Resting and Preparing

 I had high hopes that I would blog each day of December, leading up to Christmas. I managed to do this, quite successfully, a few years ago. However, this year has proven to be very busy and I am exhausted. I have been working around extreme temperatures and trying to insulate the "mud room" which is going to be converted into our dining room. I was hoping to get the room ready for the holiday so that we could eat our Christmas dinner in there. I had no hope of getting it painted, but I at least wanted to get it warm enough in there. Over the weekend, we had a substantial amount of snow come down and we had artic temperatures, reaching beyond -30 degrees. 

I was happy to get some more shopping done on Sunday. I still have some last minute shopping to do, plus getting all the groceries needed for the weekend. I still have a few packages coming my way, too. I do have a very decorated home and that makes me happy. We got our tree at the beginning of the month. I do love the lights and garland. I made homemade stockings for the family, using recycled clothing from the thrift store. I can't wait to fill those on Christmas morning. Last night, I made my first ever attempt at making marshmallows. I have yet to see how it worked out I did have a minor hiccup during the process, so I would be very surprised if they worked out.

Today, I am going to pace myself, as I have all week, I decided to get tasks accomplished but not go overboard. Since I've been so tired lately, I didn't want to risk getting sick around the holidays. I have been binge watching episodes of Victorian Farm Christmas and now I am watching Wartime Farm Christmas. I think I will watch Avonlea Christmas and Edwardian Farm Christmas, if that exists ( I think it does). I know that on Friday, I will be very busy baking and making homemade candies.

That is my December wrap up! I hope to share more on Friday! Until next time~ Toodahloo!

The Living Room Make Over

In early September, we were able to begin work on our house. When we first toured the house, we could see that a lot of work would needed to be done. We understood, that the bathroom would need to be gutted, the walls would need to be scrubbed-primed-painted, the floors needed work and the kitchen needed a whole new look. We saw a lot of potential for the house and were eager to begin. We had a very teeny tony budget, so we had to be very creative. Fortunately, I was able to get a lot of ideas from the internet. Often, I would come up with an idea, and check Pinterest to see if it was at all plausible. This helped us save where it counted.
The floors in the house were either covered with linoleum or wall to wall carpeting from 50 years ago (or more, yikes). We were hoping that underneath the linoleum and carpeting lied wood flooring. The first day that we were able to get into the house and begin the renovations, we pulled out the carpets. Every room, aside from the bathroom and kitchen, had carpeting- even the stairs! When we removed the covering, we discovered that the floors were masonite. This was a bit of a let-down, but not the worst news ever. So, after some brainstorming, we decided to live with the linoleum on the kitchen floor, until the budget afforded for new tiles. We also decided to paint the bedroom floors and add area rugs and we'd put new flooring in the living room.

We bought several sheets of sanded pine plywood and cut it into 8 inch planks. Then, I divided the planks into three piles and stained each pile a different shade. All of the piles were of a deeper stain, one more red than others. I did this so that we would have varying degrees of color and it would look more natural. We were lucky that my in-laws already had a stash of wood stain, so that we free! My husband and his father installed the flooring by simply screwing the wood onto the floor. Everyone, but my husband and I, seemed nervous about the outcome. We figured that if it did n't work out, it still be functional for sub-flooring. However, the cost of this compared to laminate flooring was huge! After buying the materials needed, this project was around $100.00.

After some light sanding and filling in some chipped bits, I was able to apply the polyurethane. My dad helped me with this. One gallon was used for this floor, which provided two coats! After a few days, I was able to start adding the furniture! Prior to finishing the floors, I had to clean the walls, paint the trim and paint the walls. I used black oops paint, which I purchased at a deep discount and I blended the paint with white paint that we had on hand. My mother-in-law primed and painted the ceilings. I chose grey, because it worked well for that room and I like it as a neutral. I think that tans and taupes are overly used as neutrals. I do think that I probably was influenced by watching Steven & Chris for years. Yes, I understand that grey seems like such a gloomy color, but it really it a fantastic color to use for walls. I think that it is easy to switch out throw pillows, blanks and curtains- it is easy and economical. However, the walls are harder to change.

Here is the end result, with the furniture in the room. There is an electric fireplace in on corner and it makes for a very cozy room.

This is some wall art the I made, using a book of flowers and frames from the Dollar Tree, total cost of wall art = $14! I am happy to finally have the room done. We are still working on the bathroom, I'll tell you all about that when I'm almost done with that. Until then~ Toodahloo!