Meg vs. Helping Out: My sister moved in!

Friday: Help my big sis move into her new place. Take them any of our food that will go bad while we are away along with some additional groceries.

We are very excited that my sister moved just 30 minutes away from us (it was previously a 7 hour drive, and we only saw each other once or twice a year). We headed up to their new place and we (ok, John) helped them unload their trailers. I took my camera, but of course forgot to take any pictures. Luckily my sis snapped this one of our kiddos enjoying dinner after the unloading was done.

We expect to be seeing lots and lots of these fun kiddos this summer!

Meg vs. The Bedrooms: Free Furniture!

Thursday: Pick up new furniture from our friend? Start packing for our vacation.

Check. Now to paint it and get it all in place (or at least get it out of the way until that is possible).

Meg vs. The Nursery: Painted dresser.

My apologies for dropping off the planet for a few days. There was really no reason for it, except I was in survival mode while John took his last exams of the year, and I also made the mistake of starting to read Anna Karenina. But I did my jobs! Here is the dresser after the first coat of paint (I forgot to take pictures after I primed).

I thought the brush lines would bother me a lot, but I actually kind of like the look. Here it is after the second coat. I may still put on a third before I finish it off. And of course tonight my husband is bringing home another whole furniture set that needs painting. Oh, the fun!

Monday: Prime the dresser! Do a quick sanding.

Tuesday: Paint the first coat on the dresser!

Wednesday: Paint the second coat on the dresser.

Meg vs. The Living Room: So far...

I am still trying to brainstorm some cute decor for our living rooms walls, and I realized I haven't really posted what I've done so far. The ceiling fan was the very first thing we did in the living room, and we tried to keep it consistent with the mission style fixtures throughout the living areas. But with all of the dark colors, we hope to lighten things up with our accent choices. My curtains came from a king-size sheet set, and the vase came from the dollar store and was painted inside with a free quart from Ace (if you're on Facebook and have an Ace Hardware nearby, keep on the lookout for their free quart Saturdays!). I filled the vase with branches cut from our back yard and stuck on some flowers and leaves cut out of my ever-growing paint chip collection.

Meg vs. Myself: Weekly Goals May 21-26

May 14-19 
Monday: Finish mixing soil in the side yard planter and plant the rest of the melon plants. Put away/cover new fire wood.

Tuesday: Finish cleaning and coating baby dresser with liquid sandpaper.

Wednesday: Hack away at the crazy rose tree and ivy in the front side yard. Re-fill that lovely green waste bin!

Thursday: Patch any remaining cracks and holes in the hallways.

Friday: Clean out the fridge. Scrub gunk off of the kitchen walls.

Saturday: Clean out front bathroom cabinet, take off doors (and magazine holder if possible) and brainstorm replacements.

May 21-26
Monday: Prime the dresser! Do a quick sanding.

Tuesday: Paint the first coat on the dresser!

Wednesday: Paint the second coat on the dresser

Thursday: Pick up new furniture from our friend? Start packing for our vacation.

Friday: Help my big sis move into her new place. Take them any of our food that will go bad while we are away along with some additional groceries.

Saturday:  Drive to Anaheim. Vacation time!

Meg vs. The Bathroom: Cabinet preliminaries and brainstorming

Saturday: Clean out front bathroom cabinet, take off doors (and magazine holder if possible) and brainstorm replacements.

I am not sure that I improved anything with this project, but at least I got it going. Here are my subjects before my interference:

Out-of-style cabinet doors. Sloppily, gloppily painted such that a makeover would be highly annoying.

Matching magazine rack. Kind of a fun idea, but not really our style (not to mention horribly painted and globbed onto the wall.

I was painstakingly going around trying to separate the rack from the wall with a screwdriver, when my husband suggested that he should just rip it off. I expressed my hesitations, he thought better, so I let him go for it.

 I told him he gets to fix the wall. Good thing he has the summer off!  =)

On to the cabinet. Here it is with the doors removed. Yikes!

And sans grimy contact paper...

I am kind of inclined to leave it open and re-do the inside. That seems to be in now, doesn't it?

Thoughts?

You can find the links to these fun photos on my Pinterest board, here.

Meg vs. The Little Annoyances: Holes, Cracks, and Spots

Thursday: Patch any remaining cracks and holes in the hallways.

Done except for a couple of larger cracks that go through both sides of the wall; I think I'll get an outside opinion before I tackle those...

Friday: Clean out the fridge. Scrub gunk off of the kitchen walls.

I should have cleaned out the fridge before we went grocery shopping; it is way too full and I am way too tired to finish tonight. But I did spend a decent amount of time scrubbing the walls around the stove. Yuck! It makes me more inclined to put in the time to install a backsplash. 

Meg vs. The Front Yard: Thorn control

Wednesday: Hack away at the crazy rose tree and ivy in the front side yard. Re-fill that lovely green waste bin!

I realize I am a day behind. It has been one of those weeks, and I am attempting to not beat myself up over it (and the miserable state in which the rest of my house is prone to wallow) and just go to sleep, trusting that taking care of myself will make things better in the long run.

P.S. I don't recommend letting your rose bushes go unattended for several years. They may go through a fence, climb a yucca tree, and entrap a nest of twigs, ivy, and trash within their thorny grasp. Just sayin'.

Meg vs. The Nursery Dresser: Liquid Sandpaper

Tuesday: Finish cleaning and coating baby dresser with liquid sandpaper.

As it turns out, the cleaning was significantly more difficult than the liquid sandpaper. That was due to the horrid tape that the previous owners used to hold the drawers shut when moving it. There was still a lot of residue left even though I had worked on it for a significant amount of time last week.

This is what I broke out to attack the goo one last time:

The dryer helped to soften up the adhesive, and I suppose it's obvious how the blade helped... It didn't end up perfect, but it was significantly better when I was done.

Next it was time for my Liquid Sander Deglosser! My other tools were: (1) rubber gloves, and (2) a holey sock.

It is so, so easy, and I have read good reviews on it. It took me about 5 minutes to coat the whole dresser and all of the drawers. In the photo you can just barely see that there is a little bit of a film left on the wood. It should be just enough to help my bonding primer to stick. More to come next week once I stock up on supplies!

Meg vs. The Back Yard: Garden #4

Monday: Finish mixing soil in the side yard planter and plant the rest of the melon plants. Put away/cover new fire wood.

I have got to do something more visually stimulating so it will be worth posting a picture on the blog! For now, here is a picture of our first strawberries of the season. In blurry, chubby toddler hands no less!

Meg vs. Myself: Weekly Goals May 14-19

May 7-12
Monday: Finish patch job in the hallway.

Tuesday: Weed, cut branches, and re-fill the yard waste bin. Get another planter ready for planting.

Wednesday: Pick up plant food, grout cleaner, and another can of stain. Apply second coat of stain to the rocking bench.

Thursday: Clean up the garage (again). Take a look at hardware on the dresser.

Friday: Apply waterproofer to the rocking bench.

Saturday: Pick up paint chips for the dresser. Start sanding/coat with liquid sandpaper. 


May 14-19 
Monday: Finish mixing soil in the side yard planter and plant the rest of the melon plants. Put away/cover new fire wood.

Tuesday: Finish cleaning and coating baby dresser with liquid sandpaper.

Wednesday: Hack away at the crazy rose tree and ivy in the front side yard. Re-fill that lovely green waste bin!

Thursday: Patch any remaining cracks and holes in the hallways.

Friday: Clean out the fridge. Scrub gunk off of the kitchen walls.

Saturday: Clean out front bathroom cabinet, take off doors (and magazine holder if possible) and brainstorm replacements.

Meg vs. Miscellany: Three days' catch-up.

Three days with no post! Things got crazy Thursday (I was only home for about an hour between 8am and 9pm), and I am still trying to get back on track. But I haven't forgotten my goals (even if I've neglected cooking and doing the dishes...)!

Thursday: Clean up the garage (again). Take a look at hardware on the dresser.

I wouldn't say the garage is clean, but you can actually walk from one end to the other again. Cleaning mostly consisted of breaking down tons of cardboard boxes leftover from project purchases and filling up the recycling bin.

I also fixed the hardware on the dresser for the nursery! It ended up being a 5-minute job that involved pounding the rails back into place with a hammer. Things like that make me feel silly for having put them off.

And added bonus: I found the electrical tape and finished our patch job on the chandelier wiring!

Friday: Apply waterproofer to the rocking bench.

I technically did this, in that I did a little more touching up on the bench, read the can of waterproofer, realized that my stain already has waterproofer in it, and then put everything away. Ha! The can says to check and potentially re-apply once a year, so we'll worry about it again next May.

Saturday: Pick up paint chips for the dresser. Start sanding/coat with liquid sandpaper. 

We found out Thursday that we are having another little boy, so the paint chips for the nursery dresser are the same selection I'll be choosing from for the big boys' room, since all of the bedding and accessories match for both. Now I just have to choose and get to work!

Meg vs. The Yard: Shopping and another coat on the bench

Wednesday: Pick up plant food, grout cleaner, and another can of stain. Apply second coat of stain to the rocking bench.

The boys helped me do the shopping this morning, and we even managed to pick up more soil for the garden, cat repellant (someone was digging in our garden last night and killed our healthiest pumpkin plant), and paint chips for the dresser for the boys' room (a friend is going to give us a set for free!). Then during nap time I did this:

I guessed on the stain color and it seemed to match pretty well. The bench is still not perfect, but I touched up a lot of spots I had missed in the dark and got most of the back of the bench, which I had left undone due to lack of stain. It's coming along, and I am happy that our porch is not looking so empty.

Meg vs. The Back Yard: More of the same, to infinity!

Tuesday: Weed, cut branches, and re-fill the yard waste bin. Get another planter ready for planting.

I did this as far as I could; I realized I was out of soil for the last above-ground planter, and all I had was Amend for the in-ground planters that aren't really close to ready yet. So I cleared a spot and set up the planter, and it's ready for dumping and planting. I'll add the mix to my shopping list for tomorrow.

The rest of my time was spent battling a gnarly rose tree at the end of the side yard. I think it is a normal rose bush that was left to itself for 30 years; it is crazy! Lots of dead growth and ivy, both living and dead, wrapped up with it. But the side yard is almost clear! Now to decide what to fill it back up with...

Meg vs. Lunch: Veggie quesadillas

My boys are a little picky when it comes to vegetables. Mr. 3-year old less so, but still mostly only eats them under force of threat or bribe. Mr. 18-month-old straight up refuses. Thus, I spend some effort trying to disguise said vegetables as, well, not vegetables. My (and their) favorite thing to do is to toss veggies into a quesadilla, since they are generally happy to eat most things that are doused in cheese and smooshed between two tortillas. Here are my weapons of choice:

Photo here.

Really tasty, no crazy ingredients, and not too pricey (though my mom knows I love it so she usually grabs me a jar periodically).

Photo here.

I love love love black beans! And this is my favorite canned version (I know, I need to make my own since it's cheaper and healthier, but this does the trick for now). Don't get the Target brand kind! Super gross.

Photo here.

I like it fresh, ripped into little pieces, and tossed on. But sometimes little brother recognizes it and picks it out/refuses to eat any more.

And

Photo here.

These are extra stealthy when grated and mixed in with the cheese.

Ta-da! I want to go eat another one right now!

Meg vs. The Hallway: Patch job done.

Monday: Finish patch job in the hallway.

Well, not exactly finished... it has to dry, then I'll sand it tomorrow. But basically done! I also patched a couple of small cracks and holes while I was at it. Yay!

Meg vs. Myself: Weekly Goals May 7-12

April 30-May 5
Monday: Sand the bench.

Tuesday: Clear more of the back yard, re-fill the green waste bin.

Wednesday: Spray paint the ugly mailbox.

Thursday: Pick up more stain and a protective coat. Start staining the bench.

Friday: Have the hubs help me replace the hook in the ceiling and re-hang the chandelier.

Saturday: Pull down peeling joint tape in the hallway and assess how to repair it. Start re-taping if it looks okay.

It took a little cramming, but I made it through the whole list this week! I have to admit that I have lost some enthusiasm for doing projects, but I keep reminding myself how much I want to have a house that feels like we actually live here at least semi-permanently. So hi-ho, hi-ho, another week we'll go.

May 7-12
Monday: Finish patch job in the hallway.

Tuesday: Weed, cut branches, and re-fill the yard waste bin. Get another planter ready for planting.

Wednesday: Pick up plant food, grout cleaner, and another can of stain. Apply second coat of stain to the rocking bench.

Thursday: Clean up the garage (again). Take a look at hardware on the dresser.

Friday: Apply waterproofer to the rocking bench.

Saturday: Pick up paint chips for the dresser. Start sanding/coat with liquid sandpaper.

Meg vs. The Inside & Out: More rocking bench plus hallway repairs

Thursday: Pick up more stain and a protective coat. Start staining the bench.


I am officially caught up for the week! I used every drop of stain in my tiny little can, and I think I got all of the visible parts. Though I won't be sure until morning (I have to do all these things at night, you know. The day was spent mowing the lawn, gardening, cleaning, and distracting little boys). Here it is!

It isn't the picture of beauty, but it is coming along nicely. I may go pick up another little can to do a second coat, or just call it good and top it off with some weatherproofing finish. (Probably the latter.) And if I get really fancy I'll make cute cushion for it, but that may be pushing our luck a little far, particularly because we still haven't picked exterior paint colors.

Saturday: Pull down peeling joint tape in the hallway and assess how to repair it. Start re-taping if it looks okay. 

This job took all of about five minutes. Here is the problem:

All the joint tape was coming up and the plaster coming down. So I grabbed some of this...

 ...pulled down the old tape, scraped off the rough plaster edges a bit, and slapped some tape up there. Since it is clear fiberglass mesh, you really can't see it in the picture. But it is there, just waiting to be slathered in joint compound. Alas, that will have to wait until next week.

I must be big time now...

...because I just saw a Mitt Romney ad on my blog. I am clearly a highly influential political power.

Although I am not sure what the Ashley Furniture ad means.  Hee hee.

Meg vs. The Dining Room: New Ceiling Hook

Thursday: Pick up more stain and a protective coat. Start staining the bench.

I have been a serious space cadet; so much so that I completely forgot that I had a doctor's appointment this morning until we were at a birthday party in the evening. I guess I'll have to call in and reschedule on Monday... Oh, also, I'll have to catch up on the bench =). They couldn't match my sample or tell me what color it was, but I think I can venture a pretty good guess after looking at the varieties.

Friday: Have the hubs help me replace the hook in the ceiling and re-hang the chandelier.

I actually got brave and replaced the ceiling hook by myself! If you recall, our chandelier came crashing down amidst our birthday celebrations last week. This was the culprit:

First I unscrewed the old hook.

Next I got some pliers and unscrewed the old post. The bracket above will just be lost in the dark wilderness that is the attic I suppose.

Then I pulled out this heavier-duty bad-boy that I picked up last week.

After looking at the instructions, it seemed almost insulting to say that I needed John to help. So I just went ahead and did it.

To be honest, it made me a little nervous that it only had picture instructions, but when I took a look at the mechanism it made sense. Here is my handy hook!

And the chandelier, back where it belongs. I still need to pick up some electrical tape to fix the wiring before we can use it, but at least it's not half-sitting half-dangling on the table anymore!

Meg vs. The Mailbox: 5 minute paint job

Wednesday: Spray paint the ugly mailbox.

The hardest part about this project was finding the can of paint I purchased for it months ago. I never did, so I had to wait until the car was available and go buy another one. (Thus the "after" picture was taken at night). Good thing it was only 99 cents! I topped it off with a coat of spray lacquer that I already had for another project; I think it helped make it look more finished, but we'll see the real result in the light of the morning. Regardless, it is much less noticeably hideous than it was before, and saves us from paying twenty times more for a new one.

Meg vs. The Backyard: Someday I will be done clearing, but not today.

Tuesday: Clear more of the back yard, re-fill the green waste bin.

Check! I could pack down the foliage and add in some more during the week if I'm up to it. Weeding days to not make for very exciting reading material.