It's got feet!

Another fun find! OK, not quite as plot thickening as the Mistress of the Whip DVD, but today I discovered that the don't-touch-with-a-ten-foot-pole shower is actually a bit of a diamond in the rough. Under concrete packed corners and faux tile paneling walls, there lies a clawfoot tub!

I guess that's one way to get a built in tub! Check this out:

I get by with a little help from my friends...

Our friends, Hooter and Mel, came to help out at the HUDling today.
p.s. they are great workers! Thanks, you guys!

Anyway, we made a little more progress with the demolition (thanks to them)!
Here are some pictures showing the progress. I threw in some before shots to help.

Let it Rain!

Finished the gutter last week (finally!). Well, almost finished it...I still need to attach the downspout bracket. But with the amount of rain we've had lately, I'm extremely glad that it is no longer being deposited right at the house's foundation. I had never done a gutter before, but it was really quite easy. The most difficult part was doing it alone. I found it a bit difficult to hold long pieces of fascia boards up and attach them without someone helping by holding one end. Anyway, it's done. Let it rain, baby, let it rain!

p.s. also got rid of the oversize fridge last week! I responded to a plea on Freecycle and someone in need came and got it. It turns out that I actually knew the family through school. A pretty wild group of guys showed up to pick it up. They had to take the doors off to get the beast out. An hour and a half later, it was gone. Glad to see it (and them) go :)

The Gift of Life

So I gave blood today. It's always a nice time to relax, read the paper, and look forward to the goodies afterwards (all while doing a good deed for those in need). So when I arrived, I had to wait a bit. I grab a few newspaper sections and started to browse. When I realized the Green Bay Press Gazette's Sunday real estate section was in my pile, I knew I had enough to keep me occupied. So I take that paper into the little room where they prick your finger (and it hurts for a week), check your iron count, and take your blood pressure. Probably in an inconsiderate way, I continue to peruse the open house listings while the kind, Blood Center blood collection specialist stabs my finger. She asks, "Are you looking for a house?" I said no, but admitted that I enjoy window shopping. She said that she enjoys it too. We talked a bit about the local real estate market....she mentioned that a real estate agent recently told her that our harsh winter put a damper on house sales but now things are really picking up. She said it was amazing how houses that sat all winter are now disappearing.

She started to tell me about one in particular....she watched it all winter. It was empty. She even climbed into the snow to peek in the windows. She liked it. She liked the arches and brick...

She said she finally called an agent about it and was so disappointed that it had sold! She couldn't believe it. She was so mad she waited and now to find out it sold for only $38,000! What? $38,000? A brick house with arches? Empty all winter and now it's gone. DAMN! That's our house! That's our HUDling!

I laughed! I laughed hard, slammed my hand on the table and said, "I bought it!" We were both stunned. It was great.

Umm...Yeah..."Stay Out of My Way" and Other Common Weekend Shopping Phrases

So, Rit and I are not known as "shoppers." We do not love to shop. We do not look forward to shopping. It's long and crowded and unbearable and much too easy to end up punching a fellow shopper. We mostly just buy stuff online.

This was a long weekend of shopping. Yuck. We spent WAY too much time in Menard's and Lowe's. Granted, as far as shopping goes, those are two of my more favorite places. I love home improvement projects. But, hours later, we emerged tired and hungry and sans patience.

Love the house...hate the prep. Go figure. But we did score some fab finds: a ceiling fan for the master bedroom, window treatments for the living and dining rooms, hardwood flooring samples, bathroom light fixtures, new gutters, paint, porch light and almost a refrigerator. Seriously, we picked out the fridge, walked away for 15 minutes, and by the time we came back, it was gone. Rrrrrr...it was a steal because it was the floor model. That was when I almost punched someone. Rit had to quickly usher me out of the store. Foul mood. Not a good time.

Rit has started on some demolition and I can totally visualize how utterly amazing this house is going to be. I can't wait!

Waiting List...

Due to an unprecedented amount of communication regarding the aforementioned DVD, there is now a rather lengthy waiting list. Loan times will be abbreviated accordingly.

GROSS!

Mistress of the Whip

Hidden treasures are always fun. Well, almost always. Tearing out the cabinet in the kitchen today revealed a mound of treasures...many of which I'm sure fell behind the cabinet and were forever devoured by the so-close-yet-so-far-away black hole behind it! Rummaging through the goodies, a rare find emerged. A DVD, but not just any DVD, a true classic - The Mistress of the Whip. Maybe you've seen it. I have not. After reading the label, I don't think I will anytime soon! This is one that needs to be saved for a special day :) It might be hard to get this at your local video store (even though it is not a new release, I'm sure its popularity keeps it elusive).
If this has piqued your interest, but you are having a hard time finding it at your local video store, we'll consider sort term rental agreements...for close friends and family only.
Please note - this is NOT FOR SALE!

Baby Steps

What a great day to do outside work! OK, so I set off to replace the gutter and down spout on the back of the house. The rest of the gutters are in good shape, but this one had rusted out. Even though I'd never installed gutters before, it seems pretty basic and definitely a task that can be accomplished in a day! Well, it's 7:00pm, I'm home, and here's how the new gutter looks:

Obviously, it's not an invisible gutter.... I didn't get it done. Due to some rotten fascia, I tore it all out. Now before I put up the new gutter, I have to paint and put up the fascia. The day was still not wasted. I did tear out the bad kitchen cabinet (see before and after shots) and the living room carpet. Take a look: