Boy is it hot today! It is not just hot, but steamy too. You break out into a sweat, and yes, not a glisten, but a full-blown sweat, from just standing outside. Oh how I enjoyed our milder days that ended this last week, but this is a season and seasons change.......eventually. Here in the south we never know what the weather will be like from day to day, but we know one thing in summer, it is likely to be hot. We had a blessing for several weeks of milder summer weather, but like everything else, it changed. I am glad for this season of the year, because it means a break from the normal routine and it is also another glorifying event for our creator. He made this weather and it glorifies Him, even when we have to catch our breath when we open the door from the pure heat of it. Can you imagine? The creator of this universe made the earth in this way, and it really is just a season, thank God it will not last indefinitely. Nothing here will.
When I was a kid, I used to think that whatever the weather or temperature was where I was, that it was the same everywhere else on earth. In other words, if it was 90-something degrees in my hometown, it was 90-something degrees in Alaska too, and the next town over, and in Australia, or Africa, or Scotland.....and on and on. I know that is not the case now and then again, when you consider that it isn't the case, that thought is mesmerizing to me. Only God could create an earth like this.
I was looking at a weather map the other day when the news was on and in California the whole state was in the high 80's or 90's except for Los Angeles. My sister lives there and so I always take notice of what weather is like there. I saw that and thanked God that it was milder temperatures where "sister" is, that those cooler temperatures could bless her in some way. I need to call that sister some time soon, by the way.
On to my working news, what I have going on around here.....I got the drawers to the buffet stripped. Well, all but one and for some reason it didn't want to let go of the finish as well as the others and now looks all streaky, but I am not concerned. It will come off either by sanding or more stripper, if necessary. Now I have to attend the big part of it, the actual buffet itself. I came across a snag yesterday when I couldn't get the screws to the hinged doors all out. I am going to try again with an electric drill/screwdriver and see if that will budge them. I just don't want to break the screws. If I have to I suppose I could strip it without removing those doors, but it is better if they don't stay on.
I think it is going to look good. Only one of the drawers has visible scratches but I really think they will sand out. If not, I do think that sanding and then staining and putting a finish coat will mask them so that they are not as visible as they were before. I can't wait to see the end results. And I can't wait to fill it with my stuff. Having this buffet will empty out a complete cabinet in my kitchen that is full of serving dishes so that I can either remove the cabinet all together, or put it to some other use. I am not sure what I plan to do yet. We shall see!
We also got two cabinets from Jeff's parents house that they aren't using anymore and that I can paint and put up in the laundry room. Yay!!!!! I am so thrilled. That laundry room has needed some storage in there. It is a nice sized room with nothing but wall space....other than the obvious, washer and dryer and such. There is a lot of vertical space that is not being used at all and I need to be able to store my quantity items like plastic storage bags, cleaners, paper towels, lightbulbs, etc. I am painting them my favorite trim paint color, Swan's Wing, which really looks like a cup of sweet cream. It has a tad of yellow in it, just enough to make the trim a little warmer.
This may be what I decide to work on inside today down in the basement since I am not going to try to strip the buffet in this heat. I have to do the stripping outside because of the size of it and needing to clean off the stripper with mineral spirits. I used a latex based stripper on the drawers so it was easy clean-up, just warm water and a stripping pad, then more warm water and an old towel. Easy peasy! Well, I am out of that stripper and am trying to be frugal and not spend more money. The orange stripper that I can only find at Wal-mart is the best I have ever used and what I have left over from my last job. I looked at some the other day at the store and the price has risen dramatically. It is over double what it used to cost. I am not sure why, but since I have some and it will likely be enough, I am going to use it up before spending more money.
For the cabinets I already have all that I need to get those done, except for a small paint roller which I'll need to get. I have some leftover paint and a huge can of Kilz to prime them with. It is a fun challenge to try and re-do without spending more. We got the cabinets for free and so if I use what I already have to make them work in my space that they'll be going in, I have upgraded the space for little or no extra money, bringing value to our house, and instead of letting the paint that I already have here spoiling, I am using it up letting the money we have already spent work better for us. That can count as being "green", can't it?
Jeff and I just went in and measured and discussed the cabinets and we are going to add shelves in between the two when we hang them to make them look more attractive. They are rather plain and because of how they are constructed, to be hung flush to the ceiling, there can be no trim work to go on top to make it look better. It is fine with me though. I just measured and they'll come down right where I need them to and they'll store a lot. I'll use the shelves in between for attractive storage also, for things that can fit down in baskets and such. It will look so good in there.
I guess it seems like I shift from room to room a lot, and I do. I think it is mainly because we try to be frugal when re-doing and sometimes that means waiting for something to come available that is nearly nothing in cost (or better yet, free) and then putting it to use in the room that it is going in. It seems like a better use for our money than going out and spending all on new stuff and then finishing out the room and using money we don't have or can use better elsewhere. We end up having several projects left open but when you look back over time, you realize that in the scope of things, it really isn't that long before things actually get finished. The laundry room is useful the way it is, but I have known that we would find some good cabinets either on the side of the road somewhere or from someone we knew who was replacing cabinetry. Who knew it would be Jeff's parents. They are merely taking cabinetry out of their basement that they took out of an old house they had years ago and used in their current house for storage. This means that these cabinets are getting well worth their value in use, and because they are built well, they are able to withstand so many different owners in so many different houses. Because they are plain, I can dress them up any way I want with new hardware and paint. These cabinets can stay in this house for 20 plus years and not look dated as long as I have the ability to paint and change hardware. Now that is an investment that is frugal. Free in this case, equals money in our pockets. This is one of my job descriptions then. If you want to know what I do.....I do this to make money for us. It does not mean a paycheck, but it means that we can buy a house for less than we could afford and make it worth more than it was for nearly nothing in investment money. I like that about "my job". Of course there are many more aspects to it than this, but this is one that I love the challenge of.
Okay, well enough about that. I need to go and have some lunch and enjoy this special day.
Post a Comment