Remodel Update - Walls!

When I got home from the gym tonight, Greg was industriously working away on the house.  More progress - yay!

I'm excited to see the progress, even though we've got a long way to go yet.  There's just something about having sheetrock on the walls that makes me feel warm and fuzzy right now.  =)

As I was handing Greg the drill, he mentioned that he was probably spacing the screws closer together than he needed to.  I asked him why - since to me, that means more mudding and texturing to hide the screws when we're (read that: he's) doing the finish-work.  He said something about doing it the right way and screwing it down so he could make the wall straight (since ours are apparently crooked?).  I think it's really that he likes using power tools.  =)

The extent of my help with this part was to hand Greg the drill and some screws, steady the sheetrock if he needed it, and vacuum up the dust.  Oh!  And I made microwave nachos for us for dinner.  Hopefully we'll make good progress this weekend...  but Saturday night is reserved for ROLLER DERBY - yeah!!

Rondy Run-for-Fun

It's the one year anniversary of when Greg started running races.  Last year in February he entered the Fur Rendezvous (aka Fur Rondy, or just Rondy to the locals) Frostbite Footrace (my post is here).  He didn't dress in costume this year, but wanted to run anyway as it's a big anniversary.

My reward for getting up much earlier than usual on a weekend, was breakfast at Snow City Cafe with Stacy.  Mmmm... Bacon....  (Two Eggs Any Style - scrambled with cheese - comes with choice of meat - is there any choice besides bacon?? - hashbrowns, and toast.  Plenty of fuel for the morning to come...)  As a treat, we stopped first at Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop and I had my first ever chocolate filled croissant.  I can tell that's a bad habit to start, but since it's downtown I'll be saved a bit (since I hardly ever venture that way).  They also had a bacon, cheddar, and black pepper scone that's on my list to try the next time I'm there...

After breakfast and a nice chat, Stacy and I headed into the heart of downtown.  She had to get to the parade staging ground, and I was off to root for Greg on his run.  The helpful race MC proudly announced that it was a balmy 15 degrees, and since there's always a breeze downtown (it's right by the water) it was a mite chilly.  I dressed well for the weather (I thought), but could have done much better.  The thermals under jeans didn't quite keep out the chill, and I should have worn winter boots instead of trusting to my wick-away-wool socks (that I got last year after Greg's race!) to keep my feet warm.  Maybe I'll remember next year...

I got some pictures of the racers - those people are nuts! - and will be posting the entire collection on Facebook.  Then hung around the same area, since it was on the parade route.  There were all kinds of fun entries, and it was great to see people out and about.  I waved at everyone, since they were waving at me - and because I appreciate their fortitude in the brisk morning air.  The Geocache Alaska team was towards the end of the parade, so shortly after I watched Greg and Stacy walk by, we hooked up again and I was on my way home.

We couldn't tell the butt-warmers in Stacy's car were working until almost half-way home, and then it was by the stinging in our backsides.  I've been home for almost four hours now and am just about thawed.

Remodel Update - Ceiling and Walls

James was over to help on Saturday.  I keep telling them they're twins.  Blue jeans, blue shirts (computer shirts too, just not the same companies), covered in construction debris.  Sure one's bald and the other's not; one's taller than the other, too.  I didn't say they were identical, necessarily...  I'm immensely grateful for the help of James (James's just doesn't look right, and neither does James'), as I wasn't looking forward to the ceiling bits and they're extremely difficult to do alone.

By the time I made it up stairs in the morning, everything was in disarray.  I guess I mean more disarray than normal.  They'd moved the loose cabinetry from the kitchen into the living room, then spent the morning scraping the popcorn texture off most of the ceiling.  What a mess!  From there, they had to reattach some of the ceiling - particularly where it's close to where they're going to cut some out.  This is so it's easier to put in the replacement (and to fix a broken spot - probably from when the home was built).

Then it's time for Greg to go into the attic again.  He needed to start the cut for what they were taking down of the current ceiling.  Then they marked the line to the end in that blue chalk and sliced a preliminary cut.

And then they tore down the ceiling.  Yet another mess.  Good thing I'm better at sweeping and doing cleanup than I am at the actual remodel stuff.

So now we have an even bigger area that's open - although the insulation isn't falling out all over, thank goodness!  But, not to worry!  I got to help with the next part too - but that means that I didn't get pictures.  James and I climbed ladders and held the sheetrock in place while Greg went about securing it to the ceiling joists.

And just like that, the holes are covered and we have a ceiling again.  Of course, now there's mudding and texture to do so that it's really done, but no more draft from the chimney hole.  Yay!  Next on the list is to get the walls done - starting with the sheetrock, so all the mudding, sanding, and texturing can be done at once.

We're insulating the bathroom wall to add some privacy (and when we replace the door, we'll use a solid one rather than hollow core for the same reason).  We've got a good start on the next part.  Shouldn't take too long to get more rock on the wall-bones - the biggest headache will be to measure out where all lthe power boxes are so they can be cut out of the rock.  Then I help hold it in place while Greg screws it down.  It's all progress.

Remodel Update - Lights & Stuff

The flooring is on hold until we get a bunch of work in the "great room" done: ceiling and walls, then floor.  James was over to help this weekend - thanks, James!  There aren't many pictures because this is one of the weekends where most of the work is relatively invisible - but necessary.

We're moving light boxes to reposition the lighting.  The box that was in what used to be the hallway outside the bathroom - that one's going diagonally across the room to the dark corner.  The ceiling fan that used to be above the table - that box is being moved a few feet closer to the kitchen.  We're eventually going to have a return in the kitchen that will be a 2-seat bar on the other side, which will have pendant lights above it.  The ceiling fan is being moved to the dark corner, and we're not replacing the light that was outside the bathroom.  The picture below is from where the light was removed, outside the bathroom and office areas.  (We didn't actually destroy that much ceiling just to move the light box - this is also due to removing the fireplace, since the chimney went up there too.)

Lots of work in the attic - moving wiring, making holes, dropping wires down.  Got to get the power moved and ceiling work done before the walls; got to get the walls done before the floor.  In the picture below, it shows the new location of the kitchen light box (for the someday pendant lights).  We attached the old hallway light, since we haven't picked out the new lights yet.  Haven't picked out much for the kitchen yet - I thought that was for later, but it turns out we're going to have to work on lighting now, while we're doing ceiling stuff.  The hole to the right is where the fan used to be - we're going to have to patch that.

Putting in the new light box wasn't nearly as messy.  For me, anyway.  Greg is the one that goes in the attic to play in the insulation and move the wires.  So he disappears for a while, puts a new hole in the ceiling, fills it with the light box, then comes down and hooks up the light.  Good to go!  He swapped the fan blades so the lighter color shows on the bottom.  That'll go better with our choice of flooring, whenever we get it finished out here...

I think next week we get to start working on the walls.  We're still negotiating about the lights in the kitchen, but I don't think they absolutely have to be done yet.  I'm looking forward to getting the bathroom wall done - that's where the TV/entertainment center is going, which is really going to open up the room.  Yay!

Remodel Update - Floor Progress

The floor is going down!!  A couple nights last week, Greg was able to get a few rows done.  The calculations we did for the cuts are working nicely, so we have minimal waste and seams are nicely offset.  By Saturday afternoon, the office floor was almost completely done.  Yay!!

But now I've learned we hit a snag.  Boo!  Early on, we decided to run the wood grain lengthwise - this will tie the rooms together (since they're mostly open anyway) and supposedly make the "great room" look longer.  This is all good an fine, and will look best once it's done.  But we can't cut the slats off at the door of the office because of the groove on the end.  Which means that instead of finishing the office before we start work in the living/dining room, we've got to run the flooring at least a little ways into the room.  Which in turn means that we've got to get some of the work done out here before we can continue in there. Disappointment of all disappointments - we even had to take out that blasted door that we just put in.  Damn!  Well, here's to hoping that it goes in easier the second time.

The office is tantalizingly close to completion.  A few more rows of flooring, paint the trim, slap it in, and voila! we're moving furniture back into the room.  But instead, we had to determine light box placement (we're ripping up some of the ceiling so we can move some of the light fixtures) and furniture arrangement (plays to power in the wall and running cables).  Another trip to the remodel store (thanks for the help, James!) and we've got the supplies on-hand for this next part.

Greg did some demolition tonight to remove some of the sheetrock and ceiling where we need to do the next bit of work.  He found a lovely surprise in the wall (no, nothing dead, thank goodness!).  Look at the style of that can!

I told Greg that we need to get done what we can and wrap up for the summer no later than April first.  If that means we're walking on plywood for the summer, so be it.  Summers are always crazy here, and there's going to be little to no time to spend working inside on the house.  So the next few weeks will bring us to the culmination of this winter's part.  We're definitely going to be spending next winter (at least part of it) in the construction zone, but we'll have the summer off.

Super-Fantastic Weekend

This weekend was just marvelous!  I think that Fridays are my favorite day of the week.  It's not quite the weekend, but I can almost taste it - it's so close.  Ahhhh.  Sweet anticipation. This Friday didn't disappoint.  Went to dinner with Nita, since the boyos were playing racquetball.  We're not doing any entertaining at the house (see all posts and pictures regarding the remodel - the house is in *no* shape for company), so I don't get a chance to visit with people much.  Which makes it especially nice to spend time with my pal.

I'd get to visit with people more if I liked talking on the phone, but either my fingers are broken - not likely, since I'm using them to type - or we're like magnets pushing apart, me and the phone.  I just don't do so well with that medium.  Greg, on the other hand, should probably have one surgically implanted in his ear - except then I'd never know when he's talking to me or to someone else...  Anyhow.  Saturday continued the awesomeness.  After a day of progress on the remodel, Stacy and James invited us to dinner.  A new restaurant and more visiting with friends.  Can the weekend get any better?  Well, there's one day left...

In case you're not aware, I'm not a big football fan.  In fact, we haven't watched any football this season, and the last game I watched was probably Super Bowl last year.  I generally pick my team based on the color of the jersey.  This year was pretty much the same, except Sheri helped me in the last pre-game game.  It was the purple and the black teams.  At first, I picked purple since I like that color.  Then, (before half-time, since you can't change teams after half-time), I switched to rooting for black.  Why did I switch, you might ask?  Well, I found out that purple is from Minnesota.  It's *cold* there.  And black (which is another color I like) is from New Orleans, where they throw a kick-ass party.  (Someday I want to go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.)  Turns out it was a good switch, since black won - yay!

Now to choose between black and blue for the real game.  Both are good colors, so I have to look for secondary criteria.  Looks like it comes down to party-town vs. flat-land baby horses (which are cute, but can't compare to a down-and-out party).  Black it is.

Once the science of picking the team is done, I'm actually getting a bit excited to watch the game.  Plus there's all the cool commercials.  Then Greg tells me that we might not get that channel.  Aaargh!  Thus far, I have refused to pay for cable.  Mostly because we don't watch that much TV, but I'm also holding out for the pick-a-pack.  I don't need 100 channels, or even 50.  I'd settle for a dozen - food network, HGTV, history, discovery, the local channels, and a couple others for fun.  Since that's not an option, I'm taking my toys and going home.  So there!  (That, and I'm just the tiniest bit worried that if we had cable I'd develop couch-potato-itis - even more - and never leave the house unless absolutely forced.)  Cable dilemma aside, now I may not be able to watch the game OR the commercials.  Drat!

In steps Ubon and Cindy, inviting us to share the day with them.  Whew!  Saved.  It's been quite some time since I've had a chance to visit with them, so this will be lots of fun (and it's Ubon's birthday - sweet!).

I wore black to support my team.  Was tempted to wear the only sports jersey I own, but it may have given the wrong impression on several fronts:  first because it's Grumpy (his team is the Miners - get it? haha!); next because I'm told it's a hockey jersey - they're different somehow from other sports' jerseys - who knew?!?; and also because it has blue (it's light blue), but no black.  No jersey for me.  Lack of football attire aside, the afternoon was outstanding!  Good food, good company, good game!

All-in-all, it was really a super-fantastic weekend!

Remodel Update: Office Progress - Floor Installation (Yay!)

I found out what all the blue lines are for.  Not tic-tac-toe.  There's one going down the center of the room - that's to make sure you're still straight as you get close to that target.  The others are perpendicular to the center-line, approximately every foot or so - these are to mark the floor joists.  In wood flooring, we're actually nailing the floor to the floor.  Hah!  Whereas in laminate, the flooring floats on the floor.  For whatever that's worth...

Anyhow.  We're getting closer and closer to getting the floor laid in the office.  It always amazes me how much work goes into a project before any "work" actually gets done.  We did a bunch of math - the room is four boards and one inch long, so we've got to figure out the cuts to minimize waste and offset seams.  Greg had to pre-drill holes; measure and cut away the hole for the floor vent; come up with spacers to hold the first row in place; and ensure all the supplies were on hand.

The first two boards took the most time.  He won't need to pre-drill the other boards, because the other nail gun (you know, the one that shoots the other nails?) doesn't need it.  But because of it's shape, he can't use it close to the wall, so the two boards closest to the wall will be hand-done.  This includes drilling the hole, nailing the board down, then using some kind of doohickey to get the nail flush or slightly below the level of the wood so the next board fits on nicely.  I tried to help, but since you have to put your fingers in the way so you don't mar the wood (if you miss the nail... and I miss the nail a lot), I opted to watch and bring Greg nails as he needed them.  You shouldn't hit the wood, you shouldn't bend the nail, and you should make sure the nail is down far enough.  If you don't pay attention to any one of those, the potential for disaster is monumental.  No wonder I don't do this kind of crap for a living - I'd be eaten up with stress and probably have had a heart attack by now.  But I'm glad it's suitable for other people...  =)

So that's all we got done this weekend.  The two hardest boards to set and all the prep work - in between a photo shoot, racquetball date, running, laundry and facebook-ing.  The rest of the room (at least until we hit the two boards closest to the other wall), should go in quick-as-pie.

On another note, it's getting noticeably lighter in the afternoons. This weekend was also a little bit warmer - not above freezing, but I think we may have gotten up to 30 degrees.  I'm looking forward to the longer days and the returning warmth, even though I know we typically have a cold spell in February.  A last-ditch effort by Old Man Winter to hold onto his domain, but Spring will win out - I just have to hang on 'til then...  Yay!

Derby Madness

Saturday night was roller derby - wahoo!!  A chance to get out of the house; watch some fast rolling, hard hitting competition; and spend time visiting with friends.  A great evening!  (Note: Greg and his fancy-pants camera provided the pictures for this entry - all my pix turned out grainy, probably because of the lighting (and only a little because it's a plain-jane point-and-shoot camera and his is super-spiffy).)

Greg and I went early.  Him, because he's one of the photographers for the event; me, because I want good seats and it starts filling up fast.  Because Greg's an "official" person, we can get in before the doors technically open.  So I was there by 5:45pm  - holding seats for 9 of us. I was really glad to see James and Stacy - having a couple extra people helped stave off the dirty glares, but not necessarily all the hopeful "are these seats taken?" inquiries.  Last night there was standing room only and they actually had to turn people away.  One of our group almost didn't make it in, but we were lucky.  It's a good sign for the sport - but for me, it meant that I arrived not a moment too soon, and could actually have been a little earlier for extra peace of mind.

Roller derby is always enjoyable - and Saturday's bout was no exception.  I think it's more exciting to watch than hockey.  There's more action, lots of shoving and pushing, and plenty of excitement.  No out-and-out brawls, but hard work and good fun.

The teams were well matched, so the score was close - first one team in the lead, then the other.  My team lost.  I was rooting for the green team.  For sports, that's one of the best deciding factors for me. (Just ask Sheri about the football game on Sunday.  I did pick the black team to win - because black goes with everything and New Orleans knows how to throw a kick-ass party (we should all know the good party-throwers, right? and the cool purple just doesn't overcome the freezing coldness of Minnesota).  But when she was giving updates using team names I got confused and cheered for a score by the purple team...  Now it's black and blue for the Super Bowl - I'm going to root for black.) 

 The next bout is the 6th of March - I think it's a little too early for Jeannea or Sara to be here.  One of these days their visit will coincide with a bout and they'll be able to experience derby Anchorage-style.  Yeah, baby!

Remodel Update: Office Progress - Floor Prep Etc.

We've made a fair bit of progress on the office, which is great because I'm *really* tired of having the office "stuff" in the living room.  We're not quite ready to move it back in yet, but the end is in sight... A fair amount of work wasn't really photogenic, so here's the run-down: decided we were indeed going to paint all the walls - still white, but all of them; boxed up books and paraphernalia, took down shelves, puttied holes, prepped for painting; painted the entire room (excluding trim), twice; turned off power to replace plugs and re-hang the light fixture.

All that was done primarily by Greg.  I helped with a tiny bit of the boxing up (all those boxes are now in my living room, alongside the office furniture and tools); I scraped the floor (trying to get up texture and paint globs - necessary but definitely not glamorous) and vacuumed; and I helped re-install the light fixture.  Let me tell you: I'd gladly trade that job for texture-floor-scraper.

It turns out that I'm not cut out for this remodel stuff.  It's not intuitive, and I don't much like it.  But I do like the results we're going to have.  So I'll suck it up and help where I can.  Holding the light part-way above my head was one way to help.  (Did I mention that thing gains weight the further from the floor it gets? And it was already practically the weight of a baby whale? A baby whale that's on a high krill diet and growing heavier second by second?)  Greg says that I'm not the weakest person on earth (my perception begs to differ), that anyone's arms would've started shaking as they're holding a fixture above his or her head.  I tried really hard not to whine; I couldn't stop the shaking, but I didn't drop the light (I did ask Greg to hold the light a couple times so I could get feeling back into my limbs); and we eventually got the thing stuck in place.  It's there for life now.  I refuse to change that fixture or any other ever again.  Oh, wait.  We're changing the fixtures in the kitchen.  Damn!  Well, at least they're not fans.

Anyhow.  All the power and light stuff was done on Sunday.  Then we did a bunch more stuff today.  Mostly Greg, but I did help out a bit.  Greg laid felt (aka tar paper) down over the plywood. We're using it as insulation - to help with warmth and as noise reduction.  At least, that's what I'm told.

My contribution to helping with the tar paper is the blue lines.  (By the way, you can walk on tar paper without sticking, and it doesn't discolor your socks - or your knees.)  I'm guessing the lines are to make sure that the strips of flooring stay straight as they're being laid.  But they could also just be a gauge so one can figure out how much more you've got to do.  Or a large grid for tic-tac-toe to amuse yourself and your working buddy, while you're installing some flooring.  I'm sure Greg has a very good reason for putting blue lines on tar paper.  When I find out, I'll let you know.  Unless you already know.  In which case, could you leave a comment with the information?  I'm curious.  It would've been more helpful for me to be curious when we were doing the work, but back then I was focusing on following directions and making sure my line was good.

With the paper down and the lines on  the floor, it's time for... installing the door.  Yup.  I guessed right (not!).  Another task that shows I'm not cut out for the remodel business.  Thank goodness this isn't my day job!  You have to watch the gaps between the door and the frame (on the sides too, not just the top) to make sure they're even; make sure the frame is flush with the wall, while you're shoving shims between the frame and the wall; and use the level to make sure everything's square in your rectangle door.  Who knew that hanging a door was that complicated?!?  It's done.  We're never changing any other doors again.  Oh, wait.  We're planning on changing the other two doors upstairs (bathroom and pantry).  Damn!  Well, at least they don't weigh as much as baby whales.

So it looks like we're ready to put some flooring down.  Greg brought up his fancy saw.  Here's our conversation:

• Greg: What is that?
• Me: A cutter tool.
• Greg: A what?
• Me: You know, a cutter.  A wood cutter. It cuts wood.  Yeah, a SAW!
• Greg: What kind of saw?
• Me: One on stilts?  With angles? That you use for cutting flooring?

Folks, in case you need to know, it's a miter (mitre?) saw.  I'm not sure exactly how it's different from another saw we have in the garage - except the color's different, and this one's on stilts instead of on a platform (and it has lots of knobs and adjuster thingies for the stilts).  It looks like it has a little dust baggie on the back side - so maybe we won't be spewing sawdust everywhere?

Could the next step actually be installing flooring???  We shall see...

Life Lesson # 823: Prom Isn't Just for High School

Going to the annual Dinner / Dance for work reminds me a lot of getting ready for Prom.   My corporate "Prom" usually consists of dinner, a photographer, company business, then a band and dancing.  Lots of people buy new stuff and dress really fancy for this event; then there's some of us that spiff up a bit; and there's others that I've seen dress down (one year someone wore a pair of jeans to the event).  Just like way-back-when in high school.

Even my preparations for the event are similar.  And we're carpooling with friends - always more fun! - although they have to go a bit early, since I'm responsible for holding some tables for my division.  We'll still have a good time chatting while we're waiting for the festivities to commence.

Pre-Prom Preparations:

• Make sure the camera is charged - check
  
• Shave legs - check (not that anyone but me will know - and Greg, since he got a cold shower because I used up all the hot water (thanks for bringing me the shaving lotion, honey!))
• Apply smelly lotion - check (got to keep the newly bare legs moisturized so they don't turn scaly)
• Apply toenail polish - check (did this last weekend, when Stacy and I went for pedicures)
• Determine wardrobe - check (decided that I want to be comfortable, so I'm wearing slacks; went shopping this afternoon for a work-worthy, dressy top - no way am I going to spend a minor fortune on an outfit that I'll only wear once... I suppose in this, I'm a little different than I used to be)
• Hit the car wash - check (got to have a clean ride, and to make sure the back seats are cleaned out for our passengers)
  
• Wiggle into figure enhancing undergarments - check (made sure to use the restroom first, and have to remember to drink sparingly since this rigmarole has to happen every time the pants go up or down, and hair/makeup has to be done after since this is practically a workout on its own and I'm drenched in sweat by the time I'm done - next step should be "wipe the sweat off" - check)
  
• Have Greg pick top - check (brought home four, since I couldn't make up my mind at the store - fortunately they were all on sale, and they're all suitable for wearing to work - except maybe that one that's a little low-cut...  I'm not wearing that tonight, since my goal is to be dressed well *and* as comfortable as I can be - besides, Greg picked the black one)
• Finishing touches - check (pick out jewelry; makeup is light this year: mascara and lip gloss - that's what I do for the rest of the year and I'm not confident that one night a year I can do more without looking like a clown, so I'll leave it at that.  Some year I'll get organized enough to have a pamper morning that includes someone that does makeup and hair, then get dressed and head out.)
• Shoes, coat, drivers license and cash (or cash equivalent) - check
• Ready to go!
  

Post-Prom Pictures:

We had a nice time.  Food and company were good.  Unfortunately, because it was so dark in the room the best pictures aren't of the people, but the decorations.  Oh well.  There's always Prom next year!

Let the New Year Commence!

Note: I forgot to take my camera (and it probably wouldn't have worked so well anyway), so all pictures for today's post are courtesy of Greg and his fancy-pants camera.

We rang in the New Year surrounded by friends out in Big Lake.  Plenty of food, bonfires, visiting, and fireworks.  I couldn't ask for anything more, as we celebrate the end of 2009 and prepare for the beginning of 2010.

On the night of the Blue Moon - one with a lunar eclipse, no less - we trekked out to be with friends.  The trip out had bits of fog hanging over the valley, making parts of the road seem eerie and disconnected.  But traffic was light, crazies were already ensconced wherever they were going, and road conditions were good.  We made good time - only an hour and twenty minutes - and there were friends and food waiting on our arrival.

I always love a good bonfire - and last night we had three.  Which was absolutely marvelous, as ambient temperatures were below zero.  I planned ahead and wore thermals under my jeans; two pairs of socks (I should have worn my boots, but opted for multi-layer socks and slip on/off shoes for ease of entrance to the house); my fur head band for super-toasty ears; and of course the requisite coat, gloves, and scarf.  I positioned myself with one fire at my back, the other at my front and stayed pretty warm for most of the night.

Plenty of camaraderie, a whole bunch of fireworks, and lots of laughing.  That's how we spent the last bit of time from the year just past.  Can't imagine a more fitting end.

And now it's the beginning of a New Year.  We made it safely through the last one, and are starry-eyed with the promise and portends of the next one looming in front of us.  We have goals: finish the remodel - at least the flooring (joint); get back to working on exercising (mine); run to Florida (Greg's - it's literal running, with a virtual trip to Davie - you can follow his progress here).

My hope for you (and for me) is that this coming year is a good one.  That we are surrounded by those we love and can find the peace and contentment that comes through happiness.  God bless us, everyone!  =)