I had arthroscopic hip surgery on Monday to repair a tear in my hip joint. I've had pain for about a year and a half and finally got up enough gumption to do it. I'm recovering well, but could be on crutches for up to a month, and definitely reduced activity for several months before I can get back to kayaking. Or climbing ladders to paint 9' ceilings.
I'll be home from work for 2 weeks; mostly on the couch hanging out with the tv and bonding with the house. It should give me a lot of time to figure out paint colors (ha! yeah right!) and living room configurations and decorations. Right now, its giving me a lot of time to appreciate the house.
I have a straight shot from the couch to the powder room, with enough length to get up speed and practice my crutch style. In my old house, I would have had to make 3-4 tight turns to get into the bathroom.
I still haven't quite figured out how to feed myself, but the kitchen is going to be seriously helpful. I can open the fridge and put food directly on the counter, lean on the crutch and do what I need to do, then put it back. I can slide it down to the end, then sit at the bar stool and enjoy. I think I can probably cook this way too, but haven't tried it yet.
I can easily get to all the windows and open or close the blinds, and sturdy handrails on both sides of the steps at top and bottom to help with the transition from steps back to crutches.
I'm grateful that I have such a nice, well laid out place to recover. And lots of blogs to read to alleviate my boredom!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
3 Months, and not so new...
We've been in our Ravenna for 3 whole months now. Our awesome PM continues to work on fixing some of the minor issues we are having and is always in touch with us about what he's working on. The second to last house is under roof - one more house and then Ryan is done with the 15 homes they built in this neighborhood. And we are done with dump trucks and early morning hammering!
We still have not met many of our neighbors, mostly I think because we were the second ones in and aren't directly adjacent to any of the new homes. And because everyone else moved in during the colder and dark months. I hope that as it gets warmer and the days get longer, we'll be able to get to know each other a bit better.
Yesterday, I washed my car in the driveway for the very first time. And realized we should have gotten an extra hose bib near the garage. :) I'm always realizing things like this.
Today, as I was cleaning the kitchen (how does it get so gross?), I realized that the house isn't new anymore. The cabinets have fingerprints and food smears on them, there are crumbs that I can see just under the stove that the vacuum doesn't suck up, there are dings and scratches on the countertops... These aren't major, but are in stark contrast to this picture of perfection I have in my head. The picture put there by that damn model house that always looked perfect and clean!
So, my question to my Ryan friends, what is the best way that you have found to:
Clean the cabinets? I am afraid to use anything for fear of messing up the finish.
Clean the hardwood floors? The vacuum is great, and we've got this little mop shiner thing, but I think its time for something a bit stronger.
Shine up the sink? Man, its already got those rust stains in it.
Did I mention that the elderly cat has also had several "accidents" (accidents in quotes because I'm pretty sure he is doing it on purpose) on the hardwood floors. A little Fantastic and Nature's Miracle has done the trick so far, but I am not a happy camper. Neither is BF. But the cats, they seem to be pretty happy.
Not so new anymore, but we are still loving our new home.
We still have not met many of our neighbors, mostly I think because we were the second ones in and aren't directly adjacent to any of the new homes. And because everyone else moved in during the colder and dark months. I hope that as it gets warmer and the days get longer, we'll be able to get to know each other a bit better.
Yesterday, I washed my car in the driveway for the very first time. And realized we should have gotten an extra hose bib near the garage. :) I'm always realizing things like this.
Today, as I was cleaning the kitchen (how does it get so gross?), I realized that the house isn't new anymore. The cabinets have fingerprints and food smears on them, there are crumbs that I can see just under the stove that the vacuum doesn't suck up, there are dings and scratches on the countertops... These aren't major, but are in stark contrast to this picture of perfection I have in my head. The picture put there by that damn model house that always looked perfect and clean!
So, my question to my Ryan friends, what is the best way that you have found to:
Clean the cabinets? I am afraid to use anything for fear of messing up the finish.
Clean the hardwood floors? The vacuum is great, and we've got this little mop shiner thing, but I think its time for something a bit stronger.
Shine up the sink? Man, its already got those rust stains in it.
Did I mention that the elderly cat has also had several "accidents" (accidents in quotes because I'm pretty sure he is doing it on purpose) on the hardwood floors. A little Fantastic and Nature's Miracle has done the trick so far, but I am not a happy camper. Neither is BF. But the cats, they seem to be pretty happy.
Not so new anymore, but we are still loving our new home.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Two rooms down, 10 more to go...
I painted!
Yup, I finally broke down and got some paint on the walls! A friend came over to help get me (push me?) over the hump and it was a ginormous help. With her coaxing, I chose SW Blonde to paint in the entrance hallway. A few weeks later, I worked up the nerve to tackle the morning room, which I painted SW Bamboo Shoot.
You can see we also got blinds! We ordered them custom cut from SelectBlinds.com and were very pleased with their service, prices and shipping. All nine windows in the morning/family room are the same color, Cherry. Select Blinds cuts them to width and length - the windows are a standard size, but having them cut to the correct length saves a lot of time. When you buy blinds off the shelf, you have to take the bottom apart and pull the extra slats off - an endeavor that requires a large lot of patience, and in my experience, a stiff drink (or two). These blinds were comparably priced to ones you can buy off the shelf at big box retailers.
The next big project will be figuring out a color for the family room/kitchen that coordinates with Bamboo Shoot and Blonde, doesn't clash with the new couch, and looks good with the floor, cabinets and countertops. No problem, right?
Yup, I finally broke down and got some paint on the walls! A friend came over to help get me (push me?) over the hump and it was a ginormous help. With her coaxing, I chose SW Blonde to paint in the entrance hallway. A few weeks later, I worked up the nerve to tackle the morning room, which I painted SW Bamboo Shoot.
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| SW Blonde in entrance. Its really tough to get a good picture of this room because it never gets much natural light. I really like the color, which is a nice warm yellow/brown. |
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| It looks a bit different at night with the fluorescent lights |
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| Showing off my excellent cutting-in job, not so easy with that angled ceiling above the door |
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| SW Bamboo Shoot. I LOVE how it turned out. |
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| The 12' ceiling was NOT easy to paint |
You can see we also got blinds! We ordered them custom cut from SelectBlinds.com and were very pleased with their service, prices and shipping. All nine windows in the morning/family room are the same color, Cherry. Select Blinds cuts them to width and length - the windows are a standard size, but having them cut to the correct length saves a lot of time. When you buy blinds off the shelf, you have to take the bottom apart and pull the extra slats off - an endeavor that requires a large lot of patience, and in my experience, a stiff drink (or two). These blinds were comparably priced to ones you can buy off the shelf at big box retailers.
The next big project will be figuring out a color for the family room/kitchen that coordinates with Bamboo Shoot and Blonde, doesn't clash with the new couch, and looks good with the floor, cabinets and countertops. No problem, right?
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