Where's the paint??????????????

OK, so This Old House is now making paint--wonderful news! EXCEPT for the fact that it is apparently NOT available in my neck of the woods--either in a store or via a contractor. It doesn't appear to be available online, either. I'd love to try it. Listen up Home Depot, Lowe's, and anyone else out there. Stock it!!!!
http://www.thisoldhousepaints.com/home.do

Teach, don't preach

Interesting article about a Habitat for Humanity Women Build participant. I liked the quote about how the men treated her vs. the women.
http://www.calgarysun.com/cgi-bin/niveau2.cgi?s=generic&p=61632.html&a=1

Sick of paint

I'll be glad when all this painting is done!!! I finished priming the trim today and got one coat of paint on it. Rainy weather, so it's taking forever to dry.

Sincerely Yours

I got an email today from This Old House telling me that my recent letter to the magazine will be published in its May 2005 issue! I had written them a thank-you letter for the "Do-it-herself" tools feature in a recent issue. The letter, of course, will be edited for length. I'm glad they actually read it, because I think they should continue to place a greater focus on women.

Great weather today, so I got lots accomplished. I tried out my new angle-finder thing that my husband had given me in the Valentine's toolbox. Actually, it SAYS it's a protractor, but it surely bears very little resemblance to the protractors I used in high school. At any rate, it was WONDERFUL! What a find! Too bad I didn't have it when I was building the hutches. But it came in very handy today to determine my miter angle for the upper trim. Naturally, I had to get a mistake in there somewhere--I cut the overall length a bit too short, after the miter. So I had to go to Home Depot and get a new piece of trim! At least it was only about $7. And I can always use the shorter pieces for something else.

So now all the top trim pieces are cut and primed on one side. I'll prime the backs before retiring tonight and nail the pieces in tomorrow afternoon. Then I'll cut and nail the vertical trim, which will be EASY compared to the angles! I'll lay off the project til next weekend since the next step is the CROWN MOLDING. Just typing that phrase gives me the willies. I've got to do it, though, in order to hide the imperfections on top of the hutches and to unify them with the ceiling and window.

I'll post pix tomorrow after I nail the trim pieces.

A potential, unrelated problem--I noticed at Home Depot that the 18" unfinished base cabinets aren't exactly like the ones I used on this part of the project. They look the same on the front--hinges, doors, drawers. But the bottom of my cabinets is flush, while the bottom of the HD cabinets has a toe kick. I bought these cabinets at a garage sale, and the owner told me she bought them at HD or Lowe's. So I'll check Lowe's to see if they have what I need. I have to match the new cabinets to the ones I've already used since they'll be on opposite sides of the window. That's the next big project. I've got to move faster!

Some kind of sinus infection or bronchitis has sidelined me for the moment, but I did get one small piece of trim nailed up yesterday. Still have to patch the nail holes and paint it. I added the remaining shelves to the left vertical piece, so all that's left is the final trim. I'm almost afraid to do it because I don't want to screw up what I've already accomplished!

Crown molding--does anybody know how to do that correctly? Every instruction guide I read says it strikes fear into the hearts of do-it-yourselfers. Then they go on to reassure you that you can do it if you just follow their directions. So far, none of "their" directions makes sense to me! Even my reliable This Old House magazine, with pictures, is confusing! I think I'll just take a stab at it and learn from my mistakes, just like I've done everything else.

Or with this sickness, maybe I'll just clean up the garage and let my husband park his truck in there--for at least a week, anyway.

Progress!

Well, I just wrote a nice, lengthy post--and lost it. So here's a summary:

The picture below was taken today. Almost everything done except for the trim. There are 2 more shelves with wet paint (dry, dry!) that will fill out the left side of the hutch. The half-moon thing is my daughter's desk blotter.

Two electricians are coming out next week to give me an estimate on having outlets put in beneath the desk, one on each side of the window. There's an outlet under the window, but this would make things easier. We may have another electrical project elsewhere, so it may be cost-effective to have this done simultaneously.

My husband says he hopes the other desk/hutch won't take as long as this one--one year this weekend :-)

Me, too!

Nearing completion!

Screwed up or scrolled out?

Long time, no write. I've been out of town. Unfortunately, while trying to make up for lost time today on the bookshelves, I made a mistake that wasted not only a lot of time but also screwed up the desktop. I made a cutout for the electrical cord that I didn't need. And in the process, I wasted about 3 hours. I also learned that I cannot control a scroll saw, even with brand new blades. Thanks goodness my husband was here to help out, even though I told him I could do it myself. It's not that women CAN'T do it, it's just that I'm small and couldn't exert enough pressure on the darn thing to keep it against the wood. I think I'll be able to cover up most of the mistakes. But what a waste of time! And now, I'm having to wait on the blasted drill to recharge. I think we need a new battery pack.

I returned the under cabinet light to Home Depot today, but I didn't buy a replacement. Nothing else fit my needs, and I was wary of buying the same thing. I'll try to get to Lowe's tomorrow to see what it has.

In the meantime, I did use the circular saw again today, alone, successfully, with no problems whatsoever! I had to trim the back of the center hutch about 2 inches to make room for the light cord--for the light I don't have.

I screwed in one spacer, and I'll do the second as soon as the drill powers up. The spacers will push the hutches forward just enough so that the cord will have room to run behind them, coming out on the side where the outlet is.

Poor daughter--it's her birthday this weekend, and we haven't done anything yet! I'm just trying to get this one side finished so she can unpack those boxes that've been on her floor for a solid year.

I need to be a full-time, stay-at-home carpenter. I'll be 90 before I'm done with this! And now I have to sew valances for the kitchen and possibly seat cushions, too, since I haven't found what I need. There's just not enough time. Can somebody give me time for Mother's Day?

Does GE stand for Goofed-Up Electrical?

I hate it when I carve out an hour to get something done that is supposed to be relatively easy, and then it becomes the most difficult thing I've ever tried to do! Yesterday, I went to Home Depot to purchase the undercabinet light for my daughter's desk hutch. It will hang from underneath the center hutch lowest shelf. I wanted to install it before I screwed the permanent shelf into the side supports. Sounds easy, huh? Fat chance.

I got the $20 GE undercabinet light, brought it home, opened it, and removed the parts: one fluorescent bulb, one light housing with cord, one plastic light cover, one tiny package of screws. That's it. Easy, I thought. I read the instructions, which were short and to the point. "Screw the base onto the shelf. Take the cardboard protector off the bulb. Insert the bulb and turn securely but do not force. Plug in." Having learned from my many previous mistakes, I decided to check the bulb BEFORE I drilled holes and screwed the darn thing in. I inserted the bulb as directed. I plugged it in. A flicker--nothing more. I tried again. Repeat response. I tried another outlet. Same thing. I screwed the bulb as tight as I could again. I held it tight and plugged in the cord. This time, the light came on for 2 seconds, then went out. I FORCED the bulb, removed the plug, and plugged in again. This time, it came on again for 2 seconds, then went out. What a piece of . . . . .

And to top it all off, the cord is too short.

So I repacked the parts in the package--rather like trying to put a sewing pattern back in its jacket--a nightmare. I finally got it in and taped it shut. Then I saw the cardboard bulb protector still lying on the table. ARRRGGHHH! I opened the package again, placed the bulb in its protector, then stuffed the whole mess back in--this time, less politely. I didn't have time to return the thing today, but it's first thing on my agenda for tomorrow.

Suffice it to say I got nothing done on my project. And I'm leaving town Saturday, so I won't get a chance to work on it this weekend either. Come next weekend, it will be a full YEAR since I started this. I think I need professional help.

Sander confirmation

I knew my sander was great!

http://www.makita.com/News_Item_View.asp?id=29

Weekends are for what?

You'd think we'd get a chance to relax on the weekend, but with trying to finish painting this hutch and the beginning of spring yardwork, it doesn't work that way. After today, though, at least I'm ready to install the desktop on my daughter's desk and the hutch pieces thereafter. Maybe one day after work this week we'll get that done.

I've really enjoyed using the new Makita sander. It makes short work of a job! It only came with one pad, though, so my husband picked up some new ones today. It's also the only power tool I have or have ever seen that actually FITS back into its case effortlessly! It takes me at least 15 minutes every time I put the router back in its case. It has to be turned just so to get the top closed. Same problem with the power drill. I don't know if it's the Makita brand that makes it so good, but I'm definitely doing to check out Makita brands next time I'm in the market for a power tool.

In prepping the yard and garden for spring today, I was reminded that I need to get or build a new arbor for my "secret garden" area. The storm last year killed the cheapo metal arbor I had there, and we had to toss it. It didn't matter during the winter when my clematis and Carolina jasmine were dormant. But now that they're growing again, they need someplace to hang! Of course, my husband is afraid I want to build something--and he's desperate for me to finish at least ONE project that is currently pending. He cringes when I mention something new. But I really would like to build something simple, if I could. Here's a design I like:
http://www.yardandgardenstructures.com/projects/trellis.html

I have to face reality, though, which means I'll probably invest in a $25 cheapo again to get me through this year. Then, maybe next year, after I've finished the hutches/desks/windowseat, painting rooms, sewing chair cushions, and the mailbox planter . . .

New leather sofa (and child)

New sofa

OK, this time, I let the husband pick out the sofa. After 10 years with my selection, I guess he earned the chance to have his voice heard.

Home Depot vs. Lowe's

Last night, our local CBS affiliate, WREG-TV, did a news story comparing prices at Home Depot and Lowe's. (Go to http://www.wreg.com/ and scroll down to Lowe's vs. Home Depot) After comparing prices of a variety of items not on sale, the result was a virtual tie. Very little difference--about $2, I think, with Lowe's on the cheap side.

I think I'm like most people in that I shop both Lowe's and Home Depot, the latter more often simply because there's one closer to my house. Fortunately, a Lowe's is coming soon right around the corner from my HD, so there will be stiff competition--great for the consumer! When it comes to hardware items, I usually don't care which store I use. If I want a particular brand, then I'll go to the store that carries that brand. Occasionally, I even patronize my community's independent hardware store because they sometimes have things that the big box stores don't carry. (That's where I finally got some hard-to-find cabinet hinges after searching for months online and at every kitchen cabinet store in the area! And they were cheap!)

My husband and I also shop online for better selection and pricing sometimes. In fact, he got my table saw online and got a wonderful deal. (Remember that free sander? It's a peach!)

It just all depends on what you want, when you want it, and how much time you want to devote to shopping.