tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25607818485150712852012-02-26T22:20:51.968-05:00a single mom rebuilding her life, one bit at a timeKatynoreply@blogger.comBlogger137125MomAndHerDrillhttp://feedburner.google.comSubscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with PageflakesSubscribe with PlusmoSubscribe with The Free DictionarySubscribe with Bitty BrowserSubscribe with Live.comSubscribe with Excite MIXSubscribe with WebwagSubscribe with Podcast ReadySubscribe with WikioSubscribe with Daily Rotationtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-11139024816219225092012-02-25T13:28:00.000-05:002012-02-25T13:28:49.245-05:002012-02-25T13:28:49.245-05:00

This post is partly to update my kitchen photos and partly to show what I'm attempting next. Before I try to build monster built in cabinetry at Dawn's house I need to get acquainted with the basics and learn how to use the Shopsmith.  For posts about the remodeling process you can click on the kitchen tag. For info on paint colors, where I got the hardware, and the process click here.  Here's

Katynoreply@blogger.com2http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/building-kitchen-cabinet.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-84735382168911687822012-02-24T11:43:00.000-05:002012-02-24T11:43:40.031-05:002012-02-24T11:43:40.031-05:00

Dawn lives next door to me. She has a son the same age as my middle kid, and I have had such a good time getting to know her over the past 2 years. Last year during the great blizzard of '11, we tried to rescue a stray cat that ended up dying in her garage. It was a traumatic bonding experience. Now she's decided to become an emergency foster parent. She has a huge heart for children, the kind

Katynoreply@blogger.com9http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/about-dawn.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-9716928899546738372012-02-23T08:17:00.000-05:002012-02-23T08:17:17.226-05:002012-02-23T08:17:17.226-05:00

One thing I don't like about design is that everything gets dated so quickly. Even the latest craze where everybody is painting their kitchen cabinets white -- I love it, don't get me wrong. But back in 2005, having rich woods, red walls, dark granite, and stainless appliances were all the buzz. If you spend a lot of time in the "shelter world", there is a whiplash feeling and you can get sucked

Katynoreply@blogger.com6http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-style.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-47091458875613074612012-02-21T07:23:00.002-05:002012-02-24T09:48:38.241-05:002012-02-24T09:48:38.241-05:00

It's more Crap from the Shack! I know you're excited! I found this on the front porch on my first trip to the shack over Thanksgiving. It's probably covered in lead paint and I know it's covered in filth: Aren't you bummed that I left all those sweet, sweet couches? There were 3 in this house and I wouldn't touch any of them.   Memorieeeeees.... and I thought the broom was a nice touch too.  I'm

Katynoreply@blogger.com7http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/scary-coffee-table.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-7691131234433819692012-02-20T08:15:00.000-05:002012-02-20T08:15:38.307-05:002012-02-20T08:15:38.307-05:00

I don't even know what all this thing is capable of yet...  A friend of my dad's had it sitting in storage, and he said I could have it on "permanent loan".  He doesn't know how to use it (he's a doctor), and one of his patients left it to him.  It was just sitting there in his shed for years! I have no idea how to use it either, but I'm going to be watching all the Youtube videos on it... I

Katynoreply@blogger.com3http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/when-heaven-rains-tools-shopsmith-mark.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-56344704481183667122012-02-18T22:20:00.000-05:002012-02-18T22:20:08.794-05:002012-02-18T22:20:08.794-05:00

I'm trying to build this tiny house with no debt. This is a very tall order. One contractor made me feel like an idiot; every other sentence out of his mouth started with "I don't want to scare you but...". He wouldn't give me an estimate for framing the cottage. Instead he wanted to know my whole budget up front. I didn't want to explain my nebulous idea of a budget.  That's like asking someone

Katynoreply@blogger.com16http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/its-money-honey.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-30743027306214536622012-02-16T21:24:00.000-05:002012-02-16T21:24:19.765-05:002012-02-16T21:24:19.765-05:00

I read this book on my last flight. It was a fun story, once you get used to the fact that it's set in the 1960's and nobody's got a cell phone. The reason I'm mentioning this is that there was one passage that made me laugh out loud and I just have to post it. The main character is in love with a girl who's trying to break into the civil engineering school at Cambridge. I guess back in the 60'

Katynoreply@blogger.com1http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/irish-country-village.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-42427502886649471472012-02-15T08:36:00.001-05:002012-02-15T22:36:16.126-05:002012-02-15T22:36:16.126-05:00

I don't think I'm going to be able to build my first choice: The Sebastarosa :(What happened is quite simple.A contractor gave me a quote of $100-$125 per sq.ft. to stick build this little cottage. And I don't mean finish it -- I just mean frame and "dry-in". That's almost $100,000 kittens. Guess who doesn't have that kind of cash? One guess. EDIT***I just found out that the estimate he

Katynoreply@blogger.com9http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/change-of-plans-maybe.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-6210076209115224862012-02-14T00:10:00.000-05:002012-02-14T00:10:01.800-05:002012-02-14T00:10:01.800-05:00

So far in this saga I've gotten acquainted with Shorty & The Sarge. I wasn't expecting to deal with a plumber this early in the game. Meet Frankie: Whoever said plumbing isn't fun? I hired him because of his van. This is my kind of plumber. I was somewhat relieved when I got his quote for replacing the ancient clay sewer line. I was expecting it to be $20,000 or something. (Thanks for scaring

Katynoreply@blogger.com9http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-new-best-friend.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-87217025164317678002012-02-13T08:16:00.000-05:002012-02-13T08:16:52.608-05:002012-02-13T08:16:52.608-05:00

My dad likes to build stuff too. Mostly boats. Here's his latest project: Here are the plans he's working from: But I think he's painting it more red white and blue. It's going to tow a pontoon boat in the 4th of July parade, held every year on the lake. We want to win first place for BEST FLOAT in the parade! My kids are going to be dressed as Popeye and Olive Oyl, riding in the tugboat.

Katynoreply@blogger.com5http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/mini-tugboat.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-80833292786414875092012-02-11T11:30:00.001-05:002012-02-12T12:37:44.374-05:002012-02-12T12:37:44.374-05:00

My ex husband is not white. So my kids (especially my daughter) don't resemble me. She's been having issues lately with being the only "other" girl in a class of white kids. Thankfully nobody has said anything too awful to her, but we've been having frank discussions about embracing who we are, not desiring to look like something we're not, and just being glad about who God has made us to be.

Katynoreply@blogger.com9http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-race.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-70831092864460229742012-02-10T11:16:00.000-05:002012-02-10T11:16:14.141-05:002012-02-10T11:16:14.141-05:00

He called me to say that the work was done, and at some point he said That reminds me! Whatever you do, DON'T let your plumber hook the new house up to that existing sewer line. I found it and capped it off, but it's really old metal pipe. Probably already has tree roots growing through it. You've got to have a new sewer line tied into the main. So next steps are surveying, nailing down the

Katynoreply@blogger.com7http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/conversation-with-sarge-part-2.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-48260826809798546302012-02-09T21:49:00.000-05:002012-02-09T21:49:54.135-05:002012-02-09T21:49:54.135-05:00

Soli Deo Gloria :)

Katynoreply@blogger.com9http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/it-is-finished.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-20351846388411073002012-02-08T05:48:00.001-05:002012-02-09T22:32:22.206-05:002012-02-09T22:32:22.206-05:00

I am awaiting word that demo is complete. God bless you sweet people that come to read this saga and cheer me on -- you really keep me feeling positive that this whole thing is NOT going to be a train wreck. The cataloging continues! We're scraping the bottom of the barrel here: Lamp was dug out of a pile of junk in the backyard. It was broken into pieces and somebody glued it back together!

Katynoreply@blogger.com14http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/busted-yellow-lamp-from-shack.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-69908176305649548222012-02-07T00:05:00.000-05:002012-02-07T00:05:54.304-05:002012-02-07T00:05:54.304-05:00

The demo man (AKA "The Sarge") must think I am crazy. I call him, text him, talk very excitedly and ask him stupid questions like Are you alright?-- yes really. I worry about people getting injured all the time. I can't turn the "mom thing" off. The only way that this could be more fun is if I was actually there, driving the excavator myself. woooo hooo The Sarge is very calm and

Katynoreply@blogger.com9http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/demo-day-1-pictures.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-4133135661422571592012-02-06T06:40:00.000-05:002012-02-06T06:40:59.476-05:002012-02-06T06:40:59.476-05:00

Me:  So....you ever seen a house worse than this? Him:  Yeah. Once.  ...you're lucky there wasn't food in there.

Katynoreply@blogger.com6http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/conversation-with-demolition-man.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-33136564429511809512012-02-02T11:11:00.000-05:002012-02-02T11:19:32.289-05:002012-02-02T11:19:32.289-05:00

The Man just called to say he finally wrestled the permit out of the building department! woo hoo! Demolition starts Monday, he said he would text me pictures. I'm so freaking excited. You'd think I wouldn't be this excited to spend a boatload of cash just to get rid of something really awful. It's kind of like divorce, now that I think about it.

Katynoreply@blogger.com9http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/update-on-demolition.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-11269084964611227432012-02-01T07:24:00.000-05:002012-02-03T10:43:23.588-05:002012-02-03T10:43:23.588-05:00

More cataloging of junk from Ye Olde Shack of Love. I tore this big cast iron cowbell off the front porch. It was so heavy, I tried to hold it up and take a picture at the same time and it wasn't quite working for me. (An aside: aren't my pictures ridiculous? When will I get with the program and buy a Nikon and start watermarking, right? That's a cat litter pan in the garage. Sweet.)After

Katynoreply@blogger.com10http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-we-need-is-more-cow-bell.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-23351600407970280192012-01-31T11:06:00.000-05:002012-01-31T11:06:23.355-05:002012-01-31T11:06:23.355-05:00

"There once was a Mom with a drill Who built silly stuff for a thrill Then she watched some Bob Vila and laid off the tequila and now she's rocking some skill!" He did not respond. So either his account is run by interns (as i originally suspected), or his account is on automatic tweet and nobody is checking it. Clearly.

Katynoreply@blogger.com6http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/01/tweeting-bob-vila.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-43148670402704000992012-01-30T13:59:00.000-05:002012-01-30T13:59:16.525-05:002012-01-30T13:59:16.525-05:00

I am not thrilled with the idea of paying money to have this iron bed sandblasted. (I am not thrilled with the idea of paying for anything I think I can do myself, but I also feel like the money needs to be spent elsewhere in this venture.) So.  I had to use my dad's compressor because it's a lot bigger than mine:  And my dad has a sandblasting tool for it, because he does a lot of work on old

Katynoreply@blogger.com3http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/01/diy-sandblasting.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-51566829594459758042012-01-29T21:38:00.000-05:002012-01-29T21:38:38.020-05:002012-01-29T21:38:38.020-05:00

When God gives you something (like a job with a great boss), you gotta be thankful. I had to take a little time off to deal with some family stuff, and when I got back in the office this is what I found on my desk: My boss is a Texan who used to work in the oil fields. He has two daughters my age, and I've been lucky to work for him. He understands my situation and how hard it is for me to

Katynoreply@blogger.com3http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/01/love-my-boss.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-88359442741007460532012-01-27T00:57:00.000-05:002012-01-27T00:57:28.369-05:002012-01-27T00:57:28.369-05:00

I think a tiny beach cottage should have lots of art, and Jane is a great example of this. I have become slightly obsessed with trolling for new artists on Etsy who are affordable. (The key word there is affordable. I know the artists are starving but art purchases still rank below feeding my kids.) I found this little turtle painting, and the artist was selling a small print for under $10! Too

Katynoreply@blogger.com7http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/01/etsy-beach-art-another-minor-panic.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-9463393071624660372012-01-26T07:19:00.000-05:002012-01-26T08:43:14.756-05:002012-01-26T08:43:14.756-05:00

My friend Kim wrote something about the current blogosphere on the anniversary of her 900th post and I've got to throw in my 2 cents. I've been blogging since 2005  (other blogs), and things have really changed. Ahhh, the days of blogging before social media. At some point we outgrow our blog and move on...or we just strap it into a pair of go go boots and make it stand on the corner and make

Katynoreply@blogger.com11http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/01/when-blogs-go-bad-rating-system.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-72523159887062044302012-01-25T08:18:00.000-05:002012-02-03T10:46:50.620-05:002012-02-03T10:46:50.620-05:00

If you're following along, so far I've cataloged a vintage coke crate, Miller High Life girl, and now here is another piece of crap antique that I pulled out of the shack before demolition: When I first unearthed it in the bedroom, it was full of bottles of peroxide. (Do not think too hard about that. Trust me.) It was in rough shape but I liked the lines of the legs and thought it would be

Katynoreply@blogger.com11http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/01/vintage-humidor.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560781848515071285.post-59992323469512026552012-01-24T07:18:00.000-05:002012-01-24T07:18:30.601-05:002012-01-24T07:18:30.601-05:00

I don't care if it's not really him, okay? I broke down and signed up.  I still hate facebook so I'm holding onto that. I shall be twittering at Bob... probably limericks involving Vila and Tequila.

Katynoreply@blogger.com2http://momandherdrill.blogspot.com/2012/01/bob-vila-is-on-twitter-shut-up.html