The Farm & Very Old House – Kick Ass or Die

Well, That’s Different

May 13, 2021 25 Comments

After a number of years with just exposed OSB subfloor (and a couple of rugs) as the flooring in my kitchen… It now has (part

No, My Kitchen Doesn’t Have a Floor (And Other True Stories)

November 29, 2020 19 Comments

I’ve had bare subfloor in my kitchen since one day back in 2015 when I was definitely not starting my kitchen renovation, but also happened

Garden Upgrades 2019, Part 2

July 31, 2019 18 Comments

Let me start by saying that I have had mixed feelings about my veggie garden, pretty much since I put the first beds in six

The Greenhouse Returns

May 15, 2019 12 Comments

This thing… I’m not sure if I’ve had a single project on the farm that has brought me such varying levels of joy, frustration, and

Garden Upgrades 2019, Part 1

May 6, 2019 7 Comments

Last year I used the word “manageable” to describe spring on the farm, and, I mean… that’s hilarious. I didn’t know that was even an

Victory Lap: Year Seven

March 8, 2019 13 Comments

Can I just start by saying, holy shit… year seven? I mean, what the hell have I been doing for the last seven years? (Besides

The Big List: 2019

February 1, 2019 4 Comments

2018 was a weird year for a lot of reasons, one of which was THERE WAS NO LIST. … I know, right? This farm has

Wherein I Built Some Motherf*cking Cabinets

January 8, 2019 55 Comments

The only appropriate way to follow that title is this: Hell. Yes. The last weeks of 2018 were nothing short of a gift. An incredible

The Good, The Hard, and The Half-Finished Window Seat

December 19, 2018 40 Comments

Okay, listen, to be fair, it’s a mostly finished window seat. And at this exact moment in time–the moment where I’m on a roll building

Spring on the Farm: 2018

June 14, 2018 18 Comments

It only took six years, but I think I’ve finally figured out how to manage spring on the farm without completely losing my shit, and

Upstairs Bath: Proof That Miracles Happen

May 23, 2018 13 Comments

To be fair, I’m not sure that getting a project 90% of the way done in this house is a “miracle” by any stretch, but

Creating a Small-Space Home Gym

March 27, 2018 18 Comments

There are a lot of difficult things about living in a big, old, temperamental farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, but on the upside, I

Victory Lap: Year Six

March 19, 2018 16 Comments

Can you guys believe that I bought this place six years ago? That’s insane. When I started blogging (and back then blogging wasn’t even really

Upstairs Bath: Finish Work and All The Swears

March 5, 2018 19 Comments

Progress on the upstairs bathroom is– and this is a phrase I haven’t used in conjunction with progress around the house in a long time–

The Long-Neglected Upstairs Bath

February 19, 2018 16 Comments

Three years ago I had a great idea. An idea that was mostly driven by my desire to have one bathroom in this house that

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.)