Introducing The Garage! aka The Mary Louise Berry* Memorial Church of the American V8**

Bless me father, for I have sinned. It's been almost three months since my last blog post. Since July, the leaves have all changed colors and, just a few short days ago, started to fall. We have intermittently moved the old garage, poured cement for the new, put up walls, a roof, and a few days ago we moved all the displaced garage materials and tools back into a covered garage. It won't be totally finished by winter, but will be covered and wrapped enough to protect people and things.

My one issue with this garage project is how it takes up much of what was the backyard. Two lots is not very much here in Creede, and my dreams of a yard for frolicking dogs has been dashed by a 500 square foot structure that I can't even park my car in. As it's been strictly designated for cars being worked on, not to live in.

How could I allow this to take place? Was this simply the outcome of a matrimonial war? Well, there are actually several benefits to having this particular garage. Firstly, the thing acts as a fence and blocks our view of the gas station across the alley. Something that, as summer tourism picked way up, became highly uncomfortable for us both. "Hi, Y'all!!! Whutcha doin'?!" Secondly, when the backyard is actually clear of all extra lumber and actually landscaped, it'll be a nice private area for hosting parties and enjoying peaceful, quiet evenings. We will also add grass to the east side of the house, expanding the green there. Thirdly, this gives RJ a real place of his own. If what he says is true, and he built The Mannsion just for me, then the garage is a sacred place he can call his own. And honestly, the amount of hours this guy has put towards this entire project is staggering. When you look at how much most people pay hourly for work like this, you realize how much he's given. AND, on top of his paying work in which he does the same damn thing. As long as I can store my bikes and have a say about outside wall decor, I'm pretty good. And what I love about this structure is how different it looks depending on from which point you're looking at it. It'll eventually have a patchwork of metal for the roof and board and batten siding. I'm hoping to find some cool lights for the deck and various vintage signs etc for the siding. Okay...it's gonna be pretty sweet. 

Walls go up quickly.

You don't even need to have any real walls up to start parking in your garage. All hail RJ's new baby "Little Elvis" a 1964 Ford short-bed pickup. 

Cool roof angles. 

And what we have today. This is the view from the alley.

View from our deck. I admit to standing on the bench. But should be a nice little party space.

View from our driveway. This will not house a door, rather a really cool window we found up at Extras in Denver.

*Mary Louise Berry was my oldest aunt on my father's side. She passed away last December from cancer and without her generosity, this project would not have been possible. 

Mary Louise Berry (1944-2014)

**With how easy it is for churches to become tax free entities we thought we'd also make it a church. Praise be to Ford. May your vehicles always run with vigor. (Seed money for well running engines appreciated). We'll pray for you.

Learning to Toss "The List"

I have to be completely honest with you, faithful audience. As I write this blog post I find myself falling into sameness. The last few posts have felt the "same". Update certain project I already posted about on Facebook...Try to make it unique...Maybe a swear word...Maybe a few swear words. But lately I've felt really dull. This project is never-ending and though I'm sure all 10 people still like checking it out from time to time, I feel soooooo booooring.

Momma, please don't be so zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Though, if NASA can finally get to Pluto after nine years, I can get my damn house finished...right? RIGHT!

Okay, so here's the update. Forgive me if it's blah and please continue to check out The Mannsion page on Facebook for smaller, more frequent and less self-deprecating updates.

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My mom likes lists. Ever since I can remember she's made lists on little slips of scratch paper she cuts up. I too like lists. There's something so satisfying about thoughtfully creating one and then crossing off each item when it's finally completed.

Don't get me wrong, lots of great things have been getting done. It's just that they're things that aren't quite at the top of my, very particular, list. Though getting cabinet doors below the kitchen sink were way up there. I mean, if I had my way, we'd have fully completed the outside (only two little spots remain unfinished) and inside (trim mostly, but the rest of the kitchen cabinets haunt my dreams). Honestly, the entire inside would be been-there-done-that. And also bookshelves. Lots of bookshelves.

When RJ and I agreed to give our neighbors our old garage, I thought, "Great! What a nice project for next year". Little did I know that he was talking about now. Originally, RJ wanted to move the garage to Mike and Deb's house two houses over and build himself (yes, himself--apparently this garage will ensure he gets out of his tv chair and into a project) a new one. Then we got caught up worrying about budget and that plan was nixed. We would redo the ugly garage that was falling apart. But THEN, with the help of my Aunt's generosity post-mortem, Plan A was on again. So, a few weeks ago, we cleaned out the garage once and for all, RJ and Jess braced it as well as they could, and pulled its rickety ass over to Mike and Deb's. It's a miracle it survived.

New Home!

But now it's leveled and much less rickety. Mike and Deb have plans for a tool shed/big deck. And they're keeping the "WoMen Working Asses Off" sign up. Yay.

Yesterday we poured most of the concrete for the new garage. We were a couple yards short, so the final truck will be coming tomorrow. It's hard to get a good estimate of how much concrete you'll need. Unless it's ALL you do, you usually have too much or too little. And it costs more for every truck you have as there is a delivery fee. So with any extra, we're putting a little pad off to the west side to store lawn mowers, bikes and such.

Though I'm still in awe of what seems like starting a really huge project BEFORE we've finished what I want to get finished--this is actually great. Once the bones are up, RJ will have a place to store tools. He'll have a car and workshop so he can work inside despite how cold it is outside. This will expand and enhance his business. And with a near fully equipped wood shop up at his parent's property, he'll be able to get our inside trim done in a flash.

So. Boring lesson of the day: Sometimes compromise ends up being more beneficial than you thought.

<sigh>

But there are still times when I wish for a genie. Or a wand. Or a shotgun. Kidding.

Yay for new (to us) tools!

John workin', RJ standin'

Be Our Guest: And Join Me for a Shower!

We hit a milestone on Wednesday. We finished the bathroom downstairs. Which means, except for the cabinetry in the kitchen, we are finished with all the large projects.

...

I'm just gonna...excuse me for a second...

<runs outside> "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
<runs back inside>

AND. Last week, leading up to this current milestone, we finished the guest bedroom. One major change was that we dropped the ceiling in order to sound proof the room. Originally, the beams and 2 inch tongue and groove were a cheap yet decorative option. But we noticed as time went on, that you could here everything upstairs. And I'm not being pervy, it was just noisy. Every dang little step or bump was audible!

So, the soundproofing consisted of dropping down the ceiling by adding insulation up there, and putting up more blue-stained (aka beetle kill) pine. We do love it so (plus it's cheap). RJ finished the closet and added some gorgeous trim. He also made a simple, yet custom, bed frame. Add a pillow-top cover (courtesy of my Aunt Mary Lou), a fancied up IKEA dresser, and we're ready for guests! Plus, as a lovely guest, you'll no longer hear the tv blaring upstairs. Or the dog run upstairs and flopping down clumsily on the floor above you. Yay.

Ooooooooooo

Ahhhhhhh

Eeeeeeeeeee! 

Shhhhhhhhhhh

Now to the icing on top. This shower...is awesome. It fits two people comfortably if you ever need to be efficient (or sexy.) It has a great shower head and, most importantly, it's beautiful. And that is because of John Stynchula--our friend and the best tiler in Creede. A huge thank you to John and Allie Quiller, who, along with RJ and myself on tile cutting duty, put this bad boy up last week.

I won't waste any more of your time blabbering. Here are some pictures:

The shower pan. Two layers of blue stuff (my term) that protects the floor of the shower. You then need flexible pieces of tile, as the shower pan is ever so slightly a funnel to lead the water to the drain.

John starts on wall number one. 

John came over after paying work, several evenings last weeks. As well as a few days spent finishing and grouting.

Second wall. Easily hundreds of pieces have to be measured and cut.

Closer...

Once all the tile is laid down with mortar and dries for a day, you can grout. This fills in the space between tiles. 

Drying.

Then, about 48 hours later, you can add the shower kit (head and nozzle) and the door. Done. 

PS. I have created a Facebook page titled, The Mannsion, where I post day to day updates of projects. Check it out.

Doo says, "good job, guys!"

A Finicky Fact About Finishing

I love completion. I love closure. So, you can imagine an ongoing house project like ours has been a challenge for me. I have to break things down into little victories. Because with this thing, it often seems like the more you finish, the more you notice what ISN'T finished. A prime example was yesterday afternoon when RJ and I bickered about which paint colors to update on what part of which piece of trim. That then turned into a discussion that the paint color for the addition is actually quite different from the main part of the house (the hardware changed paint formulas in the 2 years between paintings) and that we should try to paint it all the same color...now THAT is something I can postpone. Let's get the remaining 3.8% of the house painted first for the love of...!!!

But. I digress. Let's focus on the positive, which is always the better choice, though slightly less amusing. 

We finished the back of the house!!! This means that all the soffit and trim is up, painted and ready for prime time. This led us to the hard truth that with the back looking so pretty, we REALLY need a deck ASAP. (Keep it positive, Berry!)

C'est Fini!

Flair.

We also trimmed out most of the windows on the rest of the house. This was something, due to time and money, we postponed. We had initially just painted the wood around the windows to look like it was finished when we were trying to increase curb appeal for an appraisal.

Ooooooo...

Ahhhhhh...

RJ also surprised me with a couple of projects that weren't even on my list, but really fantastic to see. He got some bricks from a friend for cheap and created a walkway to the front door. And, he built us a bed frame. Because of my disdain for cheap, metal bed frames, I have kept my mattress on the floor since probably 2007. I feel like a real adult now! It only took me until almost age 40. 

Willkommen!

Bricks!

The older I get, the better I have to become at accepting life's constant lack of closure--in friendships, work and home life. I do love the phrase "it's the little things". I have no idea who said it first, but it pretty much sums up my continuing attitude on this project. Much like an actor at an audition, focus on what you have control over and let the rest go...which is HARD. I may not be able to build elaborate shelves for my books or tile my shower, but I can sand, stain and paint until I break out in hives from some chemical in the oil based primer. (No really, that totally happened.) 

Peace, Friends. Go accomplish something small today. Like re-painting your bedside tables, or taking a shower. You'll feel better, I promise.

Grown. Up. Bed. 

Spring Awakening.

Weeeeeee...it's global warming spring time in Creede, which means the slow climb of progress can lurch on with slightly more gusto.

My last post was at the end of December. And now it's March. Crap! The truth is...not too much has happened. We did build a little masking for the refrigerator and add some trim on part of the hallway. New items for the house were acquired, thanks to a trip to Chicago to help go through my aunt Mary Lou's belongings. These things are always an odd process. Packing up the house of someone who didn't plan on dying so soon. It's frozen in time. You feel like you're invading their home.

Ahem...anyway...the stuff! My paternal great grandfather, Rush K. Berry, made a cedar trunk for his girlfriend Oletha, in 1912. Two years later they married. The trunk sits by our front door and holds winter items as well as a kick ass sewing machine, also from ML. She taught home ec for decades and had more sewing machines than I've ever seen one person own. Now I just have to get around to making something...

I like a good lookin' trunk. 

ML and my father's mother, Mary Ann Berry (Mamaw to the grandkids) was a tiny person. Maybe 5'1'' in her youth. Papaw made her many stools so she could reach items in the kitchen and elsewhere. We've got one of those too. Maybe the dog can learn a new trick and fetch us some crackers.

Stool Boom. 

As the weather has improved, we finally got around to cutting out the gingerbread for the back of the house. We're very close to finishing up the backside! A few trim and soffit pieces remain--to be put up so then I can then paint them. I know all anyone really wants in this life is a nice looking backside.

Nice ass, House!

I also want to introduce a SECOND blog that I have created:

It's called Onward and Upward. At the end of last year, RJ's parent's (Roger and Sheri) paid off their mortgage and decided to invest in a second property in Creede. They also decided to hire their first born, my dear RJ, to build it. It's going to be an epic addition to the Mann dynasty. We've already torn down some super old and crappy shit in order to make way for the new. This includes moving an entire structure around on the property. But more on that later. If you are interested in reading about more Mann shenanigans, stop over to this page...