5 Things

There are 5 things I want to accomplish this summer, in no particular order.

1. Go kayaking in Door County. You can rent kayaks, get a quick lesson and paddle through the caves along the peninsula. I saw brochures when I was up there last week, and I've never done it, but it looked fun.
2. Go to a drive-in movie. Again, never did this. There is also one of these still running near Fish Creek.
3. Paint my living room and entrance. My living room walls need a new color and the entrance walls are dirty and need a face lift.
4. Go to Florence. Wisconsin, not Italy. I have not been to the library in Florence, or Niagara, so this would be a good excuse to visit the area. I might be able to convince Brandon to take a road trip with me.
5. Have people over for drinks or host a small party. Enough said.

I Miss My "Pretty Girl"

Tomorrow I get back from Orlando, and I miss Kelly more than I missed my luggage on Tuesday afternoon.

Kelly is staying at my parents' house, and although she is fine and probably very happy, I miss her dearly. I miss her sleeping and trying to snuggle with me at night. I miss her licking my face so I wake up in the morning. I miss her being pesty when I get home from work. I miss getting up from the couch only to find dog hair on my pants. I even miss bundling up at 6 am in the freezing cold temps so I can take her for a walk.

She means the world to me. I can't wait to see her tomorrow.

Vital to My Health

I decided for the month of January I am not going to purchase anything house related unless it is absolutely vital and important to my health and safety. I've been pretty good about keeping my spending in check, but I'm to a point where I have everything I need right now to successfully function.

Last night I did buy a carbon monoxide detector. I had no idea those were like....$30!! At first it seemed a little stiff, but when I thought about it, it seemed like a small price to pay when it's a matter of life and death.

I also purchased a middle-of-the-line humidifier, with "warm mist." My house gets dry and some mornings I wake up with a scratchy throat, so I declared this was also vital and important to my health. There were some that have "cool mist," which I frowned upon. My house is "cool" enough as it is. If I'm going to have any mist lurking around, it's going to be warm!

Now, if I can find a way to justify getting highlights, I will be all set....

O Tannenbaum

I always saw this title in my Christmas piano books, but never knew where it derived. According to Wikipedia, "O Tannenbaum is the German version. How 'bout that?

I always talk about my "ugly" tannenbaum in a box that I've had the last few years. It has a certain appeal, I think, and I got it for a good price at a place that rhymes with Benard's. It's not the flashiest or the prettiest of things, but it works for me.

Dining Room

The Dining Room is starting to come to life. Here is what it looked like.











The border was stripped off, and the walls were primed and painted. The trim was also painted to match the kitchen cupboards. I found a cute table with a wood finish.

Flush Twice

This is the latest and greatest homeowners' advice I received. Who would've thunk it?

Flush twice, I was told. Always flush twice. No matter what. Whether it's a number one or two, flush twice. Whether I use one ply of toilet paper, or enough to make a cast around a bleeding wound, flush twice. It will keep the good water going in a one-person household. And if I have company over, I have to flush several times after everyone leaves. Unless my friends want to flush twice??,.... but I would never insist upon it.

Every "energy /water-saving " site I have ever read says how you should only flush once, and that you lose GALLONS" of water the more you flush. But in my case, the more I flush, the happier I will be. Or, the less I flush, the bigger my sewer-related bills will be. I learned this on Sunday afternoon after a sewer company spent about five hours trying to break the built-up "sludge" in my pipes. We noticed after I moved in that the drain in the basement was slow. The problem had most likely started before I even closed on the place. On Saturday it had had enough.

Luckily, the problem was fixed, there wasn't any damage, the repairmen were nice and very professional, and I didn't lose my sanity. The smell is pretty much gone (thanks to bleach and Glade candles), and I was lucky to stay at a friend's house on Saturday so I could shower and use the other necessary facilities. It was a pain, and not something I exactly wanted to spend money on, but it had to be done. Apparently the owner even showed up in my driveway toward the end, because he likes "challenges." Well, that's fine and dandy and all, but hopefully their next challenge won't be at my expense.

So when in doubt, flush twice. I said to one of the two repairmen, "won't this cost me more in water bills?" He looked me in the eye as he was rinsing away the "sludge" in my basement drain that was now, not plugged, and asked, "would you rather have us back here in a year doing the same thing?"

Good point. Flush on.

Shelves!

These are the insides of the shelves I left open. We painted the insides "blue flower" to bring out the slightly darker color used the dining room.

Kitchen Transformation

It has been really rewarding the last few weeks to see some rooms transform. The first night I slept in the house, my hands were throbbing so bad from all the painting, I couldn't sleep! But it was well worth the time and effort. Enjoy the pics, and please come over soon to see it!

10/23/06: Here is the kitchen on the day I closed. The walls were yellow, burgundy, and with a border in between. The cabinets were black, and the trim on the windows and doors was tan.

My friend Terri (bless her heart) and I spent HOURS scraping off the border and removed the doors later this evening. The insides were multi-colored and had probably not been painted for awhile.









10/26/06: The room is already starting to change! The cabinets needed two coats of primer and paint (swiss coffee). This is one coat. All the trim and baseboard was painted the same color. We used "light blue" on the walls and ceiling.










11/4/06: Almost there! The drawers are in, the final coat of paint is on, the insides scrubbed, repainted and relined with new contact paper, and the dishes are finally unpacked!









11/7/06: Done! My dad and his buddy Joe Kind added the doors last night (when I wasn't even home!). The two end cabinets I'm leaving open to display cookbooks, wine, wine glasses and pictures (Missy's idea).

I LOVE how the kitchen looks. It's so bright and fun! I couldn't have done it without the following people who helped paint or move all my stuff:
Terri, Steph, Kim F, Kevin, Michelle, Dad, Missy, Matuella, Joe, Tera, Kim M, Bobby, Charlie, Jeff.
(PS. Mom was babysitting and did send a kettle of chicken soup for moving day).
THANK YOU!!!!! :)

The house

Home

Clean Your Oven

Take my advice: Clean your oven at least once a year. Maybe twice.
Don't learn the hard way like I did. Don't wait 5+ years.

Last night I was finishing up my apartment cleaning, and I had to do the task I was avoiding the most. Cleaning out the window trays wasn't fun, dusting the blinds was a pain, scrubbing the shower wasn't that pleasant, either, but this was going to be the worst. Most conversations I had about this went like this:


Random person: But it's so easy to clean them with a self-cleaning oven.
Me: I don't have a self-cleaning oven.
Random person: Really? You don't have one?
Me: No.
Random person: But it's still not that bad if you use Easy-off.
Me: I just bought a can.
Random person: You should be fine! Just let it soak really good.
Me: I never cleaned my oven in the five years I lived there.
Random person: Oh...............................................good luck.

I did just that. I sprayed the Easy Off like it was going out of style, let it soak for triple the time recommended on the can, used a scrub brush, used three rags to wipe up the mess, messed up my shirt really bad, but it worked.
Does the oven look better than it did on last week? Absolutely.
Does the oven look as good as when I moved in? Probably not.
Does it look so spotless I could eat off it? Eew...Never.

Do I care? No.

Things I Love: By the Clock

Saturday, 5:30 pm: I can pull right up to my door to haul groceries in the house as opposed to finding a close parking spot and lugging them up the stairs.
Saturday, 6:30 pm: I can play my music as loud as I want without disturbing the "neighbors" on the other side of the wall.
Sunday, 12:30 am: I don't hear cop or fire sirens as I am trying to sleep.
Sunday, 7:30 am: I don't hear semis whizzing by on the street, feeling like they're going to run into my head.
Sunday, 8:30 am: I can sit on my sofa with a cup of coffee and watch people walk their dogs, ride bikes and get geared up for Packer Sunday.
Sunday, 11 am: I can take a walk in my neighborhood and see last-minute ticket goers park on the street, hearing the rumblings from the stadium.
Sunday, 12:30 pm: I can hear the crowd after the Packers score a touchdown.
Sunday, 7 pm: I can watch tv and not smell cigarette smoke from the neighbor below me.
Sunday, 10 pm: I can feel like I made the right decision after coming "home" from cleaning the (what feels like) tiny apartment. :)

Paint and Drills

Wow, the last few days have just flown! We've been priming and painting and removing cabinets and scraping off border like crazy. The colors look so warm and vibrant. I don't mind the paint under my nails or the aches in my neck, hands and shoulders. I had some great help this week from friends and family, so we got a lot done. The house already looks different from the few changes, and it looks great! I think it will be a very happy home, and a place people will enjoy visiting.

I'll be sure to post the "before" and "after" photos when the current painting is completed. It looks so different already!

Today, I'm going to get a coat of paint on all the trim, and the carpets will be cleaned later this afternoon. If a second coat of paint is needed, I'll do it next week. Tomorrow is the big moving day. I think it will go smooth.

New home!

It's official!! I have a new home! Here it is!

The closing yesterday went very smooth.

I'm excited, but scared, and a million things are running through my head - the painting I want to do before the big move, the move itself, cleaning the apartment, the things I need to purchase that I didn't need for the apartment, etc.

But, it's all worth it!

Moving Check List

Done: :)
- Informed bank of new address and ordered new checks
- Called and updated address for heat, water, doctor office, cell carrier, dentist, and credit cards
- Cancelled land line, auto insurance
- Paid and set up new homeowners/auto insurance
- Filled out forwarding address form at post office
- Emailed family and friends
- Packed lots of stuff


To do: :(
- Pick up new checks at bank
- Keep packing
- Get quotes on carpet cleaners and set up time
- Get new license? Do I really have to do this?
- Buy a washer/dryer
- Remind/bribe those helping with the move
- Buy doughnuts/coffee for move day
- Buy a nice bottle of wine for the closing day
- Be wishful that landlord can lease apt. for November
- Select paint samples for kitchen, cabinets and guest bedroom
- Buy more primer to cover up kitchen, cabinets and guest bedroom
- Stay sane, work out and remember to breathe

Five Years Stuffed into Boxes

I really went to town these last few days on starting to pack my belongings. I need to be out of my apartment by Nov. 1st. I put away all the picture frames, candles, stemware, etc. I packed away all the shotglasses I've collected from traveling (I have 82!). The boxes are stacking up higher and higher, and the walls are starting to look as plain as when I moved in. As excited as I am to be into the house, I get a little teary-eyed from time to time. It has been home, and I made it as much of a home as I could.

I'll miss reading out on my balcony during a summer evening while sipping a glass of wine. No more walking to the University grocery store when I decide to make cookies at the 11th hour, and discover I don't have eggs. Walgreens won't be a hop, skip and a jump at the new house. I chuckled as I packed up "apartment-warming" gifts that I received from friends. I loved entertaining friends for parties and family for Packers games. It felt good to come "home" after some long days at work, or after being on vacation. I don't know that I'll have a pesty elderly neighbor lady (who my friends and I refer to as "grandma") watching my every move, but also looking out for me. And as annoying as it was, there was something charming about getting my hand on every quarter I could find so I could do wash at the end of every week.


I know once I am in the house, I'll wonder how I ever lived in an apartment for so long. The rewards of homeownership will be great. And everyone I know who lives in a house is telling me how much I will love it. I believe them, but in the meantime, I want to enjoy this last week or so that I have left on Danz Ave. I don't have to leave in disgust, nor do I want to. After all, I've been there five years. That's five years of life, five years of stuff, five years of memories.

Home Sweet Home

I am becoming a homeowner! After weeks of searching, driving by and looking, my offer was accepted on an adorable Cape Cod on the West side of town. Three bedrooms, basement rec room, nice backyard, deck, French doors off the dining room, big living room, 1.5 baths, nice street, etc. I fell in love with it right away. The inspection went well, and everything is underway.

I think it's crazy, but also very exciting! I would post a photo, but I think I'll wait until the close to do that. :)

If all goes as planned, the close will happen on the 23rd. In the meantime, just staying busy with planning, packing and taking care of logistics!