Saturday, May 31, 2008

Near The Beginning

So, once again I don't know how to properly post.
Please go to the very end of this post, read what I wanted to say at the beginning and then scroll back up to the below pictures. Sorry. Tired and I should have posted the pictures first. I know how to move pictures but not the type. Always something more to learn. Is alright. I am not going to keep my lack of knowledge from pursuing sharing!
Not the beginning but close. This shows the windows
already replaced.This shows the windows replaced and a new door outside of the new master bath.

This is the living area, with the sub flooring already replaced. In the beginning, there was nasty, nasty carpet, which smelled like critter urine many times over. I know it is gross. So gross the sub flooring even had to be replaced. But, after this most recent trip here, we now understand why the house was in such disrepair. The husband died of brain cancer about a year before we purchased the house. His wife, it seems, turned to alcohol in her loneliness. They were elderly and she was tender hearted. Seems she fed ALL the critters around. She was unable to tend to the many pets she had and so the story goes. We learned this from a neighbor we had not previously met.

Upstairs bathroom. Wall paper was on the walls. Kept the tub. Unfortunately the toilet broke when removed for flooring replacement. I refinished an antique buffet to match the tub. It is now used to house the sink. This is the bathroom for which I made the shower curtain from the vintage quilt posted in an earlier blog.

Looking down the stairs from the upstairs. Notice the hanging light fixture. Please, oh please, notice the ugly paneling half way down the wall and the uneven dry wall on the other half.


View from behind the stairs. Even in this picture you can see we have already had plumbing work done. Might I add the large black item on the left of the picture was moved to the right. It is for a new toilet, in a new powder room, downstairs. Of course I changed my mind about it's location. You will eventually see a darling vintage door leading to the under stairs space, for a storage area. I tried to use just about every inch of space I could muster.

Again, walls removed, sub flooring replaced. You can see the original kitchen wallpaper and stove.
The room at the back started as two very small bedrooms. We turned the two rooms into a master bedroom with two walk in closets. The area to the left of the stove was a large much wasted hallway. You will understand more later, with future pictures.

One of the bedrooms upstairs before we painted. We left the paneling that was oh so ugly but with oh so much cottage potential. Paint made it lovable.
Another kitchen view. The door out of the kitchen is now gone, as the kitchen was totally redesigned. Actually, the entire downstairs was gutted and reclaimed.
This is a picture of the living area in the very beginning. Well, almost. The carpet had been removed.You can see the stains on the sub flooring. You can see the wall heater that has been removed, along with the old gas fireplace. Also, the old stone has been covered with drywall and painted and tile installed on the hearth.I used the same tile as the back splash in the kitchen. The rooms are open to each other now. There will be an antique mantle installed on the fireplace, which is being removed from our present home in Gilbert. We are installing a pellet stove. It will be capable of heating the house in the winter and save on the gas bill and be better for the environment. I love the old fashioned wood burning fireplaces. It was our intent to restore this fireplace to wood burning. After listening to our daughter and countless others tell us how much more efficient it would be to go "green" we changed our minds and decided to be practical.

This is the section I wanted at the beginning!

Can I believe it? Yes. Found my camera and now my battery is dead. Do I have the charger with me? No, of course not .Am I happy about this? No, of course not. Is there anything I can do about it, at the moment? No, of course not. Will I live? Yes, of course! Going back to valley tomorrow for delivery of corporate packaging items and the all important hair appointment. Also, need to pack up another load of furniture, etc. to bring back to these cool pines. We have so many more things completed, to take pictures of to share, but----since I cannot do this, at the moment, I decided to post some pictures of the project beginnings. This should help you see the daunting task we took on over a year ago. Having said that, let me urge you to back up your photos and anything else of importance to you. My daughter's computer crashed.Our very beginning original pictures, of the entire house, are gone. Talk about bummed! Anyway, there are enough sort of originals saved to see what we faced in the restoration of this home. Happy rest of the weekend and in about a week I hope to be posting more of the after pictures-- smile.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Where To Begin

Where to begin? My honey went golfing in Pinetop, for the first time today. He has been working hard all this past week on many inside items. He put our closets in yesterday. The next time we come we can actually hang up our clothes. He also finished book shelves at the end of my kitchen counter tops, to hold my cookbooks. Will post these later. I am quite proud of him as he has never been much of a wood worker. We are now waiting on the butcher block counter tops. Once these arrive we can have the plumber come back and hook up farmhouse sink, other bathroom sinks, washer dryer, etc. So looking forward to actually being able to do wash! Did I really just say I want to do laundry???? I had the house all to myself today and what did I do? I cleaned. I meant to play on my computer all day long but I could not stand the total mess everywhere one more minute. This remodeling is so much messier than just plain ole living.
I have posted another lampshade along with the remaining stash from my eBay frenzy, for vintage rhinestone jewels. You will also find below some more gardening items. I am absolutely in love with the rose trees. The smell is like perfume, as I walk by. The hydrangea pot I posted earlier is close to the roses. I want to see how it fares, as now I want tons of hydrangeas in the front bed. There is much yard work to be done but first things first. Alright, it is time for a hop, skip, and jump to the local Mexican food restaurant for margaritas and nachos. Happy hour ends at six so I best get going. Talk again soon!



Lampshade with rhinestone earrings clipped to top.


Leftovers





New Rose Trees for each side of stairway to porch.



Yesterday's Work

Results of yesterday's work.








Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Cool Weather and Cool Work

I hear my honey rambling up stairs so I will be finishing this later. Maybe I should say I will be starting this later! Had a nice day yesterday. I bought two rose trees for each side of the steps leading up to the porch. Oops, he is here. Later-

Alright, it is much later, but my heart is not older. Posting today's pictures and just want you to know I am loving being in the Pines right now.

Well, Well, seems I took a movie instead of pictures. So, should I even bother to post? Probably not---but, on the other hand, why not? I like making every one else look good, when I am feeling confident, anyway! Mistakes are made by ALL. Smile. Have a happy evening and wake up on the mistake proof side of the bed tomorrow, although it does not exist.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Looks Like Spring To Me

First of all, let me apologize about my last posting. I thought I had deleted a couple of pictures AND their titles before posting. There is a side line story to this. My poor husband ( I say poor because he does not like this about himself but alas it is a part of his personality) has this "thing" with repeated noise. He cannot stand any kind of rattle in the car, clicking of knitting needles, (yeah, there are now wooden ones that do not click, so I can knit again!) my computer keys that click,etc. You get the picture. Unfortunately, my keys do indeed click. I have a laptop so it is not as easy as getting a new key board. We are in Pinetop and have not moved all our furniture here. There is only one room with comfortable chairs. I am trying to be on the computer when he is still asleep or somewhere else. Before I finished posting my last post he awoke and was down for coffee. Not wanting him to start his day with clicking, I quickly removed a couple of pictures that did not go with the title. I inadvertently posted with the titles still showing. Oops! Thank you, Sandy for letting me know. I do love how the lampshade with the earrings looks. I had some left over so I put them on the top of another shade. Yes, I will post a picture of it in the future. I also want to post a project picture I promised earlier. In the trip to Pinetop it got beaten up. Frown. I will have to make repairs before photographing.
Alright, my honey is now putting in our closet shelves, etc. and I am to prime some cookbook shelves he added to my kitchen cabinets. He is working hard so I guess I best go help! I hope you all have a lovely day. Till next time.
My first plantings at our cottage after the snow melted.
I love hydrangeas! This is my first ever to plant!

New mailbox my honey installed.

Lampshade with vintage rhinestone earrings.




Sunday, May 25, 2008

Looks Like Winter To Me



May 22,2008

Pinetop, AZ

Sometimes pictures speak for themselves.









































































Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Two Days Now

Well, let's see. We left yestersay morning and it is now late Tuesday evening. Does that count for two days. Much has happened.
  • Cat named Sammy made the trip for the first time. Oh boy, so much fun listening to his complaining all the way.
  • Cat named Sammy has adjusted well and is exploring and knows his home.
  • Watched Chandler play ball. His team got waht the coach called a good ole fashioned ass whipping. Everyone was happy to play and parents and grandparents happy to watch.
  • Within two hours of being here the clip earrings were on the shade and pictures taken. ( Found the camera) ( camera is now in bedroom, honey is now in bedroom, so I don't want to awake him looking. Maybe in the morn.
  • Hung more lace curtains today. YUM!
  • Unloaded rest of traier and positioned much of the furniture. Still have quite a heavy piece to get up the stairs. Oh MY. This 60 year old body is not as spry as it used to be.
  • I unpacked most of my Waterford Crystal and put it away. a Couple of boxes left to go.My mother has given me a great since of appreciation in the beauty of crystal Thank you mom.
  • I think we are now official. Randy has the mail box installed!
  • Hope you have all voted for your next American Idol.
  • Going to look at roofs tomorrow for our cottage.
  • I am fast falling asleep. Good Night----
  • Unloaded trailer

Friday, May 16, 2008

Inspired





  • I have much to say and write but am in the midst of other necessary responsibilities and--


  • I cannot find my camera. I cannot find my camera. I cannot find my camera. How am I supposed to learn if I cannot even find my camera? I actually was going to turn off the flash before taking pictures!


  • Worked today creating August product, for client, which was inspired by paper purchased yesterday at Mystic Paper and trim purchased at Sas. I will post a picture when I find my camera! What fun. I love my job. I no longer care what day of the week it is! No more TGIFS!!!


  • Packed up a lot more of my furniture today for moving to Pinetop. My dream house, of the last two decades, is starting to look like I am moving. I have very mixed feelings about this sentimental journey.


  • Purchased the summer blogging magazine at Mystic yesterday. I have not allowed myself to visit any of the sites,however do yourself a favor and visit one of the newest sites to blog land which is http://rosesonyourway.blogspot.com/. You will not be sorry you took the time to travel or the gas spent getting there.


  • My time is limited at the moment and I am tired. I normally like to post when I have a big block of time to dedicate to my writing----although one might not be able to tell this from my writing. Smile. I will be doing a blog about this very thing at some point. All of this to say, moving is in progress. Posting will be iffy. Reading will be enjoyed with coffee though, so all you other bloggers out there---I definitely need my coffee!!! Get blogging!

I will say good night as you can see above tomorrow I have to be Up N' Atom.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The Here And The After

Oak Headboard


Let me see, I think this bed was purchased about 35 years ago. It cost me $40.00 and it came with the foot board and rails. I have used it all these years. For most of the time it was used with a double mattress but as we aged our sleeping habits called for more space. I dispensed with using the foot board and added other rails to accommodate a king size mattress. When I bought this bed in Murfreesboro TN, it was painted white. I spent lots of money on various strippers to try to get off the white paint. I also shed lots of sweat in the sultry sun. On one of my many attempts of using regular stripper and sweating irregular amounts of sweat, my housekeeper,(side bar here, I had a housekeeper once a week ,which cost about $12.00 for a ten hour day (( can you imagine??)), as I taught school, and went to school for my Master's degree. It was required for me to get my Master's degree within five years of starting teaching--there is so much more I could say about this but that is for a waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy later post, i.e. maybe never! Smile. Alright, I rambled way of the subject so I will just start the sentence again. My housekeeper, Ida, was watching me out the window using the stripper and sweating profusely. She came out and told me to go to the store and buy some Red Devil Lye. To make a long story short, "sure you say", I did and it worked like a charm. The results you see above, in the picture. If anyone who is a furniture re finisher ever reads this he or she is cringing at the moment. This kind of product is like using cheap bar soap on your beautiful hair. It raises the grain of the wood and consequently requires much more sanding, etc. But trust me. I would much rather sand in the garage than strip, strip and strip, in the woes of the outside, summertime, south. By the way, Red Devil Lye is no longer sold but I am told Drano is the same thing. This product is deadly so use with great caution.

Now, where int he world am I going with this? It is 35 years later and guess what. I want white again. I have many times wondered through the years how someone could paint beautiful wood. Oak baseboards have been stripped, various pieces of woodwork and cabinets stripped. Well, now I know exactly how someone could splash on paint. What goes around comes around. The other funny thing is, I used to be such a purist. I did not want to re purpose for fear of ruining the value of the piece. Now I am almost irreverent about it. Now what I care about is how it can meet my beauty and use needs at this very moment in time. It has occurred to me these vintage pieces are much like the people who own them. We humans also go through many different stages of evolving. We often keep some of the old and add some of the new. We test out each part of ourselves and as we grow older, and well, we grow! We come to understand it is alright to change. It is alright to have a different opinion. It is alright to gain weight and lose weight. It is healthy to know that not all things are black and white. All people do not think alike. At different times in our lives our favorites change. Thus I am about to take the decorative piece on the top of my bed and paint it white, distress it a little, and use it maybe over a door as an archetectual attraction. I will save the rails, the footboard and the rest of the headboard. Someday it might become a bed again, or perhapas a bench or who knows what it might grow into next or what color it will be. I do know one thing, it's beauty will be relevant in the here and after.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

The Kindest Thing I Ever Did

The latest acquired glamour.
And the story continues-




My feet were extremely large for a child, in my day and time of being young. Funny, because now my feet do not seem that big. I wear an 8 1/2 but my daughter wears a 10. Anyway, back to the rheinstone shoes. My mother bought them for me, as I said previously. My feet were in that growing stage though, so actually I am sure, as an adult, she knew they would not fit me long. It has just hit me this very moment that is why I won this battle. You know the old saying, "Choose your battles, with your kids, carefully". I bet this was one of those choices. "Alright, alright, already. CeCe, stick to the story!" I tell myself.


Fifth grade, new rheinstone shoes, special 5th grade event coming up at school. I don't remember why the event was important. I just remember it was to be a very special night. We were to "dress up". There was a girl in my class that had very straight long hair, was skinny, like me-----well, I was thin, she was skinny. Funny how one always sees oneself a little differently than the next person with the same features. This girl was fragile in appearance, homely, yes,that is the perfect descriptive word, homely. She was homely and shy. She sat next to me. I remember asking her during one of those times it was "free time", in class, if she planned to attend the special event. I will never forget her telling me that she would not. She told me her family was poor and they could not afford to buy her anything that would be appropriate to wear. I was truthfully (I am trying to come up with the perfect word here, to describe my thoughts, dismayed might work here, yes, dismayed it is.) dismayed. You see, while my family was certainly not wealthy,I had never really wanted for anything that could not be had. I believe it was the first time being poor sank into my fifth grade mind. My heart ached for this girl. I think her name might have been Tammy. I will call her that anyway, for the remainder of this tale.

I could not stop thinking about Tammy. I decided I was going to ask my mom if we could help Tammy, somehow, so she could attend the event. I asked her if I could give Tammy my treasured rheinstone slippers and maybe one of my Sunday dresses. It tickles me now how happy my mom's heart must have been at this talk with me. She now had this precious little girl,( Me! smile) that was wanting to give away a prized posession to someone in need. Not only was her daughter kind, she was going to get rid of a possession the mother could not stand. How more perfect could the world of parenthood become??????? My mother, being the ever giving person she has always been, was thrilled. She planned with me how this would happen. Her advice was to talk to Tammy, in the bathroom,when noone else was around. I asked Tammy to meet me in the restroom at the beginning of recess. We each went into a stall of our own, next to one another. I am sure we waited for the flurry of other girls to clear. I took the sack of items and handed them under the stall. I explained to Tammy the shoes had become uncomfortable. My feet were growing so quickly I needed new shoes. They were so pretty and not worn much. I thought she might get some wear out of them and be able to attend the event. I don't remember what I told her about the dress. You see the dress was most likely not nearly as important to me as those beautiful rheinstone studded, black patten, shiny shoes. Tammy,tried them on inside the stall. She proudly informed me they fit. She stuffed everything back inside the bag. Upon exiting the stalls, she hugged me and whispered thank you. I whispered back,"You are welcome." And she was. She was welcomed to attend the special evening, in my beautiful shoes. When I saw her that night, with her parents, she was beaming. I must also admit, the shoes looked much more glamorous on her than they ever looked on me. My mother thought so as well! Until lately, I don't think I have ever purchased any more rheinstones. I simply decided lately I needed a little more glamour in my life. Maybe I also wanted to remember the kindest thing I ever did. Smile.


Wednesday, May 7, 2008

The Glamour Of It All






































All of a sudden I am loving rhinestone jewelry. ( I am not loving my photography, as usual. I must somehow, sometime, someway, learn how to take better pictures!)I have been bidding on and purchasing vintage clip earrings. I intend to clip the earrings all around the bottom of a lampshade, at the cottage. I am quite excited about this prospect. The last time I liked rhinestones I was in the fifth grade. My mother always took me to a shoe store that sold Buster Brown shoes. She always insisted we wear what she would refer to as "good" shoes. "Your feet support your whole body", she would say. Next would come, "Your shoes are the most important item of clothing you wear". It took me wwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy into adult hood to allow myself to purchase a pair of shoes at a shoe store other than a department store. I can still see those shiny black patten shoes. They were like Mary Jane's without the strap. There was a little ( the only thing my mother would have liked about the rhinestones was their size---and then it would have been best if they were so small one could not see them at all )row of rhinestones across the curve of the shoe. The curve of the shoe next to the foot. I recall maybe five of them on each shoe, all sitting sweetly next to each other with equal spacing. Those rhinestones were shining as brightly as the patten finish. I begged, I pleaded, and then I begged some more for those shoes. My mother tried her best to talk me out of wanting them. She told me I would tire quickly of them. She told me they were not classy. ( To this day, the very best compliment, in my mind's eye, is to be called that magical word, classy) My mother begged, she pleaded and then she begged some more. I am still fascinated, actually, that she let me talk her into buying them for me. Not my mother's usual response to an item she would consider tacky. My mother has sophisticated taste. She came from humble beginnings but her taste is of royalty. If you are reading this post, you might want to look back at a post of mine called, It's a Heartache, Nothing But A Heartache. It features a picture of my mom and dad. Just look at the picture and you will quickly see the elegance her features behold. I owe any sense of design I have to my mother. Anyway, for whatever reason, she allowed me to have the shoes. One of the very few times , maybe the only time I remember winning a debate with my mother. Rhinestones hold a special place in my heart, for more than one reason. Aahhhhhhhhhh, the glamour of it all.

Next post, this story will continue.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Is It Any Wonder


These are the little corner shelves on each side of my garden window. I intend to grow herbs, or at least try. You can see the pine trees reflecting in the glass of the open cabinet door. Surely, if these pine trees grow, I can learn how to grow a little sage, rosemary and thyme?

Yep, you are seeing correctly. This vintage pedestal sink is shown sitting in the driveway. It stayed there over night until we got up the energy to move it inside to the new powder room. I am sure it gave the neighbors a little scare. It is now safely in place. This piece was another find on the trip across country, with my friend, Suzanne. It was sitting outside in the antique shop's yard. Come to think of it, I fell in love with it when I saw it outside, not inside. It looks darling inside or outside to me!





Lined shelves in kitchen cabinets with shelf paper----have not done this in over 24 years, as my cabinets in valley have melamine lining. Soooooo----was this fun? No. Soooooo----do I still love my cottage cabinets? Yes!





Remember this beauty I purchased, at the estate sale, in the Evergreen Historic District? I decided to use it and other vintage hand crocheted bedspreads and tablecloths as the curtains for all the sliding glass doors. It is one of my favorite ideas, as it provides some privacy, utilizes something I love, and is easy to use, not to mention I hate vertical blinds.




I put this unit together for a closet. I do not often use a screw driver to build something. Paper, fabric, and scissors are more of my thing. I was quite proud of myself. Of course I am not telling how long this task actually took me or how many times I had to redo it. Smile.






And last but not least, A Star Is Born. Is there anything more fun than watching your grandchild do just about anything other than playing a video game? Is it any wonder I Left My Heart In Pinetop?

Friday, May 2, 2008

Out Of Town

both physically and emotionally-
am back physically but still gone emotionally-
sooooooooooooo--- all of this means-- I hope to be back soon but you know those emotions---- they tend to come and go on a whim, with no road map or GPS system in site. Hope map quest is treating each of you well!