November 30th, 2008
After Pete and our friend Rod hauled the 300-pound steel plate (give or take a few pounds) out to the alley last Monday, we went to Advantage Kitchen & Bath in Niles to purchase our new TOTO Aquia Dual-Flush toilet.
One of the unique things about the TOTO toilet is its concealed trapway. A concealed trapway [...]
November 29th, 2008
Last Monday we decided it would be really nice to have a bathroom, or at least a working toilet, in the basement for the 14 guests we were having on Thanksgiving Day. Pete’s father will be 89 next week, so we certainly don’t want him to have to climb stairs, but with five kids in [...]
November 28th, 2008
What do you think of when you hear the word “butterfly”? You probably think, “Pretty! A beneficial and useful creature!”
All true. But in the kitchen, butterfly sinks are the scourge of the earth. Trust me, I know.
What’s a butterfly sink, you ask? It’s two squarish bowls at right angles to each other (hence the “butterfly” [...]
November 28th, 2008
I’ve had my coffee. I can’t put it off any longer.
Time to attack the kitchen. For Round Two.
Ugh.
Love the cooking part. Hate the cleanup.
While this task usually falls on my wonderful husband, who does it without complaining (he does get a fabulous meal out of the deal, after all), he has to work today. So [...]
November 26th, 2008
Thanks for your comments on the previous post. I made my decision and called the PO last weekend (sorry Christopher and Joanne!).
He likes to answer the phone by saying, “Joe’s Trucking” or something along those lines (he has caller ID). I said, “Say I had a couple of dining room cabinets that I was [...]
November 17th, 2008
Remember these corner cabinets from the dining room?
We removed them when we had the floors refinished before moving in. I intended to refinish them and use them elsewhere since our bookcases now reside in the dining room. There’s really no other place for the bookcases, and they fit perfectly.
Looking back it’s amazing to see how [...]
November 6th, 2008
Yesterday afternoon I was working from home when the doorbell rang. Normally I ignore it, but I happened to be in the living room at the time and they could see someone was home. Dang.
I opened the door and a kid, wearing a local high school Gymnastics t-shirt and carrying a leaf rake, asked if [...]
November 3rd, 2008
I have voted in every single election since I turned 18. I can’t imagine ever NOT voting, even if I knew my candidate of choice didn’t have a chance, or if I wasn’t overly excited about my choices.
Pete and I always vote, and that includes the primaries, off-year elections, and our local elections. IMO [...]
November 2nd, 2008
Who knew that our Black Chokeberry would match the house so well, or vice versa? The oranges, greens, reds and browns really mimic our colorful face brick.
I haven’t noticed any birds feasting on the berries yet, but it should provide some much-needed food as winter approaches.
November 1st, 2008
As a result of our energy audit, Pete has gradually been working on winterizing the house. To try and prevent cold air from leaking into the house, he has been using a temporary caulk called Season Seal on windows that we never, or rarely, open.
The caulk starts out white and dries clear, and it’ll peel [...]