The Basement Overhaul Chapter 6

This was a big day, progress wise. Electrical all got strung and hooked up in one long, frustrating (for the guys) day. When the previous owners "remodeled" the basement, they did some really funky electrical work. Some of it was so crazy that the guys decided to leave it alone and run all new wiring instead. They decided that was safer and less hassle, and we agreed.

With all the pine paneling off the stairwell we could now see that the plaster was in decent shape on one side, and obviously would need some drywall to patch that big old hole. (used to be a spot to hang coats, but it never worked well because the coats jutted out into the stairwell in a very unsafe way)

The existing original stairs were backless and creaky, so we had the guys add plywood risers (and ultimately new treads on top of the old ones.) This immediately made the stairs feel safer and more secure.

Lastly, the bathroom got the drywall hung on the walls and ceiling. It was now starting to feel like a real bathroom! :-)























 

 

The Basement Overhaul Chapter 5

The guys finished hanging the drywall around the great room in record time. We paid the extra couple of dollars to get the "greenboard" drywall just in case of any moisture issues. We've only ever had water problems because of "human error"; no flooding or seepage, but we figured better safe than sorry.

The bathroom was cleared out to drywall the next day, as well as the stairwell. I was so glad to see that knotty pine paneling go!

















 

 

113 Things in 1/13

Two years ago I got rid of 111 things in 1/11. It was surprisingly (shockingly?) easy to find that many things to get rid of, and was really an eye opener for me. I try to declutter and purge regularly, but we still accumulate so much stuff on an ongoing basis.

Then, last year, we added a little munchkin to the mix, along with all the baby paraphernalia. And although I've done my best to not accumulate every baby item on the market, there is still a certain amount of unavoidable baby gear, toys and clothing that has made its way into the house.

Last fall, after we finished the basement,  I started purging and cleaning every room again. Now that the basement stuff wasn't all stored in the attic, I cleaned and organized up there. And now that the basement was actually clean and accessible, I started organizing down there. As of the beginning of this year, I have four diaper boxes full of stuff to donate, along with several garbage bags full of stuff that needed to be tossed.

So I'm challenging myself to come up with 113 things this month that I can get rid of, in addition to those four boxes I already have set aside. I'm going through closets, cupboards and dressers, in my ongoing quest to get rid of the excess.

I'll update next week on my progress - but won't you consider joining me in this quest for less? Let me assure you, it's super fun and satisfying to pare down and rid your house of junk!

 

The Basement Overhaul Chapter 4

Monday morning (how fitting, since today is a Monday also!) the guys showed up bright and early and got to work with a vengeance. The framing was incredibly loud, but they were done with the entire basement by lunchtime. They also ran the wire for the electrical in the exterior walls, stapled plastic sheeting to all of the framing to form an extra moisture barrier, and then got started hanging the drywall. This is where they left off Monday night. And yes, it felt amazing to walk down the stairs and see the beginning of walls!











 

The Basement Overhaul Chapter 3

In the next few posts, I am going to show you the day by day progress that the contractor and his team made in the basement. They worked for about three weeks, and accomplished an amazing amount in that time. Once we had signed the contract and the materials were delivered from Lowe's, Pat sent one of his guys over to drylok the cinderblock walls on a Friday, so that everything would be good and dry by the time they started work the next Monday.

We had already dryloked the south wall when we had that window replaced, since the broken window had let a lot of water in and really damaged the cinderblock there. So Wayne only had to do the bathroom, and the north and west walls. He banged it out in a couple of hours, which is impressive considering Drylok is a beast to work with. There were so many parts of this remodel that I am glad we hired out - for our sanity and our schedules!











Next up - framing and plastic sheeting!

 

Christmas Decorations 2012

I love the way my Christmas decorations turned out this year. Simple, classy and fun, and still toddler friendly. I focused on the mantel, the tree, and a few other random splashes of decorations.



I had this idea for the mantel last year, but only got as far as buying the gold stars. That awesome antique-y mirror is from my friend jen - I've been trying it all around the house and I love it here for Christmas.



Our stockings are hanging with command hooks stuck to the top of the mantel. In previous years I've stuck them up with Scotch tape, but a certain someone enjoyed yanking them down. :)



I also bought a set of little LED lights and stuffed them amongst the non working fireplace logs. I thought the effect was really pretty. :-)



My goal for the tree was a pretty, sparkly tree that was still Javi friendly. Everything on there, with the exception of two ornaments, is plastic and unbreakable. I found these awesome reflective snowflakes at IKEA, took some pom pom yarn from Michaels, and wired together two Dollar Store stars for the tree topper. Easy peasy. And everything survived a toddler induced tipover, so it is definitely Javi friendly.







Oh, and there's my tree skirt that I finally finished just in time for Christmas last year. Only took me four years! :)



Let me just add that pictures of tiny tots with their faces all aglow from Christmas lights = best pictures ever. Gosh that boy is adorable. :)



Also at IKEA, I purchased this silver tree as  a centerpiece for my dining room table. I love the intricacy and the silver-y-ness.





Kohl's always has a great sale on Christmas stuff the week before Christmas, and that's where I picked up these little snowflake napkin rings.



Our holiday cards filled up the mostly blank wall in the dining room - we got tons of cards this year! And such pretty and creative ones.



Our Christmas dishes always make the kitchen feel festive, as does the little ornament swag I hung over the sink.





And there you have it. Simple and festive, just the way I like it!