White Christmas

Well, it looks like we’ll be having a white Christmas here, unless we suddenly get a good bit of rain or the weathermen are wrong and it heats up. It’s been cold, cold, cold and while I don’t think there is any significant snowfall in the forecast, snow squalls will probably occur over the next week or so. Unfortunately the snow all started coming down before I put away several of my flower pots. We also wanted to take in the storage bench that holds our patio cushions so that Drew could do some repair work on it. The ice will have to melt a little bit before we can move it now, LOL! The boys are excited about the snow, though. Without a doubt, it does make it feel more special this time of year.

Seeking Spotless Floors

A few months ago I was going back and forth on buying a steam mop. We have tile flooring in our kitchen, three bathrooms, and in the entryway/hallway. I find it such a chore to clean them and need an easier way. I thought I’d decided to get the Shark Deluxe, but… I don’t know. It’s a lot of money. But I’ve read such good reviews and several of my friends love their Shark mops. At this point I’ll probably never make a decision because I’m so cheap when it comes to these things. What I like is that they don’t use chemicals. Maybe if I have a really good week freelancing I’ll go for it.

Construction Update

As I type, the electrician is upstairs working on putting in outlets and lightswitches and running cable. Things have been moving along really fast and by the time I come home with the baby, I think we’ll be at least 95% done. I’m not sure about the painting, and I doubt the siding will be stained and put up, but for the most part the shed dormer will be close to complete. We have to get our carpet order in, too. I think that’s what we might be doing today. Sometimes I feel a little weird talking to people about this project because it’s pretty extensive and, honestly, expensive (even though we got an excellent quote). Then again, we don’t carry credit card debt, we own our cars, and are responsible spenders. In this day and age, as we’ve learned, that’s pretty rare. I always wonder why people don’t look into debt consolidation to help them manage their finances better. Back when we owned our first home, we rolled the rest of my student loans and what we owed on one car at the time into a home equity line of credit. It made life much easier for us (not to mention that then the interest was tax-deductible!). I guess not everyone wants to deal with banks and whatnot, I don’t know. Anyway, sorry for the tangent. I’m just so happy with the way work is progressing and can’t wait until it’s all finished and I can start decorating!

House Progress

We are on Day 10 of our latest home improvement project - we’re having a shed dormer put on the back of our Cape and rennovating the upstairs. Things are going incredibly well! I am just thrilled with the progress and excellent workmanship. Check out a couple photos. Here is the back of our house before:

And as of last night:

How amazing is that? In just 10 days, no less! With the baby coming in two weeks we will be able to really enjoy the extra space. I’m so looking forward to a relaxing summer spent at home. One of these summers we really will get down to N.C. like I’ve been talking about forever. But there’s no use for us to look at Outer Banks rentals this years because obviously we have a few other things going on, LOL! It’s so worth it though. I am a happy, happy lady!

Mid-Winter Cleaning

Well, my parents did end up taking Noah for the weekend so I have been able to get a lot of cleaning done today. It feels *so* good to have a tidy house! I went through the toys in the den as well as dusted and vacuumed everything. I’ve changed the sheets on the beds (well, ours are still in the dryer - I need to put them on the bed after I finish blogging). I rearranged our office furniture a little bit, as well as cleaned out files and stuff. I’m looking forward to full-fledged spring cleaning once the weather warms up and I can open up the windows and air out the house, but that won’t be for another few months. At least things are good for now!

Garden Envy

The other day I was browsing a friend’s photos on Flickr. She lives in New Zealand, so while it’s winter up here, it’s summer down there. Oh, I was so jealous of how lush and green everything is! It just made me long even more for Spring. I can’t wait until my roses and hydrengeas start to bloom! I’m looking forward to planting some annuals for splashes of color here and there. And while we don’t have fruit trees on our property, we do have wild blackberry plants, and the boys loves picking and eating the fruit. Watch out for the thorns, though! It all just seems so far away. This week is going to be the coldest yet, especially when you factor in the wind chill. I am getting too old for winter. Sigh…

Buttoning Up For Winter

Well, we did not get any snow last night, but my friend (who lives in the Berkshires) sent me a photo of his backyard this morning. He has a good inch to inch and a half of snow! That made me realize that we really should put our patio furniture covers on our table and chairs on the deck, if we’re not going to move them into the shed. According to The Farmer’s Almanac, it’s supposed to be a cold and snowy winter. I’d hate for our patio set to get ruined by the weather.

I am not sure if I want to bother moving our grill, though. Our propane tank is empty, but it’s such a hassle moving the thing around. I think we left it out there last year. I’m sure it will be OK.

I just can’t believe people in the area are already getting snow! It’s not even November!

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

The other day we were at the local home improvement store, and I have to say that I was quite taken by some of the beautiful kitchen faucets out there. Ours is incredibly basic and incredibly boring. Some of the designs of the Kohler faucets were especially nice. I like the ones with the gooseneck faucets — they’re so elegant looking! Of course, my kitchen faucet takes quiet a beating so for now I am glad to have just the bare-bones version. But when I’m designing my dream kitchen in my mind, it’s a different story. I’d also love to redo our island. The boys are always smacking their heads on the corners and I assure you that is not pleasant for anyone. I’d much rather have a bar like my mom. It’s the same effect, really, but I think it’s a bit more useful. Some people say they are a bit dated but… I don’t know. I like them.

Rain, rain, go away!

Actually I don’t mind the rain so much. But we have an area in our garage that it a little damp, and I wonder if there is a leak somewhere. I just went downstairs to check (nearly tripping over our treadmill because I wasn’t looking where I was going) and it seems OK today. But if it keeps up we will have to call Superior Walls. It only seems to happen when there are torrential rains, but after knowing what my mother-in-law is going through with her flooded basement, trust me - I am not fooling around when it is under a guarantee!

Allergies

I don’t know if it is the ragweek or goldenrod, but my allergies have been horrible lately! At least with the carpet gone from the den, I have less cat hair to contend with. If we didn’t put the laminate flooring in, I’d probably be looking at machines like Ladybug steam cleaners to help. But the laminate has been great. So easy for me to clean — just sweep it up! And spills, of course, are easier too. I wish I could put laminate or wood throughout the rest of the downstairs. I’d love to get rid of the tile in the kitchen and the hallways. The grout is always dirty, no matter how I bleach it. Such a pain!