The Little House

Tearing Up The Front

2011-05-29T08:14:00.010-05:00

Ava and I planted a japanese maple 'Pixie' in our new front planting bed a couple weeks ago. Shortly thereafter, I cut down the bushes at the front of the house. Finally.

I feel like I can breathe and move forward.

I'm of the opinion deciduous shrubs have no business being used solely as foundation plantings, and my house is a textbook example of why.

Foundation plants in their simplest form are supposed to have some substance to anchor and a transition between vertical and horizontal. I'm no landscaper or designer, but isn't that just a given???

These shrubs look wrong...they feel wrong. They ARE wrong.

It's been suggested to me, these shrubs look most beautiful right now (spring). Really?...REALLY? I've been told the viburnums are in bloom and smell great. The foliage on the burning bushes are fresh, lush, and unblemished. Does that really look pretty?

Can you tell these shrubs have been on my nerves for too long?

I've planted some holly shrubs on the right side of the front door. They're small right now. They're evergreen. They'll fill in and get taller. They're a perfect dark, DARK green to backdrop a new hosta garden up there. Those are gonna be great.

I've had a lot of ideas in my head about this front planting area. Changed my mind over and over. Within 10 minutes of chopping this all down, I had my plan 95% finished in my head, and it was straightforward. All it takes is clearing the junk out so you can see truly what you're working with.

The bad news...I have to financially recover from the playhouse before putting in new plants.

Ava's Playhouse

2011-05-28T09:02:00.002-05:00

There are 2 sides to every story, and this one is no exception.

Ava's Story:
Ava finally has her playhouse. It's been here a week and she can't decide what to call it. Her Cottage. Her Playhouse. Her Clubhouse.

The front dutch door works.
The little windows have screens and are operable.
The flowerboxes have drainage holes and are meant to be used.
The colors on the playhouse match our house.

Ava is slowly moving in. A couple rugs on the floor, table & chairs, and some play kitchen things. She's asked for curtains.

The wireless internet even works out there. She's got everything she needs except: a bed, a chandelier, a refrigerator, electricity, and tv.

Gayle's Story:

I have a 6' x 8' garden/storage shed! That playhouse has a pedestrian door on the side, large enough for moving equipment in and out. It's technically a storage shed disguised as a cute playhouse.

Over winter, I can store the lawn mower, the summer outdoor chairs, and a few odd-shaped garage things. My 1-car detached garage is great; however, I have to pack it like a perfect suitcase to park in there during winter months.

The gardener in me is squealing with delight! It looks so cute out there! I cleared the land last year, so the soil is still bare and untouched.

My mind races with possibilities for plants, paths, and surprises. I have too many ideas. I can't commit to anything yet. It's going to be fabulous however it turns out.

My favorite picture is this one.

Ava running to the playhouse after seeing it for the first time. She was so happy. She screamed as she ran.

It was better than Santa or the tooth fairy coming.

I purchased the shed from Hillside Hideaway in Goodfield, Illinois.

I drive by this place regularly in my work travels. I stopped for the first time last year because the sheds were so much cuter than any other place I'd ever visited!

The folks who own and run the place were wonderful.

The price points compared to other places I've shopped are exceptional for the styles and quality offered. I would highly recommend Hillside Hideaway, and will not hesitate if I ever want something else.

I have not been compensated in any way for mentioning, using, or commenting on products, services, locations, etc. Everything I've posted here is at my own expense and free will.

Re-Sculpting A Corner

2011-05-08T08:09:00.014-05:00

I'm slowly making progress on the front northwest corner of my house.

Here is a BEFORE pic. I took this photo in early May 2008, 3 years ago...approximately 1 week after I moved in.

Chain-link fence grown into 2 trees.

Plastic edging.

Landscape fabric under the mulch.

No access to the second lot from the front yard.

Dying Burning Bush. The back half was completely dead...though it still looks alive from the front view.

May 2009: I removed the fence, plastic edging, and landscape fabric.

I thought if I re-sculpted the grass line, it would pull one's eye back into the lot instead of pushing it away. I planted grass below the yellow hose line.

You can see in he background I had been clearing the land.

Later into the 2009 season, I scored a whole bunch of bricks and laid a path to connect the front with the back yard. You can read about the brick path Here.

May 2011: I cut down the awful half-dead burning bush at the northwest corner of the house. I'm so glad it's gone. Ugly and scraggly.

I dug a few experimental holes for roots, and got three holly shrubs as the replacement.

The holly's will grow to just touch each other, and up to the height of the window. I will keep them naturalized. No shearing or shaping...just strategic pruning to keep their organic shape.

They will make a nice low, really dark green hedge to anchor the foundation. One I get the holly's planted and growing, I can finish the area and transition it around the side of the house.

I've got a mess right there. Supplies are still out. That awful yellow hose. Shrubs are still potted. It always looks worse before it looks better.

Morels In The Yard

2011-04-26T17:16:00.005-05:00

I've been finding morel mushrooms in my front yard recently. Thanks to my dad's woodsy skills, he made the connection that the massive Siberian Elm cut down in 2008 is the source of the mushrooms.

I found the first one almost 2 weeks ago while cleaning out the trench in my new front planting bed. I believe an animal got it and abandoned it.

Last Saturday...same trench, I found 1 more to pick, and 1 fresh one that got picked & left by an animal.

The next day (Easter Sunday), I picked 3 more in other parts of the front lawn. I cooked them.

Today (2 days later), I picked 1 more.

That makes 7 total. The picture is the one I picked today.

Of course I cooked it. Fried in butter. Little salt. Ava liked it. She took 1 bite and asked for more.

Easter Eggs

2011-04-20T16:35:00.002-05:00

We colored Easter Eggs last Sunday night. Actually, I set everything up and Ava the colored eggs all by herself...at her request.

This was the first time at 5 yrs old we've colored eggs. Ages 1-3 I just didn't do it. I knew she wouldn't be interested, and I had no desire to do it by myself.

Last year I asked if she wanted to do it and she said no...she'd done it at her father's house and didn't have fun.

This year was different. I got all the stuff and she was excited to do it all herself.

I was proud of her overall cleanliness. I was petrified of colored dye splattering on my freshly painted white cabinets. Worse yet...on the bright white, newly installed backsplash grout. All went without incident.

After the eggs were dry, Ava wanted to eat one. It was clear upon discussion she'd never peeled a hard-boiled egg, nor had she eaten one.

I told her about when I was a little girl and my dad would sneak up and smack eggs on our heads to crack them.

Ava thought that was funny and proceeded to crack her egg on her own head. She whacked hard. She didn't even flinch.

She cracked a second egg on her head, and would have probably done all 12 if I didn't stop her.

I told her to start peeling and I left the room for a minute. When I returned, I found her taking little bites of the shell and egg. She spit out the bits and said it was no good.

We got one peeled. She took her first bite. That was no good either. Now we have 11 hard-boiled eggs. I don't love them. Guess I'll have to search for what to do with hard-boiled eggs for folks who don't eat them.

Killing Grass With Plastic Sheeting - Final Results

2011-04-17T13:56:00.005-05:00

It's finally spring and the weather is acting like it. I decided to kill grass in my front lawn last summer, for a spring 2011 planting.

You can read about starting the process by laying the plastic Here.

You can read about removing plastic Here.

You can read about fall mulching and calling it "done" Here.

I would expect this to be the final post about the process. It's done and ready to plant.

Here is the planting bed today...mid April 2011.

You can see it worked. There are a few strips of grass growth at a few edges, but it's minimal. I shot those strips with Round-Up right before I took this picture, and cleaned the trench at the lawn edge.

I haven't done anything to the bed otherwise.

I've pulled the leaf much back in places and the grass I killed (which was left in-place) is mostly decomposed into the soil and barely noticeable.

Ready for planting!!!!

First Hostas Up

2011-04-10T18:51:00.011-05:00

This time of year I'm on hosta watch. Every day. Multiple times a day. I have 2 hostas growing above the mulch lines. Watching their daily progress is exciting. The down side is we are not past the threat of frost. I'll have to watch the temps for another month and possibly take measures to protect these guys.

It's too early for the masses. The majority of my collection are just nubbins breaking the surface about 1/2 inch. A few are maybe an inch tall. A few are still MIA because they're always slow to break ground.

It will be a couple weeks before it gets really good.

Sagae

Bought and planted early 2010, so this is it's first year growing from my own soil. Sagae is the ultimate classic. A must-have. Can't believe I waited this long to get her. The leaves just unfurled today.

It was 3 eyes when I bought it. This year it's 5 eyes.

This is a fabulous hosta when it's got several years growth on it.

I will grow it in this location for a couple more years and move it. It will be too large here; however, this "spot" is prime. Lots of sun and lots of water just by circumstance. All the ingredients to grow hosta fast.

Liberty

Bought and planted in 2009. I got Liberty in memory of an internet garden friend/fellow hosta lover from Canada named "Papou". We talked hostas for about 7 years. Liberty was his favorite. He died in 2009.

Liberty is on his Leap Year here. He was planted with 2 fat eyes and is now 4 fat eyes...yes, you only see 3 in the pic.

If you're still reading and give half-a-hoot about hostas, you may like to know that Liberty is a sport of Sagae, so it make complete sense they are both up around the same time. They're related to each other. Last year, Liberty came up crazy-early as well, so I'm going to figure that's a trait with these guys.

Anyone else on hosta watch?

Rocks and Grass

2011-04-02T13:28:00.007-05:00

It's early spring. Not a lot of excitement in the yard just yet, but I have a few things to share.

Ava's Garden Rocks
Ava's snatched a garden rock from the yard and painted it with fingernail polish. It was so cute, I encouraged more.

I thought it was a good way to use up a few of the 40-bazillion nail polishes she's got. She's placed them on the front step for now.

We'll be placing them somewhere in the yard when plants come up and perfect locations are discovered.

I think I know what people will be getting for gifts this year.

Speaking of Rocks...
A spring project is to put down stone steppers in my new front planting bed. The stones will be buried level with the ground. This will serve as a path to cross the planting bed without compressing the soil.

The mailman seems to think it's okay to trample without regard to what might be planted there. Instead of being mad and putting up nasty KEEP OUT signs, I'm trying to make the situation work.

I need more stones. I get them from the cow pasture at my parents' house. I'll arrange them so they're pieced together nicely. I figure I need about 12 more stones to complete the job. Even thinking I may go all the way to the street

Now, take a look across the street. See the yellow grass over there? That's what you get when you have warm-season grass in a cool-season climate.

When it's the hot summer and everyone's grass is looking tired, that yellow patch will be the greenest, brightest grass in the neighborhood. I've been watching this situation for a couple years now, and the warm-season grass is taking over the cool-season.

Who smuggled that stuff up here????

Lost Tooth and Pierced Ears

2011-03-08T17:59:00.018-06:00

To make a long story short, Ava lost her first tooth. She swallowed the tooth. Fully aware of the digestive process, she knew that tooth would be hers again in the next day.

The anticipated tooth poop happened at daycare...completely off her normal schedule; therefore, digging for the tooth was not an option (thank god thank god thank god).

Ava was devastated when I picked her up. Crying and sad. "My tooth went down the pipes!"

I asked if there was anything I could do to make her feel better. She suggested she could get her ears pierced.

We've talked about ear piercing for about a year now, so it's not like this was a new request or discussion...and I totally approve. We''ve been to the store a couple times in the past and she backed out.

I said "okay" thinking she's so distracted by the lost tooth, she'd have a good chance of getting pierced without thinking too much about it.

We arrived at the store. I was told they do both ears at the same time on little kids to ensure both ears get done.

Ava was still on-board with the plan as she got in the chair.

Her ears got marked.

I filled out the paperwork and made my way through the bazillion disclaimers and legal stuff while the girls got ready.

I had them adjust the marked spots a couple times.

Ava was doing fine. She asked about blood. She asked about it hurting. Those girls did a fine job with reassuring her.

They got in tag-team position. Gloves on. Earring guns lined up just right.

"Your ears will be pierced on THREE. One. Two."

They pulled their triggers on Two. It was like a perfectly-executed water ballet.

Did it hurt? Here was her reaction just seconds after. You make the call.

She was fine in 20 minutes. Like it never happened.

Catching Up

2011-02-20T05:42:00.001-06:00

I've been doing a little blog housekeeping lately and discovered a few posts where I feel I've left some loose ends. Here they are:

December 2009: I knitted a Red Cabled Afghan over the winter of 2009/2010. My blog post was about starting the project. I never posted the finished product.

I completed the afghan around March 2010. Here is what it looks like. Enlarge for more detail. I don't feel like I've ever taken a good picture of this afghan because of lighting.

The pattern is called Alora and can be found on the Berroco Pattern Library. Patterns are free, and is one of my go-to websites for knitting patterns.

Lots of nice stuff. The don't make you register.

January 2010: I thought I had a great idea on writing a series called Decorating Your House. The concept was to photograph your rooms. Study the balance, color, and other elements in the photos, and make decor changes based on what doesn't look right. I put up one post: Series - Decorating the Kitchen. It seemed like a good idea, but I abandoned the project quickly. I didn't feel motivated to make my way around the house. I'm not a decorator.

I still photograph my rooms and use the concept all the time. I just quit blogging about it.

January 2010: I bought a Breadman TR875 and started Baking Bread At Home. I figured I'd have to make 65 loaves of bread to offset the cost of the machine. Being an anti-kitchen-gadget girl, I knew I'd use it...but you never know the outcome of a gadget, even with the best intentions.

A year after the purchase, I still use the machine regularly, and have made 27 loaves of bread so far. That averages to 1 loaf every couple weeks. The machine is sturdy. I still enjoy it. I've not abandoned it. It's my go-to when I'm low on food & not interested in running to the store.

August 2010: When I posted the entry Our Home Library, a wonderful reader gld asked me a question in the comments, "what is the (wall paint) color?" I never responded to the question because I didn't know, and I never got around to responding. Sorry!

When I moved in, I found an empty paint can in the basement for wall color used throughout the house. No name, just a recipe on a sticker from the local paint store. The paint store folks told me it was a color-matched recipe the previous owner brought in and they mixed it for him using a Benjamin Moore base (the paint store keeps a customer database by client name & address...my address was in the database!). I purchased the gallon & didn't care about the name...I was just relieved I had a source for matching paint!

I recently went to the paint store and asked more questions. They did a little research, and the color is:

Valspar - American Traditions "Cincinnatian Hotel Hannaford"
from the National Trust for Historic Preservation palette

I feel better now.

The Kitchen Is Done

2011-02-12T14:55:00.003-06:00

I finished my Kitchen Project.

Total Cost: $465.16

I did all the work myself. You read can about each project by following the links. Here are the cost breakdowns:

Painting the Cabinets - $34.99

Sanding and Painting supplies - $0 (already had them)
1 gallon primer - $7.06 (on sale, plus a rebate store credit)
1 gallon paint - $0 (already had it)
Cabinet door knobs - $27.93

Vinyl Plank Flooring - $136.24

Floor leveling compound - $0 (already had it)
Tools & supplies - $0 (already had them)
Vinyl Plank Flooring - $136.24

Wall Paint - $23.16

Benjamin Moore 'Antique Parchment' - $23.16
Painting Supplies - $0 (already had them)

New Light Fixtures - $106.27

2 Schoolhouse Light fixtures - $106.27

Subway Tile Backsplash - $164.50

White 3"x6" Glazed Ceramic Tiles - $39.15
7" Tile Wet Saw - $79.00
Tile Adhesive - $11.97
1/16" Tile Spacers - $2.97
Pre-Mixed Non-Sanded Tile Grout - $26.95
Trowel & Grout Float - $0 (borrowed from my brother)
Grout Sponge - $1.97
Kitchen & Bath Caulk - $2.49

I still need to find a floor rug for the sink that suits me. I still need to play with the plant and basket thing above the cabinets. Other than that...DONE. Now what am I going to do with myself?

White Subway Tile Kitchen Backsplash

2011-02-07T17:53:00.012-06:00

I installed my kitchen backsplash this weekend. Overall, this project was easy to do. It was tedious at times. A LOT of pre-planning was involved. In hindsight, the pre-planning had everything to do with a good outcome. Slow, steady, and level was the key during the process.

I marked 'level' for my first line of tile and worked across and up. I treated each wall as it's own separate space which achieved my #1 goal...avoiding small tile slivers in corners.

I applied adhesive to each tile versus smearing a wall section. Smearing a wall section would have forced me to work up before I was ready, and would not allow me to check 'level' consistently.

Notice my quilting squares on the kitchen counter. Again...my tape measure remained safely in the drawer. Thanks to the quilting squares, my cuts around the seven electrical outlets are spot on as a Sniper. I only got shocked once.

I used 1/16" spacers between each tile and realized halfway into the job the tiles were pre-notched for 1/16". Adding my 1/16" spacers enlarged the opening to a 1/8" grout line.

There was no changing what was already done. As it turns out, I'm very happy with the 1/8" gap.

Looking at my bathroom tile after my kitchen job, I realized my bathroom is a 1/16", and I always thought that was too skinny. I consider myself lucky I made the spacing mistake.

I set the wet saw in the basement due to the freezing temps. Cutting tile is messier work than I imagined. I'm not sorry I did this in the basement. Cleanup is not that bad after you let the thing dry off. If I tile again, it will be in nice weather so the saw can be used outside.

My biggest complication was the grout. I bought a powder grout to mix with water. In reading the directions, I discovered the entire 10-pound bag had to be mixed all at once. No ratios to mix small batches as you go. The grout was good for only 1-2 hours after mixing.

This was my first time, and there was NO WAY I'd be able to go fast enough to beat the timeframe. I ran to the store, returned the grout, and came home with pre-mixed grout in a bucket. It was double the price, but saved me in the long run. Plus, pre-mixed grout does not require a sealer. That offset the cost also.

HERE'S A LOOK AT THE FINAL PRODUCT

I caulked, cleaned up, and finished 20 minutes before Ava got home. It was a nail-biter.

This is the last project in my kitchen re-do. I will do another blog post in the near future to officially show off my kitchen as a whole. I've learned the lighting in my kitchen for pictures is best between 10am and 1pm. I work full-time. I will have to wait for the weekend to take nice pictures for you all.

Kitchen Backsplash...Here I Go!

2011-02-05T05:16:00.001-06:00

I'm installing a white subway tile backsplash in my kitchen this weekend.

Supplies. check.

Excitement. check.

I'm coming down with a cold or something. I spent yesterday afternoon and evening napping and hoping I'd feel okay to do this. I'm doing it.

Let's hope for no complications or situations I can't figure out.

SUPPLIES:
Level
3" x 6" Glazed Ceramic Tiles
Wet Tile Saw
Adhesive
Adhesive trowel (borrowed from my brother)
1/16 inch spacers
Non-Sanded Grout (white)
Grout float (borrowed from my brother)
Sponge

Yes. I bought a wet saw. I spent a lot of time dry-fitting the tiles, and discovered I'll have to make several 'U' and 'L'-shaped cuts to get around seven wall outlets.

I'm particular about things and renting for a day adds too much pressure to get it done. The saw is not high-end ($80.00). Worth it to me to have the equipment on hand.

Here we go.

The Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-04T04:59:00.011-06:00

We had a Blizzard the other day. Watching the intense snowing and blowing was pretty amazing and I can officially say I'd never seen anything like it before.

The newspapers reported the main streets would stay cleared for emergency vehicles, but all other streets would be left alone until the snow stopped.

Snow started coming down hard and fast around 10:45 am on Tuesday 2/1/11. The news reported the county plows were pulled off the roads around 5:30 pm, and a couple of the main streets in town intended to stay cleared were abandoned. Couldn't keep up.

I live on the corner of Main Street, and those plows went up and down about every 15 minutes all night.

Daylight came on Wednesday and the snowing stopped around 9am. The heavy winds continued until the early afternoon.

I carved a walking path out my front door and the reality hit me hard when I got to the driveway.

The driveway was mostly covered in 2-3 feet of drifted snow. I had an approximately 10-12 foot section of driveway that was spared with only a few inches of snow, and for that I was thankful. I'd never been so overwhelmed by the shoveling, and it was clear we were not getting out until I shoveled the WHOLE THING.

I felt like giving up. I went inside. I called my mom. I heard myself whine about being unsure how I'd do this, maybe I'd have to hire somebody, maybe somebody would come help me, etc.

I got off the phone and realized I'd sounded like I'd quit before I even started. I decided if I had the mindset of being overwhelmed and wait for the cavalry to show up, I'd never get done. I adjusted my attitude and came up with a shoveling plan.

BABY STEPS
I couldn't open my back porch door more than 6 inches due to drifting, so carving a path to the garage was a high priority. I was thinking we needed that door open in case of a fire. Sound dramatic? Yes...but it was that very thought that got my butt outside to work.

I was feeling good after the back door was cleared. My next Baby Step was to be able to back the car out of the garage.

The top end of my driveway consisted of big individual drifts. I knew I could clear out drifts 1 by 1 and make progress. That felt more do-able in the moment than tackling the mass 2-3 feet at the bottom of the drive.

To make a long story short, I did it...the whole thing!

It took me all day. Shovel, take a break, shovel, take a break.

Ava was outside playing for a good portion of the time. She'd never seen mountains of snow like that.

She was very understanding when I explained that I couldn't play in the snow with her.

It was about 5 hours of shoveling over the course of 8 hours.

I'm not sure how much snow we ended up with. Some say 16 inches, some say up to 20 inches. It doesn't matter.

It's now 2 days after the shoveling. My fingers and hands are still swollen, but my muscles are starting to loosen up and feel normal again.

After this, any typical Illinois snowfall will be no big deal.

Bye-Bye Boob Lights...Hello Schoolhouse Lights

2011-01-26T16:39:00.009-06:00

Progress.

I changed my kitchen light fixtures from flush-mount woman-breast lighting to new semi-flush Schoolhouse Lights.

I love them. They look exactly as I imagined.

You can't deny the old fixtures look like boobs. I made that mental note the first day I moved in.

After shopping around online, I purchased these lights from Amazon.com. I ordered on a Sunday and they were on my doorstep Tuesday afternoon with standard/free shipping. That was fast. They got shipped from Indiana...that's only 1 state away.

Here's a picture with the lights off. Shows a little more detail in the glass.

The old lights were 2-bulb fixtures. The new Schoolhouse lights are single-bulbs. The new lights give off just as much light as the 2-bulb.

The glass on the old lights was cream-colored. The glass on the Schoolhouse lights are white. The light in the kitchen feels cleaner because of the white glass. The wall paint color looks true.

It's much better.

One step closer to kitchen completion.

Next project...Backsplash!

Painting The Kitchen Walls

2011-01-16T11:33:00.000-06:00

I'm slowly but surely painting the kitchen walls.

After I painted the kitchen cabinets white, the wall paint was immediately wrong. I can't sum it up in one word, but a few are: sallow, dirty, cold, stark.

The new paint color I'm using is: Benjamin Moore - Antique Parchment (color #959). It's a really nice, neutral color. Mostly tan/khaki with a touch of gold. The color seems to absorb the light and remain neutral rather than glow outward.

I'm working in little sections at a time, and almost done. I could save painting for a weekend alone and have it all done quick, but I'm having fun doing a little here & there.

I like this color so much, I'm going to paint my way around the rest of the house...dining, living, hall spaces, and bedrooms.

Ava's been wanting to paint, so I gave her a wall section outside the kitchen so I could observe the color elsewhere. She's 5. She doesn't have a set of painting clothes yet. I suggested old jammies. She elected to paint naked. This picture shows her first time painting a wall.

Her #1 painting lesson was to smooth the brush strokes and catch drips right away. She didn't fully paint her wall, but her brush strokes were good and she had a pretty even coverage. She will definitely be allowed to paint again.

The Evolution Of Dining Chairs

2011-01-10T18:00:00.007-06:00

I recently mentioned our trip to IKEA for kitchen cabinet knobs. Knobs were not the only thing I picked up. Ava and I walked out of there with new dining chairs.

They are IKEA Harola, and have been on my shopping list for a few months.

The second I saw them in person, I knew they would be perfect. They are sturdy and comfortable. BONUS...they come as-is...meaning they didn't come boxed in the smallest packaging possible left for me to put together at home.

You see...I've had issues with my dining chairs for years. I bought the table and chairs about 11 years ago...a cheap set for about $350. That included 6 chairs. They served their purpose in my living spaces up until recent times.

I've disliked the original chairs for a long time.

Too many spindles.

Too many support braces.

Too much white.

Too cluttery.

Too matchy-matchy with the table.

I got tired of looking at them.

A couple years ago I decided to remove them and do something else.

I found a set of 4 chairs for real cheap ($7/chair) at a thrift store. They were clearly someone's abandoned project. They needed work, but were still sturdy.

Despite needing stripping, painting, and fixing up, I liked the shape. I liked the direction I was going. I could visualize the end result.

I found myself thinking wicker would be nice.

I found myself casually eyeballing wicker in stores.

I found myself dropping my chair project to the bottom of the to-do list.

I found myself browsing the web and pricing wicker.

So, here's the first chair shot again in sequence. (also, take note of the kitchen update peeking around the corner!).

The vibe in the space is warmer, cozier, and less cluttered. The shape is more modern. The wicker feels nicer on the butt and back compared to wood.

Ava disagrees with feeling good on the butt. Days she decides she's gonna eat supper naked, she complains the wicker is too scratchy.

I can see her point.

I have not been compensated in any way for mentioning, using, or commenting on products, services, locations, etc. Everything I've posted here is at my own expense and free will.

Vinyl Plank Flooring In The Kitchen

2011-01-09T05:38:00.018-06:00

I spent the weekend installing vinyl plank flooring in my kitchen. It's FABULOUS!

I installed vinyl plank flooring in my bathroom almost 1 year ago. You can read about that Here. I received a lot of questions about the product, so I did a follow-up post Here.

After a year of use and abuse in the bathroom, I love this material.

Nothing has come loose.
No nicks or scratches. Confession: I'm notorious for tip-toeing thru the house in work boots with dirt & embedded rocks in the treads.
No issues with water damage resulting from squirty bath toys, watery footprints, and swimming lessons with Barbie in the sink.

I used the same brand of flooring as the bathroom, just in a darker color. Read the above links if you want that information.

My kitchen floor is ceramic tile.

I used my leftover floor leveler and built up the grout lines with the product and a putty knife. It took me about 3 hours to level up, and that included maneuvering appliances.

I let it dry overnight, scraped & smoothed the bumps, cleaned, and started laying planks.

I installed this floor in mostly the same manner as I described in the bathroom posts. Here's what I did different the 2nd time around:

QUILTING SQUARES
Instead of messing with a tape measure and carpenter's square, I used my quilting squares. This allowed me to progress with better speed and ACCURACY.

Using traditional tools, I had to measure and mark with a tape measure, then use a carpenter's square to line up, square up, and cut.

Quilting squares are see-through, printed with smaller measure increments than a tape, and show angles. I was able to measure with better precison, square up, and cut simultaneously. My tape measure never saw the light of day. PERFECT.

PAPER TEMPLATES
Cutting planks to fit around corners, curves, and uneven edges requires precision. I didn't mess around with measuring, guess work, and whittling edges until they fit. I laid paper in the spots, made templates, and cut. Any tweaking with my razor knife was done by the millimeter in a few seconds versus eyeball it, check it, whittle, check it, whittle, etc.

I used paper templates in my bathroom, but didn't realize their value until I was almost done.

In real life, the floor is a little darker and the grain pattern is not as obvious. I really lit up the room and brightened up the pics, so I think the color seems off, and the grain pattern appears exaggerated.

FINAL COMMENTS
My favorite part was when I put back the wood base trim and saw the contrast between the bright white trim and darker floor. I'm learning that I love contrast in small doses. I've caulked the trim. Still need to re-paint.

You get a sneak-peek of the new paint color in the last set of photos...right there under Ava's pink jacket. I painted the wall at the bottom edges while I had the base trim off, and behind appliances while pulled out. Painting the cabinets white made the wall color seem dirty and cold. Again, photos aren't showing the truth. In real life the colors aren't that different. I have to walk up to the spots and look for the line between new paint and old paint. More about paint when I get to that project.

Houston, We Have A Problem

2011-01-05T17:09:00.001-06:00

Wish I had Mission Control to call.

So...

...you know how I installed knobs on my freshly-painted cabinets?

A day after the knob install, I'm putting a few dishes in the dishwasher.

A knob blocks the path for opening the dishwasher.

Crap!

Didn't notice or consider that when I was putting on the knobs.

There's not enough room to wiggle and move to make it work:

I've worked with it a few days. I can reach all the way to the back. I've unloaded and started to load up again since the discovery. It's not exactly convenient, but it's still workable.

This concludes my question on whether to install the drawer handles. NO WAY. If I put a drawer handle in this spot, the dishwasher door would only open a couple inches.

This is NOT good for re-sale. No plans to move or sell - I'm just sayin'...

Painting The Kitchen Cabinets

2011-01-03T10:25:00.002-06:00

I have several projects on the docket for my kitchen. I completed the first task...painting the cabinets.

This is the first of many jobs in here, so please don't consider the 'afters' the end of it all. Items are displaced and don't match anymore. I'm not working hard on photography or lighting...I just want to share the progress.

The cabinets are a builder's grade wood with a shiny polyurethane finish. The cabinets were new when I bought the house, so nothing needed repair or replacement.

I spent much time on the web learning how to paint cabinets. The essential steps are to sand, prime, and paint. I researched info ranging from the minimum basics to very detailed professional recommendations. I absorbed it all and came up with my plan:

I removed the doors and hand-sanded all the exposed wood. I didn't sand down perfectly to bare wood...just enough to get most of the poly off and get the surface roughed to grip the primer. I sanded with the grain and made sure I cleaned off the dust. I didn't sand into the little grooves.

I applied 2 coats of interior/exterior latex primer with a brush. The grains in the wood were really sucking up the primer. My purpose for the 2nd coat was to make sure the grain lines were filled and 'leveled up' before the paint went on.

I applied 3 coats of latex semi-gloss paint with a brush. Two coats would have been fine for color & coverage, but those darn wood grains were still sucking up the paint. The 3rd coat leaves behind some grain pattern, but you have to get up close and look for them.

I still need to paint inside the cabinets where I've removed the doors above the stove & refrigerator...and the black cabinet base trim.

This job was a lot of work. I estimate it took about 40 hours when I add it all together over time. I pushed myself to keep going and get it done because of the disassembly and disruption. I'm REALLY happy with it. The kitchen feels lighter, taller, and more spacious...which is essential when you have a little house.

Ava and I made an impromptu trip to IKEA yesterday because I didn't want to wait for cabinet knobs. I have an IKEA shopping list going at all times, so the 1½ drive was for more than just knobs.

I chose IKEA Svep cabinet knobs in shiny silver. It took less than 30 minutes to put in 14 knobs. I read about making a template to ensure perfection, but I ended up eyeballing everything. The hardest part was mustering the courage to make the first drill hole and enter that point of no return. I'm really happy I went with small simple knobs and love the way they look.

As you can see, I didn't install drawer handles. I chose IKEA Svep handles and I like them very much. Once I had the knobs on, I visualized how the handles would look. I wasn't feeling the love.

When I imagine the handles installed, I see too much visual clutter. I see a shiny horizontal line competing with the horizontal countertop.

Maybe I'm not used to having knobs & handles and I'm not ready for the change? The last house I lived with cabinet knobs & handles was my parent's house 20-something years ago.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Do you feel handles need to be on the drawers to make it look finished? Does it look fine without drawer handles? Did you even notice until I discussed it? Feedback is appreciated.

Projects On-Deck:

Install the new floor.
Paint the walls.

I have not been compensated in any way for mentioning, using, or commenting on products, services, locations, etc. Everything I've posted here is at my own expense and free will.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T05:11:00.005-06:00

Happy New Year!

It appears I took a hiatus from blogging for a while. I didn't plan to take a break...it just happened. I was constantly thinking I wanted to blog about this or that, but didn't have it in my heart to make it happen.

This blog is a fun outlet for me, but I discovered I was feeling pressure to keep up on posts when my schedules and obligations were everywhere but here. Anyone who's blogged before knows there's more to putting up a post than slapping up a picture and whipping out a few lines of text.

Now that we are past the holidays, I can feel the motivation to get back to the blog. I knew this day would come.

What have I been up to?
I am fortunate that my job/employer is busy, so over the fall I took opportunities to work nights and weekends when I didn't have Ava.

I got my yard cleaned up for the winter when I wasn't working.

I knitted a few things.

Ava learned to play Uno.

I went through all my bills & finances and shopped for better deals. I switched providers for internet and tv, changed my cell phone plan, adjusted my auto insurance, and other expenses. I am now saving almost $1000/year by tweaking out the basics...and I didn't even eliminate services or downsize below my needs or wants. I found myself GUILTY of falling into complacency. I lost sight of my other options and competition in these services. I will not do that again.

Ava and I work on her reading. She can read easier words, and she's not even in Kindergarten yet. She's also learning to add and subtract.

We made it through the holidays.

I hope everyone had a good 2010, and an even better 2011.

Psssst...I am in the process of re-vamping my kitchen! Painting cabinets, new flooring, wall color, and more. No pics yet. I just started. Paint takes time to dry between coats, and cabinets don't get done in a day or a weekend. Stay tuned.

Killing Grass With Plastic Sheeting - Another Update

2010-10-17T07:37:00.009-05:00

My front planting bed is done for 2010.

Instead of digging a new bed in the heat/humidity of the summer...by hand with a shovel...I took the easy way out and killed the grass with plastic sheeting. You can read about that Here.

Two months later, I removed the plastic and added a top layer of composted manure. You can read about that Here.

It's now leaf season and time to put the Bed to bed! I used a shovel to trench the edge and make the border official.

I shredded leaves and put 4-6 inches of the wonderful stuff right on top. This bed will settle over the winter and will be ready for planting next spring. In a couple weeks, the yellow leaves will darken and look more earthy. I wrote about my leaf-shredder last year. You can read about that Here.

You can see I have a line of weedy grass remaining at the driveway line. I meant to dig that out, but didn't get to it.

Also, the far end of the planting bed looks strange in the photo. I stopped shredding for the day. The border actually extends a little further down to a brick path...you can't see it clearly because it's not mulched yet.

The awesome pumpkins on the front steps were grown by my dad at Larry's Weed Free Vegetable Garden.

The Future Idea
I have a pending plant list, which I continue to tweak as my mood changes. I have the shapes, elevations, and forms decided in my head. My plant list keeps changing because I continue to brainstorm the color and texture combinations.

Behind the Sidewalk: All the existing shrubs across the front of the house will be removed. I'll replace with something low-growing on the left side of the door. The right side of the door will have shrubs to hug and anchor the corner.

In Front of the Sidewalk: I see a Japanese Maple in my future, shrubs (not deciduous!), and a short list of perennials. That's about all I'm ready to say right now.

It's Persimmon Season

2010-10-03T13:54:00.015-05:00

Soooo...I have these Persimmon Trees in my back yard. Aren't the persimmons pretty?

Four females, and one male. You need a male tree nearby to make the fruit for the females.

I know this because I met a man named Ed who owned and lived in this house for 50 years.

Ed told me the story about how he tasted persimmons and learned to love them. He started the trees from seed in 1953. His co-worker tended to them in the greenhouse at the college here in town, and Ed planted them in the yard a couple years later.

Ed has a recipe for persimmon bread that he made every year around Christmas. I invited him over for persimmons. He's giving me the bread recipe sometime.

These persimmon trees are now 57 years old. I love the charming story behind them.

You can imagine they are pretty tall by now. Yeah. Too tall to pick the fruit; and too tall to prune, shape, and generally care for them.

The lowest limbs are taller than my house. In order to pick fruit, I would have to rent a lift.

As you can see from the picture above, the fruit when ripe is an orange-colored little ball. They remind me of plums with their juicy flesh.

HERE'S THE PROBLEM...

By the time the fruit falls naturally, they are mostly overripe and usually rotting. Only a small percentage off the ground are good for harvest.

Due to the height of the trees, I can't pick anything. Any useful fruit for Ed's bread must come from the ground. The reason the fruit in the top pic is okay is because the branch broke...the fruit didn't fall on their own.

AND HERE'S ANOTHER PROBLEM...
There are so many of these persimmons, they take over the yard.

They are swishy and mushy, and they are everywhere. Below a random picture of my grass. Imagine an entire yard with these.

And below is a picture of the bottom of my shoes after going out real quick just to take pictures for this blog entry.

You think that's icky, imagine what the wheels on my lawn mower look. Imagine what the treads on my work boots look like. Ugh.

I've decided I will get the female trees cut down whenever I'm ready to call the tree guy back. Sorry Ed.

A Scooter And A Wedding Dress

2010-10-03T09:42:00.004-05:00

Ava recently got a new scooter. Of course, she had to wear her wedding dress for the first ride around the neighborhood.

No falls or accidents; however, she decided if she'd had pants on she could have gone faster.

Just A Few Pictures

2010-09-19T12:25:00.008-05:00

I haven't had much for exciting news lately, so I thought I'd share a few pictures.

Ava and I went to the dentist last week. I think was her 3rd visit; however, this was the 1st time she got to wear SUNGLASSES. Had to get some pics of that!

I dumped some pictures off my cell phone and wanted to show them off. First is a picture we took of ourselves in a restaurant a couple months ago. Second is Ava sitting in her beanbag, wearing my reading glasses, and checking out a novel. She sat there a long time. She can't even read yet, but she had a lot of fun pretending:

Freezing Tomatoes

2010-09-05T09:52:00.009-05:00

This year has given me a good crop of tomatoes. I've been freezing a few bags the last 2 weekends, and now they're really coming in fast.

I like to freeze my tomatoes for use in soups, chili, and casseroles.

I always grow 1 Roma plant, and 1 something else that's juicy with good stand-alone flavor. Romas are a little dry and bland on their own. The juicy variety this year is Mr. Stripey. This is the last year I'm growing Mr. Stripey, but that's a whole different post.

I blanch & peel the tomatoes, then rough-chop right into the bowl to a size smaller than a golf ball yet bigger than a marble.

You can see the red pieces are the Romas, the yellow pieces are the Mr. Stripey's. I like to have a decent amount of juice in the batches because that flavor does more magic for the food than the tomato bits themselves.

The Recipe for freezing tomatoes is 1 teaspoon of salt for every 4 cups of tomatoes.

The salt slightly enhances the flavor without making them 'salty'...and helps with preservation, but if you're a purist, you could leave out the salt, I guess.

Out of that big green bowl, I take out 4 cups and put them in another bowl. I visually make sure the 4 cups in the bowl has a similar ratio of tomatoes and juice as the original batch. Add the salt, and gently mix.

I bag them up in ziplocks in 2-cup increments and squeeze out as much air as I can. 2 cups is 16-oz. A typical large can of tomatoes from the grocery store is 15-15½ oz depending on brand.

When I put the bags in the freezer, I clear out a shelf so I can lay the bags flat to freeze. I insert a cookie sheet, cutting board, or Ava's Sesame Street placement between layers if I've got multiple layers to stack.

After they have frozen, I can pick them up and stack them for more efficient use of freezer space. (I figured out that trick when I was freezing massive amounts of breastmilk).

You can see in the freezer photo, I have a few flat-packs stacked next to the ice cube trays which I froze last week.

The batch I froze today yielded 14 cups of tomatoes...7 bags.

When the tomatoes start coming in, I freeze what I have once a week. Once I get about 24 bags in the freezer, I quit. It's just too much after that.

Killing Grass With Plastic Sheeting - Update

2010-08-29T13:23:00.009-05:00

On July 1, 2010, I laid plastic sheeting on a part of my grass to kill it for a future planting bed. You can read about that Here.

It's now a couple days shy of 2 months later, and I've moved on to the next step.

I pulled off the plastic sheeting today. The LEFT photo is right after I removed the plastic.

Using a hard rake, I pulled out as much dead grass as I could. Pulling out the excess is really not necessary, but I wanted some dry organic material for my compost pile and mulch. You can see in the second picture above, I have applied a bunch of the thatch to the shrub bed.

I could have raked more than what I did, but I got out as much as I needed and left the rest.

Ava and I went to Menards and bought $20 worth of composted cow manure. I had rebate coupons worth $20, so we walked out of the store with it for free.

I spread the manure to a depth of about 2 inches onto the area.

It turns out I was short by about 5 bags, so I'll finish the work later this week.

I tried to explain the agricultural beauty of cow manure to Ava, but to her it's still poop. Fortunately, she was not freaked out by the process, and she volunteered her services during play breaks (I had the sprinkler going in the yard for her...hence the swimsuit).

When the leaves start dropping this fall, I will shred and apply 4-6 inches of shredded leaf mulch. It will be ready for planting next spring.

Our Home Library

2010-08-24T17:51:00.019-05:00

I see lots of pictures on the internet and magazines where people take a little corner of their house, add books, seating, cute decor, and call it a "Reading Nook".

Screw the Reading Nook...I built us a freakin' LIBRARY!!!!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

DISCLAIMER: I would rather not have that brown zebra blankie on the couch. For this moment in time, I have a long-haired cat who sheds profusely on the brand-new white...repeat WHITE...couch. Ava and I have rules to preserve the white...repeat WHITE...couch. The cat doesn't understand the White Couch Rules.

This room WAS the Computer Room / Catch All Room when we first moved in. Yeah...the walls were dark brown paneling. A couple months after moving in, I painted the paneling the same color of the rest of the house and you can read about that Here.

The turning point for this room came the day my desktop computer died and I got my first-ever laptop. I didn't have a need for a desk anymore, or ANY of the officey crap I stored in the room.

I found myself never going into the room for anything anymore. I decided to re-build the shelves this last winter. You can read about that Here.

As part of the Library project, I painted the inside of this shelving closet the color of the walls, but you can't see it well in the photo.

I recently added baskets and organized my stuff.

Look at the ceilings of the BEFORE pictures. The most dramatic change was when I demolished 2 layers of ceilings about a month ago and exposed the original 1942 beadboard ceiling. You can read about that Here.

I installed crown molding to the gaps between the beadboard and the walls.

The window frames were extremely gappy, so all frames were caulked (several layers of caulk in some places) and repainted.

A couple of recent trips to IKEA resulted in the following:

The To-Do List:
1. I want to paint the putty-colored file cabinets I'm using as end-tables. I'm thinking a metallic brown.
2. Figure out how to arrange and hide the electrical cords.
3. Tweak a few decor items. The books and couch ARE the decor, so very little really needs to be done.

Ava and I sit in this room just about every day and read at least 1 book, usually several. I love sitting on the couch with a coffee staring at the bookshelves or out the windows. One of these days when Ava is not home, I'm going to LAY on the couch...by myself...in peace and quiet...and read all day.

I have not been compensated in any way for mentioning, using, or commenting on products, services, locations, etc. Everything I've posted here is at my own expense and free will.

RECIPE - Homemade Brownies

2010-08-23T14:17:00.000-05:00

For the first time in my adult life I decided to find a real recipe for brownies instead of baking from a box.

I've made my first homemade batch, and wondering to myself why I didn't do this sooner. Homemade brownies taste better than a box, are just as fast to mix up, and don't require crazy ingredients.

???????????????????????

Where did I learn that brownies are made from a box?

If you also think brownies are made from a box...here's the recipe that will set you straight:

1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour (or sugar!) an 8"x8" baking pan.

Melt the butter and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat in cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread the batter into the floured (or sugared!) pan.

Bake 25 minutes. Do not overbake.

Perfecto.

Weekend Sleepover

2010-08-01T07:57:00.011-05:00

This weekend, Ava's cousin Amy came to stay with us. The good news for me...Ava and Amy played and played and played.

They are both old enough to know better, and they are both old enough to ask if there is any question about knowing better.

It was a fun weekend for them, and a pretty calm weekend for me because they were so occupied with each other.

Actually, Amy is still here. We will be taking her home shortly.

Some highlights of the weekend:

Dunkin Donuts at 6:30 am and matching Zebra Toenails:

Matching Hairdo's and McDonald's Playland:

Ceiling Demolition

2010-07-24T05:02:00.028-05:00

I was peeking above the drop ceiling in the computer room yesterday. I've looked up there before. The ceiling above the drop ceiling is a 14"x14" discolored ceiling tile. Ugly.

...but I never peeked in THIS spot before.

I found the original 1942 wood beadboard ceiling exposed in a corner!

This little room was originally a porch. I'm a building inspector. I know old porches of this era typically have beadboard ceilings. I look for them, and test them for lead paint all the time. If I don't see them, I look for them under the existing ceiling. Why didn't I entertain the idea that my old porch might be typical?

After a 5 minute personal debate about whether I should tear the ceilings down, and fearing the beadboard might be in poor condition and covered in 2 layers of ceilings for a reason...and considering the serious mess I'd create...I decided to tear them down.

10:30am: I took down the ceiling panels and grid system to get access to the next layer of ceiling tiles. The 14"x14"s were nailed-on and thankfully no adhesive. I pried down the 14"s and pulled out the 100 gazillion nails with a little demo bar.

All the beadboard is intact and in perfect condition. No water damage. No dryrot or deterioration. The paint was in decent condition. Perfect!

1:00pm: With the debris on the curb, the room cleaned up, and an awesome new ceiling above me, I decided I'd better paint it while I have the room empty. I knew on the spot it needed to be shiny white. HEY! I have an unopened gallon of white semi-gloss laying around intended for re-painting my window trims.

3:30pm: After 1 coat of white, I realized I'd better get another gallon of the wall paint before the store closes (because I get that paint at a local-owned real paint store with 9-5 business hours). That strip of brown paneling was not something I could live with for any length of time. While the first coat of ceiling dried, I ran to the paint store & got wall paint.

Over the course of the evening (I finished at 12 midnight), I completed 2 coats on the ceiling, and 2 coats to cover the wall strip.

Here is what my brand-new old ceiling looks like this morning! Look at the slight shine on the ceiling. Beautiful!

The #1 project to work on today is that light fixture. It's old and unsafe...if you hadn't noticed already! One of the plastic nuts is missing and bare wires are exposed. Yikes!

I also need to find some trim to fill the gap between the wall & ceiling. I'll save that one for another day. This project was impromptu and not on my agenda at all. I've got laundry, mowing, and lots of weekend chores to get done before Ava gets home.

Ava's Painted Face

2010-07-11T15:10:00.008-05:00

Ava and I went the The Sugar Creek Arts Festival today in Normal, IL. It was a decent way to pass a few hours. We didn't love the festival; therefore, I'll talk about the highlight of the day...Ava's painted face.

Last fall we went to a pumpkin patch and Ava got a butterfly face painting. You can re-live that moment here. She loved her painting until she saw another little girl getting a butterfly done in pink and purple. Jealous!

Ava has periodically brought up the fact that next time, she wants a pink & purple face butterfly.

As luck would have it, the same face painter, "The Zoo Lady" had a booth at the festival. Ava stopped in her tracks and asked for her pink & purple butterfly.

She loves her face painting. Unfortunately, half of it came off with her sweat before we got home.

I'm confident we will have a huge battle tonight when it's time to wash the rest off before bed.

Bathroom Re-Do Is Done

2010-07-10T07:15:00.016-05:00

Aside from a few decorating tweaks, I'm calling my bathroom DONE.

AFTER and BEFORE:

The BEFORE picture was right when I moved in. I was fortunate to already have white towels, rug & shower curtain. I didn't need to buy new items immediately, but it was definitely a lot of white. No decor.

I installed vinyl plank flooring over the white ceramic tile. You can read about that Here. I received many questions about the flooring, so I did a follow-up post Here. This took me a whole weekend on my hands and knees, but was not a big deal.

I painted the walls a darker shade of green, removed the excessive towel bars, and got myself a new shower curtain to break up the sea of white. You can read about the painting project Here.

The shelves in the linen closet were spaced really, really weird. Last winter I pulled out, measured, rebuilt, and got better baskets for storage. This project was cheaper than I figured, and took me less than 4 hours. Actually, the baskets cost me more than the wood & supplies for shelves.

Below is a slightly different angle. The small room doesn't allow me to stand back and get a good photo. Please understand things don't looks as cluttered in real life. Between the mirror, light fixture, and shelf all on that wall...they run together in the picture. It's not that complicated when you're in the room.

Though not shown, I installed hooks behind the bathroom door to hang our towels. It's so much cleaner in the room without all those towels hanging around & collecting dust.

Killing Grass With Plastic Sheeting

2010-07-08T20:00:00.011-05:00

I haven't been posting much lately, but I'm still kicking. Summertime to my industry is like Christmastime to retailers. I have been working overtime, and doing what I can to keep Ava happy.

With that said, I have a fun project started which will be 10 months in the making, but took me only 15 minutes to get started. I'm installing a new planting bed in my front yard. I am killing the grass and making the bed this year. Plants won't go in until 2011.

On July 1, I laid out the shape of the new bed with an extension cord as a visual guide, set out 1 layer of 3-mil clear plastic sheeting, and cut it to shape following the extension cord.

One week later...July 8, you can see the grass is cooked and on it's way to a slow death.

Here's a closeup of what is going on under the plastic.

The grass is dead all the way down to the soil. I will leave the plastic down until mid-late August.

During the day, it gets very hot under the plastic. In fact, the grass was dead like this within 3 days, but still had a little green left right at the soil line.

It will take several weeks of cooking before the roots will be dead.

Once I pull the plastic, I will hand-dig a small trench at the borders and detail the edges so the bed is perfectly shaped. I'll then put down a decent layer of compost on top of the dead grass.

Come fall, I will add a thick layer of shredded leaves to the bed, and let it settle all winter.

Spring 2011...I will be able to plant as I see fit. No chemicals. No aching back.

FYI...this process is called Solarization.

Painting My Bathroom Greener Than Green

2010-06-27T08:44:00.010-05:00

I have a bathroom project in the works. I'm taking my time with it. A couple months ago I put in a new floor, and you can read about that here.

I just finished painting.

I really really liked the shade of earthy green that came with the house. Green is my favorite color. I can't imagine my bathroom being anything but green.

With a small bathroom, lots of white tile, fixtures, and trim I decided the green could be a little darker and have a better presence.

After (lots of) taping & prepping and starting the color, I hated everything about it. Too much blue. Too much jungle-vibe. Fortunately, my gut told me to have a Plan B when I picked my swatches. I ran to the store and got Pittsburgh Paints...Cress Green. Should have listened to my gut.

Colors never show their true selves in photos. The color in real-life has a brightness to it, and has a olive khaki tint going on underneath. I like the stronger contrast between the green and the white.

I will re-hang my shower curtain, put things back together, and do a little decorating after I let the paint cure a while.

And now for my favorite part:
I was planning on painting the inside of the built-in linen closet white. It was already white. All the trim is white. The shelves are white. Accessories & fixtures are white. For some reason my brain figured the inside of the closet should be white.

I made a last-minute decision to paint the inside green. I stood back to look at my work. The heavens opened up and I heard angels singing. This was the best upgrade EVER!

Painted white, the linen closet came across as a large permanent fixture just like the sink, tub, and toilet; and was classified as an accessory to the room.

Painted green, the linen closet is now a cohesive part of the room with walls and square footage.

I can't stop looking in the linen closet!

Note to self: Remember this, and do it again in other places!

Just for reference, here is an older photo showing the original color of the room...and before I put in the new floor.

Clematis...Finally

2010-06-12T06:59:00.005-05:00

Finally.

I planted a Clematis 'jackmanii' in the corner of the house in 2008. It didn't live to see 2009.

In 2009, I planted another one. It sat there, produced 1 flower, and dried up to nothing shortly thereafter. I was pretty sure it died.

That guy came up this year and I was thrilled.

I installed a strip of screen up the corner siding, trained the clematis to the screen, and it's growing up the corner of the house. It started blooming about a week ago.

Finally.

I'm really looking forward to 2011 because it will be stronger & bigger, and take over the corner.

Ava Swings

2010-06-02T17:54:00.005-05:00

Ava loves her swing.

Despite the really low branch, it's perfect for her.

She talks about her swing all the time.

She swings every day after work and daycare.

It's part of the daily routine now.

Our Garden Stepping Stone For 2010

2010-05-31T20:00:00.008-05:00

I made our 2010 Garden Stepping Stone a couple weeks ago. It's done curing and ready for use.

This year we did Ava's footprints. I asked if she wanted to add any of her jewels or pretty things to the stone, and all she wanted to add were a few rocks from her collection.

I guess her tastes are getting more refined because the 2009 stone is full of shiny jewels and a Cinderella pendant.

Here it is officially in a planting bed...all glittery from a rainfall.

And here is Ava trying it on for size right after we put it in.

I have a funny feeling she will be trying it on for a few weeks before the novelty wears off.

Growing Grass From Seed

2010-05-31T08:32:00.005-05:00

I started a small patch of new grass today.

The sandbox is a favorite play area for Ava. I had stepping stones surrounding the box so we could play without standing in mud.

I now have grass grown around some of the box, so I'm expanding it. Ava is going to be upset. She likes walking on the steppers just as much as she likes playing in the sand.

I haven't planted much grass in the cleared areas because I use those spaces as corridors for hauling out the trees and junk.

My back corner is almost cleared, so I can safely plant grass without trampling it.

TIME TO PLANT
It is widely suggested to put down grass seed in early spring or early fall. I prefer growing grass seed anytime between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Illinois spring rains tend to be torrential. You can spend a lot of time prepping your area only to have the seed eroded and displaced in a 15 minute downpour. The truth is you can grow grass any time of the year and be extremely successful as long as you water properly.

I prefer growing seed after the spring rains are done and I can control the water. I don't get bare patches. I don't have to do anything over...as long as we don't get crazy rains.

BEATING EROSION
It's hard to see in the picture, but I make sure I leave some slightly deeper tracks in the soil. If seeds displace in a rainfall you can't control, they land in the tracks and will eventually grow there. If you have to throw down extra seed later to fill in, the denser growth in the tracks act like a dam and keeps your seed somewhat contained. Over time, or by the next year, the grass will spread and fill in on it's own.

I call this "Tracking". I made that up. Not sure if it's a real method, but I figured it out when I was growing grass in heavy erosion paths on slopes. It works. No need for adding straw or other erosion-control products.

I cannot wait for this grass to grow in! This tiny little patch symbolizes the first official transition to 'developed land' in my crazy yard adventures.

Clearing Land...Again

2010-05-30T06:57:00.006-05:00

I clear out land every chance I get. I have made SERIOUS progress with this back corner behind my garage.

The area is finally cleared with the exception of a few last trees...and a photo of how it looked 2 years ago. The Before picture was after I cleared the scrub to set the sandbox, and chopped out about 10 feet of breathing room behind the garage.

This whole space was painful. I had to clear the brush to get to the fence, and the trees were twisted and tangled amongst themselves. Removing 1 tree meant cutting loose 2-3 trees and yanking them down as a tangled system.

Once I made enough room to access the chain link fence, I was faced with a bazillion saplings woven into the links.

Then, there were 5 substantial trees grown into the chain link. I cut the trees even with the top of the fence. I then cut the trunks at ground level. When I tore down the chain link, I was able to roll it out of there with 5 tree trunks stuck in the fence.

That was heavy man's work, but it's done and over with.

Now I have a backdrop of the neighbor's really nice privacy fence, I have dappled sun, and I'm excited to start planning a shady garden room!

A Swing For Ava

2010-05-29T00:21:00.002-05:00

Ava really wanted a swing.

The problem is the 'keeper' trees have been limbed up so high that I can't reach anything with my 13 foot ladder. If I could get to the limbs, none of them are substantial enough for a swing.

I'm NOT getting her a swing set. We live 2 blocks from a huge park.

After clearing more land, I found a decent limb, but it's only about 5 feet off the ground. I was going to cut this limb, but decided to keep it for a while to give Ava a little something she's been wanting.

I used a painted pine board I had laying around, and bought some rope. It's hung and ready to go. I tested it out myself and it's quite sturdy.

I have extra rope to trim, but Ava hasn't seen it yet and I may have to adjust the height.

Actually, I think I LOVE this swing. Obviously, there won't be any serious swinging going on, but it's a great spot to sit and watch the traffic go by...which Ava likes to do. In the future, I may replace this swing with a real hanging porch swing and keep it as a permanent seating area. Just a thought.

BONUS: I got to learn 2 new knots in making this swing: the Running Bowline Knot and the Ashley's Stopper Knot. I can see the Running Bowline knot being very useful for many other things.

Baby Hostas Change When They Grow Up

2010-05-22T05:15:00.001-05:00

I've said for a long time that the baby hosta you buy in a pot doesn't look the same as when it grows up. Here is a perfect example of that:

Dream Queen
Below is a photo of Dream Queen in the ground the day I bought her. Next is the same hosta only 1 year later. See how much she's changed and become more herself? She's still got a lot of growing and changing to do.

I had researched Dream Queen and wanted her for a long time. I hesitated when I saw numerous pots at my favorite local garden center. I knew what Dream Queen was supposed to look like, and the potted toddlers didn't look anything like the grown-up.

My local garden center is reputable, but are not specialized in Hosta like some other places I shop.
I have my own special rules about buying hostas, and I deviated from my own rules because I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanted Dream Queen.

I remember thinking there is too much yellow in the centers to be Dream Queen...but I saw a couple leaves on the plant that looked correct, the leaves had the right thickness, and I saw ever-so-subtle signs of corrugation...so I took a chance.

The moral of the story...never buy a hosta because you love how the potted toddler looks in the garden center. It will only look that way the year you plant it. Hostas change every year, and if you know what the mature specimen looks like, you will happily watch them evolve.

Hosta Rags To Riches Stories

2010-05-20T17:05:00.011-05:00

I would like to share 2 rags to riches stories on my beloved hostas. Let me begin by saying that most hosta should not be called 'rags'...especially these.

Blue Angel
The first summer in this house (2008), my bestest brother gave me one of his hostas...Blue Angel. He said he bought it bare root...and my memory tells me it was in the early 2000's. I didn't have any hostas at this house yet, so I drooled over the fact I was getting Blue Angel with several years on it. I dug it up, brought it home, and planted. The poor thing was browned on the edges. This was due to lack of water. The root ball looked nice.

Here's how Blue Angel looked when I planted in 2008, and here he is 2 years later:

And now the obligatory 'hand shot'. He's grown so much in height, width, and leaf size.

If the downspout shown in the 2008 pic was still there, Blue Angel would be laying in the the splash guard.

Guacamole
I had been eyeballing this particular Guacamole at the garden center all 2009, but I refused to pay $39.00 for a fast-growing common hosta. As the season went by, no one took him home. Late July, I had enough coupons saved up from the frequent-buyer program, and ended up scoring this Guacamole for $15.00.

Guacamole was pot-bound in the biggest way. There was hardly any dirt left in the pot, and the leaves were scorched from lack of water. I had to cut the pot off, I soaked the rootball in a bucket of water overnight, and did some minor surgery to untwist and open up the root system. I'd never worked so hard digging a really good hole and planting the best way I knew how.

Here is Guacamole right after planting in late July 2009, and now in May 2010 showing a spectacular comeback.

.

You can see the edge of a fern in both the above photos (at the right). Guacamole is touching the fern in 2010...and that fern is small in the spring. It won't get big until later on.

The Guacamole leaves were no where near 'hand-size' in 2009.

I like to think I rescued this hosta and gave it a second chance at life.

Update On The Rain Barrel

2010-05-15T06:48:00.022-05:00

We finally got some rain, and my barrel is full!

I built the rain barrel on May 1, 2010 and have been patiently waiting for rain for almost 2 weeks.

We received 1.46 inches of rain over the last few days. I ended up with 50 gallons + of rainwater.

Issue #1
I had a concern about whether I would collect a decent amount of water in this location because the barrel is off one pitched side of my little 1-car detached garage. The roof surface area is about 120 sf on that side of the pitch (20ft x 10ft). I am very happy with the results.

Issue #2
Though I was confident, I knew I needed to get some water in the barrel to determine whether the concrete block base would hold and settle okay under the weight of the barrel.

I won't go into the detail, but getting the base in was a bigger task than it appears because I had issues with the terrain and land. It's working fine. I will continue to watch this.

Issue #3
I was worried about the faucet leaking. I'm not a plumber and don't plan on becoming one. I followed instructions for the plumber's sealant and hoped for the best.

I'm happy to report the faucet is dry as a bone! (Sorry for the blurry picture. I'm not going out there to re-take it.)

The challenge for now will be to make Ava understand she cannot turn on and play with the faucet just for fun.

The top of the barrel...

I have a piece of screen attached to the inlet to filter out larger twigs and leaves.

The downspout is resting at the inlet...it's not attached. I had a concern the downspout might move around and displace itself while water runs through it.

The good news is the downspout did not move during the last rains, and some of the rain came down pretty fast. I will keep watching this and secure it if necessary.

I have some mosquito pellets around, so I will add if necessary.

This project is a success, and I can now make a second barrel at another location.

I Built My First Rain Barrel

2010-05-01T15:59:00.008-05:00

I spent Saturday building the first of 2 proper rain barrels. I am sooo glad this first one is done. I learned a lot. I did a good job. It was easier than I figured. The next one I make will get done much faster.

I researched various ways to construct the thing, and went with general ideas I figured would work best for my situation.

I had to build a base. The barrel needs to be off the ground to allow clearance when accessing the faucet, and to allow gravity to help give pressure to water flow. I went with concrete blocks. I had to do some arranging and different layouts before I came up with a base stable enough to hold the barrel and worked with the terrain. I will reassess the base after it fills with water & make adjustments if necessary. I'm confident it will be just fine.

I found all the supplies at my local Menards. I used:

1- 3/4 inch "Boiler Drain" (aka the faucet)
1- 15/16 inch drill bit to make the hole for the faucet
1 little tube of plumbers thread sealant to waterproof the faucet
1 small roll of 1/4 inch aluminum gutter screen to filter junk at the top of the barrel
hack saw to cut the existing gutters as necessary
various gutter attachments. I didn't know exactly what I needed while in the store, so I came home with a selection, and ended up using only the flexible gutter tubing.
utility knife for good measure

I drilled a hole with the drill bit a couple inches from the bottom of the barrel and screwed the faucet into the hole (with a lot of force, mind you). Once the barrel threaded tightly with the faucet, I applied the waterproof thread sealant according to directions.

The time-consuming part was re-directing the gutter. I sawed the vertical downspout off and attached the gutter flex tubing. I drilled a lot of little holes in various sections of the gutter connections and secured the connections with nails to make sure they stay together. Easy, just tedious because I had to figure it out as I went along.

AND...just to be slick, I took a black sharpie and drew over the gallon measurements. I'm sure it will wear off over time, but it's a nice touch. I made sure when I installed the faucet, I put it next to the gallon measurements so I can always see how much water I have. Good thinking...huh??

I still need to do a few things before I'm officially done:

1. I need to drill a hole on the side of the barrel near the top to re-direct overflow. I didn't have a plan for this part while in the store, so I elected to get the barrel built and figure it out later based on how everything else played out.

2. I need to get a gutter clamp to secure the metal downspout back to the garage. The old clamp was located below where I cut the gutter.

3. I may need to figure out a way to secure the downspout tubing to the rain barrel so the force of rainwater doesn't move the tube around and make water miss the barrel. I need to watch how this works during a rainfall before I make final decisions.

Now, all I need is some rain, move that concrete splash block, and get to work fixing up the rest of that little back area.

The State Of The Lawn Address - 2010

2010-05-01T09:36:00.000-05:00

"A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule." Michael Pollan

Welcome to the 2nd Annual "State of the Lawn Address". I gave this address 1 year ago and will do so each year.

I'm pleased to say my lawn is improving slowly but surely, and I expect progress to continue. Here is a summary of how I've graded my turf on May 1 of each year:
Front Yard 2008= C-
Front Yard 2009= B
Front Yard 2010= B+
I give "B+" because, aside from a few weed issues I discuss below, the turf is overall thick, lush, and under control.

Back Yard 2008 = F+
Back Yard 2009= D+
Back Yard 2010= C
I give "C" because the majority of the grass was planted and established in 2009. It looks nice, but I know the root system is in an adolescent state. A little extra care is required before I can call it a strong turf. Persistent weed watch is required.

A Cool & Wet Summer in 2009
Cool temps and consistent rainfall all 2009 were perfect for cool-temperature turfs. I was able to grow grass from seed all season. In hindsight, I should have seeded a lot more bare soil to take advantage of the weather; however, I'm happy with the progress I made and the minimal effort it took to do it.

My patchy lawn areas are now filled in wonderfully. Areas I now consider "patchy" are in outskirts where I cleared land and did a half-attempt at throwing down some extra handfuls of seed randomly with no real intent of doing it right.

I planted grass seed in the front yard where I had a huge tree removed. In looking at the above photo, you can hardly tell where the tree was aside from slight elevation changes in the spot.

This photo on the left shows the yard 1 year ago and the early stages of grass growing in the stump spot. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Dandelions
I was diligent in hand-digging dandelions throughout 2009 and the majority are gone. I still have a few patches to work on during 2010 but I am confident at the end of 2010, the dandelions will be gone. Future dandelions will be random at the edges as a result of contamination from neighbors.

The best ways to beat dandelions are:
The #1 most-important-can't-stress-enough-rule-to-follow-for-ever-and-ever: Mow at the highest setting. Weed seeds need to have contact with soil to germinate and grow. The taller your grass is, the less chance the seeds will filter down to dirt. After mowing, it should still be longer than that of the neighbors.

After you dig a dandelion, remove it from the lawn. If you shoot it with a chemical, pick the flower and remove the flower from the lawn. Dandelion seeds will still form on a picked flower, chemical-sprayed flower, or dug-up plant. The seed is still viable and it will spread. Trust me. I've done experiments with this in flower pots.

Creeping Charlie
I have a little creeping charlie in my front yard. I hand-pulled periodically in 2009. I also spot-applied chemicals every couple weeks throughout the season.

In hindsight, my efforts were a failure. I was able to keep the weed from spreading further (a small success!), but I did not get rid of it. I believe grass was not harmed ONLY because it was a cool, wet season and the grass was able to bounce back from chemical shock easier than an average year. I will not try frequent chemicals again.

After frequent chemical applications, I could see small results. I would describe it more as punching the plant in the face but never going for the kill.

I read over and over that hand-pulling creeping charlie will make the plant multiply and make matters worse. I disagree 100%. Yes, roots are harder to remove because of the spreading vines and root systems along the vines; however, hand pulling DOES help. I'm very sure if I put in as much effort in pulling creeping charlie as I do digging dandelions, I would make decent progress without chemicals.

My approach in 2010 will be to work smart, not hard. I will continue to hand-pull here and there when I'm bored because it does work to some degree. I will concentrate more on the timing of chemical application. I've learned the best times for chemicals to work on creeping charlie are #1 Fall, and #2 Spring. I'll see how it goes.

Other Weeds
I have a little clover here and there, and I will treat it in the same manner as the creeping charlie. I'm not that worried about the clover because it's pretty minimal.

Everyone applaud for a successful 2009, and for great results in 2010. Thank you very much.

Hornbaker Gardens - Princeton, Illinois

2010-04-30T13:46:00.015-05:00

I've been anxiously awaiting my vacation days off work, and my first trip of the season to Hornbaker Gardens in Princeton, Illinois.

I arrived early in the morning with my shopping list. I love collecting hostas; however, I have learned to restrain myself and stick to my list. I will only allow myself purchases I have planned well in advance and know exactly where they will be planted.

I allow myself 2 impulse purchases per trip. Impulse purchases are based on mature specimens shouting my name from the display gardens...only if they meet certain criteria. I will not allow myself to buy a hosta for the name only. Been there...done that...waste of time, money, and prime real estate in the garden.

I'm fortunate to have plenty of room to plant the impulse buys at this house.

Here's what I got today:
Love Pat
Queen of the Seas
Sagae (can you believe I've never owned Sagae?)
Jewel of the Nile
Blue Mammoth
Montana Aureomarginata

Impulse Buy: Sea Fire
Impulse Buy: Mount Tom

I had 2 hosta on the list which they do not carry right now: Elegans and Kabitan.

I also found 2 beautiful hostas which have made my shopping list for the next trip...only after I know where they will be planted. Those are: Mildred Seaver and Earth Angel.

I will be planting sometime over the weekend. The weather is a little questionable at the moment, and I have fallen limbs to clean out of the yard before I do anything new.

How to Buy Hostas
Perform plenty of research before you buy. Know the size at maturity. Know if the hosta is a fast or slow grower before you plant it. Your intent should be to plant the hosta and never touch it again. If you have to move a hosta in a few years, you will set back the growth. My first place to research online is the Hosta Library. If you're not involved in the hosta world, the Hosta Library has a section called Lists, which will narrow down your choices by topic.

Learn about Hosta Virus X (HVX) as soon as possible. Know the types of hosta most susceptible to the disease. Know the visual markings indicating the hosta is infected. Buy only from reputable sources. Big Box / Mass Production stores are notorious for selling infected hostas.

Never buy a hosta because the little toddler plants you see at the store are cute. Mature hostas look completely different when they grow up. Pay more attention to the end result than what you see right now.

While at the store, displace the plant from it's pot a little and poke around at the root system. Make sure the roots go deep and take up good space in the pot. Many times the nurseries will fertilize the heck out of hostas to make the foliage huge but the roots aren't up to par. They do this to make them look pretty & sell them fast. If the roots don't look appropriate to the hosta you have researched, you should put it back. Roots are everything.

Pictures From Easter And The Yard

2010-04-17T05:36:00.015-05:00

I'm finally getting around to sharing some Easter Sunday pictures.

I didn't rush to the blog because the pictures weren't that great. Ava was in a good mood, but was not cooperative with the camera, and wouldn't pose. She kept telling me, "NO PICTURES!"

I set up an egg hunt by setting approximately 40 candy-filled eggs down the brick path and around the back yard. The Easter Bunny left her basket outside in the landscaping.

Ava...basket in hand...went around and picked up many eggs. She was pretty excited at all the eggs she found down the path and strewn about.

All of a sudden she announced she was done and said something to the effect that the Easter Bunny left too many eggs.

She abruptly abandoned her basket in the middle of the yard and left to do other things.

I brought her back outside and we worked together to finish gathering the eggs. We then went back in the house to disassemble the Easter Basket.

We went out for a long walk, had lunch at a restaurant, and then played at the park.

It was a fun day.

AND...the yard!

Follows is a picture of the back yard I took on Easter Sunday next to a picture I took this morning.

What a difference two weeks make this time of year when the plants and leaves unfurl! I mowed the yard within the 2 weeks, the Lily of the Valley Patch (at the 10 o' clock position) filled in, and the tree leaves hide the street.

Oh, and I planted a 'Crimson Queen' Japanese Maple at the corner of my porch. That didn't sprout from nothing. IT'S GARDENING SEASON. YIPPEE!

Barrels For Rainwater Collection

2010-04-10T04:19:00.001-05:00

My barrels are here! I got them free from a friend.

These two 50-gallon barrels will be rigged up this year for a proper rainwater collection system.

One barrel held a detergent used on a dairy farm for cleaning the milking equipment. The other one held iodine. The water I collect will be used for plants & gardening.

Ava is really excited about the barrels. She knows what they will be used for because we've been collecting rainwater the 2 years we've lived here...and I've been telling her about the new setup we are going to build. What she doesn't understand right now is the barrels are not for rolling around and climbing on.

PS: please look past the crazy outfit Ava is wearing. She selected her clothes herself when we got home from work & daycare.

'Purple Flag' Tulips For Ava

2010-04-09T17:49:00.003-05:00

Last fall I planted "Purple Flag" tulip bulbs as a special surprise for Ava. The story is here.

The tulips are up...and Ava loves them.

We have been watching them grow and have been excited for the blooms. Here is how they look today.

I think they'll open up a bit more by the time they go downhill. We love them. I'm really happy with the spot they are planted in.

I have very little plantings around here which get me excited for spring. I covet the spring plants in everyone else's yards. I'll definitely will be planting more bulbs when fall comes.

Happy Easter 2010

2010-04-03T19:58:00.005-05:00

Ava and I are wishing everyone a very happy Easter!

Knitting Socks

2010-03-21T15:11:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago for no particular reason other than a moment of curiosity, I ran to the store and purchased my first set of double-pointed knitting needles...without knowing how to use them.

I've been knitting for a long time, but I never took the time to learn how to use double-pointed needles in a correct way.

I figured out the procedure in about 10 minutes and laughed at myself for not doing this years ago.

Do you know what this means for my knitting options? I can knit socks!

After playing around for a couple hours with yarn sizes & little mysteries, I decided to knit Ava some socks.

I found a sock pattern on the web called Tatami, and started right in. The pattern has a lot of lace knitting which added to the complexity of knitting of 4 different needles; however, I got through it just fine.

If you look closely at the 2 socks, you will see they are slightly different at the cuff area. I did that on purpose to try something out. When Ava wears the socks, you don't even notice they're not exactly identical.

I can knit socks!

Larry's Weed Free Vegetable Garden

2010-03-19T17:28:00.007-05:00

MY FATHER STARTED A BLOG, AND I'M SO EXCITED!

You are all invited to visit:
Larry's Weed Free Vegetable Garden

My dad is a lifelong gardener...and he's serious about it. He's not kidding when he says "weed free".

He's the kind of gardener who knows more about plants, soil, and techniques than any encyclopedia could ever contain. When he speaks of gardening, you stop, listen carefully, and know his information is time-tested and correct.

He has elected to blog about vegetable gardening. As the season progresses, I guarantee you will learn something. So will I.

More Info On Vinyl Plank Flooring

2010-02-25T18:03:00.003-06:00

Thank you all so much for the great comments on the Vinyl Plank Flooring. After reading all the comments and talking about it with others, I thought I'd do another post answering questions and providing more detail.

The Vinyl Planks
I purchased my planks from Menards, and the name brand is Designer's Image. After doing a little research, I believe Designer's Image is a brand exclusive to Menards, but don't hold me 100% to that. I do know you can find vinyl plank flooring at any big box home improvement store, so get out there and shop around.

At my local Menards, there were 3 ready-to-purchase colors/styles in this brand; however, more colors were available by special order. I only needed 2 boxes to do my little floor (20 sf/box at $25.00 a box...that was a sale price. Budget $30/box otherwise).

The boxes have color lots. If you need several boxes, you need to be sure all your boxes are the same lot. You may end up having to special order just to get matching lots.

The planks I selected are straight-out peel & stick. I was happy with the amount of adhesive on these planks and the stickiness they had. I didn't feel the need or concern to apply my own adhesive in addition to what's already there.

What I especially love about these planks is they are solid vinyl all the way through. You know how sheet flooring has a thin vinyl top with a squishy-soft paper layer beneath? These planks are NOT squishy & soft. They are flexible yet solid.

To cut the planks, I used a razor knife to score the top, then snapped the tile with my hands. I learned at the end of my project that scissors will cut through this vinyl....it's a little hard, but a good thing if you need to cut some precision curves and notches.

Oh, and these planks are 1/8 inch thick. For my project, 1/8 inch was a nice height and I didn't need to add thresholds or do extra work to match up to the carpet in the hall.

A different brand was available at my local Menards which had an interlocking system. I've tried to find pics but can't. Basically, the plank was 2 layers thick. The bottom plank layer sticks to the floor, and rectangle holes are missing from the planks. You then take the top layer plank, remove the paper from the adhesive rectangle holes, and match them/lock them into the lower plank. Personally, I didn't understand the need or use for the 2-layer interlocking system. When you have to cut notches and odd corners, you would have to cut & precision-fit both the top and bottom planks...doubling your workload.

Floor Leveler
When I talk about floor leveler, I an NOT talking about sloping or sagging floors which need to be properly repaired...I'm talking about installed flooring you want to cover which has embossing or texture...and the texture needs to be leveled up a bit either overall or in spots.

Deeper crevices and patterns will have to be leveled. You will have to look at your own situation and determine if you need a leveling compound.

I leveled mine for 3 reasons:
1. I did NOT want to demo out the existing ceramic tile, and I didn't want to potentially replace what's under the ceramic from my demo damage.

2. I could have skipped floor leveler and put down a sub-floor on top of the ceramic to start with a clean surface. If I would have installed a sub-floor, I would have raised the bathroom floor too high for my tastes.

3. I felt the grout lines were wide & deep enough where the vinyl planks would imprint and not have 100% surface adhesion if I didn't level them up.

There were several brands of floor levelers available. I talked with the people at Menards, had them explain how each worked, read the packaging, and made my own decisions.

My choice was a powder which I mixed with a special liquid (about $12.00 for everything). The mix gets troweled on. I told the Menards guy I wanted to spakle only the grout lines to level up, but he told me to trowel the stuff on my entire floor and level the whole thing.

My bathroom floor is level except for the grout line indents. Once I got down on the floor with my leveling compound, I decided to spakle and not listen to the Menards Guy. If I would have troweled the entire floor, I would be sanding, vacuuming, and smoothing everything all over again. I would spakle again in the future and not think twice about it.

My leveler was dry in 2 hours and was absolutely bound to the floor. My mix bucket and stirring spoon were not cleanable because the mix stuck harder than concrete to the surfaces.

I hope this extra information was helpful. Aside from being 40 yrs old and getting sore from the kneeling & crawling...up and down, up and down...it really was easy. I say everyone should go forth with confidence!

ADDED January 9, 2011: Almost 1 year later, I installed this product in my Kitchen. You can read about that Here. I have more commentary and a few tips for my second time around.

I have not been compensated in any way for mentioning, using, or commenting on products, services, locations, etc. Everything I've posted here is at my own expense and free will.

Vinyl Plank Flooring In The Bathroom

2010-02-20T18:13:00.016-06:00

Look what I just did! I installed vinyl plank flooring over top of my old floor. The floor used to be white, and the new flooring makes my tiny bathroom look and feel a little bigger. Total project cost: $65.00.

It was pretty easy to do, but it was tedious at times. I'm quite sore all over due to all the time crouching, and being on hands & knees.

The previous flooring was white 6-inch ceramic tile...and let me tell you how much I hated that tile:

1) It was just cold. 2) If you drop glass...consider it broken when it hits the floor. 3) Smooth ceramic is very slippery when wet. 4) White grout is not easy to keep clean...and those grout sealing products don't work for any useful length of time. 5) I was spending too much time mopping my floors because every speck of anything showed up.

First, I removed all the base trim. I got VERY lucky because every piece of trim came off easy and nothing was cracked or damaged. I pulled all the nails from the trim.

Next, I applied a floor leveler to build up the grout lines flush with the tile. The floor leveler I selected was a powder mixed with a special liquid. The guy in the store told me not to spackle the grout lines, just smooth trowel the whole surface because it goes faster.

I ended up spackling so I only had to worry about the lines and not the entire floor. My bathroom is small, so spackling only took me an hour.

If I do this again, I would spackle again. I can't even imagine troweling the entire floor and then having to smooth it.

The leveler only needed 2 hours to dry. I took a wet rag and cleaned the floor section I was working on at the moment, and started laying the planks.

I did not remove the toilet. A good portion of the toilet has a gap at the floor, and the vinyl planks slid under perfectly. The other parts where the planks didn't slide under, I made paper templates and cut the vinyl to fit.

I had to make paper templates for several odd spots and let me tell you, as time-consuming as it was...I achieved perfection! I sat on the bathroom floor with a razor blade and my templates, and whittled out perfect little notches, corners, and curves.

After all the flooring was in, I reinstalled most of the base trim. I ran out of nails.

So, all I have left is to get more nails, put in the last couple trim pieces, fill the nail holes with wood filler, fill the seams with my painter's caulk, and do paint touch-up.

And...I am LOVING these vinyl planks! They are solid thick vinyl (not cheap paper layers like sheet flooring), and are textured on the surface to mimic wood. I recommend looking into something like this if you are considering floor options.

January 2011: Due to lots of questions, I provided more information about the flooring Here. I have also installed this flooring in my kitchen and included extra tips for installation. You can read about that Here.

Filling Gaps In Wood Trim

2010-02-07T03:32:00.032-06:00

The window and door frames throughout my house are gappy. Some are worse than others. It drives me bonkers. In fact, I've noticed and been annoyed at seam gaps in every apartment I've lived in my entire adult life.

Years ago on a job site, I made small talk with a professional painter about seam gaps, and he explained to me that filling the seams and gaps correctly is "THE" difference between a job half-done, and a job well-done. He explained how to do it.

I spent time this weekend filling in gaps, and the difference is significant...especially in person. The frames I've finished now look like solid, unified, built-in structures, instead of pieced-together, nailed-on trim. The After picture above was taken right after I caulked. I have not painted or done anything past the caulk. It's going to be fantastic after it's painted.

Here's the Tutorial:

Place blue painter's tape very close to the gap on each side. It doesn't have to be perfect. Work in small sections until you get a feel for the process.

Using your fingers, fill the gap with painter's caulk (not wood putty or wood filler).

I selected a latex painter's caulk with silicone so the material will stay pliable over the years - it's not supposed to dry out, crack back open, or flake off over time. You can buy the caulk in a toothpaste-style tube with a lid, or a traditional caulk tube and caulk gun.

I chose the toothpaste tube version. I got mine readily available off the rack at Menards.

Carefully remove the blue tape when you are done caulking the section. Don't wait for the caulk to dry. You won't mess up your work. Move on to the next section.

The frame is done and ready to paint when the caulk is dry.

The Painter Guy explained the blue tape may seem tedious and not necessary, but it's much faster in the long run. You will have no cleanup after the caulk is in. I tried a couple sections without blue tape, and the Painter Guy was right. Just tape it. Trust me.

I have not painted the frames I've filled; however, that's on the docket for more reasons than the caulked gaps.

I have 13 windows in my house and they all have gaps to fill. I haven't counted door frames, but they need filling too. I'll make my way around the house and get it done over time. It's going to take a while. If you know me, you know I can't ever be done until every little gap is filled. The Devil is in the details, as they say.

Thank you Painter Guy from about 12 years ago! I don't remember where we were when we talked, but I finally got to use the information you shared.

I have not been compensated in any way for mentioning, using, or commenting on products, services, locations, etc. Everything I've posted here is at my own expense and free will.

SERIES - Decorating The Kitchen

2010-01-27T18:48:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the first in a series of how I've decorated and evolved my rooms by referencing photos. I know this may not be a conventional way of decorating; however, it's my way and it's working for me. I hope others can get some ideas and inspiration from this method. The first room is the KITCHEN!

I have an obsession with keeping my kitchen very, very...VERY clean (as in sanitized). I need to have clear spaces and complete access so I can clean it regularly. I really enjoy decor items within my house, but when it comes to my kitchen, I want things to be utilitarian, simple, and bare-bones. Extra things in my kitchen are not allowed.

My entire adult life, if a stranger were to look at my past kitchens...they may think no one lived there due to lack of things or decor. I'm working very hard to find a balancing point where I'm happy that everything is clear & accessible for sanitizing...yet it still has some warmth and appeal.

Here's the progression over time:

2008 - A couple weeks after I moved in. No decorating yet. In my perfect world, I would like to have clear counters all the time...just like this...so I can clean and disinfect without obstructions. However, I really don't want to live in a spartan, echoey kitchen.

2009 - Photos are approximately 1 year after I moved in. I had started adding objects on top of the cabinets and the counters. It was after taking these 2009 photos where I decided I should pay more attention to balance, color, and general aesthetics.

2010 (today) - As I studied the above 2009 photos, I made some purposeful changes based on things that looked unappealing in one way or another. Below is a list of what (in my opinion) looked wrong in 2009 and how I've addressed them so far:

The 2009 oval red rug looked and felt fine in real life, but came across as silly in the photos. I felt I was going in the right direction by having a contrasting color rug against the white floor, but any rug needed to fit more squared and secured into the space. I selected a rectangle rug...still heavy in red. It anchors the floor to the rest of the kitchen and it looks & feels much better than the oval. I would have never considered my rug was weird until I saw a photo.
I needed to edit the objects above the cabinetry because I was proceeding without a plan...and it looked that way once I saw a picture. I decided to go with a theme I named "Plants Accented with Wicker and Bottles". This space is a work-in-progress, but I now have a plan, and it's not as random as it was in 2009.
Aside from having a red rug, the room was generally lacking color. Again, I didn't notice that until I saw photos. I decided to add more red accessories, but was very careful that the accessories were FIRST AND FOREMOST useful kitchen objects instead of decor objects. I changed my teapot from stainless to red. I added a red tea towel to the oven door. I set a little red flowerpot on my window sill.
When reviewing photos, I decided the wood cabinetry dominated my little kitchen. I removed the doors on the useless little cabinets above my stove and refrigerator, and made them into display shelves. I gathered all my cookbooks from the living room and moved them into the kitchen where they belong! I emptied an entire drawer of cloth napkins and now keep them rolled up in a cute basket displayed above the stove. These changes have organized my kitchen in a better way, added more color, and didn't require adding decorating thing-a-ma-jigs!

So far, I'm really happy I took the time to study kitchen pictures and identify my problem areas. I'm most happy with the fact that my changes have not added clutter, and I can still get in there and clean, clean, clean!

I have future changes I'm considering; however, those changes are classified as renovations & not decorating or tweaking.

Do you take photos of your kitchen and do you study them?

Have you done tweaking in your kitchen and you'd like to share? I'm very open to posting pictures from readers, or having Special Guest Posts.

Do you have any special needs or wants (or OCD issues) in your kitchen which you were able to achieve solutions with simple decor or re-organization?

Turning A Useless Closet Into A Shelving Unit

2010-01-24T16:08:00.003-06:00

Today I turned a small useless closet into a wonderful shelving unit. This closet is in our Computer Room, and has been on my To-Do List since the day we moved in.

The closet is only 24 inches wide and 21 inches deep with no door. It had two miniature shelves and a clothes rod installed. I store miscellaneous office stuff in the closet, and hung a curtain panel on the clothes rod to cover up the eyesore.

The third picture below shows you the view I have when I'm sitting on my couch watching tv. I'm looking right into the room and looking directly at that disheveled closet. That view is the primary motivator for getting this closet put together.

BEFORE:

DURING:
I measured carefully, went to the store, and figured out what supplies I needed. I purchased 3/4 inch MDF board which was already white so I didn't have to paint. I only spent $19.00 on the boards, which was about half of what I was expecting!

At home I measured some more, thought about it a while, measured again, and discovered the walls were not straight.

My brain got a little stuck because I couldn't make exact cuts. I decided I was not going to be accurate without my quilting rulers. Once I tossed the tape measure and got into quilt-cutting mode, I figured out how to proceed.

AFTER:
If you were to inspect the inside edges of the shelves looking for perfection...you won't find it. Fortunately, everything fit just fine and the entire process went extremely well. The shelves are level, evenly spaced, and secure.

I put everything back into the closet plus a few more things.

This entire project took me 4 hours, including driving to the store and back. If I would have known this project was so quick, I would have done this long ago.

The next part of this project is to find nice storage baskets and set it up to make everything look nice. Even without cute storage baskets, I'm happy. It's better than it was.

Baking Bread At Home

2010-01-24T04:05:00.000-06:00

I have wanted to commit to baking my own bread for about a year now. NO STORE-BOUGHT BREAD! The truth is baking yeast bread by hand is a lot of work. I know how to do it. It's no problem making a couple loaves when I've got free time.

I don't have the time to bake bread on any regular basis.
I am not willing to give up time from my kid, my housework, or hobbies to make time for baking bread.

There is no shame in getting a fancy bread machine and then proclaiming you bake all your bread at home.

I bake my own bread at home using the Breadman TR875!

The photo shows my new machine and the first loaf of white bread I made one week ago. I've made a total of 3 loaves now, and will be making a loaf of cinnamon-raisin bread tomorrow.

I've never had or used a bread machine before, nor have I watched one in action. It takes about 5 minutes to put the ingredients in the machine and turn it on. A few hours later, you have a loaf of yummy, yeasty, risen bread.

Now for the money-savings:
The bread machine cost me $97 and change (round up to $98.00).
The bread I usually buy in the store costs me $2.50 + tax.

I wrote down the cost of my bread supplies and broke it down. It costs me $0.99 to make a loaf of white bread in the bread machine. The major costs in a loaf of bread are the flour and yeast. The water, salt, and sugar are miniscule and calculate out to only fractions of pennies.

I figure I will have to bake 65 loaves of bread and the money I saved will have paid off the machine. The 66th loaf and more will be money saved in the bank.

Let's just hope the bread machine is tough and will actually make 65 loaves of bread before it breaks down.

I have not been compensated in any way for mentioning, using, or commenting on the product. Everything I've posted here is at my own expense and free will.

UPCOMING SERIES - Decorating The House

2010-01-23T08:48:00.020-06:00

It's crazy how a photograph of a room or space can have a completely different look & feel than that of real life.

Once I think I have a room or space decorated well and it's got a good vibe, I like to situate everything just right, and start taking pictures. I am always amazed at how many little things in the pictures look wrong, off balance, or just plain weird despite how right it felt before I turned on the camera.

I have been decorating my house over the past 1½ years using this photography method. I'm not a decorator, and I don't know what the decorating rules are. I know what I like and what I don't like.

I also know I have a lot of fun tweaking my own cozy little space, and love the surprises I find when I can look at pictures and critique myself as an outsider.

I am making a series out of this topic. I will show the progression of my decorating over the time I've lived here, and discuss how I changed things based on pictures. I'm hoping this topic will be interesting enough that everyone will leave comments about their own rooms & houses, personal decorating styles & tastes, and general discussion.

The first room I plan to feature in this series will be my kitchen. Stay tuned!

RECIPE - Homemade Chocolate Syrup

2010-01-10T12:57:00.015-06:00

Ava NEEDS her chocolate milk.

When I came home from the store today and realized I forgot to include Chocolate Syrup to the grocery list, I freaked. We are down to the final drips in her current syrup bottle. This is something I would have gone back to the store for.

I searched around on the internet and found several recipes for making your own.

I'd give credit to the site I found the recipe, but I didn't save the link. To be honest, most of the recipes are the same, so if you were to search on your own, you'd find the same thing almost everywhere.

I made this and am giving it the thumbs up! It's super-yummy chocolate syrup! Use it for chocolate milk, an ice cream topping, etc. It took about 10 minutes on the stove. It would take probably an hour to cool, but I set it outside in the frigid temps and it was cool in 10 minutes.

There are only 5 ingredients to this, as opposed to the store bought kind. The brand I've been buying has 11 ingredients - 6 of which I cannot pronounce.

Here's the version I made:

Homemade Chocolate Syrup
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt together in a saucepan.

Add the cold water to the dry ingredients, turn the stove top to medium, and whisk. Keep whisking until smooth.

Let the mix heat up slowly to boiling, leaving the heat at medium. Keeping an eye on it, continue periodically whisking.

When the mix reaches a slow boil, whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes and remove from the heat.

Let cool to room temperature. Add the vanilla and whisk that in.

Decant into a container...preferably a squeeze bottle. I washed the squeeze bottle we already had, pulled the label off, and I will continue reuse that.

Makes about 1½ cups of syrup, and is supposed to last 4 months in the refrigerator.

Perfecto. Saved me a second trip to the store, and will save me a few dollars down the road!

Containing Kitchen Scraps For Compost

2010-01-10T05:29:00.008-06:00

I love to compost & have been doing it with enthusiasm for about 8 years. I still like to read about composting, and love finding pictures on the web of other people's piles, bins, and general setup. When the snow melts, I'll post up my own.

For this post, I want to talk about saving kitchen scraps.

I learned of the many kitchen composters available for purchase. These containers are meant to sit on the counter and give you the convenience of adding kitchen scraps over the course of a week or two...so you don't have to make the hike to your pile every day.

I think that's a great idea. I save my food scraps, and as much as I'm dedicated to my composting, I don't want to walk out to the pile everyday either.

You can buy crocks, pails, and buckets in various sizes, colors, and styles to go with any kitchen decor. The prices generally range from $30.00 to $100.00. That's a lot of money.

From what I've read, the problem with kitchen composters is the odor. To combat this, the composters come equipped with charcoal filters, biodegradable liner bags, or wood/paper shavings for layering and absorption. Of course the filters, bio-bags, and other additives have to be purchased and replaced. $$$More money$$$.

I will not spend money and continually invest in supplies to keep kitchen scraps for the compost pile. Here is my alternative:

Put your kitchen scraps in a lidded container and keep it in the refrigerator until it's full or you're ready to dump. No odor. Simple as that. I am amazed with all the research and casual reading I do on this topic, I've never come across the idea or option to just refrigerate.

A second option is the freezer. The only problem with the freezer is if you have a higher water content (like coffee grounds), you may have to let the contents thaw before dumping depending on the shape of container.

I use a plastic-lidded coffee container. I add something to it almost every day. The contents of my container right now are just coffee grounds. After I dump the contents, I simply rinse the container well and put it back in the refrigerator. Occasionally I may give it a good scrub, but if it's getting to the point where I need to do too much washing, I toss it in my recycle bin and get a clean container. I find I need to change out my container once every 1-1½ years.

I keep a container or two 'on deck' because I use the containers for other things besides composting (painting, garage & outdoor projects, crayon storage, etc.).

Composting is a natural and beneficial process to the eco-system. Decomposition occurs 24/7 without human intervention or investment. If people want to spend money on the kitchen composters, I have no opposition to it. Fortunately, there are other FREE options.

Pink Fuzzy Scarf

2010-01-03T11:03:00.005-06:00

I finally finished knitting the pink fuzzy scarf for Ava. She has been very patient in getting this scarf, as I have been knitting other things. I decided to finish it up this morning.

1. Ava is wearing a summer sundress while it's January and -4 degrees outside.
2. Ava is wearing some crazy stripey tights with the sundress.
3. She loves her scarf and has been wearing this outfit all morning.
4. I'm glad to be done knitting the scarf, and she is glad to start wearing the scarf.

Snow Ice Cream

2010-01-02T10:50:00.010-06:00

Ava and I made Snow Ice Cream today. Here's the recipe:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups loose/unpacked snow in a large bowl

Mix together the milk, sugar, and vanilla until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Pour the liquid into the snow. Stir quickly until the mixture smooths up. You'll know when it's ready. After I had the milk-sugar mix ready to go, mixing it with the snow only took about 20 seconds.

Serve immediately.

I've never had this before, but I've heard many people say it's a staple winter-time treat. I've also seen this recipe done with sweetened condensed milk.

Ava liked it and ate most of her bowl.

Personally, I find milk to be the most revolting thing on the planet. I didn't taste it.

Mending My Bedsheet

2009-12-27T09:09:00.006-06:00

About a month ago I discovered 2 holes in my (favorite, expensive, high thread count) fitted bed sheet. Something must have happened in the washing machine...that's all I can figure.

I should have mended the holes when I discovered them, but I didn't. I used & washed them a few times, and observed the holes getting bigger and bigger.

This morning I got out the sewing machine and went to work.

I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew I had to actually replace some of the ripped & missing sheet fabric, and not let anything fray. It's not perfect, but it's not bad for having no clue on how patching is done.

Here's how I did it:

I found some remant fabric from a quitling project, and cut a square of fabric a little larger than the hole in the sheet. I zig-zagged a hem on the square patch so the patch edges will not fray.
I then zig-zagged the square patch onto the sheet...directly over the hole.
I took scissors and cut away the frayed edges on the bedsheet hole so I had clean edges left.
I went back and zig-zagged the edges of the bedsheet hole directly onto the patch.

Out of laziness, I didn't change the colored thread which was already in the sewing machine.

Part of me wishes I would have taken the time to change the thread to white, but the other part of me thinks the patches are kind of neat. I can admire my handiwork for years to come. Investing in a new set of (favorite, expensive, high thread count) sheets is not on my list anymore.

Knitting In-Progress - Red Cabled Afghan

2009-12-26T10:49:00.004-06:00

I've carried a ton of this cheap red yard around with me for years, and decided I either need to throw it away or make something so I can be done with it.

I found a nice afghan pattern for just the right amount of yarn.

I'm making this afghan on straight needles, and there are 206 stitches on the needle. For the non-knitters out there, that's about double the stitches to where it gets uncomfortable. In order to take this picture, I had to knit half a row so the stitches are distributed on 2 needles. That allowed me to spread it out a bit to see what it looks like. It's still very bunched up in this photo, but it's coming along.

According to the pattern, the final size should be about 34 inches x 46 inches.

Even with packed-on stitches, it's going fine. The pattern suggests using circular needles to accommodate of the size, but I've tried circulars in the past and don't like them for many reasons.

I finally have enough knitted to where I can see what the cable pattern looks like. I'm liking it. I'm having fun with it. I'll post again when it's done.

Have A Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T09:18:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

Ava woke at her normal 5:30am and immediately ran to the living room to see if Santa stopped by.

To make a long story short, everything was torn apart and in shambles within 15 minutes.

I remember last year when she was 3 yrs old, it took about 2 hours to get everything unwrapped. She had this level of hesitancy and needed permission to move forward. Not this year!

Her favorite surprises from Santa: "My Cuddlin Kitty", Bendaroos, and an EZ Bake Oven.

Actually, she is playing with everything at the same time. I'm just staying out of her way.

We are hoping your Christmas Morning is a crazy mess just like ours!

Hurry Up Santa!

2009-12-24T18:30:00.009-06:00

It's Christmas Eve! Come on Santa!

I considered cooking something traditional and memorable for Christmas Eve Dinner, but the truth is we are not complicated people and the grand cooking ideas seemed a little more than necessary.

I cooked up a special batch of 'Pigs In A Blanket' and we shared a bowl of ketchup for dipping. We drank Diet Rite pop in pretty wine glasses. Ava finished off an almost-empty bag of Twizzlers for dessert.

Turns out, the meal was exactly the right thing. It was fun, easy, and little cleanup.

After dinner, we ran around the house and chased each other to Christmas music.

As the evening progressed, we baked cookies, poured white milk, and set it all up for Santa.

She is ready. We are ready. It's not even 8:00pm, and she's asleep in bed. Hurry up, Santa!

The Slouchy Beret On My Head

2009-12-24T13:38:00.005-06:00

By request, here are some photos of the recent hat I knitted...on my own head. Please consider the fact I took these pictures of myself, by myself. There is nothing nice about the photography or lighting.

Click on the images to enlarge.

First image: Worn in the down position, beret-style slouched and smashed down.

Second image: Worn with a band folded up...Alcatraz-style!

Third image: Worn folded at the top, tucked under and fluffed at the bottom.

As it turns out, I love this hat so much, I bought more yarn to make more of these hats. Soon, I will have one in a darker mossy green, and one in an eggplant purple. I think I may incorporate some cables and curves into the future styles, but knowing me, I won't have an exact game plan until the yarn is on the needles.

I Knitted A Slouchy Beret Hat

2009-12-16T06:27:00.002-06:00

I don't wear winter hats in public unless it's bitter cold. I've mostly owned traditional stocking hats for warmth and not fashion. Every time I put on my winter hat, I look as if I'm out in the prison yard in Escape From Alcatraz.

I realized I need a hat which better suits the shape of my face. After some research, I came to the conclusion that a beret-style hat worn in a slouchy way may be a good choice.

I studied pictures of hats in the general shape I was going for. I read through a few knitting patterns to see how the shape is made. I selected a yummy soft brown yarn, and started knitting.

This hat took me a couple times to get it right. I ended up using concepts from a couple different patterns, and made my own thing.

It turned out nice, and can be worn in 4 different ways:

Look #1: The first picture above shows the hat flattened on it's side, and can be worn as a stocking hat just as you see it. It has some space so it doesn't fit tight around the head. It has a little height at the crown so it makes the head shape not so severe.

Look #2: The second picture above, you can put it on as a stocking cap flat on the crown and fold up Alcatraz style. The bulkiness of the fold and wide ribbing I kept throughout the hat are more interesting than a plain stockinette hat with a ribbed band. You can adjust how wide or thin you want to fold up, and it looks really neat folded high on the forehead and only slightly folded at the base of the neck.

Look #3: The above two pictures show how the hat lays and folds in the standard french beret style. Just put on the hat and arrange your slouch. Ooh La La!

Look #4: Put the hat on french beret style, then pull the back bottom down to the base of your head so only the forehead crease flattens. You can then fluff and arrange the side and lower creases so it slouches down low around the sides and back of the neck...kind of like fluffing your hair.

I like the hat and have worn it in public several times now. I would do a few things differently if I make another one. Fortunately, I made notes of my pattern as I went, so I can work up another one without having to re-think the process.

Santa Came Early - A New Furnace Part

2009-12-15T15:04:00.006-06:00

After discovering my furnace wasn't firing up last night, and concluding this morning it wasn't going to fix itself (it has worked out a couple of its own glitches in the past), I called the furnace people. It was about 18 degrees outside today and not something I could put off.

After most of the day working the problem, I was just presented with...(say this out loud with child-like enthusiasm)...

A Brand New SP845 Ignition Control Module!!!!!!

Oh. Yeah. Baby.

The part in the photo is actually the broken one. The new piece is installed and creating wonderful warmth for me right now. It got down to 49 degrees in my house as of 20 minutes ago, and hopefully I can take my coat and hat off in the next hour.

My furnace was new in 1989. It is theoretically at the end of it's life expectancy. It's older than any non-furnace person had estimated it to be.

The furnace guy told me it still has life in it. He said (aside from the unexpected) it should run fine for a solid 2-3 years before I may want to weigh my options on whether a new furnace is better than service calls & replacement parts here and there.

I guess I have something to save for again. Right now, I'm happy for heat.

More Knitted Mittens For Ava

2009-12-14T06:01:00.002-06:00

After knitting Ava's first set of mittens, I decided I wanted to knit her a second pair in yarn more appropriate for winter, and would make for a nicer final product.

Staying with Ava's love for everything pink, I selected a solid electric pink. It's very soft and fuzzy.

I knitted the mittens and had plenty of yarn left over.

I'm in the process of making a scarf, but as you can see in the photo, I'm out of yarn after knitting up 20 inches. I considered ripping out the scarf and re-knitting it with larger needles, but I'm now thinking it will be easier and faster to go buy another ball of yarn and finish what I started.

I was just playing around and made up the scarf pattern on my own. I guess I should have thought through the needle sizes before I started.

Donuts Taught Me To Be A Better Parent

2009-12-13T07:34:00.010-06:00

A few weeks ago on a random day, in the thick of house cleaning, cooking, and other multi-tasked duties, Ava approached me and asked if she could have a donut.

I stopped what I was doing, calmed my voice, and said "Of course". I opened the box and held it in front of her so she could help herself.

Ava stared into the box, poked at several donuts, thought about it, and poked some more.

I looked around the room at the food cooking on the stove, shoes lying in the middle of the floor, Kitty Sue circling & rubbing us needing her tail petted, remembering I left my cell phone in the car, and so forth.

Ava slowly and silently continued to deliberate her options.

Though I didn't say it out loud, my brain was spewing urgent thoughts:
"Come on...just pick one. Decide. It doesn't matter. They're all are the same!!!!"

At that moment, my brain flashed back to when I was a kid. I realized in a split second that to Ava, every donut in that box was unique from every other one. Some are slightly bigger than others, some have better powdered sugar, some have dents...and selecting the perfect donut was the most satisfying and important decision she had to make in the moment.

I remembered and felt the childhood victory of hand-picking the most perfect and special object I could. My multi-tasking brain immediately calmed and I said, "They all look different, don't they?"

Ava looked up at me and said, "Yeah, which one should I pick?"

I slid the food off the stove and we stood there for a minute talking about the donuts. She finally picked "the one", walked to the living room, and proceeded to rummage through her DVD's for the most perfect movie to enjoy while eating her donut.

That day, a box of donuts taught me to slow down and be a better parent.

'Autumn Brilliance' Fern

2009-12-13T06:03:00.009-06:00

I'm not a fern collector, but I'd like to be. I've only grown 2 types of ferns in my years...so it takes very little to fascinate and impress me when I learn about and grow new plants.

In 2009, I purchased two Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance' ferns. Common slang are: 'Autumn Fern', 'Brilliance Fern', or 'Japanese Shield Fern'.

My research on the plant continually referred to it being evergreen. I had a hard time visualizing or believing a fern could be evergreen...but as I stated above...I don't have a history with many ferns.

Here are photos of one I took just the other day:

Guess what?!?!?!? It's mid-December in Illinois. We've had several frosts, snow, ice, and a few days of almost Zero-degree temperatures. It's evergreen!

The fronds are not deformed or mushy. The plant is still bushy. Most perennials die off and leave you with nothing to look at or add form to the garden in the winter months.

For some reason, I never believed this would be true. I'm inpressed. I bought & planted my ferns in June 2009, so I'm looking forward to the new spring growth.

AND...get this: The new growth is bright coppery-rust colored, and turns green over time. I had a few of the gorgeous coppery fronds last season and they were phenomenal. I can't wait for spring to see how it grows after it's been in the ground for a year.

So far, this plant is a keeper!

I Knitted Ava Some Mittens

2009-12-12T19:25:00.007-06:00

I've had the urge to knit recently, so I started my own special Mommy-Mitten project right after Thanksgiving. I'm writing the pattern, so it takes a while to document everything, make revisions, rip out, and tweak.

Ava got a little jealous and nagged me for 'Ava Mittens' until I gave in. We we went to the store and I let her pick out whatever yarn she wanted.

As expected, the bright pink & white multi-color yarn caught her eye immediately. Unfortunately, the yarn she selected is 100% cotton, and...in my opinion...is not appropriate mitten yarn, and better left for lightweight spring/summer sweaters.

I'll be honest here...I HATE multi-striped yarn and vowed years ago I would never EVER buy or use this type of yarn for any project...no matter what.

I bought the yarn and made her mittens. They are a little big on her right now. Her hand is still smaller than a size 'Small' for children.

Ava has worn them to daycare several times and has shown them off. She talks about how she loves the colors. {{Cringe}}.

Here is a photo of Ava modeling her new mittens. I still have a decent amount of yarn left, but not enough to make a scarf. Maybe I'll work up a matching hat some time.

Memories Of Santa...For A Fee

2009-12-05T14:56:00.010-06:00

Unfortunately, the simple days of setting your kid on Santa's lap and snapping a quick, awkward, blurry photo for your album are over.

We were welcomed by the following great big sign right at face level. It really warmed my holiday spirit.

As of right now, you don't have to pay to sit on Santa's lap, but if you want any kind of photo, you have to pay the photographer. Last year, they allowed cameras and taking your own pictures as long as you didn't stop the flow of traffic.

Actually, I remember last year they ENCOURAGED me to take my own photos, and if I wanted the professional photos, it would be up to me. I didn't bring my camera with me that day, so I ended up spending $24 for 2 copies of a Santa picture which wasn't that cute.

As it worked out today, Ava decided to look at Santa from a distance. She said she wasn't ready and her list wasn't done. We will go back another time.

We walked around the holiday display.

We stopped and looked at the big christmas tree which was up when we were at the mall for trick-or-treating.

We discussed why there was "snow" inside the building on the display, but no snow outside on the ground.

She wanted to pet the penguins.

It appears this story will be continued.

Outdoor Christmas Decorations

2009-11-30T06:01:00.001-06:00

I took some time this weekend to set up the outdoor Christmas decorations.

Last year, I attached icicle lights across the gutters and hung a red sparkly glitter wreath on the front door. The wreath was great...but the lights were disappointing on several levels. You will find a picture HERE...and take note...that blog entry discusses 4 inches of snow that fell 1 year ago today!

This year I've decided to keep it simple. I definitely wanted a few outdoor lights, but mainly keep the decorations simple and easy. No ladders. Minimal electrical cords.

A wreath with a simple red bow hangs at each front window.
Several small lit Christmas trees line the steps to the front door. I stuck them in my flowerpots!
A 1940's snow sled propped up on an old bench greets visitors at the door.

That's about it. Here's a close-up of that sled:

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-29T11:51:00.010-06:00

Thanksgiving for 2009 has come and gone. We had family, turkey, and everything that goes along with the traditions.

We had a couple kid-related highlights for the day:

JAMMIES
Grandma dressed Amy and Ava in matching jammies after the meal. The girls spent the day in the jammies, and rode home in them.

MUSIC
Amy and Adriana have been taking violin lessons, and put on a show for everyone.

Adriana played a little, but let Amy take center stage.

Amy played 3 or 4 songs. My favorite was Jingle Bells.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving like we did.

Is it Christmas yet?

Fondue For Two

2009-11-07T17:21:00.005-06:00

I've been thinking lately that making fondue would be a really fun thing for Ava and me; however, looking at the fondue sets out there, I decided No.

I really dislike bulky and gadgety kitchen appliances, but even more important...the average size fondue pot out there is THREE QUARTS! Are you kidding me? Three quarts of melted chocolate or cheese??? Average price point is $30-$40.

By chance, Ava and I were strolling through the holiday section and Target, and came across a little "Fondue For 2" set. It's a little glass bowl with a built in alcove for a tea light at the bottom. It came with 2 sticks. $$Ten bucks$$!

Tonight, I made a concoction of a little butter, milk, and chocolate chips on the stove. I poured it into the bowl and lit a tea light.

Perfect! The bowl is small enough the tea light gives off more than enough heat to keep the chocolate melted...in fact, it was bubbling away just with the tea light heat. We ate apples and marshmallows. It was plenty for just us.

We double-dipped. We lost apple bits on the bottom. Ava wore her swimsuit for the occasion. We made a mess. It was super-fun, and I'll definitely try a kid-friendly cheese fondue soon.

How I Learned To Love Ditch Lilies

2009-11-01T05:16:00.021-06:00

The first summer I lived in this little house, I turned my nose up at the Ditch Lilies growing next to my garage. I had the preconceived idea these were junk plants found in mass around decrepit farmhouses and depressed properties.

The patch produced only 7 flower stalks in 2008 likely due to too much shade (photo left at peak bloom time). I left them in-place because there was nothing here (or anywhere on the property) for nice landscaping or plants. They were better than nothing, and that was the best thing I could say about them.

My plant research over the years had been isolated to the modern daylily hybrids with neat compact foliage and endless choices of flower colors & sizes to complement whatever pallette and vision your brain could imagine.

One of my first jobs on the 2009 To-Do List was "dig and remove the ditch lilies", and I tossed around ideas for what to do with the future reclaimed space.

In 2009, my time and effort went to clearing the woods. As the season progressed, I watched the lily patch come to life and kept reminding myself to get those dug when I found time.

I live a block off of a historical district, and took Ava on frequent walks through the area looking at the gardens. I started noticing old ditch lilies all over the place. The properties ooze of old character, and I noticed even the grandest gardens had space dedicated to ditch lilies. These large established patches would never be purposely planted on any property constructed in the last 30 years.

As the 2009 blooming season arrived and more sun from my tree-chopping efforts hit the lily patch (left photo), my attitude of 'dig them' changed to an incontestable "I'm keeping them".

The grassy foliage grew full and lush. The flower stalks went from spartan to hardy and heroic. I decided to keep them contained and work with them.

I have expanded this planting bed quite a bit since this picture was taken and love their presence. In fact, everything I've planted since this picture is purposely placed based on height, color, and bloom time in relation to the lily. The expansion will continue in 2010.

So, to set the record (and myself) straight, the ditch lily has a name. It's called 'Tiger Lily', and 'Common Orange Daylily'. It's proper name is Hemerocallis fulva. It's welcome in my garden and I'm glad to have it.

A Pink Police Girl

2009-10-31T18:47:00.009-05:00

Trick-or-Treating for 2009 has come and gone.

Ava was a Pink Police Girl. The costume Ava selected is actually a little Go-Go Dancer dress, but she interpreted it as a police officer...so...okay...I can see the resemblance. I bought her a police badge for the outfit, and it worked out quite well.

We went to the mall for trick-or-treating. It's climate controlled, smooth terrain, and mostly little kids.

We made our way around, and Ava was definitely ready to leave by the time we got done.

The night was pretty straightforward. The one thing which struck me as odd...see below. I took a picture of Ava at Halloween standing in front of a big Christmas tree going up at the mall. Notice the holiday decor hanging from the ceiling as well.

And, you can't be in Bloomington, Illinois without enjoying the locally made favorite...Beer Nuts. They just opened a spot in the mall for the holidays, so out of the bazillion photos I took of Ava trick-or-treating (same photo, different storefront), here is Beer Nuts.

We had fun.

Our Front Door For Halloween

2009-10-28T18:03:00.004-05:00

Last year I didn't do anything special for the front door at Halloween. I had 4 pumpkins which got eaten by squirrels.

This year (because I have a new door and it's cute now) I found some neat spooky props to display with this year's pumpkins...a vulture and a black cat. I really like how they look. I will use them again next year and expand on the theme.

The Halloween Cake

2009-10-27T09:57:00.005-05:00

Over the weekend, Ava and I made a Halloween Cake. I try to make some sort of festive cake or cookies for the various appropriate holidays. I had some big cake ideas but Ava made it clear she didn't want spookies in the house.

I quickly formed Plan B which consisted of white frosting with black, orange, and purple sprinkles. Exciting, huh? Festive sprinkles are always the perfect backup plan. I recommend stocking up as the holidays come and go.

The reality of the holiday cake is that Ava doesn't want to eat cake...she just wants to help make it and lick the frosting. Never fails. Anyone want to come over for cake? There's plenty.

Back Porch Planting Bed

2009-10-26T08:46:00.013-05:00

I never formally told the story of the new back porch planting bed I made this summer. I was busy.

The area started out with nothing...just thin grass. My vision was (and still is) to have a place to display my most coveted hostas right outside my back door. I also wanted to create a peaceful shady area to see up close while sitting on the back porch.

The BEFORE is not exactly before, but you get the idea. I had already started at the back corner with a nice big potbound 'Guacamole' hosta I rescued from the nursery. I had that planted before I realized I'd better take a picture.

Fortunately, the grass was thin with a weak root system, so I was able to dig the sod without much effort.

I already had the idea and spacing in my head before I started, so instead of digging the bed and adding plants later...I dug and planted as I made my way along the porch. I "free-handed" the planting bed curves and placed the plants as they felt right, leaving room for the plants I still had in my head.

I dug the new curve around the corner to line up with the brick path and the new grass strip I'd recently planted. It is lined up correctly now, but wasn't 100% when I took this picture. The new grass is the lighter green strip along the bricks.

As I continue to make changes around the house, I've concluded the black garbage can I use for a rainbarrel is not attractive. There is no gutter system on the back porch, and that corner is where I get a nice amount of roof run-off...so, it's useful and practical. It's not pretty. A shrub will replace the rainbarrel next year.

I will be installing gutters in 2010, and build a proper rainbarrel system, re-directing the water to a more discreet location in proper bins. That should be interesting.

The Plant List:
Hosta Guacamole
Autumn Brilliance fern
Hosta Dream Queen
Hosta Abiqua Drinking Gourd
Hosta Bright Lights
3 Boxwood 'Green Mountain' (because they can supposedly take more shade)
Hosta Dick Ward
Hosta Thunderbolt
Hosta Abiqua Moonbeam
Hosta Liberty (RIP Papou...this is for you)

Leaf Jumping

2009-10-25T15:25:00.009-05:00

A couple posts ago I mentioned I would rake more leaves for Ava to jump in before I shredded.

Today was the day. We both got up ridiculously early (3am for me, and 4am for Ava), so by the time the sun came up, we were driving each other nuts. I suggested we go outside, rake, and leaf jump.

Around 7:30am, we were dressed and out raking.

It took me about an hour to rake the clearing. Normally, it wouldn't take that long, but Ava helped, we played & messed around, took breaks, and talked about leaves.

Once the pile was ready, Ava jumped, ran, and threw everything around. Her favorite thing to do was bury herself and pretend she was Snow White. I was the Prince, had to find her, and perform various rescues.

It was a fun morning. Ava is napping. Everything is already shredded and applied to planting beds.

I just wish I looked that cute in a hat!

RECIPE - Baked Ravioli

2009-10-20T06:14:00.001-05:00

An easy and yummy recipe for the colder evenings...

Baked Ravioli
1 12-oz package frozen cheese ravioli
1 lb ground pork or italian sausage
½ cup chopped onion
1 26-oz can or jar spaghetti sauce
1 can mushrooms
A few handfuls shredded cheese

Brown the meat and onion. Add the spaghetti sauce and mushrooms to the meat mix.

Cook the ravioli according to the package directions.

Put a very thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish...just enough to prevent sticking.

Put half the ravioli in the dish. Layer with half the meat sauce, and shredded cheese.

Repeat with ravioli, sauce, and cheese.

Cover, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Notes:
Frozen cheese tortellini works just as well.

Definitely use ground pork or sausage. Ground beef is a little bland.

Make your meat sauce mix however you want. Remember pork sausage is pretty salty...and so is store-bought spaghetti sauce. I don't recommend adding salt.

The ravioli dries out and sticks together within about a minute of draining them. Get all your ingredient and supplies ready & set out, and the ravioli is the last thing you tend to before assembly.

Cozy Leaf Mulch For Winter

2009-10-19T05:54:00.001-05:00

It's been raining for what seems like weeks.

I got in the yard this weekend and did some serious leaf raking. I ended up with a couple massive piles and got out the leaf shredder. You can read my previous post about Shredded Leaves For Mulch if you haven't already.

I was able to mulch the entire planting bed surrounding my screened porch.

I considered NOT shredding the leaves and relinquishing the pile to Ava for jumping but I need the leaves, I had my rain-free weekend to get some work done, and my number of yard work days is getting limited as the season turns cold.

Have no fear, not even half the leaves have fallen yet, and there will be ample opportunity for leaf jumping.

'Purple Flag' Tulips For Ava

2009-10-18T14:40:00.009-05:00

Fall yard work means planting bulbs. At my last house, I always intended to plant a few bulbs every fall and over time establish some wonderful spring color. I never got to do that, so I'm starting now.

This last spring, Ava was fascinated by tulips. She wanted to touch, smell, and pick them everywhere we went. Several weeks ago while looking at bulbs at the store, I asked Ava to show me which flowers she liked the best.

She liked the purple ones.

I recently bought those bulbs without her knowing. They are called 'Purple Flag'.

Today I planted the tulip bulbs in a little strip between the vegetable box and the brick path.

I pulled back the mulch, packed those bulbs in, replaced the mulch, and sprinkled with fox urine...just to show those squirrels who's in charge.

This area is right next to where I park the car in the driveway, and where her car door is located. Every time we go in or out of the car, these will be directly in front of her. I won't tell her about them. They will come up on their own. She is going to love it.

Halloween Costumes In The Days Of Yore

2009-10-17T09:55:00.008-05:00

Spent some time scanning old photos today and came across a couple which are appropriate for Halloween.

First we have my uncle and my dad on the olden days. Not sure what my uncle is supposed to be, but my dad is Little-Bo-Peep. The Bo-Peep wig is the best!

Second is my brother and me in 1973. I was 4 years old and he was 3. I was a fortune-teller, and my brother was a skeleton of sorts. Do they even make those costumes with the plastic masks anymore?

Painted Toenails

2009-10-04T05:31:00.001-05:00

The newest and best plaything around here is the "Pretty Pedicure Salon". Ava and I saw it in the store at the same time. We both squealed a little, talked about how fun it would be, and agreed we were getting it.

We dropped everything we were doing in the store, and went straight to the checkout.

We talked about doing our toes the whole way home in the car. We got home, changed into jammies, and set up our work area.

The kit came with a lot of accessories. Three polishes, lots of nail stickers & embellishments, files & bufffers, and so forth.

The coolest thing in this set is the inflatable pedicure pool. You blow it up like a water toy, fill it up with water, and soak your feet.

I have never seen an inflatable pedicure pool like this in my life. I'm very girly and consider myself up-to-date with the beauty products and gadgets available. I would have definitely invested in one of these at some point if I'd seen them around.

We took turns soaking in the pool, painted using the brightest pink in the kit, and decorated with hearts, flowers, and jewels. We can be so silly sometimes.

A Washcloth Fits A Standard Swiffer Mop

2009-10-02T05:20:00.000-05:00

About 5 years ago, I had this urge to knit something out of the ordinary. I was searching the web for knitting patterns and came across instructions for knitting a washable, reusable Swiffer cover.

In reading the pattern, my brain started visualizing the assembly and compared the knitted piece to the approximate size of a washcloth.

I immediately got up from the computer, grabbed a washcloth, wrapped it around the Swiffer I never used...because I was tired of buying the cloths.

Eureka!

The washcloth fits perfectly onto the Swiffer.
I had about 30 washcloths specifically for cleaning.
I could spray my floor with whatever cleaning solution I want.
I could Swiffer my floor every day if I wanted to because I wouldn't have to be stingy with the $$Swiffer-brand cloths$$.
I wouldn't have to drag out the mop & bucket every week.

That discovery happened about 5 years ago. I still have that Swiffer. My floors are cleaner than they used to be because washcloth swiffing is FAST and EASY.

The wet Swiffer cloths cost about $6.00 for 12. Yikes! I would easily use up a box of 12 in a month between my kitchen and bathroom.

A bundle of 18 cotton washcloths cost about $4.00.

You can do your own math.