All Things EARTH... part 2

[awhfy]

5 hours ago, Sailor_Sally said:

Florida has been chilly but today it is hitting the 80's . We are going out for lunch today since we avoid going out on Valentine's Day . I did get a lovely bunch of flowers .

Margaret , I drive a Rav4 . I love it but then I love Toyota's .I had a Honda CRV but we never bonded 

I love my Honda CRV. I’ve had a RAV4 in a rental & everything seemed backwards. That’s why every car manufacturer makes compact SUVs!

[laurspag]

Sally, one thing that stands out to me about Florida was my short trip last March.  One day, it was in the 90s, and the next day I needed a sweater.  I couldn't believe how much it changed overnight.

 

It was very breezy too.

 

So, I'm off today for President's Day, but I also decided to take a few extra days.  I just needed a break, and I decided I would get a few things done.  Today, I painted the baseboard trim in the hall, dining room, and living room.  I also painted another door, and 5 doorways.  So I moved along pretty good.  

 

Tomorrow will be more doors, mostly.  I may do the trim in the mud room, but my husband realized that in the new section where he added moulding, the third trim piece was supposed to be shoe moulding, not quarter round.  It's a small difference, but we want the house to match so he is going to remove it and replace it.  I am thinking I can finish the rest of the mud room though, and just stop short of the one area in question. I definitely need to finish up the doors though, it has been a long time.  Time can get away from me so quickly sometimes.  Can you believe the doors were installed a year ago and I haven't finished the painting of them yet?  There were 11 of them, and they need 3 coats of paint on each side.

 

I'm sure you are tired of hearing me talk about that, lol.  It looks so nice to see the paint fresh and clean looking though.  Sometimes, you don't realize how much it needed to be done until you see the difference it makes.

 

I also took down these two big pictures I had hanging in the kitchen.  They've been up for 13 years, and as you know, I've been trying to lighten and brighten the room a bit.  I am working on a much smaller set up on that wall now.  I should have the last item I need tomorrow or Wednesday, so I will post a picture when it is done.  

 

In between it all, I am going to do some reading, listen to some music.  Maybe I can't be on a cruise right now, but I am going to pretend I'm on vacation.  Why not, right?

[Anita Latte]

This weather is insane. I was looking at the stats for Houston area where we still have relatives...I can't believe it was 14 degrees there this morning. Near Houston. Crazy weather. I hope everyone is safe and warm and well fed.

 

Laurie...I'm never sick of hearing about home improvement projects...it's inspiring to hear about no matter how long it takes to get things done. Life has a way of requiring a redirect of attention, time and effort and if you can manage to get back on track with projects that needed to be abandoned for a while...that's especially inspiring.

 

We've been redirected from the pantry project by the yard. Over the past two weekends, we've managed to make 4 garden beds...plant a lot in those beds (more to go). DH made me a table with materials around the homestead (LOL) which I will be using to grow greens in soil bags. I'm totally inspired by this blog post:

 

https://www.annsentitledlife.com/how-does-your-garden-grow/how-to-grow-vegetables-in-garden-soil-bags/

 

If you don't want to read the link...her husband made her a table that she can use to grow lettuces and greens directly in garden bags. My table uses repurposed wire closet shelving for the top so that the soil bags (poked multiple time to allow for drainage) drain through the table top. The shallow rooted greens grow easily in soil bags which are cut open to form mini garden beds. On the table...it's easy to regularly cut the greens to keep production going. I just love this photo:

 

 

My table is big enough for 5 bags...maybe six...but I have 5 bags. I haven't planted those yet. I know I could have planted them much earlier but I'm still getting used to Florida's growing seasons.

 

Our lot is getting marked this week so we can dug this weekend to plant some trees. It's just constant projects around here. We do need to get back to the pantry and yoga room though...

 

I have a neighbor who just turned 89 years old. He comes out just about every day and sets up a chair under a tree in his front yard. His son, 63 years old, lives in the neighborhood next door and visits every day. Meanwhile, my neighbor brings out one of his travel diaries and reviews and relives one of his trips. His travel diaries are labors of love. Filled with pictures on the left side of the page, each with a caption, and the right side is all hand written memories and descriptions and tellings of the trip. He says he has 27 of these diaries. As I've stood there at a distance, he's flipped through the pages for me. Most recently, he was looking at the British Isles 1994...they went to London, Ireland, and Scotland. At least that's the title...and I'm not sure how they traveled and what they might have seen in between.

 

Anyway...I bring it up because these diaries are such a comfort to him. His wife is gone now almost 4 years...but he has these diaries of good times to bring back memories. They are literally books and he can read them like any good novel and be somewhere else for a while. The big difference is that the story is non-fiction and he and his wife are the main characters.

 

I'm quite inspired by his books. I admit I wish I have been more diligent than I have been at keeping travel diaries...but at least I have done some trip reports here. I know that Margaret and Kim do photo books...I'm thinking that I need to get my photos and especially my digital photos organized.

[laurspag]

Anita, that is such a beautiful story about your neighbor.  The fact that his son does this is so special.   One of the first things that comes to my mind is how life has been cherished.  This starts with the documenting of the trips, and continues with son bringing back the memories.

 

I was thinking to myself how I used to love to write, but haven't attempted to do so in at least 30 years.  As of late, I am trying hard to focus on being present.  That is probably a trendy thing to say, but it is reality.  It is easy to get caught up in the day to day things and just feel like each day goes by without making a memory or enjoying something or saying I love you. So it is amazing how this person has captured those memories to enjoy again and again.

 

Your garden plans really sound great!  With the deer, woodchucks and other animals, I think I would have a hard time being a successful gardener here.  The yard is fenced in, but the woodchucks squeeze underneath and the deer will jump the fence if there is something enticing them.   I think too that we have to really focus on getting a garden in during a short time span, so that can be challenging too.

 

The doors are almost finished, as well as the baseboards and door moulding throughout!  So I am feeling accomplished.  

 

Our snow isn't bad at all.  About 5 inches, I think.  They did a great job of keeping the roads situated.  I shoveled the walkway, but my husband said he will finish the driveway when he gets home.  I admit I don't know how to use the snow blower.  It is heavy stuff, with a layer of ice over the top.  He got a nice path ready for the boys out in the backyard this morning.  We have to take care of the dogs first, lol.  They are small dogs, so they really do need a path.

 

Anita, I recall that your mom lives in Texas, right?  I hope she has power.  That seems to be the big thing right now.  

 

Melody, I hope it is warming up for you.  It is about 25 here, but with wind chill, it is in the teens.   I'm hearing there is another similar system coming through later this week.

[awhfy]

Looks like my last post didn’t post

 

Laurie, we decided to replace our hollow core interior doors rather than paint them. Many of them have dings, etc. Les replaced all the door knobs with handles (so much easier yo open!)

 

Anita, I love your garden idea!  Our growing season is very short here. Zucchini grows...

 

we’re having a heatwave today, it’ll be 30!!!  Melody

[laurspag]

Melody, we had flat, hollowcore doors and we replaced them all in early January of 2020.  We got them primed only, so 3 coats of paint on both sides has-been a pain.  I realized quickly that two coats for the inside of the closet door was sufficient, lol.  

 

One thing I was thinking about is how I usually paint a room at a time, not  a house full of doors or trim so I think that is why it feels like such a chore this time.  

 

Still, I'm looking around and I see this beautiful progress throughout the house.  I'm feeling very happy to see how everything has then shape, and I'm sad I have to return to work tomorrow.

 

The sun is shining, so even though it is still cold, it is such a boost to my spirits.  

[laurspag]

HereMelody, we had flat, hollowcore doors and we replaced them all in early January of 2020.  We got them primed only, so 3 coats of paint on both sides has-been a pain.  I realized quickly that two coats for the inside of the closet door was sufficient, lol.  

 

One thing I was thinking about is how I usually paint a room at a time, not  a house full of doors or trim so I think that is why it feels like such a chore this time.  

 

Still, I'm looking around and I see this beautiful progress throughout the house.  I'm feeling very happy to see how everything has then shape, and I'm sad I have to return to work tomorrow.

 

The sun is shining, so even though it is still cold, it is such a boost to my spirits.  

[laurspag]

Here are two paintings that have hung in my kitchen for about 14 years.  They are paIntings, just not hand paInted.  In my quest to lighten and brighten the house, I felt it was time to replace them.  They measure 20 x 30 so they aren't small either. 

 

 

 

[laurspag]

Here is the new:

 

 

[Anita Latte]

Laurie...have you thought about reframing those paintings? I have a still life my Great Grandma painted that always looked so dark more than light...and it was framed in a very dark frame. I reframed it in a cream colored frame and it really lightened the whole feel of the painting. There’s a lot of light colors in the those paintings, I bet new frames would really lift them up.

[Anita Latte]

So here’s the painting. Grandma often bought cheap artwork at flea markets etc back in the day just to get the frame. The old frame was a really dark color like your frames Laurie. It may be hard to see without the old one how the new light colored frame lightened up the feel of the painting. The highlights stand out so much more and of course it’s lighter simply because of the frame.

 

 

This painting is small...like 12x16 or something? I picked a large frame to give it more presence when hung.

 

My parents live in Arizona but DH’s parents live in Texas still. DHs folks are cold but have power. Mom and Dad And is are cooler...only a high of 68 today, but we’re bouncing back tomorrow for a high of 86.

 

We have hollow core doors. They are pretty banged up too. We plan to replace the office bedroom door by widening the doorway and doing glass panes French doors. There are only 5 other doors in the house...for real we talked about finding some interesting second hand doors...especially for the main bedroom and connected bathroom since those are completely separate from the other 3 doors for the secondary beds and bath. I’m not sure how that would go down for others but I see no reason why we have to have the same door all over the house. We don’t have that kind of house.

 

Melody...those door handles are much nicer and easier to operate. We have one on our bedroom door...all the rest are original to the house. The antique brass round ones so common in the 80s. Its quite 5he expense to replace all that hardware...but something to do eventually.

[Anita Latte]

Yeah...we have 330 growing days. It’s a lot to wrap your head around, especially since it’s like a repeat of spring in the fall.

[MJC]

We replaced all the hollow core doors in the apartment with solid ones, and it was the best decision. Especially now with DH working from home and us sharing the space 24/7, it is so nice to be able to watch what we want or read or sleep in different rooms without disturbing each other. We switched to lever handles after falling in love with them at our lake house. The one issue with those is that little ones can open them too easily so it's hard to keep them away from, say, the basement stairs or the garage. My sister installed hook closures way up high when her DS was a toddler.

 

I just re-framed a print for the second time to get a different look. It had been in our office in its original gold frame, then a black frame, and now that it's in the dining room it has a softer gold frame that's more modern. It really did change the look a lot as Anita says. 

 

I like your personalized wall art Laura. I can see your pretty window treatments again, too. Lovely.

[awhfy]

15 hours ago, Anita Latte said:

So here’s the painting. Grandma often bought cheap artwork at flea markets etc back in the day just to get the frame. The old frame was a really dark color like your frames Laurie. It may be hard to see without the old one how the new light colored frame lightened up the feel of the painting. The highlights stand out so much more and of course it’s lighter simply because of the frame.

 

 

This painting is small...like 12x16 or something? I picked a large frame to give it more presence when hung.

 

My parents live in Arizona but DH’s parents live in Texas still. DHs folks are cold but have power. Mom and Dad And is are cooler...only a high of 68 today, but we’re bouncing back tomorrow for a high of 86.

 

We have hollow core doors. They are pretty banged up too. We plan to replace the office bedroom door by widening the doorway and doing glass panes French doors. There are only 5 other doors in the house...for real we talked about finding some interesting second hand doors...especially for the main bedroom and connected bathroom since those are completely separate from the other 3 doors for the secondary beds and bath. I’m not sure how that would go down for others but I see no reason why we have to have the same door all over the house. We don’t have that kind of house.

 

Melody...those door handles are much nicer and easier to operate. We have one on our bedroom door...all the rest are original to the house. The antique brass round ones so common in the 80s. Its quite 5he expense to replace all that hardware...but something to do eventually.

We went to Habitat for Humanity warehouse & bought all 20 (yes, 20) door handles for $2 apiece. Builders take apart things & donate them to Habitat & they sell the items from their warehouse. Great to pick up stuff

[geocruiser]

17 hours ago, Anita Latte said:

So here’s the painting. Grandma often bought cheap artwork at flea markets etc back in the day just to get the frame. The old frame was a really dark color like your frames Laurie. It may be hard to see without the old one how the new light colored frame lightened up the feel of the painting. The highlights stand out so much more and of course it’s lighter simply because of the frame.

 

 

This painting is small...like 12x16 or something? I picked a large frame to give it more presence when hung.

 

My parents live in Arizona but DH’s parents live in Texas still. DHs folks are cold but have power. Mom and Dad And is are cooler...only a high of 68 today, but we’re bouncing back tomorrow for a high of 86.

 

We have hollow core doors. They are pretty banged up too. We plan to replace the office bedroom door by widening the doorway and doing glass panes French doors. There are only 5 other doors in the house...for real we talked about finding some interesting second hand doors...especially for the main bedroom and connected bathroom since those are completely separate from the other 3 doors for the secondary beds and bath. I’m not sure how that would go down for others but I see no reason why we have to have the same door all over the house. We don’t have that kind of house.

 

Melody...those door handles are much nicer and easier to operate. We have one on our bedroom door...all the rest are original to the house. The antique brass round ones so common in the 80s. Its quite 5he expense to replace all that hardware...but something to do eventually.

I love the idea of using vintage second hand doors.  This may sound crazy, but drive around on trash pick up day.  You just may find a treasure in a door that was put to the trash.

[awhfy]

We’re putting solid doors on the room & hollow core doors on the closets. Great idea to look around on trash day!  Our neighbor was putting out a really nice dresser this week & our son trotted across the street to see how much he was asking for it...it now resides in our garage till he moves into his house (it was free)

[laurspag]

I'm a big fan of vintage items.  I'm kind of selective, but I do love things that have a history.  I also like things that match, so that can be tough.  

 

I like the idea of lever style handles as opposed to door knobs, but we went back and forth a lot at the time and ended up with oil rubbed bronze door knobs.  They look nice.

 

Geocruiser, ever year in the fall, there is a town just a few miles away that has a "trash" week where they will pick up furniture and the like.  The thing is, it's a higher income area so the stuff they put out is amazing.  You can find all sorts of great items.

 

I have thought about reframing those paintings.  They are from JCP, but they actually printed the on canvas, and they are really, really nice.  Hanging on the wall, they were super dark.  I am thinking about the possibility of reframing them, but I don't plan to put them back up on that wall.  For now, I'm going to think about it a little bit.  I think I may have told you, but I have a lot of artwork.  My mother in law was a painter, and when she passed away, we had a ton of art work.  Family members chose items, and we gave away a bunch.  We still have quite a few things.  Almost all are of flowers. 

 

 

[purduemom1]

Anita, if you have a Habitat for Humanity Restore near you,  check them out for second hand doors. They have all sorts of stuff there, mostly used but I’ve seen new items also. 

[awhfy]

9 hours ago, purduemom1 said:

Anita, if you have a Habitat for Humanity Restore near you,  check them out for second hand doors. They have all sorts of stuff there, mostly used but I’ve seen new items also. 

My favorite place to pick up stuff for the house at really god prices

[Sailor_Sally]

Sometimes you just need new art work . Last spring I put new pictures in my kitchen & one in our tv room . It made a big difference. I bought them on art.com and was very pleased with their service . I am more like Anita in I like my house to be a little odd.

This time of year is so odd we have really warm weather one day and then it turns cold .  

[Anita Latte]

My story about street shopping on heavy trash pick up day is from the other side. Before we moved from Houston to Georgia, heavy trash picked up day was a major milestone for my working at going through everything and getting things ready for that day. Here comes people with their trucks and even pulling trailers cruising the neighborhood and literally just picking up whatever. By the time the morning came, my trash pile wasn’t any bigger than a normal week. The odd thing was that people busted open my trash bags to see what was inside...someone took all my broken Christmas lights.

 

It’s a good call to find a more ritzy neighborhood and hit them up on their heavy trash pickup day.

 

I’ve never been in a Habitat store. I only recall ever seeing one in Winston when we lived there. I’ll look that up. I just want quality doors...and yes Sally, I like things a little odd. lol 

 

I’ve seen a site where you can blow up your pics to wall art. They print it on engineering paper and you just hang it with those rails on the top and bottom that keep it taut and a string on top. Inexpensive at $30

[Anita Latte]

So all the Habitat stores are at least an hour away from me but the good news is that they are in all directions. I have plans to go south next weekend, north the weekend after that, and we regularly head into Orlando so I have several stores actually to check out. But it will be a trek and something to try to incorporate into other plans

[awhfy]

Anita, the Habitat stores are great, but can definitely be hit or miss. I try to hit ours every couple of weeks

[laurspag]

 

The store near us that Habitat runs is in the city, and they call it Restore.  We have donated a lot, but have never found anything to purchase there.  Plus, it isn't open on weekends do we only go there when we are off from work.

 

I tend to look at at vintage for decor but not so much for actual fixtures or anything.  Our house was built in 55 and can look odd kind of easy if we aren't careful.

 

I can't imagine having our local store with 11 or 12 matching doors though.  I want to replace the cabinet doors or the whole cabinets in the laundry room, and add some vintage hardware.  The room is small enough that finding 7 or 8 little glass knobs should be easy enough.  I just worry how it will tie in with the rest of the house.  You can see the laundry room from the family room.  Harmony...

 

[Sailor_Sally]

When I got new furniture the store took the old set to Habitat and I got a tax write off . The problem with furniture in Florida is the sun fades it .I had a red sofa and chair that faded to a weird shade of rose . I now have a white couch in a sumbrella fabric that will not fade . Once I get a room how I like it I tend not to change things until I get totally sick of them usually about twelve years .