Homemaking Homesteader

Updates from the Homestead

It has been awhile since I blogged.  Lots of activity going on in my home lately and my computer time takes a back seat.  Tobin took a week off of work to get some more work done on our house.  We replaced windows and siding a couple of years ago on one side of the house and due to many unexpected obstacles as well as expected ones he just has not been able to get back to finish the inside.  Well he finally had a chance to start 2 or 3 weeks ago and began to insulate and put up the drywall.  It is so much more comfortable now.  He is not done with it all but is making progress.  He also insulated a good deal of his shop.  We burn a lot of wood keeping the shop warm while he works and keeping our house warm (without the insulation it has been a bigger job) that he felt like he really needed to get on this project so we could have a comfortable winter and maybe burn less wood, which means less work!  So the extra time off work has helped him make a lot more progress.   

My daughter Leanne decided she wanted to paint her room.  I guess she was inspired by Sierra’s room painting and wanted to do something different in her room.  So she and I started painting.  She chose the colors red and tan.  We started by painting two walls tan.  That went well. It took two coats of paint.  Then we started the red walls… boy, I guess since in the past I mostly painted white walls I had no idea how much was involved in painting red!  In hindsight I should have started with a dark brown primer.  But we just started painting over the white.  It took 4 coats of paint! That was 2 gallons of paint.  We just painted the last coat on Tuesday.  I am sure if I really wanted a primo job done I could do one more.. but no way..  I am done with red! LOL..  we still need to paint the window and door frames (thankfully those will both be tan!).  Well.. lesson learned, but I have to say I love the color combo!  We will soon be painting our living room and sunroom and I am going to paint them a tan color (think coffee with lots of cream!   LOL)..  I love how warm and comfortable it makes a room look.     

During this painting experience Leanne also had a week long house sitting job so the painting came to a near stop.  I have been battling bursitis in my elbow so I really needed her help to finish the job.  In the meantime I have been trying to get my house ready for Richard and Doneza when they arrive at the beginning of December.  We need to move Emily out of her room and into Leanne’s room and clean and prepare Em’s room for Doneza.  She and Richard will be staying with us until they get married and get their own place. So my other great hindsight was “why did I start this paint job now when I had so many other things going on?!” .. LOL..  But I know we will get it together here very soon.   

This last weekend my daughter Emily had a friend from Idaho here to visit us. That made for a busy weekend too.. but I have to say I really love young people in my home.  Lots of energy an excitement and that is enjoyable to be around.   

Lots of busyness made for little computer time for me! But I have managed to stay on top of the rest of the household chores and keep my kids focused on school work.  With everything going on and their excitement about Richard it has been a bit of a challenge.  We will take a break next week however and turn our attention to Thanksgiving.   

After that it is wedding planning.  Richard and Doneza want to get married asap once they get here.  She has 90 days on her VISA to get married and then there is lots more paperwork for them after that.  So the sooner we start the better.  That does not leave me much time to put this together.  Due to the lack of time for planning Richard asked her what were two of the most important things she wanted for the wedding.  Her answer was, “ Us (meaning her and Richard) and other people”..  aww.. how sweet is that!  I know we can do a bit more than that!  But I love her easy going way and simple sweetness.      

Today my plan is to stay home and get laundry done, school work done and do some cooking and baking.  The weather here has been windy and rainy like crazy.  So baking seems to just make the whole house seem warmer and homey..    Last week I made big batch of hot cocoa mix and that made my kids happy.  That is one thing they always look forward to this time of year.. mom’s hot cocoa mix!  Makes school time that much more enjoyable when you can have a warm cup of cocoa to sip on while you work.   

That is all for now, and blogging may be hit and miss as time allows…   Hope you all have a great Thursday on your homesteads! 

Untitled Comment

11:59, 2009-Nov-19 .. Posted by HopefulHeart77

I have been away as well. I enjoy my computer time but it is not top on the priority list. It has to take a back seat many days. May the Lord bless you!

Untitled Comment

05:41, 2009-Nov-19 .. Posted by Anonymous

We've been busy with the house remodeling too--it will be nice when it's all done:) I feel guilty when I am on the PC when DH is busy doing it, so backed off of it these last weeks.
TY so much for the hint about red paint. I LOVE that color!
Doneza's comment was very, very sweet--hope their wedding is a wonderful start to their life together!
Blessings, Aimee

Paint Primer

07:44, 2009-Nov-19 .. Posted by Anonymous

We learned that you can buy Primer in the same color (or similar enough) as the color you're painting the walls. It seemed to work really well when we were painting over dark, dark, green walls with a light tan color.

Just wanted you to know I really enjoy your blog!

God bless,
Janet

Untitled Comment

06:06, 2009-Nov-20 .. Posted by Anonymous

My son is a professional painter and we asked him to paint our dining room wall red when he was here for Christmas last year. He started with a coat of grey primer (KILZ) -- and only painted two coats of red over it for perfect results. He said that using grey primer is the only way to get a true color with red. Love your blog - look forward to hearing about the wedding.

Missed You

09:44, 2009-Nov-20 .. Posted by Anonymous

Thanks for posting. You have been a busy lady, but looks like you accomplished a lot.
Will be praying for you and yours as you plan the wedding for your son and his sweetie.
Peace.
Lynne in NC

Untitled Comment

05:48, 2009-Nov-27 .. Posted by heatherdmc

I think the weather has a lot to do with antsy decorating. The more I am inside, the more I see what I would like to do. I would love to see how the colors came out in your daughter's room. I noticed that coffee colors are big now. I have been watching to much HGTV redeocorating shows lately and have way to many ideas than I do energy!