Soap, water and elbow grease ... the workout that WORKS!!!!

Yup, just like that ... SOAP, WATER, AND ELBOW GREASE ... that was the ONLY thing on the budget when we moved into our NEW old as all getup home just for the four of us ... it is AWESOME and I love it ... it is like discovery zone still ... spacious with awesome mint condition hardwood floors and french doors ... from the basement to the third floor I love it! I neede this project at a time when major changes were taking place....

While this NEW for us old house is located here in the US it somehow brings back sooooooooooooo many memories of back home in Panama and growing up in the large Victorian house with the huge balcony that my grandpa built for the whole family back in Panama.  I love this house so much more than the more contemporary home that we moved out of ... it was just a thought while we contemplated a permanent move to my country of origin but IT IS A KEEPER ... and will keep... a total WIN ... and has an ingrown feeling of HOME ... it is warm, cozy and welcoming just like that.

At first I was skeptical ... but somehow the house grew on all of us FAST ... we had the best Christmas ever this past Christmas having moved into this awesome sturdy OLD house closer to the water than we were before ...a total bargain...  it was the AWESOME-est find... 2 days before Christmas we moved and were only barely settled on the first floor with two other floors and an awesome basement to discover ... I have since painted and shared murals that I did in the sprawling unfinished but not for too long basement with awesome storage compartments that saved the cost of storage elsewhere .... then the first floor, then the second floor then the full third floor that utilities run along with the second floor.... space for ALL ... enough space for my arts, crafts, ideas and hideouts...

The budget: soap, water and elbow grease ... a family united ... trying to do it together and get the best WIN.WIN situation all around ... so far so good ... 

Two weeks ago we made a second move ... moving us up to the 2nd and 3rd floor and having an awesome tenant on the 1st floor ... A TOTAL WIN .... My guys under my direction and with the help of an awesome friend in the moving industry completed the entire move while I was gone for an extended visit to home... I came back and only had to putz around with the details because since moving in ALMOST.EVERY.DAY ... I HAVE BEEN ON THIS EXERCISE ROUTINE ... OF SOAP, WATER AND ELBOW GREASE ... oh and hanging curtains ... oh and trying to bring stuff up to the 3rd floor to make a cozy 3rd floor apartment for my DD who keeps running back downstairs to mommy's house LOL ...

I cleaned EVERYTHING ... from the awesome hardwood floors in perfect wood to the pine plank floor on the third floor and I clean and I clean ... this weekend I am embarking on using twine to fill in certain areas in the plank floor on the 3rd floor - wish me luck... I added vinegar to the water and the did the windows and all the awesome French doors ... and while I love love love my walls white the previous owner had painted the walls on the second floor in some sort of deep reddish color with tans and beiges in other rooms ... not my choice of colors BUT it was a recent paint job and not an immediate need to change and what a coincidence the color of one of my living room sets.... so ... sticking to my budget of: soap, water an elbow grease.... and DO IT YOURSELF I am plowing on ... one day at a time ...

I am STILL working on our home ... we all are .. most things I do myself less my all thumbs guys screw it up ... some things the guys can only do... please I am sick and tired of banging my own fingers with a hammer that is so NOT my tool ... so all that is left is YARD WORK (not up my alley ... I am counting on DH and his friends)... AND my DISMAL FRONT STAIRS UP TO THE SECOND FLOOR ... MY NEW FLOOR NOW ... that got so totally scratched up with the move of my furniture ....  BUT I DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE ITS PERSONALITY NOR TONE NOR COLORS ... I love it the way it is ... wondering if a good scrapping and shellacking will do ... ... AND DS promised to replace/scrape and paint the 2nd floor deck and balcony..

This is a photobucket picture story of what I have done so far on the 2nd and 3rd floor move ... there prior stories in there to include the 1st floor and basement so far... hey it is an old house by I LOVE IT ... there is something about it that is so warm and cozy no matter how many rooms or how many floors .... my co-workers were over and they just LOVE the house and the land ... 

MI CASA ES TU CASA and I keep it humble ... work still underway on the 3rd floor, backyard, basement and front stairs ... the budget: SOAP, WATER and ELBOW GREASE...

link to what we have done so far since a week ago: http://s259.photobucket.com/user/martitalinda/story/21187

Yup... soap, water and elbow grease.... the workout that works!!! if it is raining... if you just do not want to hit the gym ... if you are feeling blah ... a good ole routing of switch housecleaning can do that job ... at least it does for me....

I am no longer sitting on 327 pounds ...

I can sit on my narrower arse weighing 203 pounds less than that today 6 years and 3 months post RNY gastric bypass... enjoying my fruit of the day today...

after and awesome routing with SOAP, WATER, AND ELBOW GREASE last night TRYING to do something with my DISMAL front stairwell.. I came to work saying YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY it is FRIDAY with a BOUNCE in my STEPS...

I was equally happy yesterday .... my routine included an early 6 mile run ,,, a nice 1.5 hours swim in the evening ,,, awesome time with family, pets, and friends .... and I went to work ushered off by three happy toy poodles my awesome furry babies...

I made my collage for my empowerment journal A PICTURE A DAY KEEPS THE POUNDS AND THE INCHES AWAY...

AND NOW I AM ABOUT TO TROTTLE MY CHOCOLATE POODLE CHIP (not really) OMG ... he got on the doggie ladder...KNOCKED over my duct tape body form WITH MY BASTED GOWN ON IT ... and PULLED THE FILLING OUT OF THE FORM .... now that was the clue for his sister Pierretta and brother Pierre to DRAG my basted gown INTO their sleep basket and lay and sleep on it until mommy came home to the disaster .... OH VEY ......... gotta love 'em .... all this while DH watched TV .... the dogs had the run of the house.... shoot me somebody LOL....

My good deed of the day is under my des****il picked up today... someone asked for hair pieces and if I had any extras for a friend of theirs in need and making such request due to radiation hair loss... right up my alley.... I love hair, wigs, extensions and pieces even when sporting my very own awesome cropped mane ... there is no shame to my game ... I.LOVE.HAIR and I am co-owner of three AWESOME braiding/weaving and hair supply shops all while having an awesome full time job for over 15 years ... they saw me fat and they see me thin and I have the loving support of family, friends and peers ALWAYS ... paying it forward WORKS ... after all we are helpers one of another....

Here is my bag of goodies for a friend helping out another friend ... paying it forward with HAIR.... several pieces in the bag...

Thanks for allowing me to share my goofy thread ... and snippets of my journey.... going home to find a gown or to make another for a function tomorrow.... IDEAS FOR FRONT STAIRS OR ANY IDEAS ARE WELCOME!!!!

My daughter just sent me this link .. she is particularly hating her wide plank floor on the third floor of mom's house where she will NOW reside LOL no longer on the same floor with mom although in the same house right above mom's head.. hmmm where mom lets her have a COMPLETE furnished SPACIOUS apartment  for $200/month utils included ... the nerves??? LOL .... but I love that floor ... so she suggested this ... problem is there are barely any gaps if any she just does not understand the filling between the planks ... she almost ruined my pine plank floor trying to dig the filling in between the plank out what gives?

So in case there is a space or two or a gap or two I am going to attempt this .. has anyone tried this? or heard of it? pay me no mind I am just keeping an ongoing journal here as I share snippets of my journey .... just in case in my winter years I forget and have an awesome kid read about the off beat karayzy panamanian lady they once met LOL...

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0%2c%2c1631562%2c00.ht ml Yup for mother's day I will have some twine or is it rope? attempting this ... if I find the gaps she talks about... I just see an awesome old plank wook floor that I love though SIGH

What a lovely old house!  You've done a wonderful job furnishing and decorating.

Do you need another tenant?  I'm ready to move in, LOL!   Sadly, it's too far from my daughter so guess I'll have to stay put.  It is truly beautiful, though.

Thank you... come on over!!! Mi humilde casa es tu casa!  My humble house is your house!!! it is fun working in this OLD yet so welcoming house .... I cried and prayed and cried some more at our decision at first yet is is the BEST thing we did for us and are soooooooooooo happy here .... it even allowed us to grow our puppy family and are looking forward to at least one litter in the future.... a garden in the back ... shrubbery in the front ... and seed grass to be planted (lawd please give my DH and his friend the get up and go and do it right on this one LOL)

Looks like Chip is nearly as big as the other two pups or maybe it is the angle. They ARE adorable!

Thank you beautiful!  It is the angle or the fluff ... he is nothing but a whole bunch of hair on a big head fluffy head LOL... he is barely weighing in at 2.3 pounds and humping everything in sight what he does not hump he marks what gives???? LOL it is embarrasing at times... Pierretta is 3 pounds and Pierre is Mr. Muscle ... weighing 5.5 pounds and I am getting yelled at by the vet LOL...