Cabinets Done

Stix n Brix, NC

I’m on night shift for a few more nights but wanted to share the progress made last week on the remodel.  It was nice to have our MH there to relax a few minutes before going to sleep and even nicer in the morning when we ate our cereal at the dinette.  We had the blind open and all we saw was the woods just a couple of feet from us.  We finished Thursday morning by cutting the counter top and fitting the kitchen sink in there.  Now Odie can call the plumber and electrician to finish their work.


Here’s some shots of the work.  There is still much trim work to be done along with the baseboard.  I’m sorry we couldn’t get to that but Nick and Becca recently went their separate ways so the deadline date fluctuates.  Most people have a watch dog but this grasshopper is guarding the back door also.

Smudge liked to help by telling me to pick her up all the time.  By the end of the week, she was one dog-tired poodle.

Here’s a look at the flooring in the bathroom.  There will be a threshold strip between rooms and of course, more trim work.

Gin and her Pop did a lot of the work while I was there for moral support.  Sometimes three people were too many but I was there to give a hand when I could.  They worked well together because they are two peas in a pod.

This is what the kitchen looked like when we left.  The range will be moved over to be under the microwave and a washer/dryer will be under the window to the right.  A fridge will go beside the range.  The building is 20x24 feet so it’s a nice size small getaway.

We have about caught up on our sleep, and Gin’s thumb is better.  The nail is black and all the dead skin has peeled off.  It’s still quite sensitive so I imagine the bone was chipped.  She’s able to play video games now so it’s not too bad.

Well, I’ve got to hurry off to work tonight so everyone be safe and enjoy your day.  Later…

Bumpers

Rocky Mount, NC

So the over-the-counter microwave was harder than we first thought.  We finished working on it Monday.  We thought we had enough support added to the mounting bracket and we hung it on the wall.  Since it stayed up, Gin and I started working on it's vent.  She was on the ladder and I was standing next to her when the microwave fell on her.  She took a lot of the weight on her front bumpers which knocked her off the ladder.  Luckily her back bumper softened the blow as she fell on to the cabinet that was next to be installed.  My right hand caught the microwave against the ladder.  We were lucky that no one was really hurt and no property was damaged.  After we recouped, two more braces were attached to the studs along with two more band-aids for Gin's fingers (she's running out of digits).  That sucka ain't goin' nowhere now!

Today we put in the last cabinets while her father did the trim work on the sliding door to the bathroom.  We got the counter tops from Lowes and placed them on the cabinets.  They look nice.  Tomorrow we plan to install them.  :)  Hope it goes smoothly.  If we have time and energy left, we might get to put in the baseboards.  That would be great but it would be a big day.  One thing at a time.

Time to let Smudge out and get in bed.  We'll see how we feel at sunrise.

Milestone

Rocky Mount, NC

We're kinda tired but we have made progress on the remodel.  We got here Friday and set up our MH.  It felt like we forgot something since we didn't pack groceries and didn't pull the Suki.  We quickly started back on the flooring and found our rhythm.  We got almost all of it done.  Saturday morning we finished the floor and went to Lowes to get some cabinets for the kitchen.  After putting up the corner cabinet, Gin did some calculations to see what other ones we needed.  We all piled in their suki and off to Lowes we went with a utility trailer behind.  After filling up three of their flat carts with more cabinets, we went to the checkout.  That's when Odie (Gin's dad) realized he had forgotten his wallet.  Guess who else had left the house without theirs?  That's right, all of us.  Senior moment times four.  Judy (Gin's mom) drove home to get the credit card while the other three stooges stood outside the store.  We took it all in stride.  Today we have worked on the putting in the cabinets.  It is a detailed job and slow going.  They are putting a microwave over the stove and it is so heavy that the mounting bracket is having a hard time holding it.  I think they have it figured out so tomorrow we should finish installing the cabinets.

When I woke up today, I realized that it is sort of a milestone date for us.  My official retirement is 12 months from today.  That is, if I don't get sick and nothing else pops up.  I know we won't start full-timing exactly on that date but hopefully it won't be too many weeks after that.  We're planning to put the house on the market a few weeks before then.  I don't know what the housing market will be like then, but I hope we break even.  We built the house in 2000 as our forever home.  It's a nice place but we don't want to be tied down to a place anymore.

Well it's time for these brittle bones and moaning muscles to hold down the bed.  Tomorrow we do more cabinet work.  Wish us luck.

Thumbkin

Stix n Brix

No, we haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.  I've been at work the past four days and have just been too tired to make much sense with my typing.  I know, sometimes I don't make much sense anyway.  :)  Let me tell ya a little bit about last week end though.

Gin and I went back to her folks last Friday to do some more of the remodel.  We spent the afternoon painting the interior.  She and her mom painted the old paneling green while I painted two coats of white on the crown molding.  Her father did some caulking.  We all worked well together and it's starting to look good.

On Saturday,  we started putting down the floor.  It's wood laminate and looks pretty nice.  We started in the bathroom and that's when it happened.  In order for the floorboards to lock in right, you really have to get the first couple of them snapped in nice and tight.  Gin was sitting on the concrete and was trying to snap the second board into place.  It wouldn't snap in so she got a 2 by 4 and a hammer to start giving it a little persuasion.  She was focused on where the boards snap together and not where her hand was.  BAM!!  She hit her thumb and doubled over in pain.  When she unrolled her body, her hand was full of blood.  Her mom quickly got some clean paper towels so Gin could apply pressure.  After she said she was "ok" and still wanted to work more, her mom went to the drugstore and got a thumb splint.  A good ice pack certainly helped.  I can't believe it, but Gin and I put down about a third of the flooring after that mishap.  I'm not used to doing that kind of manual labor and she is one tough cookie.  I know she will lose her thumbnail and I wouldn't be surprised if the bone in the tip isn't broken.  It immediately turned black from the knuckle to the tip.  The very tip looks like dead skin.

We went back to our house on Sunday after two good days of work.  My family had a get together planned and I was looking forward to going to my sister's house.  Gin didn't feel up to riding another four hours so she rested at home.  My nephew Jeff and his wife Becca were visiting  from Colorado.  Their 4 year old daughter Alexandra (Xani) wanted to play cards with me on the floor.  Boy was I sore!  I played with the princess for a while.  I took the camera but the battery was dead.  I'm so mad.  I didn't look in the bag for another one. :(

Tomorrow starts my week off.  We had sorta planned to go to Lake Jordan but we're ready to finish this remodel.  Since her folks have two 30 amp hook ups at the house, we are taking our MH so that we will feel like it's a vacation.  Gin's folks have their rig in the driveway and we've stayed in it, but we may be there a lot longer this time so I don't want to impose too much.  I think Smudge will be more comfortable in our MH also.  Yes, it's all about the dog...

Common things

Stix n Brix, NC

I'm off work today so I took Smudge to the groomer's.  Gin went back to her parents to work on the remodel for the next few days.  She has her IV treatment Monday so I know she'll be back Sunday even if she's not finished.  I work again tomorrow night so I'm staying here to get a few chores done (right...).

I'm re-reading the blog from the beginning because I know I have not been putting enough labels on the entries for  reference.  If old posts pop up, I apologize.  It's kinda neat to see how it's changed a little, and it's brought back memories to make me smile.

While Smudge was getting pretty, I did a little shopping.  They weren't finished with her so I had some time to kill.  I sat in the car down the street from the shop in the shade and watched the neighborhood cats melt on the front porch steps.  It's been so hot lately.  I'm at the house now listening to blue grass music which is something that I would never do if Gin were here.  Tomorrow will be classical music.  Today has been one of those times when I just paid attention to the little things in life.  Don't let it just go by, and never take it for granted.  Later.

Fourth with Folks

Sunday afternoon we drove to Roanoke Rapids to spend the Fourth with my family at my brother Doug’s home on the lake.  It was a warm but not so humid day so it was very nice by the water.  We paddled the kayaks around and floated in the water while others spent time chatting on the boat dock.  Here’s Gin, SiL Carla, Mom and BiL David.

Doug and Carla are fortunate enough to have their own small boat launch.  We all enjoyed a ride around the lake.  Even though I grew up here, I think this was the first time I did that.

My sister Virginia really knows how to relax in the water, and BIL Keith and sister Judy enjoyed the water too.

This is the nice view from the boat dock.  The dam is right across the way.  When the lights come on at night, it looks real pretty.

Since my birthday was just a couple days ago, I got some birthday cards.  I got a special one from Virginia.  It seems her math was a little off.  I got a “Happy 50th” a year early.  We all got a good laugh from it.  There are 3 holidays that have always meant good times with the family.  They are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and July 4th.  Unfortunately, my work schedule has made me miss a lot of those special events with the family.  I sure enjoyed this one.

We got back to Gin’s family and I have spent today giving moral support to those who know how to build things.  Here’s Gin, her father Odie, and brother Butch.

This is a rather full driveway.

And here’s the reason for all this hubbub.  I think they will call him Nicholas.  He’s been a good baby and has a head full of hair.

It’s been real dry here but there are still some pretty flowers to enjoy.

Hope everyone has had an enjoyable holiday.  Stay safe as you travel and I’ll see ya down the road.

Where's the Cape?

Stix n Brix, NC

It's been pretty much the same stuff, different day for me here.  While I've been working night shift the past few nights, Gin has been helping her folks.  They had a huge yard sale Saturday (100 degrees) and have been clearing things out of the backyard office building in order to turn it in to a small apartment for Nick and Becca (the grandson and his girlfriend).  Their baby is due in a couple of weeks so there seems to be a deadline.  It'll be nice for Gin's folks to have a small apartment there for  later in life should they find a reliable person to maintain the yard and help out a little when they have a hard time taking care of things.  Can you say workcamping location?

Gin amazes me.  She really pushed herself while we were in the mountains and she pushed herself even more while helping her folks.  When she came home, I could tell that she was truly exhausted.  Her MS has pushed her around a bit but she has pushed it right back.  I've been looking for her cape for the past several years but can't find it.  What cape?  Her Wonder Woman cape, of course.  :)  She may go back to help her folks again this week end while I work day shift.  It depends how much the plumber gets done.

It's been so hot and humid here that I hate to go outside, but I've got some errands to run.  Check back later.