Today we took our flock of 7 ewes and ewe lambs to meet their new boyfriends. We split them up over 3 different rams based on who would best compliment each one’s physical features. The stocky, big ewes went in with stylish, finer boned rams and vice versa. It made for a long day since the handsome bachelors live almost 2 hours away. We made a lot of stops on the way back too. We ordered a new back door for the house so that when the builder comes back to install the new front door he can do them both at once. That will be soooo nice. It is hard to juggle paying off our debt with cash flowing the farm and fixing up the house all at the same time. I’m glad we can still fit in some improvements here and there.We had a gift card for Cracker Barrel so we had dinner there – we even got my Mom and sister to come with us so that was nice. I’m tired, off to bed. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!
Continue readingCategory: Git 'Er Done 2009
Herbs and Our Front Porch
I picked up some herbs from two different places lately and finally planted them today. The planter boxes are something that my Dad was getting rid of. I think he made them from old deck lumber. I painted over the brown paint so they now match our porch. There were already drain holes drilled in the bottoms. I added some hay and then a mix of peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite. From left to right we have Peppermint, Thyme, and Lavender. If the plants do well I expect the Peppermint and Lavender to fill in the box. Here from left to right is Curly Parsley, Rosemary, Basil, and more Curly Parsley. We were just talking about how much we enjoy our porch so I thought I’d share a few more pictures. A passerby during early evening might find us sipping iced tea in our Adirondack chairs. We found this table in the garage when we moved in so I painted it to match. Of course the dogs are never far away. I’m really surprised that Maci hasn’t chewed up or otherwise damaged those citronella pots yet. I picked them up on clearance years ago for 10 cents each and just
Continue readingGone To The Dogs
I started working on curtains for the living room last night. I left the fabric all spread out after getting sidetracked with the frost warning. This morning I found this… Which quickly turned in to a belly up “I’m sorry Mom but I’m wagging my tail and I’m cute” pose… I think it is safe to say that this project has officially gone to the dogs! If you’ve been around here long you know this is nothing compared to the havoc our dogs can create. What do your dogs (or cats) do to push your buttons!?
Continue readingSewing with Mom
My Mom was nice enough to drive out for a visit on Sunday. We spent the day sewing a new scrub top for me. I bought the pattern and the fabric a while ago but wasn’t sure how to cut out the pieces. I have made curtains and even pajamas but this top was by far the hardest thing yet. My Mom is an excellent seamstress. She even made my bridesmaids’ dresses for the wedding so I knew this top would be a breeze for her. It turned out pretty good. Thanks Mom! Today is the start of my new work schedule. I only have to work Tuesday – Friday this summer. Yay! That means more free time for all the projects around here. I wanted to spend this first day off out in the garden finishing the planting (expect an update soon). However, Mother Nature decided rain/storms sounded good today. I actually planned ahead and went to Jo-Ann Fabrics yesterday to stock up on supplies for today. On the agenda: cut out a second scrub top and work on curtains for the living room. Those who follow the Git ‘Er Done posts will appreciate that once curtains are done
Continue readingGit ‘Er Done Update
I’ve been busy again…if you’d like more details on any of these projects just let me know! Hopefully this will inspire you somehow. 🙂 Time to update the master list. Red = done last year. Black = to be done. Blue = done in 2009. Bedroom:New bedding (received as wedding gift)Paint walls & ceilingMove closet (tear it out and rebuild in a different spot)New TV (flatscreen – eliminated stand and gave us more floor space)Mount lamp on wallNew trimNew curtainsAdd 2nd clothes rod in closetCover hole for access to pipes (we cut this when changing plumbing in bathroom)Rewire (and new switches/covers)Decorate!Curtain on closetNew light fixtureHeadboardPaint window frames Bathroom sink beforeBathroom:Paint walls & ceilingEliminate old rust stainsNew faucets/hardwareNew shower curtain & rodNew curtain over window (in shower)Curtain around base of sinkRefinish cabinetGet a quote for recoating the tubNew trimNew lightingReplace mirror (or make it look better)Decorate!Rewire (and new switches/covers) Bathroom sink afterOfficeFind Brian a deskGet a deal on a desk chairOrganize/rearrangePaint walls & ceilingDecorate!New lightingNew curtainsRewire KitchenRemoved wallpaper/patched/painted (Thanks Mom!!)Refinished cabinets/rearranged themNew countertopsNew trim (started)New stoveNew (used) dishwasherNew faucetPaint window framesCurtains in front of sink/trashFinish trimBaseboard for long cabinetEnd caps on countertopsPaint baseboard on sinkPaint fridgeHook up range hoodRewireNew lighting Brian
Continue readingGit ‘Er Done Update
I got quite a bit done during the week to make up for not doing much last weekend. We had a nice day where I opened up all the windows and stained a new batch of trim in the basement. Then I took advantage of the nice weather this weekend and took all that trim out on the porch to polyurethane it. Today I finished the trim in the kitchen, all but one piece that I need to do on a jigsaw so it fits around the countertop. Speaking of the countertop, Brian & I finally put the endcaps on. Now you can’t see the old butcher block counters that are underneath. It doesn’t quite cover everything from this angle but unless you’re 3 years old it looks pretty good when you walk through the kitchen. It was not a fun project – you have to cut and file it to fit and then heat it up so it sticks. I have enough pictures to do a step-by-step tutorial, let me know if you need that info. Remember me talking about painting the window frames? Here’s a pic of what I painted (the reddish brown part). Now here’s how it
Continue readingI Painted My Fridge!
After 1 coatYou guessed it – this is part of my Git ‘Er Done 2009 project! I was sick of looking at it, and a new one certainly wasn’t in the budget. We got a new stainless steel & black stove in the fall so the dingy yellowish white fridge was sticking out like a sore thumb. I went to Lowe’s and picked up Rustoleum brand Stainless Steel paint for appliances. It was the only roll-on appliance paint they had so I took it even though I was looking for black. I got the paint and rollers for under $30. Supplies needed:Window cleaner (could be homemade)WashclothsDrop cloth or old sheet to protect the floorFoam rollersPaint trayStir stickScrewdriver to open & close canTapeNewspaperPaint (obviously)Gloves & long sleeves (or paint thinner to get your hands/arms clean!) Lay the drop cloth around the base of the fridge. Clean the fridge with window cleaner and allow it to dry. Paint the seals and crevices first, then you can roll over them and make the edges smooth. Roll on the first coat. I left the paint on the roller and in the tray sit out while the first coat dried and it kept fine. You
Continue readingGit ‘Er Done 2009
As many of you know, Brian & I bought his family’s farm around Labor Day of 2007. We’ve been working on the house and yard since the early spring of that year, even before we bought it. Things are far from finished as we start 2009, and I don’t want to deal with this again in 2010. I’ve made a detailed list, room by room, of what projects need to be completed this year. I first posted about all this work in this post. I wanted to share my list but wasn’t sure how to set it up. After reading over at Green Resolutions I really like the way she sets up her checklist and shows updates. I’ve decided to use a similar format for my project list. Thanks for the inspiration GR! I’m going to title this segment “Git ‘Er Done 2009”. This will mostly be for my benefit, to keep me motivated and accountable. I’ll try to include some before and after pictures and maybe even offer some good how-to advice. I avoid debt like the plague so these will all be pay as you go projects. Feel free to read along. If you would like to join
Continue readingThis is why…
…I’m glad that new dog bed cover only cost me $1. This is also why we needed a new cover in the first place. Once every few months the “puppy”, now 1 1/2 years old, feels the need to destroy something. Bitter apple spray seemed to stop her from chewing up the bed at night. Unfortunately I left it lying too close to her cage today when I went to work (for her brothers to lay on) and she sucked it into her cage. The good news is I might be able to fix it, the even better news is that if not I still have the other half of the sheet to make a new one from! This was at least sort of funny, much less tragic than a few weeks ago when Brian lost 2 pairs of slippers to the little mutt in the same week!
Continue readingThrift Store Finds
There is a brand new Goodwill store in my town, and I love it! First let me tell you about my breadmaker. It came from Brian’s family’s basement and was purchased over 20 years ago. It hadn’t been used in about 17 years until I got it. I used it almost every day for a few months. Then, mysteriously, the little mixing paddle started going backwards. Hmm, not sure how to fix that and it doesn’t mix the dough that way. Oh well, after 20 years it owes us nothing. I found this one that I like on Amazon.com but it out of stock and expensive. Brian told me to buy it, that I would use it more than anyone else he knows. I put it off… and put it off. So now you will understand why I snatched the $6.99 breadmaker off the shelf at Goodwill so quickly that a couple of people gave me weird looks! After plugging it in, watching it go, and being informed of the 7 day return policy, I took it. It isn’t fancy but will get us by until I can justify the new one. What a deal. Next find: 2 very large
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