DD's room got a face lift too....

DD lives at her own place but still stays over occasionally. I got rid of her decorations and decided to make the room more of a guest room. I moved the bed to a different wall and got a great deal on the bedding at TJ Max....$59 for 17 pieces...including the deocrative pillows and two sets of 400 count sheets...not bad.

We picke up a dresser at IKEA and added a glass to the top. Now I still have to do something over the bed but another winter project...and yes...I have to get rid of the fax machine....we don't even have a land line...LOL...anyone need a fax machine?

stairs...lazy S

Here is the view of the new floors from coming up the stairs...the "lazy S" curve, and down the steps at the entry way...I like how the curve mimics the area rug we have in the LR.

down stairs project

OK, I am a glutten for punishment but...it turned out nice I think. I decided to add a chair rail down stairs in the hall above the new wood floors...and I painted the wall below the rail...red...took one coat of pink primer and 4 coats of red to cover...but it really does add some zip to that area.

For those who are curious...straight ahead is Dalla's office...(going clockwise) is the garage, my art room to the right of the red wall, behind me is the spare bath and DD's bedroom, I am standing in the lower level all purpose room...(poker, treadmill, TV extra gathering room) and then the laundry room, and the hall that goes up stairs...
I think the wall makes the hall look wider and brighter.

Kitchen 98% finished.

The workmen are gone...the floors are in, the tile back splash is done, and I have my curtains up. I finished making the burgandy valance for the sliding glass door today and got it up too. It looks better than I had anticipated and "feels" very comfy. Dallas also installed rope lights for above the cabinets and I found some light switch plates at the home center that seem to match the back splash perfectly.
I still have a table runner and chair covers to make...but can do that this winter.

remodel updates and citizen's police academy class #3

The floor installers arrived on Tuesday. The guy who had been ill was actually in the ER to be treated for a spider bite that he had ignored for 4 days until his had became swollen and numb and the bite had to be opened and packed. I felt pretty small for thinking that they were making it all up. There were 3 in the crew...the boss and two helpers. All the carpet and padding was removed in less than an hour and the first course of flooring was laid and glued and nailed....Dust is everywhere. Wednesday...the boss didn't show but the helpers did. They think he had food poisoning from the evening before. So the workers continued the job...taking cigarette breaks about every 15 minutes...fortunately I am paying by the job, not the day. they finished 3/4ths of the kitchen. Today, the main boss was back with them and when he saw one of the cut out pieces next to a cabinet...he said it was not close enough and had to rip out almost 25 boards (this involved using a chisel and lots of elbow greece) because it did not meet his standards and he stands by his reputation of being the best in town. There were no raised voices that I could tell but the tension between him and the worker who cut and installed the piece was very evident....no one was saying a word and all were walking on egg shells around him. I don't like people not getting along and I thanked him for caring enough to make sure the job looked right but also tried to tell him the other guy did try to cut the piece correctly and had re cut it at least 3 times that I myself had witnessed. So with having to rip out half of what they did yesterday and not being here on Monday...has put them behind schedule by almost 2 full days and it looks like they will be here all next week too.... my house is dust city!!! My throat is so dry and scratchy from breathing in saw dust and since they leave the patio door open to go use the saws....flys wasps and other flying insects have moved into my house.

yesterday after they left...I killed the same wasp...3 times...!!! I swatted it and went to get a paper towel to clean it up and when I got back...it was gone... then I saw it and swatted it again ...and again.... I almost gave up and wished it could find its way back outside as it sure put up a brave fight....but was afraid Maggie would get stung.

anyhow...the floors or the part that is done is looking Wonderful !!!!
While all this was going on today, I tried to study for my 3rd citizens police acadamy class tonight. It was about lawyer stuff and legal procedures and probable cause and searches and degrees of felonies etc. I was having a difficult time concentrating as there was so much information and there seemed to be exceptions to each example or law. The assistant prosecutor spoke to us as did a beat officer and the examples they gave helped make sense of it all. In the middle of class, we were interrupted by pounding on the outside wall in the back and shouting and while we were turned to look at that, someone ran into the room and stole an object. So then we were told to fill out a narrative of what we witnessed...we will discuss it next week and see how we did with a re enactment. I said I saw a white female in sunglasses with a ball cap pulled down low over her brow and her long brown hair pulled back in a pony tail, slight build,medium height and wearing a dark blue jacket and dark gloves.... and saw her grab a bottle of water from a table and run out .... the guy beside me swore he saw a male .....LOL.... It could have been a guy with long hair as the person was flat chested...but the way the person moved suggested to me that it was a female.......so we shall see next week who needs to get their eyes checked. LOL... but he and I have an excuse...we sit in the last row of the room and the person did not run all the way across the room...we had the worst vantage point...so those up front were not only closer but got to see the person for a longer time as they can see the door from where they sit and could see the person coming and going and from head to toe...We could only see the waist up and only 2-3 seconds.

kitchen ....glitch

The floor and back splash installer called 30 minutes before he was due here to say he would not make it today and tomorrow might be iffy. His helper got injuried Saturday (either a cut arm or hand as the guy told me both stories)...so that put him behind on a job he was to have finished on Saturday. GREAT...not for the injured man....but ....could the guy have called to let me know about this on Saturday instead of right before he was due here? Guess not. Dallas and I emptied out the kitchen yesterday the table, chairs, hutch, dishes, anything on the floor, and disconnected the water lines to the fridge. Of course I also had to empty my counter tops since they will be putting in a black spash....and the halls and entry, and landings had to be cleared of furniture and decoration. so my LR< DR< and spare bedroom look like a garage sale gone bad.... I am trying to laugh...hohoho...but am bummed that it isn't getting underway today...this means if they start tomorrow it won't be finished by the weekend and I will be having yet another week of this mess torn up...cause after they are done, i have to paint the new shoe molding before we can start putting stuff away....

Nothing ever seems to go smoothly when you hire out work...so I am trying to stay patient and focus on how nice it will be when they get it done.....I am just wondering if I will still live here or be in a nursing home by that time...LOL..

on the bright side...washing my kitchen floor was a breeze this morning...didn't have to move anything...

32 and counting...

Lsst week, Dallas and I had our 32nd wedding anniversary....(doesn't seem that long until I look in the mirror and wonder where the youth went). We are re doing the kitchen instead of taking an expensive trip somewhere so I never thought he would also send me 2 dozen of the sweetest smelling red roses...but ...glad he did. (big smile)
Each day they open a bit more and the smell is......devine!
..all he got from me was a card! LOL

Just call me ....Rambo

About 2 months ago, I had the opportunity to apply for this year's Citizens Police Academy taught by the local police department and justice system. I was accepted and very excited as they only take 16 applicants per year. Our city has 44,000 residents and when we graduate...(assuming they don't lock me up first) we will be 16 of 120 total graduates in the city since the program began in 2001. They used to do two classes a year but they decided to increase the weeks of requirement and then had to decrease to the once a year schedule. I am a member of class #9.

We meet every Thursday night for 3 hours+...and then have other exercises for Saturdays scheduled occassionally. When we ride along...that is also at different times than class. The course is 12 weeks long and I have just finished up my second week. Can I say I love this opportunity??? So far, the info presented to us is interesting, entertaining...(with all the war stories we get to hear) and educational.

Besides getting to know each sworn officer and department auxillary staff, I am learning more about our community ...its problems, and good things and am thinking of ways in which I can get involved after this program is over.

We all are gaining a better understanding of how our department works, is funded, and structured...and who is repsonsible for what... from Dispatch to investigation, to prevention to intervention, to hiring and internal affairs. We get to first hand experience what the department has available and how they function in the city.

I am really looking forward to the SWAT and gun range exercises as well as the ride alongs... we got a wonderful tour of dispatch and will also be allowed 1 on 1 time to observe a shift in dispatch.

Our city covers 29 square miles and is divided into 3 districts..each with their specific problem areas....major highways, malls, colleges (bars) etc.

I was also pleased to learn that our city department is one of only 500-600 police agencies nationwide to be accreditated through CALEA. (but it doesn't surprise me...the officers I have met so far are extremely professional and they demonstrate that everyday...whether they are on duty or not.

What has surprised me is the openness with which they speak. They told us they have nothing to hide...no little secrets that they don't want the public to know...if we have questions...they will answer us truthfully and find out the answers they don't know. Nothing is off limits. They, in fact, have expressed gratitude to us for giving up our time to learn about what they do.

Anyway...as you can see...by the photo, our text is jam packed with information to study in addition to what we are learning in class....3 inches worth ...divided into 12 week sessions. Lots of reading and preparation ..but I want to get the most out of this experience and so far it has been amazing. My fellow students range in age from 18-72 with most being in their 40's... they are teachers, accountants, intelligence officers from the base, 2 house wives, 2 current police academy students, a retired military chaplin, several civilian contract workers for the base, and me, a semi retired RN. There is one couple attending who have a son who is an officer in the department and they want to find out more about his job and what it entails as they say...."He doesn't talk about his job and they are curious".
I will try to keep this updated as I have more experiences to share...but a fair warning...
I am scheduled to do a ride along from 11 PM to 3 AM and then show up for fire arms practice at 9AM....LOL...THAT ought to be ......interesting ...after drinking coffee all night long to stay awake. (wink) can you imagine a middle aged female shooting a machine gun after 6 cups of coffee and no sleep? DUCK!!! I wonder if they have a tarp for the roof to keep the rain out after I am done......hehehehehe

a kitchen without a rooster...is nothing to crow about...

A tuscan kitchen needs a rooster...it is a symbol of protectiveness and prosperity...soooo I have be on the look out for rooster figurines....none to be had that will fit my budget or above the cabinet space....then while in Joanne's yesterday, I spotted a Debbie Mum wind chime on the discount shelf....perfect...I took it apart and attached it to a u-shaped board I have had in the art room for years and then cut up clip art and borders I found on the Internet to further decorate the look.

the trash bin is also altered to go into my new kitchen. It used to be plain stained wood on the lid with a maroon color on the sides...too country for my new kitchen. So I spray painted it black...(no runs or drips...smile) and added a decorative wood element I painted to the top and of course a new knob that I inked to match the wine glass shelf.

the kitchen sink is due to finally be installed today...and the plumber is coming first thing in the AM to attach the pipes etc....yeah...I will have the ability to cook once again and do dishes...

Every thing but the kitchen sink....

The new granite counter tops were installed yesterday. It was fun and facinating watching how they did it and hearing them grunt as they carried the 3 slabs up the hill to come into the house via the patio. It took about 3 hours and a huge headache from smelling the epoxy for the job to be finished but wait...what is that hole under the window? That is where my new sink is supposed to be....but the one they unpacked had a flaw on the top surface and if there is going to be a scratch...I will be the one to put it on ...not the factory...LOL...well, they called all around to try to find another one in stock...(it is a run of the mill normal stainless sink...so the distributor is rush shipping one and it should be here by next Tuesday..for an installation on Wednesday....in the meantime...I have no drinking water or faucets in the kitchen...nor any water running to the ice maker.
( we did buy several gallons of water to keep in the fridge for a few days...but do you know how many times I have almost dumped liquid into that void space by mistake? the good part is I am getting to eat out a lot...the bad part is ...I get to eat out a lot...the back splash won't be tiled until the floors are installed...and that is 2-3 weeks away. But, I really love the counter tops...
I walk into my kitchen and just stare for minutes at a time and try to invision this project complete and all the dirt and dust cleaned up....LOL...sometimes I wonder if that will ever happen.

digital play

the theme was "Ocean Fantasy"....I made this in a few minutes with digital images and layers.... it was fun to play and go a bit wild with the layers.

Ties that bind project

I have a banner on the side that supports Ties that Bind...a project to raise money for ovarian cancer. My Mother died from breast/ovarian cancer in 1977...and my DH survived cancer in 2007....mostly due to research and advanced treatment methods. Donations and funding made the research possible. I was honored to be asked to participate in making a charm for a doll that will be auctioned for funds. I used two metal book plates/frames and stamped a Celtic Knot (ties) in ink. the center is mat board covered with gesso and teal ink with HOPE stamped and blackened. I used silver wire to make a bale and to add some decoration at the bottom. Diamond glaze was added over the center area to apprear like the word is under glass.
I hope this project raises tons of money so not only ovarian cancer but all cancer is soon preventable or curable.

I went shopping for decor

here are some of the brighter dishes I have added...all can be used. Michaels had a great sale on metal containers and I got that lovely urn thing for the above the cabinets for $5.05....and the fruit will look good on top of the new counters I think.

my new appliances ...smile

what a difference the stainless makes from the all white. Dallas and I installed the microwave ourselves as they wanted an extra $149. so I used that money we saved and bought some home decor.

I had my white, 2 year old appliances listed on Craigs list and sold them in less than two days!!! never used that service before but it was easy and I felt safe in that I could screen the buyers via e mail or telephone first.

we made our wine glass rack

this really looks cool in person...so come on over to visit and have some wine.

we cut a pine board, and added these stainless steel holders we ordered. then we attached leaf molding to the edges and I painted it all black. I inked the leaves with deep green, yellow and a bit of copper and they look awesome!!! Then we attached brackets and hung it over the wine cooler. guess we will have to learn about wine now...LOL

other new lights we installed

Update from the last month

perhaps an update is needed as I have been quiet for about a month. All good news so don't worry. My husband has continued good news from the docs...that is the most important thing to report!!! That allows me to concentrate on other ventures...mostly our latest project...the kitchen make over.
Yes, I know we have a 2 year old condo and every thing was new when we moved in but not our taste. We have decided to change out the white appliances for stainless steel and change out the light fixtures and get granite counter tops and wood floors.

the counter tops are due in less than two weeks and then the floors will be installed along with a new tiled back splash...it will probably be the middle of September before it is all complete.

In the mean time...we have changed out the lights, made a wine glass holder installed knobs on the current cabinets, ordered a new window treatment for the sliding glass door and I have been frequenting TJMAX and other places for decorative items to fit my plan for a Tuscan kitchen. The new appliances are in and work like a dream...I may even learn to like cooking...LOL

barber pole project?

Like many of you, I have tons of images and where are they kept? most are currently in a notebook on a shelf. I want to use them and out of sight..out of mind so I needed to come up with something fun to sit on my work table.

I got a scrap piece of MDF board and drilled a hole (with DH standing over my shoulder...)and then I attached a inch dowel rod through the hole and held it in place at the bottom of the board with a screw and washer. Next the painting...with a foam brush, I made red squares over the white gessoed base. When dry, I sprayed it with PYMll. Then I sprayed a puddle of brassy bronze color mist onto a pallet and "washed" a layer of it like a glaze over the base and dowel. When dry, I did the same thing in the opposite direction, then sealed it with the PMYll spray. I then attached a large flat amber marble to the top for decoration. My images are now in page protectors and freely move about the rod with 2 inch binder rings.

Both the spray and the color mist products are available through Outsidethemargins.com web site.

contacts at my AGE?

went for an eye exam today. I have been wearing reading glasses for 10 years...same Rx. Today my close up changed by 3 steps from 2 years ago...(I figured as my arms were getting shorter)...he also said my distance had changed....huh? I have no complaints about my distance at all so sorta ignored him. His solution is bifocals...nope...not for me....I asked about multifocal contacts...he shrugged and said they don't work...but I can try a trial pair if I want. so I did. No trouble getting them in or out...(phew)...the close up reading was great! but my distance was awful...I couldn't see as far as I do without glasses.....he said it takes getting used to....so home I went after ordering glasses for just reading.
the distance didn't improve and it felt like I had vaseline on my eyes when looking in the distance...thank goodness I wasn't driving. so once home, i took the suckers out...and my distance vision was back to normal....(I still think he is wrong on that) when I went back in to get my glasses...I asked about doing mono contacts instead and go with a close up contact in my reading eye and nothing in the distance eye...he shrugged again....ok, so I asked which eye...you guessed it...another shrug....since I have astigmatisms in both eyes...he said to try the lens in both and decide for myself which one feels better. so now...i can SEE to read...without glasses...and I can see distance...without glasses...I feel free...yeah!!! and the contacts are not hard at all to put in or take out...why I didn't do this years ago, I don't know...but am glad to do it now.

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