Ah, Saturday! A day of rest and relaxation, right? The weekend is here and there is nothing to do, right? Well, not for me. It’s gonna be a pretty busy weekend.
This week was full of events for our family. Big changes and some stress (no need to talk about my wallet anymore!).
The biggest news was the addition of our dog, Maizy. If you missed that blog – here it is:
I’m happy to say that she is fitting in quite well. She’s making the place her own, and getting up on the furniture …
She loves to cuddle up to us. She and Sam seem to be getting along nicely.
And Ella loves that Maizy will sleep in her room with her at “quiet time”.
Andrew just gets really excited to be around her. Especially when we’re outside. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure who is harder to get to come in – Maizy or Andrew.
Maizy loves to run around in the yard. She especially loves to play fetch with a ball.
She waits with baited breath for me to chuck it out in the backyard.
I don’t mind being outside with her. The baseball team has been outside practicing and getting ready for the season. One of the best things about our backyard is the free admission to watch a good game –
Of course, Maizy LOVES when the kids are eating. There is NO shortage of food that falls on the floor, unless it is peanut butter. That peanut butter pretty much gets worn by the kids….
Maizy became a member of our family from the onset. What a blessing she is to our home.
The rest of the weekend is loaded with some projects. I’m hoping to finish painting the nook we built and then we’re grabbing one of those playscapes from a friend of Sam’s and moving it to our yard. In between all of that, we’ve got people coming to give us estimates on what a fence is going to cost. Busy Busy!!
The “Closet to Nook” project is underway. I neglected to get a true “before” picture, but I did get some pictures of the early stages.
The first thing my father-in-law and I did was rip out all of the shelving and such that was in the closet.
The above is a look directly into the closet. There was a shelf up top that had the bar to hang coats and such on hanging below it. That stuff came off the wall fairly easily. If you look in and to the right you can see where there were other shelves.
The shelves that were in there were hand made and thankfully didn’t take too much to get out. My father-in-law and I started framing things up as you can see above. Originally, my wife just wanted us to put a wall up and cover the hole back there. (More on that in a minute.)
The frame above the floor is where the bench seat is going to go. We added a couple diagonal beams (like a V) to stabilize the bench (especially for when fat guys like me sit on it!). Now let’s talk about Project Problem #1.
Because this closet was not square really anywhere, we had to make it square. Lots of adjustments and such. We got it as close as we could and started framing and putting every thing together. We were checking to make sure everything was level and there were plenty of screws and nails.
Once the bench frame was ready, we laid the premeasured bench board on top. To our surprise, it was about 2 inches short. We both stood there and looked at it. My father-in-law says, “You know what we forgot to do? We forgot to subtract that extra inch and a half off for that beam in the back.” So I asked him what we needed to do now. He says, “Well, we’re gonna unscrew all of those boards and trim them up and put it all back together again.”
Now, it took about an hour and a half to cut, frame, measure, and screw everything into place. The last thing I wanted to do was undo all that we had done. So I asked, “What if we get a bigger board?” He says, “Well, we could do that. We’d have to cut it to size, though.” Well, I spent the extra money on a new piece of wood, because it was the easy (and granted, more expensive) way out. Once it was cut, it fit perfectly!
The second day of work, we took all the OSB wood and cut them in slats. We’re going to paint the walls, so it won’t look like it does in the picture. My father-in-law asked me again about “walling up” the side of the closet where the shelves were. I asked Sam and she said that she didn’t want shelves and that we were going to put a wall up.
While my father-in-law and I were outside cutting the OSB into slats, Sam and her mom got to talking. (Sam’s mom was there watching the kids while we worked.) We came back in and we found out that they had been discussing the possibility of a cabinet in that wall. So her dad says, “We could do that if you want.” He explained that we had just about enough room to maybe fit one and place OSB above and below it. This, of course, meant another trip the the store.
My father-in-law is one of the brightest guys I know. In every project we have tackled, he has always been able to find a solution. So as we are walking in the store, he says we can do a cabinet or maybe a closet organizer might work. We looked at both and decided the cabinet would be the easiest way to get what we wanted. So we walked back to the cabinet area and spoke with someone.
We knew that we had 54 inches to play with for height. A 40 inch tall cabinet would work. We had 17 inches as our width. The cabinet we wanted was 18 inches wide. No worries, though, because my father-in-law told me we had an inch of wood that we could just trim out and make it fit. So we ask the gal to get us all we need. She runs all the numbers and says it would be about $160 for everything. Perfect. “Oh, wait a minute,” she says.
They didn’t have that cabinet in stock and would have to order it. My father-in-law looked at me and said, “Well, that won’t work.” So we asked what cabinet that size they did have in stock. She tapped a bunch of stuff back in the computer and found one. The door was different and it was about $40 more. “Ring it up!” I said. By this time I was so ready to be done with this!
I had no problem paying extra. It is for my wife and I want it to look good for her! So we brought the cabinet home and built something for it to slide in and sit on and mounted it. I was impressed with how easy this portion of the project went.
So all that we really have to do now is finish putting the OSB up along the side of the cabinet and up on the top of it. Then we have some trim we need to work on closer to the ceiling. We also are going to run a router over the edge of the bench seat edge. After that, we should ne ready to paint.
I can tell you that I would NEVER tackle anything like this by myself. My father-in-law has been such an amazing mentor to me when it comes to this stuff. His tape measure got caught on a board and got bent up while working on the project. When we went to the store to get the cabinet he grabbed a new one. When we got the the register, he picked it up and was going to pay for it himself. I grabbed it back from him and told him that I would get it! With all the things he has helped me with, I certainly wasn’t about to let him pay for a new tape measure!
I have been informed by my Project Manager (my wife) that I am tackling a new home improvement project this week. Thankfully, I will once again be under the direction and guidance of the Site Supervisor (my father-in-law). All joking aside, I couldn’t really do anything without his help! He helped me redo our laundry room (with tile and grout), he helped me transform our dining room into Ella’s room, he as helped me with plumbing issues more than once and now he will be working with me on the new project.
In our living room, we have a closet. If you don’t count the linen closet in the bathroom, it is our only closet. Currently, it stores our winter coats and some other things that are hanging in there. It also has shelves off the the side and up top which are holding tools, various boxes, and other things. My wife wants a nook with a bench – so that is what we are going to give her.
The space itself isn’t too big, but I know we need to tear a bunch of stuff out of it to get what my wife is thinking. I am not 100% sure what she is looking to have, but I know she wants a bench, some coat hooks, and basket/bins to go under the bench.
It could look something like the above picture, but this one seems really in the open.
It could look like the picture above, but again, I think this is more complicated than she wants. If I had to guess, I would say that she wants something more like this:
This is deep, like our closet. The coat hooks are perfect for what she was saying. I’m not sure how she wants the baskets under the bench, but it is probably a bit more simpler than the above picture.
It looks like we will get supplies, and do demo of shelves and such on Sunday and finish it up by Monday. I’ll keep you posted.
You may recall that last summer, my father-in-law and I tackled a plumbing issue at our house. That incident required us cutting up the drywall to access pipes. The results were not pretty.
The above picture was taken during the project. We were able to get pipes fixed and the hole has remained in the wall ever since. This is partly because there is always someone sleeping in the bedroom where the repair has to be made.
I digress.
Way back in the summer, my wife asked me to apply for a Menard’s card. I kept meaning to do it. I was going to do it the last time I was in there, but I had both kids with me and they were anxious to leave.
After talking about the hole in the wall, and how I need to get an access panel for it, I decided to go on their website to apply for their credit card. I figured if I got approved for a couple hundred bucks, that was all I needed to get the things for the bedroom. Well, I was approved – for a much larger amount!
I have to really take a step back and remember that I don’t need to spend that much money. However, there are things that need to get done (and haven’t) because the budget didn’t allow for it. The access panel – has to be done.
The thing is going to cost like $50 and depending on the hole in the wall, and such, I may need to patch a bit of the drywall. $50! It’s a plastic door for crying out loud, but ok. I need to get it done.
All of the doors in our house have the handles that look like this:
Personally, I like them. However, they are perfect for Andrew to get to – and open. Sam and I discussed switching them all over to the round brass handles.
Some of them will have locks on them. Those will need to have the “easy unlock” from the other side, in case the kids lock themselves in a room. You know, the notch you can put a butter knife in and turn? And the round door knobs will allow us to put those childproof covers on that the kids can’t turn.
So, we have the access panel project and the door knob project. There are still a couple other projects.
Our bedroom had a ceiling fan/light fixture in it. The bulbs are all halogen and extremely hard to find. If you can find them, they are like $30 apiece. The entire fixture has 5 lights in it and currently only has one that works. Thank goodness for the lamp on my bedside table! Sam has been talking about getting rid of the whole thing and just putting in a regular light since we moved in together.
Something as simple as the light above – or something even more simple – would work. So that project is also on the list.
Finally, in our living room, the ceiling fan/light has needed to be replaced for some time. This should be an easy swap since we are just going to get another light/fan fixture.
At some point, we’d love to do something with the lighting in our kitchen, but that’s probably enough projects for now. Unless my father-in-law and I can figure out a way to build a deck in the back of the house really cheap! It couldn’t hurt to just price it all out, right?!
Thanksgiving 2020 is now a memory. It was very different from Thanksgivings of the past, to be sure. It was, however, a very wonderful day!
Thursday – Turkey Day
Ella was up bright and early! I had to put the turkey in water to finish thawing it. We got her dressed and ready for her “First Thanksgiving” pictures, which came out great!
Once the turkey was thawed, prepped and in the oven, I realized our meat thermometer was broken. The last thing I wanted to do was head to the store. I didn’t even know if there were stores open! I lucked out and the little grocery store down the road was open. I walked over to the aisle with the kitchen stuff, only to find that all the meat thermometers were gone. Someone had even stolen some from the packaging and left the open package on the hook.
I went to the deli and asked if there would be any other place in the store that there might be a meat thermometer. She said no. I began to walk out of the store when a guy tapped me on the shoulder. He asked if I was looking for a meat thermometer, and I said yes! He had one in his hand and told me to follow him. He explained that they had just moved to the area and they actually had one, but they couldn’t find it because it was still packed in a box. He said it was his only reason for being in the store! He took me over to the candy aisle, where there was a small rotating rack with a few kitchen utensils on it – and two meat thermometers! I was so grateful! He wished me a happy Thanksgiving and we parted ways.
While I let the turkey cool, Sam finished up the mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. Ella sat in her high chair and anxiously awaited her first feast!
By the time she finished, she was wearing her meal! She had mashed potatoes in her ears, her nose, and her eyes!! She really enjoyed her dinner!!
Thanksgiving was typical in that the Detroit Lions lost miserably! This led to the GM and head coach being fired. One can only hope that someone will finally hire the right people. I would love to see them reach the Super Bowl (and hopefully win one) in my lifetime!
Friday – Black Friday
I am not a Black Friday shopper! However, I was this year – not by choice! I needed to get tires for our car. I shopped around getting prices and found that Belle Tire had some Black Friday rebates, and had the best deal. I used to go to this mom and pop tire place who did great work, and had great prices, but sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic has put them permanently out of business.
I was shocked at the line of people waiting to get in at 7am! I was lucky to be fourth in line and I was in and out in just over an hour! Kudo to those folks!
When I returned home Friday, I checked off another project I had on my list. We bought some canvas pictures to hang in the baby’s room months ago. They have been sitting in the box, awaiting me to hang them. Before I went to pick up my son, I measured it all out and got them hung up on the wall. I just love these pictures!
We spent the evening last night watching Christmas movies. My son and my wife had both mentioned that the sequel to The Christmas Chronicles was now on Netflix. We had all enjoyed the first one (Kurt Russell stars in it) and we decided to watch the first one again before watching the second. I found that I still enjoyed the first one very much. I can see it easily becoming a Christmas tradition.
Recurring Dream With a Twist
I am closing in on test time for my Bible classes. I have a week’s worth of classes to finish and then four tests to take! I mentioned this to my wife, so it must have been on my mind when I went to bed. At any rate, I often have a recurring dream where I am at school and I sit down to take a test and my mind goes completely blank! I panic! I freak! I usually wake up with my heart racing.
So I had a dream last night that was similar. Sure enough, I am sitting in a classroom (which is odd because my classes are on DVD and I take them at home) and the teacher passes out the tests. The first thing I notice is that the tests are about 45 pages stapled together! I open the test and I can’t even read the thing. I turn the page and there are some words I can make out, but nothing makes sense. With each page turn, I feel more and more scared. I have no idea what I am looking at! I begin to pull my notes out and try to cheat!! The teacher comes over and obviously has caught me . Needless to say, I wake up at this point with heart racing and glad it was just a dream!
Now I’m wondering how hard these tests are going to be!!
I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday!!
Sometimes, all it takes is hearing things out loud for reality to set in. For example, I can probably raise your stress level by simply saying 7 little words: “Just ten more shopping days until Christmas!” Did you feel your blood pressure rise??
Christmas shopping has always been a headache for me, but usually because of money, but this year my wife has come up with a way to relieve that stress. I had heard this before, and I think it has circulated on social media in the past. The boys will each be getting four presents this year:
It is a polarizing idea for some, I know. Some feel that this will negatively affect kids who are “used to” getting a lot of presents. Then there are those who feel that this idea will actually help older kids understand life on a budget, and actually help them be thankful for the gifts that the do receive. As a parent on a budget, it helps to know we are not really going outside the budget we set aside for them. As far as stress, this is something that has proven to be very helpful as our shopping is done for them, and has been for a while!
At first, I wasn’t sure how they would take this, but in the end, I think it will be just fine. I say that because this is the first year that they didn’t have a long list of things on their Christmas list. As a matter of fact, when I asked them to start thinking about what they wanted for Christmas they answered with “I’m not really sure,” “I don’t know,” or “gift cards.”
We told them we had already picked picked up “what they need” and “something to wear” and told them they needed to work on the list of “what they want” and “something to read.” Simplifying this didn’t really help either. I literally dragged them to Barnes and Nobel to look for books and to a couple other places for what they wanted. I think I walked away with a few ideas, but nothing really substantial at the time. I have a few left over ideas that I need to pass along to my dad, who has to go shopping for them, too.
Non-shopping stress
While the stress of shopping has been alleviated, now we are dealing with another stress. Remember at the beginning of the blog I mentioned how hearing something out loud can make something a whole lot more real? At Sam’s OB appointment this week we learned that baby is sitting head down – an indicator that she may be here before we know it (and possibly before her due date in February)!
Now, we are aware that with most first babies, they tend to be late rather than early. This statistic was made known to us this week at our birthing class, as well. While the due date is still 64 days away, we are faced with the stress of trying to finish sanding, cleaning, painting, and decorating her room before her arrival. I am feeling the pressure and the stress that goes with it!
This is my first time dealing with drywall – I had no idea just how dusty it gets! The dust from sanding is EVERYWHERE! I end up tracking the dust from room to room as I am working. It is just a mess that I feel will NEVER get clean!
64 days may seem like a long time, and it is, but I am still working my full time job, working both part time jobs, attending birthing classes, and squeezing in doctor and therapy appointments in there, too. The possibility of our daughter arriving ahead of schedule has my wife and I freaking out a bit, to say the least.
Once I am off the air, I am heading home to try to finish up the sanding and patching. I will probably need to go ask my neighbor for his shop vac to “attempt” to get most of the dust up – just in case I get the walls to the point where we may be able to start painting! I would LOVE to have everything done by Christmas … but I know that is NOT going to happen!!
I may need to add a stress management class to the mix of all the stuff I already have going on ….
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 