Friday, January 30, 2009
01/31/2009: Baby Update
Will keep this one brief. In about 6 weeks we'll know the sex of the baby. Stay tuned, TV land, stay tuned!
01/31/2009: Home improvement confessions of a perfectionist...
Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a perfectionist. And wouldn't you know, sometimes that makes life difficult. That's not to say I'm perfect. Far from it as a matter of fact. Just ask Mary :). But that doesn't stop me from trying to apply those ideals to many different aspects of my life. I could go on about this for days and we might need a therapist couch, but tonight we'll stick to the topic of home improvement.
Since moving into our house in July of 2006 we've undertaken a number of projects. We renovated the kitchen our first year as well as refurbished our two master bedroom walk-in closets. We added a wooden fence for the benefit of containing our two favorite puppies and then followed that up with a new sprinkler system and a backyard of new sod. I've spent a good amount of time outside trying to get the better of so many different species of plants, trees, and assorted shrubbery. Last year I tackled a limited guest bathroom remodel. What started out as a desire to simply update a vanity turned into something a bit larger, with drywall work, new plumbing, baseboards, and my redoing the tile floor. And we won't talk about the general painting, arranging, and other tasks associated with trying to make a house a home.
It's funny how, when buying a house, you tend to overlook all of the "projects" that will inevitably come with the purchase. Or short of that, perhaps you downplay them, either in terms of effort, cost, time required, etc. You're just happy to have a home, someplace to hang your hat. But the projects do come. Sometimes you take them on yourself. Other times you realize that you're really not a skilled contractor. Then they take longer than you expected. And they cost more. But it's worth it in the end, right? RIGHT???
Forward to the present - I'm sitting in the living room looking at a mattress/box spring set leaning up against our couch. There's a car carrier sitting to my right by the front window. A small chest of drawers rests near the kitchen on a small furniture dolly. Home Depot and Lowes receipts litter the dining room table. Our refrigerator is sitting in the middle of the kitchen, having been pulled away from the wall so I could investigate the cause of leaking water. Walk into the master bedroom and, short of a bed in the center of the room, you'd be hard-pressed to know it was a bedroom. Three roomfuls of possessions lie against every available wall, organized yes, but still indicative of that state known as chaos. Some of you were at our house not too long ago and may remember that it looked nothing like this. Oh but things change quickly...
Late last year I decided to redo my office. Somewhat outdated with 70's style baseboards and extremely worn carpet, I wanted something a little nicer, especially since I was spending so much time working from home. Then, with the discovery that a baby was on the way, we decided to redo the guest bedroom as well, turning it into a baby's room. For a brief moment I had planned to tackle these tasks by myself and had even scheduled a week of vacation expressly for this purpose. Fortunately I was saved from home improvement purgatory when my vacation was canceled and I was sent to Mexico for a project. Ask Mary, I can be good at some of the small things and am fairly handy around the house. But the larger a project, the longer it can take me. I'm good at taking things apart and great at starting projects. But sometimes my attention wanes or perhaps I get distracted by a newer project. Or worse yet I get frustrated by an inability to achieve the level of perfection I expect of myself. You think that sounds bad, you should try working with me professionally!
Well, the contractor is almost done with the two rooms and I think things look much better than they did before. Give me a couple of days to move furniture back and perhaps things will start looking normal again. Oh, but I do crave normalcy! But then, did I mention that, having now redone two of the rooms, we are considering redoing the flooring throughout the rest of the house?
It's funny. By the time we move from Austin in 3-4 years, we'll probably have redone the whole bloody place! I sure hope the next family likes it!
Since moving into our house in July of 2006 we've undertaken a number of projects. We renovated the kitchen our first year as well as refurbished our two master bedroom walk-in closets. We added a wooden fence for the benefit of containing our two favorite puppies and then followed that up with a new sprinkler system and a backyard of new sod. I've spent a good amount of time outside trying to get the better of so many different species of plants, trees, and assorted shrubbery. Last year I tackled a limited guest bathroom remodel. What started out as a desire to simply update a vanity turned into something a bit larger, with drywall work, new plumbing, baseboards, and my redoing the tile floor. And we won't talk about the general painting, arranging, and other tasks associated with trying to make a house a home.
It's funny how, when buying a house, you tend to overlook all of the "projects" that will inevitably come with the purchase. Or short of that, perhaps you downplay them, either in terms of effort, cost, time required, etc. You're just happy to have a home, someplace to hang your hat. But the projects do come. Sometimes you take them on yourself. Other times you realize that you're really not a skilled contractor. Then they take longer than you expected. And they cost more. But it's worth it in the end, right? RIGHT???
Forward to the present - I'm sitting in the living room looking at a mattress/box spring set leaning up against our couch. There's a car carrier sitting to my right by the front window. A small chest of drawers rests near the kitchen on a small furniture dolly. Home Depot and Lowes receipts litter the dining room table. Our refrigerator is sitting in the middle of the kitchen, having been pulled away from the wall so I could investigate the cause of leaking water. Walk into the master bedroom and, short of a bed in the center of the room, you'd be hard-pressed to know it was a bedroom. Three roomfuls of possessions lie against every available wall, organized yes, but still indicative of that state known as chaos. Some of you were at our house not too long ago and may remember that it looked nothing like this. Oh but things change quickly...
Late last year I decided to redo my office. Somewhat outdated with 70's style baseboards and extremely worn carpet, I wanted something a little nicer, especially since I was spending so much time working from home. Then, with the discovery that a baby was on the way, we decided to redo the guest bedroom as well, turning it into a baby's room. For a brief moment I had planned to tackle these tasks by myself and had even scheduled a week of vacation expressly for this purpose. Fortunately I was saved from home improvement purgatory when my vacation was canceled and I was sent to Mexico for a project. Ask Mary, I can be good at some of the small things and am fairly handy around the house. But the larger a project, the longer it can take me. I'm good at taking things apart and great at starting projects. But sometimes my attention wanes or perhaps I get distracted by a newer project. Or worse yet I get frustrated by an inability to achieve the level of perfection I expect of myself. You think that sounds bad, you should try working with me professionally!
Well, the contractor is almost done with the two rooms and I think things look much better than they did before. Give me a couple of days to move furniture back and perhaps things will start looking normal again. Oh, but I do crave normalcy! But then, did I mention that, having now redone two of the rooms, we are considering redoing the flooring throughout the rest of the house?
It's funny. By the time we move from Austin in 3-4 years, we'll probably have redone the whole bloody place! I sure hope the next family likes it!
Monday, January 5, 2009
01/05/2009: The Holidays & Baby's First Present
Happy New Year! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
I'm sitting here watching Ohio State play Texas (a much closer game than I think anyone would have thought, at least through the first half) and was thinking it might be a good time to update the blog. That, and our friend Margaret reminded me that an update was overdue ;-). Oh, before I forget - be sure to look for me on TV this Thursday while watching the BCS National Championship game. My seat is pretty crappy, but maybe I'll get some sympathy TV time! Alas, Mary won't be joining me - as she says, for what the ticket cost, she's not that into football... Go Gators!!!
This year Mary and I stayed home for Christmas as my parents, brother, and their 13 year-old Cairn terrier (Brandi) came to visit us for a week. It was definitely nice not traveling and I think that will be one of the plusses about having a baby (one of many). People will have to come to us, at least for a little while. Overall we had a nice visit. We played some golf, went out to see a couple of movies, ate too much, and sat around discussing religion as often as my parents could work it into the conversation (They're Baptist, for anyone following along at home.). Oh, and just so it is immortalized for all time, please note that I finally managed to beat my father at golf. It may have taken me 32 years, but I did it!
Okay, so you guys are probably more interested in hearing about baby-related things. New Year's Eve, Mary and I decided to drive over to our neighborhood Subaru dealer and see what sort of year-end specials they might have. Our current car is older ('95) and we've been wanting something with a few more safety features. Our choices are kind of limited, as we have to consider both of the dogs as well as a baby. You might think they could all sit in the same seat, but Riley's a licker and I'm not sure the baby would enjoy that. Or maybe the baby would, but I'm sure we'd get some strange looks from people. We both agreed that minivans are out, at least for now and I wasn't all that interested in another station wagon. We'd heard a lot about the Subaru brand and pretty much anyone we talked to about them had only positive things to say. To make a long story long, we got a good deal on a 2009 Forester (we liked the look of the redesigned Forester better than the existing 2008 and earlier models) and so ended up making a purchase. Baby's first real present, and boy was it a doozy!
Next big project - working on the baby's room. We're excited!
-
I'm sitting here watching Ohio State play Texas (a much closer game than I think anyone would have thought, at least through the first half) and was thinking it might be a good time to update the blog. That, and our friend Margaret reminded me that an update was overdue ;-). Oh, before I forget - be sure to look for me on TV this Thursday while watching the BCS National Championship game. My seat is pretty crappy, but maybe I'll get some sympathy TV time! Alas, Mary won't be joining me - as she says, for what the ticket cost, she's not that into football... Go Gators!!!
This year Mary and I stayed home for Christmas as my parents, brother, and their 13 year-old Cairn terrier (Brandi) came to visit us for a week. It was definitely nice not traveling and I think that will be one of the plusses about having a baby (one of many). People will have to come to us, at least for a little while. Overall we had a nice visit. We played some golf, went out to see a couple of movies, ate too much, and sat around discussing religion as often as my parents could work it into the conversation (They're Baptist, for anyone following along at home.). Oh, and just so it is immortalized for all time, please note that I finally managed to beat my father at golf. It may have taken me 32 years, but I did it!
Okay, so you guys are probably more interested in hearing about baby-related things. New Year's Eve, Mary and I decided to drive over to our neighborhood Subaru dealer and see what sort of year-end specials they might have. Our current car is older ('95) and we've been wanting something with a few more safety features. Our choices are kind of limited, as we have to consider both of the dogs as well as a baby. You might think they could all sit in the same seat, but Riley's a licker and I'm not sure the baby would enjoy that. Or maybe the baby would, but I'm sure we'd get some strange looks from people. We both agreed that minivans are out, at least for now and I wasn't all that interested in another station wagon. We'd heard a lot about the Subaru brand and pretty much anyone we talked to about them had only positive things to say. To make a long story long, we got a good deal on a 2009 Forester (we liked the look of the redesigned Forester better than the existing 2008 and earlier models) and so ended up making a purchase. Baby's first real present, and boy was it a doozy!
Next big project - working on the baby's room. We're excited!
-
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