Under 20 Bucks

It's always a successful thrift store day when you can find a chair for 19 bucks. Found this heavy (believe me, it's heavy) pink chair at the Salvation Army store... down the street from 'the Beast.'

It may be a downstairs chair because I am not sure if I can get it up the stairs to a bedroom. We barely got it into the house from the truck. I am sure neighbors were laughing at our efforts.

The Groundhog's Spring

OK.... the groundhog was obviously correct. He predicted an early spring....and the weekend brought temperatures in the upper 50's. This gave my sister and I an opportunity to head to 'the Beast'... to spend the night and get a few things accomplished.
The goal was to yank the mauve toilet and facebowl out of the upstairs bathroom. Mission accomplished.
While working in the bathroom I discovered 100 year old wallpaper on the ceiling. The kind of wallpaper that had the fabric backing.... and luckily it pulled right off in strips.... tore off straight and clean like tearing muslin.
The bathroom is awaiting beautification.
I am going back on Weds. and Thurs. of this week because temperatures in the 60's are promised.
Happily winter is over in my world and I can get back to business.

Moving Right Along

Moving right along with the September chimney project.

I found some thinner than regular brick pavers.... only one and a half inch thick.... to rebrick the chimney area in the kitchen. I flipped them so that the 4 inch side is visible and am stuffing cement mix behind them to adhere them to the chimney and plaster in order to keep the weight of all the bricks off the floor.

The cement mix behind the bricks also helps even up the whole surface behind the bricks... since some of the plaster came off the original chimney easily... and some... did not want to come off at all.

All in all it's working out well and will look rather cool when I am finished. Heading to The Beast tomorrow to work on some more rows. I am on row 18 and need to complete 30 to get to the ceiling.

Just in Case

Just in case I do not win the Worst Kitchen in America contest with the DIY network.... I began trying to accomplish some things in the kitchen.

Lowe's Home Improvement sells the handiest 10 pound bags of mortar and concrete mix. They are easy to tote around and you just add a bit of water and 'viola'.

I used concrete to fill in the hole that was in the chimney. (Prevents the chimney swifts from flying back into the house.) The hole had been cut out to accomodate the exhaust pipe from the Franklin fireplace some previous owners had placed in the kitchen. I also used some concrete and mortar to shore up the bricks at the bottom chimney area.

Filling in the hole, which was the size of a soccer ball, was a slow process because I had to allow inch layers of cement to harden..... then return to build another layer. Successfully finished so mark that off the 'list o' things to do'.

My initial plan was to use a layer of brick around the outside of the chimney and have exposed brick in the kitchen, however I have decided that will add too much weight. I am leaning toward covering the chimney with some ceramic tile.... maybe some Mexican red or brown tile. I'm going to take a trip to the Habitat for Humanity Rehab resale store and see if they might have 60 square feet of some acceptable tile.

Desperate Landscapes

OK... so my yard was NOT chosen for the most desperate landscape in America and no one is coming from the DYI network to help me out. It was all up to me. Thus, I had 20 tons of driveway rock delivered to The Beast to spruce things up.

I realize I haven't "blogged" for a couple of months...so sue me. It has been TOO hot here in the midwest to do much work... much less kick rocks around on the driveway.

There is some hope, though, for I finally moved around all the piles of rocks and have the whole back area covered in about 2 inches of lovely rocks. The little turnout behind the house looks quite nice. I need another 10 tons tailgated down the narrow part of the driveway on the side of the house to the street and this job will be called completed.

Thank the Lord for some 80 degree days finally so something could get accomplished without fear of falling over from a heat stroke.

Thus, with a rake, a shovel and my salmon colored bucket I moved around my rock piles. I actually have a wheelbarrow, however the tire (which I thought was repaired) decided to once again be flat as a pancake, and was no help.

You can work wonders with a bucket.

OH... and FYI those rose of sharon bushes attract mega huge bumblebees.

More Wallpaper

I have finished peeling three layers of old wallpaper off the entryway wall by the front door and 1st landing. Looking up the stairwell the wallpaper job appeared insurmountable however, by attaching two paint poles together and taping a paint scraper to the end, I was able to pull down parts of the wallpaper wayyyyyy up high in the stairwell. I believe the summer heat is helping in the scraping down of the wallpaper in the stairwell. If I can get it all down I think I will be able to get my paint roller up there and resurface that area without need of ladders or scaffold.

OK....so May's Goal Was Not Quite Met

OK... so all the walls in the three 'target' rooms are not quite finished... and it IS June, however, progress is coming along very nicely.

I had wall 'issues' in three significant spots. One spot was located in the living room to the left of this large archway at the very top of the wall in the corner. I discovered why the plaster was cracked and jutting out and kind of pooching out. It seems that one of the house's chimneys is behind this wall area and there are metal flues in the wall. Evidently there were wood burning stoves at one time, which were removed when the radiant heat was installed, and the flues were filled in with plaster and covered. Evidently, over time, the plaster has become loose and cracked in these areas in each room, thus the poochy areas.

So, I took a board and placed it over the plaster that was pooching out, gave the board a couple of whacks with the hammer to push the plaster back into place, and used some patching plaster to fill in the spaces and cracks and cement it all back safe and sound. It is now pretty even and straight and sturdy. I have one more spot to take care of in the library .... another flue issue .... and the walls will be AOK.