Christmas Time is Here

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

Yes it is and nothing says Christmas like a reindeer glass of milk and a plate of cookies. We brought all the holiday decorations out of the attic on the first weekend after Thanksgiving. Since then I've either unboxed or arranged two holiday items per night around the house. Like everything else since the arrival of Dottie, this broke the normal holiday routine. In the past, Dawn put up all the decorations on the first day of winter break from teaching. It's interesting to think that next year Dottie can help with the holiday decorating. That will be amazingly fun.

The Holiday Crush

In our tiny house, space is a premium. With the arrival of our daughter, free space is becoming a scare commodity. The bookcase full of over-sized kitchen items has been replaced with a pack-n-play, a swing, and a stroller. In the past Christmas decorations, especially the tree, pushed each room in the house to it's functional limit. Dottie's bouncy seat, a magical device that calms her fussy moods, occupies the same spot that, in the past, is where the Christmas tree went. So Christmas tree, where do you go now?

Currently the top three places are 1) in the dining room since we never eat dinner at the table anymore 2) in the front corner of the living room supplanting the cat's favorite perch, one of the few comforts he has left after we kicked him out the baby's room/guest room and 3) back in the attic until we move to a bigger house. The problem is I hate all of these ideas - the tree looks terrible in the dining room; I'm loath to take away yet another comfort from out cat; and if we don't celebrate with a tree I'm sure I'll scar our daughter for years to come.

Honestly, removing the cat's favorite perch and sticking the tree there is the only real option. The reason I'm loath to do it is because it's exactly what every baby book said I would do: devalue a pet's once lofty place place in the family. Reading those books, I rallied against that idea, thinking "No way. I'm not going to do that". Yeah, well, too bad. It's time to Think Again.

We're Not Home Right Now: Thanksgiving Edition

We traveled to Allentown PA for Thanksgiving. This was also Dottie's first interstate road trip. I thought we'd have to stop at every reststop along I95, however Dottie only need one stop. In fact on the way back we had to tickle her for 5 minutes just to get her awake. This baby loves car rides!
Thanksgiving itself was a great time. There were lots of family relations to play with Dottie giving mom and dad a chance to rest, sleep, show others how to play the Wii (yes, we brought it) and watch the Virginia Tech at Virginia game (okay, okay only dad did this). Dottie also went to her first restaurant outing in Bethlehem. The table next to us was disappointed that we did not put Dottie between their table and ours. They demanded that we show her to them. Once they saw her the entire table voted her "delicious".

We returned home Saturday night with enough time left in the evening to hang out with uncle Dan and aunt Monica.

The Office

The Office
Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

The other thing I've been doing aside from raising my baby daughter is working on freelance projects. I've taken over the kitchen table with this fancy set up. Click on the image and take a tour of my office desk.

It's like Three's Company

I should have posted this here on Oct. 24 but we've been busy adjusting to our newest roommate, Dorothy Paige Hunter. For those that have already seen the hospital pictures here is a jump to the Halloween photos.

Happy Halloween

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

Here's a trick for the bloggers since we got our treat early.

If I Had a Hammer

I'd hammer in the morning? No. I had a hammer on Monday though and I used it to hammer apart a giant "trweed". What's a trweed? It was the massive weed that conveyed with the house. and was already 1/3 of the way up the house. As of Monday the tree was almost to the soffit. That is until I took the claw-side of a hammer to it for 5 minutes and then tore it down. Rock!

WiiBirthday

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

September brought many things - including Dawn's birthday! On this day, September brought a fancy dinner out on the town, a digitized CD collection, and Wii. Additionally I had the NFL move the Washington game to Monday night so as not to interfere with the birthday weekend. Not that I'm bragging or anything.

Nursery Complete!

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

It's done! Well, almost done - it still needs a baby. I checked with the stork about that baby I ordered 8.5 months ago but was told it will still take another 14 days for delivery. Sigh. We are very happy how it turned out. It's ready and all we need is our baby.

We're back!

Oh my! We're back and just shy of one month of being truant from the blogsphere. I've got fun news to share and normally I'd hold some of it back for the coming weeks. However, I sense that I'm going to be very busy very soon so we are going to run through a series of posts very fast.

Revenge is a dish best served with tomatoes

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

Mom Scattolini was here last weekend and she unleashed her fury on the ravenous tomato plants that overtook our front walk. She hacked them back to a manageable length, clearing away the dead loss as she plucked off the good tomatoes. Now the postman and us have a clear path to the door. Of course, the overgrowth was good for one thing - it hide our cracked and crumbling walk. Hopefully, in the spring '08 there will be a post here about how we've replaced it with a new shiny one.

In The Details

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

We are still working on the nursery. We are hoping to finish up this weekend. Until then her are some detail shots of the sea life that were painted by Dawn.

Nursery Progress

Next Wall
Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

We continue to paint and decorate the nursery. We painted faces on the creatures occupying the first wall and add some more aquatic pals on the second wall. Dawn also framed the wet pets with white bubbles. The second wall contains my attempts at painting sea life. While Dawn praised my efforts, the true test is when the baby sees it. Will s/he be pleased with my interpretation of sea life? We'll find out in less than eight weeks.

The Guest Room is Closed

Green Corner
Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

Dear Future Guests,

We are sorry for the inconvenience however our guest room is currently under renovation. We plan for renovations to be completed shortly. Once renovations are complete the guest room will be available again. However, no reservations will be accepted until 2025 as the room is currently booked by a distingushed guest through that date.

Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
Mangement

Attack of the Tasty Tomatoes

Overfed & Overgrown
Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

Early in the summer we planted four little tomato plants expecting the venture to be a colossal failure. Instead what we got was success beyond our wildest dreams...and lots of tomatoes. With this success has come a new culinary challenge: what to do with so many tomatoes? Dawn has posted some of the top recipes on her blog. We've given 10 bags away so far and our neighbors have permission to pick tomatoes whenever they want. Next summer we'll have to plant some cucumbers to go along with the tomatoes in the summer salad. That or we'll need to plant a pasta tree. They have such a thing, right?

Meet Me In the Bathroom

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

What was once a closet is now a bathroom. Our long-time dream of having a bathroom in the basement is realized. No longer must we walk up two flights of stairs with urgency, no longer is there a line for relief. Now one person can go up, the other down, for there is now a bathroom for every person in this house (until October when the baby arrives).

Brand New Kitchens (or Renovations Pt II)

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

The sadness brought by the end of vacation was tempered knowing that a brand new kitchen awaited. The suspense was dizzying. What kind of kitchen would it be? Would it be nice? Would the contractor remember to install the counter tops? Would there be a giant hole in the floor? All fears were allayed when we walked into the kitchen. Pristine white cabinets stretched high above us, a sleek stainless steel microwave beamed back at us, and best of all no one stole the fridge. I've hardly made a meal since we've been back. The happy new kitchen has re-energized Dawn and she's full of pep for making dinners and tasty treats. Money well spent, I say.

Kitchen Renovations (Part I)

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

We're back! And we have lots of entries planned. Home renovations tales, vacation tales, invading critters and so on.

First up, part one of our kitchen renovation. In the past we had done some of the renovation ourselves (some cabinets, ceiling) however we had an opportunity to do it right and we took it. The only thing better than having a professional renovate our kitchen is having them do it while we were vacationing in Portugal.

Next week, we'll see the wonderful results of all this destruction.

The Leaking

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. While not the flash flood that was last summer, we discovered that the shut-off valve for our outside faucet leaks when turned on. It leaks inside the house, of course. Dripping inside the wall and soaking into the plaster.

I wouldn't have know this if the Roto Rooter plumber had not insisted I pry off four wooden panels. Of course, once the panels were off, the plumber came to the conclusion that removing them wasn't necessary.

I shouldn't complain though. After the plumber tightened a single nut (which was accessible from the start) he told me, "I was smart. I could be a plumber too".

Thanks, dude.

What's Your Bench?

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

This is ours. It's new and replaces the vanity that was a magnet for junk mail, magazines, dust, and pens. Now all that stuff can go in the baskets under the bench. We thought our Bean would want to sit on it so we put his favorite blanket on top. However, he seems content sitting on the couch or in our laps.

This marks the last post I have planned. So unless I accomplish a loosely-related home improvement task before next Wednesday, there won't be a schedule post. To be notified of when I resume posting I recommend Google's Reader, which 'watches' website, like Blogspot, and notifies you when its updated.

Grosser Than Gross

We cooked various meats throughout the winter. With the meat, came a lot of that troublesome grease. Not wanting to pour hot grease in the trash, nor down the drain I began collecting it in a plastic Super Bowl XL cup. During the winter months this worked perfectly - we could store the cup outside in the chilly temperatures and retrieve it when needed. Which was often. By the end of February we had a full cup of solidified grease. I thought of getting a wick and making a meat candle.
Then, like my thoughts, the seasons changed. I become occupied with spring cleaning while the solidified grease began to melt. This weekend we went to Philly and my Mom watched the cat. During her visit she must have carefully placed the grease cup (now liquid) in the recycling bin. I hadn't noticed this. If I had I certainly wouldn't have yanked the recycling bin with so much force. It wasn't just the grease that got over everything including me, the recycling bin, the deck floor that was the nasty part. It was that it smelled like rancid meat. Not just one kind of rancid meat. No, it was a vile bouquet of rancid meat smells.

I placed the foul recycling container on the curb for the morning pick-up. I had hoped that once the recycling folks dumped out the contents it wouldn't smell so bad. However after a day of baking in the sun a nasty, empty bin simply mocked me with it's stench when I came home. Defeated, I took it into the backyard and washed it out.

Memorial

Virginia Tech Alumni Hall
Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

My deepest sympathies for all those touched by Monday's terrible events.

I loved my four years at Virginia Tech and I was proud to document the wonderful place that is not just Virginia Tech, not just serene Blacksburg, but a true community.

To the current students, faculty, staff, and parents my thoughts are with you.

Wade in the Water

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

I would like one calendar year where I don't get the phone call "Come home, water is leaking from [somewhere] oh my god come home now!!!" On Monday I got that call for the second year in a row. Thankfully, it was only a fraction of the amount of water from last year. This time the new twist was water dripping from the ceiling. Our toilet overflowed and seeped through the space between the toilet and bathroom floor, down the pipes, and through the spaces we cut for the recessed lights.

We took the ceiling down to dry out and began to disinfect everything in the kitchen. On the upside, the kitchen is now the cleanest it's ever been. On the downside, toilet water, eww....

Blue Flower

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

...and white, and yellow. Lots of yellow.

Now that the weather has turned warmer, we're focusing our efforts on improving the house's "curb appeal". Last year we planted the 'yellow things' which has bloomed nicely. I think we also planted the 'purple things' last year. True, I don't know the correct names; that doesn't restrict my enjoyment of them though.

We bought most of the flowers at a local nursery near our first apartment. However, some items in the pictures were recycled. One set of the yellow flowers are from a friend's wedding decoration; the pot featured in the picture was one of the four stands to our wedding huppah.

We also did some weeding and trimming. Since I know that you can imagine how amazing awesome fun that is, I knew posting pictures wasn't necessary.

Gone, Virtual Daddy, Gone

Actually, I don't think I ever played a game like that...


They're gone. It took about a year but I sold all the unwanted video games and all but one DVD. During my experiment with selling used video games and DVDs online, I discovered Amazon.com totally kicks e-Bay's butt. I sold one thing on e-Bay and never got paid. I sold tons of games and DVDs at the Amazon Marketplace and got adequate cash. I even sold the instructions, the map, and the box to GTA3 - but not the game (I lost it)! Granted, I sold this item for $0.50; hell, I sold everything for less than what I paid for it. Still, I got it out of the house and got some extra cash too boot. This was such a successful experiment that Dawn is looking for other things to sell. Cha-ching!

In the Hanging Garden Washroom

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

This is the end result of painting the closet green. We moved the wire rack out so we could have room for this fancy cabinet. It holds a variety of cleaning products, as well as the persistent gift boxes that have been stacked on something since we moved in.

Even though we replaced one item with another, this setup is much safer. Before, every time I wanted something from the shelves to the right I always bonked my head on the corner of the wire rack. Now there is enough clearance between the cabinet and shelves for you to stand (!) between then and leisurely select what you need. Amazing!

Everything is on Sale!

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

While this does not constitute a direct home improvement, saving this kind of dough allows us to spend money on all the little projects around the house. Plus - the Harris Tetter brands are tasty! Salsa, lunch meats, and fish are always on sale. Add to that the yummy sugar cookies right inside the door. I thought after the grand opening last fall that this service would end. Yet to their credit the cookie stand is still there. Maybe that's why we shop there some much.

We Are Open for Business

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

This past Wednesday I have two things in my favor - warm weather and comp time at work. So I used these two favors to accomplish two tasks that the cold weather prevented. Because I sure as hell ain't working outside unless its 55 degrees plus. Also, the grip tape for the shed ramp says it won't stick unless it's above freezing. That's all the endorsement I need!

Anymore interested in replacing a porch light should now it's rather simple. Since there is only one foot or so of wiring, the hardest part was doing the wiring with both hands and keeping the fixture aloft. Fortunately, I was able to attach the fixture to the nearby awning's support arm with a velco strap. I should have taken a picture of that - that was something to see.

The Duration

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hunter/sets/72157594423703862/show/

Some time-lapse fun with the digital camera. I actually shoveled between 10:30 am and 11:30 am , however the only evidence of that is my footprints.

Cabin Fever

The camera is MIA so this post will be a text-only affair. It's been cold - I've repeated that time and again this month. Since we were stuck inside for fear of losing a limb to frostbite we accomplished a handful of thing that lingered on the to-do list. First off - we bought a drill. Not just any drill - the drill of my wife's dreams - a DeWalt 14.4 volt. I took this bad boy for a spin by finally countersinking our kitchen ceiling. For the encore I hung up the dust buster's charging base in the laundry room. Once everything was hung accordingly, I relocated our Airport Express to the stereo so I we can listen to the previous day's Marketplace and fancy rock music in a wireless fashion.

Come to think of it, I wished I'd moved the stereo remote to this chair and brought with me my cup of tea. I don't think I'm getting up anytime soon on account of this guy.
(thank goodness for Photo Booth and iSight)

Trapped Under Ice

The previously documented cold weather finally had something to show for it trouble this week - snow! ice! mayhem! On Wednesday they closed almost everything in the greater Washington metro area. Dawn's school was closed for the day so I stayed home from work too. The inclement weather had impeccable timing since I had come home with a sore throat the day before and needed a day's rest to get over it.

This morning I woke up renewed and refreshed, which was good since I had to push my car out of our driveway, which was encased in ice. The temperatures didn't get above freezing today so the driveway is still an ice rink. Hopefully, tomorrow morning will not be a double-header game of Honda Accord vs. Traction Be Damned.

Frozen

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

Yeah! Flickr is working! Pictures! Yea!

In This Home of Ice

You may have heard how it's shockingly cold here in the D.C. metro area. We are now on our third day of below freezing temperatures and we don't get a break until this weekend. I wanted to show you just how cold it is, however Flickr is cranky tonight and not uploading my pictures. Therefore I am reduced to explaining how on Monday morning I noticed that there was ice on our front door windows - ice on the inside of the door. Now, I knew we had a drafty door, however I didn't know it sucked this much. So, I hear by pledge that I will at the least replace the weather stripping around the door. I may even go so far as replacing the whole door. First however, it needs to warm up a bit.

I'll attempt to post the pictures tomorrow.

Seeing Green

Green!
Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

With no football on the TV this weekend I decided it was time to paint one of our basement closets. This closet was repaired after the flood so a coat of paint was necessary to hid the new drywall. Green was chosen because 1) it contrasts nicely with the 70's brown wood paneling and 2) its leftover paint from the dining room. If you follow the Flickr link you'll see the wire rack that we moved in there. In addition to the wire rack we were able to move in everything we took out. Amazing!

Your Roof, Your Roof, Your Roof Is On Fire

I'm embarrassed to typed that we didn't get anything of note done since the last post. Our greatest accomplishment is that I vacuumed out the dryer vent. Not earth-shattering, but it apparently weighed on my mind. Upon finishing the task I said to Dawn, "The dryer vent is cleaned out like you wanted". Turns out I'd talked about doing this so much that I got it switched around. While the task was appreciated, it turns out that I was the one who kept talking about cleaning out the dryer vent.

This post must be the low point of this blog. Yes, cleaning out the dryer vent keeps potential house fires at bay, however a spotless dryer vent isn't going to rocket our house to the top of the real estate market. Of course a house on fire sells for even less than a non-fire house in our neighborhood.

A Game Of Cricket

It's a game that I've played for a number of years. It started in a duplex in Falls Church. The game was to place a plastic cup over a cricket in the kitchen. Then wait a few days until the cricket dies and throw both the cup and the cricket away. As I changed locations, the nature of the game changed. When we moved to Alexandria, new rules were invented. Rules like "Let the cat eat them" and "Let's drop cookbooks on them". Then, the crickets struck back. They threw their hordes at our Dustbuster in such numbers that they choked its delicate machine parts.

Then we called in the heavy artillery - an exterminator. Mr. Exterminator sprayed their chemicals and in about a month the crickets were nowhere to be scene. Our glue traps still catch a few guerrilla fighters in the electrical closets however we feel that we've got the crickets on the run.

Cat Sratch Fever

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Originally uploaded by jasonhunter.

Add this to the list of reason why last year was the Year of the Basement. Shortly after we had our replacement carpet installed, our Bean developed allergies from the new carpet. This isn't a new thing - around the time he turned one year old he developed allergies to plastics. Unfortunately, he kept scratching at the inflammation, never allowing it to heal. Thus, the vet recommended the collar. Bean absolutely hated it. The first night he had it on he pulled it off three times. Eventually he got used to it and in two weeks time his face healed up and we all celebrated when the collared came off.

Three Times a Basement

Looking back, 2006 was the Year of the Basement, for better of worse. As most of you know, it flooded earlier in the summer. In my mind, the basement is last year's focal point; we expended a lot of energy down there. I removed and/or relocated the contents of the basement three times: right after the flood, right before the carpet went in, and finally before the pest control people came to spray for crickets. What is most irksome is that a lot of this energy was wasted. There is little pride in saying, "Repositing the couch 2/3s of an inch from it's original position really sets up the room nicely." Especially since I thought the room looked fine in the first place.

We still have to prime the drywall the was replaced, at least that will be forward progress. To 2-0-0-7 and progress!