Homework: Mom and Dad Back Again

Phew! Mom and Dad came this weekend and we accomplished SO MUCH! The addition of curtains and rugs really makes the place feel like a home. Here's what we did:

• Leveled and stacked the washer and dryer. When the gas guy came to install the gas dryer, it he suggested stacking them since the plumbing, gas, and dryer vent were all on the same wall. Then I could save the cost of extending one of those across the room. He's coming back on Saturday. I haven't done laundry since I moved in! Saturday will be a good day.

• Hung the stair banister.

• Fixed the light Chad broke in the guest room.

• Attempted to repair the dining room table and chairs. You may recall that I bought an antique mahogany set on Craigslist, and found out it was a little more flawed than I had thought. One of the legs was loose, which made the whole table tilt. Most of the chairs are a little wobbly, too. Dad and I used some wood glue and some super glue to try to remedy the situation. I don't think the chairs are all that better, but my main concern was the table. Right now it's still upside down on my floor. I'll have to post an update when I get someone to help me flip it over.

• Dad replaced outlets and switches in pretty much the whole house. Most of them were painted over or just really old looking. It's amazing what a difference new outlets and cover plates can make!

• We gave the basement stairs a facelift. We originally intended to focus on the landing at the top, but ended up painting the whole staircase. We had to remove the cement board on the landing and build some baseboards to cover up the ugliness. We bought a strip of all-weather carpet from Home Depot and used double-stick carpet tape to hold it in place. Before we could paint the rest of the stairs, we had to pull a whole load of old carpet staples. It was a lot harder on the stairs than it was in either of the rooms where I removed carpet! And there were a ton more. I started counting, but after I reached 247 jillion, I just gave up.

• Re-hung the bathroom door in the basement that Sarah R. had varnished.

• Mom touched up the paint around the whole house, including covering up some ceiling smudges, did the secont coat in the guest room, and painted the guest room door and the support beam that I couldn't decide what to do with. With a thorough carpet cleaning and the addition of a bed, this room will be ready to go!

• I got tired of being indecisive about the heat registers in the dining room, and bought some spray paint. We painted them a bronze color.

• Best of all, I finally picked out rugs, curtains, and curtain rods for the living room and dining room, and those are all now in place. It makes such a huge difference.
  

There are too many photos to post, so you have to follow the story in pictures here.