Just in case we didn’t already have enough projects on the go, over the weekend we decided to add one more.  We wanted to move our smelly, unsightly trash can (aka  a “rubbish bin” in the UK) from beside our kitchen cabinets.  In this location, it could be seen right as you walk in from the front of the house – classy – and just recently, the dogs have been using it as a place to hike their leg when we leave them in the kitchen when we go out. So we needed to hide the sucker, pronto!

The cabinets right next to where we usually keep the trash can were perfect contenders for its new hidey hole.

We bought a couple of sliding shelves which fit neatly into the cabinet to conceal the waste containers.

These systems are so easy to install.  They come preassembled – fours screws and five minutes later, you’re all done. We liked the end outcome so much that we went ahead and got a couple more for the opposite cabinet to house our recycling.

This cabinet was wider so we were able to get the double mounted sliding shelf (you need a 14.5″ opening for this system, as opposed to 10″ for the single shelf).

We bought the optional door mounting kit, so you just pull out the door and the shelf slides right out, instead of having to open the door then pull out the trash can.  In this picture, you can see the large bracket that affixes the shelf to the cabinet door.

A quick and easy update to the kitchen, don’t you agree? Anyone else out there use these concealed trash cans?

One of the many concurrent projects we’ve been working on the last few weeks is trying to find a way to lower the dining room chandelier.  When we got the light a few months ago, it only came with 18″ down rods.  So when Rick installed it over our dining room table, our 9 feet ceilings made the light look completely disconnected from the table.

It is generally recommended that you hang a chandelier approximately 28-32 inches over a table with an 8 foot ceiling height. If your ceiling is higher than 8 feet, the chandelier can be mounted an additional 3 inches higher for each foot of ceiling. That meant for our 9 foot ceilings, we needed to hang our chandelier anywhere from 31-35 inches over the table.  In its original location, the chandelier was about 53 inches above the table, so we needed to lower it by about 18 inches.

We thought it would be a relatively easy task to find an 18″ extension rod to lower the light.  We were wrong.  During the numerous trips we made to various DIY stores in the past few months  (and I mean *numerous*), we weren’t able to locate anything in the lighting section that would enable us to extend our light.  If you were in a Home Depot or Lowes in the Raleigh, NC area recently, and saw a bewildered blond haired English woman muttering to herself saying “surely we’re not the only people in the world who have come across this problem” (peppered with a range of expletives), then that was me. I mean, come on people!  How hard is it to find an 18″ long, 5/16″ diameter chrome pipe in a big box store that sells millions of items?

The lighting section wasn’t offering any solutions, so it was time to think outside of the electrical box.  We came across a solution in the … plumbing section.  Rick found exactly what we needed – an 18″ chrome toilet connector pipe. In order to connect the pipe to the existing light rod, we got a couple of  3/8″ chrome compression nuts and a  3/8″ compression union (in brass unfortunately – nothing a bit of chrome spray paint couldn’t fix).

Using a hack saw, Rick cut the bulbous end off the toilet pipe, and then flared both ends (using his flarey tool thingy-me-jiggy – I’m so technical, don’t you agree?).  The flared ends made the compression union and nuts fit snugly.  So, one end of the pipe was connected to the down rods attached to the light plate (using the compression fitting that originally came with the light).  The other end of the extension pipe was connected to the rods attached to the light itself, using the new compression fittings.  Et voila! We now have a newly extended dining room light that hangs at the perfect height over the table.

Check out the before and after.  It’s amazing how 18 inches makes such a difference.  Size really does matter after all

One project down. 311, 563, 899 left to go.

Ever have one of those days where you seem to be working all the time and not getting anything accomplished?  That’s how it’s been here for the past few weeks. We seem to be working around the house every spare minute we get (when we’re not working for our regular jobs, both in the day time and in the evenings).  However, we still really haven’t finished many projects around the house just recently.  We’ve got several on the go.  For instance, Rick has been working in the garage, trying to organize some of the boxes of stuff we still have left over from moving.  He’s also been working hard replacing the garage door opener (and fixing the banged up garage doors), so that when Winter rolls in, we might actually be able to put the cars in the garage.  The previous owners only installed one garage opener, despite having three working doors, so eventually Rick will be installing two other openers so we can use the full extent of the three-car garage. 

Back in the house, we’ve also been working on getting a few rooms finished.  When Rick first installed the dining room chandelier, it was obvious that it needed lowering over the dining room table.  The light didn’t come with any extension rods, so we’ve been coming up with some creative ways to lower that sucker (more details coming soon).  I’ve also been playing around with paint ideas for changing the Gothic red to something more airy and contemporary.  The wall going into the kitchen (opposite our one replaced window) is currently decorated with about 7 different color patches as we try several different looks for the room.

We’re still working on hanging the header in our upstairs bedroom-turned-library.  The header is up, but we still need to make a few adjustments to some supports before we remove the middle studs.  And lastly, we’re thisclose to finishing (and revealing) our downstairs bathroom makeover.  All that’s left is a few finishing touches – some caulking, some crown moulding, hanging some pictures and so forth.

Maybe it would be easier to focus in one project, rather than tackle several at one time.  I keep telling myself that we are saving time by multi-tasking – every time we go to the DIY store, we can get items for several projects rather than make many trips for individual projects.  That’s the theory anyway.  Do you guys multitask and work on several projects at once, or do you prefer to work on one thing at a time?  Do tell.

I have a good feeling that we will get at least one these projects finished this week.  Stay tuned for details!

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I find innuendo in everything.  Anything.  Even in the most innocuous subject I can find a sexual reference.  Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this sign driving home from work:

I first saw the sign as I was pulling to a stop at a traffic light.  It was obscured by a large truck in the next lane and so I only saw part of the words. Inevitably, the first thing that came to mind was the obvious sexual reference.  I chuckled to myself thinking how typical of me to automatically perceive something rude in an innocent sign, and thinking of course there wouldn’t be a such a suggestive moniker at a shopping mall. 

I literally did the classic double take when the truck moved away and I saw the sign in full.  Does it really say that?  So, what did I do? Naturally, I pulled over and snapped a few photos to document this oddly evocative sign.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised, especially as the sign is in a “strip” mall, which is also advertizing items that are “hot-n-ready” from a “rent-a-center”. Let’s not imagine what the “1st taste” would be of.  Oops.  Too late.

Rick is usually the teccie geek in our family. Any kind of new gadget (especially computer related) piques his interest. He was the one who wanted to upgrade our camera from a little point-and-shoot to a DSLR.  At the time I wasn’t convinced – especially as DSLR’s tend to be more expensive than their little cousins. But once we got the camera, I was hooked. So much so that photography is now considered my domain in our household.  I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised then that lately I have started thinking about moving photography.

I’ve seen a couple of fab videos taken with the pocket-sized Flip video camera on one of the Home Design blogs I read (check out YHL). The reviews for this camera are nearly all fantastic.  People report that it is easy-to-use, with its one touch recording system, built in 8GB memory and flip-out USB drive.  Plus, the FlipShare software lets you easily email videos, edit individual clips, make custom movies, capture still photos from video, and upload video to YouTube. You can learn more about the Flip features on this video.

Currently, Amazon is offering three (yes 3!) special promotions if you buy this baby by October 10th.  When you purchase the video camera, you get 1) a free accessory, such as a carrying case or rechargeable battery pack and 2) 55 free prints (including 50 4 x 6-inch, four 5 x 7-inch, and one 8 x 10-inch, valued at $15.45) from Shutterfly. In addition to these freebies, the best deal is being offered in conjunction with Audible - an online marketplace for digital audiobooks. If you sign up for their AudibleListener® Gold program for 12 months ($14.95 per month), then you get $100.00 off the camera.  100 notes!  So, you’re getting the video camera for around 60 bucks – that is an amazing deal!  Rick listens to audiobooks all the time on his 90 minute commute to and from work everyday, so this might be a very good deal for us.  In fact, I might have just talked myself into getting one!

Tyra – you can stop looking for America’s Next Top Model because I have found the perfect candidate. My model has a long, lean body, legs that go on for ever, and a don’t-mess-wit-me attitude: 

Plus, she even has that “my-head-is-too-big-for-my-body” look that models have. And how about that connection with the camera.  I do believe she is smizing.

Bonus: you won’t have to have those mid-season chats about anorexia and self esteem.  This girl eats like … well, a mantis. 

So Tyra, call me. I’m thinking America’s Next Top Mantis has quite a ring to it.

In the words of Bridget Jones, today I am feeling a “smug married”. In that, I am married to the most wonderful man and I am smug about it (not in the Bridget Jones-esque sense of a person who looks upon single, or separated or divorced friends with a sort of condescending pity). When I woke up to go to work the other morning, my darling husband had left me a little present:

Not only had he taken the time to make me a PB&J sandwich so I could eat breakfast on the way to work (most mornings I forget breakfast), but he also wrote me a love note on it.  Food and love in one neat little package. What more can a girl want? So my dear husband Rick, I say thank you.  Thank you for loving me.  Thank you for these gestures that show me you are thinking about me. Thank you for making the last 9 years of our life together the best of my life.  I love you too, with all my heart. PB&J right back atcha.