Monday, October 26, 2020

Our First Weekend In East Texas

Hi, Friends, 
I hope you are well. 
We returned last night from our first weekend at the new house. 
We were at the house for less than 48 hours. 
I was supposed to head out alone on Friday morning. I had partially loaded the little car when I decided that I needed to back it in the driveway instead since it was raining. It literally hasn't rained in a month. I was happy it was finally raining but I was annoyed that it was raining, if that makes sense. 
The car wouldn't start. Bill had the car serviced about two weeks ago. They didn't check the battery terminals and they were all corroded. He was not happy. We dropped the car off at the shop. They serviced it and replaced the battery for free but it meant that we would ride out together as soon as he was finished with work. I'd lost a day of work. 
I had hoped to get the house and get some stuff done before he got there but it wasn't meant to be. 


   

We got to the house at about 8:00 that night. 
As soon as we had the truck unloaded, Bill began putting the bed together. 
I pushed furniture into place and started working on getting the kitchen cleaned and unpacked. 
I should have started cleaning the bathrooms and putting up shower curtains. 
By the time he finished with the bed, I had some kitchen drawers cleaned and lined and the coffee station was set up. Priorities. 
He was ready for a shower and they weren't ready. 
I fought with the weird shower curtain rods and got the new curtains hung up. 
It was almost 11:30 by the time he was finished and ready for bed.
I stayed up for two more hours working on the kitchen. 
We didn't sleep well - new place- new bed. 
I initially thought that I'd start painting the living room first but our room bothered me so much that as soon as I'd had my coffee, I began painting our room.  
The city house has nine foot ceilings which makes it hard to paint. The new house has lower ceilings and was a breeze to paint. 
I didn't have to worry about getting paint on the trim or ceilings because those will get painted soon. 
The floors are concrete and those will get flooring as soon as we can. 
I was done with the bedroom by lunch time. 


I already loved how our room looked. It motivated me to keep painting. 


I was driven to cover the tan and make the house look less yellow. 



While I was painting, Bill was trying to install new door locks so that everybody and their brother can't get into our house. The previous owner has a huge family. 
He ran into trouble. 
Instead of locks for two doors there was only one set and parts from one of the sets had been pilfered. 
He was not happy and knew that a Home Depot run was in his future. HD is 30 minutes away. Welcome to the country. 
While he was gone, I finished painting the living room and the dining nook. 
I started on the kitchen. 


I hate the backsplash. Oddly, we aren't bothered by the counter top. It looks like some sort of retro green. 
I finished painting the back wall and the oven side of the kitchen. 


It was when I started on the sink side of the kitchen that I decided to begin ripping off the backsplash and take down a bank of upper cabinets. 
It was about five o'clock in the afternoon at this point. I was tired but I was highly motivated. 
I couldn't find the right screw bit to take down the cabinet so I decided to wait for Bill. 
We pulled off the cabinets and I finished painting the wall. 
I need some sort of backsplash for behind the sink. I'll probably take some faux tin out this weekend and put it up until I decide what to do. 
The kitchen already feels more open. 
I styled it like Parisienne Farmgirl's peninsula.


My feet were killing me after a day of painting but I was thrilled that I got so much done. 
We went to be pretty early. I slept like a rock. 
The next morning, Bill was on light duty. He was driven to brighten up the house. He got us some over the counter lights and a new overhead fixture for the kitchen. He installed those and installed the light over the peninsula and dining room table. 


It has a primitive feel. It was only $7.50 but with that came challenges with the install. 
While he was working on those, I decided to tackle the elephant in the living room. 


We have talked about this fireplace more than anything else in the house. 
I was under the impression that it was a little electric heater but it's hooked up to propane. 
Bill wanted to tear it out but I was afraid that there are pipes behind the beadboard wall.  
I wanted to paint it to see how it would look. 
It took two tubes of caulk. 


It looks so much better. The mantel is too small but it will do for now. 
I styled it with a faux garland and some pinecones from the property. 
I need to hang the painting but ran out of time.  


When we decided to get this house, Bill was convinced it was the one. 
My sister asked me what I loved about it. 
I said, "Nothing." 
I said that I liked the kitchen, the view, and the screened in porch. 
This house is a testament to the power of paint because after just a few coats, I am in love with our bedroom. I hated our bedroom before. 
I love the kitchen too after just a few minor tweaks. 

Just a few more thoughts.
The house is bigger than I thought at 1400 square feet so we will need more furniture. 
The room can have a bigger dresser. The closet can fit a dresser too. 
I need a piece for the dining nook or the wall next to the fireplace. 
The luan door into our room is wider to accommodate a wheel chair. It looks odd and will need to be replaced at some point. I'll paint it until we can get a new door. 
The vanities are low for the same reason. Those need a fix too. 
The cottage in the back has no heat. They took the propane heater with them. 
They pilfered through a debris pile and took the metal siding that Bill needed it to repair a wall on the cottage. 
I thought the laundry room had a window. It does not so it is really dark and gloomy. 
Hopefully, we can put a window in it as some point. 
All in all, the projects are doable. 
The she shed is but a misty vision in my head as Bill has plans to turn the cottage into some sort of modern cabin. He already has plans for it. I'll be focused on the house for a while so that is fine by me. 
That is it for now. 
We didn't get much time to relax this weekend but we are well on our way to making this a cozy and restful retreat. 
I'll be back with more updates soon. 
Katie 


4 comments :

  1. It's looking great Katie, that fireplace is such a huge transformation. you had a great vision for it!! Amazing what white paint will do for a place! Have fun!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is already looing so much better with your beginning renovations. Enjoy the process!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You two absolutely blow me away. You're like some "do it in a weekend" HGTV show! And it looks just fabulous. Well done with the fireplace and all that paint. And love the kitchen and styling. I bow down in awe. You rock!

    ReplyDelete
  4. My, you’ve gotten so much done!!! It all is looking so much brighter and lighter. You two are amazing!!

    ReplyDelete