Saturday, November 30, 2013

Quick Stencilled floor!!!

Hi Everyone !!!

As promised I have my first completed project :)

I showed you a photo of the linen closet already HERE but you haven't seen it finished - so here we go
The closet is at the end of the landing and fits into a nook inside one of the dormers.

( it'll probably never look as good as it does today - so I have to save these photos lol )


I've never had a walk in anything in my life - so a walk in linen closet is a dream come true for me

Want to see the other side?( the shelves are L shaped )
( the photo is wonky - the shelves are not )


Ok - this post is not supposed to be about me bragging about my linen closet - but to show you my stencilled floors INSIDE the linen closet

I painted them white - using Behr's Porch floor paint
And then took a dollar store stencil I had on hand - and a Silver Metallic Sharpie marker to outline the design and ended up with this




Now if I only had one more of these closets I could probably just about fit in all my linens - not counting the two trunks I have filled to the brim................

This is the only completed project in the house - and I'm loving it so much I'm thinking of putting my computer in here until the rest of the demo's and reno's are complete LMHO................I may even sleep in there


John says - Why do you have a Christmas decoration in the Linen Closet?
Suzan says - Sadly I think that may be the extent of Christmas decorations this year................
John says - I'm surprised you didn't put a little tree in there
Suzan says - Hmmmm - I wonder................


Note to self - NEVER - NEVER - NEVER buy a house that needs to be gutted - a month before Christmas NEVER !!!

I was kind of excited that this was done until it dawned on me that I have 8 other closets to paint -
2 bathrooms - a living room - a small den - a kitchen - a dining room - an entrance way - a foyer - a mud room and a partridge in a pear tree..................

Now excuse me - it's time for me to officially " come out of the closet "

As much as I hate to

On to something else -
Which would be the Master Bedroom - where my Son and Son in Law are currently choking to death in



All that black you see is black tar - what they used to lay linoleum down with back in the day  ( and which was underneath the two layers of carpeting and under padding ) - this stuff is a horrid sickening substance -
Poor Gordie - God love him - he looks like he's trying not to vomit lmho................he had just taken his mask off for a minute when I snapped this -


Gordie says - why are you taking my picture
John says - for her blog - get used to it
Gordie says - well I would have taken my shirt off for that
Mom says - I think they're far more interested in what you're doing than in your abs honey
Mom says - Do you think you could speed it up a little there boys - I want to get started painting
Gordie says - Be careful Mom - be very careful
Gordie says - Ok Mom - time for you to get out - don't let the door hit you ...............
Gordie says - You're really lucky I love you, you know that right

Yes - I do happen to know that - loving you too my golden boy...................

I got a new keyboard today - and it's a bilingual one ( because I'm in Quebec ) I forgot I have to order it from elsewhere in Canada or the U.S. to get an English one - ( you can't buy an English one here which is just ridiculous )  there's nothing wrong with it except it's different - and I'm having a really difficult time using it - you'll notice in the above conversation I'm missing question marks because I don't know how to get it to work LMHO.................

Much love,

Sharing with !!!
Uncommon Design                                  Under the Table & Dreaming
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/          Bloom Designs                My Romantic Home
Glitter Glue and Paint
The Shabby Nest

Thursday, November 28, 2013

A tale of two grandmothers................

I had 2 grandmothers that were polar opposites.

Nana Sweatman - ( Estelle )
Mother of 2
Who looked ( and acted ) very much like Elizabeth  - the Queen of England.
She was a very conservative lady - and very much a sign of her " times ".
She never went out the door without her makeup on - she always wore a full length white silk slip under
her dress. ( making me covet a full length white slip at the age of five )
She'd never have dreamt of going out without her nylons on -
She used monogrammed hankies - never kleenex - they always smelled of her perfume
Her shoes matched her purse.
Her Jet Black almost Blue hair was carefully set at the salon every week.
She wore deep red lipstick - every day of her life ( even while dying of cancer in a hospital bed )
She was fluent in both French and English.
Her mother was of French Canadian and North American Indian background - ( which was denied -
skeletons in the closet did NOT dance in those days ) her Father was a Scotsman - which was
proudly proclaimed
My Father was born " premature " - I think by about 4 months - a medical mystery indeed - but nothing
a little bit of " doctoring " couldn't easily take care of -
Move the marriage date up a little - move the " birth " date down a  little - and voila - a lady's virtue
stayed intact.
My  Father apparently celebrated a birthday that was never his to celebrate - I actually think his birth was by immaculate conception.
She made the best cabbage rolls on the planet.
She went crazy at Christmas - a virtual wonderland - with more presents then any child could ask for.
She treated my Grandfather horribly - I adored him - so it was hard to watch
Many many years after her passing I found out he had been physically abusive with her - ( she was soooo tiny it's hard to imagine ) but now I don't mind that she treated him horribly - the s.o.b.
Her home was kept spotless - and somewhat boring for a little girl - so I made friends with my image in the stainless steel bread box which sat on the counter - she constantly reprimanded me that there was no little " friend " in the bread box and would get quite upset -
And so I chattered away all the more to my " friend "
She took me shopping - frequently - for clothes - shoes - which I adored.
She took me to the hairdressers - frequently -  for horrible old lady haircuts - which I hated.
She wore a fur coat in the winter - with little ankle boots with fur trim.
I always thought they were very wealthy - because that's the persona they gave off.
They never were.
She wore a hat - with a hat pin - I sat on the edge of her bed watching in fascination as she stuck it
through - always terrified she would stab her head.
Everyone looked up to Estelle - she was the lady who could do anything - she was the one that kept the family together - she was the one that could knit and crochet and cook and bake and clean anything.
She was a tea - totaller
She called me Suzy-Q
She was my Father's mother.
I loved her.

Nanny Egan.
Mother of 8
Who looked ( and acted ) very much like Ma Kettle.
She was a " no holds barred " type of women - a rough and ready Irish Woman - who led quite the privileged life growing up - but who had bucked and defied the rules from the moment she was born.
She did NOT wear make up unless she was going to a wedding
When she actually bothered to wear stockings - she held them up to her knees by rolling and knotting them - she was beyond thrilled when " knee highs " were invented.
She wore those house dresses that were so common in the 60's - that zippered all the way up - from top to bottom - one bra strap was inevitably always hanging down one arm.
She wore ugly beat up white shoes in the summer and ugly beat up black shoes in the winter.
She had one purse and hated carrying it -  all I can ever remember seeing in it was a package of gum - and kleenex - I don't think she owned a wallet.
She rolled her long hair up in a coil and kept it there with bobby pins - wisps of hair were constantly falling around her mostly red flushed face.
She let the nail polish wear off her nails until there were just pin points of color left and one of her daughters would redo them for her.
Somehow this rough women raised the most feminine of daughters - LADIES - she would claim - with a hint of disdain and pride and admiration for her girls.
She had a story in her head - that began when she was 15 and continued till the day she died - the characters in her story grew and aged with her - it was fascinating - and I can clearly remember one of my Uncles telling her I was old enough to hear about these " characters ".  I considered it such a privilege the afternoon she spent revealing it to me.
Her kitchen was never empty - the screen door banged shut every 10 minutes - with neighbor's coming down and friends dropping by -
Her house was filled with laughter - ( and lots of fighting but mostly I remember the laughter )
There was always fresh laundry hanging on her clothes line -
There were always too many animals in the house - and too many kids -
They were dirt poor.
She was an extremely intelligent woman.
She also said things like - " worm sh*t " because as she explained to me " bull sh*t - was far too common     ( which to this day makes me want to double over laughing )
and her favorite expression in the winter was " it's colder than a witches t*t out there ............
She made my Mother visibly cringe.
Often.
My Mother would close the windows when Nanny Egan came to visit (Oh Mother - the neighbors - she would whisper ) ta hell with the neighbors Nanny Egan would bellow out as my Mother scurried to close the last one.
Her home was a constant mess - and the perfect house for a little girl to play hide and seek in because you could basically hide anywhere in the constant pile of clothes that adorned every room - and every surface.
My Mother would buy gifts and mark her name on them ( so that us kids would think she had bought us a special gift - something she really couldn't afford to do ) and she would always lean over and shout -
" let's see what I bought ya this year ya spoiled brat "
We giggled much of our childhood away around her -
She wore a scarf - tied under her chin if it was really cold.
Everyone loved Helen - and wanted to be around her - from the very young to the very old and all ages inbetween.
She was a tea totaller.
She called me Suzy-Q
She was my Mother's Mother.
I loved her.

They hated each other...............
Nana Sweatman thought Nanny Egan was " trashy "
Nanny Egan thought Nana Sweatman was a snob and a " fake "

Both were a little guilty of what the other thought.
Neither were the sum of their parts however - they were both - in their own ways - uniquely remarkable wonderful woman that shaped my early years...........
I can't imagine a childhood without their presence.

I am a product of both these ladies - without a doubt - the good and the bad -
A couple of weeks ago I opened the door to run out for my hair appointment and a cold blast hit me with a force.

And I smiled.
And then I giggled.
And then I laughed out loud..................
Because 2 thoughts simultaneously hit me.

Nana Sweatman - you'll be happy to know I have my hair done usually once a week
Nanny Egan - I swear to God - it was " colder than a witch's t*t.................today.............."

I miss you ladies - more than I ever thought I would and would give anything to be making you a cup of tea this afternoon.

( even if I had to close the windows Nanny Egan )

Lovingly,
Suzy-Q
XXX

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments and input - I think I'm going with the induction stove after reading a few comments :)
I really do believe that I have the best followers in blogland - most definitely !!!
And can't wait to get back to visiting - this has really been too long now...................

More Demo's :)
BEFORE


AFTER









Wednesday, November 27, 2013

A little bit of shopping and an update

Good morning everyone :)

My computer decided to die on me this week - the keyboard is a mess - it takes me twenty minutes to type a line - so this post took approximately 24 hours to type LOL

On top of everything else I have to shop for - I now have to go computer shopping - NOT on my favorite list :(

BUT I BOUGHT THE KITCHEN WINDOW YESTERDAY !!!

I originally intended for the counter top to be THE luxury item in the kitchen - seems like the window will be too - it was quite expensive but hey that's what peanut butter was invented for, right?  I'm foreseeing a lot of
PB sandwiches in the not too distant future but I'll get to eat them looking out of this beauty.
It'll come primed because believe it or not they were going to charge me 450.00 dollars to paint it black - that on top of the already exorbitant price they charged ( I only need 36" by 48" - not a very large window at all...................) so yours truly will be painting it black - the window itself is wood, easily done !!!
BUT it's a custom order and will only be ready mid January because of the Christmas holidays - I don't get that at all - Christmas is still 3 weeks away ( brief panic attack just hit me for a second ) so I'm going to have to live with a plywood boarded up window for quite a while.

We also selected the kitchen tile - I wanted to go with a white - John chose ( I have to let him choose something - even if it makes me crazy to do so ) he chose a deep smoky grey porcelain tile.............very
nice ( I'm not doing cartwheels over it or anything - but neither am I tempted to throw up my dinner )

I'm going through hell trying to figure out a stove ..................I'm closer than close to getting an " induction " but believe it or not I'm afraid of it - is this what happens when you hit your 50's I wonder?  These new
" contraptions " scare you to death lol?  I thought I was cool and up to date having a gas range in the last house lmho...........

Suzan says - I'm thinking maybe we could get an induction stove this time
John says - What's an introduction stove?
Suzan says - INDUCTION
John says - What the hell is an induction stove?
Suzan says - It cooks food through a magnetic force - the stove top stays completely cool - only the surface where the pot meets the burner gets hot...............and it cooks even more precise than a gas stove
Suzan says - You can only use steel cookware - because of the magnetic field - so they recommend you bring a magnet with you when buying pots to see if the cookware's ok
John says - Sounds bloody ridiculous to me - absolutely ridiculous -
Suzan says - Apparently gas is a thing of the past with chefs - they're all using induction now
John says - Are you telling me you're on par with a professional chef???
Suzan says - It boils water in 1 minute
John says - Let's live with the 3 minutes it takes on a regular stove ...................

That particular conversation is to be continued.

I forgot to mention on my last post - about the demolition of the kitchen - that it was my son - son-in-law and a friend of their's that did that for us - credit where credit is due..............

On Monday, friends of ours came by to see the place - ( a contractor by trade ) and we explained that we were going to get the boys to do most of the work for us ( saving a LOT of money ) but that we were a little panicked because they could only come on the weekends.

On Tuesday - we got a call from this particular friend

Friend says - I just had a job delayed for a week and a half - can you use some help?
Suzan says - I really can't pay the going rate - that's why I'm having the boys help us this time
Friend says - Don't worry about the going rate - I'll do it for much less to help you guys out - you're friends - you're family
Suzan almost cries...................I can't say what he's charging because he says he will never charge this to anyone else as long as he lives LMHO - but it's basically a gift.
That and the toaster oven they brought over - here's my kitchen in my living room



Oh I believe there are angels among us.
Sent down to us from somewhere up above.
They come to you and me in our darkest hours.
To show us how to live, to teach us how to give.
To guide us with the light of love.


It took a full gallon of paint to paint this cupboard/nook in the upstairs landing



I'm out of shape after living in a one storey the last 3 years - completely forgot what it's like going up and down stairs all day - I swear to God I woke up the second morning and panicked - I thought I had developed MS or something ( and I'm not joking - it was scary - had to walk down the stairs holding on to the wall ) couldn't for the life of me figure out what was wrong with my legs - Dr. John diagnosed it - and I guess he was right - they're perfectly fine today :)

Tomorrow I'm off to get supplies and possibly a new computer - I've almost thrown this one out the window 5 times writing this up.

NO MICE left in the house - for now.
I found John's boxers.
AND I think that about sums everything up - now you know everything whether you wanted to or not lol

One last song?

♪ doo doo doo looking out my back door ♪ ♪


Winter has arrived - another Angel must have been looking out for me on Friday - the snow waited until after moving day to wreck havoc on the city !!!

Have a great Thursday everyone -
Much love - hugs and kisses too - lots of them
To my American friends - if I don't have a computer by the weekend, you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
( wonder if I can get a small turkey in a toaster oven LMHO )

Sunday, November 24, 2013

The Ugly, the Bad and the Good

Good morning everyone :)

Welcome to the SUNSHINE blog - where you'll find nothing but happiness and sometimes just a little bit more than you bargained for :)

Well we're here - in the new place - in a state of shock ......................

Where do I begin?
Let's see now - oh maybe Soda falling into the pool would be a good place.
Into black water that was frozen over slightly...............
Or when she fell down the stairs?

Or.................ok - queasy stomach readers leave my blog immediately.
AND I DO MEAN IMMEDIATELY - I WON'T TAKE OFFENCE -
AND THIS IS TRULY A WARNING FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.

When we put the original offer on this house - we were told they had seen a field mouse now
and then in the Fall of each year - they would catch it and that would be it.
I can't remember if I told you guys that our inspector discovered it was more than an occasional problem from the looks of it - and so we added a clause to our promise to purchase that the building would have to be professionally fumigated - AND PROFESSIONALLY CLEANED - before we could go ahead with the purchase.
We received a copy of the fumigation invoice and a promise that the clean up was scheduled.

So we moved on Friday - and by Saturday night the kitchen underwent a major transformation


 It's completely demolished as you can see


What you can't see - ( ok - this is the last warning - if you keep reading - and you throw up - I absolutely cannot take responsibility. ) is the approximately 2 tons of mouse droppings that came out of the pantry - and the dish cupboards - I'm talking it rained down - the utensil drawers - dead carcasses in traps underneath the built in cabinets where they were just left to rot ( with no way to remove them other then demolishing the kitchen ) skeletons - the works.
I will NOT be showing you photos of that mess, don't worry, lol, I'll just let you start off your week feeling sick to your stomach instead LMHO.

By the time you read this we will have already contacted our lawyer to see what our next step should be -

John says - I hope you're not going to discuss this on your blog
Suzan says - Yes, I am John
John says - THIS HAS TO STOP - YOU CAN'T KEEP PUTTING ALL OF OUR EMBARRASSING
SITUATIONS OUT THERE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE
Suzan says - I'm not really embarrassed to tell you the truth - I think the seller should be mortified though

AND THIS IS HOW I DON'T MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL.
Our lawyer is a lawyer who does a lot of work in our field ( the wonderful world of fabric ) and so he knows a lot of people we know ...............

Suzan says - I hope XXXXXX doesn't go around telling people we know, about this problem
John says - WHAT THE HELL DOES IT MATTER - YOU'RE TELLING EVERYONE ON YOUR BLOODY BLOG !!!!!!!!!!

Touche I suppose.
Except I feel like I'm telling the people I feel comfortable enough about it -
Like I said - I don't make any sense sometimes.

Want to see some more photos?
Ok !!!
FIVE layers of floor have been removed - those boys worked their butts off let me tell you


John and James ( his son ) removed all the carpets from the bedrooms - and most of it from the stairs


 And John started removing the linoleum from the master bedroom floor


Here's the linoleum that was under the carpet in the office - I swear to you I remember this pattern from my childhood - I'm not sure if it was a common one - but it just looks so familiar - my girlfriend thinks she had it in her bedroom as a little girl
Ahhh - the good old 60's - in all it's glory


John says - Well I suppose we could live with it for a little while
Suzan says - If a little while is a week - then yes I suppose we could - but not a day longer than that
John says - We can't do everything in a week - are you insane?
Suzan says - NOT everything - but that linoleum is going - fast ...............
John says - We may have to end up getting new floors

But THAT is not going to happen - I know that with all certainty..........

We're kind of at a standstill now because we have to wait for the plumber to get here - and then the electrician...................
Next weekend the plywood should go down in the kitchen - and the drywall should go up -
I'm off tomorrow to order the window and the cabinets ( and possibly select the counter top which I'm pretty sure is going to be quartz )

And that folks, is the UGLY and the BAD - I'm afraid it's going to be awhile before you get to see the GOOD.....................:(

There's no place to go but up at this point - as far as houses go - because it absolutely cannot get any worse.

John screams - Where's the box with my boxers?
Suzan says - I have no idea -
John says - Well that's not good enough - I need them
Suzan says - Plenty of men don't wear anything under their pants - don't make it sound like an emergency.
John says - I'm not walking around without underwear on - and I don't give a damn who does -
Suzan says - So go buy some - just go buy yourself some boxers -
John says - I'M NOT BUYING NEW BOXERS - WHEN I HAVE A TON OF THEM BURIED SOMEWHERE IN THIS HOUSE................
Suzan says - You're willing to buy new floors for 4 bedrooms - rather than remove linoleum - but you can't buy yourself new boxers?????

There's female logic.......................and then there's..........................none whatsoever

You all have a wonderful ( hopefully sunshiny )  Monday ☼
Much love,

P.S.  This was not meant to be a depressing post LMHO - but I'm documenting this entire journey so you get to see every step of the way - warts and all ♥
It'll make the end result all that much sweeter .....................

UPDATE - KITCHEN TODAY


YOU CAN SEE MORE PHOTOS  HERE

AND THOSE STAIRS?  THEY LOOK LIKE THIS NOW


MORE PHOTOS HERE

Thursday, November 21, 2013

The Eagle has landed ( moving day )

We may lose and we may win
though we will never be here again 




So open up I'm climbing in
and take it easy....



I have to say this has been one of the most stressful selling and buying processes you could ever imagine.
From our current home not having the right documents ( certificates of location ) and scrambling around to have them corrected at a cost you would NOT believe ( through no fault of our own - because we had used the previous owners paperwork and our notary at the time did NOT notice any discrepancies when we purchased it )  and apparently being under insured and frantically trying in 24 hours to up the coverage to a million dollars ...................( for the building which is jointly owned by us and the lady that owns the upstairs )
( my next rant will be about insurance companies - as soon as I can calm down enough to rant about it properly ) despite all of it - today is the day - ready or not........................

Here we come


Trust me you would not have wanted to be around me this week......................if you thought I was a little nuts before - I've been bouncing-off-the-walls-ready-to-be-committed-borderline-manic lately :)

We went by the house last night - walked in - turned on the lights - looked at each other in a state of panic and said almost at the same time " what have we done ???? "  lol
Every room looks half the size now that it's empty - how is that even possible?
It's too late to change our minds at any rate - we're in for the long haul I suppose.

I want to thank all of you - each and everyone of you for following me on this journey so far - I've read every single one of your comments - with more gratitude than you can imagine............in between packing.
You guys were my breaks in the day.
I suppose I'll see you next week with my first makeover - or my first nervous breakdown - whichever comes first - in the meantime please keep me in your ♥'s - where I'll be safe and warm. Please?
Ok - it's official now - I'm going off line ( as in the computer is now getting packed ) and that fills me with more dread than I care to admit.

See you all Monday - bright and early - with a demolished kitchen, hopefully LOL

Much love,

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

I WANNA live there Wednesday # 63

Good morning everyone -

I was going through my files last night and came across this post - it's here in the neighborhood that I'm leaving tomorrow - thought I'd put it up since the work on this post has already been done :)

Victoria Home built in 1898
Rowhouse
719,000  ( a steal in this neighborhood for a 3 storey home !!! )
4 bedroom - 2 baths - 1 powder room
1805 sq. feet
Realtor: LYNE FRIGON



Gorgeous Fireplace - and those windows?  LOVE














These doors are just the prettiest thing..................









Have a wonderful Wednesday all -
Today we're off to the notary to officially purchase the new home..................
And tomorrow all pandemonium breaks loose LOL

Much love,