Blog of a Newly Minted Housewife

What I've been doing with my days

I've been having a lot of lazy time this week, but it hasn't all been pedicures and bon-bons. (Do people actually eat bon-bons anymore?). This week has been filled with visits from various contractors, mostly giving quotes.

On Monday, we had a free pest inspection, and found out one of the reasons our falling-down shed is in that state - TERMITES! Yikes. We thought their quote was high, though, so we are shopping around. I think a diagnosis of termites is a bit like cancer - very scary, and you want to do something about it RIGHT NOW, but it's best to take a deep breath and weigh your options.

Monday and Wednesday, we had different contractors in to talk about putting an acrylic liner in our tub. We considered ripping it out and putting in a new one, with Corian walls (like my sister has), but decided we couldn't afford it. This option is actually more expensive than I thought it would be, but I think it will work out well. (Still need to figure out the vanity/countertop replacement, but at least that area is functional at the moment. it just isn't pretty.)

Also on Wednesday, the piano tuner came. James inherited his grandparents' piano, and it arrived via truck from Albuquerque about a month ago. The tuning was as noisy as he warned me it would be, but instead of finding it annoying, I found it fascinating. I asked him lots of questions and halfway through his "lecture" I found myself thinking about what a cool article it might make for a kid's music magazine. Unfortunately, I didn't have a tape recorder or notebook handy, so I've forgotten most of what he told me. But I did manage to get some photos.

Apparently, they don't tune by ear anymore :-) He had this cool device that measures the pitch (?) and he would tap the "hammer", attached to the nut-thingy (see who well I paid attention??), to adjust the tension on the wire. Some of the keys are attached to two or three wires, and he would use rubber dampers to listen to only one wire at a time. He told me what some of the parts were inside the piano, and taught me some music terms and what to listen for. I'm not sure if he was pleased to find that I wasn't music (giving him the opportunity to teach me something), or if he was frustrated by it (forcing him to teach me something...).

I also spent some time replacing the handles on the drawers and doors in the kitchen. I'm not sure how different the new ones are from the old, but they are at least new, and chrome instead of brass. (That's new on the left, old on the right.) They also feel better, a crucial improvement.

Unfortunately, getting this close up to the cabinets showed me all the nicks, scars, and peeling varnish. They aren't in as good of shape as they look. Well, we're going to have to live with it for a while. *shrug*

Sliding into normal

Somehow, I've spent the past year slipping from "living a life less ordinary" to one of suburban normalcy. I am now, officially, a housewife.

At least for the summer.

I quit my job a couple of weeks ago, and last Friday was my last day. What a relief! Not that the job or the company were horrible - far from it. It just felt like time to leave, time to reassess and figure out where I am and where I want to go.

Summer is a great time to do it, since my dear husband is also off for the summer. We can do a lot together, most likely centering on the house, but hopefully also doing some day trips for sightseeing, hiking, what have you.

I'm really looking forward to it.

OK, speaking of the new house, here are some photos. Front and back, the living room before and after (different views), and smallest bedroom (one day a nursery) before and after.

This is all the trash we pulled out the first weekend. Huge thanks to my sister and James' brother for helping us out that cold weekend!

And if you haven't received my new address yet, well, don't worry! I haven't sent out that email. One more thing to add to my "honey-do" list :-)

Fundraiser for Breast Cancer Support

I really should have posted this a week or more ago, so I apologize off the bat for the short notice. On Mother's Day (yes, that's THIS Sunday!) I am participating in a fundraising walk for the Y-Me Breast Cancer Support Foundation. My sister Lisa and a bunch of my friends are also participating, spurred on by Stacey Meyer, a former soccer teammate, who works for Genomic Health. Genomic Health is actually flying me to California so that I can participate in honor of Mom.

From the Y-Me website:
Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization provides programs and services to those who are touched by breast cancer. The 24-hour Y-ME National Breast Cancer Hotline is among its most well-known programs, and is the only 24-hour hotline in the country that is staffed entirely by trained peer counselors who are breast cancer survivors. The Hotline and all of Y-ME's programs are offered free of charge to those who need them. Y-ME aims to ensure that no one faces breast cancer alone and I hope that you will help me support this important cause.

If you would like to donate, you can visit my personal walk page.

Thank you.