Molasses Crinkles

posted by sometrouble @ 10:44 PM | Test Category Two | Friday, February 02, 2007

Just finished making molasses crinkle cookies. My mom used to make them, but this is the first time I have ever made them. They sure are tasty...but mine came out a little differently than hers always do.

I will share the recipe with you...although I just got it out of my fabulous Betty Crocker cookbook:
Molasses Crinkle Cookies

Mix thoroughly:

3/4 cup soft shortening
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses


Sift together and stir in:

2 1/4 cups Flour
2 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger

Chill dough. Roll into balls the size of large walnuts. Dip tops in sugar. Place sugar-side-up, 3" apart on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with 2 or 3 drops of water to produce a cracked surface. Bake just until set but not hard.

Temperature: 375
Time: Bake 10 to 12 minutes
Amount: About 4 dozen 2 1/2" cookies.

Except, I made mine a little smaller than a large walnut, I think. Also, I baked the first set 10 minutes...and they were a little too crunchy. The second ones only went for 9 minutes...they are better, but I might even do them less time next time. They don't look like my moms do. Hers are not as flattened out...and the cracks on top are more defined. I don't know why mine aren't like that. They still taste great, though. If anyone else makes them, let me know how you like them!

*EDIT* If you forget about the "sprinkling two or three drops of water on each cookie" part, they come out a little bit more like the way I thought they were supposed to (and I only gave these 8 1/2 minutes):



I have this lamp...I love it. My grandparents found it on someone's trash pile with the cord cut. My grandfather re-wired it, and I saw it sitting in their basement and asked them about it. (I wanted it) They said they picked it up for me. (I was so thrilled) But it had a really dated looking lampshade. (not the one pictured...it was actually WORSE!) They let me trade shades with one of their old lamps in an extra bedroom, so I got this one that is decent. It has a couple spots that are worn...and one little cut in one side.

I have been keeping an eye out for a replacement. A friend suggested something like a rice-paper shade. Trouble is, it is IMPOSSIBLE to find a drum lamp shade this size anymore. Any stores only have the short little ones. I have yet to start going to expensive specialty lamp stores because they are...well...expensive. I need help...I even searched online without much luck. If anyone has any suggestions, please tell me. I really want to get it updated...but I am getting nowhere finding anything.

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At February 03, 2007 1:46 PM, Blogger Allie said...

mmm, those cookies are making my mouth water!

I'll have to try my hand at making them too :o)

 

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Gotta love this rainy winter

posted by sometrouble @ 4:14 PM | Test Category Two | Saturday, January 13, 2007

It is mid January and we haven't had any substantial snowfall yet. I'm not complaining too much, because the temperatures haven't been all that bad either yet. However, temps above freezing mean we're getting it all as rain instead.

Yesterday morning, we woke to a wet cat jumping on us. Immediately we were wondering why he was wet. I thought maybe the bathtub was damp, since he likes to play in there. We checked it...bone dry. Then I checked to see if the toilet lids were closed, because I thought maybe he had just been playing in the water...closed. The third place we checked which we dreaded looking, because by process of elimination, we both knew had to be the reason, was the basement. Sure enough, flooded. Damn.

Apparently, our sump pump had failed to kick on. Also, the back up pump, which runs on water pressure failed to kick on as well. So the water had overflowed the pump pit and was all over the basement. The pumps were both fine, though.

*Warning: my attempt at a "technical" sump pump explanation follows:*

The main pump is supposed to be triggered on when a floating balloon goes upright because the water is high enough to lift it. This "balloon" is on a long hose, but is attached to the pump by a metal fastener with the correct amount of slack to control our water level. Well the metal fastener corroded away and the balloon was now just floating on its side with about 3 feet of slack hose. Nice.

So the back up pump, works with a spring loaded valve that opens the house's water flow to create a vaccuum and force the water up and out. The valve is triggered by a weighted float that is on a string tied to the handle of the valve. The weight holds the valve closed as long as there is tension on the string. When the water level rises, the string slackens allowing the spring to open the valve. There are two problems with this method: 1. Eventually, the string will rot away...but the worst that would happen here is a huge water bill from the valve staying open. 2. Cats play with strings...which is I think what happened in our case. The string was tangled around the pipes of the pump, and the spring was no longer putting pressure on the valve.

*End "technical" nerdiness.*

In any case, we mopped up the water, and did damage control on the thankfully few things that got wet. Our basement is unfinished, and right now we only have a few things stored down there. Many things are in plastic boxes. An inch of water doesn't do much damage to wooden furniture either. I did have my photography "studio" set up down there...and a couple of the backdrops got wet. But I just threw them in the washing machine, no biggie. Chad spent all day working with his dad and his brother to replace both pumps. They were both still working, but we are planning to carpet and drywall the basement this year...so new pumps can't hurt. The backup one now has a rod and an enclosed spring to trigger it, so hopefully no more malfunctions.

We are REALLY REALLY glad this all happened yesterday so we could take care of it before there is more at stake in the finished basement. No soggy carpeting, thank you. I guess the water table here is pretty high. We had some trouble with water sitting at the back of our yard last week. The water level in the ditch back there was actually higher than the sump pump's outlet pipe. Chad had to dig all that out too. Its fantastic being a homeowner.

Another reason I'm glad it was yesterday and not tomorrow is because as I am writing this, we are having this installed in the basement:

Only ours has "ocean blue" felt!
We got an awesome deal on it, some guy bought it and only had it 4 months...he says he only played on it about 5 times. He is unfortunately getting divorced, and wants to sell it before his wife can take it. Chad's brother refelts tables as a side job, and came across it. He would have kept it, but he doesn't have a house. We wanted to get one eventually after we got the basement done...but this deal was so good, we are taking it now. I researched it online, and from what I can tell, we are paying about 1/3 of what it should cost new! I am super excited! I can't wait to get the basement all done.

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1 Comments:

At January 15, 2007 1:22 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ugh I feel your pain about the wet basement. We don't even have a sump pump (we'll be installing one within the year) but to have both pumps break is a major bummer. It is really good you were home and able to take care of it.

Yay for the pool table too!

 

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Time is *not* on my side

posted by sometrouble @ 1:33 PM | Test Category Two | Thursday, October 26, 2006

I need a few more hours and a lot more energy in every day. Getting used to running a household is a challenge...adding a full time job with a 45 minute commute in traffic makes it seem almost impossible. I know it is possible, and I know there are many people doing it with no problem everyday, some of them have a child or five as well...but they've been doing it longer than I have. I know it will get easier as it gets more routine for me. I love to cook dinner for my husband, and I like feeling a sense of accomplishment keeping up MY house. I just feel like my head is just under the surface of the water all the time. No more lazy Saturday mornings, laying in bed with the husband until 11:00 AM. We have too many things to get done.

Yesterday, I needed to make a trip to Costco. I had been planning to go yesterday all week, since it was the first day that I didn't have other things going on after work. I was dreading it though, because 5:30 PM is a terrible time to be at Costco, or Meijer's, or driving around ANY shopping area with many big stores like that. But hubby needed deodorant (can't have him stinky now) and I wanted to get a few frozen food items now that we have a deep freezer which my mom so generously gifted us with last week as a "housecooling" gift. Plus I wanted to get one of their rotisserie chicken's for dinner.

So I left work at about 5:00 PM, went to the bank, then backtracked to Costco. I picked up what I needed, taste-tested all the samples they were offering, and grabbed a few clothing items for Chad. The lines were very long. Then it was back to work to end a test that was running...and I was on the road home at 6:00 PM.

Traffic sucked. I didn't make it in the door until after 6:45 PM. Shoved the still warm chicken in the over to thoroughly heat, boiled some frozen corn (I hate canned vegetables with a passion...and when fresh isn't available, frozen is the next best thing), and whipped up some Betty Crocker butter and herb mashed potatoes. I know boxed potatoes are not very good for you...but I was very tired...and NOT motivated to put out any more effort. The butter herb ones at least taste really good, and not like the cardboard box they came in.

My first time carving up a bird...I mangled it a little bit...but oh well. The milk for the potatoes boiled over on the stove, what a mess...mmm the aroma of burnt milk. When I was draining the water from the corn, half of it spilled in the sink. Luckily, I made a lot, and there was still enough. Now I have the chicken carcass and leftover meat to make me some homemade chicken soup on Saturday!

Chad loved it all, and that made me feel REALLY good. He cleaned up for me, and thanked me several times for a tasty dinner. That makes all the hassle so worth it. I love to cook for him. Five years ago, I wouldn't have imagined that I would have my own house to keep up, and a husband to feed. But here I am...with all the freedom of an adult...and all the responsibility to go along with it.

Today after work I need/want to:
- go to the drug store to pick up prescriptions and some miscellaneous items
- unpack and set up my desktop computer in preparation for our internet hook up tomorrow
- make a BIG start on all the dirty laundry
- take and edit photos for Stuff Portrait Friday
- organize and go through all my clothes so they fit in the closet and dressers
- watch Grey's Anatomy and Six Degrees
- unpack as many boxes as possible until I collapse

I want to get to these things in the near future:
- go to the fabric store and make my halloween costume idea
- go find some basic black pumps that are not too pricey
- get some coat hooks from the hardware store and put them up in the basement stairway
- make the house presentable
- get and carve some pumpkins
- frame and hang a painting I did
- print some photos for some frames I have (and hang)
- have my wedding gown cleaned and preserved
- sew some curtains for the guest bedroom
- etc. etc. etc.

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4 Comments:

At October 26, 2006 8:21 PM, Blogger Allie said...

And I though I was busy!!

Good luck getting that all done. And I hope you get to watch Gray's Anatomy. This is my new favorite show. I am catching up on the first 2 season's now so byt the time the third season is done I can rent that too!

love you <3

 
At October 26, 2006 9:42 PM, Blogger sometrouble said...

Pooey, it is a re-run! Bah. but they turned on my internet...sort of...hmmm. Hopefully it will be bug free tomorrow...since that is the "official" turn on date.

 
At October 27, 2006 2:27 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Too much to do and a list of house projects that frequently gets neglected. Sounds familiar!

 
At October 27, 2006 11:18 AM, Blogger Kat said...

I wish I could say it gets easier. *heh* But it's more like you get used to it after it becomes the way of life. I'm just becoming re-accustomed to having no energy after being able to sleep late and keep house all I wanted when I was unemployed. >_<

 

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making progress

posted by sometrouble @ 1:22 PM | Test Category Two | Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Sorry for the absence lately...since we moved I can no longer get the internet from a neighbor. (I know, bad bad bad.) So we have placed an order for our own service, because I CAN'T live without it! Honestly, I can't. Besides the blogging, and fun stuff...I can always get my email almost daily at work. But it's the little convienances like the online yellow pages when you want to find the closest chinese restaraunt, or getting directions or a map to somewhere, or checking a store's hours before I head out the door, or even researching our options for GETTING the internet that I really miss. We got a phone line hooked up last week, and will be getting painfully slow DSL, the cheapest speed they offer (for now) 786 kbps download. We will see how that goes and maybe upgrade the speed, or switch to cable if/when we get cable TV.

Chad dug out our sump pump drainage pipe, and replaced it with a bigger one. He should be filling in the giant trench as I'm writing this. His mom came out to the house yesterday and finished painting the trim work that hadn't been done yet. She painted the kitchen ceiling a fresh coat of white, and also painted the second coat of green (see this post) on the bathroom. I gave in, and since we hadn't purchased any more paint for the room...and I am sick of having only one bathroom, and it being in our bedroom, I let her do the second coat. I still don't LOVE it, but maybe I can make it work. If not, it's getting covered! I will just be happy to have that room in comission, and not have to worry about painting it.

I still have LOTS of boxes to unpack, and TONS of other things to do...but it is coming together, finally.

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4 Comments:

At October 24, 2006 2:36 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can't live CANT LIVE without internet at home. I mean, I ordered our new internet service three weeks before we moved last time to make sure they'd be able to install it the DAY we got our keys.

 
At October 24, 2006 2:52 PM, Blogger sometrouble said...

I would have done the same...except I had to convince the hubby that we NEEDED it. He seemed to think if we had the internet, that I would not put anything away at the house, and just waste away my home hours on there. lol.

 
At October 26, 2006 11:10 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

He can put stuff away too, he's got capable hands! (That'd be my answer. haha)

But CZ would know better with me, as a me without internet is not a happy, cooperative or productive me!

 
At October 26, 2006 11:40 AM, Blogger sometrouble said...

haha! He would argue that he doesn't know where I want anything. Which is kinda a valid point...cause I'm the one who needs to be able to find the iron, or the food processor...and much of the most recent stuff we moved that is still in boxes came from my mom's house and is all my old stuff.
at least we are *supposed* to be getting it tomorrow...(fingers crossed)!

 

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We interrupt this program...

posted by sometrouble @ 10:45 AM | Test Category Two | Thursday, October 12, 2006

...FOR THE MORNING NEWS...

WEATHER REPORT:
It was snowing here a few minutes ago! Ok, just lightly, and nothing is sticking...but it made me happy to see. I had no idea we might get a few flakes today, so it was a nice surprise for my morning. Chad called and said it was snowing pretty good at our house about 20 miles to the northeast...and actually sticking! He said his truck was already getting a pretty good dusting. I'm sure it won't be much, and it will all melt before I get home.

IN OTHER NEWS:
We are mostly all moved in, there are a few large things still stored in my mom's basement and garage that we have to pick up. I still have much organizing and unpacking to do, but it's getting there. We still need to figure out what color we're going to get and finish painting the green bathroom.

LOCAL NEWS:
We regret to report that we do not yet have an internet connection at the new house...not even a weak signal from a neighbor. So, until I get that set up, I won't be around as much. I actually had to use the real PHONE BOOK to find some Thai food last night!!! Can you believe it???

COLD SEASON ADVISORY:
Yes I have a cold. already. I stayed home from work yesterday because I was feeling so miserable, and the sudafed wasn't helping. I laid around and did not much of anything. Then I realized that I was supposed to take 2 pills not 1, and had only been taking half the dose. I feel better today, I think yesterday's rest helped a lot.

FELINE REPORT:
Cato seems to have something irritating his left eye. He blinks it more than the other one, and doesn't always have it open all the way. I called a friend who is a vet tech, and she said to try putting some contact solution in there a couple times a day, and if that doesn't help after a few days, she can get us some medicine for him.

WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING.

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1 Comments:

At October 13, 2006 11:10 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Man I wish I could find some thai food. :-(

Fry has had eye problems since we got him. He has a permanently blocked tear duct... it causes him to 'cry' from that eye all the time.

 

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OMG moving day!

posted by sometrouble @ 6:33 PM | Test Category Two | Tuesday, October 03, 2006

I was informed late this morning by my husband over the phone, while I was at work, that he was planning to move our bed, dressers, couch, and other big furniture to the house TOMORROW. 11 AM I was told. 6 hours left to be stuck at work stressing about how the heck I am going to get EVERYTHING ELSE we own packing in an organized fashion before 7 AM tomorrow, and still have any energy left for tomorrow.

I went and got myself a 20 oz. Carmel High Rise from Caribou Coffee...which is basically a caramel latte with whipped cream. At this point, my attitude is: SCREW IT. I will do what I can, I am taking tomorrow off work...and will take Thursday off too if I have to.

Now I am realizing that I don't have any real photos showing our apartment...the first place we lived together. This makes me sad. I'm with Lazy Lightning in that I love to have pictures of EVERYTHING. I'm just not nearly as organized with mine as she is. I'm hoping to change that when we get moved in, and I have my desktop computer back. Now almost all my photos are on my hard drives. I want to print them, organize them, and album them. My parents took many photos as I was growing up...but the albums fizzle out somewhere around age 4 for me, I think. I always wanted to see photos of this or that...or their first apartment (where I was born) or the kitties they had when I was little and can't remember. Anyway...the apartment is a DISASTER right now...in no shape for photo taking. And there are empty boxes piled everywhere. I will just have to make the best of it, and take some while I'm packing things.

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3 Comments:

At October 03, 2006 8:06 PM, Blogger nodakademic said...

Hurray for photos! I am glad I'm not the only one who wished for more 'pre-me' photos from family!

It's never too late to start!

 
At October 03, 2006 8:13 PM, Blogger sometrouble said...

yes it's under way...i'm using the self timer to "stage" photos that look natural like we're living here. i've gotta get chad to be more into picking up the camera just to capture the moment.

 
At October 04, 2006 1:19 AM, Blogger Allie said...

Good luck with moving! Don't forget to have fun settling in too. And gimme your addy so I can mail you!

 

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electrician

posted by sometrouble @ 10:28 AM | Test Category Two | Monday, October 02, 2006

Chad and I spent friday working together to put up two ceiling fans in the house. First though, he let me drag him to Home Depot, then to Lowes, then to Ray Lighting, then back to Home Depot before we picked them out. I had already chosen the one for the kitchen...but Chad and his brother quickly found out that the "Hampton Bay" fan was a piece of crap. The blades were scraping on the motor housing, and there seemed to be something wrong with the motor...it wouldn't go on high and made this awful grinding sound. So he exchanged it for the only other one of the same model they had left...and tried again to put it up. No scraping this time, but the same motor problem. We had to argue with the woman at Home Depot to take it back. Even though we had the receipt...he hadn't had it when he even-exchanged the fan before...and for some reason the UPC number on the new fan's box didn't match the UPC on the receipt for the original fan even though they were identical. The packaging for the second one was pretty beat up...so I bet it had been sitting on the shelf a long time cause nobody wanted it...it was the LAST one.

We decided to try a similarly styled "Hunter" fan for a little more $$$. Went up without any problems...but we still had the same motor issues. We figured there must be something screwed up with the wiring. We are not electricians...we have just enough electrical smarts to match the ground wires to each other, and match black to black and white to white. (And to have the power turned off while we are working!) I am thankful the house has newer and "normal" wiring. You never know what you are going to find in older houses once you take a light down. The next day, I figured out what the problem was...there are two switches for that light on opposite sides of the room. One is a dimmer knob. The dimmer has to be turned all the way up even if the other switch is on...otherwise it doesn't give the fan enough power.

So now what we need to do, it replace the dimmer with a normal "on" and "off" switch. I want to make things a little more complicated, and separate the wires for the two switches so that the light can work by the dimmer without affecting the fan. Thing is, there is only one set of wires coming out of the ceiling...and about 4 feet of insulation over the ceiling at this point. I don't really want to dig through the pink itchy stuff to try to locate and split and splice wires in the cramped, dark, and stuffy attic.

Saturday, I took my mom and sister out to the house and we cleaned the kitchen, and started putting a lot of my stuff away. There is a bunch more I have to go deal with after work today, because it is on the carpet...and the cleaners are supposed to come tomorrow.

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Everything is colored!

posted by sometrouble @ 9:53 AM | Test Category Two | Thursday, September 28, 2006

Since the weekend our crazy business has continued. We painted, painted, and painted. We got the guest bedroom all done, the living room ceiling and walls have each received one coat of paint in their original color just to make it look nicer. The hallway got the same treatment. Both bathroom ceilings got re-painted white. Painted one coat on the bathroom walls. Painted one coat on the master bedroom walls. Bought paint for ALL the trim in the house.

We still need to: Put up two ceiling fans. Paint the kitchen ceiling and walls with one coat of white. Paint ALL the trim. Second coat the master bedroom. Second coat (repair?) of the bathroom. We have an appointment for carpet cleaning on Friday. Then we can move in!

I will post photos of all the rooms later on. Right now, it's all about the bathroom. I said "repair" above...because I think the color needs fixing.
dancing greenRemember the "dancing green" color from the last post? That was the color we picked for the bathroom. The online color isn't exactly like what the card from the store looks like...but close. I wanted a fresh spring green type of color. Something in between pastel baby green and lime green. I thought this was the right color...it looked good on the card. However, bathroom's are small...and whatever color you use, that's a lot of color in one small space. I brushed a little on one spot on the wall...and still couldn't imaging the effect of the whole room being painted. My grandmother and aunt both said at separate times that they weren't sure about it. But I didn't listen...and Chad's mom kept reassuring me that it would be fine and that once I get the mirror up and put a shower curtain and towels in there, it would tone it down.
So we painted.
And I hate it.
As we were painting, I thought this isn't so bad...it looked much lighter (as most paint does when it is wet). Then as it dried, and I kept going to look at it...it was getting more and more fluorescent each time I looked at it! Chad wanted to go ahead with the second coat...and then change it later on if we don't like it. I told him I DON'T like it...and we might as well change it now. We have a half a gallon of paint left...so I was thinking about just mixing some white to what we've got and if it's better, put that up. That would save us from having to buy a whole new gallon. I have to see what can be done today. But it is not staying like this.
MIL painting, see how light it looks in the corner where it is wet? green greeeeeeeen

.~:~:~.
On a completely un-related note:
Some people should not be allowed to have babies until they get some common sense. I saw a woman walking with a stroller down the sidewalk this morning on my way to work...I wish I'd taken a photo. The temperature this morning was 49 degrees F according to the radio. She was wearing jeans and a thick flannel long-sleeved shirt. Guess what she dressed her kid in? Shorts and a T-shirt. He was sitting there with his bare legs and only socks hanging from the stroller in 49 degree weather! I don't know what goes through some people's heads.

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At October 13, 2006 7:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

*Raises her hand* I really like the bathroom colors!

 
At October 16, 2006 9:09 AM, Blogger sometrouble said...

Honestly...it is kinda growing on me...or maybe I'm just beginning to not really mind (or care), we still haven't done anything to it...we just shut the door...and are using the other bathroom.

 

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Paint Chips

posted by sometrouble @ 10:18 AM | Test Category Two | Monday, September 25, 2006

We recieved the keys to our new house friday night. Saturday morning, we picked up paint and supplies, rented a steamer to remove wallpaper, and headed out to the house. Here's the account of our weekend, complete with "before" and "under construction" pictures.
sensational sand
beacon gray
november skies
bagel
dancing green


Saturday:
We got up and drove to my mom's house and to my grandparents' to borrow several dropcloths. Then we drove to the Sherwin Williams store and spent lots and lots of $$$ on paint and primer and rollers and brushes and a nifty little tool for cutting in around the edges of the walls. Then we went back to the apartment and gathered up a folding table and some chairs, a radio, some pop, some lunchmeat and cheese, a ladder, and old clothes to paint in. Chad and I stopped at Home Depot to pick up the steamer, and look at ceiling fans to put in the kitchen over the table. We agreed on one! But he didn't want to buy it right then. Chad's parents helped us with the prep, wallpaper removal, and painting.

Chad and his mom got started with the "paper tiger", DIF, scrapers, and the steamer on the wallpaper in the master bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. The guy at Home Depot told us to score the paper with the "tiger" first, then spray on the DIF and let it soak in for a while. Then use the steamer to further loosen the paper, and scrape it off. They tried this method on the border in the master bedroom first. It didn't work so well. The scoring just made the paper come off in tiny bits, and the DIF just made a mess. In the bathroom, they stopped scoring and just steamed it off. The top half of the paper came off leaving the yellow gluey part of the paper still stuck to the wall.

I started with the second bedroom, since there was no wallpaper or damage that needed repairing. I washed all the walls and Chad's stepdad took off all the outlet and register covers for me. We spread out the dropcloths, and Chad's mom and I set to work painting the ceiling. It's amazing how much better a fresh coat of white ceiling paint makes a "fine looking" ceiling look!

Then I moved into the bathroom to help Chad's mom with the scraping. Thankfully whoever put up the wallpaper had the sense to prime the walls first. However, the paper was stuck so good in some spots, that the primer was peeling off the drywall leaving loose and bare spots. No painting this room until we can fix that. Chad washed the glue off the walls in the master bedroom meanwhile, and then washed the bathroom walls when we finished. His mom moved on to the border in the kitchen, and I went to Meijer for some groceries.

We finished with all the wallpaper at about 1:00 AM, good thing since we had to have the steamer back the following morning. We drove home, went to bed after 2:00 AM, and I was woken up at 7:30 AM by the cat repeatedly pouncing on my head. I miss him while we're out there working...wish I could bring him along, but he would just be in the way.

Don't let the sweetness of his sleeping face fool you...he is such a little terror.

Sunday:
Sunday started with Chad and his brother heading out to patch the bathroom walls, and fix a crack in the master bedroom ceiling with mud. I arrived at the house a little later, and Chad's mom had almost all of the hallway ceiling painted. When she finished that, we primed the pink master bedroom walls. Then we were able to apply the first color! Gave the guest bedroom walls the first coat of "beacon gray" (shown at the top of this post). Then I painted both bathroom ceilings all by myself (I am proud of this!). We washed the glue off the kitchen walls and I got to thinking that we shouldn't paint the ceiling until we mount the bracket for the fan...so that if we have to cut the drywall...or get dirty fingerprints up there...it will get covered. So we decided to get ahold of someone who can help us with that, and while we're at it, we will move the white fan from the master bedroom to the guest bedroom, and get a new fan for our bedroom. We might also put a fan in the office. Chad likes his air moving...and thinks we should just do them all at once while we have the guy to help...I say sure...if I can pick out fans quickly that are within our budget. We finished up Sunday with a second coat to the walls of the bedroom...and almost ran out of paint. We were able to scrape just enough out of the can to cover the outlet plates.

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1 Comments:

At September 26, 2006 2:13 AM, Blogger Allie said...

WOW!! That's a lot of work. I'm exhausted just from reading about it.

Wish I could come see the new house! I'll see what I can do about winter break...

 

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*wants*

posted by sometrouble @ 12:19 AM | Test Category Two | Wednesday, September 20, 2006


Two days until we get the keys to the new house! Then the work will commence, so we can get things in order to move in. I suppose I should start packing things up in the apartment...

I need to take a week off to sort, box, pack, clean, paint, shop, haul, arrange, unpack, organize, assemble, and notify. There are so many things to think about when moving besides just relocating you stuff. We have already notified the utility companies to change things into our name on friday. I have changed my billing adress with my credit card...but nothing else yet. We still each have some bills going to our parents houses, because it was easier to just switch once, than have to worry about collecting important mail from the apartment after we move. So those need to be switched now. We both had to get new drivers licenses with new pictures and everything; me because I changed my name when we married, and him because his expired. So they both have our apartment address...so we will get address change stickers on them. We have to look into putting our vehicles on our homeowner's insurance policy...because it might save us $$$ to have all 3 with one provider, and we are moving considerably further away from the city of detroit than we ever lived before...and that makes your car insurance drop a lot because of auto theft rates. Everyday I think of something else that has to be done...then forget what it was because I don't write it down.

We have a short list of things that need to be done to the house...preferably before we move in. Like paint the two bedrooms, remove wallpaper and paint the bathroom, paint the living room ceiling, and clean the carpets. Not too much.

There there's a long list of things we *WANT* to do to the house...some as soon as possible...and some down the road. General maintenance things that hold some importance like: seal the blacktop on the driveway, repair a non-functioning electrical outlet on the back porch, and sealing the seams between the poured basement walls and the cinderblocks on top of them (that gives us our 10 foot basement ceiling) on the outside with tar to prevent any water seepage. Finally, there are the things that hold less immediate necessity and are mainly just desires: replace ugly chandelier light over kitchen table with a ceiling fan, get a new stove, get a chest freezer, finish the basement, strip and refinish the doorwall, build a deck in backyard, build a shed in backyard, and get a new refridgerator and put the old one in garage for extra space.

Then there's our personal *wants*; which in most cases, we can't agree on. Chad wants to built a horseshoe pit in the backyard, which I don't really want because I don't think he will really use it all that much. I have been saying since we started looking for a house that I would like to have a pergola...he doesn't like this idea for some reason (I don't know why) and doesn't want one. I'm trying to work a compromise here. I will stop arguing the horshoe pit if he will be agreeable to my pergola. We'll see what happens.

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At September 21, 2006 3:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yay congrats on your house! I really like the idea of a pergola. Best of luck with the moving!

 

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moving date!

posted by sometrouble @ 5:48 PM | Test Category Two | Wednesday, September 06, 2006

I heard from the previous owner of our new house today. She said they have set their moving date for September 22nd. So we can move in anytime after that. That's just over two weeks away! I can't believe it. I am so very excited to be in the new house. At the same time, though, I'm a little sad to be moving so far away from where we are right now. Here, we are both less than 10 minutes from work by car...and I can go home and see the hubby on my lunch hour. Where we are moving, it will be at least a 30 minute drive...going home for lunch will be out of the question. We are right near a very popular little suburban downtown area with many independent shops and restaurants...and I feel like we haven't taken advantage of that enough. I love the area we are in...just not so much the tiny upper flat...and there is no way we could afford a decent house here...prices (and taxes) are astronomical. We both have always said we want to live out where we will be moving to...but it is just hard, because everyone we know is nowhere near there. I will miss the little place we have just a tiny bit, because it is the first place we both lived in on our own after living with parents...and it is the first place we shared together.

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At September 07, 2006 4:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, good luck with the move! we just moved last month and even though it was a huge pain in the butt, we love our new house sooo much!!

 
At September 07, 2006 5:45 PM, Blogger sometrouble said...

thanks! I'm going to start packing some un-necessary things into boxes already. As it is now...it looks like we exploded all over the tiny apartment!

 
At September 08, 2006 3:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

congrats! :)

hows things around Henkel?

 

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homeownershipness!

posted by sometrouble @ 12:56 PM | Test Category Two | Friday, August 18, 2006

We are homeowners!!! We closed on our new house this Wednesday! We are both so excited, and Chad is much more relaxed and happy now that the stress of that looming closing date and all the hassle beforehand with the paperwork is over. The sellers are really nice, and offered to leave us with some storage shelving they won't be needing as well as some shovels and rakes and other miscellaneous things. We are delighted! There is so much of that kind of stuff we will need! They are closing on their new house today, so we won't have a better idea of how long they will need to move out until after that. They promised to let us come through the house again whenever we need to for planning purposes or anything like that. Also, they said it would be fine to bring our parents out and just call them to set it up. Things happened so quickly when we first looked at the house, that we didn't take our parents to see it like we did with the others we made offers on. Then once things were rolling, we didn't get the chance either. But I did take lots of pictures to show them, as you've seen. Can't wait to move it!

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At August 18, 2006 4:07 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm so excited for you!
I can't wait to come out and visit you in your lovely new house!

 
At August 18, 2006 5:01 PM, Blogger sometrouble said...

me too allie! Come see us at Christmastime!

 
At August 19, 2006 4:01 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congrats! :)

 

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