Spoiled

I have some seriously spoiled paint. Not to mean that I spoil my paint, although I did try to treat it fairly. Making sure it wasn’t too hot or cold. The five gallon bucket of paint that I had been using for the past month or so, went bad.

Can paint truly spoil? Oh let me tell you, it sure can. I made the mistake
of painting a wall, okay it was actually three walls in my laundry room with
this spoiled paint (thanks a lot face mask for protecting my nose and lungs from the icky smell). Let me just say, it looked beautiful. I edged like a pro; the color was looking sharp against the crisp white trim. It was just SO stinky. My best comparison would be some seriously nasty spoiled milk.

From the little I could find online, hello Google, there were mold spores in my paint. Wha?? That meant I just put mold on my wall. Oh. No. Research telling me the only way to truly fix the problem, was to primer the walls with oil-based primer. Have you ever been around oil based paints? It’s not a pleasant experience, they are nearly toxic. I got another mask, hoping this one would be safer for my lungs and got to painting. My laundry room is a lovely shade of white and it doesn’t smell! Now I need to get some paint mixed up to paint the remainder of my walls. I have the laundry room and stairwell still left to do in our tan color, then on to the master bedroom. The master will not be tan. I haven’t decided, but I’m thinking the same green I did in the spare bedroom. I am hoping to work on the spare bedroom soon. Turn it into an office/bedroom since it’s just me and the hubs and we only have two bedrooms, we need this
room to do double duty!

Small changes

We have been doing work on the house. While that fact seems obvious to us, it might not be to everyone else. Small changes still make us happy. I read on

http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/05/easy-upgrade-super-toilet/

about an easy toilet upgrade. I had been hating on our toilets since we moved in, even after changing out the seats (come on, eww) and scrubbing them like crazy I was still thinking of purchasing replacements. They are not efficient. Who wants to keep anything that is wasting water? Not I.

I miss many many things about living in Italy, but I think the one that surprised me the most was that I miss the constant desire to do good for the earth. I was disappointed when we moved to SouthEast Texas to find that recylcing isn't a priority. Even worse it's really inconvenient. Our toilets in Italy were mounted to the wall and used gravity to help flush. No I didn't mount our toilet to the wall. What I did incorporate is much more simple. A two button flusher. One uses very little water while the other uses the tank. I love it. We now have it in both bathrooms and I am much more at ease knowing we are wasting a little less.

**I do apologize to anyone who prefers to not call their toilet a toilet. Does commode make you happier?

May need to quit

I cannot believe it's been over a month since my last blog post. We had some guests come at the end of June and I haven't felt compelled to search for a new Internet spot at the house. You see the Internet situation is just getting worse!

We have made a little more progress on the house. Joe has ripped apart the upstairs bathroom while I am tackling the cabinets of the downstairs bathroom. I've only gotten one coat of paint on them so far but pictures will come .. eventually. I would like to switch out the lighting in there first, because well it's just ugly.

Bedroom #2

Here is a little before and after fun.

This is the bedroom exactly as we saw it when we first viewed the house.

I hated the blue walls and wallpaper instantly.

Here are my changes

Some new curtains, new furniture arrangement and some new color.

I think I like it!

Hood Family Farm

Joe has taken it upon himself to add to our 'family'. Here are the new additions. One of the anniversaries is wood and another metal, I might be making Joe a sign stating "Hood Farm". Hopefully the additions will stop. I'm begging them to stop lol

Our Guinea's

Let's catch up a little

Would you believe me if I said I've been so busy with trying to work on the house that I haven't had time to blog, let alone take pictures? Well it's true. Coupled with our terrible Internet connection, I'm having a hard time of this.

So let me fill you in on what I've been up to. One night I saw this:

VERY curious cats

Do you see it in the trash pile?

The biggest mouse I've ever seen!
I mean really, aren't mice supposed to be little?

Here is everyone enjoying some sun outside while I try to clear the yard.

Rowdy, otherwise known as Kitty

D.O.G

Honey

Cali

Gella was being fussy and didn't want to be outside *(it was really hot and I don't blame her) so no picture of her this time.

My plan is to take some pictures soon of the rooms I have completed for a little before and after action.

Time for a tour

We have been living here for over a month and I think it's time for a tour, even if it's still messy.

Master bedroom

Spare bedroom

Kitchen

Living room (not our couch)
Driveway
The house (Wating for the realtor & Joe peeking inside)