Tag Archives: home decor

January Cure More on the Laundry Room Project

14 Wednesday Jan 2015

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I have now spent more time in my laundry room in the past six days than I have in 10 years. So has John. We have, in fact very probably spent more time in that laundry room in six days than it took our 12 pack a day builder to build it. I have definitely spent more time in the closet in the past six days than in the past 10 years. It was dark and it was scary and if there had been any other place in the house to keep a 25lb bag of dachshund kibble I wouldn’t have opened those doors at all. I had to move all of my newly purged and organized stuff back out of the laundry room, which meant it landed once again on my newly cleaned and pristine kitchen. Each time I have to shuffle stuff out of there I end up purging more simply because I don’t want to have to move it back. “Do I really need bleach?” “Do I really need floor cleaner? Not like anything works on it anyway. I’m pitching it.” The dachshunds did step in and prevent me from tossing that 25 lb bag of kibble but I’m still wondering if I really need to drink water because gawd am I tired of lugging THAT stuff from one room to the other.

helpfuldogsThe dastardly dachshund duo came in to help shuffle all the stuff to the kitchen.

Once all the stuff was shuffled out of the way, I measured the floor space in the closet, height of the kibble bag container, height of two stacked cases of water, and the height of my tallest appliance in order to arrive at the size table we needed. One thing that irks me about 2 x 4s is that they’re not really 2 x 4. They’re 3.5 x 1.5. Only guys would think this is reasonable. Me, I’m thinking if I’m paying for that width and depth I should damned well get that width and depth. So, when I’m measuring how deep this table needs to be for maximum storage in the space available, I have to take this .5 for each board into account. This is not as much of a problem as it once was because I have actually learned to take that .5 into account. But it’d be a heck of a lot easier if I didn’t have to. The only possible explanation for the discrepancy is that most guys are just used to adding at least half an inch to their actual measurements, unless they’re talking waistline.

While the dachshunds and I shuffled stuff out of the way and I planned out the length, depth and height of the table, listed the cuts (the doxies are no good with measurements) and the assembly instructions, John was busily taking apart the day bed we’d built. He even managed to salvage all the screws. He was able to start the cuts immediately while I handled the painting.

paintingwallThe dachshunds were positively no help at all with this and landed themselves in jail.

dogjailJohn built the frame for the table using pocket holes. Because we wanted to maximize the storage space of the table top we pretty much knew the table couldn’t be moved in once it was completed. The frame would easily fit but there would be too much overhang on each end. I’m not planning to move this table out. It’s there for the duration of my life. So John added the top boards once the frame was in place in the closet.

buildingtableJohn attaching legs and side supports to front and back supports.

Once the table was built, I painted it and shuffled the stuff back from the kitchen to the closet shelves, with more than one “Oh God don’t let this kill me” as I lugged cases of bottled water.

laundrytableshelves1When I go back in to paint the shelves a nice clean white, I won’t have to lug everything to the kitchen again. I can just set it temporarily on that nice table.

laundrytableunderneathPlease notice that the bleach and the crate of floor cleaners has mysteriously vanished. The bleach is in the garage should I ever decide to tie-dye a massive drop cloth again. The floor cleaners are hopefully busy killing some weeds along the horse fence.

The table looks so nice in there I hate to cover it up with my small appliances. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to get them in the pantry and can use the table for something really cool like folding clothes before they leave the laundry room so they don’t end up in a mountain on the foot of my bed.

Now I just need to figure out workable shelves that I can reach over the washer and dryer, paint the rest of the laundry room, repair the scratches in the exterior door from that sliding door incident, and come up with a landing strip of some sort so I can stop losing my keys.

January Cure assignment Work on Project

14 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Home and other Repairs, Home Decor, January Cure, Wood Crafts

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laundrypurge2The blank pallet we’ll begin to fill today.

John is off today so we’re going to see just how fast we can get some major building done in the laundry room before he leaves to meet his Juggling Club in the park tonight. There are two big things I’d like to accomplish today.

We’d built a Day Bed early on in our building spree last spring. Actually, it the plan called it a simple modern sofa but it’s so huge it’s actually a Day Bed. I’ve no use for a Day Bed. I also don’t want to waste all that wood. So today will be spent taking apart the Day Bed and turning it into a narrow table that will fit in the laundry closet. My original plan was to turn it into a small table for the front porch, but that will have to wait. A table for the porch is just fun and decorative, while a place to hold small appliances is urgent.

sofafinishedThe Day Bed we will be deconstructing today.

Yesterday I’d picked up a bunch of inexpensive wooden crates to store cleansers that I don’t need on a daily basis, extra sponges, light bulbs and small repair supplies. With the supplies neatly corralled and easily removed, and while John is taking apart that Day Bed, I’ll be painting the laundry closet.

If y’all have kept up with other parts of my blog and have seen the patio furniture and other items we’ve built, you’ll know I love rustic. The all black, white, grey IKEA spartan look is just not me. I’m a Hobbit. So, the narrow table we’ll be building for the laundry closet will be painted to look old, much like we did our patio tables.

patiotriumphThe rustic look patio tables we built will be the look for the laundry table.

While John is deconstructing the Day Bed, I’ll whip up a cut list for the table so that he can go straight from deconstructing to constructing. I don’t have a ready made plan for this, but we built so much furniture last summer to fill the patio and backyard, that I’m confident I can do this.

We have a fairly limited amount of time, less than 8 hours, and two overly helpful dachshunds, so I’d best get out and get the ponies fed so we can get started! Time to crank up the Ride of the Valkyries, yes, to eleven.

 

January Cure Get Together and 3 Minute Surface Sweep

13 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by in General Farm Stuff, Home and other Repairs, Home Decor, January Cure

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Yesterday’s assignment was to plan an end of the month Get Together in our newly cleaned and organized home. I do love having people over, but I’m afraid this month is out of the question. Also, Ren Fest begins the 7th of February here and those who know me, know that John and I will be there. The last weekend of January I seriously need to have a gigantic yard sale to get rid of all the stuff piled in the Out Box/Room and which is taking up a good 1/3 of the garage and which has spilled over into the barn.

Thus, rather than spend time thinking about a Get Together, I got together with my measuring tape and my laundry room project. I had to measure the width, depth, and height of the existing shelves, measure the tallest of the small appliances I’d like to store in there, calculate where to place a new shelf to accommodate the appliances, measure up from the floor to be sure there would be enough room for the bag of dastardly dachshund chow, and begin to ponder things like paint colors, and drop zone storage.

Today’s assignment was a timed three to ten minute rapid sweep of one surface. Going after that one area as if the in-laws had just that moment called from up the road and I had three to five minutes before they knocked. We’re talking bust butt frantic here. Not just frantic stuffing things into the pantry, which is why my pantry looked that way before the purge, but grabbing stuff and actually putting it where it belonged.

deskbeforeMy desk was the chosen victim because it butts up against the kitchen island and people entering the front door see it before they see that nice sparkling clean kitchen (yes, it still sparkles). I set the stove timer. I don’t even know if my “smart” phone has a timer, but I do know I’m not smart enough to find it if it does. I went old school and pressed the start button.

Grabbing stuff willy nilly and stuffing it into the kangaroo pouch I’d formed in the hem of my sweatshirt. I grabbed car keys, sunglasses an empty coke can, candy wrappers, old mail, chargers, charger cables, laptop cleaner, laptop duster, and ran around the house frantically placing things in their designated areas. Back to the desk I picked up random paperclips, pens, pen tops, note pads, and pocketed loose change. Paperclips went back in their box, pen caps went on pens and pens went in the pen basket. Everything else was placed on the kitchen island while I grabbed a damp rag and wiped clean the desk and laptop. Rag was tossed in the washing machine, the stuff I’d dumped on the island was neatly placed back on the desk. DONE! Five minutes. I could hold off the in-laws for an extra moment by yelling “Coming! Just let me get the dachshund sword!” This would give them something to contemplate until I got to the door.

deskafter

January Cure Kitchen DONE!

11 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by in General Farm Stuff, Home and other Repairs, Home Decor, January Cure

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gleamingstainlessCranking up the amplifiers to ELEVEN and singing WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! HooooooRAH and all that jazz. I’d be moon walking and hopping up and down if my back would bend anymore. How about I lay on the sofa and imagine myself doing those things? Sounds good. Notice the little white rice cooker for my celebratory roast beef supper tonight is the only thing out of place in this room now. I’d shake a pom-pom but I don’t think my shoulders move any more either.

Notice the gleam on that stainless? I learned this trick when we lived in town. Our neighbor was a janitor at the elementary school and he noticed us scrubbing windows one day. He gave us his secret for cleaning school windows, bathroom mirrors, stainless appliances, etc. Got a pencil and paper? It’s pretty involved. Wet a washrag, take some dish detergent, draw a smiley face in a very thin stream of detergent on the wet rag, scrub the surface, wipe or squeegie dry. No need to rinse, just wipe dry. That’s it, okay I added the part about drawing the smiley face. Moving on.

longview1Long view of my dazzlingly clean and uncluttered kitchen. John even climbed up on the counters and deep cleaned the grucky no-woman’s land known as the pot shelf.

myviewThis is now the lovely view from my desk.  LOOK I finally had space to put flowers other than atop the washing machine. There are a ton of things in the dishwasher from the cabinet purge that will soon be headed to the garage sale pile. I was actually able to put some small appliances in the cabinets where I can access them easily.

The laundry room project I chose for the month is on track. I’ve pared down most of it and will come up with a plan for neat and functional storage. Right now it’s functionally grouped on the shelves waiting for whatever I decide on for storage containers. For now, here’s what it looks like.

laundryshelvesI almost wish I’d had the courage to take a before picture but I didn’t want to break into the vodka. It would have taken a serious drunk to show y’all that. Suffice to say, I only opened those sliding doors enough to reach in and get the dastardly dachshund duo their kibble. Now the doors are gone and I DON’T CARE! I’m free of the fear that someone will open those doors and see the horror.  Even better things are coming for this room between other Cure assignments.

January Cure assignment Flowers and Kitchen

10 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by in General Farm Stuff, Home and other Repairs, Home Decor, January Cure, Uncategorized

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laundrypurge1After Laundry Purge

This weekend’s assignment is to buy flowers. This is a great idea and I understand the concept, but at this point unless I plop them on top of the washing machine they are impractical. Obviously, I need to go ahead and print out the entire January Cure schedule so I don’t do things like decide my big project will be gutting the laundry room the day before I’m supposed to deep clean the kitchen <cough>.

laundrypurge2Laundry Closet Purged

There were small appliances, beaucoup light bulbs, cleansers, sponge mop heads from mops long gone, vacuum bags, dog grooming supplies, and tons of miscellaneous gleefus accumulated here for lack of a better place to put it. I purged the heck out of this room. Filled the dumpster for the first time ever. The purging of the laundry room was a resounding success. However, all the leftover stuff had to land somewhere while I was cleaning those near empty shelves. That place was every available space on already cluttered kitchen counters.  I have, thus, doubled the work for myself in the weekend project of getting rid of kitchen clutter and deep cleaning the kitchen. ARGH!

kitchenclutter1kitchnclutter2

Before I get started, let me tell you an amusing story about that laundry purge. Notice in the photo of the closet shelves, that there are no longer any sliding doors. John removed them for me. The space is tiny. The door into the house had to be closed while he removed the sliding doors and took them, one at a time, outside to the barn. I was in the house. I did not realize he had leaned one of the sliding doors against the interior door so that he could open the outer door. I opened the interior door to take a peek at his progress which, of course, caused the sliding door to begin to fall. I did mention how tiny this space is right? This space is, in fact, shorter than a door. I made a desperate grab to catch the falling door, missed, the sliding door hit the exterior door slamming the interior door against my arm and pinning me to the door like a rabbit in a snare. Thankfully, my cell phone was in my pocket and I had the presence of mind to grab it and call John before he got back from the barn and tried to open the exterior door. Unfortunately, his cell phone was not in his pocket and it began ringing uselessly about 15 feet away from me in the bear trap. In desperation I pulled, twisted, maneuvered, pulled, twisted and maneuvered my arm out of the door (thank god fat can be manipulated and there’s an argument for having that piece of pie). The problem of a possibly amputated arm became how now to get into the laundry room.

The thought of just building a new laundry facility and a new wheelchair ramp, oh I dunno, out a window somewhere, occurred. I’m seriously contemplating removing the interior door and adding a sliding barn door there anyway, so my second thought was “Just get the damned Jigsaw and we’ll cut the interior door out of here now and be done”. John, thank god my kids grew up watching MacGyver, found a steel rod, bent it into a Z, managed to open the exterior door enough to stick the rod through, catch hold of the lodged door and lift it up out of the way and got it out of there. That process typed out much quicker and easier than it actually took, but he got it done and we were back in business.

This is amusing now because A. I didn’t lose an arm and B. didn’t give the local fire department an interesting story to tell news crews. My grand plans for being Donna Reed once again thwarted by my inner Lucille Ball.

Okay, now to get back to the Cure. John just left for work so I promise not to try anything remotely lethal until he gets home.