A Window A Weekend
Mark and I have officially become slow pokes. It’s taken us FOREVER to finish this window project. But when your super fun nephews are in town, you’re going to hang with them and put the house stuff on...
View ArticleI think we need some Botox.
They say anything worth doing is hard. And Mark and I can prove it with all the new wrinkles and lines on our faces. Is 32 too young to get Botox? Mark is 38 and already scheduled for a much-needed...
View ArticleThank God for Mark’s Muscles!
Yes, we picked the hottest day to go up onto the roof and work. Every time I’m up there and see the incredible views, I tell Mark that he needs to build a roof patio STAT! No patio work right now, just...
View ArticleLooking ahead…
Mark and I are on a very tight schedule to FINISH our house. Like, really REALLY finish it. On the agenda this weekend…complete the firewall in our attic. We estimate this will take one weekend. (But...
View ArticleVodka Sodas > Firewall Construction
Vodka sodas with a splash of cranberry juice are the best. And drinking them in your backyard is wayyyyyy better than building a firewall. (Trust us.) This weekend did not go as planned. Mark had a big...
View ArticleSwearin’ up a storm
5/8ths drywall is heavy. Like, REALLY heavy. I know this because Mark complained when I asked him to hold it up for this picture. Note to self…when Mark complains, pretend you don’t hear him…or give...
View ArticleDirt, dirt…and more dirt
One of the joys of living in a renovation is the amount of dirt and dust that seem to cover EVERYTHING at ALL times. When Mark did all the dirty work on the firewall attic, you know we tracked that...
View ArticleGrunt Work
Our latest project was a cleanup. A purge of all the leftover construction materials and junk we’ve been putting in our basement. We knew it was going to be a lot of grunt work and we finally bit the...
View ArticleBucket Brigade
I literally spent several hours filling a bucket with rocks, walking it 12 feet and then dumping it. God bless all the people that have to do this for a living because it totally sucks. Our basement...
View ArticleYa Can’t Catch A Bus On The Roof
I walked in from teaching spin this weekend and before I even locked the car door, I could hear it. POUNDING. Oh Lord in heaven, I know what that means! That noise means 2 things…my husband is working...
View ArticleScrew it…we should just be roofers.
Mark and I have been on this roof so many times, I feel like we should just start a roofing company. We’ve put down new tar. We’ve put in laundry vents. We’ve admired the view. I’m not a fan of this...
View ArticleBlogging is just so hard.
Hahahahahahaha. No it’s not. :) Here’s my hubby taking apart the window frame in our back bedroom. He then steps out onto the roof (in a very masculine way) and tosses the old wood down below. It’s...
View ArticleBricks instead of Bikinis
I should be drinking Skinnygirl margaritas on the beach at Longboat Key…and yet I find myself buying bricks at Home Depot in a sweater and jacket. Not my ideal vacation, but nobody likes a complainer...
View ArticleI’m not dead, just exhausted.
Got caught sleeping on the job yesterday. Mark is a better person than me (my family already knew that) and he’s able to go-go-go without rest. We built the stud walls for our back bedroom in about a...
View ArticleI should probably get Mark some life insurance
Sooooooo…I have a secret to tell you. Despite my husband’s incredible (and seemingly boundless) home renovation skills, he is not a superhero. Yes yes, I know…you are SHOCKED. And I am sorry to burst...
View ArticleWhat If We Look Like Schmoes?
That was my biggest concern when Pittsburgh Magazine said they wanted to feature our DIY home renovation in their October issue. I said to Mark…”The other homes featured are like 10 and 20 MILLION...
View ArticleGood at renovating…not at rowing
We haven’t done much since our DIY home renovation staycation. (Mark did manage to tackle the beer flights at Draai Laag though.) Between nonstop work (as in our real life jobs) and snuggling with my...
View ArticleMark’s Most Favorite Day
My husband, Mark, is easy to please. He loves going to the Pittsburgh Penguins games…especially when they play Canadian teams. (Now here’s our obligatory pre-game selfie.) Mark always drinks Labatt...
View ArticleWho’s ready for Round 2?!
We are. (Kind of.) Mark and I are THISCLOSE to getting our next fixer upper. After 19 months of hard labor on our current house that included tearing down walls, ripping up floors and inhaling enough...
View ArticleChampagne tastes best in plastic cups!
Move over…the fancy squad is coming through. When you buy a new house, your family comes over to toast your new adventure and to bring the most important housewarming gifts. Toilet paper and pizza. We...
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