Repairs and Renovations

Not the normal newsletter

Last Saturday Steve and I parked ourselves on the property of friends so that we could spend two weeks tackling some major repair and renovation projects.

Steve spent the first two days replacing all the hardware on our bedroom slideouts. This is not the kind of project one would normally tackle on one’s own, but Steve is superman and made it happen.

After that, we moved everything from our bedroom to the main living area and began the project of replacing our floors. After some water leaks, we knew we had some damage to the subfloors, so we ripped everything up, replaced the subfloor in the bathroom, made some improvements to the plumbing and then laid down a beautiful new floor.

Today we tackle the floor in the kitchen and main living area. Also on the agenda is replacing our current countertops with espresso stained butcher block, repositioning and rebuilding our kitchen table and adding some additional storage.

In the midst of it, we’ve had dinner with our friends and their friends almost every night. Their home is a revolving door of neighbors, a warm welcome to anyone who drops by or accepts a last minute invitation to supper.

At Jack and Marsha’s home, Supper Club is the norm.

If you’re new here, this is not a normal newsletter but you can scroll through the archives to see what you can expect from future issues.

I’ll be back next week with (hopefully) plenty of “after” pictures to share with you.

Until then, here are a few photos from the week and a short video clip of our daughter Annie and I singing while we make tacos. We are working hard, but we’re having fun doing it.

1. Steve working on our bedroom slideouts.

2. This beautiful cardinal shows up outside our kitchen window most mornings. I’ve heard cardinals are a sign of good fortune, and I’m taking that at face value.

3. Replacing the subfloor and plumbing in our bathroom.

4. A rare photo of me with a power tool.

5. That bedroom floor was a bitch, but Annie caught us laughing, so I guess it wasn’t that bad.

6. Supper club!

7. Supper club!

8. Supper club!

9. Our daughter Annie is with us this week and she’s been a huge help with our repair projects and keeping us all fed.

Annie and I making tacos in Marsha’s kitchen (who took the video). ❤️

Have a wonderful week, friends!