Exhaustion and the home stretch

Today around 4:30 I hit a wall (figuratively).  The Tramp and I are tired.  REAL tired.  We've spent every day since Christmas down at The Other House getting it ready for sale.  It's looking pretty good and we are just hoping someone else will think so and buy it.

The outside is looking nice and neat, with clean brick, new paint, fixed roof and some new landscaping.  Unfortunately, the front door still has problems and needs another redo.  (I think our current house should have a red door to match my car too!  lol)

The backyard still needs some trimming and spiffing but now the sheds are painted the view is getting better.  We came to our senses and hired a "junk man" to come and take away what turned out to be a whole van load of stuff from the sheds, leanto, workshop and yard.  Soooo worth it!

Inside cleaning is in progress.  Every surface other than the new paint needs scrubbing.  Well no.  I take that back.  The flooring people left scrapes and large dirty handprints on walls and woodwork.  Sigh.

Besides paint, there are new vanities, new light fixtures, new toilets, new carpets and vinyl.  Existing light fixtures and ceiling fans have been shined up and bulbs replaced.  The mailbox has been painted and reinstalled.  Mirrors and medicine cabinet installed.  Vent covers replaced, repaired or painted.  A door trimmed to fit over the new flooring, doorstops replaced, new screws in some hinges to stop sagging, gluing of loose tiles, a bit of grouting and caulking.......  You know.  All the usual small stuff one does over time.  It's just tiring to do it all in one week!

Yesterday I finished washing all the windows.  It turns out there are 21 windows, four french doors, 3 half-light doors a sidelight and a transom.  Whew!  But they are looking good.  From the inside.....

and the outside.

While I did windows The Tramp cleaned carpet.  They look brighter now though are far from perfect, but we decided not to replace them.  The outflow of money had to stop somewhere!

Floors are looking shinier too.

Since we had rented the carpet machine, we brought it home last night and right about midnight (Happy New Year) ....almost as if we weren't tired....we cleaned until the solution was finished up, which worked out to be the stairs, hallway and a bit of the master bedroom.  Actually The Tramp did the bulk of it.  (Love you honey!)  I don't do so well with noisy machines.

Today The Tramp installed a new exterior lockset, as well as sets on 14 interior doors.  I touched up paint in nearly every room (10 rooms, two bathrooms, one powder room, and workshop).   Then I scrubbed crayon, chalk and marker off the fireplace stove and brick.  Washing certainly doesn't make the stove look better or newer though.  I've ordered stove black from Lehmans.  Now that's going to be a new experience!

The big family room floor is finally washed and all I have left to do is scrub down the kitchen and hallway, and give the bathrooms another lick and a promise.   Then of course is the yard......

BUT.  I did open the red case and play a bit with my new machine.  Very cool!  It needs some work as it seems to be suffering from lack of use.  I joined a couple more Yahoo Groups that deal with these older Berninas, bought and downloaded a service manual, and think this one was manufactured in 1978.  It was originally bought from a shop in Raleigh which is kind of cool too.  I'm hoping to find a day soon to concentrate on bringing it up to snuff.  I'm all signed up for a retreat in May and hope to go to Symposium in June and this is the machine I want to take with me.  :-)

It's rainy and chilly here but no snow (thank goodness).  Stardust makes a really cute pink snow bunny! I wonder if her dad has her on a snowboard yet?  I wouldn't be surprised.  :-)

 And The Viking's first Christmas.  Awwwww.  I can't wait to see them again.