Minimal Progress

OK, so at least I don't feel like a total failure! I cut and installed 75% of the trim, excluding the crown molding--which is a whole other problem. The main reason I didn't do 100% is that I ran out of trim. I'd have gotten close to 90% if I had measured correctly two different times, but I still would've had to buy a little more. (Thanks to my hubby who removed the old trim from the right hutch combo to speed things up.)

I haven't decided if I'm going to Home Depot today or not. Even if I get the trim, I have to prime and paint it. Yuk! I thought I was done with that.

I know I won't complete 100% of the trim today, but I will definitely have it done by the time Kate returns from her week-long trip to Florida. Hopefully, I can work on the window seat cushion cover at night in order to finish it as well.

But not now. I'm pooped. All that running up and down the stairs every time I need to cut or get an extra tool is tiring. And I'm nearly 50, so it's doubly tiring!

D-Day

No, that title's not a reference to Memorial Day. (And, yes, I know the difference between Memorial Day and D-Day.) It simply is a reminder to me that today is my final day to do the tasks I had on my original list for this 3-day weekend. And since I am batting 0 right now, I guess I can only go up, right?

Suffice it to say that circumstances have prevented me from even beginning to tackle any of the projects I mentioned a couple of days ago. Oh, I've worked my butt off, but not at that. Yesterday, I nearly had heatstroke from mowing the front and back yard, pruning the rosebushes and fig trees, and watering. Add in some "have-to" grocery shopping, laundry, church, Sunday School, meeting, and sleep--there goes the day! Saturday was similar, though not as hard physical work. Busy just the same.

I got up early this morning and immediately took care of setting up my soaker hoses in the vegetable garden, did a couple of loads of laundry, emptied the D/W, cooked/ate breakfast, and fed the dog. I decided to take a break to check email and post on the blog since the younger daughter is sleeping in the older daughter's bed--and that's the room with the shelves! (How convenient.) At any rate, she just got up, and so should I.

I'm determined to get ONE THING done today on my list!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Building Green

It's been a long time since Kermit sang, "It's Not Easy Being Green." They say that today, it's becoming easier all the time to renovate or build your home using "green" or eco-friendly products.

I've always wanted to have a solar powered home, and I read in this week's paper that they have new solar roof shingles that are less obtrusive than the huge panels of yore. The catch? They cost a fortune, even with the federal tax break you get. Experts say that as time goes on, the price should drop because the technology will be more prevalent. We'll see. For now, it's outta my price range. Regular roofing shingles cost an estimated $7 square foot, while they say that the solar shingles can cost $30 per square foot! Yikes! I know you'll save money on utilities in the long run, but who can afford to pay all that up front? Not me, I'm afraid.

On a more reasonable level, I read that paint manufacturers now have paint formulations that have low odor and less chemicals. One brand costs about $30 a gallon, which isn't that much more than some of the more decent paint brands like Sherwin-Williams. (I know SW isn't rated very highly by Consumer Reports, but I like it better than some of those paints that top their list.)

As I'm thinking about painting the drum room in the near (hopefully) future, I would like to try one of those newer paint formulations. I've hated the smell of paint ever since they repainted my grandfather's apartment building interior in the '60s. The smell made me sick for over a year. And since I'm the one who normally does the painting in this household, I'm the person who gets the biggest jolt of chemical smell from the stuff. I'll have to write a review once I try the new formulation. But don't hold your breath--see the previous post and all the projects that have to be finished first!

In the meantime, I guess I can buy some more green plants to keep inside the house and "clean" the air. After all, my husband's the one who does all the plant watering :-)

A Blank Page

One of my favorite memories about growing up was buying fresh, neat packages of notebook paper for the new school year. The pages were so clean, so crisp--just begging to be written on. Not like those tattered, wrinkled leftover sheets from the previous year. It was a treat which, combined with new penny loafers, made going back to school in the fall (not August!!!) a real pleasure.

I am getting that same feeling today, as I anticipate the coming three-day weekend. Since we won't be one of the millions on the road this Memorial Day weekend, I have the luxury of working on some of my stagnant projects. It's like that fresh package of notebook paper--a clean, unblemished weekend, not yet soiled by wasted errands and the sleep siren calling my name. It's a whole weekend waiting to be discovered, trim begging to be nailed, border aching to be stripped, a young garden just waking up with tiny weeds poking their heads through the mulch.

My fear is that I won't get anything accomplished because I will want to do so much. I dread the thought of waking up Tuesday morning and seeing little to no visible evidence of the weekend left behind.

And so, I make lists. Lists are my middle name. I've always tried to distill things down to a list of tasks, supplies, goals, achievements, whatever. And while they can be helpful in the beginning, they are awfully hard to revisit in the end if you haven't checked off at least half of the things printed there.

#1 on my list is the bookshelf trim. Kate will be out of town with a friend (giving me one more thing to worry about--them driving to Florida), so I can have full possession of her room.

#2 is the window seat cushion. Of course, if I actually get to this, it automatically adds several additional tasks to the list, simply because it means I have set up the sewing machine. I hate to start sewing, especially when I have no decent place to cut fabric. Therefore, if it's up, I must do EVERYTHING that needs mending at the same time.

#3, consequently, is to sew the rip in the neck of my workout shirt that has hung in the closet for over a year waiting to be repaired.

#4 would be to mend the rip in Kate's skirt that is wadded up on a shelf in the laundry room to prevent her from wearing it with the hole anyway.

#5 is to mend anything else that my husband has hung on the telescope--which is now his "to be repaired" clothing rack.

#6 is to clean out the grout residue in my tub/shower and regrout. I bought the new grout and tools about four months ago. I need to finish this before my nephew and wife come for their visit in two weeks.

#7 is to finish stripping the wallpaper border in the drum room. About half is done but ragged. My husband asked me about a month ago what he could do to help me with my projects since I'm so stressed out all the time and complaining about not enough hours in the day. (Not to mention my hot flashes.) I told him he could strip that border for me. I guess he's getting old, too, because the whole thing seems to have disappeared from his memory :-)

#8, if I make it this far, is to collapse and wish I had a four-day weekend instead of three.

Resolved

I read an interesting perspective on home repair this week when I came across this article. The writer makes a good point--every homeowner should be able to perform certain simple repairs, not just to save money over hiring someone, but for the convenience, satisfaction, and assurance that it's done correctly.

Instead of, or in addition to, New Year's Resolutions, perhaps we should all make annual Home Resolutions. Resolve to learn one or two new repair techniques each year. I know that some of the simple repairs the writer mentions--like replacing a light switch or outlet--are ones that I do not know how to do. It's not that I have tried and failed. It's just that sometimes it's easier to let my husband do the things he already knows how to do well rather than me taking more time to learn it, especially when time is already so short.

But I recall my mother's situation when my father died. He was the least handy man I've ever known, but he did do some things around the house. After he died, mother had no clue. What better target for a scam artist than an elderly widow who lives alone??? It makes me realize how important it is for people to become as self-reliant as possible.

When I was growing up, I always wanted to live in colonial days, growing my own food on my own land, cooking over a fire, building my own house, etc. (Of course, I would like to have had my own indoor bathroom and air condition, too!) Even today, I get a great deal of satisfaction from my vegetable garden, poor though it is. There's an indescribable feeling that comes from strolling out to your garden, picking a few veggies, and bringing them into your kitchen for dinner.

So, I guess I'll need to start making a Home Resolution list for myself. I'll keep it short--one or two tasks. But at least I'll be forcing myself to learn some new skills that could be invaluable in the future. And best of all, I won't have to wait on my busy husband to get around to it.

Power Failure

An ad in my most recent Family Handyman magazine irked me today.

Diamonds are a man's best friend

Move over, girls. Now the guys have their chance to put diamonds to
use. The Plugmold Tough power strip, boasting a diamond-plate exterior
that's flat-out cool, brings 10 outlets of power wherever you need it.
It's rugged, easy to handle and easy to install. Whether it's for your
workbench, garage or anywhere else in your home, the Plugmold Tough power strip
puts lots of power right where it matters.

So, only men use power strips? Get real. They ought to fire their ad agency.

Cost vs. Value

Remodeling Magazine publishes an annual report that compares construction costs for common remodeling projects with the value they add at resale in 60 U.S. housing markets. It's supposed to help you determine if you'll get your money back in a higher house price when you sell. Of course, it doesn't take into account the satisfaction and enjoyment you get from improving your home. Sometimes the projects that make the most sense financially for resale may not make sense for you. But it's a good guideline.

Based on this year's report, it looks like we made the right choice last year to install Hardiplank siding on our house. Upscale siding replacement tops the cost vs. value list with a 103.6% return. We've also already completed #3 on the list--what the list calls a "minor" kitchen remodel that costs about $14,000. ("Minor"???? I'd say that's major, at least as far as my pocketbook is concerned.) That garners a 98.5% return on your investment.

I'm ready for #2. It's a mid-range ($10,000) bathroom remodel, with a 102.2% return. Of course, I guess we could've done that if we didn't get the new grand piano. But I imagine it wouldn't have as much nostalgia and meaning if, when I'm 85 years old, I fondly recall the bathroom remodel I got for my 50th birthday. The piano? I'll remember that.

I'd still like to do the bathroom someday, though. Someday sooner rather than later. But that won't happen unless the New York Times stock decides to something other than dive. In the meantime, check out the entire Remodeling list. I hear #17 calling us, too.

Don't Get A Weather Forecaster to Build Your House

Sometimes I think I'm the most naive person in the world when it comes to carpentry. Then some nut comes along and proves that even dumber folks exist.

Case in point: today's national news includes a wire story about the need for New York City to be prepared for a disastrous hurricane. What got me wasn't the talk about New York and hurricanes--they're on the east coast, you know. What floored me was this comment by a National Weather Service forecaster:

"It's not like we can all run down to Home Depot and pick up these two-by-fours to board up windows," said John Koch, lead forecaster at the NWS forecast office in New York.

Hello?? This guy may be a know-it-all when it comes to weather, but he's a numbskull when it comes to wood. Anyone who even gives a cursory glance at the news when it's hurricane season knows that homeowners board up their windows with plywood--not two-by-fours! Can you imagine?

Question: How many two-by-fours do you need to board up a window?
Answer: None, unless you're a weather forecaster!

Earth to Mr. Koch--since you can't make it to Home Depot, please do an online search to see what a two-by-four looks like. You may be surprised.

A New Generation

After seeing the usual crop of Mother's Day toasters and vacuum cleaners in today's newspaper circulars, it was heartening to get some more encouraging news about a three-year-old "future mother" who's also . . . a budding carpenter!

My great niece celebrated her third birthday yesterday, and she started the day out by going to Home Depot kids' workshop with her dad. Later, one of her favorite gifts turned out to be a multi-piece tool set, also from Home Depot. (Good for you, Home Depot!)

She says she wants to help her daddy build out their basement, which she apparently has been watching him work on.

I don't know about daddy, but great auntie would be more than happy to have some help down here!!! That may be the only way I'll ever finish some of this stuff. Just look at that serious face--now that's a committed carpenter!

All Sold--Thanks!

All the furniture items in the ad are now sold. Thanks!