Face Lift

Trailer color before face lift - sky blue?

One of the easiest ways to brighten a home is a fresh coat of paint.

Before moving in, the entire trailer received a fresh coat of paint inside...

...celery, pine bark, and horseradish.

My restful retreat.

My favorite home exterior color is a pale sage green,

but since I used it throughout the interior,

I chose a blue for the exterior.

There are hints of this blue in the guest bath.
It changes color a bit throughout the day ...
smoky blue ... blue ... blue/purple

This blue is called ... Thundering Clouds

More nature ...

I love a nice storm ... if I am inside.

The call to take it easy ... no work can be done outside!

I first fell in love with a deep blue house when hubby worked at a farm just north of us.
It was like a little cheery cottage.
Blue with white trim and a bright yellow door.

The trim was refreshed,
and the shutters were scraped and given a fresh coat of paint as well.
The numbers also got a quick spray with leftover appliance spray paint.

The pictures are of the side and back,
because the front porch is still in progress
and a reveal for another week.

Surprise Recipe

We are getting back to a normal eating plan - 

slowly but surely.

There was a surprise recipe in the week - 

a google find to use zucchini.

Hubby loved it ...

I thought it needed some Parmesan cheese!

Roasted Potatoes and Zucchini

6-7 Potatoes

2 Zucchini

3 Cloves Garlic

1 Tbsp Rosemary

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Black Pepper

Cut Potatoes and Zucchini in 1" Chunks.

Coat potatoes with mix of garlic, rosemary, salt, and oil.

Bake potatoes 30-35 min at 350*.

Add zucchini chunks and cook 20-25 min more.

This weeks menu:

Sunday: Chef Salad

Monday: Tater Tot Casserole

Tuesday: Sausage Gravy and Biscuits (moved from last week)

Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday: Pork Chops and roasted potatoes and zucchini

Friday:  Sloppy Joes

Saturday:  Birthday Dinner ... PF Changs

One Stop Shopping

It may seem a silly thing,

but I am thankful that our local Wally World is carrying our favorite bread now.

A small thing ...

but it helps speed up shopping day.

Not only our favorite bread,

but more and more allergy friendly products.

Delayed Reward

Proverbs 27:18 

Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: 

so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.

Being a homemaker can be a thankless job

(though it does not have to be).

There may be days of discouragement,

days when you want to quit,

days when you wonder if it is worth it.

There is a reward for a job well done.

Remember the laws of sowing and reaping?

You reap what you sow.

You reap later than you sow.

You reap more than you sow.

Do not be discouraged.

Give your all today!

Two are Better Than One

Are you curious about what started the exterior renovations?
Well - it was this hole under the front door.
Caused by a drip from a gutter,
onto a porch with no drainage,
leaking against a fiberboard siding.

You can see the remainder of a front porch here.

It seemed that there was no way to pick just one fix.

If we trimmed out the trailer, we needed to paint.

If we were to fix the rot, we needed to stop the leaks.

If we stopped the leaks, we also needed to repair the non draining porch.

One of the thing that we appreciate about our home is the gutters.

With the fiberboard siding, we want to keep it painted for protection

and keep as much moisture off of it as we can.

Gutters can also be a real hassle.

Hubby had tried to repair the dripping gutters using many avenues ...

new rivets, tar, rubber spray, silicone.

The silicone worked the best, but still not perfect.

As we researched replacing the gutters,

we found that one of the problems was that our nearly 80 foot trailer 

needed 2 downspouts per side - not 1!
Our gutters also did not "drop" like they should causing water to just sit ... and drip.

So down come the old aluminum gutters

and up with vinyl gutters complete with 2 downspouts per side.
So glad for the end of the "continual dripping."

You can catch a glimpse of the new paint color in the corner.
Hopefully I can reveal the "face lift" next Tuesday.

I am headed back up on the ladder today.
I am pretty sure that I will not finish again today ...
but I am getting closer.

De Ja Vus

We had a beautiful weather weekend and got a lot done.

Still much to do, but they will be smaller jobs that can be put into smaller blocks of time.

My best guess is that I have 2 more days on a ladder painting the exterior of the trailer.

So ...

simple meals are still in order.

This week's menu plan:

Sunday: Tilapia, Corn on the Cob, tomato/cucumber salad

Monday: BLT's, chips, watermelon

Tuesday: Chicken Nuggets, French Fries, cucumbers

Wednesday: Mediterranean Chicken, Grilled potatoes and zucchini

Thursday:  Biscuits and Sausage Gravy - fruit

Friday: Pizza

Holiday Greetings!

Happy Sunny Day!

I am thankful that this week has afforded many sunny days ... and evenings, for that matter.

I am thankful that the front of the trailer is primed and almost completely painted.

I am thankful that tomorrow and Saturday are supposed to be beautiful ...

sunny skies ...

 low humidity ...

only the high 80's.

I am thankful for the work that we can get done while hubby has 2 days off in a row!

I am thankful for the new paint color.

I am thankful for sore muscles.

I am thankful for the ability to climb a ladder.

Sharper

Proverbs 27:17 

Iron sharpeneth iron; 

so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

It happens to me  -  a challenge by a friend that makes me better.

My run times are better when my hubby is beside me.

I am more conscious of my eating when others around me are being careful.

I work harder when I know someone will be checking up on me.

So - this Proverb reminds me to choose my friends wisely.

If I want to be "iron," I must surround myself with "iron."

I want to choose friends who will challenge me,

those who are not afraid to rebuke, challenge, and exhort.

I must also be that friend.

I must maintain a high standard.

I must encourage and challenge my friends.

Get Sharp ... and Keep Sharp. 

Neat as a Pin

Our present home has fiberboard type siding.

One of the problems with this is that it is easily dented, marred, and torn.
It is a little like cardboard if not maintained -
it soaks up water and turns into a mess.

I am not sure how many moves our home has made to its present location,

but there is evidence to show that this is not its first lot.

To keep the bottom of the trailer from soaking up water and curling up ...

... and to tidy up the general appearance,

trim strips made of cement board were attached around the periphery.

Neat as a pin and hopefully long-lasting!

The gutters have been removed.

The facia at the top has been repainted.

The stripes above are sealed seams.

The discoloration are places that were wire brushed and then primed with "Peel Stop."

It is supposed to be beautiful today -

so I hope to get alot of priming done ... and hopefully a little bit of paint on as well.