The Storybook House – Kick Ass or Die

Saying Goodbye: First Time Home-Seller Reflections

June 14, 2010 12 Comments

Well, the time has come my story-book house on Garrison Road… It’s been almost 6 years since I took the plunge and bought my first

I went to hell and back to sell my house and all I got was this broken pen.

May 15, 2010 No Comments

Oh, and a check that will help put a roof on the new place, but other than that… Actually, what happened was I stole this

Good News, Bad News

April 13, 2010 12 Comments

If you follow me on Twitter, yesterday you got to preview both the good news, and the part where for the second time in my

This Story has a Happy Ending

March 21, 2010 16 Comments

Two weeks ago my life could be summed up like this: I had people from Florida coming to look at my house in 3 weeks

Basement Bathroom Before & After

March 18, 2010 5 Comments

Another project on the list of “things I should have finished in the last five years but didn’t” is the half-bath in the basement of

Last Big Project: Basement Hallway Transformation

March 15, 2010 4 Comments

Maybe I should clarify that first part. “Last big project for the next two weeks at Garrison” is probably more appropriate. For the uninitiated, Garrison

Insanity Continues

February 15, 2010 7 Comments

With the dates for the Hauling Ass Tour of 2010, and ground-breaking for the house bearing down upon us, I’ve begun repeating the coming weeks

And, Deep Breath, Garrison Road is For Sale

October 19, 2009 8 Comments

Excuse me while I go put my head between my legs and breathe into a bag for the next ten minutes. Because this house saved

One Step at a Time: Refinishing Continues

September 29, 2009 No Comments

Spending some quality time sitting on the basement steps waxing philosophic about life and/or paintchips has become a part of my daily routine over the

I Still Have All My Fingers…

September 20, 2009 4 Comments

Granted, I have burns on two of them, and twin bruises on my shins, but MysteryMan will tell you I can sustain those kinds of

Would you cook here?

May 26, 2009 4 Comments

As you can imagine, I used the long weekend to my advantage, working 10 hour days between the Memorial House and Garrison Road. I actually

DIY Cedar Raised Garden Bed

May 11, 2009 21 Comments

First completed project of the year! Here’s how I did it… Materials: 48 lf. of rough sawn cedar 2×6’s (I got 3 2×6-16′ boards) 12

Memorial House: Demolition Begins

April 17, 2009 3 Comments

As always, stories that end up with me demolishing the hell out of something start out with, “What happened was….” So. What happened was… I

Sonofa…

February 2, 2009 2 Comments

This post is a lesson in “be very careful what you wish for.” For example, if you frequently write posts in your blog about DIY projects

DIY & Memorial House Update

November 23, 2008 4 Comments

I bet with all the Red Pepper deliciousness on this page you thought I forgot I owned power tools, but fear notpeople, despite the rapidly

I'm not interested in a mediocre life. I'm here to kick ass or die.

(formerly DIYdiva.net)

THE STORYTELLER

Back in 2004 I started writing about my adventures in fixing up houses on the internet. A lot of things have changed since then, with me, with my houses, and with the internet. These days I am basically a cranky old man trapped in a slightly less old woman’s body. The internet has changed and I am staunchly refusing to change with it. You won’t find any algorithms here, or feeds, or ads, or social media. Just good old-fashioned stories about a woman drinking beer and building shit, and living an unexpected life.

(While you won’t find updates on social media, you can sign up to receive new posts via email here.)