE busiest time of year for him! He works extra long hours, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">weekends, late nights for no-heat calls and has ZERO energy to </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">put toward our house. He also neglects to rest and take care of </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">himself, so I knew that not onlycould he not help, but he NEEDED </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">a peaceful, clean space possibly more than I did! <br /><br />So I hatched a plan - I convinced my husband that they boys </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">should not be left over night at their grandpa's house unattended </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">and asked him if he would stay with them over there.<br /> I would have 48 hours to do the whole thing! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I set to work planning. </span><br />
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Step 1: Order my lumber. Simple enough. I ordered three sheets of 1/2" certified sanded plywood and asked Home Depot to cut them into 11.5" widths down the length, 4 planks per board. I had 11 boards left from our living room flooring project to add to it. So 5 and 3/4 full sheets of plywood went into this room. I ordered them the day before I needed them and then picked them up the next morning.<br />
Step 2: Gut the room.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YUCK. That is grime. *shudder*</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closet purged, now to empty it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBTT6wM_cP-8Upxp5uJho3HFOlgULJSgUBUb6ZeInru23wLPmQO_f14SjqGeACwiCNFjAR2AdXckCgtll_4tP2TgHsmemO1AiQOR6ovHslGiFMbp6INqzRYBCdMEacYHPSIgNuLzlNd3L/s1600/IMG_20141215_141220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBTT6wM_cP-8Upxp5uJho3HFOlgULJSgUBUb6ZeInru23wLPmQO_f14SjqGeACwiCNFjAR2AdXckCgtll_4tP2TgHsmemO1AiQOR6ovHslGiFMbp6INqzRYBCdMEacYHPSIgNuLzlNd3L/s1600/IMG_20141215_141220.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuck. You know, you might think that as bad as that looks I would paint it again before laying floor, right? But no. I had 2 days!! There's no time for painting! I did attempt to mop. It wasn't working, so I moved on. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtR23NwkDT0jA0jfsMldXBbkRkyH82yJlZrbPqhBnBe42kfeu0dRcsFxPl7WBWy2O4yFRvYhSN0wyaQqgbFyU11FR7obRHaKQDDVdIrlB_LZybgx7CbmwY2NF9_8j2XG3Lgbwq7zJARaD/s1600/IMG_20141215_150857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtR23NwkDT0jA0jfsMldXBbkRkyH82yJlZrbPqhBnBe42kfeu0dRcsFxPl7WBWy2O4yFRvYhSN0wyaQqgbFyU11FR7obRHaKQDDVdIrlB_LZybgx7CbmwY2NF9_8j2XG3Lgbwq7zJARaD/s1600/IMG_20141215_150857.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I started laying planks in the far corner. Just me and a nail gun, laying wood planks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXFGkTOLBfNG7CNbEC6AHgXB7u6aZzWexZQbDQjzz16HszXuCD9spUX8oKevWDjqL7PhiVKifOP7vmR1wlwGihd7jXo4vVrp2up1nLjxEoo708jonYDcQxp0q1XEWGFzf19jN_hHxAXWO/s1600/IMG_20141215_150906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXFGkTOLBfNG7CNbEC6AHgXB7u6aZzWexZQbDQjzz16HszXuCD9spUX8oKevWDjqL7PhiVKifOP7vmR1wlwGihd7jXo4vVrp2up1nLjxEoo708jonYDcQxp0q1XEWGFzf19jN_hHxAXWO/s1600/IMG_20141215_150906.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Things went pretty well until...I realized that some of my boards were NOT cut to the magical 11.5"! Oh yay!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXFPfkChKnxusv6uYuimbXRFvTHj0fhNWWe1QhqE-XXTTTJXo1Yb7jgnXL0yZfTMWqnHuSkFC7qUukfH1mqWhEwoZXHv7UNBE2i8AIkAJK1dQ3a_hF7efL-ILI71VlL4zJ18s0W0N6MKj/s1600/IMG_20141215_172558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXFPfkChKnxusv6uYuimbXRFvTHj0fhNWWe1QhqE-XXTTTJXo1Yb7jgnXL0yZfTMWqnHuSkFC7qUukfH1mqWhEwoZXHv7UNBE2i8AIkAJK1dQ3a_hF7efL-ILI71VlL4zJ18s0W0N6MKj/s1600/IMG_20141215_172558.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See those gaps? Got a few of those. We're going to call them "character" and "authenticity". I love this room right at this moment though. I do.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasRWRgxuG8w3_YtNsCH2w4LBQBb84-Q0qsG_4UnLDyaEsh22bu3MFvepSU4YzA7CJqyV37xvPYMfpjjNnIWvx4i30GIXR_5SijaGKzik0JaN4XJU5w241qQ2YsFWBhhV9bO9VUx4n1Wdq/s1600/IMG_20141215_205004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasRWRgxuG8w3_YtNsCH2w4LBQBb84-Q0qsG_4UnLDyaEsh22bu3MFvepSU4YzA7CJqyV37xvPYMfpjjNnIWvx4i30GIXR_5SijaGKzik0JaN4XJU5w241qQ2YsFWBhhV9bO9VUx4n1Wdq/s1600/IMG_20141215_205004.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought you might want to see what a dining room stuffed with ALL of my personal belongings STUFFED into it. (I lie, there is another room upstairs with JUST my stuff and another in the basement with JUST the Mr.'s). It was a pretty tight fit, getting in and out of that hallway with boards.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTC7j-YMF64B0bvLNkDoUmrs1jh2KZoHrS71pp5JTxMJMsaSMxtmfTvgorvGPJmX1pKIHxCRYap8VME_vF9HyPFEEsFu96SgUpQf-y8kasn70fqoN6UNJm7iUuS4nxb4Dg5biQvg_qOPRx/s1600/IMG_20141215_205015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTC7j-YMF64B0bvLNkDoUmrs1jh2KZoHrS71pp5JTxMJMsaSMxtmfTvgorvGPJmX1pKIHxCRYap8VME_vF9HyPFEEsFu96SgUpQf-y8kasn70fqoN6UNJm7iUuS4nxb4Dg5biQvg_qOPRx/s1600/IMG_20141215_205015.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the kitchen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_p3dQDC1wv6BpOgG-N90VW67e8_kLxNtvVEc2oijaExinFALTt3RygwPeYSILAeiJIIJLbdpxKe4RudWdUwk8WhwmPfVyB6-J7nu0GPfvXotipfD3P7m8TC61DWa07-1MJ2ceD0mIp7_/s1600/IMG_20141215_205041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_p3dQDC1wv6BpOgG-N90VW67e8_kLxNtvVEc2oijaExinFALTt3RygwPeYSILAeiJIIJLbdpxKe4RudWdUwk8WhwmPfVyB6-J7nu0GPfvXotipfD3P7m8TC61DWa07-1MJ2ceD0mIp7_/s1600/IMG_20141215_205041.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the hall.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0nyvyG5HRR6hGAm9GTadXjW5GhyphenhyphenCyc3uV7Bk-LbDENu58Mh3d6a5Gp6sZnaV3qJBOXczdO7zruwS5rQ-uPg2I_4vVEgUKf4FG8IJs0WtaShqMCmrZAYO3b4fqdC4wmfhloVg24y3U34h/s1600/IMG_20141215_205045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0nyvyG5HRR6hGAm9GTadXjW5GhyphenhyphenCyc3uV7Bk-LbDENu58Mh3d6a5Gp6sZnaV3qJBOXczdO7zruwS5rQ-uPg2I_4vVEgUKf4FG8IJs0WtaShqMCmrZAYO3b4fqdC4wmfhloVg24y3U34h/s1600/IMG_20141215_205045.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clothes stacked up high.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIXVJyyNBbNvYrbZoylhf3Cq6VYyQH28yMPAoYWs8s5tQkCOFSdJwCK-rq4O97lZbSCI7ULscuPvC5OcH7-7Rh30Hf3K9cPpcQSgRalqEzhnDh4xzuw-NaJQXgHO1hA5QGy7B1ULFWLZV/s1600/IMG_20141215_205049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIXVJyyNBbNvYrbZoylhf3Cq6VYyQH28yMPAoYWs8s5tQkCOFSdJwCK-rq4O97lZbSCI7ULscuPvC5OcH7-7Rh30Hf3K9cPpcQSgRalqEzhnDh4xzuw-NaJQXgHO1hA5QGy7B1ULFWLZV/s1600/IMG_20141215_205049.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHY do we have so much STUFF?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQsh9QgZdq9JNQSg4NbIbRD5SakQqjXCHRKV0OKDbjWAmo6N5BhsMVoPSs8NIybNcTstrjCNs_ZWkmSOvJpF_p3HTKCWkA8f6mj7x_QjGSmZfLq5eBj3t5UQ-usBAHzMtvqvvkgWjGbVi/s1600/IMG_20141215_205100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQsh9QgZdq9JNQSg4NbIbRD5SakQqjXCHRKV0OKDbjWAmo6N5BhsMVoPSs8NIybNcTstrjCNs_ZWkmSOvJpF_p3HTKCWkA8f6mj7x_QjGSmZfLq5eBj3t5UQ-usBAHzMtvqvvkgWjGbVi/s1600/IMG_20141215_205100.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't look anymore.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0ygR8n7li4gxzpRKtmvzn_D5TNjGTqJGGScwMRaHsDoPS_pMDaX6i3QQddbOG3M2cqA2IIFSZpcMrq6-E2K5lm_0u-U6nmo06HRxLlXN-yEmXcyFjyzKScuctHz5HLDNyxavqE3n4tQi/s1600/IMG_20141215_205104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0ygR8n7li4gxzpRKtmvzn_D5TNjGTqJGGScwMRaHsDoPS_pMDaX6i3QQddbOG3M2cqA2IIFSZpcMrq6-E2K5lm_0u-U6nmo06HRxLlXN-yEmXcyFjyzKScuctHz5HLDNyxavqE3n4tQi/s1600/IMG_20141215_205104.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FNtFgX4-7fU__JgQnSKrXV3AQ5iKB8T-k3r6B14c783f-t2tDcTq9dQH2x31uJdv-kDAkAtZ1eQtGzvE8tjFUGNVfOzxFYFrTTFaeZFNzNeRU9IOe3LrKyo35uWi0m_0Jq-YgeLuCGmZ/s1600/IMG_20141216_182724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FNtFgX4-7fU__JgQnSKrXV3AQ5iKB8T-k3r6B14c783f-t2tDcTq9dQH2x31uJdv-kDAkAtZ1eQtGzvE8tjFUGNVfOzxFYFrTTFaeZFNzNeRU9IOe3LrKyo35uWi0m_0Jq-YgeLuCGmZ/s1600/IMG_20141216_182724.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back to work. Actually, done staining and all the stuff piled, I mean NEATLY arranged in our room. A good portion of it never came back. :D</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJbPqo-lCZaArCoqscl8pbqo1hGpuBr1b-nrw5jIt41wUuHtUGvdDtTk5S2NNLMDCve81TVSERRMhl61hf-tju9aQIBzlfGA0uQEOSvwW9mQwoXXu-pOUK7OobvHd7eL42iiyZis3dDR3/s1600/IMG_20141216_182730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJbPqo-lCZaArCoqscl8pbqo1hGpuBr1b-nrw5jIt41wUuHtUGvdDtTk5S2NNLMDCve81TVSERRMhl61hf-tju9aQIBzlfGA0uQEOSvwW9mQwoXXu-pOUK7OobvHd7eL42iiyZis3dDR3/s1600/IMG_20141216_182730.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't love the gaps. But I can live with them because I have FLOORING.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQR_c0EsQOnZrJiTf0zEbePn46bFDOP-hvGZOt7JB-pwjPtOa-xVF9bP_pWtq5XFrntMV-wFLLg9yZglkSXc7nfJ7e4FHOrWSy40Tw7ARoFcknUyyHKIMVCbpg2-Jq1wwhWZ02wWeZ9oBX/s1600/IMG_20141216_182740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQR_c0EsQOnZrJiTf0zEbePn46bFDOP-hvGZOt7JB-pwjPtOa-xVF9bP_pWtq5XFrntMV-wFLLg9yZglkSXc7nfJ7e4FHOrWSy40Tw7ARoFcknUyyHKIMVCbpg2-Jq1wwhWZ02wWeZ9oBX/s1600/IMG_20141216_182740.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So here is the deal with the stain. I used an all in one Minwax, stain and seal. There is a funny story that goes with this, but I'm going to save myself some embarrassment. Remind me to tell it someday.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6hl7hTN2SkhK1dnOBIylBUPtty13gKPByoeAx_sGlFggmdCRrTE2AibdxTHnPbafyk_OR2d7N0LohYtJC6GiRfguAYpK6BmuZAdG30sd2q3y5GASn65vjTPax7uh1ObLSrETSo_q7cR5/s1600/IMG_20141217_083430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6hl7hTN2SkhK1dnOBIylBUPtty13gKPByoeAx_sGlFggmdCRrTE2AibdxTHnPbafyk_OR2d7N0LohYtJC6GiRfguAYpK6BmuZAdG30sd2q3y5GASn65vjTPax7uh1ObLSrETSo_q7cR5/s1600/IMG_20141217_083430.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And now a few pictures of what our room *should* look like on a regular basis. But I won't lie: its 6 months later and my room is cluttered. It's not nearly as bad, but it could use a purge. Anyway, keep scrolling.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6gpNemCdL_B0nVrpEU0QwSNrpdJItP_nPPXMCU_2xHVEmwPIxOihpRAkO6bcTjY27Q8yiqbrzeqtttdAouv5WbBdcpkcu9VqP6_ZlVW87vRbp7OClsQisycCv-jdgjPyLevGXytJMZDa/s1600/2015-01-16+16.31.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6gpNemCdL_B0nVrpEU0QwSNrpdJItP_nPPXMCU_2xHVEmwPIxOihpRAkO6bcTjY27Q8yiqbrzeqtttdAouv5WbBdcpkcu9VqP6_ZlVW87vRbp7OClsQisycCv-jdgjPyLevGXytJMZDa/s1600/2015-01-16+16.31.50.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoig2yyLoTRhALBAKBUd9CyXTXf3HSgOixy4fPmSjfpOcHWToWRNN4PBHknd9Kiwh3CjLDHSMXDXSeWFgujG2q73OJjc4YzQGXeVr3IkcLU0h7b8DkJiOGuKF7sADc97FYyImCWNPAxBe/s1600/2015-01-16+16.32.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoig2yyLoTRhALBAKBUd9CyXTXf3HSgOixy4fPmSjfpOcHWToWRNN4PBHknd9Kiwh3CjLDHSMXDXSeWFgujG2q73OJjc4YzQGXeVr3IkcLU0h7b8DkJiOGuKF7sADc97FYyImCWNPAxBe/s1600/2015-01-16+16.32.18.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have one plank yet to lay. I couldn't decide if I wanted to pull all the trim out and lay it now, so I left it. I guess I didn't want to mess with it.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNvGJUnDIImDHwzX6qKXAqK7OrQGOXeAUuO5lW2Om6ufz3ue65BP6x1WOTIIAsIla3gPHVRcpJCKTUQVqvN6VIOCQhfkfpxOqr6P2QiYpTgXBBb8-AcJ9ecXiVZeGStylxam6ud2-aAQi/s1600/2015-01-16+16.32.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNvGJUnDIImDHwzX6qKXAqK7OrQGOXeAUuO5lW2Om6ufz3ue65BP6x1WOTIIAsIla3gPHVRcpJCKTUQVqvN6VIOCQhfkfpxOqr6P2QiYpTgXBBb8-AcJ9ecXiVZeGStylxam6ud2-aAQi/s1600/2015-01-16+16.32.54.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2hgbSmwGRBGPsOUv1sYIUpjcjkh-86wDoxJLMudD-521jwOmB21Ql_7VYVgrXBSKhVIEzvhJZg9lpEHTIGlTMW4aIa_HdbhjDK-_xUYQ9BQPy5dH12dtoQ9XG_81e0IPngnLD8UWzhgD/s1600/2015-01-10+21.41.28.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2hgbSmwGRBGPsOUv1sYIUpjcjkh-86wDoxJLMudD-521jwOmB21Ql_7VYVgrXBSKhVIEzvhJZg9lpEHTIGlTMW4aIa_HdbhjDK-_xUYQ9BQPy5dH12dtoQ9XG_81e0IPngnLD8UWzhgD/s1600/2015-01-10+21.41.28.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There you have it. Flooring on the cheap in 2 days. My husband really loved the room and I do very much enjoy not looking at the yucky, dirty, Kilzed subfloor. That's me there, by the way, in case you ever see me around town and think "Hey, isn't that that lady who does half cocked projects on her house out of strange materials?" Yes, that is me, the lady that torments her family with unusual projects, never ending, still not completely unpacked after 4 years, never quite happy with complicated. SIGH.<br />
I started a new project just after this one, by the way. About 2 weeks later. Yep. It's coming along....</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-16051819332479534602015-01-15T22:30:00.001-08:002015-01-16T16:35:57.560-08:00Bathroom Remodel: Part 3 - Finishing the bathroom<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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This is part 3 of our Bathroom Remodel. Click here for <a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2015/01/bathroom-remodel-part-1.html" target="_blank">part 1</a> and here for <a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2015/01/our-penny-floor.html" target="_blank">part 2</a>.<br />
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At the end of my last post, I had just finished laying my penny floor and discussed my supply list for doing it. I am going to pick right back up where I left off... Sealing the floor!<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3l0jKQ9qU_bVAkHDtg1n39EvPfhyphenhyphen0KgxVCQrPn8f75zvu1JTpFuVqiGRMx6wNg01IAkZEeV3__RFWPVlIQ0nOxi_AxI_s9B0TuRs1UhcrrNabsqg3vEARUQyTGnUnLN_Yr_-qbUyTyCEu/s1600/2014-11-16+11.44.14.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is a freshly sealed floor. It has been sprayed thoroughly <br />and wipedwith a terry cloth bar towel to remove the extra sealant <br />from the pennies. I have no intention of slipping on slick pennies <br />as I step out of my claw foot tub!</span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEWvQUWzaNfBkImldvKxmXDXMLRsE6Di1Hyj5T9xNOJOJe36Nm76MoWY650NM4J2hCwkKp9TDSc05Ci5Tknwerrt5mz2JrGTUSzUKMwBEh1HUi-zLjV0Ke5CSP5GTmN4P61T0sT4MZ3Ry/s1600/2014-11-10+09.55.21(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEWvQUWzaNfBkImldvKxmXDXMLRsE6Di1Hyj5T9xNOJOJe36Nm76MoWY650NM4J2hCwkKp9TDSc05Ci5Tknwerrt5mz2JrGTUSzUKMwBEh1HUi-zLjV0Ke5CSP5GTmN4P61T0sT4MZ3Ry/s1600/2014-11-10+09.55.21(1).jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">After the floor had dried, I started cutting my baseboard. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Yes, I used pine. Why didn't I use the prefab stuff from HD? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Because I have this unique, beautiful hand cut 5 and 1/2" baseboard</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">in my hallway that I intend to duplicate throughout the house. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">We love it. So I cut the top of 6" boards at a 45 and </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">then sliced another 1/4" off to create a shelf for <br />my paneling to sit on.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXr9NQRa8A79iAmPbqKCYlUr5KWomRq31CKGNM5ODDzbQ-7K-Op9wCh9TeOAtY0ACdPWnL2B1TpGc1-0cIzqeCdToTCuC3ruvQhrjuB1kQ0vauBV8CbUSIljS6Ft_PmR_VFIcaAdiEeO8/s1600/2014-11-18+15.30.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXr9NQRa8A79iAmPbqKCYlUr5KWomRq31CKGNM5ODDzbQ-7K-Op9wCh9TeOAtY0ACdPWnL2B1TpGc1-0cIzqeCdToTCuC3ruvQhrjuB1kQ0vauBV8CbUSIljS6Ft_PmR_VFIcaAdiEeO8/s1600/2014-11-18+15.30.08.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Then I started adding paneling. Why didn't I place my <br />paneling and then add baseboard. Money! A full 4X8 sheet of <br />wainscoting could be cut into 2 pieces that were theheight I needed <br />with an unusable scrap left over ORI could cut it into 3 equal pieces, <br />no scrap, and choose to set it on top of the baseboard and the rail above, <br />not over, the paneling. It made sense to me to use every bit I could.<br /> Also, I marked out all my studs where my chair rail would sit, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">so I could see them while installing the panels.</span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvyellGpn4IHi-8g3a9_p3hxR9I1kLI_nRqyggfRVwO1GA970a25mfYUNb_TPZA7pDlFaIwdptnrc9ojNYaU_bcLfGYYramDzvWyBrXc9fmguspQ9SOIx454KU-XxhWjvTGLWH-83svlc/s1600/2014-11-18+15.30.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvyellGpn4IHi-8g3a9_p3hxR9I1kLI_nRqyggfRVwO1GA970a25mfYUNb_TPZA7pDlFaIwdptnrc9ojNYaU_bcLfGYYramDzvWyBrXc9fmguspQ9SOIx454KU-XxhWjvTGLWH-83svlc/s1600/2014-11-18+15.30.16.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A better view of the project.</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cRhtIieLVXmpNBzA9Z63x8zte_TDIcuReMywWfa1s_UqS8xEcV3i5AFdZ6AY1vycHefxIY6XadupyLybZRMOCDgcYpL42cxvqtVrzA1iwHI3ma0DRI8Zi_lfUYtRluZfXhaw9MneCjhe/s1600/2014-11-18+15.30.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cRhtIieLVXmpNBzA9Z63x8zte_TDIcuReMywWfa1s_UqS8xEcV3i5AFdZ6AY1vycHefxIY6XadupyLybZRMOCDgcYpL42cxvqtVrzA1iwHI3ma0DRI8Zi_lfUYtRluZfXhaw9MneCjhe/s1600/2014-11-18+15.30.38.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lamp stand bought at flea market this summer. Pure brass. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">$20. Awesome.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Brass switch plates - 3 years ago at yard sale for $2 for the bundle.</span> </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxLFvC0QhPTrWXzIj8MdIU1CvwNBxkVJkxA08Ywj4BkKbWWFTIBtawpge9iJ7mN5OU7iu6O97N0j7BnqLGBbAkLdmPlWGkAdweiLD3dJGbEfDqe7OkeUQgE0p9eMB659P94UU_-4Uy8RX/s1600/2014-11-18+15.30.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxLFvC0QhPTrWXzIj8MdIU1CvwNBxkVJkxA08Ywj4BkKbWWFTIBtawpge9iJ7mN5OU7iu6O97N0j7BnqLGBbAkLdmPlWGkAdweiLD3dJGbEfDqe7OkeUQgE0p9eMB659P94UU_-4Uy8RX/s1600/2014-11-18+15.30.56.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can't see it, but you should realize that NO house is square,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">certainly not mine, so my panels gapped in the corners.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Nothing wood filler wouldn't fix :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigL2jDbEoCfNmATRzO6vI-Bm4lrnEO9Dg_mtoAI9cW2JDpvNKzpRfLL-48H-L18DipRrYY_48eQDO0_0Z3XvHMUwL41mXShcLpvWlCAs3QcE4z6Dr0bNKYgWpS-usH2h8yBzH2WgA4Wrk7/s1600/2014-11-23+14.15.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigL2jDbEoCfNmATRzO6vI-Bm4lrnEO9Dg_mtoAI9cW2JDpvNKzpRfLL-48H-L18DipRrYY_48eQDO0_0Z3XvHMUwL41mXShcLpvWlCAs3QcE4z6Dr0bNKYgWpS-usH2h8yBzH2WgA4Wrk7/s1600/2014-11-23+14.15.21.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Brass floor grate. What do you think of brass and copper together?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsl82Vb3wbEE8eHr_NV2IH7GXUB6-vM_0yST0QYCT_Kj351ZUWs7mGD2s8jY-OsVluCS5dm1zKKEarO-Yf4X-R9cFHvP4GVIBZh828PJzDNnnZ4iHXi-4ks8VaF0_bk90stDFLYH57Rc8/s1600/2014-11-23+14.58.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsl82Vb3wbEE8eHr_NV2IH7GXUB6-vM_0yST0QYCT_Kj351ZUWs7mGD2s8jY-OsVluCS5dm1zKKEarO-Yf4X-R9cFHvP4GVIBZh828PJzDNnnZ4iHXi-4ks8VaF0_bk90stDFLYH57Rc8/s1600/2014-11-23+14.58.12.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ah, the fun part! I got to measure out my plumbing stub locations </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">for the tub and sink and
use a hole saw to cut out their places.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I'm glad I did it right! That could have been an expensive mistake.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">You can
also see below that base board trim that there is a relatively<br /> large gap below it. This would be the problem I was referring to in<br /> my last post. Either we needed more subfloor or more shims<br /> before pouring leveling compound</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGgAIcEas8VxjCY5kNrxurWqiLqhv61-SKnbWdkMyWBzxgq5ux4hhBd0_l2uUhzC9jjENPmZmrf-mEKLCUDVX8S71oDjm7Pr2BaIUy6QY2oOd_-LemUgkaKQG013InOqxcOsrBV8g2LFC/s1600/2014-11-25+12.07.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGgAIcEas8VxjCY5kNrxurWqiLqhv61-SKnbWdkMyWBzxgq5ux4hhBd0_l2uUhzC9jjENPmZmrf-mEKLCUDVX8S71oDjm7Pr2BaIUy6QY2oOd_-LemUgkaKQG013InOqxcOsrBV8g2LFC/s1600/2014-11-25+12.07.37.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A terrible corner! SO glad this is in the corner behind the sink! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I had to cut some biscuits from extra chair rail to fill that gap. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Wood filler, paint. Nearly invisible. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji01j7UJnipzTzI8lBZ4rzeWs8KtIJC_Qu50oCa_pFhTkN1ajJKkPoTWH6YwQoEVNWqIqwX1QG-9h-XaIIrJVqvc3bcDvEPAfGtnCW7JvdVMG1UgsFoUyoZ_3eydEu2pvZwjTIeu-VaQLs/s1600/2014-11-25+12.07.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji01j7UJnipzTzI8lBZ4rzeWs8KtIJC_Qu50oCa_pFhTkN1ajJKkPoTWH6YwQoEVNWqIqwX1QG-9h-XaIIrJVqvc3bcDvEPAfGtnCW7JvdVMG1UgsFoUyoZ_3eydEu2pvZwjTIeu-VaQLs/s1600/2014-11-25+12.07.47.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">So this is my hand routed chair rail. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Again, I am matching existing molding in our dining room <br />and hallway. The man who did all that work was an </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">AMAZING carpenter, so buying this prefab just wasn't <br />going to happen. AND molding and trim are CRAZY expensive! <br />Plain old wood is in my budget.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Bonus: I got to use the router more and worked it like a boss.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmS_SUX8dEgMAfhT1t3jKpq_WLAUncnF9OIu3pIFjonTsEve-F9MXW2ZUXIe3mAaKNHv4pPl8RM7EzHbtnZF29DwiX6Z_tgErASK603Sl-PyKoNhqenWLsRY4WrOnBRJkQn-imRju2gYPX/s1600/2014-11-25+12.07.54(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmS_SUX8dEgMAfhT1t3jKpq_WLAUncnF9OIu3pIFjonTsEve-F9MXW2ZUXIe3mAaKNHv4pPl8RM7EzHbtnZF29DwiX6Z_tgErASK603Sl-PyKoNhqenWLsRY4WrOnBRJkQn-imRju2gYPX/s1600/2014-11-25+12.07.54(1).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">In this picture I am about to place my last piece of chair rail molding. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">It's mid afternoon and I am determined to be finished <u>today</u>! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I finished filling nail holes, gaps and seams with wood putty and </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">was frustrated because I really thought I would be done..</span>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWcz08LBhPISiqTtUDdlvUdCjZ6K0tRggmY96He59iLszhowquBtusIi_4kKOFvhCqVDQTbPv_HG_d7q0OYTzovCDrODk-piFlVzpv8uB9O8DEKuKpwOS_zQpismuKB7QAP9HbUKgW9Wh/s1600/2014-11-25+18.34.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWcz08LBhPISiqTtUDdlvUdCjZ6K0tRggmY96He59iLszhowquBtusIi_4kKOFvhCqVDQTbPv_HG_d7q0OYTzovCDrODk-piFlVzpv8uB9O8DEKuKpwOS_zQpismuKB7QAP9HbUKgW9Wh/s1600/2014-11-25+18.34.25.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">And then Niki came to by!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I was so tired, but having a friend come to help made it enjoyable.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">She is always there to help me just when I can't take much more!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Thanks Niki!<!--3--><!--3--></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsbIR1seZqhHC5JwMV8d25fgRa_IPF34hMDCFgDwtUYM9mRnz1osCcDRr2QQ0Fy0KT0BQQqcbUYNDE1LkNF2c3OoR7mR0M0kofiB6E9r6YOiRkXunr6PeKMy_ukhAgGUHzH_9d5xJVsh_/s1600/2014-11-25+18.34.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsbIR1seZqhHC5JwMV8d25fgRa_IPF34hMDCFgDwtUYM9mRnz1osCcDRr2QQ0Fy0KT0BQQqcbUYNDE1LkNF2c3OoR7mR0M0kofiB6E9r6YOiRkXunr6PeKMy_ukhAgGUHzH_9d5xJVsh_/s1600/2014-11-25+18.34.34.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">So it's painted. Roll on one coat, brush the second. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Finished by 6pm? Sounds right.</span> </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0odmyMVbVqNG8ikwpg5oSPb2OThBqlMLVpatKROKcgC67k5iKP4_3Bwklz8Wp0Lx03-ghGVLqWqNEMPGW0bvLvKgVK-HVpdY09nJGkTSb6K9fd9elK2KOWVyTV6HSZcmPr_8OUWqlROB/s1600/2014-11-26+11.24.21(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0odmyMVbVqNG8ikwpg5oSPb2OThBqlMLVpatKROKcgC67k5iKP4_3Bwklz8Wp0Lx03-ghGVLqWqNEMPGW0bvLvKgVK-HVpdY09nJGkTSb6K9fd9elK2KOWVyTV6HSZcmPr_8OUWqlROB/s1600/2014-11-26+11.24.21(1).jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next day? I applied a second coat of grout sealer before the tub and </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">toilet went in again.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Isn't it pretty? Too bad I have to put things over my floor...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlQBAfL9YwncH8S8MCHSnRbxfANXBqFkKvAp7TKdZg5rZ8z8g-QexXRCjrcmH7jKHC6vN69ctgEm5u29vsZxGtpOhIbE7zKN7qJOZg1qTkJQNBtu5nf4zOJO4pdbtssqNfM8fuwu06mcR/s1600/2014-11-26+11.24.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlQBAfL9YwncH8S8MCHSnRbxfANXBqFkKvAp7TKdZg5rZ8z8g-QexXRCjrcmH7jKHC6vN69ctgEm5u29vsZxGtpOhIbE7zKN7qJOZg1qTkJQNBtu5nf4zOJO4pdbtssqNfM8fuwu06mcR/s1600/2014-11-26+11.24.29.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">But I'm done! That means it's tub time! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">And that means I get my kitchen back!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_NBSEer6KeMpH2G-lHncQcWRqks1LC4t0QujbBvzriOTcblcyndbThLtGLvOzxR3qrg2WQQokr-ceTCxnwwxJdXnkiGPxfOveZ-QorFA0y_qlN7aRg7ejWgT28YzKr7N-lIqS1PsPpi6u/s1600/2014-11-26+16.19.21(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_NBSEer6KeMpH2G-lHncQcWRqks1LC4t0QujbBvzriOTcblcyndbThLtGLvOzxR3qrg2WQQokr-ceTCxnwwxJdXnkiGPxfOveZ-QorFA0y_qlN7aRg7ejWgT28YzKr7N-lIqS1PsPpi6u/s1600/2014-11-26+16.19.21(1).jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I made a template for our tub on cardboard.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> The tub has to have the feet removed, anchor them to the floor </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(we used carriage bolts because we have an open ceiling in the basement, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">but toggle bolts would work), then place the tub back on.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Which means that where it's installed is where it stays!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">So the tub is in the room, but not hooked up at this point.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This is a couple of days before Thanksgiving.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Mr. Ireland did get the toilet and sink put in on that Wednesday,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">which was nice for us to have 2 bathrooms over the holiday.</span> </td></tr>
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In my next post you will see the bathroom as it is today. We are not totally finished, but it is livable. Which is kind of the point. If you haven't noticed, we aren't going for a decorator-finished house here. We want the house to be a reflection of the people living in it. Quirky, a little off maybe, but you know - fun. Ha! We like to complete our projects to about 95% and then say " 's enough, lets move on". (We're not really trying to do that, but it seems to be our thing)<br />
<br />
This bathroom represents a milestone for us. With this room
"completed", we are down to just a handful of projects to complete inside
the house. Namely, the kitchen remodel, the dining room ceiling, and
<strike>master bedroom flooring </strike><span style="font-size: x-small;">scratch that, I did that in December! Next post ;) </span> We do want to replace windows, but that will
probably be one of our only projects that we hire out.<br />
<br />
It's been almost 5 years! Being
this close to DONE has me beginning to focus on the smaller details -
painting the stairs and stairwell, trimming out rooms, hanging pictures,
changing light fixtures... I honestly believed we would never get to
those fluffy details! The end is in sight! I have hopes of being able to
work on other projects in the not so distant future - sewing, painting,
and so many other hobbies that we just haven't had time or energy for
because of the remodel. Mostly, I'm looking forward to a clean,
de-cluttered house because I will finally be able to PUT THE TOOLS AWAY!<br />
<br />
Hey, I can dream, can't I?Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-32818759666289759332015-01-01T17:50:00.001-08:002015-01-01T17:51:27.814-08:00Our Penny Floor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bathroom Remodel, Part 2<br />This is a continuation of <a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2015/01/bathroom-remodel-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part 1 of our bathroom remodel</a>. <br /><br />We are jumping right into this. The room has been cleared, all the sheetrock, mud and paint work has been finished, and the floor has been cleaned as much as possible. <br /><br />I have my pennies ready - <b>255 pennies/square foot</b>, <br />requested from my bank in increments of $25 dollars. <br /><br />Now its time to make the floor suitable for tiling. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I will give you a list of tiling supplies at the end of
this post. I'm not giving it now because I wouldn't do this project
again the same way. Scroll to the bottom if you just want the run down.</span><br /><b>Step 1.</b> Make the floor as level as possible. I used <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-LevelQuik-RS-50-lb-Self-Leveling-Underlayment-LQ50/100192482?N=5yc1vZc37k" target="_blank">self leveling compound</a> to do this.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">With pennies being such a small tile, it is incredibly important that the floor is very level. They will not sit flat on even a slightly bumpy floor and your floor will look silly and you will lose pennies later as they get bumped and knocked by normal foot traffic. <br /> </span></span> Build guards out of cardboard or other materials to go around the toilet flange and inside the air duct (which I did NOT do, so trust me on this) to keep compound from running down into things... Also, if your walls to not meet the floor, you will need to put some kind of shim where there are large gaps (more than 1/8") to prevent the compound from running down to the next floor. We have wood slats under our sub floor, so the compound just dripped down to the basement until it hardened enough not to! I had shimmed some of the gaps, but apparently not well enough. </span></span><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEG4csYIoRTGYyi0SRfjIf1h5A-5pkiLMknelCWD6Nt4HOk91ToaTuWJCagKyZXArODWjgrqXGC5yVWwzqfUpmg9JwAeVNGBPdQLT_OPWTurrCxqDAyOebj8J5K5pTddSN8JdbQ8b9Q3FD/s1600/IMG_20140714_221336.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is looks to be my second layer of self leveling compound. <br />When is it appropriate to do more than one layer of self leveling compound? <br />NEVER, really. If you have to do more than one layer, than you either a) didn't use enough the first time around (that would be me), or b) should probably<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/b/Flooring-Tile-Tools-Tile-Set-Surface-Prep/N-5yc1vZc37k" target="_blank"> put in another layer of subfloor material</a>. <br />My bathroom is <b>50 sq ft</b>. One bag of compound covers <b><i>48 sq ft</i></b>.<br /> I *should* have used 2 bags the first time around, but I thought I could make it work. I was wrong. I ended up pouring three layers and realized later that I should have <br />put down an additional 1/4 inch subfloor material (like the durarock we used <br />in <a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2013/08/bottle-cap-floor-progressive.html" target="_blank">the remodel of our upstairs bathroom</a>) to raise the floor, <br />since my layers brought the floor up to where it should be. <br />Tip for adjusting subfloor for finished floor height: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">You will want the top of toilet flange and floor to be nearly flush when you are done tiling.<br />The thickness of the subfloor, mortar and tile should not be above the flange. </span></span>Its all good, but could have been much easier had I slowed down and thought about it more. <br />Classic me. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last layer of self leveling compound setting up.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 2: </b>Adding floor primer for glass mortar. <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-LevelQuik-1-qt-Latex-Primer-CPQT/100115970" target="_blank">This is a latex primer that will help my mortar stick to the new compound</a>. I did 2 coats over the whole floor.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymPJ9qo9DVYNx6h2QSQGcP86SU7RTiq6vGWwcF2cZK80jyrlBv_oTMfByvnxpr183-78HynuS2m29RMa9_HlhtolWqjhUsDZq919uy8u5btR_oj0k1PFPHk2Ivxg-xEs-cJn2CPhgxLSd/s1600/IMG_20140715_100624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before I began, I sorted my pennies by color. One box for light, one box for dark</span>.<span style="font-size: small;"> <br />I laid the darker pennies mostly face down (my son insisted I check for wheat pennies and they tend to be dark) and the lighter ones mostly face up. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 3:</b> Draw out your design.<br /><br />What is missing here is a picture of the full design drawn on the floor in pencil. <br />You can see a little of the lines around this pennied section. <br />I guess you'll have to wait to see the finished floor at the end of this post! <br />At first, I used a pizza box to draw out my wave design, but after standing back and looking at it,<br /> the quick movement of the design (the short waves makes your eye move quickly over the design) <br />made me feel like it might make me dizzy if I were sick. So I got out some cardboard and made a <br />bigger template (a circle), to make a bigger wave design. The circle over lapped the previous row half way to make the consistent wave pattern.<br />Something to consider when doing a design or pattern: how does it make you feel, how does it make the space feel? </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxryxEKysDy0IwqdHCNvQ7SSP9fLz9BMT9s-TSP4MukcCgo4nAsJhI2i9vNVgqqEAny8EV8vZbzRuss1Dfc1wpCenyiprQ_iTqd2Ubeiu78p8iG6nJ8N3nRbCcfpldbjp_OQB3bNWdqAV6/s1600/IMG_20140914_114632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxryxEKysDy0IwqdHCNvQ7SSP9fLz9BMT9s-TSP4MukcCgo4nAsJhI2i9vNVgqqEAny8EV8vZbzRuss1Dfc1wpCenyiprQ_iTqd2Ubeiu78p8iG6nJ8N3nRbCcfpldbjp_OQB3bNWdqAV6/s1600/IMG_20140914_114632.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 4:</b> Gather appropriate gear to for tiling. This includes knee padding or a low seat to keep you comfortable while working. I quickly realized that I needed knee pads or a short stool to do this! It was hard on my circulation to be squishing my knees like this. <br />Knee pads were okay, but not much better. <br /><br /><b>Step 5:</b> I started laying pennies in the back left corner of the bathroom and put down a <br /> thin layer of <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-Glass-Tile-7-lb-White-Premium-Thin-Set-Mortar-GTMW7-4/204847121?N=5yc1vZc38s" target="_blank">Glass/Metal tile mortar</a> inside each wave I had drawn, <br />working only in that area before the mortar could dry. I applied mortar with a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/QEP-1-4-in-x-3-16-in-V-Notch-Economy-Trowel-10116/203296702" target="_blank">trowel</a>, removed excess and then combed it with the teeth. If you have ever made anything out of clay, this step is just like cross hatching to join two pieces of clay - like a handle to a cup. <br /><br />Just like painting a floor, start at the farthest point away from the door <br />and</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> work your way across the room to the door</span> or you will back yourself into a corner. </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before laying them, I had labeled the waves with a "D" or "L" for dark
and light.<br />You will see that I flipped the pattern halfway across the floor.<br /> I intentionally
did this, to break up the movement and give the eye a break. I really like it. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ys_Sz-pXZpPrEn-ZxBATc6tLuLRimU0QQEwo2fMdpkg3DLbH477loNJOGY0PjQiD-U4MZ3xl_xwnmND8rhH8d-ZkKcP8_e4vZcvzvGYgeMFoHDqiVR88_g3WhpZnyn6PNNHv3PUI0Blz/s1600/IMG_20140914_122206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ys_Sz-pXZpPrEn-ZxBATc6tLuLRimU0QQEwo2fMdpkg3DLbH477loNJOGY0PjQiD-U4MZ3xl_xwnmND8rhH8d-ZkKcP8_e4vZcvzvGYgeMFoHDqiVR88_g3WhpZnyn6PNNHv3PUI0Blz/s1600/IMG_20140914_122206.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I alternate between being a perfectionist and trying to figure out how to use what I have and make it really great, so this project challenged me to do both of those. The pennies were never consistently light or dark but varying shades. It was clear that I would end up with a bunch of "medium" colored pennies if I filled in the first area with my best "light" or "dark" for each category. I eventually found a solution that made my happy, and used the medium shade pennies to fill in the centers of the waves, while defining my borders with the my best light and dark pennies. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">First row complete! Well, half row. Starting on the first full row. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 6:</b> Work in sections. This goes for time and for materials. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />Mortar is only good for couple of hours and then it hardens. </span>If you can do<br /> your whole bathroom in one day or with one box of mortar, go for it,<br /> but otherwise, <i>break it up into manageable pieces</i>. <br />I used 3 boxes of mortar over 3 different days. I wasted no mortar and <br />was able to stop each day knowing I didn't have to throw any mortar out. <br /><br />Area where my tub will go completed! One day down, one box of mortar down. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Second day, second box of mortar gone. I should point out that this is probably a week later. <br />It was rare that I had back to back days to work on things. <br />At this point,I am also feeling like I might not have enough pennies. Also at this point, a small person decides to help my\e when I step away to make dinner and applied her own layer of mortar to the floor! My fault for leaving my mixed mortar out, but I came back to a choppy, messy, dried layer of mortar. After freaking out, I researched ways to get the mortar off. <br />Guess what? Vinegar will take mortar off! <br /> I applied a little bit of apple cider vinegar to the extra mortar and was able to chip it off easily with a putty knife. It also taught me that I should NOT being mopping my tiled floors with any kind of vinegar (which I did with both bathrooms when they were vinyl),<br /> since vinegar DOES break down the mortar and probably the grout. <br /><br />Now, you see in the bottom left corner the furniture looking thing? <br />That is a little round ottoman. I found sitting low was easier on my body than kneeling. <br />I recommend you find an equally comfy stool to sit on to do your tiling. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Floor tiled!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Looks like a mosaic, right? Very Byzantinian. LOVE it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Now comes my stress about grouting. I am not sure my pennies will<br /> stay down when I drag grout over them! I am also not sure they are thick enough<br /> to allow an adequate layer of grout to cover my mortar! <br />With much trepidation, I begin...</span> <br />
(Scroll down to a couple pictures to see my suggestion for future penny laying)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTgyuVJaAbxtMjfhwM7W06fgReCF7XKp-Il99lEqiLZw-3d0gsyoIUzwm4KdEBOvLlX3DQe6k1As1k7RYkUhtvsverEpMenYutKYDxQqtbFQfFNRvNPhgvOSbeR4Z_6JvmpwdWLXt4jL3/s1600/2014-10-05+12.42.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTgyuVJaAbxtMjfhwM7W06fgReCF7XKp-Il99lEqiLZw-3d0gsyoIUzwm4KdEBOvLlX3DQe6k1As1k7RYkUhtvsverEpMenYutKYDxQqtbFQfFNRvNPhgvOSbeR4Z_6JvmpwdWLXt4jL3/s1600/2014-10-05+12.42.57.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 7:</b> Apply grout<br /><br />So far, so good. No pennies coming up, but I remember that I was still applying<br />the mortar rather thickly at the beginning. I applied my grout with a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-4-in-x-9-in-Economy-Rubber-Grout-Float-10062X/203713847" target="_blank">grout float</a>, <br />my grout is a shade lighter than my pennies (the color is either Sandstone or Summer Wheat) wiping it off the excess with a wet rag, then<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/QEP-7-1-2-in-x-5-1-2-in-x-2-in-Extra-Large-Grouting-Cleaning-and-Washing-Sponge-70005Q-144/100173109" target="_blank"> finishing the clean up with a large sponge</a>.<br />I grouted the whole bathroom in one day, using 25# of grout. This was manageable and I only mixed up one bag. I did have a small amount left at the end of the day, but not much and it was hard to work because it had been a couple of hours from start to finish,<br /> so I scraped it into the trash and washed up my tools. <br />I changed out my rinse bucket between every row. The less dry grout residue that you have to wash off before sealing, the better. With pennies, grout will stick in the design (Lincoln Memorial), so you have to be thorough but careful not to remove ALL your grout. It is a very thin layer between the pennies because it is a thin tiling material, <br />so the wet grout can be easily removed if you are not careful. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4gieBRl8xDTXDD8YmbS9Ic0PKtGYDV6sDdHqHTtmM7_EqSuoc22M-88bADK3_KFrKvJ0u3DJjl4O8l6EGTzDgjE3Ys2kgWUVsOjsSX-FkpaBC9tCi1GikeIA4xtkZfulmApm7PvGESv6/s1600/2014-10-05+14.03.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4gieBRl8xDTXDD8YmbS9Ic0PKtGYDV6sDdHqHTtmM7_EqSuoc22M-88bADK3_KFrKvJ0u3DJjl4O8l6EGTzDgjE3Ys2kgWUVsOjsSX-FkpaBC9tCi1GikeIA4xtkZfulmApm7PvGESv6/s1600/2014-10-05+14.03.50.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now this is where things got... sticky. Pennies started coming up when I got to the last area. <br />This was a part of my floor that would not even out when I poured the leveling compound. <br />It is the reason I poured 3 layers, because it is the last area to get compound and never quite enough! Incidentally, it is also the thickest part of the floor and *slightly* higher than the rest. <br />To compensate, I laid my mortar a bit thinner here. The problem with that is that when I grouted, <br />I had pennies coming up!! <b>This is where I realized that THIS is why I saw people in other online penny tutorials <i>gluing</i> their pennies down, one at a time!</b><br /> Because glass and metal mortar may not be enough to hold these little copper tiles!<br /> I'm not disappointed with my floor, but I do have some areas that there are no pennies, just grout! </span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIoNkWcvlFYKxNyt_uSKXDAZ1VreQSQ4YnIp1k7G4q1KMBxrMsdDK8DdVZUsrwA4_lb10tobL6mTJkgyUMyLbXIWw-pn92M36tI2FGY4JxsXYDOt9F59kf40iOMblEqvBFEQzJLQ7y6NL/s1600/2014-10-05+14.03.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIoNkWcvlFYKxNyt_uSKXDAZ1VreQSQ4YnIp1k7G4q1KMBxrMsdDK8DdVZUsrwA4_lb10tobL6mTJkgyUMyLbXIWw-pn92M36tI2FGY4JxsXYDOt9F59kf40iOMblEqvBFEQzJLQ7y6NL/s1600/2014-10-05+14.03.59.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5P_4-9A8379p3Tl7CO_me0fRBhGfPDN2nsy_wfij6i3bmLwr9NKAT_SHtBpvnoNvqXv9Y6GZ5c51OECbph2MxMMFg6xNC-2DK26xCEL9I34XDLEAiwACGqmrtHWp21FALkbDcYrxf5YZ/s1600/2014-10-05+14.29.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5P_4-9A8379p3Tl7CO_me0fRBhGfPDN2nsy_wfij6i3bmLwr9NKAT_SHtBpvnoNvqXv9Y6GZ5c51OECbph2MxMMFg6xNC-2DK26xCEL9I34XDLEAiwACGqmrtHWp21FALkbDcYrxf5YZ/s1600/2014-10-05+14.29.35.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">If I did this again, I would <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-Glue-4-fl-oz-All-Purpose-Adhesive-50004A/100141832" target="_blank"><b>glue</b></a> the pennies down. <br />I would pour MORE compound to start with, maybe raise my starting subfloor level <br />with durarock like we did in the upstairs bathroom, <br />and glue these suckers down. If you are already sorting the pennies and laying them <br />one at a time (and checking for wheat pennies at the same time), <br />then why not glue the pennies down?! </span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIlAxPD9mj7DCgn_K46zyIjrTS1CWSnUbhbBSM6e9JmDEomQn2PVDvrOcVwc-WDxyBONJMdQw7Q3VwG7gZ5uyPE6M5KylRX3d5UZz79ksgATNjXf0GRuXpASqGLUaAiJfI0zeMqqG50qs/s1600/2014-10-05+14.30.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIlAxPD9mj7DCgn_K46zyIjrTS1CWSnUbhbBSM6e9JmDEomQn2PVDvrOcVwc-WDxyBONJMdQw7Q3VwG7gZ5uyPE6M5KylRX3d5UZz79ksgATNjXf0GRuXpASqGLUaAiJfI0zeMqqG50qs/s1600/2014-10-05+14.30.56.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Jm7-JDj0m6f4OmFHmBFQjWOdO1esOWVepnbr_wlnux0iR0wwhjAW_u5K9b3cbK2OU3soa25ZqsS4t6evJgPfADaHFF1VcTHAyY0XplpjT4xiZlv-w8Q8xdKPnZ_1j6kypyn1_-DW6uw9/s1600/2014-10-05+14.37.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Jm7-JDj0m6f4OmFHmBFQjWOdO1esOWVepnbr_wlnux0iR0wwhjAW_u5K9b3cbK2OU3soa25ZqsS4t6evJgPfADaHFF1VcTHAyY0XplpjT4xiZlv-w8Q8xdKPnZ_1j6kypyn1_-DW6uw9/s1600/2014-10-05+14.37.30.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 8</b>: Let the grouted floor cure for 24 hours. <br />Wash it one more time with your big yellow sponge to get the grout dust off. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqS4rImESecgQ8kpdydb052zB91IOvElB1yN-G2GtsEmRqrNwVAopTdhsaAjxHAE3Btb2mSDzyV4pyiY7lukm6zcFYIJBQe20oGMTGHNfgi9oywhtWo_Pj6-88PQrHFpw6Fmo5etgkvDbC/s1600/2014-11-16+11.44.14(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqS4rImESecgQ8kpdydb052zB91IOvElB1yN-G2GtsEmRqrNwVAopTdhsaAjxHAE3Btb2mSDzyV4pyiY7lukm6zcFYIJBQe20oGMTGHNfgi9oywhtWo_Pj6-88PQrHFpw6Fmo5etgkvDbC/s1600/2014-11-16+11.44.14(1).jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Step 9</b>: Seal the grout.<br /><br /> I used a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-TileLab-15-oz-Aerosol-Grout-Sealer-TLAGS15Z/202243455" target="_blank">spray on grout seale</a>r, but you could use a mop on one. Be sure to get a sealant<br /> that is for metal tiles. Apply the sealant, wipe off the excess. This should be done just<br />like laying the tiles or grouting, in manageable areas. You will need to wipe the sealant <br />off by hand with terry towels or similar.<br /> Sealant usually requires 2 or 3 coats to make the grout waterproof. <br />Excess sealant on your penny tiles will make them slick, so please wipe them well! <br />If, like me, you will be adding paneling and base trim around your new penny floor,<br />be sure to apply the sealant BEFORE you put up the paneling or trim.<br /> Sealant that gets on paneling or trim will prevent your paint and any caulking from adhering. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>Summary of steps:</b><br />Step 1. Repair and prep subfloor for tiling. This
includes pouring self leveling compound if the floor is not level. Durarock can be used over your subfloor to raise the
level of the floor and provide an adequate surface for compound and tiles to be
applied to. <br />Step 2: Prime dried self leveling compound with a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-LevelQuik-1-qt-Latex-Primer-CPQT/100115970" target="_blank">tile primer</a>. <br />Step 3: Draw out your design. Separate your pennies by shade if necessary. <br />Step
4: Gather your supplies - <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-Glue-4-fl-oz-All-Purpose-Adhesive-50004A/100141832" target="_blank">Glue</a> (or <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-Glass-Tile-7-lb-White-Premium-Thin-Set-Mortar-GTMW7-4/204847121?N=5yc1vZc38s" target="_blank">mortar</a>, drill and <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Wal-Board-Tools-Power-Joint-Compound-Mixer-81-001/100377308" target="_blank">mixing attachement</a>, bucket, <br /><a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/QEP-1-4-in-x-3-16-in-V-Notch-Economy-Trowel-10116/203296702" target="_blank">3 in one trowel</a> and <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-4-in-x-9-in-Economy-Rubber-Grout-Float-10062X/203713847" target="_blank">float</a>, vinegar for mistakes),
<b>pennies</b>, and a comfy low seat. <br />Don't forget to ventilate the area if using
glue!<br />Step 5: Plan to start at the furthest point from the door and work your way back out of the room<br />Step
6: Work in sections. One box of mortar is about 2 hours of tiling and
then it is too dried out to continue. Break the work up into manageable
amounts of time so you don't waste materials. <br />Step 7: After you have
finished tiling, apply grout. Choose a color one shade darker or
lighter, NOT the same color. This will make your penny design "pop".
Grouting a smaller room can usually be done in under 2 hours. Apply grout evenly,
remove excess, wipe with sponge carefully. <br />Step 8: After the grout has dried, wash the floor one more time with <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/QEP-7-1-2-in-x-5-1-2-in-x-2-in-Extra-Large-Grouting-Cleaning-and-Washing-Sponge-70005Q-144/100173109" target="_blank">the sponge</a>. <br />Step 9: <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-TileLab-15-oz-Aerosol-Grout-Sealer-TLAGS15Z/202243455" target="_blank">Seal the grout 2 or 3 times</a>, until water beads on the grout and it does not change color. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: small;">COMMON SENSE WARNING:<br />PLEASE VENTILATE YOUR WORK AREA WHEN USING CHEMICALS!!<br /> Grout sealant, glues or adhesives, primer, paint, etc. </span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Part 3 of Our Bathroom Remodel coming soon...Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-70330947802895651222015-01-01T15:17:00.002-08:002015-01-01T17:57:43.099-08:00Bathroom Remodel, Part 1Six months ago, June 16th, 2014, we started remodeling our bathroom. I wish I could say that it is almost done, but it is not. It is INCREDIBLY close! The sink is in and operational, the toilet is in and operational, but the tub, which is IN the bathroom, is not anchored or plumbed in so therefore nonoperational. It IS out of my kitchen, however, which deserves a whoop all of its own.<br />
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As a reminder, this is <a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-spy.html" target="_blank">what our bathroom looked like</a> when we bought the house. It had not changed until now!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZV2oi2kEfPSIYyxg571HyFa8OeayVbg-_VSLqEwVNepLQaoSP_Zi85-qrlP4N0_BjpBpez0B_yx8wBm9li3M8VeLDYfAomOy8YjfdrilWW6MNk_uR6pFK59WEolPR0N8XGUopba1CW5U/s1600/2014-06-16+15.12.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZV2oi2kEfPSIYyxg571HyFa8OeayVbg-_VSLqEwVNepLQaoSP_Zi85-qrlP4N0_BjpBpez0B_yx8wBm9li3M8VeLDYfAomOy8YjfdrilWW6MNk_uR6pFK59WEolPR0N8XGUopba1CW5U/s1600/2014-06-16+15.12.48.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture 1: Tub in my kitchen, used as storage. This has been here for.. 2 years? </td></tr>
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Here is a quick overview of our bathroom remodel. If you are looking for the "Penny Floor Instructional", please click here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXWnd9VE4thR6U4WAJvSJC2g0D9AZjeHa_aXAm-gvofGuPJrQhAjNpN2Rre-sMtCXon4jVycP04izIu1vLvbNLH7O4GF5gWKAniNvntSWieugwJQFMrclmwsUjdzA9plQTVkNUMzEYfa5/s1600/2014-06-16+10.32.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXWnd9VE4thR6U4WAJvSJC2g0D9AZjeHa_aXAm-gvofGuPJrQhAjNpN2Rre-sMtCXon4jVycP04izIu1vLvbNLH7O4GF5gWKAniNvntSWieugwJQFMrclmwsUjdzA9plQTVkNUMzEYfa5/s1600/2014-06-16+10.32.02.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mr. Ireland taking out the vinyl tub surround. <br />This is his favorite part of the project:<br />tearing it down!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMcvAB1rkHj-BQ6i8PJRabK0gPsG84yQqRQw0HwZ-Y5hqrSZZFUcAv5qqQrJbeCTHyXNTBAwbuI9n2oarNgSz_DPuaxpEOjX9MGl89ckWo0XFgtgc7tXOA6UUA1SxXHumTlKQt07zG9c4/s1600/2014-06-16+10.16.52.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMcvAB1rkHj-BQ6i8PJRabK0gPsG84yQqRQw0HwZ-Y5hqrSZZFUcAv5qqQrJbeCTHyXNTBAwbuI9n2oarNgSz_DPuaxpEOjX9MGl89ckWo0XFgtgc7tXOA6UUA1SxXHumTlKQt07zG9c4/s1600/2014-06-16+10.16.52.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Burning question: What is behind the wall?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytd0TB0bDo7ouaRg40M-SLzuRHBDCcv1YMQXCFDrfkO5sJvRqODGjJPosM7GgccUgHR8aEKYBXUv3rbinYecNsQmX7hbN9TFt6tU8XhJRc_GydpZZ65SELmrPT8NcLmpx2sWWoavECqIJ/s1600/2014-06-16+10.20.48.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytd0TB0bDo7ouaRg40M-SLzuRHBDCcv1YMQXCFDrfkO5sJvRqODGjJPosM7GgccUgHR8aEKYBXUv3rbinYecNsQmX7hbN9TFt6tU8XhJRc_GydpZZ65SELmrPT8NcLmpx2sWWoavECqIJ/s1600/2014-06-16+10.20.48.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Surprise! Nothing but some wires! Yes, that wall was there just <br />to fill in the space for the short tub. And to hide some wiring that ran from <br />the basement to the upstairs. *Sigh* Mr. Ireland cut a notch for those, <br />we knocked out the extra frame work and made the new wall <br />flush with the other walls. </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13vuKzQpUC2d-LntnprT_fwckaS6gVadMSwAROLR3btj3WhLXph8Ph4VibTQlt-ui7vlHEAvrnPH6XjMl8WJD9JM4_t6op390KHFJ6ivPevLk2D7RQ51jtx74fMkIXcPZCUghNJfqhVFS/s1600/2014-06-16+10.03.45.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13vuKzQpUC2d-LntnprT_fwckaS6gVadMSwAROLR3btj3WhLXph8Ph4VibTQlt-ui7vlHEAvrnPH6XjMl8WJD9JM4_t6op390KHFJ6ivPevLk2D7RQ51jtx74fMkIXcPZCUghNJfqhVFS/s1600/2014-06-16+10.03.45.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Taking it down to the studs. Well, half of it anyway.<br />You see my ceiling? Yeah, I've been living with that <br />FOR A YEAR! We took it down to move the upstairs<br />bathroom drain. Nothing like spiders in your shower</span>.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YEFEt-txuymDrekUarkBoz2hcjrI-Gn6Ej9ns7G5fd_010hUZLlud34ULmjjl-9qqHLZHfC3DYE-k8Lu1PLkmJJLgd4XoOdpUwYbaQhfvAVmEUlubBeS3jh0zBDSW7XMFuC9MP8qDNci/s1600/2014-06-16+17.47.26.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YEFEt-txuymDrekUarkBoz2hcjrI-Gn6Ej9ns7G5fd_010hUZLlud34ULmjjl-9qqHLZHfC3DYE-k8Lu1PLkmJJLgd4XoOdpUwYbaQhfvAVmEUlubBeS3jh0zBDSW7XMFuC9MP8qDNci/s1600/2014-06-16+17.47.26.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gutted! Mold free insulation! <br />Now we take out the sink and toilet and <br />get ready to peel off vinyl flooring.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgLjO41AMIqjoNg9eLcMF5Nn5wAujATp6TSNwYIg6RSD_o66htX-IvgEBuRoCQp_80gxkBPGGKaAC97nOd1_1Dzhy9QVygf1SE_qr3LxLh7Lj8Erya9VXxQmYaNxZRiTGfq3FS1VgX7AH/s1600/2014-06-16+17.47.46.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgLjO41AMIqjoNg9eLcMF5Nn5wAujATp6TSNwYIg6RSD_o66htX-IvgEBuRoCQp_80gxkBPGGKaAC97nOd1_1Dzhy9QVygf1SE_qr3LxLh7Lj8Erya9VXxQmYaNxZRiTGfq3FS1VgX7AH/s1600/2014-06-16+17.47.46.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do you do when you find that your bathroom mirror is <br />NOT held on by clips, but GLUED to the wall? Cut it out, of course!<br /> I'm a sheetrock master. Really. Wait for it.....</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAPlHO0zvcjRGZ2OSbiMInq8rI3_3CKMccYhEhzNa8gAvj4VhodtII9_crY5Kdefpet-7TmWJ2uMbLZAOwB7obfHBVFAyNSBznQB-gXEdqxzwhqqKfRixzenrP7FwZV-RBjR-iWfe8PYv/s1600/2014-06-18+12.13.19.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAPlHO0zvcjRGZ2OSbiMInq8rI3_3CKMccYhEhzNa8gAvj4VhodtII9_crY5Kdefpet-7TmWJ2uMbLZAOwB7obfHBVFAyNSBznQB-gXEdqxzwhqqKfRixzenrP7FwZV-RBjR-iWfe8PYv/s1600/2014-06-18+12.13.19.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mr. Ireland, starting the vapor barrier for the insulation.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqG88Y2zq76RNo-n_NjP9upZsxYDaAD0vWtTyqBkhOAy97n_oQAAOyr0r4vA2MqRGIFfqowEWQnYzKB4lAAoakla3tm_QgffiBjFK5omn7B2MPq1pHv4uos1Wgdn5HBh4lJQvI5y8glMY/s1600/2014-06-19+18.15.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqG88Y2zq76RNo-n_NjP9upZsxYDaAD0vWtTyqBkhOAy97n_oQAAOyr0r4vA2MqRGIFfqowEWQnYzKB4lAAoakla3tm_QgffiBjFK5omn7B2MPq1pHv4uos1Wgdn5HBh4lJQvI5y8glMY/s1600/2014-06-19+18.15.36.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">New green board and subfloor where the tub was.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuF_ZtH8nPlTK8vgZ1rQTnrG1Wfc4mkxklI9SCXL1cJi5NwGoERA04deRfjGRWwOwYgK7gpHY61qZy6C5CzrREyj0QTvX7Xedv10nZk73tT8JhaW7knrwJVLY5eySAsAjDrRVPKQEn6q2/s1600/2014-06-20+12.04.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwuF_ZtH8nPlTK8vgZ1rQTnrG1Wfc4mkxklI9SCXL1cJi5NwGoERA04deRfjGRWwOwYgK7gpHY61qZy6C5CzrREyj0QTvX7Xedv10nZk73tT8JhaW7knrwJVLY5eySAsAjDrRVPKQEn6q2/s1600/2014-06-20+12.04.05.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now I get to do my thing - tape, mud and texture. <br />I actually enjoy this. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO7q4-kgJ_fNC4nSNU7ol3511PIw2hA8uWrf8NatWfQwm9zG9Pzx3cNu9jH24szaq84JJlUOpHiyKX-Fo5j0xBO8m-8WVzA00J6ASDMzdK7gh_Clt6pHOOVLNU4_yBeteS4DJUWJv_2xT/s1600/2014-06-20+12.04.58.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO7q4-kgJ_fNC4nSNU7ol3511PIw2hA8uWrf8NatWfQwm9zG9Pzx3cNu9jH24szaq84JJlUOpHiyKX-Fo5j0xBO8m-8WVzA00J6ASDMzdK7gh_Clt6pHOOVLNU4_yBeteS4DJUWJv_2xT/s1600/2014-06-20+12.04.58.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z_uRIwY3ekRNChClkYBL5MYenSSBS_sUp9Wrs1vXPxJ0-vxTLunWmhdkwotyKzcCAXEfbEnkqiAGq3O_nYqvzDZR2Uo_RkCdXCLelnVomJ4FiBn68vTZsL0F20l0CPhrVeKrQEkpSCOL/s1600/2014-06-20+12.04.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z_uRIwY3ekRNChClkYBL5MYenSSBS_sUp9Wrs1vXPxJ0-vxTLunWmhdkwotyKzcCAXEfbEnkqiAGq3O_nYqvzDZR2Uo_RkCdXCLelnVomJ4FiBn68vTZsL0F20l0CPhrVeKrQEkpSCOL/s1600/2014-06-20+12.04.22.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">There it is! Patched the wall. 'Round here, <br />I'm the drywall/carpenter/painter lady</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzpZmhfn8AfggB2lOn38iajojUUjPi040AyMsDy4Q9R6EAHWdfsQsrRCuDp-UfkSvFDVmeVP_gIBJPXnFpRoJUMHL0FpQKBlXZWoIJ5EUXPx-mZydu-OpBZ2utLbjptq71s2wXILQwyUi/s1600/2014-06-20+12.04.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzpZmhfn8AfggB2lOn38iajojUUjPi040AyMsDy4Q9R6EAHWdfsQsrRCuDp-UfkSvFDVmeVP_gIBJPXnFpRoJUMHL0FpQKBlXZWoIJ5EUXPx-mZydu-OpBZ2utLbjptq71s2wXILQwyUi/s1600/2014-06-20+12.04.43.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ready to texture. I chose to texture over the original walls too.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4gvcM2ty12zUyoBd0NycTcJ70PH-KAzEo42WbXcoem1hf5iAA742akngPW4TBMJqCtxDnYb-zwZ6m982M85O33lh0kP0_nMZJztMdZlUmD6bpC-UQ2q98Q98j8wZrue3XM4qrNMsZZDG/s1600/IMG_20140630_114536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4gvcM2ty12zUyoBd0NycTcJ70PH-KAzEo42WbXcoem1hf5iAA742akngPW4TBMJqCtxDnYb-zwZ6m982M85O33lh0kP0_nMZJztMdZlUmD6bpC-UQ2q98Q98j8wZrue3XM4qrNMsZZDG/s1600/IMG_20140630_114536.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well obviously I got around to texturing. <br />This seemed like it took forever, but the <br />picture time stamp says it was still June...<br />The 30th, but that's still June!!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3NXvI8xmENAVomfYnYOxXGQwaPLid246gfsbC-6CYaMMRd4KNQmw0gJ_LwAaQdf1o-K-XlypSrUCdIX3UWg1uqHWrzw_rFXgSOCbDgw-fq2DLCkLNWZ1kZrEdK3fqDHtVmyYcDsxDkxk/s1600/IMG_20140630_114544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3NXvI8xmENAVomfYnYOxXGQwaPLid246gfsbC-6CYaMMRd4KNQmw0gJ_LwAaQdf1o-K-XlypSrUCdIX3UWg1uqHWrzw_rFXgSOCbDgw-fq2DLCkLNWZ1kZrEdK3fqDHtVmyYcDsxDkxk/s1600/IMG_20140630_114544.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Paint swatches and Mr. Ireland installing a fan.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4VaskBezCautMOieOw86jdFXIl-urua98a9u5WEwhQO9rBExCJF_tyEWnuSCQiihtAaU9G5bZO4Khn3NuY588V63zH1yvsPLY8aBjgSgGtw_Nn4Q4QCZ79xmGYs5YpjyhxOMJHGfVJmM/s1600/IMG_20140630_132928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4VaskBezCautMOieOw86jdFXIl-urua98a9u5WEwhQO9rBExCJF_tyEWnuSCQiihtAaU9G5bZO4Khn3NuY588V63zH1yvsPLY8aBjgSgGtw_Nn4Q4QCZ79xmGYs5YpjyhxOMJHGfVJmM/s1600/IMG_20140630_132928.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Painting. I've had this paint since we bought<br />the house, so I've been waiting a long time to <br />see it on the wall! Low VOC natural stuff that <br />Home Depot used to carry.<br />The swatches were to see if I needed to lighten <br />it and how I was going to finish it with the gold.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVc851c-2F0g8Yl8lxvJLIifgoD6VxWFE0VpsbWZR5O1bCjdPbmDIHkONO2MX_MRct5tq3F_nhHqgHNCnVf1HqAeiuCNLHTrYT5Htg7g6qid7tZGq4tXma1r65p4nDCqJQteo1awYDG5Q/s1600/IMG_20140630_133002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVc851c-2F0g8Yl8lxvJLIifgoD6VxWFE0VpsbWZR5O1bCjdPbmDIHkONO2MX_MRct5tq3F_nhHqgHNCnVf1HqAeiuCNLHTrYT5Htg7g6qid7tZGq4tXma1r65p4nDCqJQteo1awYDG5Q/s1600/IMG_20140630_133002.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVIhUYqvvg6oFy5K26n6C-RPpD4hUtUVKEXbFwfXVgvHuUlTh2wy4CuPzLbzzVW_TwMoeNdyqHt_CyTzWKYwg3G3SoK83xQZzt5bDPbXWvn1xdIYB2P0hRtqqmIPomyA_OcwVwyH9Zj7E/s1600/IMG_20140630_213145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVIhUYqvvg6oFy5K26n6C-RPpD4hUtUVKEXbFwfXVgvHuUlTh2wy4CuPzLbzzVW_TwMoeNdyqHt_CyTzWKYwg3G3SoK83xQZzt5bDPbXWvn1xdIYB2P0hRtqqmIPomyA_OcwVwyH9Zj7E/s1600/IMG_20140630_213145.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ah, here we are! The gold shimmer! <br />Two coats, Ralph Lauren something or other-<br />Candlelight? Its good. Love it. <br />And they no longer make it. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1accoUa-kWiSyhRkVNlDaC79Oml08-wN4WKZkZAuq_ViNEMIaJRmgiS1xp-NbilODWVQGOsktryc8JXkXovLP5mwAfKt_De80Z4DTY0P_ZJTY3LJsOnabQRLugdbHftxzdzhaOzn5EET8/s1600/IMG_20140630_221423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1accoUa-kWiSyhRkVNlDaC79Oml08-wN4WKZkZAuq_ViNEMIaJRmgiS1xp-NbilODWVQGOsktryc8JXkXovLP5mwAfKt_De80Z4DTY0P_ZJTY3LJsOnabQRLugdbHftxzdzhaOzn5EET8/s1600/IMG_20140630_221423.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's not for everyone and every house, but I LOVE the look of<br />hand textured walls. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3N5jtbk5ZZhqHCCRhKtFLu3sYxmzTt4Ltep-0d-m6t62Bf0gUxVqPoDpryDcq9kKyJCOk451-_doy0Pr5T1tlJ-0FmPO1W6TKimm4TmoX2Y3iTf1AY-2GBt1mvj1yY4Y8uMkZgEH2AxPz/s1600/IMG_20140707_160750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3N5jtbk5ZZhqHCCRhKtFLu3sYxmzTt4Ltep-0d-m6t62Bf0gUxVqPoDpryDcq9kKyJCOk451-_doy0Pr5T1tlJ-0FmPO1W6TKimm4TmoX2Y3iTf1AY-2GBt1mvj1yY4Y8uMkZgEH2AxPz/s1600/IMG_20140707_160750.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now to address the floor...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuOjIu0MjNC5jbMw9zaPeoKIbIPteNC-H7XZ-huj72SgooZE-WdRa8UU5qJZxsL8qXmHEeyjUCg5jruYKcIs2lpKQuKwpmJt1CTg5g3lspTqpfqMqC6nIXHy5gfwslXwb86zMWd2XEyDh/s1600/IMG_20140707_160755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuOjIu0MjNC5jbMw9zaPeoKIbIPteNC-H7XZ-huj72SgooZE-WdRa8UU5qJZxsL8qXmHEeyjUCg5jruYKcIs2lpKQuKwpmJt1CTg5g3lspTqpfqMqC6nIXHy5gfwslXwb86zMWd2XEyDh/s1600/IMG_20140707_160755.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Peeling off the vinyl wasn't that bad because there <br />were 3 layers!</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpW7hr_Dz2Br7YVwVJ3371LRuO9lE2sHDmgEVTbIwe1V6JTdcYDHeF7GyNSATIajVpGlqd3b07i7E1HotXDOH2zch5N2QyzBMD0uB5f0u61NrUBExyiei3iNnw-x6e6_41vfQh4Con_AM/s1600/IMG_20140707_160810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpW7hr_Dz2Br7YVwVJ3371LRuO9lE2sHDmgEVTbIwe1V6JTdcYDHeF7GyNSATIajVpGlqd3b07i7E1HotXDOH2zch5N2QyzBMD0uB5f0u61NrUBExyiei3iNnw-x6e6_41vfQh4Con_AM/s1600/IMG_20140707_160810.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The bottom layer was so brittle that it was<br />breaking off in big pieces. We cleaned it up <br />with water and a mutt.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77TJn6UDoVyhkUUpLNxlQBNZO766jrPdQ70fQK9reFoflST1PUBKIbhQPXZhgu9Qrpx4N0gX3zEgH4gP7d9M6v1VvE7O8Vv6XgjG6t-jQcnC1PQO9JPZOwBlp5Rg7fZXdBzeTMwwcYtXk/s1600/IMG_20140708_091007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77TJn6UDoVyhkUUpLNxlQBNZO766jrPdQ70fQK9reFoflST1PUBKIbhQPXZhgu9Qrpx4N0gX3zEgH4gP7d9M6v1VvE7O8Vv6XgjG6t-jQcnC1PQO9JPZOwBlp5Rg7fZXdBzeTMwwcYtXk/s1600/IMG_20140708_091007.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">That's as good as it gets. Now ready for <br />self leveling compound</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
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That's where I'm going to stop. My next post will be all about the floor. What to do, what not to do when you want a penny floor.<br />
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Looking back through these pictures has really shown me that we did some good work. This first set of pictures represent 6 days of work. We really did well through the whole project, if you take out all the weeks between work days... ha ha. I am incredibly hard on myself and my spouse and I had a lot of anxiety about getting this done, <i>determined</i> to finish the WHOLE THING in June! Completely unreasonable expectation for a family of 7 that homeschools heavily in summer and has many other projects and lessons going. Ridiculous, even. <br />
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Now on to the next post!Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-8835649970547747782014-11-27T09:56:00.000-08:002014-11-27T10:03:51.949-08:00Thanksgiving: How to save the dayI like to make everything from scratch. Everything. That means that on Thanksgiving day, at my home, you might get stuffing crafted from bread I made, cranberry sauce from wild cranberries I harvest from the wilds of Alaska, and pumpkin pie that was made from a pumpkin I cut, seeded and baked to make the puree.<br />
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Realistically, that doesn't always happen. Or some years I forget important things for doing my homemade (different-every-year) dish.<br />
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This year there were a lot of them!!<br />
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So here are some hints, drawn from years of mess ups -er- <i>improvisation</i>, of how to make things work when it seems like the important bits are missing and everything is just falling apart:<br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Cranberry sauce </span>- You forgot the oranges or orange juice for your homemade sauce. Substitute lemon juice and some orange essential oil, or dig out that jar of marmalade and add it to your simmering cranberries. Don't have cranberries? Raspberries or currants make an excellent sauce, but not a dressing. Go for apples if you need to mix it into dressing.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Pumpkin pie</span> - Didn't have time to bake that pumpkin? Canned is just fine!! Don't have that? How about butternut squash or sweet potatoes? Either will do in a pinch. No pie spice? Who needs it?! Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove...any or all of these will give your pie that warm, spicy taste. No evap milk? Cream or milk is okay too, just decrease the quantity if you use milk.<br />
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Now for the pie crust. Just about everyone has had a pie crust failure at some point. Here is the one thing that no one tells you - you can make a pie crust with soft butter! Yes, we have all been told that cold butter finely chopped into fine flour makes the best crust. And it does. But a perfectly suitable crust that is delicious and will hold up to your fillings can be made from softened butter. The trick? Lose the machine. Mix the flour and butter with your fingers, flaking it finely before adding your cold water. Try not to skip the refrigeration time, it makes the soft dough more manageable.<br />
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Stuffing</span> - no bread? Try a rice. You won't be able to stuff the bird with it, but it can be dressed up with similar seasonings for a tasty side dish.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Turkey</span> - Who said you HAVE to have turkey for dinner?! Try chicken, pot roast, meatloaf, salmon, what ever you have on hand will be gorgeous with a little extra preparation in presentation. A bed of fresh kale, lettuce or parsley or a ring of nuts and cranberries around the tray go a long way toward dressing up any dish.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;">Gravy </span></span>- My mother used cornstarch to make her gravies. If you never learned to make a <a href="http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/culinaryfundamentals/ss/roux.htm" target="_blank">roux</a>, cornstarch is an absolutely acceptable choice. Reserve some of your cold broth for mixing the cornstarch in at a ratio of 1 Tbsp to 1 cup of total broth and add that slurry to the rest of your hot broth, simmering and stirring until it thickens. Arrowroot and xanthan gum both work as thickening agents also, with an increase in the agent to liquid ratio (less thickener per cup of liquid). For xantham gum, start with a 1/4 teaspoon for your whole pot of broth, sprinkling it into the simmering broth slowly and mixing continuously. Using arrowroot powder is closer to 1tsp/cup of broth. The absolute last ditch effort for a gravy is to find a canned soup or boillabaise and mix up your own broth. Not going to happen? No worries, not every dish needs gravy.<br />
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<span style="color: lime;">Rolls </span>- Are you still mixing up dough the old fashioned way? Mix, knead, proof, knead, rise.. ugh. So much work. Try this!<a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/five-minutes-a-day-for-fresh-baked-bread-zmaz08djzgoe.aspx#axzz3KFv7tptJ" target="_blank"> Healthy bread in 5 minutes</a>. You can have dough ready to go in the oven in under 2 hours, so many variations, you can literally customize it for any occasion..<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">No sugar</span>? Try molasses, honey, maple syrup, or stevia<br />
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A relish tray- Also known as a pre meal snack. Almost anything will do to keep your guests out if the kitchen and patiently waiting for dinner to be done (just 30 more minutes!) Nuts, pickles, canned baby veggies, popcorn, old Halloween candy... seriously, most people don't need snacks. It will ruin their dinner.<br />
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The most important thing that I can give you is permission to do things differently. I know, we have been raised with these traditions of what a Thanksgiving meal is, but seriously, what good is all of that if you can't afford it or don't have the time? Make this your own, embrace it and make the best of what you have. No one is counting, and if they are, maybe they should be hosting dinner instead, eh?<br />
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Happy Thanksgiving from the Ireland family!<br />
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<br />Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-33686023145045787682014-09-14T08:58:00.000-07:002014-09-14T08:58:01.736-07:00Hand Pouring a Great Cup of Coffee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4r7TdiGtA-17OhYF-5NVFRLucMt6B3yhNR5FgTmZ-SisqtjHz0oXZt1PMledB8nwi0lXYZvr9l7UgZG1PQtScojBnIesCRTLEOS6SWIiPaInYryE3phIEFD8YvRupqt1DWi0AOWTelqH/s1600/coffee+1.jpg" height="241" width="320" /><br />
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Several months ago our electric coffee pot died. Not having the money to replace it and not being able to decide on a machine anyway, I dug around the kitchen and found a ceramic cone and a tea pot and set out to brew some coffee at home. This was purely out of survival. I did some quick research online to see what the ratio was supposed to be. It sounded easy enough, so I made my first pot of hand poured (or brewed) coffee. What I found was I had brewed the best cup of coffee <i>I</i> had ever had. I was elated! I could actually drink this stuff BLACK! No sugar, no cream, AND I could enjoy it! There was so much flavor, so many subtleties that I never knew outside of an espresso. It is now 6 months later and we are still hand brewing our coffee.<br />
Well, I am. My spouse can't seem to work a kettle.<br />
<br />Below I have outlined the steps I follow to brew my "hand poured" (said in a snooty voice) coffee: <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpd_AHqGkpQI8PKpeHfbJSdybGDITXBPqnMM6CoMXVq-6NvNfo_8bgt10yQyJBq8rFYRbGQTRhJ3ksovmmtQPcnNWPCUa8SMXV7CZMrSpfXtY9wKbEQORVos0n4XwHI_tXVcI9mEZlYhJv/s1600/coffee.jpg" height="400" width="335" /><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">You
will need: Coffee pot, coffee cone, coffee filter, kettle for boiling
water, COFFEE, glass measure (not pictured). A tea pot is fine, that is
what I used, but remember, it will stain, so try to find something that
is already dark. Not white.</span></td></tr>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gxRrdzp1du7dlPLCmh-dPpMntk-fIWzUO2TpMvFEDhykzMakJWJ0G0wU75C11d3cCdezB4auhk44w8y8wxMuui-S0TTLi-oqqeoT_k_TshwT9VNWbe8jGWA8e3C8-FSqKr30Mr6jZark/s1600/Gold+Coffee+filter.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We use a gold mesh cone filter. Its washable, reuseable, love it. Start by warming your pot. Fill it with the hottest tap water you can. This will keep the finish on your pot from cracking when you pour in hot water from the kettle. You will be dumping this tap water OUT before brewing your coffee.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xWmcaJcHcM8V0TYq34uSpeW20YoqG133xYhwxI-xbGZfXpy7I2p-Foyxm4WOyrQMPCakk6Ly7G5MWRSn4iRrhqYslNqoarEJZQnhvOqJIcTa3fDf0oPc7I8j7wok0WdqTm6FpZ6G-qrU/s1600/coffee+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xWmcaJcHcM8V0TYq34uSpeW20YoqG133xYhwxI-xbGZfXpy7I2p-Foyxm4WOyrQMPCakk6Ly7G5MWRSn4iRrhqYslNqoarEJZQnhvOqJIcTa3fDf0oPc7I8j7wok0WdqTm6FpZ6G-qrU/s1600/coffee+2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grind and measure 60g of coffee for every liter of coffee you plan to drink. That's 6 "coffee spoons", about 1 heaping tablespoon, of beans (pre-grind) for my 4 measuring cups of water. I used a scale to figure this out the first time by grinding a scoop and weighing it. Don't forget to zero your scale after placing a dish on it for weighing. Then add your beans. I know, you probably don't need that instruction, but someone might. </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZotchD0BM_yJ5BMgRJy4i7HsYvckfvnuYhhBXv_mMClasoVlWAw6VjnLHqkTNnGh5t8RdEN779NLcbIWHq3ynov5qsinyhWE6tZ27VuqjugUW0sLSfb8KmWxWz5Rc-GsikLWNlZG11IM/s1600/coffee+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZotchD0BM_yJ5BMgRJy4i7HsYvckfvnuYhhBXv_mMClasoVlWAw6VjnLHqkTNnGh5t8RdEN779NLcbIWHq3ynov5qsinyhWE6tZ27VuqjugUW0sLSfb8KmWxWz5Rc-GsikLWNlZG11IM/s1600/coffee+3.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Heat your water. Do NOT boil it. Bring it up to near boil. 160-180F is perfect. If you accidentally boil, no worries, proceed. Pour 1 cup of water over grounds. This is where the grounds "bloom". They soak up water and start to release oils and all those yummy coffee flavors. Did you roll your eyes? You did? This is the same thing that we do with tea - we steep it to get the dried greens to expand and release all their tasty, beneficial oils and flavors too. Skip this step and you will end up with coffee flavored water or worse - something that a machine could make! hee hee</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now you can add more water. Pour in 1 cup or less at a time, don't over fill. We don't want grounds in the coffee.Try to keep the water from draining out completely. Keep adding water as it drips away and keep the level up.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">See it go? Almost done. When it is all done, set the cone aside on a cup or something. Then STIR your coffee before pouring. Coffee brews in layers, so it needs to be mixed up to get a good pour for every cup.</span></td></tr>
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Now, if you are like me, this will take a bit of working out. Once you know how much coffee you need to brew enough to fill your pot, then you can get a routine going. I now fill my kettle with water (reverse osmosis, always use the best water you can), put it on to boil, fill my pot with hot water to warm it, dump the grounds from yesterday (gasp! I know, I'm lazy) and rinse the fatty cholesterol from the cone (yes, coffee has cholesterol), and grind my beans. All in the time it takes to heat the water. I should also note that I usually set my pot on a square oven mit while brewing and also use one to handle my kettle. I did not picture that here.</div>
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My biggest problem now is keeping the coffee hot while I drink it. I think I need a cozy for my coffee pot. I have tried putting it in the oven at 200F (ouch), putting on the gas cook top vent while I cook breakfast (which does work), but I usually resort to pouring it out into travel cups. My pot fills 2 travel cups and a mug, about 40 oz. The travel mugs keep the coffee hot for my spouse, who tends to roll out of bed hours after me and walk out the door 15 minutes later. </div>
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<br />There you have it. Simple, cheap and WAY more enjoyable than any drip cup of coffee that you have ever had. Go buy those Yirgacheffe beans now - they won't be a waste of money. You will taste the difference now. Folgers if for your drip machine, though I wonder what they would be like through the cone....Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-56857942649197176272014-06-16T00:04:00.001-07:002014-06-16T00:04:10.665-07:00We're back!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguChhNvysKEjQ3FbVoHPMYlmv0pBiKrTSOitYpIHkI0oNwhSjFWxHv4NyiS9A3qzatPboUERZRt1jFQL-l6EZKi6fpIDhSV_V2JOj-UAxYqHVHuaQbYDAbjzuLJM7dDzN3dOb2QZRX5eKk/s1600/Shelves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguChhNvysKEjQ3FbVoHPMYlmv0pBiKrTSOitYpIHkI0oNwhSjFWxHv4NyiS9A3qzatPboUERZRt1jFQL-l6EZKi6fpIDhSV_V2JOj-UAxYqHVHuaQbYDAbjzuLJM7dDzN3dOb2QZRX5eKk/s1600/Shelves.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Well, its summer again. Time for work, time for gardening, time for putting up food for next winter! I know, I know, I utterly failed at keeping the blog updated all winter. Life is busy, and honestly, we haven't done much since last fall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3HY0rXUJfFfyLIJgxyV1Ub7PMmE4k4ZrycXtGzWpQEywGXQcS5F4G-ebWo5Y26ikH5oTzhW0k-x1AqUTTSj2fANQZGHChOEnnUiiyARkAjKMrqqAgG6FaPD7jt4hO7YpQ212vMLd-6mT/s1600/Pallet+couch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3HY0rXUJfFfyLIJgxyV1Ub7PMmE4k4ZrycXtGzWpQEywGXQcS5F4G-ebWo5Y26ikH5oTzhW0k-x1AqUTTSj2fANQZGHChOEnnUiiyARkAjKMrqqAgG6FaPD7jt4hO7YpQ212vMLd-6mT/s1600/Pallet+couch.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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During August last year, I built shelves to go on top of the new wood
floors I installed. Over 18 feet of shelves along one side of the
homeschool room and another set of shelves for the tv area. We also
built a pallet couch for the tv area. Doors are on the list for...
someday. Beyond that, I tried my hand at brining my own corned beef this
year. It was SOOOooo good that I decided I needed to try to make beef
bacon too. Brine the slices of brisket, smoke them, voila - bacon! Its
so incredibly easy, I will never pay 12.99/# for beef bacon again! Maybe
I'll write up a tutorial for that soon. I found instructions for
brining brisket in Darina Allen's "Forgotten Skills of Cooking" cook
book.<br />
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One other thing I did this last winter: move the littlest boys out of their tiny bedroom and back in with the oldest 2 boys AND THEN move ALL of my sewing and art materials back into the tiny room. I tried to combine the art supplies with the homeschool stuff after completing the floors and shelves, but we were so crowded that it was December before we were able to work on school! I spent the winter break moving everything around and disassembling the triple bunkbed. I stacked it on the porch. It's still there. <br />
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When we bought this house, Mr. Ireland met all of my enthusiasm and frustration over the house with the phrase "Give it 5 years." Boy, was that annoying! But... he called it. This will be our 4th summer working on the house and we have at least one more to go. If we didn't have 5 little kids, animals or gardens to care for, homeschool work to do, any hobbies or outside commitments, maybe had endless funds.... Sure, we would have been done 2 years ago! I'm learning. I'm trying to be patient. I am so glad that Mr. Ireland is a VERY patient person, because I am sure I have been driving him crazy with my urgent need to have everything done NOW!<br />
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We are trying to approach the (huge but dwindling) restoration list from a different angle this year. We are going to tackle 3 big projects together, one for June, July and August, and then I will work on the other projects as I have time. Mr. Ireland has his list also.<br />
Big projects:<br />
June - the downstairs bathroom! This is HUGE! I have had a bathtub in my kitchen for a year and it will finally be gone. I plan to do Jam Week as soon as it is gone! <br />
July - the dining room ceiling. It is time. I think there might be a critter living up there.<br />
August - the big bunk bed project. We moved all 4 boys in together and they have been troopers, sleeping on beds and mattresses that sometimes get put away. We have plans to build something like this: <br />
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In between all of that, we will be working on the garden, landscaping, little unfinished but important projects around here. If all goes well, the plan for next year will include remodeling the kitchen, trimming out rooms throughout the house and maybe the master bedroom will get flooring. Mr. Ireland is already talking about a shop and paved parking area.<br />
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That sums up what we have been doing and what we have planned this year. I hope you will check back soon. Its going to be a busy summer.
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It's finished! No more dirty, Kilzed subfloor that gives in some corners when you step on it. No more stepping on little plates that covered up the holes from where, I can only guess, pipes ran for base board heating. It is WONDERFUL to have real flooring upstairs! </div>
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You can see by the pictures that the floor really was incredibly dirty. So what did I do? Did I scrub it all clean or hit it with another layer of Kilz? No, I didn't. After all the effort that I put in to packing up my upstairs and hauling it to storage (Btw, I can pack a truck like nobody else. If you need help moving, I'm your girl), I seized the moment and shoved all the furniture to the other side of the room and got to work.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZ7siuKr5cAoB24gYUw2a0BsucyR_-APNkv5hmPKjz_74GALtUgUDDnEEWe9Zw45IQQx1e7G_i3H9l-MQZxRotwW0089JDPl3iBgV443VnEyd_TMqlaziQdpg-6SnVMT_sHdhDReL-tEd/s1600/2013-07-24+14.42.50.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZ7siuKr5cAoB24gYUw2a0BsucyR_-APNkv5hmPKjz_74GALtUgUDDnEEWe9Zw45IQQx1e7G_i3H9l-MQZxRotwW0089JDPl3iBgV443VnEyd_TMqlaziQdpg-6SnVMT_sHdhDReL-tEd/s1600/2013-07-24+14.42.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7SHAjdRvsh3dNhxRJUrEET9TMmo9E2XvquyVp8uhfuhUkZTJcQAs4ZqAQY-gGzfEnDRbQZGux0TcaKEPg4hSnW9c5gbFenkJN9__Vvn_DjEzYyMfTGX1jv3F4LudzWg5WqS70pZ8J-hk/s1600/2013-07-25+17.34.05.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>We started this whole thing by measuring the upstairs, figuring out how many full sheets of pre-sanded 1/2 plywood it would take to cover it whole and then pre-ordering them. We asked Home Depot to cut each sheet into 1 foot wide lengths, getting 4 boards per sheet. Picking up the cut lumber was the easiest part of the whole thing and I am SO glad we had them do that. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7SHAjdRvsh3dNhxRJUrEET9TMmo9E2XvquyVp8uhfuhUkZTJcQAs4ZqAQY-gGzfEnDRbQZGux0TcaKEPg4hSnW9c5gbFenkJN9__Vvn_DjEzYyMfTGX1jv3F4LudzWg5WqS70pZ8J-hk/s1600/2013-07-25+17.34.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Mr. Ireland and I decided a 1/3-2/3 cut on the length would help us stagger the planks appropriately and started along a wall. He helped me cut the first row and then had to go to work, so I was on my own. After laying flooring in the available space, almost half of the big room, I then went to work staining it. Admittedly, the color was a little darker than we had originally wanted, but I have grown to love it. I chose to use a wool applicator attached to a broom handle. It worked very well! I poured stain out into a tray, soaked the wool pad in it and applied it <i>with</i> the grain. Then I went back over it with a rag to soak up any extra stain. <br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60cYfoclUFA3_bLkpoFb1UlFoZKWvn9TCY-mbeElL_bHEctXTVxzXR5wlzGtH9jL3KruiRTViLksUugrf5dsoQnAzN9TvsNdQIdYe_gkvxgsr5Exph2DAdX1sGIgvbGHqnwO8z6hkM8Tk/s1600/PICT0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60cYfoclUFA3_bLkpoFb1UlFoZKWvn9TCY-mbeElL_bHEctXTVxzXR5wlzGtH9jL3KruiRTViLksUugrf5dsoQnAzN9TvsNdQIdYe_gkvxgsr5Exph2DAdX1sGIgvbGHqnwO8z6hkM8Tk/s320/PICT0001.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the new floor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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When that whole section was stained, I got out the polyurethane. I chose
to go with Valspar High Traffic, figuring the kids would drag furniture
and drop heavy objects almost daily. It too was easy to apply. I used a
nylon bristle broom head and poured out a little at a time, pushing it
across the boards evenly. I reapplied coats about every 4-6 hours, for a
total of 3 coats. <br />
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I gave that side of the room 48 hours to set up and
then we moved everything to the finished side and repeated the whole
process on the other side.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacscxBN23QJCMfBgkzQh6UqjFsTg1b31O3N4he6HSGurV8dw9JvBm6k_eVgjXJcjIscCc3NUKu4TZehqhUMRetHbyw-5VX2dWVcO-QGH7EdTY3A_CblsKOUZnfw6FSsOUy10e0XmCRz-O/s1600/PICT0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacscxBN23QJCMfBgkzQh6UqjFsTg1b31O3N4he6HSGurV8dw9JvBm6k_eVgjXJcjIscCc3NUKu4TZehqhUMRetHbyw-5VX2dWVcO-QGH7EdTY3A_CblsKOUZnfw6FSsOUy10e0XmCRz-O/s320/PICT0006.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Things we could not live without long enough to be in storage</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-7HhumA4DWBYLD5a_Gp6yFC3Q5-GZWpboV-CXkkCAru6pxE-8Q-y_NMyUkDntLj6ZzvpfCq_umr8v3SYwnyVPf6qDnJagxnR5XxkUKo4zeSGAKKCVVs5CbkzydQGI3m7tjWCwh8YeLfS/s1600/PICT0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nyET89uGdnNIRp5Ro3GwWKUiAsI1QdmodGxHFoPWEMiQagxAaNbGAGMWb6dgOHkPyKP3F2pMoiJwShQ8_4Gaot4R47Vs_zdWNKQFW5ld90eMwN2NYfrJV97DMYYjMnX_h4GpSsOIVJT-/s1600/PICT0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nyET89uGdnNIRp5Ro3GwWKUiAsI1QdmodGxHFoPWEMiQagxAaNbGAGMWb6dgOHkPyKP3F2pMoiJwShQ8_4Gaot4R47Vs_zdWNKQFW5ld90eMwN2NYfrJV97DMYYjMnX_h4GpSsOIVJT-/s320/PICT0017.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Treasure!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oZmoyc_7gXyKI2y1JOpA0mukSH8F2XPEkQTqQy25LCaLkaT_-aSkgU5HtA_7-IsKM1AsCPVQVuTURqMtLealLiQWp6GS_ie6YvsIallo6cGfF1frVs8BsHJA3ApXRdB4xtHl873kGIcP/s1600/PICT0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oZmoyc_7gXyKI2y1JOpA0mukSH8F2XPEkQTqQy25LCaLkaT_-aSkgU5HtA_7-IsKM1AsCPVQVuTURqMtLealLiQWp6GS_ie6YvsIallo6cGfF1frVs8BsHJA3ApXRdB4xtHl873kGIcP/s320/PICT0022.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half way</td></tr>
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Notes: walls are NEVER square, so make a jig board that will help you
space things going across the room and DO NOT rely on your wall to be your guide, or you may end up veering off to one
side or another and not have room later to insert boards where needed. <br />Also,
sheets of plywood are not 48", so be sure to specify that you want your
boards to all be cut to 11.5" to give you the most consistent lay.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lnjTKUE7KkSwHx6LRpc7MzR3qqJaIKf0fNvqVgsLBu1kYKSB5NH4O9-UsqVOp8PWnHfs1yiwLqq8zj4t4HuVAlOYoWFmsTTxQQ97ryHKQ-_K1OC5Twzu9tUzSHhEKzlx-lXQ18FGIGf3/s1600/PICT0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lnjTKUE7KkSwHx6LRpc7MzR3qqJaIKf0fNvqVgsLBu1kYKSB5NH4O9-UsqVOp8PWnHfs1yiwLqq8zj4t4HuVAlOYoWFmsTTxQQ97ryHKQ-_K1OC5Twzu9tUzSHhEKzlx-lXQ18FGIGf3/s320/PICT0034.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quality Control</td></tr>
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I did some of this with kids in the house, but most of those
days they went to my aunt's house. If I started in the morning, I could
get all 3 coats done in one day, going out to my little cutting tent to
cut more flooring or work on bookshelves while the urethane set up.
Don't worry, I wore a mask and ran fans at all 3 windows.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gZkHbQMmrO9MRwdMcyLOIV7ZufniyRE7k2e4Qemw54HC03B9GBUG9w6p73RSolm1p0kzBizwpknxVoUfJUSCPi30oAH1XSbW4YqXFapIvf9pQQ4i9oh27sVmTKGfOjWyCJxkvECw7SiK/s1600/PICT0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gZkHbQMmrO9MRwdMcyLOIV7ZufniyRE7k2e4Qemw54HC03B9GBUG9w6p73RSolm1p0kzBizwpknxVoUfJUSCPi30oAH1XSbW4YqXFapIvf9pQQ4i9oh27sVmTKGfOjWyCJxkvECw7SiK/s320/PICT0047.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallway before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kmyo5ah_R0Imj3hWnQrorFsAB7-xcd4zRt4hVa-7o5CwT-sS-ZSOw6zlKmsT65gxAuUgpS5hisvCD35FALE7mKGe3vGTCm3Mwme3EvZHnRuhq26QVCDR2qCHyWYTkdtGE1byMg8CK-r8/s1600/PICT0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3kmyo5ah_R0Imj3hWnQrorFsAB7-xcd4zRt4hVa-7o5CwT-sS-ZSOw6zlKmsT65gxAuUgpS5hisvCD35FALE7mKGe3vGTCm3Mwme3EvZHnRuhq26QVCDR2qCHyWYTkdtGE1byMg8CK-r8/s320/PICT0076.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallway after</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So that is done.<br />
Now for trim work. Eventually.<br />
Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-73100441347957700772013-08-30T22:09:00.000-07:002013-10-29T22:09:45.040-07:00Bottle cap floor progressive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_635746714"></span><span id="goog_635746715"></span><br />Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-88489094317519230382013-07-28T11:26:00.001-07:002013-07-28T11:26:59.832-07:00Its a long, long road to.... a completed houseIts easy to forget how far you have come when you still have a great distance to go, isn't it? I have taken to keeping a list of completed projects on my phone to remind me of all that we HAVE accomplished and not let myself feel like we haven't done anything this summer. Obviously I am still incredibly busy or you would be seeing regular posts from me. Don't let the last post's date fool you, its been changed to reflect the general time frame I finished some of the projects.<br />
<br />
July has been a skunk of a month. Its improving though. Much of June and July was spent waiting for Mr. Ireland's gout flare up<br />
<br />
to subside. In the mean time, we tried to do a few fun things when we couldn't work. We have been to Homer to the tidepools, had a few birthday partys, a few trips to parks, but nothing big. We warned the kids that this would be a busy summer and I can't WAIT to be done with big projects and back to a normalish school year schedule.<br />
<br />
Along with the list of things from our last post, I have completed a can rack for my food storage area, Mr. Ireland has moved 3 refrigerators and freezers around to accomodate my new all refrigerator, and we are still waiting for the roofers to come. The list is getting shorter, we are down to the kitchen remodel, the bathrooms (nearly finished upstairs), removing the back porch and replacing it with stairs, and if we have time, the dining room ceiling, though I dont see that happening.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pIF4MquMAx_Fit2RnDgK6c-MEzEQcWF-Pd1H7WuQ4RE1g5eFHpwa3pEe-eyo1MUB325uroGZ7ENjGlGI3-9PbFN8x8TXW4sfC4POdQy14LbB7hhtYdZW42MG7AL3HvEE06x-kEAgJhiL/s1600/PICT0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pIF4MquMAx_Fit2RnDgK6c-MEzEQcWF-Pd1H7WuQ4RE1g5eFHpwa3pEe-eyo1MUB325uroGZ7ENjGlGI3-9PbFN8x8TXW4sfC4POdQy14LbB7hhtYdZW42MG7AL3HvEE06x-kEAgJhiL/s200/PICT0007.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmNCuh7PA1VE9EMLydHbK4tTnCbOOAIIqha8OVslBW-IFIEkZFbN7Q9G2KGJtBQC59hI_COqbOAvSIhSAUjBvYJARpVmTUnFwkKFWnQlW5UbepVKZiQLcy8aE776_lQ2W3XltqSUsTmKM/s1600/PICT0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmNCuh7PA1VE9EMLydHbK4tTnCbOOAIIqha8OVslBW-IFIEkZFbN7Q9G2KGJtBQC59hI_COqbOAvSIhSAUjBvYJARpVmTUnFwkKFWnQlW5UbepVKZiQLcy8aE776_lQ2W3XltqSUsTmKM/s200/PICT0013.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yrkbM2tguVHn73uk7PgN-H4rba3c2B1S9Iy2SvSW8jxQvuJ7uXLBwF2GjI2qPMWHtND8NqloGxeK24DqbO3hXPbMYOnUjgcSqifQYyEg_-Xqp5jd26QQWDxOv9-vS2SHYa7yTg_WFIlI/s1600/PICT0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yrkbM2tguVHn73uk7PgN-H4rba3c2B1S9Iy2SvSW8jxQvuJ7uXLBwF2GjI2qPMWHtND8NqloGxeK24DqbO3hXPbMYOnUjgcSqifQYyEg_-Xqp5jd26QQWDxOv9-vS2SHYa7yTg_WFIlI/s200/PICT0024.JPG" width="200" /></a>This week I started the flooring for the upstairs. We chose to go
with 1 foot planks, cut from sheets of presanded plywood, 4 planks a
sheet. I will post pictures of the process in my next post, probably
when it is all finished next week. It looks really nice so far. I had no
idea that the nail gun would be so much fun!<br />
<br />
<br />
The next
project will be our kitchen and I have just put in my order for the few
cabinets we need. This will be a project that makes a huge impact in how
our home functions.<br />
The last update I will give is on our little chickens. They are almost ready to start laying and I have built a bigger pen for them. We also bought some meat chickens (uh, 43) and are scrambling to find a little house and second enclosure for them.<br />
<br />Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-19481920836701742512013-06-15T20:51:00.000-07:002013-07-25T20:58:16.818-07:00Summer plans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />You have had nothing but silence from us for months, I know. Really,
not much has been happening around here. I will update you a bit on the
little that has happened and then talk about my BIG plans for the
summer! <br />
<br />
I finally finished the bottle cap floor!
Of course, I did it in a way that caused me far more work than
necessary, but this is my way. Remind me to update the tutorial <a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2013/02/bottle-cap-tile-101.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">(done)</span></a> - DO NOT FILL THE BACK OF YOUR CAPS BEFORE WORKING!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWK2-RQTc2GygX3dtrqXLTnQmc0PudZkSCzG_hBDREwphlENke5RFaWJuk8ljWpYJ6QpI1XteX3IP8fB7n6gzxBm6Ow5n_3LD9yVew8WzPAJwzGiYDwYhNyeguMjfFhrqsDdBXywMKcTp1/s1600/2013-04-28+20.31.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWK2-RQTc2GygX3dtrqXLTnQmc0PudZkSCzG_hBDREwphlENke5RFaWJuk8ljWpYJ6QpI1XteX3IP8fB7n6gzxBm6Ow5n_3LD9yVew8WzPAJwzGiYDwYhNyeguMjfFhrqsDdBXywMKcTp1/s200/2013-04-28+20.31.18.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHpfTgk2ButRTNsyW-uV73jfL4ksDIR0IivgPhEn-dSztfa0A-WtXYujn6yLFdRkPzavsKXqJJrfa6mttlca2CPupSl-W5zaAT5dbKE8KSbAkCbqbzMVIp8qckGEDVeSwwv5ujgO_xRCL/s1600/2013-04-23+16.31.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHpfTgk2ButRTNsyW-uV73jfL4ksDIR0IivgPhEn-dSztfa0A-WtXYujn6yLFdRkPzavsKXqJJrfa6mttlca2CPupSl-W5zaAT5dbKE8KSbAkCbqbzMVIp8qckGEDVeSwwv5ujgO_xRCL/s200/2013-04-23+16.31.41.jpg" width="150" /></a>We built a chicken brooder and added some chicks. We bought way to many for the tiny space and had to transfer them out to the big coop earlier. Poor babies didn't have all their pin feathers in, but with the heat lamp, they made it. We did lose one chick during the first couple of days after we bought them. It was sad. One of our older ladies (hens) has taken to mothering the chicks. She follows them around, stays with them all the time. She is a good ol' hen.<br />
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I shuffled things to a storage unit again, and have been very successful at getting rid of things. The things in there now are things that need to come back - fabric totes, coats and boots, some baby clothes (I'm still on the fence about getting rid of those).<br />
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Not much else has happened until just this last week - Charley pulled the trailer out to start moving junk from the yard. This house was a really good deal because it needed A LOT of work and that includes the piles of trash it came with. They should all be gone by summer's end.<br />
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You won't see pictures of the completed bathroom because, well, its not complete yet! <br />
I painted bed frames for the older boys, a picnic table for the toddlers and the upstairs bathroom vanity counter. Charley installed the toilet and vanity in to the upstairs bath! We finally have 2 toilets again!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHXSaN7YE4bihiDGV2Fg9pI6Pm0t4soPTYWg0NI5HqSaXFzR0F2vD8EZbM4-U3XCXrsWtbVj48bNh2H0r8koEwenGdz_4wzDyg9wGNqMMpiDuudyjTq2XZuBEg_duOWu_F7Aeorgw57Jd/s1600/2013-05-28+14.27.37.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHXSaN7YE4bihiDGV2Fg9pI6Pm0t4soPTYWg0NI5HqSaXFzR0F2vD8EZbM4-U3XCXrsWtbVj48bNh2H0r8koEwenGdz_4wzDyg9wGNqMMpiDuudyjTq2XZuBEg_duOWu_F7Aeorgw57Jd/s200/2013-05-28+14.27.37.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Next up: (Items in <span style="color: #6aa84f;">green</span> have been updated as done) -<br />
Shower stall, window and trim in upstairs bathroom<br />
repair ceiling in living room and put in flooring upstairs,<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">clear deck so roofers can repair (cleared, still waiting for roofers)</span><br />
gut kitchen and put in new cabinets and ceiling.<br />
my bathroom<br />
our bedroom floor (Not going to happen this summer. Maybe winter?)<br />
bookshelves for homeschool area<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">lattice around porch (finally!) (Mostly completed, waiting for trim)</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">move freezer to basement, move appliances (Well done, Mr. Ireland)</span><br />
build mud room storage and benches<br />
buy couch. (*cough* uh, we might be building this too)Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-46565557675378051542013-02-01T00:45:00.000-08:002013-07-25T20:05:03.270-07:00Bottle cap tile... What NOT to do.<br />
Well, we finished the refinance, have some money in the bank for projects and just as we get focused on tackling the bathrooms... we get sick. Off and on for two weeks! I am happy to say that I did manage to get a little done in that time, but the weeks of setting a date and time, arranging child care and then cancelling really frustrated me. Can you tell that I am not a patient person?<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuqxzpppZI0GuDcpsgdypef2yx2e6SsGkKrWA4EjLFrgotPXApawgnYNNUpkPIWGQuAw51a8O7aS9fFq36sCTcbKjqlv50KGikh1LfzwNz4vB7i62OcePt929-WFZJwtEEYYyVMjfy80x/s1600/PICT0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuqxzpppZI0GuDcpsgdypef2yx2e6SsGkKrWA4EjLFrgotPXApawgnYNNUpkPIWGQuAw51a8O7aS9fFq36sCTcbKjqlv50KGikh1LfzwNz4vB7i62OcePt929-WFZJwtEEYYyVMjfy80x/s320/PICT0010.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grout - any color will do, since you won't see it. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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We are all healthy now (relatively) AND I am finally done prepping bottle caps for the bathroom! Before we start the actual remodel, I had to turn each of the bottle caps in to a tile that could be used. This meant filling each cap with grout and letting it dry. Now, I could do this as I tile, but that means at least a week of sitting on the bathroom floor every night, filling caps and placing them in the design.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxQXKsWr9FQR09vi1k74p9VKiedZI9L-1d2KAZS4eQpzraIWaS5sLf2gv11BGM2UPclGBP1bbiVrP10okJyrcYXlPqXE2OlDxCXGL2HP1paTWLi09bOAgATcoBYE1cEIigVSGsdcHJpSW/s1600/PICT0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxQXKsWr9FQR09vi1k74p9VKiedZI9L-1d2KAZS4eQpzraIWaS5sLf2gv11BGM2UPclGBP1bbiVrP10okJyrcYXlPqXE2OlDxCXGL2HP1paTWLi09bOAgATcoBYE1cEIigVSGsdcHJpSW/s320/PICT0039.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empty caps set out to fill. I used newsprint for a drop cloth.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">(Okay, here is where the DO NOT DO THIS comes in. DO NOT FILL YOUR CAPS. True to form, I made this far more complicated than I should have. I am going to leave this post up, so you can see what I did. I was very worried about rust from moisture under my caps, so I filled them. Big MISTAKE. I had to relevel every tile I placed. It took FOREVER. Don't fill, just tile! And if your floor is very uneven, please please, use self leveling compound before tiling! Read on if you must...)</span><br />
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I chose to set aside a couple of evenings after the kids went to bed and fill as many caps as I could. I tried smearing properly prepared grout in to caps and it took 2 hours to do about 200 caps! With almost 3000 caps to fill, this still meant I was going to be putting enormous amounts of time in to filling caps. Thankfully I am a quick study and realized that a) the grout was going to have to be much thinner to fill the caps so they were level and I wouldn't have to trowel each one and b) I had to find a delivery method that would allow me to fill them quickly and to keep my hands off the caps, since each cap was sticking to my gloves.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDVe8lnxGMMvgJLTCyeYRCwtf99Gb5swlrjiZ7jPukGPQ_NYYfLQU-cBz_A0K2E0aiUpI2edpsxaVoMOP2OhxpGwfltZf1CkeIo1c3zrAevPvO1_9ION1NfnizD4raZC_bFtSWyYTHVae/s1600/PICT0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0tHyxI3-tvZvSjecShB-bGTHnBKBBUplShDTmiIeIcDfgO-w62CvK_vPMQHwBvN_ORv2nNysGmOFOqrlVYTMUUA1WaTRXm0ybj5RNbZWv2eaO22E9N-l3nYORbV6_Gipl2CjPzUeyDvj/s1600/PICT0006.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0tHyxI3-tvZvSjecShB-bGTHnBKBBUplShDTmiIeIcDfgO-w62CvK_vPMQHwBvN_ORv2nNysGmOFOqrlVYTMUUA1WaTRXm0ybj5RNbZWv2eaO22E9N-l3nYORbV6_Gipl2CjPzUeyDvj/s320/PICT0006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grout mixed too thick - added more water</td></tr>
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Enter the pastry bag. Rather, the disposable pastry bag, since this is what I had on hand. A pastry bag would contain the grout nicely, allowing me to fill each cap as it sat on the table top. It also made clean up so much easier, since I could ditch the bag at the end of the night and only worry about cleaning out my grout bucket. For those of you who might attempt this in the future, you could use ziploc bags or something similar. I wouldn't recommend using your regular icing kit, since those are meant to be reused in the kitchen and might compromise food safety in the future.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNs_DBWRhMaMbmSzO3ffPXMkXdIJdBKJVipXfP0zsRNX2_UJM4ZynGS0gdycRDTpsMmFpEgMP2Xb_F034BzXsu6fl3j6DDqHaeqs-8kHpkLggbYqkZGmDINiRrpBDKs-QhQt1uEUDPTAzR/s1600/PICT0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNs_DBWRhMaMbmSzO3ffPXMkXdIJdBKJVipXfP0zsRNX2_UJM4ZynGS0gdycRDTpsMmFpEgMP2Xb_F034BzXsu6fl3j6DDqHaeqs-8kHpkLggbYqkZGmDINiRrpBDKs-QhQt1uEUDPTAzR/s320/PICT0041.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bad bottle caps! Time out while I figure out how to rehabilitate you.</td></tr>
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I mixed the grout with about twice the instructed amount of water, making it in to a slurry. DO follow the instructions to use an electric drill with mixing attachment. It will eliminate lumps in the finished product. I set my pastry bag in a jar for stability and used a plastic cup to pour my grout in to the bag. Then I cut off the tip and set to work! It was still a long process, taking me a total of 5 hours to do all the caps. If the mixture is too thick, it won't self level in each cap.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RhWbNvQDnRGJJ_B1IrVuGIvdGc9fau3l1ZcEgnIT3RrtSNmlXL__oV-Z8mtPu1RQHoYZLhGn-AGulMHAN9R0hY6Gq1IXLfOWtoadZ1lGqtd_lPD7x83rEyxXbbRaQHBJpiZ65mNgdW9F/s1600/PICT0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RhWbNvQDnRGJJ_B1IrVuGIvdGc9fau3l1ZcEgnIT3RrtSNmlXL__oV-Z8mtPu1RQHoYZLhGn-AGulMHAN9R0hY6Gq1IXLfOWtoadZ1lGqtd_lPD7x83rEyxXbbRaQHBJpiZ65mNgdW9F/s320/PICT0045.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caps being filled. A squeeze bottle would also be an effective tool for filling caps.<br />
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If it is too thin, that is less of a problem, since eventually the water WILL evaporate off, but it does take more time to dry and it is harder to manage while filling because it is so runny.<br />
I also set aside caps that were too bent to use for my project. A floor should be as level as possible. My requirement is that the cap be level on the bottom edge, so if it was slightly dented on the top, it was acceptable. I may decide against using them once I start tiling, but for now I kept them. The bent caps went in to a warped container (see picture) to remind me that they are warped! I will try to figure out how to bend them back to a usable condition before I start tiling. I need every cap I can get!<br />
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I filled caps at night, allowing them to cure all night and then sorted them by color in to jars and containers. My kids helped with this. This can get tricky, so my criteria for sorting depended on the general color of the top - if it appeared black overall, it went in to the black jar. If it had teal on it that made it stand out significantly from the other black caps, it got its own jar. I'm hoping this will help when I get to putting the caps down in my design.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDVe8lnxGMMvgJLTCyeYRCwtf99Gb5swlrjiZ7jPukGPQ_NYYfLQU-cBz_A0K2E0aiUpI2edpsxaVoMOP2OhxpGwfltZf1CkeIo1c3zrAevPvO1_9ION1NfnizD4raZC_bFtSWyYTHVae/s1600/PICT0007.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDVe8lnxGMMvgJLTCyeYRCwtf99Gb5swlrjiZ7jPukGPQ_NYYfLQU-cBz_A0K2E0aiUpI2edpsxaVoMOP2OhxpGwfltZf1CkeIo1c3zrAevPvO1_9ION1NfnizD4raZC_bFtSWyYTHVae/s320/PICT0007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caps sorted by color; the children were also very helpful flipping the caps before and after grouting.</td></tr>
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Hopefully the next post will be sharing progress on the bathroom and a preview of my designs ;)<br />
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There you have it, basic instructions for prepping bottle caps tiles. Phase one complete, now on to the next step!Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-55596449328443995832012-12-30T18:42:00.000-08:002012-12-30T19:51:43.235-08:00Falling forward... warp speed to the new year<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3sDW9f3omjVg0GzHDuimQ4sBQmVYsHMvlklCJJHnov9v2W0ux4hfoqcJBwRxAjWLdhL3IQ9fDLGG2a66J4Mjd_h5gmqLEM5CqlJPWJKqZ-FNsg_qHlVZJN_QArCxx-h-XZbiaO7OsTC3/s1600/PICT0189.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3sDW9f3omjVg0GzHDuimQ4sBQmVYsHMvlklCJJHnov9v2W0ux4hfoqcJBwRxAjWLdhL3IQ9fDLGG2a66J4Mjd_h5gmqLEM5CqlJPWJKqZ-FNsg_qHlVZJN_QArCxx-h-XZbiaO7OsTC3/s320/PICT0189.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Yep, I'm still here, somehow. Where have I been? I have been to the other side and back again on a journey that I can only call <b>The Great Sewing Room Disaster of 2012</b>. <br />
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<b>WARNING: </b>These pictures are of a REAL person's home. I live here. I homeschool. I have not cleaned
my house for your benefit. This is not a perfect or even finished home. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had already started to move things before thinking to take pictures...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the stuff from my sewing room in the homeschool room.</td></tr>
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Now that Mr. Ireland's busy season has slowed a bit, I have a little
time to catch you all up with our progress (or lack of)
here at Ireland Manor. It won't last long, so I won't promise to be here
more frequently. Any day now the cold will return and Mr. Ireland will be
back at it, working long hours and late nights. He's a good man, he is.<br />
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With the arrival of October I went from summer frenzy to fall panic. The mess in the living room from all of my sewing stuff nearly gave me a fit of anxiety every time I went upstairs. For weeks I dreaded tackling the pile and being so busy with daily life, it just couldn't be done. The boys were STILL NOT keeping their rooms clean and the kitchen was/is looking like we might have to remodel it much sooner than we anticipated because there was an undetected leak under the sink that has destroyed that cabinet. All of this had me screaming: Can I go on vacation right now?!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room swapped to homeschool area</td></tr>
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Well, we did go on vacation. I booked a trip to Oahu (thank you airline miles!) for the Mr. and I in early December and set to work on the upstairs. I am one of those people that just HAS to have a clean house when I leave on vacation - what is the point of going if you come home to a dirty house that you will have to clean?! Even worse is having people stay in your home while you are gone (someone had to watch our kids) and expecting them to work around the unfinished construction and random piles of stuff. It was the motivation I needed to finish moving things.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfrx3j0kREUPLwYgFMcCtesXLGunO8G7BXTN9_i2KGQfafJpSo0ftH76LTToaORDBiXMojF5GTMqhdqGr0e4zfMEakTaVc-OtXnGN7WjybYYFAnXwPN9GUp6rNyy0Y-ByWKVIyO77WClb/s1600/PICT0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfrx3j0kREUPLwYgFMcCtesXLGunO8G7BXTN9_i2KGQfafJpSo0ftH76LTToaORDBiXMojF5GTMqhdqGr0e4zfMEakTaVc-OtXnGN7WjybYYFAnXwPN9GUp6rNyy0Y-ByWKVIyO77WClb/s320/PICT0198.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homeschool/Craft room now takes up living room.</td></tr>
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I spent a couple of days here and there, largely skipping school lessons in November, to move things around. With a final push from my friend Niki, it was done! It is not pretty yet and there is still a large pile of boxed up books taking up the far end of the room, but it is functional and there is so much more floor space! We have 3 craft/homeschool tables for kids to spread out at and I have a big desk for my teacher's books and magazine collection (Pinterest was made for people like me!) It is the beginning of a crafty homeschool mom paradise and so much more practical than the previous living room arrangement. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pp5ZlDAKwIVJZ3HVIoPdSz31quE9SUFJLkf8kOAN0F7dgOTkrUsQFu9ubckeqPXkAjtkQ6YaEbFPxp1PlyJSstOs4NjlNiWl9h2fR3EffGeAVQyts-KlCQKrSL50uJjZhBWYNHnQe-Cm/s1600/PICT0199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pp5ZlDAKwIVJZ3HVIoPdSz31quE9SUFJLkf8kOAN0F7dgOTkrUsQFu9ubckeqPXkAjtkQ6YaEbFPxp1PlyJSstOs4NjlNiWl9h2fR3EffGeAVQyts-KlCQKrSL50uJjZhBWYNHnQe-Cm/s320/PICT0199.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My messy homeschool mom desk.</td></tr>
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Mr. Ireland and I moved the triple bunkbed to the little boys room and the two older boys are patiently waiting for me to paint their matching twin bed frames. By removing the top bunk board from the bed, the little boys can stand up on the middle bunk, but not jump out because of the rails and we don't have to worry about our 1 year old or 3 year old jumping from the top! It has also eliminated the little boys jumping across their room from one bed to another. <br />
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We are also in the middle of refinancing right now. While we wait to close, life has returned to something resembling "normal". It's hard to get anything done when you don't have any money! The list is still there, but there is nothing I can do about it and I can rest just a little bit. I say this every year, but next year, I am NOT going to keep pushing us so hard during Mr. Ireland's busy season, when I am mostly a single parent. Someone remind me of that next fall, yes?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids taking turns on the doorway swing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz59jSn80h23E8b6mSCw02tJYWynXXfFiG5uzuMPaH2BI5qAWqmLExxm3Pdx8fWgdHFRKrQPcFb_rG7ZODgiFDzeNmkA77caV2v-abSzTbU3ZLQWLi6S1VijkC5rUZixZ9VT0a2xLOth6L/s1600/PICT0002.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz59jSn80h23E8b6mSCw02tJYWynXXfFiG5uzuMPaH2BI5qAWqmLExxm3Pdx8fWgdHFRKrQPcFb_rG7ZODgiFDzeNmkA77caV2v-abSzTbU3ZLQWLi6S1VijkC5rUZixZ9VT0a2xLOth6L/s320/PICT0002.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I finished a sweater that I had been working on for 3 years!</td></tr>
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I have had enough time to set up the doorway trapeze bar and swing we bought for the kids 2 years ago, and even enough patience to have the mini trampoline out daily. The kids are really enjoying the swing and trampoline. We avoided a lot of the cabin fever that usually comes with cold weather. <br />
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Speaking of cold weather - we have had a backwards winter! Very cold weather during November and early December, hardly any snow, and then December 25th the sky clouds over and dumps a foot of snow! Unfortunately, I lost a duck in the cold snap. I found her the morning of the 24th. I blame myself - I had been trusting my oldest boys to check for eggs and they weren't doing a very good job. I found her frozen on a stash of 6 or 7 eggs. It was very sad and difficult to see. With the snow came warm weather and after a few days of melting, I was able to go out today and chip away many of the layers of ice and straw. I rehomed the remaining ducks a few days ago and the chickens are beginning to lay again. Good old hens.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole family helping shoveling snow :)</td></tr>
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As soon as our loan closes we will begin work again. Living in a home you are remodeling is a special kind of torture. It means never being able to unpack, not having a regular routine, pushing to get projects done just so you can have a day off and doing that all while you are trying to keep up with daily life with many children. I am enjoying the break, but I can honestly say I am ready for that upstairs bathroom to be completed. I'm pretty tired of sharing a bathroom with our 4 sons! Now I wonder who's turn it is to scrub toilets?...<br />
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<br />Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-63844342237917925452012-09-30T16:23:00.000-07:002012-12-30T17:45:46.058-08:00Squeezing the last drops out...Squeezing the last drops out of summer in Alaska can be difficult. Fall sneaks in overnight, before you even get a hint that yesterday was the last day of summer. Temperatures drop from the high 60's to the mid 40's and the leaves hit the ground like little missiles. The joke goes something like this "When is summer going to get here? Oh, you missed it. It was yesterday!"<br />
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Truly, summer was yesterday. On Tuesday I picked the second crop of broccoli from my garden (don't be fooled, I have not picked very large heads this year) and Wednesday the moose blew through with the storm and ate all my cabbages and destroyed any hope of more broccoli. <br />
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The bathrooms are not done. I know, BIG surprise! We decided moving our two younger boys in to their own room was even more pressing than finishing the bathroom. We did put a new toilet in upstairs, so it is usable. There has been a lot of arguing over who made what mess in the boys room and when we moved the younger boys, we found out exactly who it was! I am thrilled that the oldest boys are able to keep their room clean now and now I know who needs further training. An added bonus is with the toddler son upstairs now, our nights are much quieter. He sleeps much better now that he is not sharing the nursery with a baby. The downside is I emptied my sewing room in to the homeschool area and now I have to sort it out and find a home for it!<br />
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My wonderful friend Niki came over for the day and lead a work crew of 6 boys to move gravel to the new bike parking pad!<br />
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I finally got around to building some high chairs. Just in time for our children to out grow them ;) * Correction: 1 high chair. I didn't actually assemble the second one! :{<br />
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We went to Seward, picked berries, went to the Sealife Center.We also decided we will NOT be sleeping in the motorhome with all 7 of us again! That is a story for another time...<br />
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I tidied up the laundry room and washed the bedding that had stacked up all summer. Our washing machine doesn't handle comforters very well. This means hauling everything to the laundromat. It sounds far worse than it is. These kind of errands get easier as my children get older - I don't take anyone in to the laundromat. I haul my stuff in, cram it into the biggest machine they have (it holds 4 or 5 king size comforters) and then set the timer on my phone while I hop back in my truck and run errands! Certainly not without hassle, but not all that difficult.<br />
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Some of our last projects for this fall (um, summer?) are to finally put the lattice up around the porch, finish the bathrooms and move the freezer out of the kitchen and into the basement. We might get to the porch roof. Maybe. <br /><br />
All this in the middle of putting up food for the winter - squash, potatoes, carrots (done) and apples. Until I have a root cellar, the corner of the basement with the back door will have to do. We had a farm subscription this summer, which means that once a week I have picked up an overwhelming amount of produce that I have cooked, dried, or blanched and frozen to be used over the winter. The refrigerator has been so full that I haven't had room for my bread dough. I can't wait to start baking again!<br />
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I'm looking forward to indoor work, too. School has started, and when we get in to a rhythm, I can start working on painting, trim work and tiling bathrooms! Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-30324290302393618682012-08-05T10:28:00.001-07:002012-09-06T08:45:38.290-07:00Summer Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I realize that it has been a LONG time since I have posted. Honestly, we have been busy! Some house stuff, some summer stuff, but I'm going to pause and catch my breath for a moment before we move on to the next exciting project - the bathrooms! Yes, finally we will be doing the bathrooms. More because we are forced to replace the upstairs toilet and to tear out the downstairs sink to repair some plumbing, so we may as well remodel both bathrooms while we are at it ;)</div>
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Summer has flown by. We have done a lot, yes, but not as much as we had hoped. We set the bar pretty high around here. We don't often make it, but we keep trying. <br />
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Here is a collection of pictures of various projects around our place. I promise that I will use a fancy little slideshow next time, but these were all uploaded. Better to use what you have than scrap it all for perfection, I say. I will try to put in captions so you can figure out what we are doing. Enjoy!<br />
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Edward and I added wood chip paths to the existing lasagna garden. This was before we realized that <i>most</i> of the front yard is completely in the shade and unsuitable for vegetable beds. So we moved all the flowers and most of the dirt.....</div>
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... to make 2 large vegetable beds and several rows that will serve as a cutting garden of sorts until I come up with a new plan of where my vegetable garden will go. I don't know if I will get to have a garden in the front yard at all because it is <i>so</i> shady! It is west facing, but the trees on the south side really over shadow any potential garden area. Oh well. Back to the drawing board!<br />
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Mr. Ireland started hauling loads of junk to the dump. There were 3 trailer loads of random items and lumber left by the previous owners. He also used his truck to pull down the decaying green house structure and to jerk the blue steel container forward over the property line. He works so hard! He had a little fun with the green house when he took a splitting maul to it.<br />
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The baby turned 1 and promptly started to walk and climb the stairs!<br />
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We went to the zoo to meet my childhood best friend! It was wonderful to see her. I wish we could do that more often.<br />
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Not long after that, our house got painted! It is a VERY big house and it took a week of scraping and rescraping to get all of the terrible beige paint off. It is now a very dark green. I love it!<br />
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There was a bit of a greenhouse effect with all the windows taped over with plastic for several days of sun. Our house already is very warm in the summer. We survived, but it was hot!<br />
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My sister went up on the roof to help paint. What a good sis!<br />
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The boys had time for a sleep over during all of the chaos and lots of fun moments with cousins. <br />
<br />Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-85588407440700375432012-05-08T12:22:00.000-07:002012-05-08T12:31:08.636-07:00Winner of Day 7 jam, Peach PersimmonCongratulations to Elaura! You have won a 1/2 pint of Peach Persimmon jam. Elaura was also the winner of the jam from Jam Week Day 1, Pineapple Rhubarb! I will be sending both jams this Thursday, Elaura :)<br />
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I hope to do this again this fall, now that I am caught up with last year's jam making. I now have 36 pints (less the give aways) of jam for my family to enjoy.<br />
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If you missed it, I made 7 types of jam: <br />
<a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2012/04/its-jam-week.html" target="_blank">Pineapple Rhubarb</a>,<br />
<a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2012/05/jam-week-day-2.html" target="_blank">Mango Lime</a>,<br />
<a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2012/05/jam-week-day-3.html" target="_blank">Double Strawberry</a>,<br />
<a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2012/05/jam-week-day-5-part-1.html" target="_blank">Black and Blueberry</a>,<br />
<a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2012/05/jam-week-day-5-part-2.html" target="_blank">Blackberry Plum</a>,<br />
<a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2012/05/jam-week-day-5-part-3.html" target="_blank">Strawberry Cherry Rhubarb </a>and <br />
<a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2012/05/jam-week-day-7-final-jam.html" target="_blank">Peach Persimmon</a>.<br />
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A delicious result for a week of effort. Thanks for reading!Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-64481171195737487652012-05-06T16:05:00.004-07:002012-05-06T16:05:59.262-07:00Jam Week Day 7: Final Jam!The last batch of jam for the week just came out of the canner. Yes, I skipped day 6 entirely. There was no jam made on Thursday to announce and I didn't make jam on Saturday either. It was great to have a break! Before I forget, let me announce the winners of the three different jams from Friday.<br />
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Winner of jam #1 - Black and Blueberry, was comment #3, Amber!<br />
Winner of jam #2 - Blackberry Plum, was comment #2, AK Midwife, aka Eva!<br />
Winner of jam #3 - Strawberry Cherry Rhubarb, was comment #1, Amber again!<br />
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If you would be so kind as to message me your address or, if you like, a time that I can deliver them on Thursday. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the jams.<br /><br />On Monday I said that I would be giving away 5 jams, but I had so many types of fruit to choose from (and clear out of my freezer) that as of Friday, I had made 6 jams with plans to make 2 more over the weekend. I
have to admit, I am plumb tuckered out from adding jam making to my daily chores! I combined the last 2 jams to
make....<br />
<br />Peach Persimmon. There we have it: Seven jams for seven days!<br /><br />I have made peach jam before. It is decent, a bit like cobbler without the crumble. I prefer peaches fresh or cooked in desserts. Persimmon I have not jammed before! This was a bit of an experiment and it turned out rather well, I think. It is a nice peachy color and sweet, but not overly so. I am excited to have this in the pantry and proud of myself for producing anything from the frozen persimmons!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Jam making is messy business - don't use your best towels for a mat while filling jars!</i></span><br />
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To enter to win a jar of Peach Persimmon jam, leave a comment below. Tell me about your favorite peach dessert or perhaps about a persimmon you have enjoyed! Many people have not tried persimmons. They taste a bit like an apricot with the texture of a mango. Fuyu persimmons are the sweet ones and they look like orange tomatoes! Leave a comment before midnight on Monday. The winner will be announced on Tuesday!<br />
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That's it for jam week! Thanks for reading and congratulations to all the jam winners. I am happy to share the fruits of my labor! I hope you will check back often to see what is happening at Ireland Manor.Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-73545747968268629862012-05-04T18:48:00.001-07:002012-05-04T18:48:11.825-07:00Jam Week Day 5, Part 3!Three post in one day is a lot, but I have to keep the jam entries separate somehow!<br />
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The final jam for the day is Strawberry Cherry Rhubarb. I had planned on making Strawberry Rhubarb, but I needed it to have more color. Pale pink jams don't suit me; food should <i>look</i> as good as it tastes. I really didn't have a plan for the cherries that I pitted and froze last summer, so why not add them to a jam? I mashed and stirred and now the jam is a really nice shade of red and tastes great!<br />
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This was a good sized batch. I ended up with 6 full pints. <br />
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To enter to win a 1/2 pint of Strawberry Cherry Rhubarb jam, leave a comment below telling me your favorite cherry dessert! Did you enter to win the other 2 jams of the day? If you have not, you can click on <a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2012/05/jam-week-day-5-part-1.html" target="_blank">JAM #1</a>, and <a href="http://ouririshmanor.blogspot.com/2012/05/jam-week-day-5-part-2.html" target="_blank">JAM #2</a> to get to those posts and leave a comment. Comments will count as valid entries if made before midnight Saturday (that's tomorrow).<br />
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Ah Saturday. This has been a long week. I am looking forward to a break! I do plan to make a batch of jam, so check back to see what it is. Ta ta!<br />
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<br />Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-146482203607389212012-05-04T17:16:00.002-07:002012-05-04T17:18:14.278-07:00Jam Week Day 5, Part 2!My second jam of the day is done! <br />
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This really was a small batch. Just 4 jars! I had one package of frozen blackberries left and I combined it with the only package of frozen red plums! I'm not getting creative with the name - Blackberry Plum it is. <br />
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I think it tastes like summer in a jar :) Sweet, tart and berrylicious. I can see this as a topping for lemon curd in a really fantastic summer tart!<br />
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To enter to win a 1/2 pint jar of Blackberry Plum, leave a comment below before midnight Saturday, telling me your favorite kind of plum or plum dessert! Did you know there is more than one kind? I have fond memories of picking plums off the tree at my great grandmothers'. So sweet and juicy! <br />
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I have one more jam to post. Don't forget to enter to win all three jams today!Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-86576054995122032212012-05-04T13:05:00.000-07:002012-05-04T18:49:25.873-07:00Jam Week, Day 5, Part 1!Before I tell you about the first of today's jam, let me announce the winner of Wednesday's jam, the Double Strawberry. We opened a jar of it this morning to eat with our scones and it is hands down the best strawberry jam. SO good! Okay, drum roll please.... There were four contestants and again, using our very scientific method of a child rolling a die, the winner was comment number #3, Mary! Mary, I would be so happy to bring this jam to you and visit for a few minutes. How does that sound? <br />
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On to the jam making!<br />
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The first jam of the day is Black and Blueberry. I can't help grinning when I say that. Why? Because it is so good it will make you want to smack your momma! lol I'm kidding! Hitting other people is no laughing matter.<br />
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I usually stick to seedless jams, even going so far as to push all the raspberries through a fine mesh sieve before making my raspberry jam, but I don't have the heart to do it to blackberries. I did, however, crush them with no mercy. After adding some frozen blueberries, I have 9 half pints of Black and Blueberry.<br />
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I thought that this would be a small batch of jam, six 1/2 pints or less. Making small batches of jam is a great way to get in to canning. I love it because you don't need a large canning pot - any large stock pot will do for canning jams, as long as you can fit 4-6 jars side by side and have 1" of water over the top of the jars. A 2 or 4 qt. stock pot will do for making the jam. It makes clean up very easy and that is why I plan to make 3 different jams today. They will all be small batches of unusual combinations! <br />
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To enter to win a 1/2 pint jar of Black and Blueberry, leave a comment below and tell me your favorite way to eat blackberries or blueberries! Entries will be accepted through midnight Saturday, May 5th, and the winner will be announced Sunday.<br />
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Check back later today for 2 other jams!<br />
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<br />Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-87513417770569502812012-05-03T20:55:00.000-07:002012-05-03T20:55:07.649-07:00Jam Week, Day 4!The winner of Tuesday's jam, Mango Lime, is Sonja a.k.a. "Rusty"! Using the very scientific method of having my 10 year old roll a die, comment #2 was the winner. Sonja, I have your mailing address already and I will send your jam out very soon!<br />
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It has been a very long day after another mostly sleepless night. I have been out of the house since this morning, so I have not made jam. I think I am going to cut myself a break and skip it tonight. I have 3 different jams planned for tomorrow, so have no fear. There will be plenty of opportunities to win jam. The jam making will continue through Sunday, with the final winner announced Tuesday.<br />
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Don't forget to enter to win Wednesday's jam, Double Strawberry! It set up very well, I am thrilled! Valid comments need to be left before midnight tonight, AK time. See you tomorrow!<br /><br />Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-6133320083101950702012-05-02T21:20:00.001-07:002012-05-02T21:20:28.968-07:00Jam Week Day 3!The winner of Monday's jam, Pineapple Rhubarb, is Elaura Nevares! Since she was the only one that commented, she wins! Elaura, I will contact you via facebook for your mailing address and the jam will be on it's way soon!<br />
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I have had a headache for most of the afternoon after a sleepless night. The jam is just now cooling and I have a few minutes before I usher the children to bed, so I will tell you about today's jam.<br />
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Double Strawberry Jam!<br />
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It's not quite as mysterious as it sounds. I had 4 cups of frozen wild arctic strawberries left and decided to use them for jam combined with domestic strawberries. It is very tasty! I miss the wild strawberries and copious amounts of
raspberries that grew at the house we rented before buying Ireland Manor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbO9pflK2XpJdZBS3PryDYf1Qm8r5TSoOfcqD8BSBSQX-NvEI9MB4HCmZqgH9SWhVQrNLQK8tLc30i3hDS-jxMy5Ngymivn5tiyJEWS4cNrsmk8Lx8lhxM7ggAhxpOwh2kQagCAzKJJyEz/s1600/PICT0157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbO9pflK2XpJdZBS3PryDYf1Qm8r5TSoOfcqD8BSBSQX-NvEI9MB4HCmZqgH9SWhVQrNLQK8tLc30i3hDS-jxMy5Ngymivn5tiyJEWS4cNrsmk8Lx8lhxM7ggAhxpOwh2kQagCAzKJJyEz/s320/PICT0157.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGPQOEepN4cNnFG9eQsA_H5d5uwrFUJv4ub2ZgA0DLuUAuBeDzoFY8YLFyy7t00iFsI6Q_NEkrRSaMtCuOujLY7sPPgD0wqDDG3L8SD_7oqLq3LlziJ_SuD87W24OcI-IswpgOTxwnH2Z/s1600/PICT0158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGPQOEepN4cNnFG9eQsA_H5d5uwrFUJv4ub2ZgA0DLuUAuBeDzoFY8YLFyy7t00iFsI6Q_NEkrRSaMtCuOujLY7sPPgD0wqDDG3L8SD_7oqLq3LlziJ_SuD87W24OcI-IswpgOTxwnH2Z/s320/PICT0158.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
The flavor of wild, pink strawberries cannot be beat. However, they don't can well, turning into a mushy, sweet, pale mess. Combining them with the bright red store bought berries resulted in a very dark red. Almost as dark as canned cherries. I can't wait to see if it sets up! I cooked the heck out of it because I am not so great at making strawberry jam. It seems to separate no matter what I do! I even let it sit up in the pot before I put it into the jars. We shall see...<br />
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Jam making is usually not this complicated for me! *shrug* Do you lose your jam gift if you don't use it? <br /><br />To enter to win one 1/2 pint of Double Strawberry jam, leave a comment below and tell me your favorite way to eat strawberries! The deadline for today's giveaway will end at midnight on Thursday (tomorrow) and the winner will be announced Friday. :)<br />Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-14687186666518673572012-05-01T20:08:00.000-07:002012-05-01T20:08:23.097-07:00Jam Week Day 2!Today's jam is Mango Lime.<br />
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I LOVE mangos. Seriously. I could eat one every day and never get sick of them. This is a jam I started making 4 or 5 years ago because I needed to have mangos year round. It is absolutely terrific as a cake filling and very easy to dehydrate for fruit leather. I prefer fresh mangos, but I froze so many last year that I couldn't justify buying more until I had used them. I freeze a lot of fruit in season and then use if for jams or desserts later. I do the same with lemons and limes - I dry the zest and then freeze the juice into ice cubes. When I freeze mangos though, I put lime zest and juice in with the fruit. I find mango and lime to go so well together that I can't imagine using mangos in a recipe <i>without</i> lime. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjqFuex-tK9DA26M7RSlkRQKySNmCQKK_hdYDDh-KFLSvXd-JbNPLpJNvO7Pooc6Rlx662VPQlPURXgX4Nnai2xD8Y3lvWQ-Btk0nBYx7_n51-FkAy4-7WVuG9JET6PQ45aMmtlGDNRe-/s1600/PICT0139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjqFuex-tK9DA26M7RSlkRQKySNmCQKK_hdYDDh-KFLSvXd-JbNPLpJNvO7Pooc6Rlx662VPQlPURXgX4Nnai2xD8Y3lvWQ-Btk0nBYx7_n51-FkAy4-7WVuG9JET6PQ45aMmtlGDNRe-/s320/PICT0139.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ48YI6asA7X5MbVA9ibvGGpTu5jS8eF3Be2Y_FHjcpfFDPdegaYpIacqfWX8mpNgDkejy6q95ptkxXHphFk5cmK7kqZtPCpnbp1USQIGbtUIcmEMq2BmXWkFo497-9xR_EqTX19b8Is3/s1600/PICT0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ48YI6asA7X5MbVA9ibvGGpTu5jS8eF3Be2Y_FHjcpfFDPdegaYpIacqfWX8mpNgDkejy6q95ptkxXHphFk5cmK7kqZtPCpnbp1USQIGbtUIcmEMq2BmXWkFo497-9xR_EqTX19b8Is3/s320/PICT0138.JPG" width="240" /></a>I had about 10 cups of mango puree when I started and finished with 7 1/2 pints. The puree was a nice bright yellow with little flecks of green lime zest, but again, the end result is not the color it should be and I think I know why. Its the sugar. I switched sugar 2 years ago and haven't made mango jam or lemon curd since before that, only berry jams, and I didn't realize that the Organic sugar would change the color so much! I'm not willing to switch back to C&H (nor should you be, <a href="http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/560449/How-is-cane-burning-legal-but-backyard-burning-not-.html">read this</a>) , so I will have to sacrifice color or switch to another sweetener.<br />
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I use<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pomonas-Universal-Pectin-1-Ounce-Container/dp/B001IZICO2%3FSubscriptionId%3D15HRV3AZSMPK0GXTY102%26tag%3Damznf-us-tbsearchsea-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB001IZICO2" target="_blank"> Pomona's</a> for my jams and jellies. I love it because I can use any kind of sweetener that I want and I can use LESS of it. For instance, to make strawberry jam, a box of Sure requires 5 cups of fruit and <span style="font-size: large;"><b>7 </b></span>cups of sugar! That is a 1.4 cups of sugar to every cup of jam! Madness! With Pomona's, the recommended amount is 3/4 to 2 cups sugar (your choice how much) for 4 cups of fruit. A 1/2 cup of sugar or less for every cup. I can use honey, apple or grape juice concentrate, stevia, or nothing at all! I add sugar just because I have a sweet tooth and was raised on sugary jam :)<br />
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To enter to win a half pint of today's Mango Lime jam, leave a comment below telling me about the best mango dessert or dish you have ever had! Today's drawing closes at midnight on Wednesday and the winner will be notified Thursday.<br />
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Check back tomorrow to see what kind of jam I will make :)<br />
<br />Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-49938975447477916672012-04-30T15:14:00.002-07:002012-04-30T15:15:26.080-07:00It's Jam Week!!Hooray! It's jam week!<br />
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I skipped making jam last fall. Its a bit of a blur, but I think I was busy with a baby? Well she is almost a toddler and sleeps much more regularly now, so I have a little bit of time to make jam and replenish the dwindling supply. <br /><br />I will be making at least one type of jam every day this week. And if you follow along and play my game, I will be giving away one jar of jam a day :)<br />
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Day 1 -<br />
Today's jam is Pineapple Rhubarb!<br />
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This was a new one for me last year. I was very surprised that we all enjoyed it so much! It is sweet, not tart at all and it a really great way to use up rhubarb. I like Strawberry Rhubarb as well, but this is my new favorite way to use rhubarb.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepN-tfv99suaGrKwud9y3G6q0SepVfVa4woCokU-LJBaKfcTXtRi-DfDsRQDxWnAJN6eQqWnctT8aVttwm1Q1SxZ9bBc2epI3ntC-UP3geWhhrB3Im7S_KLJcMnu4sDfTo0eHkCJnC_mc/s1600/PICT0123-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepN-tfv99suaGrKwud9y3G6q0SepVfVa4woCokU-LJBaKfcTXtRi-DfDsRQDxWnAJN6eQqWnctT8aVttwm1Q1SxZ9bBc2epI3ntC-UP3geWhhrB3Im7S_KLJcMnu4sDfTo0eHkCJnC_mc/s320/PICT0123-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The last time I made it I used only green rhubarb, and I have to admit, it was a nicer color. I didn't have quite as much green frozen this year, so I had to add some red rhubarb to equal the amount of pineapple and the jam is not the nice pale green it should be. I ended up with about 10 pints of Pineapple Rhubarb jam!<br />
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To enter to win a small jar (not a pint, not pictured) of Pineapple Rhubarb jam, leave a comment below and tell me your favorite what <i>your </i>favorite pineapple dish is! The winner will be chosen at random and announced on Wednesday's post :)Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4816203786738795960.post-70656870793039952012-04-07T18:05:00.012-07:002012-04-09T14:09:42.569-07:00Marching on<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIvTFvxSnkEBvZGStOBcQ79VcjwT5nUDwxFt_guPGbqFOGTdrsAlUjUGGBhcq1qzI71Bqkg9UeD2X_DuJW_lCr5rO1baPRgqungazx1WnbC1rj5-BfY259amkJlSEg_ZOm-0BRyqn1CD7/s1600/Garage+plan.jpg"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNK09QWtysKEocKFwdt7HlzuLPbQKSv1aGWK9YMpPxc-GG0a2WtwG1e7TxwEI9Rt_3h_pfBKaIrh596s8lZAqlUykMeWftl603PcYFDmErGwsGYPmQNObP5fK4SfjJPeRg-XYDn7oNHGA/s1600/PICT0036.JPG"></a><br /><br />March has come and gone without so much as an inkling of real progress.<br />Our plan of a major project a month has fallen by the way side, as all good intentions and resolutions eventually do. It looks more like this now:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Eilf6t60u8fuPv96hGSrmvAZlRN-QaqkYumTrgNqro0iktQdcjDJVqHly0dQJWJhBLt4gJyXYRw_xqCZiHcIne3EQzJBRk23F7IRyhzTt7HMBS-fbI7-B0H0ReEjZ9zXfuK8cx8bHcIx/s1600/Chicken+coop.jpg"></a><br />March - Where did it go?<br />April - Still winter. Not much can be done. Plant seeds, plan and revise.<br />May - Flooring upstairs, Bathrooms (when we can finally get the bathtub out of the basement)<br />June - Paint house, yard, REPLACE Porch Roof!<br />July - Yard, etc. Kitchen? Maybe.<br />August - more yard work<br />September - trim work!<br /><br />I hate the idea of spending the next 2 decades working on this house and I really have no intention of letting things take that long, but to maintain peace I really can't expect or push things along as fast as I want them to happen. Ya' gotta go with the flow and work with what you have, right? Its the Alaskan way! Work like crazy all summer and then go crazy in the winter because you didn't get enough done last summer!<br /><br />What <span style="font-style: italic;">has</span> been happening around here?<br /><br />Over the last few weeks, Spring has been trying to break through the deep snow. The ice has been melting and sliding off our metal roof. Several times we have been woken by the slam of ice as it drops from the main roof to the porch roof a dozen feet below. One of these actually broke the supports for the porch roof! Not only did the enormous piece of ice break the extra bracing, it actually broke the original timber in 2 additional places!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYl3_MktEhgnLJvIxJYDCt26003KLGoJZbYlrRsSC4bySsP5n3JyYFn8kBdnKxEFo9MTJ-6fVjTq0jVe2hOmLiEAaTwBmpWRmy1TsSsRZR9nEu6lDV8XxegKJDvj-2NSJfHyvD6BqZ5nM/s1600/PICT0001-001.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYl3_MktEhgnLJvIxJYDCt26003KLGoJZbYlrRsSC4bySsP5n3JyYFn8kBdnKxEFo9MTJ-6fVjTq0jVe2hOmLiEAaTwBmpWRmy1TsSsRZR9nEu6lDV8XxegKJDvj-2NSJfHyvD6BqZ5nM/s320/PICT0001-001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729503526667082754" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3OPtLqkcVGgcM7Qwbb6SwAMWRqGJWP9TlgDnYLJKPBftlaocpQX4AfV1OpEy3JU3LzgF_WHqQxR_mGhbK3v1ez0wrskQMe6XOmq63Wn2IKz7UjJXkCEy68ESSATBEaK_hmtVCfSU_3zl/s1600/PICT0004-001.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3OPtLqkcVGgcM7Qwbb6SwAMWRqGJWP9TlgDnYLJKPBftlaocpQX4AfV1OpEy3JU3LzgF_WHqQxR_mGhbK3v1ez0wrskQMe6XOmq63Wn2IKz7UjJXkCEy68ESSATBEaK_hmtVCfSU_3zl/s320/PICT0004-001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729503541507852946" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcIOxlnQ6Air75MZT2S7KcWOD3IhEqsX6N5xj0XQQ5p67inS2vLDYbqDFZ0kEzOTryAwdv2u9fKBh-4ldauVIR8p2DNVjgw2u9Uca7Ep38IxIfnymmhYuLH7dAm9nA3CVgIQ0xiZGKK4M/s1600/PICT0003-001.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcIOxlnQ6Air75MZT2S7KcWOD3IhEqsX6N5xj0XQQ5p67inS2vLDYbqDFZ0kEzOTryAwdv2u9fKBh-4ldauVIR8p2DNVjgw2u9Uca7Ep38IxIfnymmhYuLH7dAm9nA3CVgIQ0xiZGKK4M/s320/PICT0003-001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729503528806859810" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />When we began the process of buying this house, we were told by the bank that the house was not financeable in its condition. The bank that owned the house gave us permission to do some minor repairs to get it up to the minimum standards. One of those repairs was the porch roof! Mr. Ireland braced the broken supports, it passed the inspection, and we put a new porch roof on our list for "not immediate but in the near future" repairs. We want a dormer over the steps and this year we really got a taste of how bad the steps are to navigate when there is ice constantly dropping in sheets onto them. Guess what project just got bumped to the top of the summer project list?<br /><br /><br />We also started our garden. Well, we started seeds for our garden. I don't think this will be enough food for our family for the winter, but it is a start. I have a feeling I will be annexing more of the back yard for a garden!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPz6arSopNRK1TbI3ku68KNWff7Ayq0qG5Bc8_bYoL__qzVezi7Lt5kWmiN6MOKxHlvXbD2aUh_w1Wk8ZeJy4ijuwR9ceIHNb1MMz3mf2J0B_sVJRlwYVWpVo9I7HaQ1KUQz2bkdPOzj7I/s1600/PICT0082.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPz6arSopNRK1TbI3ku68KNWff7Ayq0qG5Bc8_bYoL__qzVezi7Lt5kWmiN6MOKxHlvXbD2aUh_w1Wk8ZeJy4ijuwR9ceIHNb1MMz3mf2J0B_sVJRlwYVWpVo9I7HaQ1KUQz2bkdPOzj7I/s320/PICT0082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729503577025809986" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJH8vDMlSTVs4CE8GOQnBCxOPiIwzaxJ59gp4jOo3S0hzFB-IJbBwujj4ycI0JFK5m0Pd-y5uH3WQtmWXbPWC4AFpl36tlWRP1mBXwlq2G6ckEyRp8Pu1iGq-9Ypc2C_8zXiUjGXFBTnSB/s1600/PICT0080.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJH8vDMlSTVs4CE8GOQnBCxOPiIwzaxJ59gp4jOo3S0hzFB-IJbBwujj4ycI0JFK5m0Pd-y5uH3WQtmWXbPWC4AFpl36tlWRP1mBXwlq2G6ckEyRp8Pu1iGq-9Ypc2C_8zXiUjGXFBTnSB/s320/PICT0080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729503566925557026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />All the kids helped plant seeds!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Mr. Ireland finally found time to fix my car! I am so grateful to Mr. Ireland's brother, Mr. Ireland, for loaning me his vehicle for the last 2 months but I am very happy to be back in my van.<br /><br /><br />Are you ready for some <span style="font-weight: bold;">REALLY</span> bad line drawings?<br /><br />Most of my time has been spent looking around, planning and day dreaming. I have taken a few pictures of our yard, trying to catch the path of light around the property and thinking about the best locations for the next chicken coop and a greenhouse. I think I have a great place for the coop. I will be able to see my chickens from the kitchen window and I can walk out the kitchen door right to the gate, if I move the coop here. It will be nice to watch the chickens while I am doing the dishes. Moving the coop is a big job. I will have to do most of it myself, since Mr. Ireland is not what I would call an animal lover! He really wants nothing to do with the chickens. So its up to me to attempt to move this decaying structure. I figure I have nothing to lose! If it works, great! If not, well I was already going to have to build a new coop. I'm thinking the best time to try this is as soon as the ground is dry. Any volunteers?!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZ-uBWdY_i22szE6mZ1ARSitKAGKL3QsVUXDZIMYjINRLi7d-GeMCfztHuAr_R36L8p9BKAv-Y25N2SDCVbfIQr_lD9ar9sqZxkakHapWnSpBBUGpq6RXEMadeLt-t0yK-YHsrwBVOThu/s1600/PICT0040.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZ-uBWdY_i22szE6mZ1ARSitKAGKL3QsVUXDZIMYjINRLi7d-GeMCfztHuAr_R36L8p9BKAv-Y25N2SDCVbfIQr_lD9ar9sqZxkakHapWnSpBBUGpq6RXEMadeLt-t0yK-YHsrwBVOThu/s320/PICT0040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729505454179247570" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Eilf6t60u8fuPv96hGSrmvAZlRN-QaqkYumTrgNqro0iktQdcjDJVqHly0dQJWJhBLt4gJyXYRw_xqCZiHcIne3EQzJBRk23F7IRyhzTt7HMBS-fbI7-B0H0ReEjZ9zXfuK8cx8bHcIx/s1600/Chicken+coop.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Eilf6t60u8fuPv96hGSrmvAZlRN-QaqkYumTrgNqro0iktQdcjDJVqHly0dQJWJhBLt4gJyXYRw_xqCZiHcIne3EQzJBRk23F7IRyhzTt7HMBS-fbI7-B0H0ReEjZ9zXfuK8cx8bHcIx/s320/Chicken+coop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729505458707879778" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">That is the back deck in the bottom right corner. The back of the coop would face a very steep hill. It may have to sit up on stilts.</span></span><br /><br />As for a green house... Mr. Ireland wants a garage and I think I have convinced him to extend the roof line on the east side of his garage to make a green house. That will give it a mostly southern face and on our property that is where most of the light hits in the winter. This is pretty important to me because I have a handful of fruit trees growing in pots in my house that will eventually need a year round green house! I have a couple of avocados, banana, apricot and meyer lemon trees. The collection is only going to get bigger. If the green house is part of the garage, the space can be heated to keep my trees from dying! I think it is totally possible if we take out the island of trees next to our driveway.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNK09QWtysKEocKFwdt7HlzuLPbQKSv1aGWK9YMpPxc-GG0a2WtwG1e7TxwEI9Rt_3h_pfBKaIrh596s8lZAqlUykMeWftl603PcYFDmErGwsGYPmQNObP5fK4SfjJPeRg-XYDn7oNHGA/s1600/PICT0036.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNK09QWtysKEocKFwdt7HlzuLPbQKSv1aGWK9YMpPxc-GG0a2WtwG1e7TxwEI9Rt_3h_pfBKaIrh596s8lZAqlUykMeWftl603PcYFDmErGwsGYPmQNObP5fK4SfjJPeRg-XYDn7oNHGA/s320/PICT0036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729505440476358658" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIvTFvxSnkEBvZGStOBcQ79VcjwT5nUDwxFt_guPGbqFOGTdrsAlUjUGGBhcq1qzI71Bqkg9UeD2X_DuJW_lCr5rO1baPRgqungazx1WnbC1rj5-BfY259amkJlSEg_ZOm-0BRyqn1CD7/s1600/Garage+plan.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIvTFvxSnkEBvZGStOBcQ79VcjwT5nUDwxFt_guPGbqFOGTdrsAlUjUGGBhcq1qzI71Bqkg9UeD2X_DuJW_lCr5rO1baPRgqungazx1WnbC1rj5-BfY259amkJlSEg_ZOm-0BRyqn1CD7/s320/Garage+plan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729505450853348258" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">There's no sense in dreaming if you don't dream big, right?</span></span><br /><br />An acre in town sounds like a lot of land. It is and it isn't. A significant portion of the property is drive way and septic field and house. Does any one know if I can plant things on top of my septic leach field? I don't need to rototill, I can layer growing material on top. I'm thinking potatoes. I need to find more space for plants! Please feel free to share your thoughts on this :)Morhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045713631394250834noreply@blogger.com0