Totally unexpectedly, I just got laid off from my job. Who needs a web designer?

We finally got something to adorn our bedroom wall so we have something beautiful to look at instead of a blank wall. The painting is a canvas print reproduction of The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse. We both love it and find it fits in very well with the colors in the room. It is the right balance of interesting and beautiful to keep from getting old after staring at it for years. Jules’ family has the same painting at home and he has always loved it. (I’m aware that the dimensions are not true to the original, but we also didn’t pay an arm and a leg for it so I’m not going to complain!)

Last week Jules and I took off work so we could spend time with our friends visiting from out of town. We had several different gatherings with friends here in Seattle and took many trips to touristy destinations. Jon and Dave spent a great deal of time helping us with various electric-related issues we’d had with the house (which were beyond Jules’ and my expertise.) Now we have a basement light *and* a back porch light that we can actually turn off, an outlet where there were exposed live wires (which I have caught Roscoe *chewing* on before, for crap’s sake!), a clean bathroom fan, two vent covers where there were previously none, and a pretty new lightswitch cover for Nathaniel’s room. (We also discovered that the sunroom is on the same breaker as the furnace (what?) even though we had the panel totally rewired only a few months ago. The electricians must have missed that one.) Brian was only here for essentially two days so unfortunately he didn’t get much of a chance to see the things he was interested in as we were constantly driving to and from the airport (for a total of 8 trips.) It would have been nice if he got to stay a bit longer.

The guys helped Jules with his arcade cabinet and he was able to finish the control panel to a point where it is playable outside the context of the full cabinet (it is designed to be a fully removable, modular unit.) Evidently the wiring wasn’t too tricky and he was able to do most of it without help.

Both of us are still exhausted from all that excitement. Funny how vacations always seem to leave you more tired than refreshed.

Everyone in our household is now making an attempt to exercise more and eat less. There have been some positive results so far but it hasn’t been easy for some individuals… DDR and walks in the park have been helpful, as has green tea. Yum!

Proof that the zombie marketing team has taken control of Home Depot’s packaging division. What horrors lie in store for us next?

On Tuesday (Jules’ and my second anniversary!) I was having a chat with my dad about all the changes we’ve made to the house and he mentioned wishing he could see the differences. Since my parents live in Wisconsin and farm, they haven’t made it out to see the place yet, so I decided to do some “before and after” photos! Some of the angles aren’t exactly the same and some contain the previous owners’ stuff, but you’ll get the general idea.

We have sure accomplished a lot in the last 8 months! Click the following link to see the photos:

Read the rest of this entry »

Gardens are growing strong! We’ve had a few salads from the lettuce and spinach, which have been really tasty. Pretty good for a first attempt. Jules spent the weekend working on his cabinet again and I touched up the basement entryway. (Still have to paint the borders.) We also looked at some more houses with Nat. One of them had an incredible old heater. We failed to put in a new lock/handle set in the front door due to a broken inner component, so we’ll be returning that to Home Depot tonight.

Trying to get as much done this week as we can before the guys arrive and we get a week off work. Very excited!

We have been so crazily busy lately but hopefully things will be slowing down a bit soon. Jules has been working on his arcade cabinet a lot (and doing a marvelous job!) while I’ve been painting and painting. I am hoping to get the in-progress rooms finished before Dave, Jon, and Brian arrive next week so I am working extra hard! Both Jules and I are very much looking forward to having a week off work while they visit!

Aside from painting, we’ve been taking care of quite a few other house-related items. The house is starting to feel like our own now! Very exciting. I am exhausted though, and starting to feel a bit burnt out, especially on the painting front. I really enjoy it while I’m working on it but my body is so worn out! Once I finish the basement entrance area I will take a break for awhile before tackling the remaining rooms.

• I finally created a “Mans” plaque for the downstairs bathroom, which has been on my to-do list since before we actually owned the house. Quite pleased with the result, even though we had to employ some strange methods to get it to happen.
• On Memorial Day, Nat, Jules and I put “Pet Screens” in the sliding doors of the sunroom so we can leave the doors open to give the house more fresh air. Prior to this day, only one door had a screen (the others were inexplicably cut from the frames!) and the screen that was there was the standard aluminum mesh which the kitties were quickly destroying with their claws. The pet screens are STRONG and thick and have a texture that doesn’t appeal to the cats so they do not try to claw at it. Looks like our ridiculously hard work getting the screens in place was worth it! (The spline we had, although recommended for that weight of screen, was probably a bit too large in the end, and it took us about 4 hours to finish the project.)
• We hung new red velvet curtains between the columns separating the office area from the entertainment area. It now looks like a movie theatre and the sound is much better.
• We finally got a few photos printed from the wedding and other fun times and cleaned out Target’s supply of 5×7″ frames.
• Nat and Jules removed the pathetic lighting fixture from the living room ceiling and put in a new ceiling fan with lights which *finally* properly illuminate the room. It is so lovely being able to *see* in there at night! The fan also really helps the airflow between the sunroom and living room (which only has three small windows to allow fresh air in.)

And now for non-house-related things…

The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend we threw a small party at our place. Well, we had intended it to be small, but it grew out of control. Everyone had a lovely time and much beer and food was consumed. All of the chips I bought were finished by the end of the party, which if you know me and the way I prepare for parties, is quite the statement.

The following day were were all a bit hungover, so naturally we went househunting with Nat. We found ourselves in Seward Park, which was absolutely gorgeous. We ate some Phở and spent the afternoon recuperating. Nice.

Bobby came to visit Nat last weekend and the weather was gorgeous.

Last night I got my copy of EA Sports Active. I like it a lot more than Wii Fit and I feel great today. :D I can’t wait until our schedule is normal enough that I can incorporate exercise into it again. I’ve been using the housework as exercise for about two months and it’s not enough. I miss exercise!

The gardens are coming along great. The lettuce and spinach is ready to eat and the strawberry plants have small fruit forming. The potato and tomato plants are HUGE. Lots of bees, bugs, and birds coming to visit now. It’s a good first attempt!

Emily is now using the litter box properly and has only had one mishap since finishing her medicine.

We should be completely free of credit card debt after next paycheck. Woo!