Come on up....

Beginning to think of the stairs & what to do....so many options....

In the long run, we will likely purchase a oriental runner and have it installed on the stairs to soften the noise & give some traction....but until the housepoor feeling lightens- paint will have to do!



July 2010- Before renovation.





Feb 2011- getting there.... I really miss that wall paper! :)-

 

This is actually dark navy blue, I like the actual real distress of these stairs...I picture ours will show some wear before long with new puppy feet!  The simplicity of this without a border at all is nice as well.




This was our original pic, which I still like...




I love the simplicity of this and how it draws your eye up.  The colors could work well also for us, I picture the outline to be deep, deep green and not black...



Also love the look of these numbers stenciled..and if you got sick of them...paint over 'em! easy change up!!



I can assure you we will not be painting them like this! Can you IMAGINE navigating your way down these stairs after 1 too many glasses of red wine!?  Or in the early a.m. hours, eyes half open!  oy!





2-14-11

2 things I have been anxious for...a threshold between old & new (where the addition connects) and the window in the living room to be completed (we added a second window on the back wall to add more light during the addition build out.)  Up-Country's Jeff made these things happen, well...close to- the threshold after 3 tries was perfect! Yay! No more draft from the basement blowing thru!  & the correct window was set in place & leveled ready to be framed tomorrow!  Thank goodness for the warm weather to allow us to get this done- perfectly timed!



There has been a "temporary" window set in place for the last 4 months letting quite a draft in all around the edges, I was quite excited to see...today the real window went in! Here's a pic of old out, new not quite in!  Wouldn't have wanted to do this on a 0 degree day!





Hi Jeff!....Now get back to work! We're not heating the outdoors!!!




window in place...trim to come tomorrow!



Scott was busy scraping...AGAIN!  It's amazing how filthy the stairs look now that all is painted surrounding it! (they have been washed- a number of times!!)

I've been caught painting!  What a surprise!!!

You may notice, the front entry shown above is a new color....I had begun painting this front entry as planned last week to match the side entry, Tahini, which is a yellow of sorts...however, after having about half complete I realized it was not the "right" color, it competed with the living room color, which we loved, and was just too much "color"!  My folks and Aunt Denise came over Sunday & had a picnic in the office with me, they helped me narrow down my choices for the new color...we unanimously chose "Hazy skies" by Ben Moore....it is amazing- perfect choice!  Thanks to the "picnic gang" the entry is now just the right color, and compliments the surrounding rooms!  (this is a "griege" as I call it- gray/beige)

before color...I'll add more after pics of finished color-soon!   Look to the left in this pic...in person the two colors were competing....and this yellow did nothing for the front door...

Yes, I sent Scott out to take advantage of the warm weather we had....40 I think today!  He managed to uncover our mailbox a bit more...I'm sure the kind mail lady will appreciate it!

Happy Valentine's Day 

Since it is indeed Valentine's Day, (a ridiculous day in my opinion)...however....I wanted to honor our chicken, Valentine, who Scott gave me a promise of last Valentine's Day...she is a Buff Orpington....& has the cutest butt in town! Here she is below today almost a year old now! (btw- no egg today from Valentine on Valentine's Day! WHAT!?)

Valentine is featured here...in the back.

This is our coop & run in the back....where our 7 chickens live (6 ladies...1 rooster!) Scott built this for me as part of V-Day promised gift last year as well!

xoxoxo 

"Properly Trained a Man can be Dog's best Friend."

A bit of a diversion from Vanilla Farm....new pics of 4week old Frannie & siblings! Looks like they are just getting cuter...and growing into all that skin a bit!

The most beautiful thing, an army of men arrived!

This morning a beautiful thing happened....a small army of men came & rescued me! 

Last night I was so very tired of painting...& felt I had all too much still to do....I knew our painter was coming today to paint the second coat in the kitchen and the trim in the kitchen which I was ever so thankful for...however I arrived to 5 painters who were going to work "1 full day and get as much done as they could"....hallelujah!  I was done being the hero, I was now the damsel in distress & ever so happy to be rescued!  Those amazing men painted for 6 or 7 hours straight far quicker than I ever could imagine- Scott & I just figured they did what would have taken me about 45 hours to do!  I have NO idea what they will cost me- but I am SO happy they came!  The house really looks great & so much is coming together now!

Here are some pics from today's progress:


A beautiful site.....lots of cars, means lots of people working!



don't jump Bill! (please note Dad, Bill has paint ALL OVER him too & he's a professional!)





This is Troy, he was my pal as we worked in the same room for most of the day....little talk, but a nice guy- and as I pointed in my "damsel in distress" mode,- "that window over there needs one more coat," he played the "hero" part well!





This window was quite intimidating to us...but this gent seemed not to bat an eye at it-wow!


So what were we doing while "they" were painting...well, I did paint quite a bit still, but I also got to wash the windows in the office- as the trim paint was dry & set for a couple days....now I not only washed the glass, I washed the vinyl window itself- wow- gross!  They were filthy...but nothing a Mr.Clean sponge, a scraper & windex couldn't handle!  WHAT an improvement- amazing!  (now we feel like everyone can see us! Blinds are next! :)-  )

the fact these windows were replaced sometime in the last 10 years is a blessing, & the fact they tip in is wonderful!

Its hard to appreciate in the pic, but the one on the right is filthy, left one has been cleaned! I think the past owners were perhaps smokers....the windows are covered w/ soot like black...


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I came across the pic below just yesterday & was blown away by how far we've come, and how quickly I have forgotten just how far we've come, and have grown impatient w/the process....this was a well timed reminder....

 

1-10-11 before pic

 

2-9-11 ready for furniture....



& one more.....

dining room 1-4-11

getting there...2-8-11

looking more like a finished dining room everyday! 2-9-11

To the dump we go!!!

May sound simple, but to those that know me...you'll understand...we took a large portion of the job site trash to the dump today & it was a wonderful feeling!  Bringing "stuff" to the dump & leaving w/ nothing has always felt very "cleansing" to me...it also brings sign of the evolution from job site to home.  We are indeed "getting close"!

Okay, so it wasn't quite this bad...but it felt like it!  & I wish I had that cool truck- 1 trip to the dump & we would be done!!

We worked diligently getting the nitty gritty done in the office....pics to come....the baseboard is complete in that room & the touch ups from caulking baseboard trim & the plasterer patchwork needed.

I will admit we do have a bit of a peeling issue in this room, where the paint actually peeled off the wall in one area-(about a 3' x 1' section) I at first thought we had painted too soon over wet plaster, however I now believe the plasterer did not do his mixing correct &/or let the plaster "set up" on the wall before troweling it & we did not "neutralize" the wall prior to priming, not knowing we should do a water/vinegar wash first....ahh gotta love google for the stuff the professionals don't bother telling you! Anyways- dealing w/it and hoping it keeps contained....learning the hard way is NOT FUN!


Pete arrived just as we were leaving...Scott gave him a hand finagling in the counter top....
Below are pics from the install (not screwed in yet!) of our counter tops surrounding our range...these are butcher block unlike the rest of the yellow pine counter tops & will be used as a regular prep/cutting area for us...we love the close proximity for this to the range & sink....

Painters coming tomorrow for 2nd & final coat on kitchen walls- & trim!  Tomorrow night- globes are going on the lamps in kitchen- OH BOY I AM EXCITED!!!!

ps. I'm going to be embarressed doing my amateur painting in the same house as these pros tomorrow!!

Getting there....

Our hope has been to complete our bedroom & have running water- and begin to truly make Vanilla Farm our home.  Our bedroom is very very close!  The floor primed last week...we got 2 coats of floor paint on it in the last couple days....baseboard prep & 1 coat of paint today.....on our way!

We are still waiting for the fabulous electrician, Steve, to finish electrical outlets and for the plumbers to move the heat register 90 degrees to another wall...a bit of touch up & furniture could be moved in to this room!

The floors upstairs were painted, well....painted around large rugs that must have been there at one time...Scott painstakingly tapped all the nails deeper in, sanded the floors where needed and vacuumed & vacuumed....
we ended up liking the grey/blue that was on the floor w/the wall color, and decided to try to match it!  We think it came out great- it is glossy here, 'cause it's wet still but has dried to a nice soft finish.

Pete & Scott setting the top countertop...we are waiting for brackets to arrive for the island to be secure....Pete has devised a cool cleat like system to hold the top of the non-working side in place...(Ali-see my dishwasher!) :)

we are CRAZY happy about the wood countertops- they are THE BEST!....other than the sink, which still has my heart! (sorry Scott!)

One day soon, this "tool mess" will be gone, and 4 bar stools will appear! Like MAGIC!

"You are suppose to be PAINTING Scott!!!"

 "I am." he replies.   ....oy vey!

Let me show you, this is how you paint!
God I look good, you'd never know I've been wearing this outfit 4 days a week to paint for a month...My father mentioned in passing yesterday, "you have paint all over you.".....really?! :)- that's so unusual!  I have begun yearning for the day I do not have to wear a "painting outfit", & have Alex Plus paintable caulk all over my hands!

 Scott couldn't help himself, he was excited to get out all of his rugs....they do look really great w/ the painted walls & refinished floors....he declared this his favorite room... (mostly 'cause its almost done!) I meanwhile am fingers deep in prepping baseboard....(old walls, straight baseboard lines)....& best a plasterer that didn't quite want to trowel down far enough to below the baseboard- FUN, FUN! (almost there- this room, our office too is quite close to complete!)