Clever is as clever does

I love to visit IKEA Hacks. It's inspiring, always offers up something clever and I can even occasionally do the projects.

Especially crafty ones I like recently include this yarn swift, this loom (!) and a cool crafty cabinet.

Colonial One

Celebrating the little munchkin's b-day today, so busy busy busy getting things ready.

In the meanwhile, here's some house pics to distract you. These are from before we bought it, so they are empty:

Um, yeah. Colonial my ...er, eyeballs.

Living room. Gorgeous, gorgeous light in here.

Other end of the living room, which is kinda long and skinny; we're currently using this as our library area.

The kitchen, which you've seen before. It's an eat-in, and I think it needs just a bit more separation than that. I have a plan...

The first floor bathroom. While sorely lacking in style, it does have an adorable clawfoot tub. They are fiendishly impractical for all but the most fit people -- ever try getting out of one of these suckers? -- but I am a huge, huge fan. This is probably the easiest room to finish: it needs accessories, tile around the tub, new floor and window trim.

More later...

Bitter Much? (the sequel)

So clearly, I shouldn't be optimistic. Every time I have a thought like, "Whew, almost done with that (long, long, long) list of things that need to be repaired," something freaky happens.

Exhibit A:

This, dear readers, is the new fridge. Delightful in its shiny black sexiness, no? Yet that was a significant chunk o'change we here at Casa Boy-O had not planned to part with. However, since we like to eat without risking ptomaine, and since the fridge part of the original fridge gave up the ghost, we resigned ourselves to this expenditure.

It's a much better one for the number of mouths we regularly feed, too, so that was another reason we were less inclined to moan. Onward and upward, we said. Let's just get through this list of repairs, and then we can move on to fun stuff.

Until last night when the microwave stuttered, sputtered and died so completely the screen went black and would not resurrect. I've never actually seen that happen: even the time I attempted to boil an egg in my mom's first microwave (I did mention that, didn't I, Mom? I didn't? Well, um, never mind. You just forget I said anything.) it eventually came back on.

Stunned, I assumed it was the circuit breaker, and visited the basement to try flipping that switch.

While down there, I thought, "Oh! I should throw in that load of laundry." 'Cause you know, clean socks? Turns out they really do make the day a little bit nicer for everyone involved.

Except, of course, when your attempt to start the washer results in GIANT BLUE SPARKS flying at your head. Then, not so much with the clean or the nice.

So once again, Mama will be trekking over to this fine establishment to see what I can see in the way of appliances that a) don't suck and b) won't bankrupt us. Ahh, the fun and joy just keep rolling on...

Better add some cute kid pics to get that bitter taste out:

(We were at One Green World for their annual open house. No, I have no idea why that required princess garb. Better safe than sorry, though, right? Cause how silly would you feel if you needed formal wear and didn't have it?)

Notice how slickly I slipped that adorable Baby Surprise Jacket in there? (Look Ma, actual knitting!) Not mine, of course, since I don't think I can even find a ball of yarn in the maze that is our basement. It was a baby shower gift from the very kind Chris T. of AliceThelma.