Workshop!

4 Years, 43 Weeks.


The big reveal.

The past 4 weeks I have been working on our third car garage.  It had been six years since we moved into the house, and the garage had become just a glorified storage unit.  Because of the split design of the two garages, the smaller one had become neglected.  Out of sight, out of mind.  Only when I needed to get to the lawn mower or to a specific tool.  And that was if I could even find them!

Front view from the driveway.

View from the side door.

Enter Papa Dave and his brilliant idea.

While the grandparents were here over the holiday he told me that I could procure some decent cabinets for dirt cheap at the local Habitat for Humanity, and build myself some sort of workshop to house my tools and supplies.  It was a little embarrassing for him to see the garage like it was; I had always admired the workshops he had created in his garages every time we would visit Denver. Really, there was no one to blame but me.  I had made the space unusable and unkempt.  It would be up to me to finally do something about it.

But I didn't want to spend the money I thought it would take to get those amazing workshops you see featured on TV or in magazines.  I thought for sure it would cost a few thousand dollars; I had done my research and priced those things.  But the idea of having my own workshop lingered in my mind and now with Papa's suggestion of refurbishing and repurposing cabinets from the Habitat, gave me inspiration to bite the bullet and get it done.  And how great would it be if I could get the same effect for a few hundred dollars!

So, starting 4 weeks ago, with my demolition crew (aka the kids), we set out sifting through the landfill, clearing rubbish and throwing out a ton of things we hadn't needed (like large boxes for everything we've purchased in the time we've lived here) or used (like Tangie's old bike from when she was in high school, which we ended up donating to the Salvation Army).  We created a little more space to move around, in the meantime checking with the Habitat to see if any cabinet sets in decent or good condition were available for sale.  One Friday afternoon, we scored, finding an unused white set that the previous owners had taken out of their spec home, because they wanted custom cabinets when they purchased the house!  I had priced a single cabinet at Home Depot for $120; I bought that whole set for $125!  

Bought the set before anyone else snatched it up.  What a deal!

Brought a couple pieces home.

Went back to get the other two pieces.  They could fit in the minivan with the seats down!

Now came the designing, layout, and creating part.  I was also able to find and get 4 more top cabinets from Craigslist for $60, as well as a set of 4 panel walls with metal baskets for $45 from another seller.   I was able to create a countertop (thanks to Duncan for coming over a couple of times to assist me!) and after a nice paint job created a workshop I can keep my tools organized and accessible!  I was also able to attach some storage racks from the ceiling (again, thanks to Duncan for his help!) so we can keep the seasonal decorations up and out of the way throughout the year!  And with all the garden supplies and sports gear up on the walls, we had the entire floor open, with enough space to fit a small car…or perhaps a new riding lawn mower?!?? (cross my fingers!!)

Picking up some 2 x 4's for brackets and braces.

Changing the color of the cabinets.
I thought they would get lost in the white walls of the garage if I didn't paint them.

She wanted to help so I said go for it!

Building a bottom brace to give the cabinets some height.

My assistant re-attaches the hardware.

Duncan comes over to help lay out and measure the countertop.

Making the cut!

I had several old 60 lb. bags of mortar that had hardened, so we used them as weights until the glue dried.

Cut a hole in the corner for the trash.

Used metallic paint to give it a nice glossy, industrial look.

Top cabinets purchased, they came in white as well!

Bracket up for pegboard and whiteboard.

The twins already enjoying writing on the whiteboard.

A couple of the top cabinets up, I flipped them upside down to access the door knobs better.

Wall panels arrive, painting them to match the rest.

Brackets up for the wall panels.

Duncan came over to help install the overhead racks.  Definitely a two person job.

Second overhead rack put together and ready to be installed.

Bikes on pulley systems high above.

Things hanging/mounted on the walls for easy access.

Cycling supplies and lawn/garden tools.

We have floor space!!

Anyway, it's been a lot of fun cleaning, organizing, and transforming the third car garage into a functional space.  I hope it adds value to the home if we ever sell it.  In the meantime though, I can now enjoy my new workshop for all my home projects!

Here was the rest of our week:

Chilly start to school Friday morning.

Taking Gaby home before picking Braelyn up.

Picking up our gymnast!

Sabbath we laid low.  Braelyn had a slight fever and everyone kind of had the sniffles.

Working on some art.

Solo ride Sunday morning.

The kids giving Cheddar his weekly bath.

We took a few hours in the afternoon to go to Hollywood Studios, just to get out of the house.

Enjoyed the snowfall at the Frozen Sing-a-along.

With characters Phineas and Ferb.

Frozone and Mr. Incredible.

Upon arrival home.

Kept Brae home Monday and Tuesday to get over her cold and congestion.
She helped get the twins ready for school.

And accompanied me on some errands.

Picking the twins up, Kohl offered to carry little sister's backpack.  Sweet boy!

Getting the plates to set the table,

and wrapping up the silverware in napkins, just like in restaurants!

Maddy offered to wash the dishes that evening.

Working on some Valentine's Day art before bedtime.

Got some balloon hats from the workers at Home Depot.  Who knew?

More interested in the timer going off the phone camera than the bedtime story!

Kohl decided to do his hair in a mohawk like one of his classmates!

Putting together her Valentine's Day goodie bags for her classmates.

Working on his splits!

Helping little sister with her form.

Cuddling with Cheddar before bedtime.

Randoms:

At Disney, this young gentleman found an outlet to charge his phone…on the bathroom floor!  Gross.

Every Sunday morning this old man is always on the trail doing his exercises in nothing but shorts.
It was 50º when I snapped this picture.

Ah, the old ladies group that meets each week for coffee…at Home Depot!

Have a great weekend!!

Cheddar!

4 Years, 42 Weeks.


No, I'm not talking about the cheese.  (Though we are big fans of the aged dairy product.)

This week we welcomed a new family member, a pet guinea pig.

He was given to us by our friends and neighbors, the [Cy & Devi] Mahavirs.  I put their first names in brackets because there is another Mahavir family in our subdivision, who are also friends of ours, and who, coincidentally, is the older brother of the husband of the first mentioned Mahavir family.

Got it?

Anyway, their 2 daughters had a couple of guinea pigs, and what they thought were two boys ended up being a boy and a girl.  You know what happened next; one can't fight primal urges to copulate when you're stuck in a 2 x 2 foot pen with a member of the opposite sex, especially if you've got nothing to do except eat hay, sleep, and go to the bathroom right where you're standing. Can't keep those wild gerbil feelings "caged" up inside.  (get it?)

So they ended up with the consequences:  babies.  They kept 2 of the boys along with the daddy after giving the rest away.  Only thing is, [most] brothers bicker and fight, and it was getting ugly.  So they needed to get rid of one, hence why we are now new pet owners.  Braelyn almost immediately fell in love with the idea of owning a guinea pig, and solidified that sentiment when she held it for the first time. We would wait a couple of weeks before committing to the new pet, so she could prove she was responsible enough to care for it.

It's actually a very low maintenance pet.  She makes sure there's water every morning and evening, fills her food bowl and puts out fresh hay daily.  The cage cleaned and Cheddar bathed once a week.  Petting, talking to, and cuddling are also daily activities.  Not too hard, although we've only had him for 3 days!

The kids settled on his name because he likes to talk.  To chatter.  Although every time they called him it sounded like they were saying "cheddar".   So I clarified this with them, to let them know the difference between the two words, and they chose to go with the cheese because it sounded better.  Cheddar it is!

I told you we were big fans.  At least they didn't choose to call him Gruyère or Camembert!

Here was our week:

Kohl tries out the balance beam at gymnastics.  Can someone say 2028 Olympics???

Someone was a little tired.

Mommy and the girls.  We had a bonfire Friday evening.

With Lolo and Lala at church.  They stayed with us over the weekend.

Double date night with the Jamersons, trying out Susie's favorite restaurant Cress, in Deland.

Went 25 miles with Duncan on Sunday morning.

Creating some sort of wood project in the garage.

Super Bowl get together at the Cochran's.  Great food and company, the game…not so much.  Congrats Corey!

Upon arrival home.

Braelyn reading to the twins as part of her homework.

Buddy helping to clean and set up for dinner while 

Missy cooks it!

At the Mahavirs, eager to get their new pet!

Last minute instructions from the Mahavir girls.
We fashioned a storage bin as it's pen until the real cage arrived from Amazon on Thursday.

Bonding with Cheddar before bedtime.  He stays in her room.

Loves carrots!

And apparently, my finger resembles a juicy carrot.  Ouch!

Kohlden making faces, trying to make little sister laugh.

Her reaction.

The crew at Lowe's helping lug some trim back to the van.

More time feeding Cheddar.

Happy her order is here, the cage arrived

in a box big enough to ship both twins!

Thrilled it came in her favorite color!

Time for bed.  Goodnight!

Food:

Sampling of the cuisine at Cress.  I had Wagyu beef for the first time ever.  Wondrously amazing!!

Rice and Beans "Tex-ican" style.

Randoms:

Empty beer cans inside the handicapped bathroom stall at Walmart…?

Another epic Siri fail.

A couple of chilly mornings this week, but nothing compared to the Northeast!

Quote:

• Driving to pick Braelyn up from school, the twins and I were talking about snakes, and how they shouldn't touch one, because they wouldn't know if it was poisonous vs. non-poisonous:

           Me:  "Who knows what a poisonous snake is?"

           Kohl:  "I know!"

           Me:  "Kohlden, what's a poisonous snake?"

           Kohl:  "A poisonous snake is… a snake that's
                       poisonous!"

           Nice.

Have a great weekend!