So, every now and then I get a wild hair and decide to sell somethings on Ebay or Amazon.com and then I get frustrated when I have to package things and then run to the post office. It always ends up being more of a pain in the you know what than it is worth. Well, I have done it again! I started a shop on Etsy: "Living Simply by Design" and decided to start by listing some of the excess vintage jewelry (which I shared in my last blog).
Well, not more than 4 days into my new venture did I actually SELL something!! (HOORAY!) It was my vintage Tiffany & Co. silver bracelet. Well, I did have to go about packaging the thing and take it to the post office, but luckily the postage cost was less than I estimated! Anyhow, now that I have completed my first sale, I am feeling pretty good about this.
What I like about Etsy is that the listing only costs 20 cents to post and is active for 4 months! So, if the item doesn't sell in that time period then you really aren't out a whole lot. Another plus is that Etsy is almost like a social gathering place for people who love similar things-- unlike Ebay where there are tons and tons of different things. Etsy is only for handmade items (like crafts, jewelry, custom clothing, etc), vintage items of all sorts and then materials for making handmade items. So, it is a really great place to check out great accessories, fashion, home accessories, baby items, wedding decor and apparel, etc. Can you tell I am an instant fan? Also, if you aren't in the market for an item (because it's too rich for your blood or whatnot), then you can always click the little heart button and add it to your favorites. I love looking back on my favorites because it is a unique compilation of the many facets of my personal style (which are quite varied, depending on my mood).
What I am hoping to get from all of this is selling some of my forgotten treasures in order for me to afford some new ones! (I guess that is a pretty good goal, don't you think). I am not unrealistic in thinking that I am going to suddenly become some successful internet entrepreneur. Although, I have always wanted to have a little shop and this is a way that I can get my feet wet while not having to quit my day job.
So, anyhow, check out my shop and favorite some of my items if you would!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Inspired to Etsy
A snowy Christmas Eve turned into an "Etsy Adventure". I was catching up with some of my Facebook friends I stumbled upon a friend's Etsy shop "Dirty Bakers Dozen". (For those of you who don't know what Etsy is, it is a web community of "shop owners" who sell handmade or vintage items). Well, the wheels started turning in my head that perhaps I could set up shop of my own!
So, several hours later here I am with my very own shop entitled: "Live Simply by Design". I really wanted to do the same name as my blog "Our Life Without Instructions", but it was too long! Anyhow, I was inspired to share some of the little treasures I have decided to put up for sale!I decided to list:
- Vintage ring box with an Art Deco style that has been hiding in a drawer for quite a while
- Sterling silver spoon ring
- Tiffany & Co. sterling silver bracelet with a "hook" design
- Pair of vintage red plastic post back earrings
- Rhinestone costume jewelry necklace
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
muddy one. We drove up north for the auction and sloshed and squished through a muddy field and stood there for about an hour before the auctioneer got to the Ghia. We knew there were a few other people there who were interested in the car, but we really didn't have a clue how much the thing would sell for. I had made my mind up prior to the sale what our budget was, but it was clear once the bidding started that it was shot. Unfortunately, auctions are tough because you make your mind to drive there, stand in the rain, and then you don't want to lose whatever it is you are there for. This is how the auctioneers and the sellers make good money. We were quickly past our budget and finally gave up around $1000 over the price I had set in my mind. Our son was inconsolable, since he was so excited about the car, he cried all the way back to the truck. To tell you the truth, I was pretty bummed myself and I could tell my husband was too.
So, we made up our minds to search the internet for Karmann Ghias for sale that afternoon and it wasn't long until we found a bright, shiny red Ghia on a site. The seller was asking only a few thousand more than we had wanted to buy the other Ghia for, plus it appeared to be in solid shape. The other car would have needed lots and lots of work to get it up and running! So, we text messaged the seller and began to ask questions about the car. All the usuals, "how does it drive?" "Is there any rust?" Etc. As it turned out, even though the car was located in Memphis, the seller had just moved up near us for work and could meet us to discuss the car in person the next day. So, we made arrangements to meet up for lunch.
The following day, we met up with the seller and looked at more detailed photos of the car. It looked great; other than needing a new interior and some trim pieces, the car was solid (no rust), running (just had the engine rebuilt), and had new paint. I have to say, I fell in love with it at first sight. I have never in my life owned a red car, and never really had the desire to do so, but this car was different. We made the decision right then and there to put a 10% deposit down on the car and drafted an intent to buy the car on a sheet of notebook paper. After we handed over the money and a handshake, the deal was done, we would get the car delivered the following Sunday evening. 
It was a hard week for all of us, especially our 4.5 year old son. He LOVES cars and could talk of nothing else the whole week! So, when Sunday finally rolled around he was unable to contain his excitement. Unfortunately, the seller was running late leaving Mephis and would not be at our house until the middle of the night! This was a disappointment for sure! But, we promised him that it would be like Christmas and when he woke up it would be there waiting. This was a help, and we finally got him to sleep.I fell asleep around nine (as usual) and then was woken up around 12:30am by my husband. The car arrived, literally, in the back of a Uhaul truck--it is that small! With some finagling the guys managed to get the car out safely and it was in it's new home--the garage! We signed the bill of sale and handed over the balance of the money and that was that. I didn't take much time to look at it since it was way past my bedtime.
But, sure enough around 6:30 in the morning here come our son, "Mommy, the Karmann Ghia is here!!" He was out there looking at the car for about 15 minutes, I had to yell at him to come inside to get ready for school. I practically had to pry him off the thing.
This evening, we really got to take a good look at the car, and I got to drive it a few feet (out of the garage). It looks fantastic on the outside, other than needing some trim installed. However, the interior is all original and needs a complete overhaul. I am actually glad about this. The original fabric on the seats was red and black checks or houndstooth, which is one of my most favorite patterns ever. The vinyl trim was a mix between grey and taupe. So, I have decided to restore it back to it's original look as best as we can. I don't have tons to spend to complete this job, but I want to do it right. With a little love (and some money) this car is going to be awesome. I already love it and I have only had it for one day. This is going to be a fun project; I am not sure how long it will take to get it how I want it, but I am sure it will be drivable soon! I can't wait!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
I'm back... maybe?
So, I haven't been on here to blog for over 2 months. So, where have I been? Well, the last several months have been crazy to say the least! My husband James was working on finishing up his last semester of school and started a job (yea!), I work full time and suddenly things have gotten super busy, not to mention that we lost one our employees so I have more responsibilities now! Probably the biggest reason I have been MIA is because the weather has warmed up and now this tons of yard work to tend to..I have 2 acres and it has been raining like crazy lately which equals WEEDS! Most evenings we are out in the yard until 7:30 or 8:00 and then realize, "oh yeah, we need to make dinner, eat, get the kids bathed and get them off to bed!!" OOPS! So, that leaves me absolutely no energy to do just about anything other than melt into my beloved sofa, attempt to read or watch tv, and inevitably fall asleep while doing so. I am so behind on the normal business stuff that I have no idea when the last time I entered transactions in Quicken, I know I am behind on my time sheets at work, and my desk at work as well as my house look like an utter disaster! What can I say, I'm BUSY! Not only busy though, but I have been stressed out! Luckily, I think things are un the upswing... hubby is done with school (woo hoo!), we are interviewing for a new designer next week, and business is picking up. I am confident, relatively speaking, that I will get into the groove and be able to de-stress soon.
Today, we had our first garage sale ever. That may have been a source of stress for me, of course being the over achiever that I am, I spent tons of time obsessing about signage, organizing, and pricing. Overall, we didn't make a ton of money or anything, but we were able to clean out closets, the attic and the garage! That is a big achievement in itself. The bed of the truck is loaded up with all the items that did not sell which we will deliver to Goodwill tomorrow. An unexpected benefit to the day was the opportunity to meet some of our neighbors which I have not met before. Pretty sad that we have lived in this house for 4 years and still had not met the people 2 doors down! The downside to the day was the incredibly painful sunburn I got on my shoulders, chest and back. I know I should have put on sunscreen, but honestly from 5:30 to 9:30 this morning I was moving non stop. My ad listed 8am as the start time for the sale and there were people there at 6:30. Oh well, can't say I wasn't warned! I am not sure when the next time I will have a sale is, but it was certainly not a bad experience.
Tomorrow's agenda, since the weather has finally started to cooperate, it is time to get after my garden. Last time I blogged, I shared pictures of my cute little peat pots with the seedlings in them. Well, since then I have lost many plants due to my crazy cat and sheer neglect, but I did manage to get 24 tomato plants, 4 cucumber, several bell pepper, several carrots, and several beans. So, I plan to try to get those in the ground tomorrow. They have been transplanted into 4" pots with soil, but they are ready to go. The most exciting part of this year's garden is that I have expanded it significantly and I didn't have to do any work! I picked up a card for "Till it's Done" tilling service when I was at Creekside Gardens a few weeks ago and the rate was $.10/SF or a minimum of $40. For our garden which was about 400SF, it was $40 even. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have that back breaking work done, it was well worth the money. Also, the other exciting thing about my garden this year is that I have pumpkins growing! Last fall, after Halloween, I threw whole pumpkins in the garden for compost and now I have little pumpkin vines growing! Not only did the pumpkins act as a fertilizer, but they gave me a new plant! I can't wait to see if they yield any pumpkins! I guess I have a few more exciting things this year about my garden...one of them is that I got a rain barrel! It's actually an oak barrel used for beverage aging (think wine barrel), I just need to have a certain handy man hook up the hose connection and down spout and we will be in business! The barrel not only looks good, but will save me on water in the garden since it is literally right next to it. My last exciting thing is that I finally started a compost bin! I was inspired by The Frugal Girl's blog where she showed how she created her compost bin out of nothing more than a plastic tote with holes drilled in the top and bottom. So, I went to Big Lots and bough the biggest tote they had (one with latching handles) and had my handy guy drill some holes for me and we all set. I put the bin right outside my patio, so that it would be easy enough to deposit into and started collecting green waste from the kitchen in a sealed plastic bucket under the sink (think cat litter or big plastic ice cream container). Right now, the bin is about 1/3 full and already looks great as of the other night when I turned it. There are lots of little flies in there which are kind of annoying, but surprisingly it is not rancid smelling or funky. Hopefully, before long I will have rich compost to add to the soil.
So, I am not a super gardener or anything, but I am enthusiastic. I am thinking of joining the local garden club to connect with other gardeners who know lots more than I do, so that I can get better. Right now, I feel like I have the basic veggie garden down okay, but the plant varieties and gardening techniques for the rest of the yard are beyond me. I have learned a lot about plants and what works/does not work since we moved here, but I have a long way to go. I know I really don't need any more extracurricular commitments, but I think it is worth a shot.
Anyhow, I am exhausted from a long day. So, I will see how working this blog back into my routine works since it really is a good outlet for me to contemplate and discuss my life. As I titled this blog "Our Life Without Instructions" I can't really blame myself for being a slacker now and then. Ha ha.
Today, we had our first garage sale ever. That may have been a source of stress for me, of course being the over achiever that I am, I spent tons of time obsessing about signage, organizing, and pricing. Overall, we didn't make a ton of money or anything, but we were able to clean out closets, the attic and the garage! That is a big achievement in itself. The bed of the truck is loaded up with all the items that did not sell which we will deliver to Goodwill tomorrow. An unexpected benefit to the day was the opportunity to meet some of our neighbors which I have not met before. Pretty sad that we have lived in this house for 4 years and still had not met the people 2 doors down! The downside to the day was the incredibly painful sunburn I got on my shoulders, chest and back. I know I should have put on sunscreen, but honestly from 5:30 to 9:30 this morning I was moving non stop. My ad listed 8am as the start time for the sale and there were people there at 6:30. Oh well, can't say I wasn't warned! I am not sure when the next time I will have a sale is, but it was certainly not a bad experience.
Tomorrow's agenda, since the weather has finally started to cooperate, it is time to get after my garden. Last time I blogged, I shared pictures of my cute little peat pots with the seedlings in them. Well, since then I have lost many plants due to my crazy cat and sheer neglect, but I did manage to get 24 tomato plants, 4 cucumber, several bell pepper, several carrots, and several beans. So, I plan to try to get those in the ground tomorrow. They have been transplanted into 4" pots with soil, but they are ready to go. The most exciting part of this year's garden is that I have expanded it significantly and I didn't have to do any work! I picked up a card for "Till it's Done" tilling service when I was at Creekside Gardens a few weeks ago and the rate was $.10/SF or a minimum of $40. For our garden which was about 400SF, it was $40 even. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have that back breaking work done, it was well worth the money. Also, the other exciting thing about my garden this year is that I have pumpkins growing! Last fall, after Halloween, I threw whole pumpkins in the garden for compost and now I have little pumpkin vines growing! Not only did the pumpkins act as a fertilizer, but they gave me a new plant! I can't wait to see if they yield any pumpkins! I guess I have a few more exciting things this year about my garden...one of them is that I got a rain barrel! It's actually an oak barrel used for beverage aging (think wine barrel), I just need to have a certain handy man hook up the hose connection and down spout and we will be in business! The barrel not only looks good, but will save me on water in the garden since it is literally right next to it. My last exciting thing is that I finally started a compost bin! I was inspired by The Frugal Girl's blog where she showed how she created her compost bin out of nothing more than a plastic tote with holes drilled in the top and bottom. So, I went to Big Lots and bough the biggest tote they had (one with latching handles) and had my handy guy drill some holes for me and we all set. I put the bin right outside my patio, so that it would be easy enough to deposit into and started collecting green waste from the kitchen in a sealed plastic bucket under the sink (think cat litter or big plastic ice cream container). Right now, the bin is about 1/3 full and already looks great as of the other night when I turned it. There are lots of little flies in there which are kind of annoying, but surprisingly it is not rancid smelling or funky. Hopefully, before long I will have rich compost to add to the soil.
So, I am not a super gardener or anything, but I am enthusiastic. I am thinking of joining the local garden club to connect with other gardeners who know lots more than I do, so that I can get better. Right now, I feel like I have the basic veggie garden down okay, but the plant varieties and gardening techniques for the rest of the yard are beyond me. I have learned a lot about plants and what works/does not work since we moved here, but I have a long way to go. I know I really don't need any more extracurricular commitments, but I think it is worth a shot.
Anyhow, I am exhausted from a long day. So, I will see how working this blog back into my routine works since it really is a good outlet for me to contemplate and discuss my life. As I titled this blog "Our Life Without Instructions" I can't really blame myself for being a slacker now and then. Ha ha.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Garden 2010: Week One
So, I started my seeds for our 2010 garden this last Saturday. We probably went overboard with the seeds, but this is the first time I have started vegetable plants from scratch. This will be the 5th year that we have had a vegetable garden and in the past we have just purchased plants and planted them. Usually we get a few tomato, a few cucumber, some zuchini and some herbs. But, this year we will have: green peppers - 6 plants
cucumbers -6 plants
cherry tomatoes - 12 plants
sweet corn - 18 plants
carrots - 24 plants
green beans - 24 plants
peas - 12 plants
Wow, now that I am looking at those numbers I am a little scared. This will require us to seriously expand the size of the garden! Currently, our garden is 20' long x 1 row deep. It looks like we are going to have a massive expansion on our hands or we will be donating baby plants to friends and family in the next month or so. Hmm... well, anyway. What I lack in planning ability on this part I make up in good intentions!
This is going to be a fun year for William who was very interested in helping plant the seads. Now that he is almost 5, he is a much better helper. He helped me figure out the amount of water we would need to expand the peet pellets and thought that process was very cool. He got to plant all the larger seeds and helped me poke all of the seeds down into the peat pellets.
Well, that is all for now. I will post the pictures of the first sprouts that come up and report on their status weekly. I am excited to start the garden off this way this year! Even though spring does not officially arrive until this Saturday I am full of hopeful thoughts for the season!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Finding myself again.
I am wondering when I lost my imagination? I just got finished watching Finding Neverland for the first time and just about half way through I started to realize that I was no better than the stodgy old grandmother in the movie. I mean really, I spend more time yelling at the kids for running around the house than I do anything else (or it seems this way). What I hadn't realized until just tonight was that somewhere along the way I have lost my childlike sense of imagination. What seems like noise and ruckus to my husband and I is probably some wonderful world to my kids and I scream at them. I know that that it's mostly because I am like "don't throw that you will break something" or "don't do that you will get hurt". So, I suppose some of the intervention is necessary to keep the kids in tact and the house as well. But, I really am mourning the loss of my childhood.
No, this is not one of those "Oh my God, I am an adult, I am a parent!" things. This is a "where did my sense of wonder and fun go to?!" kinds of things. I remember when I was growing up that I could play for hours with dolls and make up stories and make believe it was all real. I could be in the bushes in a friend's backyard and we would be lost in a jungle, or in the pool on a raft but really out to sea... I am now remembering all the wonderful times I had when I was young and how I cherish these moments. I had been so preoccupied for so long with growing up and then finally got here and it is not all it is cut out to be! How I wish I could be carefree as a child and spend hours making up a world around me and playing so light heartedly. Sigh, it hurts that I have lost this part of me. I know that may sound silly, but my new goal is to try to find that part of me again. To look for the lighter side of life. To not feel that constant feel in my gut--hunger, anxiety, whatever it is it has got to go!
I am going to spend more time immersing myself in my children's world and spend less time trying to make them live in mine. It occurred to me that I am so busy taking care of things around the house that I do not spend enough time on their level--that is, the floor. When I helped my son put together his train track the other night, I could see the joy in his eyes that I was there. Sure, I read to him, color with him, watch cartoons with him, but to get down on the floor and play is a whole other world. I want to spend more time in their world, I think. Of course, I will have to keep things going around here in the grown up world, but maybe, just maybe I can find a different way of doing things and make chores into fun. Reminds me a Merry Poppins, and old favorite of mine from way back. I think it is time to dig out the classics and remind myself of my youth and try to share that with my children.
This really is random, but I am sure glad that I figured out this too late! I would much rather be Merry Poppins or the fairy godmother or any number of other story book characters than I would me right now. So, this is my firm resolution: To find more fun in everyday life and to help other find it too. We'll see where this takes us.
That's all, goodnight!
No, this is not one of those "Oh my God, I am an adult, I am a parent!" things. This is a "where did my sense of wonder and fun go to?!" kinds of things. I remember when I was growing up that I could play for hours with dolls and make up stories and make believe it was all real. I could be in the bushes in a friend's backyard and we would be lost in a jungle, or in the pool on a raft but really out to sea... I am now remembering all the wonderful times I had when I was young and how I cherish these moments. I had been so preoccupied for so long with growing up and then finally got here and it is not all it is cut out to be! How I wish I could be carefree as a child and spend hours making up a world around me and playing so light heartedly. Sigh, it hurts that I have lost this part of me. I know that may sound silly, but my new goal is to try to find that part of me again. To look for the lighter side of life. To not feel that constant feel in my gut--hunger, anxiety, whatever it is it has got to go!
I am going to spend more time immersing myself in my children's world and spend less time trying to make them live in mine. It occurred to me that I am so busy taking care of things around the house that I do not spend enough time on their level--that is, the floor. When I helped my son put together his train track the other night, I could see the joy in his eyes that I was there. Sure, I read to him, color with him, watch cartoons with him, but to get down on the floor and play is a whole other world. I want to spend more time in their world, I think. Of course, I will have to keep things going around here in the grown up world, but maybe, just maybe I can find a different way of doing things and make chores into fun. Reminds me a Merry Poppins, and old favorite of mine from way back. I think it is time to dig out the classics and remind myself of my youth and try to share that with my children.
This really is random, but I am sure glad that I figured out this too late! I would much rather be Merry Poppins or the fairy godmother or any number of other story book characters than I would me right now. So, this is my firm resolution: To find more fun in everyday life and to help other find it too. We'll see where this takes us.
That's all, goodnight!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Lesson Learned: We are not plumbers!
Last weekend the weather took a turn for the better it stayed around between the mid fifties to low sixties the entire time! I was thrilled because for the first time in months I didn't have to bundle up! There is nothing more annoying than having to put on 3-5 layers every day plus a scarf and gloves. Getting ready on winter mornings probably takes about 5 minutes longer (at least)! So, last Friday when it was 54 degrees outside when I got off work it seriously felt like a heat wave! I was absolutely, without a double thrilled! I feel like it is kinda sad that silly things like that make me excited, but sunny and mid fifties feels like tropical weather compared to 15 with blowing snow! That's a pretty long intro to this blog, but it reiterates that I was very happy to have spring like weather to start the weekend out!
So, our Friday night activities were pretty uneventful in regards to the remodel. I helped James install the new toilet and then assisted with the installation of the base (I filled the nail holes and did touch up paint). So, really I was more of an assistant on the project. After we finished up those two chores we were done for the evening. I stayed up late due in part to my insistence on finishing the book I was reading "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks. BTW I loved that book! It was an easy read and kept me hooked the whole time. I could not put it down! It was also a tear jerker, every time I got emotional while I was reading it I could see my husband looking at me a little funny. Oh well! I would highly recommend it to anyone! So, anyway, that was Friday, on to Saturday...
Saturday was not such a good day! I knew that the installation of the vanity was not going to be a picnic, but I never anticipated the nightmare it would become. We tried to do the work while the kids were napping, but that doesn't work out so well when one of your kids decides he doesn't nap anymore and the other one doesn't sleep very long. The first step to installing the vanity was shutting off the water supply. Second was removing part of the copper pipes coming out the floor. We were going to have to drill holes in the bottom of the unit to accommodate the pipes, but this required cutting off the shut off valves. If you ever think that doing this will be easy and trouble free, think twice! I would highly recommend hiring a professional plumber for this portion of the job!!!
Needless to say, we got ourselves in over our heads. After shutting off the main water supply and draining all the water from the lines (so we thought!), James went about removing the shut off valves. He did this by "sweating" the fittings. Which means you hold a propane torch on the fitting until the solder releases and you simultaneously yank and twist with a wrench. One the first shut off valve was removed, water immediately started to pour out of the pipes. It was not so much a geyser, but not a trickle either. I ran into the kid's bathroom where I keep the "cruddy" towels and grabbed an armful. The water seemed to come and come, not like it was just left in the lines. So, we realized that the water heater had to be drained as well. This means that you have to open the line to feed the heater as well as the spigot at the base of the tank to drain the unit. I put an old plastic ice cream bucket under it to catch the water. It filled up about every 5-10 minutes. During the course of the day I probably soaked the floor of the utility closet about 5 times or more because I forgot to check on it.
About the time we got the leak under control, our youngest son, Ben (21 months) woke up. I could tell since we had the water shut off, there was a constant flow from the water heater, James was trying his best to deal with the bathroom plumbing that we were really in for it. Not only will Ben not sit down for two seconds to watch a movie which could have bought us some time, but neither of the boys would simply play. They wanted to be right in the middle of everything (which is totally understandable, but also extremely frustrating!!)
James decided to run to the hardware store to get some copper caps for the lines to completely stop the water and then get new shut off valves (the kind that pressure fit on). While he was gone, I had an incredibly genius idea to attach a garden hose to the water heater to drain the water instead of the bucket. What ended up happening is that the water back flowed out of the hose back into the water heater and then the pipes in the bathroom overflowed again causing yet another mini flood. So, my genius plan was foiled!
He returned with the pieces he needed to temporarily stop the flow of water and enable us to install the vanity cabinet. Once he got them installed, then we started the next chapter of the adventure. We had to get a 200+ pound vanity with granite top inside from our garage, around the corner in the hallway and into the bathroom. (At this point, I was thanking God that we don't have stairs!!!). Luckily, this chapter did not turn out to be nearly as bad as it could have been. I kept Ben trapped in his high chair with some animal crackers and juice while we used our handy dandy miracle movers to glide the piece across the floor. BTW if you don't have these little things you should get some, they are wonderful! I think that they are actually called Super Sliders, but whatever. Anyhow, so we got the thing inside the bathroom without much incident. Except when I bumped my beautiful wall with the edge of the counter and made a small ding. But all in all, we were no worse for the wear.
The next chapter was measuring the locations for the holes for the pipes, drilling them and somehow getting this monstrosity over the pipes and back down without injury. James is very good at meticulously calculating locations for holes and whatnot. He is a pro at the planning of hanging things and works all those things out so well. So, I wasn't worried about this. It was the next step I was afraid of! We figured out if we leaned the unit forward that we could position the pipes to the holes and gently let it down on top of them. Done correctly it would work, done wrong it could be a disaster. Luckily, this went well. However, during this time the kids were growing weary of staying out the danger zone and were really starting to wear on our nerves--Just so you know I did try to contact a few friends for help watching the kids or just to lend a hand, but had no luck! I have to admit that this was poorly planned and executed from the childcare standpoint. We had no idea that this was going to be such an involved process which would take up practically the entire day. I really don't blame them for being so antsy; Mom and Dad were pretty much ignoring them and making them stay inside on a lovely day. I would have been whiny too! However, as much as I wanted to throw in the towel, I knew we had to keep at it. Or else we either had no water, or we had a bucket to tend or we would have to call a plumber on a Saturday afternoon which would cost Lord knows how much!? So, we just had to keep at it!
After the unit was installed I thought we were in the clear, I really did! (I came to realize that I was wrong). After the vanity was in place, James installed the pressure fit shut off valves--which are BTW genius inventions! Then the ultimate test: turning the water back on! Immediately they started to leak! ARG! I think this was the point where I had my real psycho mommy moment and blew up. I had already put the junk towels through the dryer 3 times that day and now I was running for them again. Benjamin was right on my heels and William was driving me just as crazy. I threw some kind of fit and put Benjamin in his bed for his own safety. At least with him in his crib he would be safe and I could tend to the floody matter at hand. He was really screaming at this point, but I don't see that I had much choice. James tried to soothe Ben and to get the boys to play nicely in Ben's room together. This lasted all of about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, we got the water shut off again an went at trying to fix the leak. As it turns out, the pipes had residual solder left on them from the previous valves and needed to be sanded down smooth for a tight fit with the new valves. This sounds simple enough, but those puppies don't like to come off once they are on. In fact, we broke one of them in the process and I don't believe it is ever coming off again. Not without a hack saw anyway. Fortunately, this was the final fix and we were able to get the leaks to stop, even with the broken one!
Tired, dirty and deflated from a day of work and stress I decided that we had to get out of the house. Our house has been a disaster for weeks with this project going on, but without water for the day the dirty dishes stacked up and I really did not feel like dealing with any of that. So, we decided to take the kids to McDonald's for dinner. It was great to get out the war zone, even if it was just to McDonalds, to sit and eat and not work. After dinner, we let the kids play for a good hour and a half at the playplace. They had a fantastic time! I was feeling very guilty for the day's events and our lack of attentiveness.
In hind sight, I should have gotten someone, in advance, to watch the kids for us. I know that with a little bit more planning the day would have gone much better. But, being naive home improvers we failed a bit that day. The end result was a such, mind you, but the road getting there was certainly a bumpy one! I am so glad that portion of the project is done!
Sunday was a better day. I am getting tired now, so I wont go through the day, but it was peacefully uneventful. We played outside, took a walk and went to the park. A MUCH MUCH BETTER DAY!
I am so glad this project is winding down, and even though according to my schedule we are late, I don't really care. Along the way we have had a few issues and a case of strep throat. So, I feel like all in all we have done okay.
So, our Friday night activities were pretty uneventful in regards to the remodel. I helped James install the new toilet and then assisted with the installation of the base (I filled the nail holes and did touch up paint). So, really I was more of an assistant on the project. After we finished up those two chores we were done for the evening. I stayed up late due in part to my insistence on finishing the book I was reading "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks. BTW I loved that book! It was an easy read and kept me hooked the whole time. I could not put it down! It was also a tear jerker, every time I got emotional while I was reading it I could see my husband looking at me a little funny. Oh well! I would highly recommend it to anyone! So, anyway, that was Friday, on to Saturday...
Saturday was not such a good day! I knew that the installation of the vanity was not going to be a picnic, but I never anticipated the nightmare it would become. We tried to do the work while the kids were napping, but that doesn't work out so well when one of your kids decides he doesn't nap anymore and the other one doesn't sleep very long. The first step to installing the vanity was shutting off the water supply. Second was removing part of the copper pipes coming out the floor. We were going to have to drill holes in the bottom of the unit to accommodate the pipes, but this required cutting off the shut off valves. If you ever think that doing this will be easy and trouble free, think twice! I would highly recommend hiring a professional plumber for this portion of the job!!!
Needless to say, we got ourselves in over our heads. After shutting off the main water supply and draining all the water from the lines (so we thought!), James went about removing the shut off valves. He did this by "sweating" the fittings. Which means you hold a propane torch on the fitting until the solder releases and you simultaneously yank and twist with a wrench. One the first shut off valve was removed, water immediately started to pour out of the pipes. It was not so much a geyser, but not a trickle either. I ran into the kid's bathroom where I keep the "cruddy" towels and grabbed an armful. The water seemed to come and come, not like it was just left in the lines. So, we realized that the water heater had to be drained as well. This means that you have to open the line to feed the heater as well as the spigot at the base of the tank to drain the unit. I put an old plastic ice cream bucket under it to catch the water. It filled up about every 5-10 minutes. During the course of the day I probably soaked the floor of the utility closet about 5 times or more because I forgot to check on it.
About the time we got the leak under control, our youngest son, Ben (21 months) woke up. I could tell since we had the water shut off, there was a constant flow from the water heater, James was trying his best to deal with the bathroom plumbing that we were really in for it. Not only will Ben not sit down for two seconds to watch a movie which could have bought us some time, but neither of the boys would simply play. They wanted to be right in the middle of everything (which is totally understandable, but also extremely frustrating!!)
James decided to run to the hardware store to get some copper caps for the lines to completely stop the water and then get new shut off valves (the kind that pressure fit on). While he was gone, I had an incredibly genius idea to attach a garden hose to the water heater to drain the water instead of the bucket. What ended up happening is that the water back flowed out of the hose back into the water heater and then the pipes in the bathroom overflowed again causing yet another mini flood. So, my genius plan was foiled!
He returned with the pieces he needed to temporarily stop the flow of water and enable us to install the vanity cabinet. Once he got them installed, then we started the next chapter of the adventure. We had to get a 200+ pound vanity with granite top inside from our garage, around the corner in the hallway and into the bathroom. (At this point, I was thanking God that we don't have stairs!!!). Luckily, this chapter did not turn out to be nearly as bad as it could have been. I kept Ben trapped in his high chair with some animal crackers and juice while we used our handy dandy miracle movers to glide the piece across the floor. BTW if you don't have these little things you should get some, they are wonderful! I think that they are actually called Super Sliders, but whatever. Anyhow, so we got the thing inside the bathroom without much incident. Except when I bumped my beautiful wall with the edge of the counter and made a small ding. But all in all, we were no worse for the wear.
The next chapter was measuring the locations for the holes for the pipes, drilling them and somehow getting this monstrosity over the pipes and back down without injury. James is very good at meticulously calculating locations for holes and whatnot. He is a pro at the planning of hanging things and works all those things out so well. So, I wasn't worried about this. It was the next step I was afraid of! We figured out if we leaned the unit forward that we could position the pipes to the holes and gently let it down on top of them. Done correctly it would work, done wrong it could be a disaster. Luckily, this went well. However, during this time the kids were growing weary of staying out the danger zone and were really starting to wear on our nerves--Just so you know I did try to contact a few friends for help watching the kids or just to lend a hand, but had no luck! I have to admit that this was poorly planned and executed from the childcare standpoint. We had no idea that this was going to be such an involved process which would take up practically the entire day. I really don't blame them for being so antsy; Mom and Dad were pretty much ignoring them and making them stay inside on a lovely day. I would have been whiny too! However, as much as I wanted to throw in the towel, I knew we had to keep at it. Or else we either had no water, or we had a bucket to tend or we would have to call a plumber on a Saturday afternoon which would cost Lord knows how much!? So, we just had to keep at it!
After the unit was installed I thought we were in the clear, I really did! (I came to realize that I was wrong). After the vanity was in place, James installed the pressure fit shut off valves--which are BTW genius inventions! Then the ultimate test: turning the water back on! Immediately they started to leak! ARG! I think this was the point where I had my real psycho mommy moment and blew up. I had already put the junk towels through the dryer 3 times that day and now I was running for them again. Benjamin was right on my heels and William was driving me just as crazy. I threw some kind of fit and put Benjamin in his bed for his own safety. At least with him in his crib he would be safe and I could tend to the floody matter at hand. He was really screaming at this point, but I don't see that I had much choice. James tried to soothe Ben and to get the boys to play nicely in Ben's room together. This lasted all of about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, we got the water shut off again an went at trying to fix the leak. As it turns out, the pipes had residual solder left on them from the previous valves and needed to be sanded down smooth for a tight fit with the new valves. This sounds simple enough, but those puppies don't like to come off once they are on. In fact, we broke one of them in the process and I don't believe it is ever coming off again. Not without a hack saw anyway. Fortunately, this was the final fix and we were able to get the leaks to stop, even with the broken one!
Tired, dirty and deflated from a day of work and stress I decided that we had to get out of the house. Our house has been a disaster for weeks with this project going on, but without water for the day the dirty dishes stacked up and I really did not feel like dealing with any of that. So, we decided to take the kids to McDonald's for dinner. It was great to get out the war zone, even if it was just to McDonalds, to sit and eat and not work. After dinner, we let the kids play for a good hour and a half at the playplace. They had a fantastic time! I was feeling very guilty for the day's events and our lack of attentiveness.
In hind sight, I should have gotten someone, in advance, to watch the kids for us. I know that with a little bit more planning the day would have gone much better. But, being naive home improvers we failed a bit that day. The end result was a such, mind you, but the road getting there was certainly a bumpy one! I am so glad that portion of the project is done!
Sunday was a better day. I am getting tired now, so I wont go through the day, but it was peacefully uneventful. We played outside, took a walk and went to the park. A MUCH MUCH BETTER DAY!
I am so glad this project is winding down, and even though according to my schedule we are late, I don't really care. Along the way we have had a few issues and a case of strep throat. So, I feel like all in all we have done okay.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Doing the best I can...
I live by one adage: "do the best you can." This is something that my dad always told me growing up. He never pushed me to be the best, but simply to do the best I could. He was never dissapointed with me if I failed at something as long as I gave it all I had. I've always tried to keep this in mind and apply it daily. I have to admit, as a perfectionist, it is a struggle to accept this. I have always wanted to succeed at everything, but I realize that I am not perfect. In fact, far from it. But, I do the best I can and that is okay.
You know what is my best is sometimes? It's not always putting the dishes away, it's leaving clean clothes in laundry baskets for a week, it's having a mess on my counter 95% of the time, it's letting hot wheels and other toys set on the floor. I hate to admit that, but I really do the best I can and at the end of the day, I am just too exhausted to fret over somethings. Most of the time I opt to relax and pick up a book or catch up on my tv shows. Wow, that makes me sound almost lazy. Well, it's not that, but if you read my previous post about my schedule, it's hectic to say the least. Managing a household, being a wife and a mom to two very active boys, working 40+ hours a week leaves very little "me" time. In between working and everything else I somehow have to find time do laundry, dishes, pay bills, keep up the house; I often use the evening time I have to just relax.
I often feel like perhaps I have two personalities or maybe it's the angel/devil thing on my shoulders. However you put it, I struggle with how I feel I "should" do things and how I actually do them. The should usually comes to mind when I think of how my mom would have done it or how others do things. Not to say that the way my mom did things was wrong, but she really was anal about housekeeping. I just simply do not have the energy to be super woman, and I really am not trying to fool anyone. I laugh when I see those Electrolux commercials with Kelly what's her name flying around the house like she is Samantha from Bewitched. I am gonna say it, that's total bull shit! I wish that buying fancy, expensive appliances could make me a perfect mom and everything, but I am not buying it, not for one minute.
So, yeah, I have one side of me who is an excellent organizer and total neat freak and then I have the other side that is not so much. In fact, that otherside of me tends to be more like a tornado than anything. When I am working on something I tend to make disasters, just ask anybody I work with. I have told my boss that if you ever see my desk clean, it's then that you should worry, because I probably have nothing to do. People tend to get a little worried when I start to clean because I go all out. I don't do anything "half assed" as my mom would have put it. I either do it right or don't do it at all. I think that's how I justify it. I think that I mentioned my tendancies of the mouse in "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"... I will be doing one thing and end up scrubbing the floors and the walls, and the whole bit. To tell you the truth, that's pretty exhausting, so I usually avoid openning that can of worms.
I am not sure how I got off on this tangent, but I had this thought tonight (as I was putting my son to bed and trying to get out of his room with out tripping on his Thomas track or breaking one of his trains) about doing the best I could, and I think honestly, I do the best I can at life. And the best that I can is not anyone else's best, but mine alone. I do the best I can to keep sane and not be the crazy mommy which I feel like I am more often these days.
Thinking about it, I am probably too hard on myself. To recap the day, I woke up and took care of one sick and one well kiddo. Fed them, got them dressed, did several loads of laundry, folded them (and yes, put them away!), cleaned up one kid's room, showered, got ready for work, fed the kids lunch, ate and then went to work (at 12:30), worked until 5, came home did some of the same stuff again (ie: taking care of kids), made dinner, finished the laundry, brushed teeth, put kids to bed, and took a break to write this, after I am done I will help get the new toilet installed and install baseboards, and formulate a plan to get the vanity inside. Which means it will probably be a late night. Then we will start all over tomorrow. Did I ever mention that I sometimes feel like I live in the movie Grounghog Day? Well, I do!
Anyhow, enough on this rant, my hubby is back from the hardware store with the goodies we need to press on. So, I best go help! Night!
You know what is my best is sometimes? It's not always putting the dishes away, it's leaving clean clothes in laundry baskets for a week, it's having a mess on my counter 95% of the time, it's letting hot wheels and other toys set on the floor. I hate to admit that, but I really do the best I can and at the end of the day, I am just too exhausted to fret over somethings. Most of the time I opt to relax and pick up a book or catch up on my tv shows. Wow, that makes me sound almost lazy. Well, it's not that, but if you read my previous post about my schedule, it's hectic to say the least. Managing a household, being a wife and a mom to two very active boys, working 40+ hours a week leaves very little "me" time. In between working and everything else I somehow have to find time do laundry, dishes, pay bills, keep up the house; I often use the evening time I have to just relax.
I often feel like perhaps I have two personalities or maybe it's the angel/devil thing on my shoulders. However you put it, I struggle with how I feel I "should" do things and how I actually do them. The should usually comes to mind when I think of how my mom would have done it or how others do things. Not to say that the way my mom did things was wrong, but she really was anal about housekeeping. I just simply do not have the energy to be super woman, and I really am not trying to fool anyone. I laugh when I see those Electrolux commercials with Kelly what's her name flying around the house like she is Samantha from Bewitched. I am gonna say it, that's total bull shit! I wish that buying fancy, expensive appliances could make me a perfect mom and everything, but I am not buying it, not for one minute.
So, yeah, I have one side of me who is an excellent organizer and total neat freak and then I have the other side that is not so much. In fact, that otherside of me tends to be more like a tornado than anything. When I am working on something I tend to make disasters, just ask anybody I work with. I have told my boss that if you ever see my desk clean, it's then that you should worry, because I probably have nothing to do. People tend to get a little worried when I start to clean because I go all out. I don't do anything "half assed" as my mom would have put it. I either do it right or don't do it at all. I think that's how I justify it. I think that I mentioned my tendancies of the mouse in "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"... I will be doing one thing and end up scrubbing the floors and the walls, and the whole bit. To tell you the truth, that's pretty exhausting, so I usually avoid openning that can of worms.
I am not sure how I got off on this tangent, but I had this thought tonight (as I was putting my son to bed and trying to get out of his room with out tripping on his Thomas track or breaking one of his trains) about doing the best I could, and I think honestly, I do the best I can at life. And the best that I can is not anyone else's best, but mine alone. I do the best I can to keep sane and not be the crazy mommy which I feel like I am more often these days.
Thinking about it, I am probably too hard on myself. To recap the day, I woke up and took care of one sick and one well kiddo. Fed them, got them dressed, did several loads of laundry, folded them (and yes, put them away!), cleaned up one kid's room, showered, got ready for work, fed the kids lunch, ate and then went to work (at 12:30), worked until 5, came home did some of the same stuff again (ie: taking care of kids), made dinner, finished the laundry, brushed teeth, put kids to bed, and took a break to write this, after I am done I will help get the new toilet installed and install baseboards, and formulate a plan to get the vanity inside. Which means it will probably be a late night. Then we will start all over tomorrow. Did I ever mention that I sometimes feel like I live in the movie Grounghog Day? Well, I do!
Anyhow, enough on this rant, my hubby is back from the hardware store with the goodies we need to press on. So, I best go help! Night!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Wrapping up the remodel... (yea!)
We are nearing completion of the bathroom remodel! Today we are getting our flooring installed!! I was just there and it looks great! (I will post pictures later on facebook). All that there is left to do is to paint the baseboards and reinstall them, install the toilet, install the vanity & connect the plumbing (which will end up being a feat of engineering), hang the mirror and install the bath hardware.
Even though there is still quite a bit of work to be done, I feel like we have reached the top and it's all downhill from here. I anticipate that the installation of the vanity might be a bit troublesome because it is 60"w x 23"d x 34"h and it already has the granite top and sinks installed. The thing weighs over 200 lbs. Luckily, our bathroom is not upstairs, but with the crazy angles in our house, it is going to take some thinking and creative work to get the thing in there and not hurt it or ourselves. Also, since the plumbing comes up through the floor, I anticipate that we will have to shut the water off and cut the lines to get the unit in over the pipes and then reconnect with new pipes. Come to think of it, I think we might need some help for the lifting portion. Hmm... who to call? I am not looking forward to this portion much, but once it is in the rest will be pretty easy (relatively speaking).
Now that I am thinking of it, this remodel could really not be at a worse time for us, I suppose. James is in the midst of writing his 25 page senior thesis and is smack dab in the middle of his last semester of school. Also, having to do all the work after 8:30pm (when the kids go to sleep) and during their naps leaves little time for other things (like sleep!) Leave it to us to get an idea in our heads and just jump right in.
But, really it hasn't been a terribly painful process. The only real hiccups we have had along the way is the realization that removal of popcorn ceilings is neither easy, clean or fun. That portion took us the longest to complete since we had to retexture the whole ceiling by hand. The other problematic portions have been the lighting. The ceiling light we bought was damaged and when we tried to exchange it, the store was out. The vanity light electrical was incorrectly done and took some repair work to get straightened out. So, we were without any lighting in the bathroom for a few days. But, all in all the downtime actually gave me some time to rest up a bit and finish the book I had been reading. All in all, although it hasn't followed my schedule, and we are both exhausted, we are getting there!
So, the near completion of this project brings to mind what is next on the agenda? Spring is nearing quickly, I our next major tasks will be setting up the kid's new/old (thanks Joanne!) playset and planting my garden and tending to it. I look forward to sharing these projects on my blog.
Even though there is still quite a bit of work to be done, I feel like we have reached the top and it's all downhill from here. I anticipate that the installation of the vanity might be a bit troublesome because it is 60"w x 23"d x 34"h and it already has the granite top and sinks installed. The thing weighs over 200 lbs. Luckily, our bathroom is not upstairs, but with the crazy angles in our house, it is going to take some thinking and creative work to get the thing in there and not hurt it or ourselves. Also, since the plumbing comes up through the floor, I anticipate that we will have to shut the water off and cut the lines to get the unit in over the pipes and then reconnect with new pipes. Come to think of it, I think we might need some help for the lifting portion. Hmm... who to call? I am not looking forward to this portion much, but once it is in the rest will be pretty easy (relatively speaking).
Now that I am thinking of it, this remodel could really not be at a worse time for us, I suppose. James is in the midst of writing his 25 page senior thesis and is smack dab in the middle of his last semester of school. Also, having to do all the work after 8:30pm (when the kids go to sleep) and during their naps leaves little time for other things (like sleep!) Leave it to us to get an idea in our heads and just jump right in.
But, really it hasn't been a terribly painful process. The only real hiccups we have had along the way is the realization that removal of popcorn ceilings is neither easy, clean or fun. That portion took us the longest to complete since we had to retexture the whole ceiling by hand. The other problematic portions have been the lighting. The ceiling light we bought was damaged and when we tried to exchange it, the store was out. The vanity light electrical was incorrectly done and took some repair work to get straightened out. So, we were without any lighting in the bathroom for a few days. But, all in all the downtime actually gave me some time to rest up a bit and finish the book I had been reading. All in all, although it hasn't followed my schedule, and we are both exhausted, we are getting there!
So, the near completion of this project brings to mind what is next on the agenda? Spring is nearing quickly, I our next major tasks will be setting up the kid's new/old (thanks Joanne!) playset and planting my garden and tending to it. I look forward to sharing these projects on my blog.
That's all for now, I gotta catch up with work!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Why I like the chair
This is the picture of my grandmother, Yvette holding my mother, Carole from Dec. 1947 that I alluded to in my previous post. The first time I saw the picture I fell in love with it. My grandmother was such a lovely person, I wish I could have met her. All I have are her photos, but now I feel like I have her chair too. (even though it wasn't really hers!)
My Living Room on a Budget
Item: Victrola Cabinet
Cost: $12
Where's it from?: Auction
Why I love it: A fantastic thrifty find! It is a perfect end table. I am a big fan of quarter sawn oak, love that it has doors for hiding stuff, and love the history.
Item: Oak coffee tableCost: $8
Where's it from?: Garage sale
Why I love it: Another quarter sawn oak piece, it is seriously about 200 lbs, I have refinished it once, and it probably needs it again, but it's completely solid, so it's virtually indestructable! I love that it can withstand all the abuse that my kids can dish out; including hot wheels races! It has no sharp corners for ouchies, but it is hard on the head. Overall, this is hands down my favorite garage sale find of all time!
Item: Vintage rocker
Cost: free (family heirloom)
Where's it from: James' dad bought it for his father at an auction back in the 1950's from a neighbor
Why I love it: Timeless style, great addition to the room! I also have to mention that the white coverlet and pillow are finds from my mother in law's house. She comes up with the greatest things!
Item: Kitchen hutch (AKA: Television cabinet)
Cost: $60
Where's it from?: Next door neighbor's moving sale
Why I love it: When we were in the market for a new tv (see previous post) I couldn't find the right tv cabinet. All of them were cheaply made or heinously priced. I found this at the next door neighbor's sale and knew right away that it would be perfect. We just removed a shelf, made some adjustments, drilled some holes for wires, and painted over the green ivy painted on the doors.
Item: Vintage channel back chair
Cost: $150
Where's it from? Craig's List
Why I love it: I have a picture dated Dec 1947 with my grandmother holding my mother as an infant in a chair that could be the twin of this one. I have been on the lookout for this chair for over 5 years! When I happened upon this chair one day on Craig's List I couldn't help myself. Also, the pillow is another free find from my mother in law's.
It's March 1st Already!? Spring is on the way!
Here we are, March 1st, 2010! Two months down already, granted February is an abbreviated month, but still.
This month's highlights:
This month's highlights:
- 3-6-10: completion of our bathroom remodel!
- 3-8-10: two more months 'til James' (my hubby's) graduation!!
- 3-13-10: start seeds in greenhouses (6-8 weeks until last frost)
- 3-14-10: daylight savings (yea for longer days!!)
- 3-19-10: my half birthday (6 more months and I am 27!?)
- 3-20-10: the first day of spring!!! (thank goodness!)
As you can probably pick up on, I am very excited about spring! After all, I did grow up in Southern California where there is a lack of seasons. So, spring and fall are particularly exciting for me. I am looking forward to warmer days (even 45 feels good right now!); longer days and later sunsets; the first spring flowers-- daffodils, hyacinth, tulips, forsythia; green sprouts of grass and new buds on trees; right now even spring cleaning sounds good! I just really want to get outside and not have to bundle up! Yea to light sweaters instead of coats, hats, and gloves! Yea to bike rides with the boys! Yea to planting my garden and working the soil! Yea to garage sales and car shows! Yea to open windows and fresh air! Yea to the end of the perpetual dry skin of winter!
I just love the fresh optimism of the spring and how you get that feeling of starting new. It's like anything is possible. Perhaps, we should save our "New Years" resolutions for the spring, because the middle of winter really is an awful time to try to keep any promises to yourself! Like how are you really expected to get into the gym when it's 15 degrees outside and blowing snow like crazy!? All I really want to do when it is bitter cold is to hide under blanket and read a book on my sofa or perhaps catch up on my shows or watch a movie. Most of those activities are the antithesis of my resolution. That is why I propose we change things and save our resolutions for a better time like March 20th!
My unofficial resolution this year was to go to the gym more (instead of the once a week routine I have been doing for the past 2 years). I have been intermittently successful with that. For the past two weeks plus, I have been on a total hiatus due to the bathroom remodel, but I do intend to get back there once I finish up that project. But, now that spring is approaching, I feel like I can definitely achieve that goal.
My goal is a sort of loose outline that I am not too strict on myself if I don't adhere to. Some reasons that are acceptable for not going to the gym are: renovation activities (these are labor intensive anyhow), outings with the family (pushing a stroller or running after kids also counts), after work events or professional meetings (usually these involve calories, but are good for professional development).
Anyhow, this post turned into sort of a rambling one, but in summary, I am very excited about the spring and the endless opportunities which it brings!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Squirrel Life
In my first post I mentioned being a "squirrel" and that I would post more on that. Well, today I am going to go into more depth on that. First, the term, squirrel, was first given to me by my husband, James, to describe my super saver and frugal mentality. There are many ways that my squirrelness manifests. First, because I am ever hiding or squirreling away any unexpected money that comes our way (ie: rebates, tax refunds, etc.). Second, because I am thrifty (we buy many things second hand at resale stores, auctions, garage sales, and on craig's list). Third, because when we make large purchases we do the research do buy the best item we can afford so that it lasts a long time. Lastly, because we are free of consumer debt and the only loans we have are our mortgage and one vehicle.
So, more on the squirreling. I believe that having a reserve fund for a rainy day and or making unexpected purchases--like when our lawn mower quit last summer and we had to get a new one. I use several methods of saving, first is a high yield savings account which pays between 4.5 - 5% interest. This way, we receive monthly interest on our investment. However, the money is readily available for when it is needed. The second way of saving is for the long term, I have a simple IRA account set up through my employer which I put in about $80 a month and which is matched dollar for dollar. So, automatically, I double my investment, the money that is invested reduces my taxable income and to tell you the truth, we never miss the money because it is gone before we get the paycheck. Next, I save for the kids. They both have their own jars which we put all extra change and cash into and then quarterly I take the money to the bank and round up the amount to the nearest hundred dollars and split it apart evenly into their respective investment accounts. This way, the kids learn the benefit of saving at home, but they get to have an account for the sum of their money to live and earn interest. I am always assessing the way we save to make sure that it is working the best for us. If I find an account which makes more interest, I switch accounts.
My second trait is a newer one. I have not always been thrifty, it has come about from necessity. In fact, I once was an avid mall shopper and would even think about buying second hand. I have been converted by the fact that we only have a certain about of income each month and I would like to stretch every dollar to make them count. After all, my kids still need to be clothed, we had to furnish our house coming out of our apartment and so fourth. I have found a wealth of treasure in places like once upon a child, good will, salvation army, antique shops, vintage clothing stores, auctions and garage sales. (I will post photos some of my favorite finds in this post!) Other ways I am thrifty is with DIY. I bring my lunch 99% of the time to work (saving $5-$10 a day!! = about $2000 a year!!) I have given up getting my car washed by others (saving $10 each visit) and wash at home, I have given up nail salons and either go natural or polish my own (saving $15-$45 each visit); I have given up the mall (except for very few purchases) which is overpriced and filled with anxiety when you have two kids. For clothing, I shop TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Kohls, Target, Walmart, vintage shops, and of course my favorite source is hand me downs from friends. I welcome getting cast offs from other's closets for both myself and my kids. They are generally in great shape and are good quality. I have become a regular at the tailor for alterations. (I don't throw a pair of pants out just because they rip (ha ha), or they are too long, too big, etc.) Also, I don't dry clean clothes very often. One because of the environmental hazards, two because I am usually too lazy to take them there and three because of the cost. I typically favor work clothes that can be washed on the gentle cycle and then hung dry. Basically, I haven't given up my love of certain brands or good quality items, but I have been enlightened that they may be found for much, much less in other places!
The third trait, is making strategic purchases. So, yes we have 42" LCD tv, but it was only purchased after our 20 year old tv went all plaid on us and started to make us nauseous to watch it. When it was time to make the purchased we started researching tvs online looking up what was the best at the time, comparing models online and reading consumer reviews. Then, we hit the streets and did some in store shopping and compared models in person. We then visited a few other stores with information in hand and made our final purchase. We borrowed a vehicle to pick up the tv and brought it home ourselves. Thank goodness I have a handy hubby, because he was able to get it all set up without a pro. And the unit it sits on is a interesting find! We bought it from our next door neighbor's moving sale. It is actually a kitchen hutch, but with some minor modifications (sanding, and paint and a few holes for wires) and it was good to go! What I like about it is that it was only $60, it is solid pine, it is quality made and it looks good. We looked at countless tv units and they were either cheaply made and poor quality or they were very expensive. So, we balanced out our big purchase with a thrifty purchase. I am all about that.
Lastly, the most sensitive topic for most, debt. My avoidance of debt comes from my parents and their strict spending control, and from watching others put themselves into big trouble due to irresponsible spending. My golden rule is to never buy anything (other than this house) if I can't pay cash for it. This is avoidance does not mean that I don't have or use credit cards, but at any one time I am able to pay the balance due, and I pay the full balance to avoid interest 95% of the time. Benefits of using credit cards responsibly are earning points or rebates, and building your credit rating. I am proud to say that our credit score is around 799. We use our debit cards for most purchases, especially groceries and gas. If we don't have the money, we don't buy it. This brings me back to my other squirrel traits, I often buy used items so that I can get the things we need or want without having to go without. So, I haven't given up my old ways completely about being about immediate gratification, but I have found smarter ways to go about things.
I am all about the future and being in a better position later than we are right now. I know that we won't always be living on a single salary and perhaps we can afford some luxury, but being cognizant of ways we can cut expense allows us to live better with less and to save for the future. I would like to one day be able to travel to Europe and do things like that, so my goals now are to save for things like that down the road.
So, more on the squirreling. I believe that having a reserve fund for a rainy day and or making unexpected purchases--like when our lawn mower quit last summer and we had to get a new one. I use several methods of saving, first is a high yield savings account which pays between 4.5 - 5% interest. This way, we receive monthly interest on our investment. However, the money is readily available for when it is needed. The second way of saving is for the long term, I have a simple IRA account set up through my employer which I put in about $80 a month and which is matched dollar for dollar. So, automatically, I double my investment, the money that is invested reduces my taxable income and to tell you the truth, we never miss the money because it is gone before we get the paycheck. Next, I save for the kids. They both have their own jars which we put all extra change and cash into and then quarterly I take the money to the bank and round up the amount to the nearest hundred dollars and split it apart evenly into their respective investment accounts. This way, the kids learn the benefit of saving at home, but they get to have an account for the sum of their money to live and earn interest. I am always assessing the way we save to make sure that it is working the best for us. If I find an account which makes more interest, I switch accounts.
My second trait is a newer one. I have not always been thrifty, it has come about from necessity. In fact, I once was an avid mall shopper and would even think about buying second hand. I have been converted by the fact that we only have a certain about of income each month and I would like to stretch every dollar to make them count. After all, my kids still need to be clothed, we had to furnish our house coming out of our apartment and so fourth. I have found a wealth of treasure in places like once upon a child, good will, salvation army, antique shops, vintage clothing stores, auctions and garage sales. (I will post photos some of my favorite finds in this post!) Other ways I am thrifty is with DIY. I bring my lunch 99% of the time to work (saving $5-$10 a day!! = about $2000 a year!!) I have given up getting my car washed by others (saving $10 each visit) and wash at home, I have given up nail salons and either go natural or polish my own (saving $15-$45 each visit); I have given up the mall (except for very few purchases) which is overpriced and filled with anxiety when you have two kids. For clothing, I shop TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Kohls, Target, Walmart, vintage shops, and of course my favorite source is hand me downs from friends. I welcome getting cast offs from other's closets for both myself and my kids. They are generally in great shape and are good quality. I have become a regular at the tailor for alterations. (I don't throw a pair of pants out just because they rip (ha ha), or they are too long, too big, etc.) Also, I don't dry clean clothes very often. One because of the environmental hazards, two because I am usually too lazy to take them there and three because of the cost. I typically favor work clothes that can be washed on the gentle cycle and then hung dry. Basically, I haven't given up my love of certain brands or good quality items, but I have been enlightened that they may be found for much, much less in other places!
The third trait, is making strategic purchases. So, yes we have 42" LCD tv, but it was only purchased after our 20 year old tv went all plaid on us and started to make us nauseous to watch it. When it was time to make the purchased we started researching tvs online looking up what was the best at the time, comparing models online and reading consumer reviews. Then, we hit the streets and did some in store shopping and compared models in person. We then visited a few other stores with information in hand and made our final purchase. We borrowed a vehicle to pick up the tv and brought it home ourselves. Thank goodness I have a handy hubby, because he was able to get it all set up without a pro. And the unit it sits on is a interesting find! We bought it from our next door neighbor's moving sale. It is actually a kitchen hutch, but with some minor modifications (sanding, and paint and a few holes for wires) and it was good to go! What I like about it is that it was only $60, it is solid pine, it is quality made and it looks good. We looked at countless tv units and they were either cheaply made and poor quality or they were very expensive. So, we balanced out our big purchase with a thrifty purchase. I am all about that.
Lastly, the most sensitive topic for most, debt. My avoidance of debt comes from my parents and their strict spending control, and from watching others put themselves into big trouble due to irresponsible spending. My golden rule is to never buy anything (other than this house) if I can't pay cash for it. This is avoidance does not mean that I don't have or use credit cards, but at any one time I am able to pay the balance due, and I pay the full balance to avoid interest 95% of the time. Benefits of using credit cards responsibly are earning points or rebates, and building your credit rating. I am proud to say that our credit score is around 799. We use our debit cards for most purchases, especially groceries and gas. If we don't have the money, we don't buy it. This brings me back to my other squirrel traits, I often buy used items so that I can get the things we need or want without having to go without. So, I haven't given up my old ways completely about being about immediate gratification, but I have found smarter ways to go about things.
I am all about the future and being in a better position later than we are right now. I know that we won't always be living on a single salary and perhaps we can afford some luxury, but being cognizant of ways we can cut expense allows us to live better with less and to save for the future. I would like to one day be able to travel to Europe and do things like that, so my goals now are to save for things like that down the road.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Behind schedule, what else is new?
So, the schedule that I carefully outlined the other day has already been foiled! I had a very busy day yesterday and refused to start the ceiling last night, so that's on tonight's agenda. Just to give you an idea of how my day's go, I will use yesterday as an example:
6:00: Alarm clock goes off, hit sleep timer
6:10: Alarm clock goes off, hit sleep timer for second time
6:20: Alarm clock goes off, hit sleep timer for third time
6:30: Alarm clock goes off, turn off alarm clock, contemplate getting up, decide just two more minutes of shut eye are in order
6:43: Jump out of bed, trip on crap on floor, mutter to self as I head to shower
6:45-7:03: Shower, think of all the things I have to do for the day, make mental list
7:04: Try to rouse William out of bed, pull his clothes out, turn on turtle's light
7:05: Clean coffee pot, make coffee
7:08: Remind William to get out of bed!
7:10: Brush teeth, do hair, other routine stuff...
7:15: Wake Ben up, get him changed and dressed
7:20: Get irritated at William because he is still naked
7:21: Realize I am going to be late for work and start Frantic Mom Mode
7:24: Pour coffee, gather lunch, water, etc.
7:26: Get shoes and coats for kids and self
7:30: Get kids in car, strapped into car seats, and get in car
7:42: Realize clock in house is behind and that I am running even later than I thought
7:43-7:53: Drive to daycare, answer 100 questions including: "Mom, why do you have to pay attention to the road?"
7:54-7:59: Get kids signed in, de-coat, and get into classrooms for breakfast, kisses goodbye!
7:59: Back into car and head to work (thank goodness my commute is short!
8:05: Arrive to work, put away coat, lunch, purse, make oatmeal
8:10: Check emails, make replies, start a crazy day!
8:25-9:45: Drawing revisions for a project
9:45: Prepare showroom for client visit
10:00: Clients arrive on time, start tour, Q&A, etc.
11:45: Clients leave, rep arrives for lunch and learn, hustle to check emails and prepare for lunch
12:00-1:00: Lunch and learn with rep, great sandwich BTW!
1:00: Check emails again
1:15: Start working on bid (due tomorrow!!)
3:45: Wrap things up and get directions for IIDA event
4:00: Leave for event, approx. drive time 33 min. per google maps
4:45: Realize google is wrong, and that I am lost, figure out where I am going and arrive to destination
4:47: Hustle around with other committee members to prepare for event
5:15: Bend over to pick up business card off floor, split pants open at seam in rear!!!
5:16: Take moment to compose myself and quietly mention to colleague that I have had a wardrobe malfunction!!
5:17: Excuse myself to get coat to try to cover myself...
5:18: Realize coat is too short!! (NOW WHAT!?)
5:20: Go back inside to find help
5:25: Find someone with sewing kit!!! (HALLELUJAH!)
5:38-3:48: Sew up seam of pants in remote restroom while the event begins without me.
5:50: Rejoin event and use this event as ice breaker to greet friends
5:50-6:30: Showroom tour, cocktails, yummy snacks, mingling, etc.
6:30-7:15: Presentation, etc.
7:15-8:00: More yummies, and mingling
8:00: Leave with to go plate and try to navigate home
8:05: LOST
8:10: Not so lost
8:15: Call home to report I am on my way and finally figured out where I am
8:35: Arrive home! Unload stuff and say hello
9:00: Get William in bed
9:15: Decide to start newest Nexflix arrival (The Tudors, Season 1, disc 3) instead of priming ceiling (this is how I got behind schedule!)
10:00: Start episode two, fall asleep shortly thereafter on sofa
12:00: James wakes me up to make me go to bed,
12:05: Finally in bed for the night! Zzzzzzzzzz
6:00: Alarm clock goes off, hit sleep timer
6:10: Alarm clock goes off, hit sleep timer for second time
6:20: Alarm clock goes off, hit sleep timer for third time
6:30: Alarm clock goes off, turn off alarm clock, contemplate getting up, decide just two more minutes of shut eye are in order
6:43: Jump out of bed, trip on crap on floor, mutter to self as I head to shower
6:45-7:03: Shower, think of all the things I have to do for the day, make mental list
7:04: Try to rouse William out of bed, pull his clothes out, turn on turtle's light
7:05: Clean coffee pot, make coffee
7:08: Remind William to get out of bed!
7:10: Brush teeth, do hair, other routine stuff...
7:15: Wake Ben up, get him changed and dressed
7:20: Get irritated at William because he is still naked
7:21: Realize I am going to be late for work and start Frantic Mom Mode
7:24: Pour coffee, gather lunch, water, etc.
7:26: Get shoes and coats for kids and self
7:30: Get kids in car, strapped into car seats, and get in car
7:42: Realize clock in house is behind and that I am running even later than I thought
7:43-7:53: Drive to daycare, answer 100 questions including: "Mom, why do you have to pay attention to the road?"
7:54-7:59: Get kids signed in, de-coat, and get into classrooms for breakfast, kisses goodbye!
7:59: Back into car and head to work (thank goodness my commute is short!
8:05: Arrive to work, put away coat, lunch, purse, make oatmeal
8:10: Check emails, make replies, start a crazy day!
8:25-9:45: Drawing revisions for a project
9:45: Prepare showroom for client visit
10:00: Clients arrive on time, start tour, Q&A, etc.
11:45: Clients leave, rep arrives for lunch and learn, hustle to check emails and prepare for lunch
12:00-1:00: Lunch and learn with rep, great sandwich BTW!
1:00: Check emails again
1:15: Start working on bid (due tomorrow!!)
3:45: Wrap things up and get directions for IIDA event
4:00: Leave for event, approx. drive time 33 min. per google maps
4:45: Realize google is wrong, and that I am lost, figure out where I am going and arrive to destination
4:47: Hustle around with other committee members to prepare for event
5:15: Bend over to pick up business card off floor, split pants open at seam in rear!!!
5:16: Take moment to compose myself and quietly mention to colleague that I have had a wardrobe malfunction!!
5:17: Excuse myself to get coat to try to cover myself...
5:18: Realize coat is too short!! (NOW WHAT!?)
5:20: Go back inside to find help
5:25: Find someone with sewing kit!!! (HALLELUJAH!)
5:38-3:48: Sew up seam of pants in remote restroom while the event begins without me.
5:50: Rejoin event and use this event as ice breaker to greet friends
5:50-6:30: Showroom tour, cocktails, yummy snacks, mingling, etc.
6:30-7:15: Presentation, etc.
7:15-8:00: More yummies, and mingling
8:00: Leave with to go plate and try to navigate home
8:05: LOST
8:10: Not so lost
8:15: Call home to report I am on my way and finally figured out where I am
8:35: Arrive home! Unload stuff and say hello
9:00: Get William in bed
9:15: Decide to start newest Nexflix arrival (The Tudors, Season 1, disc 3) instead of priming ceiling (this is how I got behind schedule!)
10:00: Start episode two, fall asleep shortly thereafter on sofa
12:00: James wakes me up to make me go to bed,
12:05: Finally in bed for the night! Zzzzzzzzzz
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Second Day
So, here we are on day two. We have spent two consecutive nights meticulously applying drywall compound to our ceiling. Since we had no previous experience doing this, it was an exercise in patience and trial and error. To prepare for this phase, I googled "how to texture ceilings" and "how to use drywall compound." I found a wealth of information which gave me the tools of the trade that we would need for the job and I watched a youtube video on how to texture. The overall look I was going for is a semi textured, random plaster look. I don't really know how else to describe the look other than that. Along the way, here are the things I have learned: I don't like step ladders, I have muscles in my arms and shoulders that I never knew about, there is a perfect time frame in which the finished product will look good or really crappy, don't let the mud dry too much before you work with it, always listen to ipod while working (thank goodness for genius playlists!!). So, I still have some sanding and a little bit of touch up work to do, but overall we are well on our way! I think tonight I will try to get ready to prime the ceiling and walls. I will seriously need to clean up before I get much further because the bathroom is covered in dust and oops marks from the mud.
Here's the next week's schedule: (we'll see how this works out!)
Today (Wednesday): Sand, touch up, prep for primer, remove toilet
Thursday: Receive vanity, install wainscot, prime ceiling and walls?
Friday: Paint ceiling, install new overhead light, remove ugly old strip light
Saturday: Paint walls, return wrong mirrors and hunt for new mirror
Sunday: Install new vanity light & REST! (depending if I am on schedule)
Monday: Prep trim (sand and prime)
Tuesday: Receive flooring for acclimation
Wednesday: Final clean up prior to flooring install
Thursday: Flooring install! (Halleluah!)
Friday: Watch Netflix movie
Saturday: Install toilet and install vanity, and connect plumbing (probably run to Home Depot for emergency supplies too)
Sunday: Install bath hardware, and misc items, move back in! ENJOY new bathroom!
I will post updates to the schedule as it evolves! Enough for now, I have to get dinner going!
For process photos see my facebook album: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31007144&l=3c1faeebb9&id=1029736150
Here's the next week's schedule: (we'll see how this works out!)
Today (Wednesday): Sand, touch up, prep for primer, remove toilet
Thursday: Receive vanity, install wainscot, prime ceiling and walls?
Friday: Paint ceiling, install new overhead light, remove ugly old strip light
Saturday: Paint walls, return wrong mirrors and hunt for new mirror
Sunday: Install new vanity light & REST! (depending if I am on schedule)
Monday: Prep trim (sand and prime)
Tuesday: Receive flooring for acclimation
Wednesday: Final clean up prior to flooring install
Thursday: Flooring install! (Halleluah!)
Friday: Watch Netflix movie
Saturday: Install toilet and install vanity, and connect plumbing (probably run to Home Depot for emergency supplies too)
Sunday: Install bath hardware, and misc items, move back in! ENJOY new bathroom!
I will post updates to the schedule as it evolves! Enough for now, I have to get dinner going!
For process photos see my facebook album: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31007144&l=3c1faeebb9&id=1029736150
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The first day
So, I have become inspired to start this blog, partially by the movie, Julia and Julia and by another blog, The Frugal Girl. I am not sure how long it will last, but I am willing to give it a try!
My blog title: Our Life Without Instructions.
My theme: Not a "how to" so much as a "how to get by" in life
Who Am I? I am a mother of two, a wife, an interior designer (full time), a homeowner and home improvement junky, bargain hunter and money squirrel (as much loving husband calls me), a novice gardener, a recycling diva and many other things that I can't think of right now.
Current events: Our bathroom remodel.
We are currently remodeling our master bathroom which has turned into quite an adventure. It all started with a pact between me and my husband to replace the awful light fixtures in our bathroom once the light bulbs burned out, as I refused to buy any more! Well, we got down to 25 watts in the fixture and decided it was time! Needless to say, I am the perpetual "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" type. What starts a simple replacement turns into a entire remodel!
So, we found a bathroom vanity at Costco and my husband had to have it. I was not as convinced because of the cost (remember, squirrel, more to follow on that), but a week later I decided I was in and we made the purchase. So, now that the vanity was getting replaced we needed to buy new faucets, and while we were at it we decided to: get a new toilet, a new mirror, and then a new floor and also remove popcorn and re-texture the ceiling, not to mention adding wainscot around the base of the tub and of course paint.
So, we are a week into this process which I have been cataloging with photographs. Other than the fact that the ceiling looked terrible after removing the popcorn, it is coming along! We did have to take a jig saw to the old vanity to get it out due to the plumbing coming through the floor, but it is still salvageable.
Oh, that brings up what we are going to do with all the old fixtures! There is a Habitat for Humanity Restore nearby and we will be donating all the usable old fixtures. So far, the only waste on the project has been the popcorn scrapings and the wallpaper border. Other than that, I am trying to have as little as possible get sent to the landfill (another topic, which I have more to say about!).
Anyhow, as of today, we have removed all items which are to be replaced and have begun the arduous task of re-texturing the ceiling! I will write more on this later!
My blog title: Our Life Without Instructions.
My theme: Not a "how to" so much as a "how to get by" in life
Who Am I? I am a mother of two, a wife, an interior designer (full time), a homeowner and home improvement junky, bargain hunter and money squirrel (as much loving husband calls me), a novice gardener, a recycling diva and many other things that I can't think of right now.
Current events: Our bathroom remodel.
We are currently remodeling our master bathroom which has turned into quite an adventure. It all started with a pact between me and my husband to replace the awful light fixtures in our bathroom once the light bulbs burned out, as I refused to buy any more! Well, we got down to 25 watts in the fixture and decided it was time! Needless to say, I am the perpetual "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" type. What starts a simple replacement turns into a entire remodel!
So, we found a bathroom vanity at Costco and my husband had to have it. I was not as convinced because of the cost (remember, squirrel, more to follow on that), but a week later I decided I was in and we made the purchase. So, now that the vanity was getting replaced we needed to buy new faucets, and while we were at it we decided to: get a new toilet, a new mirror, and then a new floor and also remove popcorn and re-texture the ceiling, not to mention adding wainscot around the base of the tub and of course paint.
So, we are a week into this process which I have been cataloging with photographs. Other than the fact that the ceiling looked terrible after removing the popcorn, it is coming along! We did have to take a jig saw to the old vanity to get it out due to the plumbing coming through the floor, but it is still salvageable.
Oh, that brings up what we are going to do with all the old fixtures! There is a Habitat for Humanity Restore nearby and we will be donating all the usable old fixtures. So far, the only waste on the project has been the popcorn scrapings and the wallpaper border. Other than that, I am trying to have as little as possible get sent to the landfill (another topic, which I have more to say about!).
Anyhow, as of today, we have removed all items which are to be replaced and have begun the arduous task of re-texturing the ceiling! I will write more on this later!
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