Has It Really Been 26 Years!?

 We moved into this house on Memorial Day weekend 26 years ago.  It was a relatively short move from San Jose, CA to Sacramento, CA.  The drive is just about two hours in either direction.

lots and lots of memories in this old house

We remember it vividly as the weather wasn't cooperative at all!  You see, California isn't as sunny as you might think and there was a nasty winter storm Memorial Day weekend in 1990.  We were fortunate enough to have a borrowed moving truck.  However, the truck had an open bed so even though we covered it, our stuff was soaked by the time we arrived at the house.  YUCK!  Our mattress took the worst of it.  We did what we could and stood it on 2 x 4's for a few days in the garage while it dried out.

As we spruce up the house getting it ready for sale, I'm flooded with a lifetime of memories.  Most are good, some are sad and some are simply forgotten.

This is the only home our two children have known.  Alex was four and Jessica was two months old when we took the leap of home ownership.

As I write this I'm picturing the family room full of day care necessities.  I was a licensed day care provider for a few years while Jessica was a baby and toddler.  The family room which now houses my computer and a rarely used kitchen table was the main play room.  It had three high chairs, a playpen, shelves full of toys and plenty of floor space for crawling babies and curious toddlers.

The backyard was a great outdoor area for the daycare years as well.  We had tricycles, a battery operated car (Alex was the driver) and plenty of fun water toys for the hot summers.  Now the backyard is an oasis for an adult.  I love to sit out on the terrace reading my kindle and listening to the nearby bird song.

Ron and I remember long nights spent helping one of the kids with their big school projects.  We remember making Halloween costumes for the kids and then getting to walk the neighborhood with them.  We remember sleep over parties with a house full of girls.  We remember having two or three large dogs at the same time and how much fun it was when we played fetch on the front lawn.  We also remember the hardest part-having to say good bye to those same beloved pets.  We remember planting the small tree that now provides shade for the house and back yard.  We remember both kiddos driving away from the house for their first solo driving experience.  I could go on and on...     

I want to put in some photos but how can I choose just a few?!  With so many memories wrapped up in one place I can't pick a favorite.  So many are coming to my mind...

Instead I'll leave you with a few of our makeover in progress.  

laundry room is finished :-)

pulling up the yucky old carpet in the hallway

this was once the day care room...

There's nothing like memories!   

Painting Doors Made Easier

When you have a bunch of doors that need painting, you want to make it as quick and simple as possible, right?

Here's a way to paint two doors at once.  Three of the four sides are easily accessible using this method.

Tools needed:
     One tarp
     Two sturdy sawhorses
     Two lengths of 2" x 4" lumber
     Eight nuts which are all the same size
     Eight pieces of aluminum foil, optional
     

Step One:
     Place the two sawhorses wide enough apart so that the 2" x 4" lumber will cover the span.  If you're using a tarp to protect the floor, place the sawhorses on top of the tarp.

forgot the tarp, good thing I didn't drip :-)

Step Two:
     Position the two doors on the lumber wide enough apart so that you can paint the adjacent side surfaces without difficulty.

Step Three:
  Place one nut on top of a piece of foil.  Slide them together under the edge of the door.  Ron wanted to use the lumber on another project and didn't want paint on it.  You will have enough nuts to put four under each door.  

 wrapping the foil around the wood helps it stays in place better

be sure to leave some of the foil exposed

  
   

see the gap between the lumber and the door?

   

 
Step Four:
  Paint the doors.  Ron likes to roll on the paint and then add brush strokes right away.  It works great!

By using this method, I was able to paint the front and both sides of the closet doors with hardly any effort.  Painting the sides is easier this way because there isn't the possibility of having the door stick to the lumber.

Thanks Ron for teaching me this easy solution to paint doors with minimal effort!

I'm Still Here...

Yep, we're still plugging away at the house.

I've had a bit of withdrawals lately...  My desk is about 4 feet away from the wall so I could paint.  It's been this way for nearly a week.  I didn't want to use the computer because of how awkward it would be.

BUT, I couldn't take it anymore!!  Ron (we each have our own computers) told me Debbie of Down The Road posted a photo on FaceBook of Steve sitting by the campfire in a National Park.  I just HAD to see it!!  I currently have the keyboard (wireless, thankfully) on my lap, I'm sitting katywompus to the screen and typing this without looking at what I'm putting down.  Good thing there's spell check :-) 

I added a comment on Jodee's blog,  On The Road Abode, post of her three year blog-aversary while in this precarious position and thought, hmmm, an interesting memory to keep and share.

So here are photos for memory sake.

cramped is an understatement

I'm glad it won't last!

gotta keep the little guy safe

when will this return to normal?!?!

I would like to say that now that the painting is done in here, the desk will go back against the wall.  Nope.  We're ripping out the carpet and installing a wood laminate floor.  So more days of awkward computer usage are in my future.  Unless I choose to keep it off again...