Kitchen Details

So, as you know, we're sweating the details around our place. Over the last week, we've been reserving a few minutes every day just to work on the 'frosting' pieces in the kitchen. One of the pieces of 'frosting' that we've completed is the cabinetry maintenance and update. No need for new cabinets; structurally, the cabinets we have are great. In fact, the complications involved in replacing our cabinets are not trivial.

So, C painted them lovingly. With the cabinets now done, the kitchen is now painted completely in one of two shades of white. One is the bright white-white glossy enamel of the woodwork. Everything else (walls, cabinets, etc) are painted this warm sort of white, like mashed potatoes after the butter has been stirred in. One's eye only sees the yellow when compared to the white enamel. Otherwise, the wall looks, well... white. 

But, the yellow tone in the wall paint picks up the yellows in the existing tilework. For such a monochrome kitchen, C has done a masterful job with minute subtleties in tone and shade to create a 'monochrome' kitchen that is NOT monochromatic. Warm, and with depth... not sterile.

We swapped out all the knobs and pulls, though. As you can see in these photos, the look is at once period and also contemporary.  In fact, the pulls on the bottom cabinets look like any well-appointed new-construction home in town. It's the upper cabinet latches, though, that make the case for a strongly period look!

Sage Wisdom for other husbands who're reading my blog: the happier your woman is with the 'feel' of her kitchen, the better her cooking gets. I've learned this; C truly likes using this particular kitchen.

Gymnastics - The Year That Was

Tonight is the gym team celebration at the training facility - a pizza party, awards banquet, and an all night sleep-over in the gym. R's going. What a great way to celebrate his growth and contribution as a gymnast!

Back on the old, archived blog, I posted an inventory of his routines throughout the year. In honor of his contribution to this year, I'm linking to some of those videos here for THIS blog... sort of a highlight reel for R.

 

R on the High Bar at State:

Since State, R has been working on a number of new moves for the Level 5 competitions. He's progressing extremely well.

 

R on the Parallel Bars:

 

R on the Pommel at State:

Since State, where R achieved three revolutions on the mushroom for the  first time in competition, he has improved to as many as seven revolutions in training. Look out for next year!

 

R on the Rings, MAC Meet

R had an awesome year, both athletically and as a self-manager. Where he is today is much different than where he was to start the year. I couldn't be prouder.

Training continues throughout the summer. Gymnastics is a year-round thing! Given that he's already working on Level 5 skills (and even learning some beginning tumbling!) It'll be interesting to see where he is at the start of school next Fall.

When Grandma Goes To Court

 

This was shared with me via email. Obviously it's been clipped from a website, but the source url is not included. My apologies to the original poster for not citing....but, it's just too funny not to include.

Of course, a quick google-based search shows that this has been well posted on a wide variety of blogs and joke sites. None look like legitimate news sources. And yet, snopes.com doesn't list it. So... I can't vouch for its legitimacy after about three minutes research.

Nonetheless, enjoy!

Almost There....

THURS UPDATE:  They guys say they'll be done with the patio and water feature by EOD Friday; trash hauling over the weekend.  I'm good with that.

 

The patio guys are at the house, cutting bricks for the patio.  Apparently, their saw blows the circuit breaker every five minutes or so...

Today is rainy, but last night was warm, dry and pleasant. We had dinner on the patio, under two patio umbrellas. The six chairs enables us to set the patio up with four chairs around the table, and the two rockers on the opposite side, as a seating area. It's pleasant.

I'm pleased to announce that I assembled the barbecue last night, fired it up and cooked a couple sirloins for a midnight snack. It was heaven. We're going to like this spot, especially once the pavers are all done and the water's making its burbling sound.

Here are some in-process photos from tonight.

UPDATE: Whoa! Look At This!

I've been compiling a list of all the Troop 240 Eagles, using the Troop roll sheet as a starting point. For me, personally, I always wanted to meet the first of the bunch, Ken Schoolcraft. Ken earned his Eagle in 1965, far enough in front of me that none of my contemporaries knew anything about him.

Well, I'm pleased to have connected with Ken (thanks to the power of the internet). We've had a short email exchange; for me, this is extremely cool.

Memorial Day

Working in the shop at the beach this weekend, while spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. I got C's kitchen booth bench seats adjusted...or, rather, I got the pieces cut to fit. I also cut a threshold piece to size needed to finally finish the wood floor trim near the stove area. Finally, I also fabricated some replacement parts for the old patio umbrella! That'll work nicely on our soon-to-be-finished patio.

It's nice to have a weekend of relative relaxation.

Winner: Small Project Awards 2008 - $1,500 flat-pack house

Boing Boing pointed to the Dwell Blog post, which I'm linking here.

The American Institute of Architects announced the recipients of its Small Project Awards 2008. Winners include Abod, [$1,500 base cost] envisioned as a low-cost, prefabricated solution to South Africa’s housing shortage by BSB Designs.

Each home packs flat and can be assembled by four people with a screwdriver and awl (both tools are shipped with the structure). Buyers can add multiple features on to the original 10x12 foot structure, including a kitchen, bathroom, window-walls, and closets.  The lightweight steel framework and corrugated walls can be easily disassembled and transported.

 

Winner: Small Project Awards 2008 - Dwell Blog - dwell.com

 

I really like the Abod. To the point that I wouldn't mind access to something like this for personal use. The example above, with two units orthogonally oriented, is - I assume - a $3,000 investment. There are so many opportunities to use something like this for functional rustic or temporary shelter.

Well done, BSB!

Rolling Along...

The bulk of the patio pavers went in yesterday. As did the bubbler side of the water feature. Apparently, today is the day they cut all the partial blocks to fill in the edges.  They're not going to be done today. They'll be done by the end of the holiday weekend.

I assembled the patio furniture in preparation for having the patio portion completed today. Still to go? The barbecue grill.

As for us, we'll be going to the beach where I'll be building up the changes to the booth table benches, and fabricating a couple pieces for the kitchen floor trim.

Ryne and I will possibly build a jet engine out of a jam jar, as well. Really. Go look it up.

 

Otherwise, C has been painting all sorts of nooks, corners and moldings around the house, getting everything spiffed up.

We Have The Start Of A Patio!

I came home from work today to find the landscape guy working on the patio. Yesterday, the stair steps were set in concrete and the center of the pathway to the garage was placed. Today they worked the patio, starting at the door and radiating out toward the far edges. It's going to be beautiful. The pattern is really nice, and the stone is beautiful.

They tell me to expect completion by end of the day Thursday. Now, I'm no expert, but I would guess they'll have the patio and path nearly complete tomorrow, and tackle the water feature and edges on Thursday. We'll see... we'll see.

Whoa! Look at THIS!

 

So, I get a wild idea and search for Troop 240 in Hillsboro, Oregon. Yep, they've got a website. Cool. I poke around just a little, and find a full roster of EVERY Troop 240 Eagle Scout. Really. It's true. Right here.

Am I on it? You bet your bippie!  Here's an excerpt:

I won't mince details here, but I actually got my Eagle in 1981.

Hot. Africa Hot.

Okay, so it isn't quite that hot. But the 48 hour transition from highs in the 50's to highs in the mid-90's has been quite a shocker for us.  Working outside today was difficult. Working inside, where the air was cooler (but still much warmer than we're used to) was possibly even harder, due to the stillness of the air.

Now, in the evening, the breeze is coming up and its beyond tolerable - delightful, in fact - to finally feel the heat. If only I could enjoy a patio in our back yard...

See, the landscaper guys didn't show up today. I'm exasperated. C and I got the idea to take what pavers are here and drop them down into a pathway from the back door to the gate. At least now we don't have to slog all the sand into our house and have it abrading our beautifully finished floors.

Otherwise, C painted outside. I put UV film on some of the windows upstairs. I put up beadboard in the oven alcove (look for a before/after pic soon). I also (at C's prompting) planned out how to fix the gap in the kitchen floor near the stove as well. Looks like I'll be starting in on the flooring project tomorrow!

On Tap for This Weekend

UPDATE: No patio in place when I got home tonight; I'm told the crew will be here all day tomorrow. Possibly Sunday, too. To Do list modified accordingly

My to-do list looks refreshingly low-key this weekend:

• Assemble patio furniture
• Assemble gas grill
• Clean up my workbench
• Sculpt the front yard dirt (if it's not too hot outside)
• Make progress on organizing the garage
• Fix the garage door opener
• Do some trim painting outside
• Put UV reflective mylar on skylights upstairs

Of course, if the patio guys haven't come through yet, the top two items immediately fall off the list. In that case, perhaps I'll bust out a detail brush and make progress on the outside trim painting that still remains. We'll see.

The Roomba's There!

And just in time! Nooooo, the house isn't a mess. In fact, just the opposite. C spent most of yesterday doing the kind of fine-toothed-comb tidying that we haven't done since moving in. We've kept a clean house, all-in-all, but the construction dust, and the builder clutter was a constant companion for most of the time. Now, though, things are generally finished. The dust has settled. She's scraped paint flecks out of the nooks and crannies. She's caulked every gap and seam we can find. She pulled the area rugs back out of louse quarrantine, and carefully arranged them around the house. Naturally, the next step was to stop everything and made the house look FINISHED BEAUTIFUL yesterday. She did; and it IS!!!

That's why the Roomba's arrival is well-timed. We can use it to keep the place in tip-top shape.

We'll get to play with the Roomba tonight!

Of couse, if the landscapers did their jobs today, I just might be able to assemble some patio furniture and enjoy outside seating tonight while the Roomba randomized its way through the house, cleaning stuff up.

Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

The Peackenstein Lamp

Last night, when I arrived home, I found a HUGE box on the front porch. No, it wasn't the Roomba - that's not due until tomorrow. Instead, it was the lamp for the kitchen nook that has been on back-order for weeks. C was all excited, and I quickly got all-in-the-mood to install it, since I'd already converted the nook's can light into a chandelier style hanger. See? Here's the picture of the BEFORE:

I must say, the lamp was beautiful. It came out of the box with a stained glass bell-shaped shade, done in peacock feathers. The lamp was configured such that the bell hung right-side-up, with a 3-bulb fixture underneath. The light would shine directly down onto the table. Each bulb had its own pull-chain. Beautiful. I got started installing. I didn't get very far before C's voice came to me softly.

"Um, I've been working on a vision for that lamp, Nolan." she said.

"Uh-huh. What's your vision?"

"Well, I'm envisioning that shade turned the other way, like
the lamp in the dining room."

I had that queasy feeling in my stomach again. The feeling that she was about to ask for something much easier said than done. The resistance rose up in me. The hardware that came with this lamp was purpose-made for and upright bell configuration, not inverted. There was no way to flip the lamp over and make it work the way she wanted it. Not with what I had in front of me. I made a conscious effort to stay open-minded to her idea.

We worked it through. We identified what I'd need to accomplish her vision, and located the parts. Five or ten minutes later, the plan (shudder) was for me to do the following:

• Piece out the brand new lamp, keeping the cord, the chain, and the shade.
• Piece out another lamp designed to hold the shade inverted-bell style, to scavenge the light receptacles and center suspension post.
• Tease out a way to hold the huge peacock shade stable on the inverted-bell fixture.
• Install the new inverted bell chandelier mash-up.
• Use a rose-motif ceiling medallion to hide/decorate the old can light installation.

So, over the course of a couple hours, that's exactly what I did. I dismantled both lamps down to their key pieces. I scavenged hardware from my basement shop (significant in that, while the shop may not be pretty right now, it is nevertheless organized enough that I could find the esoteric items I sought). I modded parts, re-purposed pieces until it all fit together. I mean, it really fit!

I surprised myself, frankly. I expressed my stress over being in the position to 'create on demand'; I got a response from my adoring wife that went something like "you deliver miracles all the time; you're good at it and we expect it."

"Well, one of these days, I'm not going to deliver a miracle on short notice, and you're going to be disappointed that I'm merely human." I said this not as a criticism to her, but an expression of my fears and the pressure I sometimes feel to perform.

She took it as I meant it, and looked at me with appreciation. That was all I needed. She'd heard me share a fear and it was okay.

And for C? It's truly a one-of-a-kind lamp, built out of all sorts of mixed pieces. The Peacock Frankenstein - Peakenstein.

Trip mid-June?

Over the past couple days, I've gotten confirmation that a trip to the Design Automation Conference is in the works. Given that the DAC is in Anaheim this year (right across from Disneyland), and given that I'm getting some business trip expenses help on this trip, we're investigating a family road trip to Anaheim. I do my show work, and the family kicks back for almost a week in Anaheim to jump-start their summer vacation.

 

While I'm definitely going to Anaheim, the family portion of the trip is not yet finalized. The timing is tricky, requiring the kids miss the last three two days of school, as well at their gymnastics Mini-Olympics events. So, it's an idea, but not yet a full-blown plan.

5/15 UPDATE:  It's now a full-blown plan. We had a family meeting last night to discuss. The kids are fine with missing Mini-Olympics and a couple days of school. Somehow, I figured they WOULD be. We also have an itinerary to work from now.

I Think We Should Name Our Place 'Zeno's Cottage'

We did get some finish work done on the house over the weekend...and Monday night, too.

• R's room has baseboard trim!
  
• Upstairs Common Room has baseboard trim!
  
• Upstairs Landing has baseboard trim!
  
• Front door is done! Two coats of clearcoat on the outside and a fresh coat of white paint on the inside. C made it look fabulous!
  
• C ran a bead of caulking all around the edges of the crown molding in the living room and dining room. In some ways, we're down to this: C is caulking seams that I can't see and didn't notice. Many of the items on our to-do list are this level of work.
  
• On Monday, C painted upstairs baseboard details, making the room just sing. When she's down to using a 3/8" brush to paint details and nooks/crannies, that's a sure sign of wrap-up work.
  
• Landscaper guys got the drainage pipes in place on Saturday morning. Looks like we're all ready for pavers and water feature creation.
  
• Bought the patio set and grill; ready for assembly.

I'm reminded of Zeno's Paradox. You know,  that old Greek philosophical dilemma? The one where, each time you move toward your destination, you're only allowed to go half-way? Yeah, that one. The house sometimes feels a little like that. There's still stuff do do. BUT... we're so close to the end, the things on the list are relatively minor, and don't impact our daily living any longer (well, except for the in-progress backard. THAT impacts us a bit right now). I don't think Zeno was thinking about the trip from your porch to the coffee shop when he framed his paradox; instead, I think he was finishing up a full-blown house rehab. It makes MUCH more sense when you look at it that way!

Yeah, I remember *MY* first robot...

It's on its way; C's Mother's Day present is enroute. 

Welcoming a Roomba into our house isn't quite like having BiCentennial Man or anything, but it's still a Jetson's-esque milestone.

Weekend Update

So, where are we? Home. How's the extended wrap-up going? well. Quite well.

R's Boy Scout troop had an all-nighter at Bulwinkle's Family Fun Center on Friday night/Saturday morning. I chaperoned. Neither R nor I slept all night. In fact, once R discovered he was just tall enough to drive the GoKarts himself, he spent most of the night there! All-in-all, it was a fun time. We played video games, watched a movie (in pieces), rode the roller coaster simulator, and ... drove gokarts a LOT.  Me? I drove a bit with him, and strolled the facility much of the night, just trying to be aware of the other boys from our troop. Can you believe it? There were no incidents of any kind, at any time, between any boys at all, that I witnessed or heard about.

When we came home, I slept about 90 minutes, R slept almost 10 hours, waking up at about 7pm and then going back to bed about 11pm. My sleep was interrupted by landscaper guys putting in the drainage pipes for the patio. Really, I didn't mind. Looks like we're all ready for pavers and water feature creation.

While R slept, we did some low-key house stuff. We figured out the water feature details, in FINAL FINAL form, and Jason, the General Contractor, is making the proper arrangements. I drove to Home Depot, and came home with a barbecue grill (for my birthday) and a set of patio furniture. Both items require assembly; R can help me with that. We swapped around some porch lights, and started sorting through the boxes in the garage. It feels good to be making progress on that last bastion of boxes.

Sunday was Mother's Day - M was at a sleep-over; R slept until about 8am. Then he quietly and respectfully approached his sleeping mom, and said, "Happy Mother's Day. I'm making breakfast."

That delighted C to no end. She woke up fully to that news and anxiously awaited a Mother's Day breakfast - a breakfast that would, she slowly realized,  never come. You see, R's meaning was "I'm making breakfast for myself today, so you don't have to." Of course, C heard "I"m making breakfast for you."  I think C was disappointed, but also amazingly gracious - she also realized that having R endeavour to be self-reliant was also a gift to her. She rolled with it nicely.

Sunday also included some cleanup and tidy-up work inside - final touches on things:

• R's room has baseboard trim!
• Upstairs Common Room has baseboard trim!
• Upstairs Landing has baseboard trim!
• Front door has a first coat of clear coat and a fresh coat of white paint on the inside. Looks fabulous.
• C ran a bead of caulking all around the edges of the crown molding in the living room and dining room.*

We started attending  a Baha'i marriage and family seminar to attend Sunday afternoon.

So that's the big Mother's Day weekend.

 

======
* In some ways, we're down to this: C is caulking seams that I can't see and didn't notice. Many of the items on our to-do list are this level of work.

Time For A New Shell

Crabs molt every spring, shucking off their old shells in order to  form a larger one into which they will grow. In must be rather crowded-feeling inside the old shell just before it's time to molt...

The blog space at Windows Live was also starting to feel just a touch crowded. Mostly, though, it came to my attention that some readers wished to actually make comments to my posts, but found the Windows Live restrictions on comments from non-members to be too bothersome. Not realizing the restriction myself - until it was brought to my attention, that is, - I've decided to move to a more open environment.

So, welcome. I have a new shell.

Yeah, But Do I Have To Put My Name On All Of The Pieces?

Craftsman's $8,600 EVERYTHING toolkit. Posted on at boing-boing.....

Oh...My...Gosh!