The Dirty House (The Miracle on 42nd Street): 07.31.2005

House update, birthday photos and of course some cats....

I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted anything, where is the time going??

I put the house photos first so that those who don't like cheese or cats can stop when they reach that point. Enjoy;)

The "before and after" of Joe's floor project. It's taken him dozens of hours to scrape the old brown paint off the floors. The paint is so thick that one of those big sanders won't work. He wanted to give up and put carpets down in the remaining room, but I think I've talked him into finishing that one as well. The color of the natural wood is so nice so it'll be this way when it's finished.

The side window in the dining room was more of a challenge to do cheaply. I didn't want to put anymore holes in the woodwork around the window, so I tried to put the hardware into the wall around the window but I put them each about an inch too far over so the rod barely expands enough to reach both of the things that hold it up. Oh well, it's still better than the blue and yellow flower curtains that belonged to the dirty people...

I put up some very cheap curtains over the patio door and was able to pitch the awful vertical blinds that fell on my head the first time I opened the door. They had random stuff smeared all of them, too. Under $15 for the curtains, rod and tie back on the side. And they don't fall down!!!

Joe is starting to put on the finish today in these two areas-living room and dining room.

I just can't seem to get this stuff (cheese?) off the wall! I think we're going to just sand it off. Ugh.

Close up of the random stuff stuck where the stair molding meets the door trim. I used a nail to scrape it out.

Close up (sort of) of Kitty #6. She absolutely gorgeous, mostly white with calico spots like Squeaks but long hair like Bibbles. She lives on the street, not sure if she belongs to anyone (yet..). She ran off when I tried to get a better photo.

Lots of deer footprints in the giant sand circle. Kitty #6 is lurking in the background under the tree.

The disgusting things are gone! Note the layer of dustgrease on the top. The stove was removed yesterday as well! Joe and his coworker used the last of my rubber gloves to carry it out to the curb.

Joe ripping down the last of the cabinets.

Close up of the vent in the kitchen floor. It's basically right in the middle of the wall. Yes, it's gross. And yes, the wall is splattered with some nameless goo.

This is a whole other project, but it has "potential".

This is one of my favorite things in the house, the pantry.

Close up of the shelves...more stuff to clean.

Inside shelves, lots of storage space...someday.

Gross!!! I think it's dried up chocolate syrup..

Note that all they do is nap ALL DAY! That's the life I'd like to have...

Smudgie and Bibbles hang out together constantly. You'd never know that Smudgie's only been around since April. I was worried about bringing another boy into the house, but the girls fight much more. Bibbles and Smudgie had one little "discussion" and all has been fine since!