Remember the saga from December when my dad had to replace my sixty-year-old toilet and a section of flooring? Since then, my dining room table has been buried under the mountain of (metaphorical) crap that usually resides on the shelving unit that straddles my toilet because I had to replace the flooring. Problem. Fibromyalgia and … Read More
#homeimprovement hell – (part 2) Well, it’s sort of done…
Apparently there will be a part 3… Last night, at the weekly Wednesday dinner out with my parents and a variety of other people (the roster fluctuates depending on who’s there) Hubby and I were sitting at one end with my mom and grand-aunt, and my dad and others were at the far end, so … Read More
#homeimprovementhell – It’s HOW old? (part 1)
(Just in case you thought an author’s life was glamorous…NOT.) Nothing like waking up on a MONDAY before you’ve even finished your first cup of coffee, no less, to realize your house’s ONLY toilet is LEAKING. Oh, from the BOTTOM. And it’s a sixty+ year-old WOOD-FRAME house. Yeeeeah. And yes, it’s the original toilet. Worse, … Read More
DIY: new TV console
This is DIY in the sense that I assembled it myself. I ordered this TV console from Overstock.com and it arrived Wednesday morning. (I was hoping it’d get here Thursday because I wasn’t ready for it, but oh, well.) What I had for a TV stand was, again, left over from my grandparents. Two of … Read More
Another DIY project: kitchen blinds.
As I plan for a future kitchen remodel, there was one small but necessary DIY project that couldn’t wait any longer. The kitchen windows were adorned with a disgustingly grimy and non-functioning cheap blind, which my grandfather had installed years ago. Despite my busy schedule, I hadn’t found the time to address this eyesore until … Read More
Ikea hack #2: cat scratching mat.
This is absurdly…absurd. I picked up two of the Ikea Sindal floor mats for $4.99 each at the Tampa Ikea store. As you can see from the comparison, Grimmy is standing on the new mat, upon which I’ve laid an EXPENSIVE store-bought cat-scratch mat. Which is less than HALF the size, and about two-thirds MORE … Read More
Ikea hack: Stuva litterbox camouflage.
I’ve been buried in home improvement hell for a while now. I decided while Hubby was gone I was going to paint and re-floor the living room. Then I busted my knee, and a dear friend of ours died, and my steam has sort of…fizzled. But at least one third of my living room looks … Read More
Whew. Home improvement hell sucks. (AKA "The Great Water Heater Battle of 2012")
Grab some popcorn, this one will take a while. With Hubby not feeling good the past few days, I’ve taken up the slack in the daily routines. I also finally got around to reorganizing the bedroom. No, it’s not perfect, and far from “done,” but at least my eye doesn’t twitch in a bad way … Read More
What a "shocking" Valentine’s day.
I know I have my Facebook followers’ attention after the short status update I posted earlier, so here’s the longer version. The plan Hubby and I had today was to go out to eat this evening, but early. We’ve sort of turned Tuesday night into our “date night,” and since he’s retired, we can go … Read More
Shoot. Me. Now. Please.
Well, I got the bright idea that we should try to waterproof the shower here. You know, to, oh, say, make it actually easy to bathe. (Keep in mind this is a sixty year-old house I inherited from my grandparents.) All my life I’ve taken sit-down showers or tub baths in this bathroom, ever since … Read More