Unexpected Straight Lines

One of the first things that I thought about when considering the motel purchase was, "I'm really bad at art and I can't draw a straight line. How am I going to redo this entire complex???". Well, I might not be able to draw a straight line, but I can paint a straight line! So for all of the individuals that made fun of me when I was a kid for my poor drawing skills, I can paint straight lines!!!!! To be fair, I made some really awful art projects as a kid;)

Second coat of trim paint (without painters tape) in the apartment.

With the exception of a handful of small projects, the big cottage is done. I'm waiting to post the final pictures until I get a chance to do a big deep clean. There is a lot of sawdust everywhere right now.

Matt is on his third week at the new job, and I have been working on the apartment. Since he has been gone, the apartment has really been my first big project on my own. It's been a lot of fun and a big boost of confidence. I actually know more than I thought I did. Plus, now I know that I have some amazing painting skills:)

We should have both rentals ready by this spring assuming all goes well. Which will finally allow me to work on the motel. I really can't wait to get started on those rooms. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to take the month of April off for more endometriosis surgery, but hopefully I can tackle more over the summer and work longer than I can now. It's been eleven years since I was diagnosed with endometriosis and it has definitely been an uphill struggle. Over the last two years my pain levels have been slowly increasing and especially over the last six months things have really escalated. When Matt suggested I look at another surgery, I knew it was serious. He's been with me since my first diagnosis and he knows me better than anyone. I only bring up my surgery with the hope that more people will become aware of endometriosis and hopefully take compassion on women that have it.

I'm trying to take this new wrinkle in stride, but it has been a bit of a struggle. The nice thing is that I can escape to the apartment, listen to an audio book, and paint when I start to feel the sticky fingers of anxiety wrapping themselves around me. My latest dilemma has been to choose whether to rip up the baseboards or try to rehab them. I chose to rehab them and they aren't perfect, but they are starting to look really nice. The wood used for the baseboards was unsanded with a bright orange tinted finish. I've sanded, caulked, and done two coats of white trim paint so far. I think it could use one more coat of paint before it is finished.

The original trim.

One of the many baseboards/walls I've had to patch.

Since Matt has gone back to work, it kind of feels like I have been spinning my wheels. I don't know how clear I have been about the amount of work that we have had to put into each project that we work on. We aren't just putting paint on the walls and updating a few things. Each project we have had to tackle involves ripping out what previous owners have done and redoing the work so that it is up to our standards as well as cleaning areas that have not been touched in years. One such example of this is in the apartment. I had to scrape tons of paint splatters off of each cabinet door so that we could prolong the life of the cabinets. I also had to use a paint scrapper to peel layers of grease and dust off the tops of the cabinets. When I used the scrapper, the chunks of grim were peeling off the top like curls of shaved chocolate. Lets just say that there was a lot of gagging lol. This is why our projects take so long to complete. While it is extremely gratifying once we get the projects completed, it can seem like we are stuck at times. We truly love this property and can definitely see its potential so each step is a labor of love:) Thankfully, we will know how to fix most problems by the time we are done with this so it will be a great time and money saver in the future. Who knew we were going to turn into general contractors as well as starting a motel lol?!?! I say all of this not to complain, but just to add a little bit of context to my posts.

"Curls" of filth peeled off of the tops of the cabinets.

On a more positive note, we live in one of the most beautiful winter wonderlands around! I have been astounded by the natural beauty around us. I really didn't think that I could love our new home more than I already do, but the winter weather has made me love it even more. At the middle and end of January, we had some very wintry weather. Matt and I were introduced to a snow squall. Neither of us had ever encountered one on the west coast so this was a very new experience. Basically it's like a mini blizzard that lasts for around 20 mins with only a few feet of visibility. It was intense, but so beautiful too. Listening to the wind howl like that is very humbling.

The beginning of a "snow squall" on January 14th (make sure to turn the volume up)

Earlier this week I was able to see more of the beauty of winter. We haven't had much precipitation so I was surprised to see all of these ice crystals. This was the handrail on the stairs of the motel. Isn't that gorgeous?!? I wish I could think of some way to incorporate that pattern into one of my motel rooms. If you have any suggestions, let me know! I hope all of you are taking care of yourselves, and enjoying your daily lives. Don't forget to rest:)

Motel hand rail with ice crystals.