From Roof to Curb

How do you add curb appeal to your house?  There are a plethora of DIY shows dedicated to helping you improve the exterior appearance of your home.  When I started looking for help online I found this article in the Houzz.com archives.

I recently decided to make some minor changes (read: improvements) to our home's exterior.  Of course I couldn't do it without a little help from a builder. ;)  Due to approaching post deadlines, I'll have to skip the 'before' picture of our house before the shutters were installed.  Jim made cedar shutters, and mounted them beside each window on the front of the house.  They are wide plank with larger spaces between each slat.  I was looking for more of a cottage feel.  We painted the shutters two shades deeper (darker) than our front door for contrast, and will finish them off with black wrought iron s-hooks.

Before:

Our roof was project #2.  We built our house 10 years ago, and for all intents and purposes our roof was still considered relatively 'young'.  However, in the span of one year we encountered multiple hail storms. We didn't think our roof was damaged, but an inspection proved otherwise.  Thankfully, our homeowner's insurance covered all of the necessary expenses for the addition of a new roof. 

After: 

Author and architect Bud Dietrich of Houzz recommends we, "keep in mind that the roof connects the earth to the sky, so it is an important design element."  Although we didn't alter the roofline, both the color and texture were affected.  Hopefully we chose our new roof color well, and it will add to our home's curb appeal and earth --> sky connectivity!

Remodeling the Houzz Don'ts

Is it time to spruce up su casa?  Considering taking on the project yourself?  Or are you thinking about avoiding the DIY headache by hiring a professional?  If so, click here for a great article that will help you get started!

My husband is a General Contractor and has learned many tricks of the trade through years of experience.  There are many ways to avoid overspending, and tips for keeping your project on track with timely progress.  What you might think is a good idea at the time could very well prove detrimental to your progress and project in the end.

Houzz is featuring a series called "Contractor's 100".  The first article in the series is titled "Contractor Tips: Top 10 Home Remodeling Don'ts."  This article gets our Contractor Seal of Approval!  The information shared is excellent; speaking from experience it's tried and TRUE!

If I could add an 11 to the list it would be this: Don't hesitate to ask a professional for advice beforehand.  Before you get yourself in over your head -- ask if your expectations are feasible.  You are surrounded by free resources.  Question asking is free; problem fixing can be costly.

Broadcast Viewing - or not!

I logged my broadcast viewing for a period of 3 days, and this is what it looked like:

Friday, September 21, 2012

• MSN Video via MacBook: Australia's Assistant PM comments on "GOP Crazies Posing Threat to US Economy" - 3 minutes

Saturday, September 22, 2012

• Logged onto MacBook - tried to access live webcast of boys' ice hockey games (was unavailable) - 10 minutes
• Television - DVR recording: Bering Sea Gold and Yukon Men - 30 minutes -- I fell asleep!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

*** WATCHED NOTHING ***  Worked on schoolwork all day!

Conclusion:

I use modern technology as a means by which to view broadcasting.  My life is busy, and the convenience of viewing on demand is the only way I can view a television show of my choosing.  Ten years ago I was able to pre-record one show at a time.  Now I have the ability to pre-record multiple shows, and can access archives of past televised broadcast media of all sorts -- whenever I want.  I don't watch many shows, as my time is very limited; and I don't feel pressed to do so, given the ability to access everything and anything at any given time.  Gotta love modern technology!    

Paper or Plastic?

Which do you prefer - paper or plastic?  And, no, I'm not referring to Harris Teeter shopping bags.  Books -- magazines -- newspapers! 

  

Reading in my generation was limited to three basic forms of print media: newspaper, book, and magazine.  I can remember my parents making wagers as to whether or not the paperboy would miss or hit the target - our front porch - each morning.  It was a good day when the paper didn't land in our front bushes.  Dad truly enjoyed reading the morning paper with his cup of coffee.

I wasn't as interested in book reading as my Mom would have liked me to be.  Mom has her Master's Degree in Education, and reading was pretty high on her list of priorities.  She would drag take all three of us to the library, and insisted we find three 'acceptable' books to check out each week.  For those of you who are too young to know what a library is... :)  For those of us who have been around the bookshelf a time or two -- the Dewy Decimal System was NOT my BFF.  I do, however, have fond memories of these two books:

 

Judy Blume was the rage with all the girls when I was in 4th and 5th grade.  As much as my Mom wanted me to keep my nose in a book at all times -- these two books were not approved for my reading pleasure.  I had to SNEAK READ both!

Reading was extremely important in my generation.  Many attribute their accomplishments to their love of reading in their early years, as much knowledge can be gained through reading.  As I've grown older (and wiser!) I've realized the luxury of reading as well.  Finding adequate time to read is difficult, but I still try to make it a priority.  

Reading is now offered in many different formats.  Choosing whether or not to spend the extra money on a hardcover verses paperback book is no longer at the forefront of selecting a book.  Now your primary choice is which digital device (plastic) to read your book on.  Reading can be as compact and accessible as your handheld smartphone. 

I feel the flexibility offered through digital reading resources increases our reading volume.  Yes, digital devices such as the Kindle Fire (pictured above) are also internet accessible.  With internet accessibility offered on a reading device one might argue the ability to view material rather than read.  I feel the convenience of having access to both also encourages and allows research and reading on demand.  

How have the older generations received all of these changes?  Well, speaking from both experience and observation, I'd have to say they've been welcomed gradually.  WELCOMED.  My 71 year old father loves his Kindle, and my 83 year old mother-in-law loves her iPad.  They've adapted to the change.  My 45 year old husband... won't touch his Kindle, and makes it a point of visiting the used bookstore on a regular basis!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like a... ?

Take 2: Framing

 Yes!  It's beginning to look a lot like a house!  The foundation was inspected and passed.  The foundation was then treated for termites.  Following the termite treatment, the housed passed a termite inspection.  Finally free to move on with production!

The picture above is taken from the front right corner of the house.  On the far left you can see the opening for the 3 car garage.  This will be a craftsman ranch-style home with a walk-out basement.  The majority of the framing is complete -- minus the roof, of course.

I zoomed in on the right front corner so you could see more of the foundation and framing up close.   This house is built on a hill that leads down to a lake.  The back decks will have gorgeous lake views!

The picture above shows the back of the house from the right corner (would be left corner if looking from the front).  You can see two door openings in the foundation.  Those are 8 foot (high) door openings -- to give you some idea as to how the camera fools the eye!  It looks so tiny in pictures!  The ceilings throughout the house are 12 feet high, where an average home has 8 foot ceilings.

Coming up next: The Roof!  Maybe I'll post some pre-insulation interior framing pictures too.  This will be a fun journey from start to finish.  I'll include more details as the details become more detailed.

What?! My Music ==> *VINTAGE*?!

Now, there's a smack in the face!  Since when have things in my lifetime reached the ultimately mature classification of "vintage"?!

Here's a simple test to see whether you qualify for the UMVC (Ultimately Mature Vintage Club).  If you can correctly identify the picture below you may proudly join our club of elite few.  If not,  it's truly your loss.  You are not only unqualified, but you missed out on one -- two! -- of the BEST music eras of all time!

For all you losers, here's a clue as to what the above (pictured) are:

And, yes -- I've included one of my most favorite singles (Shaun Cassidy was HOT, btw) from one of the greatest eras.  That would be the 70s, in the event you didn't know.  And, that yellow thing is a 45 record adapter.  Records were once played on turntables, or record players.  I got my first record player in the early 70s, and it looked like this:

The records were made of thick plastic, and only had one song on them.  This was the starter version -- comparable to a 'baby's first' product.  Over the years I graduated to a 'real' record player that played full size records as well as 45s with adapters (like the one pictured above).

In the early 80s Michael Jackson emerged as a music great.  The Jackson 5 were good, but Michael stole the show with his Thriller album.  Technology also improved.  Record players were still used, but cassette players came into the picture as well.  With cassette players you could both listen to and record music.  The best of both worlds was the rise of the BOOMBOX -- a DOUBLE cassette player and radio combined.

                                                                

Don't look too closely at the picture -- my boombox had a double cassette -- that one doesn't.  And, just for history's sake, the 8-track tape players came in there somewhere before cassette tapes (kind of like vcr tapes prior to mini tapes).  I never had an 8-track player -- I'm not *that* old.   The convenient and compact (for it's day) Walkman was also the rage.  I had this exact same one!  Even had a carrying case. :)

The late 80s ushered in Madonna, and her Material Girl album.  The rage in technology was a full stereo system that included: a turntable, double cassette, base and treble controls, amplifier, radio, and speakers.  I saved my summer job money and bought a Pioneer system very similar to the one below.  My college roommate was thrilled!

I've surpassed the record and cassette tape generation, and have moved into the generation of compact disc and MP3 players.  Past the MP3 players would be digital music -- available through many devices.  I'm not sure how much more technology can or will be modernized.  We've made great advancements in the 40-some years I've lived.  My first sources of music have already earned vintage status.  Thankfully, I don't believe I'm vintage yet!