A Busy Week: Remodeling, Wildfire Donation, Sewing, and Cooking Ahead

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9.9.11

A Busy Week: Remodeling, Wildfire Donation, Sewing, and Cooking Ahead

Hey folks, just wanted to check in with you all.  What a week!  It's been one of those VERY busy times for us. We've been taping and bedding seams in our bathroom, scrubbing grout at a friend's house and helping them move in, and we also had a family cold over labor day.  We've learned so much! How do you remodel mobile home walls so they look like real ones? It takes a LOT of WORK!
Here's what you do the first day...
  • First, remove all those pesky strips from the seams of the walls and wall ends and nail in a million little nails till they're flush.
  • Then spread mud (1/8th to 1/4th inch) over all seams and press paper tape over them.
  • Embed them by squeezing down with the spatula so that just the right amount of putty comes out leaving the right amount still under the tape. Lol!
  • Now do the same thing to all the inside corners. 
  • Then nail corner beading to all the outside corners (at the ends of free standing walls). Putty and tape over those too.
Second Day
  • Next day, cover all the seams and tape with precise layers of mud 'feathering the left and right side of a 6 inch wide strip that is about 1/8" thick in the middle but barely visible on the edges. (You angle the spatula as you mud to do this.)
  • Do the left sides of all the inside corners and let dry.
Third Day
  • Spread putty on all the right sides of the inside corners and let dry.
  • Put a third and wider layer of putty over ALLl the seams so it isn't obvious that you have a strip of tape and mud on an otherwise flat wall. (Easier SAID than DONE.) We average about 10-15 seams per room. Sigh...
Fourth day.
  • SAND and SAND.
  • Paint with KILZ over the wall paper so the mud won't seep into the wall board and you can cover those infernal purple and green Santa Fe checks!
Fifth day, TEXTURE...Oh sure--that's just simple!
Sixth day, finally...PAINT!!!

To finish, we will also add floor boards and window sills. They don't bother much with that sort of thing in a mobile home--hence the cheap price. If our home hadn't come with seven acres of forest land, a barn, a beautiful workshop, antique potting shed, lighted roping arena and a lovely guest house..we'd never have considered buying out here.

 Now you know why we haven't started this process though we bought the paint two years ago! All of this in just ONE bathroom!  I think we will aim for about two rooms a month. It is supposed to be our 'couple hobby' after all. :o)  Maria Killam hand picked our paint colors and how anxious I've been to get started. You should see her Mom's house!. Aren't the colors at the top just lovely?


Speaking of Maria...You'll never guess what is about to happen!!  I get to meet Maria Killam from Colour Me Happy!! In person! Can you believe it? She will be at a CMG convention in San Antonio at the same time as Hubby and I--in the same convention center.  I'm still just amazed at the 'coincidence'! Happy me! We plan to get together sometime during the week and I'm so so looking forward to it. I'm one of her biggest fans. :o)

I'm just sad that my good friend, Millicent, who is also a big fan of Maria's blog, can't go too. We considered a 'stow-away' scenario..but none seemed workable. Sniff.. 



I'm also hoping to get some things packed for donation to a church near Magnolia where all the fires are happening on Saturday. We've had three friends have to evacuate and another lost their bunk house. (They host teenagers for debate camps.)  There is always a smoky smell outside and even ash in the air...and we live quite a safe distance from the main part of the fires...well over an hour away. You can read all about it here.


Praying they will get this fire completely contained soon! Rebekah is housesitting not far from the fire... though far enough, I guess.  I have a hard time not worrying for our many many friends who live in that area.  Praying for the poor firefighters who must be exhausted.  Praying for money for the Red Cross who are providing food for so many displaced people...800 for dinner last night!  Praying for volunteers..and for safety for everyone.  Thanks for praying!!

 

If that were not enough, we are still fighting the unremitting drought left and right and have to individually water our trees and bushes. We're just trying to keep them and the fish in our pond alive until some rain makes it our way. Praying for Lee!! Just the rain..not a hurricane..please, Lord. :)




Earlier this week, after getting our new sewing desk set up (we switched my office desk and sewing desks), I serged all of Rebekah's hems and seams for this darling dress she designed. We used mostly fabric scraps from a friend and an old bolt of chenille that we never made a petticoat out of! Isn't is lovely?  Serging makes such a pretty frilly edge to delicate fabrics.


Sigh..no grass here...but there's the hose busy adding an inch back to our pond to save the fishies.

We've never left the kids so long 'on their own' so I'm trying to make sure everything is completely in place to keep life running smoothly. The youngest will be 17 in a month..so they aren't helpless..but still.. :o)  So, I won't be posting again for a little while but I do have a photo session to share with you next Wednesday, that Christian, my 17 yr. old did. Don't you just love it when he plays with the camera? The photo of the drought stricken leaves above and this 'self portrait' were both by him.  You're gonna love it!
 
Well..it's back to the cooking pots for me today. I defrosted SEVEN chickens last night! Three for roasting and four for casseroles.  What's on the menu? My favorite freezer meals...
 Lasagne
  • Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs
  • Chicken Pot Pie
  • Hashbrown Casserole 
That should hold em' till we get back. Lol!



6 comments

Caroline said...

Rebecca's dress is lovely and suits her well. And she designed it?

Stay safe!

Debby said...

Beautiful dress. So wish it would rain for you. Stay safe from those fires.
I hope you aren't all worn out from all that cooking.

Needled Mom said...

Your fires are just so dreadful, Donna. We keep all of you in our prayers for some rain.

The feminine dress is lovely on your beautiful daughter.

Enjoy your trip. I'm sure the kids will be fine and WELL fed.

nanasknoll said...

Donna
Years ago,I was looking for sand paper for mud on sheet rock, when a contractor heard me ask and came around the corner and told me to go down and buy solid sponges (without the holes. He said to get a pail of water and wet the sponge and squeeze till most of the water is out. Then softly go over your dry mud. Rinse sponge and repeat process till your seams are even and smooth.
RESULT NO DUST. We did a lot of remodels and that is the only way I do it now. Works great once you get the hang of it.
Every time I would have to do it, I thanked that unknown Contractor.
Nina

Maria Killam said...

Can't wait to see you next week! Thanks for the mention, xoxo Maria

Donna said...

Thanks friends for all the sweet comments. The fire is 85% contained, the food is all cooked, and I bought some 'sanding' sponges as Nana suggested. They work great!

Now we are just getting everything ready for our trip.

I also got some soaker hoses and the azaleas are perking up. Sadly, I can't run our water long enough to really water anything consistently. It causes the water pump to seize up. So I have to do it 15 minutes at a time. Praying for rain..still!

But thank you Lord that those brave firemen have almost won the battle out here. Keep them safe, dear Lord.

“There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again.” ~ Margaret Sangster

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