House and Home II: Shelter In Place

[Oxynia]

Last thread was on the verge of sprouting a new extension, so continue the convo here.

[batmom]

Batguy starts working at home today and will be using our bedroom. Our room already needed some work to feel less cluttered (like another full closet), he's already someone who doesn't pickup after himself, and now we're adding a card table and two monitors? Just thinking about it is making my shoulders creep up to my ears.

[scarlet]

Yeah, my setup for working at home isn't ideal, as my office desk doubles as my make-up vanity--which definitely has me thinking of getting an actual one for the corner of my bedroom.

[putch]

I've been "working" from home today and I've actually done more from home that from my actual office. I don't really have enough to do to keep me busy for 40 hours at the office so I fully plan to get some reorganizing done at home. On the plus side, since I was home today, I was able to hire a yard guy to mow my yard. He was doing the house next to mine and I was able to talk with him. I've been trying to catch one of the companies for a while now, so this virus did help me accomplish something.

[divasahm]

Mr. d had taken the week off for SXSW, which of course was cancelled, and ds2 & 3 are on spring break. The kids have been incredibly helpful around the house, and have found some fun books, websites, and activities to entertain themselves and each other. Mr. d is still ridiculously cross that he's taken a week of vacation only to be cooped up at home, trying to find the right-sized wheel and a reasonably-priced tire to replace the bad ones on his Mazda.

I went to my favorite grocery store yesterday--I used to shop there regularly on my way home from prenatal appointments, and I realized when I got home that I had purchased all the stuff I used to crave when I was pregnant. Fortunately, I still like all those foods--now, if you'll excuse me, that two-and-a-half pounds of rare roast beef is not going to eat itself...

[batmom]

I'm thinking of putting wallpaper on a wall in my bedroom. Do I want peel and stick or pre-pasted (we own so I'm looking for what's easiest to put up.)

[Gigiree]

We are getting our house ready to put on the market now that we know schools in Iowa are shut down for the rest of the year. We had professionals lined up to do some of the work, but that fell through due to Covid-19, so we are now doing some/all of it ourselves.

Project #1--replace brick in the 8" section between sidewalk and front stoop. I managed to chisel out a majority of the crumbling bricks and purchased replacement bricks of the regular and thin variety. Unfortunately, I am not a professional brick layer, and it did not go as well as I hoped. I am off to the local hardware store to purchase stucco to slap on the area--fingers crossed that will work.

Project #2--MMS power washed our deck on Saturday in preparation for staining on Sunday. I asked him twice if he had enough stain, and he assured me that he did. Come Sunday afternoon after only 1/3 of the deck was stained and Sherwin-Williams was closed did he discover that no, he did not have enough stain to finish the job. I get to do that this afternoon after my school office hours are done.

Project #3--replace basement bathroom door. Two summers ago, my youngest kiddo's friend from the neighborhood managed to lock herself in the bathroom and was unable to get out. The door knob was janky and the lock mechanism just spun when she tried to use it. I ended up kicking the door open (two kicks--woot!), and the door has been semi-functional since. In February, I purchased a door in frame, which I stained to match the current woodwork. I had a handyman lined up to install it, but he cancelled due to the pandemic. I have helped my father replace doors way back when, so I could probably do it myself in theory. However, I would rather not, so I am calling around trying to find someone, but if I'm unsuccessful, MMS, myself, and YouTube will have an exciting weekend next.

Project #4--landscaping replacement. We have several sumacs that MMS cut down about last year--they were out of control. He contracted a local landscaper to pull the stumps. This guy was supposed to come last fall, then early spring, and now crickets. MMS is calling around for someone, but I'm thinking we should just get some chains and drive his truck down behind our house and pull the suckers. In the meantime, I've removed all of the rock from around the stumps, so once they are pulled, we'll just need to work the dirt and put down grass seed. MMS decided last evening to trim the bushes in our front yard. His enthusiasm has rendered them to basically a couple of twigs, so we'll now be removing those as well, then off to garden center to find something to put in their place.

Project #5--finish cleaning, sorting, and recycling our crap. I'm really hoping that the local donation center will open for drop-offs sooner rather than later. Otherwise, I might just set the lot on the front lawn with a "free" sign and announce on Facebook.

[chonies]

Apr 27, 2020 12:37:57 GMT -4 batmom said:

I'm thinking of putting wallpaper on a wall in my bedroom. Do I want peel and stick or pre-pasted (we own so I'm looking for what's easiest to put up.)

I too have this question.

And, like Gigiree, I have also been decluttering, but I don't know if any intake places are open, so I'm using up all the TJ Maxx and Panera Catering bags I can find.

[biondetta]

Is Craigslist still a thing? When we moved overseas, I got rid of a lot of stuff that way, both selling and just giving away. You can just set it by the door/garage and let them pick it up. No contact.

[batmom]

Apr 27, 2020 14:20:38 GMT -4 chonies said:

Apr 27, 2020 12:37:57 GMT -4 batmom said:

I'm thinking of putting wallpaper on a wall in my bedroom. Do I want peel and stick or pre-pasted (we own so I'm looking for what's easiest to put up.)

I too have this question.

And, like Gigiree, I have also been decluttering, but I don't know if any intake places are open, so I'm using up all the TJ Maxx and Panera Catering bags I can find.

Check with your local shelter services. They may still have need for things right now.