Thursday, August 30, 2018

Postcards from the Lake: Home Rehab

No one died. This is always a plus when doing home rehab. Especially a nasty project. But it wasn't pretty.


It was a necessary project. Reglazing the windows. Painting the trim and of course the window frames. Basically, anything NOT the structure of the house. But starting it right before Labor Day when we knew we would be closing the house early due to our trip? Not the brightest idea!

Nonetheless, Rick came a few days before the rest of it and gave it a good start. He pretty much had the garage done, apart from the trim painting. I came up a few days later with our friend Mark and he and Rick spent two hard days sanding, scraping, and glazing the numerous panes of the 15 windows of the house.


Jan joined us on the next evening and our Saturday job was painting and priming. They left Saturday night. We didn't have much time for fun but we did enjoy some good dinners...


...and a little wine! (Which, I might add, was most welcome!)


On Sunday Rick and I were back at it. More painting. Lots of painting. And then removing the film of glaze from the windows.

Let's just say that inside and out our windows have never been cleaner. You know that ad where the birds fly into the window? Lizzie and I have been expecting them and she is waiting eagerly.

Lizzie, meanwhile, has had the worst few days and nights of her furry little life. It started with the car ride (she doesn't like those!), then loud house noises as the guys worked on the windows (including the dreaded sanding machine!) and more than our share of serious thunderstorms.


Rick headed home on Monday morning and I have been working on the slew of windows and trim to finish before he returns after his four-day, 400-mile bike ride. If the weather holds, no problem. It has rained -- stormed -- every day.


Paint isn't drying. Seriously annoying!


But I took a huge carload to charity this week. Mugs from home replaced mugs here. Lots of glasses, a coffee maker, outdoor cushions, VHS tapes, dishes and more are going out the door. This is what we do when it rains.

And, in the process, found the rest of my grandmother's china pattern so now I have a more complete set. 


I took a jaunt into town after two of the worst storms and viewed the damage. (They were without power; I was luckier.)


More rain is predicted. My battery lights, candles and oil lamps are at the ready!


Meanwhile, Lizzie is keeping me company, along with Netflix and the Miss Fisher Mysteries, Midsomer Murders and who knows what. I'm supposed to be gentle with my foot (I wasn't all weekend and paid for it) and started the topical chemo on my lip Sunday. It will get ugly and I'm glad I'm alone!

It's probably a good thing no one is around! But this, too, will pass.


Looking at life through rose-transferred china!

Linking to:   Share Your Cup       /    Pink Saturday     /   Let's Keep in Touch   

48 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

You have had a very busy time - it's hard while the work is in process, but it will be great when it's done. Poor Lizzie! Love the beautiful china you found, so pretty! Hope you are soon finished. Hugs, Valerie

Terra said...

I love your china and nice you found more of the pieces while doing your house rehab. I don't know what window glazing is! In the past almost two years I have done 20 house projects in my home but no window glazing. Be well friend.

Barbara @ Fair Meadow Place said...

What a time you have had, Jeanie. Is Labour Day weekend your last weekend at the cottage? This is quite the project at the end of summer. We have also had storms, but not as severe around here. You are purging. That is good. So glad you found grandma's dishes, though. What a treasure they are. They are very pretty.

Misadventures of Widowhood said...

The china pattern is wonderful! I don't think I've ever seen it before and I've been a flea market and antique mall junkie for 50 years.

That's a big project you doing, but one of love too. Cottages are SO special.

bj said...

It makes you feel so good when projects are finished and now you have sparkling clean windows...
The dishes are beautiful...glad you found the rest.

Stacey said...

Jeanie, you should write a book about your lakehouse! It sounds so quaint and interesting. :)

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

I guess the house rehab is not fun but necessary. The storm looked bad, It is sad to see the big trees come down. The dishes are lovely, great find. I hope Lizzie is feeling better! Enjoy the day and the weekend ahead.

Joyful said...

Oh my Jeanie. You have certainly had your hands full and on top of the that the weather won't cooperate. I sure hope you are able to get those windows back in. Poor Lizzie. She really has had a frightful time and I'm sure she is happy for the brief respite from the noise during the rain. I do hope a few days of watching tv and less intense work will help your foot. Postive thoughts and prayers for your lip. Last but not least, I love your grandma's china. It's beautiful!

William Kendall said...

Poor Lizzie!

That is a lot of work!

I hope the chemo goes well.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

That china is so pretty! I'm glad you found more pieces. So much work but I know maintenance has to be done. Poor Lizzie...Annie freaks out when anyone just enters our house much less noise. I hope all goes well with the lip treatment. Keeping you in my thoughts.

Susie said...

Jeanie, Now that is a big project. I hoe it all goes well and no breakage. So fun to have friends come help. Love those dishes. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
p.s. poor kitty.Our cat hated noise too.

French Ethereal said...

Whew! That's A LOT to get done in just a short time ~ I know you must be super happy the windows are done and your cottage is ready for winter. Love your kitty!!! It's really nice when friends come to help. The best! :) Looking forward to seeing all of your found china in a post or two.

Enjoy the rest of your vacation,
Hugs,
Barb :)

My name is Erika. said...

I saw that there were storms in your area on the news. Luckily you escaped damage, and even better you did some clean out and you got your windows fixed. Looks like it was time well spent. Hope the lip treatment isn't too nasty and you can enjoy some nice weather too. Hugs-Erika

Iris Flavia said...

You sure scared me with that first sentence(s), Jeanie!
15 windows, by golly!! But BBQ and wine make up for it, right :-)
Lizzie looks so cute despite the stress! Well, a little accusing maybe, though!
VHS? LOL.
You got some bad weather there - we aren´t there yet. But having some alternatives like torch etc might be a good idea.
Well. Is it really good to be alone in this? Roses are good, though, big hugs from here!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Scraping, painting, and glazing are not pretty, but necessary to keep a house in good working order. I hope you know how worth it it was. Been there, done that, too. One thing I worried about was Rick wearing sandals while doing repairs. I hope he didn't drop anything on his foot in the process. I'm always so safety conscious, at least that's what I've been told.

I hope your chemo goes well and Lizzie recovers from her fright. I DO love those dishes. Beautiful!

Sami said...

Hope your treatment goes well Jeanie.
Poor Lizzie, I can just imagine her distress at the storms. My 3 cats hide every time we have friends over or if anyone rings the bell.
What a beautiful dinner set, so happy you found your grandmother's treasures.

DUTA said...

I like DIY jobs and appreciate those who get involved in them. It's about saving a lot of money, and getting satisfaction out of carrying out and successfully finishing a project.
Now, I would say this to you: in view of the upcoming anomalous climate (yes, it's going to get worse) it's not advisable to live near a body of water (lake, river or sea).
GooD Luck with the lip treatment!

Pamela said...

Poor kitty! She looks so sweet. You have done a lot of work in s short time.

Tracy said...

Home Rehab...that's a good way to put such things! And such a lot you've had going on too! Poor, sweet, Miss Lizzie... Home improvements--all the noise, fuss, etc.--not a for kitties, no... :7 Hope you'll be able to get things done... and that the weather will be more hospitable! LOVE, love, love your Grandmother's china! That pattern is sooo beautiful! What is the pattern/producer?! Prayers and lots of good thoughts and vibes coming your way for your treatment, Jeanie!! :) ((BIG HUGS))

La Table De Nana said...

Good thoughts your way pour la chimio etc..take vare..such an admirable trooper!
Ugh..Large home reno projects ..but Yay once done..a facelift:)

La Table De Nana said...

Can't believe I left the CHINA out♥

Rita C at Panoply said...

Love the china, and a good way to view the dreaded chores of home ownership. A nice compensation for the hard work!

Pam Richardson said...

Jeanie, I so feel your pain. My house has been somewhat of a wreck all summer and we still aren’t finished. But I know just like you, it too shall pass. I am glad you have good company with Lizzie and I love,that china pattern!

Judy at GoldCountryCottage said...

Jeanie, isn't lake living supposed to be relaxing? Silly girl! You have done a lot and I know it is necessary to keep your "relaxed" life style going! I bet those windows are so pretty. Poor little Lizzie. Those dishes are just beautiful. And I like how you look through rose colored transferware..xxoJudy

Judy Biggerstaff said...

Wow, you guys are hard workers. I guess you just have to jump in to get those projects done. I don't live on a lake but love to boat on the lake near us. The dishes are just gorgeous.

shoreacres said...

I just hee-hawed over your comment about the paint not drying -- not because I wish frustrations on you, but because I understand so, so well.
That's one reason I like varnishing much more than painting. It's not quite so touchy. At least the noise has abated some, so that poor kitty can get some rest!

BeachGypsy said...

oh my goodness, that is ALOT OF WORK my friend!1 So glad you got it accomplished though and poor sweet Lizzie--she's had a rough few days with all the noise and such! Hope things return to calmness very quickly and she can relax and purr! Good luck with your treatment, sure hope it all goes well, and quickly, and w/out too much discomfort and that it is SUCCESSFUL! Someone above mentioned you should write a book, and i second that, write a cute little book called "cottage days" or something along those lines, and YOU ILLUSTRATE IT. It would be beautiful!

Curtains in My Tree said...


Charlotte That is pattern name for your Grandmother's dishes. I know because I have collected the purple in the same pattern and love it.
I need some window rehab also and the help like you had to get it done

FABBY'S LIVING said...


What a beautiful heirloom from your dear grandma. I love this pattern and the pink, it brought me running to your post !
Your lake house sounds like a fun place and it's gonna look great once you finish the work, I can see that in your pics.
Fabby

Louca por porcelana said...

Absolutely wonderful china!!!Blessings!

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

Its been hard work for you both but when finished the cottage will look so nice. Your grandmother's china is a beautiful pattern. Use it and enjoy.

Marilyn Miller said...

Your grandmother's china is sooooo lovely. Serious envy! What a productive time with window and cleaning with a trip to a charity. Wow! I am impressed and it must feel really good.
Hope the lip gets better.
Poor Lizzie! My Joey would be doing the same, so I know how she feels.

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

You have been so busy! Not a fun job, but so good to have it done. Love your beautiful china! So fun to have those heirloom pieces. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann

Tamara said...

When you mentioned 'rehab' I thought what happened - we tend to refer to such chores as reno's (renovations) or Improvements... We've been doing such things for the past 8 weeks also. I can relate to the comment about Ricks 'planned bike trip' and the pending weather. My man always has something planned on the bike and I always pray that either I can go with him, or the weather plays a part in the plan to keep him home..PS I love the china also.

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Victoria Zigler said...

Glad you got all that work done, even if poor Lizzie wasn't so pleased about it.

Marie Rayner said...

What a load of work but so worth it when its done! Poor Lizzie, I know how upset Mitzie gets when there is a lot of noise and change. She doesn't like it at all. Happy you got to spend some time with your friends, even if it was spent working. Looks like you enjoyed your meals anyways! The china is just beautiful. What a lovely legacy you have there! Happy Labour Day! xoxo

BB said...

Love Ricks painting pants. Mine look like that, too. :)

Poor Lizzie. I can only imagine her misery. But don't you hate it when you have a big project that requires decent weather and it keeps raining. I take it personally.

I love, love your china. Love the color, the pattern. Pretty, pretty.

Good luck with the lip.

Sandra Cox said...

Good luck with the chemo! Refresh me about your foot.
The dishes are beautiful.
Just looking at all the work done on the cottage and garage wore me out:)

Carola Bartz said...

You did an amazing amount of work! Wow, I'm very impressed. I hope that the rain will lessen a bit so that the paint can dry. It does look good, and it's so nice to look at work done. Enjoy your Netflix companion!

Angie said...

Wow! That was a big project. I would definitely been imbibing a bit (or more) of wine after tough physical work like that! So glad you found the china - what a blessing! And I hope your furbaby has been able to calm down a bit after all the fuss - I know our oldest cat just hates thunder … and the vacuum cleaner!

I need orange said...

Houses are such a lot of work!

I know you'll be glad next year when you can look at all you finished this year!

Red Rose Alley said...

Jeanie, that is a lot of work Rick did on the window project. It's going to look great when finished. Like you, I've been giving lots of stuff away too, and selling a few items to vintage shops as well. Your grandmother's china pattern is lovely. What a treasure that is to have one of her sets, even if not a complete one. Aahh, Lizzie is hiding under the covers during the thunderstorms. Oh, I couldn't believe that HUGE tree falling in someone's yard! Is that strange to be having the thunderstorms this time of year?

~Sheri

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

That sounds like so much work! I’m glad you had help from friends as that sounded like a big job. Bummer about having to treat your lip again :( I hope your foot is feeling better after resting more. That pesky injury needs to go away before your big trip!!

We did a goodwill gathering this past weekend too as we went through our office. It always feels good to get rid of stuff you don’t need or aren’t using!!

Sandra @ Dinner at Eight said...

Love that you were rewarded for your efforts with that lovely china! Things to do have a way of piling up. But doing them all at one go! Hope you're able to enjoy the changes for a bit.

Danielle L Zecher said...

"No one died." That has to be the best first line about a house project! I think that's about the best we can hope for most of the time. It's never pretty, is it? Some neighbors down the street moved out a few weeks ago, and I made the comment to Nick that I didn't think they were doing it right since no one was crying or cussing. :-)

I hope your foot and your lip are doing better!

Beverly said...

Whew! That is a huge job. I am glad you had a rotating team. It's one of those things that you dread doing, no fun to do, but feels so good when complete.

Love your dishes.♥♥♥

Good luck with your treatment. I have done my entire face on two different occasions. I would describe it as miserable.

Happy Pink Saturday. This post is being featured on my Pink Saturday post this week as "the one with the most clicks".

Katie Mansfield said...

What a job. It sounds terrible. I love your grandmother's china pattern. Gorgeous. Thanks for sharing at Keep In Touch.

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