Thursday, March 29, 2007

Ok, the moment you all were waiting for…

Finished bathroom! Of course, it took my dad taking pictures, not me. My dad and sister were here last week, and we had a great time. I just had my eyebrows waxed in this picture, which is why my forehead is so shiny. I have no excuse as to why my upper lip becomes non-existent when I smile.



Anywho, my dad took a few pictures of the bathroom. We still need new towels, rugs, and a shower caddy (the Ikea one didn’t clear the showerhead), but you get the gist.
Also, here are some photos of the new yard plantings/Rey in action. Looks sparse, but I am hoping it all grows in quickly.


Monday, March 26, 2007


IKEA-A-GO-GO

So Joan and I made the hike to Phoenix and went to Ikea Saturday. It was the first time I have ever been there. We got there right when the opened to beat the crowds. As soon as I walked in, I started hyperventilating. It was really overwhelming, and CHEAP! Some of the stuff is crap, but some of the stuff is really good. I got a couple of little lamps for the guest room ($6 each!), some picture rails for the sunroom, and some glass shampoo bottles for the bathroom that match the glass tiles. The big(ish) purchases included a leaning floor mirror for the front room/entrance area,

A craft desk and chair for the office so that I can use my sewing machine without swearing constantly because I have no light or room,

And a couple of side tables ($13 each!) for the guest room.

Before you knew it, we were there for 3.5 hours, including taking a little food break, and I had this weird sense that I couldn’t leave because there was something fabulous that I didn’t buy yet. Good thing I didn’t because we had a very troubling, if not hilarious, time getting everything in the car. The mirror was about 10” too long for the car with the seats down (and I have a Forrester), so we had to have part of the mirror suspended above our heads the whole was home. Good thing we are short.

Between all of the things my dad did while he was here (new light timers, track lighting in the sunroom, laundry room shelving), new plants in the backyard, burying the drip irrigation lines, and some decorating inside, I think that we might be able to invite people over without being embarrassed! The kitchen cabinets are still crap, but those will eventually get done. I don’t know when, but they will.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Busy Bees.

Again, no pictures. No excuses either. Just pure laziness, in the recharging the battery area anyway. Otherwise we have been busy bees. Lots and lots of yard work. I am not going to fall into the trap of being the white trash weed people this year. Oh no! Three weeks ago, I physically pulled up every last weed in the front and back yards. Unfortunately, you would never know this now. I spent a good 30 minutes yesterday after work spraying those little asshole weeds with Round-up. The battle begins again……

Steve tore out our termite tree, and we got a new Desert Willow from the city for $6.00 to replace it. Awesome. I think it is dead though. It was like that when we got it. The dirt was wet in the pot, but I think they did that to claim it was “alive” when they dropped it off. “See? We watered it!” If it doesn’t start getting buds or something in the next couple of weeks, I am going to be pissed. I know it was practically free, but still.

The big news is we bought new plants for the back yard, including a mandarin tree, meyer lemon tree, and Oklahoma redbud tree. All are in the ground and all have…..wait for it……DRIP IRRIGATION! Steve and I put it in ourselves. A ton (but significantly cheaper than hiring someone) of money and a VERY long weekend later, and we are almost done. We have a 6 zone system, with 2 zones going to the front (these will be completed later) and 4 in the backyard. Everything works. There are some leaks, but it is a galvanized to PVC thread issue, and should be able to be fixed this weekend. We also had an electrician come this weekend to hard wire the control box on the side of the house. As soon as the leaks are fixed, we’ll hook it all up electronically. We are both still sore from the weekend. I can’t even think about yoga.

In between everything, I have been working on a pair of socks for Lorie’s 60th birthday (I am a little late, sorry), and I made myself a purse with the Tiny Happy tutorial. Oh, and we went to a neighborhood doughnut party. Don’t ask. Oh, oh, and the mirror for the bathroom came. Again, no pictures, so I will stop now before total boredom sets in.