Both literally and figuratively.
A couple of days ago, our kitchen was put on 24hr black-out status. The “why” is a mystery…but I’ve been feeling like I’m living in 1941 London the last few days.
M had gone into the kitchen on Monday night, flipped the light switch to our recently installed overhead light, saw a flash, and heard a “pop”.
The bulb had burned out, right?
Yet after both bulbs were changed, the light refused to come back on. We checked the breaker box and the light switch (which also operates the still functioning basement lights)- and short of ripping pulling the light down and reconnecting the wires- haven’t been able to find the problem.
And, as our renovation habit requires us to work for a living, by the time we get home from work in the evening the kitchen is extremely dark- making any kind of cooking, microwaving, or food preparation extremely difficult. Getting food out of the refrigerator is pretty easy, but utilizing the little light bulb from the fridge by leaving the door open is just not an option.
Last night I came home to M making dinner by the light of one of our stained glass floor lamps. It took a bit longer than normal- checking if the chicken was still raw was a challenge when the color of the light was yellow and green - but it worked.
So take a wild guess what we’ll be doing this weekend? Just another thing to add to the list!
By a cold of all things.
Everyone here at the Cotterpin House seems to be suffering from a medical malady this weekend. M & I both have obnoxious colds- which gives us just enough energy to move from the couch to the kitchen and back. Even Stella is experiencing a little stomach discomfort- which has been less than exciting to deal with in our sniffly states.
Maybe it’s because of the imposed limits of mobility, but I’ve been noticing all the little things that have piled up over the last few months, and I’m itching to get some deep spring cleaning/spring to-do’s done. Yes, I realize spring isn’t for another three months- but the dinged up porch, the squeaky floorboards, the tacky linoleum in the back entry- all are acting up in desperate cries for attention. And it’s bugging me that I can’t do anything about it.
Sigh. Maybe next weekend. (insert sad music here.)
In other news, M was crowned sworn in at the Capital building this week. Very exciting and momentous, and a great opportunity for me to gawk at some gorgeous architecture. Pics to come later this week…
…for getting the insulation put up and the conversion officially started.
Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
Because, while I’m excited about getting to use a very generous Christmas present from my parents, (it’s light enough for me to move around, compact, and can do both nails and staples!! Everyone together now: oooh..ahhhh) and that all our nailing needs are taken care of for the foreseeable future, I’m also a bit intimidated about tackling the next project. It’s going to be a tough one- most likely full of blood, sweat, tears and a second job.
So, on one hand, energy efficiency, a cute new tool to play with, and a good start to the attic conversion…On the other hand, itchy insulation, creepy dark crawlspaces filled with spiders, and God only knows what kind of mess the last owner tried to cover up. Did I also mention the spiders? Definitely not looking forward to the spiders.
Pictures (not of the spiders, but the attic) to be posted before the fun begins!
I knew the New Year was coming, but I was not prepared for it.
For some reason, (traveling 25 million miles in 2 days? too much rum? being thrown into freezing weather while still in shorts?) I was caught off guard when the new year rolled in. I’d blame it also on a time delay, but when you only travel directly south, and then directly north, you don’t really have that excuse either. Alas.
Anyway, back at the bungalow, the improvements patiently waited for us. So, in addition to my resolution to floss more often, I’ve added our house resolutions for the year- in roughly chronological order.
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Start and finish insulating the attic area
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Get estimates on installing a half bath on the second floor. Immediately abandon the idea if it costs more than the down-payment on the house.
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Install built-in bookcases, skylights, wall boards, electrical outlets, etc., into the newly insulated attic area
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Finish out/Decorate the attic space for use as office/spare bedroom
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Install new front and back doors on the house
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Expand the downstairs bedroom closet into the existing pantry space so I can actually hang up some of my clothes like an adult
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Plant lilac bushes along our backyard fence line to disguise the ugly fence/alley/garage
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Paint the mentioned garage so it doesn’t look like a shack- better yet, replace the one car garage with a two car garage so M can stop parking on the street
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Remove the rusty shack that is pretending to be a shed, but is just an oversize playhouse for the squirrels, rabbits and lawn furniture
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Install a new patio/pergola so our patio furniture doesn’t get a new home every time we need to mow the lawn underneath
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Design and move forward on a kitchen renovation
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Including new counters, cabinets, sink, and faucet
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Rip up the ugly (seeing a pattern here?) orange linoleum and refinish the hardwood floors lurking below
At this point, provided M & I haven’t killed each other, it will most likely be 2020…but it’s something to work toward. The renovation I mean. Not the futuristic date.
Or the killing the spouse thing.
Anyone else need a New Year’s margarita?
At least from the Home Depot…. Yes, while we are receiving another 5 inches of snow, the Home Depot is sending me coupons for saving money on my spring yard needs.
Um, my yard is under 20 inches of snow. Could you maybe contact me in another 5 months? We can talk about pruning shears and grass seed then.
The Cotterpin house is finally getting dressed up for the holidays!
I know, I know, there are many of you out there who took care of that little task around Thanksgiving (or for your hardcore holiday lovers out there, and various retailers- Halloween), and do not need to go out in the 48 inches of snow and ice to put up lights. If you are one of those people with that type of foresight and or ESP, I applaud you. And would like a gentle kick in the pants from you next year…
Anyway, I’ve been putting it off because of many reasons- travel, travel, and for M- finals. But looking at our calendar, it dawned on me last night that this is the last free weekend for any kind of daytime “I can actually see what I’m doing while freezing my fingers off” type of decorating. December is funny like that with that whole dark at 5pm thing. Anyway, it turns out that the next 4 (and maybe even 5) weekends are booked- which means if I put it off any longer, I’ll be hauling out that holly in mid-January. Hee hee..sigh…
Not that I’m not excited about the upcoming booked weekends- I am very excited…Our schedule consists of: M’s law school graduation (anyone want to hire a bright eyed and bushy tailed new lawyer in the Milw. area? Anyone? Anyone?), a road trip to Nashville for our first country Christmas y’all, followed closely with a trip to the beautiful beaches and plentiful margaritas of Mexico, and then ringing in 2008 back in Nashville.
But all of those activities also means very little movement on the renovation front until the New Year. Hmm…Family fun, presents, a degree, and a tan in December OR insulating the attic.
I might be a reno geek, but the choice is obvious…
I feel like I’m the only participant in Trading Spaces or something…
The challenge: With only $100, change the entire look and feel of the master bedroom, including finding storage for multiple pairs of shoes and various articles of clothing, decorating in a matching color palette, and creating a larger looking room.
The time-line: Needs to be done by 5pm Sunday night. (M will be home from the Guards, and I’d like to have the finished product to show off here too…)
The challenges: Money, obviously. Time, secondly. Closet space bringing up the rear.
The advantages: Many things we already own are in good condition and can be reused, including the curtains, bedspread, and dresser. Bad weather will be a good incentive to stay inside.
Can she do it, ladies and gentlemen? Or will our contestant dissolve into a puddle of tears and frustration at 2am tomorrow when she can’t reach the ceiling corners with her paint roller?
Stay tuned- it’s going to be interesting.
and so hard to pick…
Planning on painting while M is gone this weekend- but we haven’t decided which color to paint the bedroom. Our comforter is blue and white, and the woodwork is a medium maple. So, maybe a neutral? Or a complimentary color to the blue? Thoughts?
Apologies for the washout on the color- the flash was all crazy this evening…
Or the many uses of a flashlight. That would be more appropriate.
Ah, daylight savings time- I will miss you. Your departure has given me one more thing for us to add to our home improvement list.
Last night, my sister and her boyfriend came over for dinner- good times. I had made Italian food the last time they had come for dinner, so I decided some good ol’ fashioned grilled chicken would be a good choice. Grilled chicken cooked on our grill, naturally. Outside. At 5:30, when it was DARK.
Just turn on the back yard porch light, right? Oh, wait…don’t have one of those. The only light source was an alley light five houses down- and the little bit of kitchen light filtering through our flapper window. So, necessity being the mother of invention and all that, we used a mini-flashlight to see if the chicken was cooked. The chicken survived, with only a few burnt edges.
We’ve lived in the house last year at this time- I’m not sure why a back porch light didn’t occur to me before. Especially as we have a dog that likes to be let out into the murky backyard to chase rabbits and stray animals- and you can never tell what’s running straight at you out of the darkness. Is it Stella or a rapid raccoon? Don’t know! It keeps life interesting for us.
So now that we’re at the finish line with the bathroom (complete before and after pics to be posted soon!), we need to think about the next big thing. Kitchen? Attic? or maybe Doors? All things I’ve already obsessed about.
Problem is that we’re going to be traveling quite a bit in the next two months- families and holidays are good in that way. So, while we love to travel, we need a project that won’t suffer from us traveling- and won’t break the travel/holiday/(yay)presents budget. So, I’m leaning towards putting off the kitchen until after the new year- but that opens a new can of worms.
Is it getting to be too cold to put in the new doors? Too cold to put in insulation upstairs? Can either one be done by a fiercely determined woman whose husband has been sucked into a textbook while he studies for his last finals ever (yay again btw)?
I need some inspiration….a little help here?
Also- Happy Halloween! I don’t have any funny/scary/interesting Halloween stories to share, but do have plenty of gratuitous autumn leaves pictures to share- hey there’s even a graveyard in this one…
