We have gas

Greetings,


The little bugger has a very long story...

which I will not bore you with... just know if it were not for a few extra hands (Matt) this monstrosity would not be in place.

No thanks to the delivery folks.


Blessings,

We have refrigeration

Greetings,

One more piece of the kitchen puzzle is in place!

The refrigerator arrived....

And it is smarter than us.  It has alarms and locks and controls.... we are still trying to learn how to use. 

We are still waiting on the stove, sink facet & garbage disposal, dishwasher, and range ventilation.


Maybe one day soon the kitchen will all come together.



Blessings,

Threading

Greetings,


I have become a huge fan of threading (for eyebrows).  I found an amazing shop here in Norfolk. 

Threading is an ancient method of hair removal practiced many Asian countries, including as Iran, India, Vietnam, China and Arabic nations. It is popular in Persian culture where it is called Bande Abru ("Abru" means eyebrow, and "Band" is the thread).

Threading the entire face is widely spread amongst Iranians, but it was originally practiced when a woman was getting married or during special occasions.

In ancient Persia, threading was a sign that a girl had reached adulthood and become a woman.


Practitioners use a pure, thin, twisted 100% cotton thread which is rolled and twisted over hairlines, plucking the hair at the follicle level. Unlike tweezing where a single hair is pulled out each time, threading can remove an entire row of hair, resulting in a straighter line.

Threading does not use harmful products, just a piece of thread, and is all natural.

As the top layers of skin are not peeled or traumatized which helps in the aid of preventing wrinkles.


I tried it ...  and now I am a fan!



Blessings,

A view of the Wild

Greetings,

The treadmill is set up in front of the jungle. 

It's like I'm walking in the wild animal kingdom.  Albeit in cartoon version.

Not as entertaining as a television show, but it's better than nothing.

I'm thinking I will wait until the cable is installed before I paint over the jungle scenery.


Blessings,

Manic Monday

Greetings,


1.  It must be extremely manic around her... I forgot to post last Monday.

2.  Cabinets are installed.

3.  Still waiting on countertops.

4.  Last shipment from Greece is finally here.... will schedule delivery sometime this week.

5.  Still trying to finish unpacking the first Greece shipment.
6.  Harry came home a few days ago.

7.  Had to run around cleaning the house before he arrived.  He has not seen the blog or any pictures so he had NO idea what I had done to the place.

8.  I slowly took him around.

9.  One of Harry's best friends Matt is in town for work. 

10.   We will take a break (from home improvements) this week to entertain... Harry is even more excited to have Matt now!



Blessings,

Church ? ? ?

Greetings,

Church hopping again. 

I am glad Harry is back.

I would have preferred to stay home and watch Mount Paran online.


Blessings,

Install day 2

Greetings,

Day 2 of cabinet installation:

Still waiting on the counter tops. 

And the refrigerator...

And the range...

And a dishwasher...

And plumbing....

I cannot wait until it's all together. 

Blessings,

Welcome back Carter Hall

Greetings,

Harry's home!!!

Blessings,

A sight for sore eyes

Greetings,

Day 1 of cabinet installation....

Future home of slide in gas range:

Future home of giant farm house sink:

Future home of kitchen junk (tons of kitchen junk):

Future home of new refrigerator:

 

I am super excited to have this project finished.  Although, the granite folks called to inform me my granite slap is no longer available.  The gas range folks called to reschedule their delivery date.  So it's going to take a longer than planned. 

Isn't that always the case?


Blessings,

Log Book

Greetings,


I have been going through boxes and boxes of old junk. 

Today, I came across Harry's old Flight Log.

It was interesting to flip through the pages to see where Harry was flying on a particular day.  Kinda like a Where's Waldo sort of thing. 

So I flipped through and found ...

that on May 5 2002... Harry spent his cinco de Mayo waking up in HPN (White Plains, New York) then flying to ATL (Atlanta) then continued on the YOW (Ottawa, Canada).

So instead of South of the Border.... Harry was north... in Canada.

Just thought it was interesting... and made me a little nostalgic.  I have not thought about Harry and the airlines in quite a while.



Blessings,

Fine dining it's not

Greetings,

At the Hansen household... it's not loaves and fishes again...

but,  Hot Pockets.

Again ? ! ?

Just a tidbit of knowledge I would like to pass on.... the Family Value pack (for 1 person) may cause an individual to no longer like Philly Steak & Cheese Hot Pockets!

Fine dining its not.

But the Hansen kitchen offers an atmosphere unlike any other....

A full dinning room...

And my personal favorite...

a dishwasher in the bathroom...

Where else are you going to find that?

I think I am ready for a little normalcy in the kitchen area.

And a vacation from this house.



Blessings,

Improvements gone wrong

Greetings,

Thought I would share with you some of the bloopers so to speak of a few home improvement projects gone terribly wrong....


I thought I had a gas leak.....

see all the "wet" looking spots on the wall and on the floor.

I had a doozy of a time getting the refrigerator through the doorway....

I had to remove the doors.... which have electrical and water lines.

It was open season for Miss Peabody.

I am still not sure why I choose to move the refrigerator with all its contents...?

And may greatest faux pas...

Our kitchen hardwood floors are quite damaged....

So I thought I would rent a gigantic too heavy machine and sand them down....

Then restain them a darker color....

Bad...

bad idea. 

I am not sure if my staining skills are as bad as my sanding job?

Needless to say this one is going to cost me... I need a professional to redo my horrible mess.


I need a few things to go right now!

Blessings,

Dog walking etiquette

Greetings,

Did you know there is an etiquette for dog walking?

Well, there is. 

I had no idea what all went into dog walking.  For starters, in Greece, I opened the door... and Miss Peabody went outside for the day.  No need to walk her.. she walked herself. 

No need to pick up pooh... it mixed nicely with the 10, 000 sheep pooh pellets on the street.

Stateside is a different story...


For example, when walking your pet in a neighborhood, it is not courteous to allow your dog to walk on people’s front lawns, or urinate on their mail boxes or landscaping. Instead, a more appropriate way to handle your pet is to walk him in the street or on the sidewalk and allow access only to “rough” areas to eliminate.

Should your neighborhood not have such an area, it is still inappropriate to allow your pooch to pee on people’s property… keep him to the strip of grass that’s between the sidewalk and street and steer clear of people’s plantings and posts.

Have an excited dog? Keep in mind that not everyone may be as much of a dog lover as you are. If a passing person wishes to greet your pet, you will be able to tell, as they will approach you and ask if they may pet your dog.

Don’t assume that every man, woman and child wish to pet your pooch as you allow him to drag you over to them and pounce upon them in greeting. Some people are afraid of dogs, or may not be in the mood to be jumped on.

Pick up the poop. Yes, this is a problem to many property owners.

Not only does dog waste cause damage to grass and plants, it also can be a problem if a child is playing in the yard and needs cleaned up after coming into contact with the dog waste. Good dog walking etiquette means picking up the poop after your dog is finished.

This is as simple as taking a plastic grocery bag, turning it inside out and placing your hand inside and using the bag as a plastic glove. Then turn the bag back out and take the bag with you where you can dispose of it properly.


But here in Norfolk, not only is there a dog walking etiquette that applies to dogs, but people as well.

We have a dog park down the street, but it looks like the local meat market for singles.... so Miss P and I stay to the streets by the river. 

I have followed the above guidelines... the picking up pooh one almost killed me.  At first I did not know how to get the pooh in the bag.  That is until I watched someone else do it. 

Seriously?  I threaded my hand through the bag and then what?

You still have to touch pooh even if it is through plastic. 

And it was warm and mushy.  I almost vomited right there!

GROSS!

And then you have to carry it until you get home?  Yuck!  Some one suggested to hand held scooper... but is that any different?  Then you have pooh on the scooper until you get home and wash it.... no thanks.  At least the bag contains the smell.

And what about when your dog fakes you out?  How do you know when she is going #1 or #2?  When Miss P squats... I reach for the plastic bag thingy... only to have her go #1 and I am SO thankful!

Outside of pooh... there are other rules.

Like ... stopping to talk to the neighbors.  It's what they do. 

You let the dog greet and sniff each other... meanwhile the owners conversate about what?  Then they tell you where they live.  And then look at you ... waiting to hear which street is yours...followed by giving them your house number.

Am I supposed to tell a stranger where I live just because we share the common bond of dog walking?


There's more, but I need to reapply a coat of stain in the kitchen....


Blessings,

Even the kitchen sink

Greetings,

It's done....

the kitchen is completely empty and ready for new cabinets...

It took a bit of balance to strong arm this bugger into the dinning room....

Now the cabinet.....

where the pipes are threaded through from the basement....

I just cut a giant hole in the bas and took off the back.  What a mess!


And this is the coolest picture I think I have ever taken....

...through the sink drain the hammer is crystal clear. 

Now to get all this junk out of the way and into the garage.... if it will fit.

Blessings,