Updates

It's been a while since I posted here but that's not to say I haven't been doing a lot.

First off the Field Guide got a major reworking and it's now prettier, more compact and has better, bigger pictures, so go check that out and then come back.

I've also finished the garage, I installed trim all around the windows (using my nail gun, yay for power tools). I also installed wire mold power strips under the windows and put in some slick lights all along the wooden beam that spans the length of the garage. It was all finished off with a cambridge soundworks so I can listen to my iPod while I work on stuff. All that needs to be done now is I need to sort through the mountain of crap that's piled up outside the garage and work out what is going to the dump and what is going to be allowed back in. Oh and I need to build my own bike rack since the metal one I wanted was going to cost $400 in shipping costs and it only cost $200 to start off with :(

I also made some rather spiffy street number signs so people can find the house easier, it's just corrugated plastic sheets with stick on reflective vinyl numbers and arrows, they were kinda cheap, but look great. Top tip: use liquid nails to glue the sign to the pressure treated lumber you're hammering into the ground, it works a treat and looks great from the sign side.

I continue the battle with the rats/mice in the guest house. I think I may have it nailed now. The wiley meeces had gotten wise to the have a heart traps, then they got wise to the snippety snappy traps so I finally lamented and put out poison, and then they go and steal the stuff and hike off with it! We put the cats in there when we have guests or a party so I was worried the cats would find the poison we couldn't so I went full Jihad on the little furry buggers (the mice not the cats!) and tore the kitchen apart in there, it was old and crusty anyway and I think I found where they were coming in, there was a huge hole in the drywall where the pipes for the kitchen sink come in so I patched it up and then spackled it all smooth(ish) and put a small kitchen cabinet (the only one not really demolished) over the pipes. It looks a whole lot better now but there's no kitchen sink. We decided to leave it like that for now, but if we ever do finish it off, we're going to put in laminate hardwood floors on the ground floor and get some IKEA free standing kitchen stuff for it. It'll look really great, but we're trying to cut back on spending right now, so just having it rat free will be nice :)

I've also done the usual yard work and trimmed all down the driveway, but as always there's lots more to do.

Medicine Cabinet Finished

I should be a general contractor, seriously, it's only taken me 4 years to finally finish the medicine cabinet in the bathroom! This has been quite a contentious issue in the house for quite some time, after the contractor we hired to remodel the bathroom kind of stiffed us and left us half finished we got everything done but the medicine cabinet which I was sure I could do myself. Well it's finally done and while not perfect I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

So what's fancy about this medicine cabinet, apart from the fact it doesn't have a single right angle in it? Well it has a power outlet inside and enough height for us to put our sonicare toothbrushes in there. It also fits perfectly into the gaping hole left in the drywall by our often absent contractor.

This cabinet as some of you know marks the start of a whole new era. Wifey and I had this pact where we couldn't have any big parties at the house until the medicine cabinet was done, and since I really like to have guests over this was supposed to be my incentive, well it's finally worked and it's all done, and just in time for our "Come meet our new baby" party which we should be scheduling soon, currently that party is operating under code name "The Afterbirth BBQ".

This paternity leave is really helping around the house too, I have lots of really short 30 minute to 2 hour projects that I can get done between screaming baby feedings. I've put up some wall control steel pegboard in the garage (It looks sweet! I'll post pictures when I've finished putting trim around the windows and put in some power strips). I've organized lots of closets and set up my computer, cleaned loads of things. I've also caulked all sorts of nooks and crannies around the house to try and keep out carpenter bees.
Why do bees suddenly appear, this time, every year. Just like termites, they long to, eat my house...

In the beautiful Garden by the Pool

It's been two years since we did the landscaping by the pool and boy did the hard work pay off. Whilst quite a few of the plants have been attacked by huge rabbits, moles, and gophers with big, giant pointy teeth and a vicious streak a mile wide, the garden for the most part is thriving. I'm sure the 60 inches of rain we got this year has a lot to do with how well it's growing. I'm very thankful for all of Mom's, Hubby's and Hubby's parent's help with the garden over the past two years. It's very nice to sit by the pool and enjoy all the beautiful flowers, butterflies, bees, birds, and lizards who also enjoy being in the garden by the pool.

Garage Finished

The garage is finished! We got our slidelok cabinets installed yesterday and the floor was finished last week. I'm very happy with how it all turned out, now I just need to put back everything that's been moved out. It'll never look as nice again :(

The pool

I turned the magic switch that puts the pool water through the solar panels on the roof on Thursday and by Sunday the water had warmed up from 50 to 65°F. It feels cold once you're in but it should warm up more soon and it's actually fine for swimming. It was nice to finally get in the pool again, feels like ages since we last used it. Last year we could use the pool by April 15th so it's been a late spring for sure.

A very busy weekend

It was a very, very busy weekend. Saturday I assembled some IKEA furniture. I'm getting really good at it now. Here's some top tips, use glue. Take a kitchen towel and cut it into 1" strips and use these to clean up the excess glue that seeps out. Assemble it on the cardboard that it comes in. Since you're gluing stuff, be very very careful will the instructions and don't take a break until you're sure you have everything right.

Here's the biggest piece I made. It's great for showing off Pooh stuff (until the 'quake hits). We had a little difficulty picking it up, I'd checked it was in stock and when I went to pick it up, it was 'in the air' which meant I had to go back the next day, bitching and moaning about it was worth a $25 gift card though. I still need to align the doors a little. I'm pretty pleased with it. I also put together a toy box for the baby's room.

The rest of Saturday and almost all of Sunday I worked on emptying out the garage, we're getting the floor epoxied this week, in preparation for the cabinets coming in a few weeks. It's going to look great! I've never seen the garage empty, since there was a tenant when I moved in and we bought the house while we were renting it. It's amazing how much stuff we have in there (too much leftover wood from other projects) and hopefully the cabinets will help us keep it organized. I cleaned the curbs since we didn't want them pressure washing it and damaging our new walls.

I also learned all about SketchUp this weekend and want a model of our home in the worst way, I'm going to have to work pretty hard on making that happen.

Drywall Garaged

The Drywall in the garage is done. I admitted defeat and we hired someone to finish it off. Who knows how much we saved (or cost) ourselves with the amount of drywall hanging we actually did, but it's done now and I'm happy about it. This weekend we'll be sealing it with drywall sealer and then painting it and then I can put in some pimpin' cabinets and finally put everything away, finally! The drywall guys were quick, they finished the job in under 2 days.

I also got a mirror and shelves for the bathroom medicine cabinet I've been building for the last 2 years. There's nothing like having a baby to make you want to get everything in order. There's still some work to be done on it, but it's going well.