Well, the trim got all put up.
If you read the blog post from Saturday the 26th, read it HERE if you missed it, I told you that the wood trim in our house never got finished in the upstairs bathroom and sewing room. There were a few other pieces missing…one in the dining room, on in the toy room, two in my bedroom, and one in the north bedroom.
Over Thanksgiving break, our son, Buck, helped get that all put up. If you read the post you know that my husband intended on doing all of this but then passed away before he had time. He left us with this whole stack that we were supposed to sort out and deal with.
The shelving unit is chuck full…I will be honest, I can’t tell you how many times I walked passed this and was just angry. Why do people die and leave things undone? I wasn’t mad at him, just mad at the circumstances. I thought only he knew what went where. BLAH.
Thanksgiving night after everyone left besides Buck and his kiddos, we went out to the garage and started sorting.
It was annoying. One style of trim was needed downstairs and a different one upstairs. The downstairs trim came in two pieces that needed to be put together as you see in the photo below.
We looked and looked. Buck, I don’t think originally believed me that it was too pieces. Eventually, I came across this piece… It said “Dining Chimney”. It was Kramer, my husband’s, handwriting. Whew. We were going to have a little help from the grave. It turns out all of the pieces that were needed on the main floor were labeled in his handwriting. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so hard.
Below you see the hallway. Buck trimmed the west end of it, the bathroom to the left, and my sewing room that is straight ahead.
Of course, little was easy. For example, a board behind these bookshelves in the toy room needed to be put in.
So all of that had to be moved while I had six grandkids here. Then all moved back. Thankfully Kalissa was here and was helpful too.
The old pump organ had to be pulled out so this could get fixed.
The trim in the upstairs is all from a house in Chester Iowa. We pulled it all out and saved it. I wrote a blog post about it at the time. You can read it HERE.
On Saturday I was able to get a little bit of cleaning done…Here is the before I cleaned and after I cleaned shot. It looks so much nicer with the trim up.
Trust me, there is a lot more cleaning and organizing for me to do. This is the sewing room…
This is my bedroom filled with stuff from the sewing room.
Everything needs to be vacuumed and dusted. The trim needs a lot of touch-up work too. That’s all my job.
I also have bedding from the weekend to deal with.
I gotta say part of me is so happy when I see the wonderful woodwork all in place. It looks so good. I’ve wanted this done for so long. SO LONG. Part of me feels so sad. I want Kramer here to see and enjoy this.
For so long we lived in rented houses we couldn’t do anything with. The short time we did own a house, there was so much work to do to it that we never got a chance to get it all done before we had to sell it. We never got the dream house we both wanted. This house was as close as we ever got and we both really loved it. I so wish he could be here and see where the house is today. I wish we were together both appreciating the hard work we put in to harvest the wood from the house in Chester and to see it now in this house. It’s all so very bittersweet. I’m thankful I have it this far, but so sad he’s not here to see it too.
A thousand thanks to my son Buck for making this happen. It was not an easy job. So many things worked against him in getting this job done. At times he had to rip out sheet rock behind the trim to make it line up. He had to work around light switches that were put in with current trim widths in mind. He made so many trips up and down the stairs to get to the table saw in the garage. He worked his tail off to make this all look so good.
With that, I’m off to clean and reorganize stuff. I’m hoping to do a LARGE purge too. I’ll try to get some pictures taken after it’s done.
Really pleased you managed to get your trim job done. Sounds like a lot of work but so worthwhile. You’re blessed to have such a capable son in Buck to do the job so efficiently. Well done to him. I don’t envy the big job of sorting, purging and cleaning to get things straight! I was puzzled by your word “trim” but had worked out that it’s what we call “skirting board” here in the UK and you post today confirmed that.
The world is a better place with your kids in it. They have learned the lessons of life from you and your husband’s example. Buck found the perfect gift to thank you. So wonderful to read about a family that loves each other.
I love it when family jumps in like this…you are truly blessed! Your place looks wonderful.
Love and prayers
So sorry for the bittersweetness of getting this done. The labeling of the pieces got to me. Hope you have a couple of good audiobooks to listen to while you get cleaned and organized. It will be amazing when you are done. The trim in the sewing room looks great. Thought Buck said he wasn’t a finish carpenter…could’a fooled me!
It’s going to look so good when you get it all put back. What a gift!
Yay for you and your trim being done, It is inconvenient any time we have to move our stuff, but you now have a finish on the woodwork and a bonus, you have done deep cleaning as well! Once you get it all rearranged, sorted and put back you have carefree days of sewing ahead and you have piece of mind that everything is in good order! Lucky you!
Good job Buck! What a hard and messy job. Aren’t you glad you have talented kids?
I had to replace some “normal” trim after having flooring changed…it was really hard as it was my first time doing anything like that – my hat’s off to Buck, he did an awesome job!! So nice to check another job off the list! Nice that Kramer wrote on the back of the trim for downstairs so you knew what went where! Definitely would squeeze your heart to see his handwriting and have him miss the completion of another project. You have done such a wonderful job of creating a beautiful house to call home.
Wow that’s great your son got it finished. And so touching that your hubby was there, in spirit, helping—-with his hand labeled pieces, and the fact that his talents are evident in your son. Of course your daughter being there to help too—-you are one blessed lady, Jo! I love reading about the happenings in your family.
A very big job almost done. Buck did a great job. You do have work ahead, but little by little things are being accomplished and you have a darling house. I loved seeing the picture of house when you purchased it and the now picture. Oh my you’ve come a long ways.
That finished trim work looks so beautiful and polished! Congratulations on the Kramer team working together once again! What a comfort to your mind. Now you will be surprised the next time you pull out the pump organ or the toy shelf and see that finished trim again.
It looks great! I’m so glad to see that you had period trim to use.
So much precious love is demonstrated in your house. Your husband’s care in labelling the wood yours and Bucks putting it up. Kalissa helping too. Buck learning he could do trim work right. You’re very blessed with your family. I’m so glad!!!!
I am so happy for you Jo that it finally got done! Great Buck was able to do this for you! Gotta say you have wonderful kids! They are workers and have learned from their parents! They are not afraid of hard work just like you and Kramer! Can’t wait to see everything all in place!
And Thank You for the videos you have been doing for us, with everything going on in your life and you take the time to do this for us! A million times Thank You!
Way to go, Buck!!! You sure know how to make your Mom happy. :o))
Absolutely Gorgeous! We also gutted an old house, and have several pieces from an old school. We are slowly working on it. I’m so happy it’s all done for you!
My hats off to Buck for working so hard in getting this job done for you. I bet it was a blessing to see the trim was marked by Kramer. I love the idea that you saved the Trim from another house to use in yours, it looks great. Thanks to Kalissa for being there to help where needed. Good luck getting it all cleaned up and sorted. Wonderful job y’all
Oh! That beautiful trim! Though the work was hard, you had to wait so long, and the feelings it stirred up were difficult, the result is wonderful! It’s always so lovely to hear about your family and how you all take care of one another.
God bless you all!