How to tell if you need a new bike lock

Posted May 14th, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

B decided to ride his bicycle to the local home improvement store (yes, we should own stock in it since we go there VERY often…). He determined what he needed to fix the hot water tank. (See the prior post regarding the hot water tank.) Knowing that he was going to leave his bike unattended, B went outside into the ever stocked, organized garage to get his bicycle lock. B’s bicycle lock had a row of numbers on the lock, whereby the numbers had to be aligned correctly for the lock to open.

After a very short time, B determined that he needed a new bicycle lock. How did he come to this conclusion?

1. The last cylinder on the bicycle lock would not turn.

2. The unlocking code of numbers is highlighted in red.

(We remember doing this a long time ago so the kids could play with the lock. Not a very secure lock for B, now…)  However, I’m sure if a crook wanted to steal B’s bicycle, they wouldn’t mind the code being highlighted in red…

Mac Daddy Putty Knife

Posted May 14th, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

I wrote yesterday about how I replaced the sheet rock and mudded J’s wall. Today I sanded it and realized that I needed a larger putty knife to make the final coats of mud nice and smooth. Yesterday I used a 3 inch putty knife, and I thought it was big.

However, when the boys and I went back to the home improvement store today, I found the Mac Daddy of all putty knives. This thing is 14 inches long. It is awesome!

I glopped the mud on the new sheet rock with the 3 inch putty knife and then used the 14 inch putty knife and ran it down the wall to smooth out the mud and remove the excess. I then cleaned off the putty knife of the excess and ran the Mac Daddy putty knife back up the wall with a final smoothing action. It is the most smooth wall I have ever seen (with the exception of needing to dry and then some light sanding).

I remember when I was excited over a new toy. I can tell that I am a grown-up now. I get a big “high” from making our home neat and fixing any problems. (However, I think B is going to fix our newest problem that was discovered this morning - our hot water heater is leaking from the faucet. Aahhh, the joys of home ownership… When I was mowing the grass yesterday evening, I noticed some water dripping out of a pipe that was coming out of the brick exterior of our home. Turns out that the pipe was linked to the pan that holds the hot water tank in our attic. Thanks Mom for the troubleshooting! You are the daughter of a carpenter!)

Many years ago when B and I purchased our first home, we decided to purchase the tools that we needed each time a new project arose. This has been an invaluable resource, especially when the same projects recurred (fixing a bathroom tile, grouting, changing spark plugs, etc.). We have borrowed very few tools, and when we did borrow them, it was usually something very big - pressure washer, chain saw, carpet cleaner (that I need to return ) etc. - and almost always was something borrowed from the parents, mine or B’s. It is nice to look in B’s well organized, peg-boarded, labeled garage and find almost everything that I could possibly need for a project. Good job, B, maintaining such an organized, and well supplied garage.

All total, the trip to the home improvement store both yesterday and today has cost me roughly $30. I don’t know how much a professional sheet rock person would charge to fix a hole in the wall, but I’m pretty sure I have come out ahead. I have a Mac Daddy putty knife that I know how to use, remaining premixed mud, and 3/4 of the sheet of sheet rock left over.

Confidence gained in home repair… priceless.

Plus I get to look forward to watching B agonize over where to hang the new putty knife, since his garage is so organized, and the new putty knife needs its “spot.”

A hole in the wall

Posted May 13th, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

There was a hole put in J’s bedroom wall recently. I did not put it there. I was not in the room when it happened, however, I was aware of when it happened. The person responsible for putting the hole there was — well, I can’t say who it was. But it wasn’t me.

Today the boys and I went to the home improvement store. We purchased sheet rock tape, a 2 foot x 2 foot square of sheet rock, sheet rock putty/mud, L brackets, and had a 2×4 cut into 3 pieces with 2 of them being 8 5/8 inches long each. The 3rd piece of the 2×4 I told the home improvement store guy to just keep. It was too long for me to easily bring home, and besides, I didn’t need it. The whole board was $1.33. I had my 2 pieces that I needed, and was quite happy. (The store will cut the wood for you, you just have to purchase the board.)

Once home, I enlarged the hole in J’s wall to expose the wall studs. Then I drilled holes in the pieces of wood and screwed the L brackets to the pieces of wood and attached the wood pieces to the wall studs.

I added the 2×4 pieces to the top and bottom of the cut out in the wall. The reason for adding the 2×4s is to support the top and bottom of the sheet rock that is going to replace the damaged sheet rock. Without the added support of the 2×4s, the sheet rock might “cave in” on the seams. J took the picture of me using the hammer. He was my little helper for this project.

Here is the new sheet rock piece (10 inches x 11 inches) nailed into the 2×4s.

I have taped and mudded the new sheet rock piece. I will wait until tomorrow to sand it and mud it again to ensure that it is perfectly smooth. Then by Friday I can paint it to match the blue of J’s wall.

Go D, Go D, Go D. I’m quite proud of myself!

Cornmeal “Sand”box

Posted May 13th, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

Remember me writing about making the kids an indoor sandbox using cornmeal? Click on this link to read about that post.

The indoor sandbox of cornmeal was a disastrous mess. I just imported some photos from our rarely used camera (the one I happened to have handy that day) and found these pictures that I had forgotten about.

Note that I DO NOT recommend an indoor cornmeal “sand”box. DO NOT try this at home, or if you do, don’t blame me for the incredible mess. I have warned you…

Note the white sheet pushed aside. It was supposed to contain the mess. It didn’t.

Another view. What a memory. However, the kids had an absolute blast - and have since asked me, “What are you going to do with the (other) bag of cornmeal in the pantry?”

Just another picture of the fun had by C and J.

A pile of dirt

Posted May 11th, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

B and I have been having discussions about healthy lifestyles lately. We have been re-evaluating our eating habits and our exercise goals as well.

Today while we had childcare at church, we had a little time to just chat. B asked me about my exercise goals and I told him that, “I’m not sedimentary. I do exercise a little.”

It took me awhile to figure out why B was laughing so hard at me. I then understood that I meant “sedentary” and not “sedimentary.” Oh well, neither way am I a pile of dirt.

You know you’re a mom of preschool children when…

Posted May 11th, 2008 by Mom | Comments (0)

1. It is a rare load of laundry that comes out of the washing machine/dryer without at least one toy newly washed.

2. The refrigerator is covered with drawings held up by cute magnets.

3. You are in awe of your child writing their first and last name on a paper.

4. There are bath toys in YOUR shower stall. (From when you had to give them a quick shower before school or church and didn’t want them to drown while you ran around like a mad person trying to get YOURSELF ready!)

5. Your sidewalk is covered with cute drawings - or at least you, the parent, think they are cute.

6. You cut yourself with a knife while chopping an onion and the only bandaids in the house are those with pictures of “Curious George” or “Spiderman.”

7. You hear thunder and immediately look to the kids to see if they heard it too, or if they are excited about the possibililty of a tornado so they can play/hide in your closet.