We’ve got a long-standing tradition at the Fixer-Upper house. Every Christmas, we dress the dogs up in stupid costumes and force them to pose for photos. Nero, the min pin, has an effeminate side and absolutely loves showing off his new outfits. He’ll even wink on cue. But Bruiser, the chihuahua mutt, freezes up completely, […]

This year, we bought 4 pumpkins from a campground in Ithaca. They were only $2-$3 each so at that price we couldn’t resist bringing home the biggest, bestest ones they had. But big pumpkins are thick and meaty, making them much harder to carve. Luckily, we’ve got a lot of carving experience. Back when we […]

Anyone who has visited a tree nursery lately knows how expensive landscaping can be. A nice tree or bush can cost $100 – $200 dollars or more. So we’ve been doing piecemeal landscaping whenever we can. Last year we tried a few trees from a friend’s yard (see this post) but half of them were […]

Everyone knows I’m into the pricey paints – but I almost never pay full price for them. $40/gallon? Not a chance.  Here’s our secret – we opened a Sherwin Williams customer account a few years ago, which gets us 20% off every day. On top of that, they send plenty of coupons and sale flyers. […]

I think this little number would come in handy when drilling… especially when drilling overhead while balancing a piece of drywall on your head, severely straining your neck as you fumble for the screws in your pocket. You can get one here for $15.95, although the crafty gal in me thinks this would be VERY […]

I’m all for modern design and unique architecture, but this? This seems like a resell nightmare… The toilet house was built by Sim Jae-duck, the chairman of the organizing committee of the Inaugural General Assembly of the World Toilet Association. Apparently he hopes his toilet house “will highlight the global need for better sanitation”. Hmmm…. […]

Yep, we’re still NOT working on the house. It’s lovely. I have seen my friends and family more in the last few months than I have in years! The house is nearly spotless… no drywall dust, no caulk guns lying around, no extra lumber being stored in the kitchen. The physical and mental chaos created […]

So as you may have noticed, I really like painting. White walls offend my senses. I like lots and lots of saturated color. No pastels here! It all comes down to my twisted obsession with color and drastic, “big wow” changes. Someday, when I can afford fancy-schmancy hair salons, I’ll be one of those women […]

It’s time to start buckling down for blustery winds and dropping temps. Around our house, that means we have to accomplish the following before the snow flies: Clean and store our patio and porch furniture Check the caulk and seals around our windows and doors, install new weather-stripping if needed Wash exterior windows one last […]

As I mentioned in a previous post, my parents are in town this week. They’re “escapees”, full-time RVers who no longer have a permanent address or house to return to when they tire of life on the road. They can fit everything they need comfortably in their 5th wheel, a Big Sky Montana with a […]