House Update: Catch Up-Walls, Floors, Cabinets, Countertops, Hinges

WOW. Whoops. Whoa. It's been a while and for that I'm sorry. A house update just hasn't been on the schedule. Caulking, filling, sanding, PAINTING, STAINING, installing, and everything else under the sun has been on the schedule. Plus my Macbook has been on the fritz and I've been mourning the whole situation. Something is up with my screen. Be it a lightbulb, a wiring issue, I'm not sure but either way I'm typing this to you my friend from a very dimly lit screen, ruining my eyesight.just.for.you. So you are welcome. Alright so I'm going to try to make this brief and catch you up as best as I can.

I don't have a shopping problem I promise. What I have is a house problem.

I ended up ordering...all? My lighting from Amazon. Oh, all but two pendents. I spend a lot of time in the recliner during nap time still and Amazon had so many great options and I saved a TON of money. This stack cost us around $200. That's a deal! All had great reviews and we are really liking them so far.

I plan to do a run down of most of our fixtures and new things once things have settled in. Just for your informational purposes and so you can know this type of project CAN be done on a budget.

This little one. Oh, she is a trooper. I love her, dusty feet and all. She helps, she plays, she helps, she whines, she watches, she eats. She's spent a little too much of her Spring inside for my liking, but thanks to Grandmas, Grandpas, Uncles, and friends she has gotten out and about.

Remember that patch? Well I got the pleasure of ripping that up and I felt a little like a 7 year old trying to do something adults do. But I got it figured out and Jerrel got to work feathering in pieces.
It took a day and a half to get it right.

I am so impressed though! He did spectacular. I'm really curious if there is something he CAN'T do. The internet and youtube has been our friend as well as a plethora of knowledge from family. But Jerrels' execution of the tasks is so incredible. 

Finally it came time to paint. I've been having a quite a few blocks in the decorating area. I think the blank canvas overwhelms me a little. I don't know where the inspiration for having a blue-green kitchen came from and honestly for a little while I thought I was going to have to repaint. It was much more color than I pictured and not really like anything I had pinned or saved...but I picked the paint color pictured. I was so confused. But as we have worked along I think I can live with it, make it work, and even enjoy it. 

Then came the floors. The glorious floors. 

All sanded down, the house smelled delicious. Woodsy and warm. They were perfect. They looked brand new. I didn't even notice the walls anymore.

And that patch? What patch? Hey Jerrel, you are awesome! Thanks to everyone who told us to just feather it in. Do it right the first time. Seems to be well worth the results. 

What a relief it was to have such a large clean surface. 

I mean seriously?! So very pretty. So they have been stained and are beautiful. I'll have to get another picture of them. They are covered up and a little dusty...again these days. Oh the joy of a remodel. 

My do it all husband got the rest of the hinges off the cabinets and designated me to be hinge cleaner. 

Let me get on my soapbox for a moment:

Take hardware off whatever you are painting. Just do it. It's lazy not to, it makes your project look shoddy. It also really torks people off, like me, when I have to spend hours of my day doing menial tasks like this only to uncover the most beautiful antique hardware that was WORTH taking off and enjoying in it's ORIGINAL STATE. Even if your hardware isn't old, just do the job right the first time. And if you have painted hardware take the time to clean it up. 

Stepping off soapbox. 

All I used was boiling water, a fine wire brush, toothbrush, and a wash cloth. I soaked the hinges in the boiling water for various times, anywhere from 1 hr to 12hr. It all just peeled off and I used the wire brush to get the rest. Really pretty easy. Just time consuming. 

My perfectionist father painted our four base cabinets and they turned out perfect! Duh. So next came our butcher block countertops. This is how DIY-ers steady the countertop for cutting. By sitting on one end.

Life skills. Valuable life skills. Love our crazy haired little helper.

And finally my sink. It's the IKEA farmhouse sink. My husband drove to Denver in a day for it. I told him that was frivolous and that I could just pick a different one. He said no. He rocks. Next time I chat with you I should have a mostly done kitchen. Which seems unbelievable.

So there you have it. The quick version of the last month or so. Jerrel says we are moving in soon. I say we need a couple more weeks. We will see who wins. Or who stays at the house. Alone. With the dog... Either way I've got packing to tend to so I'll leave you to your Friday. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Blessings!