Beany's House Project.

[MooseMom]

Yes, plumbing.  It's great when it works!  Yay!  And there's nothing like some retail therapy, even if it IS from Home Depot.

This is just sounding like so much fun.  I'm having a great time reading each day how things are progressing.  I can't wait for all of the "after" pics!

I love the idea of painting little sayings on each riser.  "Get Crafty"...Hahahahaha!  That's great!

[Poppylicious]

That retro wallpaper is amazing!

Loving the updates!

 

[MomoMcSleepy]

The last owners didn't tape them off when they painted the stairwell pre-carpet, so the tops and edges are a paint splattered mess.  I'm going to primer and use some white porch paint on them.   I might wait and do it after the furniture is moved upstairs, though!

That is going to look lovely, I love tromping up and down wood stairs!  Good for you on the furnace, too!  You are working so hard.  It is so nice to do whatever you want to your own place.  How exciting!  How long til your lease is up?. We had three months to get our foreclosure in to tip top shape, and once we moved in I ran out of  steam :-(. Of course, our place was a bit of a wreck...

So neat to take those layers off and see the vintage  wallpaper or "real" paint color.   Have you found anything interesting?  We found crazy stuff hidden all over the place and the owners had carved their names into walls and such, too.  A pretty crazy house.

[jbeany]

So far, the only truly quirky things I've noticed are the downstairs paint job, which is baby blue by the workbench, which changes to pastel pink halfway down the wall where the laundry area starts - very 50's cutesy with the gender line, and the black metal door knob on the closet behind the bar - which is shaped like a cocktail glass!  It's like half a glass wedged into the door, and you put your fingers into the glass to tug it open.  Well, that and the fact that the last owner left off grouting the shower tile as soon as there was enough grout to take a shower...

I'm home recharging my batteries today.  My fingers and ankles were getting puffy.  Too much exercise, not enough sleep! Gotta give my bean a chance to catch up - it's used to desk jobs, not construction work.  No rest for the weary, though.  I'm spending the day sending out resumes and cover letters.  Tomorrow, I'll unload the car and shop some more.  I'm looking for some cabinets and things I can use for my kitchen.  My current sewing desk is going to get turned into a kitchen table, with a little glazing and possibly a white laminate top added eventually.  (My first Ikea hack!)  I'm hoping for a storage bench to put behind it and some cute kitchen chairs for the front.  I also need some type of counter top space for next to the stove, so looking for rolling carts or other cabinets I can hack for that space as well.  I saved the hunk of butcher block that was on top of the dishwasher, so I'm looking for one I can put under that.  Habitat for Humanity Restore, here I come!

[brenda seal]

I love your house and enjoy following your adventures . I am pea green with envy . Good luck .

[jbeany]

Ah, the weekend - NOT time to relax.  I shopped until I dropped again, but my list is getting shorter and shorter.  I found bullnose (edge) tile that matches the half-finished shower project.  I still need to chip out a piece of grout and attempt to match that as well.  After a lot of samples purchased, brought home, and rejected, I've found a border that will fill in with exactly the right amount of width between the bullnose and the 12x12 tiles.  Decision made, I'm going to return all the stray samples and get the border and call it good. 

I still need to find some flooring I like for the bathroom.  I didn't mind the vinyl that was in it, but it was installed around the ancient sink, so I need new to put my new sink in.  Debating on how ambitious I am.  I like the new "luxury" peel and stick tiles.  They are much thicker, and they are meant to be grouted, just like ceramic tiles.  I love the look, but another hunk of lino will be much, much faster!

The kitchen walls and ceilings are pretty well scrubbed today, and I got a start on the cabinets.  The last owner was a smoker, so it's very, very easy to tell where I missed a spot - it's the part that is still cream colored instead of white.  I spackled holes until I lost the light tonight.  I have to go back and finish that tomorrow. 

Other projects for the day - tested out my new cordless weed eater.  Works fine, like that there's no cord and it's still pretty light.  The gas ones weigh a lot more than I'm comfortable lifting since my surgeon remodeled my guts to put them back on the inside.
My little weed tool works fine too - it looks like a big cocktail fork, and I've relieved the side gravel bed of most of the weeds.  I'd call it a flower bed, but there aren't any flowers - only rocks!

I tried to remove some old shelf paper in the kitchen with the same hot water and fabric softener combo I used on the wallpaper.  Uh, not a chance.  This stuff is stuck tight.  I hated to waste the hot water and softener, so I stripped wallpaper off one wall in the bathroom.  I also unscrewed and yanked out the edging from the ugly shower door.  Why put up all that lovely tile and then cover it all with a giant frosted glass door?  Plus, the bathroom is too small to have the window blocked from view.  It looks better already, and I still have to pry stray tiles off the wall to be able to finish the tiling.

15 days until my movers arrive!

Okay, must end now.  Dora kitty is trying to attack my computer screen to get to the Kit and Stick smiley that is whacking away above this entry box!

[galvo]

I need a lie down after reading that!

[okarol]

Okay, must end now.  Dora kitty is trying to attack my computer screen to get to the Kit and Stick smiley that is whacking away above this entry box!

 

[jbeany]

I finally have a mowed lawn and a working lawn mower.  This took far more effort than I expected.  I bought a mower Monday night on my way home.  Good thing Lowes is open until 10pm, since I seem to frequently be the last one out the door.  My brother-in-law told me he could come on Wednesday to help me set it up and get it running.  Tuesday, I opened the box while it was still in my hatchback.  I couldn't lift it out by myself, but figured I could at least read the manual and see if I could lift some of the parts out.  Uh, no - it was a return, and was missing the manual and some of the parts.  So I had to take it back Tuesday evening and get it exchanged.  Grr....

Appliances were being delivered Tuesday, so I couldn't leave to go get the lawn mower exchanged until the delivery arrived.  I was not ready to have the appliances in the kitchen yet.  My plans to have the ceiling and walls painted fell through when I started to sand the spackle.  Some of it had been applied in various locations, especially the ceiling, by the previous owner, and then just left rough.  (Charming, I know.)  Turns out that this was his way to stop multiple layers of paint from continuing to peel.  Here's a hint - it doesn't work.  (This is the same guy who thought painting over wallpaper would make it stop peeling off the wall, so Bob Villa, he's not.)  The minute I started to sand it smooth so I could paint it, the paint began to flake off in huge chunks, spackle and all.  So I had to scrape all the loose paint off, respackle, and wait for it to dry.  I had to repeat the process several times, as I kept finding new spots to fix.  So my quick sanding job turned into a several day project, and it still isn't entirely done.  My appliances are currently plopped in the middle of the kitchen floor, waiting for me to finish the walls. 

I didn't want to start work in the kitchen when the delivery guys might arrive at any minute, so I took a hammer to the ceramic towel bar in the bathroom.  Got the towel bar off, but there was still a large ceramic insert stuck in the wall.  Beat and battered at it until I could get it loose, since it stuck out too far to plaster over smoothly.  Apparently, the best way to keep the insert in place while the mud set during the original installation was to wrap layer after layer of newspaper around it to wedge it in between the studs.  Once I got the insert out of the hole, I reached in and got the papers.

 My bathroom was tiled in mint green shortly after May 17th, 1963.  The Rambler was the car of the year.  President Kennedy was a staunchest supporter of the space program, and Gordon Cooper was orbiting the earth, and it had already become so routine for him, he actually dozed off and had a dream while he was up there!  The editorial page was a long discussion of whether or not we should be spending all the money on the space program...Should we really be trying to get to the moon?  The grocery store on the corner was advertising that it used S&H green stamps, and a kids' wooden picnic table was $5.83 at the local hardware. 

The most amazing article to me was one discussing a town that was implementing the "most complete integration plan of any city in the south."  As I'm watching my neighbors walk past my door each evening as they get walk their dogs or stroll by in the sunny weather, black, white, Asian, Arabic, all cheerfully greeting each other, it amazes me that an "advanced integration plan" was so necessary only 50 years ago.

But, historical ramblings aside....I  took the mower back for an exchange that afternoon.  This took at least an hour, since no one could figure out the proper way to do a simple exchange with their computer system, plus, no one could understand that they had to take the previous one out of the car for me before I could bring it in to exchange it... then I scooted home to make chocolate covered strawberries and pack up the stuff I need to take to my craft workshop I was teaching at Gilda's.    I swear, I only had a little drywall dust in my hair when I got there, really.

I got back to the house bright and early this morning, with lawn mower #2 in the car, and my mechanically inclined brother in law to help.  Got it out of the car, out of the box, all put to together, oil put in, gas tank filled - and the flanges are broken on the gas cap.  $#%&@%
Off to the store.  Take BIL's bigger car, so I can get laminate for the built-in desk upstairs, and have him figure out what plumbing bits and pieces I need to hook up new faucets in kitchen and bath.  Finally get gas cap exchanged - they snagged it out of the one I returned yesterday.  Back to the house, and attach the cap.  I got an electric start, self-propelled mower, since I can't lift much, and didn't want to strain my stitched up guts with a pull start.  The instruction manual says charge the new battery for 8 hours.  BIL doesn't want to wait.  The hour we were gone should be enough.  Uh, no.  He blew the fuse and had to pull start it.  Between the two of us, the lawn got mowed and I used my new weed eater on the edges.  He pulled the fuse, told me it would be easy to find another at any hardware store, and he had to leave.  I spent several hours prying tile from the half-finished bathroom project, and sanding the excessive amounts of tile goop the previous owner used, so I can set in a simple border and be done, since I can't afford to tile the entire bathroom, as he clearly planned to do.  I also wedged the vinyl window trim off the tub edge, where he was using it as the world's widest grout line. Eventually, I've had enough, and figure I better get to a store to see if I can find the bulk and appliance trash stickers I've been looking for all last week.

Easy to find fuse.  Ha. 

It's a tiny, 40 amp spade fuse.  The car sections all sell up to 30.  40 amps are great big ones.  No luck at Ace, but they did have real horseshoes for my pitch in the back yard, and, even more important, bulk trash stickers for trash day tomorrow.  Yay, I can get rid of the antique dishwasher shell that has made it so tight coming out of my drive that I've managed to knock the side mirror loose on my car.  $%$#&*&.  I've been looking for someplace that sells the tags for a week, and trash day is tomorrow.  Back to the house to haul stuff to the curb.

Okay, so I had to try out the horseshoes first.  Man, I stink.  Not a single ringer, even from the girls' line at 30 feet.  I need to practice, but back to work.  Slap the $12.50 trash tag on the dishwasher, and start walking it to the curb.  It's big, it's heavy, it's awkward, and the feet are making horrible nails-on chalkboard noises with every shove.  Peachy.  Got it halfway down the drive, and a truck goes by.  Stops, backs up, passenger asks, "Are you tossing that?"  Uh, no, just taking it for a walk for some fresh air. 
They recycle scrap metal, so they back up the truck, load it and cheerfully speed off.  Well, darn it - the stickers don't come off once you stick 'em on!  Still, it's gone.  Pity they didn't take it a couple of days ago, so I wouldn't have to get a new side mirror.

But, I still have no fuse for my electric starter, so off to Lowes, where I bought the mower.  (Again.)  They don't have them either.  Now, I asked for help at both stores, and each time, we visited multiple departments.  Nada.  Eventually, the lawn and garden guy gets smart, grabs a ladder, and snags the one out of the display model and just gives it to me.  Sweet!  Enough for one day, and home I come.

I'm sleeping in tomorrow.

[jbeany]

I think Lowes and Home Depot should both give me a designated parking spot by now.

One of my girlfriends decided to come see the house and help out this weekend.  She talked her boyfriend into coming.  I've known them both since elementary school, and I'm ever so happy he grew up to be a professional carpenter! They worked with me all day Saturday, and the bathroom is slowly coming along.  Yesterday, the remaining wallpaper got stripped, the sink and vanity were removed, and the lino ripped up.  Looks like I need to level the floor, or put in a new chunk of ply down under the vanity and toilet. 
I also had their help in the kitchen.  The ceiling is now a bright white, not a tobacco stained brown.  The wall are now patched, sanded and ready for primer, but we got stalled trying to figure out what to do with the messy windowsills and trim on my 63 year old double hung windows.

Today, I bought paint stripper - since the window are all too mucky to even sand smooth.  I've got so many layers of paint in some spots that the missing chips leave divots.  That's another job for another day.

I did a lot of sanding and patching in the bathroom today.  I scraped and chiseled down some of the old tile adhesive that had overflowed everywhere, and cut small patches of drywall for the random holes the previous owner apparently decided to hide with tiles.  I plastered until I lost the light.  I'll have to finish in the morning.  I thought I might get it done, but I wanted to do the ceiling while I was at it.  I had to remove the two giant florescent work lights (that don't actually work) that were left up there during the previous owner's half-arsed tiling project. 

My brother-in-law had looked up at them earlier, and commented, "Oh, they are just screwed up there; it will only take a few minutes to get them down."  A few minutes.  HA!  They were bolted up there.  And the bolts, of course, were not firmly in the ceiling, so every attempt to spin the nuts holding the lights to the ceiling just made the bolts spin around.  I muttered and swore a lot, but eventually managed to get them down and either pry the bolts out of the ceiling or just pound them up into it so I could plaster over the holes.  At least the walls are close enough in my little bathroom that there's always something nearby to grab on to while standing on a step ladder, swinging a hammer at the ceiling.

Bob Villa, I'm not.

8 days until my movers arrive.   

[galvo]

Beany, this saga gets better and better!

[jbeany]

My bathroom floor is now level.  Apparently, so is my butt, since I accidentally sat on the sticky, gritty lid and stir stick from the gallon of self-leveler when I was scooting around on the floor trying to make sure I had all the divots patched.  I had to spread newspaper on my car seat to drive back to my apartment.   (I leveled the floor last thing tonight, as I basically had to back my way out the bathroom door as I was doing it.)   

I think I've finally got all the bathroom walls patched in all the possible spots, even the ones that sunk in a bit when the first patch dried.  I need to do one last quick sanding in the morning and it's ready to prime.  Ceiling first, then primer on the walls.  I'm going to prime the kitchen walls at the same time. 
Then, it will finally look like I'm accomplishing something!  Pure white walls, ready for color will be such a change.  The holes in the living room are spackled and ready to see if my touch-up paint is a good enough match that it won't be noticeable.  I liked the color in the living room, so I just left it, but it needed some spots covered.  Perhaps it's a good thing the last owner smeared paint on the edges of the outlet covers instead of removing them.  At least I had something to take to the store to offer as a sample to match.   

I noticed today that every last bit of floor trim in the whole house was painted white, but not a single nail hole was ever filled.  So there's a couple of hours in my future to spend crawling around on my hands and knees with some wood putty before I can repaint the banged-up trim.

My brother in law is coming on Wednesday to help me lay the lino in the bathroom and hopefully put the vanity in.  I should be able to start tiling my decorative border to finish off the shower that day, too.

Tick, tock, tick, tock....

[monrein]

jbeany, I'm loving reading all about your house project.  I really admire your approach to things and your incredible determination to get things done slowly (and sometimes quickly) but surely.  Keep the photos coming.  I wish I could lend a hand with some of the work.   

[jbeany]

How to estimate how much time a home improvement project will take:  Read directions on line.  Take their estimate.  Multiply it by 3.

Honestly.

Still chugging along though.  The bathroom is painted with two coats of something that looks like the "coffee" my 13 year-old nephew drinks.  As in..."Want some coffee with that warm milk?"  The kitchen in now primer white - at least the walls and trim.  The windows are waiting for me to find out how bad the paint stripper is to use.  If it's horrid, I may just do a single coat of white primer for now to clean them up and work on it later.  I'm running out of time, and there are other things of higher priority than pretty windowsills.  Like kitchen cupboards that are clean inside and ready to be used.

I blew a substantial chunk of the day at the apartment.  I slept in to start with - a rest desperately needed, so no complaints there.  Yesterday, I brought back my cordless drill so I could take down everything still attached to the walls, like shelves and curtain rods.  I also brought back the patching plaster.  I noticed as I unloaded the wire shelves in the living room storage closet had been overloaded to the point that some of the C clips holding them to the walls had snapped, so I bought replacements for those the other day.  Seems simple enough....

By the time I got everything off the walls, packed all the misc stuff up, got the screws and plastic anchors out of the drywall and the holes patched, the curtains washed, and the broken shelving bits replaced, it had gone 4 hours. 

So, off to the house - by the time I ate dinner, did some other errands, and drove there, it was already 6 pm.  In  addition to primering the kitchen, I spent far too much time chatting with my neighbor and yet another person stopping by to see if I'm planning on either flipping or renting the house.  After unloading the car AGAIN, I figured I should start tiling the missing bits of the shower in the bathroom.  Ha. Ha.

I've got everything, so I laid all the tiles, the tools, the adhesive, the grout, and the caulk in the bath.  I have one 3 inch row of 1 inch tiles, and then a 3 inch bullnose edge tile to put up.  Shouldn't take long, right?  It's already 10:30 pm, but I'm in a working mood since I got here so late.  First, I figure I should have everything ready before I start spreading sticky stuff, so I might as well cut all the tile first.  I measured - I only need to cut two bullnose pieces - all the rest are full 12 inch tiles.  That shouldn't be bad, right? Ha again.   

The top row of inch pieces have to be cut, too.  Okay, I've cut a hand tile cutter, and bits of the tile that I pried off the wall from around the ugly shower door.  I'll practice.  EASY - draw a score, put it in the tool, squeeze.  More or less straight line, and I have extra tiles and a file - it will be good.
First problem - the tool is not made for cutting 1 inch tiles - it's meant for cutting big tiles, and it doesn't fit the little ones.  They are so small, they don't even touch the two points that press down around the score to snap the tile.  Crap.  Okay, lots extra to play with.  My work bench already had a vise.  By messing around (and failing a lot until I got the technique down), I found I could score the little things, wedge them perfectly in the vise, and tap them just right with a hammer to snap them in half.  I've now got the 6 tiny half tiles I need - 3 for each side along the top.  On to the bullnose.

Which, unfortunately, is not the same tile as the stuff on the walls.  It matches so closely, no one will ever know once it's up.  BUT>>>it's thicker.  I don't have the hand strength to snap it with the hand tool. I tried using the vise and the hammer, like I managed with the little ones, but no go. 

I've now mucked around with this stuff so much it's 12:45 at night.  Enough!  I need to recruit one of my big, tough, male neighbors to see if he can snap tile for me - I brought them and a couple of extras home with me.  If not, I have to see if I can find a tile place that will cut just those two on a wet saw for me.

Multiply all time estimates by 3....

More pics....

[jbeany]

Busy, busy, busy...

[okarol]

  You're doing great - what a handy dandy gal you are - love seeing all your projects as they evolve!

[glitter]

This is a wonderful thread i am cheering you on from afar!!!

[MaryD]

I'm exhausted just reading about it!

[jbeany]

Lowe's charges 25 cents per cut for tiles.  Went there first thing - well, after this month's bloodwork, which I finally remembered to go do.  So, off to the house, start with yellow paint in the kitchen.

Holy cow, who picked this awful paint color?  Ooops, oh yeah, me.  It picks up a shade in the floor really well.  Unfortunately, I didn't hold it up next to the existing paint color in the hallway and living room, which it will be right next to.  So I have all these creamy shades of brown and tan in the rest of the place - and this primary color yellow in the kitchen.  Ummmm....no.  It clashed.  Badly.  I stopped after one small section of wall and soffit.

Off to Lowes - second trip of the day.  Replaced "Toasted Oat" (which is really a sunny yellow) with "Buttered Popcorn" (which is a toned down creamy yellow).  Home again, home again.  Started where I left off, and worked my way around the room.  By the time I got back to the Toasted Oat, it was dry enough to cover.  Much better - no clashing, and still tones down the look of my kitchen floor.  (Which my neighbor calls "vintage tortoise shell pattern."  Oh, was that the original idea? Why on earth would anyone want to walk on something that resembles turtle shells?)

Between coats, I put up the tile in the bathroom.  I love the way it looks, even if it's clearly not a professional job.  I can already see things I would do differently if I did it again - like more adhesive under the decorative tiles that are slightly thinner than the edge pieces, so the result would be more level.  But, it's up and it's a huge improvement already.

I got the second coat of paint on the kitchen, and made a list of what I hope to accomplish tomorrow - primarily the scrubbing of everything in the kitchen from floor to ceiling that hasn't already been painted.  I want the cupboards ready for dishes on Monday.  Plus, I'd really like to get my appliances out of the middle of the kitchen floor and up against the walls where they belong!  I also hope to grout the tiles so they have time to dry.  If I'm really lucky, I get to miter the trim for the bathroom....if not, it's got to be done Monday, so I can move the vanity out of the living room and put the bathroom door back on.

I agreed to go to my sister's cottage on Sunday for the afternoon, after a lot of nagging from her.  Heaven only knows why.  I think my sister wants me there so she doesn't have to feel guilty about not helping with the house over her holiday weekend.   

Movers coming on Tuesday....auuugh!

[Chris]

With this adventure in reading, if I am going to buy a house, I'll by new! Or buy a place and have someone accidentally burn it down and start over fresh!
 
I do not have the energy you have jbeany, hats off to you.

[cassandra]

soooo impressed, well done girl!

love Cas

[jbeany]

Goals for yesterday - mow the lawn, clean the kitchen windows, cupboards, and floor, and grout the tile in the bathroom- as well as take another car load of stuff.

Got up, wedged the rest of the craft stuff in the car.  Mostly bins and plastic drawers that have snap-apart storage racks.  (Obstructed vision?  Nah, I can still see to drive - honest!)  Stopped at goodwill to drop off a bag of donations, bought a robe hook still in the package for a 5th of what it would cost new, and a giant frame for my giant rec room wall.  Yup, wedged that in on top of everything else in the back of the car.  It started to sprinkle on the drive over, so I dashed out of the car and mowed and weed-wacked the lawn immediately.  And then the sky cleared up - but hey, the lawn is done.

Cleaning the kitchen involves finding the counter tops first.  They were covered in tools and cans of supplies.  So first step was reorganizing the work bench area in the basement so that I could haul everything down.  Up and down the steps several dozen times, and everything is tucked in a logical spot on the bench or the surrounding shelves.  Nice that they are sized wide enough and tall enough for paint cans and extra floor tiles.  That done, I had to peel all the painters tape off of the cupboards, scrub and mail back on some trim, and then finally, I'm ready to actually clean something.  On to the windows.

Ah, the joy of 60 year old wooden sash double hung windows.  They do have nice storm windows on them, so at least I won't freeze this winter, but opening them is a giant pain in the back. Pried them up, figured out how to wedge the screens and storms out, and began to scrub, inside and out.  Hauled the ladder around outside, and ran back and forth as I tried to get all the streaks off.  The first two big windows in the corner went pretty well, even if, like everything, it took so much longer than it seemed like it should have.  Then, on to the little window over the kitchen sink.

Let me just say that it is clean - and will not be so again until, oh, it's replaced in several years.     This one is so badly warped, the only way to get enough leverage to open it is to actually climb up and stand IN the sink.  I will not be getting any fresh air on my face while I'm doing the dishes!

Of course, this description leaves out all the fun little things in the middle, like removing the kitchen light over the sink while I'm standing up there, and realizing it's not really brown - it's rusted metal - and stopping to scrape and spray paint it; pausing in the garage while I have the ladder outside to replace the dead light bulbs; (I've been constantly forgetting to do it until it gets dark,I have no lights in the garage, and I'm stumbling around in the dark.) and taking the time to install the hose bracket since I needed the hose to rinse the screens.

Okay, windows finally done, enough scrubbing for a minute.  Best start the grout.  Got one side done, and realize I need more grout.  So, off to the home store again.  Get my latest shopping list, including more grout, a new light bulb for the one over the kitchen sink that is driving me crazy with the flickering, and oooh, look, contractor grade grime remover.

Finish the grout, and on to the kitchen floor.

Uggh.  Good thing I bought the heavy duty cleaner.  The next three hours I spent on my hands and knees with a Brillo scrubbie, the rapidly dwindling bottle of grime remover, and a clean bucket of water after every 2 square feet of flooring.  NASTY!  Surely this thing must have been cleaned at least once in the last 63 years?  Well, maybe not.  My ugly floor is still an ugly yellow pattern, but it's a much lighter color ugly yellow pattern now.

But - my stove and fridge are now both plugged in and working and in their proper places.  I now know that the unmarked breaker in the box was actually the kitchen stove fuse.

It was also now 1:30 am.  I got up and got moving at 9:30am .  And I still hadn't unloaded the craft supplies in the car.  I got them out and up the steps, put them back together, and fit them into the closets upstairs.

Home by 3, and of course, the cats had me up before 10 again.  Time to go load the car again!  I only get an little bit of time to work today, then I'm expected for dinner at my sister's cottage an hour and a half away. 
Tomorrow - the kitchen cupboards I didn't manage to do today.

More pics....

[willowtreewren]

Oh, my gosh, Jbeany!

What an accomplishment. And inspiration, too! 

You are amazing!

Aleta

[okarol]

  You are an energizer bunny!! It's amazing what you have accomplished!

[MooseMom]

This is all just terrific!  Congratulations on so many jobs well done!  Everything is really starting to come together.