Under Construction

Greetings from Chicago

HI! For those of you following along, I survived the red eye to Chicago and after much walking and wandering made it to the BlogHer conference.  That was yesterday.

Today, the conference is over and I'm worn out.  And a little tired of talking about blogs and blogging and why we blog and the business of blogging and the politics of blogging.  Lovely to meet so many amazing and talented women in person by by 8 p.m. tonight I was ready to head for the hotel to relax (and read blogs).

One lovely re-discovery is Jen Lemen.  She has a beautiful art/mommy/life/inspiration blog and led me to Nikki McClure who has some amazing papercuts that remind me of Switzerland (lots of papercutting art in Switzerland). I can't wait to check out all the other blogs of fellow BlogHers but for now, Harry Potter is calling, I'm on page 354.

Photos and more on Wednesday when I'm back home (I'm at another conference in Chicago for work starting tomorrow, going through Tuesday). 

Try not to be too jealous

Mr. H and Biscuit are spending two days at the lake so I've got an evening with the house to myself and 500 odd pages of Harry Potter to be read and I spent much of my evening ripping up flooring.

Yes, my life is that exciting.

You are likely also jealous of my fashion sense and self portrait skills. I think I'm really rockin' the full safety gear, pajamas and flip flops look. No?

On the up side, I got half of the remaining flooring removed and got over my circular saw phobia. On the down side, it was the far easier half of the floor.

After I pack for Chicago, finish making my business cards and pack a box of goodies for my cousins' new baby I'll definitely relax and settle into bed with my new, younger man.  Don't get any ideas, it's just Harry Potter!

Tying up loose ends

I'm only on page 133 of Harry Potter but I understand that book 7 really ties up all the loose ends. I think blogs are often the ultimate at loose ends. People share a WIP or a problem and then....nothing. So, thought I'd check in and, just in case anyone cares, provide a few updates.

The Big Girl Bed
Over the weekend she played in her room for 30 minutes and then put herself down for a nap on the bed with her head on the pillow.  Tonight, not so much. This is very much a work in process. (She's on the floor near the doorway in this photo with her knees on the hardwood floors)

The kitchen
Mr. H has been busy and the electricity is in, the gas plumbing and water plumbing are done, the door opening is framed and the wall is moved. Now if only we had ordered the right size windows for delivery when we actually need them rather than 2 weeks later we'd be all set ;) Actually, this is coming along nicely. Next up: drywall

Still no decision on the countertops....

Maker Faire
The careful reader may recall that at Maker Faire I randomly met someone I went to elementary school with, Marie aka Marimello. (Any other Miller Mustangs out there?). She and I have emailed a few times since then and actually chatted on the phone yesterday about an article she is writing for CROQzine.  I must say, a two sided phone call is a nice change from the more one sided world of blogging.  Leave comments anytime folks :)

Ok, enough rambling, back to Harry Potter for me!

Maybe I should have had a boy

Biscuit is 21 months old and I think this is the first time I've ever 'styled' her hair. It's maybe the 15th time I've ever even brushed her hair.  We're a wash-n-go kind of family. Needless to say they were the most lumpy, uneven pigtails ever and she wanted them out NOW.

That beautiful quilt behind her head. That's one of my mom's garage sale scores. THREE DOLLARS! (she bargained down from $5 because, you know, $5 is far too much to spend on a twin size hand appliqued quilt).

Well, the Biscuit is in bed. It's been a productive day of crafting but instead of sharing I'm going to commence with the celebrating of National Harry Potter Reading Weekend.  Hope you had a spectacular Saturday!

Blogher?

So I came into some money recently. My usual response to unexpected money is to deposit it in savings or the IRA (yes, I am seriously that boring). This time I decided to go crazy and spend it ALL on stuff I wouldn't otherwise buy. And all on things for me.

I had an idea that I wanted to use my money to treat myself and to support artists and crafters out there who are doing amazing work. So, the weeks before the money arrived, I scoured Etsy and started a mental tabulation of all the wonderful things I could buy.

But then once the money showed up, I froze. I did spend about $20 on a long coveted Black Apple print and then...nothing.  Days went by. Weeks. The money was burning a hole in my Paypal pocket.

That is until I took a break from kitchen demo on Saturday and went to Stop, Shop and Stroll, a Sacramento Craft Mafia event where I splurged on this great bear from Missy Ballance of Mohair Circus. I saw this bear back at Bazaar Bizarre and loved her but couldn't quite justify the perfectly reasonable yet outside my comfort zone price tag. But at Stop, Shop and Stroll she had a little bunny rabbit friend and that put me over the top.  Mr. H thinks I'm crazy (a bear is the last thing we need). But I really like bears.

So that purchase put a dent in my Paypal stash but there was more to be spent.  When my camera looked to be on death's door I started investigating a new digital camera but the camera seems to have recovered so today I spent another $200* on a ticket to BlogHer.

I don't know anyone who's going. I don't know if it'll be fun or interesting or useful but I have to be in Chicago anyway for work so I moved my plane ticket and took the plunge.  If you're going to BlogHer or know someone who's going or know anything at all, let me know. And just in case it sucks, suggestions of fun things to do by yourself in Chicago are more than welcome. I'll be there for 4.5 days. I should at least be able to fit in some pizza.

*I'm saving some spending money for Chicago but still have a bit more cash. Etsy ideas or digital camera insights are welcome...

ETA: I heard about this free podcast/walking tour the other day and, hey, they have Chicago!

Plum tuckered

So a half hour ago when I sat down to write this post I had a little panic attack thinking I had killed my digital camera.  It seems to have come back to life.  Phew.  I guess the only dead thing today is the mouse we found in the wall.

So, since the camera is okay, of course you get MORE photos of the kitchen demolition in progress.  I could show you the hour by hour but my family teased me that it was a bit much so here's the current status:

You can't tell but the drywall is 95% gone, the flooring is about 30-40% gone and we sealed off the room since Biscuit is now back home. I realize this is not exactly gripping blog material but see the blue stripe on the plastic sheeting? That's a zipper! This is pretty much the coolest invention ever, a zipper that sticks to the sheeting and then you open it and cut the plastic so you can get in and out of your construction site.  I'd love the meet the genius who came up with this.

And in other uninteresting blog material, a reminder to wear safety goggles (a nail lodged in the ceiling):

My photo of the mouse skeleton didn't turn out so I think I'll close here. Maybe tomorrow I'll have some interesting content and I'll share the story of how we managed to discuss penis disorders and circumcision over dinner. Not a huge deal except it happened to be over dinner with my entire family including a boy my sister brought home for the first time to meet the parents. Oops.  Maybe I shouldn't share that story after all ;)

Hope you are having a great Monday!

I have a feeling it's going to take longer to put it all back

Our Saturday (Biscuit is having a slumber party at Grandma and Grandpa's house)
11 a.m.

noon

1 p.m.

2 p.m.

3 p.m.

4 p.m.

See that saw sticking out of the wall? Here's the close up (note capped off gas pipe)

So the massive gas leak that ensued brought the demolition to a screeching halt as we raced to shut off the electricity and the gas and open all the doors and windows.  Well, we needed to move the gas pipe anyway.

After 4 (four!) hours under the house (Mr. H) and three trips to the hardware store, the gas is rerouted to the new stove location (where the door is in the photos above). One more hardware store trip in the morning for a pressure tester and maybe we can have hot water again.

I'll be posting about "safety tips for a kitchen demolition" over at Refurber. For those of you who missed it, I started June 1 as a Refurber ambassador. It's a site all about home renovation and home improvement so the kitchen project will fit right in. Anyone can contribute questions or advice at the Refurber site; come on over and check it out.

 

Hot pads and hot moves

Yep, lamest blog title ever. Sorry.

First up a little house warming gift:

For my friend who just bought a new house. Two hot pads and two decorated tea towels. Easy peasy, useful and pretty. My kind of gift. I think she liked it too.

Last week was pretty productive on the crafting front. Did I mention I was on vacation most of the week?  I think those two facts are related ;)

Now I'm having a rough time settling back into the life of a working gal so I've been feeling tired and busy. I may not be around the blog for a few days so I'll leave you with some priceless video footage of some hot moves.  Enjoy!

A cozy for everything

Mr. H asked me yesterday if I was going to make a cozy for everything in the house. I suggested the toaster looked a bit naked and he just rolled his eyes. In all fairness I have cozified a number of objects lately:

First off, the tv:

This one may not be staying as I entered it in the Sew Useful contest and it's for sale in my Etsy shop. If you want to make one, tutorial is here.

Then the newel posts:

That awesome, knitted newel post cover is from Jacqueline Knits. Her customer service was fantastic and unlike most of my friends and family she didn't comment on the oddity of wanting to make a knit apple jacket into a newel post cover. I guess I gal who knits apple jackets can understand how nearly everything can be improved by a little knitted cozy. Now I just need to touch up the paint.

And finally the coffee press:

This is so my sister can make coffee at her desk (and keep it cozy and warm). She starts a brand new job next Monday. The coffee press itself is a re-gift so I thought I'd better dress it up a bit.

So really, only three cozies two of which are leaving our house. I can totally cozify the toaster ;)

Hope you had a cozy weekend!

The saga of the big girl bed

Probably nobody but my mom and Rebecca really care about the crib to big-girl-bed transition but it's been taking over my life so gosh darnit, you get the whole saga (including the part where I am a freaking IDIOT--and not just about bed size).

Stage 1
Place Ikea mattress on floor, purchase (wrong size) sheets, put baby gate in doorway , keep crib available for emergencies, cross fingers, photograph results:

Stage 2
Realize that making cabinets for TWO kitchens will occupy Mr. H's time to the point that he will not be able to make a big-girl-bed before the borrowed crib/dresser return deadline.  Find headboard at thrift store:

Realize that, like sheets, it is the wrong size. Curse.

Stage 3
Donate headboard back to said thrift store, chalk it up to a $15 lesson. Purchase new big-girl-bed (this time with rails included, bonus!). Splurge on nightstand that nobody likes but me.

Paint (and bless husband for buying a darn good paint sprayer--two coats of primer and one of paint in one day!)

Stage 4 (help required)
Disassemble crib, drop parts on toe, curse, shove dresser and crib parts into hall, install "new" furniture in bedroom, surround bed with softness, identify need for a dresser, photograph results
*

The first night I think she (and I**) slept a total of 2 uninterrupted hours. Big-girl-beds are very exciting you know, as are the changing table mirrors that are now at eye level. Did you know there is a BABY in her room at night? And you can jump off a big-girl-bed onto a mattress on the floor and not get hurt! Fascinating stuff.

Last night was much better. Tonight my fingers are crossed....

And finally, for those of you who made it this far, this is my 101st post at this new address (my third blogging home).  In honor of reaching 100 I finally took 30 minutes and fixed the sidebar. Click the images on the left; they're totally links! I am an html genius! (full disclosure: Typepad help gave me the code)

*I saw this photo and immediately thought of this print that I saw months ago and loved. So I just bought one ;)

**I am a freaking IDIOT and made a bet with Mr. H and then got cocky and upped the ante from a Coke to an entire MONTH of getting up with Biscuit (midnight wake ups and mornings). I lost the bet. Good timing with the big-girl-bed introduction and all. I am an idiot. A very, very, tired idiot.