I apologize to loyal readers...

... for this post being a tad late!

Woke up at 6:30 AM, ready to finally finish this kitchen project. I took today (Friday) and next Monday off as vacation days to do just that! So, after shaving and showering, I skipped breakfast and coffee (actually, I'm not sure where the coffee maker is right now) and got out the cabinet yellow paint. I painted the do-dada's and all the cabinets I'd marked (in the daylight, I inspected every door and ones that were light in paint, here or there, I stuck a sticky note on) and the places where I put paintable caulk or spackling compound. I am using a 1-inch brush, so this isn't a quick project. Cabinets look fine, but the caulk will require a second coat.

Finished up, cleaned up and joined my friend B___ for lunch. When I got back home I started cutting out the "feet" for the door molding. Once I got the look I wanted, I clamped a block of wood as a stop on the chop saw and made 12 identical blocks (see photos). Then I cut down the door side molding to the correct new height. Next, I ripped the blocks to the right width on the table saw. I had just put the saw horses outside so I could spray the stain on all this wood when I noticed the wind had picked up! Walked around the outside of the house to try and find a calm place but nothing!

I resigned myself to applying the stain with a rag, instead of spraying. So, I got started. What a pain in the butt! I stopped to eat a ham sandwich at 6:30 PM. Then, got back to work. To give you and idea of the scope of work here, there are 6 three-piece door moldings, twelve "feet" and twelve decorative wood blocks, three 8-foot bead board bottom molding and three tops. Also, there are 16 feet of baseboard molding and 16 feet of shoe molding. Then, there is the bead boards themselves - 4 inches wide and three feet long, and, at three boards per foot, there are 60 of them!

The woman down the street who now cuts my grass stopped to ask me what my "secret" was because there are no weeds growing in the mulch in the back garden. I told her there was no secret, it was because the mulch is somewhere between 8 - 10 inches deep. Then she gave me a great compliment. She said she had told her mother how much she loved my back yard. She told her she usually stops the mower and just sits there a while, because it's so peaceful. I told her, believe it or not, I designed it just that way.

Since the drying racks are 2 x 2's lying on the floor and the top of the trailer, there is a LOT of bending over involved (see photos) so by 8:00 PM I had to give my back a break. I laid down and slept until after midnight, then I went back out and worked, with the garage door open and the radio on until 2:30 AM when I finally finished. I suspect my neighbors think I am crazy...