Summer Projects

2012 marks the first summer I've had off as a teacher...I heard all of the collective gasps from my teacher friends! I've always been a 12-month staff or faculty person, but at my new job I'm a on a 10-month contract. I worked in June for our Music Camp, but when July came along I could take the WHOLE MONTH off!  So this is that summer perk that teachers always talk about!

Thankfully I was able to get much of my 'marching band director' summer duties taken care of by June, though I've had to get some other things done.  Next comes percussion equipment, folder preparation, uniform cleaning, field painting, and band camp. But in July, life was easy...sort of...

Karen had been counting down the days until "Home Project Month" arrived (formerly known as 'July').  I did have lots of time with sand between my toes, and chlorine up my nose, and enjoyed many of the Charleston historical things during our 3 week 'staycation' with family and friends visiting (see other posts).  BUT, I was also quite busy...

Project #1 - Apothecary TV Console Table

The best part about this project was the reason for having to build it...Our anniversary present to each other was a new TV (mostly a present for me, I confess).  I worked VBS in the mornings, and then spent most of my waking hours for almost a week building this project (from Ana White online). It was difficult, but incredibly rewarding! The side parts feature two drawers, top and bottom, and the inside section is covered by two doors that swing open. Very taxing, but certainly rewarding!


Project #2 - Painting/Redecorating the Drum Room

The Drum Room was the next room in line to be painted, and waited almost a year from when we moved in! It was tricky, because the new paint is only slightly darker than the original paint - made it very difficult to see where I had been! Fortunately, it didn't take long, and the space is fun and inviting now.  Check off project #2!


Project #3 - Remodel and Tile the Guest Bathroom
I had already scraped wallpaper and painted (wished I saved a picture of the old bathroom when we moved in!), and replaced the faucet this spring. I swapped out the tub/shower faucet, and put in a new shower head and tub spout to match. It still needs a matching drain and drain cover, but that will come soon enough. The last piece of the puzzle was the tile - YIKES!

I've tiled our kitchen and bathrooms in TN,  so I was somewhat ready for the job (thanks to Joe Urkavich, Jr!). However, the previous owner had two layers of linoleum put down with A LOT of glue. Not my friend! After several hours just removing the existing flooring and cleaning substrate (sounds technical doesn't it?), I was finally able to start tiling. I had to make a few tricky cuts around the toilet, but all in all it turned out well! Now on to trim paint, but that's for another checklist...

So, when asked 'What did you do this summer' from various folks at school, I'll have some good stories to tell. I'll be more than just a little ready to go back to work - it will be easier than checking off our projects at home!