Progress…in Baby Steps

My inability to accomplish very much in the way of progress this last month finally got to me enough late last week that I spent some time on a few small projects. To start with, Abigail and I finally pulled out, primed and painted her headboard – we opted for spray primer and paint which is much easier when you are dealing with wrought iron – a real time-saver. I only wish I could have found a creamy white instead of either stark white white or serious almond. We went with the true white over the almond since it matches the other pieces in her room better….but it almost feels a bit TOO white. I would love to know if any of you has found a somewhat creamy white spray paint they can recommend? Please share!! We can always top the headboard off with another coat later. For now, it certainly is fresher and prettier than when we found it.

Note: while Abigail and I had a lot of fun during the project itself, we actually spent much more time trying to clean up afterwards. Not wanting to paint any of our shoes, we stayed barefoot during the painting, and as a result, both of us got layers of spray primer and paint caked on the bottoms of our feet! We had some hilarious bonding time sitting together on Abigail’s vanity with all four of our feet in her little sink, trying to scrub the paint off. Next we will wear old socks that can get dirty and then be thrown away after the job is done.

I also finally finished the big boys’ window dressing. Their room has had small metal blinds in there since we moved in, which collect so much dust and cannot be helpful for Jonathan’s allergies. I’ve had curtains for the window for some time, but didn’t want to install the hardware to hang them with until I’d chosen a paint color for their wall. (So we don’t have to remove hardware or try to to paint around it once we finally get to their walls.) And, after trying nine varying shades of blue I think we’ve got the right color, at last. I primed and painted areas just large enough to allow for mounting their curtain rods and holdbacks – many thanks to Jay who did the job of installation. When I have some more time I will go back and prime and paint the entire room. For now though, the boys are quite happy with their window. Nicolas, upon seeing it for the first time announced, “Hey Mom, WOW! It looks just like the windows in the movies!” I’ll take that as a compliment.

The other thing now occupying my “spare” time is my search for The Dishwasher…that will replace our terribly inefficient, loud, and not really washing very well any more (think greasy deposits of day old goat’s milk still on the inside of the plastic cups after going through the wash – ugh!) vintage KitchenAid Superba by Hobart . We believe the dishwasher may actually be older than I am. I hear they were/are great machines, but I think we will be parting with ours soon! I had my eye on a low end Bosch, but have heard from several different sources that they are not easy to find parts for, or repair on your own…..and since my resident handyman saves us loads of money by doing these things himself…I may need to look elsewhere. So, I’m back to the drawing board. Anyone who’s recently bought a dishwasher, or has a machine they love dearly (and that is quiet and cleans well!), feel free to chime in with your recommendations! I’m all ears!!

3 Replies to “Progress…in Baby Steps”

  1. Baby steps are good! We’ve had 2 dishwashers that I’d love to have again. The first was a top-end Kenmore with a rebuilt motor we found at Sears in Hawaii in the ’90s. The price was right, and it was both super quiet and performed well. The second was a new Maytag, not high-end as far as I know, that had just been installed in the house we rented when we first moved to Dallas. The GE that came with the house we bought performs fine (of course the two of us don’t give it the toughest workout!) but it is typically noisy. Though compared to the garbage disposal it could be considered quiet – but that’s another story.

  2. The dishwasher in the house we moved to in Flower Mound had a top rack mounted on a flimsy guide and was always at risk for falling. It was also a very loud dishwasher in a kitchen that is open to the family room. We bought a Bosch from Lowe’s late last year, and love it. We especially enjoy how very quiet it is.

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