The House of Wax

Catch up

2011-02-24T10:15:00.000-05:00

Ok.. so I told you about Jan 1st (and probably had you slitting your wrists in the process) But what's been happening from Jan 2 to today, Feb 24? O. M. G. people!! Lots!! So much to talk about...... BUT I'm going to tell you about it........... on a new blog.

ha! See how I did that? Now you're interest is peaked. :)

Yes that's right, since I can't keep up one blog, I thought, why not two??? The shame will be that much more rewarding.

And what pray, tell, is the purpose of this new blog? Well it'll be keeping you abreast of the happenings at our other house. The old house. The first house. Yup. We still have the first one - never sold it, decided to rent in the interim, and once the last renters moved out last year we decided it was time to pay the piper. (in this scenario, the piper is the good people at Lowes and/or Home Depot) The old bird was looking tired and needed some pampering. So we've been back at it, DIYing our little hearts out. And can I tell ya - ITS BEEN GREAT. There's nothing like ripping down plaster and putting up drywall to ease your emotional wounds. Trust me on this one. Maybe this could be a new kind of therapy? Home improvement therapy? Hmm. Maybe I should put a sign in the yard that reads "Dr. Wax, Counseling Services" and charge people to come in and do some manual labor. This could be very good for us... very good indeed..... MWUAAAA HA HA!

Ok, but enough scheming. So the blog is Bringing Back Belmonte. I hope you enjoy it.

If you don't have anything nice to say...

2011-02-23T15:56:00.002-05:00

I know its been a LONG time since I've updated everyone on what's going on around the house of Wax. And I'd love to be able to say "oh my gosh we've been SO BUSY doing house projects that I just can't keep up with the blog!! ha ha!!" But really its been quite the opposite. Aside from working our butts off at the day jobs (exhausting), I've been working on a humongous project at our church (taxing) and there's been a few medical mysteries we've been trying to uncover (emotionally stressful). I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to open up to the internets, but I can tell you that I am so over trying to hide it. So I guess this is the compromise. Just know that our life has been royally sucking - there is nothing left in the bank, financially or emotionally - and I just didn't think you'd want to hear about it so I copped out and wrote nothing for months. I am such a coward.

Wow such a bummer of a post today! Sorry bout that.

So 2010 did not live up to our expectations. At. all. So on New Years Eve we went next door to the neighbors house for a party and a bonfire. They asked everyone to write down everything about 2010 that we'd like to forget- to banish - to change in 2011. I proceeded to write a novella, Dave on the other hand just wrote one card that said "Every fucking bit of it" and I think that sums it up nicely. Maybe it was the champagne talking but we left feeling invigorated and excited about 2011. We're going to work hard at remembering the good things about this life, about the life we're creating together. And we're going to make this year great - even if we have to create our own damn miracles.

Confession

2010-10-05T10:09:00.007-04:00

I hate this blog.

What! I DO! I swear.

Ok............. I don't really hate it. I just hate that's its an unfinished project STARING ME IN THE VIRTUAL FACE. I have tons of photos and projects waiting to be blogged about, I just never seem to find the time to sit down and write. But I am feeling that October will be different. For one - Dave and I are giving our livers a break from alcohol. I know, I KNOW - just calm down everyone... I said a "break." We're on a break. Just like Ross and Rachel. You know we'll eventually get back together again. ;)

So with that break, and with the fact that the weather has turned from oppressively hot to surprisingly pleasant, I am hoping we can spur this into a whirlwind month of home improvement frenzy. It also helps that my in-laws are coming for Thanksgiving. What is it about being suddenly faced with the prospect of outside people sleeping within your house that makes you want to re-paint the walls, get new furniture, wash wood floors on your hands and knees, re-insulate the roof, run white vinegar through your coffee pot and then wash it out 10 times... No? Anyone? Is it just me?
Ah. Oh well.

DECK this out!

2010-03-24T14:48:00.072-04:00

When Christmas 2009 rolled around we found ourselves with almost 2 weeks off and no where to go. There had been plans to fly up to New Jersey to visit my fam... but with ticket prices as sky high as they were, I just wasn't able to pull the trigger. Then we thought maybe we'd drive back to Mississippi to see Dave's fam... but D would rather scoop his own eye out with a spoon than sit in the car for 20 hours.... so we decided to just rough it out at home.

With no one visiting.

And nothing to do.

I thought we'd be so bored, but honestly... it... was... GLORIOUS. Just glorious I tell you! There was lots of sleeping, and eating, and of course, all the drinking, and maybe some dancing in the living room in our pajamas, and inevitably there was plenty of chicken cutlet cooking and chicken cutlet eating. And every day, EVER DAY! started out like this............ YAWN! Oh jeez what time is it? Wait! I don't have to go to work today YIIIPPEEEEEE!!!! And then maybe I threw a hat in the air like Mary Tyler Moore.

But one morning Dave decided we were having too much fun. I mean, we talked about maybe tackling some sort of project, but I thought we were just talking. Until one morning when I woke up and padded out to the kitchen to get some coffee... passing this scene along the way......

Oh.... blink blink.... So.... we are actually going to DO this project.

And that's the story of how we decided to tackle the deck. Dave ripped half of it up while I was sleeping. Not that I minded actually - it was terribly rotted. It is in a very shady spot, and I don't think the wood was ever really treated to withstand the elements. I was always afraid someone would come over when it was lightly raining and slip and fall right through it and then of course sue the heck out of us. So it's probably a good thing that we (dave) decided it was high time we replaced it. Luckily when Dave ripped up the boards (half of them fell apart in his hands btw ) we found that the frame underneath was not nearly as rotted. In fact, it was downright fine! So we decided to leave it, clean it, and put new boards right back on top. Which saved us a boatload of time and money too.

We used those fake manufactured boards; the most popular brand is Treks, but we opted for the Home Depot generic brand which was slightly cheaper. And I tell ya we could not be more pleased!

Aside from the fact that they already have the pre-stained and pre-sealed look - they are guaranteed to never rot or warp. Which means we NEVER have to do this project again. SOLD! The only thing that's a little funky, is that when you screw in the boards, the shavings sort of pile up around the screw -almost like you're screwing into a crayon, if that makes sense? We ended up just knocking the material back down over the screw, and it ended up looking fine.

Other that that one weird gripe - I have to say -I'm a HUGE fan of the fake wood. Already it looks 500 times better! So this completes Phase 1 of the deck. Rip out and replace old boards. CHECK. Phase 2 involves expanding the deck beyond the original footprint, possibly with different levels. Intrigued? Stay tuned....!

And you thought Friday the 13th was unlucky.

2010-03-22T13:22:00.060-04:00

Last weekend I volunteered to escort my Grandma home to New Jersey. She's 90 and doesn't like to travel alone. So I volunteered - wait - did you get that? I VOLUNTEERED, yes volunteered, to fly up with her on Saturday the 13th, and then turn around and come right back on Sunday. The plan was set - Arrive at NJ at 3:30, Uncle picks up Grandma at the airport, I spend the night with my cousin (she lives the closest to the airport) and then fly home on Sunday at 3:30pm. Literally 24 hours in NJ. My cousin is so excited she tells me she has planned an early St. Patty's day party at her house. When I get there it will be in full swing. Just enough time to get in a few drinks and then get back on the plane. SWEET!
Unfortunately things went horribly, horribly wrong.....

Saturday 3/13

11:30
Throw bag in car, say goodbye to the husband and the cat, make like a baby and head out.

12:00
Arrive at airport for 1:05 flight. Right on Schedule! Meet Grandma and my mom at Burger King inside the airport. Mother informs me flight is already delayed 1.5 hours. Hmmmn. Suddenly not on schedule.

12:15
Order some fries to kill time.

12:30
I can see mom is starting to squirm. Her right eye is twitching. She’s eager to get back on the road. I finally relent and say maybe we should get to the gate? Mom jumps up and power walks away before we can say smell ya later.

12:32
HOLY SMOKES BATMAN this wheelchair is HE-A-VY and I have chosen the worst possible type of carry-on luggage for this endeavor. Somehow we make it through the security line.

12:45
At the gate, sure enough, sign says NOW DEPARTING 2:30. I look at Grandma, She looks back at me and says “Ok. So we wait.”

1:30
What? What....me? Yeah, did you say something? No I yawned. Oh.

1:42
My butt is asleep. I decide we need some movement. Ask Grandma does she want to browse the little shops in the terminal? She almost kisses me on the lips YES I would like that very much she says. I think she’s just happy for the distraction. I load up all our crap, and hobble off, pushing the wheelchair and my luggage, while blood flow slooooowwwly returns to my butt cheeks.

2:01
I know you’ve got people trapped here in the terminal, but seriously? 68 dollars for a scarf? A COTTON scarf? That my husband would most likely shrink in the wash? Grandma eyes the costume jewelry suspiciously and whispers to me, “This looks cheap.”

2:15
Back at the gate. OK! We should be boarding soon. No use taking that book out of my bag.

2:16
“Folks…. Uhh. It doesn’t look good. We have been given the word from Master Control that we aren’t cleared for take off until 6pm.”

2:17
I reach into my bag for said book.

3:45
After what seems like hours of sitting there reading, I ask Grandma is she hungry? She lowers her reading glasses and says what the hell! We’re not doing anything else right? I offer to take a look at the eating options and come back with a full report. She agrees that’s easiest.

3:46
I take the opportunity to call Dave and find out what he’s doing. He tells me he’s having a beer hanging out in the sunshine, cat is taking a nap, and he might do the same later. I am jealous and immediately regret calling him.

4:08
I plop down beside Grandma with a handful of menus, some very obviously NOT take-out menus. She eyes me over the stack, How did you get these? I stole them, I say. She laughs a humongous hearty laugh. Several people turn around to look.

4:10
We decide we want southwest eggrolls from Chili’s. Just then the little man who lives in the loudspeaker tells us our departure time has moved up to 5:30! Hooray! I hightail it back to Chili’s to get some food to-go.

4:40
We scarf down food. I am afraid Grandma will choke. I tell her she better be careful, I am not about to give her mouth to mouth if she chokes. She laughs and almost chokes for real.

5:00
ALL PRE-BOARDS CAN BOARD NOW. Don’t mind if we do!

5:15
WOO HOO! We’re on the plane!

5:25
Woo hoo! Everyone else is on the plane!

5:30
Hmm. Wonder why the door is still open?

5:40
This can not be good. The door is still open.

5:45
“UHH Folks, this your Captain. I guess you’ve heard… we will try to take off as soon as we can.” We all look around at each other – what is he talking about? I call my mom, False alarm, we are still on the ground, what does the website say? She looks it up and tells me we now have a 6:55 departure time.

5:46
Pick jaw up off floor.

6:30
They finally close the door and we start to taxi.

7-ish
Up in the air and on our way. I don't remember the exact time - Its hard to see your watch through tears of joy.

9:15
After an uneventful flight, we arrive over NJ, pilot informs us this will be a VERY bumpy landing into Newark. Please buckle up.

9:25
It is really bumpy. I mean REALLY bumpy! I am getting slightly nauseous. My stomach keeps dropping out because it literally feels like we're falling. A big wind gust pushes us sideways and a lady in front of us screams a blood curling scream. The cabin lights all go on. The 20 year old stewardess starts to freak out and starts yelling from her little backwards seat in the front "HEAD BETWEEN YOUR KNEES!! HEADS BETWEEN YOUR KNEES!!!!!" I am in shock and think omg is this it? Am I gonna die in a plane crash on a flight that I volunteered for? Grandma looks at me and says "What is she saying?" I say nothing. Just relax and keep reading your book.

9:30
Somehow we land. Everyone applauds. I say a quick prayer that this was not the end. Hey look at that? Not too too late for the party!!

9:45
Meet uncle at baggage claim. HI!! He loads up Grandma and I wave. Goodbye!! I load up into the car service that's been waiting for me and I call my cousin - I'm on my way Woohoo!

10:50
Car service is lost. These streets are all blocked off because they are flooded from the weather... I offer from the back seat to call my cousin to get alt. directions, he declines, "The GPS will eventually pick us up and help us... its just so dang cloudy." sigh. this day will not end.

11pm
Get to my cousin's house. She answers the door in her PJ's. I have missed the entire thing. Everyone is gone, or passed out. Dang!! She gives me a beer and some leftover food. We sit in the living room for a little chat before we call it a night. Her brother is passed out on the couch.

11:14
Suddenly he sits up. She says Are you OK? He nods and lays back down. We go back to gabbing.

11:15
He shoots upright again. She says Hey, if your gonna puke you gotta go to the--BLUUURRRGGGG!!!!!!! he barfs all over the rug. We run screaming into the kitchen for paper towels and a pail. HOLY SCHNIKIES I CAN NOT CATCH A BREAK.

11:32
He finally is awake after all the commotion, looks up at me from the couch, where he is holding his bucket-o-vomit and says "Hey! How was the flight?"

12:00 am
Lay down in guest bedroom, cousin promises to make me coffee and a fritatta in the morning. All I can think of is - I volunteered for this.

All was not lost. Sunday was nice. We had a lovely breakfast and I did get a few quality hours in with the relatives. It was just so incredibly short. By the time we cleaned up the table I had to get back on the road so I could catch my flight home....... which was... you guessed it.... delayed. But only by an hour and a half.

Peanuts!

The Maine Attraction

2010-03-19T14:36:00.051-04:00

(Three posts in one day! Man, are you lucky!)

Last year we took our summer vacation/wedding anniversary trip to Maine.

Now don't get me wrong, you know I love a good beach vacation where the only thing on the agenda is 1. Get a fruity drink and 2. Get another fruity drink. But in an effort to give the old wallet a break (those fruity drinks are EX-PEEEN-SIVE yo!) we decided to look for a vacation on U.S. soil. The criteria was simple - someplace we've never been, and someplace where we can relax. That's where our good friend Batman comes in. (His name is actually Dan, but at a party once he was labeled Batman, and well, wouldn't you hang onto that baby too?)

Batman offered up his mom's cabin on Penobscot Bay (near Bucksport) in Maine - at a VERY discount price. The only catch was we would have to stay the first week of the season and "open up" the cabin. Uhh Yes please! We also realized this fit all of our criteria and more:

We have never been to Maine........ check!

It's very relaxing........... check!

AND....... it was our 5th anniversary which is the wood anniversary. Well, we were going TO the woods.... Does that count? I think so.

So off we went. We spent a week there and it was everything I thought Maine would be and more. Just gorgeous scenery (minus the black flies - yuck!) and all the lobster you can eat. I felt so relaxed I think I cried a little on the flight home. I don't remember. I blocked it out. Anyway the little towns and house styles up there had us pining away for a little cabin somewhere. Either that.... or maybe we could add a front porch to our little brick ranch house? Hmmm... it definitely got our wheels and had me craving some rustic Americana accents in our own humble abode..

Photo Finish?

2010-03-19T14:26:00.008-04:00

So one of the reasons I've been procrastinating writing more posts (AHEMMM! Shut it!) is the fact that our computer started to crap out last year - taking all of our precious before and after house photos with it. I know! Sad! I still can not get over it. :(

We did not have any sort of good back up system... so we've been in this sort of purgatory state where we try to boot it up... it crashes, or never boots as all... sometimes we get the blue screen of death... and then Dave gets a little misty eyed... and then I yell out some obscenities and declare I NEVER LIKED YOU ANYWAY AND YOUR MOMMA IS UGLY! (and then I may or may not stick my tongue out)

But luckily - luckily guys! - I have some photos stored on my work laptop, just from saving them to get them from here to there or whatnot. So if there are some missing stages of projects - you'll have to forgive me - the computer ate my homework.

Spring has Sprung!

2010-03-19T10:58:00.012-04:00

Ahh yes. Breathe in with me won't you? SSSSSNNNNNNNNIIIFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!
I can smell spring! I can I can! Seriously! It smells like a light dew mixed with fresh mulch mixed with chicken cutlets.

What! I'm a little hungry today....

Ok so you can't smell the cutlets, but seriously I know we're finally coming to the end of "winter" here in FL because some of the bushes are growing again, and I even spy a few flowers peeking through! I love this time of year. It gets to be the perfect temperature here in Jacksonville, there are no major holidays to plan around, we start dreaming of house projects we can accomplish over the summer this year, and football season is no where in site to ruin my plans! ha ha! I know that last one just kills Dave. But seriously, have you ever tried to get your husband to accomplish something in October? If you're nodding your head, then you've probably had this conversation before too:

So can we paint that wall/sand that floor/pull those weeds/etc today?
Uhh.... well the Jags are playing at 1.
Ok, how about after that?
Well it'll be too dark/too chilly/I'll be too tired.
Alrighty. How about tomorrow?
Oh well the BLANK team is playing.
You don't even like the BLANK!
Yes, but their win/loss totally will influence how the Jags play next week.
(Sigh)

Anyway - no time to dwell - I'm off to write up a to-do list. I decided I am going to follow along with Apartment Therapy's Spring Cure. Unofficially. Cuz, you know I'm a slacker. And I don't need people yelling at me when I fall behind. I'll be snapping photos of my to-do list and I'll (try to) post every Friday about progress I'm making.

In the meantime, on the other week days I'll be catching you up on projects that have been happening since we last spoke. Don't you love how time flies in Blogland? One minute I'm talking about New Years Resolutions... the next Spring cleaning. That's how we roll at the House of Wax. ;) Just call me the time traveler's wife.

A quarter past a freckle.

2009-12-03T10:01:00.016-05:00

So in keeping with with ENJOY LIFE theme of 2010... I decided to send my watch on a vacation.

I wear a watch that Dave gave me before we were married. Its a Fossil, silver, square face, mother of pearl looking background, non digital watch. The year he gave it to me I had actually asked for a totally different watch - a round faced thing that had red and yellow stripes in the background. I even put it on hold at the store. But when he showed up, he immediately said No that thing is hideous and proceeded to buy me a better one that matches everything I wear. And he was right. I love (read = hate) the fact that sometimes he knows me better than I do.

So I've worn this on my right wrist for over 6 years. And I'm right handed. And before you get all bijiggity up in my face YES I know that's totally weird and "wrong" and I should be wearing it on my left wrist but I started wearing watches on my right hand before anyone told me there was this sort of unwritten rule so its too late and I'm too old now to change and I guess all my watches are just doomed to a life of scrapes and scratches.

ANYWAY... My watch is in pretty bad shape. So rather than get a new one, I called Fossil and they told me I could send it back and they would replace the crystal, band, etc., essentially rebuilding my watch for a mere 27 BUCKS, which includes shipping and handling. Seriously? SOLD! So I sent it back on Dec 1. The only catch is...... I will be without a watch....... for 4 to 6 weeks.

SIX WEEKS.

You can guess how many times I've looked at my naked wrist in the past 3 days and then said "Oh yeah...." aloud.

In keeping with the resolution - I am trying to enjoy NOT having a watch to look at, not being on a schedule, not having to know how late I am for that morning meeting. Just trying to go with the flow.

OH YES THIS IS VERY ENJOYABLE. COME JOIN ME IN HAPPYTOWN WON'T YOU?

Old Year Resolutions

2009-12-02T09:11:00.017-05:00

If you know me at all, then you know every year I make the same lame resolutions on New Years Day and then make no attempt at keeping them throughout the year, culminating on Christmas Eve where I sit around bummed that I never A.) did enough sit ups to get Britney Spears like six pack abs or B.) refinished the wood floors by myself. (OR some times there's a C - finding a company that will pay me to wear my pajamas and taste test chocolate truffles and bottles of wine.)

You might say I have no willpower, or maybe these goals are completely irrational and unattainable. I'm going with the theory that no one can make a rational decision about the year ahead when they are nursing a hangover. That's why I am making my New Years Resolutions today, December 2nd, a regular old Wednesday. I figure maybe if I put these out there BEFORE the massive chaos of the holidays is upon us, then maybe I'll have the off chance of completing some of them.

A girl can dream, can't she?

So this year I am just making one resolution:

ENJOY LIFE.

I know. Sounds cheesy. (Ooo - even THAT apology sounds cheesy.) But really Dave and I feel..... in a rut. In all aspects of life. The years are flying by and it seems like the same old thing over and over and over and over and over and over... We need a change. PLUS, I maybe, have a habit, of, liking a routine to the point where it can kill someone of boredom. I think the nice way to put it is "she's a homebody." But Dave probably explains it as, "If she doesn't get to put her shoes away in the exact same location at the exact same time of night her head will explode."

So for 2010 things are changing. I am going to try and take time to do the things that I want to do, not what I have to do. I am going to make time for me. I am going to tell everyone important to me that I love them. And I am going to try to appreciate the things in life that we have - and not worry about what we don't have.

Here's to 2010!!!

Oh my god its almost November.

2009-10-27T11:33:00.006-04:00

Yes. That was the title of this post. When I wrote it. IN OCTOBER. Then I saved the draft with every intention of going back to proof it the next day. But apparently it took me oh, say, another 6 weeks to even log back onto blogger. So I just deleted the entire thing.

We'll start fresh tomorrow.

So.

How have YOU been lately?

Such a SOD story...

2009-07-15T10:57:00.022-04:00

So after the tilling, raking and ..uhh... one water line repair job later... it was finally time for the sod. YAY SOD! I don't know if we were completely ready. Seems like there was always more stuff to rake up. But we felt like we got the bulk of it done and bagged, and quite literally our arms were about to give out after 2 weeks of this, so we broke down and called out yard guy Sam to come bring us some nice new grass.

This is what it looked like when I left in the morning...

And this is what it looked like when I came home from work!

I heart yard maintenance people.

That last day of raking was COMPLETE TORTURE.

Of course by now you guys are probably well aware that Dave and I base our relationship on a mutual love of procrastination (among other things; like chicken cutlets, Seinfeld re-runs, and booze. You know, the important things in life.) It's not like we did NO raking for 2 weeks. We actually raked every night after working 9-10 hours in an office building. But it was more like: rake rake rake, I'm tired, let's stop and go watch TV!!

But that last day we were left with much more than we thought we had to do and it went something like this:

Rake rake rake gee it's getting dark out here, rake rake rake these bugs are eating my face, rake rake rake I can't see anything oh there's the street light coming on that's helpful!

Yes.

We were literally those crazy neighbors out in the yard until 10 PM. I am not joking. BUT it's all in the past and it looks like a million bucks!

The Yard, Part 2

2009-07-10T11:04:00.022-04:00

So after all the tilling came all the raking.

And then the raking.

And of course, don't forget about... the... raking.

That's because we had SO MANY weeds that you had to get them out of that dirt otherwise we'd be back to square one and we don't want that do we? (Noooooooo!) I researched extensively about the best way to prep the yard for the sod and I am aware that some people actually leave all those dead roots and weeds in there and plop the sod down on top because of the theory that the sod "chokes out" the weeds. To these people who are writing these articles online, may I ask you, have you EVER been to FLORIDA??? There is no WAY this theory holds any merit down here. We have killer amazon type weeds that will eat your house alive if you let them.

So we had to rake *every *single* piece of crap out of the yard. Yes it it just as tedious as it sounds.

When we were in that fantastic planning phase, where you talk about what you're about to tackle and nothing has actually gone wrong yet, we told a few neighbors of this ambitious plan to till and rake and sod the yard ourselves. I swear I saw them flinch as we told them this plan. Maybe they knew of the misery that lied ahead for us? but we seemed to determined to try and stop? I'm just guessing here. Either way, just had already jumped in the pool, now we were left to swim in it.

So here's the progress we made in two weeks:
NON RAKED......

RAKED.

Can't you tell the difference? Oh yeah. It was a fun 2 weeks.

And side note - only 12 extra strength Aleve's and a glass of whiskey will help the soreness that settles into your back after 2 weeks of raking.

The Yard, Part 1

2009-07-02T14:52:00.026-04:00

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but Dave and I were GUNG HO on getting the yard into better shape this year. If you've talked to me in the past 6 months, I KNOW I've made this claim to you; to which you probably rolled your eyes mentally and thought yeah right!!! Who are those two kidding??

Well we finally tilled, raked, and successfully put sod down in the front.

BOOH YAH SUCKA.

We got the urge to till on the hottest day on record for Jacksonville (of course). I think it felt like 115 in the sun. I'm not even kidding. We found this great store down San Jose called "Do It Yourself" and they have every tool you could possibly want and or need for rent. We rented the most powerful tiller they had. As Tim the Tool Man Taylor would say, RAR RAR RAR RRAR RAARRR!!!

It was going pretty smooth until CRUNCH what the heck? UH OH we hit the main water line to the house. Luckily we live in a real neighborhood with actual neighbors who know a thing or two about lawn maintenance. (Who knew these places existed?) You've never seen a quicker bunch of men come to Dave's rescue. Our neighbor Richard kicked off his shoes and jumped into the mud to try and turn off the water at the street and neighbor Alan ran over with a new PVC pipe he had just laying around in his garage.

It doesn't look like much of a fiasco - but it was - trust me. There I was in the house, I look out the window and one minute, Dave is tilling away, and the next it's like Old Faithful in my front yard. Dave was digging frantically at the base of the spout, looking for the pipe. I stuck my head outside and no sooner could I say "Do you want me to call..." before Dave belted out "YES!!!" I didn't even know who I was supposed to call? Anyhoo the JEA truck pulled up just as said neighbor Richard found the off switch. Of course.

So after a LOOOOOOOONG day of tilling in the record setting heat, the yard finally went from looking like this....

To looking like this!

It doesn't look like much, but at least the weeds were turned over. Not bad for a $40 tool rental, a few gallons of water lost and an impromptu man party in the front yard. AND we can say we've got another skill under our belts.

Uhh... the dog ate my homework?

2009-07-02T14:38:00.007-04:00

Ok so it's been awhile. What can I say? Sometimes when you're knee deep in a project you need BOTH hands to get it done. (Leaving no hands available to shoot pictures and type up an article. IF ONLY my parents had lived on a nuclear waste dump! Maybe I'd have that third arm! Damn them!)

BUT! We 've got lots of typical Wax shenanigans to share with you so fret not, my pretty. Stay tuned for lots of upcoming informational blogs which may or may not be about any or all of the following...

How NOT to Till up a Yard.
(and it's follow up article; How to Fix your Main Water Line After You've Run Over it.)

What your arms will feel like after 12 straight days of raking and what combination of pills will ease the pain.

Where Black Flies live in June and how you can book a Vacation there!

and of course....

Gardening while Drunk - Pros and Cons

I know. You're anxious to get started reading. BUT I've got a LOT of editing to do. (And just maybe I've got fireworks on the brain?)

(Hmm..... Or Margaritas... )

I'll be posting again starting Monday.
Have a great holiday everyone! We've missed you!

Rain Dance

2009-05-15T09:11:00.010-04:00

It's been very VERY dry here. So the yard is almost completely dead. And actually that's a good thing! We need the old spotty grass to die so we can till and re-sod. The bushes, on the other hand, are doing amazingly well for having no water.... Isn't it amazing how one plant can die and the other can thrive under the same stressful conditions?

This weekend it's back to work on the yard. For the past two weekends we've been out of town. First for the Godson's 1st birthday party in Tampa, then to Mississippi for a memorial service for Dave's aunt. And then of course in between flying, driving, or sitting in an airport waiting, we've been working our tails off at work due to the infamous Players Championship here in town. (What?? You didn't follow Sergio's quest to contend? FOR SHAME...)

We've decided to hold off on painting the house until we can get the yard under control. I think this will help with the stress level around the house (and the cash level.) It's really REEEEEALLLY hard not to get into 10 thousand projects at once. We are the king (and queen, I'll admit it.) of unfinished projects.

But I am determined to have a nice yard this year. I want to enjoy driving up to house after work. I want to pull in the driveway and feast my eyes on green green grass (with no dollar weed) blooming flowers and think "I live here - It's so pretty!" instead of "Hmmmm... I guess that plant died. Well, that's a new type of weed I've never - wait who threw a candy bar wrapper on my doorstep? What the-?"

Yup. It's a pipe dream. I know.

So we meet again, eh?

2009-05-07T11:32:00.005-04:00

Of course, RIGHT after I blogged about not getting an estimate from the Referral guy............ HE CALLED! And of course his bid was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay high. Double the highest bid I've gotten so far. (That's $6,000 if you're keeping score.)

Ahh... I love a story filled with irony.

So I told him he was double my other bids, and even if I could afford him, I wouldn't use him just for the sole fact that it took him a month to even call me back; why would I ever fork over thousands of dollars to him?

(What? And you thought I was going to politely say "No thanks" and hang up?)

(Uhh Hello, have we met?)

He may or may not have uttered some expletives at me... and then may or may not have hung up on me.

Your guess is as good as mine.

2009-05-05T14:28:00.040-04:00

Besides the yard, another humongous project we're trying to tackle is getting the house painted this summer. I know some of you are screaming at your computer screen, "WHAT?!? You mean you don't love this pinky brownish skin color??? It's so lovely!!"

Uh, NO.

(Wait, you really like it?... oh wow....umm... This is awkward. Soooo... How about that local team/the weather?)

Actually the paint is in REALLY bad shape. It's flaking off in numerous spots (read = 95% of the house) and is revealing an even pinkier pink underneath! It's like the alien trying to break through that guys stomach in that movie...

So it needs to be repainted in a bad way. And while we're breaking out the brushes, I figured it was time for a new color. You know, put our stamp on it - make it more modern like we're been trying to do inside the house. I got three bids from local painters...

#1 The Referral guy.
This guy is a contractor by trade, but a neighbor 1 street over gave me his name. He painted their house, and it's similar in size, shape, and texture (stucco/brick) so I felt pretty confident that the bid might be the same price. But I have yet to receive it. Yeah, I know. Strange since I keep hearing all these stories about how people who do house construction are dying for work. I guess not so with this dude. He came out, spent about an hour taking measurements, writing stuff down asking my house what it's symptoms are (joking! I think?) and walked around it like 4 times. He then told me he'd have to go calculate the paint and labor and he'd get back to me in a week. That was 2 months ago.

#2 The Open the Phonebook and Point guy.
Just like it sounds, I picked a name out of the phone book at random. I had the Painting Pros come out for an estimate. They are pretty generic franchise that I think is in every city in America. Just like a Firehouse Subs or a Mr. Sandless, you can buy into the franchise and they will help start it up in your city. They looked pretty reputable online too. And I liked the fact they were nice on the phone, right on time for the appointment, and the guy smiled and said thanks when he left. (Courtesy goes a LONG way with me.) He was only here 15 minutes, plugged all the numbers into his computer, spit out an estimate on his portable printer and viola! $3,000 and they could start next week.

(Points awarded for attitude, but YOWZA! Three grand? I'll have to raise some more funds.)

(BTW still no estimate from #1. Called his cell about 502 times.)

#3 The Historic House Painter who Loves his Job guy.
Last estimate came as a referral from another friend. This guy paints all the historic houses in Springfield - a section of downtown Jacksonville. He mainly works on these old two-story houses from the 1800's that are being renovated and updated. Springfield used to be a pretty sketchy part of town but several blocks have been renovated by young couples since they can afford the cheap mortgages and don't mind living in drywall dust.
This painter was very nice, and I liked him alot but I am a little skeptical. For one thing, he took a look at the front, scratched his beard and said "Mmmm, $2,500?" Just like that. Like it was a question. I was tempted to say. "Nope. Try again." The other thing that kind of worries me is the fact that he doesn't work on stucco houses. The houses he paints are all restored wood shingles. I'm sure it's not that different... but what if there's something really wrong with the stucco and he doesn't know how to spot it? I'm probably being paranoid.
Bottom line he was a NICE guy - price is certainly better - and he LOVES painting houses. Can't beat a person who loves their job. You know you are going to get 110% of effort.

(BTW Still no estimate from #1. I called him 4 more times - got the secretary once, she claimed he would call back. He did - only it was the house phone while I was at work. Oldest trick in the book dude, do you think I was born yesterday?)

So there you have it. We have yet to get started... One of the things you must MUST do before you paint is cut all the shrubbery back so the people can get in there and paint. Plus I have to decide on a color... Any suggestions?

Make like a tree and get outta here.

2009-05-05T13:41:00.026-04:00

So one of the perks of having a dead tree on a city street is the fact that the city will come and cut it down and haul it away for FREE. This fact can be evidenced by our neighbors who had a huge (HUGE) water oak tree taken down a few months ago. Too bad our dead water oak was in the back of the house... making it impossible to convince the city to pay for it. Damn.
Here's what our view of the street from our driveway looked like with that dead oak... (I have to say, even though it was dead, it sure was purdy.)

And here's what it looks like now. TOTALLY changes the street, no?

We're still getting used to all the sun we now get. It's almost too hot to stand out in the street and gossip. Hmmm....

Anyhoodle. We had tree issues of our own this past month. A huge windstorm blew through town and the gusts actually ended up damaging a tree in our backyard. Our weird looking tree in the right corner had a branch that split in half. Not just a piddly little small branch... Oh no. That would have been too easy. One of the main branches that all the piddly little branches grow out of. Yeah that one. THAT one split in half.

It must have happened when we were at work because I came home one day and thought, "Huh. That looks funny... What's different about that---NOOOO!"

See what I mean? Kinda looks normal at first, but then you notice the left side seems to be growing down towards the grass. Yeah. ALL those little branches - GONE! because that one split was at the base of them all. Sucks. And of course we have no chainsaw (it's like the one tool we've yet to buy) so Dave got up in that tree with a hand saw and got rid of it all.

Crazy? Yes quite possibly. BUT at least he was wearing sneakers and not flip flops - or worse, barefoot. If you know Dave - you know that's a big improvement. The man is determined to lose an appendage. I'm pretty sure OSHA has his picture up on the "WHAT NOT TO DO" side of the poster that they hang in construction sites.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary...

2009-04-07T14:43:00.009-04:00

While the yard in the back of the house is slightly neglected... (slightly? Hmm... maybe more than slightly....) There is one section that's growing nicely. Our vegetable garden! We transplanted the pots into the ground a few weeks ago and we're finally seeing some results. The herbs are doing well, with the exception of the cilantro. I let it grow waaaaay too big apparently. But I cut it down to the roots and we'll see if it does any better. I had no idea you were supposed to cut cilantro back weekly. Did you?

Oh and uh... the garden sort of looks like a shallow grave... whatever..

Anyhoo! We actually have a teeny tiny tomato, and two very VERY small blackberries.

Grow baby GROW!

Git R done...

2009-04-07T10:42:00.037-04:00

The yard demo is WELL underway. Dave is a ripping-up-digging-out-cut-it-back fiend!!

(Insert deep man cackle here.)

We took out the box hedges in the front, and all the dead or dying plans that were in those flower beds. We only left one lily plant - make that one HUGE lily plant - in the front right corner. I think it anchors the yard nicely.... and it was the only one left that blooms beautiful flowers. So we thought, leave well enough alone! It can greet our guests that pull in the driveway. I think losing those hedges really opens up the yard, where as before they sort of cut off the yard from the rest of the house.

Here is a shot of what it looked like when we moved in. LOTS of small bushes. I'm getting the arm shakes just thinking about all that hedge trimming...

Here's a shot mid-rip. But you can see what we attempted in trying to maintain the garden. It still wasn't really working...

So out it goes!!! Post destruction photo below. The plan now is to till and sod the yard so we can get some green grass that's nice and easy to mow.

Of course this process took Dave about 2 weeks, on and off. Most of the plants he was able to dig out with a shovel, but 4 of them required some horsepower in addition to Dave power. That's right. He drove his truck up onto the yard and hooked a chain to the bush, the other end to his bumper and then gunned it.

(I assure you, we are the reddest people on our block.)

Too bad I didn't get a picture, but you can imagine, I'm sure. It wasn't pretty, and lots of people came out of their houses to stare, but the gardens are now gone!

We put the debris on the curb and it was gone before the sun even set. So I guess maybe some of those people staring were actually window shopping?? I have a feeling my box hedges will be migrating down the street this spring.

The only contribution I had was attacking the mammoth azaleas that sit in front of the windows. They are WAY too big and were starting to get very leggy (is that the right word?) at the bottom. So I started to whack them way back, but I ran out of arm muscle after only a few minutes. So the front of the house now looks like a "before and after" picture. Great for the blog! Bad in real life... :( Ehh. I'll get to it eventually.

BEFORE (waaay before, but a before nonetheless. Note the Christmas wreath on the door)

and AFTER.

And the half finished bushes. I'll get to it, I'll get to it! Geez!

Everything I own is broken.

2009-03-31T10:59:00.010-04:00

When it rains it pours.

This weekend started off great... and got increasingly worse. First - the good news. We got a TON of things accomplished that we needed to. I dropped off the 4 bags of clothing that have been taking up my guest room at the church for their Thrift Store, Eve's closet. Then I went shopping and got massive amounts of things that have been on my misc to-buy list for oh... about a year! Things like curtains for the kitchen, shams for our bed, CFL light bulbs, new tablecloth, etc. And then I did a massive cleaning of the house. While I was doing all that, Dave went to softball and they actually won their first game of the season! (GO FCN!) When he came home, he ripped up the entire front flower bed and part of the side bed. (GO DAVE!!) We've been talking about that for oh.... about a year, and I can not even begin to tell you how much better it's looking. (Pictures and a separate blog to follow!)

BUT that's when things started to go downhill.

Dave injured both feet while digging up the bushes (of course) thus making him a cripple and *almost* completely useless on Sunday. And then the cat got sick Sunday night and we ended up spending hours in the emergency animal clinic. To make a long story short, he has a bladder infection, which they gave us antibiotics for, and in the process found out he is diabetic. We been back to the vet every day so they can check his sugar level and we will have to learn how to give him insulin shots.

Finally last night we were all home, all 3 of us... two of us laid up on the couch, 1 of us still functioning and picking up after the other 2 (I'll let you guess who that was) But about 4 am Dave and I woke up to what sounded like a very large animal trying to dig it's way through the wall or ceiling or floor - I couldn't tell due to the lack of sleep and abrupt awakening.

Great.

So to sum up.... the husband is broken, the cat is broken, and some *thing* is trying to break the house. Just about everything I own is broken.

Well.... the car got me to work just fine so I guess that's not broken.

(Unless I just jinxed myself)

Getting there...

2009-03-26T09:37:00.003-04:00

Slow but steady, right? That's what my momma always..... Ehh. Who am I kidding? I'm lazy as the day is long. I still have the bathroom half finished.

In other news - the potted vegetable garden has been moved to the ground and is growing like crazy! (pictures to come) We just got back from a lovely trip to Mississippi to see the relatives, so we are still getting caught up on household chores too.

I think our next huge project will be the yard. I can not even FATHOM another summer of weeding and spraying and cutting and trimming. ACK. So Dave and I decided to rip up all the flower beds and small bushes, till the ground, and either lay seed or sod. The goal is to be able to mow 95% of the yard. Most of these flower beds have not produced any actual flowers in about 2 years (since we moved in) that is, if you don't count the dandelions and flowering weeds. So hopefully we can get that project going this weekend. Dave will need to rip the box hedges out with his truck... stay tuned for those pictures!!

Happy Friday!!! :)

2009-03-13T10:31:00.007-04:00

I AM SO HAPPY IT'S FRIDAY! YAY!!!!!!

It's been one of those weeks at work... Hell, it's been one of those MONTHS... and a day off could not come at a better time. I feel like I've been running around like a crazy person for the past month, trying to make progress on the house, trying to make progress at work, running back and forth to my parents house to see my 89 year old grandma who was visiting for a few weeks, and of course the constant (constant!) cleaning up after the husband and cat. I am DEAD I tell ya. I know this because I had a complete meltdown last night and then woke up this morning thinking "Why in god's name did I pick a fight with Dave over BLANK?" (It doesn't even matter what the heck it was. It's usually something totally ridiculous like the dishwasher or leaving the shoes all over the house, etc.) Poor Dave. I really put him through the ringer.

BUT! Today is a new day... It's Friday... I'm on my 3rd cup of joe... I feel great... I am staying positive... and I am *penciling in some me time* this weekend. I've got 3 new decorating/design magazines and a new bottle of melon/mint/sugar scrub for the shower (smell so good!) and a pedicure gift certificate I have yet to cash in. I am taking a break this weekend!

Now Dave on the other hand... I have a honey-do list a mile long... seeing as how I added all of mine onto his ;)

3 Down... 827 Other things to go...

2009-03-12T10:26:00.015-04:00

Three more things checked off the list this week.

1.) Painting....... DONE. I chose "Dolphin Fin" by Behr. It's dark enough that you know there's a color on the wall, but light enough to be considered a neutral. And it blends with that "marble" top on the counter. It is SUCH a dramatically different feeling than that old wallpaper had. (Clearly!) I should also note that I decided to paint the ceiling the same color. I am so glad we did. It saved us oodles of time because we used the same roller and paint brush for everything. Just kept rolling up the wall and right over our heads!

2.) Vanity cabinet...... DONE (for now.) As previously mentioned we flipped it (so it was easier to open) chopped off the scroll top, and painted it. I also decided to spray paint the inside a nice clean white and Presto change-o! Much cleaner looking!! Sorry I do not have a before picture of the inside, I just got so excited about spray painting. (I have a problem. Maybe I was a graffiti artist in a past life??) But trust me, it was a gross old dated beige color that just looked dirty even though it wasn't. Eventually I'd like to get a new one all together (or maybe some open shelving??) but for now this will do.

3.) New light....... CHECK. It's actually a Delta bathroom light we found at Lowes. I love love love it. It reminds me of the ones in the Pottery Barn catalogue. Dave was a little worried about it being only 3 light bulbs... but really, I look better in mood lighting.

Now... onto the cabinet, the new pulls, and a new shower curtain. And maybe a big piece of abstract artwork for the wall... hmm.... Oh and I apologize that the pictures are so dark looking. I (of course) didn't actually have any extra light bulbs to put into the new light. It's on the shopping list for this weekend!!

Pump it up.

2009-03-04T09:48:00.007-05:00

So our dude did in fact show up at 8 AM yesterday, and took a look at our heater.

Side note... Dave said he actually liked the guy when he met him. So maybe he was having a bad day and just forgot he had an appointment with us on Friday...... and then tried to lie his way out of it...... and sometimes hears music when there is none playing...... ANYHOO who am I to judge?

So there is nothing wrong with our heater (of course) But we found out we actually have a heat pump, which is different than a furnace. It sort of works like a backwards air conditioner, making the air from the outside hot, unlike a furnace that uses electric or gas powered heat. "The dude," as I'm now referring to him, told us it works really well in mild temperatures, but when it gets too cold, like below 50, it works overtime trying to get any heat out of that really cold air, and thus blowing cold air into the house like crazy trying to get the temperature up. It can be very energy efficient - in MILD climates.

Too bad we live in North Florida, where it gets down into the 30's in the winter... and roughly 110 degrees every day in the summer.

Eat your veggies!!!

2009-02-27T15:18:00.012-05:00

We've got another fun little side project going... but it's not going on inside the house - rather the outside... err... on the deck to be exact! We started a small vegetable and herb garden. It's only been about a week, but it's doing quite nicely!

It started with a few potted herbs that my Aunt Marie gave me for Christmas. They were doing very well and we were reaping the benefits on a weekly basis (AKA cooking with them) Then my dad gave us a few small vegetable seedlings from his garden and it sort of snowballed from there. All we had to buy was 2 bags of organic soil for vegetables; we used these flower pots I've had laying around the yard for a year; and VOILA! Instant garden!

Here's what we've got cookin (pun intended):
Cilantro
Oregano
Rosemary
Lettuce
Tomato
Bell Peppers
And a Blackberry plant! (ok, we did buy this one but we couldn't resist! we eat them by the bushel.)

YUM! When's dinner?

The hits just keep on coming...

2009-02-27T09:32:00.042-05:00

AHS never ceases to disappoint.

True to their history, they have picked a STELLAR repair man to come fix our heater. As you may remember we had an appointment for 8:00 this morning. (If you don't, that's ok. Just scroll down and take a look at the post and try to contain your laughter.) I went off to work, Dave was going to wait for the guy and go in late to work. About 9:30 I get a call from Dave. The repairman called at 8:15 and said we were "next on the list." (Hmmm... Didn't this guy say we were going to be the first appt of the day? And he might even be earlier than 8am???)

Dave told him to not bother, we'd reschedule. He then of course promptly called the Queen of Sarcasm so I could deal with this genius.
For your pleasure.... Phone conversation #2 with this guy:

Shady Repairman Guy: Hello?

Me: Hi. It's Kristen Wax. I guess I have to reschedule because you missed my appointment this morning.

SRG: Hold on, hold on. *Sounds of him walking somewhere -like down a tunnel. What the ??*

SRG: Ok. What's your name again?

Mind you it's only 9:30, and our appointment was for 8:00. How many appointments could he have missed THIS MORNING that he can't remember my name?? But I digress..

Me: Wax.

SRG: Oh yeah. I remember. Strange name. Ok. (Shuffle) Oh. (Shuffle shuffle) OH! I don't have your paperwork! OH! I guess I forgot it! Geez! Oh man!

Me: Ok, well, do you want me to call you when you're at the office, with the paperwork?

SRG: Oh I KNOW what happened! Your appointment was for NEXT Friday. That's why I don't have your paperwork. YOU got your dates mixed up.

Me: Uhh... No I didn't.

SRG: Yeah. I was talking about NEXT Friday.

Me: Then why did you call my husband at 8:15 today to say you were running late?

Pause

Me: (Very sarcastically) You were scheduled for today at 8am. Remember I called you on Tuesday of this week and I said either THIS Thursday or Friday? And YOU picked this Friday? And YOU told me I would be the FIRST appointment of the day. So how come you called my husband and told him we were NEXT on the list? Then that means I'm NOT first on your list. You lied to me.

SRG: I can be there in 10 minutes.

Me: It's too late. We're at work. Our appointment was at 8 AM.

SRG: Look I'm sorry! OK, so when do you want me out there?

Me: (in the most sarcastic tone ever) As SOON as possible, FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. I don't care if it's 5 am. I want to be first on your list. I live in Jacksonville and work in St. Augustine. I can't come home in the middle of the day.

SRG: How about Monday at 8 AM?

Me: Fine.

SRG: Ok. Goodbye -

Me: WAIT! Don't you even want to know what's wrong with it???

SRG: I know what's wrong. It's not working.

So, I guess I am going shopping for an electric blanket this weekend because my heater is obviously never going to get fixed.

My mind is in the crapper.

2009-02-24T15:30:00.016-05:00

I can't stop thinking about bathroom colors!

Today I am daydreaming at work about shower curtains. Does this mean I have officially lost it? (On a random side note - How do you know when you've "officially" lost it? Do they send you a certificate with your name on it? But I digress...)

We finally finished priming the walls this past weekend. We opted for the oil based Killz, and while it killed a few brain cells the walls look ten thousand times better. We've still got to caulk some corners that... how you say... don't touch? Yes there are actual gaps in the corners of the room where the walls don't meet. We could have ripped them down and just started over from scratch BUT let's remember, we are trying to same money and keep this to a Trading Spaces-esque make-over. Stay the course STAY THE COURSE! I think we've come along way so far...

What a good coat of white paint will do for the senses! Ahh! So much easier on the eyes than that crazy Garden of Eden wallpaper. So I am still in my paint color hell, but I've also expanded the search to shower curtain hell. I've decided I hate that pink shower curtain. Bummer because I really did LOVE it almost 2 years ago when we moved in. Oh well! At least it was only $11 on sale at Bed Bath and Beyond. I'm thinking the new shower curtain should be something very grown up - maybe like a luxury hotel? Hmm....

Hot under the collar.

2009-02-24T09:13:00.037-05:00

So by now you're well versed in my epic battle with the home warranty company American Home Shield. Well I am clearly glutton for punishment because I called them to come fix our heater.

I know what you're thinking. Why WHY! would you do that after it took you 4 months to get them to fix the stove??? Yup. I know. I know. But an epic battle takes time, people! With lots of shocking plot twists no less! (Plus we still have 6 months left on this baby and I am all about getting my money's worth.)

The heater says it's on - but I'm not so sure since every fiber of my being is frozen to the core. Oh yeah, and because the vents are blowing cold air. That too.

So. I called Saturday went through the ridiculous automated questionnaire and logged my problem in the system. Then a *qualified* technician (read=cheapest they can find) is supposed to call you back and make an appointment. So of course, this guy called the house phone twice yesterday - even though I gave them my work phone number. AND might I add, this guy left the wrong call back number on my machine. I had to look him up in the phonebook to realize that he mixed up his own phone number. (Oh yeah. This guy is a pro.)

So today I called him at 9 AM. The conversation was too bizarre not to share:

Strange Mr. Fix It Guy: Hello?

Me: Hi, my name is Kristen Wax, I'm calling you back, you left a message on my machine yesterday, something is wrong with my heater....

SMFIG: HELLO??

Me: Uhh Yeah, Hi. I'm calling you back, you left me a message yesterday.....

SMFIG: HELLO? I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE MUSIC! WHO IS IT?

Me: *glancing around my empty, hence very quiet, office* Excuse me?

SMFIG: I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!

Me, overly shouting to make sure he can hear the sarcasm: YOU CALLED ME YESTERDAY - I'M CALLING YOU BACK. I DON'T KNOW WHAT MUSIC YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. THERE IS NO MUSIC.

SMFIG: Oh ok now I can hear you. Oh yeah. What's your name again?

Me: Kristen Wax.

SMFIG: Ok well I can't come today, I'm already out for the day.

(**NOTE - it's 9:03 am - does he mean he's gone for the day? or he's full for the day? I decide I don't care and push onward.)

Me: No that's fine - I'm actually at work and I'll be here all day so I'll need to make an appointment with you.

SMFIG: Ok, I'll be there tomorrow.

Me: Ok, what time?

SMFIG: I'll call you.

Me: No no no. I work - ALL DAY - I'll need a time when you are coming out so I make sure to be there.

SMFIG: Can't you just leave work?

Me: Uh NO I can't just leave at a moment's notice. I work 45 minutes from home. I need an appointment. Do you have something first thing in the morning? That's best for me.

SMFIG: How about Friday morning? First thing.

Me: Ok.

Pause

Pause

Pause

Me: Hello?

SMFIG: Yeah.

Pause

Me: Well? What time is "first thing?"

SMFIG: I'll be there at 8:00. Maybe earlier. I'll call you.

I thanked him (why, I don't know) hung up, and then realized he didn't ask for directions, what was wrong with the heater, or even get a cell phone number for me.

Oh yeah. This should be good.

Painter's block.

2009-02-17T11:03:00.004-05:00

Much like the writer's block that an author (or blogger?) can suffer from... I am now suffering from painter's block. I of course have no idea if this is a real affliction, but I am claiming it anyway. Not only am I still trying to come up with something to paint on a canvas for the dining room... I can not settle on just one color for the bathroom walls. I am having a hard time committing to a gray. Maybe it's because it so dreary looking on that little chip. I've looked at about a million and one "inspiration rooms" and I can see that spa-like bathrooms do have usually light colors - grays, cream, sage - but I just look at all these "muted" paint chips and they just seem so BORING to me. Maybe it's all that white tile staring me in the face too?

Anyway that's where I'm at. Block-ville. I'm hoping to catch the bus to Inspiration-ville soon.

In the meantime I cleaned out my closet and made a huge bag for Goodwill. Amazing I have so many clothes - and STILL choose to wear a t shirt and jeans whenever possible. I would have worn it to my wedding if they let me.

A little Vanity never hurt anybody...

2009-01-27T09:46:00.023-05:00

In the midst of the stripping nightmare that would not end, I had Dave take down two things that have been driving me cray since day one.
The first was the vanity light.

Now some people have argued with me over this thing. I've heard it's cute, fun, shabby chic, antique-ie, and lovely. But this thing.... this thing... was SO GROSS in person. Not only was it a dust collector, it was so freakin bright in the morning - I cringed every time we had to throw the switch. So I would agree, yes, it was shabby - but NO where near chic. Thankfully, it's now gone. And I get to shop for a new light. (yea!)

The other thing that drove me bonkers was the vanity cabinet. Not only was it very "country" looking, what with it's scrolly piece up top - it also opened the wrong way. That's right. It opened towards the mirror. So every morning you have to be careful not to smack yourself in the face when you are half asleep and trying to open it.

So that is gone too. I might shop for a new one eventually, but in the meantime Dave sawed off the scroll and will flip it when he installs it after we paint, so it will open the right way. It will at least buy us some time (and save us some money) in case I don't find anything I like. One thing we were curious about when we took out that vanity was the possibility of finding razor blades.

If you live in an old house you know what I am talking about!! If you don't, and you live in an old house - check this out and let me know what you find. **If you look in your bathroom vanity cabinet, there should be a little slit in the back. This is where they encouraged men to "dispose" of their razor blades after they went dull. Of course they don't actually go anywhere - they usually just pile up on a beam inside the wall. I know one of our neighbors found literally hundreds in their wall when they renovated their bathroom. Dave and I were really excited to find the same thing in ours... but alas... we had 1 lonely blade. Not too crusty either. Which makes me think that either the previous homeowner was smart enough to realize the ridiculous marketing schemes of the 40's... or maybe he just wore a really big beard.

Blank canvas.

2009-01-27T09:21:00.010-05:00

So here are some before and after pics of the bathroom (as promised!) after all the stripping, spackeling, and sanding. When I was taking these I realized - we pretty much have a blank canvas to work with, especially considering all the white tile too. It got me thinking... maybe I should rethink the gray color scheme? Maybe we should do a really crazy color on the walls??? Or a wild patterned shower curtain and towels??? Any suggestions? This could be fun...

Here it is de-country-fied. There's a yellow hue over everything because we took that hideous make-up light fixture out and now have to use the heat lamp bulbs as a light! (Not that I am complaining... it's been pretty chilly here lately!)

I'd forgotten about those shower doors... and those matching cutains!!! I can't even imagine where you'd find curtains that were the same pattern as the wallpaper.

So sue me.

2009-01-26T14:16:00.012-05:00

Well I forgot to bring in the camera to work so you'll just have to wait a little longer for the before and after pics.

But Dave spackled his little heart out this weekend so the walls are ready for a nice thick coat of primer. We are getting soooo close to picking a color!! (My favorite part!)

Even though I forgot the camera... I can show you the inspiration for the bathroom. Here's a picture from the Pottery Barn website...

Ok so right now my bathroom vanity looks NOTHING like this. But! Hear me out... The top of our vanity is a fake marble looking plastic (comparable to the real marble pictured here) and all of our tile is white - like the grogeous looking tile in this picture. Soooo.... I was thinking that if I paint the bottom of the vanity brown, and paint the walls a gray similar to this... I can achieve the same sort of spa-like effect. What do you think?

Dying a slow painful death...

2009-01-23T13:20:00.016-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate wallpaper?

(OK! ok! Stop shouting. I guess I have mentioned it once or twice....... Geez!)

Well then it should come as a shock to no one that I spent 4 (...or 5... or was it 6?) agonizing days stripping the wallpaper off of the master bathroom walls and (yes) the ceiling. If you'll be so kind as to let me lament for a minute.... I tell you it was the WORST stripping job I have ever done. In both senses of the word. As in, 1.) It was the hardest wallpaper in the entire house to get off and 2.) the walls are in the worst shape in all of the house. It was so freakin stuck on there I did gouge the walls in... umm.... several places. Dave will have quite the patch job. Much like in other places in the house, the walls are not plaster nor are they drywall - they are that weird shiny white board which we found in other wallpapered rooms. Odd. And when they get really wet they start to fall apart - making stripping wallpaper nearly impossible.

Mind you I said"nearly."

Of course I did prevail and the paper is officially OFF the walls and in the garbage can!! I then did a quick wash of all the walls and am awaiting Dave's plaster phase to be over before I can start the priming and painting. (Love you honey!! ;)
Here are some pictures from the process...

The walls came done easy enough... but when it came to the ceiling it was a different story. I have a hunch that it started to peel at one point in time and they decided to squirt some super glue in there to keep it adhered to the ceiling...

Which of course created lots of fun for me, future homeowner, 30 years later. I got to strip off teeny tiny pieces of paper, one at a time. See how fun?

Long time, No post!

2009-01-22T13:47:00.005-05:00

Ahhh..... How I've missed you, internets!

Yes it's been a long time. No I am not going to apologize.
(What can I say? We've been busy with LIFE. It happens.)

So what's been going on at the House of Wax? Oh a little of this.... a little of that. We had a great Christmas break. Dave had to work for most of it (unlike me who had almost 2 weeks off!!! Yeah that was nice) so we didn't travel this year. It was good and bad... we missed seeing all the fam, but honestly it was NICE to not have to pack anything and be able to sleep in our own bed on Christmas Eve! Santa was good to us... he left us a brand new Refrigerator for the kitchen and a fire pit for the deck. (Amazing he was able to fit all that in his sleigh ;)

I was FINALLY able to start the master bathroom project. I spent most of my vacation stripping wallpaper... and stripping wallpaper... and stripping wallpaper. (More on the exciting details of this project later.)

And last week Dave and I hopped a plane to Vegas to celebrate my downward spiral into old age. AKA my 30th birthday. It was exactly as I imagined, totally chaotic, exciting, fun, exhausting and slightly nauseating. Which I am guessing, is also how it was 30 years ago when my mom went into labor. Although there was probably less cigarette smoke in the hospital and no slot machines...

So expect some more blogs to follow... We've got a lot of ground to cover!
Happy New Year everyone!

Fa lalalala..... lala.... la..... LA!

2008-12-19T15:21:00.020-05:00

Dave is in heaven.

It's a little known fact that my beer loving, Simpson watching, butt scratching, manly man of a husband has a sweet spot for Christmas music.

Yup. That's right.

And I'm not talking about the updated versions of the classics (Like that awesome remake of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Barenaked Ladies? LOVE it!) No, Dave likes the really classic traditional renditions sung by people who are no longer alive (AKA the really SLOW ones!) It's true. As soon as we hit the day after Thanksgiving BAM! the radio was constantly set to 96.1 - Jacksonville's official Christmas music station. (I'm not sure how one applies for this title, nevertheless.....)

So here I am at work, humming Silent Night because it's been stuck in my head for days, while co-workers nervously glance sideways at me every few minutes.

What can I say! It's that time of year!

The house is decorated with all my mom's cast-offs... items she decided she no longer needed to decorate her beautiful house with. (Thanks for the really old threadbare garland circa 1975!) And this year I decided it's time to pass on these traditions. So I gave my sister a bag full of items I no longer needed (Kara! Look! Some really awesome garland circa 1975!)

What baffles me every year is the fact that Arnold still thinks that our Christmas tree is a real tree. Poor guy. He's easily fooled.

For example.... I may have told him this was a really cool hat. Although... I think he was onto me...

Santa's always watching...

2008-12-09T10:01:00.013-05:00

What is it about the holidays that makes people start to act... well... in a word... GRUMPY?

Is it because of the terrible traffic on the road that seems to spring out of nowhere? Or is it the shopping for presents for people who are impossible to shop for? Is it the incessant family time that your mother guilt's you into? Or maybe - my personal theory - we all just miss the hot humid weather of the summer because that's why we live in Florida, dammit, we like the heat.

Whatever it is it - everyone has got it. It's like a bad cold that seems to just keep going around. No one can shake it. Everyone I know is acting like a Scrooge.

Well.

I, for one, am going to have a great holiday season - even if it kills me.

This past weekend I made Dave drag the fake tree out of storage, put it together, and plug it in to infuse some holiday cheer into the house. Granted it's not decorated yet. (What? I'm a busy girl. Shopping for impossible people to shop for.) But still... it looks pretty when all the lights are lit. And I made D drag out the ladder and throw some lights on the outside of the house. He was profusely against this endeavor, afraid it would draw more attention to the peeling paint and overgrown shrubs in the front. My theory - It's still got peeling paint, even if we DON'T put lights on it so why the hell not? It's fun. Plus the street looks so festive when everyone has a little twinkle on their house ;)

I think tonight's agenda will be pulling out all the ornaments and stockings and hanging them by the chimney with care...

WAIT.
What if I don't have a chimney? Hmm...

The week in pictures.

2008-12-04T10:11:00.013-05:00

Ever see one of those news stories where there is no voiceover, no reporter, just nat sound and images of some event going on? Sometimes they call it "The week in pictures?" Well. Here it is. Our first Thanksgiving - in pictures. I think these say it all. I'll give you dates, purely for reference points, but as far as captions or quotes - use your imagination!! :)

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday
Friday

Saturday

IMAGE REMOVED

(for fear husband will then examine enormous credit card bill.)

Sunday

I'm just glad it's over.

2008-12-04T09:07:00.016-05:00

I'm finally coming out of my Turkey coma. Sorry to anyone who was hanging on the edge of their seat for the next post! (You know who you are.)

The big day came and went, and I have to say it was lot like my wedding. There was alot of eating, drinking, inappropriate toasts; and I can't quite remember everything but from the pictures it looks like I had fun and everyone was happy.

Dave in a food coma...

...Arnold in his. (But Arnie's food comas seem to happen every day... hmm... I wonder if turkey is an ingrediant in catfood?)

I actually didn't do as much cooking as I thought I would have to... Thank goodness my family likes to cook!! And my in-laws brought a ton of pre-made food with them so we were all set.

The two things I DID cook were the bird (obviously) and some homemade pumpkin pie FROM SCRATCH. Ambitious, yes I know. But I like to put pressure on myself.

My friend Leanne gave me a baking pumpkin. Her dad is a farmer and she had a few she needed to pawn off on friends. I took one, along with some very loose instructions, and went on home with dreams of pumpkin pie dancing in my head.

The first step was splitting this sucker open. We briefly toyed with the idea of using the chainsaw but finally D was able to wedge a knife in there far enough to get it going. It's not quite like the pumpkins you carve at Halloween... these suckers are THICK! It's not hollow on the inside, rather it's full of "meat." And what you do is split it open, roast it for about an hour or longer, and then scoop out the meat.

Ehem... the "guns" that opened the pumpkin.

MEAT.... Mmmmmm...

And the end product. Cooked meat! Better than raw meat. Clearly.

You then take that stuff and make pumpkin pies, or pumpkin bread, or pumpkin soup..... and then more pies... and more bread...

No joke. I STILL have meat leftover and I've already made (and eaten) 4 pies and 3 bread loafs, one with nuts, one with chocolate chips. Anyone hungry?

A Range of emotions.

2008-11-24T13:34:00.076-05:00

The saga with the stove is finally over. Let's all take a minute to sing the Hallelujah Chorus...

So how did we go from this?

To this?

For Part One of the story... I think I'll fill you in on the actual installation. The appliance guys called and said they'd be at my house sometime between 12 and 4pm on Thursday, November 20. They showed up at 3:30 (naturally). The first task was taking out the old double oven/range. They struggled with that thing for like 20 minutes... and then once they got it out realized why it took so long. It was literally stuck to the cabinets. 38 years of grease had glued it into it's little spot in the kitchen. YUCK.

While the guys were struggling to get it out the door I quickly grabbed a Mr. Clean eraser and scrubbed the cabinets so as not to have the same problem in 38 more years. (Oh yeah... and vacuumed up the dead roaches on the floor. Ick.) Then the guys came back in with the brand spankin new equipment and promptly told me they could not install the microwave above the oven because there was no outlet. Long story short, AHS would not pay for an outlet to be installed because it was a "modification"... nor would they pay for the cord needed to actually plug in the stove. (GGGrrrrr... more on the "fantastic customer service skills of AHS" later...)

So on the Sunday before Thanksgiving it took Dave all day but finally he got an outlet put in. There were all these weird supports and boards in the wall - I'm guessing that's because there used to be a doorway where the stove now resides. Remember this? We discovered the old doorway after we stripped the wallpaper in the dining room, which is adjacent to the kitchen.

So anyway we got it in, made an outlet, hoisted the micro up, got that in, and painted the wall (or plywood in our case) (What? Totally normal wall material, right?) and Voila! Now we're cookin!

I love the new stove - and am really enjoying that glass top. It's just sad that it took 5 months of aggravation and government intervention (The BBB rocks!) to get AHS to honor their commitment to us. We had originally called AHS on July 7 to come out and fix the broken burner on the stove. They came out, diagnosed it and said we'll be back in a week to replace it. Well here we are in November. I'd say on average I spent about 4 days per week on the phone with them - either on hold, or talking to someone who knew "nothing about my ticket. Can you hold while I pull up your information?" Totally aggravating. Yes. Was I going to let them win? Never.

A sample of "my life on hold" for the past 5 months:

What seems to be the problem?

(SIGH) I have a broken stove and am waiting on the new part. I'm just wondering what's taking so long because I'd really like to start using my stove again.

Let me pull up your file.

click click click click click. click.

pause.

click click click click click BIG CLICK. MAYBE AN ENTER KEY?

Pause.

Hmm. Well. It looks like we are waiting on a part.

Right. I just told you that. How long before it comes in?

5 to 7 business days.

You told me that 5 to 7 days ago.

Actually I did not ma'am. This is the first time I've seen your file.

Well someone from your company then. Actually - someone from your company has been telling me to wait 5 to 7 days for about 2/3/4/5 months now.

Hmm... that is a unusually long time. Usually we are out there within the week. Hold on while I... click click click... Let me just pull up.... click click click click click click click. Hmm. Well it said the part was ordered and delivered.

But it obviously wasn't. Because I still have a broken stove. Can I speak to your manager?

None are available right now.

Ok I'll hold.

No I'm sorry. We don't allow our customers to hold for a manager.

Wait - You're kidding right?? I can hold for 47 minutes to get YOU on the phone, but I can't hold for a manager. Why is that? This is ridiculous. Can I leave a message at least?

No I'm sorry. You have to leave your phone number and a manager will call you back.

So phone calls like this went on for weeks. The conversations always absurd... No one ever calling me back. I always ALWAYS had to make the call first. But we finally did find out what actually happened to that mystery part. AHS did order it, it got sent to Jacksonville Appliance and Electric, but they used it in someone else's home. (Aside from the fact that they are obviously a shady company - how about the fact that someone else in Jacksonville has this relic of a stove and needs the same exact fix!!??!!) So AHS's recommended solution was to re-order the same part, using the same company and go through the whole rig-a-ma-rue again.

Well I said nuts to that and filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. FINALLY I got the customer service I'd been fighting for. But it was a long time coming.

I learned some very valuable lessons from this whole experience.

1.) The BBB is an awesome outfit and will totally fight for the little man.

2.) I have the ability to sit on hold for a very long time... and even start to enjoy the muzak.

and 3.) American Home Shield is an awful AWFUL company and if you have a friend or loved one thinking about using them as their home warranty company - send them this blog and then barricade their checkbook!! Do not let them waste one penny on this company!!

OMG It's almost Turkey Day!!!!

2008-11-17T15:33:00.003-05:00

Looking at the last post, I almost shed a tear (sniff sniff) I was SO HOPEFUL that we could get something accomplished before the big day, but alas here we are... November 17th and I have NOTHING NEW TO REPORT.

I know.

It's quite the shock... but I think we were just worn out from the Rays almost winning the world series, the Gator games and Jags games, and don't forget about those pesky elections that kept Dave at the office until 2:36 AM. (News sucks.)

So we've done some minor - itsy bitsy teeny weeny - things around the house, but nothing really spectacular where you'd say - Wow what a difference!
Instead I am focusing my efforts on NOT FREAKING OUT over the fact that we are almost 1 week away from hosting our first Thanksgiving. (See how well I'm doing?)

Boo!

2008-10-30T13:34:00.027-04:00

I know I know. We've been MIA for about 2 weeks. BUT it's been a helluva 2 weeks! I've been so busy - I didn't even have 5 minutes to stop and blog about it!

So needless to say work on the house has been minuscule.
Hmm... where to begin?

I think when we spoke last we were coming up on the weekend of October 18th - which was a bye week for the Gators AND the Jags. I had high hopes for that ugly wallpaper. But alas we had bee-a-U-tiful weather and I just couldn't stand being cooped up in that poorly ventilated bathroom!!
So Dave and I tackled the flower beds in the front yard. It was a full 2 days of digging up weeds, pulling vines, splitting up lilies and planting them in bare spots. We then stumbled upon some free mulch that we put to good use. That's right. FREE mulch.

It was in the parking lot of the VFW on Phillips highway. I have no idea where it actually came from or why in the world it was free... but we didn't stop to ask why. Dave loaded up the garbage cans and we shoveled as much as we could into them and used it in the newly cleaned out flower beds.

Dave actually had to go back for more several times. I think we used 9 garbage cans total. (Which just proves my point - It's TOO much "bed"... not enough lawn!! If we get a big chunk of cash in the near future I am going to pay someone to come dig everything up and just sod the whole property.)
So that was the whole weekend. We were sore, tired, and sunburned... but happy to finally not be embarrassed of the front yard!

Tuesday night I went to the Dolly Parton concert with my friend Dana. It was fabulous, of course. Dolly was a tiny sparkly ball of energy on stage. And we had fun standing up and belting out Jolene with the 65 year old ladies next to us...

Wednesday was the big golf outing at work... I was one of the captains this year and I'm proud to say my team won. (Any doubt in your mind??) We were rewarded with a week of jeans... which I am enjoying at my desk right now.

And then on Friday Dave's friend Ryan from Chicago came into town. It was pretty much beer and sports the whole weekend.

This past week we tried to get back on a normal sleep (and eating) schedule... but today all that goes out the window. Not only is it Halloween... it's Florida/ Georgia weekend. Which means.... you guessed it... beer and sports. (And candy corn. YUM.)

(See? you mock me. But I'm telling you... I am turning into a man.)

((Would that make Dave gay??))

So I have high hopes for November. We are now down to 3 weeks before Thanksgiving!!
MAYBE we can get some more projects accomplished.

The face of Fear.

2008-10-14T10:55:00.008-04:00

Dread. Pure dread.

I reach for the scraper and the water bottle every night.... but can't quite seem to actually pick them up. Instead I just stare at it... hoping it will spontaneously start peeling off the wall by itself.

It's not really working for me.

Have I mentioned the fact that it's on the ceiling before?

UGGhhh.............

Can someone please motivate me?

I am turning into a man. (Help!)

2008-10-09T09:44:00.032-04:00

When I was growing up, my sisters and I always joked about my dad knowing waay too much about "girl stuff."

To be fair, you can't blame him. He lived with a wife, 3 daughters, and a female cat. There was a constant stream of hair products, chick flicks, and Barbie Dolls. He probably couldn't tell you who the winner of every Superbowl was, but I'm sure he could name every cast member on Friends and tell you the best way to apply eyeliner. (Ok the make-up might be a stretch. But I do remember him having to do my hair a few times in elementary school.)

Well the tables have turned, my friend. The tables have turned.

I am now trying to survive in a sea of testosterone. True - it's only my husband and Arnold the cat. But we do A LOT of the trademark male activities. Tailgating, sports watching (in the stadium AND at home) belching, scratching, lots of meat eating and sitting around afterwards rubbing our bellys comparing who's more full.

I never noticed the subtle transition until I hung out with some single girlfriends. None of them are LIVING with an actual male, therefore not under their influence. My first clue was the ordering of the drinks. They ordered colorful things in dainty glasses. I got a draft beer.

Then I started to notice it at work. These women dress up for work. I think I even heard someone talking about their slip under their skirt. What am I wearing? Pants and sensible shoes. (AKA ugly ones.)

THAT'S IT! This has got to stop.

First step - making a girlie room in the house just for me. Dave has his NASA room... Why can't I have mine??? So I am going to make the other guest bedroom my haven. (Sorry to all future guests!!! You better like the color pink!)

And the next step is to implement some girlie activities into our lives.

Last Friday was the first attempt and I think it went quite well. We went to a charity function where we actually had to dress up and mingle with other adults. AND it was held at the Cummer Art Museum. (Art, culture, AND charity? Triple score!) Dave was very good, he humored me through the whole thing and even dressed up.... a little. I could not convince him to put on better shoes but I'll take it. It's something.

At this function they also had a silent auction where I picked up these little beauties for the new girlie guest room.

I'm on my way.

Watch out Arnold. You might be next on my list. How do you feel about a small bow tie?

Recycling isn't just for soda cans.

2008-10-08T14:07:00.009-04:00

I think D and I do a pretty good job of being "green."

We only put on lights in the room that we happen to be in. We don't buy bottles of water, rather we (GASP!) drink water out of the tap. And I put just about everything in the recycling bin now-a-days. (And most times they take it!)

But recycling doesn't have to stop there. You can also re purpose and reuse things in your home. Sometimes just a coat of paint will change the look of things... or sometimes it's as easy as moving it to a different room. Remember this?

That was the old yucky fan that was in the master bedroom. Not really worthy of "inside the house" status. BUT it makes a great impression in it's new home in the garage!!

Dave figured out a way to hang it from the rafters. And now it's got a new life keeping the boys cool while they enjoy the Golden Tee machine or play poker.

We never would have thought to put a fan in the garage, but since it was there and it didn't cost us a thing, Dave thought what the heck! Let's hang it up and see if we like it!

And we do. :)

Speak to me.

2008-10-08T11:02:00.025-04:00

On Saturday night, Dave and I found ourselves on the deck enjoying a glass of vino and looking at the stars.

(Well - truth be told, Dave had a bottle of vino, I had 2 vodka tonics, and we were listening to the stray cats fighting on the next street over. But it sounds so much more romantic the other way doesn't it??)

So here we are, alone with our thoughts.... nothing moving... just the calm of a nice night.
And Dave says, "You know what we need? MUSIC!"

Yup. That's right. The very next day Dave got to work hanging the outdoor speakers over the deck. It was quite the project. We had to figure out how to run the wire from the radio/CD player in the garage to the deck. This involved somehow going through a brick wall. Hmmm.

D actually ended up using an existing hole that a pipe was going through. He made it bigger and threaded the 4 wires needed through it. We realized that we actually have no idea what this pipe goes to, or what it's used for? But if I've learned anything from living in an old house it's this ---- If you don't know what it is, and it's not hurting anything, LEAVE IT ALONE. There's probably a good reason it's there, just no one is alive from the time when they installed it to tell you what that reason is.

So the speakers are up, the music comes through great, and the deck is open for tailgating! Just be careful about the actual wood on the deck... you might slip on the mold or fall through an old board. But that's another project!

A picture of where we had to go through the brick..... and Arnold, supervising.

Dave hard at work.......... and Viola! Where the speakers live today!

Fun with electricity.

2008-10-02T09:24:00.089-04:00

Monday

I was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner... while Dave headed to the back to "use the facility" as my grandma would say.

Dave: "Dammit! The bathroom light tripped the circuit breaker again. Stupid electricity. I'll have to investigate why later."

Me, not really paying attention: "Can you take the garbage out; it's REALLY stinky."

Tuesday

After work I walked around the house straightening up and noticed the master bathroom was out of TP. So I walked over to the guest bathroom to get some out of the closet, flipped the light switch and what the?? the electricity's still out.

Me: "DAVE! Didn't you fix this yesterday??"

Dave: "No. I told you I would have to investigate why the light keeps tripping the breaker. And I need daylight to do that. It will have to wait until I can get home from work early enough."

Me: "I don't remember that."

Then I noticed that the little button in the middle of the socket was popped out and the little light is red. (If you've ever used a powerful hairdryer, you know what I'm talking about.)
Ah ha! I know how to fix this. You just pop it back in! Simple. Why didn't Dave try that? Men. So lazy.

So I walked over and OUCH!!!!! got a shock while trying to push that stupid little button in. Ok. Well maybe Dave is onto something. (Dammit. I hate it when he's right.)

Wednesday

6pm. I am elbow deep in meatloaf mixture.

Dave: "Hey. Can you help me with the circuit breaker test? Now would be a great time. It's still light outside."

Me: "Ummmmm....... yeah ok. Let's do it. This can wait."

Dave: "Alright. I am going to the garage, I'll flip every circuit breaker in the house. Tell me when the little red light goes off. Now you'll have to yell really loud - but I'll leave the side door open so that will help."

So I position myself in the hallway, where I can see the red light, yet still be somewhat close to the open door. The next 20 minutes went something like this:

Now?

No.

Now?

No.

Now?

No.

Now?

No.

Now?

YYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Now?

Ok WAIT! THE RED LIGHT IS BACK ON NOW. IT WAS THAT LAST ONE.

Now?

WAIT!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? IT WAS THE SECOND TO LAST ONE!!

Now?

DAVE STOP FLIPPING THEM! YOU ALREADY PASSED THE ONE WE NEED!!!

Now?

(I ran through the house to the garage.) "Hey! Didn't you hear me yelling?"

"No."
"Yeah you found it. You already flipped it."

Dave, staring at the board: "Shoot. Which one was it?"

Me: "Uhhh.... I don't remember."

Dave: "Ok let's try this again. I'll work backwards. This time really YELL when I hit it. I couldn't hear you at all last time."

I stalked off grumbling about hearing aids and someone in the relationship getting old; made it back to my post in the hallway; and we started all over again.

Now?

No.

Now?

No.

Now?

(at the top of my lungs) YES! THAT WAS IT! YES YES YES! CAN YOU HEAR ME? STOP RIGHT THERE! STOP! STOOOPPPP!!!!!

I then ran out to the garage at top speed to make sure he heard me. "That was it. That was the one. Did you hear me?"

Dave: "No."

(Huge dramatic sigh.) This is ridiculous, I thought. He is never going to hear me. There's got to be a better way.

And just like that! - I realized there is in fact a better way! CELL PHONES! (Duh.)

I had one, he had one; he stood outside, I stood inside; we called each other and went through this flipping process 1 more time. And when he hit the right switch I was able to say, "That's the one," using our inside voices, as my Kindergarten teacher would say.

So as the old joke goes..... How many college graduates does it take to turn on a light bulb?

Well... Apparently two. And two cell phones.

If it's for free - It's for me.

2008-10-01T11:24:00.030-04:00

We are t-minus 56 days until Thanksgiving. And I am trying to stay calm.

Last night I woke up in a panic at 3:40 am. I had a nightmare about not having a big enough tablecloth for the table. (Silly? yes. Does that help me today as I struggle to stay awake at work? no.)

I know there is nothing to be stressed over - but honestly I just can't help it. (Dave thinks I am genetically prone to stressing out anyway because of my Italian roots. Well well. We'll see who has the last laugh when my olive skin still looks great at age 97.) I have a list a mile long in my head of thing that need to get done - and only about $5 to do it all with.

Last night I compared our credit card balance to what we actually had available in the bank and... well.......... let's just say I cried for a good 45 minutes. After replenishing my tears with half a bottle of red, D and I decided that it's time to buckle down. We've now got a looming deadline in mind. We are committed to getting our butts in gear before both sets of in-laws get here to "see all the progress."

First things first - I will write down this list and get it out my head and onto paper. Maybe that will help with that whole "sleeping" issue.

Secondly - we decided to try and not spend any money on October as far as "stuff" goes. (No trips to the Depot, the Consignment Barn, or the most lethal of them all - Target. No matter what I go in for, toilet paper, milk, etc; I walk out with 6 bags in tow and $60 poorer. How do they do that???) Money will be used for necessities - Gas, Food, and Booze (of course).

I am hopeful this plan will work. Not only will it help make a dent in the debt - but maybe will help us tackle the numerous "half-finished" projects that have been lying around the house all summer. For example... here's a small mental list I just thought of (mental note - write this down too as soon as you're done with this blog)

Strip the wallpaper in the bathroom - Cost: FREE other than elbow grease

Cut, stain, poly the last wooden threshold - Cost: FREE since the materials are in the garage

Give away all those bags of old clothes to Goodwill - Cost: FREE

You get the idea.
Alright I feel better already! Sorry but I've got to run - I have to get going on this list I'm writing.....

Go shelf yourself.

2008-09-24T09:28:00.054-04:00

Well the shelves are up and I loaded the "NASA archives" onto it. It looks pretty damn good, but I'm still fiddling with the display options. I might need a shadowbox frame for all the pins he's got......

I'm sorry. I'm rambling. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?

Here, let me fill you in.

For this story we have to go WAY back.

Shortly after Dave and I started dating, he started reading books about Apollo 13. (I don't really remember how he got into it; Maybe he saw he movie and then bought the book? Did he get one as a gift?? I can't remember. Anyhoo..) He then really got interested in the space race. I only mention the fact that we were dating at the time because back then I thought it was "cute." And because I really REALLY liked him, I encouraged the collection. I'll admit it. I even bought a lot of the books/memorabilia/newspaper articles for him. (Ahh... what we do for love!)

Well here we are 7 years later and he's got a mountain of NASA stuff. Everything from books to Life Magazines to pins to drinking glasses to miniature models of the spacecrafts. Everything. We've even been to Kennedy Space center several times. Yes.

And then last year we bought Ardsley. We spent 4 months fixing it up, then eventually decided it was "livable" enough for us. So we boxed up all our crap and moved in.

I had been thinking about furniture placement and color scheme pretty much since the day we first looked at the house - so I hit the ground running with paint, curtains, bedspreads, throw pillows, rugs, etc.... But one day in the midst of my decorating frenzy I heard a teeny tiny voice in the back of the house say to me "So where does all my NASA stuff go?"

Hmm.... I decided to proceed as planned and think about it later.

A few weeks later I saw D moping around the house. When asked what's wrong he again said (only this time much louder) "There's not even a place for me in this house. Where does my NASA stuff go?"

There was no denying it. I couldn't ignore him any longer. So I decided to design a NASA room for my muffin. He's good guy after all - he does do a lot of the heavy lifting, takes out the garbage when it's really stinky, and kills any bugs in the house no matter how big or gross looking they are. And let's me decorate like 95% of the house.... so he deserves a little "space."

(Get it??) wink :)

Picture this.

2008-09-23T13:59:00.019-04:00

I BARELY made it to the framing place on time (10 minutes to spare!!) and finally got our pictures that we had professionally framed.

I'll tell you what - it is expensive! to get stuff framed... but man, is it worth it if you really like the picture. I can get any old frame from Target or wherever and stick my photo in it, but really the framing guys do such good work! I wish we had the money so that I could really get ALOT of pictures professionally framed.

Unfortunately I had to settle for these two...

I had to get this really neat old calendar framed because it's a bizarre size. After years of searching I found NOTHING even remotely close so I decided to bite the bullet and get it done. And doesn't it look great? It's an under mat - I never would have thought to do that.

I guess it was given out as a freebie from an appliance company. I'm pretty people just used to tack it up to the wall and rip off the months on the bottom as the year went on.
I just love it because the picture of the little boy wiping the dogs ears is classic!

The other thing we had framed was this fantastic map of the Caribbean that we found in St. Thomas. I think our goal should be to hit every Island on the map, don't you?

The only problem now is where to hang it!! It looks good on every wall in the house. I am not joking you. Something about the color combination - it just matches a lot of our stuff I guess.

I got both these pictures done at Mr. Frame It - I would highly recommend if you are looking for a place!!

As Tim Gunn says - MAKE IT WORK!

2008-09-23T13:29:00.018-04:00

Well it took a minor miracle but the chandelier is finally up and working!

THANK God that's over.

We opened the box last night and took out all the parts. It didn't see too complicated so Dave decided to go ahead and start installing at least some of it. We got about half way into it and realized that there must be a little bag of screws that never made it into our shipment - along with the rest of the instructions. Oy! But by then we were at that point in the project - you know, the point where you have already decided that you are committed to this damn thing and you are going to finish one way or another even if it kills you because you are not going to admit that a product made in China is smarter than you.

(I know you've been there.)

So it's slightly rigged - but you can't really tell and it works so I'M HAPPY!

And now the ever popular before and after photos! Enjoy!

WAAY Before.... Like before we even closed on it...

After stripping the carpet, the wallpaper, and a good couple of coats of paint. The el cheap-o light bulb was a parting gift from the previous owners. They took that monstrous chandelier with them...

And finally the NEW chandelier! Ta da!! Whaddya think?

I added one of those ceiling medallions too. I am now obsessed with them. How did we ever live without them??...... Oh and yes, I realize I need a third light bulb. I only had 2 on hand. Let's focus on the positive people!! Mark this project off the list!!!

Hold, please.

2008-09-22T15:56:00.014-04:00

I believe everyone's hell is different.

None of that fire and brimstone stuff. I think the Devil is probably smarter than that anyway....

But my hell is probably very similar to my day today = On the phone, on hold waiting for the next available representative. (Mental note to self - go to confession on Sunday.)

I was trying to find out why that appliance repairman has not called us back. It's been two months since he came and out took one look at my broken stove and said "Yup. You got yerself a brokin stove." Thanks, Matlock. I had no idea.

He came out to allegedly "fix" the stove.... but I haven't heard one peep from him or his cronies since that initial visit... in JULY.

Well I called the home warranty company, who in turn put me on hold for about an hour, while they tried to figure out what the hold up was. When they finally came back on the line, they told me that the company had ordered the part... it came in... but they just never followed up on it. GRRRRRRR. And as an added bonus, the HW company told me that sometimes they send the part back if they never use it. Great!! So we might have to wait some more. Yippee!

This was our first experience with our home warranty - and I have to say I am not impressed. They won't replace anything unless it's truly dead. I mean DEAD dead. Evidenced by the fact that they actually found a comany, that found a part, to fix THIS stove from about a million years ago.

Nice.

Too many games... so little time...

2008-09-19T08:56:00.040-04:00

I mentioned the fact that it's Football Season in a previous blog.... But if you don't follow sports you probably thought to yourself, "Oh that's nice," and moved onto another blog in blog-o-sphere. So let me reiterate again - It's...... FOOTBALL Season.

Again, I have this vision in my head of you saying, "So? What's the big deal?"

(Side note: The vision usually takes on the face of my sister who could not even tell you how many yards are on the field.)

Well my friends, let me tell you what this means for the House of Wax. Productivity is down. WAY down. Why? Let's see...

We root for 2 teams - The Gators (college) and the Jags (NFL). So what's that? - 8 hours of TV watching on the weekend? Not bad.

"But wait! Don't forget about the Pre and Post game shows!" So that tags on hour on before and after each game. We really need to hear all that insight from the announcers who sit up their tiny booths above the field. Alright... still not bad. Only 4 more hours of TV watching, or radio listening.

"But wait! Don't forget about the games that will affect our teams next week!" For example, apparently we have to watch every SEC game that is televised because at some point this season the Gators will end up playing them and god forbid we don't know how they "looked" before coming into the swamp. Ok... well now we are heading into like 34 hours of TV watching... this is getting dangerous...

"But wait!! Don't forget Baseball is still on and they are heading into the playoffs!! We need to keep up with those teams, Can't abandon our favorite teams just because Football season started." At this point the TV is on non stop, I have no idea who is playing who, but there is crowd noise and cheering wafting through the house at all hours.

"WAIT!! What if we invited our friends over so we can root for these teams together? It makes more sense to have a small gathering of our 57 closest friends, and could you cook something? We're kind of hungry...."

So this is what Football season is. The TV is always on. I am always making a dip or spread of some kind. Our red meat consumption goes up by 90%. And the weekend blurs together into one big drunken sports watching 48 hours long day. We spend Mondays talking about how good/bad our teams looked. We then proceed to spend Tuesday through Thursday talking about the upcoming games and how good/bad the other teams look. And Friday is reserved for grocery shopping, house cleaning, and smack talking at work.

Don't get me wrong - I love going to a sports event. I love everything about it - the fresh air, the peanuts, the draft beer, the yelling and screaming like an idiot when they get a touchdown and high-fiving random people in front of you. I just hate the fact that all other things in your life are moved to the back burner until after Christmas.

Tomorrow we are heading down to Tampa to see if the Rays can make it into the playoffs. I am excited about going, and I'm sure it will be a fantastic game.... but I'm sad to see that chandelier still sitting in it's box, just waiting to shed some light on my dining room table...

Still working on it...

2008-09-18T08:45:00.005-04:00

Well I opened the box to the chandelier... but that's about as far as I've gotten on that project.

We'll need some natural light when we go to install it... so trying to do this project after work is not really happening. It's starting to get a little darker, a little earlier every day now. It's so depressing. I hate that the summer is over!

But the shelves are up and they look great! 1 project down.... So many more to go....

Put that $20 back in your wallet.

2008-09-18T08:38:00.003-04:00

I just heard a story on the news that Home Depot will be slashing prices on 50% of their merchandise.

It's in response to the economy being in the crapper, and just the general competition they are facing from other superstores like... Ehem... Lowes. Hopefully this will help them pick up sales - I'd hate to see them go away. I rather like the Depot.

But what a great time to be doing renovations!! We'll have to wait a week or two to see what prices get cut... hopefully it's some stuff we need... like wallpaper stripper....

PROGRESS...

2008-09-16T15:57:00.010-04:00

Just a quick update as we try to make some progress before Friday hits and we turn into couch potatoes....... Ahh football season! A reason to veg!

The new shelves are looking good... we bought some nice wood and I stained and "schelacked" them, as my dad would say. Dave will screw them in tonight and we can start putting stuff on them.

I dropped off our St Thomas map at a local framery and hopefully that should be done this week. It will look AWESOME on my dark green walls in the dining room. You'll have to wait for that one...

And the "chandelier-in-a-box" arrived! I was giddy with anticipation when I saw it waiting for me on the front porch... Hopefully it looks spectacular when it's all said and done! Maybe that will be tonight's project....

Until tomorrow, my friends!

Grass is overrated.

2008-09-11T09:30:00.009-04:00

I guess we haven't had enough pain and suffering because we are giving the real estate market another go!
Yup. We're listing with our THIRD agent. Hopefully this guy has got the mojo to get it done. We are starting off with a bang - we dropped our listing price to $149,900. (Just to put it in perspective - we started out 2 years ago at $215,000.) I know it's a dramatic drop but we just want to get someone in there and get it off our hands. Its too stressful to try and keep up two old houses while we both have full time jobs. There are only so many hours in a day and we're not having fun anymore. The days of researching a project and looking for the best supplies have gone out the window because we are now limited to what's cheapest and what can we do in a limited time frame before we have to start work on something else that's broken.
So hopefully someone will fall in love with it soon and buy it! Pray for us!!

So this all went down on Tuesday - we met with the new agent, signed with the paperwork and then immediately went "Oh crap! We've got to get this house looking nice AGAIN because people will be coming through it." So we both drove off to work and then at 5pm drove back to Belmonte to do the yard. It wasn't too bad - just needed some sprucing up. I bought some annuals for the front, Dave loaded up the mower, and we were on our way.

Well...... I was on my way. Dave was stuck in lawnmower limbo.

He's got 2 mowers - the really old one, and the old one. One is newER than the other - but by no means is it NEW. So Tuesday night he brought the newER one to Belmonte to cut the grass. Only he couldn't get it started. Which is even more frustrating because he basically rebuilt the thing 2 weeks ago.
So here is the scene set for you - I'm in the front yard, digging and planting, digging and planting. Dave is in the garage - cussing up a storm and every now and then I see a wrench or a screwdriver come flying down the driveway.
And now it's getting late... and it's getting DARK. We are running out of time....
Dave gives up and gets the old mower. It starts up fine. HALLEJULIAH! He starts cutting the grass and PPFFFTT it dies right in the middle of the lawn.

It's out of gas.

I won't repeat the string of explatives but let's just say I'm glad that no kids or nuns were around to hear.

So we left the house with half of a manicured yard. What a way to start the week!

Pull up a seat.

2008-09-09T14:04:00.020-04:00

So in preparation for Thanksgiving, I have decided to bump up the importance of finishing the dining room, since like 90% of festivities will be held sitting at the table. There's not MUCH work to be done... we just need to get the ball rolling. We've got to put a new threshold down on the wood floor, possibly look into getting a new sliding glass door to the deck, and start decorating the walls so they're not blank.

Two projects that require NO actual work... just some cash... include getting a chandelier, and some nicer dining room chairs. I've got a hot lead on an awesome chandelier - more posts on that to come.... But as far as the chairs go - you can mark that one "DONE" and off the list!!

I found these beauties at the Consignment Barn near my house.

I'm not opposed to the mixing of the floral patterns - the seat and the rug...

And the legs mimic the legs of the buffet. Perfect!

Don't you just love them?? They are Ethan Allen, nice construction, and light as a feather compared to the old red leather chairs we had. Two of the chairs have slight damage to the cane back, but really I could care less! I love them as they are - worn in and looking like they totally belong with my table. $200 for six chairs - not bad! I love the way they change the entire look of the dining room.

The OLD dining room chairs....

... and the NEW dining room chairs. It actually looks like a dining room - not a board room!!

I found out the Consignment Barn will actually sell my old round table and red chairs for me... but we've decided to hang onto them until after Thanksgiving. I think we'll need all the chairs we can get. The fact that we are hosting this year is spreading like wildfire throughout the family. Even with our influx of seating I might still have to borrow some...

Anyone have a card table or two to lend me???

"GAME ON!!"

2008-09-08T15:06:00.014-04:00

The race is officially "back on" to do more projects than we can A.) stand and 2.) afford.

We've got 3 out of town friends coming in October for a football game...... and also I may have inadvertently declared "I'll host Thanksgiving this year!" in a fleeting state of euphoria at a family gathering. (Side note - that euphoria is LONG gone, now that I realize I have no idea how to cook a turkey or how to seat 57 people at my dining room table.)

So one of the projects we are tackling first is getting the guest rooms "guest ready." They were always clean and able to host people - but we still have boxes and suitcases in the corners. So one of the first things I did was unpack. Seems simple enough eh? Let me tell you - I have no idea where to put this stuff - now that we've been living without it for a year. I guess these clothes/picture frames/snow globes really aren't my favorite things? Maybe I can live without?

In the guest room that holds the office we are going to put a HUGE shelf up way high on the wall - and that will become a display case for all of Dave's NASA collectibles. He's got quite the substantial collection so I am hopeful that it all fits!!!!

This wall is just screaming for a shelf, isn't it?

FAN tastic.

2008-09-08T14:19:00.017-04:00

I'm happy to announce that the yucky old grey fan is finally GONE and we've now got a brand spankin' new fancy looking one in it's place!! Yea!

It wasn't a hard project... but it kept us busy for a few days. If you don't remember the old fan looked like this:

UUUUGGGHHH. Hated that thing. It was dirty and rocked and creaked and made noise. I just hated staring at it from my bed every night. The ceiling medallion was at one point white in color - I am assuming - but I've only known it as this very attractive "stale yellow" color. Lovely. Our biggest fear was what lied beneath that medallion....

So one day I came home from work and found the ceiling fan box open and the contents spilled out all over the living room floor - near "someone's" favorite blue recliner.

I could barely contain my excitement! "So we've started this project?! Hooray!! Dave? Dave! Where are you? Honey.....honey.......Yoo Hoo!!...." I walked through the house looking for my favorite handy man and walked right into (or should I say under?) the reason I couldn't find him.
Two holes in the ceiling. Not one. But two.

Uh oh.

Hmmm.... THATS not good.

Dave had gone to the Depot for more supplies because we were going to have to rig this new fan to fit. We're not really sure HOW that grey fan was hanging up there because there was no wood behind either one of these holes??!! I'm no braniac but... aren't fans heavy?

Well Dave eventually figured out a way to make it work.

He's a smart guy.

And while we're at it - out went the old ceiling medallion - in came the nice clean simple WHITE one to cover that second hole. Ahhh!! Better!

The finished product looks like this:

It's quiet and fast and keep us nice and cool! Thank you Hunter Ceiling Fans!!!
I have to admit this was very much a DAVE project. Other than pictures I really did nothing to further the project. In fact I probably slowed us a down a little with all of my comments and picture taking ("Babe!! Look this way! Babe! Make a face! Good one!")
So a big MMWWUA kiss for my hubby! The electrical wizard!! :)

Ahh... hurricane season!

2008-09-05T16:49:00.031-04:00

San Marco Blvd.

Whew that was a long hurricane!! Two weeks!!!! Yikes!!!

I am kidding of course.

Tropical Storm Fay did stay over us for a few days, but eventually moved on, leaving us with a mountain of clean-up to do. If for all this time you've been anxiously awaiting my next post (and who hasn't??) you're probably thinking by now, "Surely Fay destroyed the House of Wax!! I hope they are ok!! (sigh) What will I read at work now?" But in fact we skated by on the skin of our teeth! Relatively no damage to our home knock on wood.

The view of our driveway and street... not too bad... just lots of little branches.

Our Ardsley neighborhood was by no means spared... There were a total of 3 huge oak trees that toppled over, blocking roadways, and one actually fell on a power pole, crushing all the power lines causing us to be without power for THREE DAYS. It doesn't seem like much - but let me tell you, by the afternoon of the first day... it gets really really hot. By the second day... we have run out of things to talk about, my hair is frizzed out like Richard Simmons, and the doors and windows are all swelled shut. By the THIRD day... I am truly starting to panic, frantically driving around town looking for ice, and there is no denying that something has died in the fridge and we shall never be able to open that door again for fear of releasing the odor.

One of my neighbors lost a huge water oak tree.

The power did eventually come on, I started to relax, we had hot water again along with cold A/C. But having no power for 3 days...... I learned a few things about myself. Here are some nuggets I'll share with you, in case you find yourself in the same situation...

1.) As soon as the power goes out - there are a million things I am DYING to do that of course require power. (Why didn't I vacuum, blow dry my hair, watch TV and cook a lasagna while I had the chance?? Dammit!)

2.) Granola bars and cans of tuna fish are really gross. Why do the news people tell us to stock up on these items? I would never eat them WITH power, I am certainly not eating them without.

3.) I don't really know what the Bleach is for. Why do they tell us to buy this item again? It's not like I have a ton of white laundry I can do while I sit in my hot humid dark house.

4.) Do not wait until the power goes out to go shopping around for ice/coolers/water/flashlights etc. Or else you will find yourself on the floor of a Winn Dixie arm wrestling an old woman for that last bag of ice (or you will give up because she is strong and offer her $10 for it.)

5.) It is IMPERATIVE to have lots of friends (the more the merrier) so as to be able to call on them in the event that they do in fact still have power while yours is out.

6.) I have learned that I never really got over that whole "afraid of the dark" thing. It's really dark when no one on your block has power. I mean...... REALLY dark.

7.) And finally.... I can say now that if it wasn't for the invention of AIR CONDITIONING I would not be living in this beautiful state. THERE I said it. (Would you? No. I didn't think so.)

Fay, Fay go away... Come again another day!

2008-08-21T09:39:00.008-04:00

We've been awaiting Fay for a week and she's finally getting around to making landfall in Jacksonville.

About a week ago they predicted it would be a category 1 hurricane... but it lost alot of steam and now is a Tropical Storm. Sounds alot better than it actually is... A tropical storm still packs a pretty big punch; we are scheduled for 10 inches of rain and wind gusts up to 60 mph. Enough to throw your patio furniture through a window - or at least that's what the weatherman is saying.

Just about every office in Jacksonville is closed - EXCEPT for mine. Why in the world we are still open is beyond me. No one's clip reel is worth getting killed for - I don't care who your client is! Dave of course had to leave me and Arnold about 5 am to go start the wall-to-wall coverage at FCN. Another perk of working in TV - They don't care if you've got family at home - They need you to come into work!! STAT!!

So I guess the bottom line is we are both at work - 40 miles apart - and the poor cat is holding down the fort. I am going to try and sneak out early to check on Ardsley and Belmonte. I think we'll be ok, but you never know with an old house. I feel much better knowing that both houses have new roofs, and we got the humongous dead tree cut down last year.

So we're hunkering down here in Jax!! Pray that we make it through tonight! I think the worst is yet to come!!

Fun in the Sun.

2008-08-13T10:24:00.007-04:00

This past weekend we flew to Mississippi for a quick trip... and continued the trend of NOT doing any projects on the house.

We got to see our 3 year old nephew and 6 month old niece. We spent most of the weekend relaxing by my in-laws' gorgeous pool. The weather was perfect too - 85 and sunny! But now that we're back... I think it's high time we tackled something of note. I'll keep you updated on that later..... but first, how about some photos? Enjoy!

Mary Holland and I having a good laugh...

The pool and the 6 acres of green stuff in the back... Why can't our yard look this nice?

The 3 Charlies playing a game of volleyball...

Dave and Charlie win the prize for "pruniest fingers." You couldn't drag those two out of the pool if your life depended on it.

Sew wrong.

2008-08-06T08:11:00.009-04:00

I had a curtain incident Monday night.

Our kitchen window is really bare... and while I like the light coming in, I do think we need SOMETHING there to soften all the fake wood paneling we've got going on. So I looked at all the pre-made curtains and didn't like a single one. Sew boring!!! So I decided I would make something from scratch! I found a really cute fabric shower curtain that would do the trick. It's a brown and white "toile like" pattern, but the birds in the pattern are blue. I got it at Target...

Adorable!

Well it's been sitting in a closet for weeks... just waiting for me to rip it in half and sew a straight line. Monday night I decided to get down to it. So I dragged it out, measured the window, and marked the fabric. Now where are my GOOD scissors? HHhmmmm......

That proved to be my first task. I could not find my sewing scissors for the life of me. I think they got "recycled" to the garage when it was clear I was not doing much sewing in my free time. So I had to make do with regular scissors that we use to cut ribbon, wrapping paper, wires, tags off of shirts, photos, gum out my hair - you get the picture. A true seamstress will tell you that you should "always cut fabric with a pair of very very sharp sewing scissors that are used for nothing else in the house." Why? Well I'll tell you why... As I found out Monday night, dull scissors will shred your fabric as you try to cut it!! So there I was on the floor with 2 pieces of fabric successfully cut, but both ends looking like they had fancy fringe attached.

Then I set up the sewing machine that I got at a garage sale 2 years ago (and have yet to use). This was my second disappointment of the night. Either I was threading it the wrong way, or the thread was so old it was breaking; I ended up with what looked like a nice straight line on the top of the fabric but when I flipped it over it was one long knot! Completely stumped on how to fix that - I ripped it all out and decided to hand sew it.

After God-knows-how-long that took me, I was FINALLY ready to just hang that dang thing up there!! The hem looked terrible but at this point, 3 hours into my project, I was ready to hang up my dull scissors and go to bed. So I found the tension rod that I intended to use that was re purposed from a different window..... threaded the curtain and went to the kitchen window and........................ the rod was too short!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

I only needed 2 more inches. Totally frustrated, I threw the entire contraption into the guest bedroom, poured myself a BIG glass of wine, and vowed to buy pre made curtains from here to eternity. There's a reason they sell them in the store.

Just a tad of OCD....

2008-08-05T13:03:00.007-04:00

What's wrong with having a place for everything, and everything in it's place?
It gives me a sense of order, makes me feel calm....even happy!

Dave says it's just another indication that I am a control freak.

I think I'd almost rather have OCD so I could say, "It's a medical condition. I can't control it!" while I walk around other people's houses straightening pictures on the wall and dusting their shelves. I started thinking about this as I was shopping online for a nice.... filing cabinet.
What?! Yes, I was trying to find the "best filing cabinet for my needs." Doesn't everyone do that?

Did I mention that, once I get it home.......... it's going to be......................... in a closet?

Yup. I am making one closet into the "Office Center" where I can keep all my envelopes and stacks of paper neatly arranged in OCD bliss.

I decided upon this genius idea after finally going through some boxes that were YET to be unpacked from our December move!! Boxes full of old English class papers, bank statements from 1991, and birthday cards that read, "Happy 18th Kris!" "Happy College Graduation Dave!" It was like I was a scientist sifting through old dinosaur bones. You would not believe what I came across. Relics!! Let's just say I'm not quite where I thought I'd be at this age. Apparently I really believed that by age 30 I would be a Broadway star, have written a book, have a "kick ass" apartment in Manhattan, and somehow have 2 kids with plans to have 2 more after age 30.

Oy!

I am actually working in GOLF... not in the theater. I live in the same town I grew up in... NOT in Manhattan. And instead of 2 kids... I have 2 houses. Well, 2 kids if you count Dave and Arnold. (But no poopy diapers.)

Next Showing 4:25

2008-07-29T17:35:00.003-04:00

The Blue Ray DVD player is installed and might I add... it does make a very pretty picture!

So you are all welcome to bring your HD DVDs over and we can watch them.

Arnold was just happy to get a new box to play in. Damn spoiled cat.

It's all fun and games until someone pukes up a balloon string.

2008-07-29T17:14:00.009-04:00

In a previous post I talked about the fact that it was Dave's birthday. Just thought I share some of the "highlights."

He made it very clear that "all he wanted was a Blue Ray player and nothing else." End quote. But of course I couldn't very well have nothing for him to rip open on his actual day now could I? So I got a few goodies (Better Off Dead on DVD, Vandaley Industries, Importing Fine Latex Goods tee shirt, etc.) wrapped them up and put them in the bedroom so he'd see them when he went to change after work. To add to the surprise I got 10 helium balloons and put them in room and shut the door. So when he opened the door - AHHH!! they would hit him in the face and the presents would be underneath! Fun huh?

But when he got home he decided to stay in his work clothes since we were heading out for dinner. CRAP! What to do now? Luckily, Arnold the cat was hanging out by that door (just dying to know what those balloons were about) so I played it off like one of his toys was in there and could he go get it for Arnold?

Worked like a charm. And Dave was surprised so that was nice. I was pretty proud of myself for getting those balloons and seeing his face when he opened the door. That is..... until they started to deflate.... and fall within Arnold's reach.

It wasn't like he was trying to pop them... No. He was more interested in the strings tied to each balloon. I would find him just chewing away, happy as a clam. I was usually quick enough to rescue the balloon and get the string before he swallowed it. But Thursday night we went out again and I forgot to put one up. We woke up to cat puke, speckled with brightly colored ribbon.

Wonderful.

Shopping with your husband is dangerous.

2008-07-28T17:46:00.013-04:00

Saturday was yet another extremely hot and muggy day; so much so - the windows were sweating from all the AC. So I decided it was just too hot to do any work outside.... And I really couldn't spend my entire Saturday cooped up inside the house, now could I? What's a girl to do? Go shopping of course! Perfect!

My downfall? I asked Dave, "Want to come with me?"

(Strike 1)

We decided to grab a bite, then head onto the stores. I'm envisioning us antiquing... Dave I guess had other plans. As we are driving towards the shopping mecca of town, he says to me, "Want to get Chick-Fil-A?" Sure. "Yeah," he proceeds, "It's right across from Best Buy. I can get my Blue Ray player while we're over there."

I know what you're thinking. But truth be told, we were planning on getting the Blue Ray, HD, DVD Player at some point anyway. Dave got some money and a Best Buy gift card for his birthday last week. So it was not a shock... I just didn't take into account how EXPENSIVE this Saturday was going to be. But I am getting ahead of myself....

We ate then hopped across the street to the store, and went looking for a PS3. Dave had planned on getting the PlayStation 3 because as every male will tell you "It's the cheapest HD DVD player out there." But alas - they were none to be found. Much like the sales people...
After almost tackling one as he came around the corner, we found out that they had stopped making the PS3. The conversation then went something like this:

Sales Person: They discontinued that model.

Me: Can we call another Best Buy and see if they have any left?

SP: They don't have any.

Me: No other stores in Jacksonville?

SP: Nope.

Me: You're telling me that no one has a box hiding in the back of a warehouse somewhere? Everyone in Northeast Florida is OUT?

SP: Yup.

Me: Huh.

SP: BUT You're in luck!!!! We still have the more expensive version available. Why here it is right here!

Me: How much?

SP: Only 100 bucks more than the one you wanted... oh and you have to pay 25 bucks for the remote. It's the cheapest player out there so you might as well get it.

Me: Oh really? How come I see Blue Ray players over there, cheaper, and they come with the remote, free of charge?

SP: Uhh... I have to help this customer over here... uhhh...

Dave was completely mortified, but we ended up getting a non-game-DVD-player for 400 bucks, like we planned on. What I didn't plan on was the $100 cable that you apparently need to hook it up to the TV.
(So much for saving 25 bucks on a remote.)

Then as we are walking out, Dave says "You know... we need HD DVDs to play on this. Let's get 1......... or 2." Ok sure. It's your birthday! Why not? How much do these cost?

(Strike 2)

$30 for a freakin DVD!!!!! That's it - get us out of this store before we have to take out a second mortgage on the house!!!!

We then proceeded to stop at the Antique mall (Finally!) and I got to do my intended shopping for a chandelier. But every one that we looked at I heard "It's up to you babe. You know I'm no good with this stuff."

(Strike 3. You're out.)

I gave up and took my very expensive cable and my bored husband back home.

Damn. I really am getting tired of looking at a lightbulb over my dining room table.

Look What I Did! Contest: Wallpaper House of Horrors

2008-07-21T14:40:00.022-04:00

HouseBlogs feature story
http://www.startrightstarthere.com/

Looking back on all the renovations we've done on this house in 1 year... I have to say it's hard to pick just one! (Who could forget the toilet we installed ourselves, only to realize that it was crooked? Always a good party story.) But I think by far the most dramatic change to the house, and the one that gives us the most pride, is all the effort we took in stripping the wallpaper off of the whoooole house. That's right. Almost 85% of the house was wallpapered - even the CEILING in some places.

We tested out the "paint over it" theory and I have to admit... I'm not a fan. While it does provide a quick fix to usually an awful situation... To a perfectionist like myself I was not completely satisfied because you can still see some of the seams. It's just inevitable.

So we decided to strip. And strip. And strip. But it was worth it when the neighbors came over and said "Wow! How did you ever get that hideous paper off??" Here are a few before and after photos...Enjoy! And P.S...if you're thinking of stripping wallpaper anytime soon... please do not call me. I will be washing my hair that day.

The kitchen. When was this ever in style?

We have two bathrooms... Both had very hippie looking flowered paper... and yes, both went up onto the ceiling. Interesting design theory!

The Master Bedroom could have been a nursery! It was papered with pink and blue stripes. This was by far the hardest to get off because I am assuming it was the "newest." It looked like it had been applied in the 1980's. We eventually reclaimed the walls... and they turned out pretty well.

The dining room had an added bonus!! When we stripped this wallpaper we suddenly smelled smoke - all the time. Turns out the previous owners must have smoked a pack of cigs after dinner, and therefore it coated the walls underneath. You can see in one of these pictures how brown the wall is. I had to scrub the living daylights out of it before we primed with 2 coats of oil based Kilz!! Yuck!

Ahh and finally but definitely not least... Dave's favorite. The 3D hallway paper. This wallpaper was so old it basically crumbled into a big gooey mess when we tried to strip it. Fun times.

“This post was written for Houseblogs.net as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by True Value.”

Hell Lowe...(s)

2008-07-21T13:02:00.015-04:00

After sleeping in until 10am on Saturday, and 2 cups of coffee... I felt a renewed sense of energy. I went rummaging in my "pile-o-paper" to find those old Lowes and Home Depot gift cards that people have given us. (And by pile-o-paper I really mean "stack-of-old-bills,receipts,and-coupons-I-am-meaning-to-organize-one-day." ) We then went to Lowes armed with a list of things to buy to start various projects around the house. We fought the crowds and found ALMOST everything on our list.

I intended to buy a chandelier for the dining room, but just couldn't pull the trigger on any of the very generic looking brands they had hanging in the store. I just want to find something that is A. unique and B. jives with the 1940's architecture of our house. Is that too much to ask for?

Here is the chandelier that was hanging in the house when we put an offer on it. I'm not sure that's very 1940's-esque either... The owners tried to get us to shell out an extra $750 for it. We respectfully declined...

And they left us with this. Nice huh? While it does provide light... it's not the most fashionable...

So the hunt for a chandelier continues.

In the meantime we bought a much needed ceiling fan for our bedroom. Right now we've got a really weird gray looking one... I think it might be an outside fan because the entire thing seems to be made of plastic. Either way - it's getting the boot and the new Hunter fan will be ushered in this week! The only thing that concerns me is the fake architecture circle thing that is covering the hole where the fan is attached to the ceiling. (I have no idea what that's called.) I'm afraid that there might be a reason that they went with that "look".... possibly to cover up a bad decision or a structural mistake?

Procrastination is the name of the game.

2008-07-18T08:34:00.002-04:00

I'll admit it. I'm lazy.

But sometimes I feel like I deserve to be lazy. I work full time, 30 miles from home, AND take care of all the cooking and cleaning in the house, DAMNNIT! I work very hard at keeping everyone on track at work (and at home) So why do I feel so guilty?
Maybe it's because I've been blogging about this bathroom for months. It was supposed to be our summer project.

Last night while lying on the couch... I realized that I don't think Dave or I really want to get started on another project. We have become master procrastinators, doing anything and everything to avoid the task at hand. This week we were planning on at least starting to strip the walls... But we never did. Instead, I did every available bit o laundry in the house, gave the cat a bath, went to the dentist... I even left the state and flew to NY. Dave is no better. He went out with his friends, fixed a fan that hasn't worked in 2 years, built Arnold a scratching post, and started working out again.

So I guess you could say procrastination is making us be more "productive"... but not for the right reasons.

To strip.... or Not to strip. That is the question.

2008-07-15T08:56:00.005-04:00

We've decided to give up on the yard and move our antics inside the house where the air temp is a constant 78 degrees and the fridge is always in arms reach. The project at hand? The master bathroom.

The first thing to do is to strip the wallpaper. We've already decided we don't really like the "look" of painted wallpaper - if you can call it that. Plus stripping it off will make "Phase 2" that much easier. But I digress... Let's talk about Phase 1!

The tile is in good shape, and we've already replaced the sink, toilet, faucets and shower head. So the goal of Phase 1 is to:

1. Strip the wallpaper and paint the walls

2. Replace the shabby chic light fixture

3. Get the grout steam cleaned

4. Hang some shelves or hooks

5. And figure out a way to install a vent in the ceiling.

Phase 2 would be putting in a new vanity that has a double sink - which would mean more plumbing too, but I'm confident that's possible.

The only thing we are unsure of is whether to strip the wallpaper on the ceiling. That's right - the wallpaper travels up the wall onto the ceiling. It's madness.

I've stripped the wallpaper in the hall, bedroom, and dining room so I pretty much have it down to a science on the walls... but I have never tackled a ceiling before. We could strip the walls and paint over the ceiling paper - but the pattern is SO BRIGHT I'm afraid that it would take multiple coats to get it anywhere near a decent shade of white.

I guess it all depends how the walls go... we'll take it from there.

What a weekend.

2008-07-14T15:19:00.008-04:00

I am trying my hardest to stay awake at work today; drifting in between surfing the web and occasionally getting up to get another cup of coffee... and just generally avoiding real work of any kind. It's a shame I just can't get up and go home and save everyone time and money, but alas my ass is planted firmly in the chair until 5pm - it's the plight of the salaried employee.

I had a whirlwind of a weekend - Kara and I flew up to NYC for my cousin Jen's bachelorette party. It was ALOT of fun... we ended up going to the Bon Jovi concert in Central Park, and then barhopping down the street afterward. We only got about 3 hours of sleep and then it was back on the plane and our fun trip was over faster than you can say "drunken debauchery."
Jen, the bride, enjoying the fishbowl drink at Jimmys... or Jim's.... something like that..

But today while I am counting down the minutes down until quittin time, I stumbled upon Houseblogs.net. A fantastic site devoted to people who blog about home renovation. Most are young couples who have bought old houses because they love them (and maybe some were a little naive, like us?) and are keeping the world abreast of the progress. Reading about all these couples and their endless energy made me tired... and a little sad. I think I miss doing projects! It feels funny to say that. Now don't get me wrong - I do NOT miss staying up to midnight trying to get the last little bit o grout all wiped off of the tiles... but I do miss getting involved in something, researching what works for our house, and then when it's all done and installed sitting back and looking at how great it looks! Whatever it may be!

I suppose you could say that "the yard" has become our biggest project yet. But I think we are going to have to put this one on the back burner pretty soon and just try to maintain what we've already got growing. It's getting too hot to work outside on the weekends and the growing season is essentially over here in Florida. Nothing but weeds can withstand the heat. So maybe it's time to start tackling one of the projects that are on my "Someday" list... something inside... where the air conditioner is pumping...

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

2008-07-09T08:37:00.004-04:00

Having no internet or cable in the house has it's advantages sometimes.

It started out as a transition thing - We decided to kick Comcast to the curb when we moved into Ardsley, and then when we sold Belmonte we would sign up with a satellite company like Dish network, etc. But as the months drag on... and still no offers on Belmonte.... we are starting to wonder if we should abandon our plan? Will I ever be able to watch Bravo again?

The point being - we still have no cable, July 2008.

So earlier this week, Dave was attacking some small projects around the house because there was literally NOTHING good on TV. I, on the other hand, had resigned myself to the fact that I was going to relax on the couch and watch something if it killed me so I picked the best out of all the crummy shows and was trying my hardest to get into it. Suddenly about 10:30 Dave came bursting through the door and announced "Come outside - I need to show you something." (Thank God, something to do!)

I went with him to the garage and he proudly stood next to his work bench and smiled at me. "What?" I asked as I stifled a yawn.

He then flipped a switch on the old metal fan that's been sitting on that work bench for almost a year.

I couldn't believe it! Dave got it to work! It's an old GE metal desk fan that we acquired about 2 years ago. My neighbor Edna was cleaning her house and called me to come take a look at all her "loot" to see if we wanted any. As soon as I saw that fan I thought, well that's cool, even if it doesn't work any more. I took it home and it sat on a dresser at Belmonte for a year. It then survived to move to Ardsley where it promptly sat on Dave's workbench for yet another year.

And now it's finally got some life! It's VERY powerful too.

Nice job Dave!

Sam and Mr. Clark

2008-07-07T17:20:00.003-04:00

We've now got a "yard guy" and a "bug guy" on retainer.
So if you have a problem with either your yard, or your bugs.... I can say to you, "I've got a guy." (Cool huh?)

We came across the yard guy totally by accident. I had been begging Dave for months to PLEASE let me get some estimates on getting some help with the front yard. He denied me time and time again. But then one day we were having dinner at Players Grill and this nice man leaned over and said, "Excuse me but I couldn't help hear you say you have a dollarweed problem.... You can't kill that in the summer. You can only kill it in the winter." Turns out - Sam runs his own yard business, and we have 2 friends in common! Dave thought it was a sign. So he relented and Sam cleaned up our front yard just in time for the holiday. Whew!
The bug guy was a little harder to come by... I researched all the prices of the major companies in town. They were all pretty similar so I thought I'd just pick at random... but at the very last minute I decided to call a small local pest company because it was literally around the corner from us. I ended up liking the receptionist from Clark Pest Control so much... I went with them! What really sealed the deal though was that Mr. Clark himself came out to do the inspection. (Nice!) And in talking to him, he told me he actually sprayed a few of our neighbors houses so I felt like I was in good company.

And I've got a lead on a good house painter.... but we might have to wait until the fall for that one...

Another caper...

2008-07-03T09:58:00.005-04:00

Two nights ago Dave came inside after mowing the grass and asked,
"Did you have a party and didn't tell me?"

After addressing Dave's fear of being left out, I discovered that he was talking about a stash of solo cups he found in the back right corner of the yard, behind some bushes. Odd.

There are several possible answers to this latest caper:
1.) Some litterbug threw them over the fence into our yard.
B.) Some teenage kids were drinking in our backyard while we were drinking in the Caribbean.
or 3.) There's a bum living in our backyard while we are at work.

The only reason I mention #3 is because this actually happened to a woman one street over. She is old and feeble and didn't get out much, and apparently some homeless man set up shop in her backyard behind a bush and she never knew!! It went on for several months. They finally caught the guy because he was stealing some other neighbor's newspaper and taking it back to his home (behind the bush).
What if he's returned? Maybe he went riding his bike through the hood (Oh yeah! He has a BIKE. This guy is the richest bum I've ever seen.) and took one look at our house, with the peeling paint, and the overgrown bushes and said, "THAT'S IT! It's perfect! I think I'll move in tomorrow."

So it could be any of those options...
Or maybe it's the note bandit? He's been awfully quiet... maybe he switched from notes to solo cups???
I need a nanny cam for the backyard... Arnold is not paying enough attention to what's going on while we are at work. All he does is nap. Damn spoiled cat.

TERMITES!

2008-07-01T15:01:00.005-04:00

I guess it was inevitable.

We live in Florida and it's been raining every day for the past 2 weeks and all that wet wood on the new shed smelled too good to pass up. Termites are attacking it. I opened the door yesterday and you could see them crawling everywhere! IIIICK!

So we have the pest company coming Thursday to give us an estimate. It's a good thing I already had an appt with them... I had them coming to spray for the usual household annoyance - roach, ant, fly, water bug, etc. - but now they are also going to take a look at the shed and tell us what they think.

When we bought the house in August we had a clean WDO. And that new wooden shed wasn't built until March of this year. So they couldn't have been here long. We didn't see any termites until about 2 weeks ago. I think it's because of all the rain. My poor shed! Being eaten alive!

Vacation Blues.

2008-07-01T09:47:00.005-04:00

So we're back from our LOOOOOOONG vacation at Bolongo Bay and I have to admit that I have a touch of the vacation blues. It was so relaxing! We really recharged our batteries. I didn't realize how stressed Dave has been... he slept so much I had to practically drag him out of bed before lunch everyday. (Ironically that's what happened to me when we first came to Bolongo in 2004 for our honeymoon. I had been so stressed about the wedding that all I wanted to do was sleep!)
It was a vacation in every sense of the word. We literally did nothing. The agenda every day went something like this:

Before 10am: Wake up, walk 20 feet to restaurant for breakfast.
11am: Put on bathing suit.
11:08 Find a beach chair with a good view.
1:30pm: Walk to the bar. Get sandwich and first drink of the day.
2:35pm: Get a new drink.
3:07pm: Get a new drink.
3:28pm: Get a new drink.
3:53pm: Get a new drink.
4:15...... Feeling sleepy and sunburned. Walk back to room for a nap.
Sometime before 9pm: Wake up and have dinner.

I think it's the little things that really make it a fantastic trip. Someone else cooks dinner every night... You don't have to make your bed or clean your room because you've got a maid... You wake up to the sound of the water crashing on the beach. Ahhh...
Check out our pictures... I think we got a few good ones.

My poor neglected house.

2008-06-10T08:23:00.004-04:00

Well it's summer alright - our schedules are jam packed with things to do, people to see, and the poor house is suffering because of it. We haven't done anything in awhile... other than yard work.

Some good news - we are coming to grips with the loss of our neighbor. It's still sad... but I think we are going to use this as a big wake-up call to start living life and quit being couch potatoes. I have reached out to 2 couples in the neighborhood and extended an invitation to have a BBQ soon... and they both JUMPED at the chance to come over. I guess that means they too have been wanting to get to know us, just like we are wanting to get to know them! (Either that or they want to see what we've done to the inside of the house.)

Last weekend was my sister's High School graduation (yikes!) and we've got my cousin's wedding coming up in August. My Aunt has asked us to be Godparents to her newborn baby, so there is a Christening date pending... and in 3 days we leave for St. Thomas. HALLELUJAH! I can not wait to squeeze my flabby white ass into a bikini and lie on a plastic lawn chair with a frozen drink in my hand. Ahhhhhhhh heaven.

We've decided that once we get back, it's time to get crack-a-lackin on the master bathroom. That wallpaper taunts me everyday... It's like Mount Everest. It's going to be a huge task, and we just keep looking at that mountain and saying, "HHmm maybe we'll start that..... tomorrow."

Sad Neighborhood News

2008-06-04T13:24:00.010-04:00

WARNING: This blog will be intentionally vague to protect the family.

I've got some sad neighborhood news to share... One of our favorite neighbors died this past weekend. Apparently he died while we were on our baseball trip, which is why we missed the initial hub bub on the street. There were a ton of cars at his house on Monday, which I now know were people coming to pay their respects. But since I didn't know what was going on, I just assumed that they were having some sort of weird party on a Monday. I was actually peeved they were blocking my driveway. Of course now I have tremendous guilt that I ever jumped to that conclusion!

Last night Dave and I took a walk around the neighborhood and talked about the whole situation. We only knew him for about a year, but still we both felt really sad that he's gone. He always had a smile and a wave for us... a gardening tip... a little but of sports news to talk about... he was just an all around friendly guy. It's sad to think we won't see him anymore. What's even worse is he leaves behind 2 teenage kids and a wife. My heart just breaks for them. These kids won't have their dad at the high school graduation, he won't see them go to college, or get married. I don't know what I'd do if my father had died while I was in high school. Just surviving high school was bad enough!

I think one of the other really hard things to swallow was that we never really got to know him. We've owned this house since August of last year and we never once invited his family over for dinner! (Why didn't I invite him over when we had the chance??) The guilt was really hitting us hard last night. But I guess that's inevitable. The people who are left just keep thinking "what if" and look for ways to blame ourselves for the tragedy at hand.

I know there's nothing I could have done... but I just can't get past it. Am I letting time slip by us? Should we be doing more to live life to the fullest? Time just keeps ticking away while we move around in our own little routines, doing the same thing day in and day out. Maybe I should be contributing back to society more? Doing something to make the world better? Try to leave my footprint? If I died tomorrow... what would they say about me? What would Dave write in my eulogy? That I always had a beer in the fridge and the carpet was vacuumed once a week?

Babies and Baseball.

2008-06-02T13:56:00.014-04:00

Ahhhhh.... summer. I love everything about it.

This past weekend we had a good ole-fashioned-spur-of-the-moment road trip to Tampa. Dave and I were practically giddy when we packed our bags and jumped into the car on Saturday morning. In between singing songs on the radio, we kept asking each other, "When was the last time we took a road trip?"
This used to be a common occurrence for us. The two years we were dating we drove anywhere we could get to on a tank of gas. It's such a great stress reliever to get out of town... and you don't have to go through the hassle of the airport, plus you don't have to worry about "making good time" because there's no agenda. You're just off exploring a new city!

Well we've been to Tampa before so this time we weren't so concerned with doing any of the cheesy sight seeing things... but we had 2 things to accomplish. To see the baby.... and to go to a Tampa Bay Rays game.
We took 301 and drove through Gainseville, and actually got to stop at the Orange Shop - which I have been dying to go to!! We pass it all the time and it's never open. Well this time it was! We stopped in and talked to the 2 little ladies that run the place... and apparently it's only open from November through June. No wonder! We always pass it in the fall when we are heading to a Gator Game. They were so sweet (no pun intended) we bought some orange blossom honey.

Once we got to St. Pete we got to meet Joseph Edward - the newest member to the McAndrew family. He's just as cute as could be and SO TINY!! He's 6 lbs which is about 13 lbs less than what Arnold weighs. (Sorry Arnie! But you are quite the fatty.) It so weird to think that me and this kid are on the same branch of the family tree, considering we're 29 years apart. I'm going to really have to squelch any "Aunt Kristen" talk.

Then we were off to the baseball game. It was "country night" and they apparently gave out free trucker hats, but we were too late getting there to snag one. That's OK because I ended up shelling out a few bucks to get a nice one.

The Rays won and we were happpy campers - feeling like we really got our money's worth. Well after the game all of a sudden they wheeled a stage out onto the outfield and BAM! Trace Adkins came out and gave an hour long concert - FOR FREE! That was very cool, considering the people in cheap seats now had concert tickets that they'd gotten for 9 bucks. Our tickets had cost 22 - but still quite a deal!

Well we had so much fun... we woke up on Sunday and decided to go to the second game! (Crazy - I know, but that's how we roll.) It meant we wouldn't be home until about 9pm... and we'd have to leave from the ballpark, but it was well worth it because it turned out to be a fantastic game!! They went into 10th inning tied 3-3 with the Chicago White Sox and they got a home run to win the game. The energy was so electric!! People were screaming and jumping up and down!

Including my husband... who high fived everyone in the row behind us and in front of us.

Ahh baseball.

Sweaty, tired, we got into the car and started the 3 hour drive home. I think that might have been the only moment where I went, "oh boy, this is going to suck." But we stopped at the Millhopper Cafe in Gainesville for some din din and it broke up the trip so we didn't feel quite as wiped out when we pulled into the driveway.

So... did we accomplish what we set out to do?

See the baby.... Check.
See a game.... Double Check.
Added bonus..... had ALOT of fun and didn't think about work/house repairs once.

Mission accomplished.

Road Trip

2008-05-30T17:57:00.002-04:00

I'm heading home to pack my bags... we're taking an impromptu trip to Tampa to see my new cousin - Joseph Edward. He's only a month old!
I'll post pictures of his chubby Irish face on Monday...

Make like a tree and leave.

2008-05-28T15:08:00.006-04:00

Dave and I spent most of our Memorial Day weekend doing yard work.
Wait! wait! Before you BOO us... It was actually sort of fun. The weather was gorgeous and the backyard is really starting to look nice... and we had fun together so it's not as bad as it sounds. One of the most exciting things we tackled was the huge tree in the corner. It was so overgrown the branches were growing down into the yard. Yeah. It was crazy to see. Even more crazy was the way my loving husband attacked the beast. He was hanging off a limb with one arm and sawing at another limb - OY! I'm surprised he didn't saw off a finger or two in the process. We also did do some fun stuff. Friday night was date night - we went to Sorrento's for an awesome Italiano meal! Bravo! MWWUA!

Sunday night we went to my aunt's for a Barbecue... and Monday Bryan and Sarah Campbell came over with their 2 kids for dinner. I got some sparklers for $2 at Winn Dixie and that was our entertainment for the evening. (I'm not really sure how pyrotechnics relate to the men and women who serve our country - but hey whatever floats your boat.) It was fun to watch Dave run around the yard like a crazy person, waving a flaming stick in the air.

I forgot one.

2008-05-28T15:03:00.004-04:00

Here's that pink lamp that I forgot to get a picture of... See? Isn't it cute?

The shade is really icky though... I need a new one.

The down side to all these new lamps is that my buffet has now become the "lamp graveyard." What am I going to do with all these? I think I need some new end tables to house all of them...

Brick, are you just saying you love the lamp?

2008-05-23T16:50:00.006-04:00

I have a thing for lamps. Dare I say it? I love Lamp. I do. I love Lamp!!

Dave is constantly making fun of me... saying I want to one of "those people" who has a ton of little lamps stashed in nooks and crannies on bookshelves end tables all over the living room. I really think he'd be happy if we just put a florescent light on the ceiling. BUT he doesn't complain about my lamps when it's late at night and we reduce the light to 1 or 2 lamps for some mood lighting... so really he doesn't have a leg to stand on, does he?

Well I just found another new one on sale at Pier One that I especially love for two reasons. 1.) It was 50% off the original price which is awesome since lamps usually cost an arm and a leg... and B.) It's my signature color - that beautiful aqua that makes me think of the water in the Caribbean. Ahhh....

Besides the fabulous aqua lamp that I just got yesterday... I've picked up a few others in my recent travels... There's the dark blue pottery looking lamp that I got a Burke outlet for $20 - shade and all!

And a very cute pink lamp, (that I seem to have forgotten to take a picture of..) that I found in an antique mall for $12.

Why be generic and go to Target for a lamp? Get something funky or unique!! They are great little accessories that you can always change with a can of spray paint and a new shade - or you can just move them from room to room and change the entire look. For instance, once I brought my prized possession home yesterday, I moved the old living room lamps into the bedroom and Viola!! Now the bedroom has a face lift too!

Take a leak.

2008-05-21T11:43:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I took a half day at work and my Dad came over to help me trouble shoot the sprinkler system. We've got "misters" on the side of the driveway that get the azaleas wet... but Dave and I have noticed that some of the sprinklers just gurgle and water runs down the driveway, instead of actually giving the plants the water they so desperately need.

So my dad and I are standing out there in the HOT afternoon sun, and we thought that we found the problem sprinkler head. Great! So we travel to Ace, get a new one, bring it back, dig up the old one, replace it, and turn the sprinkler system on to see the results.

Nothing. No water even coming out.

So now we've discovered we must have a cracked pipe somewhere in the system. Which means... you guessed it... ALOT more digging.
Damn.

A hodge podge of news...

2008-05-20T08:47:00.003-04:00

Let's see... well there's no status on the Note Bandit. He's apparently "laying low." Hopefully he'll surface soon in the daylight so I can see his face.

The yard is actually looking decent. Well... the grass is still dead but is coming back to life in sections, and it looks like the weed and feed is finally taking effect on the weeds.

We are trying our best to get motivated to start another big project in the house, but it's just so hard because it's looking pretty good and I hate to make a huge mess! But Dave and I both know that the bathroom especially has got to be done - I just can't take that wallpaper anymore.

Today I am leaving at lunch and my dad is meeting me at the house so we can fix some sprinklers that are broken. Right now they just gurgle and water runs down the driveway. I can't imagine how they got broken.... unless someone ran over them with their enormous truck...

And we have 1 month to go until our vacation back to St. Thomas. Woo hoo!!! I can't even begin to tell you how looking forward to this we are! Work has been so crazy for both of us lately... we really need to lie on the beach and relax!! I guess it's pretty sad that 2 people in Florida have to travel to the carribean to do that.

The note bandit.

2008-05-16T17:26:00.005-04:00

We've got a caper on our hands. Someone has been leaving notes on our door... I guess I need to explain. Let me back up for a minute...

While I believe our neighborhood is very safe, there have been a few cars broken into and a few lawn ornaments stolen. I think it's one of the teenagers in the hood, but nonetheless it's better to be safe than sorry - so the neighbors of Ardsley decided to put up a "Neighborhood Watch" sign right at the front of our entrance, hoping this could defer any petty theft.

And it worked... until this week.

On Tuesday Dave and I went out for dinner at about 8pm... and got home at 9. We both got into our jammies and took our contacts out. (We've been married 4 years - the spark has been replaced by the dull flicker of the boob tube.) I went out the front door to shake out a blanket that Arnold had been lounging on.. when I discovered a note tucked under our welcome mat. I picked it up and looked at it and it said... "I wish you good wishes, police officer."

HUH?

So Dave called a neighbor to see if it was a joke. She knew nothing about it. As soon as he hung up with her, she called right back and said "Oh my God, I just went to my front door and I had one too!" So one thing led to another and we discovered about 5 of us had received notes. All different, but all signed or addressed to: Police Officer.

We called an ACTUAL police officer and he came out and took a report but said he really couldn't do anything because it wasn't a crime. I'm sorry but isn't this Trespassing at the very least? Can't we dust for prints? Where's the forensics team?

Since it was 10:30pm by the time he got to our house, we didn't call anyone else to see if they got a note. But I would love to know if anyone on the next street over got one. How very strange. It could be a bum that's been riding his bike around lately. But why in the world would he bother with sticking notes in everyone's doors? The one helpful thing the officer said was that he thought it might be an elderly person by the way the "I" was written. Apparently it's a very old way of writing that's not practiced anymore.

I'll keep you posted on the case of the Note Bandit.

Photographic evidence.

2008-05-14T13:36:00.004-04:00

I'm not kidding when I say the weeds are taking over.

Luckily I won the battle against this one...

P.S. No making fun of my very expensive gardening clothes.

Promised pictures!

2008-05-14T13:25:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures of the flowers. I took them with my new digital camera. LOVE IT. It's the Canon Elph.
These red flowers get tall and skinny....
These big fat purple ones are in a bed in my front yard. I have no idea what they are called.

These daffodils are growing in the backyard. And next to them you can kind of see the blue plumbago that's growing. I actually had plumbago at the Belmonte house so I wasn't really surprised to see that growing.

Here is a big picture of these vines that are growing over an old clothesline. In the back left you can see something with white flowers - that's jasmine. and the one on the right is actually wysteria. So it smells really good in this corner - but I am going to have to attack it with some clippers because wysteria grows like CRAZY. It will take over your house if you let it.

"And then there's Maude."
These weird, very tall, red and yellow flower is all over the place. It's very tropical looking, but it's as tall as me!! I'm afraid what it will look like when it's the middle of the summer.

Flower Power

2008-05-08T09:05:00.004-04:00

I don't know when or how it happenned... but in my race against time, where I am trying to conquer the weeds before summer actually hits.... flowers have started to spring up in the backyard. It's the wierdest thing too because I was convinced that I had killed everything and was doomed to look at an ugly yard for yet another summer. But no - we've got honest to goodness FLOWERS growing. Maybe it's because I was so focused on the dollar weed, I had no time to "accidentally" pull up what is now beautiful blooming stuff. So yes - you could say that procrastination pays off!!

I'll post pictures with my new camera tomorrow - but last night I took a walk around and found, daffodils, lillies, impatiens, plumbago, hibicus, jasmine, wysteria, and some tropical looking red thing that gets really tall!

Land Baron = Land Lord

2008-05-05T08:41:00.004-04:00

It's official - we've got a renter living at Belmonte! I wouldn't say we are officially landlords yet... but it's definitely a step in that direction. It's a friend of mine that needed a place to rent FAST because she is going through a divorce and needed to move out of her house. And she wanted to pay us rent - so it's turning out to be a win-win situation. We went by on Friday to make sure everything was ok and see if she needed anything and I have to say it's WEIRD seeing someone else living in your space! But I didn't feel sad or anything - just strange. I guess that's because I really feel like Ardsley is our home now - not just a fixer upper that we are dumping our life savings into.

We are boring. I know.

2008-05-05T08:24:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile since the last post... there were a few factors that contributed towards that fact. The most obvious one being that we were gone for 9 days. We went to Mississippi for a wedding and for a general family visit. It was nice to get away... but of course we missed the boy, and I started to get the itch to do more work on our yard after seeing how beautiful my mother-in-law's backyard is! She's got a green thumb and can make anything grow. It's like a tropical resort back there!
The other factor is that work has been heating up for both of us and really I am just too mentally exhausted to start anything when I get home. It's May Sweeps for Dave... and the Players Championship is next week so everyone at my office is crazy. This is my first year where I have to run all the edits, and graphic and audio sessions around the building. Quite literally it's like trying to organize a bunch of chickens who just got their heads cut off. People are just acting crazy.
And the last excuse.... errr I mean reason.... is that our digital camera just flat out died 2 weeks ago. And really what's a blog with no pictures? That's no fun.
That camera had a good run. It lasted 4 years - which I would say was a pretty long lifespan! Considering we took it all over the world, in all kind of temperatures, I dropped it numerous times, and my cousin spilled beer on it at a wedding last summer. It put up a good fight, but it's just a tired old bird!!
So yesterday we went to Best Buy and decided to spend some of our tax rebate money on a new one. Dave relented and let me get a SMALL camera. I LOVE it! So now I can fit it in the tiniest of purses!! I think the digital camera has come along way, because this tiny little thing has got all the features of our old camera with about half the size.
So I'll be taking pics and getting this blog up and running again!
Hope everyone had a nice spring break! :)

The Life of Riley.... or should we say Arnold?

2008-04-15T09:44:00.008-04:00

I think Arnold is fully acclimated to the new house and is now enjoying the "life of riley." He's got a few favorite spots. He likes taking a nap in the laundry basket...

He loves to perch on the ottoman, even though his fat butt hangs off it...

The brown couch is proving to be a very comfy place to lounge after a long game of "string."
And of course he loves hanging out at the pub table after a long day at work; work being - taking a nap and then another nap after lunch, and then eating dinner with the folks. The one thing that's really weird is he's DEATHLY AFRAID of the kitchen door. He'll sit by it all day, but when you open it he runs away as if you are trying to force him outside. Odd behavior considering he is always trying to get out the front door when you open that one!! Doesn't he realize it's the same place? I guess not.

OR Maybe he's smarter than we realize.... Maybe there is something weird about that kitchen door? Maybe it's haunted? Oooo...

PICTURES

2008-04-08T13:12:00.003-04:00

I have uploaded all our pictures of the house to Picassa... you can check them out here. It's neat to see the progress... Some of the rooms look even MORE different than they do in these pictures. I'll have to try to keep on top of photography!!

Spring Break

2008-04-07T09:07:00.006-04:00

We didn't do any work on the house or yard this weekend. Come to think of it... we haven't done any home improvement in over a week! Call it our Spring Break. April is getting to be a very busy month and it's getting harder to find time to do projects.
This past weekend I went to Tampa for my Aunt's baby shower... Dave stayed home so he could play in his softball game, and then go to a Suns game. It was fun for both of us... but pretty exhausting! We were asleep by 9:30 last night!
Maybe I'll start doing some gardening after work - since it's been light until about 7:30 lately. That would mean Dave would have to start cooking dinner... HHmmmm... I may need to reevaluate this plan...

I think it's time we talked about the bathroom.

2008-04-03T09:05:00.004-04:00

So the house is looking good... the yard is getting there... I think it's time to start tackling the master bath. It's the one room we have not touched cosmetically. We did do some minor improvements to it when we first bought Ardsley. We ripped out the old crusty shower doors.... I caulked the tub and shower so there are no leaks... we replaced the sink and facuet... and the toilet... Well, I guess we've done more than I thought we'd done! Maybe it feels like we haven't done anything to that room because I am still greeted by this lovely wallpaper every morning at 6:30...

EEEEK!

It's time. So here's what we need to do:

Prime and paint walls

Regrout some areas of the floor/wall where the grout has chipped away

Clean the rest of the shower enclosure gunk off the tub.

Replace the old crusty handles on the vanity with nice clean ones

Replace the light fixture that blinds you when you walk in

Eventually I would like to get a double vanity... right now we've only got one sink but the vanity is sooo long - there's enough room for another one. I wonder why they just didn't put 2 sinks in there in the first place?

And we are going to need a new door. The one we have doesn't shut - probably from years of steamy showers with NO ventilation system.

So I guess we've got to add a fan too...

Ooo... I'm getting the itch to make a Home Depot run tonight...

I've made my bed... do I have to lie in it?

2008-04-01T09:33:00.005-04:00

We are divying up the yard - Dave is in charge of grass - I am in charge of the flower beds. I think they are going to be equally hard to keep under control.

On Saturday while Dave was weed-n-feeding the grass (practically naked) I was in the back working on the bed closest to the deck. It took me 2 hours but I got one little section weeded and looking MUCH better. What's great is there are actual nice flowering plants trying to grow; I've just got to keep the weeds out. I don't think I am going to plant anything until I've got a clean slate. The ratio of what I've done to what I need to do is slightly off. Here is the bed I weeded...

Here is the bed I haven't weeded...

This could take awhile...

Feed me, Seymore! Feed me!

2008-04-01T08:56:00.013-04:00

This past weekend we decided to bite the bullet and ask for help with the yard.

I know I know... we were let down as well. What is it with us? We just hate asking for help?? I don't know. Maybe we just got on a roll with fixing everything ourselves. Usually it's been just a trip to Home Depot for supplies and then we start flying by the seat of our pants with a screwdriver and some elbow grease. No instruction manual for us!! Who needs it?? We've got common sense!!!
It's worked out so far. (It also helps we went through A LOT of trial and error with the Belmonte house.) But when it comes to living foliage.... well... you've seen my previous blogs. You can't caulk or paint over a big dead patch of grass. So on Saturday we went to Ace and found a yard guy and asked him what the heck do we do to resurrect our grass from the dead?

Apparently you have to FEED the stuff.

So we left with a ginormous bag of Weed and Feed under the assurance of the Ace guy that everything would be OK - we caught the cancer before it spread. We got home and read the instructions (a first) and realized we already had 2 things working against us. 1.) It says fertilize yard in February or early March. and B.) It says "Do NOT apply with a hand spreader." Ironically that's the only type of spreader we've got. Great.

Dave decided to throw caution to the wind and use the hand spreader anyway. So I say, "Great - OK, well, is says here you need to wear pants and gloves because you don't want to get the poison on your skin-" And I look up to see Dave applying it wearing shorts, sandals, and of course glove less.
I cry out "Dave! What about your legs? It will burn you!"
He says "Nah. It only activates with water. I'll be fine. I'm going to take a shower after this anyway."

Now I know Dave's SAT scores were higher than mine... but isn't water involved in a shower?

So now the grass has got a full coat of the poison/fertilizer and it rained this weekend so HOPEFULLY the weeds start to die and the grass starts to grow. You can tell it's working if the weeds start turning yellow. I'll keep you posted...