Moving day - and week - and month

When you no longer own a huge amount of 'stuff', moving day is a little easier - it also helps to move just a mile across town.  We took a carload over every time we spent a day working on the house.  Of course, the day we wanted to move furniture and the kitchen was the hottest day so far this year - 98 degrees and 90% humidity.  When we finished at 5:00 we put on our bathing suits and fell into the ocean.  A thunderstorm was approaching, but there was no lightning so we just floated to our heart's content and let the salt water soothe our aching muscles.  A cooler, clear day prevailed when we moved over the final items.  We hired a moving company to bring all the heavy things and it was an hour well spent.  They picked up the sleep sofa like it nothing, and ran with it to the truck.

                                                   Acme movers make short work of it

Now we're slowly unpacking, catching up on yardwork and trying to find all those little things we packed 'somewhere.'  Our little garden is producing nice peppers, tomatoes and onions, so I raided it to make a fresh batch of Gazpacho.

Our second night in the house we walked out the boardwalk behind us and savored a marsh sunset.  Finishing the bathroom is next on the agenda, along with all those little tasks required whenever you move into a 'new' place.

                                                                         

Calico Creek marsh

Productive week

Paul was able to finish tiling the bathroom this week and today we sanded and primed the new drywall.  The sink goes in tomorrow but the built in storage units will have to wait until after we move in.  At least it will be usable.  Right now the priority was finishing the walk in closet with rods and rod supports.

I also finished painting the living room, master bedroom and closet, and my studio.  We went with Sherwin Williams paint with which we were very happy.  In keeping with the cottage feel, we used a warm Alabaster white with white trim in the living room.  The curtains will be navy, yellow and white stripes. The studio is gray with white trim and the master bedroom is a taupe with white trim.

                                                           Living room painted and floor done

                                                          Master bedroom painted

While Paul attacked the bathroom, my big task this week was sanding and top coating 3 rooms of hard southern pine floors.  We scoured the internet for information regarding the best way to finish the floors,  and after much deliberation we decided to use a clear, oil based polyurethane from Benjamin Moore. The clerk recommended a gloss finish first, over which we could put a semi gloss.  We liked the  shiny finish and so just stayed with the gloss.  The floors aren't perfect but the finish seems to fit the simple cottage style we have.  Some day, down the road, when we completely refinish the dining room and kitchen floors, we may decide to totally refinish the bedroom floors to the bare wood, but they look fine for now.  

                                                                    Quite the shine

Four days until final move in and we'll have 4 rooms almost done.  The floor is almost level, so we have a good start.  At least we'll only be responsible for one house now, and progress can proceed as we have energy.

Let the painting begin...

I sold my first watercolor last week - in fact, I sold two of them.  It was a banner week, but there hasn't been much time for that kind of painting lately.  Instead, I have spent every spare moment painting inside the house.  Fortunately, some friends came over and spent the day helping us.  Steve painted the trim in my studio and Carol primed the master closet and sanded all our bookcases.  What a fantastic help.

Paul started laying out the tile for the bathroom floor and I started scrubbing down the kitchen, such as it is.  We've been packing and taking a carload to the house each day.  One week until move in day.  The plan is for the living room, bathroom, master bedroom and studio to be mostly done and we'll work on the rest of the house after we are settled in.  And maybe then I can get back to watercolor painting again.
Paul, on the other hand, gets to continue with renovations.

                                                                      Tiling the floor