The Projects Have Begun!

It has been such a busy week. The Corona Virus Honey Do List is slowly getting accomplished. Seriously, I don’t do well with idle time and keeping myself busy is a good thing! First task on the list is washing the windows.

It’s a bit treacherous with some of the outdoor planting. I think I only stuck myself on this agave a half a dozen times.

I seem to have pretty good luck with this Sprayway Glass Cleaner from Costco. You can also get it at Target, Walmart and Home Depot. It is a foam cleanser which doesn’t run off the glass. I use a two cloth system. I clean with one cloth and follow up with a microfiber cloth to remove any streaks.

I’ve been at it a few days now and only have the first floor windows of the main house done. I envy people who have big glass panes without all the mullions. To give you an idea of how tedious this is, the family room has 168 individual panes of glass…..a real P.A.I.N and that is just counting cleaning one side of the glass!

These windows hand crank open and honestly, it has been years since we’ve opened them. Cooper is even enjoying the beautiful day!

However, the room is now so bright and cheerful. Also, did some spring cleaning by moving the furniture, vacuuming in all those remote corners, and washing the slipcovers and dog blankets.

As you may recall, I am not completely fond of my family room’s decor. The room is quite long and narrow and was, at one point in time, an outside porch. But the windows are wonderful and the scored concrete floor is decades old. To read a previous post about my struggles with this room, click here.

I picked up a hand-painted chest recently at a yard sale and thought it would go nicely in the family room. Here is the before picture of the area. The existing black piece of furniture has served as our liquor cabinet, as it has a lock on it. My husband has a collection of contemporary art that we have tried to integrate in our historic home.

But I think I like this cabinet better as it is a warmer look. It is lower and still serves as a liquor cabinet. What do you think?

The artwork is very special as it was done by my mother’s art teacher that she had in high school back in the 1940s. Charlotte Eastman would teach high school art during the school year and then travel to Europe to paint during her summers. My mother was one of her favorite students. I love her use of color and really feel grateful to have gotten these after my parents passed away.

I am still playing around with the accessories on top, which will take a few weeks of moving things around from other parts of the house.

Another project we are working on is really cleaning out the barbecue area. My husband is tackling that one! The backsplash gets so dirty from all the cooking. We’ve decided to tile the backsplash and I am excited about selecting tile and getting this done.

It’s not all work and no play around here. We’ve established Wine at the Wall Wednesdays, where we meet our neighbors to the south. We respect physical distancing but encourage socializing. This week, we provided the wine. Everyone brought their own glass. The goal was to say hello, check in with each other, and watch the sunset. One of our neighbors is in law enforcement and provided the latex gloves. The laughter and camaraderie was exactly what we needed.

I imagine I will be washing windows for several days, but the effort is worth it. The weather can’t be beat~~a glorious 65 degrees with a nice breeze. Perfect for drying clothes on the line and spring cleaning!

Hope this Saturday finds you healthy and happy. Beautiful gifts (or a very clean house) will come out of this time of challenge. Keep the faith!