Bear with me,–one more post about the progress on our home in Mandan, ND. Then I’ll move on to sewing and other creative adventures in the coming weeks.

We started updating this house back in 2014 when my daughter-in-law Lauri and son Alan decided to renovate the basement. Nine years later, we bought the house. Lauri and Alan had already done a lot more updating in the house and it was really amazing. We both loved everything they had done. But there were a few problems:

No air conditioning and the electrical needed updated to put in the new a/c units. Those were our goals for 2023. And we did it! A split unit in the tv/family room plus one in each second floor bedroom. I know, you are thinking “do you really need ac in North Dakota?” Yes you do. The mornings and evenings are cool but the afternoons can get HOT. The split units made such a difference.

We also did a lot of painting. Here are a few befores and afters….

The TV/family room. Before:

And after:

We replaced that old window AC unit with a split unit. We have a great handyman (thank you Lauri for the recommendation!) that repaired the hole and painted the room. (I like to paint but these walls were too high. Since breaking a few bones, I no longer get on 12 foot ladders.)

Next year we plan to replace the sliding doors with French doors. And maybe even put a TV and some furniture in the TV room! What a concept! Furniture.

Speaking of furniture….

I wanted to refinish solid wood furniture for the entire house but realized that I wouldn’t have enough time so we did buy cheap end stands, (we did have to build them!) a new mattress and platform bed (built that too!) for the master bedroom. We’ve had the lamps forever and they just needed some repair to the bases and new lampshades. I love the dark gray walls and kept them.

The dining room. Before:

And after:

I moved the curtains that were previously in the dining room to the master bathroom. I loved the bohemian look of the curtains but didn’t get a photo because that room is not quite finished.

Also painted the large living room, again, no pic!

And then there were things I started but didn’t get finished. (sad face)

I had this ugly bedroom set that included this dresser. Bought it back in 2014. It was not my style but it was real wood–and in my price range. I knew I could make it pretty.

I initially planned to fill in all the carvings with wood filler and then paint it. But then I started stripping and liked what it was turning into.

The manufacturer was Link-Taylor which is known for high quality and durable furniture so I felt the many hours that I have already spent stripping and sanding plus the many more next year will be worth it. Still much more work to do on this piece.

Then Alan went thrift store shopping and bought this bunch of furniture.

I grabbed the dresser in the front. The two high dressers behind it are Thomasville and Lauri will be refinishing them.

The dresser is sold hardwood maple. And it’s on wheels. So easy to roll around and work on outside.

According to the research I did, this piece was from the 40s to 50s due to the Kling tin badge. Kling was purchased by Ethan Allan in the 70s and they used a different stamp. It is a beautiful piece of furniture.

I plan to strip it and then put a clear finish on it. Change out the hardware. Something else for me to do next year!

I got the last four chairs painted but didn’t get the cushions recovered. Took six coats of Heirloom Paint and I used primer. There’s got to be an easier way! (Maybe I need to get a sprayer!)

Have to say that I think I’m a wee bit obsessed with updating furniture. I’m constantly looking at Instagram and Pinterest for new and better ideas!

Lauri’s mother gave me NINE bags of worn out denim jeans. JACKPOT! Lauri said that some of them were probably from her high school days! Here are jeans from just two bags stacked up in the closet in my sewing room in Mandan.

I brought brought a bunch back to Florida with me but there are still FIVE bags of jeans tucked away in another closet. I see lots of totes and perhaps a few denim quilts in the future!

Besides all of those projects, we spent a lot of time with our grandkids. Saw an outdoor musical. Took a road trip to Medora.

North Dakota is a beautiful state and I’m looking forward to getting back in the Spring, finishing my projects, starting new, hanging with the grandkids, and exploring the state. Meanwhile, we are still cleaning up after Hurricane Idalia–which didn’t even directly hit us–but what a mess.