reno chronicles #15

Here are the before and after pics of Thursday's demo day. The renovation has officially begun!


Goodbye rotting laundry room…you survived well past your expiration date, and I thank you for that.

I promised to dish on all the good , bad and ugly through this entire process...but I have recently skipped over a couple of minor issues along the way. One was a tussle with my neighbour on the difference between a "deeded right-of way" vs a "deeded parking spot". After a little unfortunate back and forth between lawyers, this issue appears to now be resolved. A good lesson as a property owner to have everything in writing all the time. It will save headaches in the long run. Trust me.

Anyway, moving on...

As you can see, the washer and dryer are waiting for pick-up by someone who said they were coming back to get them on Thursday night. My guess is that wonderful contractor will be getting rid of them on Monday!

It's a bit chilly in my house right now because the downstairs heat is off...and well, the side of the house is half gone. Thank goodness for the pellet stove...I was really toasty last night!

Tomorrow will bring boys and their big machines to play in the dirt (excavating).

LOTS more next week.

For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

reno chronicles #14

Ok…so, it’s not ALL happening, as I thought last week.

Small hiccup…short delay….demo day has been pushed to Thursday. Wonderful contractor is dealing with some “unforeseen circumstances”.

Really, it’s a very good reason…I just don’t want to detail it here. But it was totally unpredictable and a reasonable reason for having to push the start of my job to Thursday.

So, Thursday it is.

Actually, I've been really sick...some sort of flu...since Sunday night and have been home in bed for the last two days. Guess it's a blessing in disguise that there is not any extra banging going on other than what's already happening in my head.

I did get everything done I need to in advance of demo day, so that’s the good news. I’ve done all the laundry in sight, so that’s good too.

I haven’t had any luck finding a new home for my perfectly functioning “old” washer and dryer though. Seems like no one is interested in buying them, even for a small fee, on kijiji. Conserve Nova Scotia doesn’t pick up washer and dryers anymore through their program…only refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners.

So, if anyone wants them for free, I suspect they will be on the sidewalk sometime on Thursday. First come, first served.

More as it develops!





For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

reno chronicles #13

It’s all happening. Oh, yes.

Yesterday….cleaning out of the basement so there is access to the plumbing (and other scary things that are down there!)

Today and tomorrow…cleaning out the existing laundry room (where am I going to put that stuff?!?)

Wednesday….see the lawyer to complete banking and wrap up a few other tidbits.

Thursday and Friday….do enough laundry to last for at least a month (yikes.) Write cheque for first installment of renovation (gulp.)

Saturday…take down my temporary “ghetto-backyard” fencing and move bbq to a friend’s backyard for storage.

Sunday…make a list of “things to save” for wonderful contractor (think: reduce, reuse, recycle!)

Monday…DEMO DAY!

Like I said…it’s all finally happening. Stay tuned, just a little rouge readers...it's about to get interesting!


For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

tulips, tulips, everywhere

Ahhhh….tulips. I love tulips.

So simple, so pretty, such wonderful colors. Use them to brighten up any space this time of year!

When I buy them, I usually put directly in a tall base, just as is. As the days go by, I give each stem a fresh cut and peel off any greenery that is starting to get sort of slimy. I swap out the vase for other vessels as the stems get shorter.

Another great tip is to use a couple of the big, flat green leaves and wrap them around the inside of the vase, so you can’t see most of the flower stem. It offers up the tulips in a chic, fresh way.

Perhaps a little known fact (I just learned on Wikipedia!) is that these flowers come in a wide variety of colors, except pure blue (several tulips with "blue" in the name have a faint violet hue).

I put these lovelies in the living room, dining room, in the kitchen, and most often on my nightstand so I can take a moment to enjoy them as I’m about to turn out the light for the night. It’s a great boost to help get you moving in the morning, too!

Here’s the best tip…tulips are now on sale at Atlantic Superstores for 4 bucks a bunch.

For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com