Cleaning Out & DIY

Going through and throwing away things in the past can be difficult, especially when it is an enormous tast and nearly 40 years of memories in one house are involved.  But the job is over 3/4 complete now and we can almost begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Sorting, pricing, estate sale, carpet and house cleaning left, then we're on the market.  Pray for a fast, uncomplicated sale...



20-yard dumpster; we're getting one of these at our Tallahassee house in the near future!

Starting a DIY project on a rainy weekend, thinking you're going to "surprise" the hubby with your mad skills - well, let's just say, didn't quite work out as I had so well planned for the last several weeks.  Carl went on a men's retreat and I just knew I would have a full day and a half to remove border and paint our little foyer.  It is, of course, not a large area, and should not be a difficult project!  Wrong!  Unless I am totally out of touch when it comes to border/wall paper removal, or unless the previous home owner used the world's most secure wall glue, this was a chore!  And I failed in the first rule of DIY projects -- take before pictures -- so, I don't have the original "look" of our foyer. 

I just knew I could take down the border on Friday night and be ready to paint on my [expensive] primer/paint in one (and "should only take one coat, even on a wine-colored wall") and have everything back on the walls, ready to go "ta da" when Carl came home!  RIGHT! 

Oh, well - it is what it is, but as of last night I finally had the border down (thanks to equal parts of white vinegar and hot water sprayed on scored border, let sit before scrapping) and the "goo" scrubbed off (sprayed again with vinegar solution, then scrubbed off with nylon scrubbie pad with solution of Dawn in dishpan of hot water - one foot-at-a-time sections).  Now, I'll get to go back and (per instructions from our oldest son, helping his mother via text): step 1, spackel, step 2, sand smooth, step 3, spray "orange peel", step 4, paint. 

Did I say I took off some sheet rock with the border?

 

 

At last, smooth walls, post-goo -- on to spackel!

 

Carl offered to help me last night, but I told him this was my surprise project, and I really wanted to try to do it all myself.  It's definitely going to be a longer process than I anticipated, but hopefully, we'll have a nice foyer when I'm finally finished!  [the poor secretary is totally yellow - not green & yellow as shown]    AND, I made the executive decision this weekend, should we finally get to the point of re-doing our kitchen, we are painting or tiling over the extensive wall paper!  [Sadly won't be the case in our master bath - peeling at all the seams, will have to come down.] 

Folks, don't wall paper unless you just love to be tortured or enjoy working like a fiend!

Hugs to all - now on with the adventure!

New Year, New Lives

The year ended with some special time after Christmas with a visit to my oldest brother's home in Wetumpka, Alabama and visiting with two wonderful nieces and their families, as well as my brother and our oldest son.  A house full, to say the least, and a really special time visiting with our great nephew, the Marine (Theo), home from California for a couple of weeks!  Laughter til your sides hurt, too much food to ever be good for you, and memories shared, new ones created.

We followed Charlie back to Pensacola for a day visit with our sweet "daughter", Nichole, and her dear parents!  After a delicious brunch all together, it was back to the house.  We gave the "kids" their Christmas presents and thus, enjoyed the hilarious antics of our grand-cats playing IN the gift bags and chasing each other. 

At that point in the morning, we were asked if we wanted our Christmas present.  Having told them to not get us anything, we were thrilled beyond measure when we were then told that they were expecting our first grandchild!  What a wonderful surprise and a beautiful way to end the year!  Carl and I couldn't be happier and are anticipating learning the gender of our grandchild in about a week and a half - if Baby V cooperates! [That's the endearing reference to the little one until we know if they are having a "he" or a "she"....of course, we don't care at all - just a healthy momma and baby is what we are continually praying for!]

Then 2013 arrived on the scene and our lives haven't slowed down since.  We enjoyed time with Carl's mother in the first days of the new year and had begun thinking how we would celebrate her 95th birthday in August.  However, from January 7th until January 22nd, she went from being a pretty healthy 94 year old, to having bronchitis, being hospitalized four days, in rehab for seven days with no improvement, transferred back to her apartment for three days, then to Hospice House, where we felt we still would have at least a week with her.  The kind nurse there encouraged us to go home to rest, since we had not left her side for three solid days, and that they would take good care of her - it was after 9pm then.  We had decided to do that, and to be back early Tuesday morning...it was not to be.  The dreaded call came at 1:06 a.m. Tuesday morning, January 22nd.

Since that time, we cleared out her apartment and made final arrangements beyond what she had carefully pre-planned years before, had a small, but meaningful service in Montgomery, and have started our lives post-MawMaw.  Any extra time is now being spent preparing the Alabama house for sale and moving into the next chapter of our lives...as orphans indeed.  After losing my father in May 2012 and now Carl's mom in January 2013, we no longer have precious parents in our daily lives...we do have the hope of eternity to look forward to and seeing them all again!  We appreciate our dear friends and family who have showered us with cards, calls, emails, hugs, food, donations to deserving organizations, and support beyond measure. 

So now, we look ahead with anticipation to lives as grandparents and by the grace of God, possibly being able to retire in a few years. 

Yes, 2013 will hold grand new adventures if God sees fit to have us enjoy it:  May 2013 I am to be installed as the President of the Florida Jurisdiction of Woodmen of the World, in August 2013, we will become grandparents, and we'll just become obnoxious picture-sharers and tales of how wonderful our baby is. 

And, finally, borrowed from our nephew's post this morning..."Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9

Encouraging to me!