Buck Canuck

mystery flower

2011-07-28T14:46:00.000-04:00

A while ago, we were surprised to see this leafless flower shooting out of the ground in our backyard.

Is this a new alien lifeform growing out of the ground, I wondered? I emailed my mother-in-law, a former florist and world-class gardener. Her reply: thanks for the picture of your "naked ladies!"

After the shock of my MIL saying "naked lady" wore off, I read on to learn that apparently, it's a type of amaryllis, also known as a naked lady because the flowers grow without any leaves.

Any mystery plants growing in your backyard? Do tell!

Jeffrey Court Roma Linea tile

2011-06-14T09:58:00.000-04:00

Image: The Home Depot

One of the more popular searches that brings people to our humble blog is for this tile. It is Jeffrey Court Roma Linea Onyx and Glass wall tile, and we used in in our master bathroom.

The relatively new tilework developed a crack when the drywall behind it popped a nail. we thought we could replace a few tiles and call it a day, but we could never find the exact white tile (Lowes and Home Depot both had a glossy version of the tile, but our white tile was matte.

So we tore down the back wall and up went Jeffrey Court Roma Linea mosaic tile. Unlike in the Home Depot photo (above), it's not actually a perfect square. Every second row is missing a side tile so that adjacent pieces fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

There were two tricky parts to the installation. First, because the tiles are of mixed type (two different types of glass, one smooth and one rough and stone), we had to use different tools to cut them. I don't know if it'd be a problem if you used a tile saw, but we did our cuts by hand. Second, because of the bumpy surface of the brown tiles, it was hard to get all of the grout out of the nooks and crannies of the tiles once we were done.

Here's what the finished product looks like, and here's a link to the tile at Home Depot. Happy tiling, and thanks for stopping by! One question for all of you people searching for this tile: what are *you* going to use the tile for? Spill it!

American Express giveaway at Making it Lovely

2011-06-07T08:57:00.004-04:00

Nicole over at Making it Lovely is having a great giveaway sponsored by American Express. Even though I'd love to be chosen, I want to share this great opportunity with you, too. The winner will receive 150,000 Membership Rewards points and a custom design plan from Nicole to help you on your way! Head over to Making it Lovely to enter.

thanks for considering us for this great giveaway!

may showers bring may flowers?

2011-06-01T10:46:00.001-04:00

I don't know what the weather has been like where you live, but it's been a rainy May here in OH. We've become expert radar watchers, trying to find rain-free pockets of time to walk the dog. Our hearts go out to those affected by the severe weather of the last few weeks. I know times are tough, but if you can, consider making a donation to help out. Here are some ideas from ABC News about organizations that are involved in relief efforts.

The rain has finally subsided, and we're enjoying the very happy, well-watered flowers in the garden. Our front garden consists of roses, mostly, and they're in full-bloom. We've even been able to bring some in to enjoy (always watch out for bugs, though!)

Hope the sun is shining where you are today. Any big plans for your garden this year? Fill me in!

a 'real' mower: Fiskars Momentum Reel Mower

2011-05-17T21:38:00.002-04:00

We've had a Scott's classic reel (push) mower for many years. Using it was hard work, but it was nice to be able to mow and watch the children without worrying about pollution and the awful noise. It was, however, time for an upgrade (mostly because I'm hoping the kids will take over the mowing duties occasionally this summer!)

Photo: Fiskars.com

Enter the Fiskars Momentum Reel mower. If you're a sewer, you might have a pair of Fiskars scissors tucked away in your sewing basket. But Fiskars also has an extensive line of outdoor products. Who knew?

Husband is away for several weeks, so I'm on lawn mowing duty. I managed to mow the moderately long front lawn in a light mist with no problem. It has an height adjustment (from 1 to 4 inches), which will be great when the lawn is really long. One of the main differences I found with the Momentum is that it throws the grass forward instead of back towards you, so your shoes don't get covered in clippings. From now on, I think I'll mow parallel to the sidewalk, though, because otherwise the clippings shoot all over the sidewalk. Good think Miss J arrived home in time to grab the push broom.

Although it is easier than our old mower to push, it *is* human-propelled, so be prepared to work a little, but perhaps not as much as you might think! For me, that's a plus, I like the exercise. It cost $199 at Lowes, and considering the price of gas right now, I think it is a good investment. Reel mowers are supposed to be better for the health of your lawn (because they don't tear the blades). If you have a lawn with a lot of tall weeds (we call 'em 'sticks'), sometimes reel mowers don't catch them all. We don't have any of those weeds at the moment, so I can't comment on how well the Fiskars does with this type of weed. There are different kinds of reel mowers for different kinds of grass (like Bermuda grass), so be sure to do your research before taking the plunge.

If you get a reel mower, be prepared for a few curious stares from neighbours! When we had our first reel mower in Australia, it felt like the entire neighbourhood came out to watch us mow! After I finished mowing, my next-door neighbour did come over and ask me how I liked it, and I was glad to share my reasoning behind the purchase (better for the environment, quieter, safer for the teen, no gas to purchase.)

Questions? Feel free to drop me a line below!

Not paid or perked for this post, just thought you'd want to know!

quick perk-up in the laundry

2011-05-03T12:24:00.003-04:00

Our energy audit was yesterday, and the verdict is in: insulation upgrade required. It was surprising to see how many areas (on exterior walls, mostly) were missing insulation altogether. Yikes!

Miss J also helped me with a quick paint job in the laundry room (I'm not completely finished, as you can see!) We used some leftover paint from her room to spruce up the wall behind my sewing table with some green paint. Oh, and notice the new water heater in the background?

Cosmo's crate got a little upgrade, too, with a new crate cover that I sewed from curtains I made for the old place, and some new soft flannel and fleece bedding.

Yes, that's our old dining room table in the laundry room. It's that big. Any quick fixes on your to-do list? After several large projects, it's nice to get some instant gratification!

You could just call hgtv

2011-04-30T09:07:00.003-04:00

A lazy Saturday morning...when is the last time that happened?! I was looking at Apartment therapy with miss j, and showed her a picture of a laundry room that I liked, and she said, "you should just call HGTV!" If only it were that easy!

Image Source: Unplggd.com

We are having an energy audit on Monday, finally, after being on the waiting list since January. For $50, Columbia Gas sends out an energy auditor to suggest improvements we can make to be more energy efficient. If we implement the improvements, approved contractors will give us a substantial discount on the work. I checked on Angie's List, and the contractors all have great ratings, so that inspires more confidence that the wait was worth it!

Anyone out there been through an energy audit? Any earth-friendly improvements on the "to do" list? Fill me in!

treading water

2011-04-18T11:36:00.003-04:00

No, we're not *actually* treading water in the basement, thank goodness, it just feels like we're working hard without a lot of forward progress these days. My office is up and running, but there are still piles and piles of things to go through and put away. Here I am pointing at the huge mess, in case you missed it.

And, yes, I have a huge Canadian flag hanging on two random nails that were already there. Should it stay? Should it go? All I know is that it looks so sad right now, all slouched down and wrinkly :( Did you watch the coverage of the (US) government budget negotiations, and see how they make flags drape beautifully by using coat hangers? Oh, the things you learn watching CNN...

The other neverending task has been lots and lots of raking of the pointy balls from the sweetgum tree, a tedious, year-long task in the front yard.

Oh, yes, and it's tax day here in the US. Nothing like a slightly longer deadline to encourage more procrastination. Back to treading water!

back to (office) basics in the basement

2011-04-04T16:22:00.001-04:00

I can't even believe how much work we accomplished this weekend! Drywall installed, taped, primed, painted...and we moved my mother of a desk and made the bed swap, all in one weekend!

These are by no means the "beauty shots", just small celebratory pictures to document the progress so far.

As you can see, the trim still needs to be finished, but for now, we're so happy to be past the construction phase of the basement project. Time to move books down, clean out the closets, and hang some things on the walls! Thanks to those of you who have stopped by with words of encouragement!

April is looking up (basement progress update)

2011-04-01T12:04:00.001-04:00

No snow, a beautiful sunny day here in the old OH-IO. And, as promised, some basement photos. To set the scene, here is where we were at the beginning of the week.

And, like magic, we're almost finished installing the floor.

Why, you are probably wondering, did we not finish the drywall repair before installing the floors? Mostly because I need this office up and running sooner rather than later (I work from home), so I need to move my desk in this weekend, so that things can get (more or less) back to normal. I won't move my computer down there until the (drywall) dust settles, though, so don't freak out! I've been working (and trying to finish the taxes) in my bedroom, and that does *not* make for a good night's sleep. Between that, and the cough that I can't seem to shake, there hasn't been a lot of snoozing going on (except for Cosmo, who is always happy to nap whenever the opportunity presents itself!)

Any tips from DIY veterans on the best way to make the drywall patch look seamless?

March goes out like a lion

2011-03-30T16:43:00.001-04:00

We went from beautiful spring to snow, and as usual, that means I've ended up with a nasty cold. Still, lots of progress in the basement has been made, just not by me. The new furring strips and insulation are up, and a new floor is going in. No pictures this time, but I will try to get some up this weekend.

goodbye home office, I hardly knew ye

2011-03-19T18:53:00.001-04:00

yes, we are dealing with water in our basement, and yes, because of the repairs, Conor has moved back into his old room (aka my office.) But there will be no whining. A lot of people are facing a lot worse things than this.

So, I'm set up temporarily in our bedroom (I work from home, so there is no other option, I need a space. Progress is being made in the basement (cement repair & drylok completed)... and life goes on.

In order to hide the fact that we're not master drywallers, I was thinking of something like this downstairs:

photo: Our Humble A(Bowe)d

Cool pic, hm? Be sure to check out Amanda's awesome blog, she and her husband are doing some great stuff with trim at their place.

patching, drying, crossing our fingers

2011-03-11T11:29:00.001-05:00

Some more patchwork on the crack in the basement yesterday, and now we sit and wait to see if it's going to be enough. That's our massive dehumidifier, by the way, that we have running in our crawl space during the summer.

Here's a close-up of the corner, as the cement patches are drying. Looks like some moisture is still coming through. Will some patience and a can of Dry-Lok be enough? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone? We may have to wait until the next rainstorm to know for sure. Oh, did I mention that it *snowed* yesterday? I will never wish for snow again!

tackling the basement leak part 4

2011-03-10T08:41:00.001-05:00

One thing is for sure, we are *not* complacent about water leaks in the house. I left the house for a few hours, and this is what I found when I came home. We've learned from painful personal experience how ignoring a water problem can lead to big problems.

We expected to see concrete block when we gingerly pulled away the drywall. Looks like there's some sort of parge on top of it, and there are visible cracks where the water seemed to be coming from. We know now that our basement is apparently insulated with styrofoam. Odd.

We know we need to deal with drainage issues in that corner of the house, regardless. That is, unless we want to open a clay studio in that section of the backyard. Seriously, you could make pots out of that stuff right now! There will not be a "tackling the basement leak part 5" post, because if we can't figure it out this time on our own, we'll be bringing in the pros.

Walden pond in my backyard

2011-03-09T12:44:00.000-05:00

It's one of those days here in OH (IO), water is pooling on the back lawn, making puppy potty trips a messy, wet affair. There is so much work to be done in the backyard to make it usable and safe for the dog (and the kids), sometimes I just want to cry! Do I feel sad because it's raining, or is it raining because I feel sad?

The soil here is mostly clay, which is probably part of the problem with our continuing saga of water in the basement. Blech. I guess there's a "basement leak part 4" post in my future.

It's been warmer, but too wet to get out and tackle the mess that is the front yard. See those balls? They are everywhere. Last year, we paid the kids a penny a pop to rake 'em up, but I'm not sure we've saved enough to pay for removal for all of these soggy, spiky deathballs. (Yes, that is the technical term for them!)

It *almost* makes me wish for snow.

Delta dual shower head for the height challenged

2011-03-07T09:32:00.001-05:00

Despite the fact that I can no longer see over my teenager's head when I stand behind him (!), this post is *not* about my height challenge. After almost 2 years in our new place, Julia casually mentions that the shower head in her bathroom is so high that it makes it difficult for her to rinse her hair well. Oops.

So, here's our solution, a Delta Shower Performance shower head with an upper and lower shower head. The lower one mounts with a suction cup (as shown below) or an adhesive disk. The suction seems sufficient for us, so we're sticking with that (haha) for now, so that the height can be adjusted as needed.

There's a 3-way diverter that allows you to have the water flow from both shower heads or either one individually. The diverter is on the top shower head, though, so we're leaving it on the "lower shower head only" setting until otherwise notified. Of course, when (adult-sized) guests are here, we can turn on the top shower head as well.

A trip to Lowes, forty bucks, and it's (shower) curtains closed on this height-related dilemma for the moment. If you're in the market for a new shower head, be sure to verify whether the kit you choose includes Teflon tape, to avoid a mid-installation run back to the hardware store!

getting back on track

2011-03-01T08:46:00.001-05:00

Lots going on here, but not much that's picture-worthy at the moment. We've made some progress downstairs in the kid area, but there are still piles of toys and games to be donated and random home-improvement related items stacked in corners down there. We'll get there someday (sooner rather than later, I hope!)

After a few near slips down the stairs (on the part of the puppy, not us!), we decided to invest in a better (read taller and less unattractive) gate for the bottom of the stairs. It's from Orvis. It's the "Paneled Gate with Door" and was at a *seriously discounted* price, but doesn't seem to be available at this price any longer (it's over twice the price I paid!). Here's a link to a similar gate, also on sale, but without a door. Although it's definitely a looker, it's a big step over the bottom of the gate, so the jury is still out on whether it's that much better than a regular stair gate with a "trip bar". I had grand ideas of attaching it to the left side of the stairs (it has double sided hinges), but we'll see if that actually happens!

I also found a great pillow (on clearance!) for our neglected wooden chair at World Market. Now, I really do need to make a matching box cushion for the bottom of the chair. Add that to the list!

Hope the sun is shining where you are, and that your to-do list is getting shorter, not longer :)

a light in the darkness: mini Eco-i-Lite

2011-02-19T14:19:00.000-05:00

Last night, the power went out for the second time in a month. The first time was, of course, "snow-mageddon 2011" (which here was ice-mageddon, actually!) Last night, we're not sure exactly what happened, although it looks like a branch may have fallen on our neighbour's service line, causing AEP to shut off our power whilst they did some trimming (by flashlight, no less!)

Speaking of flashlights, it made me appreciate one of my early "stocking stuffer presents to myself" all that much more. It's the Eco-i-Light, by Capstone Industries. I bought it at The Container Store during their stocking stuffer sale in December, and it's really come in handy.

What is it? It's a combination nightlight, flashlight, emergency light during power failures. It plugs into an outlet, and if the power should fail, it automatically turns on. No fumbling in the dark for a flashlight, these puppies stay plugged in (one upstairs in our room, one in the basement), so we know just where to go when all goes dark. You can turn the nightlight function off if you don't need it. The bottom is flat, so when you're using it as a light, you can rest it on a surface and have the light shine upwards (like last night, when I was brushing my teeth.)

Looks like it comes in three sizes (we got the MINI), and is available at Amazon, too. Customer service at Capstone was impressive--one of the lights we bought was defective (the nightlight worked, but the flashlight did not), and they sent me a new one right away, no questions asked. I find that kind of customer service rare these days!

(FYI, I chose to write about this product because I really like it, not because I was asked to or paid to do so :)

blank faceplates=not breaking electrical code?

2011-02-16T14:34:00.000-05:00

I was reading one of my fav. blogs, Young House Love, after finishing my work this morning and finally figured out the reason for the mysterious blank electrical faceplates in our sunroom (see above, the white faceplate between our three Vermont prints.)

For reasons that should have been obvious to me earlier (as an avid watcher of Holmes on Homes), it's probably against code to cover up live electrical outlets with drywall. An inexpensive solution was to cover the outlet with a faceplate (instead of calling out an electrician.) I bet there was an exterior light here back in the day. There used to be a door from the garage, from what we can tell, and this light is right beside the former opening.

Another house mystery solved! (Check out our mysterious holes and sweet mystery on the magnolia tree in the backyard)

...and, we're back

2011-02-14T12:54:00.001-05:00

After a few weeks of puppy-related health issues, we're back on track with a few work-related projects.

The first is a new office space for the Mr., courtesy of the Container Store's Elfa sale (quick, it ends tomorrow!) Bonus points if you can name the show we're watching on HGTV.

I did a little shelf reorg in my own office space, excuse the clutter on the file cabinet!

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours, make sure to take time for a snuggle with those you love the most!

priority reset

2011-01-27T11:10:00.001-05:00

Our house-related priorities have changed a lot since we added a puppy to our family. We've put up a fence in the backyard, puppy-proofed (securing electrical cords, adding a gate to a non-puppy-proofed upstairs), and learned to watch where we step to avoid the chew toys and balls that are underfoot on our previously toy-free floor.

This week, however, priorities have shifted because our pup (who just turned 1 this weekend) is very sick (high fever, swelling on his neck...) So sad! So all house-related projects are temporarily on hold whilst we take care of our little one (and try to keep up with work and kids, too, of course.) The priming and painting of the drywall around the new bathroom fan will just have to wait. Sometimes a priority reset is in order, just sad that it took such a drama to get here.

bathroom exhaust fan--finally!

2011-01-18T09:52:00.001-05:00

One of my first posts was about our ancient bathroom exhaust fan. When we got a quote for attic insulation, it became clear that the fan was not only louder than an airplane taking off, but that it was venting directly into the attic. Yuck.

As you can see, there's not a lot of room to work with here! We ended up having to move the fan slightly in order to affix it properly (the old fan was just resting on the drywall!) We also ran a duct through the soffit. Eventually, it'd be great to have it vent through the roof, but that's a little beyond our abilities given the winter weather!

We chose an Energy Star rated ultra-quiet fan from Nutone. There will be a 'glamour shot' of the new fan once we've patched up the drywall. I guess I'll have to buy an alarm clock now that I won't be awoken by the jet engine any more!

What is your Walk Score?

2011-01-06T15:12:00.003-05:00

If you're as obsessed with Zillow as I am, you've probably noticed that houses are assigned a "walkability score". Ever wondered what that means?

Click on over to Walkscore.com to find out what your walkability score is. Ours is 58 out of 100 (somewhat walkable.) We have a grocery store, restaurants and shop within a half-mile. Less than a mile away, there is a park, a library, several banks, another several grocery stores, and several schools. For the stats-minded of you, the average walkability score in Columbus is 55, and 45% of homes in Columbus have higher scores than ours.

When I checked the score of our old house, it's clear to see why we moved! The old place gets a dismal 26/100 (car dependent). Yes, there was a restaurant, park, school and gas station in walking distance, but all were about a mile away. The library was about a mile away, too, but there were no sidewalks to use to get there. Ah, life in the suburbs.

Being able to walk to shops, grocery stores, and restaurants has significantly improved our house-related quality of life. We now have access to the public transportation (see the bus icons, yay), which makes getting downtown a breeze.

What is your Walk Score? Would you consider a move to reduce your dependence on your car? Do tell.

small steps

2011-01-04T08:40:00.001-05:00

The kids are back at school, so not much is going on in the basement. They both went through all of their art supplies on Sunday. How does one family end up with so many crayons?! C&J tested all of the markers and discarded the ones that were dried up. There's also a pile of things for donating to friends and charity. We've mounted the TV to the wall, more to come soon!

In case you missed it, here's a link to the 100th post, with a summary of some of the projects we've tackled here so far. Houseblogs was down over the holidays, so it may have slipped under the radar.

basement reorg progress--seating

2011-01-02T20:38:00.003-05:00

We had a floor plan of the basement, thanks to Conor, but no actual plan for what we were going to do in the space. Julia wanted an open area to do handstands, Conor wanted an art/drafting area, and I wanted a TV area for the kids to enjoy. But as you can see from the space plan, there is a definite lack of, well....space!

But, thanks to a great sale, a coupon, and a $100 gift card from Grandma S., we now have a new couch (without breaking our $500 budget)! It's the Studio day sofa from World Market. It's usually priced at $399, but was on sale this week for $299, plus I had a coupon from our Entertainment book (orchestra fundraiser).

I had plenty of help putting it together. In fact, it was one of the easier "assembly required" pieces we've ever done. Below you'll see what it looks like without its cushions.

And here are the kids (and the pup) testing out their new seating! Next project--organizing the kids' junk (oops, I mean stuff).