Momma told me there would be days like this or....

It's been a while and we've had our ups and downs (hence the title), but all in all things are progressing nicely.  We've kept more than busy this month with finishing the insides of the windows (more info with the pictures below), tiling the entry way and the finishing touches in the bathrooms, installing the "closet system," trying to figure out exterior paint colors, etc, etc, etc.  After too long without a break we took yesterday "off" and limited our project work to picking up some paint samples and hanging mirrors.  It went so well we decided to approach today in much the same way.  Well, I did get to do some bill paying and bill built some steps for the dogs, but we didn't even try to do another window or door!  Yahoo!  It's hard to believe it is halfway through August!

A birds-eye view of me in the entry prepping the underlayment
for the slate tile.  It was the last major tile work to be done
and went fairly painlessly considering.  

The slate as it looked when we first put it in.  The white
hole in the back if the picture is for a floor mat that will sit
down in the tile.  That way it won't interfere with the door
opening and closing.  We'll find (or have made) a tray to fit
beneath it. 

Ta-da!  Done except for the final sealing (we have to wait
bit for that) and trim.  We still have the funky old front door,
but will probably wait to replace it until we build the porch roof
next spring.

The other tile work that needed to be completed.  Trim in the master bath.
Love all those spacers - they crack me up.  Still have to grout and caulk this .
Put mirrors up in here yesterday - what a difference.  It's a lot brighter and I can
actually see how bad my hair looks rather than just imagine it! The only
problem with the mirrors is that when we look in them we can see how bad the
side yard, which needs to be graded,  looks! 

Ah, the windows.  The thing with buying the windows the way we
did is that we have to finish the inside of each window ourselves.
Didn't seem like such a big thing when we ordered them, but!!!!!
It means taking each operable window completely apart - first you
take it out of the "frame" and then all the hardware has to be
removed - before you can start with the actual finishing.  That in
itself includes wetting it, filling holes, sanding, applying the finish
(we used ZAR water-based exterior polyurethane that was recommended
by our painter) and then repeating the sanding/finishing process one or
two more times.  We can do 4 windows a day max!  It's slow and tedious,
but they look great.  We would recommend Zar in minute.

All the hardware and weather stripping for 4 windows.  We had to develop
this layout system so we got everything back in the right place.  We didn't do
it for the first window and let's just say the project hit a low point as we
were trying to get it back in place.

So this is one of the operable windows with the "window" removed.  It is
actually pretty slick the way the window pops in and out.

This was the typical scene all week - we'd leave for a walk or a meal and lock
the front door only to look at the window to the left and see that it wasn't there!
The back of the house was wide open about 1/2 the time!  Daily habits are
hard to break.  It provided some well needed laughter!

The office windows done!  They look great!  

Can't say the same for the office!  We had to move all the desks, etc. in order
to get to the windows and it's still a mess!  Oh well!!

The master bedroom slider done!  Man that 3' door is heavy, but it looks great.
It had to be taken out and the hardware removed just like the windows, but
now I know how they work! Now to finish the 4' one in the living room - might
have to go to the gym fora few weeks first!

The left side of the master bedroom closet installed!  We bought our system
via Easycloset.com which is a handy online way get a system.  It's cheaper than
a lot of competitors, but you have to do the design and installation yourself, so....
I need more hanging space for long things, but we'll get it worked out.

Bill putting the finishing touches on the right side of the closet where all the
hanging clothes go.  We thought this was going to be the easy side to
install, but it ended up being a little longer that the space (watch those
crooked walls when you measure) and it was a painful end of a day.

Ta-da!  The closet.  Not organized yet, but at least we can
sleep on the bed (where we had piled all the clothes
during the installation!).  Nice to have a place for shoes
where they aren't buried under the hanging clothes.