Adventures in Home Improvements

This year instead of promising myself some silly New Year's resolutions like be kinder to strangers, have more patience and save more money, none of which will likely happen because who can change one's personality? I don't like talking to strangers, so I can't be kinder, my daughter drives me crazy with her homework and whining (she's at that age) so I know my patience will go right out the window and as much as I would like to save more money, there just isn't enough left over to save. So instead, this year I made a list of things I would like to get done to the house, my home project list.

First up is putting up a back splash on my kitchen wall. A back splash is like the artwork of the kitchen just like the handles and knobs are the jewelry of it. I just feel like my kitchen is nude, naked, bare, without a back splash. My husband says it serves no purpose, so why? It's not like we need a back splash! I don't think I was ever conscious of back splashes until I started watching all those decorating shows, thanks Candace Olsen (love her Divine Design, hey Candace, if you are reading this would love for you to design a room for me!).

So one weekend, when my husband had the flu, just the perfect time to go out and buy tile without him making faces, I made the trip to Home Depot for tiles. With my daughter in tow, I bought this nice diamond mosaic tile, about 15 pieces I estimated. I buy the premixed grout, the premixed adhesive and some decorator mini glass mosaics. All costing under $100.00. Feeling pretty good with myself until I take the stuff in the kitchen and hold up the tile to the back splash and then realize, oh yeah there's plugs and phone outlets! Serious problem. I wasn't going to cut tile, yikes, that's way too hard. So I take the diamond tile back and buy the square one. Somehow the non-handy person in me thought that I won't have to cut square tile, wrong! I bring it home only to realize that it too would have to be cut. Well, it is here that I start having frightening visions of those big electrical tile machines that make a lot of noise and constantly need to have water running on the blade. The nice Home Depot man says they rent those machines, but I'm like what about that little tile plier cracker thingy? He says no way. Scratching my head and not wanting to give up because surely it would be easier to take the stuff back than to plow ahead, I fall back on plan b, call up my handyman to see if he could recommend a tile man. Bingo, contact made, Rauel will do it the next day (Saturday). Excited, I go back to Home Depot, return the plain square tile and re-purchase the diamond tile. The next day the tile guy comes over (we pre-negotiated a price over the phone since I told him it was only 15 tiles ), he takes one look at the tiles and shakes his head. Not a good sign. He says the diamond tile will take a lot of extra cutting, translation more money. I'm like gads! Will it be better with square mosaics I ask? Of course. So it's back to Home Depot to re-purchase the square tile and take back the diamond one. At this point I'm thinking Home Depot probably has me on some black list of the chronic returner. Unfazed, I also re-purchase the original mini glass tiles as well, there goes that crazy Asian woman again! Rush home thinking the guy has set up his massive tile saw, when I see him pull out a little tile cutter. Don't you need a big saw, I say? Naw, this is small tile, it's ok. Three hours later and I'm in love with it and with my design, square tile and all. Happily, no matter that the tile guy soaked me a little with his whining about how many cuts he had to make and weaseling his way out of coming back the next day to grout, I'm like I can do it (even though he's charging me more). How hard can it be, I mean with the stuff premixed and all? So I pay the guy (he manages to get an extra $50.00 bucks out of me-don't tell my husband! I'm such a push-over! New Year's Resolution, not to be such a push- over!) and I send him on his way, with a full stomach I might add. Total cost of the project, materials and labor a mere $250.00. Still a pretty good deal and it looks smashing!

Project two is almost under way and that is installing a Rubbermaid closet organizer in my daughter's closet. I would so totally love the custom closet, but who can afford that? So I ordered Walmart's site to store and hopefully it will be here within the next two weeks. If that works out then it's on to the down stairs coat closet.

Project three, built in shelves in my media niche and project four-painting the two walls that are two stories high in my house to match the paint on the other walls.

Almost two project done and it's only February!

Look for my updates on my home improvement adventures!-Single D