Homework: I can park, and almost wash clothes

On Sunday I spent a long while trying to break up all the compacted snow on my driveway so I could get rid of the frozen-in-place compost bin that was preventing me from parking in my garage. With a little help from Jesse, the neighbor who's always walking his dog, I got the job done. He brought over a couple of hoes (hee hee) to break up the ice, and I we got a lot of it up. It was a long painful process. But the compost bin is now inside the garage while I consider whether I want to compost this summer and whether I want to use this cracked, beat up old bin. And I can finally get my car in there. It's a much tighter fit than I imagined. When I backed out this morning, I was really nervous that I was going to scrape against the retaining wall. So far no accidents.

Also this morning, the guys from ApplianceSmart delivered and "installed" my washer and dryer. I knew they wouldn't actually install my gas dryer, because it has to be done by a professional gas guy or something like that. But their installation of the washer left a bit to be desired.

First, they faced it in an awkward direction, so instead of having my W/D side by side, the washer faces the side of the dryer. When I asked if they could turn it, they told me I'd need a longer hose. Then, they couldn't figure out a way to affix the drain pipe to the sink, so they just left it and said I'd have to figure it out. They also let me know that I had a new plumbing leak that didn't exist before they showed up. They blamed it on the faucet not having been turned on in a while. Huh? And they didn't even plug the darn thing in! Lovely customer service. Check it out: they way they set it up, I can't even fit in the space where the washer is supposed to be able to open. Thanks ApplianceSmart. I think I might need to write a stern letter.

Homework: blinds and medicine cabinet

Yesterday was a productive day. Simon's Sarah offered to come over and help clean, so I put her to work on sweeping and mopping (which she did with immense talent and flair) while I finally got my roman blinds hung in the bedroom and dining room. Gotta head to IKEA today to buy one more $7 blind for the third window in the dining room. Oh, and I also ordered curtains for the big picture window in the dining room. I'll be anxiously awaiting their arrival all week!

Blinds are up in the bedroom!

And two out of four windows are now covered in the dining room.

I also spent some time yesterday getting a little crafty. I hadn't put anything in my medicine cabinet yet, because it looks so inhospitable.

So I went to Paper Source, one of those stores like Michael's that makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. Such a variety of pretty things and things that spark creativity. I believe the paper I bought was called "Winter Berries." It works well with my brown walls and pink countertop. Anyway, I used it to line the walls of the medicine cabinet, and used some rubber non-sticky shelf liner to line the shelves. Now my stuff can rest comfortably in the medicine cabinet, and I'm one step closer to feeling at home.

Who has time for blogging?

Well, life got a little busy, so I wasn't able to keep up with the blogging for the last couple of weeks. I did make sure to chronicle the work and the move with photos, though. I'll let them tell the story: http://picasaweb.google.com/unlevelseas



Stay tuned... I actually have something semi-crafty I can post on the craft blog tomorrow.

Homework, 2/3

It snowed today. I guess I better get used to the disappointment of spending hours clearing the sidewalks, only to have them fill up again. At least I didn't have to chip away ice this time. And I was really worried that I might be too wimpy to shovel all that sidewalk that surrounds my corner lot, but it wasn't awful, and it didn't take more than 45 minutes.

But speaking of things that take a long time, yesterday I spent three more hours working on removing the carpet adhesive in the bedroom. I swear, I am going to cherish this floor. Today the Seantractor was finally able to start sanding it. He said it took him three hours, and he probably has three more hours to go on it. Luckily the new floor in the family room won't take as long, because it's brand new wood and there's nothing to sand off.


Accomplishments:

• Finished second pass over the bedroom floor with adhesive remover.
• Painted second side of basement door. Looks kinda crappy. It's definitely gonna need a second coat.
• Finished putting legs on the IKEA bench.

(unpaid) People Hours Invested: 3
To Date: 205

Trips to Hudson's Ace Hardware & Home Depot: 1

Tears: None.
Tears to Date: Twice.

bedroom floor, post-adhesive, pre-sanding

Hope necklace

The craft/DIY blog has been hurting for some crafts lately, with all these renovation projects. Unfortunately, I've been tied up with the house. But I was recently given the loveliest of handmade necklaces. I'm madly in love with it! My friend Michelle is an incredibly talented jeweler. I am really looking forward to a show she's in next weekend: Make Out Goods, presented by Handmaiden Minneapolis.

Homework, 2/2: Misery Loves Company

The adhesive removing continues. The Seantractor worked on it some this week. I spent eight hours yesterday on it. Here's basically how the day went:

1. Spread adhesive remover over an area.
2. Ran to Home Depot for two more jugs of adhesive remover.
3. Scraped adhesive up for a half hour, spread more on another area.
4. Ran to Chipotle to get lunch for myself and my helper, Sarah R.
5. Scraped adhesive up for a half hour, spread more on another area.
6. Went outside to work on breaking up the ice on the sidewalk for a half hour.
7. Scraped adhesive up for a half hour, spread more on another area.
8. More salting and breaking up ice outside. Met some neighbors: Patty, the block club leader, and her son Callum.
9. More scraping and spreading.
10. More sidewalk clearing.
11. More scraping and spreading.
12. Started putting the legs on the IKEA bench.
13. Finally had to go home because my lungs were hurting.
    

I still have a corner of the room to finish, and then probably need to go back a third time and spot check with the remover, especially around the edges and in the closet. I should do it today, because it's not fun to do it at night after work at all. Even though Sarah was in the basement working on staining the window trim, it was better knowing I had company.

Surprises:

• There's never enough adhesive remover. I think I've gone through four or five gallons of the stuff, and I'll probably still have to go buy another one to finish the job.
• I thought I'd only have to varnish the window trim in the basement bedroom, but it turns out the bathroom door and the trim around it are also unfinished.
  

Accomplishments:

• Sarah filled all the nail holes with putty, sanded, and started varnishing the basement window trim, bathroom door, and door frame.
• More progress on removing the carpet adhesive. Still not done, though.
• Lots of ice removed from sidewalks.

(unpaid) People Hours Invested: 14
To Date: 202

Trips to Hudson's Ace Hardware & Home Depot: 1
To Date: 14

Tears: None.
Tears to Date: Twice.

Progress:

This is the stuff that comes up. On day one it was more orange and looked like pumpkin guts. On the second pass, it started looking like slimy egg drop soup. Now it just looks gross.