tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3194006792144032032024-03-13T09:52:15.639-07:00DMHB: Dirty Mess House BlogThis is a blog detailing our adventures into trying to maintain our house, and edge away from our previous dirty habits!Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-18100174853807211322012-05-23T07:57:00.000-07:002012-05-23T07:57:24.854-07:00Weekend pick me up!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay, so, it's definitely been a while since I've updated! Ugh, I've been so busy between personal events, holiday, Mother's Day, you name it! I'm hoping to be back in the swing of things now. This weekend was the first weekend we've really had to ourselves, and I <i>wanted</i> to Drylok the basement. Oh how I've been wanting to do that for quite some time! No dice, though. You could take one look around our house and realize there were more important things to take care of.<br />
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Well, needless to say the house has been desperate for a nice clean, and that's exactly what we did. Let's start with the kitchen, since that's always a great place to start! At first washed out glance, you can tell it's messy. I mean, really messy.<br />
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Let's get a little closer:<br />
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Sink full of dishes, pots and pans <i>everywhere</i>. Trash, super grody. Well, thanks to the power if pictures, here is the after.<br />
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Ahhh, much better! I've been using Mrs. Myer's counter top spray in lemon verbena, and can I just say that I love it. It makes cleaning so much more enjoyable. It smells so fresh and clean, and nothing like chemicals. You can also see my poor dying garden. I'll have another post about that later, it really is a sad tale.<br />
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See that cute little bud vase? It's actually got my green onions in it. They look fabulous, and have been doing well. A nice update versus the nasty thing I was keeping on my stove, yuck.<br />
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Ah, the poor dining room. This room is always serving as our catch all. The bookshelf doesn't even belong there, it's supposed to live in our upstairs office (that we need to repaint). Table is filled with junk, clothes everywhere.<br />
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The poor cat food area. I don't know how they put up with me.<br />
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Here you can see how much trash we actually keep lying around. My boyfriend loves pizza, so we've always got pizza boxes strewn about. And beer bottles. What can I say? We're in our mid twenties, isn't that what we do?<br />
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The after, while I know I still have some clothes on the chairs of the table, I was doing laundry and my basket was full, so they were heading straight for the next load.<br />
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Speaking of laundry...<br />
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Oh yeah, needed to do some laundry.<br />
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This is the poor console table in the living room. We just bought it a few months ago, and it's already loaded!<br />
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A little pruning and this is what we are left with. The coffee can is for Victor's loose change.<br />
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Then there is this monstrosity. The living room.<br />
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A little work, and presto!The pile on the couch was for things that needed to upstairs when we went.<br />
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That pile of shoes on the media table are for donation, we put them there to remind us that they need to go.<br />
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And this bad boy, is all the trash we collected just from the
downstairs! Wow, unbelievable. Even more surprising, is Victor actually
ended up taking it <i>all</i> down. It's gone, completely gone.<br />
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And here's a little breakdown of what we actually did Sunday afternoon:<br />
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<li>Gathered up all the trash, took it to do the dumpster</li>
<li>Moved all the things that belonged in different rooms to their appropriate room</li>
<li>Disinfected the entire kitchen</li>
<li>Washed the kitchen windows/window sill</li>
<li>Washed all the dishes, pots and pans</li>
<li>Put away said pots and pans</li>
<li>Disinfected the half bathroom (toilet/counters)</li>
<li>Cleaned the cat box</li>
<li>Two loads of laundry</li>
<li>Cleaned off the dining room table, gave it a good wash</li>
<li><i>Finally</i> emptied all our luggage and put it away</li>
<li>De-furred the couch</li>
<li>Brushed all 3 cats really well</li>
<li>Swept, vacuumed, and mopped the entire downstairs</li>
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It feels so good to walk into a cleanish house everyday coming home from work. What did you end up doing this weekend? <br />
<br />Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-6230918684450318932012-05-09T07:41:00.000-07:002012-05-16T08:49:14.607-07:00It's been so long!So, we've been out and about out of the state for friend's weddings, among other personal stuff. This weekend is Mother's Day and again; no down time! Where has all the time gone?! The older I get, the more time I lose, I swear.<br />
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Anyways, <i>next</i> weekend I plan on dryloking the basement! I'm going to try my darndest to post every Tuesday with projects accomplished over the weekend, so be ready for 05/22!Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-24615660988675559122012-04-13T07:18:00.002-07:002012-04-13T07:21:43.751-07:00Seedling ProgressSorry I haven't been around much (if anyone actually reads this)! I've been having some personal stuff going on, but I'm hoping to get a lot done this weekend, so expect some posts next week! I've got an out of state wedding coming up at the end of the month, so I wont be around then, either.<br />
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Anyways! I wanted to share how well my little seedlings are doing! It's been about 3 1/2 weeks since I've planted the little buggers, and I still haven't done any research on them, and they doing super. It's so exciting to wake up every day, run downstairs and see how big they've grown. My sugar snap peas are literally growing an inch a day. It's insane.<br />
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Here you can see the sugar snap peas and the broccoli. They are doing the best. Ignore the hair dryer, I'm sure everyone has a hair dryer in their kitchen. See how they are bending to the right? That's where our screen door is.<br />
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The basil has just started coming up (far left). The cilantro (left) is doing great! I'm happy with this, since cilantro is the herb that I use the most. The oregano (right) has just barely started sprouting. Its very small and thing in comparison to the basil and cilantro. And finally we have the catnip (far left) which is coming up slowly but surely. Also, please ignore the mess. We just had breakfast, and my boyfriend has been home from work all week, so there is stuff everywhere...<br />
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I'm pretty happy with this lot. They <i>just</i> started coming up and then they started going crazy. To the left you can see the chives, the parsley in the center, and the green onions on the right. I have some green onions in the fridge from the grocery store I will be planting this weekend. Can never have too many green onions.<br />
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And these are my slow growers. I have them directly in front of my back door. The roma tomatoes just started coming up on the left there. Nothing with the sweet peppers in the center, and a single sprout for the big boy tomatoes on the right. I plan on making a calender today on when they should be planted outside, and all that good jazz.<br />
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For a little over three weeks, its not bad progress! I can't wait for the day when I can actually pick something edible off them!Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-31785471116966615582012-03-30T13:13:00.000-07:002012-03-30T13:13:55.377-07:00DIY Seedling Markers So when I purchased all the stuff to <a href="http://dirtymessyhouse.blogspot.com/2012/03/seedling-adventure-time.html" target="_blank">plant my seedlings</a> I totally forgot to buy popsicle sticks or something to mark them. I was trying to think of a cute way to mark them without having to go out again or spend more money, when I thought about trying to do something cute with little bunting banners. I know its one of those cliche trends right now, but I thought it'd look nice. That's when I remember that I'm lazy, and I totally wasn't ready to commit to making small triangles for every letter, for every plant. So I decided a small banner would be cute. I used to scrapbook, so I have a bunch of card stock scraps, you know, the kind you can buy in a bag from Michael's for like $5. Perfect!<br />
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The first thing I did was pick out some colours that I liked. This image is from <a href="http://design-seeds.com/" target="_blank">Design-Seeds</a> (I unfortunately can't find the original link!), and I just love all the way these colours look together. It's definitely going to be the palette I plan on using outside. Luckily the card stock I had on hand matched this nicely.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n9qiVClhgN0/T3RxUP-I0wI/AAAAAAAAAds/knMQD6MqVjo/s1600/2012-03-24+20.13.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n9qiVClhgN0/T3RxUP-I0wI/AAAAAAAAAds/knMQD6MqVjo/s640/2012-03-24+20.13.31.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Gather your supplies. For this project you'll need:<br />
<ul>
<li>Pen/Pencil</li>
<li>Card Stock </li>
<li>Dirty Scissors. Or clean ones if you're fancy.</li>
<li>Measuring Tape</li>
<li>Toothpicks</li>
<li>Hot Glue Gun (you could try Elmer's if you want. I originally used a small super glue tube thing, but it didn't hold at all)</li>
<li>Optional: Beer. I do most of my arts and crafts mildly intoxicated, and listening to the radio. I suppose it doesn't help with efficiency, but it definitely makes it more interesting. </li>
</ul>
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Then I grabbed my peat cells to measure how much space is between the center of two cells. 2" was perfect.<br />
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This is the design I went with. Its basic, and sort of looks like a banner. I tried a few other shapes, and if you're artistic more power to you. This was the best one I made. I free handed it, so its not perfect, but I'm okay with that. You could also print a clip art banner from Word and trace it onto the card stock. I don't have any ink in mine...<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GhYdnRTjuhE/T3RxRHhAOII/AAAAAAAAAc8/wuMwTzkzl3g/s1600/2012-03-24+19.43.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GhYdnRTjuhE/T3RxRHhAOII/AAAAAAAAAc8/wuMwTzkzl3g/s640/2012-03-24+19.43.43.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Whatever you decide to do, make sure your design is a little longer than the space you need. This is so you have enough room to glue whatever will be holding your markers in the dirt.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hlCsxhc1yLs/T3RxSS5kWvI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/wPbkxlT0l7w/s1600/2012-03-24+19.44.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hlCsxhc1yLs/T3RxSS5kWvI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/wPbkxlT0l7w/s640/2012-03-24+19.44.18.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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For a little preview you can hold up your marker to see what it'd look like. This way you can tell if you've left enough room for your tooth picks to be glued into the right place.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q5Hxr18plOQ/T3RxTq2cpuI/AAAAAAAAAdc/D3_smXVzFjM/s1600/2012-03-24+19.48.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q5Hxr18plOQ/T3RxTq2cpuI/AAAAAAAAAdc/D3_smXVzFjM/s640/2012-03-24+19.48.28.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Trace your template onto the card stock. Mine just happened to be big enough for a few banners on each piece.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HxVg8xUsSU8/T3RxWYDt3LI/AAAAAAAAAeE/lCP8PBJJMws/s1600/2012-03-24+20.50.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HxVg8xUsSU8/T3RxWYDt3LI/AAAAAAAAAeE/lCP8PBJJMws/s640/2012-03-24+20.50.14.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Once you've got them all cut out, write the names of the plants on the side you didn't trace on. Then flip them all over and glue your tooth picks on the traced side making sure they are facing the right angle. Leave them a few minutes to dry.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KK7RrdSZgTQ/T3Rxar8IENI/AAAAAAAAAeU/gSi8_CPxBfo/s1600/2012-03-24+20.50.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KK7RrdSZgTQ/T3Rxar8IENI/AAAAAAAAAeU/gSi8_CPxBfo/s640/2012-03-24+20.50.39.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then you're done! Again, this is a cute project to do if you've got stellar handwriting. My normal handwriting is the bubbly print of a high school girl, but I attempted to do some cursive. Some of them came out okay, like this Sugar Snap Peas one.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bKCvB9FkNfs/T3RxeH-KF0I/AAAAAAAAAek/bACnpGfTbzc/s1600/2012-03-24+20.54.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bKCvB9FkNfs/T3RxeH-KF0I/AAAAAAAAAek/bACnpGfTbzc/s640/2012-03-24+20.54.22.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Most of them turned out like this.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7a2glNKjlrA/T3RxfNexZaI/AAAAAAAAAeo/Axj4Ppxr9FE/s1600/2012-03-24+20.54.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7a2glNKjlrA/T3RxfNexZaI/AAAAAAAAAeo/Axj4Ppxr9FE/s640/2012-03-24+20.54.46.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Or this. Clearly, I don't care if I use an "O" or a scribble for a letter.<br />
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But, they came out alright. These obviously wont really work in a garden unless you laminate them to prevent soaking them each time you water, but for seedlings you don't have to worry very much about the moisture.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CfLcYnTRiBA/T3RxxouaJTI/AAAAAAAAAgM/IBB9FGwgQpI/s1600/2012-03-27+17.07.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CfLcYnTRiBA/T3RxxouaJTI/AAAAAAAAAgM/IBB9FGwgQpI/s640/2012-03-27+17.07.01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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What do you think? How do you mark your plants?Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-59556471662811062742012-03-29T08:21:00.000-07:002012-03-29T08:31:56.212-07:00Seedlings Planted!That's right, over the weekend I finally made it to Home Depot, no thanks to that old to-do list, and managed to pick up some seeds while I was there. I managed to pick up the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>Peat Cells (3 Packages of 32)</li>
<li>Vigoro Tomato and Vegetable Food (I'll admit I have no idea what to do with this, yet)</li>
<li>Miracle Grow Flower and Vegetable Soil </li>
<li>Vegetable Seeds:</li>
<ul>
<li>Watermelon (didn't plant yet)</li>
<li>Roma Tomato</li>
<li>Big Boy Hybrid Tomato</li>
<li>Gourmet Blend Lettuce Leaf (didn't plant yet)</li>
<li>Black-Seeded Simpson Lettuce Leaf (didn't plant yet)</li>
<li>Green Onion</li>
<li>Broccoli</li>
<li>Sugar Snap Peas</li>
<li>Green Peppers </li>
</ul>
<li>Herb Seeds: </li>
<ul>
<li>Catnip</li>
<li>Italian Parsley</li>
<li>Oregano</li>
<li>Cilantro</li>
<li>Chives</li>
<li>Sweet Basil</li>
</ul>
</ul>
I have no experience gardening, or starting seeds. I read a little bit about it online, but really, not enough to actually know what I was doing. I figured I'd just jump into it and see what ended up growing. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_I3Hg6CkGqI/T3Rxj1EVQDI/AAAAAAAAAe8/PSZBuFZ5LCw/s1600/2012-03-27+14.48.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_I3Hg6CkGqI/T3Rxj1EVQDI/AAAAAAAAAe8/PSZBuFZ5LCw/s640/2012-03-27+14.48.55.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was my set up. I don't know what the weather is like where you're from, but it was 30 degrees in Mass, and I did not feel like bundling up, so I grabbed a cardboard box, a little packing tape to make sure the bottom was all sealed so dirt didn't fall everywhere, my peat cells, seeds, spoon, and (not pictured) a small glass bowl.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HadQn1FllnA/T3RxkEA28zI/AAAAAAAAAfA/2prsCRHbX8g/s1600/2012-03-27+16.23.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HadQn1FllnA/T3RxkEA28zI/AAAAAAAAAfA/2prsCRHbX8g/s640/2012-03-27+16.23.57.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I filled each cell with one spoonfull of the soil. Some seeds said they had to be buried 1/4" from the surface, others were 2" so make sure you plan your soil accordingly! I lightly packed the dirt down with my fingers.<br />
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This is my photographic attempt at showing what the soil looks like with a hole in it for the seeds. I suppose if you're smart, you'll just follow the instructions for planting the seed however deep its supposed to go. I did a sort of mixed method where I put some seeds in the hole, then spread some out along the rest of exposed dirt, just so there more chance of getting them to grow. Or to smother them, I'm not really sure.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XZjTi69iNXc/T3RxpPcMEfI/AAAAAAAAAfU/ZU9Oujb7Wik/s1600/2012-03-27+16.25.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XZjTi69iNXc/T3RxpPcMEfI/AAAAAAAAAfU/ZU9Oujb7Wik/s640/2012-03-27+16.25.38.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was having a really hard time getting the seeds out of the bag and into my cells without dumping too many in one and leaving others bare, so I grabbed a tiny glass bowl to dump them into. It made it so much easier to distribute! <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FZaow5E4pmQ/T3RxrZSOTNI/AAAAAAAAAfs/eT0D-S1R-Ek/s1600/2012-03-27+16.28.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FZaow5E4pmQ/T3RxrZSOTNI/AAAAAAAAAfs/eT0D-S1R-Ek/s640/2012-03-27+16.28.56.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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These are the tomatoes, you can see a few of the seeds are tucked away in their little holes, and some are spread out on the top layer.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4u6riY9bWXk/T3RxuuCEZkI/AAAAAAAAAf0/-mSOg557Fn4/s1600/2012-03-27+16.31.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4u6riY9bWXk/T3RxuuCEZkI/AAAAAAAAAf0/-mSOg557Fn4/s640/2012-03-27+16.31.49.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then I just topped them off with more soil, lightly packed, and spritzed them with lukewarm-ish water. Should the water be lukewarm? I don't know. I read on one of the prepared green house starter kits at Home Depot it should be <i>for that kit</i>, but I figured, it couldn't hurt my little seeds. Right?<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E4QnV58mdK8/T3Rxvo8dz8I/AAAAAAAAAgA/K-d3XLdAxxw/s1600/2012-03-27+17.05.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E4QnV58mdK8/T3Rxvo8dz8I/AAAAAAAAAgA/K-d3XLdAxxw/s640/2012-03-27+17.05.15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And that my friends, is how I started my seedling journey. To those who are interested in perhaps starting their own seed adventure, here is how much mine cost:<br />
<br />
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>3 Peat Cells (Package of 32):</td>
<td>$7.77 ($2.59 each)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Vigoro Tomato & Veg. Food (3.5 lb):</td>
<td>$5.98</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Miracle Gro Flower/Veg Soil (1 CF):</td>
<td>$3.33</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Seeds:</td>
<td>$15.19 (~$1 per pack)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Total: $32.27</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anyone else starting some seeds? Or a garden? I plan on posting a tutorial on how to make your own plant labels, and if you have nice handwriting (in comparison to my awful handwriting) they are super cute! Stay tuned!Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-44727772002477596122012-03-23T09:00:00.001-07:002012-03-27T07:53:58.803-07:00Garden DreamingSo I've been streaming old Jamie at Home reruns, and I've got to admit, it makes me pretty bummed to own a condo with small allocated gardens instead of a house with a yard. I've wanted to do a garden since I've moved in, but being lazy, I planted a whole bunch of flowers and watched them die. Well, I do have an excuse! The only hose that my unit actually has (I live in a town house) is at unit 3, literally, smack dab in front of his front door. It's like, 10" away from his front door. During the warmer months, of course everyone has their door open! It's just weird. I don't really feel comfortable lurking around someone's front door long enough to unravel the hose, bring it all the way to my yard, going back to turn it on, wrapping it up when I'm done. None of my neighbors are really on talking terms with us anyways, they are all rather unfriendly. Bummer.<br />
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Anyways, during our <a href="http://dirtymessyhouse.blogspot.com/2012/02/basement-project-p1.html" target="_blank">basement clean out</a> I stumbled across my watering can and was reminded if I was <i>less</i> lazy, a garden would stand a fighting chance!<br />
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<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/sydoniah/our_first_home/condo089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/sydoniah/our_first_home/condo089.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So this is our house when we went to view it while it was still on the market. Sometime in August, 2006. It doesn't look too bad, the little bush on the right side of the door is a little wonky, but otherwise not terrible.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vk9eBvRn2gU/T2yOpZLTbRI/AAAAAAAAAbE/t26KwosUS2A/s1600/2012-03-22+18.58.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vk9eBvRn2gU/T2yOpZLTbRI/AAAAAAAAAbE/t26KwosUS2A/s640/2012-03-22+18.58.59.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the same poor garden last night, after a chilly but not snowy winter. Ignore the bag of peanuts, unlike sane people I enjoy encouraging squirrels to come around. I'm not sure what happened to this little privacy bush in front of the window, but he is NOT a happy camper. I'd love to rip up both bushes this year.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QkrVoxEkfjE/T2yOp4dtQnI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/BcIkHkir2Mk/s1600/2012-03-22+18.59.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QkrVoxEkfjE/T2yOp4dtQnI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/BcIkHkir2Mk/s640/2012-03-22+18.59.11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Wonky town is looking about the same, I think he's moving away from the house. This front corner of the house is also where we get the most water issues in the basement. As you can see by my amazing phone photography skills, there is a gutter/pipe there that's supposed to lead the water away, but it doesn't work as intended.<br />
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<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/sydoniah/our_first_home/condo078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/sydoniah/our_first_home/condo078.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the best image I have of our back garden when we saw the house. This picture was just to show how much common ground is part of the condos, and our actual garden pretty much stops at the first window. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0WG2xxtsCM/T2yOrkj6VFI/AAAAAAAAAbg/L3IkG187Adc/s1600/2012-03-22+19.00.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0WG2xxtsCM/T2yOrkj6VFI/AAAAAAAAAbg/L3IkG187Adc/s640/2012-03-22+19.00.14.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Annnd here she is today. We've never actually gone outside int he back. You know why? Our screen door has been broken since we moved in. Yep. Awesome home owners. I'm really looking to change that this year. Look at that light?! (Our condo association is actually responsible for fixing anything on the outside of the condo outside the garden plots.)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IcCxXtUln0o/T2yOpcbD7MI/AAAAAAAAAbA/6mOzOQtQZMc/s1600/2012-03-22+18.59.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IcCxXtUln0o/T2yOpcbD7MI/AAAAAAAAAbA/6mOzOQtQZMc/s640/2012-03-22+18.59.26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And this is the side of the house. Again, the condo association is supposed to maintain the window wells, clearly they have not. So this year I'd like to take things a little more into my own hands where legally possible.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UaTO5xS__ck/T3HUSr_4UKI/AAAAAAAAAcs/voDKKINbrtI/s1600/gardenwithtreesnum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UaTO5xS__ck/T3HUSr_4UKI/AAAAAAAAAcs/voDKKINbrtI/s640/gardenwithtreesnum.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's the game plan (using <a href="http://floorplanner.com/">floorplanner.com</a>). The trees and rocks are part of the common ground area, I included them so you can kind of visualize the area. This is <i>relatively</i> to scale, not 100%.<br />
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<a href="http://www.naturalnewscapes.com/Quickstart/ImageLib/Hydrangea-Pee_wee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.naturalnewscapes.com/Quickstart/ImageLib/Hydrangea-Pee_wee.jpg" /></a></div>
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1. <a href="http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/oakleaf-hydrangea-pee-wee/p/46546/" target="_blank">Oak Leaf Hydrangea Pee Wee</a> as a sort of "privacy bush".<br />
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<a href="http://parkseed.com/images/l/48488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://parkseed.com/images/l/48488.jpg" /></a></div>
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2. <a href="http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/hosta-sum-of-all/p/48488/" target="_blank">Hosta Sum of All</a> is a big leafy plant that I think just has the most gorgeous colours.<br />
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<a href="http://parkseed.com/images/xxl/49290_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://parkseed.com/images/xxl/49290_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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3. <a href="http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/anemone-sylvestris/p/49290/" target="_blank">Anemone Sylvestris</a> are short, sweet little flowers to keep near the front of the bed. How cute are they?!<br />
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<a href="http://parkseed.com/images/xxl/48361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://parkseed.com/images/xxl/48361.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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4. <a href="http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/astilbe-peach-blossom/p/48361/" target="_blank">Astilbe 'Peach Blossom'</a> these should come to about the bottom of the window, and they have a gorgeous peach colour.<br />
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<a href="http://media-cache7.pinterest.com/upload/100064422940135461_odiX4whR_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://media-cache7.pinterest.com/upload/100064422940135461_odiX4whR_f.jpg" width="536" /></a></div>
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5. Front door inspiration from Pintrest (originally found <a href="http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/decorating/outdoor-living/door-accessories-00000000055393/index.html?xid=summer-news-08-10-11" target="_blank">here</a>). I love the modern planter and the giant house number. I plan on doing something similar, putting a fern in the planter and finding a big ol' "1". Love this.<br />
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<a href="http://parkseed.com/images/xxl/47991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://parkseed.com/images/xxl/47991.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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6. <a href="http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/hydrangea-limelight-reg-pp12874/p/47991/" target="_blank">Hydrangea Limelight</a> gorgeous, big flowering bush. Blooms almost all year long. I think this would look fantastic going around the corner of the house<br />
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<a href="http://www.ahahomeandgarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/GutterGarden-oct71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://www.ahahomeandgarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/GutterGarden-oct71.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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7. I'd LOVE to do something like <a href="http://www.ahahomeandgarden.com/garden/how-to-make-a-hanging-gutter-garden/" target="_blank">this</a> hanging off that part of the roof that over hangs. I plan on planting lettuces, herbs, spring onions, and chives.<br />
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<a href="http://parkseed.com/images/l/49348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://parkseed.com/images/l/49348.jpg" /></a></div>
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8. <a href="http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/tiarella-sugar-and-spice-pp16738/p/49348/" target="_blank">Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice'</a> these are shade loving flowers. As you can see from all the trees we have around us, during the summer it drapes the entire space in shade. I want to plant them all along the side of the house to give it some colour.<br />
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<a href="http://www.scottarboretum.org/collectiontour/vines/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.scottarboretum.org/collectiontour/vines/01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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9. Schizophragma 'Moonlight' is a vine. I want to put a modern climber near the second basement window for them to climb up, I think the bright white flowers are gorgeous, and will bring a little more interest near a small outside dining area.<br />
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10. I really want a small out door dining area. Some of our neighbors have one, so I figure it can't be against the bylaws so long as its close to the property, and doesn't impede much of the common grounds. I figure a small, 32" table like this set from Crate and Barrel:<br />
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<a href="http://www.crateandbarrel.com/outdoor-furniture/surf/surf-dining-set/f46835" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="353" src="http://images.crateandbarrel.com/is/image/Crate/SurfAV2ORVS12_CLMain?hei=554&wid=998" width="640" /></a></div>
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And this super cute charcoal grill (also from Crate and Barrel):<br />
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<a href="http://www.crateandbarrel.com/kitchen-and-food/grills-and-grill-tools/weber-performer-grill/s184686" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://images.crateandbarrel.com/is/image/Crate/PerformerGrillGreenS11?$web_zoom$&extend=110,110,110,110" width="400" /></a></div>
And I think we'd build a small prep table, something like this:<br />
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<a href="http://ana-white.com/2011/02/easy-kitchen-island-plans" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://ana-white.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/Full/images/Screen-shot-2011-02-05-at-9.42.41-PM_0.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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11. I plan on using two big planters to fill with herbs. Parsley, Cilantro, Basil, Rosemary, Thyme.<br />
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12-15. I want to plant an edible garden in the back. I'm thinking of (12) potatoes, (13) shallots/garlic, (14) onions, and (15) tomatoes. Things that we use every day. Depending on the space, maybe add some sort of peppers.<br />
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What do you guys think? Any plans on a garden this year?Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-33719778664451635952012-03-20T08:42:00.003-07:002012-03-21T04:16:16.379-07:00Weekend AccomplishmentsIn honor of posting a <a href="http://dirtymessyhouse.blogspot.com/2012/03/get-on-that-already.html" target="_blank">to-do list</a>, my boyfriend and I decided we'd get some things done that weren't actually listed. Don't get me wrong, we <i>tried</i> to do a few things on the list. Replacing the heaters seemed like a good place to start. We had actually purchased them on sale in the winter for around $50 a pop for the 6 foot long ones. <span id="goog_2111874344"></span><span id="goog_2111874345"></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LDACMGlP9gA/T2dRlbW89SI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/g6y0mAWjD8Y/s1600/2012-03-18+12.04.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LDACMGlP9gA/T2dRlbW89SI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/g6y0mAWjD8Y/s640/2012-03-18+12.04.01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is our living room heater. It's old, and grody. This is actually the second heater we worked on, the first being the one in the dining room. It was my intention of replacing the large 8 foot long heater in the dining room with a 6 foot one, so we'd be able to fit our hutch flat against the wall. We found out the power actually comes out closest to where the hutch is, so for this project we'd have to drill some holes in the wall, which we weren't prepared to do. Back to this guy, the living room heater.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zug8ZLE9VS0/T2dRmoC6SZI/AAAAAAAAAac/sJS77TMsiIU/s1600/2012-03-18+12.06.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zug8ZLE9VS0/T2dRmoC6SZI/AAAAAAAAAac/sJS77TMsiIU/s640/2012-03-18+12.06.06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm aware you're supposed to take these apart and clean them. Clearly, we didn't. Gross.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wZk8Vnv0iUI/T2dRmKdMZzI/AAAAAAAAAag/WhcCUeVkLKs/s1600/2012-03-18+12.15.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wZk8Vnv0iUI/T2dRmKdMZzI/AAAAAAAAAag/WhcCUeVkLKs/s640/2012-03-18+12.15.52.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After Victor removed all the screws attaching this bad boy to the wall, it popped right off without a problem. There was a bunch of black stuff behind it, which I was worried was mold. We think its actually some sort of burned dirt/dust? It came right off with a damp cloth, and pretty much smelled like potting soil.<br />
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This would be where I show pictures of us installing the new awesome heater that can be centered right under our window! That would be of course, if we didn't buy the <i>wrong</i> heaters, you know, in December. We have electric heating. The heaters we bought? For a hot water system. I think it's safe to say we're the best home owners probably ever (sarcasm).<br />
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We'll be heading to HomeDepot sometime this week (which we didn't do this weekend even though it was part of our <a href="http://dirtymessyhouse.blogspot.com/2012/03/get-on-that-already.html" target="_blank">list</a>). Hopefully we'll be able to at least get a store credit, which will be fine since we have so many other things there we need to pick up. Talk about disappointing though.<br />
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Instead, we did a general clean up of the downstairs, ran a lot more stuff to the basement (including new blinds, a shelf system I bought from Ikea, and a bunch of other stuff that should've gone down there forever ago), cleared off our stairs, swept, vacuumed, and cleared out our entry closet.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bf13xxYqdM4/T2dRiir7trI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/XPV2Wa3LSZ0/s1600/2012-03-18+13.09.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bf13xxYqdM4/T2dRiir7trI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/XPV2Wa3LSZ0/s640/2012-03-18+13.09.06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the top of the closet before. Home to tools, power tools, oh, and more tools. Tools that belong in the basement, so that's where they are now. Hooray!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NoZHY6TrNqA/T2dRkKvtxBI/AAAAAAAAAaE/OP92Bbec91Q/s1600/2012-03-18+14.19.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NoZHY6TrNqA/T2dRkKvtxBI/AAAAAAAAAaE/OP92Bbec91Q/s640/2012-03-18+14.19.15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the top of the closet now. We kept one generic tool box here (which, if you'll notice, isn't in the before picture, because it was on the floor next to the couch...) some bungee cords, the box containing our floor spacers, and bed risers. Okay, so we're not perfect. Everything but the tool box should totally go in the basement. After seeing this image, I don't get why we left those there to begin with. At least its better, right?<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WDlJ8f6-5zU/T2dRjF106aI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/E0rTYu2f4N8/s1600/2012-03-18+13.09.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WDlJ8f6-5zU/T2dRjF106aI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/E0rTYu2f4N8/s640/2012-03-18+13.09.29.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And here's the bottom of the closet. I didn't take any other pictures of the stuff in the bottom because A. it's too embarrassing B. I'm forgetful and C. if I stopped to take more pictures I'd likely have taken way longer or not done it at all. Allow me to give you a quick run down of what I found:<br />
<ul>
<li>Potting Soil, from when I actually worked on our garden, the first year we lived there (circa 2007) </li>
<li>Christmas wrapping paper, from two years ago</li>
<li>Winter shovel from two years ago (it only snowed twice this past winter, totally didn't need it here)</li>
<li>My prom dress shoes, from 2003, and my senior dinner dance shoes, 2004</li>
<li>Retro video game controllers in the white box there. Including the NES Zapper...</li>
<li>White trash bag with two different pairs of slippers</li>
<li>TJ Max returns from Christmas two years ago (I'm seeing a pattern...)</li>
<li>Some door hardware</li>
<li>Lots more shoes that don't fit, and probably haven't fit since 2007</li>
</ul>
About 7 pairs of shoes went to donation. Including a NEW pair of men's 16.5US sized Nikes. I should mention here I've <i>never met</i> someone who wears a size 16.5US men's shoe. And the prom shoes. Oh the stuff we hold on to. 3 pairs of shoes were missing their mate, so in the trash they went.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-33xnK2WSHTA/T2dRkmbRI7I/AAAAAAAAAaM/HWtblbS9gwI/s1600/2012-03-18+14.19.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-33xnK2WSHTA/T2dRkmbRI7I/AAAAAAAAAaM/HWtblbS9gwI/s640/2012-03-18+14.19.32.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is the bottom of the closet after. The shoes we did end up keeping went upstairs to the bedroom closet where they belong (I think we kept 4 pairs?). Looks a lot better though. We can actually shut the door now too. I think that's the first time it's actually been able to shut since we moved in.<br />
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Maybe over the course of the week, or this coming weekend I'll actually get something done on the to-do list...Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-26455435605832442892012-03-16T08:19:00.000-07:002012-03-18T07:51:17.228-07:00Get On That Already!I haven't posted in a while. We've been in a sort of lull between work (as most lazy people do) so we haven't been getting a whole bunch done. Hoping to change that this weekend! I've got a list going of things I'd like to accomplish.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AFj0VhqDoo4/T2NWFYgOKYI/AAAAAAAAAZk/XJsikH0Hi5U/s1600/Heater.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AFj0VhqDoo4/T2NWFYgOKYI/AAAAAAAAAZk/XJsikH0Hi5U/s1600/Heater.gif" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>Replace the living room and dining room heaters. Our current ones are old and disgusting. Replacing them AFTER Winter is, of course, the best laid plan. Who replaces them before they use them? Psh.</li>
<li>Clean out and reorganize the bathroom. Last time I did this was <a href="http://dirtymessyhouse.blogspot.com/2011/01/snow-day-bathroom-before-after.html" target="_blank">last January</a>, but this will probably a life long project. </li>
<li>Clean out and reorganize the bedroom. We desperately need to get a new mattress but can't even get it in there until we clear out the extra stuff in this room.</li>
<li>Finish clearing the pile of trash in the basement. Yes, its still lurking there. </li>
<li>Clear out the stairway and begin removing the carpet. </li>
<li>Hit up Home Depot</li>
<ul>
<li>Return Sump Pump </li>
<li>1 gallon of Behr in "Silver Sateen" (for office)</li>
<li>Template for Cabinet Hardware (for knobs for entertainment stand)</li>
<li>Wall/Floor Scrapper (basement)</li>
<li>5 gallons of Drylok in White (basement)</li>
<li>Polyester Roll/Brush to apply Drylok</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X_5MisQ18po/T0rGzjqWrzI/AAAAAAAAAWw/_jocDfM3YlE/s1600/Trash+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X_5MisQ18po/T0rGzjqWrzI/AAAAAAAAAWw/_jocDfM3YlE/s640/Trash+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-41338099655719136662012-03-02T08:31:00.000-08:002012-03-02T08:31:21.204-08:00Under the Kitchen SinkAnother snow day means another organization project! If you're from New England, I'm sure you got dumped on yesterday just like me. Nothing like some snow, then rain, then more snow, then digging your car out of 4" of ice! Well, I decided to take the time to clean out under our kitchen sink. A few years ago (yes, <i>years</i>) I accidentally flooded my kitchen. Apparently I left the kitchen faucet running over night, and the sink was so full of dishes that the water just cascaded off a plate near the faucet, onto the counters, the floor, into the half bathroom. Water was everywhere! It was horrible. We cleaned up the water everywhere, except I never actually emptied the cabinet under the sink, where the water sluiced down and into. Again, sometimes I wonder if I'm insane and not fit to live on my own.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DWsFg0c55l0/T1Atl51taeI/AAAAAAAAAYs/ao6S5Lpj2Dw/s1600/2012-03-01+11.27.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DWsFg0c55l0/T1Atl51taeI/AAAAAAAAAYs/ao6S5Lpj2Dw/s640/2012-03-01+11.27.26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is pretty much what I started with. I had already started taking plastic bags out (yes, this is pretty much an in progress shot, not straight from the beginning... how sad!). We keep grocery plastic bags to clean the kitty box, but as you can see they got pretty out of hand. No one needs that many.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o1YXmbCdXcc/T1AtmZB-MXI/AAAAAAAAAYw/u-Ace8cP90A/s1600/2012-03-01+11.31.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o1YXmbCdXcc/T1AtmZB-MXI/AAAAAAAAAYw/u-Ace8cP90A/s640/2012-03-01+11.31.28.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I started out by simply just taking everything out. I came across a few things that shouldn't have been in there in the first place; raid, motor oil... Then I got rid of all the bags, trash, expired cleaning agents.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EzRXuXd1IsQ/T1AtmcluOBI/AAAAAAAAAY0/Fg1JEcx9mU4/s1600/2012-03-01+11.35.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EzRXuXd1IsQ/T1AtmcluOBI/AAAAAAAAAY0/Fg1JEcx9mU4/s640/2012-03-01+11.35.00.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is what I was left with. A lot of rust stains and melted dish washer tablets. I surprisingly didn't find any mold except for on some cloths that were kept in the back for polishing our dining table. I also didn't find any scary bugs, which I totally expected.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pKEqsoXGi3s/T1AtnjM-HyI/AAAAAAAAAZE/sGoPQhcWEKY/s1600/2012-03-01+11.43.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pKEqsoXGi3s/T1AtnjM-HyI/AAAAAAAAAZE/sGoPQhcWEKY/s640/2012-03-01+11.43.37.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I took the razor blade I use for cleaning my ceramic cook top and scraped the whole thing down (not hard enough to ruin the cabinet) and everything came off easily. Then I just took some of my Mrs. Meyer's lemon verbena cleaner, gave it a good spray, and viola! Its like a whole new cabinet.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aajeiZw57YM/T1AtocLfpPI/AAAAAAAAAZM/XAlH9n-Prqg/s1600/2012-03-01+11.57.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aajeiZw57YM/T1AtocLfpPI/AAAAAAAAAZM/XAlH9n-Prqg/s640/2012-03-01+11.57.58.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I had a few Dollar Tree baskets kicking around, so I loaded one up with sponges, clothes, Swiffer pads, steam mop pads, and the like, and the other contains the actual cleaning supplies. How awesome is this?! $2 and an awesome, useable space for my cleaning supplies.<br />
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Anyone else have a snow day? Any organizing projects lately?Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-7646972057340795712012-02-29T12:15:00.000-08:002012-02-29T12:15:20.726-08:00Basement Project: To-Do!<br />
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As you can tell from my previous post <a href="http://dirtymessyhouse.blogspot.com/2012/02/basement-project-p1.html" target="_blank">here</a>, we still have a
lot to do for the basement to turn it into a functional space. I’ve put
together a plan for the space using <a href="http://floorplanner.com/">FloorPlanner.com</a> (which, by the way, is an
AWESOME tool!) to create an idea of what we’re looking for.</div>
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1. This is where we'll keep our seasonal outside tools. Things like winter shovels, garden shovels, rakes, outside broom, etc.</div>
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2. I think this is a good location for a small work out area. A few years ago my dad gave me a total gym, and I plan on replacing the broken elliptical. For those who know us, we definitely need to lose weight but the gym thing just isn't for us. I think once we have a dedicated area for these sort of activities, it will help us lose weight. I've included a 32" TV on the wall, which we don't actually own, but it'd be a nice addition.</div>
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3. Sump Pump box. As I mentioned before, the hole for our sump pump actually has a few inches of clearance to reach under the foundation of the house. Since we'll be allowing our cats down here, I want this whole area boxed in. The top will have a hinge so we can easily access the pump when we need to. The box will be made out of cheap MDF. Not included in the picture, our dehumidifier will also be here.</div>
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4. These are the storage shelves you can see from the <a href="http://dirtymessyhouse.blogspot.com/2012/02/basement-project-p1.html" target="_blank">first post in the basement project</a>. My plan is to have two shelving systems on either side of the big support beam that runs through the basement (this image isn't to scale in that regard).</div>
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5. I was considering putting a water heater closet around our current water heater. The cost to do so, while not extravagant, this is a condo that we don't plan on staying in for more than the next 10 years, so it's not really worth it. Instead, we're discussing placing a more energy efficient or tankless water heater (maybe something like <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/Plumbing-Water-Heaters-Tankless/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbqji/R-203210875/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051" target="_blank">this</a>?). My concern is the cats may get stuck behind our current tank, and we're renting it anyways so it just all around is not ideal.</div>
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6. I want to include a tool station/computer desk for Victor. He repairs friends and families computers, and he needs a place to organize parts, towers, and other miscellaneous computer paraphernalia, and we don't have the space for a dedicated area like this in the office. My dad will be giving us a big metal industrial desk, so it'll be perfect.</div>
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7. Since the cats will be allowed down here, I want to put their litter boxes (represented by the shipping boxes) (which are Jumbo Size) here, along with a cat condo. They absolutely <i>love</i> to climb, but cat condos are just plain ugly and get grody quickly since all three are longer haired.</div>
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Since we're just starting out, we have a whole laundry list of things that we need to get accomplished.</div>
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<li>Replace both windows (once has been broken since we moved in)</li>
<li>Scrape down the walls, remove as much paint as possible</li>
<li>Scrape the floors, remove as much paint as possible</li>
<li>Paint the walls with <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100204228/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=drylok&storeId=10051&superSkuId=202889293" target="_blank">Drylock</a> (I think we're going to go with white or beige)</li>
<li>Paint the floors </li>
<li>Paint the beam a noticeable colour (Victor is 6'3", and the beam hangs low enough where he has to bow his head to get under- and often forgets)</li>
<li>Paint the stairs </li>
<li>Line the insulation so it's not exposed</li>
<li>Build sump pump box</li>
<li>Install pantry shelving at top of stairs</li>
<li>Wrap the beams with sisal rope (we are <i>those</i> types of people, the cats would love this!)</li>
<li>Install cat door in the basement door </li>
<li>Replace heaters </li>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6wmuhFSeTok/T0rGTdCToXI/AAAAAAAAAUA/SE1of_00gqs/s1600/Cracked+Window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6wmuhFSeTok/T0rGTdCToXI/AAAAAAAAAUA/SE1of_00gqs/s640/Cracked+Window.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The basement view into the french drain. Once we replace the windows, and add a nice white rock to the bottom it should brighten things up considerably! We'll be placing a grate on the top as well to hopefully keep most debris from falling in, besides water.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OqsNP1zcc7I/T06FU5zCQFI/AAAAAAAAAYk/jk6jqeb0Ifs/s1600/DMHBbeam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OqsNP1zcc7I/T06FU5zCQFI/AAAAAAAAAYk/jk6jqeb0Ifs/s640/DMHBbeam.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the beam that we'll have to paint. And you can see how the insulation is just kind of hanging there, naked... I'm worried the cats will find a way to get into it. Right now the plan is to simply staple something to each of the dividing beams, maybe those cheap plastic drop clothes? Not really sure yet.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WKv-q318bM0/T0rG6m2teHI/AAAAAAAAAXY/IMB1nOsAjGc/s1600/Water+Heater+After.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WKv-q318bM0/T0rG6m2teHI/AAAAAAAAAXY/IMB1nOsAjGc/s640/Water+Heater+After.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The water heater that will likely be replaced. We pay almost $200 a <i>year</i> for this bad boy! In November, we'll have been here for six years. <b>$1,200!</b> Buying our own will totally pay for itself.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p-D6lzTVmjg/T0rG3nrvl2I/AAAAAAAAAXE/OoJSVmdrHZc/s1600/Up+Stairs+After.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p-D6lzTVmjg/T0rG3nrvl2I/AAAAAAAAAXE/OoJSVmdrHZc/s640/Up+Stairs+After.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The wall on the right near the door is where I plan to put small shelves to act as a sort of pantry to keep canned goods, extra cleaning supplies, etc.<br />
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Victor has to work this weekend. So many projects to do! Which one should I do?<br />
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</div>Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-17683420293320758572012-02-27T10:02:00.003-08:002012-02-27T12:13:26.980-08:00Basement Project: P1When we moved in, our basement was a leaky mess. It still is, but we’re on our way to recovery. We spent some time this weekend going through everything, cleaning it out. The basement was one of our dumping grounds. I say one because, well, <i>every</i> room is a dumping ground for us. This room though, really takes the cake.<br />
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With its prime location right off the dining room/kitchen, its number one use was to quickly hide anything we didn't want people to see when they were coming over. Under normal circumstances, I suppose at some point you actually need to <i>retrieve</i> these unwanted items to do away with. Us? Nah!<br />
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As you can imagine, this definitely adds up over time. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kJuOA5QS9iI/T0rGsBJm9lI/AAAAAAAAAWI/xr9dX0gpw8Y/s1600/Sump+Area+2+Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kJuOA5QS9iI/T0rGsBJm9lI/AAAAAAAAAWI/xr9dX0gpw8Y/s640/Sump+Area+2+Before.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-68f_h0TF6Kk/T0rGg3lryuI/AAAAAAAAAVI/oXvQ0njLQgI/s1600/Looking+at+Water+Heater+Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-68f_h0TF6Kk/T0rGg3lryuI/AAAAAAAAAVI/oXvQ0njLQgI/s640/Looking+at+Water+Heater+Before.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is what we started with. As you come down into the basement, there is literally stuff every where. Strewn about, no rhyme or reason. The shelves are in the center of the room because on the right side of the images is our leaky area. There's a broken elliptical. It's been broken for, maybe what, 4 years? Instead of dragging it down to the dump, we dragged it into the basement. The shredder on the bottom shelf has probably been there longer. Victor was convinced that some day he'd fix it. Sometimes I wonder if we're sane.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GeNKLudr028/T0rGxEtAV5I/AAAAAAAAAWg/lSPhN3uHsR4/s1600/Sump+Area+Stuff+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GeNKLudr028/T0rGxEtAV5I/AAAAAAAAAWg/lSPhN3uHsR4/s640/Sump+Area+Stuff+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Ga6yZluf0o/T0rGp2QBPwI/AAAAAAAAAV8/w2xnsHmU5mg/s1600/Shelving+Area+Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Ga6yZluf0o/T0rGp2QBPwI/AAAAAAAAAV8/w2xnsHmU5mg/s640/Shelving+Area+Before.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The big boxes behind the tables have been there literally since the day we moved in. You know what's in there? Nothing. They are empty. The old owner had left them there.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yUZVKNfauhs/T0rGSVdb5KI/AAAAAAAAAT4/QEu_q99mCx8/s1600/Bottom+Stairs+Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yUZVKNfauhs/T0rGSVdb5KI/AAAAAAAAAT4/QEu_q99mCx8/s640/Bottom+Stairs+Before.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div>
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This is leaky corner number one. Definitely the worst in the basement. Water seeps through the walls. We've been lucky to only have flooding occasionally (mostly limited to this corner, and only 2-3" deep), but it leaves something to be desired. In our basement project, we plan to scrape off all the paint that is, as you can see, peeling away anyways. We'll be Dryloking the entire basement.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iQ9TvLfFj64/T0rGYGg-feI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/-iLDs99Jefo/s1600/Far+Corner+Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iQ9TvLfFj64/T0rGYGg-feI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/-iLDs99Jefo/s640/Far+Corner+Before.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxEbCpuJ-xU/T0rGcEiiZyI/AAAAAAAAAUo/8ME2P2T9qDo/s1600/Far+Wall+Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxEbCpuJ-xU/T0rGcEiiZyI/AAAAAAAAAUo/8ME2P2T9qDo/s640/Far+Wall+Before.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Leaky corner number two, and the wall next to it. This wall runs all along the outer wall where we have french drains installed. We've inquired to the condo association multiple times about getting them re-done, but our issues with them are vast and numerous and I don't have time to address them here. We spent a little time as we were cleaning everything out scraping down these walls.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4NkzUUu11Uc/T0rG3RtoItI/AAAAAAAAAXA/7MXCxH0RWbY/s1600/Under+Stairs+Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4NkzUUu11Uc/T0rG3RtoItI/AAAAAAAAAXA/7MXCxH0RWbY/s640/Under+Stairs+Before.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Under the stairs (same wall as the leaky corners and french drain). You can see the the paint that was on the floor is mostly coming up. Aside it being dirty, it's not <i>horrible</i> like the rest of the wall.<br />
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All is not lost though! We spent a total of around five hours working to clean everything out and organize everything. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qFlSqFwrTak/T0rGpq1VycI/AAAAAAAAAVw/Uiz7FUoKAw8/s1600/Sump+Area+2+After.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qFlSqFwrTak/T0rGpq1VycI/AAAAAAAAAVw/Uiz7FUoKAw8/s640/Sump+Area+2+After.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is now what you see when you walk into the basement. Sorry for the difference in images, A. I am using my Android's camera, B. It was morning when I took the before, late afternoon when I took the afters, and C. I have zero photography skills what-so-ever. Anyways, this is our sump pump area. The plan is after we get the basement water proofed, this will be a hinged box as the actual hole itself goes under the foundation and the last thing I need is to have a cat get stuck under the house!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DbFTP9qtmJY/T0rGtjc4UNI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/oRJC-cMhuys/s1600/Sump+Area+After.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DbFTP9qtmJY/T0rGtjc4UNI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/oRJC-cMhuys/s640/Sump+Area+After.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Same area just a different view. All the stuff bunched together on the left is what we're getting rid of in the immediate future. The elliptical/glass/pallets will also be going, but when my dad comes to visit with his pick-up truck to make things easier.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X_5MisQ18po/T0rGzjqWrzI/AAAAAAAAAWw/_jocDfM3YlE/s1600/Trash+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X_5MisQ18po/T0rGzjqWrzI/AAAAAAAAAWw/_jocDfM3YlE/s640/Trash+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A close up of all that will be leaving. Note that this picture does not include the four contractor sized trash bags filled to the brim we've already taken to the dumpster.</div>
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Looking toward the back of the basement, you can see that we moved all the shelves along the far wall that does not have any water damage (it's also the wall we share with our neighbors, we're the end unit townhouse). We swept and shop-vac'ed the entire thing, and started scraping down the walls just a little.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fReRW6amLys/T0rGpvwsFUI/AAAAAAAAAV0/JNQYnHBnRgU/s1600/Shelving+Area+After.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fReRW6amLys/T0rGpvwsFUI/AAAAAAAAAV0/JNQYnHBnRgU/s640/Shelving+Area+After.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's a better look at our shelves. I did do a bit more cleaning of them, but forgot to take new pictures so this will have to do. Also, no more cardboard boxes! Who keeps cardboard boxes in a damp basement? Although nothing was actually ruined (!) it's not a good idea. I got the plastic bins from Wal-Mart with a gift card from my Papa, so they were essentially free. My only complaint is they are just a little too wide, and I can't fit two on a shelf with the supports in the way.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qBmDbMiP7V4/T0rGcMltB1I/AAAAAAAAAUs/ftc-KkeBkqY/s1600/Games+Shelf+Close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qBmDbMiP7V4/T0rGcMltB1I/AAAAAAAAAUs/ftc-KkeBkqY/s640/Games+Shelf+Close.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is the left shelf in more detail. Those paper cups and stuff actually came upstairs, and I changed a few other things but again, no new picture... oops. The top most bin holds books and toys, the second has some retro video games (SEGA CD, Super Nintendo, NeoGeo, and some of the original GameBoy games), the third has retro game systems that go with the bin above (SEGA CD, original PlayStation, Super Nintendo, N64, and some other SEGA one that I can't remember the name of). On the bottom shelf are Nintendo Power magazines from 1990-2000 I believe, and the red crate holds all of Victor's car cleaning essentials.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fjyav5ABbO4/T0rGdV4h3NI/AAAAAAAAAU4/-YNsQw3YsF4/s1600/Holiday+Shelf+Close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fjyav5ABbO4/T0rGdV4h3NI/AAAAAAAAAU4/-YNsQw3YsF4/s640/Holiday+Shelf+Close.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Our ceilings are too low in the basement to fit the shelving units at full height, so this is a sort of faux shelf that we made with the left overs. Right now it's housing our Christmas and Halloween decorations, and some extra tile.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7kWzpi8icCg/T0rGjNaCoEI/AAAAAAAAAVY/4uA4TxO9R08/s1600/Paint+Shelf+Close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7kWzpi8icCg/T0rGjNaCoEI/AAAAAAAAAVY/4uA4TxO9R08/s640/Paint+Shelf+Close.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The final shelf is holding our tools/painting supplies. Nothing really to be said about that.</div>
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As I said before, we did scrape the walls to get a little head start on the actual, nitty-gritty scrape that we'll be doing hopefully next week. It has already made a big difference in how the basement looks.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jWu5CthxGoA/T0rGRSgmTII/AAAAAAAAATw/664wjcEctmM/s1600/Bottom+Stairs+After.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jWu5CthxGoA/T0rGRSgmTII/AAAAAAAAATw/664wjcEctmM/s640/Bottom+Stairs+After.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Leaky corner one all scraped out and vacuumed. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lyO83yQSjCY/T0rGYFtu9_I/AAAAAAAAAUU/F32oqTDZvZo/s1600/Far+Wall+After.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lyO83yQSjCY/T0rGYFtu9_I/AAAAAAAAAUU/F32oqTDZvZo/s640/Far+Wall+After.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Leaky corner two and wall. Looks so much better!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-68f_h0TF6Kk/T0rGg3lryuI/AAAAAAAAAVI/oXvQ0njLQgI/s1600/Looking+at+Water+Heater+Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-68f_h0TF6Kk/T0rGg3lryuI/AAAAAAAAAVI/oXvQ0njLQgI/s640/Looking+at+Water+Heater+Before.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's amazing what a little bit of elbow grease and organization will get you. From this...<br />
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To this! (Let's pretend that pile in the front of the camera isn't actually there. When it's finally gone I'll retake this angle.)</div>
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We still have a lot of work to do, but this is a great start! It feels good to get some work done.</div>Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-7995706469264114812012-02-24T07:51:00.000-08:002012-02-24T07:51:02.976-08:00Home Made Laundry Detergent<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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So lately I’ve been reading a lot of articles regarding the
home made laundry detergent powder that a lot of bloggers have been using, I
decided I would give it a go. Not because I’m green, or trendy, or anything
like that. Simply because I’m broke, and each batch is supposed to yield 40 or
so loads. I bought everything at my local Market Basket for a total of $9.68.</div>
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<a href="http://hannaford.gsnrecipes.com/GetImage.aspx?vector=Vsq/AWpPm/cBmJn1FlMpZ+NgRpRqCxtWAZbG+kWHrkke21xRZClo8jdaqitFi03g" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://hannaford.gsnrecipes.com/GetImage.aspx?vector=Vsq/AWpPm/cBmJn1FlMpZ+NgRpRqCxtWAZbG+kWHrkke21xRZClo8jdaqitFi03g" /> </a></div>
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One cup of Washing Soda </div>
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<a href="http://hannaford.gsnrecipes.com/GetImage.aspx?vector=ylArh8GERQbC7MrYB16d3eNgRpRqCxtWAZbG+kWHrkke21xRZClo8jdaqitFi03g" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://hannaford.gsnrecipes.com/GetImage.aspx?vector=ylArh8GERQbC7MrYB16d3eNgRpRqCxtWAZbG+kWHrkke21xRZClo8jdaqitFi03g" /> </a></div>
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One cup of Borax </div>
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<a href="http://hannaford.gsnrecipes.com/GetImage.aspx?vector=HSlzGquVUTAQOKIqnduj8eNgRpRqCxtWAZbG+kWHrkke21xRZClo8jdaqitFi03g" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://hannaford.gsnrecipes.com/GetImage.aspx?vector=HSlzGquVUTAQOKIqnduj8eNgRpRqCxtWAZbG+kWHrkke21xRZClo8jdaqitFi03g" /> </a></div>
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One bar of Ivory Soap (you can use Fels Naptha too) </div>
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Sure, $9.68 might seem like a lot for detergent, but I'll be able to get at least <i>three</i> batches out of it (my Ivory soap came in a pack of three)! So if I'm able to get 120 loads, that comes out to about $.08 a load, or $3.22 per "bottle" of detergent. I used 1tbsp in a load of laundry the other night, and it definitely came out clean. No fake powdery laundry scent, just a plain clean cloth scent. I did read that if you're so inclined, you can add some sort of essential oil to the mix to get that scent, and some of them are anti-bacterial so its a win win!</div>
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Right now I've got my mix sitting in an unattractive plastic container, but there are lots of creative ways to store this stuff. I got most of my information from the <a href="http://www.yellowbrickhome.com/2011/08/31/a-sudsy-update/" target="_blank">Yellow Brick Home</a>, so be sure to check out all the useful things they had to say.</div>Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-45799638997667219112012-02-23T09:06:00.002-08:002012-02-23T09:08:30.402-08:00New Knobs!The knobs I’ve had my eyes on at Anthropology went on sale a few days ago. I was able to pick up the knobs I wanted for our entertainment stand, for $2.95 each! They <i>were</i> $8.00 each.<br />
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<a href="http://images.anthropologie.com/is/image/Anthropologie/073074_060_b?$redesign-appcat$" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.anthropologie.com/is/image/Anthropologie/073074_060_b?$redesign-appcat$" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kNXW7AAgd9o/T0Zw09qxGNI/AAAAAAAAALY/KxHZrIES1j4/s1600/TVstandknob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kNXW7AAgd9o/T0Zw09qxGNI/AAAAAAAAALY/KxHZrIES1j4/s400/TVstandknob.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I even picked up a yellow version for the cabinet I want to put in our bathroom, after we gut the whole thing.<br />
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<a href="http://images.anthropologie.com/is/image/Anthropologie/073073_072_b?$redesign-appcat$" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.anthropologie.com/is/image/Anthropologie/073073_072_b?$redesign-appcat$" /></a></div>
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There is still a lot we have to do to the living room, hopefully I’ll have more to update soon! You can find these knobs at <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/shopsale-decorative/073074.jsp" target="_blank">Anthropolgy</a>, on sale. Total cost of the three knobs? $8.85. All three for the original price of one knob! Score!<br />
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What do you think? I can't wait to see them in!Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-5672530072179608562011-08-14T12:10:00.000-07:002012-02-21T13:48:52.371-08:00Office Before and ProgressSo we've spent the past few months getting ready and doing our mini-renovations which including repainting the entire house, installing new laminate flooring, new trim work, etc. <br />
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This is what the room looked like the day we came to see the house:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2toAWX6rkSo/TkgZef_Wn0I/AAAAAAAAAHA/mx3OD6xE-jM/s1600/condo+067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2toAWX6rkSo/TkgZef_Wn0I/AAAAAAAAAHA/mx3OD6xE-jM/s320/condo+067.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zVtzQLBo3hw/TkgZeBbxJdI/AAAAAAAAAG8/djUo8WIP-TI/s1600/condo+066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zVtzQLBo3hw/TkgZeBbxJdI/AAAAAAAAAG8/djUo8WIP-TI/s320/condo+066.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qSLcgaA9704/TkgZd1YBv_I/AAAAAAAAAG4/dlDCTtzRCXg/s1600/condo+065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qSLcgaA9704/TkgZd1YBv_I/AAAAAAAAAG4/dlDCTtzRCXg/s320/condo+065.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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The previous owner used it as a guest bedroom. It had yellow walls, navy blue carpet, and a spacious sliding door closet. </div>
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This is what the office looked like about two years ago, when it was so messy that we actually moved our desks from the office into the living room in hopes that we'd be less messy. Normal people would've cleaned the room and made it a useable space. We literally closed the doors and left all the trash in there.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HQY_3pSLS5o/TkgaVOgSKeI/AAAAAAAAAHE/ULLaXlk6Sto/s1600/Picture+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HQY_3pSLS5o/TkgaVOgSKeI/AAAAAAAAAHE/ULLaXlk6Sto/s320/Picture+006.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, there is a person in there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rmnoH_ogIvM/TkgaVeUMPyI/AAAAAAAAAHI/uG-YCOganYg/s1600/Picture+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rmnoH_ogIvM/TkgaVeUMPyI/AAAAAAAAAHI/uG-YCOganYg/s320/Picture+007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All trash.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OSEWG7qzCx0/TkgaVxOxUZI/AAAAAAAAAHM/Fp0-NPnCn7I/s1600/Picture+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OSEWG7qzCx0/TkgaVxOxUZI/AAAAAAAAAHM/Fp0-NPnCn7I/s320/Picture+009.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How did we get shit done?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HVUs1cpXUj8/TkgaWCuEPRI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/3LgPum7BNI0/s1600/Picture+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HVUs1cpXUj8/TkgaWCuEPRI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/3LgPum7BNI0/s320/Picture+016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vacuum is clearly for decoration.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This is what the room looks like today:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s-kiLEWm2DI/TkgbJYQjN_I/AAAAAAAAAHU/X8BKpLPrKC8/s1600/2011-08-14+14.42.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s-kiLEWm2DI/TkgbJYQjN_I/AAAAAAAAAHU/X8BKpLPrKC8/s320/2011-08-14+14.42.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cleaned desks, bought some task lighting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uS8tJQ6MGzk/TkgbKaGk7qI/AAAAAAAAAHY/i8Ou93--1_k/s1600/2011-08-14+14.42.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uS8tJQ6MGzk/TkgbKaGk7qI/AAAAAAAAAHY/i8Ou93--1_k/s320/2011-08-14+14.42.12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New flooring/paint.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DDSR68J6Nnc/TkgbLu5TI3I/AAAAAAAAAHc/ZG3nmniZh6U/s1600/2011-08-14+14.42.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DDSR68J6Nnc/TkgbLu5TI3I/AAAAAAAAAHc/ZG3nmniZh6U/s320/2011-08-14+14.42.35.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behr Propoise/Behr Colour matched to Martha's Magnetite.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Clearly, we removed all the shit (almost literally), installed our Pergo Presto Virginia Walnut flooring (thanks for installing it for us, Dad!), painted the room Behr Porpoise, painted the closet Behr colour matched to Martha Stewart's Magnetite, removed the trim, removed the giant eye-sore heater (you can still see the bare wires where we have yet to install the new baseboard heater).<br />
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This room still needs a lot of work, here are things still on the to-do list:<br />
<ul>
<li>Remove funky-old-not-to-code-wiring in the closet</li>
<li>Install last row of flooring once said wires are removed</li>
<li>Re-caulk window</li>
<li>Install casing around window</li>
<li>Hang curtains/hardware</li>
<li>Move computers back in</li>
<li>Paint closet doors/shelving white</li>
<li>Hang art</li>
<li>Install new baseboard moulding</li>
<li>Install new baseboard heater</li>
<li>Install new light fixture </li>
<li>Install new switch plates/outlets/light switches (all white, yay!) </li>
</ul>
Then there are the extra credit things that I'd <b>like</b> to do:<br />
<ul>
<li>Buy sleeper sofa/futon for guests</li>
<li>Buy new bi-fold closet doors</li>
<li>Investigate running Ethernet wiring along baseboard moulding</li>
<li>Install new wire shelving system in closet </li>
<li>Install lighting in closet (repaint lighter?) </li>
</ul>
Here are some additional images of things we have left to do.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ccRVIDQpNBM/Tkgc6ttgBII/AAAAAAAAAHg/eBleFYguMXg/s1600/2011-08-14+14.42.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ccRVIDQpNBM/Tkgc6ttgBII/AAAAAAAAAHg/eBleFYguMXg/s320/2011-08-14+14.42.56.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figure out what these go to, remove.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--20Qzi7sZ0I/Tkgc9K9N4BI/AAAAAAAAAHo/Hu1YkrsewiQ/s1600/2011-08-14+14.44.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--20Qzi7sZ0I/Tkgc9K9N4BI/AAAAAAAAAHo/Hu1YkrsewiQ/s320/2011-08-14+14.44.06.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Re-caulk/Clean window, paint window surround white.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F9yjpGBmwfU/Tkgc-L2_PdI/AAAAAAAAAHs/1ggTYN2d7Xk/s1600/2011-08-14+14.44.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F9yjpGBmwfU/Tkgc-L2_PdI/AAAAAAAAAHs/1ggTYN2d7Xk/s320/2011-08-14+14.44.59.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remove window ledge, sand down/repaint/resintall level.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bLpMKP2M5mY/Tkgc_Teb9GI/AAAAAAAAAHw/voUAiuM4brY/s1600/2011-08-14+14.45.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bLpMKP2M5mY/Tkgc_Teb9GI/AAAAAAAAAHw/voUAiuM4brY/s320/2011-08-14+14.45.12.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paint closet doors/shelving.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tLnRnj5yfEg/TkgdAmOPeKI/AAAAAAAAAH0/7pgCVIwF_HE/s1600/2011-08-14+14.45.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tLnRnj5yfEg/TkgdAmOPeKI/AAAAAAAAAH0/7pgCVIwF_HE/s320/2011-08-14+14.45.26.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Install new light fixture.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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That's right, its actually liveable now! Imagine that! First time in two years. Sad, yes. However, progress is progress.Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-45719875111558423472011-05-31T19:14:00.000-07:002011-08-14T10:10:26.533-07:00Dining Room Mood Board Breakdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FZguW1iiFbg/TeWfHqe0AFI/AAAAAAAAAE0/tIXRkB19-Zc/s1600/Dining+Room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FZguW1iiFbg/TeWfHqe0AFI/AAAAAAAAAE0/tIXRkB19-Zc/s640/Dining+Room.jpg" width="541" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Table: <a href="http://www.westelm.com/products/angled-leg-expandable-table-f667/?pkey=call-dining-room">West Elm Angled Leg Expandable Table</a> $424 (15% off, 10% off w/ Military discount)<br />
Chairs: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/68156009">Ikea IVAR Chair</a> $19 (3 finished white, one finished red)<br />
Paint: Behr's Irish Mist<br />
Light: <a href="http://www.cb2.com/lighting/accessories/eden-pendant-lamp/f4773">CB2 Eden Pendant Light</a> $50<br />
Art: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/61830460/modern-kitchen-art-prints-set-of-3">Etsy Modern Kitchen Prints 3</a> $38<br />
Rug: <a href="http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4286629">World Market Plain Weave Jute Rug 4x6ft</a> $70<br />
Bowl: <a href="http://www.cb2.com/table-top-decor/accessories/coop-bowl/f6466">CB2 Scoop Bowl</a> $25<br />
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Total: $609Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-26161220991681878842011-05-23T21:18:00.000-07:002011-08-14T10:10:40.899-07:00Bathroom Mood Board Breakdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QvkGj8qlkJg/TdstyuH921I/AAAAAAAAAEw/JXq563Bucjo/s1600/Bathroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QvkGj8qlkJg/TdstyuH921I/AAAAAAAAAEw/JXq563Bucjo/s640/Bathroom.jpg" width="541" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Paint: Behr Dark Granite</div>Mirror: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00122822">Ikea HEMNES</a> $50 (painted Martha Stewart's Egg Yolk, high gloss)<br />
Sconces: <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/Bath-Bathroom-Lighting-Wall-Sconces/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbro1Z1z140rt/R-202217379/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053">Progress Lighting Lynzie Collection</a> $40 each (need two)<br />
Shower Curtain: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JK47CI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thiyouhou-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000JK47CI">Cotton X-Long Waffle Shower Curtain</a> $25<br />
Shower Curtain Liner: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/EXTRA-FABRIC-Shower-Curtain-LINER/dp/B000JLKFR8/ref=pd_sim_hg_1">X-Long Fabric Shower Curtain Liner</a> $11<br />
Hooks: <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/Bath/h_d1/N-5yc1vZaq6k/R-202045111/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053">Everbilt Single Robe Hook</a> $4.30 (painted Martha Stewart's Egg Yolk, need two)<br />
Flooring: <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-Tile-Stone-Tile/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbbcuZ1z118bp/R-202039486/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053">US Ceramic Tile Avila Gris 12x24" Porcelain</a> $3.53 sq. ft. (need 50.4 sq. ft.) $178<br />
Bathtub: <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/Bath-Bathtubs-Whirlpools-Whirlpool-Tubs-Air-Baths/h_d1/N-5yc1vZaqsu/R-100479142/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053#BVRRWidgetID">American Standard 5 ft. Whirlpool</a> $599<br />
Wall Alcove: <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/Bath-Tile-Stone-Tile/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbqwbZ1z1195r/R-100209688/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053#BVRRWidgetID">US Ceramic Tile Bright Snow White 3x6"</a> $.23 ea (need 480 sq. ft.) $110.40<br />
Faucet: <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/Bath-Bathroom-Faucets-Tub-Shower-Faucets/h_d1/N-5yc1vZarvr/R-100381724/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053">MOEN Chateau Single-Handle Tub/Shower Faucet</a> $90<br />
Art: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/74442858/paris-postcard-collection-4x6-yellow">Paris Postcard Collection 4x6 Yellow</a> $15<br />
Frames for Art: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20168300">Ikea RIBBA Frame</a> $3 (need 9)<br />
Bath Mat: Already Owned<br />
Bath Hardware: Already Owned<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Project Total: $1,157</div>Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-4387547095512774832011-05-23T16:38:00.000-07:002011-05-23T16:39:05.196-07:00Office Mood Board Breakdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-amyyVid3edk/TdrvOB20QnI/AAAAAAAAAEs/CPNPYbL2k8Y/s1600/Office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-amyyVid3edk/TdrvOB20QnI/AAAAAAAAAEs/CPNPYbL2k8Y/s1600/Office.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a border="1px" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JuCCs-kNAhs/Tdro_gkQC8I/AAAAAAAAAEo/f05BPbi_CUM/s1600/Office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Paint: Behr's Porpoise</div>Light: <a href="http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Geometric-Hanging-Shade/3488807/product.html?rcmndsrc=2">Overstock Geometric Hanging Lamp</a> $95<br />
Curtains: <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=80&startValue=1&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=14661540&parentid=A_DECORATE&sortProperties=+subCategoryPosition,+product.marketingPriority&navCount=0&navAction=jump&color=&pushId=A_DECORATE&popId=APARTMENT&prepushId=&selectedProductSize=">UO Asian Poppy Curtains</a> $32<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rug: <a href="http://www.cb2.com/rugs/accessories/dangerous-liaisons-rug/f6421">Dangerous Liasons Rug</a> $179</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sleeper Couch: <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Atherton-Home-Hudson-Convertible-Lounger-Charcoal/13432419">Convertible Sofa Sleeper in Charcoal</a> $199</div>Desks: Z-Line Desks from Staples, Already Owned<br />
Flooring: Pergo Virginia Walnut from HM, Already Owned<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Total Cost: $537</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-19396990618182355852011-04-19T11:37:00.000-07:002012-02-21T13:44:58.176-08:00Tonight's To-Do ListWell, we finally have some money put aside to get our floors! We've been working lots of over time since I last posted, and I've also finally managed to get a gym membership! So between all the new time-consuming going-ons, I have not been keeping up with the house as much as I'd like. Now that we've got the money for the floors, its time to kick it back up again. Can't get rid of the carpets with all this crap on them!<br />
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<ul>
<li>Load of laundry, one for work clothes, one for gym clothes, one for whites (?)</li>
<li><strike>Load the dishwasher</strike></li>
<li>Wash the pots and pans</li>
<li><strike>Make breakfast melts and muffins for breakfast (recipes to follow, my notations in <span style="color: red;">red</span>)</strike></li>
<li>Sweep kitchen/dining room</li>
<li>Clean off table</li>
<li>Figure out Calories for breakfast things using our products</li>
</ul>
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Will post pics of tonight's progress either tonight or tomorrow!</div>Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-48145134426559876162011-01-21T08:49:00.000-08:002012-02-21T13:52:33.013-08:00Snow Day: Bathroom Before & AfterWell, living in MA has its perks (which I suppose could also be downfalls), being hit with snow storms that deliver two feet of snow granted me with a snow day this past Tuesday. In an effort not to sit on my butt all day, I decided I should get a little work done around the house. After all, tax season is upon us, and my boyfriend promised me flooring with this year's tax return (yay!).<br />
<br />
I forgot to take a lot of before pictures, as I was just in the mood to <i>gitrdone</i> so I'll list what I accomplished, and post the pictures at the end.<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li> Disinfected the half bath downstairs</li>
<li>Washed 4 loads of laundry (and folded one, which is not a common happenstance in this house)</li>
<li>Emptied the dishwasher & refilled it</li>
<li>Wiped down the counters</li>
<li>Packed up all my make up/perfume/clothes/etc. that has been living in the living room for months and toted it all upstairs</li>
<li>Emptied every upstairs bathroom cabinet and drawer, bleached them all inside and out.</li>
<li>Wiped down the heater/switch plates in the same room</li>
<li>Disinfected everything including the shower/toilet/counter</li>
<li>Organized all the cabinets</li>
<li>(I should note somewhere that there were two FULL 30 gallon black trash bags full of stuff from the upstairs bathroom- ew!)</li>
<li>Discovered I had 4 bottles of orange cleaner throughout the house, consolidated them down to two</li>
<li>Dusted & reorganized the hutch </li>
<li>Made dinner and mostly cleaned up after it</li>
</ul>
It was a pretty full day! I got a lot of things done, and felt much better about it. I've even got my own make up drawer and one dedicated solely to nail polish! Splendid!<br />
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<i>Note: The bathroom before pics were actually taken DURING. I know, its hard to believe it looked worse than that before I started...</i><br />
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I can't figure out how to work the images/tables on this blog application. I think I'll be looking for a new one shortly, no matter what I do it never aligns things right, even when I type out the script myself, it adds all this extra spacing and shit I can't seem to delete..<br />
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</center>Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-2928190782744700742011-01-09T16:56:00.000-08:002011-01-09T17:06:05.676-08:00Kitchen Salvation Army DonationsAfter getting all the dishes done, I gathered together all the items that I planned on donating to Salvation Army. They are all pieces of the first sets I bought when we got the house, most of the rest of their partners having been broken and/or lost.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSpYCVPY3KI/AAAAAAAAADQ/3xuj2p2YmlU/s1600/2011-01-09+17.00.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSpYCVPY3KI/AAAAAAAAADQ/3xuj2p2YmlU/s320/2011-01-09+17.00.16.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donations Gathered on Bar</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSpYE_AItuI/AAAAAAAAADY/XzVyN6la4SE/s1600/2011-01-09+17.01.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSpYE_AItuI/AAAAAAAAADY/XzVyN6la4SE/s200/2011-01-09+17.01.29.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSpYEbWYvDI/AAAAAAAAADU/ut3edtes4qw/s1600/2011-01-09+17.01.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSpYEbWYvDI/AAAAAAAAADU/ut3edtes4qw/s200/2011-01-09+17.01.18.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSpYFWR66oI/AAAAAAAAADc/ukPpmngdTTQ/s1600/2011-01-09+17.01.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSpYFWR66oI/AAAAAAAAADc/ukPpmngdTTQ/s200/2011-01-09+17.01.39.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<ul><li>1 Muffin Tin</li>
<li>1 Potato Masher</li>
<li>1 Pasta Spoon Thing</li>
<li>1 Grill Fork</li>
<li>1 Tenderizer </li>
<li>6 Steak Knives</li>
<li>2 Dinner Forks</li>
<li>2 Dessert Forks</li>
<li>2 Soup Spoons</li>
<li>3 Small Spoons</li>
<li>4 Butter Knives</li>
<li>7 Dessert Plates</li>
<li>2 Bowls</li>
<li>11 Coffee Mugs (we drink a lot of coffee...)</li>
<li>4 Small Glasses</li>
<li>4 Big Glasses</li>
</ul>Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-40311950555529367702011-01-09T13:55:00.000-08:002011-01-09T17:05:27.136-08:00Desk Before and AfterCurrently our desks are in our living room, which I haven't finished tackling yet.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSouiLKFWPI/AAAAAAAAAC4/naMAK9Jdm4k/s1600/2011-01-09+13.21.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSouiLKFWPI/AAAAAAAAAC4/naMAK9Jdm4k/s320/2011-01-09+13.21.18.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Desk Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoukYJaGYI/AAAAAAAAADM/rriedFpLBdA/s1600/2011-01-09+15.33.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoukYJaGYI/AAAAAAAAADM/rriedFpLBdA/s320/2011-01-09+15.33.57.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Desk After</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSouivbQ9fI/AAAAAAAAAC8/BqxImUjhIfU/s1600/2011-01-09+13.21.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSouivbQ9fI/AAAAAAAAAC8/BqxImUjhIfU/s320/2011-01-09+13.21.26.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Center of Desks Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoujwmtwqI/AAAAAAAAADI/ZcWIgNETmDs/s1600/2011-01-09+15.33.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoujwmtwqI/AAAAAAAAADI/ZcWIgNETmDs/s320/2011-01-09+15.33.45.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Center Desks After</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoujWrS8CI/AAAAAAAAADA/RACj1L79c9g/s1600/2011-01-09+13.21.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoujWrS8CI/AAAAAAAAADA/RACj1L79c9g/s320/2011-01-09+13.21.41.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His Desk Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoujkhx-JI/AAAAAAAAADE/Pteb9e7fZvk/s1600/2011-01-09+15.33.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoujkhx-JI/AAAAAAAAADE/Pteb9e7fZvk/s320/2011-01-09+15.33.28.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His Desk After</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-55534066495628809772011-01-09T13:11:00.000-08:002011-01-09T14:03:33.084-08:00Kitchen Before and AfterSo this weekend I decided to tackle the downstairs, which was a little messier than I thought it was. Overall, this took about an hour to get everything put back into shape.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoheViHxhI/AAAAAAAAACI/J-Jp3FOKkdg/s1600/2011-01-08+12.14.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoheViHxhI/AAAAAAAAACI/J-Jp3FOKkdg/s320/2011-01-08+12.14.23.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stove Before</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSohodB6fSI/AAAAAAAAACU/65pxvbt1cFo/s1600/2011-01-08+13.16.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSohodB6fSI/AAAAAAAAACU/65pxvbt1cFo/s320/2011-01-08+13.16.10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stove After</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSohiQbdCII/AAAAAAAAACM/b9CP20urC-o/s1600/2011-01-08+12.14.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSohiQbdCII/AAAAAAAAACM/b9CP20urC-o/s320/2011-01-08+12.14.32.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sink Before</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSohqg3YsbI/AAAAAAAAACY/6WZeJBslXgo/s1600/2011-01-08+13.16.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSohqg3YsbI/AAAAAAAAACY/6WZeJBslXgo/s320/2011-01-08+13.16.19.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sink After</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSohlYyXv8I/AAAAAAAAACQ/84vDzEcv22M/s1600/2011-01-08+12.15.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSohlYyXv8I/AAAAAAAAACQ/84vDzEcv22M/s320/2011-01-08+12.15.12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSohs4LDBPI/AAAAAAAAACc/xCnRZW1B_EY/s1600/2011-01-08+13.16.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSohs4LDBPI/AAAAAAAAACc/xCnRZW1B_EY/s320/2011-01-08+13.16.41.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen After</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I also did the refrigerator, took everything out, bleached the inside and all the components, and refilled it. It desperately needed it.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoin_kEDHI/AAAAAAAAACw/74rgbKXzt9Y/s1600/2011-01-08+14.56.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoin_kEDHI/AAAAAAAAACw/74rgbKXzt9Y/s320/2011-01-08+14.56.10.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Door After</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoimnCLc8I/AAAAAAAAACg/EyEj5Ikgnw8/s1600/2011-01-08+13.25.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_koamzafvUE0/TSoimnCLc8I/AAAAAAAAACg/EyEj5Ikgnw8/s320/2011-01-08+13.25.52.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Door Before</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Body Before</td></tr>
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</tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-319400679214403203.post-88180496825494718192010-10-17T09:41:00.001-07:002012-02-21T13:42:33.545-08:00Dirty Messy House Blog 101<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the story of two kids and their adventures in first-time home ownership. I, Laura, will be the main contributor to this blog in the hopes that sharing my awfully lazy story in house wrecking will help me fix the damages and live a happier, healthier life.<br />
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My boyfriend and I bought our condo in the late winter of 2006. A cute, updated, 1044 sq foot end condo unit in a quiet neighborhood full of condos. A man approaching his 50s had owned it for the past 11 years, and kept it in very good shape, recently updating the kitchen and bathrooms before selling it. Perfect for two kids starting their future together.<br />
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I'd like to clarify that no, we are not hoarders. I make no excuse for our slovenly lives, or our laziness. It is something I hope to remedy, in 2011. I'll turn 25 soon, and its about time I started living like an adult! </div>
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</div>Laura @ DMHBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08561954052569059038noreply@blogger.com0