Wired!

Wiring is complete! Mike finished it up last Friday night. Saturday, I even cleared the porch of all I could so that construction can commence whenever possible. I still can't believe it'll be happening soon.... imagine... a ceiling as early as this week. It just doesn't seem possible.

As you can tell, I'm in pretty good spirits. After last week's downturn, our luck returned over the weekend. Mike finished the wiring, I discovered my Sat night plans were not ruined because of stupidity, we salvaged that important document we lost, bids started flying on both my ebay auctions... then some no-feedback ding dong cancelled his winning bid on 4Runner #1 in the last 20mins of the auction. What an incredible idiot!

And it's not just like, "Oh, that's fine - I'll just list it again." No - selling vehicles on ebay is actually tricky business. I can't just plop it back up again - the same 4Runner shoppers from last week will likey still be there... and now that they saw my 4Runner make it up to the reserve amount.... they know what that amount is. And they won't bid.

I had a similar problem when selling a motorcycle some years ago on Ebay. Some crafty fellow slapped on a high bid, just to see what the reserve was, then retracted the bid. After that, the auction creeped up by pennies, because everyone knew what that reserve was and they were all clammering for a deal. Those swine. It's like they're all in cahoots.

Anyway. I read him the riot act. THEN he had the nut to tell me that since I'm an experienced Ebayer, I should be used to people doing this sort of thing and know how to handle it. That response did not dignify a response-response from me. (And by the by, this particular situation of having to file a claim with Ebay to cancel the transaction and that sort of thing - has never happened to me in all my many years of Ebaying.)

At least the soft top sold with no muss 'n fuss. Phew! Plus, I have a whole bunch of response to my craigslist ad for 4Runner #1... including a gentleman who is so near-to-sure he's going to purchase, he'll come to my house on Monday with a flatbed to pick it up if no one else has purchased yet. Hey, maybe that Ebay ding dong was just meant to be.

So, returning you once again to home-matters - I'm even more super psyched because the guys are supposed to come over tonight to begin work on the porch ceiling. Today's time is ticking by super slowly just to twazz me out. I cannot cannot wait.

Mike warned me in advance that we'd probably be getting another laundry list of materials from Timmy as progress progresses. No problemo man.

It's going to be finished before the end of this month. I can feel it.

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.

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.

MemDay Already?

No news to report. That's it - end of blog.

Can you believe it?! This is normally our season of doing. But this year it's another season of doing nothing but going around in circles. When did we build that garage addition? May 1st it was pretty much completed... and here we are on the 30th and still no roof.

Shameful.

This very weekend Mike is sick and not too happy about it. He's dying to purchase the roofing shingles, but every Monday something else seems to play roof-block. And tomorrow's a holiday, so there ya go. He managed to mow the lawn today, just to say he got his butt outside for a few.

And me - I wish I could do more. I asked Mike to get the stain and deck stainer device from work so I could do that this weekend... but turns out he was too poo'd to go in on Saturday. Would have been a perfect time too - no rain for the weekend and the baby has been taking great naps all day.

At least I got one of my 4Runner soft tops sold. Woo-hoo! And with my new found wealth, I'll be purchasing the parts needed for 4Runner #1 so that it may too be sold. Woo-hoo2! I'm waaay too happy about that prospect.

I mean, come on?! What sort of a goal is it just to sell a 4Runner in an ENTIRE summer. Pathetic. In the olden days, we could have had the garage addition done, porch finished, and a whole 'nother side of the house re-sided by now.

I'm beginning to see why it takes normal people so long to do these renovations.
Although the scariest thought is this - next year at this time we'll be trying for our second child. Maybe I should start re-evaluating all my improvement goals. To think I wanted to have a second bathroom by spring 2012.... I still do. But is it realistic? Not so much.

Depressing.

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