On This Episode of (not)MTV Cribs…

We did it! We moved!
Like actually packed up the things, hired people to lift, and haul the things, unpacked the storage things, asked family to supervise the transport of the things, and placed the things in the new space for things. I don’t know about you, but that’s a lot of thing-ing. As I find homeownership upon me again, and with it the changes to my budget, and setting up a brand new home, I’m seeing things from a slightly different perspective. From betwixt the boxes being one of those perspectives.

It’s been a month (by way of days) since we officially moved in and homeownership is absolutely no joke.

This is where I will take time out of our regularly scheduled blog to remind you to change your air filter, for the love of whoever you pray to, change the dang thing and check your air returns.

We all know that new home means adjusting the new space to meet the needs of your family. For me, that has meant discovering or developing new skills that I didn’t know I’d need.

One of the first needs was a couple of power tools to get me started with my new projects (more on that later). So off to Home Depot I went. I got in and meandered over to the lumber section and grabbed about 12 1”by 8’ pieces of framing wood. Then off to the power tools I went and picked out a drill and an impact driver set (with batteries) that was going to run me a cool $100 or so. Not bad, right? A gentleman from the store asked if I needed help. And, why yes, I did. So I asked him for the set featured and he scanned it only to reveal that they were out of stock.
The following is the conversation we had, with the added benefit of differing languages, regarding the tools.
”we not have” he says
Me: Excuse me?
Him: We not have it!
Me: Oh, it’s out of stock.
Him: You go to order online or we can go see karens.
Me: Karens?
Him: Come with me to karens.
Me: Where?
Him: Walks away
Me: Scurries to catch up
Him: Walks me over to the clearance section; Karens!
Me: OH! Clearance! I see.
He proceeds to hand me the same drill but no battery for $59 and telling me that it will work.
Me: Oh, I don’t think that’s what I want to do, it’s not a good value, I’ll take a look at the other options.
Him: scoffs
So I walked back over to see the other options available and found an impact driver, drill, and circular saw with two batteries, and an LED flashlight - all in one set. Perfect.
Me: I’ll take this one!
Him: Do you live in the woods?
Me: What? I live in Leesburg (for those of you not familiar, the heart of Leesburg really doesn’t have any “woods” to speak of).
Him: But do you live in the woods?
Me: No?
Him: That flashlight is very bright.
Me: Okay, cool.
Him: You do not need a bright flashlight unless you live in the woods.
Me: Umm okay, then yes. I live near the woods.
Him: Okay. Do you need the saw.
Me: looks from him to the 12, 8-ft long pieces of wood in my cart
Me: Yes.
Him: Are you sure?
Me: Looks at wood again
Me: Well, I’m not going to chew it apart…
Him: Stares
Me: Stares back
Him: Well, okay.

So, in the end I got a shiny new set of tools that I’ve already made good use of (including the LED light) and a silly story to go with it.

Now, on to the tasks.

Things That Needed Replacing:

This home was built way before I was a glimmer in my mother’s eyes which means that there are a few things that most likely could use some love and updating.

The first one on the list being the shower heads. Now this isn’t a tough job per say, but it’s definitely one that needs attention AND you’ll have to be ready to get a little soaked, accidentally, in the process. I ordered new shower heads from Amazon. (Spoiler: most of the things purchased have come from Amazon - hello Prime Membership.) I also have three full bathrooms which means three new shower heads and three times to get it right (or not). For me, having small children, it’s always important to have the option of a shower head on a hose for hair washing, paint removing, and any other unforseen opportunities of mess-making. So, all of the shower heads I purchased have both the regular attached head AND the removable option. Harder to attach? Yup. Did I get them all up and installed without leaking? ALSO YES! (Surprised? Me too!)

So with my newfound confidence I moved on to the gate latch. The backyard gate latch is, to my understanding, backwards. As in, the handle is on the inside, the latch is on the outside… Weird… So, I purchased (again from Amazon) a new, non-rusted, option and got to work. I started by placing the latch on the inside, where it makes sense to go. Once I struggled with the drill and screws for a bit, I got it appropriately placed and moved on to placing the handle on the outside… but… couldn’t. Now, those of you who are spacially inclined may have already figured out that the door opens outward toward the street… meaning that in order to get out, one must push the gate open from the inside and walk out. Well, placing the metal latch on the inside means that not only does it BLOCK the door from opening outwardly, you can’t pull it in either… WHOOPS. So back I went to replacing the new latch and handle as it appeared originally. We’ll chalk it up to practice with the drill for this one. BUT it got updated, and that’s what matters.

This house had some decor lighting outside - i.e. the front door light was an orangey color versus a white. Thus it did not give a very good glow to the front yard. So, I was able to make some new spider friends while replacing both that light and the post lights (three to be exact) with some updated, and brighter bulbs. Bonus they DO actually turn on! Let there be lumens!

Then to my horror I made a yucky discovery. On a trip to the attic to check on a completely separate problem, I happened to look into the air return on the top floor. It was COVERED on all sides with dust and whatever-else-I-don’t-want-to-know. I knew it had to be fixed… we were breathing that. I have no idea how many years it had been, but I can safely say it’s been a while since the ducts have seen any cleanings. Luckily, my Mom and Dad had an old hose vac that I was able to use to tackle the problem. While I was at it, I decided to replace the air filter as well. Good thing I did. Much like the vents… the air filter was most definitely the color of the dirt outside rather than the white it should have been. So as my previous note stated - clean your ducts and replace your air filter, please! OH and if you’re selling a house, try not to leave it all yucky….

Special Shoutout goes to my Dad for this one. I discovered just hours before I was to be on a flight to Texas for work that my hot water was no longer working. Only about 9 days after I moved in. How did I discover this? An unexpected cold shower, that’s how. I happen to have a very talented father that when armed with a phone, youtube, and in close proximity to a Lowes, can fix just about anything it seems. He was able to replace BOTH of the heating elements in my water heater saving me hundreds of dollars. (In the photo you can see the new and the old heating elements, yikes!) So, Dad, Thank you, and I’m sorry the water heater kept drenching you. I owe you, a lot.

The projects continue to make themselves known, (next on the list is probably backyard cleanup and planting) but such is homeownership. I did want to share some fun things I’ve discovered that are helping to take us from house to home.

The COOL Stuff!

Decor

Wall art is expensive, yes? Especially large pieces of wall art. Well, I wasn’t about to let that stop me. So, those framing wood pieces I picked up before? I used them and the new power tools to construct some large (5 x 5) frames. For what you might ask? Shower curtains!

SKRRRRRT! What? Shower Curtains?

Yes, shower curtains. Did you know, that if you take a canvas/fabric shower curtain, iron it, and staple it around a large frame, you can MAKE your own wall art for less than $30!? I made each of the kids a giant piece of wall art for their rooms that matched their new decor. The kids seem to really like having something new to decorate their rooms and it really helped each of their rooms to feel homey.

On another decor note - I’m designing my family living space around my current vibes. This has manifested in a gold and black moody moon theme to compliment the light colored furniture in the family room. I’m slowly filling the built-in shelves with a variety of objects in black and gold hues that are helping the space to feel inviting yet exotic. I’m really liking it so far and can’t wait to continue to add to the space.

Toothpaste Holders

Toothpaste and kids are a combination that has only ended in a mess over here. The number of times I’ve cleaned insert-color of toothpaste off of the bathroom counters, mirror, floor, rug, etc. is too high to count. SO I found a solution. Toothpaste dispensers AND toothbrush holders in one. These keep the toothpaste off the sink (for the most part) AND the kids know where to keep their toothbrushes, instead of just anywhere in the bathroom. These stick to the wall with a command strip and so far, I highly recommend them. I even got one for my bathroom.

Each week I’m finding something new to incorporate or a new small project to take on which makes this house feel more like my own. So if you’re wondering where I am, it’s probably under a ripped, painted t-shirt with my hands a mess and dust in my hair - and right now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Yours in home-updates,

Meg