Vintage Memories

For the Christmas of 2002, I received two Barbie dress sets. I had actually picked them out myself prior to Christmas. They were wrapped up and I opened them as my Christmas presents to partake in the joy of opening gifts on Christmas. 

Christmas 2002

 

I never actually liked Barbie dolls. I just wanted the accessories. For many childhood birthdays growing up, I picked Barbie play sets as my gifts. Instead of dolls, I used my stuffed animals to play in the play sets. The one aspect my stuffed animals couldn't truly experience was the Barbie clothes. Built for a slender-figured lady and not a round bear full of stuffing, I couldn't actually put my Barbie clothes on anything. Nevertheless, I still wanted some beautiful sets of Barbie clothes. I have the Barbie rotating closet, the one which came out in 1998. I have many articles of Barbie clothes stored in there as well as some accessories. However, there were three Barbie gowns/dresses which wouldn't fit into the closet because they were too long. 

 

My mother and I sat down one day and made our own mannequins for them out of clay. We used the plastic mold that came with the original packaging to mold three busts for the dresses. A chopstick was inserted into the bottom of the bust and attached to another mound of clay for the base. Inside the base, we added a coin for some weight to make sure the mannequin would stand up properly.  

 

 

 

Considering our net cost was basically zero (maybe cents if you count in the money used for weight...) since we already had all the materials, this was a fun solution for my childhood. However, nearly 25 years later, these Barbie dresses are now vintage. I wanted a more permanent and protective solution to display them. 

Even bringing these mannequins back to my own house, they would have been 
displayed out in the open which doesn't protect them enough for how old they are.
 

I asked my friends who have a 3d printer if they could print me 3 custom hangers for these dresses.  I was so excited when they arrived because they were so cute. I was also ecstatic because they fit. I had drawn up a sketch and provided measurements by using one of my children's fidget toys as a guide. The fact that they fit perfectly with my less than perfect geometry angles and measuring skills was a great surprise. (Maybe my math skills haven't rusted as much as I thought...)

 

Hangers!

 

Before I put everything together in the final display I was going for, I had to do some minor repairs. I had an old Barbie pearl necklace which probably doesn't actually go with any of these sets. However, I've included it with this dress because I don't have any other set it would pair well with. The elastic on this necklace was completely stretched out and ineffective. 

You can see how much extra elastic there was from where I cut it. 
It basically turned into a basic string.

 

I had so much extra beading string and wire from my daughter's hobbies so I took some clear cord and restrung these plastic pearls back.  

 

Good as new. Don't mind my leftover knot cord. 
I'm just happy it's secure and not overly loose. 

 

 

I purchased a shadow box frame to display all of these dresses in. This way, I had space not only to hang and display the dress, but I could also add the accessories to the side and keep the sets complete. Displaying the shoes was a little tricky. My first thought was to use the pins and hang the shoes off of them. While this worked for two pairs because of the straps on the shoes, It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing.  

 

Our final solution was to use clear thumbtacks and clear museum gel to secure the shoes to the thumbtacks. After letting the gel cure properly and readjusting the shoes a few times during the curing process, they stayed upright!

 

 

Left: 2001 Barbie Fantasy Princess Gown 47605

Middle: 2002 Barbie Bridal Collection 68065

Right: 1999 Barbie Fashion Avenue 25755

This project turned out exactly how I thought it would. I'm so glad to be able to display these three complete sets and keep them protected for years to come. As I was going through this process and thinking how I wanted to update the displays for these dresses, it occurred to me that my mother isn't physically a part of any of the new display anymore. By removing the mannequins we made, it would be removing the final aspect linked to these dresses that she physically had a hand in. 

Although it is bittersweet to think about this project from that perspective, I think prioritizing longevity and protection of these dresses needs to take precedent over keeping the exact materials we used over two decades ago. Simply taking the mannequin stands and throwing them into a display box would not have done the sets justice in my opinion. This is why passing on the stories of the items we choose to keep and preserve and pass down are so important as well. When I see this display box with the three Barbie dresses, I see my mother. I remember the mannequins we made. And I remember how special she was and still is to me. Nobody else in the world can value these the way I do, but I can share the story to make this more than just a display. It's a memory.

No Use Crying Over Spilled Beads

I started a new craft project this year. I was inspired after seeing a social media post and decided I could make it myself. I''m not revealing what I made just yet but I will reveal the supplies I purchased and what happened to hinder my progress.

My project this year was related to beads. I had to do some research before beginning on this project because I'm not someone who likes to start projects and not finish them. If I'm going to start something, I'm going to be 80% confident I can see it through to the end. After doing some research and learning about the types of beads I needed (bugle beads and seed beads), I purchased them and they arrived on January 4th. I was mesmerized by how small these seed beads are and how pretty they can be when they reflect light. 

I had been on a groove and was really enjoying my pockets of time getting to listen to an audiobook and work on my craft. Things were going great. Then, three weeks later to the day, disaster struck. I was on the couch with my craft station set up when my tray of beads slipped off the couch onto the rug below.  

Every single bead fell out of the case...and was piled into the glass bowl seen adjacent.

I didn't scream when it happened but I was in so much shock. These beads are so tiny. You have to see them to really understand, but they're smaller than a grain of rice. They're probably about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of a grain of rice. I kid you not, these are small. The original product listing said this was a pack of 24,000 beads. I'm pretty sure I spilled at least 20,000 of them...

It didn't occur to me at the time, but I could have spent about $10 and just purchased a new one instead of bothering with sorting them back into colors. The problem was, this was during the week of the freeze in town when everything sat at a standstill for about 2 days. Even if I had ordered it again from Amazon, it wouldn't have arrived until 2-3 days later. 

 I got to work picking out each color one by one.  

One hour of hard work.

After an hour, this was how much I got done. Certain colors were easy to spot and separate. Other colors were so close to each other and looking at them all swirled together was making my head spin. 

Four days later, I made significant progress:
 

Four days of hard work.
 

After days of sorting these minuscule beads, I had come to the conclusion my colors were not going to go back to the original categories which they came. Iridescent clear, iridescent pink, and iridescent blue looked identical unless I shined a light at just the right angle. The two greens which came in the original pack were now indistinguishable. Orange and magenta looked the same. The original five different shades of blue all looked the same now. These were just going to be blends.

Once I had a good number of beads sorted, I could resume my crafting again. I was actually able to make great progress in February and so far in March with my original projects. Periodically, I'd continue sorting the beads from the glass bowl, but eventually, I reached a point where the remaining colors in the glass bowl complemented each other in their own blend.  

It's hard to tell, but the seed beads in the glass bowl only fill one layer now - a far cry from the 20,000+ originally spilled....

With a quick math estimation, I've used approximately 8,000 beads. Eventually in the future, I will need to sort the rest of the beads back into the bead case whether that be sorted into the correct colors or creating a new section for the blend. My glass container needs to return to the kitchen eventually.

There were many times I wanted to give up on sorting these beads and scrap the project entirely or just buy a new box and start over. It's absolutely true the $10 to buy a new box of beads is more "efficient" than taking the time to sort the ones I spilled. However, the satisfaction I have from knowing I sorted these beads back into their colors gives me strength and encouragement to know I can overcome difficulties and do hard things. No matter how many struggles we face, sometimes, we still need reminders to know it's possible and we can do it. 

In a few months, I will be ready to reveal my craft, but not yet. :)  

We Got a New Microwave!

So typically, I enjoy house projects. I like picking out new things and doing some minor construction. However, I don't enjoy it when it happens unexpectedly. Therefore, I did not enjoy having to replace our microwave when ours started to die. 

It began one evening when we were microwaving food for dinner, and suddenly, the normal "heating" sounds didn't come on as we hit the start button. There were lights, the turntable rotated, but we could tell something was off. 

The next day, I tried using the microwave again and it seemed to be fine. This lasted about a week until it happened again. This time, we told ourselves it was time to get a new microwave and say goodbye to this one. It has served three owners well in its 20-year lifetime. 

 

 

 

Goodbye.

 

 

 

It took a little bit of online searching to realize that built-in microwaves are really just countertop microwaves with trim around to make them look built-in. After we made this realization, it was much easier to shop for one as countertop microwaves are aplenty. We purchased one and were able to pick it up that same day.

Out with the old....in with the creativity.

Putting in the new microwave was not as easy as it was cut out to be. The old trim kit had a base riser which the old microwave sat on. Well, lucky for us, the new microwave didn't work with the same base riser because the legs of the microwave were positioned differently. Unless we wanted to spend another $150-$300+ dollars buying a new trim kit that may or may not give us more grief in installation, we were going to have to get creative to find a way to sit this microwave at the proper height.

This is where we went into the garage and dug around to see what spare boards of varying thicknesses we had. Surprisingly, we have quite a few. The difficult part was finding just the right combination of boards (because we didn't have one at the thickness we needed) to raise the microwave enough to get the trim on properly.

 

 

 

This board was removed from one of our new bathroom vanities during a bathroom remodel because it interfered with the way the plumbing came through the back. It came in handy this time and served as one of the layers of our base riser.

We kept the front plate from our existing trim kit to use around the new microwave. There was a lot of test-fitting and pulling the new microwave in and out to see if it would fit. Perks of renovations and construction. Doesn't this make you want to get your hands dirty in some house projects? No? Me either.

We started this project on September 30 and finished on October 1, but it only took us 4.5 hours. How was this possible? See if you can read the clock.

We felt very accomplished after finally getting the microwave in and properly fitted with our existing trim piece. It was also very late and we were tired. We're happy to have a working microwave again and hope it can give us a good 20 years just like the last one. I told my husband, the next time we need to replace our microwave, we're going to turn the opening into a shelf so the microwave can sit inside it and there's no need for trim pieces or getting the microwave to sit at a certain height. 

Or we'll move before it happens. 😂

Another Cabinet

We have a running joke of tackling one house project a year. In the beginning of the year, we finished our bathroom cabinet. The year trucked on and we didn't think much about doing anything else around the house.

During the summer, I brought up the topic of painting our built-in cabinet located in our breakfast nook to my husband. We had put this off when we originally painted the kitchen cabinets...because the kitchen cabinets were already a monster to tackle and took a lot of time to DIY. This built-in was also located away from the rest of the cabinets so it could stand alone as a piece of furniture. The second reason we put it off was because the top cabinets have glass so you can see into it. This meant a more time-consuming prep and painting process.

We revisited this conversation of painting the cabinet this summer. We talked about painting it white to match the rest of our kitchen. This idea was halted when we realized we'd need to purchase a new gallon of white paint because we didn't have enough leftover in our existing gallon to complete this project. We also discovered the lip which secures the glass will not be able to be painted. So if the cabinet surface was going to be white, the lip underneath the glass would still be wood-colored. That nixed the white paint idea.

We discussed scrapping this project completely due to this hiccup, but then I brought up painting the cabinet in a dark blue paint. This paint was a random $9.00 purchase from the "oops" paint shelf at Home Depot our first year of living in this house. It's an exterior-grade oil paint, I liked the color, and we originally purchased it to repaint the trim around the windows on our back porch. As we remodeled and replaced exterior patio doors, I continued to use this paint for the doors as well. I even used the same paint to paint over some beige tiles on our window ledge. 

We made the decision to go for it and paint the cabinet blue. Walking into this project, I knew I was going to be the one painting 100%. I actually enjoy painting, and now since getting AirPods, I can knock out a number of audiobooks while painting which makes the entire process a lot of fun for me. I will forever remember Me Before You by Jojo Moyes as the book which grounded this entire project. 

Cutting in for this cabinet took hours.

The cabinet box and shelves took two days to complete - one for primer and one for paint. Painting in between all the shelves was the hardest part because none of the shelves in this cabinet are removable. Because of the glass doors on top, I had to make sure to cover every nook and cranny including the undersides of every shelf. 

Originally, the project was supposed to start after we returned from our trip. Due to having some extra time, I actually finished the inside paint and primer before we left. This ended up being a much-needed change because the fumes from the oil-based paint were heavy. This was the second time we had used this paint indoors and the fumes this time were probably 2-3x stronger than previously because there was so much more surface area to cover and much more paint used. Coming back from our trip to a non-fume-filled house was a breath of fresh air, literally. 

After our trip, I had to finish painting the doors. This took one day and I was able to paint everything outside.

I spy some creative drop cloth weights. 😅

We finished this project in three days (of actual painting) with a total cost of $0. All the materials we used were purchased from previous projects or reused multiple times. The one expense we did purchase for/because of this project was a gallon of paint thinner. I did that in order to save my $10 Zibra Triangle paint brush from being ruined by oil paint. But the actual cost of this project is still $0.

I absolutely love the finished results.

I'm really happy with the way this project turned out. It's not perfect by any means and there are visible flaws, but for the amount of time spent and the cost of the project, the results far surpassed what I thought could be done. 

My favorite part of completion was actually purchasing risers to display our little trinkets on. My mini snow globe souvenirs can proudly be displayed in the cabinet now.

A sample of my snow globes and global trinkets.

A New View

Nearly five years ago, we put in new windows for the first time with a company. We were excited. It was fun to get new windows for the house and replace the original ones. But the process was a nightmare. Our first job was scheduled to start in the afternoon, and they didn't even arrive until about 2-3 o'clock in the afternoon. They didn't leave until 8:30 that evening. New windows? Yay. The install? Terrible. 

However, we did enjoy the new windows and ended up scheduling another batch later that year. This install was much better. I requested to be scheduled as the first job of the day, and we were very particular with the installers about details. After this second batch of windows, we were done for a while. 

The windows which have always stood out in our house were our living room windows. We had repainted the wood paneling on the inside when we purchased the house, but the windows stayed the same dark brown frame with grids.

The color difference provides contrast, but I've never liked the grids.  
If it were an actual pure black color, I'd be less likely to complain,
but it was the original dark brown/copper tone.

This year, we revisited the new window conversation. My husband had always said our bedroom was particularly warm in the summer - it was. We have a south-facing window in our bedroom and it would raise the temperature by about 7-8 degrees compared to the rest of the house in the summer. I think after this year, he'd finally hit his limits and wanted to do something about it. So we called three companies and got quotes from them on the same day. 

The first quote was from the same sales rep we'd worked with before, but he had changed companies. We figured we'd call him out and see what the new company was like. It was more or less comparable to our original company. We were feeling pretty good about committing with them but wanted to wait until after the other two quotes. 

The second quote was from the same company we'd worked with before (now with a new rep). I really just wanted to see how their prices compared to five years ago since the economy and pricing has changed drastically in the last few years. He came and left within an hour.

The third quote we scheduled was with a company that had "very expensive" windows. The sales rep we'd worked with before asked us what other quotes we were getting. We told him the companies and when this name was mentioned, he immediately said, "Oh, they will be double our prices." I took this into consideration as I knew they were not going to be the cheapest company. However, I wanted to see what they offered. 

When the salesman arrived, you could immediately tell it was on a different tier of company because he came dressed in a suit and dress shoes. He did his sales presentation, brought his sample window, and we went through more or less the same spiel as the other sales reps. When he presented the numbers, he did something different than the other companies. He gave his first number which was the "actual cost" of the windows, like MSRP. Then he told us he could apply this first discount, and another discount, and then gave us the final number. Yes, it was significantly higher than the other companies, but there were a few different points he emphasized in his sales pitch which stood out:

1. They use licensed installers to install their windows - I'm pretty sure this is a stretch because there is no "license" you obtain to install windows. He had used the examples of carpenters/tradesmen to back up this claim, but I don't 100% buy it. 

2. He talked about the quality of the window and the different parts involved to keep the window insulated. This, I liked. I saw the difference in their window compared to the other window samples we'd seen before as well as the other new windows already installed in our house. I even tried to bend/manipulate the vinyl in the frame, and it was definitely stiffer than the cheaper companies.

3. He sold the install as a "sit back and relax" experience. We are in the stage of life where this is what we want. I want to allow someone to come in, fix or change something for me, and I don't have to micromanage them to make sure they're doing their job properly. If I have to pay a slight premium for it, so be it. 

4. They accepted credit cards on the entire balance with no extra fees. This is huge in today's world because when I can earn credit card rewards and points on my expenses, it adds a huge benefit, even if the actual amount I pay is greater. 

He left us alone to discuss with each other for about 15 minutes. We both agreed, we liked the quality of these windows better than either of the other two companies. However, the number he gave us was much too high. So we discussed what our bottomline would be for us to sign with this company. We arrived at that number and when he came back, we pitched it to him. 

His response was, "Sorry, I can't do that. I've already given you as many discounts as I can." And we understood and let him pack up his things and get ready to go. Then, he stopped mid-packing and said he'd try to run the numbers again and see what he could do to get us our ideal number. He got really close. He asked if we could come up $83. Sure, we could do $83. 

So right then and there, we signed contracts for windows with the most expensive company we received a quote from not intending to actually buy any windows that actual day. I made sure he understood very clearly my expectations: smooth install. no payment until everything was to my satisfaction. best crew assigned to our job. He told us the windows would be ready in about 4-6 weeks, and he was actually right. Only 24 business days later, I received the phone call saying the windows we ready. We installed a week after that. 

I have to give it to him - most of what I asked for was completed without a hitch. Did we hit some bumps during install? Yea, we did. But that's almost always the case and should be the expectation. But I'm quite impressed with the sales rep and his overall demeanor. He handled everything very positively (even though he may have been secretly scowling at me through the phone). But any form of communication with me was made in a way to make me feel like I was the most important item on his agenda. And that is a special talent which even I do not possess. 

And let's not forget, we really love the windows. 

One of the six windows we replaced. These windows do not have window
treatments so it is actually refreshing to be able to see completely out with a well-blended
white frame to match the rest of the interior. 

So how did they perform on their original claims sold by the sales rep? Pretty good actually.

1. The installer - I don't know that he actually had any license, but you could tell he was knowledgeable and knew what he was doing. We had a one-person crew come out to install our six windows and he did it in about six hours. I'm impressed. For the quality of the install and to be able to do it in six hours, you have to know what you're doing and be deft. He did just that. So I'll give it to them - at least one of their crew is a competent installer. 

2. I already felt the quality of the windows on their sample, but once installed, still nice. I also was able to see the fit of the windows during installation, and they fit very well for the measurements taken. I have a feeling one of the previous window installs we did with the other company did not do a great job of measuring....

3. Honestly, the install was as close to a "sit back and relax" situation as it could have been. I don't think I can ever fully relax when someone is working in/on my house, but it was almost. I was able to get other things done and not feel like I had to constantly keep an eye on him to make sure he wasn't cutting corners. And if you know me or have read my blog, you'll know we've had our fair share of working with contractors and the full gamut of "quality" that exists. 

4. It's true, they don't require completed payment until everything is done to my satisfaction. I've currently not paid yet because they have to come out and fix some things from the install. 

Everything in this experience has told me that spending the extra money to go with a different company instead of the cheapest one out there is worth it. This has been my mentality lately since having children because spending the time on extra hassles isn't worth saving the money. 

About the children....what were they doing for six hours while our windows were getting installed? Well, they wanted to play outside, but they didn't like the noise or want to be by the installer. So they moved all their "furniture" to the other side of the house and set up shop by themselves. 

They're so creative 😍

Part Two: Foresight

This is part two of a two part series. To read part one. please catch up here. 

Years passed. The Small Table was still outside on the patio. By this time, his wood was stripped on the most exposed side. The once shiny, polished finish had turned black in areas. Dust and pollen accumulated on top. The Small Table was losing hope. He had waited through many changing seasons, and still, nobody came for him. 

One day, Foresight entered this house. Foresight surveyed the area. Foresight looked inside the pantry. Foresight looked in the refrigerator. Foresight looked in the freezer. There would be a time and place for dealing with these areas. By chance, Foresight opened the blinds to the patio door and stumbled upon The Small Table. 

Foresight asked The Follower if The Small Table was being used. The Follower did not use him. There was no need to ask The Fool as that is why The Small Table was rejected in the first place. Foresight cleaned, wiped, disassembled, and transported The Small Table away.

The Small Table was elated. He was so happy to be found. He was so glad to be rescued from the patio. He was ready for his makeover.

Foresight had a vision of the beauty which could be revealed from The Small Table. There would be a new coat of paint. Choosing the color would be slightly trickier. Foresight debated white. Gray. Navy. Even a bright shade of teal was considered. But in the end, Foresight made the decision to leave the top natural and stain it. The legs would be painted white to create an elegant, modern look. 

It's so nice to have a covered workspace in the garage, even with two cars inside...😊

Of course, the actual transformation process is never easy. The Small Table had to endure a generous layer of sanding to remove all the damage and ensure an even coat of new stain and paint. On went a generous coat of stain as well as three layers of poly to protect the surface. The Small Table would be protected and taken care of. 

The first coat of primer never looks like much, but you have to trust the process.

Each of the legs was meticulously primed and painted white with a satin finish. You would never have guessed what The Small Table had been through from seeing it now. 

The Small Table hopes to be able to listen to children laughing. The sounds of voices in conversation. He wants to be colored on, be painted on. He wants to be the surface to rest bowls of freshly cooked meals. He wants to soak in the smells of various cuisines. He wants to support the pages of a book or the paper in a notebook as someone studies, completes homework, or writes for fun. Yes, he wants to be used and worn over time in these ways. Yes, he wants his surface to be occasionally scratched or marked. 

These ways, however destructive they can be, are much better than being left outside to the mercy of the weather. These ways, however destructive they can be, are much better than suffocating under a pile of things. These ways, however destructive they can be, are much better than being rejected. 

Because these are the ways in which love and purpose happen. And Foresight was able to see it. 

Part One: The Fool and the Follower

The Follower lived in a beautiful house with not so beautiful things. There were not many and the house felt sparse, but The Follower didn't care. They worked, they sufficed , and there were no complaints. One day, The Fool entered this beautiful house. The Fool took a look around and considered. This house was not beautiful enough. It needed more beautiful things. 

So The Fool went shopping and purchased items. Beautiful items. New items. And in they started. At first, it was different. Different was not something The Follower was used to. The Follower was discontent and voiced this discontentment. The Fool didn't listen. In came more beautiful things. Beautiful things became just things. The Follower slowly lost a voice, lost the discontentment, and let it happen. 

Slowly, the house of not so beautiful things that was sparsely filled became the house of overcrowded beautiful things. Items which individually could have been decorative, beautiful, lovely, now became a plethora of things, overcrowding countertops. Storage was needed to store the excess items. Beautiful things became forgotten because they were piled on top of each other. You couldn't even identify one item at a time. It was all so overwhelming to look at. 

The beautiful things all together became not so beautiful. And slowly, this once beautiful house with not so beautiful things became an ugly house with ugly things. But The Fool did not notice how ugly the things were becoming. The Fool wanted more and more. In everything came. An item here. An item there. Slowly, steadily. And The Follower did not say a word. 

In the midst of this infiltration, The Fool became discontent with a table. This table was too small for The Fool. It wasn't large enough to hold all the things The Fool wanted to display. Display is an understatement. The Fool asked for a Larger Table and The Follower obliged. 

Now The Small Table was one of the few "beautiful" items in the once beautiful house. It was a table of solid wood, kept in very good condition for its age. But The Fool didn't want it. And The Follower didn't see it. In barged the larger table. Next to a wooden shelf. Next to a baker's rack blocking a wall of windows. Next to a floor filled with wastebaskets, four on the floor within a 25 foot distance. The empty space around what used to be the smaller table lessened. The space felt even more cramped and uncomfortable. 

The Small Table was unwanted. The Follower did not know what to do with it. The Fool didn't want it. There was no space in other rooms for the smaller table to live. So you know what happened? The Small Table was relegated to the back patio. To The Fool and The Follower, it was problem solved. They didn't want it, they didn't see it.

The Small Table was now exposed to the elements. He saw the hot sun of summer and the cold snow and ice of winter. He felt the strong winds brush against his surface. A wasp made a home underneath an eave. Dust and pollen blew around him, settling on top. The Small Table stayed like this for years and years. But you know what? He was happier outside exposed to the elements than he was inside. Because inside the once beautiful house was suffocating. Inside the once beautiful house, he went unnoticed under and next to the piles and piles of things. 

Outside, he was in plain sight. Yes, he was getting weathered by the elements, but he was visible. And the smaller table made a vow to persevere until someone noticed his beauty. 

Years later, Foresight came upon this house....

Part Two

A Wood-Filled Weekend

With a sequence of events, we need to clear our some more space in our garage. One of the main things that needs to go is a bunch of wood we've saved up over the years from various projects. Before just getting rid of all of it or giving it away, I thought we should try and finish some of our own projects which have been on our to-do lists for years and years now. We accomplished both of these projects this past weekend:

1. A "box" to cover the vent hood pipe that goes into the ceiling in our kitchen. 

In April of 2021, we made the decision to vent our range hood vent outside instead of having a recirculating one. It was one of the better decisions we've ever made for our house because I love it so much. I can cook and vent the smells outside and you can't smell anything after a few hours. I don't regret anything about the project except the person we hired. For the last 1.5 years, we've been staring at a really ugly ceiling patch where the pipe connected into the attic. The pipe is also not centered, but that is secondary to the ugly ceiling.

My husband has mentioned wanting to build a box around it to hide the pipe from the beginning to fix both problems. We were finally able to use some leftover MDF board from previous projects to build a three-sided "box" to place in front of the pipe on top of our cabinets. I had used play-doh a long time ago to trace the edge of the trim against our ceiling so we could cut the appropriate edge to cover there as well. 

After a few coats of paint and primer, we had ourselves a white cabinet box to make our kitchen range hood look centered and neat. 

We will hopefully add some trim around the top of the box to match the traditional style of our kitchen as right now it looks too clean and modern. But for now, this box fixed our main issues. Total cost* of this project: $0

2. Utilizing the other half of our second blind corner cabinet.

For my birthday in 2020, I bought blind corner shelf pull-outs and had them installed. To this day I still love using them and they have been super helpful. We have one other blind corner cabinet but the same pull-outs would not work in the other cabinet because it was a smaller cabinet. 

However, this cabinet had space behind it we could use.

The open cabinet is the one with the blind corner.
We've never been able to fully utilize that space. 

This is the backside of the cabinet which allows us to
make a cut to use the blind corner.

We had talked about cutting a hole from behind and adding another door to create another cabinet in our kitchen essentially. This project never came to fruition because I wasn't convinced we had a way to cut open the cabinet to make a clean rectangular opening. This past weekend on Friday morning, I asked my husband again if we could do this project. I was also more convinced to want to do it as a way to use up some of the wood we had stored before we got rid of it all. 

By Friday evening, after the kids went to bed, we got right to work. It took us the entire evening to get the hole measured, prepped, and cut, but we did it.

Really clean cut with a multi-tool he purchased last year.
I have no problem with spending money when it can earn its value.

The next day, my husband spent the whole afternoon making drawer boxes for me. That evening, we had one installed with the sliding tracks. It took much more time than we anticipated because the drawer slides were nearly impossible to separate. We looked up Youtube Videos from different people with three different methods on how to remove them. After a lot of pulling, tugging, and frustrated grunts, we were able to separate the slides and have them installed on their respective halves. 

On Sunday afternoon, my husband finished making the cabinet door completely from scratch! We used an old piece of plywood originally from the house we had saved from a previous renovation. We added some trim to fit with the style of the rest of our house. I primed and painted Sunday evening and by Monday morning, everything was installed and complete. 

Comparable pull out shelves like this would cost $100+ each...(yes, we've looked into it.)

Yes, I've already filled them up. Will need to reorganize the
pantry now that I have more space. 

The secret passageway has a proper entrance! 

Total cost* of this project: $30.90 

I'm really pleased with the way this project turned out. I know we waited years before turning this cabinet into a reality, but now that it's completed, it's really exciting to add another 4 cubic feet of storage space!

*Cost refers to new dollars spent. All other materials we had leftover from previous projects.

New Window Treatments

When we moved in, the windows in my studio had brown faux wood blinds. After we had the room painted, the brown no longer matched the rest of the room. We also encountered a problem where the blinds were difficult to let down all the way. This was due to the fact that the windows have trim about 1/3 of the way up the bottom of the window. This caused a discrepancy in width if you were to measure at the very top or at the bottom of the window. The person who ordered the previous window treatments did not account for this and simply measured at the top where they would be installed. As a result, you could never really get the blinds to come down all the way in a smooth, easy manner. 

The original blinds (and windows).

When I was teaching, I noticed the sun would angle in through two different windows depending on the season. In the fall and winter, the sun would come streaming in through the left window. In the summer, the sun would come streaming in through the right window. Sunset in the summer months are more of a northwest sun vs a southwest sun during the winter. My solution over the years was to hang curtains to avoid the problem of the trim and to block out the sunlight during the various months.

The curtains did their job...but didn't add much for aesthetics.

The curtains sufficed for a long time, however, they've always looked unkempt and messy. They also gave the room an illusion of taking up more space because of the puffiness of the curtains. 

This summer, I was enlightened to zebra blinds. I like to call zebra blinds the contemporary version of a roller blind. Roller blinds have been around for a very long time. In fact, there was a rainbow colored roller blind covering the window in one of our bedrooms when we moved into the house. That has also since been removed and replaced. I also realized we could hang the blinds with an outside mount instead of an inside mount. This way, we did not run into the problem of the varying widths from the window trim. 

I ordered blind fabric samples months ago and we had discussed which kind of fabric and color to choose for my studio. After a while, the idea got put on the back-burner because it was a lot of money. One day, I saw in my inbox an email from the blinds website saying they were running 45% off zebra blinds! Normally, their site consistently has them at only 25% off. I told my husband and he told me to get them. I had to rummage around the house and dig for where the samples went because I'd misplaced them for a few months. After successfully finding the samples and measuring the window, I placed the order. 

On the day the blinds were supposed to be delivered, I took my children out in the morning for a bike ride around the neighborhood. When we came back, my daughter alerted me to a tag on our front door. FedEx had come by to deliver but did not leave the package because it required a signature. I was disappointed, but I made a mental note not to leave the house the next morning. 

Later that afternoon, I saw a FedEx truck stop in front of our house. The delivery driver came back and delivered it! I don't know if they're actually allowed or supposed to do this, but it was nice of him to make a second attempt on the same day. We ended up storing the blinds for a few days before we could install because it was going to be a minimum two day process. 

The first day, we were going to uninstall the curtain rod, remove the curtains, fill the screw holes, and touchup the paint. The second day, we were going to drill new holes for the new hardware and install the blinds. Everything was going great on the first evening as we uninstalled the rods and took the curtains down. Then, we opened up our spackle to fill the screw holes only to discover it had molded.

I wish I could tell you this was rocky road ice cream...it's not

In order to get our project going and keep the timeline, we needed to patch the holes so we could paint over them and let the paint dry. That evening, I tried a new trick - toothpaste! For holes 1/4 inch or smaller, you can use a white toothpaste in place of spackle to fill screw holes. Because we had small holes and we were not going to be making new ones anywhere near the old ones, we had no problem substituting toothpaste to fill the drywall holes. 

Thankfully, our five-year-old can of paint was still good and did not go bad. We do store it inside in a temperature-controlled climate rather than in the garage where it can get excessively hot and cold. Google says latex paint can keep for up to 10 years when stored properly so hopefully we can double its longevity. After touching up the paint, we walked around the house in search of places on the walls to touch up. There were a lot more than I had thought. Between stains from contractors, crayon on the wall, pen on the wall, and scuff marks, we were able to use up most of the paint I poured out. 

I forgot how beautiful the windows are exposed, but sadly, it is not practical for what I need.

The next evening, we measured, drilled new holes, and installed the zebra blinds, and by we, I mean mostly my husband. I am super pleased with the final result. These blinds do everything I want them to. They let in light so it doesn't feel like a cave of a room, but they also block out a good amount of light so my piano doesn't get damaged and I can keep the glare out of the room during sunset. 

Much more streamlined and neat.

It was a little painful to have to move the furniture back in front of the blinds because I use a round table as a desk in the corner of the room. I am now browsing various desks/secretary desks to see what I could use to better fit the space and still meet my needs for organization, storage, and infrequent writing use.

How many of my students do you think noticed and said something to me? 😆

The Garage Saga: Part 3

This is the third part of the Garage Saga series. If you missed part 1, and 2, you should start there first. 

Last time, we left off with the garage company not having us on their schedule. This was Wednesday, September 21st. The office called us back later that afternoon and said they could install Friday morning the 23rd. 

So my husband rearranged his PTO and swapped Thursday for Friday. On Friday morning, the installer arrived around 11:20 am and began installation. As he was installing, he informed us that there were no studs for a portion of the wall where the track was going to be installed so he would need a piece of wood. We told him we were not supplying this because we did not know we did not have studs behind the wall where the track would be. 

In addition to the lack of studs, he had also brought the incorrect length of track with him and it wasn't tall enough for what we needed it to be. So by 12:15 pm, he left, we had 15 holes drilled into our drywall, and no installation once again. My husband again called the company and explained to them this issue. He told them it was their job during the quoting process to figure out if everything was present - they are the experts. They should be telling us what we need, not the other way around. 

Holes shown in photo are larger than they appear.

On Friday afternoon, the office called back and told us they would be able to return on Saturday to complete the install. Third time's a charm? 🙄

On Saturday the 24th, the same installer arrived once again at 2:30 pm, and this, time he had the correct length of track as well as the wood we needed to make up for our lack of studs behind the drywall in that location. He immediately got to work taking out our existing garage track and swapping out the new ones.

I took the kids to church that afternoon while my husband stayed at home and supervised the install. At 6 o'clock as I was leaving church, my husband texted me that it was complete as well as a photo. I drove home with the kids and returned to a newly installed high-lift garage door. 

When we bought our house seven and a half years ago, we noticed the higher ceiling in the garage. At the time, it was also piled 10 feet high with the previous owner's stuff and a narrow walkway two sides around. I wish I had taken a photo of the mountain of possessions they'd shoved into the garage to show the house to sell. 

Before

Now, it has been modified so that we can potentially park four cars inside in the future. 

After

My husband has dreamed of this for years. I never thought much of it because it didn't appeal to me in any way and we didn't need more than two cars. I still drive the very same car I learned to drive on with my learner's permit as a high school student 🤷🏻‍♀️. I think this is more a testament to the reliability of my car than my driving skills, although my driving record is clean. 

I have to say, I love the high-lift more than I thought I would. The space feels larger. The opening and closing of the door itself is much quieter (I think most of this is due to a new system more so than changing to a high-lift). I feel like I'm driving into an industrial warehouse when I pull into our garage. It's actually really refreshing to come home to such a large space even before stepping foot into our house. 

It feels huge, even when the door is open.

Now, does the story end here? I. Wish. It. Did.

So on Saturday when the installation actually happened, they did not pick up the horizontal track for the garage door. The installer reused our old parts to complete the installation. When we called the office to notify them that the job was complete, my husband pointed this out to them and we did not pay our remaining balance because the work order had listed new parts to be used. If they didn't use the new parts, we weren't paying for them. The manager was not in at 6 o'clock on a Saturday so we were told to call back Monday to discuss the issue.

On Monday, September 26, my husband was working all day so he did not get a chance to call the office until 5:00 pm. The manager was gone by then, but at least we had called to show that we are doing our part. On Tuesday, September 27, he received a phone call from the manager at 8:25 am and they spoke for 5 minutes. 

She informed us that without using new parts for the install, they would not honor their warranty. In order to swap out the parts, they would need to send out their installer again with the necessary part, uninstall what's currently installed and swap the parts. I have no problem with them doing that, but I think from a business perspective, it is in their best interest to not waste their time doing so and to leave the part, honor the warranty, and give us a discount. That's just my personal opinion viewing this situation in what's best for both parties. 

As of today, Thursday the 29th, this has not been concluded. 

A saga, indeed. 

The Garage Saga: Part 2

If you missed part 1, read it here.

I waited nearly 24 hours for a response from Electrician #1 we were going to hire to compensate for the handyman who flaked on us. I never got one. So I searched online again and called another highly related company (Company A).

He picked up the phone on a Saturday and spoke with me about what we needed. I told him we were on a time crunch and needed this done by Wednesday of next week. He said they had some time Tuesday morning and they could come by and take a look. He did not give me a quote over the phone because he said all projects are different and they'd give the quote after looking at our specific house and project. I thought that was logical and fine and left it at that.

I texted Electrician #1 back, notifying him we would no longer be needing him because I did not receive confirmation he was going to try to get us on the schedule. Now this text he responded to in a timely manner. Strange why he didn't even text me an "ok" after my text the day before...

If he had only responded to my text promptly like he did
to all my other texts....he might have gotten hired for the job. 

The electrician Jonathan contacted (Electrician #2), did not respond with his availability until Sunday evening, and by that point we had already scheduled with Company A. We told him Monday that we had already booked with someone else.

On Tuesday, September 20th,  Company A came out to our house in the morning. Before he came, I received a text message with the name of the technician and a license number. Out of curiosity (and probably a good habit to be in), I looked up the number on the Texas Department Licensing and Registration (TDLR) website. The license number pulled up the company name but not the electrician himself. I called the office to inquire about this and was told it should have had the electrician's license number. She hung up saying she'd call me back after she figured out what was going on. I never got a call back. When he arrived, I asked him about this and told him I couldn't find his name or license number on the TDLR website. I asked him if he could show me his license. He couldn't because he didn't have it with him. The closest thing he could show me to prove himself as a licensed professional was an email dated January 2022 confirming his renewal for an apprentice electrician license. 

We put aside the license situation for a while and had him give us a quote for our project. Originally, we were wanting one outlet installed, but then it occurred to my husband if he wanted to complete the project in its entirety and plan ahead, we would actually need two. Company A gave us their quote and we looked at each other in shock. There was no way we were paying that much money for two outlets. I even asked the electrician if he could complete the job right then and there, and he gave me some wishy-washy answer which wasn't a confident yes**. After an hour and a half of going back and forth trying to see if there was any way we could get the price lower, we paid him his service fee and he left. 

My husband called Electrician #2 back and ask him if he still had availability for Wednesday. He said he did and could do the job for us and quoted us less than 1/3 of the price of Company A. Electrician #2 was also a master electrician and we were able to search and verify his license on the TDLR website. 

Electrician #2 called my husband later that day, Tuesday afternoon, and actually told him he finished his other jobs early and could arrive to install the outlets for us shortly. He arrived around 2:30 that afternoon and was done in an hour and a half. The same amount of time we spent going back and forth with the electrician from Company A was how long it took Electrician #2 to complete the job and charge us 1/3 of the price for it. 😐

We finally had two new outlets installed in the garage. The rest of it was smooth sailing, right?

Wrong.

On Wednesday, September 21, my husband called the installation company just to confirm the following day's installation schedule. When he called the company, they told him we were not on the schedule. 😳 We had paid the deposit of half the project cost over a month ago in August and my husband was told that the requested date (September 22nd) would be submitted for approval. 

What we were not told was that our request for that date was denied on their end and we weren't actually on their schedule at all. 😱

Tune in next time for part 3.

**I did my own research later and found that anyone with an apprentice electrician's license here needs to work under the supervision of a master electrician. I don't believe this company intended on sending anyone else out with him to complete the job so there's some questionable stuff there.