A New Hall Closet

As the final step of our closet redesign, we installed a door from the upstairs hall into what used to be the master bedroom closet. This door install went a lot easier than the last 2. It was not a pre-hung door but it is also a lot easier to cut down the height of a slab door.

The inside required some drywall installation and patching, but at this point I am a pro at mudding. The hall and trim still need to be painted, but that is a job for when the windows can be left open.
And now we know: when you are cutting down the height of a door before installing it, it is just as easy (and cheaper) to buy one NOT pre-hung and assemble it yourself.

No More Bare Bulbs

The chandelier in the dining room was ugly. Brass with frosted glass shades, some ruffled edges and chain, not to my taste for sure. So I tried to improve it by removing the shades. My husband was not impressed; he questioned how bare bulbs could possibly be an improvement.And so we replaced it. On a day we were both sore from a Saturday spent installing hardwood for a friend. It only took an hour and it does make a big difference.

And now we know: if one spouse really hates something and the other wants to wait, best to just replace it, I mean the house is just going to suck all your money anyways, so why try to fight it?

Covering a Sofa

Since we are on a tight budget and I enjoy re-finishing projects, when someone offers me furniture I usually take them up on the offer. So when a friend was getting rid of their couch, I was willing to take it off their hands.

Another friend and I drove to Kemptville with my parents Subaru one Sunday to pick it up. It turned out to be slightly too large so my friend disassembled the top piece of the back and we managed to fit it into the car.

Upon returning home, my husband was not happy with me. He was horrified with the state the couch was in and stated that if I wanted to keep it I had to have it covered by next Saturday. (In telling this story to women married longer than me, they always ask; “and you listened?!?”)

So over the course of 6 days I re-upholstered the couch to a state of 95% completion. At the end of the week there was still some hand stitching to do, but he let me keep the couch.

It is good quality; oak frame and down cushions. Very comfortable as well.

And now we know: the husband does not have a lot of vision and does not always appreciate my thrifty ways of furnishing our home. He is usually happy in the end though.

A Final Wedding Present

A friend made us a beautiful stained glass window as a wedding present. She was in town for the weekend and installed it for us. It is stunningly beautiful.