Little project: the stereo cabinet

Last year I opened up this stereo cabinet and decided I would work on it.  Then I got nervous about the wires behind the components and the cabinet itself.  What a tangled mess!  In the back of my head, I could hear Mark getting very angry about me messing with it.  All I purged was the turntable, then I lost my nerve and closed it back up.

I guess I just wasn't ready to actually dismantle the whole system.  But he's never coming back to use this stuff, right?  And no, the kids do not want it.

Fast forward to Friday, when it was too hot to do anything outside.  I decided to finally remove all of the outdated electronics from this area.  I carefully pushed the cabinet away from the wall.  Unplugged everything from the TWO outlet strips, then went to town cutting wires and freeing things. 

Many electrical cords and wires were snaked down the wall from the attic, then attached to various things.  I cut all of them off short enough to stick back into the wall, and I will put a blank over it.  I'm not climbing around in that attic hunting for wires. The cable plug will also get a blank. And the wall will probably get a fresh coat of paint.

A whole lotta cabinet for not a lot of items. (it used to house a TV, too)

I had flashbacks to when I got rid of ham radio equipment. Not gonna lie, some tears were shed.

Off to the side of the record player I could set something to hold a few LPs. And I will go through those 72 cassette tapes and make decisions (most will go), as well as the 200 plus CDs. (I still have to pull them out of the carousel in the CD player)  All of the child-safe locks came off - why did we still have those on there? This cabinet will hold games and puzzles, and whatever else I need to store here.  Some day, I will just let the whole thing go. Maybe get something smaller.

But for now it fits right here.  Keeping this room from looking empty, I guess.  Between this project and the photo project, I am on emotional overload.  Goodbye, August!

Gina

When you lose your momentum

We're at that part of the summer where I feel like I kind of fell behind in what I wanted to accomplish.  But I know in my heart that isn't 100% true since I have cleaned and sealed the deck, had mower maintenance done, made progress on the photo project, took a vacay, arranged for the trees to be pruned, visited the dentist...and a whole lot more.

Step 1 - gather your supplies

Along the way, mini projects cropped up: rebuild paver steps, buy a sprayer and learn how to use it, clean out the tool chest, re-weatherstrip the front door, build another gallery wall, deep clean the garbage and recycle bins, got rid of some china, get a mammo, arrange a bulky item pick up, spray for ants, replace the bulbs in the garage door openers, blah blah blah.

A clean deck makes the patio slab look grungy

The deck cleaning and sealing took less time than I thought it would.  Now to clean the patio slab and give the furniture a thorough spray down, too.  And I need to mow. But I will wait until the tree crew finishes today.

the patio set got a fresh coat of paint and is waiting to be replaced

Yes, it makes me feel capable to handle things. No, I would not have otherwise chosen to learn and do all that I have without becoming a widow first.  And yes, I have tried to keep a balance of caring for my home and caring for myself.  But my goodness - there's just so much to do.  We are halfway done with August and I have only 7 items left on my summer list.  Can I get them done in 2 weeks?  

We'll see.  Not today though.

Gina

Little project: the red tool chest

This started as an incidental project while I waited for the mower maintenance guy* on a hot summer morning.

I was out in the garage anyway, so I decided to do round three (or four, I lost count) of cleaning out the red tool chest.  I bought this as a Christmas gift to Mark in 1982 while we were in college, and it quickly filled up over the years as he acquired tools.  When his mother died, he brought ALL of the tools home from her garage as well.  At one point, you could not close the top, bottom, or drawers.

(And there are smaller tool boxes in the garage that I will empty some day.)

I pulled things out, drawer by drawer and wiped down the insides of the chest and the handles of the tools with antibacterial wipes.  There were a lot of duplicate items, so I only put back what I wanted or needed to keep.

Then I organized it as best I could.

And there are things I will donate.  Like giant plumber's wrenches that I can barely lift. Multiple drill bits that match nothing I own. A belt sander I will not use. An extra electric engraver.

I access the top most often, so it had to be tailored to me and the things I use.  And it absolutely has to be able to be closed.

There are still things in here that one day will go - probably to my boys.  But for now, the bottom flap closes as well.

Mark's general rule of thumb was that if one was good, 5 or 6 was that much better.  If an item had any perceived value, he was going to hang onto it.  Most of us understand that if you cannot find what you need in the collection of things you do not have organized, it isn't as useful. Once you run out of space, its time to take stock.

More does not equal better.  You either need to adjust the amount of things you own, or the size of the place you are storing and organizing.  And unless you use them for work, how many hammers or axes do you really need?  It was a sticking point for us, to say the least.

My garage may not be beautiful to anyone but me.  But if you ask me if I have what I need and do I know where it is?  The answer will be yes.  And now there is room in this toolbox for me to adjust what I may need in the future for whatever project I am working on.

Gina

*And Mr. Berry spent less time counseling me about how often I need get the mower serviced, instead showing me how to do those things (cleaning the filter, changing the oil, making adjustments) myself.  I would say it was a productive day!

Addition by subtraction

 I knew that, as time went on, I would be able to let go of even more things.  As I make my way as a single person, I realize that less stuff makes more space - addition by subtraction is my mantra.  Last week I sent another set of china away, along with two very fussy silverplate candlesticks and some pink cocktail glassware.  Shocking, right?

For me, there is zero purpose in storing this stuff away until I die and making it someone else's problem.  And I don't think my kids' generation views china as practical.

More empty space.  I love it.

I saved out a pretty dish for the sewing room.  This can get passed down to my daughter as a memento of her Nana and a grandfather she never got to meet.  I also saved out 6 pink martini glasses, just because I like them.  

We didn't use these dishes even one time - just stored them.  This set dates from 1950 and likely was not used past 1970, if even then.  That's a long time to keep something pretty boxed up and un-loved.

I set it all by the door, and the next morning it went to a charity thrift store to find its new owner.  Who knows? Someone may see it and recognize the pattern.  Or fall in love with it and buy it for their home.  Or gift it to a couple as an anniversary or  wedding gift.  My garage and closets and cabinets have never felt emptier or cleaner and my home is getting more representative of me.

Gina

Spring bucket list

I got this idea of making a spring bucket list form Joanne at Slices of Life.  I haven't come up with a bucket list in a while.  I'm going to create a hybrid list with tasks, plans, and new experiences.

the jury is still out on whether this crepe myrtle will thrive...

Starting with the official start of Spring - file my taxes, treat crepe myrtle,  paint hall ceiling and attic opening, look into swim lessons?, clean and reposition landscape lights, order a swimsuit, go admire some bluebonnets.

April - spiff up the front door area, clean the A/C coils, touch up outside paint,  clean the gutters, plan a summer trip, finish the photo album project, watch the bats emerge at sunset at the Congress St. bridge.

May - get the mower maintenance done, mulch landscape beds, powerwash the back patio and front steps, take a calligraphy class, go to the symphony, visit Barton Springs, go to the farmer's market.

Also:

*Big ticket items to begin researching: Carpeting for house, toaster oven, tub insert for guest bath, fridge.

*See a friend for coffee/beer at least twice

*Meet with a book club at least twice

*Try a new thing - Qigong meditation

*Cook a new dish for myself

*Take one Saturday off and visit a farmer's market or similar

*See each of my peeps for a lunch

*Start getting semi-regular pedicures

*Meet with therapist twice, minimum

*Catch some live music

This makes me excited for Spring!

Gina

5 thing Friday - bathroom spiff, paint storage, keychain, going out, Spring

I didn't spend a lot of time feeling sad this week - too busy with things here and there.  I feel like this week's To Do list will not get completely done - and that's OK.  We are "springing forward" this weekend and I want to make sure I get a nap in today!

The light fixtures in my bathroom, repainted by me many years ago, are showing their age and a bit of rust on the corners.  So I will be spiffing them up with a little spray paint in this pretty silvery champagne color.  Which encouraged me to do a bathroom refresh all around.

I took everything off the vanity, cleaned it up, put back only the things I wanted sitting out, added a couple of faux plants.  I also stored all of the personal care things that were sitting on the ledge around the tub and added a pretty 3-wick candle (not shown). 

 A calm and clean uncluttered space was just what I was after.  Even faux plants can soothe!

I don't know if I ever showed the method I have for saving touch-up paint from those big painting projects.  These screw top plastic containers work well to organize the bit of paint with product info in case I need to buy more.  Each container has a small stainless steel mixing ball inside, too.

I had one more to add from the last big paint job.  They all live in the cleaning closet just off the kitchen.  Hopefully, they will stay fresher in here than their original can in a hot garage.  {every time I open this closet I am newly pleased with the fact that it isn't stuffed full of crap I don't want!}

I pulled out my clear crossbody purse to go to a show downtown and I found this silver keychain clipped onto it.  I polished it up and discovered "Jim" engraved on the back.  I had picked this up when we cleared Mom's house - I don't remember if she ever told me where it came from, but I suspect she bought it for him as a gift.  It lived in a small dish in her office for years.

With my '60 penny and a silver "evil eye" charm, it made the perfect talisman to navigate an evening out at the Paramount Theater to see the Vitamin String Quartet.

I found parking nearby, walked alone to the venue, found my seat, and enjoyed a show.  The music was all contemporary and the show was high energy.  Music of  Bridgerton, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and more - a varied mix with some music I did not recognize.  These solo dates have been a lot of fun, but I think I will change them up.  I have one more symphony to attend, then will look for things closer to North Austin that are budget friendly.

Beer and talk time with a friend at Meanwhile yesterday.  The weather has been unreasonably pretty with average temps in the low 80s.  Everything, and I mean everything, is blooming.  March winds are knocking all of the oak leaves and pollen out of the trees, so pretty soon it will be time for me to re-rake and clean the yards.  But not today.  The rest of the day I have:

*a meeting with retirement team to talk pre-planning

*lunch with Grayson (peep #4)

*pick up a few filler groceries and meal prep for three days at work

*get gas, do light housework, change out two floodlamps on the deck

*nap

Happy Friday!

Gina 

5 thing Friday - walking laps, Thanksgiving sammie, bathroom organization, new couch, spiffing

 I have been off the last couple of Mondays, giving me 5 days free in a row, so I am trying to use them well.  One of the things I am doing is walking at a brisk pace for at least 30 minutes a day.  I have mostly been going up to the park about a mile from my house and walking the gravel track.  Each lap is .78 mile and I do 3 laps.  I usually listen to Brene Brown or something similar.

Its still hot here, we need rain and everything is dry and crunchy, so I go early in the day.  By the first of November I want to be up to 4 laps here, so that the Turkey Trot doesn't seem like torture by the time Thanksgiving day rolls around.  The trot itself is a total of 5 miles and I'm not going to time myself, but I would like to walk there, do my laps, and be home within 2 hours.

Last year I made a Thanskgiving sammie that was essentially Stovetop stuffing layered with turkey and sliced cranberry jelly on a bun.  You know I had to do it again this year.  I got four big sammies made until I ran out of turkey.  This year I am roasting a turkey and making my own stuffing and I am rather looking forward to it.

One day last week I was rooting around under my bathroom counter for toothpaste and didn't find any, so I bought more.  Well, guess what I found when I was putting it up? So much toothpaste!  I'm all set for a couple of years...

I hauled those stacking bins up to the counter and went through all of them, replenishing what I needed elsewhere and making a mental note for the rest.  I even cleaned out the vanity drawer.

My mother used to do the same thing with toilet paper - she would forget that she had enough to last through the End of Times.

I also cleaned up the medicine cabinet because I was on a roll.

The new couch is here!  I bought a small side table from Target to set my book/glasses/cup of tea.  Moved the silk rug into the den, along with the faux fiddle leaf fig.  A quilt and a few pillows and I am all set for comfy reading!  I love it.

I also purchased this pretty brass and wood clock for the bookcase.  Everything got dusted and swiffered and I lit my wax tart burner and dang if its not COZY.

I moved the Turkish rug into the front room, knowing full well I will have to move it again when I paint, but since my shoulder is still acting the fool that won't be anytime soon.  Sigh.  Maybe after Christmas!  I think that's enough putseying and chores now, its time to go read.  Have a good weekend!

Gina

Little project: sprucing the laundry nook

My laundry room is a "nook" located in the hallway that separates the living space of the house from the bedrooms.  This has never been an ideal spot for it, but it was better than it taking up space in my small kitchen or stuck out in the garage.

These bi-fold doors, when open, were hard to navigate around when you travel down this hall.  And the dryer had to be situated just right to allow the left door to open fully while still allowing you to get the dryer open without banging it.  Oy.  Last week when I took them off to investigate the washer leak, I thought "I really don't want to put those back".  So I didn't!

I might as well spruce up this area - its been awhile.

At one point I was storing Christmas bins in here.  I had even added a container for my own powdered laundry detergent.(which I do not make anymore)  This shelf was packed up to the ceiling!

Eventually, I just had miscellany up here and kept it as neat as possible, but it always looked so junky! As the years have gone by, I am putting fewer things out for the holidays so I was able to get rid of a lot of it  Recently I moved the rest to my office closet.  Hooray for unclaimed closet space!   

I had painted the whole area a sandy beige and added some pretty things just to make it nicer to look at when the doors were open.

It worked like this for a long time. But now I favor a more minimalistic look and after all, I am only doing laundry for little ole me.

So here it is now, everything off of the shelves.  I pulled this "art" out of the living room - it looks better in here.  I just need to add a silk plant, maybe some decorative pieces.  Not a lot.

I think I will leave the color the same.  I will fill some nail holes and add a new coat of paint to freshen it up.  And I'll keep the tension rods which create a space for hanging things to air dry and storing extra hangers. 

I plan on adding a simple burlap curtain and giving it a deep clean.  I have already removed the adhesive shelf liner and may just paint the shelves.  I don't want to reinvent the wheel here, so I'm not going to change out the light fixture, which is functional.  It will be a pretty space for me to do my laundry.  And maybe by Friday, the washing machine leak will be a distant memory.

Gina

Project fail: leaky washer

On Monday I noticed a soggy area right along the edge of the laundry nook and had to remove the doors so I could pull the washer out to investigate. 

That can't be good.

I hate these bi-fold doors.  They are a pain in the rear to take off and put back on, and they are hella heavy.  I set them out in the garage - just in case I decide to put them back one day.

I pulled out the washer/dryer file and read that you're supposed to change the intake hoses every 5 years.  Since the machine was bought in 2017, I knew that hadn't been done.  So I ordered the hoses from Best Buy and made a plan to replace them the next day, hoping that would fix the problem.

Spoiler alert: it did not.

The instructions seemed straightforward:  unplug machine, turn off circuit breaker, turn off water, remove hoses.  Reverse steps.

You can see the calcium build-up in the old hose on the right.  I scrunched myself down into this space and tightened everything up - even checked the drain hose.  All good.  Time to turn the water back on and flip the circuit breaker.

And just to be sure - I ran a short rinse cycle.  You guessed it - water leaking out, but it wasn't coming from the intake hoses. Luckily I was standing by with the shop vac.  A neighbor gave me the name and number of someone she has used for such problems in the past.  So I cleaned everything up, pushed the machine back,  and set a fan up to dry the carpet the rest of the way.

I can't put the doors back on yet anyway, since the repair guy is coming next week.  And I got to thinking, this area could use a major refresh.  There is so much stuff in here!

I emptied the shelves and made a plan to repaint them, add a lazy susan for the small supplies like stain stick, bleach tabs, and fabric spray, and just pretty it up in general. I went through the decor and some of it landed in the Goodwill pile, the rest to the closet in the office.  I pulled the miscellaneous stuff off the walls (decorative plates and such).  Gone are the kids' art magnets, too.

And now I have a clean slate to work with.

And I may just do another of these tension rod/rings/curtain panel set-ups.  It will be easier to open the dryer all of the way and make the hallway seem less like a tunnel of doom.  I might even use burlap which is so easy to work with and relatively inexpensive.  All in all, not a total fail I guess since  I learned how to switch out those hoses!

Ooof.  Happy Friday. Glad this week is over.

Gina