I dare me...

Just above the kitchen sink there is was this annoying spot where the wallpaper was slightly peeling from water being splashed on it. Every time I saw it I just wanted to grab hold and pull...so I did. Yup. At 10:30 pm this evening. I have the annoying any-time-you-get-slightly-horizontal-you-have-a-coughing-attack kind of cough so I figured I'd prolong that fun misery by staying up and vertical for awhile. Chris had told me that he wasn't going to be the one to start the next de-wallpapering job so I stepped up to the job...and let 'er rip. 

I have to mention that the wallpaper in the living/dining room came off quite a bit nicer (in complete sheets) than the kitchen wallpaper. 

 

So I have the rest of the week off from work which works out well since I had a squeak of a voice left by the end of today. Being a speech pathologist doesn't work very well when you lose your voice...who'd have thunk it? Good thing you don't need a voice to strip wallpaper...here's a sneak peek at the kitchen minus floral print (with the wallpaper backing still on the walls)...

 

 

Snow, how I love thee...

Except when I have to shovel thee off my driveway! We got masses of the wonderful stuff this past weekend...while Chris was at work. The lovely path from the street to our garage is gravel...and not snowblower-able. Apparently, that's was God made muscles for...and man, was I well aware of them two days later. Luckily, Kelly (sis-in-law) got stranded at our house on Saturday and was happy to help me shovel to drive so Chris could actually make it into the driveway. We suited up in snow pants, etc and tackled the job...

Here is the pre-shoveled snowy drive...

Here is the snow-covered homestead the day after...

 

*Apparently, we live in a dollhouse...the monstrous evergreen in the front makes it look "pint-sized."

Throwin' a Christmas party...old home style

Since we completed the living/dining room, I offered to host Chris' family our Christmas shindig this year last Sunday. In preparation for the event, I picked up and put away tools and laundry, cleaned bathrooms and floors, sewed Poang headrests back onto cushions (Chris' big muscles overpowered the seam when he tried to get the foam insert out of the slipcover to wash it), wrapped presents and set the table, which was the most fun, mixing the different things I've collected.

The meal was to be a soup *potluck* of sorts. So after the cleaning, I hunkered down in the kitchen to whip up some Desert Storm Chili.  

Umm, problem. While washing dishes as I was cooking, I noticed the kitchen sinks were not draining. Now, to be honest, this was nothing new...they usually drain after a little bit but, this time, it didn't seem that the murky waters were receding at all. The sink plunger did absolutely nada. 

Chris picked up some drain cleaner on his way home from work and tried it...no dice. I remember him saying "Man, I hope they are late" then hearing knocks on the front door 30 seconds later. I left him alone in the kitchen while I went to answer the door. As I walked back into the kitchen carrying my mother-in-law's soup, I heard water gushing into a bucket under the sink and saw Chris taking the sink plumbing apart.

Welcome to life in this old house...so glad I have a sense of humor along with my love of old homes. At this point, I just tried to keep everyone out of the kitchen...which didn't last long. Eventually, temporary plumbing solution in place (water turned off to sink and pipes disconnected), we ate dinner. It was delicious! Unfortuately, my pretty table settings made for a lot of dishes...which couldn't be washed...so we scrounged up some paper plates for dessert. We even got a nice family picture amidst the chaos in front of the tree (Chris, Keri, Grant, Carolyn, Craig, Shari, Kelly and Matt)!

Fast-forward to Wednesday morning. The plumber contracted through our home warranty company came and fixed the problem in a jiffy. He used a power auger to break up the clogs and said it was probably grease-buildup from over the years along with some food particles (we don't have a garbage disposal). He also gave us some helpful tips on what to use regularly so this blessed event doesn't happen again. After he left, I finally washed all the party dishes...only took about an hour.

Fast-forward to Wednesday afternoon. I threw a load of laundry in the washer, ran an errand and came back to water all over the basement floor. I immediately called the plumbing company back and told them the problem and made an appointment for them to come back out the following Monday due to the holiday and us being gone. As I was getting ready to run out in search of the product recommended by the plumber, I started thinking that it didn't make sense that the water from the washer would back up because the clog would have had to almost travel backwards. Also, the floor drain, where water would back up, was not wet. Hmmm. Something was not right. I put on my rubber boots and headed back down to the basement. Upon opening the clean-out on the pipes coming from the laundry sink, I heard water running freely, however, there was not very much water going through. This was weird since it was all new PVC pipes and just water ran in them. The laundry sink which the washer drains into was almost full and there were bubbles on the faucet...uh oh...the lint trap that slides over the end of the washer hose was missing. I peered into the murky, soapy water and spotted the trap plugging the sink's drain. Oops...my bad. I quickly called the plumbing company back to explain the issue, entertaining the guy on the other end. He laughed and said "I was just about to go and yell at a plumber." Ahh, a day in my life...not very boring lately.

A non-scandalous cover-up...

My mom is the ultimate seamstress...which I have known for some time. One of her most recent masterpieces was khaki, denim slipcover that hides the harvest gold, burnt orange and avocado green nightmares on this couch (though she has vowed never to make another couch slipcover)...

Problem at hand: I hate visible clutter...especially bathroom clutter. I realize that I can't rid clutter completely...however, I can hide it. Our upstairs bathroom had no storage when we moved in...just pedestal sink, clawfoot tub and toilet. We were just able to fit a bookcase (we nabbed from Schuurmann's before they moved to Texas) between the tub and the wall to give us a little storage but even with baskets the junk was pretty visible. 

My idea was to make a curtain to cover the bottom few shelves. What I was picturing involved a staple gun, fabric and a hot glue gun. Good thing mom was there to help because what we made was a million times better. Here's the before sans junk...I had to take this picture while slouching on the toilet seat (lid down) because the bathroom is a bit tiny. 

I picked a pattern that was light but not light enough that you'd see spills, etc. very easily. The two side panels are stapled on...thank you, Craftsman staple gun, my hero. We made a front panel that was gathered (mom rocked the sewing skills), sewed Velcro onto the back of it and stapled the other side of the Velcro to the shelf. 

During this sewing lesson, I learned that sewing machines are not scary and that my mom claims to be a "slop-jockey" because she hates to pin and prefers to "eyeball" it. I did not manage to take pictures of the actual sewing itself because I was too busy trying to avoid putting a sewing needle through my finger while keeping up with mom... I recall hearing a loving voice saying "you better give it some gas or we'll never get this done tonight"... okay, I'll push the pedal all the way on Speed 1.

Getting rid of the "funky"

So, my parents trekked down to visit us the weekend before Christmas. By the time they left, Chris had eagerly expanded his knowledge of plumbing and I had learned how to use my sewing machine from the pro seamstress (see next post). 

Since showering in the basement "spa" has been getting a bit chilly, Jack and Chris decided to manufacture a fix to the main floor bathtub. Problem at hand: Overflow pipe had rusted away from the tub and due to the high water pressure, which shot water directly into the overflow opening, it leaked onto the cracked, peel-n-stick tile floor. In an attempt to curb this problem, the previous owner had placed medical tape, which had been there long enough to get "funky" per Chris, over the overflow opening.

Did you know how many different thread sizes and variations of faucet adapters there are? Apparently, a...boatload (That's for you, dad). Chris is working on learning to speak plumbing fluently. It took at least 5 trips to multiple hardware stores plus some hands-on creativity, elbow-grease and trial and error...

And for about $25, Jack and Chris rigged up a hand-held sprayer that we already had to the exisiting antique faucet on the cast-iron tub. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, Man, I would have just bought a new one...and you'd be out $300-400. Yup. That's the average price for a tub-mount faucet with hand-held sprayer. The next major project on our list is remodeling this bathroom which will include installing a ceiling-mounted, oval-shaped shower curtain rod and shower riser/faucet combo...so we'll bite that bullet then. Until that day comes, being able to shower/bathe on the main floor is definitely worth at least $25 and a day's labor. 

Our basement *spa*

Our house has two full bathrooms, which is pretty incredible given the geriatric status of our 105 year-old abode. Each bath is equipped with one cast-iron clawfoot bathtub...sans shower. However, we do have a limestone-walled basement shower...my mom told me that people pay big money for large, stone-walled, spa-like showers. 

During initial tours and final walkthroughs of our home, I said there is no way I'd ever shower in the basement. Never say never. I ate my words the first morning in the house after attempting to wash the moving-in day grime off by taking a bath upstairs the night before. The tub wouldn't stop draining and required serious ingenuity...a plastic dixie cup placed upside down over the drain (thank you, one semester of engineering) to complete the bathing task. 

We came downstairs the next morning to recenty-showered parents who informed us that they used the basement shower and it wasn't bad at all. I ran back upstairs, grabbed my towel and headed for the basement. It was actually quite fine...and you could watch for leaks in the plumbing throughout the entire basement while you showered. Multi-tasking at it's best. The shower was built into the space where the old cistern was taken out in 1949 (the date was recorded in new cement) and a 2-inch tall cement boundary to corral the water to the floor drain was added in 1957 (also inscribed). Using galvanized wire, c-hooks and a plastic, mildew-resistant shower curtain and hooks, I added a bit more privacy. 

Since this picture was taken, Chris painted the entire shower area and floor joists above the shower with bright-white specialized paint containing moldicide and mildicide. The shower chair did not come with the house. It was a thoughtful gift from Chris' mom because she was concerned he would hit his head on the floor joists...which he did a few times. 

I was talking with my family at our Thanksgiving party and gleaning lots of great ideas for house improvements and tricks of their trades. My Uncle Carl asked "Wait, you  (Keri) really shower down there?" to which I emphatically nodded yes. He was totally impressed..I beamed with pride. Whether you are horrified (common reaction observed) or impressed, we love this house and do what we have to until we can afford to redo/fix things how we want them to be. And...have great stories because of it.

Sunday afternoon projects...

"Are you as surprised as I am at how long these have lasted since we moved in?" was the question recently posed to me by Chris, who loathed the frilly, ruffly, pink-trimmed kitchen curtains to which he was referring. They came with the house. Until today, I had bigger fish to fry. 

The curtains when we were looking at the house and how they looked when we moved in...yes, in August.

 Within a few days (or hours, I can't really remember) of moving in, the top valance came down. 

Q: What do you get when you mix 1) Aunt Martha's Flour Sack Dish Towels, 2) sewing pins (which stuck into me more than the towels), 3) Stitch Witchery, 4) an iron, and 5) a few tension rods on a Sunday afternoon? See below. 

A: Much-improved (in our opinion), simple kitchen curtains that give us some privacy and let light in too. Well, they give me more privacy than Chris since I'm the shrimp and all. Now... if only there was a short-cut like Stitch Witchery for removing that floral wallpaper.

Now you see it, now you don't...

In preparation for sanity and a few special visitors who will need a place to sleep next weekend, Chris and I spent the day working on cleaning/clearing out the *guest room* which had been aptly nicknamed the *furniture barn/tool shed* until today. Here's a little peek at some of the progress...

Now you see the shelves....

Now you don't. Thank goodness.

Now you see the dust-crusted curtains...

Now you don't. But you do see the neighbor's house...which means they can see you and you need to run to Target for some blinds. 

Now you see the blinds...

 Now you don't. Uh oh. Apparently, these blinds are meant to give the illusion of privacy...if you are inside the house. There's no mistaking the fact that you can see clearly into the room from the outside. Good thing Chris decided to check.

Now you see...the reason I convinced Chris to buy the blinds and the curtain rod just in case the blinds didn't fit (or provide privacy?)...I must be psychic...

Now you don't...see into our house, thanks to some extra curtains from the last apartment. 

P.S. Wallpaper and suspended ceiling, your days are numbered.

 

Christmas in Chicago

Shirking all house responsibilities, I took the train to visit Mel in the city for the day on Saturday. We had a blast walking around downtown, checking out the Christmas windows at the old Marshall Fields on State Street. 

It's an annual ritual for us...okay, this was the 2nd annual. 

We ran into some of Chris' cousins and my brother's girlfriend, Alysha, who drove down to do some major Christmas shopping, found a great new place to eat lunch, Hannah's Bretzel, an organic, fancy sandwich-type shop, checked out the huge tree at Daley Plaza and the German Christmas market and enjoyed hot spiced wine out of a boot...well, a mug that looked like a boot...along with potato pancakes.

On the way back on the train, I almost fell asleep about 4 times...head bob and all. (Thought my family members who are well aware of my train-sleeping habits...all through England and Scotland...might get a kick out of that).

Real things of genius...Garage door openers

Ah, garage door opener, how we take you for granted...when you are working properly that is. As the weather turned colder, our garage door opener got a little testy. It would start to go down and then go right back up. So instead of staying in the car (the whole point of having an automatic garage door opener), we had to get out and pull on the door so it would continue to close. Argh. I was sure a new one was in our future until, by process of elimination and a pocket knife, our neighbor fixed it. Ah, garage door opener, I won't take you for granted again. However, if you do decide to flake out and have another tantrum, I now know how to release the garage door and manually open/close it.


And, yes, I am totally copying the beer commercial "Real Men of Genius" theme here.

Knock, knock, Who's there? IKEA furniture delivery....

This is officially the first blog post being written....drum roll...from our new couch. For the past few months, I've been watching IKEA's stock of the particular sofa we want, EXTORP (yes, I speak IKEA), online. Knowing this week there was a sale (get a free white slipcover), I figured they'd sell out quick so I headed to IKEA while Chris was at work yesterday. 

Since there's no way to pack a couch in a Focus (even an IKEA couch), I was planning on having them deliver. What I did not realize was that I still had to get the couch from the warehouse (I flagged down an IKEA guy for that), push it on my "cart" through the checkout lane, pay for it and then steer it over to the "Home Delivery" counter. I was quite a sight...all by myself. I had picked up a few other items, including wine glasses (read: fragile) and other oddly shaped items and had to manuever them on top of the sofa along with the slipcovers. People were staring...probably wondering how long it would take me to drop something. Amazingly, I didn't drop anything...or run anybody over. 

Fast-forward to today. At approximately 9:45am, three friendly IKEA personnel arrived with our new couch. After a near wipeout in the kitchen (wet shoes from snow), the couch was in place. Chris and I unpacked the couch and threw on the SVANBY Beige (again, yes I speak IKEA) slipcover and...tada!! It is so nice and clean that I have to admit I've been paranoid to sit on it all day.

Fun fact to know and yell: the EXTORP sofa has been around for 30 years. Another fun fact: It does not currently come flat-packed like the majority of IKEA furniture. However, I found out from the guys in the sofa department that a flat-packed version is in the works to be rolled out next April. Yet, another fun fact: the EXTORP is slipcovered (the easiest slipcover I've ever had to deal with) so it is washable...for all of you who think we are crazy for getting a light-colored couch. 

P.S. I am aware the walls look bare...I am taking my sweet time to figure out the perfect place to hang things since we worked so so hard on making the walls look so nice and smooth.  

Something old...used a new way

Have I explained before how I planned to rip down all the knick-knack shelves in our house the moment we took possession? Hmmm. The majority are still hanging out upon the walls...but their days are numbered. However, why not use what you got when you are going to change it all down the road anyway? 

The upstairs "office" area (which is the walkway from the stairs to the bedrooms and upstairs bath) came equipped with these potential clutter catchers...

 And catch clutter of all sorts (wedding dresses, can of coke, water bottles, Puffs plus, extra toilet paper, etc), they did...

After a few months, we repurposed them...using ugly for good.  

Creativity necessary.

Wreath-tastic...Take Two

Now, all we need is a little snow...and to pitch the pumpkins. Yes, homeowner error # 329 was missing trash pickup. Uh oh. Big yuck oh. While slightly distracted by the holiday, I  forgot to ask the neighbors if they could set it out while we were out of town. Oops. Now my back porch looks like a recycling plant. However, I am not too embarassed. Compared to some of the houses we toured before signing on the dotted line, this place is very very clean. And about the desire for snow...my co-workers were ready to shoot me. Just a little dusting?

Wreath-tastic....

Chris and I put up the wreaths (all 14 of them) on the front porch windows late last night. I forgot to take a picture this morning...when it was actually light outside. Here is a somewhat-edited version of what they look like. I'll post better pictures when I'm able to get a good day time shot!

Christmas has arrived...

Yes, Christmas has arrived at the Buma household. We still have an artificial tree... ugh. But it does the job for right now...and did I mention it is pre-lit. Three snaps and three plug-ins later...let there be light...

all over the tree.  

(Side note: Everybody knows putting up the lights is a nightmare. Once it took my Mom and I about 5 hours to get them right...due to the white-corded light fiasco...plus the trip back to the store to buy green-corded lights...add in that we are both slightly Type-A. Ah, memories...and process improvement.)

I have a major question for anyone who cares to ponder...where does Santa Claus come in from when you have a boiler and radiators? We have no fireplaces. Chris and I are planning ahead so that in the future (when we actually have kids) we'll have our story straight. Chris' latest version is that Santa is ethereal...and can walk through walls and windows. Umm, a bit creepy and potentially child-frightening. Any other ideas?

In order to put the Christmas tree in the dining area bay window, I had to play musical furniture. Where, oh, where did the console table go? Hmmmm. Found it...residing behind one of the living room chairs in the front corner of the house where it can display my Nativity. What is that beautiful piece of material that pulls the whole Nativity scene together you ask? Hee hee. I repurposed one of the old curtain panels from the living/dining room...thank you, scissors. Very environmentally-friendly...at least for another month or so.

Growing up, Grandma Fliet gave us each a Hallmark ornament each Christmas. I have continued to buy a new ornament each year to keep the tradition going. Grandma Fliet passed away this September so this ornament is extra special.