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So after the terrifyingly high estimate for remodeling our backyard... I stopped moping and moved on to other things.  Seventy-five bucks buys a jug of concrete acid stain.  It's worth a shot right? Read Full Story

The one that a record player makes when you slide the needle off the record?  It's used a lot in comedy these days - despite the fact that a majority of audiences have never seen a record player - but that's another post entirely. Anyway - If I could spell that sound that's what the title of this blog post would be. I was really excited last post about getting an estimate for work in the backyard.  I loved the guy who came out to do the estimate and was impressed with his company.  I... Read Full Story

It hasn't just been months and months since we have blogged about our Hurricane Katrina repairs and/or home improvement projects.  It has been months and months since we have done  anything.  We experienced and are experiencing burnout in a major way. Out of money.  Out of energy.  Out of time. It will be six years since Hurricane Katrina wrecked our house and our two sets of French doors are still fused shut from rust.  (Out of money.)  We still haven't put that final coat of paint on... Read Full Story

It's time to post a couple of follow-up pictures and discuss the next steps. The fence looks quite nice, but as you can see in the photos the flowerbeds have been allowed to go completely to heck.  This wasn't pure laziness on my part (thought it played a role).  With the telephone company out here for just over six weeks tromping on plants and digging large holes and trenches in our yard - it didn't seem prudent to spend a lot of time repairing their damage when I knew we had a fence to... Read Full Story

We have a few projects planned for the next few months so it's time to start blogging again. First up - there's the back fence that's falling down.  Or I should say - that was  falling down.  It isn't anymore because it's gone.  One afternoon and night of taking the dog out on a leash and then we'll be set again. Read Full Story

Not enough time at the computer these days so we are going to give mobile blogging a shot. Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5 Read Full Story

for cleaning up.  This time of year is at least as busy as spring as far as little nagging projects go.  Especially little nagging projects involving the front of the house....  There's just something wrong with hanging decorations on mildew-coated columns or a mailbox that has rusted. Dave was particularly irritated by the rusted mailbox.  Now I would like to pitch a product -- Krylon Metallic spray paints are spectacular as far as spray paints go!  The colors are lovely -- and the... Read Full Story

It's been a couple weeks since I boldly pronounced the undertaking of a couple new projects here on the blog.  Regardless - they're not finished. To be fair, the fleur-de-lis-as-wall-damage-camouflage project is complete in the foyer.  This does not constitute cause to celebrate, however, considering that project took about 20 minutes of my time. In the meantime - the column project is at least more underway than the last time I mentioned it.  The columns on the front porch are now... Read Full Story

Relatively small projects, both -- but neither are finished.  Not because we could not have finished them ... but because we stop to eat and sleep and be with our kids sometimes.... Things we had stopped doing during our feverish bid to completely repair the house post-storm.  I learned to say 'It will get done eventually.'  Then I learned the bigger lesson of 'It may never get done - and it won't kill me.'   So here we are. (Above) Project One:  The gashes in the textured foyer wall... Read Full Story

"Many who stood amid the wreckage of Katrina declared it would take a decade for the Coast to recover. Half a decade has passed. So the Sun Herald asked those still embroiled in Katrina recovery how they see the Coast five years from now. Will it be recovered?" Read Full Story