Relisting: The Next Five

Over the summer I had a really good run of projects that just sort of came together in a puff of sawdust and magic. Sometimes it happens that way–you walk out to the shop in the morning and by noon you’ve sheets drying on a brand new clothesline, a fantastic new patio table, and not even one splinter stuck in your finger.

Okay. Maybe just one splinter.

And then there are times when you spend 15 hours wiring and rewiring a chandelier that culminates in sparks shooting from the ceiling,  the smell of burnt plastic, and a lot of swearing.

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Eh? Some days you are the hammer, some days you are the nail. And with my last list of five projects, the gods in charge of sawdust were definitely taking a swing at me which resulted in a list that looked something like this:

  1. Paint the parlor
  2. Sweet-ass laundry room doors (still sitting out in the shop, waiting for warmer weather and paint)
  3. Indoor workbench (almost got it done, except it turned out almost too tall to be useable)
  4. Rewire chandy (thought I got it done, then it tried to burn down my house)
  5. Patch, sand and stain parlor floor

Not my most inspiring progress ever. But, when you willingly live in the chaos that comes with fixing up an old house, sometimes you have have to be flexible with your lists and step back from things that aren’t working. Or are on fire.

For example, once I rearranged at took my desk out of the kitchen, I realized how important it was to get a good workspace set up in the house, so when I re-did my list (since it was vandalized over the weekend) here’s what I came up with:

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Most of my projects will be taking place in this room:

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Which needs a little love, a little paint, and a nice built-in desk, for starters. It also really needs me to rip those lacy curtains down. I’m not sure why they are still there, or how they survived the Great Lace Curtain Purge of 2012.

So that’s where I’ll be turning my tools and attention next, and, of course, I have a lot more floor sanding a wall-work in my future…

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Fixing the Lindsay Adleman inspired chandelier has been put on hold until the office/indoor workshop is done, particularly since I put a couple of schoolhouse lights in the World’s Largest Hallway that I actually like a bit better in there.

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I also added one “fun” project to the list. Okay, wait, they’re all fun, right? I love all my projects the same, even the ones that require me to paint trim until my eyeballs cross or spend another 18 hours with the floor sander. But in this case I’ve got an idea for something a little more artistic and inspiring than my usual messes. We’ll see how it turns out…

Aaaand, I plan to have all of this done by the end of the year.

Just kidding. Maybe.

6 Responses

  1. A great new list that encompasses a little of everything and with your skills doable in the time limit!

  2. How about reversing the flight of the birds on that painting? A kind of “returning to the nest” type thing instead of leaving it. An homage, if you will, to your forever home.

  3. You can do it Kit.

    I second the ugly-ass wallpaper point and feel your pain. Our master bathroom has a floral print. I want to throw up every time I see it.

    Your Pinterest boards are great, that’s why I followed all of them, haha.

  4. Looking forward to seeing the results of your new list. Although, you should have left your friend’s suggestion of a candy room. 😉

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