Red, Green, Handsome, & Handy

Ever seen the "Red Green Show"? Perhaps you haven't. It's a Canadian show, hence the humor is very... well, Canadian. And as the show says about itself: it's like the flu- not everyone gets it. Each episode features new and ingenious uses for the handy man's secret weapon, Duct Tape. Anyways, my post was not to tell about the Red Green Show. It just happened to come to mind because 'Red Green', the lead character, ends every episode by saying, "If the women don't find you handsome, at least they should find you handy." 

I consider myself doubly fortunate because my husband possesses both qualities- Joe is both handsome and handy. Joe is also still under the influence of the get-it-done mindset and so the handy man projects continue at our home (except we don't use duct tape). And once Joe has been  grasped by this mindset there's no turning back. Once the project is begun, he fanatical, and won't stop until things are perfect. I'm glad about this- glad Joe like things to be excellent. I am very thankful for our beautiful home and appreciate all the work he's put into it. Currently, Joe's favorite tool is his new drill. (I think the fun of finding new uses for his drill is part of the inspiration behind these upgrade projects.) 

Last night our evening included another trip to our favorite store- Home Depot, where we picked up a couple necessary materials. Back at home Joe drilled a hole in the wall behind the TV so that he could run the cords to a hidden electric source. He also mounted the DVD player on a small shelf just below the TV and ran those cords through the hole as well. No messy cords showing anymore. After that, Joe began weather-proofing our wood box using some type of foam insulator strips.

While Joe was working on these projects I was assembling our new coffee table. I like to help out with the home improvements and not just be a bystander.

It was quite late by the time we finished but now our living room is so well-organized and homey. We just sat on the couch for a while and enjoyed the fruits of our labor.

One Project Closer

What do outlet covers, switch plates, vent covers, and towel bars all have in common? The power and ability to make me very happy! These items, though small, and to some seemingly insignificant, make a world of difference to me. Let me explain... Last night was home improvement night at our house. Joe was in a get-it done mood and I like to capitalize on these rare occasions. In the months leading up to our wedding both Joe and I were fanatically dedicated to our home remodeling and improvement projects. However, ever since we got back from our honeymoon we've not made much progress. But after three months, the gaping holes where switch or vents covers should be we really starting to bug me. So last night after dinner Joe disappeared for a while. When he resurfaced there was a towel bar hung up in the bathroom and the cover was put over the bathroom fan- I was ecstatic! And Joe was glad that such minor improvements could make me so happy. We also put switch and outlet covers up all over the house. We rearranged the hooks in the laundry room (the light switches are no longer hidden behind the apron rack) and we even got the large wooden dresser from my parents moved upstairs. Finally, we are starting to get things organized!

Fire in a Bag

“Fire in a bag- The most genius thing ever created.” These are the words of my husband Joe who after some serious thought and consideration finally devised the perfect plan for helping me build a fire in our wood stove on my own.

This is how it works… Start out with a brown paper grocery bag. Fill it with crumpled newspaper and kindling chips. Gently roll up the bag, but not too tightly (remember, fires need air). Place the bag in the wood stove and carefully light the edge. Once the bag burns down and the kindling chips have caught fire, place slightly larger pieces of kindling in. Adding larger and larger logs until you’ve created a masterpiece of warmth.

Joe’s invention really works! - I’m living proof of that. Using Joe’s pre-made fire bags, I’ve successfully built my first woodstove fire. When I asked Joe how he thought of such a good idea, his response was, “I’ve always been amazing, so I’m not surprised that I came up with something this good.” He was joking, of course.

But the real key to every good fire is taking time to enjoy it. Enjoy the building process and after you’ve got it going, enjoy the beauty and warmth of its glow. Isn’t amazing how you can sit and watch the flames forever? The colors of the coals are exquisite and the fire flames are so fascinating.

10/10/10

Today is a very special day. First of all, the date itself is very unique - 10/10/10 - that will never happen again in anyone's lifetime! Also, today marks three months of marriage for Joe & I (and what a wonderful three months it's been!). Thirdly, today officially marks one whole year that Joe has lived here in Olympia, WA. When I think back to all the things that have happened in the past year I am beyond amazed. Joe left his hometown in Eureka, CA and traveled 500 miles to live here in Olympia. Within two months we were engaged. Not long afterward we purchased our home. And a couples months later we were married. What a year!

Our house is a very, very, very fine house

The song "Our House" has got to be one of the most idealistic songs ever. All about the perfect life where everything is good. I know that's not how life always goes but even still, I really like the song and it reminds me of our own cozy cottage. Joe and I love our little home. The remodeling improvements we worked on the months before our wedding turned out better than we ever imagined. We spend a lot of time in our living room (our favorite room) and enjoy watching our fire in the evenings. Our life does seem pretty idyllic. We've been blessed beyond measure.

Here's some photos of our house now that our main remodelling projects have been completed:

 

"Such a cozy room

The windows are illuminated

By the evening sunshine through them-

Fiery gems for you"

A New Cousin & A Birthday for Emma

Tonight we visited Jonathan and Molly Krawczyk. They were having a quaint family birthday party for Emma who turned 3 this month. We also got to get a glimpse at the newest addition to their family, Madelyn Adelle.

Joe Jordan and the Cherry Tree

Hope you like the title of this post. It's a little homage to the story "George Washington and the Cherry Tree" but in this case Joe was supposed to cut down the tree, the cherry tree wasn't beautiful, and lying about cutting down the tree never entered either of our heads so I guess besides the actual words of the title the two stories really don't share any other parallels.

Anywhoo... on with the story of why Joe cut down the cherry tree.

Just when I thought this summer was gone forever, Saturday turned out to be a glorious 78 degree day. Knowing that this could very well be our last sunny Saturday for a while, Joe decided it was now or never to tackle a project that's been on his to-do list for quite some time: cutting down the dead cherry tree in our backyard. Besides, we knew that cutting down this tree would make my Aunt Christine one happy neighbor, since the tree that blocks all the sun from her patio would be no more. So Joe, not forgetting his boy scout skills, rigged a sort of pulley system that connected the branches to be felled with our apple tree and then also connected the pulley to his Jeep. He drove the Jeep further & further away, inch by inch,  till the rope was tight- this way he could control the directtion the limbs fell as he cut with the chain saw. It was a very interesting and genius system and my explanation does not do it justice. 

Ruby enjoyed watching the tree come down.

While Joe was busy chopping down the tree, I too wanted to do some kind of outside work that would allow me to upgrade our home while enjoying the last fleeting rays of summer. I couldn't just watch Joe do all the work; I needed to help too so I decided I would mow our lawn. We have a lot of lawn and we don't have a riding lawn mower and for a girl who, as Joe put it, "didn't grow up on a farm" mowing the lawn was a big job.

Getting started.

Experiencing technical difficulties.

Back on track after help from Joe.