Can't Keep Up!!

 Wow! I don't know why but, for some reason, I just can't keep up with the dates on the calendar these days. I guess it is because I don't have many occasions that actually involve me knowing the dates...and so, I am finding myself flipping a calendar page and being blindsided by the numbers looking back at me.

With that being said, I am just now realizing that Halloween is in six days and I haven't finished my decor tour. So, on we go to the sunroom.

This is where my Halloween wood tag ended up. It isn't where it started out but, when grand daughter #5 was here one day, she suggested the change...and she was right. I love how it just pops against that black vase.

As much as I love the TV cabinet that is now in the family room, I still miss having this one in there just for the pictures that it always holds. I can still find a way to get all of my photos out but they are just not as readily visible out here as there were in the family room. I will get used to it but it is taking me longer than I thought it would.

This room is so hard to photograph and I am still getting used to having the different TV cabinet in here. The other end of the room is also decorated a bit but I am avoiding showing it because it is also undergoing a bit of a re-do and things are in piles. I keep telling myself "change is good" but I really don't believe me! It is not my favorite thing to do and, in this case, I really am starting out with a very blurry picture of where I hope to end up...so, we shall see.

And that brings us to my "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" story. That really could be the subtitle for my life. Lol I start so many things that I think are going to be just a "little" project and, somehow, they turn into BIG things before my eyes.

And while we're on the subject of eyes, how many times have I posted about seeing things with "new" eyes. That was what happened here. Something that I have literally been living with for about 22 years, suddenly jumped out at me and I found myself in dis-belief that I had not done anything sooner...and so it began. 

I wish I had a "before" picture for you but I don't because I really thought this would be done in 1-2-3 and never that it would be worth mentioning let alone something I would post about. But, it took forever and, quite frankly, I am pretty proud of myself that I got it accomplished without having to call in the "troops"...although, I thought about calling my very strong grand sons a time or two during the process. Lol

OK. I'm sure I have posted over the years that this area was originally a set of sliders out to a small concrete slab. Little by little over the years, we expended it to a covered porch, then a screened-in porch and eventually to the current sunroom. We swapped the sliders for French doors somewhere along the way and then, when the room was enclosed and air conditioned and heated, we took out the French doors to give me more decorating room.

When that first happened, I did do a little damage control to the door jamb by filling in the areas that once housed the hinges...but, for whatever reason, I never addressed the metal door threshold.

I guess if I had looked closely, I might have noticed that I never addressed it because, when we had the wood floors added, the wood threshold went over the metal one. For some reason, I thought they just butted up to each other and the simple removal of four screws would pretty much do the job.

First of all, it was more than "simple" to remove those screws-but that can be for another day. Once the screws were out, I started pulling...and pulling...and pulling. I had about every tool I own out. If I could have found my chisel, I think I might have been able to cut the metal where it hit the wood but, I lent it to someone and it never came back-another story for another day. Lol

I finally got the metal threshold out and that created my "cookie" story. It had gone up under the wood one, so now that was loose and uneven. Thanks to my hoarding  saving, I had a piece of wood that would fit...after I dragged out the chop saw. But, then, it was loose and I knew the wood threshold would slip the first time it was stepped on. So, once again, thanks to my "saving", I found a bit of left over construction glue-albeit, pretty dried up...but then again.

I can't tell you what all I had to do to get even a bit out of that tube and on to the wood! Yay. So far, so good.

But then I saw this. It is hard to tell but it is the foam insulating strip left from the doors. How has this not bothered me in 22 years!!??? Of course, now it did! Out came a sharp new blade and off that goes!

Of course, that now exposes a bit of the wood frame that was never stained...and so this had to happen.

When all of that painting and staining was done, I addressed the concrete step. The old color looked horrible so I tried gray.

I wasn't feeling the gray so I came back with some other colors and just haphazardly brushed them on trying to mimic the natural slate floor. I think I may have over "thunk" it because if you look at the colors on the slate, there is no rhyme or reason.

In any case, now that you know way more than I'm sure you really want to, the "mouse has gotten the cookie" and I'm calling it a day.

This is still bothering me so I might be going back a bit more...any bets?

 We had two football games this weekend and I am so proud of each of my grandsons. My oldest recovered a fumble and had picture perfect snaps all game for a win in Lakeland and my youngest ended up having to quarterback when that has never been his position. His team has been plagued with injuries all season. He did so well and completed almost every pass. Even though they lost 24/6, he passed for their scoring touchdown and was feeling pretty good about himself. 

I'm off to have some lunch and then see what the afternoon brings. Stay safe and stay tuned.