Adventures in Remuddling

Actually electricity. But to me, it’s POWER (ha, ha, ha).

We haven’t been posting recently because I’ve been slowly upgrading electrical circuits and outlets: switching out some old wiring and devices for new ones (sometimes just swapping and putting the cheaper ones into the rental unit).

I came across this ancient three way switch (above - left).

Continue reading “Power (insert evil laugh here)” »

I find it a little scary when my dad’s right. But I do give him credit for some helpful home remodeling and landscaping information .

About a month ago, when he visited, we asked they whack some weeds, especially the ones growing by the back fence. They’re just a bunch of overgrown vegetation, or so we thought. But my dad said he did not want to, because he thought they were flowers.

Flowers, yeah right.

Continue reading “Scary” »

Do you remember a time when utility bills were: heat (also for cooking), electricity, hot water and phone?

Now it has expanded to: heat, cooking, electricity, hot water, land line, cell phone (one for each family member), DSL or cable for internet, cable for TV (if you don’t have internet cable), Tivo, Sirius radio and anything else that Tig and I have not yet caught onto. The number of bills to pay have mushroomed. Although the inconvenience is offset by the ease of internet banking, it still doesn’t help with cash flow.

We decided cut the land line in our home phone. We’ll see how it goes.

Serena’s dad helped build the majority of the IKEA kitchen cabinets this weekend. It only took him 2 days to finish the boxes. There were many rest breaks.

(cabinets in the background)

I wear mostly black, white & blue jeans. The houses I’ve lived in were white inside (my parents didn’t like to color the walls). Despite my degree in design - yes, color theory was part of the curriculum - I have a hard time picking colors.

I’ve spent many hours looking over decorating books, magazines, paint chips and palettes. I’ve also admired friends’ bold color choices in their homes (Mexican Feather sounds lovely, and look at that lavendar ceiling!), and torturing my better half with endless color schemes on paper.

And what do I end up deciding? Cream colored walls and white trim. Almost in every room.

If I were a bit more self absorbed, I might seek help in color therapy. As it is, I wonder: What do my paint choices say about me? Afraid of commitment? Unwilling to express myself? Too conservative by nature? Then I just decided that white is a color choice. Most of the dog eared pages in catalogues, post-it note marked books in our collection feature white walls and trim.

I did decide on a light green for the guest bedroom and bathroom upstairs. Apartmenttherapy.com featured a sexy deep blue-gray wall color from Ralph Lauren Paint. I’m thinking it would look amazing in our bedroom, with some crystal bedside lamps/sconces. In the meantime, I’ll be studying our paint palettes.

Even though the bathroom is not 100% done, I thought it would be fun to put up before and after pics.

Before - Fiberglass surround, old tub, vinyl floor, ugly fixtures, bare light bulbs

Continue reading “Bathroom No. 1 - Before and After Pics” »

This month, we have quite a few guests. My parents just came for July Fourth weekend. Jona and Alix are dropping by this weekend and Tig’s parents are visiting next weekend. Elvis was planning on staying with us at the end of July (no, not that Elvis) while attending a conference in Boston. No one seems to mind the disasterous state of our home. We weren’t able to finish the guest room in time for my parents, but I’ve been hauling butt trying to get it ready for Jona and Alix.

I originally chose Prescott Green from Benjamin Moore, but had a case of buyer’s remorse right afterward. The local hardware store helped me by adding white pigment to the paint for free. After testing it, I still thought it was too dark, so I spent Monday afternoon mixing it with white paint to push it toward Hollingsworth Green. Below is a piece of drywall I tested on. Like I said, I’ve got issues with color.

Tig and I had already primed the room and painted the ceiling. July 4th was spent painting the walls green. I even painted the inside of the closet - it looks so good with the original wood trim (previous owners painted most trim white).

Looking at the door.

Tig spent yesterday and today (Wed & Thurs) painting the trim Icing from Devine Paint. We should be ready for Jona when she arrives tomorrow afternoon! Sorry, no final picture has been taken yet.

I don’t get many rest days, so I should enjoy them when I can.

Actually I did work a little this morning. But we had 2 guests stay at our place tonight. So I only spent a couple hours on the house. And Serena & Jona helped me put up the ceiling in the unit 1 kitchen entry way. Woohoo!
In the afternoon, we were at the Boston Common cheering on our friend Alix who was competing in the world’s greatest backyard athlete contest. It was part of the watermelon festival sponsored by Life Is Goo. The obstacle course was very cool.

And then at night, we just hung out on the porch.

I have not gotten a hair cut in over 2 months. I’m definitely pretty shaggy right now. After the first month, it was fine, but the last few weeks, it’s gotten to me. Especially with the summer heat coming on.

So why not cut my hair? That would be the easy solution.

Actually, Serena & I made an agreement, that I would not get my hair cut until I finish with the majority of the home renovations (2 baths & kitchen). As I’ve only finished 1 bathroom, I better start getting used to long shaggy hair. (It’s the hair over my ears that bug me).

Sorry no picture until right before I get my hair chopped.

ha ha.

Thanks for helping Jona.