Change of Weather
Remember how at the beginning of this week, I forecast clear skies? Well, Thursday preparations were made in case a blizzard decides to blow through. The Welders took the day off from their real jobs (that help make all this house building possible) to pick up the wood burning stove! You know how we are always looking for a sale or bargain? We've heard that if you buy things like wood burning stoves on the hottest day of the summer or an air conditioner during a snow storm, that you get a better deal. I'm happy to report a chunk of change still clanks in our pockets for the somewhat strange behavior.
I had nothing to do with choosing the stove. Jason handled it all, from finding out which is most efficient to most cost effective to what has the look we (or he-he really did not ask my opinion) likes. I am very happy with the choice and all of his hard work in finding the best choice for us. I especially like the burner area across the top that can be used for cooking. I can't wait to camp in the house. 
On the nice, country drive back, we stopped at a couple yard sales. It really was so nice to take our time and not rush for a day. Here Daisy is showing off her new daisy chain. At one yard sale there was a young girl off to the side with her own table of goodies. She had friendship bracelets, paper weights, daisy chains, and spinners all nicely displayed beside creative but informational signage letting the customer know how much each item cost. I browsed the mom and friends' tables for "house" finds. After I made my 25 cent picture frame purchase, we were getting back into the truck, when it dawned on me, "Jason, that girl over there is me!" And I knew how she felt. I really did not even bother to look at all her hard work. I glanced and thought, "Friendship bracelet-don't need one of those." But really, can't we all use a good friendship bracelet every once in a while? So the Welders hopped back out of the truck and visited our new, favorite outdoor shop with hopes that we brightened someones day and with his and her friendship bracelets we look pretty cool too. When Jason asked her how business had been so far and she smiled and shyly said, "Well, actually you are my first sale," we knew that the $2.25 spent was the best money we've spent in a while. 
After deciding to use the bracelets, cute lady bug paper weight, and daisy chain as reminders to think of others more often and slow down to enjoy the simple blessings that are hidden everywhere and can bring much joy, we headed to the Weld House and unloaded the stove.
Then it was time for a new adventure of staining the kids' bathroom floor. The first step was cleaning and etching. Here I am applying a mild acid that cleans up spills, sheetrock mud, paint drips, whatever it is you've been messy with. After it sits for 10-20 minutes, you scrub it vigorously which roughens the cement and opens it up to let the stain soak in. I think we may have used a little more cleaner than necessary. It gets really foamy and grows during the "clean with fresh water" step. Jason finally had the idea to use the shop vac, which really worked great.
We were mostly winging it during this project, never doing anything like this before, but when we noticed one area was still smooth, not very grainy (or etched) we decided to redo that area in hopes it would make sure the stain would stick.
After the cement dried, it was time to stain. Jason sprayed the stain with this sprayer. We wanted the less uniform look, but the sprayer ended up not being the best at doing its job of spraying, so I came behind and smoothed it out with a roller. Also since we like to do things in the order that does not always make the most sense or make things easy (that is one of the drawbacks of making it up as you go along), I used a small sponge brush to go along the edges to keep the tin wainscot (I finally figured out I was spelling this word incorrectly all this time) from getting stain splatters. 
We are still waiting to see how this projects turns out. The directions said to allow the stain to dry for four hours before deciding if another coat is needed for a darker or more consistent look. We are hoping it dries darker (and not consistent) since it seemed to have just a tad too much of a reddish hue opposed to the dark brown we thought. After it completely dries and we decide if we like the color, the last step is sealing. And you may remember that we did buy enough wood flooring for the entire first floor, so if it ends up being wood, you know we just couldn't learn to live with the color. I really hope the cement turns out since it will be easier to keep up in this sometimes wet area.
Before leaving for a lovely dinner with Jason's parents, we added the piece of wood to the back of the laundry room cabinet and made a plan for the rest of the room that we hope to get to this weekend.
And when we got home, these gorgeous shams and a "Sham Survey" were waiting in our living room. I love them both and The Welder voted for the one on the left, so that will be the style that decorates the bed. I was in a hurry (what's new) and forgot to take a picture of my favorite part, the back. The case is pulled together with a simple button that is so cute, I may just have to display them backwards.
I had nothing to do with choosing the stove. Jason handled it all, from finding out which is most efficient to most cost effective to what has the look we (or he-he really did not ask my opinion) likes. I am very happy with the choice and all of his hard work in finding the best choice for us. I especially like the burner area across the top that can be used for cooking. I can't wait to camp in the house. 
On the nice, country drive back, we stopped at a couple yard sales. It really was so nice to take our time and not rush for a day. Here Daisy is showing off her new daisy chain. At one yard sale there was a young girl off to the side with her own table of goodies. She had friendship bracelets, paper weights, daisy chains, and spinners all nicely displayed beside creative but informational signage letting the customer know how much each item cost. I browsed the mom and friends' tables for "house" finds. After I made my 25 cent picture frame purchase, we were getting back into the truck, when it dawned on me, "Jason, that girl over there is me!" And I knew how she felt. I really did not even bother to look at all her hard work. I glanced and thought, "Friendship bracelet-don't need one of those." But really, can't we all use a good friendship bracelet every once in a while? So the Welders hopped back out of the truck and visited our new, favorite outdoor shop with hopes that we brightened someones day and with his and her friendship bracelets we look pretty cool too. When Jason asked her how business had been so far and she smiled and shyly said, "Well, actually you are my first sale," we knew that the $2.25 spent was the best money we've spent in a while. After deciding to use the bracelets, cute lady bug paper weight, and daisy chain as reminders to think of others more often and slow down to enjoy the simple blessings that are hidden everywhere and can bring much joy, we headed to the Weld House and unloaded the stove.
Then it was time for a new adventure of staining the kids' bathroom floor. The first step was cleaning and etching. Here I am applying a mild acid that cleans up spills, sheetrock mud, paint drips, whatever it is you've been messy with. After it sits for 10-20 minutes, you scrub it vigorously which roughens the cement and opens it up to let the stain soak in. I think we may have used a little more cleaner than necessary. It gets really foamy and grows during the "clean with fresh water" step. Jason finally had the idea to use the shop vac, which really worked great.We were mostly winging it during this project, never doing anything like this before, but when we noticed one area was still smooth, not very grainy (or etched) we decided to redo that area in hopes it would make sure the stain would stick.After the cement dried, it was time to stain. Jason sprayed the stain with this sprayer. We wanted the less uniform look, but the sprayer ended up not being the best at doing its job of spraying, so I came behind and smoothed it out with a roller. Also since we like to do things in the order that does not always make the most sense or make things easy (that is one of the drawbacks of making it up as you go along), I used a small sponge brush to go along the edges to keep the tin wainscot (I finally figured out I was spelling this word incorrectly all this time) from getting stain splatters. 
We are still waiting to see how this projects turns out. The directions said to allow the stain to dry for four hours before deciding if another coat is needed for a darker or more consistent look. We are hoping it dries darker (and not consistent) since it seemed to have just a tad too much of a reddish hue opposed to the dark brown we thought. After it completely dries and we decide if we like the color, the last step is sealing. And you may remember that we did buy enough wood flooring for the entire first floor, so if it ends up being wood, you know we just couldn't learn to live with the color. I really hope the cement turns out since it will be easier to keep up in this sometimes wet area.
Before leaving for a lovely dinner with Jason's parents, we added the piece of wood to the back of the laundry room cabinet and made a plan for the rest of the room that we hope to get to this weekend.
And when we got home, these gorgeous shams and a "Sham Survey" were waiting in our living room. I love them both and The Welder voted for the one on the left, so that will be the style that decorates the bed. I was in a hurry (what's new) and forgot to take a picture of my favorite part, the back. The case is pulled together with a simple button that is so cute, I may just have to display them backwards. 
Comments
Post a Comment