1.29.2011

DIY Framed Board - Or, Hey, What Else Can I Do With This Gorgeous Frame?

This frame was originally silver and housed a very cool (but not fitting exactly with our decor) bird print.  The print came out. We kept it, just in case we wanted to switch things up.

Anyway, Jeremiah spray-painted the frame white (I might be spray painting challenged. But that is a whole different story.).

I bought some super-cheap fabric at Jo-Anne's, as well as some cork board. We did three layers: Cardboard, cork, and then the fabric. Put everything back together, hung it on the wall, and voila! a super chic place to post stuff. It is hanging directly above the desk, sort of tying together our little work area.

I won't be putting up any ugly shtuff like bills and stuff, but nice things, like this calendar that I picked up in Jerome (that I will repurpose by cutting out the images and framing them.). Other things will surely make their way up to that beautiful frame...slowly, orderly, and one at a time.

p.s. The fabric looks like it might have a pinkish hue, but it is a solid brown. It appears to be lost in translation.

p.p.s. The Fixx. That's what we're listening to at this moment.

1.28.2011

What I Want to Write, But Can't

I was stopped recently by a co-worker who wanted to tell a story.  And they led with I mean, It started out as though Wait. It seemed as though it was going to relate to Crap. I would love (more than the extreme mint-chocolate ice cream available only at Albertson's, which I go to only for the extreme mint-chocolate ice cream) to be able to share some deets about co-workers. Nothing personal, no names,  just personalities. Nothing mean, even. Quirks, if you will. You'd all be like, "Yeah, I know someone like that, too." And we'd share a laugh.

Alas, I have to work here. And I like the people I work with. I really do. And I wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so the funny post about a co-worker will have to wait.

So that is why I can't tell you the quirkiness that occurred. Sigh. But I am TOTALLY open to hear YOUR quirky co-worker stories! You can leave it anonymous. Or not post at all. Because that happens a lot here, too.  And I'm learning to be okay with that. You're okay. I'm okay.


A Completely Unrelated Bathroom Update...
It's now week three of sharing a bathroom with A BOY. I'm not sure I'm cut out for sharing at all, let alone with a grody boy. I'll share other spaces, but bathrooms are off limits. I'm way out of my comfort zone, people. Like, we passed my comfort zone about a week ago. Zoomed past it at eighty miles an hour. It was a blur. Didn't even have time to say goodbye. I miss it.

Did I mention that I have issues with other people's germs? I do. I'd like to say it is because I catch everything that everyone else has, but it is more than that. Sadly. I won't go into details because I'd like for you to come back to my blog and read again. And not think I'm super weird.

So anyway, the bathroom is at a standstill because we're unable to find replacement strips for the shower. Such a simple thing, and yet...no.

Have a great weekend.

P.S. One of my students told me today that men can have babies. I was all, "Um, you might want to talk to someone at home about that."

1.26.2011

$2.50 Tables

Remember a looooong time ago when I mentioned that I bought two tables at Salvation Army and I only paid $2.50 total? Hence the title of this post. The tables started out looking like this: Ugly. For suresies. And I am pretty sure that Jeremiah scoffed at my tables and thought they were unsalvageable. He humored me, the tables came home with us. Lucky bastards.

Then when we he sanded the cabinets he also sanded my tables. Still darn ugly.
When he finished, I primed. Oil based primer. It covers just about anything and sticks to the crap that didn't get sanded off.

Then I painted. White. Several coats. The gnome made his way into this picture, too, so I cropped his happy little face right out. Here's a close-up of the table.
And here they are, finished. With my cheap $5.00 lamp.
We like.
Another success!

So much prettier than before, and at only $1.25 each, quite the steal. Anybody else love to bargain shop? Get any great deals lately?

1.23.2011

Holy Ssssshhhhelves!

Hello again, dear friends. And family. I come bearing shelves. Pictures of them, actually. I found this website: Holy Crap This Chick is Talented! and decided that I needed to have several of the shelves. In different lengths. They are for pictures and stuff.

So handy dandy Boyfriend made them and sanded them. I primed them. I painted them.

On a super-exciting note, I have a garage workspace. This is exciting, as I had zero space before. But now? I've got cabinet space. And drawers. Don't be jealous.

Here's what they looked like finished: This isn't the final way it will look, obviously. Any framed pictures on the shelves will be white. And there will be LOTS of them.  The birds will probably stay. So will the candle. But not that bottle. I think I might paint or decoupage it...
But don't you dig my shelves? We altered her design slightly as I didn't want a huge lip in the front. And the shelves are placed lower because they'll be loaded with pictures, so they are eye-level-ish.
Then he made me baby ones for the dining area. Love these. They are higher because they aren't holding any pictures. Just some dishes and my favorite blue jars.
Love. They look great with the constant light that the small room gets.
What do you think? Success? We think so. I just need to collect/spray paint some frames white and find pictures to put in them.

Anybody else building right now?

p.s. Listening to Dead Weather's Sea of Cowards
p.p.s. Please ignore the gnome. That is for a photo project I am working on. 

1.21.2011

Roar, okay?

Pretty sure I have the cutest little pound puppy ever (Remember those? I had two of them.).


Not his tough guy act (which involves biting if you touch him when he is asleep without first waking him up using your words), just a yawn. While wearing a Santa suit at Christmas.

Any pets that you could just gobble up because they are so cute?


p.s. We did some really cool shelves and the tables are refinished, so I'll be sharing those soon!

1.18.2011

Bathroom Remodel, Part 2...Now With Pictures!

Hi.

How ya doin'?

I thought I would provide you with an all-access pass into our master bath. I know, it's what you've always wanted. Just don't make a mess (insert hysterical laughter here). I'd be more nervous about it if it wasn't already better than it was before. I hate the master bath. Like I hate squash. Seriously gross.

Here is Jeremiah choosing which tool to use next on his mission destroy bathroom. Using some of my tools. That's right. I have tools. And a hammer. Which I may or may not have stolen from work accidentally. And which I just realized could probably be grouped in with the tools and need not be mentioned separately.

Here's where my new tub will go! Please ignore the dog, scale, and boxes of contact lenses. And there is a HUGE window above the tub. Jeremiah is going to be tearing out the cheap-ass blinds and I'll be frosting the window like I did here: Part 1 and Part 2. I'm excited to get the light and not worry about having people see me tinkle. Or bathe.
Below is the shower. Taken apart. Because we found mold. That we sort of knew was there. So Jer is taking it apart, re-sealing & caulking everything. How fun for him.
I figure that the yellowed strips are probably a sign that they are old, cracked, and not keeping the water where it should be. And that's my hammer.
Some of the damage caused by the leaking shower. Stupid shower. Side note: How do people shower in those stalls? Even the one I had in college was bigger than this. Every time I have to use this I get claustrophobic.
More damage...and a nose-y dog. He's all, "Holy Sheet, thees eeees a mess!"
Seriously, damage. And a question to the previous homeowners: Did you not see the damage? Did you not care enough about your house to FIX THE FACIN' PROBLEM? Okay, so two questions, really.
We're going to be tearing out the floor, too. And all the funky damage underneath, too. This makes me giddy because I DESPISE the linoleum. In the whole house we've torn up linoleum in a bathroom, kitchen, entry, and laundry room. This is the ugliest by far (p.s. If you have this, I'm sorry. It's really not so bad.). And I honestly don't have anything against linoleum. As long as it looks nice.

We're going to put in tile. Ideally I could put in tile planks that look like these: Love you forever, dear wood-like tiles. Unfortunately, I am but a poor school teacher and it isn't in the budget. So we'll do regular tiles in the bathroom - much cheaper. Let me promise you this. Those planks (maybe not that color, but the style) will show up SOMEWHERE in our house. I'd love to have them downstairs or in the other bathroom. Fingers crossed.
Anyhoo, all this is worth it because here is my new tub. In the bedroom. Next to my books and dresser. I haven't been able to wear anything from the dresser or put my undies away for two weeks now.
Here's that sticker price that Jeremiah got knocked down to an even $300. Saved seven hundred dollars off the original $992.00 Whatta man. Whatta man. Whatta mighty good man.
And to top it off, we're trying to decide on paint colors for both the bathroom and bedroom. I'm leaning towards a greyish-blueish-purple. Much more grey than blue. For the bedroom. The bathroom will be lighter. Almost white, but not.
So how are you? You never did say. Working on any big projects at your casa?

p.s. What I'm listening to? Beyonce's Halo. Over and over and over again.

p.p.s. I also want to mention that ideally the bathroom door will be playing a disappearing act and something much better will replace it, as it now smacks into the tub area when it opens and takes up a lot of our bathroom space when it is opened. And blocks the light from the window. The cabinets will be re-finished. The lighting will be changed. Holy Remodel, Batman, that's a lot of crap to do!

1.16.2011

TIMMMMMBERRRRR!

Yesterday we returned from doing some things and I was in the bathroom when I heard an incredible thud. Super loud. I peek out of the bathroom and see Jeremiah lying on the floor with his legs trapped in the pants that he was trying to take off. The dogs are running around him and he is looking confused, sick, and sheepish, all at once.

Incredulously I ask if that noise I heard was him.

The response was yes and hadn't that ever happened to me before, getting my legs caught in my pants?

No, babe. It hasn't.

I suppose I should have gone over and offered assistance or even just asked if he was okay but I was blinded by tears and couldn't catch my breath, what with all the hysterical laughing.

p.s. Typing at this point is slow-going because I am reliving the event and tears are cascading down my face. I just wanted to mention two things. One, in his defense, he's still sick and I'm sure his equilibrium is off. Two, we're being crafty/house-y this weekend, so I'll take lots of pictures.

Lovesies you.

1.12.2011

Sickies x Two

I know that I always hope and pray joke and say that I want Jeremiah to get sick just once. Just once.

But that's a joke.

And I know that I always say that I cough on his toothbrush, sneeze on his pillow, and generally contaminate everything he touches. So he can finally understand my sickies.

But that's a joke, too.

And now boyfriend is sick. Suck.

As we all know, men are BABIES when it comes to being sick. I mean, oh my gosh. Sorry babe, but it's true. I'm wishing I could take back all my hoping and praying that he would just once understand my sickies.

Nothing is getting worked on this week. If our house was color-coded by a sickness threat level, we would be level red right now. Don't leave your toothbrush unattended at our house. Don't watch anyone's toothbrush for them.

p.s. I am listening to people scuffling along on the sidewalk outside my room. Do people not know how to PICK UP THEIR FEET anymore?

p.p.s Jeremiah said to me, "Remember that time I was sick in California for over a month?" While trying to prove that he wasn't always healthy (that was five years ago, by the way). He's dubbed it, "The Time I Lost My Singing Voice", which made me laugh until I coughed up some stuff. Jeremiah has NEVER been able to sing. And if you are sick for a month and don't go to the doctor, that's your own fault.

p.p.p.s. Um, I went to the doctor and was basically right. Caught something from one of my students, it sat around in my unworking sinuses, and turned into a bacterial sinus infection. Which is the worst kind. There's actual pus involved.  And lots of pressure. And then some more pus. Lots of it, actually.

1.10.2011

Sickies.

I've got the sickies.

The kind that having me blowing my nose constantly, sounding like a man with my deep voice, being tiredsies, and having me say to boyfriend, "Oh my gosh, look at what just came out of my nose!"

And he never will, even though some pretty crazy things have flown out of there in the past week.

I maybe was supposed to be an ear, nose, and throat doctor. But just for myself, because other peoples' nose issues are gross. Bleh.

But of course I don't take a day off; so I work, come home and rest, then do it again. Which leaves little time to actually blog.

Fingers crossed the doctor can fit me in.

1.03.2011

Let the Demo'ing Begin!

Several months ago I bought a jacuzzi tub for the master bathroom.

I did. I really did.

For those of you that don't know me well, I am a bather. I mean, I hope you all bathe, too, but I really love the art of the bath. I am a batheur. I stock the cabinets full of bombs (of the fizzing variety), bubbles, gels, candles, and books. All for bath time.If there was an Olympic sport for baths, I would totally take gold.

I would. Really.

And I KNEW that MY (OUR) house would have a jacuzzi tub. I even set 1,000 aside from my tax return to buy one.

So imagine my delight when, while shopping at Lowe's, I spot a jacuzzi tub ON FREAKIN' CLEARANCE! There was a tiny imperfection in one bottom corner and it had been returned. Thousand dollar tub. On sale for five hundred.

Spoke to the manager who recognized us from when we bought the kitchen faucet and Jeremiah asked him if he could make the deal a little sweeter. Um, howsabout he took off an extra two hundred dollars? I got a thousand dollar tub for three hundred bones. Popped that big guy into the back of my swagger wagon and took it home. I love my Subaru.

But the tub? It is beautiful and wonderful and inspiring and brings tears to my eyes and it is sitting in the bedroom.

That's right. We hauled it yesterday from the garage to the bedroom.

I went upstairs after work today and Jeremiah has started tearing out the old tub - which is a "European Soaking Tub". Which is a bunch of crap, because I've been to Europe and I never saw this cheap-ass tub there. So if you want my old tub, it is on sale on Craigslist. I was hoping to move the soaker to the guest bathroom (which is where I shower, but not take baths - don't get me started) because it is newer and nicer but it doesn't fit - too big. I mean, it would fit, but we'd have to take out the toilet and I hate to be all whatever but I find a toilet to be a necessity. And a selling point when/if we move. "Like, here's our bathroom. We figured we didn't really need the toilet because we've got two others...but what do you think of the European soaking tub? It's authentic!". Um, no.  So the tub? We're selling it.

And I'm getting the new jacuzzi tub.

More details and pictures to come. Happy Monday, everyone.