Game Plan: Master Bath

Here is my vision for our master bathroom:

1. Behr's "Chinese Jade" paint in semi-gloss
2. Heater bath fan with light in the shower area
3. 3" recessed lights (the same ones we used in the kitchen) along the long back wall
4. Big chunky mirror placed over the sink vanity
5. Sconces to flank the mirror
6. Possible tall shelving with
7. Possible resin laundry hamper baskets -OR-
8. Possible shorter, wide shelving with
9. Possible bamboo laundry hamper
10. Marble floor tiles
11. Natural fiber waste basket
12. Bath mat, simple and in the same family as the wall paint
13. Fuzzy bath towels
14. White fabric shower curtain (like the texture of this but maybe will attract more dust than this one)
15. Curved shower rod
16. White subway tile for tub surround
17. Delta "Addison" tub and shower hardware
18. Whirlpool tub
19. Delta "Lahara" widespread sink hardware (although we are also considering the similar "Addison" as well)
20. Brentwood 42" sink vanity with Italian carrara white marble top

Any thoughts on which shower curtain to go with? Which faucets? Which hamper? Which storage shelf?

Go to Seed

I collected seeds from my Canna Lily plants:

All you have to do is wait until the pods dry out and just collect them before they fall to the ground. Next I'll have to wait until spring to plant, but will I remember? Will I lose them? Will I remember to not lose them?

Flat Broke

Thanks to Karma, this is no more:

Ever since we went away for July 4th, she has become an absolute TV junkie. And I don't mean her eyes happen to be pointing at the screen when she's on the couch.

It used to be that she would hear animal sounds on the TV and run up and watch. Or maybe look for the ball during tennis matches, as they whiz across the screen.

Quickly her favorite commercials became: King Kong 3D Universal Studios, Empire Flooring, and Cymbalta. But now it's anything on TV. And her watching habits have become, how do I say, interactive?

She killed the screen in 2 shots. First was the Empire Flooring commercial, where there is an animated cat at the end*. And then the final shot was when a woman was walking her dog at the end of a Cymbalta commercial.

After she slaughtered the TV screen, she would continue to sit and watch the black screen. As if hoping for it to turn on. She's even moved onto watching computer screens now. Her new favorite activity is to Skype.

Anyway.

RIP little guy.

To the TV grave yard you go tomorrow (monthly e-waste collection).

*if we sing "588-2300 EMPIRE" she will run to the TV screen.

Thanks Loads

Home projects were not the only thing that we did on Thanksgiving. We did manage to make some food and stuff our faces:

Cranberry sauce (made with orange juice)

Stuffing

Mushroom Gravy

Green beans washed for green bean casserole

Breaded and fried shallots to top the green bean casserole

Green bean casserole

Boiling potatoes to be mashed

Buttermilk mashed potatoes

Opening our tofurky

Tofurky (before basting) with veggies prior to roasting

The compost was happy

The dogs were happy
(we found some organic boneless skinless chicken breasts in the freezer).

And the humans were happy.

(This is for you Betty and Dave, my most loyal readers)

Right before we plated our food we popped a pecan pie in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.

I failed to get "after" shots of all the food after it was all done cooking. We were so hungry and it was getting late and we ate in record time.

Just as we sat down to enjoy our meal we* knocked over a glass of water. Then we cleaned it up. Then we* knocked over a glass of wine. Then we cleaned that up. Then we finally ate and when we came up for air, there was still 15 minutes left on the timer. Sometimes this is just how life goes. Do you have holidays like this?

*And by 'we' I mean the bf. But he made the pie which rocked so he is forgiven.

Painting himself in a Corner

I hope everyone had a great holiday. Wanna know how ours was? This is how we spent Thanksgiving day (and into the night as you see):

Here's the 'before' shot:

And here's a view of the rest of the house all festively decked out:

We had home work on Thanksgiving (removing all window treatments and clearing all the areas in front of the windows). I guess it serves us right for leaving it to the last minute. Photos of the new windows soon!

It's official

Thanks, but No Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all (2) of you reading this! This year, we're saying no to turkey and yes to tofurky:

More accurately, we're saying no to having turkey on the dinner table. But yes to sponsoring one:

And specifically, this turkey:

This is Harley*. He is in Farm Sanctuary's California shelter, you know, just chilling out.

The adoption certificate is on the way! Stay tuned. And have a great holiday!

*no relation to this Harley

Window Opportunity

We came to a decision regarding our windows...

Here was our list of pros and cons to help us come to this decision:

Pros of DIY:

1. all money goes towards the windows, which means we can get top of the line windows
2. top of the line windows would obviously qualify for the energy efficiency tax credit
3. after this project, we'd know how to install windows
4. $400 off right off the bat by opening 2 new Home Depot credit cards
5. rental of truck is pretty cheap (we get first hour free with the Home Depot credit card)
6. rental of scaffolding is pretty cheap (like $70 a week)

Cons of DIY:

1. rental of a vehicle to pick up the windows
2. rental of extra tall ladders and scaffolding
3. need tons of caulk to seal around the windows, and other finishing touches
4. disposing old windows
5. we have a 2 story house
6. I'm not very big or strong
7. if we broke or dropped a window, that's a lot of money wasted
8. if we broke or dropped a window, that's several weeks until a replacement arrives (and see #1 of this list)
9. we're going into rainy season

Pros of pros (professionals):

1. the windows they offer qualify for the energy efficiency tax credit
2. we sign the dotted line and they do everything in 1 day
3. we instantly free up a lot of time by not having to study up on this and making several hundred trips to the hardware store
4. we instantly free up a lot of time by not planning to do this on nights and weekends
5. they guarantee their labor
6. they have all the proper permits and know all the current city codes and laws
7. we don't have to source tools or ladders
8. we don't have to worry about how to get the new windows here
9. we don't have to worry about how to get rid of the old windows

Cons of pros (professionals):

1. it costs a lot more
2. they will see our messy house

So as you can see by my lists above (or by the photo), we decided to get 'er done by the pros.

When they came to give us a free quote, they informed us that our city's new laws require all windows to be tempered glass, and they have all the appropriate permits that are apparently required to do this job. We didn't know about any of this.

We got a quote and it seemed reasonable, at less than double the price of DIY, for better windows (rated #1 by J.D. Power and Associates), with an awesome warranty - a double lifetime warranty. What's that? It means that the warranty carries over to the next homeowners as well. And it covers accidental breakage. And we can use our Home Depot credit card to finance this super blingy job.

This was all music to my ears.

So we offered him leftover Halloween candy, signed on the dotted lines, and handed over our plastic.

Hallelujah.

Window Shopping

We have been window shopping (literally) because we are getting NEW WINDOWS! I am not sure if I have mentioned before that our windows are original to our 1973 house, which means they have been around longer than my parents have been in this country!

Here are photos of our current windows from the exterior:

And a close up on the interior:

And here's how I've dealt with them for the past 2 years:

Unfortunately the new retrofits won't cover this stuff up so we'll have to finally address it:

We measured all 9 of our windows last week. We are planning to get 3 casements, 7 side sliding, and 1 picture window. So we are replacing all 9 windows in our home. And if you're crunching the numbers you'll see that it looks like I do funny math but we are upgrading our old windows while we're at it - adding 3 casements. And that doesn't add up either because 2 of the casements are going in 1 window. Y'all are keeping me accountable!

Why are we replacing our windows? Why don't we want to stay in the 70's with our old aluminum frames that rock back and forth instead of slide? Well here is the number one reason, but also because there's a Federal Tax Credit for Consumer Energy Efficiency that expires at the end of this year. That's in a little over a month. We love to wait until the last minute (and Rylie breaking her leg last year didn't help the matter either)...

Anyway, with the tax credit, you get 30% of the cost (not including labor and installation) back up to $1500. Reaching that $1500 max is no problem when you're doing an entire house. And if you plan on getting new windows, just go ahead and do the whole house - everything will match and labor will be quicker/easier/cheaper. And you have to get qualifying windows (but why wouldn't you? The ones that don't qualify must suck). Just be sure to file tax form 5695 with your 2010 return, and keep a copy of your manufacturer's certification statement for your records (a signed statement from the manufacturer certifying that their product qualifies for this credit which can be found on their website).

So much research to do - what brand? Vinyl? Grids? Casements? Egress? Tempered? Hinges on which sides? And THE biggest question is - DIY or get 'er done by professionals or a combination of the two? Suggestions?

Accidental Gardening

Apparently it's not just grass that requires water to grow, it's other plants as well. Here's a surprise I discovered recently:

They are tiny but I didn't even plant these. They probably came from seeds in the compost. I love accidental gardening!