by jphilo | Jan 2, 2018 | Show Notes
by Jolene Philo & Anne Fleck | Home Again
Everybody at Home Again is getting ready for Baby Lewella’s imminent arrival. Below you’ll find links to products and establishments that have made getting ready for baby easier. Let’s start with the Pumpkin Patch book and toy store where Grammy Jo found rhythm instruments she and Tad will use to march around the house singing Jingle Bells until the snow melts.
Other businesses and stores mentioned in today’s podcast:
Once again, we’d love it if you would share your gluten-free and soy-free healthy snack recipes we can make ahead and freeze for Tad. You can scroll down and click on the “Contact Us” link to share them or send an email to homeagainpodcast@gmail.com any time you like.
Come Home Again every time a new podcast is added just by visiting your inbox!
by jphilo | Nov 14, 2013 | Three Thoughts for Thursday
- There’s nothing like being in the middle of a massive remodeling project, opening a dusty envelope under the old rug you’re ripping out, and finding money in the envelope. Kinda makes the dust and paint spattered clothes fade away for a little while.
- Be very careful when carrying a Shop Vac full of plaster dust, wall paper fragments, and pulverized carpet foam down the stairs. Otherwise the Shop Vac might come apart and distribute the plaster dust, wall paper fragments, and pulverized carpet foam all over the stairs. (Don’t ask how I know this.)
- Our grandson cries when his mommy leaves the room. His grandma cries when she says good-bye to him after a wonderful visit.
Whose departure makes you cry? Leave a comment.
by jphilo | Jun 14, 2013 | Daily Life
News flash!
The Philo School of Home Repair is proud to announce that the hall and stairway remodeling project which began in April of 2012 is finished.
Done.
Complete.
Looking good.
Ready for use.
A wonder to behold.
To be sure, the effort began with an initial spate of optimism and took 12 months longer than expected, ravished our bank account, and proved to be sexier than any home remodeling project in recorded history. These days, we call the finished product our personal stairway to heaven. (Cue Led Zeppelin music here.) It’s so heavenly, the man of steel has created his own mantra, which he repeats whenever he ascends or descend the stairway:
Oh, it feels so good on my toes.
Oh, it feels so good on my toes.
Oh, it feels so good on my toes.
He’s right. The carpet runner does feel good on the tootsies. And the hardwood floor in the upstairs hall is much cleaner and brighter than the blue-gray carpet it replaced. But, me–I’m just glad it’s finished and am ready for lavish compliments. In case our stairway to heaven as rendered you speechless, appropriate responses are listed below. Please choose one and leave it in the comment box:
A. That’s the best looking stairway I’ve ever seen.
B. If you ever think of selling your house, contact me first. I’ll pay double the asking price.
C. Send all future remodeling project bills to me.
D. All of the above
by jphilo | Feb 25, 2013 | Daily Life
Who knew remodeling could be sexy? Certainly not me, until I went upstairs to investigate the progress on the hall floor project. Remember that project? The one we foolishly thought would take only a month or two. The one that enters its eleventh month of progress (or lack thereof) in March.
With no end in sight.
The finish work came to a screeching halt when a respiratory virus nailed both of us in January. But the man of steel is hard at work again, attacking the baseboards with plaster of Paris and a putty knife. I’m not sure what the purpose is, but he assures me it’ll look great…eventually.
Whenever eventually comes.
In the meantime, and perhaps in an effort to snazz things up in the midst of the mess, he decided to tape off the baseboards with not only customary painter’s tape, but also with the leopard skin duct tape that somehow landed in his Christmas stocking a few years back, along with hot pink and Hello Kitty varieties.
He was not amused at the time.
But now he’s come to grips with Santa’s thoughtless de-mannifying of the most manly of man tools: duct tape. In fact, the man of steel is expressing his inner interior decorator more the longer the project drags on. Revealing his feminine side in a most manly and surprising way. With leopard skin duct tape.
Remodeling doesn’t get any sexier than this.
by jphilo | Jan 7, 2013 | Daily Life
Our little stairway to hell’s heaven’s been a long time coming, but this week it’s one step closer to completion. The current remodeling project began with the words, “It won’t take long or cost much to replace the flooring in the stairway and the upstairs hall.”
That sentence reflects the total break from reality required to begin any remodeling project–at least at our house. Take a look a the timeline of the project thus far to get an idea of how far from reality those words were:
Late April, 2012–Hiram removes the grungy carpet from the stairs and second floor hallway in just one weekend while Jolene is gone.
Early May, 2012–We spend a few weeks reassuring one another that the stairs are in pretty good shape, in need of just a little woodwork sanding, paint, and carpet runner to look good. We need the reassurance because the hallway floor is ancient oak plank, complete with square nails. It needs new subfloor before the hardwood floor can be laid. Plus, we have to locate hardwood to match the two boxes left over from laying the living room and dining room floor 6 years ago.
Late May, 2012–Hiram blows a disk in his back. All remodeling on hold.
Late June, 2012–While recovering from back surgery, Hiram does an internet search and finds a place to order the hardwood. It costs an arm and a leg, which hardly seems fair when we’re already paying for Hiram’s new back. But since it will take 2–3 months to get here, we have time to pay off at least one body part before it arrives.
Late September, 2012–The flooring is almost forgotten as we anticipate the arrival of our first grandchild. When we remember and Hiram thinks his back is strong enough to carry boxes, he calls the store. They say the order’s been there for 3 weeks. Maybe their phone only takes incoming calls?
Late October, 2012–We forget to call the flooring guy after the arrival of our new grandchild. Since everyone will be at our house for Thanksgiving, we tell the carpenter not to come until after Thanksgiving.
Late November, 2012–The carpenter calls. He’s a hunter. He can’t come until the weekend before Christmas.
Weekend before Christmas, 2012–The carpenter gets half the floor laid. It’s the weekend of Camp Dorothy. Mom’s nap is quite interrupted. She is not amused. But she doesn’t complain. Much.
Weekend before New Year, 2012–Floor is completed. It looks great. All that remains is to complete our stairway to hell heaven is sanding and painting woodwork, picking out and installing a carpet runner. We try to reassure one another that the work’ll be quick, easy, and inexpensive.
Sigh.
