The Storm Before the Calm Before the Storm

 The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activities and various home improvements. I have been nesting for several months now, and my very dear husband has been indulging my insatiable desire to have things *just so* before the baby comes. My nest-feathering instincts, however, have resulted in quite the upheaval with regard to living arrangements!

Dahlias in the garden -- this summer of endless rain has been good for something!

Re-doing our kitchen and guest bathroom floors has been on our list ever since we bought our house. We had a decent laminate hardwood in the kitchen area, but it was apparently installed by five-year-olds. Five-year-olds who decided it was a good idea to cut big squares around every door jamb, and then fill the resulting gap with chunks of flooring. Really, it was that bad. We had linoleum in the guest bath; for the record, I loathe linoleum, but I'm not (quite) such a spoiled brat that I need everything to be perfect right now. This linoleum, though, was so gouged and destroyed that it really was in need of a re-do.

A few months back, as I contemplated my expanding middle, I realized that: A) My belly was not going to get any smaller before the arrival of a newborn, and B) If our master bathroom re-do was any indication, I would be the one actually laying the tile, and Pablo would be mixing, fetching, cutting, etc. It works out great that way.

So if the tile was going to be laid, we needed to do it right away, before my belly expanded even more. Off to Lowes we went, and soon the tiling was underway. And oh, reader! The kitchen tiling is not perfect. Far, far from it. Okay, not too far, but please don't examine the joints too carefully if you come over for tea. At any rate, it's done, and it has improved the space immensely. We're not exactly living in a multi-million dollar mansion, so I'm not going to stress (too much) over a few squiggly spots.

Now, we have made several interesting discoveries during our time in this wee house of ours. I've mentioned the knife in the kitchen drain, and there have been various other curiosities to make us wonder what on earth was going on in the minds of the former homeowners during their time here (for instance, why is the word "HELP" scrawled inside the cabinet in the guest bathroom? Or is it really that hard to paint behind the freestanding over-the-toilet cabinet?).

But this discovery? This one takes the cake. As we pulled up some of the laminate wood flooring in the hall outside the bathroom, we came to the threshold of our carpeted living room. And that's when we realized that they had installed hardwood in the living room, too -- and then at same later point covered it with carpet! Seriously, who does that? Our living room carpet was horribly stained, and starting to buckle (and we hate carpet, anyway). The laminate underneath looked okay, as far as we could tell by pulling up the carpet and padding at the threshold and peering into the depths. So after much deliberation, we pulled out the carpet. Good grief, it was a veritable sandbox under there! Actually, two sandboxes -- one on top of the carpet padding, and one underneath the padding and on top of the laminate. Which just reinforced our desire to never, ever install carpet of our own free will.

And I thought discovering "wood" under the carpet was limited to more mature homes!

Our fears that the carpet was covering some hideous damage to the flooring proved unfounded, much to our relief. The room was outlined in holes from the carpet tack strips, and there was a beautiful squiggly line of adhesive with tufts of carpet padding still attached. But, with the laminate we had salvaged from our kitchen re-do (removed for the previously mentioned appalling installation job), we thought we could pull up all the flooring in the living room and adjoining dining room, and relay the entire thing.

Incidentally, it has also become a sort of game for us to wonder how much money we'll "earn" when we tear something out. It seems that every time we undo a previous "improvement" (can you hear the sarcasm?), we find anywhere from 10 to 50 cents in small coins. As it happens, our flooring project coughed up 65 cents. *wink* We also discovered an ancient pill, which we identified as medication used for both ADHD and narcolepsy. Still not sure how one drug can treat both of those conditions...

While it took much longer than we expected -- but what self-respecting home improvement project doesn't take longer than expected? -- we managed to salvage just enough flooring for the dining and living rooms. Oh, how happy I am to see the last of that carpet!

One of my favorite mysteries so far -- that little (unfinished) threshold was
glued to both the tiny strip of carpet and the laminate flooring. The closet it
belonged to actually had two layers of carpeting!

So now? Our living room furniture is still scattered around the house, awaiting the installation of quarter-round. And we still have the entire living room/kitchen/dining room area to paint, plus we have plans for sprucing up the kitchen cabinets. Oh, and painting the guest bath and re-installing the toilet are high on the priority list, too!

The home improvement storm is far from over, but once the storm has cleared, almost all of our cosmetic improvements will be done. And then we'll have a little calm and a chance to rest before the "storm" of welcoming our precious little one into the world. But that's a storm I'm much more excited to weather!

The Ups and Downs and Outs

Life lately has been interesting, to say the least.

The Downs? I spent several days on the couch fighting a stomach bug, wondering if I would ever recover. Have I ever mentioned that I am pitifully short-sighted when I'm sick? I usually succumb to the "I-will-never-feel-better-because-I-feel-terrible-at-this-moment" mindset, whether I have a head cold or the 'flu. As I tried to keep liquids down (to no avail), our little one on-the-way decided it was time to up the activity level, and pummeled my digestive tract with gleeful abandon. Which was comforting, though uncomfortable. It was reassuring to know that at least one part of my body was functioning properly! Little Man had way too many graham crackers (or "cookoos," as he calls them -- aka, "cookies") while I was recuperating, but I think he'll still grow up to be a successful adult.

Delights of the Season

The Ups? By the end of the week I was able to eat again (not taking that for granted in the near future), and ready to catch up on the plethora of tasks that fall by the wayside when you can't get off the couch. Can I admit that I felt a bit affirmed when I saw just how bad the house looked when I did nothing? So nice to know that even on my less productive days, apparently I do something!

The Outs? Well, a hefty amount of stuff is on its way out our door. Just as I was feeling some strong decluttering/nesting vibes, I stumbled upon Rachel's Minimalist Mom Blog, which I'm absolutely loving. (if you visit, please be aware that she occasionally use language I would not approve of -- so please use discretion). I've been skimming my way through the archives and trying not to pester Pablo with too much "The Minimalist Mom blog had this post..." I think I've only been partly successful with that, but he's listened patiently nonetheless. I really like that Rachel's version of minimalism is not extreme, and that she is very honest about her experiences. She also has many posts that put the accumulation of stuff into perspective by exploring the reason we accumulate -- in other words, she addresses the root of the problem,  rather than just the problem itself.

Sweet baby footprints

I don't think I'll ever be a minimalist, but I certainly embrace the idea of purging objects that require time, energy, and money to maintain, while they offer little advantage or pleasure in return. By the way, did you know that minimalism is the new trend? I didn't. As someone who is wary of my own attraction to trendiness, that's a bit off-putting. But I'll try to take the good and leave the bad. Less unneeded stuff and more money saved? That sounds good to me. That also sounds like the plain old Biblical concept of good stewardship. I may muse on decluttering more in another post. We'll see.

The past month has been a whirl of baby showers, graduations, doctor's appointments, and sewing. My maternity wardrobe is still mysteriously... well, minimal! Apparently my mama body is different this pregnancy (I think mostly in the rib cage), and for some reason styles that were super comfortable the first time around are now unbearable. I'm so grateful now that I invested so little in my maternity wardrobe. It's easy to part with something when you only paid $1 for it, or used stash fabric to make it.

More baby shower goodness

Food has also been on my mind lately, further highlighted by an unaccountably shocking grocery bill for May. Still no clue how that happened, as we could hardly be called extravagant in our food choices. At any rate, my long-time good intention of tracking specific grocery spending (beyond the monthly total that I record currently) is now firmly on my to-do list for July. I've also been finding recipes for freezer crockpot meals, which marry the convenience of the crock pot and the freezer meal into one delightful unit. Oh, how I love that! I think they'll be invaluable when the new baby arrives. I've pinned a few helpful recipes/websites to my Recipe board, if you (like me) hadn't heard of this idea before. Hopefully better menu planning (I should say, "starting a menu plan in the first place") and a breakdown of our exact grocery costs will help reign in any superfluous spending and make our budget more predictable.

Lensbaby + baby shower = Happy me!

And last, but not least, I've been taking advantage of sales and coupons to indulge in what may be Britain's greatest gift to America -- the Magnum Bar. I'm so happy that these delectable British confections have finally crossed the Pond! If you haven't tried one yet, I highly recommend them!

Yes, life is interesting these days. Sometimes busy, sometimes slow, but always interesting. And throughout it all, God is so very good.

Canvas, Covered

I had three half-altered mini canvases from Michael's.

I had remnants of the fabric I used for our sofa pillows.

I had freezer paper.

And now, I have printed fabric-covered canvases for our dining room.

This was definitely one of the cheapest home decor projects possible. The canvases were only a dollar in the Michael's bargain area -- actually, they had rather charming images of teacups in bright pastels (Can pastels be bright?). Charming, but nothing I could ever use in our house. I had tried painting them, planning on some sort of decoupage treatment. But that was going nowhere fast.

I've seen so many fantastic projects featuring printed fabrics (like this printed burlap from Domestically Speaking), and I just had to give it a try! The biggest challenge was actually finding a good design for a dining room, since I didn't want anything too flowery or feminine. Since even The Graphics Fairy didn't seem to have just the right images, I turned to my own collection. 

A library book sale find did the trick -- The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide by George Hepplewhite is chock full of drawings of 18th century brackets, secretaries, beds -- and chairs!

Thank goodness I had a bit of fabric to spare, because printing on fabric was a learning experience. But oh, is it ever fun! I only had one jam (which is great, considering that the fabric I printed on is a bit bulky), and using the freezer paper was a snap. In fact, now I really want one of those enormous printers and some ink setter. Can you imagine the possibilities? Okay, the printer is probably out of the question, but I may add that ink setter to my wish list.

 Once the images had dried, it was just a matter of stapling the fabric onto the wooden frame of my mini canvases.

You can't tell from the pictures, but our microwave and a poorly placed electrical outlet are centered right below this little trio -- so I'm especially happy to have something to draw attention away from them! Plus, no more bare wall.

Total cost: $4, including the ink and freezer paper. 

Now, what other fabrics can I print...

Dressing Up the 'Fridge

I am not fond of personal injury lawyers.

That's probably not how you expected this post to begin, but I assure you that it is relevant. And as a caveat, I have nothing personal against personal injury lawyers, and I'm sure there are some that are honest and scrupulous. It is their effect on healthcare that I am not so keen on.

"But before I am run away by my feelings on this subject,"* I should get back to the point.



For not being overly fond of personal injury lawyers, I had a remarkable number of their magnets on my refrigerator. You know, the kind you peel off of the (also remarkably numerous) phonebooks you get every few months? Does "sticky residue" ring any bells? Yes, those magnets! I'm so cheap that I can't bear to buy fancy decorative magnets.

So with the help of some scrapbook papers, a sticker or two, and some photo squares, I obscured those unsightly ads once and for all. It was super-cheap and super-easy, leaving me wondering why I didn't do it sooner.

My 'fridge would thank me if it could.



*Many thanks to Mr. Collins from the 1995 Pride and Prejudice

An Unexpected Guest

Recently, as I was busy preparing dinner, I indulged in my klutzy tendencies by dropping a knife between the cabinet and the stove. Yes, I am talented!

I pulled out the bottom drawer of our stove, hoping that there might be some way to extract the knife without having to pull out the whole range. And then I saw it.

It was small.

It was furry.

It had a tail.

Whatever it was, it certainly was not alive -- it looked a bit... well, flattened! You see, in the hustle and bustle of moving in, we had failed to clean under the stove. I called for Pablo and explained the situation. He produced a shovel, I found a cardboard box for disposal of the *thing,* and we tentatively approached the stove. Neither of us could figure out why the *thing* hadn't been smelling up the house.

After a prod or two, Pablo suggested that perhaps it was a stuffed animal. And only then did I remember that we had found proof of a former dog occupant on several occasions!

We pulled it out, only to discover that this was our mysterious *thing*:



Isn't it terrifying? Honestly, it looked much more sinister in the dark shadows under the stove!

We ended up pulling out the stove and cleaning behind it, a process that produced an ancient piece of dog kibble -- and a spoon I had dropped and forgotten about. Oops. *wink*

Ah, the little adventures of life!

An Issue of Drainage

Well, we're safely moved in to our new home! As I look out the window I can see green -- lots and lots of green! -- and our little creek bubbling away at the bottom of the hill.



Of course, we're not completely settled yet. But we're getting there, one box at a time. How did we end up with so much "stuff," anyway? We've been busy fending off wasps, spiders, and bugs of various sorts (all of this "nature" comes with a price), but I think we're winning the battle. I think.

But none of that has anything to do with the title of this post, which is really meant to document our first real "homeowner" situation occurring yesterday at approximately 11:39 a.m.: The dreaded clogged kitchen drain. The "why are both sides of my sink spitting up disgusting remembrances of last week's lettuce?" type of clog. After optimistically running the disposal for a few minutes (the only result of which being even more gunk!), I left the sink alone until Pablo came home.

I informed him of the morning's events, and we both peered under the sink skeptically. We tried plunging the sink several times, hoping that it might force the clogged debris through the pipes. To no avail.

My brilliant husband determined that since there was an odor coming from the sink, the clog had to be before the curvy P-trap. With a bucket to catch any spills, he unscrewed the P-trap. And it was then that we discovered why the plunging didn't work -- no amount of plunging can force a table knife through a u-shaped P-trap! Various discoveries have left us to wonder about the previous homeowners, but this discovery left us with a better picture of their mental sanity (or lack thereof!). After the removal of the knife and a few more plunges, we once more have a clean, odorless drain.

What I'm still wondering? How they got that table knife down the drain in the first place...