After so many months of planning, reviewing, ordering, returning, watching and waiting, it is almost a let down to realize The House Project is drawing to a close. Don't get me wrong, there is still a significant amount of work needing to be done, however, my responsibility is significantly less.
So I've been thinking about my next project. Some have been put on hold (primarily learning Spanish and eating those 10 fruits and veggies (fnv)) during The House Project. At one point I asked you if you'd be interested in a blog based primarily on food. Granted, I only got one response, but it was a negative one. But that's never stopped me before, in fact, if anything it motivates me. Sorry. But it's looking like I might be transitioning away from a House-based blog and towards a Food-based blog.
Unfortunately, the 10 fnv thing just never took off. So I think I need to regroup. Question is what plan do I follow or do I start my own? Suggestions? I have a few cook books that I really like, and MaryLu Henner's is very good - just not vegan. Have any of you seen Gillian McKeith's books? I like how healthy her recipes are.
I'm soliciting suggestions from you. Please write in the comments what works for you! Maybe I can start plan based on a composite of your responses - of course, this would require more than one response! So everyone - write!
I'll start. So far this week I have not eaten after 5 pm. And I must say, I sleep better, and it's easier to exercise in the morning when I don't go to bed with a full stomach. Now your turn! Just click on the comment box and send me your success stories!
Until next time,
Poodle
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
House Updates
Greetings!
And the saga continues. Believe you, me, when I say the house is The House Project, it is!
To recount - I think you all know this whole thing started with 25,000 gallons of water destroying the house, right? And then during the project the roof (not), chimney (not), chimney mortar leaked into the attic. Then the den waited to leak until after it was all insulated, primed with paint, with new floors installed, etc. The sewage line backed up, twice. Bleeder pipe in den leaked. Some radiator pipe in basement leaked. The lines to radiators spewed gallons of water down through ceiling to front foyer - requiring it to be replaced - the one ceiling that remained from original house.
Then I ordered Pooper's Christmas gift - a flat screen TV and home theater blu-ray dvd system. Only to find out that "home theater" does not always mean "home theater". Had to return that. Ordered new home theater system - only to find out contractor forgot to put access in ceiling to the most important Center Speaker - of course, the ceiling is already painted!
Ordered two mirrored medicine cabinets. Was sent one that I ordered and one that I didn't order. Had to arrange returning the wrong one and getting the correct one - anyone familiar with the painful experience of automated phone service lines that are not really automated and of no service? I think you can imagine how much fun that whole experience was. But eventually it was returned and we got the right one.
Renting and driving a BIG 16 foot Penske truck around Philly picking up all of my Craigslist findings - which I must say has been a HUGE success for the most part. So far I've found an 11'8" by 14' wool rug for the Master Bedroom, our dining room table and 6 upholstered chairs by Broyhill, an antique Chippendale Secretary desk from the early 1900s, a loveseat/twin sleeper that is actually very comfortable to sit on, 4 area rugs (one leopard print - oo-la-la!), the brass and crystal chandelier, and a Casablanca ceiling fan. Not too bad, not too bad, considering what all of that would have cost new!
SIT-REP (NIMs/ICS-speak for Situation Report) on The House Project. According to our insurance agent the house has to be 100% completed by Feb 1st - so here's what's been done since my last post.
New basement stairs (still need some work though), most of the tile installed in all 3 baths, back entry and sunroom, living room crown molding installed, LR walls painted (trim still needs painting), stairway walls painted (railings still need painting), pendant lights installed (see picture), outlet cover plates installed (but not the right ones, need to be dimmers), electrical connected to bathroom ventilation fans, cabinet pulls installed on kitchen cabinets, upstairs toilets installed.
Still pending: all "lavs" (that's plumber-speak for faucets), garbage disposal, shower heads, vanities and med cabinets, washer/dryer hookup, water filters, hookup range, frig, range hood, floor heat in kitchen, hardwood floors sanded and sealed, sunroom paint, stairwell railings paint, trim paint throughout, glass-mirrors installed in kitchen cabinets, ceiling fans installed, bathroom light fixtures installed, and I could go on, and on, but will spare you the rest. As you can see there is a lot of work to be done yet!
Here is a picture of the front bedroom painted:
Here is the Living Room painted Bungalow Gold.
This is a picture of Pooper's sister and her three children in the kitchen with the pendant lights installed (love the leopard print jackets!).
This is the terra cotta colored tile I picked for the back entry and powder room.
This is the back bedroom painted brown and lavender.
And the saga continues. Believe you, me, when I say the house is The House Project, it is!
To recount - I think you all know this whole thing started with 25,000 gallons of water destroying the house, right? And then during the project the roof (not), chimney (not), chimney mortar leaked into the attic. Then the den waited to leak until after it was all insulated, primed with paint, with new floors installed, etc. The sewage line backed up, twice. Bleeder pipe in den leaked. Some radiator pipe in basement leaked. The lines to radiators spewed gallons of water down through ceiling to front foyer - requiring it to be replaced - the one ceiling that remained from original house.
Then I ordered Pooper's Christmas gift - a flat screen TV and home theater blu-ray dvd system. Only to find out that "home theater" does not always mean "home theater". Had to return that. Ordered new home theater system - only to find out contractor forgot to put access in ceiling to the most important Center Speaker - of course, the ceiling is already painted!
Ordered two mirrored medicine cabinets. Was sent one that I ordered and one that I didn't order. Had to arrange returning the wrong one and getting the correct one - anyone familiar with the painful experience of automated phone service lines that are not really automated and of no service? I think you can imagine how much fun that whole experience was. But eventually it was returned and we got the right one.
Renting and driving a BIG 16 foot Penske truck around Philly picking up all of my Craigslist findings - which I must say has been a HUGE success for the most part. So far I've found an 11'8" by 14' wool rug for the Master Bedroom, our dining room table and 6 upholstered chairs by Broyhill, an antique Chippendale Secretary desk from the early 1900s, a loveseat/twin sleeper that is actually very comfortable to sit on, 4 area rugs (one leopard print - oo-la-la!), the brass and crystal chandelier, and a Casablanca ceiling fan. Not too bad, not too bad, considering what all of that would have cost new!
SIT-REP (NIMs/ICS-speak for Situation Report) on The House Project. According to our insurance agent the house has to be 100% completed by Feb 1st - so here's what's been done since my last post.
New basement stairs (still need some work though), most of the tile installed in all 3 baths, back entry and sunroom, living room crown molding installed, LR walls painted (trim still needs painting), stairway walls painted (railings still need painting), pendant lights installed (see picture), outlet cover plates installed (but not the right ones, need to be dimmers), electrical connected to bathroom ventilation fans, cabinet pulls installed on kitchen cabinets, upstairs toilets installed.
Still pending: all "lavs" (that's plumber-speak for faucets), garbage disposal, shower heads, vanities and med cabinets, washer/dryer hookup, water filters, hookup range, frig, range hood, floor heat in kitchen, hardwood floors sanded and sealed, sunroom paint, stairwell railings paint, trim paint throughout, glass-mirrors installed in kitchen cabinets, ceiling fans installed, bathroom light fixtures installed, and I could go on, and on, but will spare you the rest. As you can see there is a lot of work to be done yet!
Here is a picture of the front bedroom painted:
Here is the Living Room painted Bungalow Gold.
This is a picture of Pooper's sister and her three children in the kitchen with the pendant lights installed (love the leopard print jackets!).
This is the terra cotta colored tile I picked for the back entry and powder room.
This is the back bedroom painted brown and lavender.
The granite tiles in bathroom floor and shower (are also on the ceiling) need to be supported up on the ceiling until the grout could securely hold them up. The sticks are doing it until the grout takes over...(two views, one of the floor and one of the ceiling)
And finally - some of my craigslist findings - chairs and chippendale secretary desk.
Until next time,
Poodle
Monday, January 4, 2010
Happy New Year!
Some photos from Longwood Gardens
Happy New Year! With all of the holidays it has been hard to get online to upload some pictures. Poopers and I made our semi-traditional trip to the beautiful Longwood Gardens on Christmas Eve. (This is where he proposed to me a couple of years ago on Christmas Eve.) All of these pictures are from the former DuPont estate west of Philly called Longwood Gardens. I hope you enjoy them, but like all amateur photos they leave a lot to be desired compared the actual beauty experienced in person...
And, it is with great excitement and anticipation that I can announce that as of February 1st we will have (drum roll please................) YES! Internet, cable, and FiOS long distance phone/TV! I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!
Lesss than a month now!
Hope you are all healthy and warm! Oh, and long over-due, is the final update on Dad's trip Down Under. He arrived back home, still single, and still itching to travel some more!
Until later,
Poodle
Happy New Year! With all of the holidays it has been hard to get online to upload some pictures. Poopers and I made our semi-traditional trip to the beautiful Longwood Gardens on Christmas Eve. (This is where he proposed to me a couple of years ago on Christmas Eve.) All of these pictures are from the former DuPont estate west of Philly called Longwood Gardens. I hope you enjoy them, but like all amateur photos they leave a lot to be desired compared the actual beauty experienced in person...
And, it is with great excitement and anticipation that I can announce that as of February 1st we will have (drum roll please................) YES! Internet, cable, and FiOS long distance phone/TV! I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!
Lesss than a month now!
Hope you are all healthy and warm! Oh, and long over-due, is the final update on Dad's trip Down Under. He arrived back home, still single, and still itching to travel some more!
Until later,
Poodle
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The Den and Attic
Maybe you remember the big, and heavy, and very old window AC unit in the Den?
Well it is GONE, baby, gone!
[picture to be added soon hopefully, can't figure out why i can't upload anymore, maybe it's a 24 hour limit]
Do you remember the metal cover over the hot water pipes in the den? They used to be a sort of ugly, dirty, beige color. Well not anymore. Now the metal covers and the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Polar White. It is a white paint with a faint hint of lavender. In the picture the lavender is more obvious than in real life, kinda odd...but I LOVE it! [picture to come soon]
>
Pooper's attic (aka Stamp Room) is painted his favorite color: Blue! I think he prefers a darker blue in general, but for this space, the light blue works best, don't you think?
[would help to have a picture i know, but blogger won't let me add anymore today]
poodle
Well it is GONE, baby, gone!
[picture to be added soon hopefully, can't figure out why i can't upload anymore, maybe it's a 24 hour limit]
Do you remember the metal cover over the hot water pipes in the den? They used to be a sort of ugly, dirty, beige color. Well not anymore. Now the metal covers and the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Polar White. It is a white paint with a faint hint of lavender. In the picture the lavender is more obvious than in real life, kinda odd...but I LOVE it! [picture to come soon]
>
Pooper's attic (aka Stamp Room) is painted his favorite color: Blue! I think he prefers a darker blue in general, but for this space, the light blue works best, don't you think?
[would help to have a picture i know, but blogger won't let me add anymore today]
poodle
Just Need the Faucet and Pendant Lights
Well, ok, so maybe that's not ALL that's needed, but today the marble island top went in, last night the granite countertops went in - with some significant heavy lifting I should add - and it is looking like a house you could ALMOST live in now. Of course, it still needs some toilets and other important fixtures installed, but hey, the kitchen is coming together!
Finally, the granite countertops and marble island top are INSTALLED!!! (Please ignore the dusty hand print on the island cabinet. Everything is still very dusty. And just like this Blog, the house is a work in progress!)
But before it was installed, some very strong men had to haul one of the slabs through some deep snow and slippery ice. This piece weighed over 400 pounds!
So much for blogger let me upload 4 pix. I did, then I deleted two and tried to upload two more. No go. Looks like a third entry. When this house is done, and we have internet at home, I'll be able to figure out how to do this. But I don't have time on library hours and user time limits....
Here's a view of the k/d looking over the microwave in the island.
The sunroom gets a new tile floor, nice and light.
Another post to follow soon, I hope...
Poodle
Finally, the granite countertops and marble island top are INSTALLED!!! (Please ignore the dusty hand print on the island cabinet. Everything is still very dusty. And just like this Blog, the house is a work in progress!)
But before it was installed, some very strong men had to haul one of the slabs through some deep snow and slippery ice. This piece weighed over 400 pounds!
So much for blogger let me upload 4 pix. I did, then I deleted two and tried to upload two more. No go. Looks like a third entry. When this house is done, and we have internet at home, I'll be able to figure out how to do this. But I don't have time on library hours and user time limits....
Here's a view of the k/d looking over the microwave in the island.
The sunroom gets a new tile floor, nice and light.
Another post to follow soon, I hope...
Poodle
Getting Closer
Our GC didn't make his goal of having the house 95% done by Christmas, but we are slowly getting closer and closer!
I will post two entries today so I can hopefully upload 8 pix. I don't know about you, but i am ready for the holiday rush to end!
In this picture the granite company makes a template of our counter tops to take back to the stone yard to cut our slab to fit. He used little thin pieces of wood sticks - sort of like paint stirrer sticks, but not exactly.
Here is a picture of a gorgeous antique brass and crystal chandelier I found on Craigslist for a steal. This picture doesn't do it justice, it has 8 arms and is really very pretty. I hope it will brighten the front foyer in shining light.
In this picture one of the reno crew (one of 5 Johns, believe it or not!) installs the ceiling spot lights in the kitchen.
And finally the green granite tiles I purchased for the master bath are being cut to fit the shower floor. What a job!
I will post some more EXCITING pictures of the granite and marble counter tops installed in the next entry.
Poodle
Sunday, December 13, 2009
More pictures
Greetings from Panera Bread - gotta get online wherever, whenever I can. Being at Panera's brings back memories of writing my book a few years ago. Most of it was written here, in this same Paneras. Seems like a lifetime ago, when in fact it was only 4 years ago. But coming back to the present, the all time consuming project - The House.
The house is about 2/3 done now and beginning to look liveable. The house seems to have a water curse though. I've already told you about the leaking chimney, but now that the den is all newly framed, insulated, dry walled, hardwood floored, and primed with paint, would you believe the walls in there leaked after the last rain?!? No, it never leaked once during all those processes, and yes it rained several times while all of that was being done, nope it had to wait to leak until all those were done.
And the sewage line backed up - twice during this project. Thank goodness we had the forethought to have them add a one way valve to the sewage outlet at the beginning of this project. You wouldn't believe the huge clump of tree roots they pulled out the pipe! Eewww!
The guys who did the dry wall install were pretty talented. Here is a picture of one of the dry-wallers walking down the steps in STILTS!
Here's a picture of the refrigerator being delivered. Luckily everything, even the Super Lazy Susan fit through the front door without a problem.
And trying to pick out paint colors was very challenging - especially for the kitchen/dining room. As you can see in this picture - I basically went through the colors of the rainbow - small areas painted in different colors on the wall - before finally deciding on a color by Benjamin Moore called Ice Cube Silver. I know my painter doesn't think we're going to like this once it's all done, but of all the colors we tested I definitely liked this the best. And it's not green - everyone wants a green kitchen now it seems.
That's about all for now. Blogspot only lets me upload 4 pictures per entry anyway. Hopefully the next pictures will be of the kitchen cabinets, counters and appliances all installed, the hardwood floors sanded and sealed, the tile floors in the bathrooms and the paint done! Wouldn't that be the bees knees?
The house is about 2/3 done now and beginning to look liveable. The house seems to have a water curse though. I've already told you about the leaking chimney, but now that the den is all newly framed, insulated, dry walled, hardwood floored, and primed with paint, would you believe the walls in there leaked after the last rain?!? No, it never leaked once during all those processes, and yes it rained several times while all of that was being done, nope it had to wait to leak until all those were done.
And the sewage line backed up - twice during this project. Thank goodness we had the forethought to have them add a one way valve to the sewage outlet at the beginning of this project. You wouldn't believe the huge clump of tree roots they pulled out the pipe! Eewww!
The guys who did the dry wall install were pretty talented. Here is a picture of one of the dry-wallers walking down the steps in STILTS!
Here's a picture of the refrigerator being delivered. Luckily everything, even the Super Lazy Susan fit through the front door without a problem.
And trying to pick out paint colors was very challenging - especially for the kitchen/dining room. As you can see in this picture - I basically went through the colors of the rainbow - small areas painted in different colors on the wall - before finally deciding on a color by Benjamin Moore called Ice Cube Silver. I know my painter doesn't think we're going to like this once it's all done, but of all the colors we tested I definitely liked this the best. And it's not green - everyone wants a green kitchen now it seems.
That's about all for now. Blogspot only lets me upload 4 pictures per entry anyway. Hopefully the next pictures will be of the kitchen cabinets, counters and appliances all installed, the hardwood floors sanded and sealed, the tile floors in the bathrooms and the paint done! Wouldn't that be the bees knees?
Dad is finishing up his trip Down Under and is sad to see it coming to an end. But for his birthday he wants a book about his next travel adventure - Argentina! Something to look forward to!
Until later,
Poodle
Until later,
Poodle
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