Accomplishments

What a great weekend! We went to see Fleetwood Mac on Friday night in Calgary, they were as good as you'd think they would be. Classic Rock Band. I am so glad we drove down to see them. We just about skipped out and stayed at home. The weather was so good, we just wanted to be home to get some things accomplished. 

We decided to make the trip to Edmonton go farer and we headed home instead of staying to visit with family. As much as I wanted to visit, I also needed to be home to get some jobs accomplished. 

One of those jobs is our lawn. It is a sad, sad, sad sight. I think lawn is an understatement, it's more like a patch of dried dirt and dandelion. We are the eye sore of this neighbourhood. We're working on it but it's slow going. 

We drove home Saturday and arrived late but that didn't stop us on Sunday. We divided and conquered two major jobs that needed completing. Darcy worked on the railing on our front porch and I worked on over seeding the lawn. Both were big jobs. 

I think this photo gives you a pretty good idea of what the front porch and the lawn looked like on our first day. 

Oh my! It was in very rough shape. 

This was taken a week ago as our roof was being replaced. The cedar shakes smell delightful when it rains. 

You can see by the next two photos how badly the lawn needs to be attended too. 

This was today as Darcy was building the railings. It's just about done. 

I've over seeded the lawn with dirt, peat moss, sand and seed. Now we just need to water, water, water or maybe some rain would help our cause. 

The front porch all painted and ready to enjoy. I can't wait to sit out here during the summer months and read and maybe even have myself a margarita.  

I think I'm in love. 

The not complete but looking WAY BETTER photo. 

Here are the before and current photos again. 

Before

During/Current

Raise Me Up

The new roof is going to look amazing. I wish it would stay this colour but cedar fads over time. Can't wait to see what it looks like completed.

No You Didn't...

Oh yes I did!!!! 

And it's not what you think...

I decided it was time to clean our cream sectional sofa. In our old house it sat downstairs and wasn't used very often. It got the occasional vacuum and cleaning but it didn't get the wear and tear it gets now. Plus it was upstairs while we were tearing out flooring and the dust was getting ground in. 

I've cleaned it many times before with a carpet cleaner and then with my Bissell Green machine. But I'd used upholstery cleaner. I'm trying to go chemical free and found a recipe I thought would work in the machine. 

I mixed 2 parts warm water with 1 part vinegar and 1 part hydrogen peroxide and went to work cleaning. I was having some problems with the Bissell sprayer, why I'm still not sure. So I proceeded to take out my vinegar and water, spray away and then vacuum up the excess water. Didn't really think this would do anything other than clean, well was I wrong. I finished and left it to dry while we went out looking for tile for our bathroom, the buttons rusted and seeped through. 

Gross! But I was pleased with the amount of dirt that was removed but the end result, not so much.

APPARENTLY! I didn't pay much attention in chemistry class and didn't realize the vinegar reacted with the metal in the button. The area where I'd sprayed the vinegar and water was the worst. Yes, I had wrecked my nice cream couch. Darcy was calmer than I expected, thank goodness and searched Google for a way to solve the situation. I love Google. 

This one doesn't really show the extent of the damage I caused. 

When I look at these photos the couch still looks dirty :(

Luckily, we found out that lemon juice will neutralize the acid of the vinegar and the salt will work to remove the stain. 

I tried it on a couple of places and it was seeming to work. The hydrogen peroxide did not work, it removed some of the rust stains but not all. I'm sorry I didn't take a photo but I was way to worried about this to even think about doing a post. It was after the fact when I had was putting on the lemon juice and salt where I even thought to take photos. 

I let that sit for about an hour or two and then vacuumed up the salt. It had worked, well at least it was better than the brownish rust stains. The only thing the lemon juice and salt did was to bleach or clean the area around the button more than the couch had already been cleaned. You'll see a little bit of brighter fabric around the button area if you look real hard. I know it's there but others might not. Like I said, it was WAY better. 

Here you can see the little white areas around the buttons. Not at big deal. I'm sure they will eventually blend into the rest of the couch. Or maybe I'll try using lemon juice next time. Kidding...

Final product. I'm happy to see the lightened areas around the buttons rather than the dark rust stains. Next, I think I'll rearrange the room. Come back to visit to see if I change it or leave it this way. 

Beautiful Day

It is FINALLY a beautiful day here I Grande Prairie. No wind and sunny sky. This is what I got to wake up to today. I love having flowers by my bed. Waking up to these lovelies helps to brighten your day and lift your spirits.
Do any of you put flowers by your bed?

Done Like Dinner

It has been a very busy and productive weekend. We completed the baseboards in the kitchen and hung up our new blinds. We needed to wait to do this because the inside window frames needed to be painted. It was worth the wait. 

Here's what the window and wall looked like when we moved in. 

Hideous I know. Here's during and what the finished area looks like now. 

It's calming and done. Another area crossed off our large list. It's sure come a long way from the day we got it. 

Eat Me Up

Sorry but I went on vacation from the house, work and the snow. But while I was away I fouls the letters I was looking for. It was a spur of the moment shopping trip with my mom and her friend. We had been going from shop to shop and then we entered Hobby Lobby. Well, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
I couldn't believe all of the cute things I could have bought for our house. Luckily, I stopped at the letters and a cute sign for the laundry. I actually had to stop because I needed to get shoes and clothes home. It took some rearranging but it all fit. I finally got some time to hang the letters. Here is what they look like. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out.

The END is near

I can't contain my excitement any longer. The flooring is 85% complete but the hardest part is done. This is was the hardest part:

There were many angles to deal with and it sat this way for quite awhile until about 3 weeks ago when Darcy began working on this area again. Yes, Darcy has done the floor because the company we hired to come out and do it cancelled on us THREE times. Finally we gave up and started it ourselves. 

Here's where we started...

Yes, the first four rows are down. 

More is getting completed. I'm sure you get the just of it so I won't show you anymore photos but Darcy should be very proud of himself for tackling such a project. We would have gladly had the company come in and do the work but when you cancel three times on us and the last time, you don't even bother to call us to tell us the installers won't be coming. Well, I think that's unacceptable and you don't deserve our business. 

Darcy finished the hallway, the most difficult part, I might add. Many naysayers said he couldn't do it and some said, yes, he could. He's proven to himself that he's capable of doing a job like this. He should be very proud of himself. He's never laid hardwood before but I would hire him. It's been a long  haul but the end is near. He's got the mudroom and the stair nose to do yet. 

Today the baseboards even went up which helps to finish the hallway off. It looks amazing!!!

Here's the finished product. AMAZING!!! 

The boxes are in place because the glue has to set. The baseboards are not quite complete. Are you ready for the final reveal....?

Looking down the hallway as you enter the house. The white post will be painted the same color as the railing. I can't wait to get this project complete. Next week, I'll share what that's going to look like. 

Our entry way.

Heading to the bedrooms.

Looking to the front door. This door will be painted the same color as the railing. 

That's Phoenix basking in the sun ray in our kitchen. He very rarely stays still and to have the camera pointed at him, I wish I'd had my telephoto lens on to get that cute expression. 

Oh, isn't it lovely. I'm so happy, vacuuming was so much easier with it all complete. Nice and clean. 

You'll see the ugly flooring in the bathroom off to the left. This will be our next big job to tackle but not for a time being. 

WAY TO GO D!!!