39 posts tagged “diy”

Gah!

Yesterday
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I had a down and out panic attack this evening...somehow I feel like I am forgetting some major deadline for work. But I am not. I don't think. I think maybe it has to do with wrapping up this big joint venture project that I've been working on. There were so many document due dates and database update requests - now that they are over my brain doesn't know what to focus on. My adrenaline is STILL pumping...I want to go to bed at a reasonable hour because I have a busy morning tomorrow, but I don't think sleep will be coming anytime soon.

Of course, I still have a crap-load of stuff to do on Monday before I leave town again, but nothing that can't wait until then to get done, and nothing Earth shattering if it doesn't get done then. So, I don't really know what my deal is. I think maybe that it might be that I agreed to help out my sales partner at work and do a coaching call with one of her branches in the very near future (a yet to be determined date). I love what I do because it is mostly one on one and face to face. I dislike group conference calls with people I have not met.

That and I think I am stressing out about the up coming year. We have a TON of changes coming at us and I don't think our team has the manpower to handle them all.

Also, there is Thanksgiving...and Christmas. So, my big plan was that this year was my year to relax...no family, no big functions. Just some peace and quiet with the dogs...well, OK, romping and playing too. Instead, my quiet Christmas turned into a trip to New Orleans and Thanksgiving week I am going to Seattle - I will work out there Monday and Tuesday and then spend Wed and Thursday with family and then travel home (an all day trip) on Friday. It is going to be a whirlwind trip...the cost of extending the ticket over the weekend was insane...and it would also have put Moo at the kennel for almost two weeks straight due to a work trip the following week. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful and even excited to get to go home for turkey day. And Christmas should be neat. I've never been to New Orleans before - we will be staying in the French Quarter - but I seriously feel like I was cornered into going. As much as I want to see the place, this isn't the time of year or way I wanted to do it. And both trips mean that Sadie will be with friends the entire week of Thanksgiving and at the kennel with Moo over Christmas...and Moo is at the kennel for both trips. That added with all the travel for work that has come up and I feel like she is ALWAYS at the kennel and that I am NEVER at home.

And next year, I had hoped to get home a few times throughout the year to see Caleb - but we are now being pressured (at least I feel like we are being pressured) into saving our PTO for the end of the year since it is dead around Christmas and New Years. Except that that isn't my problem and I shouldn't be expected to use MY time off because of planning and management issues. Bah. I guess I just have a lot frustrating me right now...mostly these holiday trips. So much for a nice quiet season at home.

And don't get me started on the electrician issues. I am never here and since Neil said he'd be taking care of it, trying to coordinate with his recent travel isn't something I want to try to do. He knows (or ought to know) what his schedule is...since he needs to be here, it seems that it would be easiest for him to just call and schedule. But between the first guy never calling back and then more travel, it just isn't getting done. The next major fiasco is going to be replacing the carpet since it is all fraying at the seams and along the room edges...the list is never-ending.

Right now I just need to focus on not completely losing my cool over the holidays. And my New Years resolution is going to be to just say no next year. I WILL have my peaceful holiday at home...even if I celebrate it all by myself (with the critters, of course!).

Finally...

Oct 2, 2009
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I'm feeling human again. The Crud seems to have finally lost its grip. My chest is still tight...feels like I can't get a full breath, but no coughing and my sinuses are back to their normal level of stuffy (allergies and all).

I still owe Amanda one more "word" entry...maybe I will get around to that this weekend sometime.

Tomorrow will be full of exciting things - mostly yard work. I need to move one of the abelia, it isn't happy in the full-on sunshine. It gets too hot here for it in the summer. I have a good spot on the side of the house where the other two are that should make it happier. Next spring I will get a couple more crape myrtles to finish off the front lot line where the abelia used to be.

After that, I need to pound fertilizer stakes in around all the other trees and shrubs. Once that is done it is on to wrapping the water pipe and re-insulating the wall where the broken one from last winter was replaced. Maybe I will even attempt to patch the sheet rock. Maybe.

Last but not least, I need to clean out my garage. The spiders are in full-force this fall...I need to get them cleaned out of the indoors areas (black widows galore out there - eek!). I also need to figure out a way to store the plastic wading pool that the dogs use. I want to somehow hang it from the ceiling, but that may be a project I need additional hands to accomplish.

Good times! After all that I might try to get around to cleaning out my closets - I need to figure out what fits (ugh) and what doesn't. I have to be realistic, I have a lot of stuff that I will never fit into again. Once I get through it all I will bag it up and haul it off to Goodwill. I also have a filing cabinet that should go. We'll see...that might wait until next weekend.

Household stuff...

Aug 25, 2009
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Well, I am partially done reorganizing the office and guest room closets...which has lead to needing to reorganize the living room linen and coat closets. Eventually I will tackle the master bedroom closets which is why I needed to clean out the guest room closet - I need room for out of season and/or "skinny Anne" clothes storage. And really, Neil needs more room to put things away here. After three years here, I figure I ought to make him some. :)

Speaking of...I have owned/lived in my house just over three years now...August 12th or 13th. I can't remember! LOL I need to go take a 3 year photo of the front of the place. I am trying to chronicle how it changes over the years I am here.

I also finished painting the master bath today (the ceiling still hadn't been done). Once it dries overnight, I can get the bath put back together and the master suite will be done! OK, I would really classify it as a suite, but it sounds cooler that way. Unfortunately, in the process of painting, I forgot to pull up the fabric blinds over the bathtub and ended up dropping the paint roller on them. They are white (of course) and the paint is a nice, dark golden brown. For now we will just have to live with the 'modern art' in there...but it has gotten the wheels in my head turning. The frugal thing to do (and what I will do for now) is to simply get some new blinds (they were from Costco and incredibly inexpensive)...I will go for a darker color because I wasn't digging the stark white in there now that everything is painted dark. However, eventually, I would like to replace that window with some cool privacy glass - if and when I ever do this, I also want to do the sidelights on either side of the front door...and maybe the transom over the top too. The curtains at the front door are getting pretty ragged looking - snagged from kitty claws and dirty from kitty and dog noses pushing them aside to see out. I'd love to have the light come in but still have privacy without them and have the whole area be easier to clean. So, that will be something to research in the coming months to see if it is even feasible in the somewhat near future, or if I am simply out of my skull.

Now it is time for me to try to wash the paint spatter out of my hair and off my face and arms (I hate painting ceilings)...and then think about starting dinner. Tomorrow's cleanup is going to suck. I have paint spatter all over the bathtub and linoleum. It comes right up, but will take forever to pick/scrape off.

Naughty Moo! Productive Anne!

Jul 19, 2009
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She just tried stealing my bread straight off my plate while I was sitting here eating! Bold move, even for her!

Today was quite productive - I finally pried up the paving stone that had settled too low in the BBQ pad and added sand under it. It isn't perfect, but it is much better than before. Then I donned gloves and carefully removed the old cat-house that was right outside the back door. I wasn't sure what I would find under it and after the snake the other night, I figured better safe than sorry. Luckily, there were no snakes - just lots of scary spiders and a wasp nest attached to the siding of my house. I squished all the spiders I could see (they were not happy-making garden spiders...they were scary black-widowish type spiders) and then sprayed under the siding edges. I also scraped the wasp nest off the house.

Once the outside stuff was done, I came in and finally put the guest room back together. I had moved furniture in case the plumber needed to get into the wall through the bedroom (thank goodness he didn't). Then I cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed and scrubbed down the kitchen.

Now, I need to figure out how to screw through the vinyl exterior siding and still keep it sealed so I can hang the hose hangers outside. I think maybe I can use some putty or epoxy of some kind to do that. I also need to move some red rock this week. I had made a patch of it at the left side of the garage to match the right side...but now that the left side is a planting bed and is mulched with pine needles, the rock looks out of place. It isn't much - my plan is to just scoop it up and fill in the thin spots in the other beds that are red-rocked.

And an electrician - still need to get that breaker fixed. But I unfortunately, that is still a ways off.

Stuff to get:

- light bulbs (for outside lights)

- mothballs (for garage and under the BBQ)

- salmon oil (for dogs)

- HVAC filters (for the HVAC air intakes....duh!)

Now I am going to enjoy a beer and watch a movie.

Vacation & Independence Day

Jul 6, 2009
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The time off last week was much needed and wonderful! The best part was that we really didn't do much of anything. The plumber came Wednesday and fixed the exterior faucet/pipe leak - can I tell you how awesome it is to finally have a hose on that side of the house again???

Thursday we sort of puttered around - I think it was Thursday that we got some pressure washing of the porch and front walkway done...and then the washer ran out of gas. I also got some Sevin dust sprinkled on my crape myrtles to deal with the bad Japanese beetle problem. Later we went into town and did a little shopping for random things (like a new hose for the new outside faucet!) and a headphone amp for Neil. Friday there was a BBQ at Neil's house - much fun was had, and WAY too much alcohol was consumed by moi. Seriously, maybe I was thinking I was 21 all over again or something? At any rate, that ended poorly in the wee hours of the morning.

Saturday, we really lounged around and did a lot of nothing. Neil was tired from entertaining and (I am sure) taking care of me and just generally being up so late. And I was hungover like I haven't been in a long, long time. I did see some fireworks when I took dogs out for their night-time potty breaks...Sadie is totally freaked out by them and wouldn't even go outside at one point (Bandit is also terrified by them, I discovered). Moo, however, didn't seem at all phased by them. Thunder makes her much more upset. She just sort of looked in the direction of the noise and then continued about her business. I think the thunder scares her because it doesn't seem to come from any one point...it is just sudden loudness all around.

Yesterday I was pretty productive. I got the overspray from the pressure washer rinsed off the front door and siding. I watered plants. I flicked more beetles off the vitex (I didn't use the Sevin dust on it because I wasn't sure if it would also kill the bees which are VERY happy with the flowers on that bush!) I scrubbed down my BBQ and sprayed bug spray in the propane tank cabinet where it was scary. I also dismantled the dog crate that was in my bedroom that never got used and then vacuumed the whole house. And I sprayed the inside of the wall and underneath the base of the wall board in the garage with bleach water where the leak had been.

Today, I have to get away from posting here and go do some actual work stuff...I have to prepare for my trip tomorrow morning (WAY too early a flight, but it saves me from being gone two nights). I have a couple con calls today and I also need to clean out my closets and dresser to get everything put away that had been piled on top of the old dog crate so I can find the things I need to pack. Heh. Oh, and laundry. That seems to be a given, though.

Slow cooker...

Jun 4, 2009
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I have had a crock pot since Christmas a couple years ago (got it at Costco with a gift certificate from my dad), however, I have never used it! There is a first for everything, right? Today I am attempting a roast in it. Of course I got started too late this morning to cook it on "low" (10-12 hours), so it will be cooking on "high" for 6-8 hours. Both temps and times were according to the recipe that came with the cooker so I am hoping it will still come out OK. I also didn't have onions or celery so we are doing without... potatoes and carrots and beef stock. And the roast is smeared with horseradish and salt and pepper.

I also fixed the weather stripping on the back door - it takes a little shove to get it to latch now, but I think it is finally well sealed and will hopefully not leak anymore when it rains hard. As I was cleaning up the door frame I noticed that paint is peeling and the lower hinge screws are rusting. So, those will be projects for another day.

Now I think I will start photo-documenting my house for insurance stuff - just in case!

Yard Photos

Jun 1, 2009
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I took some quick photos of the yard this morning...everything is so darn green since the rain we've had (I know, such a tough problem to have) that some of them are hard to get much definition in them, but they give a general idea of what's been happening around here:

Front Yard

The hardest part of the yard was laying the pavers to extend the patio for the grill so that it was no longer sitting in front of my living room window (for the past two years my view has consisted of the back side of a covered gas grill):

Patio

The last big yard project now is to get the lawn to be an actual lawn. That will take awhile yet, but a good start is underway - most of the weeds have been killed (the Japanese clover is being stubborn) and we tossed down some seed in the bare areas. This fall the lawn service will properly seed the whole yard (lime, aerate, fertilize and then seed). Until then, though, some of the seed we put down is actually growing!

New Grass!

There are other shots on Flickr of the back yard with the bird area and the new side-yard beds and some close-ups of the front walkway areas. Enjoy!

Happy grass...

May 26, 2009
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an update on my mom's visit and the holiday weekend.

My mom's visit was fantastic. She loves yard work....adores it. Personally, I don't share quite the same level of enthusiasm, but I do enjoy it. Out first project - extending the patio with a 4' by 5' pad made of concrete pavers so that I could get my grill off of the patio (and more specifically, so that it was no longer sitting directly in front of my living room window). We dug out the grass first. Not as easy as it sounds like it should be...with the drought over the past several years, the grass and weeds that did get established had some serious root systems to contend with! Once that was done the smoothing and leveling began one paver at a time. It took 2 days to get the pad completed (really only about a day total - 4 hours each day with a total of 12 eighteen inch pavers). I have one that settled more than the rest with all the rain we've had, so as soon as the weather gets a little nicer I will pull it up and put some more sand under it to bring it back up to the same level as the rest. With the grill moved, I also relocated the patio furniture so that now there is plenty of room for folks to sit outside and still have room to walk around the patio without ending up in the grass.

Next project - planting beds and bird feeders! A trip to Lowe's got us many bags of lava rock to finish the front bed, a concrete bird bath, bird seed, and the thought that we should later bite the bullet and go get pine needles to create the rest of the planting areas. Since it was sweltering that day, we did the easy stuff first - put up bird feeders and got the bath put out and leveled (smart mom - we used left over sand from leveling the pavers to make a little spot to put the bath that could be adjusted to keep it upright). We then dumped and spread the bags of rock and realized we were going to need more. But, before that, we decided to tackle the edging that I had purchased last year. The stuff is cool - it is the inexpensive black PVC stuff, but instead of the kind that you have to dig a trench to install, this has tabs along it that you just pound stakes through as needed. SO much easier to get in straight and even. Exactly two lengths of it completed the front bed! A little digging was needed here and there to get the ground under the edge level, but all in all, it was as easy as advertised! Someday I will replace it with larger stones to edge all of the beds, but for now this helps keep the rock where it belongs and give the bed a nice finished look.

Off to get pine needles. I learned that my truck holds exactly 12 bales (we ended up needing 14 - good thing the materials place is close to the house!). We bedded along the entire garage end of the house and also extended a couple areas around trees and finished around the holly bushes since the lawn guys never did. It looks amazing! While we were outside, a random neighbor from up the road stopped by to offer us two azaleas that she didn't want and was going to throw away...cool! So we planted those too. When we went back to Lowe's for the remaining red rock, we also ended up getting a couple bags of grass seed and some starter fertilizer/mulch to throw down on the bare areas in the front yards and one more bird feeder - I needed a new mesh one for the thistle seed.

Last but not least for the week - we installed the solar lights that I have had since I moved out here and also the copper tiki torches that I had purchased last year. The lights went in all along the house where we made the beds and also out under the trees and shrubs in the side and back yards. They don't give off a ton of light (they have amber LEDs in them) but they do make for nice delineation of the yard at night and offer enough light to see the shrubs and trees that they are near. The torches went around the patio and will be filled with citronella oil to help keep the flying, biting, creepy-crawlies away while we are outside.

This weekend it ended up raining about half the weekend (Sunday and Monday and more today), which was OK. I got a little housework done, watched the entire first season of Dollhouse, and mostly just vegged out with the dogs. The best part was that I haven't had to water the front lawns where we seeded. The rest of the established grass also seems to be very happy with the warmer weather and the water. It is already looking like it needs another trim and will be very ready by Thursday when the guys come.

If and when the weather clears up a little, I will get out and take some photos of the yard and house and get them posted. I am thrilled with how 'finished' it all finally looks! This fall will really be the icing on the cake when the lawn guys do a proper seeding of the entire lawn - it should really grow in well.

Weekends...

Mar 29, 2009
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of course they are never long enough, especially when it rains over half of it. Bah.

I did, however, get some yardwork done. I got all the bushes fertilized with stakes. I weeded the front beds, trimmed the bushes, and moved the spirea that was in front of my bedroom window over to the corner of the house (same side). Later this afternoon I will spread the rest of the bags of red rock that are cluttering up my garage.

Moo's issues are definiely environmental. Allergies, poor pup. Her left ear and eye are itchy and her left eye is goopy. I will get her to the vet this week for more antihistamines and to see what, if anything, I need to do about her eye. I feel her pain - this time of year is murder on my sinuses.

Time for some lunch and then back out to the yard.

Toilet & Tub...

Feb 8, 2009
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...areas are done! I figure it is about 1/3 of the bathroom. Man, the first coat is such a bear to put up. The flimsy layer of contractor paint on the walls doesn't do anything to seal the wallboard so they just soak the new paint right up. I think I will be needing another gallon of paint to get it all done. We'll see. I also need to do a quick touch-up coat on one of the bedroom walls. Now that I got the sheers up and there is more light in there you can totally see the roller marks in one of the walls. The ceiling needs the same...if I have enough paint I will do it too.

I hope to have the master rooms completely done by the end of the week.

I am also making a huge mess! Thank goodness the latex paint just scrubs right off the linoleum and bathroom fixtures. Hahaha! Once I get all the painting done and the new towel bars installed I will be scrubbing down both bathrooms.

For now, I am going to have a beer and watch a movie. Playing jungle gym on and around the bathtub has made my legs hurt. For tonight the bath will be a fishbowl...I am going to wait overnight for paint to dry before reinstalling the shade on the window in there. Good thing the guest bath is available!