Fenced In...

I've been waiting for the perfect time to paint our fence.  We've had several perfect days--but painting the fence requires that I am home on those days!

Since our fence went up in September, I wanted to paint it white...fast forward to last week when I repainted our front porch.  That whole mess convinced me that the last thing I would want to do is scrape/sand/brush a fence the next time it needed a new coat of white paint.

I was back to Square One.  I did some online research and found that they make colored stains.  Yes, color!  No scraping or sanding required!  I checked with our local Sherwinn-Williams and they had plenty of options.

Personally, I would love to paint our fence a "color."  Considering that this will NOT be our forever home, though, I think I need to move past that idea.

They make a white solid-colored stain and if we go that route, our fence would look something like this...

However, we have about 250 feet of fencing.  That's a lot of white.  Do we want that much white???  On the flipside, it would keep with the age of the house, go with the existing white trim and help blend in the side of the neighbor's white garage.

Our other "safe" option is to stain it a wood color...if so, I would like to do something a little richer and deeper than the existing cedar planks.  Something like this...

To me, our house needs to be a bit more of the Craftsman tradition to warrant a wood colored stain. 

When I price-checked the stains, there was no difference in cost.  That didn't help make the decision any easier!!!

I have no idea what to do.  My heart is wanting some color but my head is telling me "no."  Wow, that just sounded like a horrible love song...Then there's a crazy side of me that says paint the fence a color I like AND paint the house a complimentary shade to go with the fence.  Like I said, that's crazy. 

Any feeback would be appreciated.  We have 4' fencing on the front of the house and by the big side yard along the alley, but 6' fencing along the backside and narrow portion between the other houses.  That also seems to throw me for a loop--who's ever seen a 6 foot tall white picket fence?!

Plan Diverted

Today was supposed to be my last day of Life Skills with one of my 8th Grade teams.  Supposed to be.

I was pumped!  We have had a great semester together and according to building professionals, the students were actually paying attention and applying the information to real-life situations.  That's EXACTLY what I was hoping to achieve!

I had planned a quick little ditty to share with them--something about enjoying the past 10 weeks, wishing them well in their future endeavors, etc.  Nothing too "mushy" because after all, they're teen-agers and already have life figured out.  Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight ;-)

Last night I caught wind of something concerning on Facebook.  I checked the 10 o'clock news and something had happened earlier that evening that warranted a significant response from our local police department--but no details were being released.

Being my typical curious self, I turned the news back on this morning and nothing was said.  I still wanted some kind of "answer" so I checked a local radio's website on my way out the door.  They were reporting that a 14-year old's body was found yesterday over by the Middle School I was headed to.  News reports indicate that it is being treated as a homicide.

My stomach dropped.  My 8th graders are 14 years old.  Was it one of my students?  Naturally, I wanted to know what I was getting into so I did a quick Facebook check.  He was a Freshman at our local high school.

The first person I saw at the school was the principal and I quickly learned that the individual had attended that very Middle School--we talked about what to expect during the day and the faculty's crisis plan.  I had a very bad feeling about things.  After all, the usually buzzing cafetaria was silent.

First Hour started and the students were stone-cold zombies.  Not a single word was spoken.  An announcement was made and half the class burst into tears.  We gave the students a few minutes to themselves and then gently, I started my unit. 

It was a disaster.  The kids were unresponsive and completely distracted.  As they should be.  Their world of invincibility had just been rocked.  Honestly, I just wanted to put the books down and let them be.  I knew the group discussions and role plays were not going to happen.  I hit the major parts of the unit and wrapped it up a few minutes early so they could have time to themselves.  I'm not sure who was more relieved to be done--the students or myself?

At that point, the principal, teacher, social worker and I decided to call it quits and reschedule for a later date.  We wanted the day to be as "normal" as possible but they had some serious issues to work through.  The school office was bursting with traumatized students.  Rumors and stories were spreading like wildfire.  It was not the time for Life Skills...or my little pep talk about their potential in life.

Not much is being released right now.  For me, the details don't matter.  Unfortunately, a 14 year old boy lost his life and I can't even fathom what his family and support system is going through right now.  His friends, neighbors, classmates and teammates shouldn't have to experience such a loss.  I hope the students are able to draw on some of the coping methods we talked about this semester. The grieving process isn't easy and things are confusing at their age.  I hope that as the investigation reveals answers or clues, the kids can find peace.  In the meantime, please keep the young man's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

Going Underground...

Some homeowners are worried about their downspouts letting water creep into their foundation and causing all sorts of problems...

With downspouts like ours, it was never a concern!

It's like they wanted to reach out and hug ya!

This particular downspout created lots of erosion issues last year

You can see where they used to run the downspout...



Aside from causing some serious erosion problems, they did nothing for our curb appeal.  After Justin had a conversation with Dad about them yesterday, he decided he was ready to tackle the downspouts.

It seemed most appropriate to bury the northern downspout.

Buried underground!!!

The opening where the water will drain

I wish I had a picture further away from the house--you really notice the difference then! But...we had our cars parked out front and didn't have the keys to move them.  All we did for the southern downspout was get a new piece to shoot it the other direction--back onto it's cement drain--and cut off the excess length.  In all, the project cost us about $25 and will be worth every penny!



The Painted Porch

I love our porch.

It's huge.  It has a great old-fashioned feel.  It's one of the elements I fell in love with when we looked at our house.

I could never stand the grey porch floor and steps.  After a year of wear-and-tear, they weren't looking so hot.

FINALLY, this morning I woke up and decided it was time to do something about it.

I went to our local rental place and told them what I was doing--I made a point of letting them know that the porch is about 28'x8' so I wanted something that would make the sanding go quickly.

Long story short, this is what they sent me home with.  Justin immediately questioned the size of the sander...

One hour later, after only getting maybe a  2' section of the porch sanded, Justin felt bad and went back to the store.

Apparently, sending a nearly 7' tall black man to the hardware store ensures you get the proper tools for the job...

The machine was huge.  It was heavy.  It liked to bounce around.  However, it did an awesome job of removing the loose paint and creating TONS of dust!

In less time than I spent messing with the previous sander, the entire porch had been sanded with various levels of sandpaper...it was time for the new paint!

Last Spring, I was convinced I wanted to paint the porch a lavender color.  Then I realized I wouldn't want to paint it later down the road in case the lavender turned off prospective buyers.  It was time to pick a different color.

I ended up going with Blue Blood.  Not sure how it got it's name...but it was pretty on the swatch!

After putting on the paint, it was a lot darker than I expected it to be.  I'm not sure why I was surprised as it matched up to the color on the swatch.  As I told Justin, I think things are just more surprising after you've been living with a different color for so long.

According to this picture, the porch doesn't look that different.  I'm glad.  In person, the color is much more noticeable--especially once you reach the porch floor.  Best the best part--there are no worn spots on the boards.  The only problem--now I want to paint our metal chairs a different color so they don't blend in.  It's never ending!!!

A Cat and His Lasagna

Our indoor/outdoor cat, Malcolm, has been a strictly indoor cat since he initiated the Flea Fiasco of Fall 2010. 

He survived being cooped up all winterlong...but as soon as the weather started to warm he had a change of heart and was itching to get outdoors.  They say animals have a way of letting you know when they're upset--and it's certainly true of Malcolm.  In just one week, he managed to chew through our laptop cord and my cell phone charger...both while plugged in. 

As we "adopted" Malcolm, we're not sure of his true birthdate.  However, it would be somewhere around late March/early April.  As he managed to live to see his 3rd Birthday after chewing through the cords, we decided to get him something to occupy his mind.

I'm convinced cats are nearly impossible to train.  And by age 3, cats are supposed to outgrow the cord chewing thing--not START it.  It's easier to keep him entertained and mentally stimulated.  Trouble is, Malc doesn't like the typical cat toys.  The only thing he really likes to do is bat around clumps of dried mud from Justin's boots...otherwise, he just eats and sleeps all day.  We are hoping we have found the solution to the cord chewing problem: K-Mart had their bird baths on sale for 40% off this week.

In all reality, the bird bath may be pure torture.  It's placed in the corner of the yard where Malcolm can see it from both the living room and dining room.  Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully--between napping and eating, he will find some kind of mental stimulation from watching the birds.  And hopefully he'll stop eating our cords.

And on a random note--we've been lauging about how Malcolm is turning into Garfield in his old age...Sleep, eat and do it all over again.  Garfield was a huge fan of lasagna and at lunch today, I was telling my mom and sister-in-law about the best ever lasagna recipe.  It's made in a slow cooker of all things and it's meatless--however, it is so hearty that you won't even notice.  I better hope Justin doesn't read this as he thought the lasagna DID have ground beef in it!  The recipe may sound a bit different than your traditional lasagna recipe, but give it a try--you'll be glad you did :-)

Slow Cooker Pesto Spinach Lasagna
1 (26-ounce) jar prepared pasta sauce

1 (10-ounce) box lasagna noodles
1 (11-ounce) container pesto
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (12-ounce) bag baby spinach
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
16 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/4 cup water

Use a 4 quart slow cooker. Put a spoonful of pasta sauce (about 1/4 cup) into the bottom of your cooker and swirl it around. Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (you're going to have to break them to make a layer). Smear ricotta cheese and pesto onto the noodles. Add a handful or two of baby spinach, and top with a layer of Parmesan and slice mozzarella cheeses. Repeat layers until you've run out of ingredients. The spinach is fluffy, so you're going to have to squish it down to make it all fit.



Before closing the pot, put 1/4 cup of water into the empty pasta sauce jar and close and shake. Pour this saucy water over the top of everything.


Now cover up and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for about 3 to 4. You'll know it's done when the top layer begins to brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. It will also pull a bit away from the sides. Taste-test a noodle to check texture.


Uncover, and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Mr. "Mom"

Justin received devastating news at work last week...his company is going from a (4) 10-hr day work week to working (5) 8-hr days starting on April 4th.  He is mourning his last-ever 3 day weekend by sanding down our fire pit and drinking a Blue Moon.

I have to admit though--I'm celebrating the news!  Justin will be off by 3:30 pm each day.  Therefore, HE--not me--can play "Mom" of the house.  Supper can be going when I get home from CASA...he can meet with any contractors/exterminators/whomever after work...run any cant-wait-til-the-weekend errands...get laundry folded...HOURS before I get home.

I just can't express how excited I am about his schedule change!  I was never a fan of the 10-hour days. The only time Justin's 3-day weekend was of any benefit to me was if we needed to travel anywhere.  Otherwise, I was at stuck at work on Fridays while he did whatever.  With his job, there is no flexability within his schedule and I work long days as well, so it is a terrible combination.  My biggest frustration: by the time he got off work at 5:30 and fought traffic anywhere, a lot of businesses were closed--so it was up to me to figure out how to get all my work hours in AND take care of business.  Also, if we had any early evening appointments, we were always pushing it to get him home, showered and where we needed to be. 

My excitement level decreases a bit when I realize that in just 8 weeks, school will be out.  I will go from working 60 hours a week to 20--while Justin continues to work his 40.  Therefore, I will return to being "Mom" of the house...but in the meantime, Justin will have a chance to experience what it's like to be "Mr. Mom!"

Assembly Required

Yesterday, I accepted a temporary position...as Furniture Assembly Woman.  Thank god the job lasted just one day.

I've been wanting a bigger patio set forever.  For the past 6 weeks, I scoured Craigslist in hopes of finding something cheap and pre-assembled.  Nothing was to be found so when Justin returned from Dallas on Sunday, we went to Sear's to pick one up.

By 5:00 yesterday, I had the table put together and all 6 chairs assembled.  My legs hurt, my fingers ached....

Our new set, but definately not our backyard...The "patio" currently looks like a field of firewood and sawdust, so no real-life pictures for now!

At that point, I called it a day and went around front to get the paper off the porch...only to find that our replacement headboard had been delivered.  Finally!  But wait, this meant even more furniture to assemble...

Long story short--we ordered our headboard February 4; it was delivered 3 weeks later in a pile of fresh snow and sleet, complete with a ripped headboard and wrong size of bed frame.  Two weeks after requesting the replacement parts, we found out our order had never been submitted.  I called the manufacturer directly and the problem was solved :-)  The only downfall was that it would be at least another 2 weeks before the headboard would arrive as they are custom made.  Oh, the joys of doing long-distance business when the items you want cannot be found locally.

Once Justin got home from work last night, we started assembling the bed...and in just over one hour, we had the whole thing assembled!  It's amazing how easy it is when you have the right parts!  Lol.  Our room is still a disaster, so once again, no real-life pictures of our new bed...but here is the stock photo.

In fact, I'm dying to go to bed and lay against the soft headboard for a few minutes before I pass out.  Working as a Furniture Assembly Woman is a hard job and I'm still worn out from it!  But considering both the inside AND outside of our house is a disaster right now, I have more important things to do than sleep!