Master Bedroom Is Ready To Decorate

 I finished painting the master bedroom. I pushed to get it done and paid the price for doing that. I need a day off every couple of days to rest and let my muscles recover. 

As I painted, I saw how bright and big the room looked. It is almost overwhelming to think about the size. When I finally got it done, I knew that I needed to think about what I will do in that room. 

The room is very monochromatic and calm feeling. But, it feels a bit cold at the moment due to the fact I have no colour in it. I am thinking about the colour I want to have. 

• Navy and white Irish chain quilt to be made for the bed. 

• Navy and white toppers for the furniture. 

• Black headboard for bed??

I have two pictures to hang in the room. One is a counted cross stitch picture I did in the 1990's. The other is one I found that had restored. My uncle had given it to my parents when they were married. I want to add a bit of colour to the room. It will probably be the last to be chosen as I want to see how the room looks when I am done. 

I have put away the paint and supplies until after Christmas. I need to spend time cleaning the rest of the house and get ready for Christmas. 

I will be moving back into the bedroom this weekend. Hopefully being back in the space will give me inspiration on what accent colour I want. 

Starting the Master Bedroom

 I took a break from painting as I was busy doing other things that had me away or outside. I was also tired for some unknown reason which could have been from the amount of pain I had. 

I decided to start painting the master bedroom. It is a big room and I had to plan what walls I would do in a specific order. With a plan in place, I patched the small holes in the walls and sanded them. The first 3 walls were picked. 

I did wash the walls and baseboards in that area prior to painting them. I put the first coat on yesterday. 

Not a big impact yet as it is only 1/4th of the room. But it will come as I do more walls. 

I hate the paint used on the walls as it was cheap builder's grade. I have to watch that I don't over do painting as I have issues that need to be fixed when I do the second coat. I still hate the tan colour. It is not me. I lived with it for 7 years and am glad it is slowly disappearing from this house, 

When the room is painted, I will be making a navy blue and white quilt for it. I am not sure what pop of colour I will use. It can only be a small amount. It will be very minimal as I need this room to be calm so I can sleep in it. My sleep disorder does not allow for lots of items or a TV in the room. Over the years I have realized that I need less than most bedrooms have. It was hard at first but I am now use to it and don't like any form of clutter in there. 

When this room is painted, I will not be painting until January. I want to clean up the house for Christmas. I also don't want a gallon of paint hanging out in the entrance way. I need to make sure that all is hidden while I enjoy a brief time out and enjoy family and friends. 

Winding Down In The Spare Bedroom

I have set up the spare bedroom and it is almost done. I have painted and painted and then scrubbed until it is sparkling clean. I still have the doors and trim around them to paint but that is for a later date. 

This bedroom is small. When we viewed the house, it was full of large furniture -- queen size bed, free standing wardrobe, and bedside tables. There was even a TV in the room. We knew it would not be that full when we bought it. 

The room evolved in its look over the years and it has always been minimal. It still looks full but not crammed full. It always looked dull and depressing due to the colour on the walls and it being on the north side of the house. 

Changing the colour to the light grey was the biggest change in that room. It lightened it up and made it feel bigger. Though I have a queen size bed in the room, the rest of the furniture is a smaller scale. 

The room does have a Coastal Grandma look to it without being nautical. It is minimal but not stark. It has warm and will have more warmth as I add the finishing touches to it. 

The dresser and small table are on the window side of the room. The wall feels balanced even with the dark blue curtains. I have kept what I wanted on the flat surfaces to a minimum so I can dust them easily. 

The bedside table is on the opposite side of the bed. It is small which is perfect. The closet doors open on that side of the room and I will be able to get into them easily. 

I put a feather duvet on the bed (one of two the Hutterites gifted me). I need to get a white duvet cover for it. I also have 2 pillows that are suppose to be stood at the head of the bed as a headboard. I will get them out and make pillow cases for them. I am thinking of a colour rather than white. 

I will hang a picture above the bed. It is one my aunt (mother's youngest sister) embroidered for me when I was born. I found it in a trunk when mom was cleaning out her house and had it framed. 

At the moment, this is the only picture I am going to hang up in the room. 

I am looking at a few I need to add to the room. I want to buy a longer curtain rod and 2 more panels so I can have the curtains further out from the window. They are too close to the window at this time and having the rod stick out 6" on each side will help the curtains frame the window. I am still hoping to buy white sheets and duvet cover. I am thinking of getting a pleated bedskirt also. Once I get these bought and put into the room, I think I will have a room I enjoy going into. 

I am very pleased with the room so far. As I wind down from this room, I am starting to plan my bedroom which will be the next room to paint and decorate. 

Learning To Live More Minimally

 I have worked some on the spare bedroom since Thanksgiving. I got almost half of the baseboards and the window painted. I then crashed with pain. I wondered if it was my hip joint, SI joint, or soft tissue. In the end it was soft tissue. The hip flexor and adductor were taut enough to drum on. The pain was becoming unbearable and it was causing me to have bad nights of sleep. I have had osteopathy and physio and am feeling better. 

I have started to set up the room so I can finish painting the baseboards. I moved the dresser back to where it was prior to 2023. It is now back at the foot of bed rather than at the head. 

I hung the curtains and I do like them in the room. It gives it a bit of colour which is needed. 

I put the bedside table where the dresser use to be. I decorated it to see how it would look. 

When I looked at the room from the door, it wasn't feeling right. I had everything on the window side of the room. It felt heavy on that side. The other side of the bed had nothing. I lived with it for 24 hours figuring out what I needed to do. 

I moved the bedside table to the other side of the bed. I decorated the top of it to see if it felt balanced. 

No it didn't as there as a gaping hole on the other side of the bed. The table came back in and it feels much better. 

Excuse the mess as I am still cleaning the room to finish the baseboards. 

I have not put the small cloths back on the table and bedside table. I was not enjoying the tops of these items. I did put the table runner on the dresser as I like it. 

I am still thinking about the bed. I know it will have white bedding with a blue throw on it. I am not sure if I will use the cushions or add the covers to the little wall hanging and table toppers and take them to the thrift store. I can make simple cushion cover for the bed if I think I need it. My goal of having the room minimal but cozy is coming along. I will be sleeping in this room when I start painting my bedroom. 

I have also been thinking about how I am enjoying pare back the house to have it more minimal. I am sure it will be easier to look after so I can do other things I want to do. I am enjoying having the walls lighter and all the same colour. It has a calming effect on me. I love having less out and will continue to see what I do and don't need. 

I have been watching a lot of videos lately due to the pain. Most often than not I watch maybe 50% and listen to the remaining part. Two videos I watched last night I did look at them all. 

Video One is about a young couple with 2 girls under the age of 4. They bought their first place and are painting and decorating it in a farmhouse style. She loves to decorate seasonally and the amount of items she has out is beyond my clutter threshold. She keeps it organized and clean almost every day. She loves what she does and I admire her for doing everything with 2 young children in the house all the time. Her husband is wonderful also. Her last video was her Christmas haul. She will be decorating starting Nov. 1. 

Video Two is about a German couple who live in Britain. They own a terrace home that is old. They have been redoing the house over the years they have lived in it. They also love colour with every room a different colour. Their style is Victorian/Edwardian with a modern twist. They don't have as many items in their home and they only decorate for Christmas which is more German than British. Their last 2 videos have been about renovating their kitchen/utility room. They painted their pantry all one colour and installed a light. They are now working on the kitchen as they need to paint it before the cabinets are put in. The door to the utility room was painted a rich blue with a green undertone on the kitchen side and will be a rose colour on the utility side. They are deciding which dusty rose they will paint the rooms in. It isn't my style but I love watching them renovate and decorate they buy high end items which are displayed all the time. They also look for interesting antiques that will fit in their house. 

While watching these videos and a Finnish one on minimalism, I realize that I like to have less in my house. I enjoy the prospect of being able to clean it quickly and easily. What do I really need and what can I let go of that I am not using. How can I find that balance not only in the areas I live in but those that I work in. 

I am deciding on what I will keep for hobbies (sewing, knitting, paper crafting) and will let other hobbies go. I also know I want low inventory for my hobbies so I can put it all away easily. I am learning how much is enough for me. I want to feel calm and inspired when I work in those spaces. 

I know I have a lot of work still to do painting the upstairs and decluttering both levels. I know I want to live minimally and will have to work on not collecting clutter in this house. It is a challenge that I am embracing at this season of my life. 

Nearing The End of Painting The Spare Bedroom

The spare bedroom is painted. I had it done the day before Thanksgiving. It shows more grey than the rest of the rooms as the window faces north. 

I am ready to scrub the floor and baseboards and then paint the baseboards and window. I need to do the window before I hang the curtains up. The doors and door trim can be painted later on as I don't need to move furniture around to do them. 

As I am getting closer to setting up the room again, I have been doing quite a bit of thinking. Do I need every piece of furniture in that room? What can I let go of? What do I need to buy for the room? I have looked at every item in the room not once but several times. It is decision time. 

The room is small. I have a queen size bed in it which I am keeping. I have my late mother-in-law's dresser and a side table I bought that are staying. That leaves a table that I plunked in there as I had no where else to put it. That will be leaving. That big decision has been made. 

I have decided that the dresser will be a storage unit. I can put a few items in it that I can access easily. It will not be full to the brim as I want to see what I have quickly. The side table will be empty. It has been ever since I bought it many years ago. No need to fill it up now. 

The closet is pretty minimal. A couple of items need to be put into a tub or two and stored in there or elsewhere. The paper work will remain in that closet as it is contained and tidy. The hose for the central vacuum is stored in there also. Other than buying or finding a tub or two, that area is done. 

I will be cutting back on the decorations in that room. I have decided that the two small cloths I made will go. I can use them in a quilt for the dolls. The small embroidered picture will go. I will hang a couple of pictures on the walls. Items that go on the dresser and side table will be pared down and the items not used will be put into the garage sale bins. I have made some huge decisions.

The bed will have white sheets and a white duvet on it. I am still deciding if I need to buy a blanket for the foot of the bed. If so, it will be a darker blue. I will still have lots of pillows on the bed to make it feel cozy. Hopefully I can get the room completed before the end of October. 

The next room I plan on painting is my room. I will have to move into the spare bedroom as I will have to move everything into the middle of the room. This room is big and it will take me some time to paint it. I cannot over do it as I have found out that I have to rest once the muscles and SI joint get sore. 

Thinking More Minimal Thoughts

I am in the midst of not only painting but am decluttering and purging as I go. I am finding that I need to get rid of items that I don't use or need. I need to move back to a more minimal look. 

I have realized that I am past my clutter threshold and am feeling stressed. How much do I want in my house so it feels minimal but also warm and cozy. How can I decorate a minimal home so I don't have items that need to be stored and take up space. These are questions I am mulling over every day. 

I do not want to have seasonal items as I have never done a lot of seasonal decorating except for Christmas. I am working through ideas and am thinking that I will have keep the house in the grey and blues I love and buy seasonal paper napkins. The only season I will decorate my house will be Christmas as I have everything I need and love for that season. I am willing to store the tubs under the stairs. I am not adding much to those tubs as I have most everything I need. 

I decided to try something that I did in Ashcroft. After I finish painting a space, I will treat it like I am moving back in to it again. It means sorting through everything in that room like we did years ago when we decided on going more minimal. It was a huge lesson on wants and needs for both of us. We succeeded and let go of a huge amount of items we didn't need or used.

I did that with the dining room on October 4. I spent a whole morning sorting, purging, and organizing the mess I had. It started with me wanting an office and realizing I didn't need it. With some creativity, I ended up with a pared down office space in the server. There is a place to store my lap top when I need it off the table. It works for me as everything I need in that space. 

As I paint the spare bedroom I think about what I need and what I want in this room. How do I want this room to look. I know light, bright, and uncluttered for easy cleaning. This is my October project.  

More walls were painted yesterday and what I did needs a second coat of paint. The walls look splotchy as the paint is wet. 

It is starting to look less like a dark hole now that 3 walls are grey. It will never be a bright and sunny room as it faces north. But it will not be dark and gloomy like it was. 

The goal is to have this room painted by our Thanksgiving. It is doable if I don't over do it each day. Then I can move the furniture back and decide on what I need to complete the room. Once done, I hope to have it calm and cozy so I can enjoy it more. 

Painting the Spare Bedroom

 I had one good flare up in my hip that stopped me from painting. I got over it when physio realized the SI joint wasn't rotating properly and I stretched enough to get it seated once again. 

I got 2 walls in the spare bedroom painted. It is the darkest room in the house as the window faces north. The light grey paint has certainly lightened it up. 

The window wall shows darker due to the light coming in. 

That is half of the room done and when I finished it yesterday, I was in a lot of pain. It took me 3 hours to cut in and roll the 2nd coat of paint. I have had to rethink how much I can do at one time. I will do half of what is left when paint again this weekend. Two hours of up and down the ladder and sitting on the floor is my max.

I have decided to keep the items I made for this room for now. I want to give it a try and see if I like it. I need to buy white sheets and a white duvet cover for the bed. 

Thoughts

I am loving what I have painted in the house. It is so much lighter and brighter in here. I am glad that I am doing the whole house in one colour to keep it unified. It also lets me work on having a minimal look. It isn't everyone's choice but it is mine.

I have been watching a lot of videos to get inspiration. It has been hard going as everyone is decorating for fall and Halloween. I don't do this kind of seasonal decorating. I did at one time and realized how much I had to store. I had the space to do it but haven't since moving from that home. I gave it all away. 

I do enjoy watching one YouTube channel that is filmed in Europe. The person has minimal decorations that she keeps in wicker containers which become part of her decor. She makes a lot of her decor which is neat. It has given me ideas of what I can do. She does it so well in a house about the same size as mine but without a basement. 

I also watch another YouTube channel that is videoed in Britain. They collect very carefully and what they put in their house is high end and brings them joy. They remind me that what I have in my house should bring me joy and what doesn't needs to go. Their style is very different to mine but their message is clear about loving what you have in your home. 

Moving Forward

Painting the house is going to take me longer than expected. The areas are bigger and I need to remember that I can only do so much at once. If I over do it, I have a lot of pain in my hip which sets me back. I then need more rest days. 

I am going to make accessories for the house. My main colour will be blue and I will add white and grey to the mix. I am planning on not having a lot of accessories, only what will make the spaces feel cozy. This means snoop shopping and looking at videos when I need to sit and rest my hip. 

I will post again when the spare bedroom is done and set up. I am looking forward to seeing the final results of my work. 

Coast Grandmother?

 I haven't painted since I finished the hall. I have been out and about with appointments this week. It has given me a chance to rest and research on the Coastal Grandmother look. It had been a bit stressful as I sift through articles that say do this and don't do that. They are the ones that turn me off to try a new look. I am looking for articles that have suggestions. I have found a few that I have devoured. 

How Am I Doing?

The big question as I read and think and process. It is a lot of work trying to get this right. I know that the look I want is sort of, kind of Coast Grandmother it isn't exactly the overall look I want. While thinking about it, I do know what parts I want from this look. 

1. Wall Colour

    I have read more often than not that the wall colours need to be white but not stark white. Soft white has been suggested but when I dug deeper into suggestions, the colour I have chosen (Snowfield White) fits the bill. It has a light reflecting value (LRV) of almost 70% which means it is great for interiors. I am right on track with my colour choice. 

2. Other Colours

    Depending on how deep you go with the coastal look, blue, white, grey, and cream (linen) are the colours to use. Some suggest wall paper but that is not for me. An accent wall is not for me either though I do like them. For me, I will stick to using the blues, white, grey and linen for the soft furnishings in this house. I can add a bit of soft pink and greens to the look as well as navy. 

3. Patterns

    I am fussy about what I want. I will try to add some stripes (tiny) and a few nice prints to the mix. I don't want the house to be monochromatic so I will have to be careful. I don't want to over do it so it looks nautical. What I want is patterns that are subdued and carefully chosen. 

4. Window Coverings

    I have curtains on the windows of this house to keep out the sun and heat in the summer and to keep in the warmth in the winter. I can't do sheer curtains as they don't do what I need them to do. I am opting for blinds instead. If I have to go to curtains, I will choose a light grey in the main part of the house. In the bedrooms I have black out curtains and they won't be changed. 

Next Step

I am going to paint the spare bedroom next. I did a lot of sewing for it and I do like it. It is a bit of a different look to what I am leaning towards now and I want to see how it looks with the grey walls. I did a more cottage look in that room and may have to rethink a few things. I may even change the fabrics out to something lighter. I know all the pieces will find a new home quickly. 

What will I choose for that room if I do a change in it? I will choose a lighter blue tiny stripe and floral. I may add a touch of a darker blue to tie in the darker blue curtains I have. Though the curtains are a dark blue, they do have light grey in them which may be more noticeable when the walls are painted grey. 

I am looking forward to the next time step in this house. 

More Painting Done

 I got back to painting and finished the hall. I am not as happy with it so will be doing a bit of sanding and repainting on the weekend. When I don't see the imperfections (when I look at the wall on an angle) I am happy with how bright and airy the hall looks. 

I scrubbed the hall floor on my hands and knees using a scrubber. I targeted the joins as they seemed grubby. In fact the whole area was grubby from using a mop. It looks so much better now that I have the floor really clean. 

I have spent a lot of time thinking about the grandma coastal look. I did some research (thanks Pinterest) and realized there is some elements of the look I like. 

    It is sleek, simple, and minimalist. Me for sure. 

    Use of light colours in combinations. Mine is grey and blue and I can use other colours where needed. The browns are in my furniture. The vibe is to keep it light and airy.

    Add your own personality to it with antiques and carefully chosen items. I don't do beach but I do country. 

    Add flowers. I will be using artificial flowers in this house due to the cat. I see a blue hydrangea bloom in the vase on the table in the hall. 

    Have sheer curtains will not happen in this house. I will have 3% blinds on the windows. I need protection from the sun in the summer and warmth in the winter. The blinds will let in the light I need to keep the rooms bright and airy. 

My goal is to keep painting the upstairs and try to get items together for each area in this house. I am being fussy and careful about what I want and will use. This will develop over time as I know how much I want this house to be enjoyable for me to live in. 

More Painting Done After A Brief Rest

 I had to rest as I did too much. I got over tired and couldn't handle the thought of going up and down the ladder. I took Friday off and just sanded the compound I put on the walls to cover up holes and other imperfections. Yesterday I did some prepping and cutting in on the other side of the hall.

When shopping, I bought a 1" angle brush that cost almost $20.00. It was a delight to use when painting. It fits in my hand nicely and has the balance I need to handle it precisely when cutting in. It is a Wooster Pro and worth every penny. 

While thinking about doing more painting, I decided to look on Pinterest for ideas on how to decorate the house after it is painted. I put in grey and blue and got coastal. Though my colours (grey and blue) I do not like the sand colours chosen. Too close to what I am painting over. One pallet was called Coastal Grandma by Sherwin Williams. It caught my eye and gave me something to think about. 

I threw out the coast grandma and took another look at what I liked. The grey for sure. Mine is lighter which I like better in this house. The Favourite Jeans caught my attention. Though a lighter blue, it gave me the vibe I am looking for. I will add a darker jean colour (navy) to the mix plus linen, white, and maybe a lighter blue. All will go well with my decor. 

This bedroom is an example of what I like minus the ceiling lamp, blinds and picture.  

I see the white duvet on my bed and I will have a navy and white quilt on the foot of the bed. I don't know if I will have cushions on my bed. Pictures will be ones I cherish and all have blue in them. I think it will be a restful place to sleep in which is important to me. 

I am now working on ideas for the kitchen, dining, and living areas of the house using blues, grey, and some off white/linen colours. 

My style is still evolving. I know it will be relaxed and somewhat minimal. It will have a country look but not a farm house look. It will also have items in it that I love and cherish. Some of the projects I have in mind will work in this house, others will still be made and given away. 

I have decided that what I don't like I will get rid of. Someone else will love it. I have also decided that I will keep my look minimal as I love the quietness it gives me. I did it before and I can do it again with some serious thinking on my part. 

I am not going to do a lot of seasonal decorating as I don't have the space for it. I will only do Christmas as that collection is complete and can be stored under the stairs. I have a winter collection I love and will use it. What ever else I make will have to be used the rest of the year. I need to choose what fabrics I want carefully. 

I keep thinking as I paint and ideas are beginning to evolve in my head of what I want to do with this house. 

Light and Bright Areas Upstairs

 I am making progress with painting upstairs. It is slow going as I can only do so much most days. Two hours seems to be my limit for hip to handle. And I do need to rest every two to three days. 

The front area is done and set up again. It was certainly a learning curve figuring out how to use the brush in tight spots. I used a small roller with a foam part on it. I did like that as it put the paint on quite smoothly. 

I was amazed at how bright the area looked when done. I have it set up with only a picture of the dining wall. 

The sun coming in the dining area windows messed with the brightness of the picture. The colour is light grey in the morning and more of a greige in the afternoon/evening.  

I have a welcome sign that hangs on the wall that you see coming up the stairs. I have bought a blue ribbon to make a bow to go on it. It is one of the blues I love and want in the upstairs. 

The sign is not huge and I showed it in the last post. 

My next area was the hall to the bedrooms. It was easy to decide on what part I would do first. I sanded and wiped the walls and trim down. The first coat of paint is on. 

What a huge difference in just half of the hall painted. I no longer feel like I am walking down a dark tunnel to the bedrooms and bathroom. 

What I didn't realize when taking on this project was how depressing this house looked in a mid tone yellowish taupe. I knew I didn't like the colour but didn't realize the impact it was having on my mental health. I am a person who likes a light neutral colour. I can add other colours in the decor. 

The other thing I realized was how much I enjoy painting. I did a lot of it in the past but always felt rushed and pressured. This time I can do it at my own pace taking breaks as needed. I go slow when painting as I like to be accurate. I also do a lot of thinking when rolling on the paint. Funnily enough I know exactly what picture will go on the wall by the spare bedroom. It is funny how things pop into my head while working. 

Once I finish the hall I may buy a gallon of paint and do the trim. I know it needs doing and should do it in stages also. Doing the trim means doing the doors also. They all need refreshing due to age and wear from living in a home. I also want to add crown moulding to all the rooms and need to get it here for next summer's project. 

In the meantime, I will continue painting and lightening up the upstairs of this house. 

Beginning To Paint Upstairs

 I decided to get ready to paint the house. My hip is in good shape. I know I will only be able to do a certain amount each day and take a rest day every second or third day. 

I did sit and think about where to start painting. As I cleaned out the hall closet, I decided to do that area around to the dining room's small wall. 

I knew I could handle this area easily. I took down everything I could off the walls and washed them and the trim and baseboards. The next job was to spackle the marks on the wall. 

When dry, I sanded them and wiped the dust off the walls. Next up was to tape the top of the baseboards. That was the hardest job of all as my hip was telling me it was tired. I stopped when done and let my hip rest. 

The colour I chose for the walls is the same one used in the basement. It is Snowfield White, a colour I know that will brighten up the house. 

Though grey is not as popular in 2024, I am still going with it as I really don't care. I like light neutral walls so other colours I use are noticeable and true. 

I have decided that the main accent colour for soft furnishings will be greyed blue (think denim). This colour can range from lights to navy. I may add a hint of another colour in some of the rooms and just white in other rooms. It will depend on what I want. 

In the area I am going to paint, I have a welcome sign that daughter gave me one Christmas a few years ago. 

It had a jute ribbon on it that I removed. I am thinking of adding a dark blue ribbon with three small white flowers. It has to be small as this is not a large sign. I want to add a picture below it. It may be something I make using a painter's canvas and fabric. I will keep my eyes open for something I like. 

The wall above the server will still have the barn picture on it. It is a picture that the Spousal Unit and I picked many years ago. The server will be cleaned and polished. I do like the items on it but it needs a runner on it in blues and whites and something with flowers in it. I can do that later this fall as I need to find the fabrics I want. 

At the moment I am focusing on this area only though soft furnishing colours will need to be chosen carefully so they can be used in the open concept of this house. I want to live in a house that I love. It just needs to be updated to colours that I love. 

Plans In Place

 I have been busy this summer and have not posted. My hip has improved enough that I am not having the intense pain I had in the past. I can do things without a lot of discomfort. I need to remember to do chunks of work that I can finish without getting too tired or sore.

The Yard

The garden was growing rapidly and I was excited. One morning I woke and the deer had pruned the peppers, beans, peas, and cucumbers. I was upset but knew it would happen one day. The deer have lost a lot of their environment to housing developments and are eating plants in everyone's gardens/yards. 

The plants recovered and grew like crazy. As the vegetables developed, the deer came in and feasted two more times. I now have to pick on a regular basis to get anything. Next year I will have to put up some sort of fencing around the boxes. 

I did pull the garlic and had a decent crop. They are drying in the garage. I have picked peppers and am happy with what I got. 

I have got cucumbers, beans, and peas also. The carrots are growing well as are the leeks. 

I am now getting ready to clean up the yard and get things put away for winter. It will take me a month to do it all as I have to clean out the shed and rearrange it. 

The House

I was away for 2 weeks (went to Sweden) and am struggling at getting back into the swing of cleaning the house. The time change and then the humidity knocked the energy out of me. I also had to have my hip worked on as it rotated inwards some from so much walking in Sweden. 

I am moving towards doing fall cleaning which includes washing walls, scrubbing windows and cleaning out everything that I don't need. I did a declutter of the dining room and it felt good getting rid of old paperwork and items that had not been dealt with. I need to do that in every room of the house. 

I have decided to buy a gallon of paint and start painting upstairs on my own. I have a plan of cleaning the coat closet, wash the walls and trim in that area and where the sever is in the dining room. I will paint that first. It isn't a big area but one I can do easily on my own. It will be in the light grey I love to keep it light and airy. I want to keep going doing a given area at a time. If it takes me months to do it, I am okay with that. 

I have made some decisions on how I want the house to look. I am sticking with the grey walls throughout the upstairs. I know I can paint them. I will hire someone to change out the trim and add crown moulding. The kitchen will be the biggest change and I will have to hire that out. It is more than I can do on my own. 

I am ready to do this. I have worked through my grief and, though I miss the Spousal Unit a lot, I am ready to make the changes in this house. 

The craziness begins as soon as I have done some cleaning and prepping. 

Outside Jobs Are Completed

 It has been a while since I posted. I have been busy in the yard and have been fighting flare ups in my right hip. These flare ups knock the wind out of me and I can only do the basics while I rest and apply heat to the sore spots. 

My neighbour, his sons, and family did under the back deck for me. I wasn't allowed to help other than do the clean up and provide drinks. The transformation was amazing. It went from a messy weed patch to clean and weed free.

With it being so dry, I will plant grass seed in the fall. But it is so nice not having to deal with weeds in that area. 

I did go around the house and weed the side and front beds. They need more river rock but not until next year. I want to redo the bricks before adding more rock or pea gravel. 

 

There is nothing planted on this side as it gets very hot and dry. The front has a few plants but I also keep it low maintenance. 

Around the shed was weeded and I put out the solar lights. At night, that area is bright and cheery. 

Flowers and vegetables have been planted and all are growing well. 

The other big project was a killer for me. It was weeding and removing the weed cloth from the hedge. I got all but 12 shrubs weeded on the house side and 7 on the road side. Doing it caused a couple of flare ups and I was slow. I wanted to have it done by the end of the month. Enter grandson who came to help me. We did the road side of the hedge in 2 days and were done by June 18. Earliest ever. He came over the next day and did the weed whacking of the ditch. I had done weed spraying the week before so all was good to go. I had also done some weed whacking in the bottom of the ditch. No pictures were taken but I am so proud of how it looks. I can hoe it every 10 days and weed whack when necessary. I will plant grass in the fall if that is the route I go. 

I am so grateful for the help I received in getting the yard done this spring. I know what I have is minimalist but that is fine. The crew that does the mowing can get around without having to worry about flower beds in the middle of the lawn. I can care for the flower pots and vegetable boxes on my own. Weeding is easy if I focus on doing it weekly or every 10 days. Watering can be done in a very short time allowing me to stay inside during the hot parts of the day. 

As a final note, I went out to water yesterday and was greeted with this. 

I am so grateful that the first rose bush (and only survivor) that the Spousal Unit planted was loaded with blooms. Yes, I picked them and they are in a vase in the house where I can admire them. He would have been so proud of how many blooms came out at once. He loved to pick roses for me to enjoy inside. 

I am so happy that I can enjoy my garden this summer and am able to take care of it. 

Reactivating My Plans

All the plans I had for the doing things in the house had to be put on hold for the last 6 months. I had to focus on my hip and knee which has improved immensely. I did think about what I want done so I can enjoy the house and have it updated for sale in the future. 

Interior Plans

I have realized that what I do inside the house has to be as such that I don't price the house out of the current market. It will be mainly painting, trim updated, new countertops, and window blinds. I need to get things ready for painters and carpenters to come and do their magic. I know I will be on a waiting list for both. That gives me time to get things ready. 

I will continue to make plans on how to decorate the rooms making as much as I can. The Christmas quilt is done and I have no plans on adding to the Christmas decor. The next items I want to make will be for January and February. I have a quilt planned but nothing else other than the dining area decor I already have. 

I am planning on buying blinds for the living room, dining room and kitchen and get rid of the curtains. I know what I want and will get help in deciding where to buy them. 

My bedroom has been put on hold as I am thinking about how I want it to look. I get stumped with this room as it needs to be quiet and peaceful for me to sleep in. The soft furnishings will be very important in that room. 

Outside Plans

As it is now spring, I am thinking about the outside. There is a plan in place for under the deck. I am going to do it with help from friends and family. Family has brought their left over ground cover and some bags of rubber mulch. I just need to get the edging bought and delivered. I hope to tackle this job in late April/early May when it is drier.

Around the house and shed needs some attention. I need to figure out a plan for that. I can get pea gravel from friends which I can use in the beds. I have to figure out the edging as I am still not happy with it. That will be next year's project. 

The hedge will be hired out this spring. I want it edged and have pea gravel put on. The edging on the road side needs to be looked at as the rain has washed away dirt from under it. Do I just keep that side edged without edging or do I have it replaced or the old edging put back in. The question of the month and I can't do anything until it is drier. We had so much rain in March everything is super wet and boggy. 

The vegetable boxes need cleaning on the outside (along with the deck) and soil needs to be added to them. I can do that myself though I will need to buy a pressure washer. I am looking at which one to buy. 

I have to say this is going to be one busy spring with health appointments and outside work. Let's hope I can do what I have planned, especially those jobs which I want to tackle. 

Plans For 2024

 Christmas came and went in my house. There were changes made and some items were not accomplished. I had to take a deep breath, make a list, and do what was important. The quilts were not made in December but the smaller one was completed in January. I can put it out this coming Christmas. 

Christmas in my house will continue to be red, white, and grey.

I did clean the basement between Christmas and New Years. Under the stairs got a good cleaning out and the TV box is now under the stairs. 

The rest of the family room hasn't changed from when I did it earlier. I still do crafts in that room and am trying to keep it tidy as possible. 

The sewing room is also cleaned up and it hasn't changed in appearance either. I like how it is set up and will do posts on both the family and sewing rooms later. 

I am back again thinking about what to do upstairs. I have a lot of decisions to make. With my house worth almost twice as much as we paid for it and a slower market I wonder what to do. Are my plans going to price it out of the market? Or are they going to keep the price firm? I really don't know. 

What I do want do is:

    Have the upstairs painted. 

    Replace the trim with plain trim which is easier to keep clean.

    Get blinds for the living, dining, kitchen and bathroom windows. I want to eliminate curtains if I possibly can in those areas.

    I will keep sewing soft decor for upstairs so I can have the rooms look like I want them to. My goal is to have blues, whites, and greys for most of the year. I am enjoying the peacefulness it brings to the house. 

What is questionable is:

    Replacing the cupboards vs painting them. Either way the hardware will be replaced as will the counter tops, taps, and kitchen sink. I will also add a back splash. 

    Replace the flooring. I would love to do that but it is a big expense. Doing the floors means redoing the railings and stairs. Is it worth it? 

I will be looking at getting a carpenter and painter for these jobs asap. 

Outside I have a list also. I have someone who will do the hedge and under the deck. I will see if he will pressure wash the siding and soffit also. If he won't do it, I will try to do it myself. I hope to pressure wash the driveway myself so it is also clean. I can do the vegetable boxes as they have green growing on them. Yes, I am going to buy a pressure washer in the spring and use it. 

The lawn maintenance is secure for this year so I don't have to worry about that. I will take care of the weeds in the ditch again this year. I will do flowers in pots, set up the deck, and plant the vegetable boxes this year. 

I am seeing a busy year inside and outside this year.