Our Personal Work Room

Earlier this year we tore up the carpet tiles in SpareOom - the "bonus" room that we have on the lower level at the back of the house. For a little while we were planning on putting flooring in that room with our income tax money this coming Spring (2010). After using the room for everything from power sanding to cutting to painting, though, I think we've reconsidered. It has been very handy to have our own personal workroom. The paint, the tools, the debris can hang out a bit... no one uses the room for anything else (except a little homeschool storage).

After taking the carpet tiles up, we bleach mopped the concrete.

The saw, of course, remains unplugged when not in use. So handy, though, to be able to break it out for just a half hour or so at a time.

It was such a gorgeous, sunny day when I took these photos. I really got excited about the great light in this room, and that's without the glass backdoor we plan on putting in... eventually :)

For now, though, it's perfect just as it is. No worries about getting trim paint on the floor. No concerns about scuffing anything or leaving messes out. I never thought I'd say it, but I'm actually glad we have these concrete floors right now! If you're working on similar projects, maybe there's someway you could use an extra bedroom or a screened porch this way. I think it's made it much easier to do a little here and a little there with a family.

Sam and Jacci - 3; Woods - 52

Do you remember last January when we payed some guys to cut & haul all of the honeysuckle off of the slope in the backyard? Since it was their off-season, they did the work in the cold and snowy mud for less than they would normally charge. Good deal for us. Getting rid of all that honeysuckle made us feel like we had won a small victory over our wild, overgrown woods.



We were right on both counts there. It was a victory, and it was small.

What would you imagine might happen to a long-neglected woodland edge that was finally freed from the brambly honeysuckle that covered it for... oh, I don't know... at least 20 years? Here's a hint: the slope was getting sunlight all spring long.

You got it! It was weed heaven.

Actually it was weed and thorny wild raspberry and sumac and grapevine heaven. We had moved in last December, so when things began to leaf out in the warm weather it was a real eye-opener. Not only was our slope totally over run with some serious vegetation, but we got a clear picture of exactly how densely our understory was jam packed full of honeysuckle. You couldn't see a thing down there all summer.

Finally, the honeysuckle and sumac leaves started to fall, and we could begin to devise a plan for our next stage of attack. One afternoon while the children played in the backyard, I took loppers to most of the sumac on the yard's edge. The pile seemed so little compared to the work I hade done, but it did at least make a difference in knocking out some of the vegetation that was slowly creeping closer to the back of the house.



Sam's mom and dad (Susan and David) were here last weekend, and he and David got out there and took care of some more of the slopey wildness. Sadly, that also meant taking down one of the little trees we had been hoping to save - one of my favorites, an American Sycamore. It's obvious that we're going to have to do some re-grading of that slope, though, and there was just no way to get around the small trees that have grown up there. Besides, I really want a clear view of the woods from the backdoor, so that (when our children can finally walk around down there) I'll be able to see them clearly from the house. The Sycamore was smack dab in the line of vision. Sam had been itchin' to fire up the chainsaw, anyway :)







So, then there was a felled tree in the backyard. Sam and I kind of looked at each other and said, "Now what?". Nice. Good planning, guys.



But, on Tuesday evening, Sam hacked away at the tree, combined the pieces with my sumac, and made smaller piles all over the yard. Then, he bundled 'em up and put them out front. I think next time we have a decent amount of wood, we'll try to advertise on freecyle - the wood isn't aged enough to burn this year and it's mostly too sizeable for kindling, but maybe someone could use it. Now that Sam has the 3' by 3' firepit dug (the largest city laws will allow in town), we can at least burn some of the smaller things Sam cut down earlier in the year. They've been down for a few months - wonder if they're still too green to burn well? Anyway - tree down. Another point for us :)

The woods are still whoopin' our tails, though. There's a whole lotta work that needs done. Good thing the trees have been so thoroughly enjoyable to look at this fall... it's beginning to feel like it's worth it.

Kitchen Update :)

It's still far from finished, but we are getting close to completing the first layer of our kitchen makeover. We can't really call it a remodel because nothing was torn out or replaced (except the hardware) - we're really just working with what we had. The cabinets were all in great shape, thankfully. The entire kitchen just needed to be made lighter and brighter. That was our goal for before winter, and I think we're there! :) Yay. Our own little testimony to the power of paint and perseverance.

The sun never really came out today like the weatherman had promised, so these photos aren't the greatest. You can definitely still see the difference, though :) Remember where we were starting from back in March? Here's where we are today:











What do you think? I think I'm very thankful that I won't be spending another long, gray Ohio winter in a Pumpkin Pie kitchen :) We're in this room so much everyday, it makes such a difference to have it light and... dare I say it?... pretty! Now, just about 3 to 5 more little projects until we call the first layer a wrap in here. It's been a loooong time in process (seven months feels long at least), but all of that sanding, priming, and painting has really been worth it.

After Sam put the last of the bin pulls on last night, I couldn't stop going back in the kitchen to look at it. I may have even danced a little in my glee :)

You Know The Drill

This is what we were up to on Wednesday night...

See those pulls? The character factor just got kicked up several notches in here :)

More soon...