bekeeblog

there aren't too many things that remind me of my age... my birthday is one, yes. but, for some reason, paying my water bill is another (then there's taxes, and sparse grey hairs).

i can almost remember the exact time, when i was a kid, that i realized my mom had to pay for all of the water that we used. i thought it was free for everyone until that moment; i think i was 9 or 10. i started thinking of water differently after that.

what about the water that we use to wash clothes and flush the toilet; that's not free? we pay for water just to dirty it?! what about the school's water fountain? i admit, i called it a bubbler in middle school.

almost immediately after buying my home, i installed a rain barrel, and then another one a couple of years later. i'm now interested in doing something with our grey water... i'm not sure where to start, but we'll figure it out.

a friend of mine has a water bill that's over twice the amount mine is; he takes a bath every single morning.

Posted by bekee at 6:22 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm trying really hard not to comment on this, but *every* *month* it amazes me how it's more than half over already.

we finally got the mattress out of the front room. someone at work had a house fire over the holiday and needed a bed for their new apartment. now we just have to move the appropriate hard surfaces and organize fabrics and yarn. this might also lead to a more organized basement... we'll see. we moved the inversion table downstairs and it's right next to the litter boxes; i'd like to put it somewhere else once there's room.

we're having a couple guests this weekend. hopefully the weather cooperates with their drive from chicago. unlucky timing with getting rid of the mattress, but we have plenty of blankets to simulate a camping experience. at some point, we should get an air mattress for occasions such as this.

we've finally reached a wisconsin winter. there's snow on the ground, and my car tells me it's "icy 4°" in the morning. i'm still toying with the idea of getting a remote starter, but it feels like a first world problem to solve and it makes me feel wasteful.

Posted by bekee at 9:04 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i barely slept on thursday night, resulting in a cranky me by the time i got home. i was on edge with everyone. matt's lucky he was away making bloody mix. the afternoon was lazy, except i sufficiently fried the hard drive in my tower (more on that later) and i ended up going to bed before (or around) 10. i then slept until 11:15 on saturday morning, and couldn't bring myself to remain upright long enough to drive to the moen family christmas in prairie du chein...

we didn't do much on saturday, except grocery shop and move the rolltop desk into the study. i was dubious that we'd clear the door frames, but after removing a couple of pieces of fascia, it just barely made it. that night, i managed to stay up until 1.

sunday was sleepy, but it was nice out, so i had to force myself to get up. i had the use of both nostrils, so i made it to the tavern for a late brunch; and then home to knit.

up again for another short week!

Posted by bekee at 6:19 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i don't clean very often. i never have. well, except that one cleaning job that i had, but that didn't last very long.

there are piles of random things around the house, shoes akimbo in corners where i can't see them (and subsequently, they don't get worn), papers that should be filed, knitted items that need to be felted. dvds strewn about the coffee table (side note: if discs ever get stored in the wrong jacket, i flip out. additionally, i hate it when series' get separated.), towels and clothes on the bathroom floor... this morning had me stressed out about all of these things.

Posted by bekee at 6:48 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

eleven days off soon!

the weekend went by quickly, again; at least it was nice out.

i came home to a gift box from matt's sister. i am now the proud owner of 1.5, 4, and 6qt crock pots! i want to make seitan stew in the 6qt ... hopefully it'll be eaten or frozen.

we woke saturday to about an inch and a half of snow. i didn't tell the dogs and let them figure it out once we got outside. they loved it!

we were home early all three nights, knitting and watching breaking bad, firefly, or how i met your mother.

we had a guest last night. kate was on her way back to chicago from her mom's place and got waylaid by the madison magnet. her visit prompted matt to go through the fabric scraps that she gifted him when she moved to nyc over a year ago. we found some pretty cool pieces, and hopefully it'll motivate us to do the soft goods room over break. i know i keep mentioning that; it'll happen eventually.

also, on the way to sunday brunch, this happened:

Posted by bekee at 6:35 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i feel like we got a lot done this weekend. on friday, i had a haircut and came home to beat my computer into submission to let me log into my work computer. i had it working a couple months ago, but it seemed to have stopped. with no documentation or help from work's helpdesk, i figured out what program needed to be updated and my mood was instantly transformed from surly to elated.

on saturday, we grabbed some grub and a dog and came home to dog sit for the evening.

matt cleaned and rearranged the bedroom while i picked up the first floor, did laundry, did a load of dishes, and caulked the tub!

there was an accident while we were at the grocery store, and we're not quite sure what carl got into, but i think he ate some cat presents... along with the wheat litter. apparently he made quite the mess at his home the next morning. :/

for dinner on saturday, we made clam linguini and i threw in some tomatoes from our garden that i had frozen; it was delicious.

yesterday, i met mom and geo for breakfast and came home to make more salads in jars, dal soup, and spritz cookies!

Posted by bekee at 12:38 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

last night's dream was very strange. it consisted of an easter party at what was supposed to be matt's parents house, but it seemed to be in a really expensive condo and his mom was actually another friends' mom. they had a mariachi band who ended up serenading me while matt's "mom" gifted us an entire new kitchen. complete with counters, cupboards, dishwasher, stove, fridge, and his "dad" was super excited about a stainless steel potato peeler!

i have no idea what that was about.

we don't have much planned this weekend. there was talk about rearranging the bedroom a little bit. we need to find an end table for the other side of the bed... maybe we should make a st vinny's trip this weekend.

also, i've been craving la hacienda for no good reason.

and sushi (for good reason).

Posted by bekee at 6:25 AM | permalink

i got my car fixed on friday... the front flex pipe had a tear in it and i took it to mex muffler on park street. they welded it back together, gave it a 1 year warranty and it was only $60! they don't take appointments, so the length of time you're there will vary, but they were nice and quick.

we were finally motivated to clear out the garden and buckets and yard of tomato plants... also, a neighbor was gifted way too much composted soil so we got to top off our garden for next year. we also drained the rain barrels, so this winter won't result in my cringing every time i pull into the driveway.

all of the animals are doing well... alex has fully acclimated and has taken to sleeping in the bed with us most nights.

matt and i have been knitting more and watching more movies... we started and finished across the universe this weekend. it was pretty good!

i wish i were cozy on the couch with all of them right now.

Posted by bekee at 9:48 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

this weekend is the get things done weekend, at least for one of the days. we need to clean up the plants on the deck, put away the grill gas tank, put away the hose, drain the rain barrels, dig up and compost all of the plants, and put the buckets somewhere... maybe up on the deck by the kitchen window. and... maybe clean out the cupboards? that might take a while.

i'd like to mow one last time, but that might have to wait until next weekend, cuz the list already seems ambitious.

i also need to make kombucha tonight.

Posted by bekee at 6:48 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i had some really strange work-related dreams this morning; it makes me feel like i didn't get a good night's sleep.

it's almost furnace time. every winter, i worry about the first time the furnace gets turned on. i'm paranoid that it won't work... it's not an old one, so i logically know that it won't fail. the reason i'm unnecessarily worried is probably the cost associated with getting a new one. i wonder if homeowner's insurance covers that.

Posted by bekee at 6:53 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i try to wake up early enough to enjoy my weekends, but they still seem to speed by without my noticing. this weekend started out with a trip to an old friends' automotive repair shop, dutch's auto, because my check-engine light came on... there has been a sound of an exhaust leak for about a week. it was determined that there's a flexible hose-like thing that had torn and the light was likely triggered by a co2 sensor. so, i'm taking my car back this coming friday and hopefully it won't cost a billion dollars.

we grocery shopped while the car was in good hands, after we got home, we picked some more tomatoes but forgot to compost the rest of the plants. i think we've hit our peak in fruit.

we were supposed to go to gallery night, but got distracted.

saturday, we mostly lazed about, but had a really nice fire later on and had some friends over to enjoy it with us.

sunday, i slept in a bit longer than i wanted to. the dog walk was exceptionally nice. they were very well-behaved and the weather was just about perfect. i got breakfast at the tavern while matt worked; we didn't stay much past his shift and came home to fix up the rest of our tomatoes into a nice pasta dish and watched the rest of trollhunter, which is a really good movie.

now, without wishing time away, i hope for friday again.

Posted by bekee at 6:26 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i didn't plan my vacation time very well this year, which is resulting in awfully long times in between longer weekends; so i'm very glad it's friday.

everything at the house is well. i need to vacuum, but other than that, the kitty has stopped uncovering the bird cage in the middle of the night. i think he finally realized that it's fruitless. he's acclimated well and has taken to sleeping on one or both of our backs in the middle of the night.

he also appears to be fearless of water:

Posted by bekee at 7:01 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

another weekend went by much too quickly. on friday, matt was great and mowed the lawn and then we decided to give the harmony another try for lunch, their portabellas are just perfect. friday night was our first girls night out (at the inferno) in a long time... we slept in a bit and headed to mickey's for breakfast on saturday; it was pretty slow so it was nice and relaxing, that made it hard to motivate to leave for woodman's, but we managed.

i made some banana muffins in an attempt to get rid of the ones that would fall out of the freezer onto my toes... so i brought a bunch to a going-away party. some friends are traveling the world and leave tomorrow!

sunday was relaxing... so much so that i deftly avoided putting the dishes in the dishwasher.

all of the things with feet in the house are doing well. the kitty still uncovers marco and polo's cage but doesn't seem to want to do much more than stare at them.

Posted by bekee at 5:59 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we had intended on getting chickens by now, but some coop plans fell through, and money is being spent in other places... so buying a $1,000 diy kit is a little daunting. we have a friend with some old greenhouse panels that we can use for the roof, so that could keep in some heat in the winter. i drove past an old farm yesterday with a couple chicken barns that were falling apart and wondered how i could approach them and ask to take some of the good wood.

a transient friend was going to see if he could get us a coop for free, but he burned some bridges over the summer and we haven't seen much of him. so, i keep my eyes out for scrap wood...

this weekend, we have plans for girls' night out on friday, and a friends' going away party on saturday night... not sure what we're doing with the rest of our time, but it will likely be fun.

Posted by bekee at 7:12 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

for the past year and a half or so, we've been sleeping on matt's full-sized mattress. recently, we determined that it just wasn't good enough, so we put it in the spare room (for now) and revealed my queen-sized mattress on which the full was resting.

i must say, i think it's done wonders for my back problems; my neck doesn't hurt the minute i get into my car, my lower back is causing less strain, and left hand isn't tingling. it also gives us about a foot of extra room on either side, and the animals can crawl up to see us more easily.

the new kitty has taken a liking to laying on us while we sleep. it's kinda cute.

Posted by bekee at 7:16 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

things have been rather mellow... in a good way. so here are a bunch of photos to entertain you.

the peach tree was planted almost exactly two years ago... she's gotten a heck of a lot taller and fuller:

it's probably due to the very very warm temps we've been having... as is witnessed by nora's waggly tongue:

in addition to the heat helping our plants grow huge, we caught a bumble bee helping to pollinate the flowers last weekend:

which resulted in some huge fellas picked recently:

and, to round it all out, the rain we've been getting has cleared our creek of a lot of algae... hopefully we can get the canoe in there soon:

Posted by bekee at 7:07 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i always think of lofty home-goals when i have a long weekend and feel as though i rarely make a dent in the list.

i'd like to start thinking about painting the rain barrels so they're not two big, white eyesores in the middle of the driveway. my intention, when the first one was installed, was to paint it the color of the house and foundation so it looked like it wasn't there... from certain angles.

we need to get the morning glories, moon flowers, and other vining plants into the ground... just not sure where to put them.

additionally, the front porch is becoming a bit of a disaster; one of the handrails rotted and needs to be replaced before someone gets hurt and i get sued by the mailman or something.

we still have to put together the soft goods room, but it involves some basement activity which makes me want to start project basement-cleanup... and that's likely a day's worth of work itself.

i'm sure we'll get the canoe into the water again... i don't know if we'll take another voyage to mickey's this weekend... the lake is sure to be busy with boaters celebrating the holiday.

in other good news! the scoby is growing nicely, there's the start of a film that will slowly turn into a mother; i think the warm temps are helping a lot. i'd like to start another batch soon so i have some more growing before the first batch is decanted so there's enough going without having to buy a continuous brew system.

Posted by bekee at 6:43 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the weekend was great. we spent a lot of it fixing bikes, on bikes, in a canoe, on a stool, in the kitchen, and on the couch. on friday, matt repaired my innertube while i started a batch of scoby-growing tea.

we did breakfast at the tavern on saturday and got some rope for our homemade anchors. after wrasslin' with the overflow hose under the sink,

we took our maiden voyage outside of the creek to mickey's!

it took about 40 minutes but we weren't racing anyone. it was a little daunting once we cornered the pier at the olbrich outlet, but we made our way along the shore over to the yahara river inlet. it would be nice to install a lockbox on the canoe in order to leave our life preservers and anything else we don't want to haul inside wherever we end up; i also want to get something waterproof for our phones.

sunday, matt had to work. i went for breakfast and then proceeded downtown to stare at some really fast bikers and see if ragstock had anything i'd like. it seems as tho they raise their prices in the summer to get more money from tourists. a skirt that was $5 during maxwell street days last year was $29 yesterday. :/

i'm glad half the day is past me; i've got a five-day weekend coming up.

Posted by bekee at 5:49 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

need to start photographic evidence of plants with date stamps.

we had a really nice, long weekend.... thursday, we went to the lazy oaf for lunch. my catfish sandwich was obviously frozen and thawed, not sure what i expected; matt got the wrong blue cheese burger. the bloody's were ok, tho a little strong on the pepper.

we then spent an hour at the dmv so matt could become a bonafide madisonian (after how many years here?). so, now he can vote.

on friday, we went to the cupcakery for lunch and then to see x-men: first class. it was a pretty good flick. afterwards, we went to the tornado room for matt's bday dinner. an old friend is the host there and he bought our first round of drinks. my sockeye salmon was really yummy, it came with a sauce of sweet potato and apple puree. i think i might try to replicate that.

matt made quick use of shiny things to pull apart and devour his crab legs.

we headed to mickey's to say hi to some friends and then to the inferno for girls' night out + matt. the djs i wanted to see (gene ferris and delta9) hadn't even gone on stage at midnight, so we came home.

saturday morning was slept away and we had "breakfast" at mickey's. we took a break for grocery shopping and then went back to wait for no one (ok, very few) to show up for kickball.

we called it an early night and grabbed some orange roughy from jenifer st to do up on the grill; i also made the best mashed potatoes ever in the universe.

sunday, matt had to go back to work... so i slept in a little and met mom and geo around 11 for some noms.

today, i go back to work after almost 10 days off (lots of holiday/sick/vacation time in the last week). i've decided to stop caffeine all together... just for a little bit. i only drink it at work, so it shouldn't be too hard. we'll see if i doze off in my chair this afternoon.

Posted by bekee at 7:11 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

our memorial day soirée was a success! lots of food eaten, marshmallows roasted, dog begging, and laugh sharing.

except there's one thing that's been bugging me. our yard is adjacent to a shared yard of about five houses on fair oaks, and we've not had a (complete) fence separating the two since last year (it's the responsibility of the closest adjacent neighbor). so, some kids took advantage of the usually unused greenspace to toss a ball around. after some time, a woman who lives five houses away (with whom i've had a pretty good rapport) announced that she was feeling violated and would they stop playing in her yard.

of course, i thought it was a reasonable request and attempted to apologize at the time, but she was no longer outside when i heard the news. so, we just kept everyone inside the invisible fence line.

i ran into her yesterday while walking the dogs and said "sorry about the kids playing on saturday." she responded with, "i was about to ask them for their addresses so i could hang out in their yards!", to which i came up with nothing; i couldn't even formulate a fake laugh. i finally said we'd keep them reigned in next time and sorry again.

i wanted to tell her that most of those kids have barely a quarter of the size of the shared yard that no one uses except five four-legged poop machines, and i wanted to ask her if it's such a terrible thing that some kids were playing one time in a yard that she doesn't even maintain?

it kinda makes me sad cuz we've talked on dog excursions and now i feel like she's a mean, selfish person. whotf would threaten to ask a four-year-old her address so they could "hang out in your yard"? kinda creepy.

i hope my feelings go away.

Posted by bekee at 5:55 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we got a lot of outside stuff done this weekend. geo came over on friday and mowed the lawn... it was starting to look like it had mange. we got our tomatoes in buckets, i planted cukes, radishes, and onions... put a pepper and tomato into the raised bed, and repotted the herbs.

the neighbor to the west is getting a new fence... while we were gone for lunch on saturday, she weed-whacked all of my poppies (and some other plants); i almost started crying when i saw it. hopefully she'll leave the fenceposts where they are and i'll just have to wait another year to see them again...

i also got a scoby mother to start making my own kombucha. thanks to my sweety and his propensity for collecting glass containers, i won't have much trouble int he way of storage.

also, he has a sh*t-ton of tea.

Posted by bekee at 8:57 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i had friday off, so we slept in. after a nice dog walky, we headed to do some errands. i had a couple three-year-old gift cards for sears, so we went there in search of soil for our tomato plants; needless to say, they don't sell dirt. so we ended up with a cork dartboard and some other sundries.

we employed the use of our new rain pants on saturday; without them, i would have been quite ornery.

sunday was pretty low-key, at least for me. matt was very busy at the tavern, and even though he and his co-worker have an early/late shift deal, he still didn't get done until after 5.

i made another successful batch of seitan, and used quinoa for the first time... i've learned better how not to make twelve people's worth of food every sunday, so as not to waste it all.

we also watched a lot of deadwood.

Posted by bekee at 7:18 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

sorry i've been so quiet! life's been grand lately, but there's been nothing out of the ordinary to talk about. we do, however, need to hunker down and get the party planning committee going full-steam. i hope to make things simple... but i always come up with too much and spend all the time in the kitchen; which makes some people fussy.

also, our little seedlings are explodinating! we need to get some dirt for the buckets in order to repot all the tomatoes. i also should get to tilling the raised bed and throw in the cukes... this weekend, maybe.

additionally! not enough warm bodies showed up for kickball on saturday, so we hopped the fence at the wisco (not really) and played some sand volleyball.

*proof*

Posted by bekee at 7:17 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we started a lot of seeds this year... we've buckets and a raised bed and pots; hopefully enough to support our endeavors.

we also need to install the second rain barrel. it'll have to sit where some peonies are, so those need to be either dug up or sat upon. luckily, after 5pm tomorrow, i'm off work until the 26th.

Posted by bekee at 7:18 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we had a really nice one; lots of biking around and general tomfoolery. matt took down a misplaced tree that eventually would inhibit the building of a garage...

we skipped girls' night out for the first time since november... i just wasn't feeling it.

birthday week is coming up; i think it'll be a good time to get the soft-craft room set up upstairs.

Posted by bekee at 7:04 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

"anything you want to post about"

we have some great plans for the back yard, including more raised bed gardens, a rock/gravel patio sort of area for the fire pit, and something i'm becoming more and more excited about, a chicken coop!

my goal has always been to get rid of grass-lawn and the addition of these things will take care of almost half.

also, we're having a very nice friend come over to see if he can pull the cemented-in, iron clotheslines out with his bobcat. we already have someone else who'll haul 'em away, too.

i've never really been a fan of line-dried clothes... they usually come out stiff, especially towels. i've heard that drying on the line saves 3¢ per load over machine drying, so i don't feel too bad about losing the two eyesores.

additionally, we're reducing the number of places for hornets to nest.

Posted by bekee at 7:14 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

another long weekend behind us... i hung out at mickey's on thursday night while matt worked; resulting in a sleepy-in friday. after a dog walk and some errands, we biked downtown to exercise our right to assemble. the sight was amazing. the capitol rotunda was packed full of people who had been there since tuesday... there were balloons being popped about, and someone was playing a bucket as a drum. we warmed up at the 'dise a couple times before giving up waiting for jesse jackson to speak... we biked to the wisco and then to mickey's before heading home.

we spent most of saturday in lazy seclusion, watching dead like me and knitting.

i was really sleepy on sunday for some reason; nora eventually gave up and shook me out of my slumber. they're so patient.

also, a neighbor reminded me that they're going to begin our street project soon... i'm not sure what that will mean in regards to parking, hopefully i can still get in and out of the driveway. so, by mid-april, we'll have a real street with curbs and two rain gardens at the creek. apparently i can pay the bill in its entirety without interest by october, or annually over the next eight years... i should reread the fine print.

Posted by bekee at 8:51 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

that was, quite possibly, the most productive weekend in a long time. it was practically non-stop from the moment i got home on friday until about seven last night. we tore down the bedroom, moved it into the front room, washed the walls and ceiling and threw two coats of primer on the red walls.

then proceeded to the glass nickel for dinner and wilson's for celebratory drinks; at which point we were just drunk enough to participate in karaoke. matt and i sang "long legged, guitar pickin' man". i can't believe it.

we went to mickey's for breakfast on saturday, then headed home to start the rest of the painting. i think we worked on it for about 6 hours before the lack of daylight made it obvious that we needed to stop.

on sunday, i slept in and finished the edging and touched up a bit. monday, we put the room back together and now we're all cozy in our new bedroom.

we decided to turn the front bedroom into a "soft craft" room. it's well-lit enough for sewing and yarn storage. i also want to keep drawing and painting supplies up there. it'll make the officeden seem less crowded, i think.

next projects: curtains for bedroom, shelves for the bedroom that don't look as cheap as the ones in the den, basement clean up (to make room for a work area), light installation in kitchen, herb planting (matt got me an indoor greenhouse and seeds so we can have fresh herbs all the time!).

also, we got the great idea to make pho for dinner last night, and it really didn't turn out very well at all. i got a little more upset than i should have, but it took over an hour to make and i was disappointed. one good thing came out of it, though. i successfully fried tofu for the first time ever, so it'll be nice to add that to my meals.

also, too! we want to get a chest freezer so we can store herbs; we'd also like to can this year and use the cistern room for food storage.

oh, and the dogs love the snow.

Posted by bekee at 9:08 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm pretty sure my boss doesn't read my blog. he hasn't even said more than four words to me in as many days, so i highly doubt he's internet-stalking me.

anyway, i took a personal day yesterday. it felt good to sleep in and not really *have* to do anything. but, we did. after the morning dog walk, i took matt to rocky's. it was his first ever visit to the wisconsin-based pizza chain and a highly reminiscent one for me.

my mom and i used to go to the one off the beltline after her orthodontist appointments; she would cringe her way through a salad after having her braces tightened.

well, the salad bar is just as awesome as it was 25 years ago, and they still have that tasty chickpea-and-onion mix. the garden of eatin' tastes exactly the same as it did 10 years ago, as do the breadsticks and marinara.

afterward, we headed to sears because i was wrongly informed by their website that they sell paint. apparently, they no longer do so at the physical locations... so i walked out empty-handed. we headed to menards to get paint and paint supplies. matt also kindly picked up a bird feeder and some cardinal mix. he affixed it to the deck outside the kitchen window, so hopefully we'll get some feathered friends to feed and watch. i'd have to say this is probably the first time the deck on that side has been of any use other than grill storage.

the neatest part of the day happened at klein's greenhouse where we accumulated a number of new plants. we got a string of pearls, a string of hearts, a cypress tree, an african violet, some lavender, and a weird little succulent that looks like a butt.

all of these things are making the house feel more like both of ours. i hope.

Posted by bekee at 8:48 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we've allotted next weekend for tackling the bedroom with paint. i think i have the series of events that need to happen, so i'll jot them down here:

• get stuff out of room
• measure surfaces to obtain accurate paint amount
• review supply requirements (there are trays downstairs and in the shed)
• get primer, paint, rollers, extension handle for ceiling(?), maybe a new cutting-in brush
• wash walls
• paint!

Posted by bekee at 10:43 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i had intended on not letting the blog go while i was on vacation, but it appears that i failed at that. i barely touched the computer except for to watch the office on netflix.

i just had a really bad panic attack standing in line at subway... it took everything for me not to leave the building but i knew if i did, i'd have to explain tomorrow because they know me by sandwich.

i didn't do a whole lot on my list of things, except for finishing the sweater. now i have to find an occasion to wear it.

we had a great holiday... probably my favorite in a long time. oyster stew and lots of fun time with friends, a house guest for a couple nights from new york, lots of dog walks and celebratory shots, and sushi. i tried crab legs for the first time, slept in a lot, ate out a lot, spent a lot of money.

i told a friend at work that we didn't get around to painting the room and he said, "you know what? that room ain't going anywhere." it made me feel less guilty.

i started getting this weird zappy feeling in the pad of my thumb... it actually started before break... i haven't felt it in a couple of days, but should keep track of it.

i've been lax in writing down my dreams; a couple i need to jot have to do with a blue sundress, a really old used toothbrush, and not being able to work a shotgun in my grandma's house in fennimore.

also, my scalp is really dry from the weather/furnace being on and it's annoying me.

and, this is the 16th entry i've titled "sorry".

Posted by bekee at 10:55 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i stopped myself from spending over $100 (for the free shipping) at american eagle yesterday... this morning, i found an electric snow thrower for less than that.

i'll sit on the decision til the afternoon.

Posted by bekee at 10:30 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

only two more painful mornings leaving my sweetie and dags behind before i don't have to extend beyond a 1 mile radius of my home unless i want to.

while not responsible for work-work for 11.5 days, i intend on completing the following:

• reorganize contents of bookshelves
• finish that damn sweater that i keep talking about
• hand-and-knee-clean the kitchen floor... it's been an embarrassingly long time
• clean the fridge (and freezer?)... also embarrassing
• paint the bedroom (if we can get the logistics/time straightened out)
• enjoy my time

Posted by bekee at 8:53 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i keep writing really boring blog posts and then deleting them.

we're planning on painting the bedroom during the week that i'm off work. i'm not sure exactly when, but i'm a little nervous about how long it'll take and what it'll look like when it's done. i've never had a bad painting experience, but i'm always unreasonably nervous about it.

i finished a pair of bittens for liz in about two days, but that's all the knitting i've done. i really want to finish that sweater.

nora's nail is doing a little better; we took her to the vet a week ago and she was such a good sport. she's not been favoring it or licking (very much) and should be fine.

work's been really slow and mostly boring.

Posted by bekee at 9:47 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

things i'd like to do better, more often, continue:

• braille! i've left it for so long that i'll probably need to go back to lesson 4.
• get out my paints and canvas. i've been admiring lawrence yang's work for a while now.
• go to the dog park at least once a month. we haven't been since may or june and i think the dogs forgot about it.
• get back to making worklunches.
• stop leaving the kitchen in such a mess.
• knit more. i still have a sweater to finish.
• watch movies all the way through in one sitting.
• read. at least an hour a week.
• enjoy time. i spent a large part of the year wishing [whenever] would hurry up. things are enormously better now and i should remember to enjoy every minute of it.

Posted by bekee at 10:23 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

after 4.5 days off of work, it was *really* hard to come back this morning.

wednesday was my biannual dentist appointment which was highly successful. i had admitted to the hygienist that i had been a little lax in my tooth care during the previous six months... we agreed that i should probably floss more.

the next few days were very laid back and low key and it was probably one of the most relaxing weekends i've had that didn't involve a hot tub hotel.

i neglected to make this week's lunch yesterday; i just wasn't feeling up to it. i even left the kitchen a mess after making dinner on saturday night.

three and a half weeks until i get another week and a half off.

Posted by bekee at 8:50 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

normally, i'd joke about mercury being in retrograde and that it's to blame for miscommunication and expectations being unmet and general malaise... but it's not. even if it were in retrograde, it would be silly to blame a planet. it's more likely just human behavior.

i think i'm just antsy...

also, here's photographic evidence of the before-kitchen-fix:

after a trip to menards, where the guy wasn't quite listening to me when i showed him the broken plastic piece that i intended to replace, and a visit the following day to ace hardware, where the two guys working practically tripped over themselves to help me, i finally ended up with two 3/8ths butterfly nuts with which to secure the faucet.

Posted by bekee at 8:21 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

after having last friday off, being sick monday, having next thursday and friday off, it makes the rest of the days kinda tolerable.

i think we have a good start on ideas for colors for the bedroom; we're going to go look at paint chips tomorrow. after that, i think we'll have to get really good at finding decorations and accessories at second-hand stores.

i haven't rapped about the dogs lately! they're doing really well. they're both tons happier and have calmed down a lot since the beginning of the year. we haven't gone to the dog park in a while, tho. we've talked about going a couple fridays a month but haven't yet.

also, i need to get knitting again but can't think of anything i want to knit. i had started (months ago?) what was going to be a scarf, but the yarn is this crappy synthetic that i got from ebay a million years ago and it doesn't slide off the needles very well, so i frogged it.

i keep thinking colder weather will be a motivator, but all it's done is gotten me to buy cold-weather bicycling gear. :/

Posted by bekee at 10:02 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i stumbled across this picture

and decided that it looks super cozy and kinda want to turn our bedroom into this... or a rendition of it. i'm willing to bet we'll find a perfect light fixture at the restore. and it'll be nice to make curtains and get rid of the mini-blinds (we can transplant those into the front bedroom). maybe we could even get some of those self-retracting shade holders and make our own dark shades to keep the sun out.

Posted by bekee at 8:42 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i came up with this idea for a hutch that would double as a dry bar. basically there's a cabinet that a table/bar folds out of on the right, a cabinet of shelves on the left, a shelf with a mirror-back on the left-middle, and drawers on the bottoms. i'd like it to be about 7 feet tall, but haven't measured anything to ensure the table/bar is the right height.

now i need to figure out how to get this made without costing $5000:

Posted by bekee at 3:04 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

as i'm sure you might have guessed, we didn't have our annual memorial day bash due to life events interrupting the flow of things.

now that a semblance of order is upon us, we're gearing up to get the house ready for our labor day extravaganza.

my goal of keeping the menu utensil-free still stands, but i'm betting others will bring items that need spoons and forks, so it's a good thing we have two people's worth of tableware.

i've been starring recipes in google reader and favoriting them on stumbleupon for weeks... in addition to wanting to reuse some from last year.

so far, i have the following comprehensive list but will by no means be making all of this:

spinach and feta filo pie (tho, i'll probably cheat and use puff pastry dough cuz filo is hard to work with).
summertime lasagna
quiche!
asparagus tart
zuchinni and ricotta tarts (i think it's funny when vegetables get fancy french names, like courgette and haricots verts. come on).
quesadillas maybe we can make tiny cute ones so there's more to go around.
and banana bread, cuz we have 9 bananas in the freezer.

Posted by bekee at 8:29 AM | permalink | licks (1)

roommate julie has moved out and taken her two four-paws with her. i doubt we'll be able to tell much audible difference; she was a very quiet person or away from home a lot.

i'm excited for what we can do with the downstairs room; maybe we can chalkboard paint one wall for notes and inspiration. i also need to rearrange bookshelves to make room for matt's things and organize items into better piles.

the dogs have been very happy lately.

now to plan for the labor day party...

Posted by bekee at 8:47 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

no, not the stupid show.

i'm by myself for the next three days; julie is house sitting and matt is camping. the dogs will be by themselves for the longest they've been since being in my possession. i'm going to see if i can't use this metime to my advantage.

also, julie moves out this weekend, so we're going to turn the downstairs bedroom into a craftartcomputer room. hopefully this will inspire some creativity.

also, i think i need to find a long, skinny, bar stool-height table for the dining room.

Posted by bekee at 8:09 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

things i need to accomplish at some point:

obtain ramones and calexico music for my ears
pick up finnegans wake again
talk to ben about my roof
get a replacement tube thingy for the grill
get frontline and heartguard
re-grout the tub!

also i have to start thinking about colors for the bathroom.

Posted by bekee at 11:13 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

iphones are getting their new os today (except the original version). i can't wait to have the use of folders to organize apps. as it stands right now, i think i have 7 extra home screens filled with apps that i can't get to (because there's a limit of 12? dumb.)

other news: my mood has been rapidly fluctuating since yesterday afternoon. i keep freaking myself out about decisions i've made and my plan for the (monetary, health, emotional, spiritual, barometric) future.

the house is still in a barely acceptable state of disarray because 2nd roommate hasn't found a suitable place yet, so there's no point in putting things where they go because they'll either be moved or in the way and i don't even know whose belongings are whose.

stress does weird things to my body... i'm currently suffering from one of my versions of stress that causes a subluxation in my neck, which in turn creates pressure on a nerve which makes my left thumb tingle/go numb for periods of time. i can't decide if i can tolerate better than other, less persistent but embarrassing and painful symptoms of stress; i really would like them all to go away and never come back (i read that in the voice of gollum).

on a good note: i grocery shopped hungry yesterday and got foodstuffs that will encourage me to eat dinner at home. yesterday, for both lunch and dinner, i made roasted poblano pepper wraps with roma tomatoes, onions, and pepper jack cheese.

if i could eat all meals in, on, or around a tortilla, i would.

Posted by bekee at 2:09 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i was so distracted yesterday that i parked my bike outside of the wisco and proceeded inside without even locking it up. :/

the roommates are all about to head across the street for some greasy breakfastfoodnoms and then we're going to go bike shopping for matt.

also, my poppy tattoo is almost completely healed... there are a few big scabs that i'm trying really hard not to pick at. this friday, i'll be getting the water lily on my right side.

also too! the ipad is awesome.

Posted by bekee at 10:08 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

this weekend marked the end of a near 10-year drought involving tattoos:

i go back on the 4th to get a water lily on my right rib. i'm kinda glad he had to reschedule cuz i wouldn't be able to sleep on either side if we'd done them both at the same time.

also, we successfully moved all belongings of one roommate into the house. i have to move my clothes and things from upstairs (i even gave away a whole big apple bag of clothes to vinny's!). the bed frame will be dis- and reassembled on friday.

Posted by bekee at 8:35 AM | permalink | licks (2) | tracks (0)

we were able to freegive the dining room table and chairs in less than a day by setting them on the lawn. this allowed for the relocation of my desk:

so now i have a desk and a drafting table to move into the basement in order to clean the floor. then we need to disassemble the bed frame in order to move it downstairs.

this will give us some semblance of order before julie moves in and we have 22 feet in the house.

:x

Posted by bekee at 8:03 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i had a pretty good weekend... it started with a last-minute visit to the crack doctor. i have a knot in my back/neck the size of texas and it's not getting a whole lot better...

then, i had a tattoo consult. you'll get to see pictures, i'm sure. that was followed by girls night out + aaron + matt. most everyone but matt and i left before the music got *really* good (when will they learn?) but even we only made it til shortly after midnight. i was a sore cookie the next day.

saturday was spent rearranging the living space to accommodate my new life change... and saturday night brought with it my favorite madison band, el valiente. the opening bands (vampire hands and daughter of the sun) were pretty good, too.

sunday, i had breakfast with mom and george. then proceeded to throw together a suitable garden. i planted pepperoncinis, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, and basil. i also finally got the snow in the summer situated atop a stump in the front yard. hopefully it'll get enough sun.

i didn't mow the lawn, tho... and since i'll be out of town this coming weekend, it's going to be quite a bear to deal with when i finally can. i might have to mow after work some day this week :/

my ipad is still "prepared for shipping". i had hoped it wouldn't arrive on wednesday (i had it shipped to work and i won't be here that day), but i'm betting i could sweet talk a coworker to bring it closer to the east side if it does.

k... that's enough out of me for now.

Posted by bekee at 8:33 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

since i often rely on my blog for documentation, this entry is to record facts and feelings that i have otherwise left out of cyberspace because it's really no one's business but mine.

i'm pretty sure all three people who read this blog already know what's been going on, and the other two whom i don't know personally will find out that i filed for divorce on april 30 and kurt moved out on may 1. i have two roommates moving in this month, matt and julie.

i am keeping the house, just as soon as i visit a complimentary attorney for 30 minutes (through work's employee assistance program) to make sure i don't eff anything up in the process. then i have to get the deed in my name, refinance and become solely indebted for a very large sum of money for the next 30 years. tell me that's not fecking daunting?

work has also been moderately stressful. we have a *giant* project launching in july; a small part of which i've been working on since september of last year. it's part of the reason i have a pinched nerve.

so, because of all of this, i've treated myself to an ipad and a tattoo, neither of which are yet in my possession but will be soon.

Posted by bekee at 8:34 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

for those of you who know me personally, i'm now alone in my house and there's a huge amount of peace at this moment. the house is a dusty, disheveled mess, but i'm ok with it.

there is quite a bit of rearranging to be done, but i have to work late most of this week, so it won't happen til this weekend at the earliest.

i am, however, struggling with a pinched nerve in my back/neck that's causing my left thumb to tingle... i store 95% of my stress in my shoulders, the rest is in my stomach.

except, that fact isn't really bothering me right now either.

*cheers*

Posted by bekee at 5:42 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i got this awesome end table from a friend who's moving to another continent. it's hand-carved from morocco.

Posted by bekee at 12:52 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

another thing i noticed as a non-smoker is that it seems that i have more time. it's weird, you wouldn't think something so passive would take up time, but it did. another reason to feel foolish about having been a smoker.

speaking of time, i find myself filling a lot of it with tasks that, in the past, i wouldn't care about. for example, this weekend i intend to get an oil change and a car wash, clean the fridge (it hasn't been scrubbed out in an embarrassingly long time), adjust the organization of the computer room (a new desk requires moving stuff around), and finish my super awesome sweater.

also, tonight is girls' night out, which means dancedance revolution at the inferno.

aaaand, i have til tuesday to finish the diary of anne frank; i'm currently on page 11.

Posted by bekee at 8:22 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i usually shower at night... mostly cuz i like sleeping and don't want to get out of bed before i absolutely have to. unfortunately, i got distracted by the hangover and yummy fish tacos and didn't leave enough time to shower last night.

i got up extra early this am (6:15), excited to warm myself with hot water, and discovered that kurt thought it would save energy to turn the temperature on the water heater to A. A is the lowest hot setting, which is really only barely warm. so, i turned the dial to C and then past C to Very Hot, all while wasting electricity and water waiting for the machine to do its part.

i decided that 6:45 was the latest i could start my shower and still get to work at a reasonable time without having to rush. at 6:45, the water was still lukewarm and intolerable. i considered tossing a bucket of this barely usable water on kurt's sleeping head, but realized that would neither solve the problem nor be a very good idea.

Posted by bekee at 7:59 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

a friend at work directed me to the perfect frame for my a2-sized poster; since i couldn't seem to find one to fit that size paper on this side of the pond.

i've sped through three lessons of braille, but can't hand any of them in until i get my first one back and get assigned an instructor (or is it a proofreader?). i sent it off on friday, so i'm sure it'll be a little while.

Posted by bekee at 10:33 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

tensions are kinda high at the house.. we're not sleeping well and kinda at each other's throats. i suppose it's to be expected. i think a vacation may be in order.

Posted by bekee at 8:22 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

spending a day going to kenosha and back sure shortens the weekends... at least we were able to finally get the tree in the ground. the hardest part was getting the grass up!

Posted by bekee at 8:08 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

jones has gotten the hint that katrina doesn't have time for him and he's keeping a good distance. nora either doesn't notice her or she's a little smarter than jones and hasn't once tried to bug her.

got word from max's temporary place that he's doing really well. he's currently at happy dogz dog daycare and i just found a link to a webcam... we'll see if he's having a good time.

here's katrina from the top. whenever i bend down to take a picture from the front, she gets up and circles me.

Posted by bekee at 8:40 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we have three dogs and a cat at our house right now. the kitty (katrina) is doing very well. she's itching to go outside but we thought we should wait a couple days... she needs to establish her rank with jones. he's very interested in playing with her but she does not reciprocate.

also, i'm not allergic! it's great news to me... the last thing i wanted was to have to take claratin forever.

it's still a sad time tho, max (kurt's mom's dog) is getting picked up today to go to a foster home in janesville. kurt wanted to keep him but i don't think i can handle that big of a change... or that big of a dog.

Posted by bekee at 8:54 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

my iphone left china at 11pm last night and is in transit. i find it simply amazing that something can be that far away and is going to be on my doorstep in two (estimated) days.

in other news, it's bleepin' hot out. kurt broke down yesterday evening and installed a spare air conditioner in a window on the first floor. i think we're going to have to get an estimate for central air... the heat makes us crabby, and there's no need to live like that.

also, i just signed up for alice.com, they're a madison startup that allows you to order common household goods and they keep track of when you may be running low, and they ship for free. unfortunately, they don't carry my coffee.

Posted by bekee at 8:20 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we need more things on our walls. so i bought:

it may prove difficult to find a frame, since these are imported from england, they're a standard paper size (a2) in their land, but i can't seem to find the right size on this side of the pond.

also, beware of imitators. i almost bought the poster from amazon, but the letterforms are terrible. look at that awful "M". blech.

along those lines, today's xkcd is perfect.

Posted by bekee at 8:56 AM | permalink | licks (2) | tracks (0)

the house party went very well. all of the beer was gone by midnight or so, luckily we thought ahead and got plenty of cans. the fire was enjoyed by a small crowd until about 1am when i had had enough and went to bed. was up at the crack of 9 on sunday... i finally rolled kurt off the couch and cleaned up the back yard; a couple partyers came back to help.

the fire was going all day, and kurt stayed up watching it until 5am on monday. i finally got to mow the lawn all to the same length yesterday, so it looks much better now.

so now i'm back to work... it seems moderately more painful than my 9 days off in april. maybe a four-day weekend is just too short.

Posted by bekee at 8:21 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

ok, this is for me so i don't forget.

cream cheese rollups
"ham" and pickle rollups
caprese salad on-a-stick
edamame-stuffed wontons
goat cheese and tomato crostinis
apple zucchini crostinis
japanese pizza
vegan pumpkin cheesecake

*edit: i kinda want to make a pasta salad... knowing that will require a fork... i'll think about it.

and PEANUT BUTTER BALLS!

Posted by bekee at 1:58 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

coworker kevin put an idea in my head to serve only potato salads at our party, since there are so many kinds.

i probably won't tho.. i do need to finalize the menu and make a shopping list. soon.

we're getting a newused oven from kirch on friday. they're halving the charge to come look at our mouse-infested for buying the oven from them. i considered, for a second, getting a new one, but it's obvious we don't use it often enough to warrant spending $800 on a fancy machine.

part of me can't help but think we're getting swindled, tho. "yea, the mice got into the insulation so i wouldn't even bother fixing it, it'll stink forever. buy this one!"

Posted by bekee at 10:19 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we have to buy a new oven cuz they chewed stuff and pooped everywhere and it will stink for years if we turn it on.

:(

Posted by bekee at 3:12 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i always want to make gazpacho for our annual party, but it's not that convenient to eat. plus, i'd like to try to shy away from wasting plastic utensils this year, if we can help it.

i've found some cream cheese roll-ups; i usually make vegan pumpkin cheesecake and grilled eggplant. i'll probably make some tomato, basil, mozzarella skewers. i usually make a vegan noodle salad with bell peppers and green onions, but i think i want to try this edamame salad with wasabi dressing. if my oven was working (i've asked kurt to call hirsch no less than 10 times in a week), i'd like to make little baby quiches.

or some gougères!

also, according to the weather channel, it's supposed to be 71 and no rain next saturday, yay!

Posted by bekee at 10:42 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it took 16 total man-hours; this is my favorite picture:

Posted by bekee at 8:21 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

finally ordered the invites for our 5th annual party:

Posted by bekee at 1:37 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i can't stop saying it when i walk into the kitchen now.

we're not nearly done.. we still need to throw on another coat and cut in the ceiling and do the trim, but i couldn't move on sunday let alone wield a brush.

i'm taking this coming friday off, so i should be able to get it all done.

Posted by bekee at 9:02 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

ferserious, we're buying paint and supplies today. i'm cleaning the walls this afternoon or tomorrow and hopefully we'll get started painting this weekend. i'll take before and after pics.

maybe, while we have the stove pulled out to paint behind, i can fiddle with whatever it stopping the oven from working.

Posted by bekee at 10:33 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we've decided on ralph lauren's mango gold for the kitchen walls and old violin for the cabinets. i tried linking to their swatches online but they aren't anywhere near accurate so i won't bother.

the trim and ceiling will be an off-white that goes with the mustardy color.

the goal is to have it done for our annual memorial weekend party.

Posted by bekee at 10:07 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we've been carrying a balance with home depot since purchasing the house... what with buying a grill, wood for the raised-bed garden, and random accessories (like the hand-sander which we've never even used).

well, i convinced kurt to use some of our surprisingly large tax return to pay off the balance. now we just have the sears purchase to worry about.. if they ever deliver.

Posted by bekee at 10:34 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i know you were all totally on the edge of your collective seats... the washer and dryer delivery has been postponed til march 10; kurt's bday.

he got the delivery fee refunded on the account of us having waited since november 26.

Posted by bekee at 4:38 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

not surprising, but our home doesn't have the equity required in order to refinance to anyone's benefit. it's kinda frustrating cuz we were hoping to have a smaller monthly payment, but at least now we know. hopefully property values increase while interest rates stay low, but that's unlikely to happen any time soon.

unless we get a home equity loan and put that bathroom in upstairs... *idea*

Posted by bekee at 4:49 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i bought a new mattress and platform bed frame almost a year ago. well, the bed frame sucks. the supports in the middle have broken and the middle spine piece is practically splitting in half.

this is from normal wear and tear.

so, this weekend, we're attempting to repair the problem supports by replacing them with several 4x4s so i can sleep without my head being at a decline from my feet.

Posted by bekee at 8:48 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so, the interest rate has dropped 2 percent since we got our mortgage. it behooves us to refinance, which should save us a negligible amount of money in the short run per month, but end up being quite a lot when it's all said and done (in 2039!).

kurt's a little strapped for cash, so he's looking forward to it.

in otther news: the start of our myriad of holidays begins this coming monday with the celebration of mlkjr.

Posted by bekee at 8:09 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we had mice. i'm pretty convinced we do again, but i also got wise and bought a plastic dog food storage container, so at least they won't chew into the corner of the bag when it's got food in it.

it makes me sad to set traps, but i just have to keep reminding myself that they're nasty, disease-carrying creatures of yuckitude.

in other news: my next two projects are two strawberry caps. hopefully they'll be started in the next day or so.

also, too: i hate computers still. i resynced my ipod cuz essentially i have a new library; i watched it count from 1 to 7903 over the course of 3.5 hours and when i went to listen to it this morning on the drive in, it said i had no music... but apparently all my movies synced. at least i can watch KIDS, 12 monkeys, girl interrupted, eternal sunshine, and amazon women on the moon at my leisure.

Posted by bekee at 8:12 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i overheard once that we generally wear 10% of our clothes 90% of the time. whenever i get the urge to clean out my closet, i think, "what if i'll want to wear that next week?" or the sentimental d.a.r.e. to keep kids off drugs shirt with a hole in it that i'll never wear. or the sweater that would fit just right if i were either always standing up, or dropped 10 lbs.

yea, maybe i should purge.

Posted by bekee at 10:25 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i did some outdoor stuff yesterday... since i didn't have online solitaire to occupy my time (the native windows one sux0rs), so i finally mowed the lawn... and composted what i could from the garden.

i have to say, i was much more excited about the beginning of the garden process than the middle and end; that's almost exactly the opposite of how i approach work and road trips. i'd much prefer to be catapulted to the final result than sit in a car for two to four hours.

so, i won't be canning any beefsteak tomatoes this year.

Posted by bekee at 4:11 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm a terrible gardener. i haven't watered in two weeks, the tomatoes are going out of control, the cukes are probably gross from being dry... :/

maybe it'll become a perennial garden next year.

Posted by bekee at 3:29 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i just bought a maxair kitchen composter. i have a kitchen scrap carrier, but all it's done since we moved is generate fruit fly larvae. yuck.

hopefully, this new container will live up to the testimonials.

Posted by bekee at 11:25 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i actually watered the garden this am; and there are cucumbers growing. unfortunately, the mosquitoes still permeate so i was unable to count. but i saw at least two.

the tomato plants are growing right out of their cages. i think next year, i should scale back. or plant perennials.

Posted by bekee at 8:08 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it's hard to admit, but i have been neglecting the garden. there are too many mosquitoes to even water it. so, this morning, i braved the buzzing creatures and pulled out some lettuce that was getting in the way and my cucumbers are going crazy. i'm going to be in big trouble when everything fruits all at the same time. the cherry tomato plant has 15 edibles. i think a salad is in order today.

Posted by bekee at 9:54 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i made curtains:

and learned how to correctly use a turnbuckle:

my friend matt would laugh at me though, cuz as i was sewing the first curtain, it folded up under itself so i ended up sewing together about 8" of the curtain onto itself. that was frustrating.

Posted by bekee at 10:13 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we've been in our house.

Posted by bekee at 1:31 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

according to a friend's mom who works for the arboretum, the plant i have is mustard. after a little research, i've learned that mustard is in the same genus as cabbage, which explains the "rubbery"-feeling leaves.

i also have this lovely flower on top of what i think is bee balm:

Posted by bekee at 10:12 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so, i seeded some chives in march, to get ready to plant outside... and i noticed this one plant had three weird leaves on it, but the rest of the chives didn't. so, i planted it anyway. well, 4 months later, it's 4.5 feet tall and taking up too much space in my garden. so, i uprooted it and put it in the yard cuz i think it's just a regular ol' flower.

do you know?

Posted by bekee at 2:14 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

our rain barrel is full from yesterday's downpours. it's a shame we haven't hooked up the second one since it's raining so hard right now. and will continue to all week.

at least it's keeping the temp moderately cool... my plants sure would like some sun though.

Posted by bekee at 9:48 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

on sunday, a painted graced our back yard. Joe was over, so he guided the little guy int the pond in Barb and Alan's back yard. he sure was happy to get out of the hot sun.

Posted by bekee at 9:20 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i had a weeding party yesterday. a couple good friends came over to dig up an 8"x2" area of thistle (and other good plants—those got to stay in the ground). prior to the party, i stopped at another friends' house to dig up some of her beautiful flowers. i got several phlox, not to be confused with dame's rocket (which has 4 petals instead of phlox's 5). i also got some grass with a weird 3d star attached to the leaves, along with two kinds of bee balm, some plant with "blood" in the name, and black eyed susan's.

once they flower, i'm going to have to make a map.

Posted by bekee at 8:39 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i just spent the last two hours playing in the garden. i moved some tomato plants around (on the advice of a veteran tomato-grower), hopefully they won't be too upset about being uprooted. i grounded some gifted echinacea, and put up a cucumber trellis. i'm not sure how to get them to want to climb, but we'll see.

Posted by bekee at 1:23 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i wonder if i'll be able to keep up once the fruit start coming!

Posted by bekee at 5:01 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm glad i didn't bother watering the garden this am. we're gunna get hit in about 20 minutes.

also, most of my poppies are up... but they're being drowned out by a whole bunch of thistle... i should have dug it up when they were of a manageable size. it might be fun to take a scythe to it.

Posted by bekee at 8:53 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i can hardly read my screen sitting on the back porch it's too sunny and my house is too bright.

i'm not really complaining.

Posted by bekee at 2:41 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

my plants have seemingly doubled in size after last night's rain. the rain barrel got thwarted by the amount and the tube couldn't keep up with the amount of water wanting to get in. we really need to install our second one, but we can't figure out where to put it. i don't really want to kill the peonies that are on the other side of the downspout, but we might have to.

Posted by bekee at 1:24 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the first poppy opened up:

and fruits from my friends:

(from l to r) shasta daisy, sedum, spiderwort, and columbine

i can't remember what these two pretty ones are, but they're pretty.

and nora, posing for the shot:

we're all very tired today. i was up from 9a to 1:30a yesterday and only slept til 6. i took a nap after breakfast, but it's hard to sleep the day away when it's nice out. so, i planted the gifts, watered the garden, and cleaned the back yard.

the party last night was a huge success. the barrel is empty and is waiting to be returned, most of the food was eaten (especially the rice krispies!), one load of the dishwasher is done but not put away yet. luckily, the only room that is not in pre-party condition is the kitchen.

now we just get to wait for the probable thunderstorm.

Posted by bekee at 2:49 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i love having the day off tomorrow. it makes me able to stay awake so much better.

i also love having awesome neighbors. they offered their chairs from the front porch and their fridge from the garage. nice.

we have most of the spindles up on the deck, but have a hell of a lot to accomplish tomorrow. we'll see how long i last before i crash.

Posted by bekee at 11:22 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we have to crawl under the deck to put eight more joists in.

we also had to pre-drill two holes in each of 100 balusters in order to prevent them from splitting upon installation.

Posted by bekee at 8:45 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

(click for bigger)

tomorrow will be spent putting up the railing and finishing stuff up.

Posted by bekee at 3:41 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

oh! oh! the radishes are already shoosting out of the soil. and the deck is coming along nicely. Kurt's really been working hard this week. we're having a deck-party on saturday to get all the boards nailed in. this activity supersedes my cousin's wedding and reception, which apparently has caused sore feelings among relatives. i guess i can understand, but i can't really do anything about the fact that there is one weekend between today and our party.

Posted by bekee at 8:39 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

whew. i mowed the lawn, and then Irma's. and then unloaded a pile of wood for Joe. and then planted my garden, repotted two plants. and just got done installing the scalewatcher. i'm tired.

Posted by bekee at 5:04 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i need to mow the lawn. and plant my garden. and trim the bush between our driveway and Irma's house so she doesn't go spraying round-up all over it. which has been suggested twice now. i think she hates that bush.

Posted by bekee at 10:27 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so, here's some exciting news...

and i handed out invites to our party last night to the neighbors. Irma had me come in to have a sit-down chat and i didn't want to disappoint, so i came home to a burnt pizza.

Posted by bekee at 12:55 PM | permalink

stuff i'm making for our housewarming party:

cold stuff:
vegan noodle salad
vegan pumpkin cheesecake
taco dip
hummus?
gazpacho?

hot stuff:
grilled, marinated portobella mushrooms
grilled eggplant
veggie-ka-bobs

Posted by bekee at 9:55 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

our house is not big by any means. in fact, it's pretty tiny. i rather like it that way. but it results in the need to purge sometimes... and the first to go is the rocking chair.

edit: not 12 hours later, my third successful craigslist exchange is almost completed. the chair will be picked up tomorrow evening.

Posted by bekee at 8:11 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i got to take the first shower in my new bathroom on thursday. it was the awesomest.

my week-long vacation is slowly coming to an end. tomorrow is the last day of it. at least the first half was almost too hot. these last couple days have been very cold and rainy and refuses to give up. i brought the budding plants in from the cold. hopefully they don't mind the stink of disinfectant all over. kurt and i power-cleaned the house today to get rid of all evidence of construction. and dog hair. at least for half a week.

every time we clean, we say, "we should do this every week!" and then we don't. shh, i think it's the first time the kitchen floor had been mopped since we moved in. don't tell anyone.

Posted by bekee at 9:34 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

What does usable water mean?

it's not drinkable. but it is, in fact usable. actually, plants hate tap water. it's undistilled. rainwater, on the otherhand, gets distilled up in the sky with all the crap that happens up there.

Posted by bekee at 12:22 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

on this earth day, as first home-owners, we installed a rain barrel; and collected almost 2 usable gallons of water (the spout sits 4" from the bottom). i also just ordered a scalewatcher from a company in california. it'll reduce scale in our water system, presumably without need of a water softener. i'll certainly be keeping track of that one.

i also just finished filling our garden with 21 cubic yards of compost that smelled like the south end of a northbound cow.

i, really, have been going non-stop since friday and will probably be happy to go back to work for relief.

Posted by bekee at 8:59 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

the grout may be going in this afternoon; tomorrow morning at the latest.

Posted by bekee at 12:35 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

(click pic to see more)

best birthday so far, at least that i can remember. :)

mom and george met me at marigold for breakfast (where i got to see longtime friend who is now the general manager!) then around the square once for the first farmer's market of the season. i walked away with some rootable pussywillows and a baby cherry tomato plant.

then the work began. the raised-bed garden you see above took 4.5 hours from unloading the wood to putting in the last bolt. today, i dug post holes and put a coat of sealer on the untreated wood. i think i'll wait until tomorrow to do the second coat.

the bathroom isn't going as fast as i'd like, but it looks like they'll be done with tile and grout tomorrow, if we're lucky.

Posted by bekee at 4:30 PM | permalink | licks (2) | tracks (0)

we had a minor snafu with the fixtures we bought... see, they weren't moen brand, so it was either rip out half the wall and re-plumb for the new brand, or go get another moen fixture. we opted to get another moen fixture. kurt's understandably disappointed, but i don't think the shape of the faucet is worth tearing out what they've done.

except now, one of the guys came in and went back outside and looks a little distraught about something...

update: apparently the first set of fixtures will work better, so kurt went back to menards to return the moen and to home depot to get the first one.

Posted by bekee at 1:56 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

(you can click on the pic to see more)

so, they did mudding, cement board, and more mudding in the last two days. it's a shame drying time has to be considered because it seems wasteful.

apparently tiling will start tomorrow, that's the part i'm most interested in.

Posted by bekee at 8:12 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

they got the tub, cement board, and glass-brick window in today. the dogs were decidedly upset about all the banging and stomping about. when i got home this evening, they looked at me as if to say, "wtf??" i assured them it wouldn't be for forever.

Posted by bekee at 9:02 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

according to kurt, the new tub is in and there's a big hole in the wall where the new window will go. i thought the contractor was gunna get a prefab one, but i guess it's probably cheaper to have him build it. then, all that's left is tile. is it really that simple?

Posted by bekee at 1:05 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

or for us. the demo went well, there weren't any super-surprises. the slight rotting was expected. i'm very excited for the tile to get up on the wall... i hope it turns out how the computer-rendered version would make it seem.

Posted by bekee at 8:51 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i took before pictures this am, and will snap some more when they leave for the night, but i guess the old tub is out, and the surround has been removed. there was a little rot, but we all expected it. kurt decided yesterday to tell me that he wanted sliding doors intead of a shower curtain... so i'm giving that to him since i don't really care.

the contractor wants to get the glass-brick window in tomorrow because it's supposed to rain on thursday. and, kurt took a picture of the old linoleum, which he says looks cool.

Posted by bekee at 3:44 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i have a few plants coming up that i'm not sure what they are. i suppose i'll find out as soon as they bloom or do whatever they do.

also, fun with shrinkydinks:

unfortunately, to make one plant sign takes a third of a sheet.. since it shrinks so much. i might have to modify the pattern to allow for more; the draw-onable shrinkydinks aren't cheap.

Posted by bekee at 2:59 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

what a quiet blog we have here! well, that's about to change. i have several projects slated to begin and end before memorial day weekend. one of which is the bathroom re-do, which starts on monday. we'll be without a shower for 3-5 days before it's finished.

omg it's going to be so awesome when it's done. a glass-brick window and very nice tile all the way around, and a lowered ceiling. in-progress pics are for sure to come.

also, the raised bed garden is being constructed soon; i just need to figure out where to get all the dirt with which to fill it.

Posted by bekee at 9:35 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

remember how i said i wanted a walkway?

well:

Posted by bekee at 9:24 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i've been told recently by one regular reader that i'm not posting with the quantity that he's used to. and i told him, "everything's boring." and that this may become a "home improvement blog".

i don't know if that's good or not; but i spent the majority of last weekend planning projects, scratching out plans, exclaiming "i want a walkway in the front!"

one of the best things about having a house and yard to call your own is the ability to make it what you want. we're planning on building a deck in 3 weeks. we have the people lined up, the architecture roughly drawn, and the idea of sitting in the back of the house with a cocktail and a laptop firmly planted.

more to come, with pictures; both before and after.

Posted by bekee at 8:58 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

on a regular visit to the back yard with the dogs, i noticed an observer in the neighbor's tree. jones and nora stayed in the yard while i ran inside to get the camera.

Posted by bekee at 12:35 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

12" by the end of tonight?! i'm going to woodman's. luckily, it's two right-turns to get there and two left ones to get home. i'll bet it's completely empty, too.

Posted by bekee at 8:27 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

well, these are neat.

Posted by bekee at 1:07 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

two of us have fallen in the creek in the last two nights. at least i was only on the very edge... and nora knows how to swim.

also, my brand new mattress and platform frame is arriving between 2:30 and 4:30. i'm excited to have an adult bed!

Posted by bekee at 11:28 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

that last one was heavy. sorry.

we bought tile from restore yesterday. it'll be enough to subway brick the bottom all the way around, and then there will be a row of diagonal 8x8 tiles around the middle. we also found a suitable "filler" tile at home depot. i wanted to spend my homeowner life never going into home depot, but the selection at menards was laughable.

the only thing we purchased was one, half-priced hot dog.

Posted by bekee at 11:20 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

a co-worker coined the phrase "day spa" for our jalopy of a back porch. up until last weekend, both kurt and i were convinced we were going to tear it down and build a huge deck.

well, we've since decided that we should keep it, fix it up, get new (better) windows and build a ground-level patio down below it. it should cost significantly less than a full demo and rebuild.

you'll get more info when we begin.

Posted by bekee at 1:22 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we knew we had mice when we bought the place. there was evidence of them under the kitchen sink... so we thought, "we'll just see how long we can live with them." then noises in the attic got to be quite annoying... so we got that poison stuff that dries them up so they don't stink. well, they proved to be some sort of supermice that wouldn't die.

so, we got some covered traps and put some peanut butter in them and within an hour, one mouse succumbed to the temptation.

two days later, we got mouse number two.

it's my opinion that we killed the parents of the horde and i have evidence that the babies are in jeopardy. there was one little one barely running across the diningroom floor this morning that nora was sniffing. i lost it when i went to get a plastic bag to pick it up with...

Posted by bekee at 1:25 PM | permalink | licks (1)

our new loveseat:

i now have somewhere to sit when kurt and the dogs are taking up the couch.

Posted by bekee at 10:00 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

during our first month of homeownership, we bought five varieties of caulk. it would appear that used the wrong one in the bathroom. i thought we had more seal-n-peel, but it seems we used it all up at the rutledge apartment, and used all-purpose, paintable on the bathtub surround. we still have concrete, heat-resistant, and tub/shower caulk unopened in the basement.

the concrete caulk was for an attempt at closing up a hole where the cold air return was open to the world (great stuff worked instead), and the heat-resistant caulk is for where the water heater vents into the chimney, which we haven't yet taken care of.

we also need to replace the smoke detector that i threw away because i couldn't get it to stop alarming us of a fire that didn't exist.

none of these things entered my brain when we were at menards yesterday getting a rug for the entrance to the house.

Posted by bekee at 8:45 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i bought some peppermint and cotton balls in an attempt to rid our house of the little furry thing that poops behind the garbage can.

Posted by bekee at 12:18 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

back in august i told you about our neighbor at the end of the street. mostly about how he takes care of the snow before the city gets around to it. well, he did. this morning, he was already almost done with the whole street by 9, and had started working on everyone's driveways. he even plowed the little bit that was left where kurt's car was parked on the street after kurt left at 9:30.

it gives me a cheesy, warm feeling to know that people are still that generous. i think we're gunna get him a gas card as a thank-you. or maybe we can all allot our tax dollars that go to the streets division to him.

Posted by bekee at 12:13 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so, when you turn the water off at the water heater, the shower dial should know not to output any water when turned all the way to hot (i still don't understand this). ours was outputting cold water when it shouldn't, so it was suggested to replace the cartridge. the plumber even said, "it's easy, i mean, i can do it, but it's easy."

so we tried. and tried, and tried. no budging. i didn't want to end up like this guy, so we put everything back together. now the dial is backwards and luckily, it works better than before.

i can't wait to redo the whole shower. :/

Posted by bekee at 2:38 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

the inevitable weekly visit to menards came on tuesday night. we needed tinsnips for the steel to repair the cold-air return vent that george insisted we disassemble to aid in feeding the electrical wire through the holes in the joists. :/

anyway, since i've got the layout of the store memorized, we headed straight for the hand tools. there were two boys stocking an aisle. there were boxes and product everywhere. i said, "i'll bet the tinsnips are in here." kurt had gone around to the other end in order to view them closer. one of the guys said, "yup! right behind me. you want straight or curved?" me, "straight." him, "left or right?" me, "right." him,"$5.98 or $14.99?" me, "$5.98."

the other guy proceeded to ignore me and share his tinsnip knowledge with kurt.

kurt picked out the straight, right-handed, $5.98 snips.

i just checked the receipt to ensure that we got the cheaper ones, and guess what? we got 'em for free. peggy, the checker, must have been distracted and didn't scan them. guess we should have opted for the $14.99 ones.

Posted by bekee at 12:39 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the bugs!

wtf are we supposed to do? kurt says his delivery guy was afraid to come up the steps!

the mosquitoes are nuts and crazy. i can't even handle it.

Posted by bekee at 9:17 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

kurt's friend brendan and mom's george came over this evening to run wire in the basement. all was successful. we got the broken outlet in the first floor bedroom to work, and put the room on a 20 amp circuit all by itself, and brendan's going to put one in outside so we have electricity when it's time to build a deck.

i have to admit, it's been kinda hard to get into the home-owner's groove... things i want to do and won't have time for. but we have less than 3 weeks to get our sh*t together and get the house presentable for a party.

grandma and john are coming over this weekend (they're in town for another festivity), and i'd like to, at least, get it comfortable. john's a big guy, and i'm not even sure he (or grandma) is going to want to trek upstairs... so i'm taking friday off in order to get the house up to some sort of standard that doesn't look like we just moved in... impossible expectations, i'm aware.

i just have to remember to take before pictures so i can enjoy my accomplishments. :)

Posted by bekee at 10:18 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so we finally met the lady next door who's got the corner lot. her name is irma. she was out mowing and stopped to say hi... and made reference to some bush next to our driveway that is creeping only inches over onto her property. she asked if we wanted her son-in-law to chop it down when he comes in the fall. i said we hadn't thought about it much yet. it just seemed kinda weird, but i said we could talk about it when he shows up.

also, alan offered the lawn chairs on his front porch if we ever needed them. i thought that was very nice.

Posted by bekee at 4:57 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'll probably say this a couple hundred times in the next two years, but i'm "getting" this whole homeownership thing. it makes sense... in a strange way.

yea, we have the shitty electrical, and the toilet that doesn't flush slow enough, but we also have laundry in the basement and i can traipse around loudly without concern for people downstairs. i actually think, "wait, no one's down there." when i walk into the kitchen.

good deal, i say.

Posted by bekee at 8:43 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

can you tell i found my camera? so, the rain has caused starkweather creek to get mighty big. it's up over its banks and into the neighbor's backyards. click the pic to view more water.

edit: 2:00pm, barb and alan just got home and weren't alarmed in the least. apparently this happens at least once a year.

mom and george are in oregon filling sand bags for the houses on our old street. apparently it's flooded up to burr oak ave.

Posted by bekee at 12:40 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i got the office sorta set up. i'm actually surprised my computer worked without a hitch. i also found my phone charger finally.

so, i was able to take some pics of the painted rooms upstairs and down.

where i sleep:

spare room upstairs:

livingroom:

diningroom:

we had an unsuccessful visit from an audio specialist. seems our walls are pretty hefty. he drilled into two inches of plaster and still didn't break through to run a wire up from the basement. kurt's a little frustrated now... his car has also been not starting, so he's been kinda defeated today. :(

Posted by bekee at 2:28 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i mowed the lawn today. for the first time in 14 years.

there's something neat about that.

Posted by bekee at 9:37 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

at work, they would say, "where did we net out?" and i'd chuckle.

i'd say we put a 20% dent in the main floor. not a real one, silly. we got the livingroom situated, and most of the dining room. i also assembled a kitchen counter thing, and put up a 5-foot-wide mini-blind. remind me to tell you how much i hate mini-blinds.

which means, i get to work on my "office" this week/next weekend. i'm loathe to set up my computer on a weeknight because i know it will end up taking more than four hours.. so to start a project like that when i get home, but not before walking the dog, and eating dinner, it would keep me up well past 11. and that's if things were to go well.

we made another trip to menards today to get a shelf for the basement. and a foot-wipey rug for the front door, and a level, and some other stuff that added up to a pretty penny. it's like a week's worth of eating out each time we go there! zomg.

with our target housewarming a little over a month away, i'm feeling more comfortable and i still think it's realistic. i think.

Posted by bekee at 5:48 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

another outlet stopped working yesterday. we were making juice.. and had a lot of fruit peeled and cut up, when it decided to quit. we thought the juicer had taken a dump, so i'm happy to report that was not the case.

i still can't find my phone charger and my phone keeps beeping at me.

Posted by bekee at 9:03 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

with patience and help from george, we managed to identify the electrical problem. the wires are old. like, older-than-time old. the fabric and the black stuff covering the wire is disintegrating, creating faulty connections and blowing circuits... and some moron* decided to put half the house on one breaker.

yup.

however, it's actually been kind of fun trying to figure stuff out. it's like a big, sparky puzzle. i was only half kidding when i said to mom or someone that i should go to matc to be an electrician.

realtor ben came over to help and got us going in a good direction. we replaced two of the crappy wires and have power upstairs again. heh.

it's funny the perspective change that comes with home buying. everyone will try their best to describe this change to you, but it doesn't sink in until you can't find your phone charger, or your q-tips, but you have power in the livingroom. somehow, it is a great feeling to come home to a place that is yours. all yours. well, the bank owns it, but no one considers that fact until the 1st of the month. :)

*sorry, moron, if you read this; but really. wtf were you thinking? 9 outlets and 3 ceiling lights on one breaker? jesus.

Posted by bekee at 8:55 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we got one more phone line working... and discovered our electrical problem. seems no one knew there were live wires hanging out in the insulation. :/

so, now i'm waiting for kurt to decide to wake up so we can start wrestling with that problem.

Posted by bekee at 9:59 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

this morning, my boss asked if i was in a better mood than yesterday. i said i didn't think so, he offered to help, and i said, "unpack my life!"

the surface of the kitchen is a mess. the sink is caked with acrylic paint. it was the first room in which we started putting things, so the box for the dehumidifier is acting as storage and garbage, simultaneously. other peoples' painting accessories are randomly placed so i don't forget to return them. the worst part is that we shoved every belonging into the downstairs bedroom, and we can't find anything. even though i labeled each box. my favorite is the one that says "kitchen. knives!!1"

you'd think i'd be happy to have delivery food out of necessity, but it's contrary to the plan.

Posted by bekee at 8:30 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

really, after this i'm done.

we slept at the new house this weekend! saturday night, we had the futon on the first floor and fell asleep watching children of men; the first half of the movie was good, the neighborhood was highly quiet.

last night, we set up the back bedroom with minimal necessities (the floors are getting redone on friday, so we don't want to have to move too much crap back downstairs).

i slept like a log. and woke up late cuz i set my clock's time for the wrong 12 hours.

Posted by bekee at 9:51 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we moved everything else this weekend. i am sore.

and i wish i didn't have to work in order to pay for the house we just bought.

Posted by bekee at 8:16 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we keep talking about the huge projects we want to accomplish, and it seems pointless since we have a million tiny projects to do over the next 30 years...

so, i started the job of tackling two necessities: a rain barrel and a composter. they've both been ordered.

Posted by bekee at 9:06 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

coming back to work after four days of hard work is tough. i've been granted leave from the new house until friday.

i did the trim yesterday, minus three and a half walls' floorboard. i just couldn't do it last night.

kurt's mom is coming up tomorrow, she wants to paint. before i did the trim, i was like, "no, i want to paint the bedrooms!" and now i'm like, "whoever wants to paint, i don't care."

Posted by bekee at 9:39 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

judy and i painted for 9 hours yesterday. well, we took breaks, but we started at 9:45 and gave up around 6:15.

i'm gunna do the trim today. we're sticking with white. :)

Posted by bekee at 9:30 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i forgot to bring the ding dang camera with on our walk-through yesterday. amazingly, however, they cleaned out the entire basement and the yard was no longer filled with trash. the whole place, though, has a very small layer of scum about and we'll need to apply some elbow grease before we paint on saturday.

unfortunately, kurt kinda procrastinated on calling the floor guy, so we still don't have him scheduled for the upstairs bedrooms...

Posted by bekee at 9:21 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i've watched about 6 hours of flip that house this weekend.

these people are crazy.

Posted by bekee at 3:45 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i managed to pack 16 or 17 boxes yesterday. i also am giving 5 plastic grocery bags of knitted items, coats, and miscellaneous objects to st vinnies.

clothes don't sell at a yard sale, so please don't ask me to have one. the neighbors (upstairs and next door) both have a modicum of stuff, and it would seem the three of us could have a regular-sized sale, but i just don't think i'll have the energy.

Posted by bekee at 9:40 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i hate it.

i hate "stuff", so whytf do i have so much of it? i just filled eight beer boxes with our books and now i'm out of boxes with handles; and i haven't even put a dent in our belongings. it's more like a small wound.

i also just sold two plastic grocery bags of books to half price books and got a whopping $17.50. that covered the packing tape that i subsequently purchased at walgreen's.

here's the best part: kurt's away, playing pool.

Posted by bekee at 3:07 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i need to start keeping track of everything we're gunna need:

dehumidifier, shop-vac, shovel, rake, garbage bins

these are things i want:

composter, rain barrel, gardening supplies, wood burning apparatus

Posted by bekee at 1:09 PM | permalink | licks (2) | tracks (0)

Posted by bekee at 2:42 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

we presented our "notice" to the sellers on monday. we asked that they get someone out to look at the chimney; according to the inspector, the flashing could have some attention paid to it, as well as getting a cap on the chimney.

we haven't heard from our realtor since wednesday.

meanwhile, i have started compiling a mental list of things we need, things we need to do, things we want to do... and then i start getting overwhelmed so i have to stop.

Posted by bekee at 11:02 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm not trying to ignore you, dear reader, i just have a lot of nothing to say... especially since most of it has to do with house stuff, and it's pointless for me to describe rooms and walls that i want to rip down without supplying pictures.

Posted by bekee at 9:12 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it's so cute!

the inspection had no big surprises... just one little one. we'll be meeting with ben to write our counter based on the inspection contingency. if that's even what it's called. and then we start packing!

Posted by bekee at 10:54 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

so... we're preapproved; locked in at 6.75%. i signed my name and today's date ten times this morning. my credit score is pretty awesome. kurt's was one point above the eligible number for the PMI program we're approved for (yea, we had to do PMI cuz there's no way we'd be able to come up with 20% down). and the sellers agreed to our offer with them paying up to $2,000 in closings costs, which should get us owing somewhere between $600-800. not too shabby. of course, that doesn't include the homeowners insurance which won't be esgrow'd until after our first payment (in september). these next few months are gunna be frugal.

we put in the offer last friday and our inspection is this friday at 2; our realtor wasn't kidding when he said things move fast after we decide to buy.

the first two appliances we need to buy when we get there are a lawnmower and a dehumidifier. i want a reel mower, but kurt says he won't mow if we have one of those.

omg. we're almost homeowners.

Posted by bekee at 2:35 PM | permalink | licks (2) | tracks (0)

they countered with some minor changes... one of which is moving the closing date to july 13th (we had asked for late june due to per diem taxes) because it's occupied by a renter whose lease is not up til july 1. the other change is they want preapproved financing within 25 days of their acceptance as opposed to 30. i have no idea why those 5 days would make a difference, but to someone they do.

so, ben's coming over tomorrow to talk about this and write the offer again... and then we'll be homeowners. kurt and i are both nervously excited; and a little sad that we'll be moving out of the hood. but i have found quite a few positives, one of which is the great big yard and the garden possibilities. and the dishwasher. :)

one of the things i think helped us decide was that it's lived in, and that made it a lot easier for me to picture our stuff in place of what was there. most of the other houses we've seen were vacant (save for one aside from ivy st.).

weird.

Posted by bekee at 12:54 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

so...

this might be our new house

we're writing an offer in about a half hour.

i should also tell you that ben anton has been of immeasurable help in the efforts to find a place that suits us.

Posted by bekee at 12:43 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so, i've given up on the dream house on fair oaks. and i just keep telling myself that it woulda been too loud and too unprivate for the $ they were asking. we're finally getting officially preapproved tomorrow (from a bank lender) and will at least have that out of the way in case another gem comes up (that's a direct quote from our realtor).

after that, we're looking at two places on friday... one of which is super cute, but over by oscar meyer... the other one is off fair oaks farther down by milwaukee st. which ain't so bad; it's just hard to fathom that i won't have a decent coffee shop, grocery store, bar, or hardware store within walking distance. those are certainly pluses in the willy st hood. certainly.

Posted by bekee at 7:55 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

we've only looked at two houses... but i think i found one that i might be getting unreasonably excited about. we're viewing it on monday after work. hopefully, right before that, we're meeting with a banker to start the preapproval process.

i'll keep you posted.

edit: the house already has two offers... we're conceding.

Posted by bekee at 10:26 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)