Spring is Here??????

The weather had finally changed for the better! The snow was gone off the deck-you'll notice it was still on the ground across the river. Eva & I went out to fill the bird feeders & enjoy the nice weather. I bought her a "Puppy Back-Pack" that comes with a harness & a long "Tail" that Aunt Martha holds onto! When we went to visit our great nephew in North Carolina over a year ago, Michele & Kem had one for Zane.
I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread!
When you're trying to an corral an 18 month old who's moving at lightning speed & the river is swollen & flowing from the spring thaw, it's wonderful!
Eva loves her "Puppy" & she's dancing with delight that the weather is nice.......but not for long! Hard to believe a Nor'Easter came thru & dumped enough snow that they closed schools the day Easter break was supposed to end! Enough snow to build a snowman-Eva's brothers did this one with a pickle nose (a little Polish in the family tree???)

Hot Seat! Hot Feet!

Master Bath updates continue-am I boring you yet??? Hey-I've never had a master bath-humor me!
OK-faucets are in...water from the hot side is hot & the cold side is cold (don't laugh...it's not always been that way in our homes), toilet is installed in the master bath & the water is......Hot!(Please note-I did write toilet) Yep, lines got switched...this lady is not complaining...as long as I remember to flush before I sit I have a toasty warm seat!
Once it warms up a bit & Tom gets into the garage, it's back to cold buns, but for now; what the heck??
So you heard about the vanity top & the toilet, now let me tell you all about the radiant heat floor in the master bath.....but of course, I need to give you some background...I'm a Seifritz-sorry-it can't be just a short story.
Our neighbor Bob (sounds like a reality show doesn't it?), has some pretty cool handy-dandy devices. (Ladies-guy thing) He has a small hand held unit that looks like a stud finder (down ladies, these studs are made of wood), but uses an infared laser, or maybe a heat seeking missile-what do I know; once targeted at a source it determines the core temperature. So after a discussion of cold spots & hot spots over the winter, Bob loaned it to Tom. Tom then proceeded to aim this thing at anything & everything...the wall, the door, the door casing in case there's a draft, the cat, my butt...you get the picture (boys & their toys), but when he aimed it at the floor in the master bath, which I was commenting on was quite warm (commenting- not complaining), he "zapped" it & we found it was 115 degrees!!! No wonder I'm dancing on the floor after a bath! Big difference between toasty toes & hot feet!!!

Easy come, easy go

Well the vanity counter top for the master bath has arrived!!! YIPPEE-Yeah, Right!
If you click on the pics & blow them up, you'll notice the back splash doesn't quite go against the wall all the way......but they'll just caulk it right??? NO!
Notice in the next pic there's no cutout for the existing tile??? Not acceptable, but being the helpful fella Tom is, he helped them carry it back out to the truck so it can go back to the shop.

Now our vanity is back, does it fit???
Is she happy??
It's in & it's beautiful & there's plenty of room for two...good thing!Now on to shopping for the ACCESSORIES....The Fun Stuff!

And the water damage continues....

There was a leak in the upstairs guest bath which ran down into the downstairs guest bath & bedroom. Just so you know, for all of you who are patiently waiting for at least ONE guest room to be done, we did not stage nor doctor these photos.
Needless to say both guest rooms are on a revamped time line. The two upper photos are of the water damage to the casing & oak door in the down stairs guest bed & bath rooms. The casing isn't as critical, since we'll be painting that, but staining the door after the water stains is questionable. The two lower photos are of the upstairs guest bath where Tom once again was cutting holes in the drywall (job security for Mandy) & pulling out wet insulation, the small yellow blob....that's a chunk of frozen insulation! The ice has been removed from the roof & now we just wait for it to dry out & start repairs......waiting is our game!

Damn Those Drywallers!!!!

Will we never be free from their cover-ups????? We're missing a thermostat. Well, we're not actually missing it, we still have it in the box, we're missing the wire to connect it to. Well, that's not actually true either, we have the wire in the wall, we just can't find the wire 'cause the drywallers covered it over. Now they did the same thing with the thermostat in the laundry room
( not to mention a few other items, outlets, water hookups, vent pipes) & the recovery project was right on target! This one is for the foyer & so far we're not doing so good! Tom thought it would back up to the same wall as the one in the guest room off the foyer (makes sense).We would therefore cut holes in the wall in the guest room since it hadn't been painted yet & the foyer had (well parts need repainting now), then be able to reach around the insulation & feel the wire. He figured out where the stud was & had a 50/50 chance it was on one side vs. the other. First guess-wrong......second guess-wrong.......cover the holes back up, new game plan.
"Oh,by the way Mandy......,another repair job"!
He talked to the guy who helped with the installation of the heating system...."I coulda sworn that's where the wire was" he says while he's scratching his head.
I of course, not being the quiet & shy type, have repeatedly voiced my opinion on where I think it is, based on my recollection of our discussions on placement of the thermostats in the beginning. We all know I had to make a bizillion decisions on placement of everything from light switches to outlets to to light fixtures , etc., etc., seems I might remember one of the thermostats! But we'll see... maybe another bet.....

Taking Bets...

When you click on these to blow them up, the first two are are the framer on the ladder chopping ice & snow to stop the leak in the master bedroom (note the neighbors trailer, um I mean storage unit). The next three are the most absolutely amazing mother hunks of ice I've ever seen on a roof! Picture #6 is the path I shoveled on the back deck so I could still feed the birds ( hey-a girl's gotta have her hobbies!). The last three are the framer chopping ice & shoveling snow from the front of the house. That monster mound in the last shot is about 5 feet high & right in front of our front door!
Tom & I are taking bets on when it'll be melted-he says May.
I say NO Way-not until June! It's not just snow, it's those mother hunks of ice in there too!
Send us your closest guess & the winner gets a free week at The Medaj Manor! Drinks are on us!
(That's assuming one of the guest rooms are actually done...)

It could be worse....

As I stood in my now cluttered attic & watched our framer chop ice off the roof, I looked over at the neighbor's house-thing aren't lookin too good over there. (This is NOT our old house)
Apparently, while they were in FL their pipes froze & burst, saturated the insulation & the ceiling came down. We're feeling bad for them.... or we were.....
get this....their Ins. Co. is putting them up in a hotel, boarding their cat & dog (the same one that bit Tom), sent in a company to haul out & trash the damaged ceilings, walls & furniture in a dumpster in the front yard, then pack their belongings & put them in a big grey storage unit (that looks like the back of a tractor trailer on wheels) in their front yard!
Surely now they would be interested in selling.....Our hopes were dashed....they're looking forward to re-doing the inside; compliments of their Ins. Co..
Yeah for us & their neighbors-they're not planning on doing anything with the outside.
I'm thinkin those Mandy skills are gonna come in handy this spring when we'll be painting a mural on the side of their garage. Lots of trees, maybe an old pump around the hose that sticks out of the wall that ejects their laundry grey water onto the ground. Maybe when she puts too much laundry soap in the faux pump can pour into a faux painting of rapids ????
Tina & Steve-any ideas for your side???

Cold Feet

Well, we finally moved into the master bedroom on the 24th of February, after living in the "Guest Room" for 18 months! YIPPEE!
I cleaned the floor, I washed the windows (inside only) & hung temporary curtains. The new bed linens & comforter set came out of storage and went on the bed. We're In!
Sunday morning, the 25th at about 5:30 am I wiggled my little toes in an attempt to snuggle in a little deeper and felt something wet....uh-oh....MJ (our cat) has been sick & just diagnosed with kidney disease, my first thought was he had jumped on the bed & wet the bed. Not that he had ever done that but-what the heck??? As I wiggled my little toes further, the wet area wasn't warm, it was ice cold! I woke up Tom-yelled we have a leak & turned the ceiling light on, only to see the water leaking from the light socket in the center of the beautiful tray ceiling!!!
"Shut the damn light off" the voice in my head was yelling (or was that Tom).
Well, I guess we're up early & Good Morning!
Tom shut off the power to the light, poked a couple of holes in the ceiling so the water could drain & we put a bowl with some towels under the light. We moved the bed, changed the sheets & went back to sleep-hey-what else are you gonna do at that hour???
Later that day Tom went outside to determine where the problem was, the next thing you know we're cutting holes in the attic wall to divert the water flow from going into our bedroom & pulling out wet insulation. My poor organized attic is no more....there are 4 dish pans (we just happen to have in stock-don't ask) stuffed in between the studs to catch the leaks. Hey-in case you need to know...dishpans fit between 16" on center studs perfectly!

Indoor Mural?

Seems I spoke too soon. Remember the reference in the last post about how we're warm & dry???
Well, we're still warm.......not so dry, at least not the foyer wall. Of course it had to be the 19 foot wall, not one of the shorter ones that would be easier to repair. Seems we had a little ice damming.
So, I'm thinking, the water damage rippled down the wall
( & if you look at it with a little imagination), it appears to be the silhouette of a tall slender female with a slinky evening dress on. Any reason why we can't have Mandy create a mural by painting a lovely woman with strappy sandals, looking out the window, maybe an arm draped over the window molding??
Sure seems to me it would be a hell of a lot easier than repairing the drywall & repainting the whole wall.

The Garage In A Box-SUNK!!!

Well, apparently this trusty garage in a box was no match for an Upstate winter & four feet of snow. Actually, come to think of it, neither am I.
As of now though at least everything inside is still dry & protected, as we are.
Wonder if we'll get the lawn furniture out by spring??? Come to think of it, wonder if we'll have a lawn??

Drop 'em, Wash 'em, Hang 'em.

After practically standing on her head to make sure the door jamb is "just right", the doors are on & the some of the shelves have been installed in the walk-in closet.
One door is off the bedroom & the other right off the laundry room.

Laying the floor in the Master Bedroom

Tom & Mandy began laying the floor as soon as we came back from vacation. Then moved into
the walk-in closet. We're getting there! We may actually move out of the guest room soon.
As of March 1st it will be a year & a half!
But who's counting????

The Smiling Yam

Among her many other talents, Mandy mats & frames pictures. The picture to the left is of Tom's family in 1957. She had taken a small picture we had & enlarged it, painted the mat & framed it for Tom's Christmas present. Awesome!
Guess which one is Tom?
While we continued to bask in the sun in Florida, she painted mats to color coordinate with the decor, then framed them.
Here's a few of the ones she got done. The smiling yam is hanging in our office, she doesn't think it's an office picture, but she humors me. I love it 'cause every time I look at it I laugh. How could you not?
Actually, besides the yam, 3 of the other pictures in the collage are in the office. It's one of the few rooms actually (well almost) done.

Details, Details , Details.....

Next project while we were gone, was some tiling finish work. Mandy absolutely hates tiling alone if it involves using the tile saw. It's so much better (& cleaner) if Tom does the cutting. So luckily the cutting was minimal, just little tiles 2"x2" -how much mess could they make???
(Quite a bit if you cut your finger off on the tile saw-just kidding Mom-she still has all ten digits in place ) So, tiling is done & it's time to paint the electrical cover plates to match the tiles & grout line (looks pretty damn good). You too can have this kind of detail , if you have a Mandy.
WE have a Mandy; Na-Na-Na-Na.
She does of course hire out, (over my dead body until our house is done) & will travel out-of-state for a job. Husband, 3 children & brother-in-law may be potential assistants depending on the time of the year ( and if hormones are working right, she'll be solo).

Is it red or purple?

While we were on vacation Mandy faux finished the wall in the foyer. The deep red you see behind the fountain is the base color (please note: she even painted the power cord on the left of the fountain) the niche is not faux finished. The two top pictures are closest to the real colors, the bottom two aren't even close, different days, different lighting.....by the way when you click on the collage to enlarge, don't mind the X-mas garland still up(well partially) in the kitchen, we just got home from FL., we decided since it looked like an M for Medaj Manor, why not just leave it up???The colored lights look sooo pretty.

Mandy then proceeded to pull the colors in the slate tile to use in the faux finish.
Took her 8 layers before she was happy. Good thing we liked it ....can you imagine us coming home saying "Umm..not quite our style...we really want to change it."
I'm thinking...artist, creative, detail oriented...she could definitely make it look like a murder-suicide when she was done!(actually we loved it)
Mandy & Tom created a niche in the foyer wall going up the stairs, so we could put my fountain in the wall going up the stairs. Very clever of them! I wanted the fountain, Tom didn't want to smash his shoulder each time he went up, soooo....."COMPROMISE".

Master bedroom's painted

Master bedroom's painted

So while we were away, the mice did not play...they worked diligently. Mandy had the house to herself & our cat MJ. MJ does not like it when we leave him, in fact he cries the entire time.
It's an extremely irritating, annoying & continous cry that frequently reminds you why some animals eat their young.
So the peace & quiet that Mandy envisioned she would enjoy (from us, her 3 children,her husband, dog & 2 cats) while creating her faux finishes was actually an environment that would create "free hand" painted chair rails that weren't quite straight.
(Mandy-really only kidding-it's different & growing on us)
Mandy's first focus was the Master bedroom and damn she did an awesome job! The bottom half is all the same color paint, she taped off random stripes & used different paint finishes to create the effect.
My mom stopped over while the blue painters tape was on the wall for the lines & told Mandy how much she liked the blue stripes! Poor Mandy-didn't quite know how to take her....
For those of you that don't know my Mom-(I got nothing from her)-She has a dry sense of humor, can say it with a dead pan face & because of her age (78) you wonder if she's losing it. She's not, she has the most optimistic outlook on life & we joke that she looks at life thru "Rose colored glasses".
I on the other hand am starting to share my 1$ store reading glasses with Mandy. Hmmm-another reason for not straight lines???
Just kidding.....we love you.....
Whether we still love MJ on the other hand is questionable......
He has decided to punish us by continuing his annoying cry all day & frequently at odd hours of the night.
Tom, of course, does not hear him.....but what a symphony I'm treated to at night between MJ's cries & Tom's snoring. Welcome Home!

Side Trip!!!!

We stopped at The Boyds Bear Country Barn on our trip, what an amazing structure! It looks like it was built by the Amish, post & beam style construction. It housed three floors of Bears and a basement with two restaurants and a fudge shop. Hey-when you're shopping you need sustenance. So we took a couple of hours (OK-maybe 4 or 5) to look at everything.
WHAT??? I hear you asking what could poor Tom possibly do for all that time?
Well he actually kept himself busy, in addition to inspecting the building itself, there was an entire area devoted to the history of Boyds Bears & their inception.
There were very clever sets displaying the bears in the environments they had been created for. For example: there are bears created to portray the soldiers and families of the Civil war and the Battle of Gettysburg. An entire area on one floor was devoted to this theme.
Bears are stuffed or resin figurines, I collect the resin figurines. I have some very special stuffed bears, which were give to me as gifts. Those mean much more since a friend chose it for me for a specific reason.
The resin figurines are more whimsical and chosen for events in our lives.
So I'm sharing a couple of the newest additions to our collection.

The first one is "Sophia Grin & Bare It". We bought this one to remind us of our trip to FL and the outdoor showers at "The Cove".
The caption says "We're all the same inside". How true.
Damn-isn't she cute? She'll have a place of honor in our Master Bath.



The next one is for all our friends & family who have had to listen to me B*#@% about the weight I've gained....including the fact that I had nothing to wear to FL!
Her name is "Natalie Nuttinfits"
and the "Top Five Reasons...." is what's on the back side of the figurine.

She will, of course, have a place of honor in our walk in closet!

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Martha's new pool by the river???

1. 

Nope-just a couple of shots of this really cool backyard pool & hot tub we saw while we were in FL. They laid out the concrete then stoned it, so it looks just like a sandy beach that you're walking down to get into the water. (You definitely want to click on this one to enlarge the pics.) We had looked at a few model homes with our friends for decorating ideas, needless to say this was my favorite. I'm thinking Tom didn't quite have this in mind when we went looking. Maybe paint colors, different types of trim,lighting,etc., etc., but not quite a pool/pond for the front yard. Pretty damn cool though.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Crown for the Queen

What the heck happened between the week before Christmas & the 3 weeks after???
Not alot, the framer didn't show (suprise, suprise) even though the weather was in the 40's & 50's. We took a couple of days off before & after Christmas, then Tom and Mandy got back to work; measuring for the crown molding to be installed around the perimeter of the tray ceiling in the master bedroom. The inside of the tray is painted a deep rich "Merlot" (go figure). Once the crown is mounted, recessed rope lighting will be installed behind it.
By New Year's we were exhausted & brain dead & cancelled our plans to play.
A little more work-misc- was accomplished and by the 7th of Jan
we were driving south to FL for a much needed vacation.

Friday, December 22, 2006

The Laundry Room

Is no longer bare! It's been decorated with my bear collection. I've collected bears since I was 11 y.o. & my parents bought the "expensive" paper towels so I could save the Viva seals & send away for my Viva teddy bear! (They went back to the store brand towels after that.) My love affair with teddy bears had begun.You'll find them surreptitiously placed thru out the house as each room nears completion (notice I did not say "when completed", unsure if it ever really will be). But there has to be a primary bear room & the laundry room just seemed to lend itself to it. So I unpacked my favorites from the attic& they all have a new home. Hey-if you have to do laundry it might as well be in an enjoyable atmosphere.
A few years ago Tom felt like he was being overrun by bears so we came up with a compromise. I wouldn't buy anymore bears, but if they were gifts -well no problem!
For example: For Eva's 1st Birthday, her Grama made her the most beautiful bear for her room. Of course being the dutiful aunt, I oohhed & aahhed over it.
(OK-I drooled & whined & begged.) In the beginning of Dec, a pkg arrives & isn't there the two most adorable bears looking for a home! Not one mind you but two! Talk about a spoiled Auntie! The "Grama Colleen" originals have a special place in the laundry room! Thanks Grama!

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Master Bath

The stairs to the Jacuzzi tub & the trim around the shower are done. The vanity unit has been installed & the door hung. The tile trim work around the casing can now be installed & we'll order the counter top for the vanity. The molding around the bay window & the crown molding in the tub area are next. We're getting closer!!!!
We learned our lesson & sent Mandy under the Jacuzzi tub before it was closed in to take pictures of the location of the valves, pipes & motor. Thank goodness it was before Christmas cookies & she still fit under there!

The Finished Foyer

Beautiful!
Need We Say More?????

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Master bedroom's painted

So while we were away, the mice did not play...they worked diligently. Mandy had the house to herself & our cat MJ. MJ does not like it when we leave him, in fact he cries the entire time.
It's an extremely irritating, annoying & continous cry that frequently reminds you why some animals eat their young.
So the peace & quiet that Mandy envisioned she would enjoy (from us, her 3 children,her husband, dog & 2 cats) while creating her faux finishes was actually an environment that would create "free hand" painted chair rails that weren't quite straight.
(Mandy-really only kidding-it's different & growing on us)
Mandy's first focus was the Master bedroom and damn she did an awesome job! The bottom half is all the same color paint, she taped off random stripes & used different paint finishes to create the effect.
My mom stopped over while the blue painters tape was on the wall for the lines & told Mandy how much she liked the blue stripes! Poor Mandy-didn't quite know how to take her....
For those of you that don't know my Mom-(I got nothing from her)-She has a dry sense of humor, can say it with a dead pan face & because of her age (78) you wonder if she's losing it. She's not, she has the most optimistic outlook on life & we joke that she looks at life thru "Rose colored glasses".
I on the other hand am starting to share my 1$ store reading glasses with Mandy. Hmmm-another reason for not straight lines???
Just kidding.....we love you.....
Whether we still love MJ on the other hand is questionable......
He has decided to punish us by continuing his annoying cry all day & frequently at odd hours of the night.
Tom, of course, does not hear him.....but what a symphony I'm treated to at night between MJ's cries & Tom's snoring. Welcome Home!

Side Trip!!!!

We stopped at The Boyds Bear Country Barn on our trip, what an amazing structure! It looks like it was built by the Amish, post & beam style construction. It housed three floors of Bears and a basement with two restaurants and a fudge shop. Hey-when you're shopping you need sustenance. So we took a couple of hours (OK-maybe 4 or 5) to look at everything.
WHAT??? I hear you asking what could poor Tom possibly do for all that time?
Well he actually kept himself busy, in addition to inspecting the building itself, there was an entire area devoted to the history of Boyds Bears & their inception.
There were very clever sets displaying the bears in the environments they had been created for. For example: there are bears created to portray the soldiers and families of the Civil war and the Battle of Gettysburg. An entire area on one floor was devoted to this theme.
Bears are stuffed or resin figurines, I collect the resin figurines. I have some very special stuffed bears, which were give to me as gifts. Those mean much more since a friend chose it for me for a specific reason.
The resin figurines are more whimsical and chosen for events in our lives.
So I'm sharing a couple of the newest additions to our collection.

The first one is "Sophia Grin & Bare It". We bought this one to remind us of our trip to FL and the outdoor showers at "The Cove".
The caption says "We're all the same inside". How true.
Damn-isn't she cute? She'll have a place of honor in our Master Bath.

The next one is for all our friends & family who have had to listen to me B*#@% about the weight I've gained....including the fact that I had nothing to wear to FL!
Her name is "Natalie Nuttinfits"
and the "Top Five Reasons...." is what's on the back side of the figurine.

She will of course have a place of honor in our walk-in closet!

Martha's new pool by the river???

1. 
   

Nope-just a couple of shots of this really cool backyard pool & hot tub we saw while we were in FL. They laid out the concrete then stoned it, so it looks just like a sandy beach that you're walking down to get into the water. (You definitely want to click on this one to enlarge the pics.) We had looked at a few model homes with our friends for decorating ideas, needless to say this was my favorite. I'm thinking Tom didn't quite have this in mind when we went looking. Maybe paint colors, different types of trim,lighting,etc., etc., but not quite a pool/pond for the front yard. Pretty damn cool though.

Crown for the Queen

What the heck happened between the week before Christmas & the 3 weeks after???
Not alot, the framer didn't show (suprise, suprise) even though the weather was in the 40's & 50's. We took a couple of days off before & after Christmas, then Tom and Mandy got back to work; measuring for the crown molding to be installed around the perimeter of the tray ceiling in the master bedroom. The inside of the tray is painted a deep rich "Merlot" (go figure). Once the crown is mounted, recessed rope lighting will be installed behind it.
By New Year's we were exhausted & brain dead & cancelled our plans to play.
A little more work-misc- was accomplished and by the 7th of Jan we were driving south to FL for a much needed vacation.