Sylvia's Simple Shots

 My plants are doing well in temporary accommodations.  They still have an east window like they did at home. 

The African Violets bloomed so it was happy.

There was a good dining room light which kept them company.

It was bitterly cold this Sunday so I stayed in and watched TV.

I had access to Youtube so I was able to watch my regular Sunday posters.

The scope of work for the kitchen did not include anything other than the front of the cupboards.  

Of course, the bottom edges were brown to match the previous color.  Once the restoration project was finished I used the leftover paint to do the those edges to match the fronts.

Really helped the look of the kitchen.

The plumbers were in on Thursday to reconnect all the water related items.  Kitchen sink, dishwasher, bathroom sink, toilet, and the laundry center.

This was the message left by the plumbers.

Would I still be able to move home when I planned?  

This experience has taught me to roll with the punches and keep moving.  

I talked to the carpenter for his opinion, then my brother in law and then headed out to buy a new faucet. I then called our building plumbing company and I was able to get the faucet installed on Friday.  Yes. 

Bright and early the plumber was there to install the faucet.

At the same time the company hired by my insurance was there to put in place the fridge, stove, the freezer and the pine cabinets on either side.  Busy time!

I thought I would get the bathroom set up first and then at 11:30 am or so I opened the vanity in the bathroom to this!  A leak!

I called the was given a site visit in the next few hours.

What to do now?

I chose to be productive and painted the bottom of the cabinet under the sink.

It is just particle board and over the years it had lost it's finish.

I used semi gloss in the same color as the walls in the place.  

It really brighten up the space to match the rest of the kitchen.

The plumber returned about 1:30pm and gave the drain just a bit of a turn.   Then tested the drain with 3 full sinks of water and all was dry!

So at 2 pm it was confirmed that I could move home.  I brought most of my stuff back home but stayed one more night because check out time was 11 am and at that time I still did not know if everything was going to be okay to move back.

I was checked out by 8 am and headed home with my overnight bag and my back pack.

I started cleaning.

I headed out for brunch with my friend which I have not seen since the fall.

We had a great visit, great food, and a relaxing time.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

A night shot of lights on a very cold night.

The streets are icy and traffic is sparse.

There is nice moonlight.

I had problems with the toilet at my temporary accommodation.

The arm on the float broke so the tank was not filling up.  I had to fill the tank by hand.

A quick call and a plumber arrived to fix it.  Great service.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake is the book I finished this week.

Iris James is the postmistress in coastal Franklin, Massachusetts. She know more about the local than anyone.

She holds many secrets as part of her job. One day she does the unthinkable: she slips a letter into her pocket, reads it and does not deliver it.

Frankie Bard broadcasts from overseas with Edward R. Morrow.  Her broadcasts begs listeners to pay heed to the Nazi bombings of London. 

Each woman delivers news in their corners of the world, at one point, yet find themselves unable to do so. 

Another great WWII story with strong women doing their part. Great read.

It turns out based on decisions made that can not be reversed that I have to paint the bathroom because it is not within the scope of work.

It was great to have the adjuster reach out and explain the situation.

It is very cold and I head over to get it done.

The vanityhad already been put into the space so I had to work around that.

I remember painting that room before I move in all those years ago.

It took about 4 hours.

Fortunately, I had the tools and the paint to get it done.

Home Upgrades - Bathroom Vanity

Plumber was in last week to fix a slow draining bathroom sink.  That is a brand spanking new shiny P-Trap which was installed as the ring on the old one just broke off when it was handled to be put back together.

The vanity needed to be cleaned and once I got in there I decided that it could do with a paint job. I don't like the brown wall on the left hand side. Yes, that is my poor drywall repair when a previous plumber came in made a hole and never returned to repair it. The bottom of the cabinet is just particle board and has had wetness issues which I inherited.

I decided to paint the inside of the cabinet.

I dug out a partial small can of Bulls Eye 123 Primer.  There was just enough to do this small job.  

I have used this great product with very good success.  This is leftover from painting the vanity doors.

With that brown wall and the fact that the drywall repair had not been painted and the bottom being damaged I thought it could use a good coat of sealer.

It was much brigther in there after the primer was on.

The brown wall is streaky but that will be covered when the paint goes on.

I let it dry 4  hours before I put the coat of paint on it.

This the paint I have been using for all the work done in my place.

It is a warm white and very good paint.  Covers well and costs a pretty penny but worth it.

This looks so much better.  It is all sealed, it is white and is all nice a clean.  I let this dry for 4 hours.

Love it!

I put the isolation valve covers back on and marked the hot and cold.

I was ready to put everything back in the cabinet and have my place back again.

There have been so many times where I regular life has been disrupted.  

The majority of the laundry room is still in the living room.

With flooring to be done this summer there will be plenty more.

Well that was a full days work but it looks wonderful.

I am very grateful to have some of my energy back so I can tackle some of these projects even if it is not on my time line.

A Few Renovations - Done!

Since my renovation in the kitchen a couple of years ago I had flooring and painting on my to do list.

I knew how having things white and light improved the feel of the space.  I replaced the burgundy shower curtain in the bathroom about 4 years ago and that helped so much.  In 2017, I painted the center panels of the kitchen cupboards which improved the feel in the space.

The front hall bypass closet doors and the bi-fold doors on the laundry area had wood grain similar to the kitchen cupboard doors.  The large bedroom closet doors as well had the same pattern.  I really wanted to paint these.

Well, this fall was the time! I started with the laundry area bi-fold doors.  I had to mask the metal frame then I applied 1 coat of high hide primer followed with 2 coats of interior paint.

I changed the knobs on the doors with something more appropriate. I chose white ceramic with a metal plate.

The next project was the bypass doors on the front hall closet.  Again, a lot of masking of the metal frames.  I chose to paint them hanging in place as I was not sure I could take down the doors.  These received 3 coats of paint as well.

As you can imagine my right arm got a huge work out.  Painting makes a big difference which many DIY shows spout the principle and now I know it first hand.

The bedroom closet doors are twice the size of the front hall so it was double the amount of 3 coats of paint.

I replaced a broken plastic glider one of these bedroom closet doors which has wobbled for years.  Yeah!

I have wanted hard flooring in the front hall for several years.  In recent years I was convinced vinyl flooring was the answer.  I chose this flooring from Divine Flooring.  I wanted a warm grey color in a wood grain pattern in vinyl planks. After visiting the show room I took 3 samples home.  I put natural LED lights in the front hall and chose the flooring based on that lighting.  The hall gets very little natural light. This is is called Missouri Breaks from the Voyage II line.  The planks are 8.5 inches wide and 5 feet long.  This is a click installation.

I chose a very simple moulding which is 3/8 by 1 1/4 inches tall.  It was painted the color of the walls.  It was glued to the wall which allows the flooring to move as it needs.  The crack at the top along the wall was caulked and then I painted white with a small foam brush and the wall paint.   The flooring and moulding was installed by professionals. It looks amazing.

There are a couple of pieces I want to paint in the front hall.  The small bench at the front door which my Mom made for me years ago will be painted as well as the mirror also made by my Mom will get a new color.  I want to create an art shelf in the living room so that has been put on the to do list.

I am looking at a warm dark grey with a blue hue.  I brought a few paint samples and need another couple before I decide.

I hung some of my framed photography in the hall.  I have decided that I will be using this about 4 square foot place in the front hall as my photography studio.  Nothing will live in the space on a regular basis.  I can add tables, props, fabric and whatever else I need, set up my tripod from either direction, it has good light which will contribute to a super space.  I take macro photography regularly for the Macro Monday Challenge on Flickr.  You can check my photo stream.

There were changes made in the bathroom as well.  I covered the hole made in the wall behind the vanity by the plumbers in January.
I bought a 24x24 inch piece of dry wall, measured to make the holes for the isolation valves and screwed the pieces to the existing dry wall.

After being able to replace the sink without changing the vanity in January the doors on it were on the paint list as well.  Again, 1 coat of high hide primer and 2 coats of interior paint.You can check out the white shower curtain mentioned earlier.

I added a Battenburg linen and a wide low glass bowl on the shelf in the front hall.  I have put turquoise related potpourri for now.  Once the mirror is painted that may change and it could be changed seasonally as well.   I am looking forward to putting my small nativity on the shelf for Christmas time.

It has been a huge learning experience. I'm really happy with this renovation!!!