Month of September

It was not all digging and hauling! Other on goings in the month of September while building the patio

Yes, my Cosmos finally bloomed!

Luc the pug had/has a horrible itch and he cant stop scratching himself. So much that he makes himself bleed. Its difficult to walk him as he drags his body across the sidewalks, in hopes of relieving his itch. It so sad to watch him. Off to the vet we went. Allergies. He is put on a triad of medicine. Finally some relief. But as the cortisone pills end, his itch and discomfort returns. The antihistamine pills are offering no relief. sigh.

Willie the cat took a turn for the worse and died. He was diagnosed w/ a fist sized tumor back in Feb. Vet was sure he would die any time. Willie didn't seem like he was in any sort of pain, other then losing weight, constantly hungry/begging for food. So we fed him every time he asked and let him live out his days. 7 months later, I noticed him slowly ease himself down into a laying position and he was clearly in pain. We made an appointment for him and spent the weekend with him at home. His food cravings and begging had mellowed. He became calm and serene. He got lots of salmon and pets and love. He was buried and a Cleveland Pear Tree was put up in memory of our furry friend. 13 yrs.

Chaz started 4th grade. And soccer. And violin. We met the teacher. We met the soccer coach. And we reunited with the violin teacher.

Lucy ... well She loves moving things around and making creations with dog food, cat food and water. She is learning new words everyday - "ankyou", "clap", "up", "all done", "apple", "elmo". To note, her first word @ 10months was "hereyougo". This is still her favourite and most used phrase. "hereyougo" means Here you go. (regular voice, passing me something). "HEREYOUGO" - hurry up and pass/give me that. "hereyougohereyougohereyougo" - give me my pacifier, where is my pacifier. hurry up i need my pacifier.  She can point to her nose, hair, head, mouth, feet, elbow and ears.

And the thing that amazes me the most, is how she understands SOOOOO Much. She can almost do anything you ask. "Why dont you wash the windows?" (pretend stuff, you know. She is carrying around a cloth and looks like she wants something to do).  AND She goes over to a window and starts scrubbing it with a cloth. How does she know this?!!!? She has never seen me wash a window. Never. I have never washed a window in my house. Amazing stuff.

Sun (papa) started a new job in the US and moved overseas to join us.

The other two cats, have been low key (thank goodness) and enjoying the fall weather.


Work related stuff: The big product delivery due date came. This meant oodles of last minute product testing.  This also means the end of contract date is approaching. Waiting to see if the one year extension is renewed.


And facebook. How am I to keep up with all those changes.

House stuff

The halfbath wallpaper arrived! The electrician for the dining room light and two other plugs is expected end of Sept; Call in to landscaping company for an estimate on the crack in concrete steps. Scratch that. Too expensive.; Call in to other contractor for window replacement (5) quote and vestibule floor and wall cracks and kitchen reno discussion. Yep, I may have found the tile for the kitchen!

Character builds character

$3480.00

I have to tell you, I am completely shocked (about the concrete step estimate I called for the other day). One too many 0's. I was ball parking 500ish, hoping for $300 and not $1000.00.

How could it be?

I rationalized that since a concrete slab for a sidewalk runs around $300.00, I figured a step may be a bit more then that, due to the step. BUT 3400.00????

I rationalized that I MYSELF just dug up a concrete patio. Yeah, it was mostly already broken, but still. And I hauled it to the front. Since I did this myself, I assumed the steps couldn't cost that much to bust out.  I wasn't sure if they could bust out the steps and leave the sides intact, or if the sides would come down too (the quote says the sides would stay-impressive I thought). Leveling the area so the water doesn't flow into the basement or back into the step would require skills, so add a few hundred here. And the mold for the steps had to be made. BUT 3400 dollars??? I think not.


A quote like this surely requires another quote. And this will be the first time I have ever done that. I have had chimney work, insulation work and a bathroom remodel, some painting and window replacements  And the first quote I received for each project was reasonable and in my range for what I wanted to pay for that kind of work. And I liked the contractors. I met with them and they discussed the work. There were no surprises with either the estimate OR the work done.  I also got a quote and very long demo on window replacements. I passed on that one.

But this quote for concrete work ... way out of my range.

I am sure the contractor does quality work (I didn't meet him, he swung by while I was at work). Unfortunately he included carpentry work for a wood frame around the door (mine is rotted) and he included work for a gutter on the overhang. BUT still, 3400.00? I wish the quote was broken down for each project. 

I am now sure that the cracked steps adds character to my 100 year old home. On to the pea gravel order.

Am I way off on my guesstimate (apparently so...but) has anyone had concrete work done before? Does this estimate sound reasonable?

Oh My Darling! Caped Engineer

Checklist:
Engineer Cap ✔
Superman Cape ✔
Backpack full of hot wheels ✔

Now we are ready for a walk to the park!

shirt: Appaman 4
shorts: H&M
shoes: H&M 
backpack: MEC

from the archives 6/2007

Backyard progress weekend #3

THIS PILE (deja vu ... we had the same looking pile of rubble from weekend #1 that was hauled to the front by the nanny's bfriend); at the end of weekend #2 I was wondering if some kind person would come along and remove the 2nd pile of rubble.)

Now resides in the front of the house, again.

Thanks to my new** red wheelbarrow and MY AWESOME 8 year old, for pushing the wheel barrow back and forth ... all BEFORE breakfast (he has always wanted me to get a wheelbarrow, and I think he had fun, for the first few hauls) . While I loaded and unloaded the pieces into/outof the wheelbarrow AND transported the red bucket filled with little pieces. Hmmm about 8 times.  That was some feel good stuff, first thing in the morning. Now we just need to remove the concrete that was underneath our 2nd last pile, somewhere in the vicinity of all those little scattered rocks and the fence line and the bucket in this picture.

And a little recap on the backyard progress

May 2011

oops, a little over growth 7/2011

oops, completely neglected 9/2011

re-dug and a little pile of rubble 9/2011

watch the concrete piles accumulate 9/2011

bigger

And today, 9/26/11. With the exception of the small patch of concrete slab left to remove (by the orange bucket), all the other dirt has been turned over and, I have determined, "rakeable". A lot of rocks and concrete did breakdown into little pieces and I want to level it with the idea that it will provide a firmer ground for the pea gravel. ** The black wheel barrow which was also new, broke weekend #1. Yes, I knew it was merely for weeds and light gardening, and not landscaping and rubble, but we used it for hauling the slabs regardless. Luckily it's still useable for light gardening and holding leftover rocks.

concrete pile gone, again

And now the pea gravel patio is a bit on hold because of subconscious and this BIG ole ugly crack in the concrete steps that lead to the basement door.

Isn't that a beauty! I tried to ignore it, but my subconscious kept bugging me and telling me I ought to at least INVESTIGATE the cost of fixing this.

Ring, ring ... I decide to call a contractor to get an estimate, BEFORE hauling in all the pea gravel and quarry rocks and then getting that feeling that I SHOULD have maybe dealt with this. BUT, I don't want to lose my momentum and desire and have to WAIT for a call back and then an appointment for an estimate and then .... LOVE a contractor who returns your call within ten minutes. I should have an estimate by the end of the week.

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After we did the early morning hauling and re-assessing, it was time to get pretty and visit a couple of museums. Off to a city mildly more exciting then the one I live in. 2 museums, Anthropologie for adults (well, me), and The Science Museum for kids (and me too, I love seeing my kids having fun).

Yep, I consider a stroll through an Anthropologie store as good as a museum. The way the store is styled and and displayed, oh soooo inspiring.

The day after

One of the finer points of birthdays is cake for breakfast, the day after.

Actually, I have never minded birthday's. Happy Birthday to me (yesterday)! Note to self: next time use my finer stoneware .

Dog bed

 Are you serious, this is really for the dog?

No way, I want it.

If I can just get myself in it.

Two Doll's houses

When Doll's House was a hobby...

Doll's house - Rijksmuseum Amsterdam - Museum for Art and History

And our first doll's house

Card Board Doll's House - House of Davies

Gosh, look at how proud he is! Notice the knight in shining armor 

hanging from the peak of the house.

Dollhouse furniture lots

Here is a good reason to join the I'M A GIANT dollhouse challenge!

via

LOVE!

Dollhouse challenge

Is it time to finish the dollhouse? I bought this bookshelf dollhouse several years ago in between owning homes. Something to create with my son and humor my decorating desires while I was renting an apartment.  Since living in our new home, I had set up the dollhouse, but my son had grown out of it and I had started decorating my own home. A couple times I rearranged furniture and looked at the supplies for finishing it.

And today, A GIANT Blog Challenge managed to find me (wink, I found them), HERE, here and here. (These gals are hilarious! Check out their blogs)

There are still things I want to do with the house: Paint inside white, Finish the shingles, Finish the 8 pieces of tile (we ran out 3 years ago and recently bought more - you see it has been on my mind). Grout. FIGURE OUT HOW TO make my Dremel (that was bought for this project) cut a side door and an attic hatch door. The first door I cut was impossibly difficult and time consuming. Add stairs. And a loft bathroom.

Or maybe I should just sit back, work on my own house, and enjoy the other dollhouse creations.

Backyard {pea gravel} inspiration

Some pinterest pea gravel patio inspiration shots, to keep me motivated...

Oh SO Quaint:

Source: casacara.wordpress.com via Sara on Pinterest

My original sighting and inspiration for pea gravel patio:  (found blog post @ Design Sponge and spotted Jess's crushed gravel area.)

Source: designsponge.com via Sara on Pinterest

I LOVE the use of other rocks making a pattern and sectioning off groups of pea gravel.

via pinterest

Love the red benches:

Backyard progress weekend #2

Which probably doesn't look much different compared to the previous weekend, but believe me, there was much digging, stone sorting and tossing going on.

I bought a flat bow rake for leveling and landscape weed fabric for tricking weed growth. A little ahead of the game; we (me) are a week away from that stage.  My phone is out of order (switched carriers and this is what I get, a nonworking phone???) so I couldn't call my nanny and her boyfriend for help. Boo.

Another pile of rubble and a deflated football. Where oh where is the air pump. The first HUGE pile was already taken away by the city! They were impressively quick. I put an ad on craigslist for "free clean fill" thinking the rubble would be sitting there for several weeks before the city came. I returned home that evening and the pile was gone. I did get a response to my craigslist posting, but it sounded more like a pick up line.

A collection of finely selected round rocks, salvaged from under the old concrete slabs, for the dry stream bed.

And a collection of bad rocks. Sorting rocks is my kind of task. Now if someone will come along and EMPTY the wheelbarrow for me, I can fill it up again. Where are you?

A huge pile of earth to raise the garden.

Some grass cuttings for compost and mulch for the soon to be raised garden.

And some edging.

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Math stuff
I discovered that I will need 80 BAGs of pea gravel.  @ 3.67 / bag that would be quite the extravagant pea gravel patio. I asked about torn bags, which are sold for half price, BUT that would take 9 years to collect enough bags for my 20x15 (300sq ft) patio area.  Unless the fork lift driver royally screws up. hmmmm.

It will also take me the better half of a year to transport 80 bags. I could order a pallet of pea gravel bags and pay $69 dollars for delivery. 

OR I can go the quarry route. I love a quarry...
 For 15x20 area (300 square feet) and 1.5 inches deep. 
I will need 1.64 yards of pea gravel (thanks to the calculator on the quarry website)

$37 dollars per yard (for gray stone; pink stone costs $42/yd)

$40-50 for delivery

For an approximate total of $105. And a lot of shoveling & hauling. Much closer to the amount of $$ I was planning to spend.

Guess we are making a trip to The Quarry. They have some big rocks for sale too which I need one or two for the dry stream bed.

Other costs:
Landscape fabric and rake: $0.00 aka free. I had earned 32 dollars @ Sears from Shop Your Rewards (when I bought a king size mattress last year)! Not the funnest stuff to reward yourself with, a grill would have been better. On the other hand it would have been hard to pass over cash for landscape / weed blocker fabric

Big helper Labor: $40.00
Little helper labor: $20.00 (Chaz hauled 7 loads of grass and dug another 7 wheel barrow loads worth of dirt.

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Source: sunset.com via Sara on Pinterest