Home Projects

Trying to bide my time productively.  Apparently, having weekends off is so foreign to me that I have no idea what exactly to do to fill up the time.  So I worked on cleaning the cabinets in the study.  Cleaning rag after cleaning rag proving that they were really in need of a good freshening up!  We drove all the way across town to Home Depot to find Liquid Gold - and they didn't have it!  I'm using some other wood cleaning product that gets the grime off - but nothing replaces that shiny Liquid Gold coat/smell.  I'm heading to OSH tomorrow to find it - or WalMart.  I've got to find it somewhere.

While at Home Depot, we set up a measuring appointment to get the landing and study floors redone with laminate.  These two areas are the highest traffic areas we have and the carpet is beyond redemption.  When they come out, we plan to also ask them to estimate redoing the stairs as well, as they are the next highest traffic area and hardest to clean.  The stairs are tricky - the laminate would be on the top surface and we'd have to paint the risers.  Should look nice but not sure how expensive it will be.

I confessed to J. that my obsession with Titanic has not as much to do with not working as it does with just wanting to have an influx of cash so we could start doing stuff on the home front.  We need new flooring; painting; and in a perfect world, we'd love to redo some cabinetry and the pantry.  Heck, we'd really like to knock out the wall between the kitchen and dining room and 'expand' the kitchen out a ways....which should allow plenty of room for a walk-in pantry.  That's a bit longer term.  But maybe someday.  We've sort of realized that staying here is the best financial decision - but fourteen years in the house is resulting in typical wear and tear.  We'd like to update some things when budget allows.

So we trekked to Home Depot and looked at flooring and think we can do it for not too much.  And if we need to dip into long(er) term savings to do it, then we will.  Though we did apply for a HD credit card and would get 24 months free financing!  That would be lovely and we could definitely pay it off pretty quickly. No $700 a month car payment - so that $ could go for new floors for the next six to twelve months.  (I don't think it will be that much but we don't really know - stairs are expensive and the study will take a lot of trim work to get the flooring under and around the cabinets).

We are both tired of carpet which will not stay clean no matter what we try - and while I'm sure laminate flooring will also be challenging to clean in some ways, it can't possibly be harder than carpet.

While at Home Depot, we also looked at some new shrubs and flowering plants for the front and back yards.  The new gardener will take out the bamboo shrubs which are woody and gangling and add absolutely nothing pretty to the front yard.  We are going to turn a good portion of the front yard into more ornamental plants - pretty, flowering area.  I will post some ideas J. has gathered from neighbors yards in a couple days. We looked for plants that are drought resistant and will also ask the gardener for suggestions.

H. went skateboarding with friends yesterday and banged up his arm.  He refused to go to the doctor today (the urgent care clinic is open every day) though he complained about the pain.  He took ibuprofen.  It seems swollen - but he can move it and lifted a basket of laundry off the chair no problem.  But it's possible he chipped a bone on his elbow?  He promised that if he's still in pain tomorrow, he will go to the clinic for an x-ray.

Tomorrow, I will go to the office for a few hours - meetings everyday this week and it's a board prep week so would like to get a bit of a head start.  Though will definitely enjoy sleeping in and a leisurely morning.  If J. has to take H. to the clinic in Stockton, then he will go to Trader Joe's on the way home.  Otherwise, he and I may trek there - we need a few things that are best procured at TJ's.  That means a stop at Dave Wong's for Chinese takeout is likely.  And possibly a box of Krispy Kreme's.

We also boxed up 21 pairs of prescription glasses that we've had here for years to send to Lions International.  Their donation program provides glasses to people who can't afford them and we certainly had many pairs to offer.  We've had them stashed in a cupboard in the study and add to them every time we get new glasses....  I kept thinking we'd find a donation station in town somewhere (two Lions groups in our city including the one I used to be a member of) but no such luck.  This works out better anyway 'cuz we will get a letter acknowledging the donation for our taxes.  J. will take the package to the post office tomorrow.

B. heads to Cali this Friday - a 12 hour drive.  We don't know anything at all re: his schedule but he has a(nother) new phone so hopefully, he will be able to be in touch and let us know if/when he is off for a weekend so we can trek down there.

J. is going through carousel after carousel of slides.  A project on the 'to do' list for years.  Here's hoping it finally gets done.  We can deliver slides to my aunt when we visit in November - 'cuz I think some of the slides we have from my mom's estate are actually my grandmother's - and my aunt might want them.

Though she'll probably have the same reaction we do - yee gads!  So many slides!

I remember after every trip my grandmother took (and she traveled extensively in her life), we would head over to my aunt and uncle's house for an evening of slides.  Not the most fun thing to do as a pre-teen but we did it.  It was just what happened after every Grammy trip.  I remember how excited I was to finally have my slides to show of my Europe trip - only I don't remember ever having a slide show.  I'm sure we did.  I do know my aunt and uncle came for dinner the very first night I was home and sat patiently through a meal while I told them every little thing that happened.

Travel!  The bug catches you early -