Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Window Coverings

We have been living without window coverings for most of the house since we moved in.  That wasn't so bad with the old windows as for some strange reason you couldn't see through them from outside.  It was almost as if the glass was wavy and it blurred us from the outside world.  This was good as I could get changed and not worry about becoming too close to my neighbours! 

Today I got the to-do list and it had mention of putting up our new simple Ikea curtains in the master bedroom and also to put up the old roman blind in the bathroom.  Simple task?  The name "Rookie" was a true statement as I haven't put up curtains before so here is the 1/3 done room and the finished one.

 You can see the shutters that we had to cover up the lower body parts while we dressed.
 Here is how it looks with privacy.

Now the upstairs washroom also has it so RC isn't waving at our neighbours while she takes a bath.  No wonder the guy next door is so nice to me.... grrr. *evil eye looking right at Reno Chick*  Maybe covering the window entirely will be my full solution to this issue.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Job Search - Hunter

So I told Reno Chick that maybe I should become a hunter to save on costs for our food.  She told me to start to hunt the dust bunnies around the house!

Time to search harder for a job!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Job Search - Annoying

Recently, I started up a job search to get me back into the workforce.  I can only put floors into the house for so long before RC wants me bring home some cash.

So today I was quite happy when I got a call from Job Success and they wanted me to come in right away for a job interview.  The company didn't seem familiar to me so I looked up their address online and got this following site with my google search.  Upon calling them back and asking how they got my resume they couldn't answer my questions.  What job did I apply for that requires my time tomorrow?  Can you get someone who does know to call me?  All of a sudden they are happy to just let me call them when I am in town next time to meet up with them.  Anytime.... grrr.

So if you ever get a call from these fools at 350 Bay St. 9th Floor (I spoke to a lady named Susan) just don't waste your time showing up.

Now I can get back to applying to jobs and writing a few cover letters.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Early Valentine's Day

I love to celebrate most occasions at slightly different times so it doesn't feel so commercial.  Or in the case of some events it really saves cash and it feels more real.  It works well if you don't tell the significant other what you are up to and just surprise them when they return from another day of work.  Last night was one of those nights where the flowers were arranged by RC's daughter and me.

As you can see we aren't super skilled at arranging flowers (or in setting a table!) but it still had the intended results of a happy RC.  And in the end that is all that matters to us.  One day we will get to hanging that mirror in the upstairs washroom and it is sitting on our above the range microwave.  No wonder why we didn't post any pictures of this room yet!

Tonight I forgot to take a cool picture of the pot roast that I cooked with all the fixings.  Another super meal where the usefulness of the Lodge 6 qt Dutch Oven really helped.  Who knew that a Dutch Oven was so easy to clean and it is non-stick and goes from stove top to the oven.... thank goodness Julia Child requires this type of pot for so many recipes.  The only problem is that the waistline is going to start to expand since the food tastes so much better than what is available at most restaurants.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Finally got the doors up.

We have been quite slow on getting anything done in this new year but that has to change.  Today I decided to put up the doors on the closet in the master bedroom.  Reno Chick was great yesterday at showing me how to put in the first door.

Now all I have to do is find something at Ikea to fit on top of these to extend them to the ceiling.  At least that is the thought right now.  I do have to find a way to build them in so it has a much better finished look.  This will start with the right side which requires new drywall and I will frame it to the ceiling.  Since I have never drywalled anything this is going to be a lot of fun.  Anyone with any helpful tips? Unhelpful tips?!

One other detail that we need to fix is to put some handles on this but I am sure that Reno Chick has something in mind.

I have a little one running around downstairs that is probably hungry so time to find some food and do grocery shopping.  The renovation doesn't stop because it is a PA day!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Kids and Boots

RC has a six year old daughter who I drive to and pick up from work each school day.  Yesterday she managed to lose a boot from the time I picked her up at school to the time I got her to the house.  Of course I didn't notice that any items were missing until this morning.

So off to school she goes this morning without proper boots and we had no luck in locating it in her classroom.  Then this afternoon when I go to pick her up I park in the same spot as yesterday and I see the following:

The boot was safely returned!  Who knew kids could make something like getting boots home so challenging?!

Acclamation

It has been a good month of offers on GroupOn for Hamilton food.  A lot of them can even be used towards the alcohol portion of the bill which is cool.  This last weekend we went to Acclamation on James St. North using our $15 gets you $30 coupon.  I had a great burger while Reno Chick went for a steak.  Now normally I would follow that lead on the steak but about a month ago we went to this restaurant and a friend had the burger and it has been on my mind since then. 

This place has a really cool lounge in the basement which I will try to get our couples group to use sometime in the future.  If you are in Hamilton and looking for a good place to eat I would recommend Acclamation.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Bench - First Woodworking Job

Woodworking isn't as easy as it looks but I tackled my first project.  On the Ana White blog they have plans to create lots of different things for the house using a minimum of tools to create.  We really wanted a bench and shelf for our foyer and she had plans for us to build them.  Of course we wanted the Pottery Barn version but it costs so much for just the bench so I attempted to make it for approx. $100 (paint will get us just over that price).  I still have to make the shelf and will probably need a bit more wood but I won't buy it from Home Depot as the pine was all curved and made the job so much tougher.

It would have helped if I didn't return the mitre saw that I was using as my cuts would have been a bit straighter than me using a circular saw.  Also the design would be better if I mitred the corners instead of just butting them against each other.  In the future I will probably attempt to make this bench again but with better wood and better experience working with wood. 

I will say that everyone out there can do these plans from Ana's blog and you should attempt them.  Consider it a new challenge to tackle something no one thinks you can do.  I am sure your first creation will be as crooked as mine but Reno Chick tells me she loves it so that is all that matters to me.  That and not falling off of it when I attempt to tie my shoes of course!

Here it is in all of its glory but prior to painting and some beadboard that will be the backing for it.  Reno Chick will take care of those little details!  I am sure she will also change the Winter Classic cushions to something a bit more sophisticated.  See what happens if you leave the guy to do the decorating?!

Our 2011 Goals

We will have many home improvement and decorating projects to tackle in 2011 and it makes us so happy to share and document our adventures. Our detailed to do list is very long but our focus for 2011 will be:

-Having a lot of fun. 
-Taking at least one big trip (preferably to Mexico) and a few weekends away (New York, Chicago, a Golf destination)
-Loving our kids, each other, family and friends. We lost our dear friend this year so 2010 has some awful memories.
-Paint, paint and paint some more will be a major theme. This will be the lowest cost way that we can think of to really freshen up and restyle our place.  There is no surface (including all ceilings) that does not need to be touched.
-Decorate to make this place feel like our home. This is the part that excites me!!!
-Purchase a rental property...heck let's renovate that too.
-Build our investment portfolio which has been depleting over this last year. It's time to focus on saving again.
-Cook at home more often, make sure left overs get eaten and continue the habit of bringing  lunch to work every day.

Happy New Year!!! It's time for us to get renovating again.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Back from Pittsburgh

Just got back yesterday from Pittsburgh where we went to the Winter Classic to watch the Penguins vs. the Capitals.  I just love that city but it sure is a tough place to get a cab.  Luckily we have been working on the walking around our city so it wasn't too painful for me.  Here are a couple pictures of the arena to show you where we were sitting and how awesome it was to watch a hockey game from the inside of a football stadium.






Another exciting game to remember just like game 1 and 7 of the finals in 2008.
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