Now that the kitchen is in working order, it was time to tackle the dining room.
Oh - and I'm sorry for being so "off the grid" these past few weeks. Life is beyond crazy and adding a house under construction has been making it waaaaay worse! Another busy week awaits... but first. Back to the fun stuff - the dining room!
I was able to finish the white paint on the doors in the bathroom and basement, replaced the hinges and door knobs, and hung them back up. It feels good to have a bathroom door again! (As you can imagine!)
Thursday night we had some crazy winds up here in NH, so due to power outages, school was canceled for me on Friday. I love a day off! I had already gotten up, showered, had breakfast, brewed my coffee, and dressed - I had one foot literally out the door when I found out. A bonus day off! I put on my sweats and enjoyed my coffee with my laptop chatting with my friend Kristin. After Dennis left for work I really got myself going.
I taped the edges of the windows, and baseboards and used oil based primer to prime them. Once again, oil based paint smells horrible. On Saturday and Sunday, Dennis and I worked to complete the room as much as possible. I'm not feeling so hot, so I have to admit, he did most of the work. As of Sunday night we had two coats of white paint on all of the wood trim, and two coats of a paint called "campground" (like a spicy mustard color) on the walls. The room is looking mighty good!
What's left? A few touch ups on the trim bordering the ceiling, hang the chandelier, replace the outlets and light switch with white, reattach the baseboards on two walls. In addition to these last few "construction" touches, we are going to be putting the table, hutch, etc. back to where it belongs - maybe get a few things to hang on the walls!
What's next on the agenda?
We're basically trying to get all the painting done in one swoop. We'll be moving on to the hallway/living room to do the wood trim. I plan on taping the edges this week and Friday night!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Days 45-50 a sunny kitchen
This was my February vacation. It didn't feel much like a vacation - but it feels good to be sitting in an almost completed kitchen! YAY!
This is what's been happening since day 44...
Sunday: We grocery shopped and did our usual. We made a trip to Home Depot and picked up primer, 3 cans of paint (different colors), brush cleaner, door knobs, hinges. I had a rehearsal, and it was Den's homework to remove the basement door, bathroom door, and bathroom closet door from their hinges.
Monday: I woke bright and early and ready to tackle the kitchen. First on the agenda was to use oil based primer on our wood trim. I used that blue painters tape to tape my edges. This took a little longer than I expected. Next, I came to the realization that after I painted, I wouldn't be able to sand the wall anymore - because the dust would fall onto the wet paint. So I went through and patched any last spots on the wall. There were quite a few. At this point I picked up Grammy. She was my helper this week!
I know what you're thinking. "You made an 88 year old woman paint your kitchen?" Well. Not exactly. First, let me tell you that she loves painting. She told me that "Nothing is better than having a paintbrush in your hand." That's an actual quote. So I told her we could lay the doors flat between two old chairs and she could keep me company and paint those. We also discovered that she could sit at the table and paint the cross things I took off of my windows.
So anyway. I picked up Grammy. After a much needed trip to Dunkin' Donuts (Gram wanted a little "zing". Another quote!), I sanded the walls. This also took longer than expected, but I know that the sanding is one of the most important things about prepping a wall. I think I did a good job. Of course, there are places where you see imperfections under the paint, but as my father-in-law told me on the phone, you'll never get it 100% perfect. I'm fairly close though! Gram painted, I sanded.
Have you ever used oil based paint? Because it smells worse than anything I've dealt with during this renovation process. We tried opening windows, but of course it IS February in New Hampshire, so it was for short amounts of time. I went to bed with a rockin' headache. Another fun fact about oil based paint - it does not come off of your body. Latex paint is easy to clean. Oil?
Not so much. I was covered - hands, legs, hair, parts of my face - and it was there until Wednesday when I finally scrubbed it until my skin felt like it was coming off.
After sanding, I used a damp sponge to get the dust off the walls, and then went to priming my wood trim with the stinky paint. This took - you guessed it - longer than expected. Especially since I had to remove our ugly blinds (those screws were not wanting to come out) and the hinges/doorknobs from the doors. It was a productive day - we got a lot done. I brought Gram home and called Dennis and said - you'd better pick up a pizza or something. (Part of me was afraid of lighting the stove to cook... all those fumes may cause the house to burst into flames!!) I had my pizza and finished the trim, showered, and fell into bed exhausted!
At the end of the day, things pretty much looked like this. Primer on, the walls all patchy looking and everything's a total mess. The refrigerator was literally in the middle of the room, with a door suspended between two old chairs. All my appliances were stacked on the breakfast bar and table in the dining room. Newspaper everywhere. Drop cloths everywhere. Also - did I mention that the space around my kitchen window is so small I had to use a watercolor paintbrush to get in the space?
Tuesday: This was the day of our snowstorm. I decided that Grammy needed a break - and I did not want to have to drive in the snow. So I was flying solo for much of the day. I used painters 
tape to outline the walls, and then primed the walls. After that was finished - about halfway through the day - I took my white latex paint I'm using to paint the wood trim and gave the wood trim a first coat. Dennis came home early because of the snow! He did a first coat on the doors while I finished the trim. Things were still all disoriented in the kitchen, but it was beginning to look like something - we were excited. We worked together to make a batch of fiesta rice and steamed some tamales MJ from Den's work sent home for us. We played XBox. It was a nice reward!
Wednesday: This day was the longest, yet the most rewarding.
I grabbed Gram - who continued to work on the doors and those cross things for the windows. I put a second coat of white on the trim. It looked great! Then, I took my little paintbrush and used our wall color "Quiet Veranda" (a pale, buttery yellow) to edge around the windows. Yes, in an ideal world I would have waited until the next day so I could tape the trim, but I had time restrictions here - and I needed the kitchen DONE. Plus, I have very steady hands and was very precise. Dennis got another call and I asked him to bring home subs or something because there was to be no cooking break. After I brought Gram home I used the roller to fill in the spaces around my edging. I was up until 10:30 painting, but it looked like a real kitchen. I was so excited! By the way - under the bar I didn't paint all the way to the floor because our heater will be attached there, as well as baseboard - which is currently in the basement!
Thursday: I had some private lessons to do in the morning. After that, you guessed it, I picked up Gram. She did a second coat on 1 door, and then relaxed and kept me company. We listened to the "Frank Sinatra station" on pandora. I used a roller to apply a second coat. I cleaned the counters and bar. I put things back where they belong! I love the color of the kitchen - it's bright and sunny! After I brought Grammy home, I made some dinner. (A great recipe for chicken piccata - I will share it later this weekend!) We had a relaxing night! Here's the finished product below.
So, like I said, we're almost done. What's left to do? The light over the kitchen sink needs to be replaced (it doesn't work!). I need to get white outlets and outlet covers and put them on. The lights on the ceiling are low on the priority list, but they need to be replaced too. They work, they're just ugly. I need to clean and seal the grout on the floor, and around the inside of the bar we're putting up white wood along the edges.
Next room you ask? The bathroom is my vote because the doors are not on yet! We'll take it a piece at a time - with me going back to work (tear...) I won't have the time to bang it out quickly.
Oh - PS. Day 50 (Friday) was spent in Boston with some fabulous ladies!
Weekend agenda time. Clean and grocery shop.
This is what's been happening since day 44...
Sunday: We grocery shopped and did our usual. We made a trip to Home Depot and picked up primer, 3 cans of paint (different colors), brush cleaner, door knobs, hinges. I had a rehearsal, and it was Den's homework to remove the basement door, bathroom door, and bathroom closet door from their hinges.
Monday: I woke bright and early and ready to tackle the kitchen. First on the agenda was to use oil based primer on our wood trim. I used that blue painters tape to tape my edges. This took a little longer than I expected. Next, I came to the realization that after I painted, I wouldn't be able to sand the wall anymore - because the dust would fall onto the wet paint. So I went through and patched any last spots on the wall. There were quite a few. At this point I picked up Grammy. She was my helper this week!I know what you're thinking. "You made an 88 year old woman paint your kitchen?" Well. Not exactly. First, let me tell you that she loves painting. She told me that "Nothing is better than having a paintbrush in your hand." That's an actual quote. So I told her we could lay the doors flat between two old chairs and she could keep me company and paint those. We also discovered that she could sit at the table and paint the cross things I took off of my windows.
So anyway. I picked up Grammy. After a much needed trip to Dunkin' Donuts (Gram wanted a little "zing". Another quote!), I sanded the walls. This also took longer than expected, but I know that the sanding is one of the most important things about prepping a wall. I think I did a good job. Of course, there are places where you see imperfections under the paint, but as my father-in-law told me on the phone, you'll never get it 100% perfect. I'm fairly close though! Gram painted, I sanded.Have you ever used oil based paint? Because it smells worse than anything I've dealt with during this renovation process. We tried opening windows, but of course it IS February in New Hampshire, so it was for short amounts of time. I went to bed with a rockin' headache. Another fun fact about oil based paint - it does not come off of your body. Latex paint is easy to clean. Oil?
Not so much. I was covered - hands, legs, hair, parts of my face - and it was there until Wednesday when I finally scrubbed it until my skin felt like it was coming off.After sanding, I used a damp sponge to get the dust off the walls, and then went to priming my wood trim with the stinky paint. This took - you guessed it - longer than expected. Especially since I had to remove our ugly blinds (those screws were not wanting to come out) and the hinges/doorknobs from the doors. It was a productive day - we got a lot done. I brought Gram home and called Dennis and said - you'd better pick up a pizza or something. (Part of me was afraid of lighting the stove to cook... all those fumes may cause the house to burst into flames!!) I had my pizza and finished the trim, showered, and fell into bed exhausted!
At the end of the day, things pretty much looked like this. Primer on, the walls all patchy looking and everything's a total mess. The refrigerator was literally in the middle of the room, with a door suspended between two old chairs. All my appliances were stacked on the breakfast bar and table in the dining room. Newspaper everywhere. Drop cloths everywhere. Also - did I mention that the space around my kitchen window is so small I had to use a watercolor paintbrush to get in the space?
Tuesday: This was the day of our snowstorm. I decided that Grammy needed a break - and I did not want to have to drive in the snow. So I was flying solo for much of the day. I used painters 
tape to outline the walls, and then primed the walls. After that was finished - about halfway through the day - I took my white latex paint I'm using to paint the wood trim and gave the wood trim a first coat. Dennis came home early because of the snow! He did a first coat on the doors while I finished the trim. Things were still all disoriented in the kitchen, but it was beginning to look like something - we were excited. We worked together to make a batch of fiesta rice and steamed some tamales MJ from Den's work sent home for us. We played XBox. It was a nice reward!Wednesday: This day was the longest, yet the most rewarding.
I grabbed Gram - who continued to work on the doors and those cross things for the windows. I put a second coat of white on the trim. It looked great! Then, I took my little paintbrush and used our wall color "Quiet Veranda" (a pale, buttery yellow) to edge around the windows. Yes, in an ideal world I would have waited until the next day so I could tape the trim, but I had time restrictions here - and I needed the kitchen DONE. Plus, I have very steady hands and was very precise. Dennis got another call and I asked him to bring home subs or something because there was to be no cooking break. After I brought Gram home I used the roller to fill in the spaces around my edging. I was up until 10:30 painting, but it looked like a real kitchen. I was so excited! By the way - under the bar I didn't paint all the way to the floor because our heater will be attached there, as well as baseboard - which is currently in the basement!Thursday: I had some private lessons to do in the morning. After that, you guessed it, I picked up Gram. She did a second coat on 1 door, and then relaxed and kept me company. We listened to the "Frank Sinatra station" on pandora. I used a roller to apply a second coat. I cleaned the counters and bar. I put things back where they belong! I love the color of the kitchen - it's bright and sunny! After I brought Grammy home, I made some dinner. (A great recipe for chicken piccata - I will share it later this weekend!) We had a relaxing night! Here's the finished product below.
So, like I said, we're almost done. What's left to do? The light over the kitchen sink needs to be replaced (it doesn't work!). I need to get white outlets and outlet covers and put them on. The lights on the ceiling are low on the priority list, but they need to be replaced too. They work, they're just ugly. I need to clean and seal the grout on the floor, and around the inside of the bar we're putting up white wood along the edges.
Next room you ask? The bathroom is my vote because the doors are not on yet! We'll take it a piece at a time - with me going back to work (tear...) I won't have the time to bang it out quickly.
Oh - PS. Day 50 (Friday) was spent in Boston with some fabulous ladies!
Weekend agenda time. Clean and grocery shop.
Friday, February 19, 2010
A little time...
Good evening!
I've done A LOT of work around here and can't wait to blog about it. Be patient.
Coming soon...
I've done A LOT of work around here and can't wait to blog about it. Be patient.
Coming soon...
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Days 42, 43, and 44 - i see clutter
So, it's Saturday morning, and I'm officially on vacation. YAY!
Between Wednesday and today clutter has built up around here. I'm not too happy about it... it's mostly little things, a book left on the end table, a pair of shoes by the door, etc. but still. I'm not too happy about it. One positive thing though - the bed got made every day.
Today we are going to visit my cousin in RI. She has a Mexican theme going on for dinner, so I'm bringing a batch of fiesta rice! I think it will be a hit! I'm going to start that pretty soon and while I cook, I think I'm going to send Dennis around to tidy up the clutter!
It's the weekend, so it's time for the weekend agenda!
1. Make fiesta rice to bring to Candi and Mike's place.
2. Pick up some of this clutter laying around.
3. Laundry - washed, folded, ironed, and put away.
4. Clean kitchen and kitchen floors
5. Clean bathrooms and bathroom floors
6. Dust living room, sunroom, and bedroom and do the floors.
7. Work out a menu for next week and grocery shop.
See you tomorrow to check in!
Between Wednesday and today clutter has built up around here. I'm not too happy about it... it's mostly little things, a book left on the end table, a pair of shoes by the door, etc. but still. I'm not too happy about it. One positive thing though - the bed got made every day.
Today we are going to visit my cousin in RI. She has a Mexican theme going on for dinner, so I'm bringing a batch of fiesta rice! I think it will be a hit! I'm going to start that pretty soon and while I cook, I think I'm going to send Dennis around to tidy up the clutter!
It's the weekend, so it's time for the weekend agenda!
1. Make fiesta rice to bring to Candi and Mike's place.
2. Pick up some of this clutter laying around.
3. Laundry - washed, folded, ironed, and put away.
4. Clean kitchen and kitchen floors
5. Clean bathrooms and bathroom floors
6. Dust living room, sunroom, and bedroom and do the floors.
7. Work out a menu for next week and grocery shop.
See you tomorrow to check in!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Days 39-41 - mmm, dumplings!
Work-wise, an easy week. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are my long days at work - and we had early dismissal both days! Yesterday it was because of staff development, and today it was because of snow - which we didn't really get.I came home and picked up a few things around the house. Practiced, read, and cooked! I found a great recipe on "A Splash of This - A Dash of That", a great cooking blog! Dinner tonight was their latest recipe, chicken and dumplings. It was delicious, and very easy to make. I'll let them tell you how to do it, and just feature the finished product (see photo!). :)
Sunday, February 7, 2010
A Guest Posting
Kate has really done a great job with her blog, and it's time that I finally come through on my promise to add a guest-posting. I agreed to do it weeks ago but, until tonight, I hadn't yet run out of excuses to sit down and write something.I don't really have anything to say, but Kate suggested that I should write about the pasta sauce I made this evening. I did it a little different than usual, but I think it came out pretty good.
I started with peeled garlic cloves. Quite a few, actually. I think there were probably 10 or so. I find that grated garlic distributes flavor even better than minced, and it's a lot easier. I grated them with a small fine grater, and set the resulting mush off to the side.
Then for no particular reason, I decided it would be an interesting idea to grate the onion too.
Well, onions are a lot wetter than I thought. I ended up with a little pile of onion-mush to match my garlic-mush, but there was also a fair amount of onion... uhh, juice, that I drained off and got rid of. I probably should have just diced up the onion like a normal person.
I browned a pound of lean ground beef and 8 sweet Italian sausages, and set all the meat aside. I heated some olive oil in a medium sized pot, and fried up my grated aromatics over medium-high heat for just a few minutes. Then I added two 24 oz cans of crushed tomatoes, a 6 oz can of tomato paste and reintroduced the meat.
I gave the whole mess a stir, and added 3 bay leaves, some basil, oregano, fresh ground black pepper, salt and crushed red pepper flakes. I'd tell you how much of each, but I never measure. I brought the sauce to a low boil, and then reduced the heat to low and let it simmer mostly covered (I set the lid just a little crooked to let out steam) for about an hour - stirring every 15 minutes or so.
We enjoyed our meat sauce over ziti with lines.
Days 37 and 38 - the view from up here
Good morning everyone! The breakfast bar is IN! After a year, I can finally say I'm writing to you while sitting at my granite breakfast bar, laptop and coffee at hand. Bliss! The delivery happened yesterday morning, and it was very easy to install, more than I thought! The whole thing was done with minimal mess, in about 20 minutes.I LOVE IT! I am writing to you from it now, but there's a slight problem. My parents gave us two bar stools - but theirs were used on the opposite side of their countertop, which is a different height than our bar. We need stools or chairs that are bar height. Therefore I'm sitting on a stack of
three cookbooks. I look ridiculous, and have been laughed at by Dennis several times. Nevertheless, I'm happy, and the view from up here is lovely.The rest of the weekend you ask? Done. House is clean, laundry is done, and it's time to relax for the rest of the day/evening. Dennis is making homemade red meat sauce - and I got a promise for a "tidy cave" entry about it later! I'm going to a little cooking when he's done. Just to get a jumpstart on the week. Ooooh, also - I'm going to pick out my clothes for the week again. Have you tried this yet? I didn't do it last week and my mornings were way more stressful! I recommend it highly!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Days 33-36 - I need vacation...
As a teacher, I've found that February vacation is always so needed. One more week...
In the meantime, a few things to report.
Most exciting is that tomorrow morning our granite breakfast bar is getting installed! YAY! I plan on having morning coffee at it by 10am. Pictures to come!
Cleaning-wise, nothing much going on. I am embarrassed to admit that I left a pile of (clean) laundry on the couch all week. I meant to fold it after work on Monday, and it never happened. I barely used the living room all week.
Another long week for both Dennis and I. I made a quick and easy dinner tonight.
I got pound or so of chicken cutlets, a jar of tomato sauce (I used Classico fire roasted tomato and garlic), sliced provolone cheese, and pasta.
Beat an egg in a bowl, and put some bread crumbs in another. Dredge the chicken first in the egg, then in the bread crumbs. Heat some olive oil in a pan and brown the chicken on both sides.
Pour the tomato sauce in a baking dish. Put the browned chicken cutlets on top of the tomato sauce and top with the provolone. Bake until golden brown and bubbly.
I used some sundried tomato and basil pasta I got for Christmas. Yum, and easy.
Well, it's Friday night, and you know what that means... that's right, the weekend agenda.
1. The usual - dust, floors, laundry, iron.
2. Enjoy my new breakfast bar!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Days 30, 31, and 32
OK. We fell off the wagon a little this weekend. Not a lot, just a little bit. Not to make excuses, but it wasn't entirely our fault. I'll admit, I started it. I was so incredibly exhausted on Friday night! I cooked some supper, and promptly fell asleep on the couch. I staggered into the sunroom to tell Dennis "Time for bed." and left the kitchen a slight mess.
During the night, we lost power. This presents some problems for the average NH resident, mainly because no power = no water, and no heat. We decided the house was freezing and went out for breakfast. When we got home, the power was still out. By the time it finally came on I had about 35 minutes to shower and get myself out the door for my work commitment. I left Dennis with a job. Clean the kitchen, and bathrooms. After I left - you guessed it - power went out again. This put a little bit of a strain on our cleaning plans... water is more important than you may think!
Anyways, we ended up getting the cleaning done on Sunday. No problem. While I was at orchestra rehearsal, Dennis was supposed to grocery shop. Well, apparently our grocery store closes early on Sundays. He could have gone to another one, and spent an extra $40, but he wisely picked up a salad for me to take to work on Monday and came home.
Long story longer, I had to grocery shop after work today. Blah. I hate doing that.
Bright side? I made a great dinner! (Forgot to take a picture... I'll take a picture of the leftovers!!)
Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy - source, Cooking Light
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
cooking spray
1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 (8 oz) package presliced baby bella mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups fat free, less-sodium beef broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)
Cook noodles according to package directions - omit salt and fat. Drain.
While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add steak and saute 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan, cover.
Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil.
Cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan and cook until warmed thoroughly, about 1-2 minutes.
Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves if desired.
Yields 4 servings.
Calories: 344, Fat 12.5g, Protein 273g, Carb 28.7g, Fiber 1.7g, Cholesterol 95mg, Iron, 4.3mg, Sodium 538mg
It was delicious! A new favorite!
How did your weekend shake out? Did you let your house get away from you a bit? Did you get back on the wagon like me? :)
During the night, we lost power. This presents some problems for the average NH resident, mainly because no power = no water, and no heat. We decided the house was freezing and went out for breakfast. When we got home, the power was still out. By the time it finally came on I had about 35 minutes to shower and get myself out the door for my work commitment. I left Dennis with a job. Clean the kitchen, and bathrooms. After I left - you guessed it - power went out again. This put a little bit of a strain on our cleaning plans... water is more important than you may think!
Anyways, we ended up getting the cleaning done on Sunday. No problem. While I was at orchestra rehearsal, Dennis was supposed to grocery shop. Well, apparently our grocery store closes early on Sundays. He could have gone to another one, and spent an extra $40, but he wisely picked up a salad for me to take to work on Monday and came home.
Long story longer, I had to grocery shop after work today. Blah. I hate doing that.
Bright side? I made a great dinner! (Forgot to take a picture... I'll take a picture of the leftovers!!)
Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy - source, Cooking Light
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
cooking spray
1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 (8 oz) package presliced baby bella mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups fat free, less-sodium beef broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)
Cook noodles according to package directions - omit salt and fat. Drain.
While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add steak and saute 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan, cover.
Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil.
Cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan and cook until warmed thoroughly, about 1-2 minutes.
Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves if desired.
Yields 4 servings.
Calories: 344, Fat 12.5g, Protein 273g, Carb 28.7g, Fiber 1.7g, Cholesterol 95mg, Iron, 4.3mg, Sodium 538mg
It was delicious! A new favorite!
How did your weekend shake out? Did you let your house get away from you a bit? Did you get back on the wagon like me? :)
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