Baby, it's Hot in Here!

How to Install a Programmable Thermostat Programmable thermostats are great. They remember to save energy (and money!) even when we don’t. For the most part, after they are installed, you program them and leave them, changing the batteries as needed. When we moved in to ‘the mother of ugly’, I was pleased that there was…

Read More

Demolition Love

With all due respect to Jann Arden (who I think is fabulous), her song should have been named “Renovation Love” instead of “Demolition Love”, but for the Renovator and I, the two are one in the same. In any renovation, there is a certain amount of demolition. Like all good renovators, we think that sometimes…

Read More

Water, Water Everywhere!

You can drink it, shower in it, wash dishes with it… ah! Bliss! I admit it, I’ve been lazy with regards to the blog, so my hope is to get two posts up today to make up for it. First, thank God for water pressure and a smart husband. As you may recall in the…

Read More

Renovating and NOT Going Crazy

It’s good to be slightly crazy to begin with if you plan on renovating. Whether on your own, with your spouse, or a whole family project, renovating brings out ‘the crazy’ in people. By starting off slightly on the edge it will be less noticeable when you lose it. And you WILL lose it. Ronda’s…

Read More

Defining Greatness

With the Olympics on, and us living in the lower mainland, I’ve been struck by how we all have special skills and abilities. Mine is writing, but I also have a flair for seeing what needs to be done to make a house beautiful (I like to think so anyway!). In the last few weeks…

Read More

I'm Dreaming of a Bright Kitchen

Yes, I realize that I’m more than a few weeks late to be making a mess of Christmas carols, but it will likely be next Christmas (or later!) before this plan gets put into action. We all know the kitchen is the hub of the home. It’s where everything happens. In our house, not only…

Read More

Tearing Down Walls & Changing Plans

The Renovator and I had agreed to several things when we bought this house. But, as is often the case in relationships, the rules and agreements change. When renovating with your spouse, the best thing you can do is to roll with it and choose your battles carefully. When we moved in, we agreed that…

Read More

The Day the Fridge Died

Happy New Year! If I made New Year’s resolutions, one would be to post more often, but since I’m not a fan of resolutions, I’ll simply say that I have set a target to blog once a week – we’ll see how it goes! One thing that interfered with staying on track during the holidays was food related. Christmas, in…

Read More

Christmas Time with the Renovator

There has been a lot going on, yet not much to write a good blog about. I will definitely be putting a new post up in a few days, but as you know, I’d rather give you readers a meaningful blog than just the bits and pieces that float around in my mind! As we…

Read More

Water Pressure, Where Art Thou??

Have you ever experienced crappy water pressure? Sure you have. At the cabin, in the motorhome, some strange little sink someone put in a bit backwards? Yes, you know what it’s like – turn on the tap, wait for that blast, but instead you get a trickle. The Renovator and I deal with this trickle…

Read More