Stain Regret

Good Morning!

In with a post to show that sometimes those DIY projects just don't turn out the way you hoped.  Sometimes Pinterest lies to you.  And sometimes you don't follow your first instinct because you think you should be more practical.  For instance, I really wanted to paint the stairs white, all white with a carpet runner.  But after many conversations with Mr. Windmill we decided to stain the treads and paint the rest white.

Like this:

Kara Herbert Interiors

After taping off all the parts that I didn't want to stain I got to work.  The funny thing is, I pretty much knew the minute I saw the first tread stained, I didn't like it.  But I tried to tell myself not to be so rash.  I finished the project and pretended that my newly stained treads would grow on me.  

But they didn't... 

By dinner time I was doubtful...

By bedtime I hated them...

I had STAIN REGRET!

This is now Plan B (minus the cute little doggy).

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credit for this image...Lovelee Pea

I am going to paint everything white!  Like I wanted to do in the first place.  And then I will be on the hunt for the perfect stair runner so I don't slip and fall and break my neck (or a hip at my age..) Today is my birthday...gulp...the big 44!

My To Do List For Today 

Return the polyurethane (no need for that now)

Purchase some more sandpaper 

Purchase a big ol' can of shellac based primer to cover up the ugly.  

Now for the ugly.  

The pictures seem to mask a lot of the hideousness. 

Stay strong all you DIY'ers!  We are on this ride together.  

(some of us longer than others...uh, like 3 years but whatev')

Love and Blessings!

~Brenda

Apples and Pears

STAIRS!

Hello everybody!  

I know, I totally fell off the face of the Internet.  I've been trying to nurture my inner peace and Kumbaya. I've been taking a break and sort of resetting.  The projects at the cottage, however, have been chugging right along!  

As each piece of the house started to come together, the stairs remained this dark reminder of what used to be.  

The stairs used to be behind a door in the hallway.

This is what greeted you once you dared to 

open that scary brown door.

And then Mr. Windmill started 

ripping it all apart in July 2016. 

 

Here you can see how we removed part of the wall on the very left.  We also removed a portion of the hallway wall and took out the doorway.  This allowed the staircase to have a much more open feeling. 

Here is a view from the dining room.  You can see more clearly how we removed the left wall at the bottom of the stairs.  The section to the very right of the stairs will be our new linen closet.  

Oooh, it's starting to look much better now! 

Fast forward to September 2016.  

The first phase of plastering started.

While I toiled away painting the newly plastered walls downstairs, Mr. Windmill was busy with the upstairs remodel (more on this in another post). This picture is just to reference what the stair railing looked like   before we replaced it and brought it up to code.

The stairs were usable as they were, but they were dinged-up and scratched, had many staple and nail holes that needed repairing, but the worst part.....  

THEY WERE SO SQUEAKY.  

Like wake the dead squeaky.  

So Mr. Windmill set to the task of tearing them apart and rebuilding.

Eeek, and here is what those stairs look like today!

In this picture, you can see the door to the 

new linen closet on the right.

A straight on view.  And no more squeaks. 

These babies are solid!

And a little sneak peek of the upstairs. 

Wow, that was a lot of pictures!  

Sanding, painting and staining is slated to start next week.  

Love and blessings!

~Brenda

Kitchen Mood Board

Feeling Moody?

Okay, time for some distraction everyone!  So instead of listening to the internet's gobbledygook about the election results, check this out.  

This is my fourth most recent idea for a fun, eclectic kitchen that incorporates most of the things I loved about the previous three kitchens that I thought I wanted. 

I chose a simple, white Shaker style kitchen cabinet.  I knew from day one that this was the style for me, clean lines and bright white.
The green rectangle in the middle is supposed to represent our island.  It will be a small island of only about four feet so it can stand a little color without being too crazy.  I have bounced back and forth between making the island white, navy, turquoise, green.... I just can't decide.  I am currently in a green mood.  So for now, that is what I am leaning toward.  

I was inspired by these images.

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The schoolhouse light above the sink, the pink runner rug, the faucet and the bar stools have all been delivered and sit waiting for their debut!  Hopefully soon I can take a trip to Ikea to snag that black pendant light.
Why a pink rug?  Because I am the only girl in this house of boys and there needs to be some pink SOMEWHERE.  There is no pink in the bathroom, none in the bedrooms and none in the living room so gosh darn it I will put it in the kitchen!  

Have a blessed day!

Love you,

Brenda

Kitchen Anticipation

I can feel it.  The anticipation of a complete and working kitchen that is both functional and beautiful.  I'm giddy with excitement. Our kitchen has been in the planning phase for years, literal years, like THREE years! 
I told Mr. Windmill how lucky we are that we've had to save and wait for a kitchen.  Because I've planned FOUR different kitchens since I began my love affair with Pinterest. 

First was the cottage kitchen complete with a 

farmhouse sink and butcher block counter tops.

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Then there was the industrial farmhouse style which I LOVE!

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And then I discovered my more modern/ contemporary side.

The one thing all of these kitchens have in common is white cabinets.  So that was a definite for me!  

I really love each of these!  So there will be elements of all three incorporated into our kitchen.  But I had to find something that fit not just MY style but my family's style too.  We need more color and eclectic fun.  

I'm working on a post to show you what I finally came up with and how it's all going to play out.  Not being a designer, I'm hoping it won't end up looking like a train wreck...........

The cabinets and counter tops are supposed to be coming this week!  Mr. Windmill will be installing them, so we will have to work to the Weekend Warrior Music and hope to have a kitchen by Thanksgiving (fingers crossed).  Of course there will be details like flooring and trim that will have to wait.  But oh my goodness I can't wait!

Love and Blessings,

~Brenda

Front Door Plus More Paint

So most of you know that I painted my front door.  No big deal, right?

I liked it, I really did.... but something was missing.  It just didn't feel right.  

So I did what any normal person would and waited three months and then decided to paint the sidelights too.

Ahh, much better.  I think it actually makes the front porch look a little bit bigger (no?  just me?  I know, I'm crazy...it's all the paint fumes.. I swear).

And here's a little closer view.  
Hey!  Those are the pumpkins I grew!  

 

I turned on the presidential debate last night. I decided that I needed something "to do" to calm my nerves as I watched.  So I made up this cute little Halloween wreath.  



Have a great day and God Bless!
~Brenda

2nd Floor Progress and Some Bathroom Befores

Hello!

The upstairs is plastered!  Mr. Windmill did the work all himself.  It wasn't easy to find the time to plaster.  Mainly because you can't just stop in the middle of a wall.  So he worked a little bit before soccer practice and a little after soccer practice.  He completed a small section between boy scout meetings and piano lessons.  Then there was work and sleep and family dinners.......BUT HE DID IT! What an amazing man!

Here is what it looks like now!

Now it's up to MRS. Windmill {that's me} to get it all painted!  

Oh speaking of paint, the bathroom upstairs has been painted.  I chose a very light gray color.  And Mr. installed the recessed medicine cabinet and two sconces last night!  Take a peek.

To get an idea of the whole bathroom space

here are some "before" pictiures.  

This is the doorway into the bathroom.

To the left is a shower stall and a little shelf 

with room underneath for a built in cabinet.

Here is a more straight-on look.

And to the right is where the vanity will go.  

And voila...now it looks like this!

If you want to get an idea of where I'm headed with the decor, check out my attic bathroom Pinterest board!  

Have a great day and God bless!
xoxo

Living Room Update

I just realized that I never showed you guys (youns, y'all, yous guys) our finished living room tongue and groove ceiling.  

A little before and after action....

I primed all the ceiling boards before Mr. Windmill installed them. And I was able to get the tongue and groove walls primed over the weekend!

And just for kicks, this is what it looked like when we moved in.

Is it safe to say we've made it to the top of the mountain?  We only have one room left to gut and that's the main floor bathroom.  Ooooh, speaking of.... 

Mr. Windmill installed a pocket door to the bathroom.  Check it!

 BEFORE:

See the bathroom at the end of the hall?  

AFTER:

It now looks like this!

Goodbye brown door!  

Hello white sliding pocket door of wonder!

In other news, we met with a plasterer today.  OMG!  This is happening!  We still have lots to do to prepare for the plasterer... Like tape joints, install the corner bead and move 95% of our crap stuff out of the way (you know like shoving it in the basement and the upstairs).  We also need to take up the carpet and lay down some rosin paper cause ain't nobody got time to be scrubbin' plaster off the floors.

We've been working on some DIY plastering upstairs too ... oops there goes that "we" pronoun again.  The 2nd bathroom is plastered and I primed it today.  I will put up a separate blog post later in the week.  

Have a great day everyone!
Love and peace!

Living Room Tongue and Groove

I've been busy around the cottage priming tongue and groove boards for the living room ceiling.  Mr. Windmill is just about ready to install them!  Only one thing.... we live in the crooked house. 

This is the ceiling in it's current state.

To me it just looks like an unfinished ceiling, but it's REALLY unlevel.  If we try to screw the boards to the existing oak floor joists, our ceiling would make everyone sea sick due to all the waves and dips. So, Mr. Windmill has been leveling and shimming out all the floor joists to make a consistent ceiling.  An inch here a quarter inch there, ugh it's all so time consuming and tedious (so says the woman who isn't doing the work).

Here's a little glimpse of the shim process.

I know what you're thinking....  What's the difference?  It's still ugly unfinished!  But you can see each little block of wood nailed to the joists.  Each one is as unique as you and me, a different size and a different shape.

Once that work is done, 

my primed boards can go up. 

Did you see the wall on the right?  That is tongue and groove too!  It still needs to be primed.  

That's my next job.

I really fell in love with the shiplap look thanks to the hit TV show Fixer Upper.  I heart Joanna Gaines!  Mr. Windmill liked the look too but we didn't really care for the gaps that occur with shiplap.  You see, true shiplap has about an 1/8 inch gap between each board.  I was imaging all sorts of spiders and stink bugs taking up room and board between those gaps. So we opted for tongue and groove instead.  

Step by step (or should I say board by board) we are getting closer to a finished house!  {squeal}

Bless you all!
xoxo

A "Hole" in the Wall

Check it out! 

The before....

The after....

That's a pretty big hole!  Like we took out the "whole" wall!  And I couldn't be happier!  What a difference!  

You can see a peak of the tongue and groove ceiling. Those are the boards I've been painting!

We are planning an L shaped kitchen across the back and to the right.  The sink will eventually be under that far window.  For now it still sits in the middle of the room.  We still need to finish the plumbing for the sink and dishwasher.  The two posts you see will stay there.  They are holding up the 2nd floor!  There will be a small 4-foot island right in front of the posts. You can see a single light bulb in the ceiling over the dishwasher.  That will eventually be a pendant light over the island.  

And what a difference drywall makes! 

A couple more pics before I close.

 There will be a computer desk and wall cabinets to the left where you see the blue chair.

 And a view from inside the kitchen.  {love}

All for now!  
Love to you all!
xoxo 
  

Some "before" pics of the Kitchen

Demolition of the kitchen has begun!  In honor of this special occasion I thought I would share some pictures of what the kitchen used to look like.

This is the entrance to the kitchen from the dining room.

Walking straight in you come to the sink.  If you look through the brown windows you can see the new white window in the addition.  The kitchen will be extended out just like we did in the boys room.  

To the right of the sink.  

To the left of the sink.  That was the door that led to the basement.  But since Mr. Windmill reworked the basement stairs, it now leads to the addition.  This door and the whole wall with the brown windows will be removed. 

The fridge sits behind the sink. This is the opposite side of the dining room wall that will be removed.  Our plans for the nook to the right of the fridge will include a built-in desk and some storage.

 

After a day of wrecking the joint....

This is where the sink used to be.

This is where the fridge stood.

This is the view from the brown door that used to lead to the basement.