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 [...]

Our Halloween costumes this year are dedicated to Kristin of 1902 Victorian, who wrote this post after her picture showed up in a Wall Street Journal article about idiotic homeowners who drink and renovate. Who says wine and circular saws don’t mix?   Our costumes were a hit, and the cheapest thing we’ve worn in [...]

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 stole a few trees from Teague’s parents’ 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 [...]

Note: This post has absolutely nothing to do with houses, house repair, or house obsession. For once, I have other things on my mind ;)   The adorable bride and groom celebrating in the limo.   This past weekend, my close friend Eilis (who just so happens to be Teague’s sister and the reason he [...]

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 [...]