Completed Porch = Pretty Porch

If you look, I was able to get that metal piece off the block, patched it again with cement and make it look just a little bit better. 

Then, it was time to get as much of the old paint off of it as I could.

Here is the pressure washed porch

 

 

Then! It was finishing prepping it, getting any and all paint I could off the sides and the patio, removing old caulk and re-caulking the whole thing. Then, painting.

My niece was awesome enough to help with painting it, it definitely made it go faster. And it looks so much better!

   

Fixing the Porch

 So. I am trying to fix my home. It's a good home, it has a lot of good memories. And it also needs a bit of help with it's front porch.

Before pictures:

3 of the 4 blocks were super loose, which is a hazard. 

And that one brick is all chipped beyond my abilities.

So! I pulled out the loose stones, sanded/cleaned and washed them off.

(Yes, I will be prepping the rest of the porch to be painted next) 

Whoever originally did this, I don't even know what to think. I just knew I was going to use all that cement I bought and maybe more !!

I prepped the cement, put in an amount - what looked right, added in the block, added more cement. It was definitely a learning curve! And wow, the original peanut butter consistency I was told to blend the cement into felt kind on the sloppy side. As the cement settled more, it was easier to work with BUT YOU HAVE TO THEN WORK FAST!! HAHAHAHAHA 

And no, I don't mean as in super fast, as in you have to learn to gauge if the cement on the block is set enough to handle more cement to get it to the proper thickness/holding needs. Because that first go around, it was like trying to keep water in leaking glass - ie it doesn't exactly work.

Cement drying does not make the porch look pretty.

This angle is much prettier though!

I came back the next day and took an updated picture. It's better, because those bitches won't move now!! Woot on that part! BUT, atheistically, it was not pleasing at all. I had a little bit of the cement left, so I mixed it again.

And slathered it all over the blocks. With my gloved hand because trying with the trowel was useless.

Yes, I see that indentation, but that one brick is just back further than the others and I could not move it out. So...I don't know, but it's still going to get painted.

Again, drying is not pretty.

On a more personal level, my back was having none of this, because I am pms'ing and my period is about to start full throttle. I probably took longer because of this, but it doesn't matter as long as it gets done!!

Excited and Nervous

 So. This weekend is going to be it. It's going to be energy drinks, Advil and whatever is needed to get through it and get shit done.

The house needs to be finished - and this means cleaning everything I haven't cleaned. It means carpet cleaning upstairs. It means painting the last 2 rooms after they are patched. Oy.

It means the yard needs to be cleaned up and all the trash taken away.

That is the nervous part, being done and ready enough. 

Then, then my house, my home - will be listed for sale.

It's kinda mind boggling in one sense. I've lived here almost 8 years, a lot of memories are from here. With Raven, with my love, with my niece and others. I'm not attached, not in the sense that I am re-thinking the decision to move (because, not I am ready to move on) but so many significant things have happened here. And I am thankful for having such a warm house, one that has been filled with loud voices and loud love. Life.

And this weekend doesn't even include the work that needs to fix the porch. Or that cost. Nor does it include fixing the fence. Or that cost/hard work.

Jesus, selling a house is an expensive endeavor. 

BUT, one that I need to do. Which makes me excited. I want to sell, and change living situations. And it will be the first time that I don't have school, a kid, or a house, that needs me. I will have TIME.

Don't get me wrong, I fucking miss my son like no ones fucking business, but he's an adult and figuring his own self out. He is also amazing. I hope I get to see him at some point and hug him and enough spending TIME with him.

I am excited for a LOT of reasons :) But the overall joy is about shifting and moving forward. Forward is good. Forward is not stagnant or paused and I like forward for a lot of different reasons.

After this weekend, it's all about tackling the attic and getting that situated :) Not a horrible thing to get accomplished in the next couple weeks.

I am so lucky. And thankful. And happy. Life is good!

Closing in on the holiday season

 I am trying to figure out how I feel about things. Which is not always easy, because life is never this x = 1, y = 2 and you don't know what each of those things represent half the time.

Right now for instance, I have a headache, probably from the weather and lack of caffeine or it could also have the 6 minutes of deep sleep I got last night. Not sure how I feel about my Fitbit telling me I had 6 MINUTES of deep sleep. I think I've been clenching my teeth again too. So I feel tired today, not motivated and my head hurts.

My hip hurts too, probably because I was tossing and turning last night. I am looking forward to my chiropractic appointment after work today! And I think tonight is a good night to go to bed early.

Also, Samhain is almost here and I want to put up Xmas decorations. How does that even work? This year has been one big cluster fuck and while I would normally feel that next year will be better, until Covid-19 is dealt with, I think it's going to be much of the same.

But the rest of this year, it's all about decluttering, figuring out future plans and making headway on cleaning/updating the house.

And, wait, there's more! The holiday season is ramping up. Thanksgiving and Yule and Christmas and New Years, oh my! I am glad I am taking off the last 2 weeks of the year for vacation, because that will be about cleaning/painting and preparing. Though I just realized as I typed that, that the tree will be out and that's gonna be interesting to paint around !

The holidays are going to be so different this year, in part due to Covid-19 but mostly because my kid is not here. Not sure if he will be at his FDS at that point or not, but travel is restricted. I freaking miss him. I am thankful he's doing good though.

My niece bought her own place, she's mostly moved in there now with just a few small items that will be picked up soon. My house is feeling very empty. And seriously fucking quiet, my gods, the silence is sometimes deafening and I start chatting with my cats to just have something going on! I am happy for her, because owning your own place is a blessing (and a curse), but I miss her too. Thankfully she lives like a mile away, so I get to see her easily enough, it's just different when someone doesn't live in the same house anymore. I'm happy for her, she really needed more space and so do her cats <3

So many changes in the last year, so many more to come. It's kinda wild!

Stupid Pipes Part 3.77

Ok, my coworker and friend will be coming back hopefully tomorrow to get the pipes completely fixed.

Since today was, ok IS, so fucking cold, I went to Lowe's last night and got some of this type of stuff - Self Sealing Pipe Insulation. I did NOT seal it yet, since we're still working on the pipes. But anything on them is going to help, so I spent a good portion last night getting that done. I want to do ALL the pipes just to help make sure this doesn't happen again. Which means buying more and spending more time in my cellar.



Because, you know. DAMN. Today's high? 14 degree but it feels like -9. Tonight's low is going to be -3 degrees, and if you had in wind chill? Yikes.

Today I put my (thanks again to the boyfriend) portable heater in the kitchen to help keep it warm. I think I might just get one FOR the kitchen during winter, because those floors are always cold!! It's because there is not enough insulation to the outside wall. It's an OLD house.

One of the interesting things is that this PCVP type of pipes can get brittle. So weird! From what I can gather, it's due to age and extreme cold. So good to know all around!!

Stupid Pipes

We get home Sunday, and I guess it was so freaking cold Saturday night that my kitchen pipes froze and burst :( They are STILL frozen, last night when we finally discovered this, which is good. If they get un-frozen, I have to shut the whole house water off :( Because otherwise I will have water everywhere.

Uhg. Looking for a plumber to call once people are awake and see how soon they can come and what constitutes an emergency :( I am going to assume a frozen and burst pipe is one.

I am so very thankful my boyfriend was here last night and saw it and found the water shut off valve for me so that in case I do need to do that, I know where it's at.

Just, Blah.