Score!

I left the house for the first time in 12 days to go to the grocery store and to pick up my order at Home Depot. I SCORED! a container of disinfecting wipes!

They had a couple dozen containers, but I only bought one. Since I don't plan on leaving the house anytime soon, one is enough to have for wiping down anything I bring in the house.

The daffodils

are looking pretty

Had some entertainment yesterday. The electric company ran a new line to the neighbor's house. I don't know why.

I was sore yesterday after crawling around installing the floor and wrestling the washer and dryer so I sat and worked at the computer all day. The printer is running, I got the scanner hooked up, and have my personal laptop at the ready as I have to use it to do the printing. I feel fine today so I need to get some stuff done! Have a great day!

Harley quilt and the floor

I was tired of looking at the Harley quilt hanging on the design wall so I decided to start sewing it together. I have to add the top and bottom rows yet. This quilt is for a poker run fundraiser which probably won't happen unless the pandemic ends this summer.

I needed a printer for my at home office and I happen to have one in the garage that I saved from being recycled. It has been sitting in the garage for at least 4 or 5 years. It was heavier than I remember! I ended up taking out the paper trays to try and make it a bit lighter. It is also big and it was hard to get my arms around it. I got out my wheelie cart to help move it.

I managed to get it up on a little table, plugged it in and it fired up! I even have an extra print cartridge! I didn't have the right cable so my laptop could communicate with the printer. My son helped me figure out what I needed. I ordered it from an ebay seller in Indiana so hopefully it comes quick.

I finished up the last detail in the laundry room. I needed to replace the quarter round at the foundation ledge. All installed, caulked and painted.

I did get started on the floor in the laundry/utility room. The box says easy to install - yeah right! Its easy if you have help, a flat floor, and don't have a washer and dryer to work around! I had to throw down some patch to try and level the floor at one end of the room.

After getting some of the floor installed I realized the floor still wasn't quite level so I am going to need more patch. I put in an order at HD, but I will have to pick it up. I plan on taking my disinfectant spray and go as soon as they open. I will have to wait for a text to tell me my order is ready. At least I will be spending less time by not having to go threw the entire store to get what I need. It was a hard job crawling on the floor and I had to prop up the laundry tub to get the flooring under the legs. Here is what it looks like now.

We got a lot of rain on Saturday. Here is just one of the many storms that rolled thru.

One of the storms dropped hail! Gosh it was loud as it hit the roof. Here is some that landed in the flower bed.

Keep pushing ahead

Every day I keep pushing myself to get my regular job done and use the extra time I have with not having to commute and get ready for work everyday for making progress on projects. Yesterday I got the freezer paper cut and pressed on the squares for the AHIQ hourglass quilt I started.

I also got the hourglass blocks sewn

In the laundry/utility room I needed to replace some quarter round trim on the foundation ledge. Here is before and after. I got it painted along with the window touch up. So now everything I wanted to get done before installing the floor is done!

Now I need to clean up the tools and clear out the space to work on the floor.

3rd finish for 2020 and window progress

Yes I finally got the t-shirt quilt done! I also got my copper pipe for taking pictures back up. The picture is a bit shadowy, but it is the best I can do for now.

I worked on the laundry/utility room window yesterday after work. Here is the before and after. I still need to touch up the paint and install the screens after I wash them.

It was 59 degrees yesterday so I went out and did a bit of yard clean up. I need to cut back my ornamental grass. I got two cut down and a lot of the debris cleaned up. I plan on doing a bit every day. With the warm temperatures these will be starting to shoot up new leaves soon.

My daffodils are starting to bloom especially the ones next to the house where it is warmer because of the brick. The second picture is what I see out my studio window.

My Lenten Roses are in bloom. I have white, green, and pink ones.

I ran into a problem with the sewing room window. The wall is proud of the extension jam in the lower left corner. I found some wood in the garage and it was a battle trying to make a filler piece. I have the horizontal piece installed. I am not thrilled with it; I think it could look better. Unfortunately, I do not have a table saw which is the best way to make the filler strip. I will mull on it a bit before I go any further. Here you can see the strip I installed

Then this is what happens when you get tired and don't pay attention to the direction the brad nailer is aimed.

I got the nail pulled out and will have to fix the booboo with some sanding, wood filler, and paint. Easy to fix; just a stupid mistake.

Halfway done

I am now half way done with the binding. Yeah!

I made a loaf of banana bread yesterday. I had some bananas that needed used up. The house smelled so good when it was baking.

Binding the t-shirt quilt

I finally have gotten the binding sewn on the t-shirt quilt!

I am going to stitch the binding by hand so I will be getting that started after I did done with my job which I am working from home.

Similar skill set just different tools

I spent the last couple of days working hard trying to get the laundry/utility room finished up so I can install the new floor. The big job left to do was to trim out the window and repair the drywall above and below the window. In this before picture you can see in the upper left the drywall is cracked and blistered.

I was lucky that behind the drywall was solid wood so I only had to cut out the worst spot instead of removing drywall from between two studs.

The drywall at the bottom of the window was a mess so I had to remove and replace it.

I got the drywall mudded then pulled out the window trim.

Got paint on the trim

I have to jump around from task to task as I wait for mud and paint to dry. Time to install the extension jams.

It is now Sunday and I can install the trim that I painted.

I needed to use that insulating foam to fill in the gaps around the window, but I only had one plastic straw which the foam goes thru so you can get way back into the gaps.

So I decided I would go ahead and finish out the window in the sewing studio and get it to the point so I could foam it too. Here was the sewing studio window at the start.

Before I did anything I needed to change one of the window crank mechanisms. Before the ten year warranty ran out I called the manufacturer and got a replacement. I have had the replacement for at least 7 years! Time to fix it! Here the old one and the new one installed. Fear had kept me from tackling this job which turned out to be very easy to do.

The window trim and extension jams were already painted so that made for quick work to get this window to the point I could foam it. Here is the state of the sewing window right now. I can now install the trim on the outside of the window. I will still need to fill in nail holes, touch up the paint, and install the hardware, but that should not take too long.

The laundry/utility room looks like this. I got started on the trim, but was just too tired to do anymore last night. I am very close to being done and I am happy with how it is turning out.

So instead of a rotary cutter I used a miter saw. Instead of a sewing machine and thread, I used nails and a nail gun. Both tasks take rulers. Work has to proceed in a certain order just like making a quilt. I do not have the skill set to make fine furniture and I have no desire to anyway. I could never afford to hire a carpenter to do this work.

I did get the binding pressed for the t-shirt quilt and my goal is to get that quilt finished by the end of the month.

Where have I been?

Tuesday I spent most of the day helping my brother finish packing. He hired 3 college guys to load the truck which was a big help! That bubble wrap is on my work station. My job was to wrap all the remaining items hanging on the walls.

Another brother stacked the stuff in the truck. He is good at loading! You would not believe how much he can pack in a space. His son is the musician and he always loads the equipment we need for shows.

Check out the cactus. My brother brought it home when he was on tour with Eurythmics a long time ago. It has been sitting at the loading brother's house on his patio.

Just about all loaded

After I was done with my duties I had to go look at some used cars for my son. His car was in the shop and when he was driving his wife's car the engine blew. Not worth fixing so he needs to find a car. I didn't get home until 6:30; I was hungry, and exhausted. Wednesday I took a day off and was too tired to get anything done.

This morning I went to work to bring home my monitor, laptop, and all my stuff to work from home today and tomorrow. I am not sure how it will be after that. This virus stuff scares me! I am all set up for now!