categories: Feline Friday, Pixel
Feeling guilty?
I opened the front door and a delivery man handed me a bouquet of flowers in smiley faced plastic wrap. The card was signed by our window vendors apologizing for the order delay.
Perhaps I was a little too vocal on the phone with the sales rep. They must of realized how upset I was with their news.
Its a lovely gesture and very much appreciated, but I wish it didn’t make me feel like the windows and doors are going to be delayed even more though.
Hummmm.
categories: Insight
Hog meet Lawn
Poor Nate has been trying to fix two broken gas lawn mowers for weeks. We inherited them and hoped we could save some money by fixing one up. Unfortunately it wasn’t that easy and at some point you have to realize the cost of a new mower out ways the time and energy fixing up an old, used one.
Luckily with a few clicks of the mouse, I was able to order a Black & Decker MM875 Lawn Hog 19-Inch 12 amp Electric Mulching Mower with Rear Bag
on Friday afternoon and have it delivered Saturday morning. Cost was about 200 bucks and I only paid an additional $3.99 to ship it next day. I kid you not. Three dollars and ninety nine cents. You got to love Amazon some times!
Let me backtrack a little and explain that I had been researching electric mowers for a while before we inherited the two broken gas mowers.
Although dealing with a power cord is a little cumbersome, an electric mower made sense for our small yard for a variety of reasons.
1) It takes up very little space.
2) Its super easy for someone like me to operate with a flick of a switch.
3) We don’t have to keep a can of gasoline in our shed anymore.
4) It had awesome reviews from a few friends who have one and also on the internet.
5) It was about 100 bucks less than a battery powered model which in my mind didn’t justify the convenience of a battery.
All in all I am really proud of this purchase. I hope this little mower lives a long and healthy life at our place. All it has to do to pay its keep is work about a half an hour every other week. Not a bad deal at all.
categories: Backyard, Front yard, Gardening, Purchases
Windows and Doors
I have been keeping a secret. For a couple months, Nate and I have been researching, visiting showrooms and weighing options. On what you ask? Well, after a very long deliberation, we purchased all new windows and doors for our house. Its a major investment and our first major reno on the house.
I was adamant to follow the proper homeowner protocol of getting three different vendor quotes, checking out the companies and really weight all our options before deciding.
We signed the contract back in May and now we are waiting. The vendor has told us it will take 2-3 days for the install. I can’t wait. Its going to be such a major boost to our house!!
Stay tuned – we should be scheduling the install in the next week or so.
categories: House Purchase
Feline Friday – Loki as the Garden Help
I am very lucky to have a little furry helper in the garden.
This is what I was doing.
and this was how Loki helped me.
categories: Feline Friday, Loki
Let the recap begin!
Its been a VERY busy few months for me and Nate. Lot of family stuff plus I had a chaotic election season (Vote June 8!) and Nate’s been in the thralls of school.
Any spare moment we were not at the office, we found time to get a few things done on the house. So let’s start with five big projects in our backyard.
1. Removing the Planters
Slowly, Nate and I have been removing the concrete planters along the back fence. It has required a great deal of patience and hard work to remove all the old growth and transport wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow of dirt to other places in the yard.
Nate also tackled the persimmon stump.
2. Corner Bed
Some of the dirt made its way into my new corner bed. Earlier I posted about my transplanted hydrangeas. I actually ended up moving them a second time, but this is there final destination!
I also transplanted some other plants in the backyard including our Pineapple and Mexican Sage. They are already doing quite well.
3. To the Dump
Nate took two trips to the dump disposing the old solar panels from the roof, the pool heater, the fiberglass sheeting on our patio, a concrete border from the front porch and countless other junk-able items. I’ll recap the removal of the fiberglass and concrete border in a separate post.
4. The Pool Equipment
Well, you may remember that Dad and I took out that nasty pool heater awhile back. Well soon after, we hired a local service to keep the chemicals in check. Leave it to the expert to find a “leak” in our system.
Basically, the equipment was super old and not doing a very good job. We made the decision to install new equipment that would be more efficient, quieter and effective.
Since the new equipment has been installed, our pool has been crystal clear so I think it was well worth it!
5. Light Fixtures
I was really happy to exchange the old spotlights on the back porch with new metal light fixtures. I was pleased that I was able to do the whole project by myself with no problems. It was a perfect project for a Sunday afternoon.
All these little improvements continue to make this house ours. I am really excited to share our vision of the completed backyard with you in the near future.
categories: Backyard
One Year Anniversary!
Happy 1 Year Anniversary House! I have had such a great time getting to know you.
One Year Ago -
Now -
categories: Firsts
Great room and ideas…
Nate and I stayed at a great hotel called Wine and Roses over the weekend. We were in Lodi, CA for the wedding of our good friends Scott and Summer. We had a fabulous time. It was a beautiful weekend surrounded by grapevines and good friends.
I had to share photos of our room because it was so kick ass and modern.
The bathroom was my favorite. Hands down, it had my favorite bathroom of all time. I would kill for a bathtub like that! Look at that floor and color combo. I love, love, love it!
