Like many people, I find myself bouncing between feeling grateful and safe to anxious and unsettled, sometimes back and forth all day long. I try to stay occupied and positive throughout the day and look for ways to stay productive and feel like I’m still moving forward. Although this moment in our history will pass, right now it’s important to nurture ourselves with healthy and positive thoughts and activities while we wait for the relief we know is coming. It’s been helpful for me to make a list of activities I can choose from at any given moment, when I need a distraction, feeling bored or looking for ways to focus on all the beautiful things we have in our lives. Today, I’m sharing some of my distractions with you!
Things to do when I need a distraction!
Vacuum 1 room or all rooms
Dust
Wash the interior and/or exterior windows
Re-Organize /Re-Style Bookshelves
Balance Checking Account
Organize any and all closets
Pair food storage containers with lids
Clean out refrigerator/toss expired food and condiments
Clean Baseboards
Swiffer cobwebs
Clean mini-blinds
Update Bathroom with new curtain, towels and bath mat
Cook, try new ingredients and recipes
Update Living Room pillows, throws and rugs
Prepare frozen cookie dough for future use and for gifts
Bake for neighbors
Propagate plant cuttings for spring planting
Write and send cards to friends or neighbors
Do sit/stand exercises, use a resistance cord while watching TV
Do a set of crunches and sit ups
Shave your Sweaters
Mend/repair Clothing
Switch out your sheets/bedding for the season
Rearrange framed photos or update the frames and matting
Kiss your pet
Clean your ceiling fans
Paint old furniture
Sit in the sun for 15 minutes each day
Write in a journal
List all the things your grateful for
laugh as hard as you can, until your crying, if possible
Give yourself a manicure/pedicure, beard trim, bang trim
Do yoga
Try a DIY new haircolor, if your brave
Re-organize your laundry area/kitchen cabinets/spices/ under the sink
Be outside for at least 15 minutes a day
Create a daily “tea time” to look forward to, sit and relax for a few minutes
Text your Mom or better, call her
Find a topic to research and learn about it
Learn or brush up on a language, other than your 1st language
Do a puzzle
Paint or draw a picture, write a poem
Bathe your pet
Take a walk
Dry fresh herbs
Use your least favorite piece of clothing and work it into a great outfit. Or get rid of it!
Donate to a recycling center
Drink more water
Decorate your home entrance
Buy fresh flowers
Pick an ingredient and research a new recipe to include it
Rent a steam cleaner and clean your rugs and upholstery
Rotate your mattress
Change your furnace filter
Move your furniture around or repurpose it
Lose 5 pounds
Make a Dentist or Dr. appt, if you’ve been putting it off
Name any wildlife you see from your home or yard
Look online for homes for sale in your area to see what your house is worth
Throw a ball for your dog
Go to bed early
Do something that intimidates you and gain confidence
Apologize for something that you keep thinking about
Pick up a new hobby or return to an old hobby
Give yourself a break- You’re doing the best you can
Being “Dad” is a tough job! You’re expected to save the world, have all the answers, show no fear and participate in occasional tea parties. These good guys have mastered all these challenges and more! Thanks to all 3 for doing a great job being Dad!
Mark, Dad and Michael grabbing lunch on Lake Havasu, AZMichael and Dad with newborn, Lauren PaigeSusie, Preston and Mark on Blue MesaDad and I in Yellowstone National ParkDad and Mark at Blue MesaMichael and Mark in Lake HavasuDad and Susie in Crested ButteMichael and Dad in Moab, UTMark, Susie (posing as a turtle) and Ryan in Telluride, COMom, Michael, Lauren and Kasey in Island Park, Id
Kasey and Michael in Broomfield, CO
Mark and Preston, Lake Havasu, AZSusie and Dad in Crested Butte, COLauren lending a comb over to her dad.Dad’s 75th Birthday celebration in St. George, UT
This time alone has sharpened my appreciation for family and friends. Realizing how much we depend on each other, especially during challenging times is a great reminder of what is important in our lives. I’m so grateful for my own Mom, my sister and Sister in Law! Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, living and passed. ❤❤❤
Mother’s Day 2009, Hudson Gardens, Littleton, CO
Celebrating Mom and Susie’s birthdays in November 2019, Lake Havasu, AZ.
Mom with her favorite man in the world!
Mom with her kids, 2003 Gunnison, CO.
Susie at home, 2019 Blue Mesa, Gunnison, CO
Nikki with her youngest daughter, Kasey. 2019 Englewood, CO
Mom enjoying a boat ride, 2019 Lake Havasu, AZ
Susie attending a friend’s beautiful wedding, 2019 Broomfield, CO
Nikki, a vision in Blue, 2019 Broomfield, CO
Mom and Michael enjoying an afternoon on the patio.2019 Englewood, CO
Susie and Mom, 2006 Denver, CO
Susie and I heading into a Rockies game, 2018, Denver, CO
Welcoming Mom at DIA, 2018
Mom and Dad’s 50th Anniversary gathering, 2015 Glenwood Springs, CO
As we all retreat into the safety of our homes, we are contemplating the impact of social distancing in our otherwise pretty comfortable lives. We recognize the real superheroes in our communities and pray for their well being. We long for the normal activities we are now managing without and reconnecting with the most important people in our lives. We are grateful to see glimpses of people in other countries share their videos of compassion and generosity from small balconies as we try to stay connected and support one another. I am uplifted by the outpouring of love, patience and consideration. Stay safe, people! We will get through this! Enjoy this simple video update of the miracles among us!
Since I can remember, going to the thrift store was an exciting adventure. I eventually stopped thrifting, due mostly to time constraints. Recently, I rediscovered this fun hobby. Over the winter, I’ve been acquiring old antique accent pieces, refinishing them and will turn them into a side hustle. I’m so excited for my new adventure and now, I want to share it with you!
Lucy, modeling these refinished nightstands, wind blowing in her ears!These were $10 each.
Mid century Modern stool. Purchased for $10.
I bought a piece of Mongolian sheepskin and used it to Glam up this basic stool! Fur was $100.
Voila! These sell for $500 in high end shops.
Valet stand, with shelf for earrings and accessories. Purchased for $10.
Oh La’ La’, Indeed! What a unique and fun piece to add to your dressing area.
You’ve likely seen a version of these mid century modern stacking foot rests. I bought these for $10 each.
I stripped them down, sanded and painted the bases and recovered the cushions.Removing staples.Mmmm Hmmm…..After sanding sealer, I lightly sanded the bases before painting.
Painted and distressed, the antique White freshens them up.
I found this beautiful Damask fabric at Hobby Lobby.Covered the cushions after wrapping the original foam in poly-fill cushion wrap.These updated pretty’s look fresh, while providing mobile foot rests for any part of the home.A large leather ottoman with great details on the carved base was dark and heavy looking. I bought it for $14.99.Because I’m learning as I go, I study each piece as I disassemble it. This ottoman turned out to be much more difficult than I expected.This is the cushion component. I say component, because it’s actually many pieces sewn together to make an attached cushion. I’m intimidated at this point. I mean, look at this and tell me what you would think? Holy sewing skills, Batman!The base was fairly easy and fun! All the carving makes it so cool. I get anxiety every time I start to paint a new piece of wood furniture. I remember Mom telling me as a kid, that antique wood should not be painted. However once the process is complete, I’m glad I did paint it!The base is done and now, I turn my attention to the cushion with teeth chattering…..I spared you the long process of recovering the cushion. It took a lot longer than I wanted and a couple trips to Western Upholstery, where they walked me through the steps, and lots of online research, but….I absolutely love how it turned out. Like many of my projects, I consider keeping it for myself!Another simple glossy stool.I stripped the old fabric off and added a thick layer of poly fill wrap to the foam.I considered a couple different fabrics, but it still seemed uninspired…So, I stenciled an ornate design at the top of the legs to highlight the shape and ended up covering the seat with a Burgundy fine gauge quality wool. It’s classy, but a bit special too!I’ve had these stackable foot stools for 10+ years, using them in my living area. They are dark and had been covered in dark Brown leather. Inspired by the other pair I redid, I decided to refinish these also.Staple stripping…When thrifting, I came upon a fabulous fabric that inspired me to go with a decidedly more modern and bright design style for this pair. This is risky!WoW! How can one be prepared for this much color and verve? These were requested by my sister before I even got to show them off. Maybe I’m onto something!I kept these cabinet doors from when I remodeled my kitchen last fall. I filled in the hinge and screw holes, painted them, added stencils and handles and look what they are now!A beautiful serving tray. One of a kind and up-cycled! Love this. As much as I love my new open kitchen, I have been using it for a work space and need to have a designated area to keep my tools and store furniture.Currently, my living area is full of newly refurnished accent pieces and new acquisitions waiting to be made over.Same for my back porch. I need some work/storage space!And this will be the space. As you can see, my shed is full and needs to be cleaned out and organized first. I’m sure some of you know how this happens!I love the natural light in here. I had my electrician wire my shed for power and light and it will be a prefect place for my new work space!I found Old Crows Antique mall. It’s new and opening in March 2020. I rented this wall and floor space from the black electrical box on the white wall to the doorway on the right side. My space is 13 ft wide x 3.5 feet deep.I’ve always thought about doing this, but finally in 2020, will see it to fruition!I ordered this beautiful mural from Magic Murals for my wall.The pony wall is up between me and my neighboring space and everything is now painted. I’m here to put up my mural today!Luckily, they give you good instructions with the mural! I recommended this company for your mural needs. This one cost $60.4 ft tall x 3.5 feet wide.I tried to match the wall to the background color in the mural and blend the edges together with a painting sponge.Although I can still see the edge of the mural, once I have antiques in the space, you won’t notice the edges as much. The doorway goes to a root beer bar in the store. I love the brick stack visible through the wall opening. My space is high visibility and I’m super excited to fill it!
From another angle. The store used this photo for some of their marketing! Yay!
Spring will be here before we know it. I’m collecting butterflies, bumble bees and flowers to prepare for the opening of Old Crows Antique’s kick off in March 2020!Me, happy to be moving forward with my plan! Check out the Old Crows website: https://www.oldcrowsantiques.com/
Michael, Dad, Mark and I devised a surprise for Mom and Susie to celebrate their 75th and 50th birthday’s in Lake Havasu this year. Dad, Michael and I flew into Las Vegas, rented a car and drove to Havasu, arriving at 10:00 PM. They were surprised!
The next morning, we all got our first look at their new house, desert landscape and enjoyed waking up in the lovely climate.
The back yard offers a pool and an attached casita. I stayed in the room you can see behind the red chairs.
Mom and Dad stayed in the Casita, behind the waterfall.
Susie enjoying her Chai tea by the pool! Hello family!
Mom and Dad hold on to each other while surveying the neighborhood from the driveway.
Michael and Mark catching up after breakfast.
The ladies went into town for lunch and shopping. We found this fun shop with novelty spices. Check out this brand!
I was motivated to get in the pool and do some water aerobics. I was proud of myself for making that happen on vacation!
We all found our perfect spot around the pool in the afternoon!
The boys coming back from the lookout behind the house.
Susie taking a break from hostessing while the boys are climbing around in the desert terrain.
We found this cool teak wood mirror when in town and Susie decided to hang it above the outdoor dining table. It looks perfect!
The next day, we all ventured out on Lake Havasu on Mark’s boat.
So fun to be together and floating on the water. The weather was beautiful!
Mom enjoying the sun!
The Captain!
Michael taking the role of co-captain!
Looking back toward Lake Havasu City. It’s built on the hill overlooking the lake. Lake Havasu City is a cool town of about 50K people. Snowbirds and locals hang out at sidewalk restaurants and enjoy the warm weather during the winter months. It definitely feels “beachy” in this town.
Beautiful distant mountains surround the lake.
We enjoyed an al fresco lunch of sliders and snacks.
Zooming around the lake, Preston is a great host!
Dad found a seat in the back of the boat.
Thompson men, here!
Mark and Preston happy to be on the water!
Look at this young man! He’s no longer a boy.
My happy place, on the water!
The London Bridge is a tourist attraction at Havasu. The bridge came from England and was reassembled here, connecting the mainland to “the Island”. Everybody cruises the canal between the mainland and the Island. We’re checking out some of the massive muscle boats we see.
Once again, we find ourselves congregating back at the pool before dinner.
Mom and Susie enjoying a glass of wine!
Mark sitting under the patio while talking with Susie and Mom.
The sunset bring everyone outside every evening.
The day Mom, Dad, Michael and I leave for our homes in the mountains.
Look at these love birds!
So happy together!
Everyone was a good sport and posed for family photos!
The Thompson’s.
Not too bad for a 75 and 77 year old!Vibrant people!
Good looking!
I made it home after 3 nights in Arizona and found some new projects to work on.A vintage valet stand.
A pair of stackable Mid Century Modern ottomans.
Which I tore apart and will paint the base and recover the cushion.
Looks easy enough!
This is the fabric I found for the ottomans.
And this leather and carved wood base ottoman.
Disassembling the ottoman, one layer at a time so I can understand how to put it all back together.
One by one, I pull out the staples.
This is what the cover looks like after I get it off the ottoman. I’m intimidated by the complexity of it. I might have to make some changes to the new cushion cover.
Once the leather cover and cushion is pulled off, this is what it looks like.
I always feel a little anxiety when painting wood. It seems like the wrong thing to do. However, once I get the steps completed, the new look is rewarding and fresher. I’ll give these pieces new life.
Painted and ready for distressing and glaze. I’ll keep you informed as I finish these pieces.
One of the wonderful things about traveling is viewing the unique landscape and the wildlife in each place. Every morning we watched the quail migrate from the left of the house to the right and they return again in the evening. I think this is a feeding pattern. We also saw a coyote jog by just above their house and this roadrunner was available for a photo at the lake.So grateful for my family and the time we spend together!
Found these beauties at Goodwill for $10 each. Looks like something that would have been in my grandma’s house very long ago. I have an idea to make them cool again!
Step 1: Cleaning A thorough cleaning with TSP heavy duty cleaner (use gloves), and a light coat of sanding sealer to give it a fresh and smooth base.
Step 2: Sanding Sanding the top edge to remove the old stain and lacquer before staining it to match the top.
With the edge sanded and clean, ready for stain. I’m using Dark Walnut on this nightstand.
I discovered a thin layer of vinyl on the top of the table, with a photo veneer grain. It looks great and I’ve decided to leave it on and stain the edge to match. The veneer protects the top from water rings and scratches and it’s in great shape. I didn’t notice it until I looked closely!
Step 3: Staining Using a small foam applicator, I stain the edge with 2 coats, allowing 20 minutes between layers to absorb.
I wipe the excess off after a few minutes.
Step 4: Cleaning I clean the dust off before painting.
Step 5: Painting Leaving the top stained, I add the first layer of Milk paint to the night stand. I use a milk paint from Rockler woodworking, color Snow White.
It’ll take 2 coats of paint, drying in between layers. I’m looking for an opaque finish before distressing with sand paper.
Step 6: Distressing After 2 coats of paint, I am distressing the cabinet with a 60 grit sanding block. I’ll try to give the cabinet a worn look, sanding areas that might show natural wear and tear from years of use.
I look for spots on the cabinet that will highlight the natural shape of the cabinet and feature some details in the design.
Most of the interest of the cabinet is on the front, but I want the sides to feel organic with some slight distressing.
Once I feel like the distressing is done, I’m now ready for the glaze.
Step 7: Cleaning A good cleaning before glaze.
Step 8: Glaze Using another foam applicator and a wet sponge, I apply the glaze to areas of the cabinet that I want to highlight and use the sponge to work the glaze, wiping it until I achieve the look I’m hoping for.
I use glaze on the whole cabinet, focusing mostly on the front and the drawer.
The applicator allows me to get into small thin spaces and not deposit too much glaze. I’m using Van Dyke Brown glaze for this project.
I spread a small amount of glaze onto the piece, and use the sponge to dilute and distribute the glaze over the surface. This step highlights the irregularities of the cabinet and gives it dimension.
I repeat until I achieve the look I’m wanting.
This is after the glaze has been applied. See how much more dimension the cabinet has with the glaze?
This step is the key to making the cabinet look authentic and full of history. I do this process all the way around the cabinet.
Once I’ve glazed all the panels on the cabinet, I come back to add more and make adjustments before the final step of finishing wax.
The drawer is very visible on the cabinet, so I want to highlight and feature the shape and design.
Before I’ve glazed the drawer. See how much darker the glaze shows on the cabinet compared to the White drawer?
Finishing up the glazing on the drawer.
Wow! It looks so much different than when first saw them at Goodwill!
Here’s a close up of the finish after glazing. It looks great!
These steps give this cabinet a whole new look! It takes some vision to recognize these thrift store gems, but I look for pieces with classic style and update the finish, hardware or use to make them feel current and hip!
Step 9: Cleaning The final wipe down with tack cloth to remove any particles before the finishing wax.
This step makes a big difference in the final finish!
Lowe’s bought Minwax, so it’s now available at Lowe’s only. Varathane is the brand Home Depot offers now.I’m sure they’re comparable, but I recommend sticking with one brand of wax for a entire project.
Then I use cheesecloth to apply and buff the wax after it has dried.
Step 10: Finishing wax Using the cheesecloth and wax, I rub the finishing wax over the entire cabinet.
This step will protect the cabinet and give it a beautiful sheen and dimension.
I do 2 coats, letting each coat dry before buffing.
Finally done! I’ll mount the hardware and show you the final result.
This project took about 9 hours to complete. I’ve tried to detail the steps for you, so you can attempt it on your own. The bottom line is you’ll have to get your hands dirty to really learn the technique and develop your own style. However, I encourage you to try it if your inspired by this tutorial. I find furniture refinishing to be rewarding , not just financially, but also for the feeling of satisfaction when taking an outdated functional piece of furniture and turning it into a thing of beauty and value!
Wow! I love the results. These small night stands are beautiful and will compliment someone’s home perfectly!
Fall is here and changing my landscape everyday!At the dentist for a root canal. You can see I’m not very excited about this. However, I made it out to be much worse than it actually was and I feel so much better after the procedure.First snow of the season. I got about 4 inches overnight. Only 2 ladies showed up for water aerobics the next morning, and I’m glad to have been one of the ladies who made it on a snowy day in the city!One of the rentals had people arriving the same day. I think they appreciate having a fresh layer of snow when visiting Colorado in the fall.Mom came to stay for a week to celebrate her 75th birthday this November. I picked her up mid-day! Mom and I made some changes to the patio for the winter, trying to maximize the sun throughout the season.A different seating pattern for the season. Hopefully, I can use this space all winter, in the warmest part of the day. Mom in the background, enjoying a break on the patio in the afternoon.This tree drops leaves all over the patio roof and they slowly drift down to the ground with a breeze.So vibrant and lovely at 75!We had a tea reservation at The Brown Palace. Kasey and Nikki joined us to celebrate her birthday. Gorgeous girl!And Mom’s dear friend, Diane surprised her by showing up. They had not seen each other for 20 years and both turn 75 this November. Super special!We enjoyed tea, finger sandwiches and pastries in the beautiful historic hotel atrium.A couple days later, Mike’s family met us at Il Fornio restaurant for a birthday dinner.Awesome food and a wonderful family gathering!Mom with Lauren. Beautiful ladies!Mom and I worked in the yard and cut back the foliage. I hate to see it all disappear, but I know after the next 6 months, we’ll be ready to see new Green reappear in the spring!One afternoon, Micheal came over for lunch. We made Panini with salad and sat on the back patio, talking and laughing!Mom flew home after a lovely week in Englewood and I wentlooking for a new project. I found these 2 nightstands for $10 each. I’ll refinish them and give them new life!This simple little $10 stool will also get a makeover and feel sexy again!My friend suggested a new Fur cover and she’s right!It was late afternoon when I got this home, but I managed to strip the hardware off and clean both tables with TSP before applying a layer of sanding sealer. Make sure you use gloves with this product! It’s not meant for skin. Prep is really the biggest part of these projects. I’ve set up a work space in the yard for my projects.TSP works great as a heavy duty cleaner. Use gloves with TSP! It strips off any grime and creates a great surface for paint. I love that it prevents me from having to strip the finish off a piece before painting!After cleaning, I apply a light layer of sanding sealer to make the surface more smooth and consistent before paint.My sister gave me this card and I think it’s inspiring and beautiful!Now, I’m sharing it with you!
This amazing photo was taken by my mom from her house in Idaho. It’s a view of Henry’s Lake from their driveway. Gorgeous!
My wonderful Aunt Katie came to visit with my mom for 3 days. It’s so fun and special to see her and have a chance to spend time together without all the kids and grand kids. She’s a positive and vibrant spirit and I’m grateful to have the time with her!
The first time entertaining in my new kitchen.
This little foot stool has been in one of the rentals for several years and the burlap, recycled from when I was in the rug industry, is showing signs of wear.
It’s simple to recover it, but I want to make it feel European to match the style of the rental.
I had some extra burlap and this fun French style stencil, which I used to create interest and give it a French flair.
Cute enough! And the fabric is less distressed. Voila’!
A good friend of mine is in the long process of Chemotherapy and I am helping her out with some cooking.
We settled on Lasagna, Baked Penne and Enchilada’s!
While I’m cooking, I might as well make some for my house too!
After the 1 week remodel that turned into a month long remodel, I needed a break from it all and found my way up to Gunnison to see some fall colors and the family. Preston relaxing on the patio, overlooking Blue Mesa!
My beautiful sister, taking in the gorgeous view of the Reservoir.
This is how to find peace and relax! The weather was perfect and the colors in full spectacle!
I drove the dogs past Gothic toward Schofield Pass and found a good place to stop and walk around. They were most interested in the cow pies, so I put them in the back of the truck for a scenic pic of the colors.
There were many people in the area taking pics and walking around. I was fortunate to find this place away from the crowds to enjoy the day.
Once I returned home, I started cleaning and working on the details from the remodel. I had David put up some shelving above the fridge for more storage.
He cut down the pantry doors to fit the cabinet. I Love the texture they add to the space!
Some of the details include shelves and cool brackets, barn wood and ceramic Brick tile.
Before the doors…
These were found at Habitat for Humanity for $10! Super great find! However, they were dirty and needed cleaning. I use TSP cleaning solution with a brush to remove the dust and spills on the wood.
This is my set up to refinish cabinets. Cleaning and prep is the biggest part of the project! Clean with TSP, then a coat of sanding sealer, light sanding, paint (maybe 2 coats), more sanding to distress, glaze to highlight any imperfections and give it patina, then 2 coats of finishing wax. This process must be re imagined with each project. I’ve learned that it takes a few try’s to get the look I want, then I go forward with that process to finish all the cabinets to match.
This is the pantry cabinet David built for me. I took it outside to begin the treatment, looking for the right technique. The outside panel is done and ready to mount the pantry doors again.
I also wanted to try the technique on a small part of the door. I’ll finish it later, but needed to see how it looks with paint and some glaze.
When we cut the door down to size, we exposed some joints in the wood. No worries! Luckily, my style is rustic farmhouse, so I feel comfortable having imperfections in my cabinets and doors. I do need door latches.
My door latch solution is magnetized brackets. Simple!
Before I left Gunnison, Susie gave me fresh produce from the farmer’s market on Saturday morning in town. How cute are these baby carrots?
I feel better having taken a break from my remodel project! It’s always great to get up the the mountains and especially when the fall colors are in full display!
An updated walk through.Butcher block counter tops are in. The wall behind the stove still needs to be prepped before tile.I’m reusing the upper cabinets doors on a new cabinet that David will build under this side of the peninsula.He’s literally building it to the half wall for support. The small panel of wood on the floor is covering the old vent and next to that, you can see the light area on the floor where we took out a cabinet at the end of the peninsula. The hardwood will need to be filled in and patched to match the rest of the kitchen.1 long shelf will go down the middle of this cabinet, horizontally.The work area outside.He’s adding doors, then the face plate divider, one at a time…David installing doors...And taking a pic of his work.This is much needed space and I’ll put small appliances here for easy access.The upper cabinets without all the doors. I was able to give away all but one of these before trash day!The peninsula with the butcher block already oiled. I used Mineral Oil to protect and condition the butcher block wood. I’ll add another layer of oil after we get the project done.My electrician came in and installed can lights, outlets and moved my thermostat.Butcher block oiled and prepped for marble back splash.David is reinforcing the wall behind the stove to mount the hood before he hangs backer board.I laid out the tile in the order I want to use. He’ll install it in a simple brick pattern.First marble going up. So fancy!Meanwhile, the back porch is temporary storage.Marble back splash done.Marble back splash goes up 6″, then changes to ceramic tile that looks kinda like white washed brick.This is a cabinet I refinished a couple years ago. It started out very similar to what I have now, but see how great it looks after distressing, paint and glaze? Very authentic, using a simple style door. The mess is ongoing and I clean every night when they leave. I can’t wait until this is done!Ugh!I have family coming into town this week, so we took a break. I did a lot of cleaning, found new homes for my kitchen items in my new cabinets and set it up to use while I had visitors. It’s the first look at how this space will be used going forward.From the kitchen side of the peninsula.I spent some time this week looking for some doors for my pantry. I found these at Habitat for Humanity for $10! They will need a slight modification, cutting them down, but I’ll paint them and they’ll be a great focal point in the kitchen while hiding all the food and keeping the dogs out of the soup!
Here’s where we’re at this morning.This is how the kitchen started before we began this remodel. I’ve already taken the cabinet doors off and cleared the space for demo!The goal is to remove this wall and open up the kitchen to the living room.This is the tiny doorway between the rooms.See how dark the living room is compared to the kitchen? I want to make this whole space brighter and welcoming.This is the same wall that will be coming down, from the living room view.Once the plastic is up, David built temporary supporting walls so the existing wall can be replaced with a thick support beam.These old houses have lathe and plaster walls instead of drywall. It’s super dusty and hard to remove. Makes a huge mess!The plaster is gone and the original support beams and being assisted with the temporary walls until we get the new support beams in place..It’s highly recommended NOT to live in your house while you remodel, for many obvious reasons. However, I’ve done this many times and while I agree with that strategy, I still do exactly that! It’s my hobby and each time, it makes me crazy and swear off any more projects. I always come back for more.I’m nervous when the house is being torn apart and rebuilt. Especially when the support beams are compromised. This part of the project is tricky, but David has experience and now they’re lifting the new beam into place.And securing the supporting post for the new beam going across the room.Lucy, my emotional support dog through the project! “It’s ok, my human”Now that the beam is in place, the temporary walls come down, plastic goes away and I can see the whole room opened up for the first time! Love it!I’ve never used marble before, but I’m excited to mix it with a more rustic tile to make the wall behind the stove a focal point. During the project, I’m basically home bound. It’s tough to sit here all day and hear the banging, breathe the dust and have my space being invaded by contractors. The weather is hot this time of year, so I alternate between the crowded back porch at 98 degrees and the A/C inside with the construction going on. And try to be pleasant to everyone all the while.These guys work all day and don’t complain. Even as I make changes throughout the process. They’re troupers and I am grateful to have such a good team for my project!After demo, I have a big pile of debris for trash day.My regular trash guy is awesome and I give him some cash to pick up the excess. This week however, my regular guy was replaced with another crew who weren’t as accommodating. I gave them $20 to take the debris and got a 7 minute monologue about how they need more money to pick up the trash as they loaded it into the dump truck and they would only take half of the pile. What? Is this extortion? Luckily another trash truck pulled up 15 minutes later and took the rest for another $20.Must be good karma.And the dust is everywhere. The sanding took place outside and got on everything!This back porch has already seen many cycles of storage and clean up. So glad to have a covered area to put things when I need the extra space.This is where I sit during the day while the construction zone is happening inside. Not very relaxing, but temporary and you already know how much time I spend out here normally. It’s a small sacrifice.David building and installing the butcher block counter tops. In my mind, the dogs are stressed out with all the noise, men and chaos. In reality I’m being anthropomorphic and it’s me who actually feels that way, not them. Finally, things are beginning to take shape.OMG! I love how open and airy this already is, minus the dust, of course!This isn’t sexy now, but I can imagine how cool this wall will be with the stove hood mounted, the marble back splash and whitewashed brick tile above the counter. I can’t wait!Literally 10:00 PM, trying to get water in the kitchen before a 4 day break. Everyone is tired.DUST!All in all, a good week! Glad to be past the demo and support beam installation. I now have an open living space and an awesome large peninsula island with a slab of wood on top. I’m happy and looking forward to giving you an update as we get the new base cabinet installed and tile hung!
After thinking long and hard, I finally added a new member to the household, Lucy. Formally known as Puzzle (?), Lucy is learning her way around her new house and getting to know her new family members. She is estimated to be around 1 year old, 14 lbs, a Chihuahua/Daschund mix and very sweet personality.
This is the afternoon we brought her home. She had a bath and is exploring her new yard with Rocco. They look a lot alike, same size and color, but her tail is curled and she has some White patches on her body. And because she’s younger, she has more energy.
Look at her cute face!
She is trying to get closer and closer to Rocco. He was first trying to hump her, then ignore her.
Inching closer…
Almost touching, but Rocco moved out of the way.
Everything new to her. The next morning, we showed her where we sit to have tea and watch the day unfold.
Lucy was found on May 20th in a field, near a road with a broken pelvis. It’s speculated that she was hit by a car. Her little body is similar to Rocco, but she’s is thicker, longer fur, shorter legs. He’s more willowy.
Lucy still looks to Rocco for guidance. She follows him around and does what he does. He is tolerating her, but I see him warming up and letting her act more familiar with him.
She’s starting to feel more comfortable and confident.
As the summer is nearing the latter part, I’m finding time to finish up my yard and storage areas. My bone yard has been holding outdoor tools and garden equipment. I’ve been picking away at items here, and today will rearrange and organized it.
This project took 45 minutes, so much smaller than I made it out to be in my mind! I should have done this months ago! Now, cleaner and I can find things faster.
And I’ve scheduled this wall to come out next week. This is the first big project I’ve done inside this house, so far. Before winter arrives, I want to open this space up for more light, make the it feel bigger and inclusive. During the colder months, this space IS the living space for the house and can feel claustrophobic over the long cold snowy season.
My contractor, David built this cabinet for me. I’m challenged with storage in this house. And when I take out the wall between the kitchen and living room, I’ll have even less cabinet space. This will be interesting, but I specialize in this problem, after working in all these 1930’s bungalows!
David built this base cabinet for me a couple months ago, and the two match. I’m doing this kitchen remodel on a budget and plan to refinish the cabinets myself, use rustic and inexpensive materials and still make it look farmhouse chic in the end. This exterior wall will be the focal point of the whole kitchen/ living room once the wall comes down. I have a couple vintage looking panel doors that may help dress up the tall cabinet. Once the work is done, I’ll decide on the details.
The new cabinet sits adjacent to the back patio door. I had it built to be only 9″ deep so walking into the kitchen doesn’t feel like a hallway.
These sunflowers arrived unplanned and they are spectacular! The soil we dug up from one of the old garden boxes and moved to this raised garden in the front yard had sunflower seeds within and they surprised me and the neighborhood when they grew taller than the windmill. My neighbors tell me they love to watch the windmill spinning, moving and entertaining them. So much fun!
This post gives insight into a couple days spent learning how to use a stencil and paint to update an old wooden box I bought at a thrift store for $20. It’s been in storage for almost a year and I’m now rethinking this fun piece for my new place. Let’s see how this goes!
I bought this ottoman a few years back for $20. It was upholstered in a Red and Gold Morroccan tribal fabric and was already cool, but it was dirty and showing wear. I stripped the box down to the wood and made a new foam cushion, covered in burlap.I used it as a banquette bench with my dining table at the Logan house, while I was living there.Cushions made it welcoming and comfortable to sit on, as demonstrated by Rocco!I now use it as a huge ottoman in front of my sofa. It’s 8′ long and 3′ wide. It serves as a bench, an ottoman, a cocktail table, a foot rest and a yoga mat all in one!The wood is unfinished and has some distressing.The box is hollow and has webbing on the top. It also has a long split in the wood that creaked when I sat on the bench. I used some metal brackets to reinforce the 2 sides of the split, from the inside of the box.It no longer creaks!This is my original pattern, on a piece of scrap wood in my yard.I converted my outdoor dining table to a work bench by covering it with an old quilted blanket and painting plastic, tied at the corners. This space is protected from rain and weather, offers good ventilitation and easy access to my project from all sides. One tip: make sure you have plenty of room and light for your project!In the end, these are the supplies I used, left to right: Disposable gloves, screwdriver, Minwax finishing wax and clean cloth, 36 grit sandpaper block, wet clean sponge and Tobacco Green paint, mixed with White paint, water added to make it more watery, Blue painters tape, Blue paint mixed with White paint and watered down and applied with a clean cloth and a clean buffing cloth. I used 2 stencils. This one, with Off White chaulk spray paint and Teal spray paint.I took the patten all the way down the box, blending some Teal into the Off White pattern.My first run.Then, I went over the White pattern with a vine pattern, using 2 colors of Green. Each time, you have to tape the stencil into place and cover all the edges so you dont get overspray! This takes time, people!I wanted to use the vine pattern in different applications, so I made a couple templates to cover the parts I didn’t want and only expose the sections I wanted. This makes my vine pattern seem more randon and less cookie cutter, giving a more authentic look.3 different vine patterns in 1 stencil!And covering the edges also takes time! I reused these same pieces of art paper, as edges, for the whole project.Getting ready to spray some vine.Ok, White pattern and vine pattern done on this side. It’s kind bold though, and I didn’t realized how much sanding I’d have to do to get the look I wanted. I used too much paint at first!On the left side of this pic, I’ve applied the Minwax Paste finishing wax and you can see how rich and dimentional the wood looks! The wood really sucked up the wax and gave it a rich patina! I ended up doing 2 coats of the wax. But the pattern is still too busy, too dark!Assessing my options at the end of a slow going day. I’m exhausted, not quite happy with my results and I need a shower to take this sawdust off my body and out of my nostrils!Ugh!The next day, I’m feeling motivated to sand like crazy and get more distressing in my pattern, antiqued and less bold! I go to Home Depot to buy more 36 grit sandpaper.This is how my workspace looks, temporarily set up on my wine console.This was written on the side of this box, I added the word “Bistro” with a sharpie marker, thinking it would make the box look more French. It didn’t work. I sanded it down again.This is the 2nd side. I learned yesterday, that you need alot less paint than you think, making the sanding process much less work. Now that I’ve done it, I learned how to make it easier and get the result I want. See how much more faded it looks before sanding?And after sanding, paint distressing and the wax is applied.The ends of the box were a breeze! By this time in the project, I’m literally holding the edges in one hand and spraying with the other. I’m a master at this point!The other end. I used the Blue paint wash to frame out the box, making it seem more finished and hopefully, vintage. I also painted Blue streaks into the body of the box panels to give it more dimension.After 3 days, my thrift store find has a new look and feels more French country to me. It’s hard to see the pattern in these pics. It’s more noticable in person and I did want an antique, distressed look for this box.This project was fun and relatively short. I learned alot on the first day, as I tried different things to get the result I was looking for. Refinishing furniture is challenging, generally inexpensive and rewarding when done. This is a great way to rejuvenate an old piece you’ve had for a while or a piece you just found and needs some TLC. I look forward to refurbishing another piece soon!
It’s been a crazy fun year and I’m grateful for and proud of the project I’ve been working on!
One Year later, after a great summer season, my house looks fresh, bright and welcoming!
This poor house was so overgrown!
The new landscape is much cleaner and easier to maintain!
The Aspen Tree is still here but,
the front looks otherwise pretty different.
The side yard between my neighbor and I…
looks better with a cedar fence and gate, Breeze material and filled in grass.
It’s hard to see the cedar garden boxes on the right. And impossible to see the gate behind the volunteer tree the contractor is walking through.
Ah, there’s the gate! And a nice clean walkway under the cedar arbor.
And the front door must have been original! Weeds were growing through the concrete step under the door and into the house.
More welcoming! And interesting to look at, from the street.
The back door was also in poor shape.
The new slider is more open, let’s light into the house and is so much prettier.
This is the back porch, but this pic was taken around 2011, before the garage came down. It had plywood paneling on the bottom and screen on the top.
No more plywood! I replaced only the necessary supports with Cedar posts and opened it all up.And a new shed shares the original garage space with a courtyard seating area.
I liked the garage, which had cool original wood siding, but it was so old! The back yard was neglected and overgrown. (pic taken around 2008)
Ahhhh…. Cleaner and low maintenance! Perfect for me!
Straight view of the original back patio.
Today, an Oasis in the City!
Amazing how different it looks now!
I want to hang out here!
The far side of the back patio had 2 different types of fencing between the neighbor and I. Redwood, which turned into chainlink. My neighbor also looked right into my patio from their back door. Awkward for everyone!
I added taller Cedar fencing from the alley to the front sidewalk and everyone is happier! Plus, I hung some outdoor curtains all the way around the patio, giving both of us privacy that can be adjusted.
The back patio concrete was poured with an angle on the left side, starting at the house and ending at the tree.
I extended the concrete to square up the patio which added extra square footage.
One of the best parts of this 893 square foot house is the patio and outdoor living space. I knew this space should be the heart of the house when I first saw it in 2005. I didn’t however, think I would live here 14 years later and make it into what I imagined it could be!
This space is so comfortable and serene. The breeze flows through the patio, keeping it cool. Ceiling fans move the air and the curtains float. Mmmm.
This is what my life looked like in August 2018, 1 year ago.
This is what it looks like today! Rocco is comfortable here too!
The old garage concrete pad with weeds growing out of the cracks.
Same spot, but now it supports my shed! Clean gravel walkway, courtyard and cedar arbor overhead.
I love how organized garden boxes can make your yard. After some clean up and a new irrigation system…
First year gardens. It’s hard the 1st year trying things out and making adjustments as needed. I’ve read that gardening teaches patience and my the case, it’s true! Every year after, becomes a game of what will come back again and eventually you have a mature garden.
Walking through the side gate, this is what you’d see ahead. This is my main entrance. Lovely!
Now this looks like a place I need to explore more!
Same view, to the left, Ugh!
I even got some extra shade from the shed, making the patio more protected. And honestly, the shed is such a focal point, it makes the whole yard seem like a stage set.
I haven’t done as much in the inside, but I’ve done some things and I have plans for more.
I added A/C, fresh paint, lots of cleaning and a new front door.
The arch on the left goes into the kitchen. I replaced the kitchen windows that you see on the left, with a slider door into the courtyard.
Itreally opened up the kitchen, brought light into the house and now, I walk right onto the courtyard from the kitchen. This was a huge change that made this house feel more updated.
This fun corner of the living room gives the occupant a nice view of the front yard.
I made a cozy seating area with a thick shag rug to give it texture.
A closer view of the arched wall between the kitchen and living area, where I added a new slider door.
I’m planning to take this wall down between the living room and kitchen. This space is the main living space in the house and during the winter, where I spend most of my time.
I’ll lose the upper cabinets and keep the base cabinets. I want to open up the room so it feels bigger, brighter and warmer having the living and cooking space connected.
I’ll remove the weird soffit above the cabinets to open the room up, refinish the existing base cabinets, add rustic support beams, new tile backsplash, new countertops and I’m having a shelf cabinet built…
to match the cabinet you see here, below the windows. As you can see, I need more storage space and I’ll put the new cabinet to the right of the windows. It’s tall and fits the space between the windows and the back door.
Me, happy to be at this point of my project and enjoying my simple life.
I love my newly remodeled space! This project has been so fun because I get to do what works for my lifestyle today. It’s customized for me. And I’m so happy living here. Happy Anniversary, house!
Lauren enjoying her birthday cake slice at PF Chang’s at Park Meadows!
Winnie and I in Westport, Ireland at Sheebeen’s for hot spiced whiskey and dinner.
Mark and Preston at One Barrel in Englewood for dinner.
Mom showing me how to use chopsticks at PF Changes in Lone Tree.
Girlfriends, Beth and Heather joining me for Al Fresco dinner on my back porch.
Here’s the spread on this particular evening. My go to dinner on many evenings.
My friend, Wendy choosing her favorites.
Cheese and crackers ready to go out to the patio.
Kasey at her birthday lunch at Cheesecake Factory in Park Meadows.
Fried Tomato Caprese appetizer at Acres Restaurant in Englewood. So good!
Homemade Granola.
Ready to mix in the dressing…
And bake. This is a good recipe! My breakfast, most mornings!
Happy Hour in Gunnison at Susie and Mark’s house overlooking the Gunnison Airport.
Laughter, snacks and stories…
Fun to be with family!
Brown Bread and chowder at Ashford Castle in Ireland.
Late dinner in NYC after traveling. I’m checking out the scene as I eat.
While walking around NYC, we found this cute outdoor block of restaurants with shared seating. It was 1 block from our hotel.
Finally, after a day of sightseeing, we take a break!
Ready to grill Salmon on cedar planks with Caprese appetizer.
Sitting by the Gunnison River at Garlic Mike’s before a fundraiser starts.
Like any good fundraiser, they give you plenty of time to drink wine and cocktails before the auction.
I found a chair near the river and stayed put until the auction started.
Angel hair Pomodoro at Garlic Mike’s.
We bid on and won a 2 night stay at a private cabin in Tincup. Here we are enjoying happy hour by the fire before dinner. Rocco is wrapped up in the Red blanket.
The offerings are different in Ireland. We ate lots of scones, Irish soda bread, coffee …
This is rashers, similar to bacon.
And this is a traditional Irish breakfast.
Susie, lounging on the boat in Blue Mesa. Rocco is keeping an eye on the food!
Susie and Ryan sampling a feast at a fabulous restaurant in Telluride.
Winnie is planning her approach to the lovely slice of cake before her.
Happy hour, overlooking Central Park. This was fantastic!
Another late dinner in NYC.
Gavin’s in Westport, Ireland. This place became my favorite spot in town for a light lunch or snack.
And who doesn’t love ice cream! This is a “99”; cone with a flake of chocolate in it.
Outside Gavin’s with Maureen in the afternoon for tea.
Checking my email before digging into my panini at the Beehive Restaurant in Achil Island, Keel Beach, Ireland.
They served sugar in these crystal lumps, which remind me of uncut jewels.
Ryan and Preston sharing anAl Fresco dinner on the patio at Two Rivers Winery in Grand Junction.
Greek style salad with Quinoa and pickled beets dinner.
Thanksgiving table set for many at Susie’s house in Gunnison! So pretty!
Ready for tea at Kylemore Abbey in Ireland. Quiche and soup and Brown Bread, of course.
Asian salad. Fresh and crispy!
Breakfast at Mom and Dad’s house for Michael’s family, several years ago!
Sitting on the Thames in London, enjoying the evening with a glass of wine on the patio.
London skyline, Chardonnay and Irish Coffee.
Winnie getting serious about her Shepherds pie dinner.
Mark and Preston assessing their funnel cake at a Rockies game.
Fresh snack, quinoa, feta, olives, banana pepper, red pepper, asparagus.
Fresh produce from my garden in 2016.
My herb garden; Chives, Rosemary, Cilantro, Sage, Garlic and Dill
How I should, and do eat after a fantastic week of drinking and dining out with family in town!
Susie and I attended a wine tasting event in Englewood at One Barrel Restaurant. So fun!
Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Museum of Science and Nature in Denver.
De Vinci wrote in reverse, a mirror image of the words. Here is his alphabet.
Inventor, thinker
I had no idea of his varied genius. I thought mostly of his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. (Which turned out to be Michaelangelo instead) But he was dynamic in so many areas!
Hmmm…
Painter, The Annunciation
Gigantic Crossbow, with The Ideal City in the background.
The Ideal City model, built with tiers for different parts of life. Da Vinci’s ideal city idea came about after the plague had ravaged Milan, killing off nearly a third of the city’s population. Leonardo wanted to design a city that would be more united, with greater communications, services and sanitation to prevent the future spread of such diseases. His ideal city integrated a series of connected canals, which would be used for commercial purposes and as a sewage system. The city would feature lower and upper areas – the lower being canals for tradesmen and travelers and the upper being roads for “gentleman”.
He invented many versions of flying apparatus.
The triangle cone shaped structure toward the right, is a parachute.
Another version of a flying machine
Vitruvian Man According to Leonardo’s preview in the accompanying text, written in mirror writing it was made as a study of the proportions of the (male) human body as described in Vitruvius’ De architectura 3.1.2–3, which reads: “For the human body is so designed by nature that the face, from the chin to the top of the forehead and the lowest roots of the hair, is a tenth part of the whole height; the open hand from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger is just the same; the head from the chin to the crown is an eighth, and with the neck and shoulder from the top of the breast to the lowest roots of the hair is a sixth; from the middle of the breast to the summit of the crown is a fourth”.
Insightful!
Early scuba diver outfit
Sketches of the human body The Anatomical Manuscript B is kept at the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. In it he made a number of pen-and-ink drawings recording his observations while dissecting an old man who had died in a hospital in Florence in the winter of 1507-08
The notebooks, which date between 1452 and 1519, contain incredibly detailed images of the human body
He would dissect dead human remains and then draw what he saw. Dissection was completely illegal unless one was a physician, which da Vinci was not. It is believed that da Vinci would get grave robbers, and eventually a hospital director to get him cadavers to study. da Vinci hid all of this anatomical drawings and kept them secret because of the illegal nature of what he was doing. He was able to identify not only muscles and bones, but also their functions in the body, which was an incredible breakthrough. He dissected bodies illegally at first, but eventually got special permission from the catholic church to dissect and sketch what he learned for a medical book.
The Mona Lisa is his most famous and most parodied portrait.
We attended a beautiful wedding for a close family friend. Kristine Bachicha and Caleb Hintz were married in a lovely outdoor garden at The Chateaux at Fox Meadows.
Kristine Bachicha Hintz and her beautiful mom, Lisa!
Michael, Bob Bachicha (father of the bride) and Shannon Wood. Buddies for many years.
Charlie’s angels coming off the dance floor, Lisa and Susie!
Josh Bachicha, Kasey and Lauren at the reception.
Lisa, Mason and Sadie Wood enjoying the evening!
Nikki and Lisa Wood, looking as lovely as ever!
Kasey and Michael in the garden.
Nikki and Susie relishing the details of the ceremony.
Mason is entertaining Shannon and Michael before the reception.
Kasey looking gorgeous with her newly cut bangs!
Susie with her sunbrella, happy to be at the event!
I saw this mirror on Restoration Hardware’s website and decided to upgrade my mirror to look similar.How it looked originally…A couple coats of spray paint and sandpaper distressing and this is how it turned out. I like it!And this cool ornate mirror always reminded me of Indonesian style…But after adding vibrant Turquoise paint and some distressing, it became this fun tribal artifact.My garden boxes look great and are flourishing in their new space on the shed. However, the water runs straight through the basket and ends up on the ground. I decided to use these old galvanized buckets as planters to catch the recycled water and brighten up the area below the garden baskets.
I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage…
I planted a Clematis vine and some annuals in each bucket and they look fresh and colorful under the baskets.One on each side of the shed door…Looks great!And another bigger bucket under the hanging basket by the back porch.When I replaced the hardwood floors in the kitchen in 2012, I found these 1938 vintage newspaper pages being used as insulation. They are beat up, but the articles, ads and comics fun to read.Inspiration comes in unexpected places. I’m learning to listen to my heart and hear what it’s telling me. My work is ongoing, but I feel more balanced and clearer than ever before. We all struggle and fall and crumble sometimes. Let’s recognize the humanity in us all. Give freely, the support you so desperately need in your own life at times. Smile at people, say something positive, give them a hand. It’s so simple and so needed.
When I was little, I did what my parents told me to do. Then I went to school and did what the teachers told me told do. I got a job and did what my boss told me to do. Today, I do what I want to do and I love it!
This miniature Rose was given to me by Susie, in April. It was beautiful but very quickly dropped all it’s leaves and looked dead. I put it in my bone yard with the rest of my pots.A week later, I start to see new growth! So, I planted it in one of my gardens to see if it would come back.Look at it today! Blooming in it’s new place!Do you know Dragonflies eat mosquitos? This one is feasting on Aphids!I found this mirror in storage. I like it, but it’s dark and heavy looking. I got inspiration from a pic I saw online and decided to paint and distress it.First coat of paint. I used an off White chalk spray paint.This ornamental mirror was also being stored and feels outdated with the Cherry colored stain.Deciding on what color to paint over the Cherry stain. I went with the darker one.First coat of Turquoise spray paint.Being single, I generally eat Al Fresco. And when I do entertain, I like to offer a selection of tapas or finger foods so guests can make a meal of flavors they like. I try to stick with healthy menu items and have been able to redirect me attention to cooking more since I’m home more. I definitely eat better!My niece Lauren, came over to do some cooking this week. We’re assembling some vegetarian salads for lunch and learning how to do some basics.Another light evening meal.Simple is better. I spent many years building my life. More money, more stuff, more stress. Once I achieved what I thought was “success”, I started to get rid of all the stuff I surrounded myself with. Now, I love knowing I don’t need stuff to be happy. In fact, the more stuff I get rid of, the lighter and freer I feel.
“I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one’s self on this earth is not a hardship but a pass time, if we live simply and wisely” ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Late Fall of 2000, I bought my first house in Gunnison, CO. Palisades rock formation in the far right background.More of a farmhouse cabin, really. It had Yellow painted log siding, cinder block and brick exterior base walls, screened in porch, mud room, 3 bed 1 bath.Dreary looking when I first got my hands on it. But it had some good potential and I was aching to fix it up!The house sat on 2 lots, giving me some out buildings, stables and corral, a detached garage, a large garden area and tons of extra space. Corral and stables beyond the yard.The detached garage had a couple small windows, which I later enlarged and turned the garage into a studio. I rented out all the rooms in the house and moved myself into the studio. Next door is a historic old school house.The interior had Oak floors. My 2 cats Dutch (Tabby) and Camille (calico), were given to me by Susie as a house warming gift. Pine tongue and groove paneling throughout, a wood burning fireplace.Original built in cabinets. The ceiling was some kind of paneling without the standard aluminum grid. Living area near the front door. Largest bedroom The kitchen and bathroom were outdated, so my then-boyfriend, Kurt helped me do a very basic remodel on a very limited budget. Apparently, I had enough wine corks to do a back splash behind the original farmhouse sink.I tiled the counter top, painted over the residual adhesive on the bottom half of the back splash, added some shelves, painted the original cabinets and added Black hardware to make this old kitchen feel brighter and cleaner. Super rustic and super inexpensive to do! I painted the foundation rustic Red, added a rooster weather vane, took down old metal fencing around the house, cut down weeds and took the screen off the porch to open it up.1 year after moving in, I got a new puppy, Foxy Girl. My roommate got one of Foxy’s sister’s at the same time and named her Mariposa. This is THAT day and we are both so happy!Spring time in Gunnison is potentially more exciting than in other places. When you live in an area that gets as cold as 30 below zero and snows crazy amounts that sticks around until June, a reprieve is so very welcome! The city turns on a water ditch that flow through the town, but until it’s turned on late May or June, we hand water. Green begins to show up. This deck was already there and gets used through out the whole year.Mature trees and gardens appear. A simple sitting area against the house, protected from wind and out of view from the street. Colorado summers are the best! I set up some seating spots in the yard for entertaining friends when they stop by.Beautiful old Aspen tree with flowers in the garden below. With the city ditch turned on, Poppies bloom in a cluster. I also added some trees for privacy and shade. The rock to the right of the pic is a piece of petrified wood. Foxy Girl enjoying the beautiful summer day on the grassAfter taking the screen off the upper part of the porch, its seems breezy and welcoming. A perfect place to park your bicycle. A Progressive Bicycle Party, ending at my house. All my girlfriends gathered to celebrate another summer in Colorado!
It’s thrilling to see how much the foliage has filled in over the month of June.
The pots are beginning to explode with color and texture, making my walkway a garden path!
And of course, weeds are also coming in quickly! I think I have a couple volunteer sunflowers at the base of the windmill. I’ll keep you posted as they grow!
So cool to see my neighbors also taking the opportunity to upgrade their siding and landscape. The ripple effect is real! Both of these houses just had their siding upgraded!Doesn’t that look great! And this is what I see when I look out my window now. I love it!My buddy, Rocco.First steps out of the house in the morning, sniffing things to see what happened overnight.Then he settles into his favorite morning spot in the sun!We both look forward to the start of the day, sipping Chai and soaking up the beautiful morning! It feels good to have my space organized and cleaned up enough to have some friends over.Just out of storage, I’m using my dining table on my patio for the summer and love how it opens up the patio and gives me space to entertain.Some of my girlfriends enjoying an Al Fresco happy hour on the patio. Beth suggested my place looks like a Napa Valley back yard! YOU KNOW I love that!This month, I’ve been cleaning out my storage and looking for places to put all my stuff! As I bring more stuff over and try to find permanent homes for everything, I can’t help but wonder, If I haven’t used this stuff in almost a year, do I really need it?As luck would have it, Susie just bought a house in Lake Havasu and is setting up her new house at the same time! So as much as I feel attached to my stuff, I’m grateful to contribute to their lake house and know I’ll get to enjoy and appreciate all these things there, instead of in Colorado.What to keep, what to donate , what to share…
Walking into someone’s storage feels a little bit intrusive, but I’m happy to report this is the last of my storage and by the end of the month, I’ll have all my stuff in one place again. It’s been quite a project moving from 2300 sf to 893 sf. Overwhelming, but I feel great knocking this out and reducing my footprint even further.I’ve had this mirror for several years and rediscovered it in storage. Although it’s heavy and dark, I have an idea to update it…I like this lighter version better, so I’m going to paint and distress my heavy Black mirror and give it a fresher look.
This is my Water Fitness class of ladies! At the end of our workout, we volley a beach ball for 10 minutes. It’s fun and challenging, but mostly funny! These ladies are awesome. They’re supportive, positive and all doing their best to stay in shape.
In 2008, young and energetic, toward the beginning of my career.
Some days, it’s tough feeling like I’ve gone past my prime and can see the changes to my face and body. I have a new appreciation for young people, being so fresh and beautiful and full of energy and anticipation of life to come. And I’m learning how to also appreciate the experiences in my own life, which have made me wise, patient and accepting of other people and myself. Today, I’m sharing some of my thoughts and decisions as I wander down the road of aging, excited to see what happens in the last half of my life.
As a working girl my hair was curled, I wore a full face of professional makeup, business clothes and kept my overall look polished. I stayed professional, not wanting to look too trendy or flirty.
Hair styles.
I got up 2 hours before I was expected in my office and my routine was basically, shower at night and wet my hair in the morning, blow it dry and curl it. Over time, I got comfortable being casual on some days, letting my hair dry naturally into a curly bob. This felt like I was stepping out of the box!
After I left my job, I still tried to keep up what I thought was the most flattering hairstyle, blown out and curled. But my outfits started to be more comfortable and flowing instead of tailored and fitted. Over time, I began to wear my hair naturally curly in a low maintenance bob.
Within 1 year of leaving my career, I blew that all out of the water and got hair extensions, finding a whole new look I could play with. I love having long hair, instantly! And I can change it up often. Now that I wasn’t in a professional career, I felt I could have more fun with my style. This pic looks like a romance novel cover, with me being the main character. Nice one!
Extensions are fun and somewhat versatile, changing my whole look. It’s fun and flirty, to be sure! Finally, I could just relax and play with my style instead of using it as a uniform.
Here, I am wearing my extensions in pig tail braids.
This curl is closer to my natural hair curl.
You may have heard that hair extensions are hard on your hair. It’s true! They are fun, but I caution anyone who wears them to do so judiciously. It’s a good idea to not use them constantly, but give your natural hair a break from them regularly. Then when you wear them you feel spectacular!
Skin tone and texture.
My skin @ 47 years old, started to show damage from sun and lifestyle. I did my research, asked some friends and decided on a CO2 laser treatment for my face with the promise to erase all those years of damage to my skin.
Just leaving the CO2 treatment, getting ready to drive home. This is nothing, wait until the next morning! For the first week, I have to sleep sitting up and propped against some pillows to reduce swelling. I don’t really sleep, mostly nap in between pillow adjustments all night long.
Holy Crap! Is my face falling off?Besides some oozing, (which is disgusting and looks like hamburger, on my face!) I also have some swelling, especially noticeable around my eyes and nose bridge.The dark damaged skin cells are starting to lift and it looks like a splotchy shadow across my face. Sun damage be gone!
I’ll be honest, the first time I had this done, I got queasy when I saw how I looked like the next morning. I’ll share with you that this procedure looks horrible, but is not really that uncomfortable. The worst part is during the laser process which simply feels hot. It takes about 45 minutes, but she does use a numbing cream for a hour before and you hold a hose shooting out cold air onto the spots she is treating. Within 5 minutes of being done, the heat dissipates and you can’t feel any pain. I feels like a sunburn. And the results!
3 days later, no makeup. This treatment addresses sun damage, firms and tightens the skin and create healthier skin by resetting your cells to produce more collagen. The cell renewal process takes about 3 weeks before you see the actual results when your new skin cells begin to surface. Once I got through the first treatment, I was convinced of the benefits!
Eyebrows are the frame of the face.
My mom always had beautiful natural dark, arched eyebrows. Mine needed assistance. I have a chicken pox scar in my left brow and sparse eyebrow hair growing naturally in either brow. So, I’ve penciled in my brows for years and decided to see if I could find a more permanent (natural) solution. Here in 2013, drawn in eyebrows.
I found Microblading, a semi permanent tattooing procedure for cosmetic purposes. The first time I had the procedure, I believe the brow specialist used a heavy hand, making the procedure almost unbearably painful. Even after using the numbing cream for a hour, I felt her “strokes” cutting into my skin. And the sound of it is sorta scratchy. Hard to describe until you’ve had it done.
However, I really like having my brows dark and filled in to create a fuller look. So, I found a new technician to do the same procedure in a following year. She used a lighter touch and it was a much more comfortable procedure. This pic is the same day of the procedure. It takes a week or two for the tiny scratches in my skin to heal, peel and fade to a more natural shade.I’ve slowly changed my style to reflect a more casual and natural look. Which is funny, because it’s not natural, but makes me feel like I look more natural by using less makeup everyday.And Grey Hair.
It’s been coming in for many years and I’ve stayed with my dark Brown hair color, which I’ve done myself with a grocery store hair color. Recently the hair color product I’ve used for 20+ years has been discontinued. So, I’m thinking this is a sign to take the plunge and let my Grey grow out! I like the Grey, but I’m struggling with the fading residual, now Gold-ish hair color on the bottom half of my hair with the Grey and natural dark Brown growing from the roots. This is 3 toned color blocked hair! Not ombre’, not natural or pretty, in my opinion.
Luckily, I’ve been working with my hairstylist (bless this woman!) to find a solution to the color blocked hair. She tried a few things and we ended up finding a subtle solution of using a permanent transparent ash color wash to take down the Gold and brighten the Grey. And it worked! This is after the appointment with clean hair. The transition of color is gone! Thank you Andrea!
BTW, I’ve been polling my friends about letting Grey hair grow in. It’s been an interesting discussion with a common response of “I’m waiting until I retire to let my Grey hair grow in”. And I understand their anxiety. It’s interesting that women consistently feel that we need to keep coloring our hair while we’re professional, but can let it grow out naturally after we leave the work force. Do men have the same concerns? I’m not sure, but maybe I’ll poll some men to get their take on going Grey.
With wet hair, you can see the Grey is more striking, giving my hair a focal point.As the Grey grows in more, I’m crossing my fingers to have a cool Grey streak in the front, giving my hairstyle a fun and edgy vibe for a middle aged woman who has always thought of herself as somewhat stylish! We’ll see how this goes!And my body!
I discovered at 14 years old, that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. I’ve tried to stay physical and active for most of my life. At 52, I feel more aches and pains, have less flexibility, don’t feel as strong, feel more jiggly, blah, blah, blah. I think many of you know how I feel.
I got a flash of inspiration in March and started to attend Water Fitness at my local Rec Center. I did not expect to love it as much as I do. I had silly notions that I wasn’t comfortable in a swimming suit in public, I didn’t want to get my hair wet, I’m not an old lady, etc…
But I went, and after 4 months, I love going to class 3 times per week and seeing my new friends in the pool.
We use a variety of pool equipment, but just being in the pool feels so amazing! I feel like a kid when I slide down into the cool water and the buoyancy picks up my tired and sore body so I can actually get a good workout against the resistance of the water.
If we’re lucky, we get the opportunity to have these thoughts and concerns as we age. It’s a vulnerable feeling sharing these inside views of my personal beauty choices with you all! Some people will see this post and decide all this stuff is not necessary or expensive or just vain. Others will see it as no big deal and may have done even more extreme things to themselves as they age or just because it makes them feel good. But I support people doing anything that does no harm and makes them feel confident and beautiful. The most important thing I try to remember is to make decisions that are healthy for me and to stay focused on balancing my physical, mental and emotional health. I hope these insights are entertaining at least, or helpful- even better, as you find yourself thinking about how to age gracefully! We are all beautiful just as we are, but a little lipstick never hurt anyone!
This is my dad, Perry.He has a great sense of humor as you can see by my aunt Katie’s reaction to his new hairdo!And a great smile!What a sweet little boy, living in California with his mom.Visiting with his aunt and his dog in High School.Dad’s happy place!He’s taken us on a life long adventure, showing us the way of nature and science.And showing calm and strength, as needed.He prefers to be outside, when possible.Taking a break from chores in San Diego.Wow! They are so young and stylish.He showers us with love and attention.So handsome! Dad grew up in California.Besides being outside, playing the guitar maybe his favorite pastime. He has played as long as I can remember and shares his songs with anyone who is interested. Here, he is playing for some elderly residents at a nursing home.Showing Preston how to handle his instrument.Dad was a pack guide for several years in Yosemite. Easy to see why mom fell in love with him.With his young family, mom and step dad in Lee’s Ferry, AZ around 1970.Displaying his catch of the day from his deck in Island Park, ID.Sharing his guitar skills in Gunnison.So proud with Michael and newborn, Lauren.Camo Dad!Susie and Mark’s wedding reception in Gunnison.High School Senior pic.With Preston @ Dos Rios Golf club, in Gunnison.Dad with “El Cap” in the background.What a fun day of skiing near Crested Butte with Susie and Mom!With his 1st born in 1967, Yellowstone National Park.After spending most of a day working on the sail shades, a hail storm came through and pounded the courtyard, filling the sails up. Dad is modeling a big chunk!
Dad playing Norwegian Wood on guitar with photo gallery. Happy Father’s Day, Dad! I love you so much!
On August 24, 79 A.D., the Roman city of Pompeii was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and stayed buried for more than 1600 years. The eruption spewed searing hot ash upon the city, preserving its people and treasures in a volcanic time capsule. Artifacts include beautiful frescos, marble and bronze sculptures, jewelry, body armor, plumbing fixtures, furniture, ancient Roman coins, and full body casts of the volcano’s victims shown in eerie detail. In 2012, Nikki and I went to see the exhibit while showing in Denver.
Mount Vesuvius in the back ground with the streets of Pompeii in the foreground.
Large frescos were found and saved as excavation unveiled these amazing works of art.
Metal side table with exquisite detail. This society wasn’t poor. They had very nice things and a shocking display of modern luxury items.
Dionysus (Bacchus) – Greek God of Wine and Grape Harvest. This Greek God has the love of all the people.
A Bacchus wine fountain. I need one of these!
Battle helmet.
GladiatorShin Guards.
I was amazed by the sophisticated plumbing that was shown. This was 79 AD, 2000 years ago!
Another view of plumbing fixtures. This blows my mind.
And the jewelry! I would wear any of these pieces.
Amazing!
Another wall fresco. ” Fresco is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid, or wet lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall.” (Wikipedia)
These body casts of Pompeian residents show their last moments as the volcano buried the city.
150 bodies were found in a warehouse on the beach in Herculaneum, a nearby city to Pompeii. Both cities were buried by Vesuvius, but fewer bodies were found in Herculaneum. It seems these people were trying to find a safe place to go.
More body casts found in the buried city.
Speculation is that this dog was tied up and climbing to stay on top of the ash as it piled up around him. There is nothing warm and fuzzy about this exhibit, but it shows the reality of life and tragic death in the city of Pompeii.
Let me nurture love in my heart to the point that I must share it with everyone I connect with. Let me remember that every one of us faces challenges, difficulties, heartbreak, poor decisions, health problems and pain even when we desperately try to hide it. Let me remember that God puts people in our life for a purpose. And help me to find his love in the face of these obstacles, helping one another navigate tough times when we’re at our worst and feel alone. Especially when they don’t look like me or come from the same background. Only then have we heard God’s word and can truly be healthy, happy and thrive! And that’s God’s Love!
I love you so much, I’ll give you the hair you always wanted.New parents lovingly reveal their pride and joy.More love in 1975.Mike and Nikki, full of love!Sisters Suzanne, Katie and Rosemary loving the experience together in Montana.We love our family and extend the same to the people around us!The whole family celebrating Barbara Breaux’s life in Logan Utah. Love multiplied!The family full of love, David, Kathleen and Suzanne.George and Katie Whittle’s wedding day. So young and in love!Aunt Suzanne lovin’ on her young family.The Breaux’s before Richard, John and Katie.The Thompson’s outside the Breaux house in El Cajon, CA. We loved going to see Grandma and Grandpa!The Thompson’s at Ryan’s High School Graduation party, 2009. She’s so proud and grateful for all the love along the way!Mark and Susie and friend, hiking in Utah with love and trust.Rosemary and Perry in love, Puerto Penasco, Mexico.Harry Loves Wendy!And it makes Wendy smile with happiness!Richard and Ana’s beautiful wedding pic! These guys love life!Susie and Michelle loving the church of San Francisco de Asis, in Taos.Michael, Nicole, Kayla and Lauren. Faces of love, right here!Susie and Mark while pregnant with Ryan in San Diego, CA.Love!The Thompson kids showing their love, around 1974.Preston Jude Pike. A miracle and proof of love in this world. The Glasow’s showing their love in Logan Utah.Loving cousins at The Pike’s house on Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison.One big team of love, in Gunnison, 2004.The pure love of sisters Suzanne, Katie and Rosemary.The Glasow ladies! So loving together.Perry with his beautiful and loving mother, Ona at Marble Canyon, AZ, 1970-1971.Portrait of the young, sweet and loving Thompson family in Georgia, 1974-ish.Glenwood Springs, Mom and Dad 50th wedding anniversary gathering. Now that’s love!Perry, with the very loving Auntie Babe. We love this lady!Wendy and Harry, young and in love!Susie and Perry, loving their break from the slopes at Crested Butte, CO.Ryan snuggling with her love, Yoyo Mojo Breaux Pike.Preston getting some love from Susie and Mark on Blue Mesa.Mom and Dad in western wear, smiling and feeling the love!Beautiful ladies capturing their love for each other in full vibrant fall colors.Grandma Barbara Breaux, surrounded by the strong love of her family.Ryan and Preston, loving graduation in Gunnison.Showering my buddy, Foxy with loving kisses.Lauren and Kasey, loving sisters. “It’s ok, I got you!”
So excited to finally have my baskets filled with flowers.Wait, I thought I was safe to plant my flowers after Mother’s Day!My sail shade is filled with heavy wet spring snow. And the cushions are heavy and wet too!A few days later, Mom and Dad are helping out in the yard. Here they’re taking a break in the shade with their 90 lb Lab, Ty.They helped me hang a 2nd sail shade over the work space in the yard, creating a shady space.My niece Lauren, graduated from Chapparal High School in Parker this week. Although is was chilly, we were grateful to have a dry day for the ceremony.The family huddled together and cheered for the new graduates.Proud father Michael, is explaining things to me.Susie looking onto the field and enjoying the ceremony.Younger sister Kasey will be next in 2 more years.Look at that smart girl! So happy to be done with high school!Lauren opening gifts at her Graduation party with mom, Nicole.Lauren received a Family Cookbook with special recipes from her family.Beautiful young lady, ready to face the world after her awesome accomplishment.
Dad is generous enough to bring his guitar when he visits. This video was taken after dusk, but you can still hear his guitar and singing skills.
I wanted a super small rolling kitchen island and was having a hard time finding the size. I eventually stumbled upon this pine table with casters and a drawer that was perfect, except for the finish, for $15!
After painting, doing a faux antique finish and adding new hardware, it’s perfect!
These Japanese office chairs were in great condition, but ugly. I bought them for $60 and…
I refinished the oak frames, recovered the seat and backs with updated fabric and they turned out great!
While doing a kitchen remodel, I needed new cabinets and got sticker shock after shopping new cabinets. These Alder cabinets were at Habitat for Humanity. I picked up 16 cabinets for $800.
I had to store them under my patio while I was refinishing them.
And cover them in my back yard while I was working on the process.
But, this is a Black refinished cabinet door.
And the spectacular antique White refinished cabinet door.
Here you can see all 3 finishes together.
These are done and waiting to be installed.
Installed, they look like high end custom cabinets. I saved thousands of dollars by refinishing them myself.
From the other end of the kitchen. These cabinets turned out to be the focal point upstairs.
And here are the Black lower cabinets, across from the White.
I bought this house in 2007. This is the pic the realtor used for marketing.
Updated over 11 years, this pic shows the new landscaping from the street.
The front part of the yard slid into the city sidewalk.
After building a retaining wall at the sidewalk and leveling out the dirt, I added Russian Sage and some mulch to the area, cleaning it up and making it more welcoming.
Here you can see the upper level of the yard and the new gardens.
I took out dead grass and laid flagstone in the front yard, making a fun entry courtyard with a couple flanking gardens.
The back yard had sod, but there was no fence and the boarded up storage shed on the left of the pic was uncovered to reveal a nice covered patio.
After cleanup, grass removal, adding garden boxes and decorating the patios.
This is the kitchen were I live now. These are the cabinets and counter tops I inherited when I bought the house in 2005. It’s hard to see the bathroom cabinet above the kitchen sink. What?
I updated the kitchen in 2012. It still looks like this, but I’ve since upgraded the appliances to Stainless Steel.
The back porch was somewhat enclosed with painted plywood and screen on the top of the walls. You can see the original garage in the back.
Today, after remodeling the whole exterior, this space is a huge feature of the house.
This is what the back porch looked like from the cottage in the back.
Today, more open and cleaned up!
Bought in 2005, with 2 dead Juniper trees in the front.
Today, no dead Juniper trees.
The side yard, parallel to the driveway.
Now, a walkway adjacent to the driveway.
The back yard looking North, 2005.
Today, looking North.
The old concrete slab that once had a garage on it…
Has now become a fabulous sitting area outside my kitchen.
The walkway between the back patio and the garage…
Is now a wonderland of Cedar arbor, garden shed and shady places to sit.
The back yard when the garage was still standing. And red lava rock that took me years to finally get rid of completely.
Is now a work space behind the new garden shed.
This cottage is built of cinderblock and had little privacy from the alley.
I added a fence, flagstone courtyard and redid the exterior, making it private and serene.
The original front door and covered porch entry.
The updated front door and entry. So Nice!
The house from the alley before the renovation.
The house has been resided, new roof and landscaping, making this cottage charming and welcoming.
This small kitchen in one of the cottages had old mismatched cabinets and cheap counter tops.
New tile, cabinets and appliances make this space fresh and clean.
When I bought this house, there were no lower cabinets, only uppers. I found these lower White coordinating cabinets and had them in the house for several years…
Until I redid the kitchen and changed all the cabinets when I tiled.
The outside of this house was in good shape, but needed some TLC.
Exterior painting, landscaping and clean up make it is seem more special.
These 2 enormous Pine trees eventually died and I paid a tree company to remove them- $1600! Then, I had a huge open area to consider.
I had a cedar deck and arbor built to maximize the space, just outside the back door of the kitchen.
Original kitchen, with farmhouse kitchen sink and overhead stove shelf. I now wish I’d kept that sink to reuse in another project.
New tile, cabinets, flooring, appliances make a new fresh galley kitchen.
My projects are a result of wanting something and then finding ways to make them happen. This is my creative outlet and I’m grateful to be determined enough to go get it or figure out how to achieve it, in the end. You can too!
My beautiful young mother, before marriage, kids and a life lived in the Wild West!Reality sets in when she discovers this life requires the use of a snow blower, on a daily basis!Enjoying the beach in Hawaii (I think) with Susie Picking Mom up from DIA for a visit.Is she modeling or playing golf? It’s hard to tell with Mom. She always looks great!With her family in 1975 at Blue Mesa Reservoir, Soap Creek.Catching a ride with Nikki at The Upper Canyon Ranch in MontanaHer spirit is more vibrant than vivid fall colors!So happy to see Mom, arriving for a 2 week visit in fall 2018.With her signature Silver Halo.San Diego with Susie, around 1986. They look so much alike, both lovely ladies! I’m fortunate to have a warm and kind Mom, showing me how to live with grace and gusto!With Michael’s daughters, about 2006. She knows her way around a campsite, the kitchen and her church. Mother’s Day 2009, Hudson Gardens, Littleton, CO. Skiing in the Wild West with Dad!Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! You are the best and we love you so much!Getting lots of love from her nieces in Utah!Enjoying a rocking horse with Lauren.With Susie after Preston’s birth at Children’s Hospital.Always glamorous, but always humble. Joyful Journey Hot Springs in San Luis Valley. I try to be like her, and Susie thinks it’s funny!Sweet kisses from HRH, Lauren Paige!So happy to be with Michael!Catching sun on the deck @ Blue Mesa in Gunnison.9 holes with Susie at Dos Rios Golf club, Gunnison.The Thompson’s on Blue Mesa, Gunnison around 2004.A new nurse, ready to save the world, one soul at a time!I love you Mom! Thanks for being such a great example for us all and for all the years of unwavering love and support!
Beginning in March, I’ve been looking for a new set of outdoor accent pillows and throws to brighten up the otherwise Brown patios. I didn’t find anything inspiring, so I bought fabric at Colorado Fabric and made my own. I love the fresh colors and fun print!Looks great with the Navy cushions!I replaced the old bamboo chairs I’ve had since my Gunnison days. I love the style of these chairs, but the Beige cushions are bland. I decided to also re-cover them with a Navy Blue fabric to tie in with the other outdoor sets. It’s tricky when you combine different groups together in a space. I try for some continuity and is this case it’s woven bamboo, Navy cushions and these accent pillows.During the Bomb Cyclone this spring, I watched this fence wave back and forth with strong wind and realized I needed to replace some of the posts. The space looks so different when the fence is gone! That’s my neighbors back yard. We live in close quarters in the city!Digging holes for new posts.They dug these beauties out of the ground. The landscapers had a great idea to break up and reuse the old concrete in the fresh post hole, combined with new cement. Recycling and reinforcing it at the same time! I love that! The concrete dried overnight and the fence was reassembled with new pickets. For now, I have Grey patina on half of the run and fresh cedar on the other half. In time, they will patina to be a better match. I get called out A LOT for reusing old wood, but I like an aged and rustic style and it makes sense to me!The old broken panel we replaced with the new cedar pickets.I can see how some foliage will really liven this space up! The one plant stands out and I plan to have 3 in this area. The pillows look great too!The front of a house should be welcoming and balanced. By adding a couple perennial gardens, I hope to create some interest and privacy. I marked a border line with spray paint and the landscaper scraped away the grass and used the dirt from 3 garden boxes in the back yard for a burm style garden in the front yard.I added a Forsythia shrub to the windmill and will add more flowers, bulbs and large rocks to make the burm interesting and full of color and texture.View from the street.I opted for Breeze all the way around the back yard. I thought of having a border garden, but I like how low maintenance and clean Breeze is. I’ll stick with having ornamental grasses growing through the Breeze, a few window boxes and outdoor art. I can, and likely will add more in time.The Breeze is the same color I used last fall, but it does lighten with time, as the sun bleaches everything eventually! Everything that looks Pink is new.This fire pit area turned out better than I imagined. It’s spacious, clean and inviting for an evening around the fire pit.View from the fire pit toward the back patio.I ended up with some extra landscaping materials and I left it out front, on the curb with a “FREE” sign attached. As of half hour ago, it is all gone! I LOVE recycling. I’m super glad to find someone who wants exactly what I’m throwing away!
My family was in town last week. One afternoon, we went to the RiNo district for lunch and a Rockies Game. We sat up high and enjoyed people watching, beautiful weather and game day snacks.A beautiful day at Coors Field with the new lights high above the stands.Funnel cake! Never had it, but it looks pretty tasty!New construction from Coors Field. The Denver skyline is full of cranes.It looks like I’m photo bombing Susie! Heading into the field.I don’t know if you’ve been into the RiNo District lately, but it’s been completely redeveloped and is now a hip and stylish area. We ate at Safta (meaning grandma) Restaurant, which offers fabulous Middle Eastern food. It’s located in the The Source Hotel and Market Hall lobby. I recommend this awesome restaurant with great food, views and service. The lobby of the hotel- Market Hall, has a fun retail area including a coffee shop, floral shop and local art.One of the unique shops at Market Hall.Susie pondering weather to visit another shop or grab a Chai Latte at the coffee bar. Latte won!We also stopped by the Old Santa Fe Pottery shop to see what they are showing for spring! It’s so fun here! I would LOVE to convert this place into a house with a cool courtyard!
Ok, “retired” is a debatable word. It’s come up over the last 3 years that I’m not actually “retired”. And that’s fair! I manage my rentals which is a responsibility, and sometimes they require extra time and energy to maintain, repair or upgrade any of the houses. I’m fortunate that I’ve had great tenants for the most part, and good luck with no devastating property issues! Thankfully! And I do love to remodel, which takes time and money, of course. But it’s also a great creative outlet for me. And it improves my investment at the same time. So, I’m not retired in the sense of not having any responsibilities, I’m retired from working for someone else and having a schedule. Self employed, I guess. Otherwise, I’m busy doing all the things I love to do. And getting paid for it. Win, Win!
I make it all seem like a dream, but the reality is that everything doesn’t always go perfectly smooth. I’m grateful to have help with maintenance issues that pop up at the rentals, like the kitchen plumbing at one of the houses. Juan is nor only positive and determined, he doesn’t complain about having to work under the sink for a few hours. Ugh!I was hoping to get the repair done without having to dig into the wall downstairs, but we ended up having to make a small hole in the drywall to get to the problem. Good thing we did, the insulation and drywall were wet. Now that the clog is fixed, I’ll let the inside of the wall dry before repairing the hole we made.This part, I can do! I have MAD weed eating skills!Meanwhile, Juan is finishing up the plumbing repair.Susie and I went by this specialty shop on Santa Fe to see what they offer for small spaces. Murphy Bed’s have come along way! These are cool, but not cheap! The most expensive one was $15K! They are custom made and can be configured in several ways to fit the space. I’m learning about them here.Downtown Englewood! Englewood has been experiencing a redevelopment over the last several years. I love the new energy, next generation of neighbors and new businesses. See the cow at the far end?At the end of a great week we had a great dinner at the new One Barrel Restaurant in Englewood. Preston can’t contain his excitement!And, I learn grace from Rocco. Here, he’s found a perfect place to grab some morning sun. He does only what makes him happy, feels or tastes good, loves having the family around with all their shenanigans, and he simply wants to be near the humans he loves. I try to be like him.
Taking a break and sitting in the sun on the back patio! This is Nice!Rocco has his own sofa, of course.So exciting! I got a delivery on Saturday morning. My new outdoor furniture!Although I know I’m putting this thing together, I look a bit tentative in this pic.Rocco is also checking things out, very closely.OK! I can do this!Here’s my station, under the umbrella, on my new patio!It only took 4.5 hours, but I got it done and think it’s perfect! There are sure to be more moves, but the pieces are modular so I can move them around, how they best fit for different uses. Plus, I love looking at this from the kitchen! Yesterday, while assembling the group, I learned how valuable the umbrella is in this space. I almost feel like a Cedar arbor overheard would be nice. But for now, I’ll try it this way.This is the view from the new sitting area. Not to bad!This space is also more private and protected with the shed, fence and house surrounding it. It feels intimate and It’s the first space you see when you walk into the back yard.The shed provides shade in the afternoon, but the umbrella keeps the space usable all day.This is the accent pillow fabric I bought for all the outdoor furniture. It adds some fun color to an otherwise pretty neutral palette. The pattern is sophisticated, bright and casual.In order to move this behemoth, I had to take most of the dirt out and roll it. It’s big and heavy empty! It’ll go in the back yard once the landscapers finish the Breeze.I used up all the materials that were being stored in the middle of the yard. Now you can see straight through to the back of the yard when you walk into the back. This is your view.My landscaper will be back for the last visit (I hope) to finish up the irrigation and some details. The border around the back patio and around the whole back yard will be gone, with a few steppers along the patio and walkways. I’ll lose 2 of these 4×8 Cedar planters, leaving me more space to move around. I so appreciate a clean, low maintenance yard!There are 2 shrubs that I planted several years ago, growing along the back patio. They’ve been abused over the years and especially during this project but are showing signs they will be back. I love the deep Burgundy leaves they produce. I’ve trimmed them back and look forward to seeing how they evolve this year.This project has been healing and energizing for me. This being the first house I bought when I moved to Denver, I can’t help but think about my life then, now, and all the years in between. I’m grateful everyday, that I can wake up, hear the birds chirp and smell the earth begin to wake up and grow again. This is my therapy and I’m so glad to be able to share it with you! Happy Easter!
Heading toward the East Coast for a couple days before our visit to Ireland.We stayed at the tip of Manhattan this time, in the financial district. Where the Green dot is.
On the way to Ireland, we stayed in NYC for 2 nights to take in some of the sights. The map shows where our hotel was, at the tip of Manhattan. In the 2 days we were there, we walked around and were able to see a lot of Battery Park, Liberty Island, Ellis Island, ground zero at World Trade Center and found some fun places to stop for lunch, dinner and cool refreshments.
We stayed at The Doubletree Hilton at the Financial District on Stone Street. This is the view from our room. The room was clean, with nice linens, but SUPER small. I guess that’s how it works in NYC. We loved the location and were able to walk around easily from the room. Starbucks was half a block away, gratefully! We had a partial view of Ellis Island, on the left side of the pic, across the harbor. Battery Park is on this side of the harbor, below. NYC, Financial District. New York does a good job of creating parks in the middle of the city. The bull on Wall Street is bigger than it looks! Defiant girl, in training!We walked down the embankment to The World Trade Center grounds. This place is such an emotional space. Years later, people from all over the world are here trying to understand how something like this could happen and pray for peace in our world.I can’t explain how it feels to be in this place. Somber, heavy and reflective. The Twin Tower foot prints, now eternity pools, are so vast. This pic shows how small the people across the pool are. The survivor tree at Ground Zero was saved after severe damage and has been a beacon of hope for so many after 9/11.1 World Trade Center.American Merchant Marines Memorial on the harbor. North Cove and Manhattan Sailing School on this gorgeous day! These yachts are over 150′ long. This marina sits along the harbor and has great restaurants, shops and walking paths with people enjoying the beautiful sunny day in August.North Cove is on the Hudson, 3 blocks from The World Trade Center Museum. We discovered a great deli and enjoyed our sandwiches on a bench watching crew members work on these amazing yachts.The Staten Island Ferry is free and takes people across the harbor to New Jersey on a regular schedule. We decided to take a spin across and back toward the end of our first day.The ferry’s are actually pretty cool. It’s a main form of transportation across the Hudson. Here are local commuters on the ferry.After walking around all day, I was looking for a good place to sit and sip. “How about this place?” I’m pointing out the Dubliner to Sean, who is desperately looking for a Guiness.
This cute little alley was blocked off to traffic and set up for people to hang out in between a bunch of little neighborhood restaurants. We loved finding it only a block from our hotel.
Awww! I look happy to be off my feet and scoping the NY scene.The 2nd day, we decided to try out luck at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tours. I’m not big on huge lines of people, but I had to suck it up and stand in line with the rest of them to see the sights!Looking back at Manhattan across the harbor.The Coast Guard is always on alert. The gunner is standing on the bow, strapped into a harness with his hand on the machine gun! Adventurous job!The path walking around Lady Liberty on Liberty Island. This shot, from Liberty Island shows Manhattan and 1 World Trade Center in the background, Ellis Island on the left of the background and all the tourists walking around Liberty Island.Liberty Island is worth standing in line and navigating through hundreds of people. The statue from France represents Liberty Enlightening the World. Such a positive image from our history.1 World Trade Center with sailboats in the harbor.Ellis Island from the ferry.
Ellis Island Hall, where thousands of immigrants landed, looking for a better life.
Irish immigrant family in a pic at Ellis Island. A hard life makes it understandable to want to immigrate. “Goodbye, I’ll see you later!”The long story of Immigration can not be accurately demonstrated in these few pics. However, when visiting Ellis Island, it’s heartbreaking and inspiring to read about all the people who have found their way to the US, using whatever means they had, to try for a better life.Ellis Island. On the ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. I do love to visit New York. I’ve now been a couple times and look forward to a return visit. It’s a great way to break up a trip to Europe and now, we’re off to Ireland.
Susie was in town last week to help me get my yard cleaned up for spring! It’s a tradition we look forward to, celebrating all the tiny miracles that happen, this time of year. We took my brother, Michael to lunch for his birthday.I got my outdoor curtains up and the patio furniture rearranged. Luckily, I have plenty of rugs to use on the concrete pad. I’m thinking abut tiling the whole patio to clean it up and add some fun style to the space.The curtains add a lot of charm and privacy to the space. I can open or close them to create more intimate sitting areas.Here, I’m using a curtain to create a backdrop for the floating chair. And we finally moved all the garden tools from the outside of the shed. Now I can use this door to access the shed.Susie dug all the volunteer grass out of the planter and we raked up old tree branches and leaves on the Breeze, leaving the yard cleaner, but aching for some foliage.This vintage paned glass door was recycled from the cottage on the back of the lot. I love it as a decorative focal point and practical door to the shed. All the windows were also recycled from another house which I had the original windows replaced.This tree and shrub were salvaged during the remodel. The shrub isn’t looking so good, but I hope they both survive the project. Shade and foliage is what this house is missing right now.This is what you see when you come in the side gate, which has become my actual entry to the house. At this point, every pic I post has a lingering project that I need to address. In this pic, it’s the Blue tarp covering mulch, potting soil and bulbs from last fall. I just need to do it! The side yard is clean with Breeze. Although this isn’t a part of the yard people see, I love how clean and low maintenance it is! These curtains give me and my neighbor privacy while I’m on the back patio, which is more and more often!The pile of flagstone behind the door will be used in the front and back yards for steppers near the sliding patio door and as you walk off the patio slab of the back porch.The garden boxes are overgrown with only a couple plants worth saving. Susie dug out clumps of grass and found a healthy Chive and a Strawberry plant! More proof that miracles happen everyday in the garden!Susie and I moved this rustic garden bench to this area to accommodate all the pots that will come in handy in a month, or so. This valuable space is now the gardening area. A place to work and store my outdoor projects! The 4×4 planter will be removed.I‘m meeting with my landscaper to discuss removing a couple of these planters. I’ll have 2 large and 1 small planter to use. That’ll give me more room for my fire pit, on this end, and the garden work space at the other end. Sprinklers will get turned on for the season at the end of April.I’ve been shopping for outdoor patio furniture for this space. Now that I use it for my entrance everyday, I need to make it welcoming and comfortable. So far, I hung a window planter with metal shudders, added a couple chaise lounge chairs and I moved an outdoor bakers/garden rack near the shed door. The pots will get moved after I dig some of the dirt out of them to make them lighter. 2 part project! I still need more foliage and soft cushioned furniture!More window planters on this side. I also have some metal art I’ll add to this side of the shed.This cluttered corner will be a focal point of the yard. Motivation to do what I need to do! Nice extension cord leading to the heat tape on the shed roof!I added a couple hanging baskets on the front arbor and have a couple smaller projects planned for the front yard. I’ll make the garden with the Aspen tree a bit bigger and taller- like a burm, with some perennial flowers. Also add a second burm style garden on the other piece of grass near the driveway with the windmill, shrub or tree and perennial flowers too!My fabulous sister, Susie! Loving the early vegetation at O’Toole’s garden shop! I find my way here throughout the winter, when it’s cold and snowy outside and spring is only a distant memory. See how happy she is?Spring is such an inspiring time for everyone! The anticipation of each pastey white face as we visit the garden shop to see what treasures are just in!
Even the yard cat in the video below is inspired, although cats don’t really show emotion, I can see she’s happy to have the fresh adventure!
And all of a sudden, blowing snow, wind and panic set in!The whole patio was covered in snow. Fearing complete isolation, I fashioned a long brush to clear the satellite dish so I felt less alone.And as the snow melted, it caused an ice cornice to build up on the shed and the house.The metal roof plus snow, makes for a waterfall over the gutters. I had to add heat tape to melt the ice so it would simply drain into the gutters.My vintage windmill was blown over in the storm, bending the blades.A casualty of the Bomb Cyclone! I’ll try to bend the blades back in shape again.But just look at what happens after we get all the needed moisture!Hidden bulbs are finding their way through the weed barrier and Breeze material, searching for the spring sunshine! Although I wasn’t looking for these to pop up right here, I can’t find it in myself to pull them up!I’ve added some Cobalt Blue planters near the front door and some of my pots already have established perennial Day Lillie’s coming in!Yay! Spring is so very welcome after a long winter.Small, I know! But I can’t help but be pleased to see some Green reappear after 6 months of drab winter!This time of year, we’re ready to lose the sweaters and boots. But it takes a few days in the privacy of your yard to get enough sun to show any skin in public.I moved the outdoor chairs to maximize the sunny part of each day in the back yard. Rocco is grateful to lay in the sun too!
Leaving Knock Ireland, heading toward Luton Airport near London.We stayed at The Hilton Doubletree at the Docklands on Columbia Wharf in London. This building is an old mill and offers awesome views of The Thames from our room.View from our room at night! The ferry on the right side of the pic travels back and forth all day from Canary Wharf to Columbia Wharf on the other side of the Thames where we caught the water ferry down the river and into the city.Our room was basically a flat. Lots of space and a small balcony overlooking the river.We slept with the door open all night so we could feel the breeze from the river and hear the tide coming and going. Loved it!I loved the rustic feel of the old building! Sean is counting his pounds.Our room is the top balcony. Below is an outdoor space with tables overlooking the river.Parliment and Big Ben were under renovation while we were there.It really IS Big!I had to pay attention when crossing streets, as the traffic was coming from the opposite direction than I’m used to!We rode the ferry to the Westminster stop and walked down St. James park to Buckingham Palace. It was lovely!Buckingham palace is very grand, very busy and very impressive. It’s crazy to actually be in a spot I’ve seen in so many pictures. And no, we didn’t see any royals while we were there!You can see the fountain driveway at the front of Buckingham Palace.Guilded gates are everywhere. This place is huge. It’s quite a walk from point A to Point B.Were practiving our “Royals” pose! Do we look royal?The queen leaves Buckingham Palace and goes to Balmoral Scotland during the summer. While she’s away, tours of the palace allow viewing and walking through 19 state rooms! Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside. But I will say that the decadence and grandeur is so breathtaking. It’s amazing to me that these rooms have been lived in and used since the 1700’s. This pic is taken outside the back of the palace where the queen holds Garden parties.This is 10 Downing St., through the gates. Home of Prime Minister Teresa May, at least for now. See the armed guards at the gate?This is just on the other side of the fence from Teresa May’s house.Standing on the London Bridge with a good view of the London Eye!They still have these phone booths everywhere!View from the ferry as we’re leaving London Bridge headed back toward our hotel.This sign is funny to me! Not just the part of not being a nuisance, but that they’ll report you to your church. Now that’s a deterrent!This old inn, circa 1520. We walked by it on our way to the Tower of London!I imagine midieval people walking around in the cobblestone street with a mug in hand, looking for a place to lay their head for the night.We took an obligatory break at Starbucks before going into the Tower. Fun to watch people from all over the world walk around these tourist attractions.We’re heading toward the entrance of the Tower of London. I’m walking by what was once a moat surrounding the Tower.The outside of the Tower. Entrance on the right.This is inside the Tower grounds, the London Bridge behind us. You can see the moat behind us between the stone wall and the sidewalk below.This is where the Yeoman Warders or Beefeaters live, inside the Tower grounds.There’s one getting into the back seat of his car.This whole fortress dates back over a 1000 years to 1070 AD. It’s been damaged, rebuilt and updated many times since then by a variety of Kings and Queens.The slits in the stone wall are actually windows. See the gargoyles looking down at us?Panoramic view. The Building straight ahead is the White Tower, or the Tower of London.Again, no photos inside, but The Crown Jewels are pretty spectacular and heavily guarded!Henry VIII’s armour. Hmmm.Living in a castle seems romantic, but this would not be so cozy. Now I imagine walking through these hallways with a candle in hand.Cold and dark, but the stone work is not only cool to see, it’s also super durable to have lasted this many centuries.This is looking out a window. They are so small to protect the habitants from a seige. I think I’d feel claustrophobic living here.This is a toilet. Basically a wooden box with a hole in it. I don’t know what’s below the box. The king’s room. A bed, fireplace, a table, a throne and a chapel.I guess this is where he makes plans for invasions.It seems simple, but considering the stone rooms that are everywhere else, it IS more cozy.The Kings throne.Huge fireplaces are in the rooms to heat the cold space.The White Tower. This is the tower that held the troops, weapons, armour, horses and of course, a chapel.The chapel in The White tower.The likeness of Queen Elizabeth I.The walls are several feet deep to protect the people from attack.This is amazing to me!Torture tools. It’s eerie in this room, knowing how many people were held, tortured and died here.A great view of London Bridge, standing next to the White tower.We walked over London Bridge to see what was on the far embankment.The London Bridge is a destination by itself. It’s a feat of engineering.Looking back at the Tower over the Thames.The Belfast warship is now a museum. It sits across the Thames from the Tower. We thought about taking a tour, but decided to find a cafe and have a glass of wine instead.This walkway takes you from the cafe to the Belfast.The little cafe overlooks the Thames and embankment.The embankment runs along the river for miles. Tons of restaurants, parks and pedestrians. The architecture in London is remarkable. Very modern mixed with very old buildings.Tired and feeling goofy after our stay in London, now we’re heading back to Colorado.London to Denver is a long flight. I’m grateful to have seen parts of London and look forward to a return trip at some point!
Arriving at Shannon Airport, Ireland. Aug 27, 2018. Westport, standing on a bridge overlooking the Mall river.O’Hehirs Cafe on the Octogon. One of my favorite cafes in Westport overlooks The Octogon, a historic landmark in town. I could spend hours here, drinking tea and watching people walk by .Kylemore Abbey, Ireland A short walk away is the Chapel at Kylemore Abbey. So gothic and ornate!Many of the manor’s and castles have chapels on the property. Entering the chapel at Kylemore Abbey.Inside the chapel at Kylemore Abbey, beautiful paned glass windows. Tea at the Cafe at Kylemore Abbey. When in Ireland, drink tea!You’d never know what bliss lies behind this wall…The walled victorian garden at Kylemore abbey. Looking back toward the entry gate on the top left. This place is so gorgeous and has been recently restored after many years of neglect.Turf is a natural resource that the Irish burn for heat. It’s layers of mulch and organic material that has been sitting on the ground for millions of years and become very dense. Driving around Ireland you can see fields of turf where people have dug up small sections, let sit to dry and then sell as fuel. It’s a resource that people now understand needs to be protected. You can smell turf being burned as you drive around. It’s very strong smelling, kinda like tobacco.We saw many rich and decadent houses, but this house inspired me because it is the head gardeners house at the garden at Kylemore Abbey. Very simple and overlooking the whole walled garden. And they were buring turf for heat inside.It was a super soggy day. However, if your strategy is to wait until is clears up, you’ll be spending your time inside! The trick is to dress appropriately and go for it!Keel Beach on Achill Island. One of my favorite places in Ireland, so far!Old Head Beach, Westport Ireland. I never get tired of being by the ocean. This trip we stayed closer to town. This is the house we rented. Walking distance from downtown Westport.This special lady is Sean’s mother, Winnie. She is wonderfully positive kind, loving and enjoys a good laugh, or craic, as the Irish would say! She turned 86 this year and we went back to help her celebrate.Some of Sean’s family came for tea at our rental house after Winnie’s birthday lunch. Everyone in town loves Winnie. She has lived her entire life in Westport and knows everyone she sees. I’m grateful to know her!
This small stucco cottage lacks interest and novelty.I added flagstone to the dirt yard to clean it up and make it more usable.An original coal shed is now in the center of the yard and not so pretty to look at.The front door of the coal shed, positioned in the center of the yard.Back door of the cottage looked out into an evergreen covered space.These 2 pine trees, surrounded by piles of rocks, were old and eventually died. The flat roof was the culprit to a water leak in the ceiling of the living room. I also tore out the carpet in the house and replaced it with tile throughout. This is the bathroom where a washer and dryer were located.I added tile to the floor and shower, but the space is still boring!Small kitchen with apartment sized appliances.When I bought this house, there were no lower cabinets here, only uppers. I found some reclaimed cabinets to create a better kitchen workspace in 2007. The back door was very old, but I like having a back door overlooking the garden.At some point, this part of the house was added onto the original house. The slope of the ceiling is interesting and mostly affects the bathroom, and the laundry room. Window A/C units are used throughout. Nice extension cord!After I had the huge evergreen trees removed, I needed to do something with this space in the yard.So, I decided to have a deck with arbor built instead. It was alot of work to dig out roots and clear the space for a new deck. Huge pile of rocks in the distance will have to be moved out of here.The little wood boxes are for footers which will hold up the arbor over the deck. And of course, the huge pile of rocks that I had to remove along the back fence.Coming along. This is now a usable space outside the kitchen door.Providing some shade and a sitting area.I added garden boxes with perennials around the borders of the flagstone courtyard.And a sitting area in the courtyard.This shed is cool, but needed some TLC to make it blend better with the rest of the yard.And I made this cute little garden near the front door and under the kitchen window.Now when you walk into the yard, you see this welcoming space.I also added an arbor inside the gate to the alley. It can be seen from the alley and designates the gate from the rest of the fence.Lilac shrubs are in the distance and soften the yard with fragrant flowers in the spring.New cabinets and tile change the kitchen into a cheery space.Still a small stove, but I had a guest actually cook Thanksgiving dinner in this kitchen!Spa like bathroom with bamboo shelving units, tiled floor and shower. I moved the washer and dryer into the laundry closet.Cute little vintage dining table near the front door, in the main living area.A sectional sofa adds comfort and plenty of seating to this small cottage.The adjoining room is really small, but I have a twin daybed and TV in here for extra room and privacy. Rocco taking a quick nap on the sheepskin.I installed central A/C and got rid of the window units. Fresh paint, new furniture and fun furnishings make this place an urban retreat.
I bought this place in 2007. The carriage house is made of cinderblock. At some point, a half fence was put in, I guess to hide the trash cans.Oh, and there is some siding also. Old windows are a little bit sad in this pic.There was one big yard for both houses. It felt like being in a fish bowl, anyone driving through the alley could, and did, look right at the backyard of the big house and into the yard of the carriage house. Nice to have a parking space off the alley for the carriage house.It had good bones, but needed some style and updating.Original coutertops complete with chrome legs holding the cabinets up and mirrored light switch covers! And don’t miss the vinyl parquet flooring.The cabiets are solid wood and built in.It seems like all the houses had a mircowave cubbie above the oven. It must be vintage!The galley kitchen is big enough for a full sized refrigerator and stove/oven.Small bathroom with formica “butcher block” vanity top.A transition seam where the vinyl parquet meets the carpeting. It runs through the room, creating a strange dining area which straddles the seam.This house has no venting and relys on window A/C and baseboard heat.One of the first things I did when I bought this property was add a fence between both houses. The Orange paint shows where the new flagstone courtyard will be. This poor little house had no privacy, but I’m getting ready to change that!I took down the half fence, laid flagstone and you can see the fence posts going in.The area around the house is not big, but with this fun courtyard and a small grassy area to sit in, I think it’ll be charming.I like that the entry has a covered porch, with a iron pole holding it up! However, I’ll make it better than this is now.Oh my goodness! The new fence really adds to this house. Now there is a fun yard that someone can actually enjoy with privacy!I added a couple garden boxes with perennial plants to soften the sitting area.What a difference the fence makes. It’s rustic and private.Next is the new siding and Cedar scallopped accents. No more cinderblock visible!With the new siding, cedar and roof, some perennial gardens will make this space inviting.This is an entry I want to see when I arrive at this house!My gardens mature and the house slowly feels vintage again with some upgrades.I kept the original cabinets, but lost the Chrome legs holding the upper cabinets up. The coutertops and bathroom got new tile, new vinyl flooring, new appliances and fresh paint.I used this house for a guest house for a couple years for my visiting family, but eventually decided to try short term rental. It’s the first house I converted to STR and it’s been a favorite for my guests since 2015.Now, the dining area is welcoming and sits on top of new flooring running throughout the whole house.I painted all the trim White and changed the interior doors to be more modern.The house is only about 500 square feet, but is well laid out to feel open.I made this headboard from cedar fence pickets and some stain. I love rustic and it works well in Colorado for visiting guests.The yard is now inviting and fresh with sod, cedar and perennial gardens. This house is for rent on VRBO, listing #749810.
The back side of the original garage, taken down in 2012.I bought this house in 2005. I lived in the carriage house for a year and a half while I worked on the property. This is a pic of the original back yard behind the garage.Although I had tenants in this house at the time, I tried to clean up the yard and make it usable. Better than it was.The original back porch was semi-enclosed with painted plywood and screen on the top. I also inherited some fabulous lava rock. See the wire fence between the houses?My first attempt to clean up the yard with plastic edging, grass seed and mulch.Fast forward 11 years to 2016, after I took down the garage and added garden boxes in the yard and removed the painted plywood and screen from the back porch. I’ve had long term tenants in this house since I bought it 14 years ago.I took the garage down in 2012 because it wasn’t structurally sound. I left the concrete pad.September 2018 I had a shed built to accommodate my garden supplies and storage.I used half of the original concrete pad for the shed.I considered using metal “patches” on the side of the shed, but ended up only using mtetal on the roof. I’ll use the same material for the roof on my back porch.The white paned door came from the carriage house in the back. I love the shed and how rustic it is. And I definately need the storage as I don’t have a garage and my basement will be remodeled at some point in the near future.This large barn door is great for accessing the shed. I had a concrete ramp built under this door so I can wheel my wheelbarrow in and out of the shed, as necessary. Another ” Smart girl idea”!Because I have short term rentals, I needed storage for supplies in addition to my garden supplies. I had three pine shelving units I picked up at Goodwill a few years ago and secured them onto the back wall for organization.As you can see, I needed and used this space up very quickly. Now if I can keep everything this organized going forard!
Saint George, Utah for Dad’s 75th birthday.Mom arriving from Idaho at DIA.Michael and Dad in Moab, Utah for Michael’s 50th birthday.The Thompson girls on the way to lunch and shopping in Littleton!Mom, relaxing on the back patio while helping out with my new project.Selfie on Cumberland Pass, the Continental Divide.Family dinner at PF Changs in Lone Tree, CO.Main Street, Gunnison.Blue Mesa Reservoir.Hanging with my nephew, Preston and my dog, Rocco.Silly Girl, in disguise. Guess who?Mom enjoying a cup of tea in the carriage house with Rocco.Picking up Mom from DIA.Posing with Lisa Bachicha and Susie in Gunnison.
This was the first property I bought when I moved to Denver in 2004. I lived in this carriage house for a year and half while I worked on it. It is about 500 square feet, 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom.Original windows were charming, but super inefficient. I love it anyway and spent my days off cleaning and fixing it up.There were some huge flagstone pieces in the yard, wire fence between the two houses and many volunteer Elm trees surrouding the house.At some point, a sunroom was added onto the house giving it much needed light, but the original windows didn’t work well for heat retention. You can see the door on the right side of the pic which was between the sunroom and the original house, now used on my new garden shed.A cool built in cabinet in the tiny dining area.The original kitchen with a farmhouse sink. I wish I had kept that sink now. Also 2 architectural arches in the house and a small opening phone nook in the wall between the ktchen and living room.This door leads from the kitchen and opens to the driveway outside. The cabinets and counter top on the right were later removed. The original kitchen.
This poor kitchen was so outdated when I bought the place and moved in. See the short refrigerator on the far right. Right after I moved in, my sister came to stay and help and we had a new refrigerator delivered.
Looking through the living room toward the bathroom. And the storage cabinets built into the wall on the left. Also notice the opening on the right where a window was at some point. It had shelves built in in between the added on sunroom and living room.Chain link fence between the alley parking space and yard. Lovely scalloped covered entry and stucco chimney stack against the house. Original wood siding.After I moved in, I cleaned it up and once spring came, the garden started to fill in with wonderful perennial flowers.I added more flagstone to make a wider walkway, added some short fencing to make a border to the garden. Still rustic, but more welcoming anyway.A rickety white picket fence gate between the houses and hanging planters.Shabby chic? Maybe, but I was so happy to have this little place to work on.I added gravel to make my parking space cleaner.You can see how adding flowers and potted plants made it cozy. I hung roman shades inside for privacy and to make it more efficient.Outside the bedroom window, a little garden.My little sitting area. You can see the washing machine through the window in the sunroom.All these tress were suckers and were growing under the foundation. I loved the shade, but had to have them removed later.I painted, installed parquet floors and fixed it up while living there.Looking from the living room into the sunroom. The floor in the sunroom was very uneven. See the vinyl flooring in the kitchen? I replaced the appliances, sanded and painted the original cabinets.Cool arches in the house. I think it was built in the early 1930’s.I had the cabinet doors off to paint them. The original farmhouse sink and dish drainer. Metal tiles on the backsplash.The bedroom is large enough for a king sized bed.Looking from the kitchen through the dining area toward the bedroom. Phone nook on the left.Tiny dining area.Nice sized cedar lined closet.
In 2016, I did a full remodel and converted this long term rental into a short term rental.
See how uneven the floor is. Original exterior siding on the left wall where the sunroom was added on.I took this wall out, had the floor leveled and moved one of the sunroom windows to the wall on the left side above where the washer and dryer will go.The interior walls in the sunroom were finished with very cheap cardboard “wood”.These projects are always worse before they get better.My contractor, assessing the situation!The original exterior wall between the sunroom and living room.The finished product! So bright and cheery!Now it’s a pleasure to do laundry. Still tiny, but more charming. I took the cabinet doors off and painted the inside a fresh Green.Galley kitchen flows nicely.Walking through the kitchen from the entry door, by the driveway, into the house.Breakfast nook.King sized bed.Comfortable living area.Electric fireplace with the now famous phone nook on the left.Small, but cute bathroom.Tiled bathroom with iron details.Outdoor courtyard with gardens, flagstone walkway and sitting areas.I kept the original wood siding, but scraped and painted it, added the shutters and exposed the brick on the chimney stack.I exposed much of the original chimney and sealed it for a rustic old world look. Added a wood door and replaced the scalloped entry cover with a cedar arbor with iron brackets. I also added Cornflower Blue shutters for extra charm.I found vinyl flooring that matched the original pine flooring in the bedroom and replaced the parquet flooring.
This little house has come a long way in the time I’ve owned it. It has a special place in my heart as it was the first of my houses I lived in when moving back to Denver in 2004. Although it looks so cute now, I loved it when I lived here so long ago. Now it’s available to rent through VRBO.com, listing # 795289.
Going through customs in Shannon Ireland. It’s all a bit scary, but also exciting! We left NYC at 10:30 PM and arrived in Ireland at 5:30 AM. I didn’t sleep on the flight, instead watched the flight monitor while tightly gripping my arm rest, the whole way.It’s best not to think about being over the Atlantic Ocean for 5 hours during the flight. Movies help!There’s no doubt when you finally descend close enough to see the ground that your in Ireland. Look how Green and lush it it! Beautiful!When we landed, we were greeted with a traditional Irish breakfast. Holy smokes! I had coffee instead.We rented a house on Clew Bay and watched the tides come and go for 2 weeks.This is the house we stayed in for 2 weeks.We looked across the inlet at a small farm with sheep (of course) cows and horses. And they had a friendly dog who came to say hi when we checked it.We took walks from the house when the tide went down. Exploring small farms and inlets.And picked wild Blackberries that grew everywhere.Westport House is an old English Manor on an estate which is now open to the public as a museum. I’m curious about the history of Ireland/Europe and learning more each day.While we were there, the Harvest Country Music Festival, Miranda Lambert headlining at the Westport House estate.Wealso drove to Dublin for a Gaelic Football game at Croke Park, the largest arena in Ireland. Co Mayo was competing in the finals. Unfortunately, they didn’t win.Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland.I have to be honest, the hardest part for me was adjusting to driving on the left side of the road. I didn’t drive during our visit, but had a hard time relaxing while driving for the first week. And you can see how narrow the roads are. The shoulder is at most, 10 inches wide and rock walls line most of the roads. So as a passenger, you see the grass and rock walls coming at you on the left. It takes getting used to!Besides driving on the left side of the road, the road signs are all in Gaelic and English.We took a day trip to Connamara and Killary Harbour. So Green and beautiful!Keel Beach on Achill Island.The Wild Atlantic Drive follows the coast on the West side of Ireland. Because Ireland is an island, the coast is rocky and dramatic in many places.The town of Westport is charming and historic. You see it shown in many tourism ad’s for Ireland. Irish natives like visiting Westport for “holiday” I prefer wine, but had to sip a pint at a local pub to get the full experience.Bertra Strand, with Crogh Patrick (holy mountain) in the distance.A bunch of rocks on the beach. I think it’s beautiful!We walked out on to Bertra Strand and enjoyed the grassy peninsula with rocky borders. It was windy, but comfortable enough to spend a couple hours out there.We visited several abbey’s. Stone is used abundantly, as Ireland is basically a rock island and it’s the easiest material to get. This is in the town of Cong, where The Quiet Man with John Wayne was filmed.Stone ruins are everywhere. At first, I was taking pics of all the stone buildings, but eventually realized that stone is as common as sagebrush in my hometown. However, I still think its beautiful, historic and certainly durable! These walls and buildings are over a Thousand years old!An old Abbey and graveyard. See the grave headstones flat on the ground?These buildings are so amazing and spectacular.An old Monk’s fishing house on the river near Cong.Ashford Castle is a world destination and has a long and rich history. Being American I think 200 years is old, but in Ireland, the history goes back thousands of years.A local favorite is a “99”. Ice cream cone with a flake of chocolate stuck in it! Yum!More stonework in Westport.A hike at Old Head Beach on the cliffs.Kylemore Abbey. We got there too late to go in, but will try again next time!You still see thatched roofs on some buildings. It’s an old art of tying reeds tightly together to form a roof. This one is on the Wild Atlantic Drive near Achill Island.
Now that the painting is done, I’m waiting for my Gutter guy to install the new gutters. Winters in Englewood are pretty mild, but as you can see we do get snow. See how the melting is running down the patio roof, pooling on the ground below? Lovely!Mud where the snow melts on my walkway from the driveway to front door. I had a tree service come and trim my trees in the back yard and grind out a few old stumps, using a big grinder on wheels. They did a great job of navigating the machinery through the yard, but left some tracks in the mud.The patio roof is prepped for the metal roofing. However, when the accumulated snow melts on the roof, it drips onto the patio. Ugh! I used a piece of drip edge to divert it away from my slider door.More than 1 leak. I got word that the metal roofing has arrived and have my contractor scheduled tomorrow to install it. Yes!Gutters will take care of this problem.There’s an ice rink behind the shed.I also had the internet and satellite service companies come and reattach the cables to the house after the siding went up. Unfortunately, an old service box was reattached after the siding and paint went on. I took it down and will touch up the spot with paint.I moved all the utility boxes to a new spot on the house and had all of the boxes painted to match the house. I may have a cover built over them to better hide them, but I like this spot better than the back porch. I may put a planter in front of them too, to minimize.All the wires are right there, under the door. I’ll bury them under the Breeze material to protect and hide them. I also will rework the flagstone steppers in front of the door to make a landing- hopefully keep inside cleaner and give the entry some visual appeal. All these little things are small, but make a huge difference in the overall look and flow of the property. Inspection complete for today!
The paint is finally on the siding and it looks fresh and bright!
Now that most of the big stuff is done, I can start working on the decorating, my favorite part! I’ll place the planters, hang flower baskets and move some benches into the front around the house. I also ordered a cool tiled house number set that should be here soon.
The top flagstone step arrived and the landscapers are placing it.
So Much Better!
Now that the paint is up, the gutters are next.
The Patio Slider looks great!
I think this new slider patio door is the most dramatic change to the interior, so far. The light coming into the kitchen is wonderful and I love look looking out into the yard. Next, I’ll be placing all the planter pots that are being stored in this area and reworking it to be open, functional and pretty.
The back porch is so much cleaner looking.
Today I’m going to Home Depot to buy materials for outdoor curtain rods. And then start setting it up to use! I know it’s only February, but spring will be here before we know it!
My buddy, Rocco! He doesn’t really care so much about the project. He just wants to be with me, wherever that is. Mr. 100% loyal! Otherwise, he loves to eat and sit in the warm sunshine.
Me in my yard a month after I retired in 2016. Working in my yard is a very happy place!
Most of the major stuff is done and I’m now looking forward to working on the small details. I love this part and have been thinking about how to create special spaces in the new clean, updated yard. It’s so easy to lose myself moving things around and trying different ideas until I get it just right. Spring is not far away and, I’m sure I speak for most people, it’s a time to come back outside, breathe fresh air and notice all the tiny little bits Green as nature unfolds again. Once it warms up, I’ll be focusing on the yard, gardens and greenery surrounding the house.
We stayed on Central Park and were ecstatic with our view. I’m taking care of business back at home while enjoying the view.The only full day we were in the city, we walked around and see what we could find on foot. I drew in the route we took.
We logged about 6 miles, from my own calculations. Starting at our hotel on the park, we walked to the Hudson River, down the river walk to the Intrepid museum. We wandered around Hell’s Kitchen area, found a place for lunch. Saw a New York fender bender happen in front of us. (No, the driver’s didn’t jump out and start screaming at each other, as expected) Saks Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Station, and ended up back in Central Park!
This ship is HUGE! I’m standing on the river walk to take this pic.St. Patrick’s Cathedral.Inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral is beautiful and ornate. Jesus and Mary Mother Statue inside the cathedral.Mother Teresa statue inside the cathedral.
I expected New York to be dirty and crowded and noisy and crazy. And while some of that turned out to be true, I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly people were. No one was rude or short with us, at all!
Time’s Square- crazy with people and events.This souvenir shop had a whole shelf just for “The Donald” Ok, I couldn’t help it. But just look at my face.Grand Central Station, iconic and busy. I didn’t get any pics of it, but the Market at Grand Central Station was very cool!It’s straight ahead on the bottom Right, under the arch. People are everywhere in NYC. And the station is a hub in the city.Constellations on the ceiling of Grand Central Station.This is the ladies bathroom at Saks Fifth Avenue. Vintage decor. The ladies bathroom at Saks Fifth Avenue. Not sure what I expected, but it seems to be the original bathroom. Central Park.
Being from Colorado, I understand New Yorker’s appreciating a place of nature and peace, living in such a hectic environment. We saw a small part of the park, but it’s actually 2.5 miles long by 1/2 mile wide and features the New York Zoo, Metropolitan Art Museum, amphitheaters, lake and ponds and other fun attractions. A historic and nice break from crazy!
Bethesda Fountain in Central Park.Bethesda Fountain Plaza in Central Park.Every evening, our hotel offered a complimentary happy hour, which we took full advantage of.
The hotel we stayed in was only a block from Trump Tower and was housing Secret Service Agents who were there to protect the President. They stayed in the same hotel as we did, due to the high price of staying at Trump Tower. We saw them in the lobby and elevators during our stay and they were friendly and respectful. They dressed in Black combat uniforms with “Secret Service” stenciled on the front and back and carried machine guns. Geez!
Christian Dior exhibit at Denver Art Museum with my sister, Susie. So stylish!Dior gown. The pattern is actually beaded onto the gown, making it look see through. The hand beading on both these gowns is A-MA-ZING! And look at this confection. It’s hard to see how this is a dress. Another stunning gown.
Today I live in the city, but I grew up in the mountains. I get back to my hometown, Gunnison pretty regularly. I still have family there and always enjoy getting away.
Arriving at Garlic Mike’s restaurant with friend, Janice Welborn. A fundraiser for Six Points in Gunnison at Garlic Mike’s restaurant. Among other prizes, we bid on and won a stay at the Treadway Cabin in historic Tincup, CO. Here, we’re making arrangements for our trip.Scenicdrive by Taylor Reservoir with the Collegiate peaks in the distance on the way to Tincup. The Treadway cabin where we stayed for 2 nights in Tincup, CO.We had family come visit one afternoon, enjoying the fall colors and afternoon sun. Happy hour at the Firepit behind the cabin.A daytrip to Tincup Cemetary. Separated by religion, 4 knolls make up the cemetery; Catholic Knoll, Protestant Knoll, Jewish knoll and Boot hill, where the businesswoman and well loved cook, Kate Fisher is buried. Cumberland Pass between Tincup and Pitkin. It’s windy up there!The porch swing was my favorite seat.
The siding crew got all the siding done and are waiting for the new patio door to arrive before they finish this area.Finally, the slider came in and David is installing it today!This is the inside wall where the new door is going.The plastic will help keep everything cleaner.
The refrigerator temporarily in the middle of the kitchen. This was expected to take 1 day to complete, but it took 3 days in reality. The door was installed in 1 day, but the plaster, sanding and details took longer. Luckily, this house has a loop layout. I can walk through the bedrooms to get to the kitchen from the living room while this door goes in. I feel like I’m camping, sort of.
The mud needs to dry overnight before sanding, so we left the taped plastic up.We had good weather while they worked on the door. Better for the guys and better for me while the wall is opened up!It took most of the day, but I can see how open and bright this door will make my kitchen.The new door creates so much more light. You see it right as you walk in the front door!Wow, I love this new slider door! It’s much brighter and makes my small kitchen feel bigger.This is now a view. I want to clean it up and make it nice to look at.The back porch is looking so much better too! No utilities on the back wall and all the battens are now up. I’m getting used to the Green primer on the exterior walls, but the actual color will be off White, once painted.
The concrete pad expansion is done, tongue and groove panels are installed on the underside of the roof and the patio is now full size. I ‘m considering a fresh layer of concrete poured over the whole pad to cover any nicks or flaws in the concrete. But right now, I’m trying to finish the big stuff.
Although the exterior paint isn’t done, I’m anxious to get my patio organized so I can use it!The patio roof has been prepped for the metal roofing, which has been ordered. However, we got snow and the roof leaked onto the patio below.Right outside my back door. What a mess!Ricky, my electrician is installing the exterior lights.New exterior lights.I found these tiled house numbers locally, but I think I need something more modern. I ordered a different one online and think it’ll be better.The lights at night. I’ll change the bulbs to dimmer bulbs so I can adjust the amount of light they put out.
I expect the siding crew to be back next week to finish the siding around the new patio slider. I already have a painter lined up to paint the siding, and my gutter guy will be here to attach the gutters next. The last big thing is the metal roof on the back patio. Hopefully in 2 weeks this part of the project will be done.
As excited as I am for the project, it is stressful to have all this going on while living in the house! The crews are respectful and positive, but the air compressor and the constant banging leaves Rocco and I a bit overwhelmed. So we get away for a while, walk and take in the beauty of Colorado!
Meanwhile, David built a temporary support wall so he can replace the white 2×4’s with Cedar beams.New cedar beams open the whole space up!Extending the tongue and groove roof to cover the newly poured patio extension.View of the new cedar beams from the yard.We’ve been lucky so far, with limited weather during this project. But it is winter in Colorado and realistic to expect some snow. Fresh snow makes it look so clean.After they added insulation and plywood sheeting, finally I can see some siding.
They use a drip edge between the seams of the horizontal siding panels to prevent rain or snow to get behind the panels. It’ll get painted with the siding to blend in.
And I love the Cedar accents.All the gables will feature Cedar siding.The front door entry, Nice!Standing under the arbor gives a sense of space. Even though its open above, you still feel like you’re somewhere special.I expect the new patio door to arrive this week. This wall is waiting to be opened up so I don’t have a hole in the side of my house while we wait for the door to arrive.
One of the challenges with any project is to recognize areas that are an eyesore and find a way to make them fun features instead. Take this spot. Currently, I have a gate from the driveway to the back yard, utility boxed (electric panel, sprinkler system, cable box, etc) mounted on the outside wall and my new outdoor seating area just to the right of this pic. With the new arbor overhead and the forthcoming sliding patio door, I can see that this will likely be the door I use the most, especially when unloading groceries into the kitchen. Once the slider in is, I’ll move the gate, add a flagstone step under the new slider and have a welcoming back door entry to the house. This spot will become a focal point and mush used area.
This area will become the back entry.We are lining the underside of the patio roof with tongue and groove Cedar paneling to match the existing patio roof.Wow, so much cleaner than the original back door and utilities mounted on the wall!View of the back porch from the yard.
With the new patio roof extension, I hoped to keep the old roofing shingles and add more to finish the new roof. However, considering the cost to replace or add, I decided to change it to variegated metal roofing instead. It’ll match the roofing on the shed and give the back yard a farmhouse vibe. $$ Cha-ching!
Eco Home Exteriors is doing the siding. A huge crew of guys working like ants on an anthill! I can say this company is professional! Not only are the guys respectful and always in a good mood, they arrive at 7:30 am to start and leave when it’s too dark to see anything.
They tear off the vinyl siding, exposing the original wood siding underneath. I decided to have them add a layer of insulation and sheets of plywood to better insulate and stabilize the whole house. Then, the new siding will go on top.
When the siding is removed, it looks like the house is wrapped in foil.
A roll off dumpster is parked in the driveway. The only way to go with all the materials being removed. And nails are everywhere. The crew uses a magnetic wand that “potentially” picks up nails on the ground. I have a habit of always scanning for nails, with my eyes, on the ground. Call me crazy!
I’m on the fence with the “L” bracket on the arbor. I used “T” brackets on most of the posts, but the corners are tricky and won’t accommodate a “T” bracket. They are simply decorative, What do you think?Back porch, stripped down to foil. See the new patio slider door? I also had the florescent fixtures removed and 2 ceiling fans with lights installed.North side of the back patio.
The patio slab was pored with the outside corner being angled in, toward the middle of the patio. I’m having it squared off, making it even with the house, to make it larger and easier to place outdoor furniture, etc.
And I love this tree on the edge of the patio. Once the slab gets squared off, the tree will provide a nice natural border to the patio on this end.Although they’re still working in this walkway on the South side of the house, I can already see it’ll become a feature of the house.I’m replacing these 2 windows with another sliding patio door between the kitchen and the outdoor patio, now where the planter pots are currently being stored. The gable above the arbor will be sided with horizontal Cedar.Once the posts holding the patio roof up are replaced and the slab is squared up, this patio will be a much used space in the yard. I’ll have a covered sitting area overlooking the garden boxes. The gable on the left side above the patio roof will feature horizontal cedar planks.I’ll start the gardens in the spring. But for now, it’s a junk yard.This pic shows the plywood on the front and side of the house.Insulation and plywood on the front. Old siding still on the North side of the house.
I plan to use James Hardie Board and Batten siding on the bottom of the house and horizontal Cedar planks on the gables and wrapped around the front entry. The Board and Batten will get painted White and I’ll leave the cedar unfinished. In time, the natural patina of unfinished Cedar will turn Grey, giving the house a rustic look. I hope to be done with this phase by the end of next week.
I bought this house in 2005 with long term tenants living here ever since. When the tenants moved out, I got the opportunity to move into this house August 2018 and started the process of renovation, beginning with the exterior. My plan is to create a perfect retirement house!
Its time to update this vintage bungalow.View from the street. The Aspen tree was planted in 2012. This is what you see as you park in the driveway and walk to the front door.Old front door.North side looking toward the walkway. Chain link fence between me and the neighbors.South side driveway and garden boxes.Overgrown garden boxes, volunteer trees and weeds.Covered back porch with iron scroll and white painted 2×4 posts.Original concrete slab once had a garage sitting on top.Overgrown garden boxes and weeds.Sprinkler system was installed in 2017.North view of back yard.North side of house walkway. I like the tongue and groove cedar paneling on the ceiling, the florescent light fixtures not so much.Back porch looking South.South view of the back porch.The original back door with utilities mounted in full view!
The first thing I had to do was to take out the concrete porch and walkway from the city sidewalk to the front of the house.Where the concrete walkway used to be.My awesome neighbor split the cost of a new cedar fence with me. We both are happy to see the chain link fence gone!The new fence looks clean and tidy.I also had the walkway made wider, 4′.Garden boxes are removed and a stubborn tree stump dug out.This whole landing, where the concrete porch was, sat higher than the rest of the yard.This is just ugly and beat up. I can’t wait to turn this space into a feature instead of an eyesore outside my kitchen window!
The old slab where the garage once stood is badly cracked. I used about half the slab (on the right) as a base for a garden shed with an added concrete ramp for my wheel barrow! The rest of the concrete will come out and be replaced with Breeze, my wonder material!
These guys work hard! Landscaping and construction is physical work and I appreciate the help getting these projects knocked out!
The jackhammer was super loud, so I took this pic through the window (and screen). These are the guy’s at Spartan Landscaping breaking up the concrete. Perfect way to start my morning…
Then weed barrier and Breeze.The yard is a rubik’s cube right now until I get everything done and can start the fun part of decorating and setting up!
Temporarily using this space for all my big planter pots and fire pit until the siding is up on the house. Then, I’ll place the pots around the front and side yard of the house under the arbor.
I took an opportunity to get away from all the construction to go look for flagstone. I bought this 1/2 pallet of flagstone steppers.And a 5′ x 18″ x 6″ step for the front door. The step was $275, but worth it to make the front door look more welcoming. It turns out, I’ll need a 2nd step for the front.Once the concrete was removed, we discovered there was no foundation under the entry. That’s not what you want to find!The excavation shows things previously unknown. I like to say ” Everything takes longer and costs more than expected” And this project reinforces my theory.
David poured concrete with wood footers to support the front entry. Once it cured, he added wood supports between the entry and the concrete footer, then wrapped it with moisture barrier. In the 2 days the entry had no support, my wood floors inside were falling through the bottom of the porch inside. Geez!
Reinforced entry with moisture barrier. You can see the original wood siding at the side and bottom of the entry.
They got the breeze laid down and I didn’t like how the area where the concrete was taken out was higher than the rest of the space. Kinda like a bubble outside the front door. So the landscaper had to scrape the Breeze off of the weed barrier and take out a lot more dirt to make it level in front of the door. Then they put the barrier and Breeze back down. I used pieces of flagstone to make a walkway around the front and sides of the house. All the upside down recycling bins are covering big holes where the arbor posts will go.
After they removed more dirt, the whole front and side are level. The 2nd flagstone step is on order.
Because we removed so much dirt from in front of the door, I had to buy another Flagstone step, which I had to order and wait for delivery. This shows the landing where the 2nd step will sit, just outside the front door to the house on top of the first flagstone step.
Placing 6×6 cedar posts for the arbor.
David had a great trick to pour dry concrete mix and water into a tarp. 2 guys would stand on both sides of the tarp and “mix” the powder and water by swishing it around in the tarp then pour it into the holes. Pretty smart!
Once the posts were in, they built supports to keep them straight until the concrete cured- overnight.It already looks so much cleaner!When the siding is removed you can see the back of the lathe and plaster interior walls. Very cool to see the way houses were built in the 1930’s.
Headers for the arbor will be attached directly to the support studs of the house. When they removed the old siding we discovered very old and limited insulation in the walls. Another unexpected expense!
Once the headers where up, David began installing the rafters on the arbor.All the hardware and brackets had to be sprayed Black as they were galvanized originally.Finally, the space is fresh! It feels like a place to hang out. No more concrete pad, just breeze and cedar. Love it!The arbor and landscaping are done in the front! Can’t wait for new siding!
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