Just a quick hello to let you know that I'm still alive and that I continue to be amazed (and sometimes disgusted) by the things that I uncover here at the French Farmhouse.
Take for example, my dishwasher. Specifically, the inside of my dishwasher. How in the name of heaven does the inside of a dishwasher get this dirty?!
I considered getting a new one...for a moment. Then I remembered that purchasing new appliances isn't in my budget for Phase one of the renovation.
I pondered the ramifications of having to do dishes by hand for the next year...for a split second.
Needless to say, I decided to clean the inside of the dishwasher.
I removed the racks, and cleaned out the filters at the bottom of the unit. I sprayed the inside with a solution of bleach and water and closed the door for 15 minutes. Then, I dampened a cloth with warm water, sprinkled it with baking soda, and scrubbed.....for an hour. I did the same thing to the racks.
When I was finished, I sprayed the inside of the unit with white vinegar, re-installed the racks, and ran a high temperature cycle without dishes. It's not perfect but it's clean...and my dishes are coming out cleaner too.
And speaking of dirt..... we're in week two of the excavation of the crawl space to install drain tile, a sump pit, a vapor barrier and concrete. So far, they've hand excavated and removed (one 5-gallon pail at a time) three and a half dump trucks FULL of soil.
Of course, it has rained every day since they started this project except one. And as if that wasn't bad enough....today, it snowed. It's muddy...and wet. Some days there has been standing water. They're hauling the dirt up my carpeted staircase, through the back hall, out the back door, across the patio and dumping it into the truck. It's filthy work and they're doing an amazing job.
On the more fun side of things, I'm meeting with the architect again on Thursday and the plumber is coming to run a gas line so that I can connect the dryer.
Not that I haven't grown fond of hanging clothes on the line in the basement...
okay...fond may be a little strong.... but really, it hasn't been bad.
I also hung some hooks in the bathroom and, in case you were wondering, I still haven't painted the shower enclosure. It's in pieces...waiting for a day above 50 degrees so that I can paint it. Worst case, I'll haul it to the basement to paint because I'm not sure that we'll have another day above 50 degrees...
...at least not before next April.
I've also been doing a little sewing. I'm working on window treatments for the kitchen and the
Probably the most exciting news (for the neighbors, anyway) is that I expect to be able to park one car in the garage by the end of the week.
I found this quote from an unknown author the other day...I'm trying to live up to it.
Two things define you.
Your patience when you have nothing, and
Your attitude when you have everything.
That's what I've been up to. A whole bunch of progress on various projects but nothing finished...yet.
