Act Three - Interior Projects

Woohoo!   I've finally finished uploading all the miscellaneous bits & scraps about the house into one location!  Anything I write from here on out will be current information.  Aren't you impressed?  I thought so.

Not a lot has really happened since my birthday, unfortunately.  We've had a lot of rain... rain and cold... and now it's Fall, and it's just gonna get colder.  Great. 

In order to really *finish* the kitchen, the following still needs to happen:

a) cut the remaining slate pieces for the backsplash pattern (which needs to happen outside, since it's a wet saw)
b) cut the remaining marble for the countertops on the stove side (I think a total of 2 pieces need to be cut - whoopdedo)
c) mortar the backsplash and marble pieces into place
d) grout the remaining counters and backsplash (2 different colors of grout, so this is actually 2 steps)
e) clean & seal the grout & stone surfaces
f) replace base moldings around the floor/cabinets
g) replace the transition pieces between the slate and carpet (floor)
h) prime and paint the wall by the pantry
i) design & build (several steps) the rolling cart/island
j) hang the magnetic knife holder & other decorations
k) complete the pass-through window (over sink/between kitchen & dining room)
l) replace drywall/mud/prime/paint the beam by the pantry/stairs
m) create & install doors on the pantry
n) attach the duct for air/heat under the pantry (under the house)

ummm... I think that's it.  Most of those are actually fairly small projects.  It's all just a matter of not only finding the time (and energy), but making a plan and sticking to it.

Other things that need to happen before it gets too cold:

1) replace the "missing" sections of insulation in the attic - don't worry about replacing the old nasty insulation at this time - just fill in the holes.
2) clear out enough space in the garage (aka haul away the junk) so Nick and I can park our cars inside for the winter.

Nick's been working on priming the stair wall (he already repaired the huge crack in the stairwell), so it should be ready to paint soon.  When I get to it, I need to repair cracks in the dining room walls, and then it, too, can be primed and finished painted.  Again - it won't take real long to do - it's just a matter of *doing* it.

Then I want to tackle the living room walls.  Once they're painted, I can put together the china cabinet, and move all the boxes out of the middle of the room so it functions like an actual living room instead of just a storage area. 

I also need to finish the shelves in my office so I can get the stuff out of boxes in there, too.  I still don't know how all of this stuff fit in my apartment (and was able to be used - not stored in boxes).  Maybe it's just that the boxes take up a lot of room.  I certainly hope so. 

I'd really like to get all the rooms painted by Christmas... but that's not very far away, and at the rate I'm going... it's not really likely. 

But if I can sit down and make a PLAN - it can be done!!!  Have faith, right?