Oh, schicksal---that sure looks nice! You have been posting quite a few stellar projects.

Gyr_Falcon, is Vista associated with BM? I didn't know that. I know that SW bought Frazee. Only CA people seem to know DE. The three paints I've had painters recommend are Vista, Frazee and DE.

Made Overnight White bread again. Started last night, baked one loaf this morning. Will bake one loaf later today. I'm also going to make some assortment of dessert-y things. DH is having poker here tonight for the first time since the kitchen demo started. I figure I should cook something.

Worked a class for job#2, baked the bread then went into job#1. Did a bunch of organizing, some grading, some planning, and brought home a bunch of work. Stopped at the store but I'm feeling like I forgot something. I'll figure out what I'm going to bake and pick up whatever is missing when I got out to get dog food, which we DEFINITELY need. (Or I'll send DH, preferably).

I mostly hang out in the back half of the house when DH has poker. There are a couple guys that either don't care for and/or are allergic to dogs, so I keep them in the back half of the house with me. I always think I'm going to get a ton of stuff done. I usually just sit on the bed and watch TV for hours on end. ::roll eyes::

Thanks!

The entry hall is close to being finished. By the time I got to the door end of the hall it was already past dark and to do the last row I have to remove the threshold and leave the door open. That's an open invitation for bugs to come flying in. The cat would love it, the people wouldn't. The gameplan for today is to finish up, grout, seal and get going with the car again.

Tomorrow I can play around with the pendant lights. I have to get a little creative with those because the big round cover that hides the junction box is wider than the beam they will be suspended from (I am making electrical connections from inside the attic). There may be a way around this... the cover has a little stub where the wire goes in that looks removable that I can install on the underside of the beam. The only thing is that it's not much bigger than the electrical wire is so I'll have to drill carefully.

Love that floor schicksal, it looks very classic.

Frustrating week. Things were insane at work so I never got a chance to finish painting. Then the motor on our AC unit broke. $600 later we have air but the budget for this project went from low to nil. I did as much as I could with the paint that I have this morning. It really needs another coat but it's going to have to wait. Actually what it needs is a lot of repair to the walls and some cracks in the ceiling and then more paint. I've basically just made it 'ok for now.'

Logically I know that this room is going to look very nice and be a good space to work in but I hate knowing it's getting a half [banned word] job.

schicksal - Love the hall, especially the pops of color. It's slate, right? Did you order different pieces individually, or is it a floor that has that variation/design? It's great!

I've got a couple job #2 classes today and brought home lots of work from school yesterday. I got the room straightened and did stuff for two courses, but I brought home everything for Stats to grade and enter, and all my own stuff to organize.

Not much that HAS to be done around here. It'll be a busy week, so I'm going to encourage DH to make dinner today and/or tomorrow something with leftovers to cover a day or two later in the week.

Kitchen-wise, this weekend I needed to not think about anything about what's not done. I'm thinking Monday I may hit HD and try and find out what's what. Our new panel should be in in a couple weeks and I want to know what they're suggesting for the balance of the work.

Just finished breakfast. French toast made with cinnamon swirl bread I baked up yesterday. Sausage and egg scramble.
Butter is browned for banana bread.
I swear I had the kitchen cleaned after bread baking yesterday. But looking behind me, it says we made another mess!

I need to bake cookies for lunch boxes. Can't decide between the usual chocolate chip or chocolate chip shortbread or sugar......

I was right, stove electrical will not get done today. ;)

Yard work and laundry will round out the work for the day.

I found the flooring on Retro Renovation while searching for what kind of stone or tile that would be MCM appropriate. Whatever traces of the floor that was once in there were long gone by the time I moved in, but I'm pretty sure it was hardwood.

Retro Renovation - Random multi-color slate flooring - an authentic mid-century choice

They linked to Vermont Slate Depot. It's a very well-run, smaller place that I can't speak highly enough of. Friendliest people I've ever dealt with, quick shipping and no pieces arrived damaged. Cost was great too, including shipping it was barely over $200! It came out so well I've been looking around for other places to use the material in and look forward to ordering from them again.

cal quail, all I know about Vista paint is that they sell the BM brand there. My husband gets better prices at DE, so I haven't used BM paint, even though I really like many of their colors. We only stopped there to look at the stain samples, since Vista is a bit closer to where we live.

Sorry about your project stall, Christina. That must be frustrating.

This post was edited by Gyr_Falcon on Sun, Sep 7, 14 at 14:22

Thanks for the tile info. I had wanted slate in the entry, then decided it was too dark with our walnut bifold doors etc. Then I turned to the thought of using it outdoors. I can see it through the breezeway (as they mention in the article) and on the patio that's off the DR/LR (under the main roof) and the path and BBQ patio that join the two. Then maybe a plainer slate on the dining patio nearby.

The breezeway, path, and patio under the roof are existing and are the original stained/painted? concrete. Where they get sun exposure, they're very worn and not red. Where they don't get sun exposure, they're slick as snot. I'm surprised a dog hasn't slid into/thru the patio door when running towards it in when it's wet out. We had the BBQ patio and dining patio poured about 9 years ago. The guy was supposed to then come and skim coat all the concrete the same color. Never showed. He'd originally poured the dining patio in the wrong place, half corrected it, but probably wasn't interested in finishing. I have no idea if we'd paid him the full amount or what, but I guess we were both done with each other. So those areas are just plain concrete.

Prime real estate for slate since you don't get the nasty wet, freeze, thaw cycle that tears stone up. Today I completed the installation. Tomorrow after work I'll use some enhancer and sealer to bring the colors out. The grout didn't come out at all like the sample looked. Way too light. I may try and modify that too.

It looks fantastic, Schicksal!

Sorry about the stall, Christina. Frustrating.

Not much going on here. Work, and hockey, hockey, hockey! No projects on the go. I'm planning on my upstairs bathroom reno for next March/April. I'll save up and also use my tax return to pay for a bunch of it. It'll need to go down to the studs to get at the electrical.

That looks really good. Will the enhancer and sealer darken the grout a bit?

I baked a bunch of stuff. Banana bread, brown sugar cookies, oatmeal cookies and 2 loaves of white bread.
We had broccoli chicken for dinner.
I fried 5 hand formed sausage patties, made 5 scrambled egg patties. Toasted 5 homemade english muffins. When cool topped with American cheese. Those are the Big Guys "lunch" mainstays. He takes a breakfast/lunch.
He eats the same thing everyday during the week. Lol so I make the whole weeks worth on Sunday.

I also weedeated the whole yard. (Because my boys suck at it.) ;) I may not have to do it again until the Spring. I did such a fantastic job. Lol

Thanks!

The food sounds much better than what I had (throw something in the oven, come back in 30 minutes).

I doubt it will change the grout much. On the other hand my other half likes it this color instead of medium gray. I'm the one who will be stuck cleaning it though :/

The projects are now getting smaller from here on out. The largest one remaining is now to create the front door. I need to buy a tool of some kind that can clamp on to a blank door and hold a tool (router?) so I can cut three windows. Also I need to figure out how not to have the router break out the veneer on the opposite side.

I'd rather be playing some hockey, or at least out skating. The bad part about doing all this grout is that it always wears a hole in my index finger (ouch!). I also have no fingerprint now. Maybe it's time for a crime spree.

Texas_Gem - fellow perfectionist control freak here. Perhaps we're related.

DH and I had a busy weekend. We went to my Mom's (120 miles away), so we could close up her lake cottage for the winter. Saturday afternoon we cleaned, then enjoyed the fruits of our labors with a lovely meal at the lake.

Meanwhile, we did a Citristrip demo for Mom, on an old painted table. We only waited about 5 hours, but that was enough to get the top coat off in no time. We put another coat on to attack the white primer, and left it overnight. Now we have a lovely oak table! Mom, who has done a lot of wood finishing projects over the years, was suitably impressed! I brought the piece home to do the legs and bottom.

Sunday my brother came to help at the lake - we brought in the dock and boat lift, and buttoned up for winter. It was a gorgeous day, so we played 9 holes of golf - first time any of us had been out all year.

The highlight of the weekend was our alma mater's football game Saturday night - North Dakota State Bison remain undefeated, and once again got the attention of ESPN. College Game Day will be broadcast from Fargo this week!

Awe Shicksal, fingers are indeed the best tools!
And if you make it out this way, I'll cook and bake for you.
I'm a bit over board on the scratch food sometimes. It all harkens back to when we were poorer than dirt and I was a stay at home mom. We couldn't afford him the eating out thing. And after all those years, even with less time, I still do it. :)

Terri - Your cooking posts are becoming legendary here. I half avoid reading the parts about food because I just get hungry every time I read them. Talk about living vicariously :)

Schicksal - A router bit should not chip the veneer but it will 'fuzz' it. Won't you have trim around the windows anyway?

I'm about ready to cut through some 1 1/4" sapele plywood (tonight or tomorrow). I'll jig saw out all but 1/8 -1/4" from the cut line and then finish with the straight bit on a template. I'll let you know how the straight bit works. Otherwise, they do make special bits that cut upwards and downwards towards the center for this very purpose. The cutters are spiraled in both directions. They pretty much eliminate chipping.

Well Doug, it's the only thing going on in the kitchen most days. ;)

Terri - Lol! I'm lucky to make my way to the microwave most days.

Schicksal - I cut a hole in a piece of 1 1/4" sapele plywood tonight for a router table. Drilled holes in each corner inside the lines, jig saw to rough out the hole, and strait router bit on a template to finish it.

Here's the wood with the template on the bottom and the bit I used. No chipping at all, just a little bit of fuzz on the end grain of the sapele veneer, hardly visible.:

This is what I'm building. I bought a different table saw last winter and I'm finally getting around to putting my router table back together:

Interesting... someone else I asked offered the idea of scoring a line in the veneer and covering it with blue tape, drilling holes at all four ends of the rectangles (windows) and carefully using a jigsaw with a good blade, guided by a straightedge, to make the holes. I may have a go with that first since it involves the least purchasing.

Fuzz is ok, I have to put trim of some sort around the windows because the door stock is solid wood with a veneer.

The door I like tends to run $2,000+ but if I build my own, door blanks are $60 each. If bad comes to worse it's not the end of the world if one of them doesn't turn out well.

Here are the finished pictures of the floor. I need to find some transition pieces to the adjacent hardwood flooring still. Not sure where to buy unfinished ones...

In my experience, jigsaw blades tend to wander in thick wood. I've never had much luck using a straight edge with one, but if you go slow and have good blades, I think you could stay pretty close to your line. Don't forget to have a block of wood clamped under the holes you drill or you will chip out the back side.

Your floor looks really nice, and very appropriate. I had no idea slate came in so many colors.

Nice progress, all! shicksal, that slate is really gorgeous and absolutely so period!

I've not done a lot. I've tried to do at least one thing a day, but I'm just soooo lazy and unmotivated.

They trenched from my house to the barn to repair the water and install electricity. Not in, but trenched. I'm unhappy with my friend, who drive the bobcat all over. When it turns, it gouges up the grass. I've worked for 12 years go get the ruts out of the lawn, so I didn't need the sports bra to prevent black eyes on the riding lawnmower.

Monday I cut out an nonproducing, old lilac. I put vine and stump killer on the cut ends, so hopefully this evil stuff with do the trick and kill it. I have 2 more to go and plans for the stuff.

Today I dug out 1x3' of lirope across the road so the HugeCulture family doesn't kill it all, dumping garden refuse into the gully. I split it up and put it on the other side of the road where I put hellebores. I also broke it up and put it in the ruts the bobcat made. It's a great lawn replacement, so we'll see.

My plan tomorrow is to either cut out another lilac or to empty my raised bed to plant some things permanently in it. I think I know where I want some things, at least, to go. I really can't believe how much I've accomplished since July compared to the last 7 years. I've impressed myself, but have soooo much more to do!

On the agenda: Cut out and kill 3 spirea, 2 physocarpus, a quince, a huge hunk of Japanese Cariea, and start to plant the JMs that have made it through summer sun. I've got 7 in mind. :) anyone local want these nice shrubs?

Off to work.
Have a great rest of the day!

It's so humid it almost hurts thinking about landscaping or gardening.

The stabilization plan is going into effect at the torn up house. When the roofers left for the day they tarped the house in order to prevent water from coming in. Unfortunately this weekend the tarp failed. It looks Katrina bad in there. On both floors the drywall and plaster on the ceiling is collapsing, fixtures are full of water, plaster on the walls is coming apart and the flooring is cupped and warped.

Calls to the insurance company I have been dealing with as well as the roofing company owner have been unreturned. I wrote the attorney this afternoon and am sure he'll get back either today or first thing in the morning. It looks like their claim just got a lot bigger. No kitchen work for me today; after an afternoon like this I feel like doing something else instead.

schicksal - That's terrible. I hardly know what to say. I felt from the beginning that the house might be beyond repair, but this must feel like piling on. It doesn't seem fair.

Well, I got my router table finished tonight. It's now back to working on trim. I have 450 feet of all the pieces for the baseboards and door headers to sand and shape and finish. The router table will help speed up some of it.

Nope. It turned a big insurance claim into a huge one.

At this point I'm waiting for an attorney to get back with me. I also spoke with the roofing company about a better dry-in. The party that seems uncooperative here is the supplier's insurance company, and based on the paperwork shared with me I truly think it will come 100% back to them.

It's really aggrivating though because of all the work I personally put into the place. Things like the new vanity that's swollen and coming apart, making the plaster walls nice, fixtures and kitchen appliances that were soaked. It's basically for nothing, except maybe to show that they were in like new condition and should be restored accordingly.

But yeah, it is a bit depressing. Kind of takes your motivation away from doing anything building-related.

Oh, shicksal. I'm heartsick for all your beautiful work.
At least you can direct your people to our threads here as documentation for all the careful and detailed work you've been doing.

I'm not doing much today. Got a hose running to the lirope I transplanted yesterday. Last night, just before the sunset I cut out another lilac. I always liked a full fence line, but I'm love the openness of it now. Funny how tastes change.

Mtdoug, did you build your router table? I've got a router with the plastic, table-holding things on it, the rails, but no table. Is this something I could do myself? How does one hook the router into the table? This is the tool I've not taught myself to use and really need to. Thanks for any info!

schicksal- I sure hope you get made whole on this. Dealing with insurance companies at this level is something few of us have had to endure.

I do empathize completely, however. The first house I built in 1979 was turned into a pot growing farm by subsequent owners because it was nicely isolated on acreage. They got busted and the house confiscated and sat vacant for about 12 years before the sheriff's department finally put it up for auction. By then, the place was trashed. It had to be completely gutted. It was supposed to be my lifetime home but that did not work out. I had to stand by and watch as everything I put into that place got destroyed.

CEF - I guess I should clarify. I built a router table top :) It's attached to my table saw fence rails, so it doesn't have legs per se. Don't know what you mean by "plastic, table-holding things", but I don't know why you could not build a router table. It's not difficult. Mine took about four hours. I highly recommend buying a router insert (the blue thing in the picture) for mounting your router onto the table top. It's a CNC machined part and not easily manufactured at home. So, in essence, you would start with the insert and build the top and support around it. There are many router table designs on the net to help you decide what best meets your needs.

In my case, I set up my table saw specifically to do this. I had a thick piece of plywood from Habitat specifically bought for this project, and I bought the insert on sale from Grizzly. Very DIY and it took 8 months to get everything together.

I have EVICTED the plastering crew .... they finished the last of the wall texturing today. The floors survived, and most of the dust has been cleaned up. Still moving furniture back

Hung the new ceiling fans

Now it's on to painting, and making picture rails and putting up picture rails but I have to stop and go to Phoenix and pack and clean so we can sell the house ... and I'm totally exhausted.

That is all so disheartening Schicksal, it's terrible dealing with insurance companies when it's just one and it's yours, I can't imagine the horror or dealing with multiple insurance companies all trying to pass the buck!

My little laundry room project is moving ahead. Cabinets (salvaged from my old kitchen) are going in tomorrow. I'm planning on putting a vanity with sink in there as an inexpensive sink solution for now but it's going to have to wait a bit.

It's cool that you were able to salvage some cabinets for the laundry room. Sounds like it'll be a cool room - I've never had one with a sink but thought they were a good idea.

I've heard nothing from insurance. It would be impossible for me to think any lower of them. However I did speak with the roofing company directly today. They're very cooperative and the owner shared some details with me that basically settle the whole thing; why only one insurance company has been involved is now perfectly clear. The builder will start work on the stabilization plan tomorrow. Unfortunately, the extra water damage doubles the amount that it will cost. The weight of the wet plaster and other materials caused additional movement basically everywhere.

This evening I took the time to get the pendant lights ready to go in. Unfortunately the second one has a big chip in the glass so it will need to be returned.

Nothing really was accomplished today.

So, we're winding down, I guess. :) This has really either been a slower week for us all, or you're bored with me. [sob] But how, ever, could that be!!??

Today was productive for me. Interesting, actually.
Got some bloodwork done that will give me a report on how my body is doing without cholesterol meds. My refill hasn't come, which is almost 3 weeks now. (2 of those weeks were my laziness in not sending in my scrip).
Picked up some steaks and cat litter (priorities, you know), ham and bread. All set for the week.
Put some $$ on my debit card (and picked up some Reese's cups) and back home.

I just spent the last 3 hours cutting down more trees (full grown crape myrtles and an evil, spindly English Hawthorne) and cutting OUT an entire garden of Japanese carea. Cariea? and more chocolate vine. Thick chocolate vine. Either way, both are worse than bamboo. I individually sprayed each cut cane with evil chemicals. I broke free a gorgeous smoke tree ('Royal Purple') and a thornless blackberry. I'm imagining they'll thrive now.

I'm preparing for a fall planting. When my JMs go dormant, I think I'm putting 9 in the ground. If anyone cares to peek, I've created a Pinterest board. Actually, so when I'm trying to figure out what, where and how with these trees, I have pictures to refer to, rather than having to look them up.

Ok. Back outside I go. It is a gorgeous day out there. Hope you're enjoying yourself.

Here is a link that might be useful: Christine's Japanes maples.

Christine, I would love to prowl around in your yard.

I've had a very slow week - at least not very productive. A friend came to visit, and we had planned to spend the afternoon at our neighbor's pool. We decided that the fact it was raining should not interfere with our plans. Nor the fact that it was about 50ð outside (the pool was warm, though!) Added a little antifreeze to our mugs, and we were good to go!

Annkh, it's like being in a giant hot tub!
Where do you live that it's only 50?
With our cool summer here in MD, we've had more than a few nights in the 60-70F range, but this week, nights are going 50-60F. I despise the cold, but I'm loving the cool nights.

Anyone's welcome for a prowl! :) I'm about to embark on a mowing expedition. Maybe. I've had a little grape antifreeze my own bad Self, and that could be ... an experience. (Geico Commercial: Wheeeeee!) But that would probably mean I should really put down my glass of wine antifreeze.

I should get a life. I live like a hermit-ette. But then I do go out. Like I'm going to need to do: for wine and Reese's cups.

Annkh, glad you had an enjoyable week! Which one of those happy girls is you!?

I'm in North Dakota. We had a frost warning the last two nights. High temp today is 55ð. My birthday is in October, and it's not unusual for us to have snow by then. Or, it could be in the 70's in November! One never knows.

I'm the one on the left.

Last time my friend and I were together in the rain, we were wearing fake mustaches. Rain brings out the silly in us!

Too hot to work... It is in the 90s today, and Sunday is expected to be 103degrees F. My most recent electric bill looked like a mortgage payment.

My favorite thread has come back!

I have been busy. But I am eating Thai and posting while my other half is in the bathroom. More to come when I get home.

Scary pictures and more.

I have been nothing remotely house related. Barely cooked or ate stuff at home. Busy school week, meetings and regular stuff. The meetings just beat me up. It's a different kind of thinking and we all agree it's always the most tired we get. Taught more classes at job #2 as well. And it's boys water polo season so I'm going to the games (DH coaches). Oh, and today was the first after school Academic Decathalong meeting (which I took over this year).

Yep, I'm really glad it's the weekend.

Oh, you guys. I thought we were going to die this thread. I find I'm so glad you're all just working your butts off and are exhausted. Oh, my. That didn't come out right!

Annkh, love your smile. Can't imagine it with a mustache!
shicksal, any larb in that Thai? mmmmmMMmmmmm
cal_quail, go be a mom. :) you deserve the break of mindlessly watching a game -- until your son scores!

Went out and got wine. How could I have forgotten!?
Had some "antifreeze" [GD&R] on the porch as the sun set. I am amazed at the beautiful yard I have, gardens with different "rooms" and the quiet, despite being 10 minutes from highways.

Tell you a secret: I teach yoga. Ok, fine. Have for a couple decades. But I haven't been able to do my own practice since the day I discovered my DH had .. um... extra curricular activities. Couldn't. Couldn't breathe. When I drove to the studio, I beat myself up feeling stupid that there I was thinking he was so tired and working so hard, all those hours. Well.....

So, tonight it was so incredibly peaceful, the air was so still without any humidity, I did 10 of what's called "Sun Salutations" (or Surya Namaskar, for those who know. :) They're a sequence of postures that flow from one to the next, which you repeat (optimistically at sunrise) , but since it was evening, I practiced Chandra Namaskar, or Moon Salutations.

I'm telling another deep, dark secret here, because we share everything! on the Kitchen forum. :) It didn't hurt. Physically or mentally. I didn't beat myself into stupidity for being stupid. It was just nice, It made me feel like I could work back into my own practice. And for someone who has been practicing since 1978 until a train rode over my identity and live, this is a huge deal.

It's worth a glass of wine salute. In a pool. In the rain. With my friends. :) So thanks for listening, as always. [LOL]

I think I'll have glass of wine and a Reese's cup on that note. Yeah baby.

Progress reflects more upon things that are in work than actual accompliahments at this point. A lot of things I ordered will be here soon which feels like things are happening. Doors arrive on Monday and I expect a replacement pendant light will as well. I don't have time to deal with the car so it will go to the shop on Monday too. In the mean time I will start building the new front door.

I spoke with an attorney today about the broken house and all information that has been discovered points in only one direction. In my opinion I know squarely where the blame lies and the indifference toward the sutuation by the insurance company doesn't deter me; it makes me want to pursue them harder.

The picture below is typical of the entire house. This is what their delay tactics have bought for them.

Oh Wow! Shcicksal! I hope you get everything resolved to your satisfaction.

Ann, that's hilarious! It was snowing in Calgary the last few days! My sister is pissed! It was chilly here the last couple of days, but no snow anyway.

Christine (CEF), what a thing to discover! I'm glad you're healing. Know that it had nothing to do with you!

Lazygardens, we need to see some photos!

C222, glad your project is moving along!

I've done nothing! Work and the boys hockey, that's it.

CEF - I don't want this thread to die. I'm hoping to see at least week 52. I check it usually every day. I just don't have much to write about unless anyone wants to hear about my working all day and then for an hour or so at night sanding pieces of trim. I will start putting poly on it tomorrow, but I've only got half ready to finish. My life is consumed with work and trim..oh, and my wife's cataract surgeries. She has the other eye scheduled on Wednesday and there are endless errands and doctor visits to take her to through this process of back-to-back eye surgeries.

Plus, the weather here as absolutely spectacular, in the 80's with a nice north breeze. Nobody is inside. We had hardly any of these kind of days this summer, so this is precious time outside. Between coats of poly tomorrow, I will be cleaning gutters and washing windows on the house as the weather is forecast to change next week and I need to get things tidied up before everything gets wet and stays wet until next summer.

Well Doug it has been simply wonderful indeed in the PNW. It just seems so perfect..the impending gloom seems not possible. Lol..but we all know soon it'll arrive..
Shicksal, I just said OMG at that photo! I can see why your heart is sunk on this subject.

Christine, that is pretty awesome to hear you have taken a huge step towards your own healing and peace. Peace with ones self and surroundings is important to all! I am guessing it's all the "one" with Mother Earth and nuturing those plants and areas important to you that has reflected back on your own growth!

CalQ, hubby support....I will be doing the same tomorrow. He's coaching
Youth Football on the mainland. I'll go and watch, then we'll do our Costco and other "big city" shopping together.

Ann, that is nice. Good friend, warm pool, warm beverage and an umbrella. Lot's of fun!

MG, sometimes it's all we can do...just doing what needs to be done!

Tonight, Hubby did mention he needed an outlet box and a "plug" for the stove, so that may just happen on Sunday. Maybe I can have him get the upper cabs over the peninsula down too?

I've been busy, more on the paperwork front than the actual house work front but we did get the siding painted, a new fascia hung where the old one was rotting, and we used some leftover tile to tile the breezeway.

Honestly, since the whole "brother/inheritance" fiasco started a few weeks ago, I haven't felt particularly motivated to get the house done.

It seems, through family talks, to be resolved but until I have signed papers in front of me that will hold up in a court of law, I'm going to be nervous.

Doug- Boy do I understand the cataract thing. My husband developed a cataract due to eye injury and he ended up having to have surgery earlier this year. Our poor kids couldn't understand why daddy couldn't pick them up for several weeks. The improvement in his eyesight made it worth it but it was a rough time.

Schicksal- I'm so disappointed reading the trouble you are having. Typical insurance crap, always willing to take money but they will fight tooth and nail to give it back.

Christina- I don't want these threads to die. Even though I'm not posting as much, I am still reading every single day. Plus, I feel like these weekly threads can't stop until I'm done since I was the impetus for their creation. Does that make me selfish?

I've recovered a bit from the week. I went out to brunch at a local bakery restaurant and walked the local farmer's market. I haven't been in a couple years. It had gotten small and depressing. I didn't need anything, wanted to go to that restaurant, so figured it was good to check it out.

It was nice! Plenty of fruit/veggie vendors and a few other other things I like to see at a fm. I found a character of a plant guy. He also goes to the fm that DH has been frequenting on Sunday's. He also does some landscape consulting, yard maintenance, etc. I'll check him out at a fm again, but I may have him come give some ideas on my yard. I have a feeling he'll be closer to my take on the yard than others have been. I bought a Asclepias-curassavica (Tropical Milkweed), Peppermint Geranium and Apple Geranium. I wasn't really looking for any plants, and it's definitely hot as Hades these days. But he got me with the 'attracts Monarchs' sign on the milkweed. I've seen more monarchs and tiger swallowtail butterflies this year than ever and would love if they'd come back/stick around. I also figured it'd fill space until my Ceanothus does something (super slow growing). And the scented geraniums, I've wanted forever. I didn't seek them out specifically, but I'd been on the lookout for them, unsuccessfully, for a long time.

Now I can do some better reading/commenting from upthread:

Christine - it's no wonder you've got so many JM's. Between the colors, the habits, the sizes and the leaf shapes, they're all so different! Lovely.

And I so want to start doing more yoga. I really liked one of the instructors at the big, mega-gym I went to for a while and kept my membership just for that/her. But her classes were only at 8pm and with my bedtime at 9...no bueno. I poke around and look at schedules for other places, and never carve out time to go check them out. I should. (more below)

And not a mom, just a coaches wife and teacher watching polo. I did have a stray little tiny kid try to latch onto my hand at the farmers market today "I'm not yours! Go find your mom!" said I, as I pulled up my arm. When the kid tilted his head back enough to see me beyond his hat, he backed away and then went to his mom.

annkh - absolutely jealous. Looks like you guys are having a great time. Love rain. Love water. Love antifreeze.

lazygardens and Christina2222 - I agree - photos needed.

schicksal - Oh my! Best wishes for things going as well as they can at the rental.

terri - Hoping your range gets settled this weekend, and then some.

TG - Paperwork is good. Not exciting, but good.

I did talk to my principal this week. I know how I can go to Costa Rica and not feel the huge need to hide what I'd doing and lie. Yay! That will make the trip all the better. He said (paraphrasing) if you go and take care of yourself and live life, you'll be a better teacher. Good man!

You'll have to post about whether the plants attract butterflies or not. I was thinking about doing the same thing this winter. They don't breed here so I'm not sure if that would do much, unless they stop to munch on them on their way to wherever they're going.

After work I'm not doing anything terribly exciting aside from changing the oil on the car. The good news is that it's raining today so I can go up in the attic to wire the pendant lights without worrying about dropping dead from the heat. I'm also working on figuring out stools and other lighting/detail stuff for the kitchen and formal living room. Maybe today will also be the day that I make something to cover up the blank areas around the fridge.

The bad news is that means more rain will get into the place with the bad roof since the roofers haven't been able to get a lift over there to put a better dropcloth on yet. I guess it's already trashed anyway, but still. :/

All my Saturday plans went up in smoke when a crisis happened at work. Today I managed to get some work done in the guest room. My friends came over and took away my old counters for partial reuse in their house. Starting to gather thoughts for tackling the bathroom. Next project on the list. Also got the bread made for the week.

Of the 5 fans I removed, three have found other homes already. :)

We're in a very low average income town and seriously, nothing goes in the trash until there is not a single use left for it.

That is great LG! I like to reuse and regift items too.

Beautiful bread Christina.

I made english muffins this morning.

Hubby got the outlet wired and in. Boy he makes big holes though! Lol...and managed to fry my range hood he thinks.
I was looking at farmhouse sinks with drain boards and other apron fronts and he said whatcha doin..I said looking at sinks, he said maybe you should be looking at range hoods...I knew then he oopppsed..

Oh I "made" sitting room curtains. I am such a cheater..lol...4 twin sheets (the right plum color!) and 4 packs of diy no sew Dritz Grommets.
Template, trace, cut, snap rings in.

This post was edited by terri_pacnw on Mon, Sep 15, 14 at 0:02

Saturday, ESPN College Gameday was in Fargo, ND - where DH and I both went to NDSU. Saturday afternoon, between the Gameday broadcast and the football game, DH and I cut out dead branches, and trimmed back others. The city will come and haul them away - hooray!

This has been on my project list for a while, and now that winter is bearing down on us, we need to get things done outside.

Oh, and our team won. Go Bison!

Where is the new week thread?

OMG.