The abundance of now.

by the Artist

I looked out my window and saw a profusion of beautiful Black Eyed Susans that have taken over an old garden. The bluest of blue overhead. The air warm but not wet. A light breeze cooling. It hit me... I am only guaranteed "abundance in this moment". 

We've had a different sort of summer. Our vacation did not turn out as planned. I had spent the winter months planning how I was going to fix up our newest RV. (the playhouse I always wanted as a child I finally got). I set money aside, I had fun outfitting the camper. I just couldn't wait to leave for our very first two week vacation by our favorite lake. Then my mother died and the Carpenter needed surgery. 

With the events of this summer I've been feeling the frailty of life. And it is giving me some anxiety. I normally have a certain amount if I am to be honest. And having your own business adds to that. The Carpenter is much better at being self-employed then me. He handles the highs and lows very well. Me not so much. Oh yeah I said that already.

I walk a fine line on this blog between being transparent about our build life and being positive about our business at the same time. It is a balance. I want to be real. I want to share this crazy adventure. On one hand I can say... we need more work. On the other hand I can say.. we have so much work we need to hire. This isn't for the faint of heart.


But today's epiphany made me realize that all I can do is be in this moment of abundance. It is all I have. We can strive for an abundant tomorrow, a worry free future.. but that isn't realistic. There are just too many things out of our control. 

But I'm beginning to realize that, that is okay. All we have is right now. The future will work itself out. I know that. 

Unexpected.

By the Artist

On the road.

It’s been a busy summer. The Modern Farmhouse project is wrapped up. You can see photos of this project on the link here. http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/recent-projects/

Three weeks ago along with the crazy of finishing up project details.. my mother died. She had been sick for a very long time. It wasn’t expected but it was. Knowing she is no longer suffering helps just a little.

We headed to PA for the Memorial service and to see my family for a brief visit. The Carpenter isn’t fond of flying so we drove. Twenty one hours one way. Kind of intimidating to contemplate. It took us two days to get to my parent’s house. We had a good road trip all things considered.

One thing when you drive.. you see things you would never see if you flew. Little slices of America. Troops of boy scouts on an adventure, two deer running through a cornfield, their coats catching the last golden rays of sunset, a woman riding her horse on early on a Sunday morning, two fawns on a hillside, old barns, a caravan of kids on a missions trip… their cars colorfully lettered… “honk for Jesus”.. we honked like crazy. Some beautiful dogs (of course the Carpenter had to stop to pet the dogs and speak with the owners)… a black English lab with a curly coat named “Curly” and an English Cream Retriever called “Sam”. Another lab on the road trip of his life.. traveling from California to the east coast before setting sail for Paris with his owners.

I was impressed with how many Americans are out there on a road trip. You see the long lines at the airport on the news. You don’t see the busy service areas along the turnpikes. It really was heart warming to see all the families.

The Carpenter commented that all you need to do is smile and say hi and conversations start. He met a guy at one of the hotels where we stayed. When he found out the Carpenter had a construction company he said.. ”hey I’ve been looking for someone to remodel my kitchen”. The Carpenter said… “well that would be nice but you live in Cleveland and I live in White Bear Lake!”.

We arrived back in Minnesota just in time to head out for our annual July camping trip. We were exhausted and very ready for a few days of rest and relaxation. Well we had to cut our vacation short as the Carpenter ended up in the hospital with a serious staph infection. The cause? A stubbed toe and the perfect storm of circumstances that allowed the staph to grow and attack. Sad to say he lost a toe in the deal. He’s had a very wonderful attitude about the whole ordeal. 

The good of this situation is that it has forced him to project manage and meet with customers only, while he recuperates. And this will become his new "normal" after he has healed. It is a very very good thing. I have wanted this for a long time. And now he is finally ready to let go of doing the actual work. I'm sure he will write about this change in his life soon.

Since being home from the hospital.. our crew has managed well. I am encouraged and I think the Carpenter is too. He's able to drive so is getting to the project sites as needed. 

So this is why we have been absent lately from this blog and Facebook. The month of July was a bit of a bust for us. But we are looking forward to a fall of new beginnings, plenty of work and letting this eventful difficult summer pass. Hopefully we can head to our favorite camping spot when the leaves start to change. We will look forward to that!

And we look forward to working with you! 

Second Act.

by the Artist

It's gonna be good!

We're on the home stretch at the Modern Farmhouse Project. When I look back at the start of the project it was bitter cold. The crew had to clear the snow to work. Seems like a long time ago as I sit here feeling the warm breeze coming in through the window. It is hard to imagine how winter could be so cold and how a home could look so different in really a short space of time. The cold and white is gone, and so is the old stucco, the old windows, two old fireplaces, old lighting, old hip roof details, and old rot. Along with warm breezes has come new windows and doors, a revamped roof silhouette, lighting, a more spacious kitchen (with the demise of an old gas fireplace) and more expansive views of the lake. And of course a lot of internal "new" that won't ever be seen but has made the house solid and energy efficient for years to come.

It has been a long process, but with perspective so much has been accomplished. It's kind of like being in intermission waiting for the curtain to go up. It will be well worth the wait!

North.

by the Artist

Sweet nibble 1

Sweet nibble 1

North.. isn't that where little polar bears live?

Yesterday the Carpenter picked me up and we headed to our first "interview" for the Snack Manager open position. Well it wasn't exactly an interview to pick a candidate, but to meet the nice people from where our next snack manager might herald from.

We traveled north of the Twin Cities to a town called Bruno. Bruno? Bruno Mars? I had never heard of Bruno. Along the way we passed a town called Askov. I recognized that because of the store that is in Minneapolis - Askovfinlayson. As we traveled I saw a group of white horses in a wooded area. White horses! We finally arrived to "Welcome Home Labs" http://www.welcomehomelabs.com/ where homes are identified by "fire numbers"! Not house numbers! We were in the country!

Our arrival was observed by three "light yellow" (the type our Gracie was) labs calmly peeking through their fencing. They just watched. No one uttered a bark. We had a great visit with the breeders. They were very informative and friendly. The Carpenter found out the husband had also been a contractor. We appreciated how much care they put into their labs. I'm sure they were "interviewing us" to see if we would be good owners for one of their precious pups. 

We were just on a "meet and greet" mission. We held some adorable "cute nibbles" as my sister called them... and met some adult labs. It was fun. We left without a pup. As planned. As the rain pounded down. The afternoon was a nice diversion from our usual Applewood routine. We got to relax, hold some pups and just get away. We stopped at a popular local area restaurant Tobies (where I had a not so good meal- my typical restaurant luck but I did buy a couple of their famous sticky buns!) then headed on our way. As we sat there I said to the Carpenter.. "it's so weird to be out sitting across a table from you.. not working". He agreed. We need to remedy that!

We hope to have the position filled in the fall.

Stay tuned!

Sweet nibble 2

Sweet nibble 2

Updating is updating.

by the Artist

Whether it is a house or an RV.

How was your Memorial Weekend 2016? Did you go to the beach? A lake? A picnic table? We stayed home at Applewood Headquarters. It was a good weekend to work on the camper we acquired last fall. It's not brand new and between a damaged floor, and some pesky details I felt it needed some updating.

I saved up over the winter. We had enough on Saturday to head to our local area Menards Home Improvement store. We spent at least half of what I had saved- man that went fast. Here's a list of what is being updated:

1. Replace flooring. It was vinyl and had split out from each heat vent located in the floor. The Carpenter picked a vinyl wood floating floor system. It has some color variation in it and looks nice with the existing cabinetry and trim. We hope it holds up to extreme temps of winter and summer storage. I always say camping in a hard sided camper is like camping in an "Easy Bake Oven". (for those of you who remember those!) 

2. Replace bathroom door. The bath is tiny. This camper is triple the size of our old one.. but the bath didn't gain any footage. I asked the Carpenter if he could put a "slider" in to expand this tiny space out but he just looked at me like I had lost my marbles. Maybe a full view glass door to make the space appear larger? Kidding. I'm settling for a new wood no view door. The existing one is a very plain flat door in the same material as the walls.. RV ugly fake wood. The Carpenter ordered a 24" wide raised paneled door. (yes those are available!) It will now match the cabinets and add some architectural detail to that area.

3. Replace kitchen faucet. Replace faucet with pull out sprayer. Will be easier to keep the sink clean and do dishes without using a ton of water. Always mindful of that "gray" water tank!

4. Replace bath sink faucet. Existing one is plastic! (even my old camper had a metal faucet!). It's just beyond ugly.

5. Replace mini blinds. In bedroom and kitchen window with pleated shades to match the rest of the camper windows. (why they weren't all the same style shade I will never know) I found a great sale on-line for 45% off. Can't match exactly so am going with a darker shade. Design rule: if you can't match exactly.. don't come close. Go at least two shades darker... or lighter.

6. Add towel rods. I know men design RV's. Minimal closet space (for clothes or vacuum cleaners) (In our case no "broom type" closet) and no place to hang wet towels! We added one on the back of the bath door and one will go on the bedroom wall. Out of sight. The best I can do if hanging between trees isn't an option!

7. Switch cabinet door orientation. We have a "5th Wheel" style camper. In this particular model you can not stand up in the bedroom area. (this calls for a certain level of flexibility) To access the tiny side closets and the overhead bed storage compartments, you have to sit on the bed. Currently they swing in towards your face! (no comment). The Carpenter will switch the hinges so they swing outwards away from my face. nice.

8. Replace lighting fixture over table. This might not happen for awhile. Current lighting is a small overhead light. I envision a small pendant that hangs down over the table. Like a mini chandelier. Mini RV chandeliers or pendents don't exactly exist. We would need to convert a standard house pendant to a 12 volt deal. That's going to take some significant persuading.

It took the Carpenter all day on Memorial Day to put in the floor. It was a lot of measuring and fuss. The camper toilet had to come out. The space was cramped. Super cramped. He thinks he cracked a rib in the process. :O It does look nice!

Now for the fun part. Shopping to provision this camper. Our goal is to have a fully stocked kitchen (except for food), bedding ready, towels in. All we will have to do is grab some food and some clothes and we're off for a relaxing weekend!

I will also enjoy purchasing a ottoman for storage (and also to make the sofa more comfortable), outside rug (a must to keep sand at bay), decorative pillows, table lamp, la la la la la. My RV's are the play houses I always wanted but never had as a child.

And now "tiny" houses are the rage! We have our very own 25' tiny house on wheels! The world is our apple to bite and enjoy! 

PS And to be honest.. resale is always in the back of my mind. We sold our very old, very small "5th Wheel" RV in about 24 hours. I had updated simply (no floor replacement) and I staged it for Craig's list. We had a bid war. I wrote a post about that experience. https://andrea-olson-x9a6.squarespace.com/config#/pages/555e5b3ae4b097314db44ed9|/carpenterandtheartist-blog/2015/8/26/goodbye-little-camper I look forward to doing that again. (But don't tell the Carpenter that... he can hardly breathe as it is right now!)

 

 

Met the goal!

by the Artist

Today. The Carpenter and crew has been focused all week on achieving what seemed like an unattainable goal. Get windows/patio door on the lake side of our Modern Farmhouse Project installed in time for Memorial Day weekend. It wasn't a planned goal. It was a hopeful goal from the homeowner.

The Carpenter knew the challenges that would need to be overcome to achieve this goal. It was lofty. The weather was a player. Painting the interior side of the windows would need to be completed. The living room window roof detail would need to be built. The exterior walls would need to be finished and wrapped. I know I'm missing some items but it is what I'm remembering.

The Carpenter was tense. He was focused. And serious. He wasn't home much. Physically or mentally. He and the crew were "all in". The Carpenter even had to cancel a doctor appointment because it landed exactly when he needed to be on site.

Today. The windows are in! The crew and weather and the determination of the Carpenter made it happen. I wasn't sure it was going to happen. It rained. Yet the rain let up today long enough for the crew to tarp the area and they prevailed.

I drove over to take some photos and view the beautiful windows in place. I remembered back to all the planning meetings. The time spent measuring and remeasuring, and marking placement inside with tape on a bitter cold Saturday in January. I remembered the hours spent removing window hardware, keeping it organized, masking for hours, priming, sanding, painting. Hours of prep in the cabinet shop. It truly was a group effort. 

I'm sure right about now the homeowners are so happy to be looking out at the lake through beautiful glass! (in fact as I'm writing this the sun is coming out!) They spent three weeks (I think it was) looking at temporary plywood walls. They were living in a cave. That might be okay in the dead of winter... but I'm sure almost unbearable in the glorious spring!

So here's to our crew and a very tired Carpenter! My hat's off to you. Job well done.

 

Post sale.

by the Artist

I just walked out to the cabinet shop. The Carpenter and one of our guys is masking windows to paint for our Modern Farmhouse Project. This is phase two of "get those windows painted!". Unfortunately Marvin Windows does not factory paint any color but white. We need black. I don't understand why a company that large would not be set up to paint at least a few popular colors. 

It is labor intensive to prep to paint. All the hardware must be removed and kept carefully together. The actual painting doesn't take long. It's the prep that kills you.

And speaking of prep. We have just come off of our first "A Painted Apple" sale. It was an extraordinary amount of prep. It consumed me for many weeks. I had some friends and family help. One friend came last week a couple of days and gave it her all. Her support and her dog Dudley helped lighten the load. 

The start of the sale day was overwhelming. I consider myself to be an organized person. I wasn't organized enough. But it was the best I could do. I gave it my all. I have never even had a garage sale. I did not know what I was attempting to do. The Carpenter came through big time for me with all the painting he did. The sale would not have happened without his help. I'd still be out in the shop chasing drips!

I said I did not know what I was attempting to do. I thought you could put a bunch of colorful furniture out on your driveway and it would be snatched up! People would be coming in droves. I'm not sure where the people were. Maybe it was a too beautiful outside. I saw many boats and campers drive by. Here in Minnesota on a gorgeous spring day Minnesotans play hard. I didn't get enough signage out. Maybe my prices were too high. Maybe I didn't have enough balloons. And there's another story.. my first time ever buying balloons! I had no idea balloons were so popular. And scary to get to the car.

The best part of the day.. a couple of neighbors stopped by. One we had never met before and one we haven't seen in awhile. It was good to connect. We live on big properties where it's easy to never see a neighbor. A dear older couple we have done work for stopped by and bought a piece! Also I followed through on what I started. I finished. I painted, distressed and waxed through that pile of furniture that had been sitting out in the shop for three years. I did not quit. Hooray for me! Maybe someone can bring me a balloon to celebrate.. ;)

So now what? We regroup, and gather our thoughts. I'm going to put some of my favorite pieces on "The Painted Apple" page on this website to sell locally. And I'm going to learn from this experience. And get some sleep. yep.. that sounds like a good plan.

 

Up north, Modern Farmhouse and a sale.

by the Artist

I'm sitting here in northern Minnesota at a sweet little resort. It's a cold blustery cloudy day. The lake reflects the gray. Typical for our spring weather this year. I'm with my Minnesota girl in-laws for a weekend getaway. My niece and I are sitting at the table... while she catches up on homework I thought I'd write a little....

I just got back my Mac from being repaired. I am happy. It was touch and go there for awhile. But Apple came through for us! 

And speaking of Apple... while I enjoy this weekend.. the Carpenter is back home finishing up his work week at The Modern Farmhouse Project. Things are going well. They started the major lakeside renovation phase. And we have very large doors and windows in our garage being "kept safe" for this side of the house. I'm being extra careful not to drop something, push anything, or scratch anything on strict orders from the Carpenter. He knows me. I am not the most careful person. I'm clumsy and move fast. Little messes and accidents trail behind me. I confess. 

Evenings find the Carpenter painting furniture for our "A Painted Apple" sale coming this Saturday May 21, He picked up another load of goodies at our local town's "Trash to Treasure" day a few weekends ago. He loves the hunt. Hooks up one of his open bed trailers and takes off to cruise downtown White Bear Lake. So along with what we have to finish up before the sale... we now have a few more pieces we can hopefully get done in time. 

Unfortunately for the Carpenter he is now much more involved in my project then he ever intended. Figuring out how to run "chalk-paint" through his commercial paint sprayer is a huge time saver for me. And a huge time loser for him! I could not have gotten as much done as I have without his help. And the paint quality of the furniture is way better then my early hand brushed pieces. 

I will head home Sunday morning to more furniture ready for me to distress and wax. Then will spend the week preparing for the sale. Oh I hope it goes well. I hope we sell every single piece. And if it goes well I might have a fall sale. But the Carpenter doesn't want to talk about that.

 

 

,

The best things.

,

by the Artist

It's beautiful outside. Breathtakingly so. Not a cloud, bluebird skies, flowering trees.

We started the Modern Farmhouse Project in February. The site had to be cleared of snow, the winds blew bitter off the lake. It was brutal at times. Today is the crew's reward for making it through that harsh start because it is already 85 degrees! I'm sure they will head home to start their weekends with some nice sunburn!

I stopped at the project yesterday and took some photos of the progress. They are rebuilding the entire lakeside of the home to meet engineering specifications for the new windows/doors that are going to be installed. In preparation for that, they had to build temporary walls to shut off the interior of the home from the exterior. To protect the home from the elements and for safety. I have not seen this done in any of our past projects (doesn't mean it hasn't been done I just haven't seen it). Amazing.

I feel for the homeowners who are shut off from their beautiful lake views from inside their home. Wow. It I'm sure would be easier if it was the dead of winter when the frozen lake looks quite inhospitable. When the winds are blowing the white around and around. But I am sure they know the sacrifice of living in a construction zone will be well worth it when it is all said and done, and they have gorgeous windows and doors to enjoy their beautiful lake vista.

I remember years ago when the Carpenter and I gutted our current home. It was dreadful. It was filthy. Old house dirt and debris. I had to keep an image in my head of the end product. I saw myself walking up to the front porch, a welcoming light was on, the porch was all white and very clean. Honestly that image got me through and helped me to keep going when it seemed like the renovation process would never end. And we've since enjoyed our little front porch ever since. It is still my favorite place to hang out!

Most times the best things take the most work. Very true here.

Sunday note.

by the Artist

Well it's official. Our furniture sale "A Painted Apple" has been rescheduled for May 21st. Check out details and photos here. http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/a-painted-apple/

I stopped at Hobby Lobby (my first visit to the mega craft store) to buy knobs for some of my pieces this week. I almost gasped when I saw the selection. exciting! I was even able to get the exact knobs that I had envisioned for one of the pieces. When I showed the Carpenter my "loot" he wasn't very impressed. He said... "you paid that much for one knob?" And I said.. "well it was a good deal at 50% off"!

Still no word on my ailing mac. I think we will be headed to the apple tree this week to pluck a shiny new mac off the lowest branch. I don't want a new mac. I want my old very fast rebuilt mac! I'm still hopeful that it can be saved. still.

We are taking a break from our "Painted Apple" project to start spring clean-up today. Between the spring rain and our schedule... the grass is high, the dandelions are plentiful, the gopher party huts are numerous, and the winter branches lay where they were flung. An acre of work and loveliness!

So here's to unexpected and expected life circumstances, busy weeks, plentiful work, and much needed patience to handle it all! Yes... we can do this with God's help. A Word for our Sunday and yours!