SWITCHPLATES
Most of the switches were painted prior to the replacement of the cover. DYIers, does this still look like a good idea?
OUTLETS
Rectangular or round, shiny or polished nickel, brass or white plastic, take your pick. We've got them all!
Sep 9, 2008
Ode to Switchplates
Understanding the way this house was decorated before we bought it, I shouldn't be surprised by the discontinuity of the plates. But I am. So instead of being annoyed, I have decided to laugh and share this laughter with you. These are just a few of the switch and outlet plates from throughout the building.
SWITCHPLATES
Most of the switches were painted prior to the replacement of the cover. DYIers, does this still look like a good idea?
OUTLETS
Rectangular or round, shiny or polished nickel, brass or white plastic, take your pick. We've got them all!
SWITCHPLATES
Most of the switches were painted prior to the replacement of the cover. DYIers, does this still look like a good idea?
OUTLETS
Rectangular or round, shiny or polished nickel, brass or white plastic, take your pick. We've got them all!
IN PROGRESS: Kitchen
So this was our starting point - a kitchen with no working appliances, a granite countertop, oddly decorated cabinetry, a black and white checkered marble and granite floor, and a weirdly constructed pantry that jutted out into the room.
Originally, we planned to live with it (minus the black decor on the cabinets) for a few years in order to save up the money to gut it and start over. But I was having a really, REALLY hard time getting excited about the house (to read why, go back to this entry) - the kitchen became my scapegoat. The energy was just not right. If that weren't enough, Brent was looking for something to swing a sledgehammer at, and the pantry was just begging for it.
The proverbial straw was when my dad announced that the guys working on his remodel were stalled (waiting on tile or something). If Brent was to help out, we could hire their assistant who was competent enough to do what we needed. It would cost us a fraction of what we would have to pay later, especially if Brent was too busy at work (he had some time off before starting his new job at this point). So...we remodeled the pantry/utility area and moved the entry back to its original floorplan.
PART I - the cabinets.
Brent removed them all. The wooden embellishments had to be popped off which then meant I had to fill in the depression with drywall mud. I then sanded everything, painted them antique white, and rehung them.
Originally, we planned to live with it (minus the black decor on the cabinets) for a few years in order to save up the money to gut it and start over. But I was having a really, REALLY hard time getting excited about the house (to read why, go back to this entry) - the kitchen became my scapegoat. The energy was just not right. If that weren't enough, Brent was looking for something to swing a sledgehammer at, and the pantry was just begging for it.
The proverbial straw was when my dad announced that the guys working on his remodel were stalled (waiting on tile or something). If Brent was to help out, we could hire their assistant who was competent enough to do what we needed. It would cost us a fraction of what we would have to pay later, especially if Brent was too busy at work (he had some time off before starting his new job at this point). So...we remodeled the pantry/utility area and moved the entry back to its original floorplan.
PART I - the cabinets.
Brent removed them all. The wooden embellishments had to be popped off which then meant I had to fill in the depression with drywall mud. I then sanded everything, painted them antique white, and rehung them.
Aug 18, 2008
Ants in my Pants
Does anyone have a natural solution for killing and/or chasing away ants? If we merely leave a used baby bottle out, or a dead fly falls to the ground, or the laundry hamper isn't emptied fast enough, we are swarmed. And, you see, this has become more than just an ant problem. This is entering the realm of a marriage problem.
Brent is fed up with these critters. He is ready to send me and the baby and dog off to my folks' house so that he can put powdered poison out. I am fed up with them, too, but I recognize that, in general, our house is a mess right now. The ants come because we give them something to come for. I still have a few more days of work to accomplish before our two major culprits (the kitchen and the master suite) are in clean, organized, maintainable order. I am still painting cabinet doors which should be rehung by tomorrow. (Yeah!) But the closet in the master bath just got its first step in rehab this week...I won't get to that room until Wednesday, likely.
And here's the other major difference in thinking between me and The Mister.
Brent is fed up with these critters. He is ready to send me and the baby and dog off to my folks' house so that he can put powdered poison out. I am fed up with them, too, but I recognize that, in general, our house is a mess right now. The ants come because we give them something to come for. I still have a few more days of work to accomplish before our two major culprits (the kitchen and the master suite) are in clean, organized, maintainable order. I am still painting cabinet doors which should be rehung by tomorrow. (Yeah!) But the closet in the master bath just got its first step in rehab this week...I won't get to that room until Wednesday, likely.
And here's the other major difference in thinking between me and The Mister.
Aug 13, 2008
Coyote Country
At 1:42 today, I looked outside to see this - a lone coyote cruising up the road. I've heard talk of these bold creatures frolicking in neighbors' yards, knocking over potted lavender plants and such, but here I caught my own coyote on camera. This little guy was on a walk, not even a trot. He went up the long driveway of one of my neighbor's houses - the driveway that seems to function as a wildlife path for critters heading out to the undeveloped side of the hill.
Night Lights
One of the reasons I am happy living here - the view from the balcony at night. The first shot is looking left. The second is looking straight ahead. We eat breakfast and dinner on the balcony most days, and can often hear coyotes at night.
Trading Wasted
Fun Fact #101:
This house appeared in an episode of Trading Spaces (the family version) around 2003. The show came in and redid the living room, hanging thick heavy curtains over all those windows to block out the light. ?! With the kind of light and view available via those windows, why on earth would you block them out?! ?!?!?!?!
Both makeovers (our poor neighbor's kitchen got the worst of it) were cheap and shabby. Wish I could post the video here, but it's on a VHS tape belonging to our neighbor.
This house appeared in an episode of Trading Spaces (the family version) around 2003. The show came in and redid the living room, hanging thick heavy curtains over all those windows to block out the light. ?! With the kind of light and view available via those windows, why on earth would you block them out?! ?!?!?!?!
Both makeovers (our poor neighbor's kitchen got the worst of it) were cheap and shabby. Wish I could post the video here, but it's on a VHS tape belonging to our neighbor.
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