renovate: to restore to a former, better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding) - merriam-webster

the house steadily moves forward, not super-fast-like but in a manner in which we're happy with what's getting done. to start, let's take a look at gadgets and products that are topping our favorites list:

pink ceiling paint! this stuff RULES... you can easily see where you've been and don't waste paint going back over places you're unsure of.



double whammy shot: pink ceiling paint and the shop light! thanks to the handy shop light, we could work into the night in rooms in which we'd removed the lighting fixtures... we also used it to figure out which outlets were on which breakers so we could label them.



these paint can lids are a wonderful invention. not only does it make pouring a snap, it's so much less messy than opening and closing the can lid all the time.



dollar store rubber spatula (photo not available)

thanks to this little guy, we're able to scrape cans/trays and save a lot of paint that otherwise would likely be wasted.

one day last weekend (they're all running together), we embarked on the Great Lighting Fixture Caper, which involved multiple trips to Home Depot/Lowe's to hunt down which fixtures we wanted, purchase them, get them home, put them up, decide we didn't like them, take them back, get them home, discover the ceiling fan hangs down too far, take it back, etc. in the end, tired but thankful for Lowe's no-questions-asked return policy, we were very happy with what we got:



one of my FAVORITE fixes... we really liked this fan and the price was right, but the globe was white. those globes over there in the dining room are amber-ish. who cares, right? me. I do. so I started brainstorming how to match them a bit better, took the globe outside, and rubbed dirt on it. boom! behold the designer look! (and if we ever change our minds, it all comes clean with water and a rag):



another fun fix... we found these smaller fans and thought they'd be perfect for the bedrooms (they actually match the initial fan we'd bought for the living room - the problem was that the larger fan couldn't be mounted to hug the ceiling... it would have hung down low enough for a tall person to whack themselves in the head while crossing our living room). anyhoo, these still seemed like a good choice for the bedrooms, apart from the gold/bronze band around the middle. observe:



it just looked a little dated to me, a little saloon-y. I purchased a $1.16 tube of raw umber acrylic paint from Hobby Lobby, tore a corner off of my kitchen sponge, and went to town:



I know it's a tiny thing, but all of our fixtures are starting to look like they live in the same family now.



one of the things I've been doing a LOT of is simple cleaning. weird how much better cleaning something makes it look and smell, and makes you feel. the old linoleum in the kitchen and bathroom was pretty gross, so I gave everything a once-over with the mop and it really did make everything feel better, even just to work in. our hopes for the kitchen are to paint the walls and cabinets, replace the countertop, sink, and refrigerator, notch out and install a dishwasher over there to the left of the sink, and someday replace the stove:



even clean, the floor's not in great shape and portions of it are cracking, as seen in the next photo. underneath it is another layer of older linoleum, and then concrete floor:



we weren't sure what we were going to do about it, then decided to just scrape it all up and paint/seal the concrete like I did in this room way back when:



it's a pretty cost-effective fix for now, until we get the foundation done someday and entertain notions of real tile and whatnot. we'll likely repaint the room above, the kitchen, and the bathroom floor all with a $25 5-gallon bucket of OOPS! paint I picked up the other day.

I continue to find new holes to fill in and sand down in preparation for paining the walls. I'll say it again... our sweet renters never met a nail they didn't want to make out with. :) we also found this busted kitchen drawer that'll need replacing:



I've been prepping, prepping, and prepping for the walls to be painted in the hall, the bedrooms, and the living/dining room this weekend. yesterday's task was to fill in the rest of the cracks/holes, start washing down walls, and remove the baseboards. let me tell you, it was a dusty mess. my little hand broom was worth it's weight in gold to me as I tried to get everything clean and labeled so we can recycle by painting and put them back in the end after the wood floors are done. I also used the hand broom to go around the window and door trim to get everything nice and neat so the people who paint have an easy time. look ma, no baseboards!



what's that? pregnant ladies shouldn't be around all of that dust and whatnot? oh, dear reader, never fret... I'm being as careful as I can, and I work with as many windows open as possible. I LOVE that you can open every window in that house! M and I have missed the open window (most of the ones at 406 have been sealed). see, here's me being thuggy with my mask:



and taking an end-of-day breather with Chino, who seems a bit confused at going between the two houses right now. I like taking him with me to work over there, though - he gets to exhaust himself stalking the yard and sniffing at neighbor dogs through the fence and I get to feel safe and enjoy his quiet company.



today's skeleton of a to-do list:

fold laundry
get my act together
go to yoga
go to Woodfin: finish sanding and wiping down walls, stock the 'fridge with beverages for the weekend, um... I know there's something else.
go to do some voice work later
come back to Woodfin to watch husband install the baby room ceiling fan (he has to anchor it in the attic first).

I can't wait to see some new color on the walls. :) the kitchen and bathroom are going to be pretty big projects, but it's nice to see the easier rooms being transformed already.

-m.y.

kicking off november thanks...

rather than make some excuse for my lack of blogging insight lately, I'm going to plunge right into a list of current blessings. enjoy this happy song while you read! may there always be joyous public dancing.




to begin... my husband! I know it's hard to hear me blather on about his awesomeness, but really... he's the cat's meow. he's fun and good and takes such great care of us. plus he brought me two presents recently - some killer rubber rain boots that look like riding boots and a darling blue hat - for no reason at all, both of which blew my mind and made me squeal.

work! I had a slow September and October, which was both good and a challenge, and God has been bringing me some really great projects and people in the last couple of weeks to the point where I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'm so very thankful for it as well as for the downtime, and more aware than ever that everything comes from Him. I must learn to accept what's given and take it all in stride... I can really be the Queen of Wigging Out when things slow down OR speed up.

Chino! who's so funny and a precious lamb... and even more dear to us since Ripley isn't here.

by the way, I got a very sweet cremation certificate in the mail today from 'Fond Memories Pet Cemetery and Crematorium' today (which is the facility my vet uses to dispose of deceased animals). I sobbed for 2 minutes and then it was over.

Simply Apple Juice! I just can't quit you.



Flexibility! I know it's not a noun, but I'm still so thankful that my life is fairly malleable and people will usually work with me so everyone wins.

Mad Men! you turned out to be a truly wonderful third season. sniff. sorry you didn't make this photo, Betty, but I'm peeved at you right now anyway.



SWC! right now, I feel our church is teaching me ways to serve and develop better interpersonal skills, and I'm grateful for it.

M's homemade stuffing (the recipe was in Cuisine at Home this month)! for real, he even made the herb bread that ended up being toasted to go into the stuffing, and it was the freaking bomb.

Baby Step 3 is ALMOST complete! come on 3-6 month emergency fund, we're almost there...

the 'holidays' are almost here! I totally need family and parties and presents and gift lists and Bing Crosby and general merriment. I want to bake cranberry pistachio biscotti and cranberry coffee cake. I want LC's monkey bread. and Grandma's fudge.

there's more, but I'll stop for now. can't use up all of my praises all at once now, can I? off to record one more radio spot that dropped out of the sky today (thanks again, Lord!).


-m.y.

it gets a little political. it's okay if you'd rather not read.

after a hazy work week, so far our memorial day weekend activities have included:

eating tasty food
sleeping when we feel like it
church-time
washing and polishing our cars old-school style (with the garden hose and wax-on/wax-off action)
spraying for mosquitoes
cashing in our jar of coins
taking said cash to Bookstop on Shepard to buy In Defense of Food and Bone 6
watching the first four episodes of 'Freaks and Geeks'... which is pretty good, I have to say.
recycling

whilst on the way to the recycling drop off by Goode Co. Seafood, I found this article on the iphone. I'd googled 'is recycling worthwhile?', and this is the first article that pops up. it appears to be a pretty smart piece that has a lot to consider, and outlines more of the failings of recycling than benefits.

my primary motivations for wanting to recycle are 1) it makes me feel good, 2) it makes me more thoughtful about the things I buy and how I dispose of waste, 3) it seems like a step toward good stewardship of my part of the world. this - recycling - is a fairly recent development in my adult life. I'm not nearly as faithful as some, and though I do try to do other good-enviro deeds like print on both sides of my office paper, buy used furniture and goods, commit to buying used cars and homes, etc, there's still a lot I can learn about re-using and cutting consumption. I'm not influenced at all by the financial argument against recycling programs. for me, it's not a matter of cost... if something cost more today but would put mechanisms and processes in place for a cleaner, less-polluted tomorrow that smartly utilizes both our resources and waste, I'm all over that. I realize that landfills aren't what they used to be, but still - burying our trash in the earth? or sending it overseas, which is one point he didn't address in the article? cutting down on such practices, even by small percentages, would be a positive endeavor as far as I'm concerned.

because how we feel about our trash reflects more about people than they do bottom lines. we obviously live in a culture that's obsessed with having new things. during this economic period, I've considered that perhaps, no matter how much money and credit floats around the country, we shouldn't have so much new stuff out there to buy. that maybe there are too many new cars on lots, too many condos, too much in stores that gets turned over in the blink of an eye or season, to be bought and discarded by the consumer as soon as the stores tell us we need a new thingamajiggie.

plus, I'll go ahead and say it. I'm a Christian, and that's the lens I look through. I tend to see issues of basic stewardship in environmental questions which, I'm assuming, is why I keep trying to learn to incorporate a thoughtfulness about it into my life. Stewardship is at the heart of political, social, and fiscal matters for me as well, and because my concept of God is what it is, I imagine it's good to pursue... well, 'good things', as I define them. things that are ethical and effective, balanced, caring, having and promoting integrity and generosity, common sense. for me, reflective of a Creator who made all of it and all the people and money in it. I recognize that Christ-followers come at these topics a myriad of ways, and I'm not suggesting we have to agree because Jesus Would Recycle... or wouldn't. BUT... because Christianity and politics have somehow become tied together to represent certain ideals, I believe we've got to be very careful of the values and priorities we're communicating. when God blessed Adam and Eve with "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food," I'm fairly certain He would have us do our best to care for this place, as our understanding allows. if you're a Christ-follower and choose to not recycle or what have you, that's your freedom and I'm confident we'll still frolick together in the new earth. however, for a believer to publicly argue against it or stoutly defend the Hummer they 'deserve' just seems... well, weird to me. unhelpful, given who we are. that's all.

M and I have had a bit of discussion about what it would be like if the Christian faith was immediately connoted with helpful, peaceful services rather than politics. if we were the ones effectively leading by quiet yet powerful example and patching up holes in society's bucket, instead of government agencies. the independent spirit in me loves that idea... in my opinion, such doings would accomplish more for Christ than is able to be done through the government. and now that I've written this, I realize I have to keep trying to become the salve I'm talking about.

p.s. In Defense of Food is a really interesting read so far.

-m.y.

wow. it's getting heated on msnbc.

so much talk of President Obama's stimulus plan.  here's a cnn article outlining the basics of the plan.

characteristically, I'm skeptical of it... not of the target items in theory, more the mode of attack.  but then again, it's already been documented that I don't believe throwing a ton of money at a problem necessarily fixes anything.  to paraphrase d. ramsey, money tends to only magnify existing behavior and choices, both good and bad.   I think we've watched this play out since the first government bailout was implemented, an unprecedented move I still believe was a huge mistake and disaster motivated by fear and political pressure.

so many layoffs announced this week.  so many individuals and businesses cutting the excess to try to ride it out.  the media are collectively a depressing chorus.  consumers are accused of not buying enough stuff.  a man in California was laid off, so he killed his wife and children.  

we desperately need some hope.  and a far-seeing eye. and wisdom.  I keep thinking of a J. Knapp song as I write:

All these years to many ahead to think clear.
Some say where's my crystal ball.
Some men play the lottery
Makin bets against the governments economy.
They say I'd rather be rich than be alive at all.

When men in miry circumstances fall.
It won't be hard to tell where they placed their resolve.

Some trust in chariots.
But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
To each his own won't lead you home
And probably never will.
I won't trust in the things I do.
They will not stand. they won't come through.
So I'll trust in the name of the Lord my God
I'll trust in the name..

Picket fences may build our defense.
In domestic wars of leisure suits.
That's OK it doesn't bother me.
You can hold onto your philosophy
Of What's mine is mine, what's yours is yours
But whats the truth?

When the walls do crumble and they fall.
It won't be hard to tell where we place our resolve.

Some trust in chariots.
But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
To each his own won't lead you home
And probably never will.
I won't trust in the things I do.
They will not stand. they won't come through.
So I'll trust in the name of the Lord my God
I'll trust in the name...

- In The Name, J. Knapp

the brown-haired lady on the broadcast just derisively remarked about the 'nonsense' contained in Obama's stimulus bill.  the man defends the bill, and she cuts him off, demanding that he acknowledge that there is, indeed, 'nonsense' in this bill.  he concedes, 'sure, there's some nonsense, but you do what you do to get it passed and try to get that stuff out of it later'. (paraphrase)  that's how the bailout got passed, remember?  that's how things work.

I don't have very good answers.  I believe in simplicity - if you don't have the money to do something, maybe you shouldn't do it. save some money in case of emergency. debt = pressure, so be careful. don't do today what is going to put you and your family at great risk a year from now. desperation makes us do some pretty dumb things sometimes, so try really hard to keep from becoming desperate. I want something good to come out of all of this. I hope our children are taught about money matters, and become critical thinkers with the ability to delay pleasure. I want America to learn it's lessons and come out wiser and solid. I hope our leaders lead us in this path. here are some interesting and thought-provoking audio interviews conducted by Studs Terkel to collect information for his book Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression.  which I've not read yet, but would like to very much.

another story of "excessive debt and overly rapid expansion"

from Wallet Pop... but I think the original story is from the Wall Street Journal:

Steve & Barry's set to throw in the towel

Posted Nov 18th 2008 7:15AM by Zac Bissonnette
Filed under: Deals, Bad news

After a meteoric rise followed by a swift decent into bankruptcy, Steve & Barry's caught a lifeline when Bay Harbour Management LLC agreed to purchase the company's assets back in August. Bay Harbour hoped to keep 150 of the company's 276 store open. But the sagging economy appears to have dashed those plans.

The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) the company "is set to announce this week it will go out of business, according to two people familiar with the situation." All 5,000 employees will be let go after the liquidation, and the company's brand will probably be sold for next to nothing and live on in a much reduced capacity. For example, I could see Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) acquiring the brand to bolster its value-oriented fashion proposition.

What's disappointing is that the Steve & Barry's concept -- reasonably fashionable apparel at ridiculously low prices -- resonated with consumers and was delivering strong sales growth in an extremely difficulty retail environment. With a less ambitious expansion strategy, the company might well have survived and had a bright future.

For now, it's a case study in the dangers of excessive debt and overly rapid expansion.



this is a sad day for fans of S.J.Parker's 'Bitten' line, which was cute and super cheap. does she sell out of another store? anyway, it caught my eye, because of the last few lines. Steve & Barry's was doing well... they just had a lot of debt and had grown too fast to ride out this rocky time. which brings me to my comments/question: I get that the gov wants to prop up certain sectors to keep the economy going, keep people employed, and boost consumer confidence. however, it stands to reason that businesses need to re-evalute what has apparently become The Way to do things. as unsexy as it sounds, why don't we try Growing Slower. Keeping Enough Capital At The Ready. Not Building Our Lives On Credit. I've read and listened to people poo-poo such ideas, saying that such business practices would slow things down horribly. but honestly, do I want to grow my business fast, or well? do you trade steady, sustained progress for the stress of all of your profits going to debt payments while you finance employee paychecks? I understand that banks need to be able to lend, both to consumers and to businesses, but the largest lesson from this whole debaucle is that people across the board were carrying too much debt, without the funds to back it. it seems as though Those Who Are Spending Our Money To Fix This are so... well, fixated on trying to create credit streams and encouraging people to rush back into using them that they're skipping the part where we acknowledge that rampant credit use is part of what took us down to begin with. and THAT omission, in my opinion, has as much to do with current consumer confidence as anything. it's hard to have confidence in these guys... even now, Mr. Paulson and Mr. Bernanke are defending what they've done so far to Congress. people are befuddled. meanwhile, as the media continues to try to scare the fire out of all of us about everything 'plunging!', I choose to believe there's a bright side. maybe consumer numbers are down simply because people realize they don't need as much, maybe they're choosing where to put their money more carefully. in short, maybe Americans are acting wiser than the Fed. which gives me hope that there may actually be good fiscal change in this rough time.

I'll close with a real display of my ignorance. I am completely perplexed about the recent stories of Houston's looming economic troubles due to a dwindling 'energy cushion'. were energy companies not make record profits just two months ago? are their bottom lines THAT affected by monthly trends? when companies are that large, is the concept of 'laying aside excess, or building a huge emergency fund for a rainy day so you can have some stability, run your business and pay your employees in the event of 6 months of rockiness' just a ridiculous idea that doesn't translate when you're dealing with markets and billions of dollars?