March On

Dudes. DIYers. Friends. People who stop by this website solely to see if I’ve managed to cut off one of my fingers with my bigass miter saw (you know who you are). It has been a week. I do still have all of my fingers (sorry to disappoint) but my brain is so full of extraneous shit at the moment that the synapses previously delegated to functions like “forming coherent sentences” and “breathing” have been temporarily re-purposed.

It’s cool. I’m going to spend like 18 consecutive hours in the shop this weekend inhaling sawdust to help clear out my senses, but since that is in no way entertaining for you at this exact moment, I’m going to give you a little Friday Filler called Crazy Shit I’ve Done in the Month of March, except that was too long to use for the title of this post.

So, without further ado, March.

In March 2012 I…

Won the arduous, month-long battle for this house.

Untitled

Moved in.

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And holy shit, if it’s that green and warm two weeks from now (a year from when that picture is taken) I will be a happy, happy woman.

In March 2011 I…

Tiled the shit out of my favorite bathroom of all time.

DSC_0753

(Side note, this bathroom is featured in Better Homes and Gardens Kitchen + Bath Remodels Spring issue, coming out next week, if you happen to pick one up.)

In March 2010 I…

Was installing a kitchenette and bathroom in a garage so that I could spend the next 18 months living in 400 square feet. Not crazy at all.

1677_tiles_later

 

In March 2009 I…

Was drinking a Bloody Mary on a beach in Jamaica.

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In March 2008  and 2007 I was pretty lame. I cooked a lot and got an MBA. I did not tear down walls in my house.

 In March 2006 I was…

Trying to cut one of my fingers off with exceptionally sharp pieces of glass instead of power tools.

lilly glass

Yep. There was a time in my life when DIY meant things like stained glass and metal casting. That time was approximately seven years ago. Then I bought a miter saw and never looked back.

In march 2005 I was…

Reminiscing over my red kitchen cabinets, and still trying to make sense of my first big remodel project (even though I was hardly doing any of the work.)
New Red Kitchen

I was also twenty-three years old and had buzzed hair. I miss both of those things equally.

It kind of blows my mind that I’ve been blogging for the better part of eight years, but there you go. Crazy’s got to start somewhere.

14 Responses

  1. Here’s to you NOT losing a finger because personally I don’t come here for blood. If anyone does, well, shame on you!! The only blood will probably come from some crazy shit like…bats or bloodthirsty basement water mini dinosaurs. Good morning!

  2. That is one of the biggest reasons I wish I had a blog, to be able to document all of my crazy and not so crazy projects!

    I do very much enjoy your blog!

  3. Congratulations on being in Better Homes and Garden. That is terrific and I’ll look for a copy. I too am looking forward to Spring.
    Margaret

  4. WOW….i can’t believe i’ve been reading you for 8 YEARS now. i totally remember that red kitchen. i have been inspired to do so many things from your blog. keep up the good work. and hug those donkeys for me.

  5. So impressed with you. I remember being 23 (in early 80’s). While women were in professional careers, 99% of women I knew wouldn’t even think of buying a house on their own, much less remodel one themselves. Maybe I hung out with Neanderthals, but I remember being discouraged from adding my initials to a needlepoint pillow because “you don’t know what your initials will be in a few years”. Arrgh! BTW, I married a man with my same initials, and while he doesn’t enjoy DIY, he admires my work immensely! Go girl!

  6. So cool – do you still have your stained glass attempts? They should have a place of honor in the Liberty House. Stages and phases and growing up. Glad you bought that miter saw! 20 years ago in March I was having my first child – now that is mind-blowing.

  7. Found your blog last month, and now I have read it all. I love a good memoir. You have reminded me of my 33 year old self, (34 years ago), when I started working for Illinois Bell as a telephone installer in Chicago. I had never done any physical work before, but I just didn’t give up. I proved myself AND made friends with the men I worked with. I had kind of forgotten that. So thank you. I am now looking around, thinking, what am I going to tackle first.

    Also, I grew up on a farm, and I am soooo envious of your beautiful farm house. I love the donkeys, the pictures, the wild animals. I will be following your adventures for as long as you choose to blog about them. And congratulations! OMG! being featured in BH&G! That is huge!

  8. Yeah! Take THAT, Rita. Whoever you are.

    Also, I really dig the hair. Just think how easy it would be to not get your hair caught in a drill press or a belt sander. If you own those. I happen to love them, I assume you might.

  9. I went back and read the hate mail. I don’t take adults seriously when punctuation is a concept with which they are not familiar.

    Rita sounds jealous to me. And what is this “all woman” business? It sounds as lame as some guy going around saying he’s “all man.”

  10. And once again, the universe is making us post about the same shit (mine is going up on Thursday).

    I never read the Rita post before today. Right on. I would add that women like her are the pompous ones. Instead of encouraging a woman who wants to show the world “You think I can’t do this? WATCH ME!” as a GOOD thing, she only wants to focus on how much more of a badass she thinks she is than you. She is thumbing her nose at you because she has determined that your version of “all woman” is not as worthy as hers. Women who shun and discourage other women based on what degree you have tried to overcome stereotypes are PART OF THE PROBLEM, not the solution to it. When a reader comments on my blog that they chose to rip out the carpet themselves rather than waiting on a friend or significant other, I’m thrilled that they decided they could. I don’t tell them I’m disappointed that they didn’t quarry their own tile. Ass.

  11. I have all that same stained glass!!!! It’s somewhere hidden in a stash in the garage…I think. I really need to get it out and get something done. Would rather tear a house down or put one up though. I need more hours in a day.

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