Thursday, July 31, 2014

Around the farm...

Hi Everyone!  I have something a little different to share with you today....scenes from around the farm.  Things have been happening around the farm lately.  A couple of weeks ago they came and cut the grass for haying...
...and raked it...
...then came back a few days later and baled it....
 ...into large rectangular bales....
....and then of course they returned to pick them up as most of them had already been sold.  While this has been going on, I've been working not on my house...that's on hold for a while...I've been trying to get ready for an upcoming open house and the Clarinda Craft Carnival that I attend every year.  This year, it's the only Fair that I will be attending so I need to make sure it's a good one.  Remodeling the house this year was the priority so I didn't attend any other fairs and I wasn't able to have an open house this spring, but I'm working on having one this fall and definitely before Christmas!  Tomorrow I'll show you what else has been going on around the farm.  Thanks for stopping by.



Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Construction zone update, part 3....

Hi Everyone!  I know it's been a while but my nephew Quinton has been here for the last three weeks visiting so between spending time with him, working on orders, going to work and working on my kitchen, there just hasn't been enough time to do everything.  But I thought you'd like to see a couple of pictures of my kitchen shortly after I moved in back in 2004.  I tried to find some older pictures but none of them showed enough of the kitchen to get a good look at how it used to look.
 The stove was replaced in 2004 as was the wall paper border.
In this picture, back in 2004, I was in the process of removing the doors so I could paint them.  These cabinets were built and installed by my grandfather and his brother, they are built ins so I decided not to remove them.  I was afraid that the plaster walls behind them would crumble and I couldn't imagine the cost of replacing all those cabinets.  

I had my parents out this past weekend to see what I'd gotten done so far (I wanted them to be the first to see it) and now I can share that with you!....

..........And now for a look at what I've gotten done so far in the kitchen...........
So this is part of what I've been working on for the last five months.  I'm happy with how things are shaping up and so were my parents.  There's still a lot to do, but at least it's almost completely functional...the stove still needs to be hooked up.
I painted the cabinets (they had been red) and I cut out the bottom shelf of the right bottom cabinet to make room for the stove.   I still need to install the back splash, clean the chimney brick and replace the ceiling fan.
 I also need to finish the floor at the threshold, add supports and a narrow shelf under the cabinet that I shortened and remove the metal of the old back door that I replaced.  And then I can hook up the stove.
 I need to paint the divider next to the dishwasher and install the kick board under the cabinets and the tip out trays at the sink to hold scrubbers  (where fronts are missing at the sink).  I also need to cut down, paint and install the shutters that are sitting at the window above the sink.
I created the island.  The top is butcher block and the legs were created from half newel posts and the cabinet was saved from the landfill last year by my cousin's wife.  I still have some work to do on it.  The drawers need rebuilt/reinforced and the two doors (the large middle section) will be converted to drawers.  I need to build doors for the tall cabinet and shutters for the windows.  I need to paint the trim (the baseboards were painted before I installed the floor).
I'm picking up the new bar stools later today and I can hardly wait for them!
 The cabinet next to the back door is the pantry cupboard.  My nephew and I built it one afternoon while he was here.  I still need to paint the interior and build the door for it.
More trim and the door going upstairs need to be painted and maybe next year I can replace the old frig!  The doorway (left side of the picture) leads into the laundry room (which was the pantry).
One of my favorite things...the laundry room!  No more going to the basement to do the laundry!  I still need to paint the base cabinet that is between the dryer and the washer, paint and install the upper cabinets.
And I need to paint above the cabinets on the north wall and finish the trim in this room.
I still need to move all of my kitchen items back in and put knobs and pulls on the cabinets and drawers.  And I need to put in all the pretty stuff.  But I'm really happy with how things are turning out...and I'll eventually get all of these things completed.  I still have a lot of work to do in the bathroom and I'll show you that once I get some pictures taken of where I'm at now.  But that's a look at some of the things I've been up to for the last five months.  Thanks for stopping by!

Linking to:
http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/2014/07/catch-as-catch-can-172.html