How To Prep For Granite or Good Bye Faux Green Marble

After years of waiting... two years. I know it doesn't sound long, but it felt like an eternity because you could not scrub the ugly or the cracks and damaged surfaces off of these hideous things. Was there ever a time where people honestly thought this looked good? I don't buy it. 

I had lots of thoughts on countertops. I really wanted to try diy concrete counters or something more exciting like quartz, but for the sake of resale value and predictability (and my sanity with all of my ongoing projects) I went for granite. I wanted it to be something warm and light as the kitchen seems dark to me at times. Yellow Sunset was the granite I landed on 

I like the veining. It gives it something a little special. And speaking of special this particular granite was on "special" so it was hard to say no to. I went to my local granite supplier - Simmons Custom Granite in Conroe, Texas. Gary, the salesman, was very nice and came over to my house the very next day to measure and quote me a price. I originally asked if they could remove the countertops and install the decking too, which they would, for a price. Then my DIY mindset kicked in and I thought I could save some serious cash doing it myself. 

Check out Simmons Custom Granite HERE. They're not paying them, actually I guess you could say I paid them since I paid for the granite and install, but I really liked the job they did so if you're anywhere in the Greater Houston area they can help you out.

Meanwhile, thanks to a couple of good friends and a little elbow grease/pry bar/hammering the countertops were gone in an hour. Adios faux green marble, you will not be missed. I'm still trying to get in the habit of taking photos so little old me got carried away and ripped the old countertops out without taking a picture. But picture this on the countertops AND the backsplash and scratched to all heck with some cracks and irreversible stains. It's an overwhelming finish.

For the decking I was told to use 3/4 inch untreated plywood. This is where the adventure began. At my first local big box the saw was broken. At the second big box hardware store a helpful worker told me that I should have a man handle this for me. No comments there, but lets just say I left empty handed and not very happy. Big box store number three was just right though. I walked in and asked for help, because as strong as I like to think I am there was no way I was pulling sheets of plywood off the racks by myself. Then, to make my life easier I asked them to cut the plywood down for me. Standard counter depth, such as what I have in my kitchen, is 24 inches. Standard plywood is 4 foot by 8 foot. So I have a very nice man with a huge saw cut a few sheets for me in half lengthwise. Leaving me with several pieces of 24 inch by 8 foot pieces of plywood. 

Then all I had to do was trim down the pieces to length and I was good to go. I did this with a circular saw and set the pieces in place, marking where I needed to cut to the make the plywood flush with the edges of the cabinets. Easy peasy.And here is my kitchen in total chaos, just rocking my world.

Next up - the installation. 

Check us out in a few days to see how it turns out,

Fixing An Upset Stomach or Pumpkin Cures Even When It's Not Fall

Lucy you've got some 'splainin' to do. And yes I started and ended a word with an apostrophe, or better yet Ricky did.

Lucy, the newest addition to the family has been experiencing some.... intestinal distress.... it comes with the new home and the new food. Emotional distress for a dog often means stomach distress too. I thought I would share a quick tip on how to soothe an upset stomach. Canned pumpkin. I used good old Libby's 100% pure pumpkin. Make sure you don't get the pumpkin pie filling. That will make things much worse.

I just put a heaping spoonful in her food every time she eats and we're on our way to better days. 

That makes a happy Lucy and a happy me.

(sorry, they can't all be glamour shots)

 

Thanks for checking in,

Picking A Desk or Where I May Actually Do Work

As per my usual - I'm stuck. I often find it difficult to make design choices because I love so many different styles. Right now I'm feeling a more transitional and eclectic design. I like clean modern lines with a hint of glam or some other special touch. However, I want to be careful to not end up with pieces for my home that I will be sick of in six months because they were trendy. 

Right now my design dilemna is a desk. I will be replacing a queen anne style desk that does not have a lot of character and is definitely dated. I know it's traditional, and they say traditional is just that because it never goes out of style, but this one is not for me. I inherited this desk from my grandmother who has passed away and every time I sit at it I can hear my grandmother saying to be careful with her nice furniture and not get my clodhoppers (my shoes) too close to the furniture so I would not damage the finish or upholstery. Well, sad fact, the table needs some love. The finish is scratched and scuffed and faded beyond what a good cleaning and polish will fix (I have tried). I asked my mother if she would be upset if I sanded it down and refinished it. Her response was she would be picking it up from my house in a week. I will take that as a no Mom. Ironically, my grandmother refinished her furniture often and may have been ok with an update.

Here is what I have. Ignore Harley, the black lab, in the picture on the right. She was too lazy too move and after all - it is her house, she just lets us stay here. You can tell on the picture to the left how scuffed up the tabletop is. Also, ignore messy bookshelves. That's another project, another post, another day.

Anyhow, I will be short one desk. Spoiler alert, we will be moving by the end of the year so I also don't want to commit to a massive purchase just to find the desk does not fit in the next house. Fit being either stylistically or physically.

Here is what I have come up with so far:

1. LumiSource Writing desk from Wayfair $258

2. White Glass Metal Computer Desk $297

3. Upton Home Vivica Cream Reptile Desk $240

4. Rustic Storage Desk $499

5. Glass Cross Brace Desk $399

I really liked the Jonathan Adler Channing desk, which #1 is very similar too, but that off center drawer kind of bothers me. The original is about $2,000, which is more than I am looking to invest.

Jonathan Adler Channing Desk

The metal legs of #1,#3, and #5 look awesome, but maybe chrome is too bold for my office. I have really been appreciating brass lately, maybe there is something I can do to make one of these even better. #2 has the cross leg base that I am enjoying the lines of. Lastly, #4 is a rustic modern look that may go well with my faux antelope rug.

Let me know which is your favorite in the comments & thank you for stopping by,

Spoiling My Dogs or Puppy Love

Let me start by saying this post isn't sponsored (I wish, but no). When it comes to my black Labradors I may spoil them. Quality food though is worth it. As the old saying goes - put good in, get good out. When I first adopted Harley she had severe allergies. After lots of research and trial and error, as we do things here, we started using Merrick dog food. It has been fantastic! Harley's allergies have almost disappeared. Her vet believes she has a protein allergy, which in dogs is apparently quite common, usually chicken and beef. Merrick had lots of other options - lamb, bison, salmon, etc... Now both the labs can't wait to eat and their coats look excellent. They don't have upset stomachs and best of all I have high hopes they'll continue to be healthy. Just my two cents.

And sidenote, it's all made in America so it makes me feel better about safe ingredients for my dog especially with the constant recalls and warnings from dog products from China.

Check it our here : Merrick Pet Care

 

Thanks For Reading My Rant,

From The Top or About Time I Started To Write It All Down

Post one of hopefully many - This is where it starts. We had a house that we have mostly made a home. Mostly we get it right when we venture blindly into new projects. Our projects are mostly finished. And most of all, we are just going to keep trying at it and making our house a home. This is our hobby, this is what we do. It is one of the things me and my husband bond over. It is one of my favorite things to plan. Please join us through our successes and failures and see what we've learned along the way. Learn about our dogs and what we have learned to take care of them as they also make up our home. And also, we would love input as we go, because like I said, we mostly get it right, not always. 

Thanks,