Monday, April 8, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Still here, still working on the house!
After a big push in January, we slowed down on the projects. However with spring approaching (finally) we have started up a bit. The yard and garden are starting out well. And we did some major rethinking of our original reno plans, which makes much more sense and will be MUCH more cost-effective.
As for work actually getting done, here is evidence of sweating I did in the basement this weekend...
Janky shelving: before, and after!
As for work actually getting done, here is evidence of sweating I did in the basement this weekend...
Janky shelving: before, and after!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Moving Up in the World
These two finally started having enough issues we could get rid of them (thank goodness)
In their place are these mismatched Kenmore beauties. With the height diference they look a bit weird, but I really wanted a dryer with a door that opened down. And these are in our basement, so who cares?
They're working great so far. The washer fits double the load our old one did, and cleans much better.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Homemade laundry detergent
I've been meaning to try this out for ages. Bob was reluctant when originally I told him about it - said he liked the smell of our normal detergent. But I've been using this homemade stuff for several weeks now and he hasn't even noticed! Shhh!! ;)
Super simple recipe*: 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup borax, 1 bar Fels-Naptha laundry soap (grated)
Mix. Use 1 tbsp per load of laundry.
As I said, I've been using this for a few weeks and it is working great. Clothes smell fresh, instead of scented. It removes dirt/stains just as well as our previous detergent and is much much cheaper.
* I got this recipe fromanother blog but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it. I'll add the link later when I inevitably find it stalking home/diy blogs... from the Yellow Brick House blog!
Super simple recipe*: 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup borax, 1 bar Fels-Naptha laundry soap (grated)
Sauvignon blanc and canine helper optional...
Mix. Use 1 tbsp per load of laundry.
As I said, I've been using this for a few weeks and it is working great. Clothes smell fresh, instead of scented. It removes dirt/stains just as well as our previous detergent and is much much cheaper.
* I got this recipe from
Facelift for the front porch
Our front porch featured some DIY lattices, courtesy of the previous owners (one on by the door, and one at the end of the porch that the roses could grow up) However they were pretty rotted and needed to come down.
I think the porch looks much cleaner and (obviously) open now. We will be putting in a new lattice for the roses at some point, but up next is scraping and repainting the wrought-iron railing...
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| Dudley supervising... |
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| I literally broke these apart with my bare hands |
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| After! |
I think the porch looks much cleaner and (obviously) open now. We will be putting in a new lattice for the roses at some point, but up next is scraping and repainting the wrought-iron railing...
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
A new addition and necessary repairs
We've added a new member to our family! Dudley is a 5 1/2 year old, 9 lb. Dachshund/Chihuahua mix. We recently adopted him from Midwest Dachshund Rescue. He's settling in really well.
With the blizzard we had a couple weeks ago, we could only take him on walks - the snow in the backyard was way too deep for this little guy! But now it's all melted and he can run around the yard, which means it's time for escape-proofing.
On the N side of our backyard, the neighbor's wooden fence has big gaps on the bottom. It had some mangled wire attached to it to close off some of these gaps, but there were still plenty of holes for a tiny dog to sneak through. As for the W side of our yard, it doesn't even have a fence! We stapled 2 ft. tall rabbit-fence (rectangular holes - bigger at the top, smaller at the bottom) along the whole fence line, and ran it between the shed and the fence to make a barracade at the W side. It's not quite as high as it should be, but it will do for now. There is talk of working with the neighbor to put in a new fence in the spring.
Thanks to Mom and Dad who were in town for the weekend and assisted with the project (also, thanks for the pictures Mom!!)
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| Excuse the old, ripped up couch - I'm googling slipcovers right now!! |
With the blizzard we had a couple weeks ago, we could only take him on walks - the snow in the backyard was way too deep for this little guy! But now it's all melted and he can run around the yard, which means it's time for escape-proofing.
On the N side of our backyard, the neighbor's wooden fence has big gaps on the bottom. It had some mangled wire attached to it to close off some of these gaps, but there were still plenty of holes for a tiny dog to sneak through. As for the W side of our yard, it doesn't even have a fence! We stapled 2 ft. tall rabbit-fence (rectangular holes - bigger at the top, smaller at the bottom) along the whole fence line, and ran it between the shed and the fence to make a barracade at the W side. It's not quite as high as it should be, but it will do for now. There is talk of working with the neighbor to put in a new fence in the spring.
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| Bob and Dad hard at work, me supervising |
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| Mom and I at the back fence |
Thanks to Mom and Dad who were in town for the weekend and assisted with the project (also, thanks for the pictures Mom!!)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The garage door
Our two-car garage has a wooden door - nothing fancy, but it works. However it had a couple spots near the bottom where it had rotted. Bob and I didn't want to buy a new steel door - this one was fine, just needed some love.
I think we spent about 10 hrs total scraping, sanding, filling, and priming the garage. Every weeknight was a rush to finish as much as possible before nightfall (which was around 7pm at the time). We also added new weatherstripping to the bottom of the door to finalize the project.
It looks 10x better now, though we still have to do the rest of the doors and all the trim/siding on the garage. We'll save that (as well as adding some color) for next spring...
Sorry about the crappy pictures! They were taken in a hurry.
I think we spent about 10 hrs total scraping, sanding, filling, and priming the garage. Every weeknight was a rush to finish as much as possible before nightfall (which was around 7pm at the time). We also added new weatherstripping to the bottom of the door to finalize the project.
It looks 10x better now, though we still have to do the rest of the doors and all the trim/siding on the garage. We'll save that (as well as adding some color) for next spring...
Sorry about the crappy pictures! They were taken in a hurry.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Long time, no post
The whole idea of buying an older home, fixing it up - I'm still enjoying that (for the most part). But the concept of blogging about the process quickly lost it's luster. Take before pics, do project, clean up, take more photos, edit photos, write entry - how do people do it? But I'm still trying to give it a go. Bob has been pushing me to "take pictures for the blog!" so there will be some posts soon.
Below is the list of projects we've completed since we bought the house on April 30th. Some are small, some bigger, but I'm happy with the progress made so far. Also, thanks to both our families, who helped us with several projects!
Below is the list of projects we've completed since we bought the house on April 30th. Some are small, some bigger, but I'm happy with the progress made so far. Also, thanks to both our families, who helped us with several projects!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Adventures in caulking
Last week I spent one night after work removing this disgusting, old, moldy tan caulk:
And a couple hours re-caulking the next evening to end up with this (excuse the dirty tub):
What a big difference! I'd never done a caulking project this big, so it isn't anywhere near perfect. Also I ended up with both hands completely covered in a caulk.
I used this silicone caulk we got at Lowe's. Smelled like vinegar gone bad, but other than that was fine.
*Another stalled post from July.
And a couple hours re-caulking the next evening to end up with this (excuse the dirty tub):
What a big difference! I'd never done a caulking project this big, so it isn't anywhere near perfect. Also I ended up with both hands completely covered in a caulk.
I used this silicone caulk we got at Lowe's. Smelled like vinegar gone bad, but other than that was fine.
*Another stalled post from July.
From one Honeywell to another
We installed a programmable thermostat just in time for the cool fall weather.
A Honeywell 5-2 Day we got a Lowe's (with a b-day gift card from Mom R - thanks!)
Now we just have to find a place to recycle our old thermostat, as it contains mercury.
A Honeywell 5-2 Day we got a Lowe's (with a b-day gift card from Mom R - thanks!)
Now we just have to find a place to recycle our old thermostat, as it contains mercury.
A nice surprise to come home to
When Bob and I got home from our trip to MI this weekend*, we were surprised to find the previously dirty pink guest room had been painted a clean crisp white!
*This draft is from back in JULY people. I need to catch up!
Our summer house guest, Dan, painted it while we were gone (even the pink ceiling!) It makes the room look so much bigger, and did I mention cleaner? Thanks Dan!! :)
Before (taken during the inspection):
Before (taken during the inspection):
*This draft is from back in JULY people. I need to catch up!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Dryer update
For those of you who heard about our dryer woes (it wasn't igniting, just pumping gas into the dryer - not effective and definitely not safe!) no more worries! It has been fixed by the hubby and I!
How we did it:
How we did it:
- I took apart the back of the dryer
- Vacuumed all the lint out of it
- Looked it over with a flashlight
- Got frustrated and gave up
- Then Bob helped me take apart the FRONT of the dryer (didn't even need to bother with the back)
- Figured out how it worked
- Did some trouble shooting and testing
- Found it was working again
- Put it back together
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Garden/yard update
This blog is turning out to be more about our yard than our house... but moving forward.
Bob and I did a lot of yard work over the holiday weekend. No pictures of the front, but the back is looking quite nice:
Those round stones in front of the small garage door were all uneven and piled up on top of the cement, and causing water to go inside the garage. We pulled them all out and fixed them. The green bin by the shed is our new compost bin, which I'm excited to have again. And next to that is "our" rabbit.
He comes into the yard almost every morning and evening to eat the clover in the corner of our yard. We have named him Pierre "The Hare" "Mon Frere" Van Dusen.
I finally pruned the roses (per the instructions in my gardening book) and they are looking great:
I do need to replace that lattice at some point though - the wood is getting rotted.
House updates will be posted sometime this week hopefully!
Bob and I did a lot of yard work over the holiday weekend. No pictures of the front, but the back is looking quite nice:
Those round stones in front of the small garage door were all uneven and piled up on top of the cement, and causing water to go inside the garage. We pulled them all out and fixed them. The green bin by the shed is our new compost bin, which I'm excited to have again. And next to that is "our" rabbit.
He comes into the yard almost every morning and evening to eat the clover in the corner of our yard. We have named him Pierre "The Hare" "Mon Frere" Van Dusen.
I finally pruned the roses (per the instructions in my gardening book) and they are looking great:
House updates will be posted sometime this week hopefully!
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