Yes, I did want to update this blog daily this year if I could, with the exception of Sundays. Yes, I didn't update on Wednesday. Yes, I'm going to backdate this entry to fill it the gap.
So what happened?
In Connecticut, we broke our record for the greatest amount of snow in a 24-hour period when 18-24 inches (depending on location) fell around the state, with some places totaling 30 inches altogether. At my home, we got an even 20.
My son went out playing in the snow with my mother. I didn't take my daughter out at all, but she's going out in it today now that the driveway is plowed out. See, yesterday, the snow was as high as she was and there was simply no place for her to walk!
How did we weather the storm? Well, I always keep a good supply of food on hand, because my area is sufficiently rural that going out to the store all the time is a real pain. Our power went out, but my electric company deserves great praise for fixing it pretty promptly. They had trucks out within an hour and fixed the problem an hour and a half after it went out. This is good for us, because we have no source of heat that is not electric-dependent. We have an oil furnace that is lit, not by pilot light, but by electric spark.
Our gorgeous little bi-level doesn't really have room for a woodstove, or you'd better believe I would have one in this house. I know how to deal with woodstoves. I grew up with one. Unfortunately, we are going to have to find some other method by which to (someday) heat our home when the power goes out. I believe our best bet now is to find a generator, as that would give us water as well.
Showing posts with label home improvement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home improvement. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
New Year’s Resolution: 1920x1080
Each year I re-resolve several things, but this year I’m going to repeat my little ritual and re-resolve them once again.
Why do I do this to myself?
Well, though I fail to hit my target each year, I do come closer to reaching it. My house is cleaner today than it was last year on this date. My weight is closer to normal. I have made the greatest leaps and strides in my writing. So here I go again, with the same New Year’s Resolutions as ever before, and one of them, of course, concerns this blog and me posting in it more often.
Resolution 1: Writing more
I made leaps and strides here, when I decided to join in the NaNoWriMo challenge (lovingly nicknamed “Cain’t Write No Mo’” about halfway through) and finish the first draft of a book I had outlined some time ago. I discovered that I was capable of putting 2,000 words on a story each day, no matter how I was feeling or how inspired I was. My challenge was to see if I was a writer, not only in good times, but also in bad. I succeeded.
I put aside the draft for the entire month of December, but in January I want to turn out my first-edited form for family and friends to read, with an eventual goal of publication. For 2011, I also want to turn this blog into something people will actually come back to read and, you know, find new stuff *to* read. I’d like to post in it at least weekly, at most daily.
Resolution 2: Clean my house
My house-decorating philosophy is actually quite simple. I am a fan of all that is useful and beautiful. If it is beautiful but not useful, or if it is useful and not beautiful, I am more likely to want it gone. Sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, I am also OCD and a bit of a packrat. I have so many things I want gone that I have never been able to rid myself of.
I have a genuinely nice house that would have all the room I needed if we would only get rid of the things we don’t use/like/need.
Resolution 3: Stick to my proper weight
I’m really not that bad off. I picked up an extra 10-15lbs during my second pregnancy, and they just haven’t come off yet. Actually, I began this year 15lbs up and ended it 10lbs up, so I am honestly getting myself back into shape. This goal I’m not too worried about, not just because I think I can do it, but also because it isn’t really all that important to me.
Will this be “my year”?
To be honest, I will be happy even if I make a small gain in each goal. Best case scenario will find me, on December 31st, 2011, reporting that my house is clutter-free and my first novel has been published, and that my BMI has gone from 25 to 22.5.
Why do I do this to myself?
Well, though I fail to hit my target each year, I do come closer to reaching it. My house is cleaner today than it was last year on this date. My weight is closer to normal. I have made the greatest leaps and strides in my writing. So here I go again, with the same New Year’s Resolutions as ever before, and one of them, of course, concerns this blog and me posting in it more often.
Resolution 1: Writing more
I made leaps and strides here, when I decided to join in the NaNoWriMo challenge (lovingly nicknamed “Cain’t Write No Mo’” about halfway through) and finish the first draft of a book I had outlined some time ago. I discovered that I was capable of putting 2,000 words on a story each day, no matter how I was feeling or how inspired I was. My challenge was to see if I was a writer, not only in good times, but also in bad. I succeeded.
I put aside the draft for the entire month of December, but in January I want to turn out my first-edited form for family and friends to read, with an eventual goal of publication. For 2011, I also want to turn this blog into something people will actually come back to read and, you know, find new stuff *to* read. I’d like to post in it at least weekly, at most daily.
Resolution 2: Clean my house
My house-decorating philosophy is actually quite simple. I am a fan of all that is useful and beautiful. If it is beautiful but not useful, or if it is useful and not beautiful, I am more likely to want it gone. Sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, I am also OCD and a bit of a packrat. I have so many things I want gone that I have never been able to rid myself of.
I have a genuinely nice house that would have all the room I needed if we would only get rid of the things we don’t use/like/need.
Resolution 3: Stick to my proper weight
I’m really not that bad off. I picked up an extra 10-15lbs during my second pregnancy, and they just haven’t come off yet. Actually, I began this year 15lbs up and ended it 10lbs up, so I am honestly getting myself back into shape. This goal I’m not too worried about, not just because I think I can do it, but also because it isn’t really all that important to me.
Will this be “my year”?
To be honest, I will be happy even if I make a small gain in each goal. Best case scenario will find me, on December 31st, 2011, reporting that my house is clutter-free and my first novel has been published, and that my BMI has gone from 25 to 22.5.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Housewives and "Men's Work"
We see it more and more in today's media world. A woman, living alone, being 'self-sufficient'. She doesn't need a man to do home repair for her! "Today's Woman" can repair furniture. She's up on a ladder cleaning out the rain gutters. She's a novice electrician, replacing fixtures and even doing a little easy rewiring. There she goes with the lawn mower again.
That's the joke, really. For generations, homemakers have engaged in these activities, 'even' with a man in the house. Oh, of course he helps out on the weekends, to ease up the workload a little. But there's no reason why a homemaker today, in addition to cooking and cleaning, should not know these things. They are but one of the many facets that make homemaking so much more than knowing how to turn out Grandma's brownies and get blood stain out of an outfit. The mundane chores that so many people speak of as being the largest part of homemaking is only the routine stuff that should be doable within a relatively small part of your day.
Over the past month, I have been putting my home improvement skills into play. My sister and I cleared out a small bedroom downstairs that I have decided will be the 'library', a room housing my sewing table, our piano, a computer desk, and an impressive array of books. I looked up multiple articles on color-choosing before selecting the precise hues I wanted, designed the look of the room around a prominent print (the curtain, in this case), and bought what I needed.
Interior decorating hasn't been my only work, however. I also refinished the deck. Yes, homemakers, your wood deck probably needs a new coat of stain/sealant about once every two to ten to twenty years, depending on your location and the stuff you use. I picked out the best form of sealant available, with a ten-year guarantee that comes out to more like eight in this area. Why? Because apparently great extremes between heat and cold (my climate ranges from 105F in the summer to -5F in the winter), plus increased humidity and violent storms (I live near the shoreline), can really do a number on a good sealant. Your deck needs to be able to shed water and withstand sun if it is going to last.
In some families, they make enough money to hire somebody to refinish the deck for you. This is not one of them. I knew I was going to have to do it myself, since my four-year-old son is too young to work at it. Now, in some households, the homemaker is not sturdy or limber enough to go out and spend all morning on the deck with a paintbrush and roller. (Another topic entirely: the importance of keeping yourself in sufficient shape to take on your tasks!) I am capable of it. And so I saved my husband the work and worry and did it myself. The only part I was unable to handle was lifting the glass-topped table off the deck. This we did together in the morning before he had to leave. (My in-laws gave us their old deck furniture, a beautiful set of chairs and table.)
Thanks to my willingness to learn, ask, and simply work, we protected our deck for the next ten years on a total of about $30. The last time it needed doing, I was working and so we hired someone for the job. It cost us $150. This is yet another example of how a good homemaker can save the household a lot of money with a bit of intelligence and gumption.
That's the joke, really. For generations, homemakers have engaged in these activities, 'even' with a man in the house. Oh, of course he helps out on the weekends, to ease up the workload a little. But there's no reason why a homemaker today, in addition to cooking and cleaning, should not know these things. They are but one of the many facets that make homemaking so much more than knowing how to turn out Grandma's brownies and get blood stain out of an outfit. The mundane chores that so many people speak of as being the largest part of homemaking is only the routine stuff that should be doable within a relatively small part of your day.
Over the past month, I have been putting my home improvement skills into play. My sister and I cleared out a small bedroom downstairs that I have decided will be the 'library', a room housing my sewing table, our piano, a computer desk, and an impressive array of books. I looked up multiple articles on color-choosing before selecting the precise hues I wanted, designed the look of the room around a prominent print (the curtain, in this case), and bought what I needed.
Interior decorating hasn't been my only work, however. I also refinished the deck. Yes, homemakers, your wood deck probably needs a new coat of stain/sealant about once every two to ten to twenty years, depending on your location and the stuff you use. I picked out the best form of sealant available, with a ten-year guarantee that comes out to more like eight in this area. Why? Because apparently great extremes between heat and cold (my climate ranges from 105F in the summer to -5F in the winter), plus increased humidity and violent storms (I live near the shoreline), can really do a number on a good sealant. Your deck needs to be able to shed water and withstand sun if it is going to last.
In some families, they make enough money to hire somebody to refinish the deck for you. This is not one of them. I knew I was going to have to do it myself, since my four-year-old son is too young to work at it. Now, in some households, the homemaker is not sturdy or limber enough to go out and spend all morning on the deck with a paintbrush and roller. (Another topic entirely: the importance of keeping yourself in sufficient shape to take on your tasks!) I am capable of it. And so I saved my husband the work and worry and did it myself. The only part I was unable to handle was lifting the glass-topped table off the deck. This we did together in the morning before he had to leave. (My in-laws gave us their old deck furniture, a beautiful set of chairs and table.)
Thanks to my willingness to learn, ask, and simply work, we protected our deck for the next ten years on a total of about $30. The last time it needed doing, I was working and so we hired someone for the job. It cost us $150. This is yet another example of how a good homemaker can save the household a lot of money with a bit of intelligence and gumption.
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