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, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

It’s time to start buckling down for blustery winds and dropping temps. Around our house, that means we have to accomplish the following before the snow flies: Clean and store our patio and porch furniture Check the caulk and seals around our windows and doors, install new weather-stripping if needed Wash exterior windows one last [...]

As I mentioned in a previous post, my parents are in town this week. They’re “escapees”, full-time RVers who no longer have a permanent address or house to return to when they tire of life on the road. They can fit everything they need comfortably in their 5th wheel, a Big Sky Montana with a [...]

One more reason to be wary of the press… one of our favorite housebloggers, Kristin of 1902 Victorian, was recently tricked by a writer for the WSJ. She unwittingly became part of a none-too-flattering story about DIY’ers gone wild. The story, which Kristin understood to be about the camraderie and community surrounding a “renovation party”, [...]

My friend Joe and I were walking around town the other day, snapping pics of my lovely little neighborhood. We just happened to notice this crazy old air conditioning unit outside of an apartment building on our main street. It sits upon two extra-strength, extra-fancy brackets – and as you can see, it’s a battle [...]

Got about eight trillion hours to spend clicking around on the internet? Then do I have a game for you – Mansion Impossible. Go flip the little houses while the market is up to build wealth. So simple, so additive.  http://3form.net/mansion_impossible/

The hotter the day, the further his legs splay out behind him. Today it’s 95ish and humid. I just got done mowing the lawn, so I’m getting ready to suck down some popsicles and join him on the cold tile floor. Frogman, recuperating from a hard morning spent doing absolutely positively nothing.   Really, really [...]

Ariana of Becoming Home is truly a woman after my own heart… she’s decided to save herself a few dollars and make her own wall stencil. I’m going to bookmark this one, because that idea has been floating around in my head for quite a while but I’ve been too busy to actually start it. [...]