Last Post Before Vacay

I have been going non stop with the renos for the last 3 or more weeks and everything else had to be put on hold, unfortunately that also included my sewing and quilting. Tomorrow Trevor and I are heading on a jet plane to Vancouver for a much needed holiday vacation. The past few months, especially the last couple of weeks have been insanely busy and stressful, so this trip is just what we need to recharge our batteries and relax.

I thought before I left that I would show you a few more photos of the renos. By the way, Saturday past, April 11th was moving day. My stuff is now in the house, I just haven't had the chance to really move it around in the rooms they way I want it. I do however have most of the boxes unpacked for the kitchen. I washed up every dish, cup, mug, utensil, etc. and placed them in the cupboards. I'm sure I will be moving them more til I get them the way I want. My pantry is also done, and will be filled soon with lots of yummy food. Right now I have most of the big appliances such as my slow cooker, bread machine, food processor, etc. on the shelves. I can't wait to start playing in the kitchen and getting back to my recipe books.

So here goes!

The Kitchen... well um... yeah, the floor is now down and the walls all painted. Just doing some touch ups at night. The track lighting wasn't up so hence the cord hanging down from the photo keeping the movable light around.

Living/Dining room area. Mum and I spent the night before moving day on our hands and knees cleaning up any spots of paint or plaster that was on the floor.. then we gave it a little mopping.

The hallway. We still have to replace the light fixtures. I know the ones I want and they are on order. I hope to get them after the trip.


Remember the not so usable bathroom? Well it looks like a well functioning bathroom now!!!


Moving Day. Saturday, April 11, 2009

Back of the moving truck after most of the big furniture was removed

Looking out the living room window

They movers had to take the front door of the hinges to get my furniture through!

The movers... They are brother and brother in law. Funny couple. The guy in the grey sweater is petrified of mice. I kept telling him to be careful of little critters in my storage unit as they could be hiding between couch covers LOL.. He wasn't too impressed. His brother in law just jeered him on even more... I am happy to report that there were no new four legged tenants in my furniture!!! :)

Sitting in the warm living room while the movers bring in my things

While the movers were busy, here is sweetie in the bathroom doing more caulking! He is the caulking master!

One of the fellas we hired to lay floors, make a pantry and custom bedroom closets, and painting. I may hire him back after the holiday to start my sewing studio.

The day after the move. Mum and I started unpacking boxes of kitchen stuff to clean up, wash up and put away in the cupboards.


So now it is time for a holiday. I will be away for the next 12 days and am really looking forward to relaxing and enjoying our trip. I am not sure if I will get a chance to post while I'm away, but if I can, I will drop a little line or two. Otherwise, see you soon!

Hopefully once my sewing room is complete (soon I hope) I will have more quilting topics to chat about!

Quiltingly Yours
Andrea

Quilting/Sewing on the Back Burner

I am really getting withdrawls from my sewing and quilting but the renos and the house have been taking up so much of my time and my purse strings! The end is near though and soon I will hope to be back to my sewing again. Although I probably won't get to play with my machine til after Vacay.

So where to start.. hmm okay the house.. hee hee. We hope to have the house 90% complete of renos by Friday. The remaining 10% would be Mum's basement apartment and my sewing studio. Today the contractors managed to finish my kitchen floor and the ceramic tile floor in the porch just off of the kitchen where I will be converting the back porch closet into a pantry. Tomorrow the grout will go in that tile area and should be complete by days end! I love how it is looking! All the painting is now complete in my part of the house. Although I think there are just a teeny tiny couple of touch ups. I really love how all the colours go together in my new home and I can't WAIT to move in..

Which brings me to that topic. Moving day is this Saturday afternoon!! WHhooopiiieeeeeeee!!! I finish my last class Saturday morning. After that I meet up with the moving truck at the U-Haul storage unit I have been renting for the last 5 years to FINALLY get my furniture and my things I have stored for too too long in my home! I'm sooo excited! Funny thing my stuff gets moved in this Saturday and Trevor and I head to Vancouver that following Thursday for Vacay for 12 wonderful stress free and relaxing days! When we get back, then we will continue with a few more moving projects such as getting Trevor's things added to the home, and get to work on getting my sewing studio set up the way I want it to be. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will get a good refund on my Income Taxes this year!! LOL

So here are the most recent photos...

It's a bit hard to really see the chocolate brown on my kitchen walls, but I just love it! Here the carpenter, Paul, is getting part of the floor prepared for leveling before the dark brown wooden laminate can be installed.


I had to go to 3 different hardward stores to get enough leveler cement packages to get the job done. Seems everyone in town is leveling their floors and the store shelves are bare!


A view of the kitchen from the dining room door.


Umm err yeahhhh, so this is my bathroom, minus a toilet and a vanity!! I hope if you have to use the facilities you have good aim!! :) You can't really see how nice the tiles are as the grout is still drying between the tiles. But trust me, now that they are cleaned up, I love them!

Alot of primer had to be used in this room to cover over the gaudy purple the previous owner had in this room!


The Living Room.

I just looooooooooooove my living/dining room accent colour!! I can't WAIT to see my furniture in here!

These two boxes contain my bathroom vanity and granite counter top!

The vanity being built

Trevor's "Man Cave" The brick panelling was actually in the future sewing room and was used to make up two rooms down there. He loves anything retro and he didn't want this to be thrown out, so it is now nailed on to one of his walls in his "Man Cave". He says he now has his own version of Pink Floyd's The Wall!!!


We hope to have all the major painting and carpentry stuff done by Friday at the earliest. I hope so, since I have some major cleaning ahead of me!! LOL

I also thought I would post a few photos from last Saturday morning from the quilt class. One of the three gals, Shirley now has her quilt top complete. We spent the three hour class layering and basting her layers together to prepare for machine quilting. What a beautiful job she has done with her quilt!





Joanne is very close to finishing her quilt top too. Hopefully this coming Saturday we will have her quilt top layered and basted too. For now, she is busy working on her seminole borders.





As for my third lady, Madonna, she has been away the last two Saturdays spending relaxing time with her family on a trip to Florida. We will see her this Saturday. Unfortunately she will have an unfinished quilt by the end of the course, but she is a quilter and has made other quilts in the past, so I feel confident she will have no problem finishing this one at home.

I hope to have a group photo Saturday morning to post.

I also wanted to share this photo. I was recently involved in a blue and white star block exchange with my friends at the Quilting Board. I received these beautiful blocks just last week! When things start to settle down and I have a sewing room again, I'll be putting on my thinking cap to figure out the best layout for a nice quilt!



So this has been a recap of this past week in photos. Between now and Saturday I will be busy at the house cleaning it up and getting it ready for my furniture. I am not sure if I will be around to give an update before that, but I will be taking photos of Moving Day and Post Moving Day to share with you all! I am anxious for all the renos and move to be done so I can play with my sewing machine again.

If we don't speak til after the weekend, I wish you and your families (those who celebrate) a wonderful and safe Happy Easter Holiday!!!

Quiltingly Yours
Andrea

And The Renos Keep Going

Me Bad.... I haven't posted here in over a week!!! I have been busy between work and renos to the house by the time I get home from work I am a zombie and I just want to fall into a cold chunk on the couch!!!!

But I do have more photos to share with you all on the progress of the house! I found out today that there are more changes and things torn up and taken out since these photos below such as the fireplace is now out of the house !!!!!! wooo hoooo!! alas that wall can now be plastered and painted!!! Yippeeee!! I also have no bathroom vanity as we are ordering a new one this week.

In the photos you will see that my master bedroom is now painted completely! Also my living room/dining room and hallway has got the first lick of paint on them. I heard today that the Double Chocolate has gone on in the kitchen!! I can't WAIT to see that one! I also chose a nice ceramic tile to go in the bathroom. I can't WAIT to move in!!! Unfortunately it could be another month before we can. Trevor and I are heading out to Vancouver for a 12 days 2 weeks from tomorrow. Hopefully we can move in shortly after our little vacay. Errr well providing everything else gets done. I still have alot of plans for my sewing room, which right now is where all the old boards, trim, cardboard, old curtains and junk to be thrown out are living. I suppose one of these days I will see that room cleared out and torn out right to make a "real" sewing room out of it!!! :)

So without further ado... here are some photos!

The Kitchen is not looking much like a kitchen yet... But soon. All the ceilings are now freshly painted!!


The Master Bedroom. This photo makes the walls look grey, but they do have a lighter grey/cream look to them

The two closets in the Master Bedroom. All my trim is a nice light shade of cream. It's actually called Cream Puff. Yep, if you were crazy enough you could just lick my trim and doors the colour is so delicious!!! LOL

One angle of the living room.. The far wall will be my accent wall.. Now that the fireplace and mantel are gone, that wall should be painted by the end of this week. I can't WAIT to see the contrast colour!

Another angle

oohhh there is my painter fella. He is doing a fabulous job! And what a steady hand he has! He is only 26 years old and has been painting for the last 6-7 years. He is the kind of fella that if he doesn't like how it looks he keeps at it until he is happy with the finished look. He is a real perfectionist. Good quality to have. He loves what he does and it shows! Thanks Larry!

My front entrance!! Look no more gaudy wallpaper!!! I think I am going to replace that light fixture too by the time I am done. I want something a little more modern and contemporary there now.

Mum's basement apartment bathroom. She just had this beautiful vanity and sink installed over the weekend! Ooh and new flooring put down too. Right now her toilet is still in the tub!! hee hee I hope she has good aim down that hole in the floor!!! LOL


I haven't had a chance to get much sewing in, but I did manage to sew a little bit of my crumb quilt. I am now working on making a border of crumbs to go around the quilt. It is going to take me some time, but I am in no hurry. I am figuring by the time I get all the renos done to this house and I'm moved in, I will be broke and have to stick to making scrap quilts for a while LOL.. NAHHhhhhhh I still have to have "mad money" to ease my fix from time to time!! I'm a fabricaholic!!! There is no cure! I will ALWAYS need to buy new fabrics LOL

Til Next Time!

Quiltingly Yours
Andrea