Busy Bodies

Well, I didn’t wait as long to blog as I did in my previous post but, I still have a lot to tell you!

There are changes, updates and creations happening every day here.  We stay busy from dawn until dusk and the list never seems to get shorter of tasks to do.  Honestly though, with all the chaos happening in this country right now, we are just so grateful to be busy and to be here.

First, let me explain the nightmare we had with the oven vent.  We purchased our cabinets from Lowes.  We had to plan out each cabinet, each drawer, what direction they opened, etc. to verify and ensure that everything would fit just right.  The kitchen, for me, was the most important room in the cabin.  As most of you know, I love to cook, to bake, and to get creative in the kitchen.  So, it was really fun and important that I was able to design it myself.  The lady at Lowes that helped me accomplish this did an amazing job.  However, the brand we purchased (Schuler) was not very impressive with their communication skills.  When we initially received the cabinets we noticed the vent hood was cracked.  So, they said they would replace it.  MONTHS later we get what we think is the hood but, upon opening the box, we saw that they had sent us the insides of the vent.  MONTHS later we finally received the actual hood.  This was before COVID-19, too.  So, no excuse.  When Al went to install it we realized it would not fit well next to the beam above it.  If we did make it work it would have been too low leaving little space to comfortably use the stove top.  So, we got creative and just built one ourselves!  (Anybody want to buy a Schuler oven vent?)  It turned out better than I imagined.  The stains consists of a dark walnut and a red overlay.  Then, we wiped over the stains with water.  They turned out perfect.  There is enough dark red to match the cabinets and enough wood grain to go with the walls.  I felt that staining it the same color as the walls would have made the hood blend right in to the wall. I really wanted it to stand out.    And, now you know where all those little barn quilts will be living.  🙂

The only bedroom that has been completed is the Cow bedroom.  We are still sleeping on the bed that is to go in the Patriotic bedroom.  Our new bed is suppose to finally ship this coming week! So excited to get that baby set up.  See what you think……

The last two pictures of the milk can and the mirror I totally refurbished.  I wish, and I thought I had, taken a before of the milkcan.  It was completely covered in rust.  The mirror had about five different colors including blue and lime green.  It took a lot of effort.  

In between all this, we are still maintaining our garden.  Growing organically has really become a challenge.  We had to order a small tiller to get the rows cleared out and are literally having to clear around the plants by hand.  Al tilled the garden multiple times before we seeded anything.  We were told this would ensure no weeds.  But, to no avail, we have weeds and even some grass.  So, over the next few evenings you will find us in the garden.  We have a few small tomatoes already.  The corn is about a foot high.  So things are sprouting!

Next up is loft railing and stairs.  We’ve been using the contractor stairs on both levels.  I will be so glad to get that completed.  Then, there is the fireplace.  It’s installed but, we need to add the rock.  Oh, and my kitchen pantry still needs a door!  Lots more to come!

Thank for reading!  Stay safe y’all.