How to avoid painting a wall, part 2

It was a great Saturday at the lake.  When this house is finished, and available to rent, I hope that others will be able to have as much fun as we had yesterday.

Future guests, here are 2 more ways to have fun here (that do not involve painting a wall, believe it or not)....

#1 - Go tubing

We upgraded the tube this year.  This is quality mother/son bonding!

#2 - Go water skiing

We all took turns trying out our "new" water skis we bought at an estate sale this summer.

After a few rounds of this...

...our son got up for the first time ever!  (And afterward asked when we're going again...)

Go Tavo!!!

Watching him water skiing under a beautiful moon rise - this will be one of my favorite memories of summer.

A thousand and one ways to avoid painting a wall

Today I am finally going to finish painting bedroom #4. 

As soon as this post is up, the paint can will be opened.  I was hoping to get it done earlier this week, but obligations and distractions got in the way.

Obligations (which have mostly been in the form of taking care of foster kids) are an understandable reason to not complete a task.  But distractions?

I think sometimes distractions are a good excuse too!  After all, it IS summer, and summer is almost over, and I'd like to remember it for something other than just painting every day.

So, with no apologies, here I offer 1001 ways (or 6) to have fun, goof off or just avoid painting a wall:

#1 - Go jet skiing

Again, I can't legally show the foster kid's faces, so here's the perfect pic!

#2 - Go kayaking

#3 - Go to the beach

Such a beautiful public beach here!

(Are you seeing a theme here?  We bought the lake house for a reason!)

#4 - Read a book

This is the current selection of The House of Goodwill Book Club.  

It started a off a little slow but now we are all really enjoying it.  The 2 canine members of the book club are very interested in the story line about the large dog. (Who was just dognapped in the last chapter! 😮) 

#5 - Play Mexican Train

Or "Colombian Train" as we call it in our house (in honor of our son who was adopted from Colombia) - while listening to Colombian radio stations on the internet.

#6 - Watch episodes of "Lakefront Bargain Hunt" on HGTV...

...while comparing every episode to your own, and congratulating yourself on finding a better deal.

(Of course!)

So there you have it, some excellent distractions; Tom Sawyer's not the only expert at this.

I'm pretty sure I found a few other ways to waste time and not paint, but those are the ones that spring to mind first.  Honestly, it is so beautiful here, that even the daily tasks like walking the dogs are something I kind of look forward to.

But now, now it's time to finally finish the job.

Good thing it's raining...

A little too personal?

Well, I haven’t been able to post in a few days, due to foster care responsibilities.  I had been hoping to post some pics of bedroom #4 with a completed paint job, but I haven’t had time to finish that, either.

My son, who was my summer daycare provider for the two toddlers, started classes online (due to Covid) for college on Monday.  Until the foster kids are back with their family (which will be soon), I need to figure out how I’m going to get the things done that need doing.

Since I don’t have a progress report to post, I’ll just a few pics from my last trip to Goodwill on Sunday.

It’s funny, sometimes on trips to Goodwill you notice a theme, as far as donations you see for sale.

What theme did I notice on Sunday?  Well, there seemed to be a few things that may take a while to sell…

First,

Did you graduate in 2012 and forget to frame a photo?

If that's been bothering you for the last 8 years, here's the perfect opportunity to finally rectify your problem.

Traver, where are you?

If you want to learn the 8 meanings of your name (all from a French word) AND like to look at dolphins, there's some wall art waiting for you.

Are you planning a vacation to Destin, Florida when Covid ends?

If so, save some money and buy your souvenirs in advance!

Anyone know a couple, last name "F," who got married in 2014?

(I sure hope this isn't here due to a divorce....)

If either of the pair also graduated in 2012, you've got the PERFECT set of Christmas gifts this year.

And finally,

I think that Dolly Parton's grandma may have just donated to Goodwill...we are in the right geographic area after all.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to score with any of these.  Perhaps eventually one of these visits will turn up a graduation frame from 1998...I guess I'll just have to keep going back till I find it!

My wallet is $90 lighter...

would you like to see why?

Though I feel like I've bought mountains of stuff for this house, and we've hauled four trailers worth of furniture here, believe it or not, there are still things this house is missing that I need to find.

Since we've mainly been living at The House of Goodwill this summer, where the secondhand market is not as bountiful as it is back at the home/house, I've been trying on my once-a-week returns to the home/house to do a craigslist pickup or two while I'm there.

In the last two weeks I've picked up 2 cabinets and and a daybed comforter set, all totaling $90.

Here's what $90 will get you -

$60 vintage bar cabinet

I thought this cabinet was great, and the price was right on.  I'm going to sand it and put a fresh coat of stain, and I think it will be lovely.  It will be a bedside table in one of the bedrooms.  And it has one of my favorite things: casters.

I LOVE furniture with casters because it makes it so easy to move them around - especially for cleaning.  I often buy secondhand furniture and have my husband add casters.

(I have a whole bunch of beautiful and small marble-topped side tables at home, that we roll around when guests come for coffee, etc.  They are so much more elegant than the tray tables they replaced.)

 $20 cabinet

When I pick up furniture this inexpensively, I never worry if I end up not using it, or changing my mind.  I could probably resell it for more!  It's hard to tell from the pic, but this cabinet has a really pretty flower design on the doors.  It's a little dark, and I'm trying to brighten up this house, but it's solid and I really like it.  This may be another side table in a bedroom, not sure yet.

$10 bedspread set

This bedspread set was so pretty, looked unused and was a great deal.  When I went to pick it up, the seller also threw in a set of matching curtains.  

I'm waiting to finish painting before I start figuring out what furniture goes where.  I'm really looking forward to that part of the project!

Surely, but slowly

So I've been hard at work this week painting bedroom #3, my Mount Everest of bedrooms.  Today is Friday, and I was really hoping to finish it today, but I don't think I'm going to make my goal.

I took some time off this week to help get the house ready for guests, and to enjoy the guests, had it not been for that the room would be complete now.

But what's the point of all the work if you can't pause to enjoy yourself once in a while?

I DID manage to get the bathroom finished yesterday, but I'll save the pics for next week when I post the whole room complete.

Hopefully by the end of the weekend the room will be done.

Anyway, I thought I'd share photos of the room midway.  It took me a week to degloss all the molding and get four coats of paint on it.

This week I've been working on the walls.  Lots of cutting in and shelves/showers/toilet etc. to paint around.

Here it is again before I started:

Here it is at the halfway point:

My visiting nephew this week really encouraged me.  He was sitting in the last bedroom I had finished painting, looking around.  "This room gives me hope," he said.

Somehow he managed to find the perfect words I needed to hear.  Yes, hope!

Surely, but slowly.

The Case of the Mysterious Handle

Last Saturday, as we spent the afternoon trying to pick up, put away and find homes for all kinds of things that were piled our dining area, I came upon something of a mystery.

I need to call in Nancy Drew on this, for sure.

In a plastic Walgreens bag, in a big heap of "stuff," was a giant, brass door handle.  For the life of me, I could not recall where it came from.

Hmm.  My husband must have put it there.

I went and asked him where he found the handle, and what it had been attached to.  (It's a beautiful vintage door handle, which obviously came off of a door somewhere.)  "What handle?" he asked, and came to have a look.  "I have no idea where that came from.  I didn't put there," he said.

Wouldn't we have noticed a door missing a handle like this?

It wasn't in the house when we got here.

It was never on a door in the home/house either.

Ok. 

So either we're both headed for early onset Alzheimer's or else we have a little too much going on.  We've been coming and going from one place to another constantly, managing details of both houses, picking up new items for The House of Goodwill, and hauling people, animals, food and things back and forth for almost four months now.

I was standing in the shower yesterday and couldn't remember if I had just put shampoo in my hair or only thought about doing it. 

I like to blame it on having a lot going on.

I added the mystery handle to a a pile of things I need to buy a box to contain, which are now all heaped on a shelf in the laundry closet.

Aside from the fear that if I threw the handle away I'd suddenly remember where it came from, and be a missing a handle I might need from a door; it's such a beautiful piece of hardware that it deserves to be used in a future project somewhere.

Nancy, if you're somewhere out there cruising in your blue convertible with Bess and George, give me a call.  Otherwise, I'll have to see if I can track down the Mystery Machine.

One last pic: this is of the dining area once we got all the stuff that was piled on it and around it (for the last three months) all put away.  We actually ate on it all weekend!

I haven't settled on the colors for this space yet, but I'm looking forward to brightening it up!

The House of Goodwill's first guests!

Have you ever invited guests to stay at your house, and then really taken a good look around, and realized that you need about 20 hours of clean up to make it presentable before they arrive?

And, have you ever been in the middle of the 20 hours of clean up work for guests to come (on your only day off), only to find yourself resenting the guests (that you yourself invited) and wishing you could drop the work and just go swimming or read a book?

And, at the end of the 20 hours of clean up, have you ever discovered that you are actually really, really happy that the guests are coming, because it forced you do a million little tasks that you would have otherwise put off for a very, very long time?

Well, thank you Justin and Linda!  Because of you, we finally found places to put a whole bunch of clutter-y (but necessary) stuff that previously didn't have places to go.

And if I were to be honest, I might admit that there is a small possibility that some things may have been pushed into a laundry closet behind closed doors...but I'm only honest about the important things.

(No, I won't tell you if you look like you've gained weight.  So please don't ask.)

It is amazing how long it takes to get a house in order - where will we keep the board games?  And what about the dog food?  And the shop vac?  ('Cause the garage is the obvious place, except that we always use it upstairs...)  Same thing with the tools.

So many little things to get figured out.

But on to the good stuff!

My husband and his sister kayaking.  

Please excuse the blurry pics - they were taken with a water camera.

You may have to zoom in a little to see them, but nothing makes me happier than seeing deer on the neighbors' lawns from the water.

More deer enjoying the peaceful evening.

This is probably the perfect beach pic since we can't legally show the faces of our foster kids.

This is my husband's sister and her son, my husband, son and me with the foster kids.

I have to say, when the first guests show up with homemade pastries AND Seven Layer Bars AND a guitar for some group singing - they've set the bar pretty high for everyone coming after.

And Tia Linda has claimed a room now - I'm pretty sure that means they're coming back!

Hmm...what else have we been putting off working on in the house?  

I really need to find that thing I just don't want to take the time to do (or even better, some projects for my husband!) - and then invite them back.

There’s something for everyone…

Are you getting an early jump on your Christmas shopping but struggling with that person on your list who’s hard to buy for?

Is there someone that you’re really, really tired of giving gift cards to for every special occasion?

Well, look no further for holiday help, because Goodwill’s got you covered.

I have spent enough time at Goodwill to personally guarantee that you will find that something special for every hard-to-buy-for special someone on your list.  I promise.

For example:

It's always hard to know what to buy for the farming friend, or tractor enthusiast in your life.  But I'm pretty sure he (or she) probably doesn't have this -

A John Deere wristwatch for your wall for only $4.99!

If your friend has giant wrists, that's a plus.

And how about for that wolf-loving coworker you've got, who's moving into his first bachelor pad?  (Because this guy is definitely single.)

Thought there was nothing for him?  Wrong. 

For less than $10, you can give him some wolf "art" AND a wolf lamp to illuminate it.

Think Grandma has everything?  Well, perhaps she doesn't have this:

Maybe this Victorian bear will remind her of her childhood....

And finally, if, like me, you have a golf lover in your home that you have no idea what to buy for, I think I've found the perfect thing:

Before you know it, it just won't be Christmas until you've heard "Check the Balls" and "So Blame it on My Mid Life, Dear."

And all this time you thought Goodwill was just a place to donate!  As you can see, there is much more to Goodwill than just duck statues and cool cat art.

But believe me, the great stuff goes fast! 

*A head's up: you might want to plug in the lamp at the store to make sure that it works and open the cd case to confirm the cd is actually in there before you pay.  I'd hate for your giftee to be disappointed.  Just sayin'.

The next mountain

Bedroom #2 is painted.  So what’s next?

I really want to paint bedroom #3, because it’s relatively small and it would make me feel accomplished to knock it out somewhat quickly, but it’s the room our foster kids sleep in and it would be a bit of a hassle to dislodge them at this point.

I guess it’s time to tackle bedroom #4.  This room has LOTS of dark molding.  Ugh.

Bedroom #4 connects to a closet, as well as a bathroom.  So it’s kind of like painting three rooms, not just one.  It’s true the bathroom is small, but there are all kinds of obstacles to paint around, and it is one of the only rooms in the house with dark molding around the ceiling.

(Maybe the only thing worse than painting over one's head for an hour is deglossing varnish over one's head for an hour.)

I’m HOPING I can get this done in two weeks, but I’m not counting on it.

I cannot wait to say goodbye to the dark molding and brown painted walls!

See how the bedroom wall connects into the closet that is behind the desk/bookcase?  It forces me to paint the closet at the same time - though I think that's a good thing.

It's been a few years since the last time I contorted myself around a toilet with a paintbrush.  I'm just SO excited...

I love my son, he's amazing, but, REALLY, are his parents the only people in the house capable of replacing a roll of toilet paper??

All kinds of fun obstacles to paint around in the bedroom and closet!

I spent yesterday clearing the room and vacuuming it.  I got it halfway deglossed before it was time to take the foster kids on our weekly swim session at the beach.  Although the lake here is in our back yard, the water is a couple of feet deep, which is over the kids’ heads.  (They are two and three years old.)

There is a nice, sandy public beach a five-minute drive from the house.  Once a week we take the kids there so they can play in the sand, and enter the water as they feel comfortable.  It’s wonderful!

Since I feel like I’ve spent the season painting indoors, I like the occasional breaks that remind me it’s summer.

Bedroom #4, my Mount Everest of bedrooms.  I will conquer you, #4.

It’s the Friday Night Smackdown! Cats vs. Dogs

So I posted a photo of this great piece of cat art a couple of months ago.  I had found it at Goodwill (of course) and was contemplating buying it for a bathroom, to make a wall devoted only to special "art" found at Goodwill.  Many of the forthcoming pics below would have qualified, though I decided against doing it.

However, after revisiting all this excellent “art,” I’m having second thoughts.  I’m thinking a Goodwill wall of art really needs to happen in one of these bathrooms, or somewhere.

Anyhoo, if you recall, my dogs were not happy with the press the cats received with the post, and requested me to hunt down some dog art instead.  So over the last month or so of thrifting, I’ve kept my eyes open on their behalf.

Without further ado, here is a rundown of some fantastic options for home décor.

It's time for Round 1 of Goodwill: Cats vs. Dogs

Category 1: Random Statues

As you can see, we have some of both.

Dogs - 1 point
Cats - 1 point

Category 2: Coffee Mugs

Is it always "Caturday" in your house also?

Pardon me for disagreeing with this cup.  I think my dogs understand me pretty well too...

So I did not see one single dog coffee cup (!)  This was definitely a win by the cats.

Dogs - 1 point

Cats - 2 points

Category 3: "Art"

A cat in cat-shaped sunglasses, omg, too cute!!!

They didn't want to keep the pic of their dog??

I'm really tempted to give the cats a bonus point for cuteness....

I'm a little confused, did these dogs actually go on a cruise??

So, the cruising dogs just earned their own bonus cuteness point too.

Dogs - 3 points

Cats - 4 points

Category 4: "Highbrow art"

So, this was definitely not Goodwill - I just happened to be at an antique store when I found these AWESOME dog portraits.  If I had had $325 burning a hole in my pocket, I definitely would have bought these puppies.

They definitely don't qualify as a Goodwill or thrift find, but they're so great I thought they deserved an entry in the competition.

And this really, really NICE charcoal cat portrait was at Goodwill!  I actually thought it was so great it deserved to go head to head with the antique store dogs.

I will give 1 point each for the highbrow art category.

Dogs - 4 points

Cats - 5 points

Category 5: Puzzles

Ok, I love puzzles.  And I love dogs.  But there is something creepy about this puzzle.

So, I found no entries for the cat category in the puzzle round.  This round will have to go to the dogs.

The competition is over.  The scores are tallied.  Will the cats be the top dog?  Will the dogs be the cat's pajamas?

Drumroll, please.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe we've ended the Friday Night Smackdown with a tie:

Final Score

Dogs - 5 points

Cats - 5 points

I broke the news to my dogs.  In spite of some excellent entries unleashed on their feline competition, the result was inconclusive.  My dogs demanded a recount.  They requested me to continue my search for representation, which I guess I'll have to do.

I then took the results to my cat.  I let him know, although there were some ridiculously cute entries on behalf of the cats, the dogs made a cat-astrophic comeback with a puzzle.

"I'm sorry you didn't win," I said, trying to comfort him.

Funnily enough - he didn't seem to care.