Beloved bench

Remember I wrote about finding a few things of my own on Craigslist? Well, here's my number one find.
















For $30 I bought this homemade bench with storage beneath. I had been looking for a wooden trunk or a storage bench for my living room, because I wanted something that provided extra seating and a place to store blankets, pillows, etc. When I found it I knew I'd struck gold, hideous tan paint and all. I strongly debated painting it black, but my passion and respect for the natural wood in my house took over and I just knew a black bench would be the black sheep of the house.

Here's how it turned out:




Be warned however, than stripping furniture IS NOT a walk in the park and a job that the impatient should stear clear of. The outcome required lots of messy messy paint stripper, scrubbing and scraping, and LOTS of sanding. My back is still in rough shape. I have to admit though -- I love the way it turned out. I'm so glad I didn't paint it black.

Cost: $30 (bench), $10 (sandpaper), $10 (stain) = $50
Hours: 8

Yuck. Time for fall's chores

The Star Tribune had a great piece today on what you should do house and garden-wise to welcome the onset of fall and prepare for winter. I kept the story to file away under "things to do" but if you didn't already read it, do it now.

There's a great tip in there on washing windows. I'll admit that I've never washed the outsides of my windows, mainly because I dread the lovely streaks my washing is sure to leave. I might have to try the vinegar solution mentioned in the article. I use a vinegar and water solution for my hardwood floors, but I didn't know it worked well for windows. By the way, I've read mixed reviews on washing hardwoods with vinegar, but I'm going with my parent's advice and doing it anyway. If you have any window or hardwood floor cleaning tips don't hold out on me now!!!

The article also reminded me to tend to my poor yard before it gets too cold. I was doing so well keeping up with it this summer, but then when the acorns began taking over my yard I just lost interest to be perfectly honest. The damn squirrels dig holes in my flower beds anyway. I wish I could train them to pull my weeds, too! Saturday is the dreaded day to mow the lawn, throw down some grass seed, sweep out the garage and ... maybe even wash those windows.

Inside the house

Kitchen
Originally uploaded by aimeeblanchette.

Everyone's been asking to see photos of the inside, so here you are.


You can view my flickr account to see the rest.

Junk = Jamaica

Have you heard of CraigsList.org? It's fabulous. I first heard of it about three years ago when I was looking for a used portable dishwasher to curb my hatred for washing the dishes by hand. I found one on CraigsList and still use it to this day.

CraigsList is a free local classifieds website that operates in major U.S. cities. You can peruse and post just about anything: personal ads, housing, jobs and for sale items. After my dishwasher purchase three years ago I never gave the site much more thought until I started thinking about having a garage sale.

I remembered all the work that Mom put into her garage sales -- pricing, folding, advertising, waiting, hoping, making change ... it just didn't seem worth it. But each time I opened the garage door or headed to the basement I was reminded that we needed to get rid of some stuff, actually a lot of stuff. Our little 800-square-foot house wasn't suitable for all the extras we had, so I decided to try selling some of the loot on CraigsList.

A matching oversized Serta couch and ottoman were the first to go: $90
Then a matching couch, loveseat and end tables: $150
Winter coat: $10
Couch slipcover: $25
Desk: $60
Printer: $25
A really poor-looking entertainment center: Free to whoever would take it away
Matching pair of lamps: $25
Loveseat: $40
Two pair of black women's boots: $40

Ever since, I've been wandering the house looking for things to get rid of! I'm amazed at what people will pay money for. I found that furniture in decent condition sells immediately.

It takes only minutes to post a classified. You can even upload photos. When someone finds somethng they're interested in, they send an e-mail to an anonymous address, which is then forwarded to my address. I never give out my address in an e-mail and make sure Tyler is home when someone comes over to pick up said items.

The money is in a little box waiting to pay for a trip to Jamaica once we actually book it. The best part isn't even the money. It's the feeling of decluttering my living space. I'll actually be able to park in the garage this winter and find what I'm looking for in the basement.

I also found a few treasures of my own on CraigsList, which I gladly purchased from local "pro-Craigsters" like myself. But you'll have to wait to hear about those ...

We built this city

Last week for work, I went to an event to celebrate the Carlyle condominiums in Minneapols, a new high rise that should be finished in December. Even on an overcast day, the spectacular views from the 35th floor penthouse will take your breath away. The pictures really give you the feeling that you're in a big city, but I've gotta say, Minneapolis doesn't feel that big to me. I've been to both NYC and Chicago this year and Minneapolis in fact, is rather quaint. It never feels overwhelming and no, life is not fast-paced here unless you make it that way. In fact, the main reason I bought my house was because of its location. I feel safe here, it's close to downtown and the river. One of my pre-req's when I was house hunting was that it had to be in the city. I couldn't live in the suburbs and drive in traffic everyday. Hell no! Will I always live in the city? I don't know the answer to that. But for now, it's home sweet home.

Don't mind my silly hard hat. We were in a construction zone! But you'll notice that I tilted it to one side for a more fashion forward look. Always thinking! I thought of stealing it for my Grandma Elsie (she likes to wear hard hats when she's boating) but then I remembered I was at work. ;)

Free stuff

Mom and Dad's house


Going to Mom and Dad's house is the best, especially in the summer. Not only do I get to hang with my family, but my parents usually load me up with free stuff.

Actually, I should clarify. It usually begins with me asking, "Hey, are you guys gonna use that? Do you have any extra ...? Do you know where I can find ...?



It was about 100 degrees, so after a day in the pontoon as usual, Dad pulled through and brought Tyler and I to a gravel pit near the house. The owner of the gravel pit is one of Dad's neighbors. Dad usually has the inside track on just about anything and isn't afraid to ask. GO DAD!

When we got there you'd think I had found a gold mine, because I was exuding with excitement. We loaded up the car with rocks and they have a new home bordering my flower beds. You can't go wrong with free and I'm all about using natural elements on my house. Next time I go home I'll head back to the gravel pit and load up the car again.



What else did Mom and Dad hook me up with? Mulch and a drill. Merry Christmas to me! I forgot to grab the antique wagon wheel they said I could have, but there's always next time.

Does anyone have any stories about finding free stuff?

The doors are done ... almost

Over the long Fourth of July holiday, Tyler, Isaac and Aron, installed the back storm door. It took a few hours, but I must say it went pretty well. While they did that, I painted the front porch door. Blue is a hard color to paint with -- the door took three coats, PLUS blue tinted primer. All that's left to be done is to paint the trim and the back entry door.

Summer home improvement goals accomplished.

Home improvements bring friends together

Thank you Gabe! Within a few hours we had a new porch door that finally closed and an exterior back door with windows that will also keep out the winter cold. And, we got to spend some quality time with Gabe, Kari and Keegan, a few of our favorite people who we don't see nearly enough. Keegan was great. He got naked and sat in the pool. We ate a lot, drank a lot and dodged several scattered thunderstorms. I'd have to say it was a successful day. You'll have to wait a little while longer to see finished photos. Stay tuned.

Blogging is a two-way street people

Hello, anybody out there? I mean besides my mom, who probably reads this just so she can correct my mistakes (she's worried I'm becoming smarter than her)!

Blogging, yes I said blogging, is a two-way street. I post and you comment, so lets get the ball rolling... I guess I should pose some questions. Lets talk about home equity.

According to the website Zillow.com, I've gained about $20,000 in value since I bought April 2005. Now weather or not Zillow is an accurate estimate is debatable, but I thoroughly reported that very site and wrote a story about it. What I found is that Zillow can be somewhat accurate depending on the area. It works pretty good for metropolitan areas, which of course, Minneapolis is. Now that "zestimate" doesn't account for improvements or other things that will increase or decrease the value of my home, such as the new perennials I just planted or the non-conforming bedroom that was added to the basement. But, the value they come up with is based on comparable sales, tax data and other data from city and county records.

So what if my home really has increased in value by $20k? Should I refinance and take out a home equity line of credit? I could use the money to pay off some credit card debt, my car and replace the old furnace in my basement. That sounds wonderful! But I'm sure there are people who'd advise against it for whatever reason.

What do you think?

Weeds, roots & vines

I finally got some things done in the yard!!! I never knew how obsessive I'd become about weeds and the roots taking up my precious plant space. I bought a garden cultivator to help the process and developed a nice blister.

By the way, I'm getting the new doors next weekend. This has been a frustrating process, but Kari's boyfriend Gabe is going to install the doors for me. Tyler's going to help. Kari and I plan to shout out orders from our lawn chairs between sips of wine.

Here are some photos of things I did to spruce up my little tree house.





I added a trellis in the front and back. The front has a Clematis.





The back has a Star Jasmine. I love climbing vines!

Hello, neighbors

My day was off to a great start right off the bat. During the morning walk with Russell and Marley we met more of our neighbors. Ruth asked if our dogs could meet. She has a black Scottish Terrier and all three of the dogs got along great. Ruth and I chatted for a few minutes about this and that, and she invited Tyler and I to the annual block party in August. Maybe we'll actually go this year.

The first year in the house was rather hectic, so it's nice to finally be feeling more at ease, meeting more of the neighbors and becoming part of the community. One of the elderly sisters next door got to pet Marley and Russell for the first time this morning, too. I wasn't sure if they were ok with dogs -- they have cats -- but she warmed up to them no problem. I was proud that the boys behaved.

Days like these make buying this old house a year ago feel worth it. I wish I had more of them and less of the "why did I ever buy this house" days.

Knock, knock

It's been a year since we moved in and I didn't document any of it. I have photos from before we even moved in and that's it. I guess it doesn't matter, because it's not like I've built an addition or painted or even replaced the shabby front doors. But behold! The new porch door arrives later this week and I'll finally be able to see my money making a difference.

I understood the connection that people have with their homes when the Flood of 97 ruined my family's house in East Grand Forks -- the house that my grandpa built and my parents raised BJ, myself and Megan in. The city bought it from my parents at a steal of a price, then tore it down. Now sits a campsite and the loan tree in our yard, where a raccoon lived for the longest time. BJ and I used to stay up late to watch him from our bedroom window.

Now that I have my own house I truly understand. You develop a relationship. You trust that if you treat it well, the favor will be returned. You quickly realize that it lets you down ... lots, and you don't know what you did to deserve it. You dress it up so it looks really good and can't wait to show it off. You think about the future together ... ok, maybe I'm getting carried away, but for the most part the analogy is true.

Stay tuned ...