Auxiliary Pantry Complete!

Now that the fun task of filling the shelves with goodies is done, my little pantry project can be deemed a success! It was pretty easy and I was able to complete it without having to call in The Boss - so that is quite an achievement. Check out the details:

This roll of rubber flooring was only $9.98 at Menard's. After a little bit of trimming, the pantry has a nice floor covering!

The little shelf that was originally in the space was scooted into the corner. I may end up re-painting it but for now all I did was wipe it down and vacuum off the spiders.

I assembled two more 36"-wide chrome shelves for a total of three. In order to prevent small items from falling through, I cut the boxes into sheets to create solid surfaces for the wire shelves.

The milk crates were left here by the wedding caterer, so I stacked them and created some little cubbies. 

Having this space cleaned and organized has freed-up space in the kitchen pantry. The best part is that I have room in both pantries for more stuff - just in time for Christmas!

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Water Woes

Last Tuesday (November 11), I stopped at the end of the driveway to read the water meter in time to mail our monthly check to the NRD. Since I'm too stubborn to get my eyes checked, I snapped a photo of the meter in order to magnify the numbers and record our water usage. Imagine my confusion, however, when I realized the number at the left . . .which rarely changes....had rolled over from 1 to 2....meaning we  used over 112,000 gallons of water in a month!

The previous month's reading was around 155,000 so we were responsible for figuring out what happened. Scott's immediate response was to call the NRD and have the water turned off which seemed prudent until we thought, "now what?" After an unsuccessful afternoon of looking for a trenching company to help us out of the situation, we spent the night with Mom and Dad Camp. It was the best part of our otherwise cold, crummy day! (Thanks, Mama and Dad for the hospitality!)

The following day, Scott continued the search for a plumber or trencher to find and fix the leak. He hit many roadblocks from people that didn't have time to people that wouldn't call him back. We had our fingers crossed that the water line's original installer, Midland Trenching, would be able to zoom right over. Sadly, Steve reported that his new tractor was in the shop and he didn't expect it back before the end of the week. On top of that, all of us were concerned about the frigid temperatures that enveloped the entire country in a pre-winter fit of fury. My bright idea was finally adopted by the boss:  turn the water off and on at the meter twice a day for showers and clean-up. This way, we could stay in our own house and just suffer the inconvenience of drinking bottled water and flushing the potties with buckets of water.

Scott was a real trouper! He didn't complain about meter duty, rising each day at 6:15 to trudge outside to turn on the water, then turn it off when he left for work, then turn it on so we could cook dinner, then turn around and go back outside in the cold, dark night to turn it off. He did this every day for 6 days.

Finally on Tuesday, November 18, Steve was able to bring his tractor and crew to noTTafarm and to our rescue. After a fruitless morning of digging, the culprit was finally located just after lunch.

By the time we got home from work, all was right with the world!

Now all we have to do is wait for the bill. 

<sigh>

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Kitchen Shelving Progress Report

Despite my lack of blog updates, Scott has been making slow but steady progress on the kitchen shelving project. With a practically-free weekend, he was able to devote quite a bit of effort. Check it out!

The first step was to remove the outside frame pieces. Wait, what? That's right . . . he took them down so they could be trimmed to the precise size, polished, and poly-coated.

I never think the poly is necessary until I see the finished product. Steel is even more striking when you give it a just a little love!

The two pairs of vertical supports were put into position with clamps while Scott determined they're final resting spot. He finally settled on having them 32 inches apart.

The rubber mallet came in handy to knock the supports into a level position.

Next, each support had to be bolted in place meaning Scott had to drill eight holes through two layers of steel.

How many tools do you need to do this job? Quite a few (including some new clamps he just had to have.)

By the end of the day, the big vertical supports are secured in place. Smaller steel angles will be used for the remaining supports and shelf brackets so they should be a little easier to maneuver.

Stay Tuned for More Progress!

Auxiliary Pantry Project Underway

I finally decided today was the perfect day to begin my auxiliary pantry project. The little room under the 1972 stoop is barely 5' x 7' but is the perfect spot for additional storage. One coat of paint went up today, and I'm motivated to install a floating floor and assemble the shelves before the week is done. Stop by next Sunday to see if I succeeded! Here's a peek at the progress so far:

As you can imagine, since the room is so small, it is difficult to take a photo that could encompass the whole space. The "before" room features a gray painted floor, white cinder block walls, and a pink insulation ceiling. (Scott wants to add another layer of insulation and maybe some cement board.) The finished pantry will have three of the chrome shelves pictured. I plan on storing party supplies, seasonal serving pieces, and overflow home decor items.

The gallon of SW-7747 "Recycled Glass" I used was leftover from the upstairs pantry project. In fact, the label on the can showed a purchase date of November 18, 2012; can it really have been nearly two years ago that I painted the pantry?

By 6 o'clock, I had the walls painted. They're not perfect but they do look fresh and clean. It felt so good to get a project underway!

Stay Tuned for More Progress!

Wildlife Update

Even though it's a daily occurrence, seeing a deer in the yard is never a ho-hum event - especially when a buck appears! Scott snapped a few photos Thursday morning while the buck watched him from a safe distance. I took photos on Saturday of another set of wildlife - kitties! Leo, Bibbers, and Wilson have made the most of our beautiful autumn weather.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Batten Down the Hatches!

We've been warned:  a polar plunge is on the way! Due to a temperamental typhoon half way 'round the world, half the country (including noTTafarm!) will experience the first sub-freezing signs of winter early this week. Scott and I took advantage of this "last" sunny weekend to winterize some stuff outside. I cleaned out several planters, took the patio umbrella to the barn, and disassembled the hammock. Scott had the more hazardous chore of climbing up on the roof to clean leaves out of the gutters. He got pretty clever and took the leaf blower with him.

Good Job, Scotty!

Stay Tuned for Reports 

from the Great Polar Plunge of '14!