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. 

Thinking of Christmas Decorating

 Christmas is coming and people are starting to put up their outdoor decorations. I have been watching videos on what is new in stores that we don't have in Canada (or at least where I live). It has me itching to decorate but not until Dec. 1 at the earliest. 

I have my cardinal display which I will put up again this year. Christmas without cardinals isn't Christmas. 

It drives the colour scheme for me - red and grey in the main part of the house. 

I also do the nativity scene. Most of it was bought in the early 1950's with the last piece bought in the mid 1960's. I have always put it out since getting it from my mother. 

And lastly, Christmas is not Christmas without Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore. I made them when the children were just starting school. 

I will be making a few changes this year. 

    Instead of a tree, I will be doing a tiered tray. I will add the Spousal Unit's snowmen to it and a couple of new items I will buy. I will be looking for snowflakes so I can add them for January/February. 

    I hope to have Elliott's cardinal quilt done for Christmas so I can put it on the couch. I have a cardinal pillow already made. My quilt will be done by the end of the year so I can display it next year. 

    I have an antique ironstone dish that belonged to my grandmother. I am going to put it on the dresser in the spare bedroom and fill it with blue and silver baubles. If I can find a pick or two, I will use them in that room also to give it a bit of a Christmas vibe. 

    I need to get a few small items like napkins so I can add some touches to the kitchen. I have a lovely cardinal mug that I will buy picks for and put it on the window ledge to add some festivity to that room. 

What I'm not decorating or decorating less this year:

    I am not touching my bedroom this year. I don't do Christmas sheets nor do I decorate the room. If I do it next year it will be a few items in blue and silver. 

    The bathroom. I could put out some grey towels with cardinals on them but we will wait and see. 

    Front entry (inside) will not be done as it is small and has no space for anything but a picture by the garage door. I may have to think on that one. 

    Outside will be less this year. Only around the front door. I don't put out a lot of items as it is one area that has to be shovelled when we get snow. 

I am still working my way through Christmas ideas as I want to add a few items the Spousal Unit loved. His cowboy snowmen were his favourite. 

This tree will come out but not be decorated this year as I'm figuring out how to use them in a gift for daughter. I realize that Christmas is not the same as before and that I need to continue to figure out how I want Christmas to look. 

Master Bedroom Update #2

The master bedroom has been purged. The room was cleaned and I have been thinking about decorating this room. I have realized that my style is cottage country style. I can keep it minimal for easy cleaning but have it feel warm and cozy. 

Stopping work on the bedroom and thinking has let me get my ideas and thoughts in place. It has also let me make changes. 

    The main quilt I want to make for the bed is still going to happen. My inspiration came from this picture. 

This is a double Irish chain quilt and I am making a single. I am also going to reverse the colours so the William Morris fabric can be seen. 

    The second quilt will be a fun one which has sheep on it. I may not put it on the bed but have it over a chair in that room and admire it. The background fabric will have to go with the William Morris fabric. 

    I bought a frame for a small picture to put on the bedside table that has nothing on it. 

I need to find a vase to put some flowers into so the space if balanced. The frames on the rest of my pictures are in oak and I am hoping the gold on this frame will pull the look together. Most of the pictures I want to hang were framed in the 1990's. 

    I still want to get a black metal headboard for the bed. I don't want extra pillows on the bed as I don't use them. A headboard will help give the bed the finished look I want. 

With ideas floating around in my head, I find that I am still stalled. I am spending a lot of time cleaning the house of unnecessary items. Between doing that and exercise/physio/osteopathy I putter at my plan when I have time. I am hoping to make the bedroom 2 quilts this winter so I can have change the quilts out seasonally.