Project Girl

For the most part, I live for projects. They keep me looking forward to something, keep my creative wheels spinning, and give us all something to do to break up the days and make our lives better in some way. The saying "when it rains, it pours" is true in all aspects of life including projects!

We got new countertops last month and a new backsplash was installed last week. These were fun
items I didn't really expect for a long time but things are going well so Leo gave me the ok. Picking out the stone for the counters was a breeze (Leo and I are often in sync when  it comes to design decisions  but the tile for the back was a little more complicated.  But that's part of the fun, right? Thinking of new ideas and overcoming the challenges to get you to a new place. We were short a few last pieces but they should be in soon and then the project will be complete. With the new sink and faucet, the room looks wonderful and I love being in there. Good thing since I'm in the kitchen half the day.

In the living room I had made some new doors to cover up a built in shelving area where we store our junk. Shoes, hats, flash lights, etc. I was sick of looking at it. So I covered it artfully and I love it. By the fireplace I  notices a draft in the winter that was bugging me so I came up with a design to have one big panel of cloth with magnets inside to stick to the metal surround and cover up the glass (to protect the kiddies and the glass itself) and close up the draft. I didn't get it done in time for winter but it's up now and ready for whenever. This was my first foray into using a sewing machine. I have mixed emotions about that learning curve.

Then comes the carpet. While it has been on my long wish list to replace it someday (after the kids have finished spilling things on it every freaking day!) we noticed an odd wet area under a piece of furniture. The stain is big and smelly and mysterious. We have an idea of where it may have come from (an overloaded washing machine on the other side of the wall?) but we're not completely sure. We had a plumber come look in case it was a major thing going on and all that we got from that visit was a couple holes in the wall and some guy scratching his head about the whole thing. We are still shrugging our shoulders too and not sure what to do. I guess it will remain covered for a while until we figure out where it came from before we replace the carpet. While thinking about what to do I thought out loud about putting a wood floor there instead. After all this other stuff going on, Leo gave me a look that suggested I might be slightly off my rocker and I better lay off the DIY ideas for a while.

For Mothers Day I received four carpet roses to plant outside. Brother Matt delivered them and mentioned he would be happy to put them in the ground. Although I hadn't planned for roses in front I casually mentioned how maybe they would look good in front instead of the awful bushes we have always had and always hated. The suggestion turned into a project in three minutes and suddenly we were pulling the awful things out of the ground. Matt made quick work of it while I ditched the
cut up branches to the woods behind the house and Leo came out to help between work e-mails. (We love being backed up to the woods more every year!) The clean slate has my wheels spinning once again . I visited a local nursery yesterday and fell in love with a couple plants. I got three Dwarf Nandina and one Heavenly Bamboo that will go nicely with the small Japanese Maple Orangeola I got at the farmers market last weekend. As for the giant holly tree - that monster is coming down as soon as we can get our hands on a chainsaw. I plan to get a nice Japanese Maple there too someday. As for the roses, Leo dug up a strip of grass on the south side of the house especially for them. They will be lovely to see when we come home everyday and less grass to cut!

One of my friends noticed all that was happening and called me the Project Girl. It's true. It doesn't stop around here. And I hope it doesn't. Even though I'm tired, it's so much fun!