Master Bedroom Facelift

I thought I'd better post the before pictures of the Master Bedroom so there is a comparison later. It is Sunday afternoon and there is one more coat of paint to put on the closet trim boards, then I can say, I AM DONE, until the three hired folks are done with their jobs. (Texture & paint; floor refinishing; installer of the crown molding)

This is what our bedroom has looked like since June 1990. I always did house projects like painting and redecorating during the two weeks hubby was at Guard Camp. (It was just easier.) He hasn't been at Guard Camp since the summer of 1990.

My mother hand-embroidered and hand-stitched quilts for her daughter and daughters-in-law many years ago. I chose the white with burgundy/cranberry quilt. Then painted the bedroom to go with the hand quilted bedspread. I painted the top half of the walls a base color and then with a split roller, rolled a darker & a lighter shade of the base color. I was very pleased with the outcome. So pleased, I have not changed it in 22 years????? That doesn't seem possible...

 I changed wall decor over the years, but the half-wall wallpaper and wall color has not changed.

 The wall paper has been stripped. It has been too cold to do any painting in the garage, so we had to move the crown molding pieces inside to get them painted this weekend.

The carpet has been removed. The padding left sticky black marks on the floor, that can be removed and will not be a problem when the floor is refinished. But I found sticky black spots on all the other floors in the house this week. UGH! two weeks...two weeks...two weeks

 The closet will also get a remake. The house does not have another closet large enough to hold two other closets of clothes. To dress for church this morning, I had to go outside to the front garage to grab some dress slacks, find a coordinating shirt in the dresser drawer (also in the garage) to go with the jacket hanging in the office closet.

Not a big deal. Some occasions just need a little more planning when getting dressed! This too shall pass.

So, the second bedroom is also ready for ceiling and wall texturing tomorrow morning. Probably no more pictures until it is all done.

Continuing Face Lift

We were home one week when Curt said, "Let's find out when we can get on the schedule of our favorite contractor and continue the house updating with the two bedrooms." I called, and Larry said, "I will be there April 30th. I can squeeze you in between jobs."

Our response, YIKES! We have a lot to do in one week.

Larry will texture the walls & ceiling. Paint the walls and ceiling of the two bedrooms.

We will remove the wall paper, prep the walls, and paint the woodwork before Monday, after we removed all the furniture and all the closet collections. We will also remove the carpeting, because the hard wood floors will be refinished as soon as Larry has finished painting. We will also rebuild the closets.

We started with the guest bedroom because I am not ready to move out of my bedroom before I have to because that means a move to the basement until everything is done.

This is what the guest room looked like prior to our work on Monday:

 A queen size bed, 3 large dressers, a night stand, a couple of chairs, my hope chest, plus all the stuff that was stored in the room because we did not know where else to put it.

 We think the room has looked this way since son was maybe 14 years old. He is 30. It was his room until he left home when it was renamed 'the guest room'.


By Monday evening, the room looked like this:

 No furniture

The closet racks & shelving are gone

 I really like the paint job & wall paper border we had put in that room.

It was the 'in' thing at the time.

The carpet was a very durable blue-green piece 

that was glued to the floor.

As of Tuesday evening, the carpet is gone. The wall paper border is off. The baseboards are sanded & taped. The windows are sanded and taped. A bit of the priming is done. Wednesday we will finishing priming and give a first coat to all the woodwork. Curt might also paint the closet. We will begin to dismantle the 'master' bedroom, too. I have more wall paper to strip.

Oh, and when I stopped at the paint store late on Monday afternoon, I learned the 40% off sale ended Monday, April 23rd. I selected my paint colors in 30 minutes and had the colors mixed. No changing my mind. Something new in each room. And a need to do some shopping later this summer...

Face lift saga to continue...

Willa is 2

Willa celebrated her second birthday on Sunday afternoon.

 The table of birthday treats

 

Good Night Moon was the theme

 

 I'm 2!

Strawberry & cheese mini skewers

spinach hummus

all delicious

Lemon cake pops

The fairy/butterfly/princess outfit from auntie

Maybe we can get a picture of Willa dressed in it next week

Willa sitting in Grandpa's present

Reading books from Grandpa

This was Willa's B-Day present

a collapsible, easy-to-store, easy-to-make kid size tent

Looking Up

As our time in AZ was nearing the end for another season, I spent a little more time looking for photo opportunities. The photos on this post came about by Looking Up.

 The Phoenix smog lends itself to some colorful sunsets.

 The colors change with the clouds and setting sun.

 The gilded flicker woodpecker was still hanging around the resort.

He hung out at my bird feeder in January.

 Contrails or Clouds?

 Motorized para gliders buzzing the homes along the 

desert on a Sunday evening.

 Another evening sunset along the desert.

 The promise of a colorful sunset from the desert.

I found another blooming saguaro.

Along the Mighty Mo

We took some different roads on the way back to SD, some out of necessity and some out of curiosity. The 'new' road in SD was out of curiosity. We avoided interstate and traveled along the southern edge of the state, crossing the Missouri River at a 'new for us' location. 

The river is not as high as last year when water from 

Montana was released flooding several communities in

North & South Dakota.

I enjoy photographing bridges, looking for the lines

that draw the eyes of the viewer.

Which did you see first? 

The bridge surface & the road up the hill?

Or was your eye drawn down to the supports and the water?

Some of my favorite drives in the state are along the Missouri River. There is something about the hills and bluffs, the trees in the draws, the waving prairie grasses, and the glimpses of the river that never fail to give me joy and feed my prairie spirit.

Time with Miss Willa

She is almost 2 years old and has changed since our January visit. Her language is the most noticeable difference. She spent the first hour talking, and talking, and talking. Most of which had very little meaning, but that did not matter to her or us. We can understand a lot of what she says because of the context. It was a fun afternoon.

Curt helped son with a little landscape project. 

Actually, it was finishing a landscape project. 

My part of the job was to keep an eye on Miss Willa.

Tough Job!

 She kept busy in the backyard.

She didn't/doesn't sit still very long.

 Mommy was at work.

Miss Willa also helped move rock.

 A little drink break...

 She ended the afternoon with some time in the swing.

'Push' was very easy to understand.

The pictures will have to hold us and you until next Sunday

and Miss Willa's birthday party.

Weather in Nebraska

We left our winter home a day early (Friday) because the weather in the mid-west was forecasted to be unsettled and turbulent over the weekend. By leaving early we hoped to slide between two weather systems as we headed north through 'tornado alley.'

35 mile-an-hour winds out of the south, southwest pushed us through New Mexico to Santa Rosa on Friday afternoon & evening. It is always windy in New Mexico. It was just nice to have it to our advantage on Friday.

For seven years we have seen the signs "Watch for Wildlife" 

and "Elk Crossing", but in the two trips each year, only once have 

elk been spotted. That was by the driver, Curt, while I napped.

I didn't see them. It doesn't count. That changed on Friday

afternoon as this small herd of 5 crossed the highway west of 

Socorro NM as I was driving. Curt was in charge of the camera.

Our New Mexico excitement!

We also knew about the rain, thunderstorms and possible tornadoes on Saturday. The probable path ran from eastern South Dakota south through eastern Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma & Texas. Snow was predicted in Colorado. The solution: travel through western OK, KS & as far west through NE as was feasible since our destination is eastern SD.

As we drove north we watched the clouds build to the east through KS. As we reached NE, we watched the clouds develop to the west. There were a few sprinkles on the windshield, but no rain.

We stopped in North Platte to refuel and potty stop before our final destination, Valentine. As we stepped out of the van, the town's weather alert sirens were sounding. A tornado was heading to town.  We completed our business and took cover under the awning of a Sonic to wait out the storm.

At the gas station we learned 4 tornadoes had been spotted near North Platte. The area had also received 4 inches of rain in a very short time period, and large marble size hail had fallen, all prior to our arrival.

 Most of this was on the ground prior to our stop.

 More pea size and some marble size hail fell while

we were parked at Sonic.

The sirens quit. The hail ended.

The rain slowed to sprinkles.

AND...the sun made its appearance.

We got back on the road once the threat was passed.

As we headed north we were blessed with this sight.

I loved seeing the clouds move across the rainbow.

The promise of a new day.

Our Easter Dinner

A neighbor invited us to join other remaining neighbors for a potluck Easter Buffet. It was a very warm 90º afternoon, but the motorhome awning shade and a light breeze helped to make it comfortable.

Our host & hostess: Frank & Pat 

The table was decorated in style. 

Buns, frosted grape salad, lettuce salad, Easter egg deviled eggs,

ham balls, baked veggie casserole, sliced ham, potato casserole,

and pecan & peach pie for dessert!

Come & Get It!

Thank you for the invite, Pat.

Good food & Good friends!