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Last weekend we cleared out the garage. This weekend we participated in a neighborhood garage sale and made $1050. What we didn't sell we donated to Salvation Army. Woo! 🙂 P.S. I'm saving some of the "creepy customer" stories for my close friends and family. But yeah, if you've heard some stories in the past, […]

And you know what I'd like? A real set of tools. I have a good enough drill. I have a Dremel. I have some other things (like a fairly good level). But most of the rest of my tools are scattered brands and types. I have one set of needlenose pliers (somewhere). I have one […]

Seriously, how are dandelions not extinct? Or at least how do they not have chemicals that target dandelions (and dandelions alone)? Perhaps they do, and a trip to Lowe's is in order.

When we moved into this house back at the end of May 2005, the one thing we knew was that we'd be painting virtually every room and taking down every bit of wallpaper. We started in one bedroom, painting it a bright green. Next we painted the master suite: bathroom and bedroom. Then we moved […]

Off the top of my head… If you're invited to someone else's house, bring something. And don't fish for compliments later. Don't ask to be invited. If you're a good enough friend with someone, they'll think to ask you about your Thanksgiving Day plans. You may not bring a guest unless the host asks if […]

Hurricane Ike was felt as far north as Erie, PA last night as winds of 40-60 MPH buffeted the house so hard it sounded like it was hailing (it may have actually been small berries and things being ripped from trees). Except for some brief power outages that prevented me from seeing the only TD […]

I got the pressure washer out today with the intent to clean the deck. I've seen treated lumber, and it looks kind of greenish, so I thought I'd wet it, spray on the cleaning solution, and spray it off. I "accidentally" chose the highest pressure nozzle, which made a bunch of squiggly lines all across […]

Yesterday while mowing the lawn, I noticed a powdery looking "fungus" type grown on some of the mulch in my back yard. The "fungus" was bright yellow but, at the time, only dusted the ground, as if someone had spilled some of that granular popcorn butter. I looked at it, but didn't think much of […]

Our yard work is done. The boxwoods are in place, the grass is growing, the mulch is thrown down. Here's to using it (in about three weeks or a month). Woo!

The back yard is already beginning to feel a lot more spacious. Today, topsoil was put down. Tomorrow, the topsoil will be spread, some holes will be filled in, and the seeds, fertilizer, and mulch will be put down. Then, some day later this week, our bushes will be put in along the edge of […]

As I mentioned before, Carey and I have recently decided to turn one wall of a downstairs playroom into a craft room/mini-office. We spent the better part of Mother's Day weekend (and the days before it) working on such a project, and, as promised, here are the before and after photos.

I'm on the lookout for a Dremel type tool. Does anyone have them? Are they worth it? There have been several times over the past several years when I've wanted one: as a handy screwdriver that can fit into smaller places than my regular cordless drill, to get those little sanding and cutting things to […]

For mother's day this year, I bought Carey some cabinets (kitchen cabinets), a laminate countertop, and all the assorted goodies that are needed to install it (some wood, screws, a pry bar for the baseboard, a knife to cut the carpet, and so on. We also picked up some paint. The plan: convert one wall […]

Yet another thing to buy for the home: a gas-powered pressure washer. I went with a 3000 PSI model from Toro (at Lowe's). Four nozzles, three different cleaning solutions, separate gas/oil compartments (I don't like mixing gas and oil - the leaf blower requires that), and a fair amount of noise. At least it's fun […]

So there's a house that caught my interest last year. It's a few hundred square feet bigger than the house I live in now, the lot size is about the same, and the location is both slightly better and slightly worse. For the vast majority of the people, it's a worse location. For me, it's […]