Bummin'

It's been a rough couple of days. After that whole affair with the crazy wiring problems, we've had nothing but bad luck. Loss of important documents.... loss of mind which may result in the cancellation of a big event for this weekend.... no big money on either of the Ebay auctions as of yet....

I feel so frazzled. And don't ask me what we were doing on Wed and Thurs nights because I really have no idea. I made some squah at some point. Yes, squah. Squee-Squah. "I'm a squeaky guy." Wow. That just came from way out in left field. (Strong Bad email reference.)

The wiring will be completed tonight - I think. Not sure if the guys will be able to start on ceiling construction this weekend. Timmy's usually more available on weekday evenings. But hopefully then I'll be able to pull my head together.

Get a home insurance quote from Direct Line, voted Britain’s number 1 insurance provider.

Great Event, Great Cause

Hey all! A fellow blogger clued me in to a great event happening this Sunday 8/1 from 9-3 in Chatham!

So well said by my fellow blogger at The Bitch Stopped Cooking, "There will be music, food, and some pretty fabulous things for sale including antiques, handmade items and jewelry, and lots of plants. There is also going to be a raffle for red sox tickets, patriots tickets, and some other great stuff."

Make sure to check it out!

Get a home insurance quote from Direct Line, voted Britain’s number 1 insurance provider.

Snakes and Ladders

Never assume anything is going to be easy. That's rule #1 of home renovation, but for some reason, we all seem to forget it every time.

Last night I decided to nix dance class so Mike could continue on the porch wiring. As you noticed yesterday, the majority of the wiring was done. Tonight's task: feed the wires down to the basement, hook it up to the panel, and run the speaker wire. Easy? Seemingly.

Mike got a wire snake from work, drilled a hole, and proceeded to fight with the snake, the wire, and the wall for the next couple hours. Something in the wall - some unknown obstacle - made the job near to impossible. Even when the wire and the speaker wire successfully emerged from the wall and into the basement, the even-seemingly-easier job of removing the snake proved to be absolutely impossible. It snagged on this unknown object in the wall and could not be freed. Mike had to cut it.

He was not happy at all.

Further troubles then prevented him from connecting everything to the panel and he finally threw in the towel for the night, incredibly frustrated.

Good news is - we measured, and the 48" fan will fit nicely. I won't dare to say that the hard part is over with, but hopefully we're at least nearing the top of the hill, with completion of the wiring tonight.

Also, I'd like to share with you a great resource, dedicated to your front porch! Aptly named, "Front Porch Ideas and More" this site has pages upon pages of porch photos! (Say that five times fast.) So whether you're looking for inspiration on landscaping, furniture, entertaining, railings, ceilings, decorating, and more... this site is definitely for you. Check it out!

Get a home insurance quote from Direct Line, voted Britain’s number 1 insurance provider.

Let the Finishing Commence

4Runner #1 is on Ebay..... The soft top is back on Ebay.....

And with those two items taken care of - we begin the wiring of the porch. Right now? Right now! Well... technically Right yesterday. But that's even better then right now, because right now, the wiring is 75% done. Sometimes I am so amazed at what can be accomplished when you have a couple hours of sheer motivation.

Unless Mike is feeling totally energetic after I get home from dance tonight around 8:30, the wiring will be completed on Wednesday night. I browsed the outdoor ceiling fan collections at both HD and Lowes and found that HD had much better prices. I personally like this fan. But I'll have to measure to see if the 48" is enough. If we have to go up to 52" we'll be looking at a more expensive fan for sure.  Not that we'll be getting the fan at this very second. In fact, it'll likely be the last thing on the list. But never hurts to make your design choices early. This fan also features the pull chains, which is good, since we're going to avoid a switch altogether. It'll just make things easier.

Side note - since the lamppost will have to be its own separate thing, we moved that project onto a later date as well. I thought it might be easy to tie into the porch wiring, but not the case. Oh well.

What time is it?! ADVENTURE TIME... no wait... CEILING TIME!

The bead board is wood, but not good-wood and not pre-primed. It will need to be painted. Sky blue, it is. Mike did get the pre-primed trim boards though, which is very good.

Of course, when I look at this pile, it seems to me like we have WAY too much. But my judgment is generally wrong. I'm no good at estimations of size, distance, or weight. So don't ask me to guess anything... at least not if you're hoping for a close to correct answer.

I'm not sure yet when we can start installing the bead board. When we're finished with the wiring, we'll check in with Timmy on his schedule. I'm not sure the next step after that. More trim? Stairs? Railings? Lattice to keep the animals from going underneath? I guess I'll be finding out soon enough.

Get a home insurance quote from Direct Line, voted Britain’s number 1 insurance provider.

Boxed, Fixed, Ordered, Delivered

Yes, I finally got my box!!! And now the soft top is packed up, taped up, and ready for weighing at my local postal office. I cannot wait to get it back up on Ebay tonight.


Also ready for posting - 4Runner #1!! I detailed it on Saturday, Mike completed all the final repair touches on Sunday, and just this morning I took all the photos I need to sell. Posting will commence tonight. Another weight soon to be off my shoulders and out of my driveway.


But the biggest and best news of all came late Sunday afternoon. Mike and I were on the porch, discussing all things electric, when our neighbor Rich pulled into the driveway. Apparently, Timmy (who did our garage roof) was asking about the porch - if we had wired it, if we had ordered the materials, if we were ready to go on it... because he was available and ready to work.


I didn't hesitate. "Mike can get all the materials tomorrow," I told Rich. 

Mama don't mess around when it comes to availability. Timmy made us a shopping list a while ago, plus, we now knew what we wanted in wiring. "Just go down to Morse Lumber tomorrow and order it all," I told Mike after Rich left. And he did.


The unfortunate news is that we couldn't get exactly what I wanted for the ceiling. The traditional thing to get is that bead board stuff - you know, like wainscott, 2 1/2 inch wide wainscott bead board, whatever you want to call it. But I really wanted something a little meatier - like a 4 inch or even 6 inch wide bead board. Something different, you know? Well, Mike investigated all the options this morning and discovered that there is a HUGE price difference between the normal 2 1/2 inch vs wide board. We just couldn't go wide. For all that we needed, the 2 1/2 inch was about $680. The next level up jumped to $1300.... and the next after that.... around $2500. Ouch. For just the ceiling!!!! Ouch ouch!


So, traditional it will be. And, in case you didn't know, it's also traditional to paint your farmer's porch ceiling blue - like the sky. I'm not sure if Mike got the pre-primed white stuff or the true-wood stuff or the fake-wood stuff. If it's pre-primed white stuff, I'll definitely go with the lightest tint of blue. If it's true-wood or fake-wood, I may go with the rustic, wood look. I'll find out tonight since Mike's order will be delivered today.


And at this very moment, Mike's on his way to the DeepHo to pick up all the electrical. We decided on one fan to go over the fat section of the porch and 10 outlets, to be distributed evenly, about one every 10 feet, across the perimeter of the porch. No additional lighting. Why? The outlets will be so much more versatile. I can string holiday lights, (which normally come in 10' sections, hence the 10' spacing between the outlets) rope lights, pendent lights, and so much more depending on the season, holiday, event, or occasion.


That, and I want to purchase these nifty railing cap lights.  (PS - This dekor website, linked to the left, has all sorts of nifty lighting. I like the "deck dots" too.) They'll be great for stairways, especially (Speaking of which, I am SO looking forward to having proper porch stairways.)

Get a home insurance quote from Direct Line, voted Britain’s number 1 insurance provider.

Roof - CHECK!

It's finished!

Yes, the guys came over last night and worked tirelessly to finish the job and beat the rain. And it looks beautiful. Plus, Timmy got Mike all excited when he told him - "Yeah, all you have to do is this and that and this and you can take down the wall between the old garage and the addition and just have one big garage." (I'm paraphrasing here, of course.)

Mike asked me, "Do you think I should do it?" Pshaw! No contest! I said def! That way Mike could move his giant toolbox and work bench to the far far back wall and free up some much needed work space. I keep having the urge to run out and buy new garage doors so that Mike can move the old door to the garage addition... but I need to hold myself back. We've got the porch to finish.

Stay tuned! Wiring begins on Sunday! (And I'm going to do a lamppost at the same time, just like I've always wanted!)

Get a home insurance quote from Direct Line, voted Britain’s number 1 insurance provider.

The Roof The Roof The Roof Is On Fire

Well, not really. But I do want to raise the roof because believe it or not - it's better then half done.

Doesn't that look awesome? I had an insider tip that the guys were planning on coming yesterday... but I didn't want to jinx it by posting it up on the HB. (house blog)

And here's the other side - soon to be completed - tonight!!! (That is, unless severe thunderstorms roll through... because the forecast has just been all over the place this week and I have no clue what's going on and neither do highly paid meteorologists. )

Unfortunately, all this good news comes with a little bit of postponement news. We won't be able to purchase the rest of the wiring materials for the porch on Thursday. Turns out, Mike needs to do some work to the tractor to get it race ready for the big tractor race event on Friday night.

So how much more redneck could we get?! Hard to believe we're from New England, isn't it? Cracks me up - I love this lifestyle! Never a dull moment!

Also - Mike FORGOT MY BOX again. Oh, I'm sorry - I need more emphasis. AGAIN!!!!
At this rate, I'm going to need to show up at his work on Saturday and pick up the durn thing myself... wait, I have a potluck dinner to cook for. Thwarted again!

Ok, back to good news. With the roof on the GA nearing completion.... wait for it.... the porch is next! Woo-hoo! And I don't want to rush the guys who are helping us out - but I am so psyched for this. What I will be rushing on is the completion of the wiring and purchase of raw materials. Next week deadline. I'm pushing for it.

Get a home insurance quote from Direct Line, voted Britain’s number 1 insurance provider.

Cleaning Up

Last Saturday night, while trying to finish up repairs on 4Runner #1, we couldn't find the intake boot. The garage was a mess, the yard was littered with misc boat parts and beer cans, and Mike and I were both very frustrated about it. Luckily, after over a half hour of searching, Mike finally tracked down das boot in the garage addition, amongst another pile of misc.

But the whole debacle was enough to spark a Sunday Morning Clean Up. So first thing in the AM, Mike loaded up all the old boat trailer rollers, cans, and every other piece of junk on the side of the garage, in the garage addition, and in the regular garage - to the dump to the dump to the dump dump dump....

And here's the resulting "after" shot. I don't have a before shot for you. Too gruesomely messy for even the internet.

Upon returning from the dump, Mike set about REALLY cleaning out the garage. (It's been a disaster zone ever since he threw out his trash can... not the smartest move.) But I must admit, after just a couple hours in the AM, plus a few more hours in the PM (after we returned from our Clambake and BDay party) he made great progress. Half of the garage is clean.

4Runner #1, I may have forgotten to mention, is now fixed and running perfectly. I plan to clean it up and take pictures on Saturday, time permitting. I'll try and get it on Ebay... although now that it's the dead of summer, first gen 4Runner prices are down. I expected that, which is why I really wanted to take care of this back in spring, when every 4cyl manual sh*t box on there was going for 5,000+. This is a V6 auto... and sure it's rusty with a host of small issues and mileage up the wazoo - but it's still a V6 auto. And that's worth something to a lover of these. It just needs some TLC from someone who's willing to take the time with it. It's still the wrong time to sell. But I'll give it a go anyway. Winter is certainly not the time and I'd like this thing outta my hair.

Today - Mike will hopefully remember my box for the soft top. No bites on the craigslist ad yet.

Next up? The wiring of the farmer's porch! The speaker cable should be in by now - Thursday night we will probably purchase everything else we need. (Tues is my dance night, Wed is the demo derby at the fair, Friday is a tractor race, and Sat night is a potluck dinner - Summer of a Million Events continues!) So we probably won't be able to wire until Sunday at the earliest.

Will the roof be done by then too?! My sources say yes if weather permits. Can't wait!

Get a home insurance quote from Direct Line, voted Britain’s number 1 insurance provider.

Pleased as Pie

After waiting so long to start on this list, I'm amazed at how quickly we've been able to cross things off of it. In just last weekend and this week:

1. Mow the lawn (dang, it was at the point of seeding itself on the side and back lawns)
2. Jess muffler & Tailpipe (yes, I lost my tailpipe last week. LAST WEEK)
3. Jess wheel bearings (these have been bad for over a month now)
4. Jess oil change
5. Jess wheel spacer & new wheels (I've been wanting to get this taken care of since I got that flat tire.... oooo, more then two months ago)
6. Remove current 4Runner soft top, package in a box, and put back on ebay to sell.
7. Put on other 4Runner soft top.
8. Purchase parts and fix the old 4Runner #1 - SELL
9. Wire the farmer's porch for lighting, fan, speakers, and outlets. (Speaker wire already on order.)
10. New windshield for Mike's truck
11. Fix up Dodge #1 - SELL
12. Fix Dodge #2 - SELL

AND, if that weren't enough, the guys came by to do the garage addition roof!!! But we didn't have any drip edge. So Mike purchased that this week and now, hopefully, we are 100% ready for them to return and knock it out. (Again, it's been super hot and humid, so I don't really blame them for the delay. Plus, they've been working on another house, getting it ready to sell ASAP - so again, no blame again. I know they've been super busy.)

Tonight, Mike is going to finish up the repairs on 4Runner #1 and it will be ready to tidy up and put on Ebay for sale. The old soft top is back on craigslist (Click here to check it out!) Although Mike's been having some technical difficulties bringing home a giant box to pack it in for Ebay purposes. Once someone threw out the box on him. Another couple times he was on the bike and couldn't bring it home. Another time it was pouring rain out.

Today, he's on the bike again, so no box. But he's going to set aside a BBQ grill box for me. That's disappointing. I was hoping to be at the PO this morning to weigh that thing so I could get it up on Ebay.... At least it's on craigslist. No bites yet though. Amazing. These things are so rare, especially in New England. There must be SOMEONE like me out there who's desperately searching for one.

Anyhoo. Sunday will be a wash since we have a clambake, followed by a bday party. The following weekend, we'll be back on the job (hopefully!!)

Get a home insurance quote from Direct Line, voted Britain’s number 1 insurance provider.

Another Infamous List

The 4th is over! And believe it or not, we had a fabulous time out on the water... despite a last minute blown head gasket discovery. Yes that's right, Mike discovered the problem on Thursday, but managed to fix it in time for our outing on Sunday.

Here we are, waiting for the fireworks to start in the bay. It was a great night with friends and two other boats, and we had a similarly fun time on Monday.

Here are the Mikes cooling off in the tube.

So, despite the great time, I was very happy to get it over with. Now, we can move on to the crazy to-do list that has been just racking up for the last few crazy weeks.

DA LIST
(in order)

1. Mow the lawn (dang, it was at the point of seeding itself on the side and back lawns)

2. Jess muffler & Tailpipe (yes, I lost my tailpipe last week. LAST WEEK)

3. Jess wheel bearings (these have been bad for over a month now)

4. Jess oil change

5. Jess wheel spacer & new wheels (I've been wanting to get this taken care of since I got that flat tire.... oooo, more then two months ago)

6. Remove current 4Runner soft top, package in a box, and put back on ebay to sell.

7. Put on other 4Runner soft top.

8. Purchase parts and fix the old 4Runner #1 - SELL

9. Wire the farmer's porch for lighting, fan, speakers, and outlets. (Speaker wire already on order.)

10. New windshield for Mike's truck

11. Fix up Dodge #1 - SELL

12. Fix Dodge #2 - SELL

Phew - I'm out of breath just thinking about all that. And I know what you're all thinking - what's up with the garage addition and porch?! Well, we got all the remaining materials we needed for the garage addition roof. But then, we got a heat wave... and I honestly don't blame Timmy for not coming by to finish it. I wouldn't want to be up there in that heat. Hopefully, we'll hear from and see him soon. Believe you me, I haven't forgotten. If we don't see him this week, I'll probably have Mike check in on his schedule. Sometimes he gets crazy busy like us.

And as for the porch - well, we need to wire first. So that's that for that.

Ok - now, I'm happy to report that after only one week on the job, we're well on our way to smacking out each item on the list.

Mike fixed his lawn tractor blades on Wednesday evening and mowed the lawn! Meanwhile, after Mikey was in bed, I trimmed up one of my cherry trees and weeded along the driveway a bit.

Thursday, Mike picked up the muffler and tailpipe and installed them last night. I picked up the oil filter and oil. (Penzoil special at Advance, filter and 5 quarts for just $16.99)

Tonight is wheel bearing time! Tomorrow - soft top time! The only thing I'm missing is the box to pack it in, which Mike hasn't been able to bring home from work since he's been riding the bike. (I nearly wrote, "riding the box.")

The speaker wire for the porch should arrive on Monday too, although next week will most likely be about 4Runner #1. (Which Mike is dreading... but I am so excited to sell it. Whatever it goes for, I will be so happy just to see it gone. And Mike will be happy too, since I've promised to transfer those plates to his '69 Camero.)

As a side note - as the summer has progressed, the state of the bathroom has degressed. Yes, I'm just waiting for the day when the floor gives way. Why? Water is leaking onto it from places unknown. It's totally squishy and wavy. The tiles continue to fall off. The stoopid linoleum is dry and cracking all over the place. The tub is so disgusting, we continue to bathe Mikey in his infant tub. Mold and mildew are everywhere - even cropping up back on the ceiling, which I painted with exterior paint a couple years ago to try and combat the moisture. The window is fulla dead bees. (I suppose I could clean that... but I really don't want to.)

So stay tuned! The coming weeks will be so exciting! And already I can tell, winter will be even more so.

Get a home insurance quote from Direct Line, voted Britain’s number 1 insurance provider.