Avett Bros at the Lawn

On Sunday, I met up with the Mont crowd (Monty, Stacy, Erin, Rachel, Audra, Greg, Mike, Jerry) and we all went to the Avett Bros concert on the Lawn at White River. I am not a seasoned Avett Bros fan, but I know a couple of their songs and really enjoyed listening to them. We couldn't have asked for better weather.

We started out at Chatham Tap and had a couple of beers. Even though I thought I wouldn't drink, I drank quite a bit... I was so tired from the day before (working around the house) and that, coupled with the alcohol, made me a bit loopy. But, we had good times. Went to this party on Stacy's roof for a minute and then headed over to the concert. It was really a fun night!!

Roman Rocks

Roman and Cammie and the kids came over to help out around the house, as well as have a little fun. Roman totally rocked! He got in and got some serious shit done. He put up the vent that I was having a hard time securing. Got my mirror frame attached. AND he got all the baseboards, wall corners, and door frames put up. So happy I have great friends who love me enough to help make my home and life a little better! I love them too!

The kids were awesome all day and really only did a minimal amount of complaining. I was expecting a lot more "I'm bored" and "I wanna go home", but I think they had a lot of fun! They watched some movies, played some games, climbed the trees and the fences, talked smack to the neighbor kids, etc. :) After everything was done, the living room was clear except for the radio and we had an awesome dance party on the slick wood floors. Everybody danced; even Roman. I think I may have seen him twirl once or twice too.

Great weather and great day to spend with friends!!!

Sitting Room Update

Spent all night getting the sitting room ready for paper laying. Put a LOT of plastic wood down and also some KILZ where the dogs had been doin there business... Also used some ducttape! After getting high off plastic wood, I got ready to really get down to business. To keep myself from going insane I moved the TV into the kitchen so I would have some background going on. I spent about four or five hours on the floor and got about 1/3 of it done. Not too bad considering that includes the prep time. I think it looks pretty good and am hoping to get the rest of it finished soon. The one thing I did notice, which you will see in the pictures, is the difference in coloring between the first and second batch of glue. I used the same recipe so I'm not quite sure what happened there. Maybe I didn't leave the paper to soak long enough?...

Floor ducttaped, kilzed and plastic wooded. 

First batch of glue and a rinse bucket for my hands (totally came in handy during breaks).

First layer of paper. Looks purple with the dye.

First and second batches laid. Almost done for the night.

My arm looks diseased from all the glue and the dye. I went into the liquor store about half-way through the project and people definitely kept their distance! Might be good to use in the future for some sort of Halloween project. It just scrubbed right off too, leaving no dye behind. Sweet!

When the paper had dried, this is what it looked like:

A close-up:

I think it looks pretty cool and will definitely look even better after a few coats of polyurethane. I may need to redo a little bit of the lighter section, but I'm going to wait and see how the rest of the paper turns out. Now just to get it done!

Demolition Jenny Strikes Again

So... looks like I've found the next project for myself: the back room. Let's just start by explaining how disgusting the back room really is. The dogs have basically lived in that back room for at least two years; probably longer. It smells like dog; every kind of dog smell you can think of (wet dog, dry dog, dog pee, dog poop, dog food, dog gross). Last summer we took off the carpet because the dogs had peed on it so badly that it was smelling up the whole house. They just continued to utilize the vinyl underneath and now, apparently, the subfloor in the hallway. This is what I started with:

So.. needless to say, I want to get this room done before my slumber party in November for sure! I had repainted the wicker furniture (a previous post) with the intent of making this area a sitting/sun room. I think I have my work cut out for me. I was very surprised by the ease of removing the vinyl flooring. You can't tell it hear, but it's super uneven and coming up in places, as well as scratched, torn, dirty, etc. Whoever laid it down, laid it on top of a plywood underlayment (thank you!) and I simply removed it all in one piece. I think usually underlayments are supposed to be glued and stapled many times, but this one wasn't. There were sporadic nails holding it in place. I'm not sure how it's supposed to be done, but the way they did it made it easy for me to remove. Here's what it looked like about halfway through:

Two beers and about an hour and a half later, it was complete. This time included securing all the nails, removing bent ones, and a generally sweeping and cleaning of the area as I went along. Now, the floor looks like this:

So, now what? There are a few problems with the floor. In the far left corner the wood is kinda rotting. I think if I put some plastic wood on that it'll be okay. At least that's what I'm hoping. Also, there is a small piece of subfloor missing by the entry way. I don't think that will be a big deal either. Now I just need to research how to make the dang thing even and smooth and prepare it for the next flooring. I suppose I could use another underlayment for the new flooring, but we're thinking cheap here people! This isn't my house... So, my thoughts are to prepare the subfloor and make it nice(r) and then do the brown paper flooring that I've been researching. Looks like I have a few more things to research before I take action. I have high hopes for this room though. It's been the easiest demo so far.

I'll keep you posted.

Halloween Ideas

Okay, it's time to start thinking of Halloween ideas. AAAAH! There's just way to much on my plate! :) (I like it). My favorite idea, which will also be the most work, is Nike - Winged Victory of Samothrace.

I think this would be really flipping cool. Of course it forces me to be headless again... Another idea that stemmed off of this one was the weeping angel from Dr. Who. Looks like that one has been done before though. The blogs and websites I've seen on it could help me make the Nike structure though, so it's noteworthy.

I've also seen this angel as I was looking up images (the angel of grief):

My other idea, which I stole from pinterest some time ago, is of the Wicked Witch of the West under the house. Something along these lines:

Or....

 

 

Caleb

Caleb (Cammie's son) loves my clothes. Always has. And especially boots. He is so stinking cute. Every time I go over there he inevitably ends up in my boots, or hat, or whatever. And he loves modeling the stuff off. Stinkin love him.

 

A Week of Little Things

I haven't been posting in about a week, but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything. I've been doing little things here and there this week so no big changes. I've been hanging the drapery rods and spray painting vent covers. Mowed the lawn. Got the walk-in closet put together. Things like that... I've also chilled out a little more than usual this week. I needed a little rest and relaxation due to the busy last few weeks.

Here's my future to do list:

Bedroom and office: still need to re-clean some of the carpet areas that didn't get completely clean, paint the doors and stain the frames, find a few new curtains for the extra windows, touch up a few places on the ceiling and walls, finish the mirror frame, and fix the window in the office, fix the fan, find a light cover for the office.

Master Bathroom: rip off the walls and the flooring is step one, figure out what to do after that...

Laundry room: pretty finished - just needs organized, cleaned and flooring replaced.

Living room: touch up the paint in places, finish crown molding, put up baseboards and trim, fix the window trimming.

Hallway and sitting room: rip up vinyl flooring and scrape glue, level, clean and prime the subfloors, possibly paint the walls in a neutral color (at least the hallway), paint ceilings, brown paper flooring in both rooms, baseboards and trim.

Guest Bathroom: This will have to be done by a contractor. Waiting to hear from Wendy on budget and planning.

Kitchen: This will be the last project. It basically needs to be completely redone.


So.... I think I have enough projects to be getting on with, don't you?

Hit the Nail on the Head

Or on the bottom... with my foot!

Finally got the battery for the sawzall and took down the playhouse frame right after work. Got the house down, but as I was taking apart the frame, I stepped on a nail. OMG> OUCH. That hurt! Straight through the shoe and up the center of my foot. Immediately doused it in some hydrogen peroxide and wrapped it up. Bled through two pairs of socks. I was so angry that it happened, that of course I kept on working until I finished the project; probably making it worse in the process. I didn't take any pictures of the wound, so don't worry about getting grossed out.

OUCH!

There is only one small piece of the house remaining in the back yard because it was too heavy for me to lift by myself, especially with a hole in my foot! I took a little time trying to spread out the ivy so you can't see the spot where the house sat. I think I did pretty good. From the back deck you can't tell at all!

I did get the rest of it to the front, adding to the wood pile that's been sitting there for two weeks.  Now, the pile should be ready to be taken away. I'm guessing I'm going to have to take care of that this week. Here's what it looks like all together:

The Latin Tinge

I met up with Stacy after work and we headed over to The Latin Tinge (she acted as my sugar mama) for some Latin jazz. Got there and had some awesome appetizers! :)

The venue was the Cook Theater on Central. I had never been there before and was awed by the beautiful architecture. It was really a neat place to have a smaller, more personal concert.

 

Chuchito Valdes was the first to play and he really got the crowd going. As the Indy Jazz Fest website says: "Chuchito Valdes, of the Valdes Cuban piano dynasty presents and evening in homage to his Cuban root and blend of African rhythms and jazz harmonics. His grand-father Bebo and father Chucho have paved the way for this fiery pianist who carried this legacy with great verve and conviction. Sometimes familial pressure forces a son into his father’s profession. Chuchito Valdes, son of famous Cuban pianist Cucho Valdez, claims to have never felt this pressure, but works as a great Latin jazz pianist all the same. And Chuchito is now one of the most exciting piano players around in his own right."

The next to play was Pavel & Direct Contact. They were awesome as well and it ended up that Stacy used to work with one of the band. As the Jazz Fest website says: "Direct Contact Latin Jazz group it is known through the Midwest for its high-energy and challenging music, much in the vain of the modern pyro-technicians of today’s Latin jazz. Direct Contact is also known to be one of the most entertaining Latin Jazz trios in Midwest. The combination of flavors Direct Contact provides will make your experience an unforgettable one. It all began with a group of musicians wanting to do something different and play challenging material. The group name, Direct Contact signifies the captive audience constant communication with the trio."

Stacy and I were cracking up during the second half because of the pianist's facial expressions. We were seriously having a giggle fit. It was hilarious. We had a lot of fun and I was introduced to some awesome new music and venue here in Indy.

For a rainy day:

Darren's Little Buddha

Darren's birthday buddha! It was sent a little bit later than his actual birthday due to artistic differences. Ha! Seriously though, it needed to cook for two hours and I had to wait until I'd be home and awake for two hours in a row. Funny how difficult that is sometimes. I think it turned out pretty well; I hope he likes it. When I first cooked it I thought I was going to have to start all over because in the backside the clay had pulled apart in a couple of areas, but upon cooling it healed itself! Thanks modeling clay! :)

I Get It Now: Why Boys Write Their Name in the Snow

Got up early again. Got myself some milk and powdered donuts and enjoyed my coffee and the morning for a little while. I had to wait until at least nine to start using power tools as I didn't want to make my neighbors angry. Once 9a came though, it was on. The power washer that is. As I was power washing I decided to write my name in the muck. I totally get why guys pee in the snow! Because it's fun! Duh.

Got the decks power washed and man do they look nice. Decided to go ahead and do the picnic table and the front porch as well. Why not?!?

Once I did that, I went over to Mark and Tina's to pick up the battery charger. Stayed only a little while and then headed back home. Wendy and Amber were at the house packing up some things; it's starting to come together! While they were there, Wendy and I moved the dressers out of the master bedroom and made a list of things that were still needed. We did find two of the missing baseboards for the bedroom, so I got those stained and ready to be put in. The battery for the sawzall was going to take a while to get charged up so I found another project to work on for the evening.

Don't forget the loveseat:

Almost finished project (I'm going to paint the table legs later):

I have cushions for these chairs, which I'm going to make a maroon slip cover for. Not sure how the colors will work together exactly, but somehow I think it's going to be okay...

And while I'm at it...

 

I'm going to have to do several coats on the last chair; and probably a varnish of some sort. It was in pretty bad shape. Projects, projects, projects. I just keep finding more.

Headed in for the night after all this and decided to clean up the bedroom a little bit: sweep the floors, put up stuff I no longer need for that project, etc. I'm really happy with the way the bedroom is turning out. Only one more window frame, one door frame, and small piece of baseboard to stain, a little painting touch up to do here and there, small bit of window trim to paint, and painting the doors left. Getting so close to done. While I'm finishing up all of those, I'm ripping the bathroom apart and hoping to get started on that project. That's for this week though and will probably take a while! Here's what the bedroom looks like after cleaning:

That was my Sunday!