Plans for the rest of 2010--the downstairs

Looking ahead, here's what I'd like to get done by the end of 2010. I'm going to focus on the downstairs, given that's where we spend most of our time when we're home, and people see this when they come over. These are just the inside tasks--Turtle & I have a list of things to do outside, in the basement, and in the garage which can be done on weekends or over the winter. This post is more of the domestic/homemaker tasks that I enjoy doing, and that Turtle wouldn't care about because he's a guy! ;-)

1. Finish setting up our library/office.

(This was our library/office soon after we moved in. No newer pictures, those will come after we've really set it up. We did add some other furniture and a wood stove.)




We took two armchairs from my Grandpa's house which were old, but in very good condition. I bought slipcovers for them, so they'll have a new look, but they need something else. Throws? Pillows? I've got stuff around the house from other places I've lived and engagement/shower/wedding gifts that we still haven't used, so I can dig through those to find something.

Also need to clean up the JUNK that has migrated into here, and hang pictures on the walls! Make it more homey. This room is the house's formal living room, but we are not formal living room types. This room houses our desk, computer, books, papers, so why not use it more like a library? With two comfy chairs and a great big table we bought at a used furniture place for super cheap (a 4'x4' Lane coffee table for $150--score!) and the wood stove, it's going to be our new home for the winter. Because I don't know what the wood stove will do to the walls in terms of smoke and soot, I don't plan on painting this room for awhile. The previous owners painted it white and didn't do much damage to the walls, so everything looks fine to us. Plus, the biggest wall is covered with bookcases. Ahh, IKEA Billy. How I love thee.

2. Finish setting up the TV room.

(This was taken the day of the closing. It was gross, that's why no close up pictures. I think they lived in here... More pics to come, promise!)



This was the first room I painted. Ha, funny, that's the ONLY room I've painted! It's sage green. (By the way, Turtle is not a painter. Very much dislikes, so I do that job, but I actually like it.) This room doesn't need much more. I bought new blinds yesterday, since the ones which were left behind are dirty, gross and probably covered with nicotine. YUCK! Just need to put them up.

Also need to get new lampshades at the ones on the lamps in there have survived a few moves and are almost 10 years old. They've gotten a little...beaten up? Finding lampshades is harder than one might imagine, and they are also pretty expensive. But I'll keep on it.

One of my bridesmaids made us a lap quilt in our "wedding colors" and with our names and wedding date. It's absolutely gorgeous but I'd much rather use it as a wall hanging...so I must look for some kind of quilt rack/hanger. I'm also trying to figure out what else to hang on the wall. The biggest wall in the room is the one opposite the three windows. The quilt might go there, but I'm not sure.

We recently made our biggest furniture expense since we've moved in here--a new TV stand. We'd had one that belonged to my aunt from when SHE was single, so it's over 20 years old. My parents had it for a bit, then I took it when I got my first place after college. It's for a tube TV, not a flat screen, so when our tube TV died, we had to put the flat screen ON TOP of the stand, which was one of those 4' tall deals. It looked so funny but we waited to find the "right" new TV stand. It was delivered 2 days after my grandfather died, so moving things around got put on hold for a bit, but as of last night, all of the electronics have been moved, rewired, set up, etc. Just need to push it back to the wall and figure out how to hide the cords. Oh, and we have to rearrange the furniture since things got moved around before the stand was delivered. Lovely!

3. Paint the half bath.

I already have a color picked out, which took awhile. It's a tan color with a bit of peach thrown in. Glidden's Dapper Tan, but I don't know if I want to use Glidden specifically. I just grabbed a bunch of sample jars at Home Depot. I might have it color-matched in another brand.

The tile is white with gray and peach/tan vein things going through it, and all of the accessories are brass, so I think that color will look good. I'm not good at making decisions when I have 1000s of options. I also did not grow up in a house with wallpaper and paint (all wood, almost like a log cabin), so I am not seasoned in the way a typical 30 year old might be.

We need to take down the oh-so attractive border that the previous owner put up.



Then comes priming/Kilz/whatever the ceiling since we had a small leak due to a clogged gutter, then painting everything. The previous owners had sponge painted it with a dusty pink, which I couldn't tell until AFTER we'd moved in, since every time we'd been in the house it was either cloudy or near dusk. Whoops. You might be able to see it in this picture:



After that, painting the walls and the trim (white). I also need to paint the back of the door, because that is also pink. The previous owners were a couple (divorcing, or already divorced, yeeesh*) and their two teenage sons. I think this was the one room where the wife felt she could be girly. The lights are flower-ish, the mirror has flowers on it, so does the border. The curtains did too. It's just VERY pink and not me at all. I love pink (the sweater I'm wearing right now is almost hot pink!), but not like this. I want to make it more back to nature, more earthy. Which is why I'm going with tan and white, with wicker baskets. Just to "ground" things. I scored a valance for $6 yesterday--the material almost looks like burlap, both in color and texture, and there are faint shells printed on it in white. I also got a few hand towels in chocolate brown for $1.50 each.

4. Clear junk out of the dining room. I don't have any good pictures of the dining room--because the room is either completely empty or filled with the junk that went there after we moved in.

We did acquire an oak dining set (table, 6 chairs, and a hutch) at an estate sale for only $500. It was in very good condition and to buy it brand new probably would have been 5x as much, if not more. In all reality, I only paid $100 since my parents generously gave us the rest of the money--they had wanted to buy us something when we moved into the house, but I didn't find it until April.

We need to find homes for all of the miscellaneous things that have found their way into the room. We don't use it very often, but it's nice to have a place to put more people, as our kitchen table is only for 2 or 3!

It needs to be painted, and I'm pretty sure I can handle that myself, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to doing it. Definitely not before December 31st, as we will most likely be hosting Christmas dinner here.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but the house is entirely white on white, save the TV room and two out of three bathrooms, so I'm lucky in that I don't have to look at too much hideous paint while I wait for the right time and save enough money to repaint things.

The kitchen and the entryway/hallway also need to be painted. I can do the entryway myself, but NOT the kitchen. There are some weird issues with the ceiling, which need to be fixed (and we don't know how to even begin to tackle that!) and I'd never be able to reach the areas above the cabinets because of my build and my low level of grace. Best leave a job like this to the professionals. I also plan on having pros paint our bedroom because I sometimes take longer than planned to do things, and I'd rather have it over and done with. Probably the stairway too, only because it'll be one clear shot--kitchen to hallway to stairway to master bedroom. But the rest of the upstairs I can handle. Just might take a week...or month per room. :-D

I'll talk more about the upstairs in another post. I think I've posted enough about my plans for today!

* I'm not against divorced people! But it sorta creeped me out that the reason that this house was for sale was because a family split up. We did have the house blessed.

One year later

October 26 was the one year anniversary of our house closing. October 28 was the one year anniversary of moving day. (The picture was taken after we'd lived there for about a month, and we hadn't done much at that point, especially to the exterior.)

Here we are, one year later. Wow. I know everyone says time flies, but in this case, it both did and didn't.

When we moved in, I had these grand ideas about what I'd do first and what color I'd paint which room and what I wanted to buy. But soon after we moved in, it was the holidays, so we got a bit sidetracked. Then it was the winter...and I think I had a little of that seasonal affective disorder. That, and home ownership overwhelmed me in regards to what to do first. I am very hard on myself, and I often bite off more than I can chew, even with just my ideas. When nothing gets done, even because I don't know where to start, I am hard on myself.

Spring came, and I was looking forward to spending time outside, reclaiming our yard. On April 1, which was Holy Thursday this year (see previous post to see how screwed up THAT timing was), I broke my hand. Lovely! Which, as many of you know, was followed by surgery, then recuperation, then physical therapy. It was July before my hand was close to normal. I scrambled to try and get things done before Fall set in, since when it gets cold here, it REALLY gets cold.

Turtle's work week is Tuesday-Saturday. Wednesdays and Fridays he works 12-8 and the other days he works 9-5. I work Monday-Friday, with flexible hours, but I try to keep it 9-5. I have a problem with getting myself ready and out the door on time, so if I get there AT nine, it's a miracle. If I get there BEFORE nine, my boss wants to take my temperature.

With only ONE day off together, it has been a challenge to get projects completed around here. Especially since our day off together is Sunday, and we attend a church which is a half hour from our house. Many projects could benefit with two people working together for two days, and we don't have that! We've had to rely a lot on my parents and his father to assist us. We are so grateful that they are healthy and able to help us, and that they live fairly close by. My mom has come over on Saturdays to help me clean the windows, my dad drops off firewood and has hung my curtains. His dad has come over on Mondays to help him split and stack said firewood. His dad, luckily, is retired, and has generously come over when we've both been at work to clean out our gutters or fix things. (The house next door is for sale, and we keep telling his dad to BUY IT! hehe)

Here's what we've done in our first year:

• Had the carpets cleaned
• Had the locks changed and a deadbolt installed
• Painted the TV room
• Cleaned all windows (inside & out)
• Deep cleaned the house
• Power washed the siding, deck and porch
• Stained the deck and porch
• Repaired the deck
• Made/set up a work bench in basement
• Cleaned up all flower beds, which included shrub removal, extensive weeding, planting some new things
• Trimmed the trees in the front of our house, which experienced stunted growth. They'll never catch up to the ones the neighbors have which were all put in at the same time.
  
• Rescued the lawn from a sure death
• Started a compost pile
• Grew awesome tomatoes :-)
• Bought a wood stove
• Acquired some new furniture, and not spending a lot of money in the process. Most of it was secondhand.
• Learned how to reprogram the garage door opener and the "head" thing that is on the ceiling of the garage
• Dealt with a broken AC unit
• Battled with ants!
• Found a firepit in the wooded area on the side of our property, buried in brush and overgrowth, and started using it.
• Hosted our first holiday--Christmas!
  

I think that's it...I'm sure there are other things we did, but those are the biggest that stood out. Even with a broken hand, DH's very stressful job (he celebrated THAT first anniversary in August), my job issues, family stuff, health stuff...we managed to get that much done. Of course, I'm still beating myself up on what I didn't do.

What do I want to do? Separate post!

ETA: Apparently we HAVE done a lot of work becuase the neighbors have raved at how great we are doing and how fast we improved things. I know that the house was probably spruced up a "bit" before it was put on the market, but I would have loved to see what it looked like before they decided to sell. Probably in worse shape than we bought it...and it wasn't THAT bad really, just neglected a bit.

Why Rabbit and Turtle?

It dawned on me tonight while driving home that I've never explained why this blog is called what it is, and why I go by this alias.

First, why an alias? Years ago, when I was younger and stupid, I was on a message board and posted my first name and where I worked. Hello, large university with an online staff directory. Someone put the pieces together, figured out who I was, and emailed the chair of my department, telling them that I was posting on this site and what I was saying (just ranting about how miserable I was at my first big girl job, wah-wah). While I never got into huge trouble--I was "spoken to" about my extra-curricular activity--this really scared me. Someone found me out! (By the way, I never was able to find out who ratted me out.) I've always been paranoid about being "discovered" ever since. Some of you do know my real name, and that's fine. I trust you. It's more for the people who might stumble upon this blog and say "heyyy wait a sec..." I try not to post too many specific details about my life, which is a double-edged sword. Posts might be easier to understand or easier to relate to if I could use names or details. But on the other hand, it gives me a sense of security, even if it's thin.

How did I get *this* particular alias? (it's a long story, better get comfy)

When Turtle and I were dating, he was in a bad accident and almost died. I'm actually debating on how much of THIS to share, but let's just say he was an innocent bystander and was minding his own business. Initially, his injuries presented as very minor, but a little stomachache, followed by a random CT scan probably saved his life. A year later, thank God, he made an almost full recovery. This was after a few surgeries, an ICU stay for 3 weeks including a medically induced coma, a temporary but life-changing procedure, a tenure at a rehab facility (for physical therapy, not painkillers, jeez people! I have to make a funny somewhere in this seriousness), more surgeries (including one to reverse the life-changing procedure), some freaky scares including ambulance rides back to the hospital...you name it, he probably had it. It was a slow and painful process to recover. He still has scars and pain, but for the most part, he's the same as he was before the accident.

Oh yeah, so how the names came about. The accident happened on Holy Thursday and he almost died the evening of Easter Sunday. Yeah, we get the symbolism, and it's really creepy, and Easter is very serious business for us. Moreso than it was prior to the accident. While he was in the "he'll be fine, he'll go home Monday" part of this adventure (before he got REALLY sick), I was putting a few things together in a little Easter basket for him. It was our first Easter together and I wasn't really sure what to put in a basket for a 27 year old man! Besides candy...

There was a turtle beanie animal (not a Beanie Baby) at the drugstore where I was getting the candy, so I thought, why not, and got that for him. He fishes and hunts and likes the outdoors, and if he didn't want it, we could give it to my cats. He didn't get the basket until months later, when he was in rehab, but he got the turtle almost immediately. I gave him the turtle to have while he was in ICU. He was heavily drugged as part of his treatment--his body was so sick/hurt that sedation was really the only way to help him heal--but I wanted him to have SOMETHING. The room was so bare and cold.

The turtle would become a metaphor, as well as a name. I'm sure you all know the Aesop fable. And when one is recovering from any sort of physical set back, you have to take it slow. Slow and steady wins the race, right? When he "woke up" and began to readjust to life after this injury, he was very slow. Even talking was difficult, since he'd been intubated. He said it was like the worst strep throat times 100. He couldn't really feed himself too well, as his body was "asleep" for 3 weeks. and pretty stiff. Everyone kept reassuring him that he'd get back to "normal" and that he just needed to take things slow and steady, like Tortoise in the fable. He had his little buddy there to remind him that he would get to his finish line, eventually.

The turtle was named Turtle and he had a lot of adventures, including going for rides in laundry carts and going for swims in washing machines! There were some near-losses, which freaked out the "real" Turtle. But he always came back to us. Now he lives on Turtle's nightstand, nice and safe and dry!

So...what about the Rabbit?

Hello there! I can get pretty hyper at times. I have a hard time sitting still when it's necessary. I can also be very impatient. I like to see results, and FAST. Tomorrow? No, how about YESTERDAY. Turtle's recovery was the best thing that ever happened to me in regards to learning to be patient. Just because the doctor said he could go home next week, didn't necessarily mean it would REALLY be next week. Oh, we have to wait for the infection to clear...bummer. What do you mean, my boyfriend doesn't want to hang out with me tonight at the hospital/rehab center/his dad's house because he's sick/tired/in pain/annoyed?

Also, looking back, there have been a lot of rabbits/bunnies in my life. I was a bunny for my first Halloween (like so many other babies, I'm sure), my favorite aunt called me Bunny when I was little, I was a bunny in my first/last (haha) ballet recital, there are some other instances, too. I also have an uncanny knack at spotting rabbits while driving, walking by a field, etc. Before anyone else sees them. While driving on an interstate, seeing them on the side of the road, nibbling grass. It's weird how I can spot them.

Although many years have passed since we acquired these names/identities/whatever, we still emulate them, but the lines have blurred a bit. (By the way, we've never called each other Rabbit/Turtle, it's always been more of "I'm being a Rabbit today" or "Remember, slow and steady.") I've slowed down somewhat (althought Turtle might beg to differ!) and Turtle's actually gotten a little hyper. I think the accident and recovery made him more impatient about the little things in life, only because he's dealt with serious situations many of us will never experience.

That's our story. I wrote it in two parts, so I think the writing is a little lacking towards the end. But I think the important details are there :-)

[Oh, another thing about anonymity on the web. We have a sort of built-in anonymity, as our first names are VERY common for people our age...so common that I'm sure you can guess what mine is ;-) Our last name is a fairly common Irish one. I mean, my first and last name together are SO common that there are THREE of "me" at my eye doctor's office! Two at my dentist! But still, you can never be too sure.]

Safety first!

Today, while at my parents' house, cleaning for the out of town relatives that will be arriving later today, I found almost this exact same image. (In this case, it was the bottom outlet, but who's counting?)


Yup, there was still one outlet with a child safety plug in it!! In the midst of my Grandfather passing away, my parents are having parts of their house done over. They had a new floor put down in their kitchen and downstairs hallway, and when they moved a hutch out to put down the flooring, this was there. So funny to find one of these, given that I'm 30 and my brother is 28. Meaning: it's VERY old (probably as old as I am). I wonder why my mom never pulled it out--probably because she couldn't access the outlet anyway when the hutch was placed in the hallway.

I wonder if she'll take it out now, or if she'll leave it as a mini time capsule of sorts...

Saying goodbye

My grandfather passed away last week. He was 85 and had been in declining health for years due to strokes. In the last month, things had gone very downhill. Due to some family logistics, we won't be having the funeral until next Monday. (Yay family drama!)

My parents haven't been to church in awhile, and for my uncles it's been a VERY long while. It makes me sad that I'm the most religious out of my entire family--and now I'm the one working on the plans for the funeral Mass.

Tonight, while typing this, I'm reviewing hymns. My family's parish provided me with a list of hymns and in which parts of the Mass they are typically used, as well as a packet of the readings. Thank God for youtube, seriously, because I don't remember a hymn until I hear it. Just seeing the names doesn't do it for me, not to mention that I haven't been to a Roman Mass in months. Byzantine Liturgies don't have as many hymns. Plus, I want to make sure it's the "right one." I looked over the readings earlier, but I'm still not 100% positive on any of them. Turtle's better at that stuff, I might have him take a look too.

As for the hymns, I think we're going with:
Entrance: Be Not Afraid
Offertory: I'm torn between Come Back to Me (Norbet) and You Are Mine
Communion: Prayer of St. Francis
Recessional: On Eagle's Wings (One of the suggestions was Lift High the Cross--UMMM NO. That's too "chipper" for a funeral.)

For the Psalm: Still undecided.

This is hard. You want it to be appropriate, but fitting for the person. I think the only thing I can do is pray that I make the right choice. I know Grandpa wouldn't really care which song or reading was chosen--as long as the person chose it with their heart.

I can sense another post brewing from the statement I'm about to make: it's hard being religious when your family and friends are not.

Why animals are not always better than kids

(I don't say the above comment, but I hear it a lot from my friends/other people who have sworn off children.)

We have three cats. They are usually pretty good. Tonight was not one of those nights.

I came home, and was about to throw a load of laundry in the washing machine, when I felt my foot go sliding a bit across the tile in our back hallway. Thankfully I still had my shoes on, and thought "Oh gross, who puked???"

By the way, the lights weren't on, and it was getting dark outside, so I really couldn't see too well.

Flip on the light. At first I thought it was puke, but on further investigation, NOT SO! Ugh, really gross. Plus, the shoes I was wearing had treads in the soles. Yeah.

Off came the shoes! Thank goodness for old toothbrushes that I keep under the kitchen sink. That, and some vinegar and water in a spray bottle, helped get my shoes back in order. (And then I threw out the toothbrush!)

But the rest of the mess. Two areas on the tile. Lovely. Got that cleaned up with paper towels and the vinegar/water mixture. I thought "Now I'm gonna have to mop the entire floor, just to make sure I got everything." Get out the Pine Sol, the mop, and the bucket, go into the downstairs bathroom to fill it up....and OH NO!

OH YES. Someone had a big mess in there. I will spare everyone the details, but it wasn't fun. And they missed the litter box. So the bathroom floor was mopped along with the hallway floor. Cleaned out the litter box, took out the trash, and went upstairs to get some more laundry for the next load.

What do I find there? Puke. In the upstairs hallway. At this point, I'm thinking "Okay, someone did not have a good day here, and I need to check EVERY ROOM to make sure I don't miss anything." Good thing I did--there was more in the guest room.

A few rags and a lot of Nature's Miracle later, that part was cleaned up. The rags got tossed--I was beyond grossed out, irritated and tired.

All this, and then I still ate dinner! I was STARVING and exhausted by this point.

Anyone want some cats? LOL

Yes, I'm still here

Hello, it's been awhile. Sorry for the lack of posting for the rest of the summer and most of the fall.

Sigh. I've been busy.

There are so many things that I'd like to say and post and talk about...and I never get around to it, and I feel like I should be better about keeping this thing updated.

I have ideas, and then I get distracted...plus, there is a thing called work...and I'm not 100% sure if blogger is blocked. I can read tons of other blogs. Plus, I don't know if I want work even KNOWING I have a blog. Pesky IT, never know what they can dig up on ya!

Maybe I need to make a plan...and then stick to it. Kind of a blog outline?

We're coming up on our 1st anniversary of living in this house...and there's still so much NOT done, but there are a lot of changes too.

I am very hard on myself, if you couldn't tell.

OK I shall return, hopefully sooner rather than later. ;-)