Various and Sundry Items

The countertop on our chest of drawers is IN! We haven't screwed it down yet, but it's wedged in already, so a couple of screws and voilá! it should be done. Then we'll have to start planning the shelving above it. The counter looks very pretty, and is wonderful to see in the closet. The closet itself almost looks complete. Funny enough, all the drawer stain and top stain makes the whole thing a bit dark, as we thought there would be more of the white frame of the chests showing through, peeking around the drawer fronts. No matter, though. They look very sharp. If you ever get to see them, you will love them.

Also, ad nauseum, I've been mudding and sanding. Nothing new to report there. Three solid hours for 2 alcoves, a doorway, and a wall point five on Friday (that's fancy talk for one and a half walls). Other assorted hours of sanding and mudding at small intervals throughout the week. Very disheartening. Luckily, my HW on a shining horse has come forth and is sanding his little heart away as we speak before I have a nervous breakdown and start stapling papier-mâché mardi gras heads and beads all over the walls and calling it a "masterful cover-up" with a maniacal laugh. My neighbor across the street asked me if I was done sheetrocking yet and I almost cried. As it was, a pained look on my face appeared and I asked why she was being so cruel. I can't wait for this part to be over!! I'm gonna need therapy.

I've also decided that there must be some sort of chemical imbalance in the brain that occurs when the body is exposed to gypsum/sheetrock dust, wearing a face mask (so breathing is more labored), and having to hold both a light and a vacuum cleaner all at the same time while sanding, usually on a ladder, in awkward positions, and especially at higher than normal temperatures. Both of us come away from each event cranky and irritable. I truly believe to be a happy sheetrocker, you must be on drugs or be mildly mentally impaired. It's the only way to cope! So hug your local sheetrocker and give him some valium. He deserves it!

Yesterday we had to overcome severe disinterest to get working on the lighting in the closet. It didn't help that even though we'd finally gotten our electrician out to add some more neutral bus bar space to the breaker box (aren't you impressed with my electrical jargon??), we had forgotten to go out and get a new circuit breaker! So HW had to run to HD to go get one while I tried to field real estate calls and clients (pesky work keeps trying to encroach). After he got back, he got everything wired up, sent power only where needed so far (if we wire everything right now, it'll just get dusty or painted before it's needed, so the less that's in, the better; we just need light). So he got the wires in, marked the ones we knew we'd need later (cuz we ain't no dummies) and connected both the closet light and the main bathroom light. Got our handy-dandy walkie talkies, went into the breaker box room, flipped the switch and told me, back in the closet, to flip mine.

Nothing in the closet.

But oddly, the light further down the line did come on, so we knew the power was working.

So we had to switch off the breaker and check all the connections. Then as a last resort, we tried different light bulbs. What are the chances that both bulbs that we put in the fixtures didn't work? Apparently higher than the chances of getting it right on the first try. So we got new bulbs (again), flipped the breaker back on, and OMG, we have LIGHT in our closet!! It's absolutely bee-you-tee-full!! Of course, now I want to get shelves up to disguise any sheetrock mishaps I'm not happy with, but c'est la vie! The closet looks even better! I'm so pleased, I will probably go back in and turn on the light every so often just to appreciate that I can. Each time I've gone in there since we got the light working, I've had to inform HW that I was able to turn the light on. I think we're now on the eye-roll, yes-honey level of response.

The other big thing we've been working on today is removing the top of the vanity, the back of the vanity, and the legs of the vanity, so basically, we have a carcass. Then we carried it through the house, took the bathroom door off the hinges (which demonstrated how badly we need that to become a pocket door), and moved the vanity into position. It's gonna be awesome! We marked where the plumbing will hit so we know which drawers to modify and which ones may become flip down fronts. We also took note of the fact that it FITS. Then we took the thing back outside and I sanded all the areas that I couldn't get to before because there was old yellow hideous crackle trim in the way. I took the feet off and then we talked about how we'll rebuild it back. We also made note that when moving it back into position, we won't want to put trim on the doorway to the poo room until after the vanity is in position. It'll be a tight squeeze, but it'll get through the doorway with no trim on the outside of the poo room door. That's huge because we were worried we'd have to modify it in place instead of have the freedom and space to do it in the garage and then move it into position. Very good news.

Got the rest of it sanded just before the bottom dropped out of the sky. Luckily, with no top, back, or drawers, the carcass doesn't weigh all that much, so I got it back into the garage quite easily (or do I just not know my own strength?). We stored the cherry top in the house, hopefully far away from our ability to gouge it until we can work on it.

While HW has been sanding, I unwrapped the poo room door out in the garage and stained the edges and one side. So it's in the garage, drying, so that maybe tonight I can flip it over and stain the other side. Might as well do something while I can.

Tomorrow it's supposed to rain, which should be good for sanding. Again.