Keep Out of Direct Sunlight

A house is not necessarily a home

2010-02-03T08:37:49Z

Yes, the blog is still somewhat broken. I haven't put much thought into how to make it pretty. I've been too busy playing Super Mario Brothers Wii with Matt to even think about it.

A discussion with Danielle on the way to our knitting group brought up some interesting thoughts about my house. While Matt and I have lived here for 5 and a half years, it's really hard for me to think of it as a home. The recent work to the kitchen and living room has helped tremendously, yet it still feels cold and boring. Sure, I refer to the house as Grand Central Station, but that doesn't mean it cannot be a warm and inviting place.

I'm slowly coming up with ideas and projects to add character and warmth (expect to see that word a lot) to the house. Something I find to be sorely lacking is texture. Things like shaggy carpets, linen curtains, and glass vases. Variety and character. Handmade things that may not be perfect, but they're mine and I love them.

So, the first step for all of this is to start crafting! I have plans to knit and sew, embroider and paint, plant and tile. But, in keeping with this years theme (simplicity), everything I add to the house must be balanced by the removal of at least 2 similar items. You can have character without having clutter.

It's about time to make this house a home.

Oops!

2010-01-22T05:09:25Z

Crap, I broke the blog. Hopefully you all are reading this via your feed reader, so you can't see the ugly. Tech support is currently sleeping, so this may stay broken for a while.

Simplicity

2010-01-22T04:46:39Z

Happy new year (only 3 weeks late, not too bad for me)! The past 6 months have been pretty busy, with the kitchen remodel turning out to be the project that never ends. What is left to do includes a backsplash for the kitchen (we're waiting on the tile to be in stock), base boards installed, and shelving next to the fireplace. We have no deadline, so we've decided to take things slowly- better for our stress levels and wallets.

This is the time of year that people make resolutions in which they will break by February. So, I've decided not so much make resolutions as to have a theme for the year. This year is about simplicity. My life has become too cluttered, and it's time to simplify things.

Step one: simplify the house. We have a house larger than we really need, and it's filled with junk. Most of said junk is mine. I hold onto things for way too long. I don't need these things to remember. So, throughout the year, we will be going through a major purge. We (and when I say we, I mean me) will systematically go through each room of the house, and remove what is no longer needed. Anything that is in good condition will be donated, anything left that can be recycled will be, and what's leftover will be trashed.

Step two: simplify our budget. We (and again, when I say we, I mean me) have become wasteful in our spending. There are so many things that I buy that I can just as easily make myself for a fraction of the price. I think there needs to be a shift in our priorities.

Things that I will be making as opposed to buying include:

cleaning products
soap
anything I have the ability to sew
canned items (like salsas, soups, jams, jellies, pickles)

So, wish me luck!

Kitchen update

2009-07-26T18:55:13Z

So, here's what's happened so far:

-The kitchen cabinets and countertops have been removed intact. Yes, we desperately wanted to take a sledgehammer to them, but they're going to a new home, and will get a nice new look to them. :) We unintentionally are going green that way.

-The subfloor in the kitchen was 5 LAYERS THICK. There was ceramic tile, then plywood, then peel and stick laminate tiles, then plywood, then the original subfloor. All but the bottom layer had to go.

-The carpet in the main living areas had to go as well. Steam cleaning couldn't get rid of the water damage from the leaky roof (that has since been fixed), so now is the best time to replace. We're going with a 5 inch engineered oak floor. We ordered it last Sunday, and it arrived Friday. It's a little more red than we had anticipated, but that's what you get when you order it sight unseen. We got a good deal, and we like it.

-Once we got the carpet up, we discovered a small amount of black mold around the fireplace. We weren't surprised, again, because of the previous water damage. We picked up this stuff called Concrobium Mold Control at Home Depot- I highly recommend it! It cleaned the mold up, and protects the wood from mold coming back. The best part- it was bleach, ammonia, and VOC free. **end commercial**

What is happening as I type:

-The boys are rerouting a small pipe in order to completely remove the soffit. A good chunk of the drywall on the soffit is gone, and the rest will be down shortly. A recessed light over the sink will be installed, as well as the drywall. Electrical work may or may not be done today, depending on how long drywalling the soffit takes.

What needs to be done before the cabinets come in:

-All drywall repair
-All electrical
-PAINT
-Flooring installed

Since our anticipated 6 week wait for the cabinets was bumped up to 3, we've put everything that can wait to the backburner. There have been a few minor snags, but overall things are going rather smoothly. No one is too stressed, which is definitely a good thing.

For those of you who are on Flickr, I've updated my page with a ton of pictures. Yes, I'm too lazy to post them here. Not my friend on Flickr? Just ask, and I'll add you (unless I have no clue who the hell you are).

**B**

Ignore the ranting lunatic in the corner

2009-07-15T02:34:01Z

I would rather bitch on facebook about this, seeing as it is the source of my frustration, but I can't without seeming passive-agressive or finger pointing. Please don't think this is directed at anyone in particular. This has been building up since last year, and a few comments recently (not even directed at me) have pushed me over the edge.

I've resigned myself to be the black sheep in my and Matt's families, but it feels pretty shitty to be on the outside looking in. I will always very different religious and political views from everyone else, and I'm SO SICK of hearing, "Well, I'm sorry, but you're wrong." I seriously want to pull my hair out. Matt deals with it to an extent as well, but his views aren't as strong as mine, and I'm WAY more sensitive about it than he is.

Yes, I am a gay marriage supporting, Obama loving, pro-choice, agnostic liberal. DEAL WITH IT. People are entitiled to believe what they want, and who are YOU to decide if it's right or wrong? I'm not like you, I don't want to be like you, and you're no better than me. Get off your fucking high horse. Until I hear something intelligent and insightful come out of your mouth, I refuse to read or listen to another word. End of discussion. Now if you'll excuse me, I feel the need to get something pierced or tattooed as a childish act of rebellion.

**End of rant**

I feel better.

More details about the kitchen project

2009-07-13T20:21:44Z

So, the little kitchen remodel project has mutated into a monster that grows bigger and bigger every day. As of right now, this is what's going on:

Cabinets: Everything is being removed and replaced with custom shaker style cabinets in a nice cherry finish. We finally decided to go with laminate counters (due to cost), but did pick out a nice slate style (dark gray). No laminate backsplash in order to make the counters look more like stone slabs.

Flooring: All carpet and tile is getting ripped up and replaced with either a laminate or engineered wood floor (we're picking it out this week). We also talked about replacing the carpet in the craft room (the room between the garage and our living room), but once again, it depends on money. But before anything can be installed, we need to work on the subfloor. It's a 30+ year house, so there are some squeaks that need to be addressed, and we may need to replace some plywood if the roof leak caused any major water damage. And once the floor and paint is done, we will be adding new baseboards (I really don't want to try to salvage the current ones, but if we have to, we have to).

Walls: Paint!! Gone will be the pink! We're thinking of a nice muted blue/green for the entire great room area. Eventually I want to paint the downstairs area, but that's another project for another time. Before we can paint, however, we have to do some drywall removal/repair. The bulkhead area above the cabinets will be torn down. And we need to paint the ceiling in the kitchen due to some....uh.....smoke damage. **shifts eyes**

Plumbing: a copper pipe needs to be rerouted to the wall the kitchen and bathroom share, a shutoff valve needs to be installed, and the dishwasher moved to the other side of the sink. Oh, and parts need to be bought for my awesome faucet find. And finally, a gas line needs to be run to where the current stove is (that's where our range will be).

Electrical: The 220 volt line will have to be run to the other side of the room for the oven/microwave combo, as well as some lighting above the sink, and possibly replacing the pendants above the peninsula area (again, depends on time and money- may be delayed). Under cabinet lighting installed, outlets added to the peninsula area, and a few existing outlets will have to be moved/rerouted.

Shelves: We've been wanting to do this for a while, and we figured now would be a good time to work on it (while the house is under construction), as opposed to later. Floor to ceiling wood shelving will be installed to the right of the fireplace. Cabinets may be installed for DVD/cable box/disc storage, but again, we can't make up our mind, and it depends on the cost.

Things to be done in the future: New furniture, glass doors for the fireplace, new mantle for said fireplace, painting downstairs, THE UPSTAIRS BATHROOM, the craft room, the guest room, office remodel, the sewer, the landscaping, the roof.....the list just never ends. Ever.

Big changes!

2009-07-13T07:28:15Z

So, the next few weeks here at the house are going to be pretty crazy. If you don't hear from me or Matt, it's because we've a) killed each other, b) killed ourselves, c) got trapped under debris, or d) are too exhausted to move. Here's what's going on:

1. Everyone's getting married or having kids

So, apparently everyone in Matt's extended families have decided that they want to get married or have babies. That's great, but that means that I have to go to a buttload of baby/wedding showers, not to mention the actual weddings. That means a LOT of driving to the Jeff City area. I love Matt's families, but it's just coming at a bad time.

2. Wedding season is kicking back up.

For some reason, Lisa never really books weddings in the summer. And that's fine with me, because it sucks trying to look all professional-like when your makeup has sweated off and your hair is plastered to your face. We do, however, have several weddings coming up, starting in August. I have recovered from the wedding burn out, and am actually ready to start back up again.

3. I'm getting more serious about my own photography.

I've been slacking WAY too long due to laziness and lack of confidence. I can't do that anymore. I'm being proactive, and am taking steps to get more business. I'm currently working on a professional blog, I've started an Etsy store to sell fine art photography (no items for sale yet, but I'll post when there is), I created a professional Twitter account, and I'm working on a paper portfolio as well. I've got a few paid gigs coming up soon, and a few collaborations that are REALLY exciting.

4. I'm going to try to sell my soap at the Rock n Roll craft show in November.

I found out more info about the event, and Jessi and I decided to give selling our soap a try. This is still in the very early stages of discussion, so this may not pan out, but I am really excited at the prospect. The only problem is that if we're going to sell our soap in November, we need to start making it, like, now. It takes time to cure, but making over 100 lbs. of soap is going to be a problem seeing as we will be kitchenless for about 6 weeks.

And finally,

5. The kitchen project is officially starting.

We've talked about this damn project for just about forever, and you all must be sick of hearing about it, but it's really exciting for us (at least me). I was supposed to do a house-wide purge this weekend, but that really didn't work out. And that's ok, because it can be done during the week (without Matt, since most of the crap that's going away is mine). The cabinet maker is taking final measurements on Tuesday, and while we don't have a definite install date yet (it could be as early as August 6), we have a LOT to do in the meantime.

So, I'll see everyone in September, unless you want to come help us paint! ;)

Revelations

2009-06-02T06:14:57Z

I warn you- this post has way TMI about me in it. The girls won't mind nearly as much, but the guys should probably stop now.

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Now, I have had "pregnancy scares" in the past, and my reactions to them have ranged from panic to fear to thinking it's the end of the world. Not that having a child with Matt would be those things; more along the lines of the timing is all wrong, we can't afford it, and I'm just not ready to be a mother. But this time- it was different.

It started right away with calm acceptance. A simple "ok" in the back of my mind. Then it moved onto excitement, which then lead to confusion. I thought I still wasn't ready. What about my Five Year Rule? But as most of you know, I am a researcher by nature. I research the hell out of...well, everything. And thus the great baby research project began.

The only problem with all of this was that the rational part of me kept screaming, "DUDE! You're NOT pregnant! There's no way in hell it could happen!!!" and the other part of my brain (the louder one, I might add) kept screaming, "WEEEE!!!! BAAABBBBBBBBBBYYY!" Yeah, I'm one fucked up individual, I know. So, in the midst of looking at cribs and good pregnancy books for Matt, I started to analyze all of my thoughts and feelings from the past week. And I've come to a conclusion:

I think I'm finally ready to grow up a little, and to start a family. (Cue the sound clip of Keanu Reeves saying "Woah.")

Matt and I have yet to really sit down and discuss the nitty gritty details of when we're actually going to attempt to spawn, but I think I'm going to stick with my Five Year Rule. There are still a couple of things I want to do before baby makes three:

-Loose weight (that is not an option- it has to be done for mine and the baby's safety)
-Get this house looking like adults live here, as opposed to college students
-Travel (I have the travel bug pretty bad right now)

But instead of being all emotional about it, I'm going to move on. I think I'm going to have a good cry, get my hair cut, buy a cute dress, hug my nephew, and move on.

Just the thought of that makes me smile. :)

See ya 2008

2009-01-02T05:17:16Z

Another year gone, and once again, The Cult has gotten together to celebrate. This year, we have actual photographic evidence!!

First, we have The Many Faces of Mr. Benne:

And a few more:

Happy 2009, bitches!!!

My new favorite quote

2008-12-08T06:57:37Z

"The thing about glitter is if you get it on you, be prepared to have it on you forever. Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies." -Demetri Martin

Damn if it ain't true. I need to make that into a cross stitch sampler, or something.

Throwing in the towel.

2008-12-02T09:35:30Z

So, after 2+ years with Molly, I think I'm finally throwing in the towel, and am looking to find a new home for her. This decision has been a long time coming (well over a year), but Sunday was the straw that broke the camel's back:

Matt and I left Friday to go to Branson for a few days. We have done this several times with Molly, and it has NEVER been an issue. She's such an independent cat that as long as she had food and water, she was happy. Well, Sunday night, I'm sitting on the couch watching tv with a black comforter over my legs. Molly jumps up onto the couch, makes to sit down at my feet, and proceeds to PEE ON THE COMFORTER! She had JUST used the litter box. Before you ask, she has just gotten over an UTI, but I don't think that was it, and frankly, I just don't care anymore.

To be perfectly honest, I don't love her in the slightest. She's destroyed my house, and has never shown an ounce of genuine love or affection towards me. I BEGGED Matt to let me get her, and she was so sweet at the Human Society, but the reason I got her was to have another companion. I was lonely with Matt going to school and working full time, and thought a pet would also aid in keeping my depression and anxiety at bay. I was wrong.

Despite my feelings towards her, I do think she deserves to have a loving home where she would be happy. I just don't think that's with me. She's high maintenance and isn't very affectionate. She's also black, which is another strike for her (black cats are really hard to get adopted).

So, here's where I plead for help. If you know ANYONE at all that would be able to give her a loving home, please let me know. I'll provide everything- bed, litter box, carrier, food, etc. I can't bring myself to take her to a shelter, even if it's a no-kill. The thought of her stuck in a little cage breaks my heart. This hasn't been an easy decision, and the guilt is currently eating me alive. I just don't have the energy to deal with her anymore.

Wow

2008-11-13T08:26:32Z

Never thought I would hear anything like this come from Mr. Crazy himself, but I thought this reflected my thoughts on gay marriage and the horrible Prop 8 that passed in CA.

The girls in teh house are sick

2008-11-11T07:40:55Z

Matt's had to deal with two cranky and sick ladies in the house, and deserves a present for putting up with us.

Me: 3 weeks ago, I got a cold. It was annoying, and my cough was horrible. I was drained and just wanted to sleep. OTC meds did jack squat. Fast forward to Wednesday- I had a little annoying dry cough left over from the cold, but it was quickly dwindling down into nothing. I am in the mood for beef (I haven't really had that much since starting back on meat), so I head over the Lion's Choice- yum! 6 hours later, I suddenly feel like I had been hit by a truck. But my stomach was killing me too, so that's what led me to believe it was some mild food poisoning. The next day, I wake up to all of the classic flu symptoms- stiff, achy, body; headache; mild fever; dry, hacking, cough- you name it. Most of the symptoms have gone away, except for I'm still really tired, I get a headache once a day, and the cough. All in all, I'm going on a whole month of being sick. I have never been this sick for so long. Thankfully I am getting better every day, and the not wanting to eat made me lose 4 pounds!

Molly: Classic UTI symptoms- peeing outside her box, cleaning the little box almost knocks me out with the ammonia smell, not drinking. We've dealt with this before. She's also been itching her ears, which would require the vet to do a LOT of testing (it could be anything from allergies to fluid in the ears to ear mites).

They gave us different antibiotics than the last time she had an UTI, and a couple days of liquid pain meds. I have tried, and simply cannot, give Molly liquid meds. That's officially Matt's job. These new antibiotics, however, are light sensitive, so they can't just go in her food like the other ones did. Oh no, I have to pill her ever 12 hours.

Not a big deal, right?

The first two times, she was great, and we had no issues. I was surprised she wasn't going to be a bigger pain in the ass. She saved it all for today. I did nothing different in my technique, and she went nuts. She actually swiped and hissed at me! I have never been so pissed off at her in my life, and this is the cat who destroyed my leather couch.

Her next pill is going to be in 2 hours, and I think I need a stiff drink. DayQuil and rum is ok together, right?

A teaser....

2008-11-03T06:09:09Z

John and Karen are so cute, it's almost sickening. This has to be one of my favorite pictures from the whole day. It's so nice to work with a couple who are truly affectionate, and aren't nervous in front of the camera. Being friends with them helps a little too. :)

I rented the Canon 24-70 f/2.8L for the day. All in all, I am LOVING this lens. Since it's L-series, it's a little pricey, but it's fast and sharp. I wish there was IS built in, because I have not-so-steady hands, but I can live without it. And it took a little bit to get used to the size and reverse zoom, but I definitely think it's the next lens purchase.

True, true....

2008-10-27T02:24:35Z

OK, remember those Wassup commercials from 8 years ago? Funny at first, then you wanted to stab your ears with knitting needles, just so you didn't have to hear it again? Well, there is great parody, complete with the original guys from the commercial.

It's really funny, in a sad sort of way. And by far one of the best political ads I've seen in a while.