Surprise!

I'm not a pro drywaller, but at least I know the answer is never "more mud". It's like paint, mud doesn't really cover sins. Add another week to this job.

Pat calls it the "hidden bummer factor". The wall under the wallpaper is in rough shape, with a funky patch or two that need to be redone correctly. Along with plug-in airfresheners, wallpaper will now send off huge alarms in my mind when house hunting.

Tommy the off- road baby

Creepy crawlies

Nothing a little CO2 won't dispatch in a hurry...

I was sweeping cobwebs from around the front door tonight, and came upon this little guy. I hate spiders.

A little weekend work

Well, a section of the baseplate will need to be replaced, but the majority of the studs are just fine - just bit of cleaning and some bleach to kill the mold.

Our addiction continues...

We have company arriving mid-October, scheduled to be in our basement bedroom. We're going to redo this room quickly before they arrive. I'd be done in a week if the previous owner hadn't run the sprinklers into the window(s) and soaked the wall for a couple years. We have a bit of mold and rot to contend with, but it still shouldn't take long. After repairs we'll just be patching and painting. Carpet and baseboards will a be redone with the rest of the basement - hopefully before the end of the year.

Sent from my iPhone

Ah, Sun Valley!

We're enjoying a long weekend at Sun Valley with the Heersinks, taking advantage of our company "R&R" benefits.

Tommy's having a great time already.

Tommy's warning us that it's hot.

Screwy mobile blogging

Sent from my iPhoneThe last post got screwed up, and I can't edit on my iPhone. Oh well, by the end you'll all figure it out.

The best diner in the whole world

In honor of Brandon, we stopped at mollies cafe on our way to Sunvalley for the weekend. Tommy was melting down, and it was the only joint we could see.

It was not the best in the world, but it clearly helped Tommy's mood.

We found some good reading at the table which made me think of my mother-in-law...

There's a running joke in our family about finding the best restaurant in the world in some back water town. It stems from a comment Brandon made as we all drove through some crappy Utah town looking for a place to eat. He suggested a local diner, but we all voted him down. He said "you'll never know, that could be the best in the world". I am jealous of brandon's eternal optimism.