Lots-O'-Housework

This has been a strange/new/weird fall for me. It's the first time in 8 years that I'm not home with a little one during days when I don't teach. Both boys are now in school (K and 3rd).

And because I got injured in mid-August, I haven't biked or ran since they've been in school. I haven't been able to say "I'm going out for a 2.5 hour ride... just because I can!" I've been filling the days I don't teach with house projects. Partly because I can get a lot done, and partly because we agreed to host a "parents of kindergartners" party at our place TONIGHT. I told my wife a few days ago that I urged her to let us host this party (I said YES right away, whereas she needed to think about it for a bit) because I knew it'd kick me in the butt and force me to get a lot of random house projects done.

Here's what I've been up to.

NUMBER ONE: This first one had no bearing on people coming over for a big party, but it just needed to happen late summer (as seen in this post). I patched up parts of our foundation, front steps, and back wall along the driveway:

More photos in this post from last month.

NUMBER TWO: About a month ago, I did a medicine cabinet and vanity make-over in the bathroom (as seen in this post):

I did lots of scraping, sanding, 2-3 coats of primer on bare spots,
and then a coat of paint. This is the false drawer on our vanity.


Vanity doors.

NUMBER THREE: 2.5 weeks ago, I tackled our basement/side door steps:

During scraping...


... and after caulking cracks, 2-3 coats of primer on bare areas, and a coat of paint.


"Before" (well, more like "during") down the steps...


... and "after."


Lots of old plaster cracks that I had to caulk like this "before and after."


"Before" on the only real basement wall...


... and "after." Next summer: the WHOLE basement.
Lots of walls that need a little concrete work before painting.


(A little glimpse at other parts deeper into the basement.
See what I mean about there being some concrete work?)

That will be a big, messy project next year.

NUMBER FOUR: Last weekend, the project was the bathroom radiator. Here's a "before," "during," and "after:"

The top "before..."


... and the top "after."


The bottom front before. See the cleaned up look in the first photo.

Related: I also changed the toilet seat and lid to a fresh ACTUALLY WHITE version. (Not plastic stained with body oils and piss for 20 years.)

NUMBER FIVE: A few days ago, I washed the basement floor. Our bike area is now pretty:

I washed all around the basement as well.

NUMBER SIX: Two nights ago, I scrubbed and then polished the dining room table and chairs. The chairs had lots of nooks and crannies. I took 2 different photos like this because I thought it was the lighting at first, but these 2 chairs CLEARLY show the dull pre-polished on the left, and the full-of-new-life after being polished on the right:

Look at the warmth and life back in the right chair!


Related: Henry and my wife sorted Legos in the dining room the other night too.
You can see BIG Kermit trying to help.

NUMBER SEVEN: This is the only embarrassing one. These other projects are random "old house" projects that need to be done from time to time. But this one is embarrassing. As I was washing the floors, I thought I'd wipe down our railings going to the upstairs. LOOK AT HOW GROSS THEY WERE:

They've been DARK like this since we moved in (12 years ago).
We thought they were stained dark to match the stairs.


BUT NO! They were just plastered with GOO! I think it was an old/bad wax job. Yikes.

I ruined some rags cleaning those railings last night! So much crud! Today I buffed them with some "Old English" oil, and they look (AND FEEL) great.

Well, the yard looks great, the floors are washed, all those random piles of stuff are all put away, and we're ready for a party shortly. Time to prep a few more things, and then soon we'll have a bunch of parents over! We'll go wild and possibly have people here until *gasp* 9 p.m.!!