What real people do

I have this picture in my mind of what real people do.

Real people get up at the same time every day and eat breakfast.
Real people dress appropriately for work.
Real people eat lunch.
Real people go home at around the same time every day.
Real people eat dinner.
Real people have some leisure time in the evening.
Real people go to bed at a decent hour.
Real people do the dishes regularly.
Real people buy new clothes when their old ones are worn-out.
Real people spend some time with friends and family regularly.
Real people have hobbies that they tend to on a regular basis.

I don't do most of those things on any sort of regular basis. I get up at a different time each day and I eat at random times throughout the day. I don't do things a little bit or moderately. I either do them right and right now, or I don't do them at all.

People pick up a hobby. I decided to learn how to play the piano, and memorized entire leaflets of piano notes within a few months.

People have a plant or two. I planted about 30-some different plants, herbs and vegetables when I decided I wanted a plant.

I'm either going 180 mph or not at all. My car's roof is taped up with shiny, silver plumbing tape and an extra-thick black trash bag. I wear the same five shirts over and over and over again, and I've had most of them for at least 3 years. I buy multiple pairs of my favorite pants so I can wear them more often (read: every day). I probably own about 150 shirts and 50 pairs of pants/skirts/shorts, and I'm pretty sure that most of them haven't been worn more than a couple of times, if that.

Someone recently told me that my picture of real people is unrealistic. Hardly anyone has a routine that they follow to the t, and most people have a certain degree of chaos in their lives. I just feel that my life is more chaos than routine.

I have a feeling that owning a house and having a real, physical place to call home may help with the chaos in my life. I hope it doesn't make me boring.

"We can see everything!"

Is what my across-the-street neighbors said about my lack of curtains.

Needless to say, I was appalled, both at the fact that people could see (no worries, nothing incriminating happened, I think), and that they would tell me so matter-of-factly. They even complimented my choice of color for the walls. I guess they could REALLY see.

I measured all the windows tonight and by mid-week every window that faces a neighbor will hopefully be adorned by some sort of view-obstructing piece of fabric.

Box Spring

Where I'm from there are no box springs. There are just beds and mattresses.

About a year ago I bought a brand-new bed with a box spring, and while the bed frame is absolutely great, the whole box spring and mattress combination left me wondering if I would have been better off spending my money on a platform-style bed.

The mattress seemed to sag, and despite my frequent and sometimes middle-of-the-night-frantic efforts at flipping and turning the mattress did not alleviate this problem. I was sad, because I had spent more money on that mattress than on a month's rent (add the bed and box spring and you're up to three months' rent. ouch), yet I woke up every morning with aches and pains.

For several months I had seriously considered buying a new mattress, but put it off, because I knew I would be moving sometime over the summer. So last week I moved, and the box spring for my queen-sized bed did not fit up the staircase. Four people tried, someone removed a window, things were shoved and pushed, but the box spring was not going anywhere. I was a little bit excited, because now I had an excuse to buy a new bed, or at least get rid of my mattress.

I actually went and looked at full-sized beds, but they are just a little short, so I mulled and moped for a few days until I realized that my mattress (now on the living room floor) was actually extremely comfortable! I concluded that the problem was NOT the super-expensive pillow-top mattress, but the box spring! So, I thought to myself, maybe I could transform my box-spring wood-frame bed into a platform bed! After consulting several handy men and women I set out with a plan and measurements, and with the wood cutting department at the home improvement store that is not orange, I soon found myself in my bedroom with a pile of 2x6's and some plywood. After two hours, my mom and I had successfully converted my bed into a platform bed and I dare say it looks good!

Unfortunately there are no pictures of the process because my camera is on an extended vacation. I will post pictures of the end result.

Cost of the conversion: $80 in lumber and screws
The averted costs of new mattress and/or new bed: $1000+
Having the neighbors think that you're crazy with all the wood bashing and drilling at 10pm: priceless.

Things I will miss...

and things I will NOT miss about living in the apartment I lived in until last week and/or apartment life in general.

Things I will miss:

• my roommate (10 months and no arguments or fights!)
• the short walk to school
• the large semi-walk-in closet in my room
• my roommate's cats
• the large hallway closets
  

Things I will NOT miss:

• my roommate's cats' fur and litter box
  
• not being able to paint the walls or make any other "major" changes to the place
• the tiny bathroom
• the turquoise tiles in the bathroom
• the lack of counter space in the kitchen
• the lack of ample kitchen cabinetry
• the fruit flies that came with my indoor gardening
• the gas stove with a giant food-devouring hole around each burner
  
• the extra short toilet
• the smell of cigarette smoke downstairs and in the elevator
• the maintenance men walking in 2 seconds after knocking on the door without waiting to see if anybody was home
  
• the elevator door that regularly jammed into my (insert appendage or body part here)
• having to drag my bike up and down the stairs from the basement
• paying $1 for laundry and $0.75 for the dryer
• paying another $0.75 for the dryer because the first round didn't actually dry anything
• having permanent stains on my clothes because the washers were so old and inefficient
• having to wait 3 hours to do laundry because everyone else was also doing laundry
• finding my freshly washed and mostly dried clothes on the nasty couch next to the washers
  
• being scolded by the ladies in the landlord's office for changing my own light bulbs
• handing half my monthly pay over to the landlord
  
• dead bugs in the cheap-o light fixtures
• the lack of dishwasher
• the nails that stuck up from the hardwood floor and ruined almost every pair of socks I have, and one pair of long pants!
  
• waiting 5 minutes for the hot water to come on
• the lack of a fan in the bathroom and the subsequent mold/mildew
  
• the lack of control over the heating system (I wore shorts around the apartment ALL winter long, even when it was below zero outside)
• the fear of never seeing my security deposit (two months' rent) again (the lady in the office assured me yesterday that I'd be getting it all back, most likely... I'll believe it when I see it)
  
• getting mail addressed to every person who has lived in the apartment over the past 20 years or so
• having someone over only to hear them say "these two weird girls lived here last year, they had the same couch you guys have, and ya, they were strange".
  
• the constant feeling of impermanence and lack of a true home.

I can honestly say that I don't have any true regrets about quitting life in an apartment. When I have to mow the lawn after a 10-hour day at school/work, or the water heater mysteriously stops working, or the power goes out, I'll be sure to think of all the things I don't miss about living in apartment.

Tired

This week has been just one thing: tiring. I wake up tired, I go to bed tired, and in between I just work, work, work, and then work some more.

I have a big presentation at school tomorrow, and the preparations for it have been exhausting (mentally), and when I'm not preparing for the presentation I'm trying to get things in order at the house, and when I'm not doing either of those things I'm out trying to find some part to some thing in the house that needs fixing. I also have another project due Friday, and by the looks of it, it won't get done unless I pull an all-nighter tomorrow. Judging by my current state, that will not happen, which means I'll be working on that over the weekend. And on Monday I start work in my permanent "lab home" for the next 4 or so years.

I'm tired.

The programmable thermostat works!

How do I know? I had to turn on the heat, because it is 40 degrees outside.

And who needs heating vents anyways.

Coming attractions for the next two days: electrician and professional painter (for the convoluted hallways).

You want to clean what?

My mom has arrived, minus luggage at first, but that didn't keep her from making me drive to W.almart, L.owe's and AT.&T store the minute I got out of school today. She bought every conceivable cleaning agent and many cleaning utensils at W.almart, claiming that one really does need a glove that looks like a mixture between a shag rug and wet cookie monster to clean properly. By the time we walked out of Lowe's I was ready to just stop, drop and sleep. I am already exhausted and we haven't done anything to the house yet!!

To start my mom's 3.5-week stay in style we are going camping this weekend, well fake-camping at a camp with cabins, but no electricity! I really look forward to the green and quiet, and the smells of the country and the woods.

Happy Weekend!

Frustration

I know it's a bit early in the game for frustration to settle in, but I had a few pull-my-hair-out-moments today. None of them were major disasters (at least not yet), but each one is a potentially time-consuming, and in the worst case, expensive problem I will have to hire someone to fix.

I can't get the drain pipe out of the hot water tank. I can't turn the tank on until I get the drain pipe out, buy a replacement pipe (the current one is missing a valve) and install the new pipe. I really don't want to call a plumber just to unscrew a pipe that some Hercules screwed on. (good news, sort of, is that there may be more work for this plumber - read on)

I managed to turn on the water, with some help from the water company guy (very helpful!!), but for some reason, there is NO water in the shower. I started to take the shower apart, but stopped after a few minutes, because I was afraid water would come gushing out at me.

I bought and installed hoses for the washer, but I can't test the washer because the outlet doesn't work. There is no other outlet within easy reach. That means I have to install a whole new outlet, possibly from scratch from the breaker box, which is, luckily, only 10 feet away.

The dryer works, but there are coils or something else inside the back of the drum that get glowing red hot. I do not want glowing red hot coils near my clothes.

On the up-side, the hardwood guys started their work today. However, it seems that their day went sort of like mine. What they thought would be some simple weaving in of some new boards turned into the construction of two new pieces of support brackets for the floor. It took them 4 hours to construct these brackets, and the highlight of my day was that they are NOT going to charge me for that work :) I saw them put the first coat of polyurethane on and the floors look AMAZING! I'm so glad I decided to have them refinished instead of throwing some carpet down.

So today's tally is:
-one non-functioning water-heater
-one dangerous non-usable dryer
-one questionable washer
-one non-functioning shower

The things I was afraid to touch today:
-the furnace and the corresponding non-existent thermostat
-the sump pump that is submerged in its hole, and plugged into a non-functioning outlet.

And that reminds me that I left all the breakers ON at the house, and that most of the electrical wiring is iffy right now. Gotta go!!!

PS: I went and turned off the electricity. I also realized I hadn't locked the front door or the side door. A little while ago I realized I left the kitchen windows open.

PPS: I just bought a new washer and a new dryer (online, I did look at them at the store a few weeks back though). the old ones are listed for free on craigslist. I realized that I really didn't want to use a dirty, potentially dangerous dryer and an equally sketchy washer. Even if they had worked, I would have replaced them before the year was out. Now I'm happy. My budget, however, can't take ANY more major hits like this!!

PPPS: If I wasn't so tired I'd post some pictures of the hardwood floor, but I can barely move.

Hardwood Floor Windows

I officially took possession of my new old house on Friday, and the first thing I did was run for cover. I spent the weekend visiting friends, knowing it would probably be about 2 months until I would be able to spend a weekend there again.

Today, however, it's back to reality and the joys of home-ownership are starting to creep up on me. OK. They're hitting me like a moving train. I have a few appointments today for various people to come to the house for various estimates and such. 8am, 4.30pm, 5pm, 5.30pm and between 5 and 9pm. I met someone at the house at 8am this morning and started showing him the hardwood floors in need of refinishing, asking if I should pull up the tacks from the former carpet. He looked at me, slightly puzzled, and said "I'm here to look at some windows."

I'm just hoping the other people coming today know what they're there for, or I just might end up asking the "home energy assessor" (aka. insulation guy) to please change my locks. Who knows, maybe he'll do it!?

New Used Furniture

Furniture is insanely expensive. Who has the money to spend $500, $600, or even $1000 on a dining room table with chairs? My house came without furniture (which is OK), and I own very little furniture (bed, dresser, desk, office chair, wooden chair, two bookshelves). The large private University in town recently ended the spring semester, and the exodus of students left behind a lot of furniture. I've been craigslisting and garage sale-ing to find a dining room table with chairs, one or two couches, a coffee table, shelving and whatever other cool furniture I can find.

Yesterday I got a (potentially very) nice hutch/bar for the kitchen with some stools, a coffee table and a TV with a built-in DVD player - all for less than $100 (combined). The hutch needs a good cleaning, some paint and some refinishing, but I like it a lot. It's stored in someone's garage for the week, so no pictures yet, but I'll be sure to post some before and after pics. So exciting. I really enjoy refinishing/fixing up furniture.

I do still need a dining room table and a couch or two, but it's not super urgent, since I have about two weeks until I can move any furniture into the house.

The Mother of all To Do Lists

I like lists. I frequently make lists, and unless I lose them they usually come in handy. Most of my lists are small. groceries, clothes, household items, errands.

Now, however, I have to make a much bigger list.
Things I have to do/have done to make my new house livable.

-replace two windows in the kitchen
-refinish hardwood floor in living + dining room
-install lamps in every room
-install outlet covers on every outlet
-paint kitchen
-paint living room
-paint dining room
-paint bedroom x 3
-install kitchen cabinets and counter-top, and kitchen shelving
-install dishwasher
-install range hood (possibly with microwave)
-install light switches
-install thermostat(s)
-install heating vents
-buy and put in two doors
-till a portion of the garden to plant vegetables
-plant garden
-mow lawn and tame the crazy hedges
*-insulate attic, possibly the whole house
*-put up curtains/blinds
*-cosmetic touch-ups in the bathroom
*-replace washer & dryer
*-replace one outside door
*-paint front porch
*-find cheap furniture (craigslist, garage sales, unwanted furniture from the side of the road, etc.)
(items marked * are optional and/or non-urgent and may happen if there's room in the budget after all essentials have been completed)
I'm sure I'm forgetting something, and whatever it is, I hope it's not a big item.

Just looking at this list makes me want to curl up in a ball and go to sleep for a few weeks. I will hire someone else to do the bigger things (hardwood floors, kitchen, windows, insulation), but everything else will be done by me and my mother when she comes to visit. She's a good painter, and also much less messy than I am. She's also a very motivated person, and I know there won't be much idleness and relaxing until that list is worked off.

Now all I have to do is wait for closing day, and then the madness can commence.

Let me know if you need any help...

In less than two weeks I will be the proud owner of this 89 year-old house - an 89 year-old house that needs some TLC (read: for at least a couple of months, every free minute and spare penny will be spent on renovations).So far project house has taken up very little of my time. Over the last 4 weeks I have done the following:

• Finding a realtor: 1 hour (thanks to some awesome friends)
  
• Looking for a house before putting a (winning) bid on one: 5 hours
• Buying appliances: 3 hours
  
• Picking out kitchen cabinets and countertop: 10 hours
• Picking out colors, er, 200 different swatches of sample colors for all the rooms: 1 hour
• Search the internet for various ideas for cabinets, colors, etc.: 3 hours
  

I just told a few friends I was hanging out with tonight that so far this whole buying a house thing has not been stressful or burdensome. They didn't quite believe me, but it's true. It took a LOT more time and infinitely more stress to find an apartment a year ago. I've been really lucky finding a house I liked (and could afford) as quickly as I did, and there really haven't been any major stepping stones or obstacles (knock on wood). I still go to school/work every day, and I still do everything I usually do.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, since I'm really excited) all this is about to hit the fan. Closing day is less than 2 weeks away and I had better hit the ground running! I hope the people who have offered to help (mainly with painting) realize I plan on taking every last one of them up on their offers of help.

Life without a kitchen

In 4 short weeks I will be moving out of my apartment and into the house, no matter what kind of state the house is in. I hope I can have the downstairs hardwood floor refinished before then, and the kitchen painted. However, there definitely will not be a kitchen in the house yet. Cabinets take 4 weeks to order, and countertop takes 4, sometimes even 5 weeks. I am also very hesitant to order the cabinets and countertop before I've closed on the house, because you never know what might happen.

So, the bottom line is that I will be without a kitchen for about 2 weeks. I can't afford to eat out for every meal (my eating out budget is one dollar per day, which equals about 3-4 lower end eat-out occasions per month or 1 to 2 higher end occasions). I can't go to someone's house every day to eat, and I also can't use someone else's kitchen to cook.

I've tried to come up with a list of things one can eat without a stove, fridge and microwave. Basically, what can one eat without a kitchen? (luckily there is a sink in the bathroom)

• ketchup (does NOT need to be refrigerated)
• bread
• peanut butter (am I the only person who finds PB revolting?
• jam
• food that comes in a bag and is horribly unhealthy (chips, oreos, pretzels, etc.)
• fruit
• vegetables (if eaten fairly quickly after buying them)

Any other ideas out there? Maybe the water in the bathroom is hot enough to make instant noodles?

Just the sight of that list is making me hungry (as in - I don't want to eat those things for 2 weeks, so I'll probably end up being really hungry).

Kitchen

The house I recently bought, and am waiting to close on, came without a kitchen. No appliances, no cabinets, no sink - just walls, windows, a water pipe and a gas pipe. I knew that there was no kitchen when I put a bid on the house, so I knew what I was in for. Here is the kitchen in all it's stuff-less glory:

Over the course of the past two weeks I have spent a total of almost 9 hours at two different kitchen planning places. One was a large, national DIY home improvement store (not the orange one...), and the other one was a specialized, local kitchen and bathroom place. I enjoyed the service at both places. The atmosphere was admittedly a little more ritzy at the small local place, whereas the prices were better at the large chain.

I could launch into a tirade on buying local and supporting the local economy, but the bottom line is: I only have so much money to spend on a kitchen. Sure, it would be nice to spend the money someplace other than a national chain, but it looks like I just can't afford it. Plus, no cabinets are made locally, so wherever I spend my money, the bulk of it will go someplace entirely unlocal anyways.

Wherever I end up buying the kitchen, I have to order it next week, since delivery takes four weeks and I'm moving out of my apartment at the end of May. Any advice on kitchen-buying would be appreciated.

I guess I have to make some jam now

I went to the store this past week to buy two canning jars, but apparently you can't just buy one or two. They come in boxes of a dozen. I am not the proud owner of 12 canning jars. For now 10 of the jars are on the shelf, while the other two are being used as sprout-growing vessels. This blog is about the 10 jars I have left. Perhaps I will make some jam.

This blog is also about my other pursuits to make life just a little more bearable and fun. I go to school during the day, but when I get home I like to garden (in a 4th floor apartment). Due to a lucky sequence of events I am about to become a first-time homeowner, so my 4th floor garden will move into my very small yard in a few weeks. This blog is also about the house, and the garden, and my attempts to take care of them. I don't own a screwdriver or a shovel (other than the snow kind), so please join me on my journey to becoming a gardening, homesteading single female graduate student. My house came without a kitchen, so the next few weeks should be interesting.

Welcome. Take a seat, but please, make sure you don't accidentally break any jars. They only come by the dozen!