Projects Around the House

We have been enjoying the best job there is the last five months or so:  Being Grandparents.

Most of our days we get to go over to Jon and Kelly's and baby sit Harrison who is now about 3 1/2 months old and Brooks who is 27 months old.  Kelly is doing well after her surgery a month ago, but still has about eight weeks before she can do regular baby lifting.

That means we spend most of the our days at their place arriving early and coming home after dinner.  But it is great to be able to spend time with them and to help out.  Since she has some help, Kelly has been doing a few projects when the boys take a nap.

I think the first one she tackled was the loose door knob going into the bathroom.  She took off the handle and applied about 4-5 coatings of wood filler similar to this.  She added a little each time, let it dry completely, added some more and sanded it down again before she painted it.  That stuff is really strong.

Not surprisingly, it turned out great and you'd never know there was an issue.

Next, she had a project I could help with - a headboard bench.  I found some 4"x 4" wood for the corner legs and then bought some other pieces to build this platform.  A couple of 2" x 4"s and a 2" x 6" were cut to length and used for the bench piece.

Kelly put a few coats of while on the frame and backboard and I stained the cross pieces.  Next, I secured them and it was all done.

In the bathroom, Kelly was not too fond of the oak color and silver handles on the sink cabinets.  She took off the knobs and handles, then sanded them down before spraying them a new dark color.  She did the same to the cabinet before putting on three coats of paint.  She lightly sanded between coats and it looks like a whole new piece in the bathroom.

Jon and I installed a new back door to the deck almost three years ago.  But the door trim/insulation was showing its wear, so Kelly and Pam bought some replacement weatherstripping.

It worked as advertised and could not have been easier.  Just pull it out, cut a new piece to length and press back into place.  20 minute job.

Back at our home, we had a couple of church friends Tim and Arlynn over for dinner and a tour of the Roadrunner.  After another fantastic lasagna meal by Pam we were sitting around chatting.  Tim ran his fingers along the top of the sofa and saw that it was splitting.

Confirmed.  After 10 years of normal wear and tear, the top seam was coming apart.  I indicated it was on our list to get fixed when we go back to Red Bay next month.  He said, "I could fix that right now if you have a curved needle.  But few people have a curved needle handy."  

As it happened, I did have a curved needle and he fixed it!  He is a professional who works on used cars with dealerships, working on the inside or cars doing repairs and detailing to get them looking new again. 

He really knows what he is doing and it took all of 20 minutes.  It looks great and should hold up for another 10 years.  You never what kind of skill set people may have when you have them over for dinner.  It was nice of him to offer and we're glad he took a minute to stitch up our sofa.

Whether you are in a lovely home that is a few years old or a motorhome that is 10 years old, they both require maintenance.  Little projects around the house can make a difference and they are fun to knock off the "To Do" list.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!