Rain, rain

An overdose of rain has put a damper on my spirits as of late because of the minor havoc it's wreaked on my house.

But now, it's time for the silver lining. Time to turn that frown upside down. Et al.

Ta-da! What a pretty silver lining. Photo cred goes to my brother.

Basement Dwellers Do Battle

Large puddles of water have invaded my basement. I was feeling quite defeated until three faithful allies joined forces with me in the battle against the liquid menace. They are a fearless, loyal bunch.

Brave box fan

Daring dehumidifier

Swarthy shop vac

A little organized joy

Chances are this video is old news (and an organized PR thing). But, I keep watching it over and over again, so it's time for me to share. If my life was the musical that I wish it was, I'm pretty sure it would look like this.

If you are not among the 2,334,110 people that have already viewed this, please enjoy. And even if you are among that lucky 2.34 mil, please enjoy again.

Paint lesson learned

I'm learning a lot of home improvement lessons lately. Lesson #17: Do not assume that the cans of paint left in the basement by the previous owners actually matches any of the wall colors.

I thoughtfully deduced that the only can of light blue paint in the basement must be the very paint that was used in the only light blue room in the house... my bedroom. Mistake. I used the paint to touch up various nail holes and other patches and now my walls appear to have the measles.

Mismatched. I present exhibits A, B and C.

Pledge Complete

Done! A mere four months ago, I took my own oath to whip my house into shape. The goal was to have it ready for show and tell on Easter. While I didn't complete every single task on my to do list, I completed a lot of the really important ones. So, last Sunday, I was able to confidently open my doors to the extended family for a tour. I felt like such a proud mama of my little home. Huzzah! (See what's done - wins and fails)

Here's the to do list that's been hanging on the fridge and helping me whip my house into shape since December.

Day off awesomeness

Yeah! I have the day off with no plans until a little soiree this evening. So, I shall 1) savor my coffee, 2) prepare my appetizer for tonight's gathering, 3) clean my house in case visitors drop by for a tour on Easter, 4) open the curtains, bask in the sunlight and read my book.

It's a good day.

Kitchen Ceiling Fail

Upon closer inspection, my kitchen ceiling is kind of a fail. The paint looks good, it's just that I did not do as a good a job at sanding the patch as I initially thought I did. And by the time I realized it, it was too late.

So, I'm not going to post any pictures until I take a power sander to it and do kitchen patch 2.0. Here's a puppy instead.

Another painting weekend

Kitchen ceiling is getting a fresh paint job this weekend. I've assembled all the necessary tools. Ready to rock and roll.

One of these things is not like the others.

Dusty do

Nothing says hard work like a little dirt on your hands. Or in my case, a little dust in my hair. After patching the kitchen ceiling a couple weeks ago, I finally got around to sanding it tonight. I was very careful to lay down a drop cloth, but it didn't matter. Dust went everywhere(!) including in my eyes and in my hair and probably in my lungs, too.

Afterward, I took quite the liking to my dusty hairdo. It was like my own little badge of honor - proof, that I'm actually doing stuff around here.

Carefully-placed drop cloth.

[Insert psoriasis/dandruff jokes here]