baby, it's cold outside.

note to self: driveway etiquette

winter, we love you...but please give us a break [read: more snow!]

there's nothing i love more then a little snow during the holidays...even if it threatens to close the city!here's a little tip we picked up in a magazine: punch a few holes with your fist in the snow leading up to your entry. place tea lights in the holes for instant winter-walkway lighting!


here's the view down our street. so quiet; so nice.


tonight, andrea and i walked down to olde burien. i really wished it snowed here every winter; maybe with the climate shift we'll start getting snow!


i loved how the majority of the businesses kept their signs burning.


andrea was sad to see that the b-town scoop was closed. maybe we can get a scoop another time!


resting for the walk home.


the owner of this sweet old jeep came out of the tin room and told me to come by tomorrow with this photo and he'd give me some 'dough' for it. i'd rather have some 'dan the sausage-man' sausage. i might have to stop down and bargain!


wanting to draw out our walk, we opted for taking the alley home.


this. is. the. notorious. COOP.

it seems that whenever i buildup a lot of steam on a project, something intercedes to slow me down. this project is no exception.

the laundry area is almost done. i just need to paint some wainscoting, finish up the trim, and buy/cut/stain/install the counter.

i'm happy to say, that the pantry-side is a little closer to being done. just a little trim and paint.

until the new year, we're on hold. :)

winter is here.

the winter season is upon us. we just got a freak snow storm... three inches. and it's COLD.
here's our cottage laden with snow.

we pulled into the drive at quarter till two in the morning, ran inside to grab the camera, and headed around the corner to take some wintry photos. two am and on the lose with a camera taking photos of bakeries!


proof.


909. our coffee house.


i wonder if the ice cream shop is open?

monkey man/ reinstalling pantry cabinets

why do i look like a monkey?

it's because i've spent the last month kneeling on a tile floor and crawling through our dark and dirty crawl space [that i haven't even mentioned on this weblog yet].

that's why i look like a monkey.

at some point i'll talk tools. this happens to be one of my favorites; and most used.
my dewalt xrp drill.


today i reinstall the pantry cabinets. the light, at the end of the tunnel.
me. a monkey man.

arrival of the w/d

need we say more.


after buying our w/d in august, before we closed on our house, we pushed back our delivery date about six times...since we had no laundry room.

what a glorious sight! and need i say...clean clothes!

painting & wainscoting

wanting to get this laundry room project done, we decided to double-team today. we will work in tandem like a...a tandem bike. andrea will paint, and i will put up the wainscoting.

the start.


look a that green color. awesome.


i had to break out the team tris shirt for today. we. will. conquer.


andrea was staring to pass me up. she painted all the walls and started in painting wainscoting before i had finished putting it up.


needing to finish up quickly, andrea said that desperate times call for desperate measures. then she handed me a paint brush. i'll try not to let her down.


she turned around and asked what in the world was i doing. i had no reply.


she does a way better job painting than i do. thankfully.

grout.

since i was sore from laying tile yesterday and grouting this morning, andrea jumped in to wash down our newly lain grout.


we just noticed that we do not have any outside faucets. add that to the project list. i guess the bath tub will have to do.


grout? done.

happy thanksgiving day... tiling!

that's right, what better way to give thanks then to wake up at 7am to tile your laundry room. this has to be quick, guests arrive at 2pm for dinner and i still have to cut the edge tiles.

i'm sure the neighbors love me! cutting tiles outside at 730 in the morning. i was going to cut them in the garage, but then remembered the mess we had when i cut tiles in the basement of our previous house.

breaking in the new rotozip!

i walked in to tell andrea that in order to be finished by dinner, i'd need help laying the tile. she asked if i had looked in the mirror lately. i had no idea.

three hours left until dinner and i'm just starting to lay tile.


almost done,



done!

10 minutes left for a shower.

selecting and dry-fitting tile

andrea found an amazing deal on slate tiles: universal granite and marble in auburn, wa.
scored 12 x 12 slate tile for two bucks a square foot.

andrea selected each tile for their respective location on the floor.


we spent the evening dry fitting the tiles. i guess that's what happens when you turn 30. instead of going out to parties, you stay home and dry fit tiles. it's well worth the time, we'll have little time for error tomorrow.
if you need stone tiles or counter tops, head down to universal granite and marble and see sunny!

dry wall...sweet, dry wall.

although i very much dislike sanding dry wall, i don't mind slapping the mud onto the wall.
progress.

please. i beg you please.

don't ever do this.

don't be a cheapskate. buy a 89 cent junction box.

you.have.got.to.be.kidding.me.

raw.open.wires.

i'm glad i didn't try to cut the lath out with the sawsall!
i'd of joined the mouse in the crawl space.

a new day has dawned. i feel like a new man. the sky's the limit and the day[night] is filled with all sorts of possibilities!

i shall crack open a stella and toast the beauty of plaster and lath.

truly, when it comes to old homes, love and hate, nothing takes the prize like good ole plaster and lath.

this is my picasso. who came up with this? who needs a zen garden; i shall gaze upon my lath.