Busy, busy weekend!

Wheww! Am I tired, but it's a good tired!

Yesterday, our new dishwasher was delivered. The other died after only 2 years. Miss Maytag is purring along nicely right now. She's not as big as the other, but I think she's better-quality, and much quieter.

The day started bright and early with a nice pile of cat vomit on the living room rug. Lovely. Flowers would've been more appreciated.

I started a big Crock-Pot of chili for dinner.

Today, we were supposed to take our steel 4-poster bed apart to re-paint it. It's white, and girly-looking. I think that spraying it a dark, non-shiny bronze would look better. Our new dresser is due to arrive late this week.  I hated DH's bachelor, particle-board, Mission-style dresser. I've lived with it for 10 years now. I've never had a "real" wooden dresser before, only nasty old antique (not "good" antique, either), too-small ones, or the 1 particle-board cheapie I had when I was single. We've been married for 9 years, yet have never decorated our bedroom.

Anyway, though I washed the headboard, etc. outside, we got side-tracked, and didn't paint it. I spent the entire day moving the bedroom stuff, and cleaning cat fur off every surface imaginable--even behind the pictures on the walls. It was disgusting under the bed, even though we move it, and vacuum every few months.  The ceiling fan blows it around, I think. We use it every night, as the sound helps me sleep. I took the curtains down, and washed them. I re-positioned the bed against the opposite wall, and eliminated some of the cheesy furniture. I cleaned the windows, and wiped the backs of the furniture (dust/cat fur!). I cleaned the ceiling fan, the ceiling, and all the molding and the doors.  I moved the electric fireplace into a better spot.

Upon moving the bed, we discovered that the frame is broken (ok, guys, we didn't break it THAT way! ), so, now, another $400 to buy a platform bed with 6 storage drawers, on top of buying the dresser and dishwasher!  We decided that the under-the-bed cat haven is closing its doors, hence the platform bed. Sorry, kitties--you'll have to go to the guest room now! I'm tired of the cat fur, and that bed is HEAVY--I can't move it myself.

Next year, we hope to buy a new mattress (with the platform bed, you don't need a box-spring), and we have to put in a new ceiling, so I'll get my beloved crown molding then.

My back is going to kill me tomorrow!

I'm so impressed you cleaned the ceiling!

Congrats on a job well done.  You should be pleased with yourself...

Wow, you got so much accomplished! Congrats on your new dishwasher! We've had our Whirlpool now for almost ten years....maybe, not sure. We've had issues with it, primarily that the rinse aid container sprung a leak and it caused the thing to overheat. I was in the basement on the treadmill (and I had the dishwasher on). Came upstairs and immediately started smelling something "hot". It was the dishwasher. Called the repair-weenie and when he came in, he said that Whirlpool is notorious for overheating and fires. Thank goodness, I was home when it happened....and that I happened to finish my walk and get upstairs in time. No need to worry now.....it's all repaired, although I still worry. (My biggest fear seems to be fire)

I have the Columbus Day holiday off in October and am planning on ripping apart our bedroom that weekend....and it probably will take pretty much all weekend. Fixing drywall, painting (hopefully new flooring then, too!). I would love to put in crown molding, but I don't think a bi-level does crown molding well. I love the way it looks; it seems to add a finishing touch to a room.

I hear you about cat fur. Honestly, it's everywhere! I clean and I vacuum all the time, but we're outnumbered. And even though I regularly drag everything out that Rick has stored under the bed and vacuum under there, I know there are still cat-bunnies (around here, we call them cat-bunnies, not dust bunnies  ) under there.

BTW, our bed is a very old Pennsylvania House seconds cannonball bed. It's probably about 40 years old and I think we got it for $5.00 at the time because it was a second. (The cats broke the railing at the foot of the bed years ago. And every kitten that we've had has taken his or her turn sitting on one of the cannonballs at the foot of the bed to watch tv. Every single kitten has done this, from Hydrox all the way up to Tabby.) We really need a new bed, too; even our mattress and box springs are getting up there in years. We started looking at new mattresses, but then we started talking about a new bed. And then we started talking about going from a Queen to a King. I'd like to have a sleigh bed (but I know it would just get scratched). And that's where we stand. Haven't done anything else.

I hope your back will be OK.

Oh, the ceiling is easy to do! Just invert a broom, and "sweep" the ceiling.

Pam, I hear you about the sleigh bed! I like those, too, but I won't get a wooden headboard/footboard--Loki will make scratching posts out of them--and it's more to dust. The steel bed we have now is built like a tank. It has sentimental value, as well. When we first moved in, I was commissioned to sew 2 1860's bonnets for a customer, and that paid for the bed!

The bedroom is starting to look quite nice.  The dresser is due to arrive this week, and I dug out 2 table lamps to put at each end.  I want to find a very large framed picture to hang above the headboard. We switched the head of the bed to the opposite wall, where the dresser used to be.  I couldn't use the big old nightstands, as one would impede the bi-fold closet door in DH's closet--but I had 2 hand-painted Chinese small-scale ones in the attic, and they work. They are just small on the top; hardly any room to put a large book, etc. (we read in bed, and have a bookcase in the bedroom). I'm thinking about getting 2 swing-arm lamps for the wall, and putting a floating shelf behind each nightstand. The phone, etc, could go there.

DH had the great idea of 2 storage ottomans (re-phrase that to "cat thrones"--you know what's going to happen!), one on each side of the bed. We could put the books we're currently reading on top, and store other stuff inside. We're getting the ones that the lid inverts into a wooden tray.

As our 9th anniversary is in 2 days, I wanted to make the bedroom more romantic and pretty. It's our anniversary gift to each other; we're splitting the cost in lieu of a gift.

I wish you could've seen the cats last night! They loved inspecting our handiwork! They were beside themselves with excitement. They were all sprawled out in front of the fireplace when I turned it on, just lolling about delightedly on the carpet!