Hobbit Washer and Dryer

Okay, the title is a bit of an exaggeration...as the washer and dryer are both full sized. What is hobbit sized is the space that they are in. I have to duck my head in order to load and unload both the washer and dryer. There is a major supporting beam running exactly across where your head goes when you are loading these machines. I am so afraid of bonking my head that I spend most of my time in the laundry room hunched over and I am of average height.

The rest of the basement is taller, just this area where the washer and dryer are is short...and I guess I should have taken a pic of the door too because the door from the outside comes into the small area so it is of course short too.

Yard Work at the Hobbit House

Spring is still making itself known at the hobbit house. The yard keeps blooming...new plants every day. Today, I spent about an hour in the afternoon working in the yard...pulling weeds and getting some obnoxious vines under control. I am thinking I might need to do that for an hour each day (weather permitting) to get this yard looking less like a jungle.

The weather today was amazing. It was my first time to use my new lounge chair (the grass is too high in the yard to lay on just a blanket or towel), and it was amazing to feel the sun on my skin. I was only out there for 20 minutes on each side and it was after 2pm that I went out, so no burn, which is a good thing. I read one of my research books for my class while I was out there.

Windows are open and breezes are flowing and it has been such a long time coming.

Lilacs Are To Be Found!!!

Two Purple Bushes

Discovered just the other morning after being away for the weekend, that there are 4 huge lilac bushes in the yard of the hobbit house. I didn't notice them until the flowers started to bloom but now I am just thrilled.

Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers. I LOVE the smell of them and this is partly to do with the childhood memories that come along with the smell of lilacs. When I was in 4th-6th grade, we had a house that had lilacs bushes running all down one side and the smell as always brought me back to those carefree days of spending time in the yard with my friends.

Two White Bushes

Summers of playing in the sprinkler and then laying on the hot sidewalk to dry off. Eating unripe apples off the crab apple tree in the front yard with warnings of pending stomach aches. Watching Grandma mow the yard with a push mower. Roaming up and down the alleys behind the houses, eating blackberries off the bushes and sucking the sweetness out of honeysuckle flowers.

 I couldn't help myself and already cut some for the house but they aren't open enough to be very fragrant just yet. I guess my lilac candles and perfume will have to do until I get some open ones.

More Spring Coming Out

I was waiting for a ride the other day...and the light was so great, I just had to take a few shots. These are all little guys hanging out in and around my yard.

Pieris Brower's Beauty

Need to find out the name for this one

Need to find the name of this one too.

Exciting stuff!!!

Herbs Are Done

I finally got my herbs into their containers, watered and put out in the sun, or at least where the sun will shine eventually...haha.

I had to add some dirt to the Christmas tree too since the poor thing has been knocked over several times since December and it needed some extra cushioning...

I still need to repot my three house plants but that is for another day.

Hobbit Feeder Visitor

So since I have put out the feeder, I have gotten quite a few birds on it, but just no images as of right now. I have managed though to catch my local squirrel...the WC Rufus. He was hanging out on the fence and underneath the feeder trying to figure out what his options are.

I am in the process of getting some video footage of his attempts to eat from the feeder but for now this image is a cute one of his little fat belly.

Hobbit Basement Stairs

The door to the basement stairs is short and narrow. The stairs themselves are short, steep and narrow. Fortunately there is a light switch at the top of the stairs and there are lots of things to hold on to, or I would already be a rotting body at the bottom of the stairs.

You actually have to hold on to something on the way down because the ceiling is also low. In order to duck in the appropriate spots and not lose your balance, holding on is a must. This means I have mastered the laundry basket with one hand (yes folks, the washer and dryer are in the basement).

The basement itself is pretty big but you can only stand up (and I am of average height) in it, in half of it. And it is not the washer and dryer half...so when I am doing laundry, I have to hunch over a bit or my hair is up in the rafters of the basement and who knows what might live up there...haha.

There is a door from the outside into the basement, so perhaps when the weather is nicer, that will be an easier way to get in, but for now, I just laugh at my temporary life, as I am walking up and down these stairs.

Birds In, Squirrels Out

I got this birdfeeder and shepherds hook today because I miss being able to feed and watch the birds like I did when we lived on the East Coast.

The birdfeeder boasts that it can keep the squirrels out...we'll see if it lives up to its claims. The idea is that if the squirrel gets on it, it slides shut from their weight. I will be interested to see if the squirrel doesn't either figure something else out, or get pissed enough to try to tear it apart. I don't know if I will have another Rufus on my hands or not...could be funny.

I filled this one up with black sunflower seeds because if any of them go to seed, I won't mind having sunflowers to look at...haha. I put it in a spot so I can see it from my desk if I want and if I do get some cool birds, I can get some photographs too!!

Hobbit Herbs

I have a front porch at this house but it is not covered so I don't use it since I have a big covered patio in the back that is much easier to access. So to keep people from using the front door, I have plans to put up a little sign but also to fill the porch with plants. It has the advantage of having one of the spots that gets a lot of sun too so it is ideal for some herb pots.

This weekend, I purchase the pots, dirt and herbs to do three planters. I will have a medium one that only has lavender in it, and then I will have two larger ones that will have three herbs each in them. One will have basil, sage, and oregano, and the other will have mint, chives, and rosemary in it. I love fresh herbs on food, the difference in taste is amazing.

I am hoping to get the pots actually planted in the next few days, and even an indoor plant replanted. I am thinking of getting a few hanging pots for the back porch too...plants make me feel better and right now, anything that makes me feel better is a good thing.

Lighting the Path

The walkway at the hobbit house is long and dark from the street. This is compounded by the fact that I don't use the front door, instead opting to walk around the house to the covered patio.

From day one, I have wanted to put some kind of lighting along the path to at least show the way, even if it wasn't enough to actually illuminate the path fully. So I looked every time I was in the DIY store, specifically solar ones, since I am only rented and didn't want to wire anything, but the prices were always a bit high.

A few days back, I was in our favorite one stop shop and saw these solar lights on sale for 1.99 each and buy two get one free as well...I decided to give it a go and bought 15 of them.

They sat around the house for a few days before I had time to get them out, but they are out now and they work great to show the path. They have a led light in them and a solar cell on the top so they stay lit all night long and turn off in the morning.

You might still need a flashlight or keychain light to see the steps in the dark, but at least these little guys give you a direction in the dark!!

And I Thought The Hobbit House Was Small

Just read this article over on Yahoo about a woman living in Manhattan in a 90 sq ft place...watch the video to see how she does it.

Hobbit Sized Fishtank

When I lived in Japan, I had a clear glass vase in my kitchen with plants, rocks and fish in it...little fish. Didn't need filtration because of the plants, just cleaned the tank out when it would start to get cloudy or too algea'd up. This was in addition to my 20 gallon standard tank with fish, heater, and pump that I had in the livingroom.

Since I don't currently have my 20 gallon tank here with me, I decided to do another small kitchen tank.

This is the new hobbit tank for my counter top in the kitchen. The tetras seem to be happy and I am enjoying having them and the extra plant life around. This tank is only about 6 inches tall and 5 inches square.

Hobbit Doors

I don't know if I mentioned before but in this older house, when the new carpet was put in, two of the doors weren't put back in. One of these doors happens to be on the bathroom. This doesn't matter when I am here by myself but it makes things a bit uncomfortable if anyone comes to visit.

Needless to say, doors have been a priority. My sis and I found the two doors I want to rehang up in the attic and brought them down. Unfortunately the hinges were only in half shape, and the doors were too long with the new carpet. Two days ago, I was able to get the painted on hinges off the doors and today, I was tasked with cleaning up the doorframe hinges as well as mount the hinges on the doors so we can measure and cut off the bottoms before trying to rehang them.

So today, I did it, used the chisel and managed to clean up the door frames, and attach the new hinges to both doors. Tomorrow I hope (with help from my sis and b-i-l) to hang both doors after measuring and cutting the bottoms to fit. This will just be in time since my mom is planning to spend the night at my place on one night of her visit here this weekend. I have to say with all the chiseling I did today, I really missed having someone here that I love that is also an excellent wood worker. I did send him an email about it.

Spring Has Sprung

Starting to get some blooms around here. I can tell from the things planted in this yard that I am in for a treat all through the summer.

Here is just a smidgen of what has started to bloom in the yard. We have camellias, trillium and Pieris 'Brower's Beauty blooming at this time and there are rhodies, roses and a number of other things I am sure will be lovely later in the season.

As the season progresses, I am sure I will be taking lots more photos of the lovely things blooming in the hobbit house yard. I am looking forward to some of the trees and bushes to leaf out so I can have a bit more privacy as well.

Kitchen Is Done

Everything is put away in clean cabinets and drawers. Still have a few things I might need to pick up at some point, but for now, it is workable and I am willing to wait and see what might happen before spending any more money...haha

Next projects include getting the door for the bathroom done (big deal), get bedding for the "guest" bed, getting the DVD player set up wirelessly, killing the moss and cleaning it off the sidewalk, and putting out my solar path lights.

The hobbit house continues to be an adventure that I am sure will keep me on my toes for the time being.

Making Headway

Yesterday, I managed to get the rest of the kitchen drawers stripped, cleaned and re-contacted. This allowed me to put quite a bit away. Still need to clean a few cabinets out so I can put groceries away in them.

I also was able to get the bathroom window cling applied so that the window is now translucent rather than transparent, which is great, since the neighbors backyard can see right in the bathroom.

I needed to finish the bathroom window project because I needed a squirt bottle for it and for another project and I only have one squirt bottle. Once I was done with the window, it freed up my squirt bottle for the next project....CLRing the tub.

I managed to knock that one out last night as well, and the tub looks and feels a million times better. It is actually shiny under all that hard water stain, and lime build up. I took a bath last night (first one since I left Japan) and it was so awesome. I read my book for a bit and warmed up my body from the inside out. It was pretty great!!

Leprechaun House Update

Okay, I finally got the pictures downloaded from the party down the street at the leprechaun house for St Patty's Day. I took one during the day and then a few that night so you could see all the lights.









As of today, the yard is still decorated, not sure if it is going for the rest of the month, or if it is a year long thing or perhaps will be replaced by the next big holiday theme...we'll see.

Contact Paper

So, I discovered in the midst of kitchen cleaning that several of the drawers were lined with contact paper...yet they weren't really what I would call lined. It looked like someone just slapped down a piece in the drawer without trimming it or even cleaning the drawer before putting it in.

While removing the contact paper from some of the drawers, I realized that there were two layers of contact paper so the previous tenant just slapped down this layer over some old cruddy paper that was already in there.....gross.

I, of course, purchased some new contact paper (not my favorite color but oh well) because the drawers are not painted inside. And it is being put in on nice clean drawers that have all the old paper torn out of it. I am also trimming the edges which is, I think, mandatory.

I have my silverware drawer done and 4 other drawers stripped, cleaned and drying on a towel in the kitchen. This is part of the steps that have to be done before I can put the kitchen stuff away...

Wireless Network Is Up

So I got a hair up my butt yesterday and managed to knock out not only all the other outlets and switches I wanted to do, I also got the PC set up and the wireless network setup and functioning. Desk actually looks like a desk now since I also finished setting up the printer this morning too.

I finally have my laptop in the livingroom like I wanted and I also have the Wii setup wirelessly so I can get my Netflix on...haha.

Bad news is that I wasn't able to get either of the outlets that I changed out from 2 prong to 3 prong to actually ground, but at least I am not having to use adapters on both outlets anymore hoping that they don't fall out from the weight of the plug. I also was not able to get the attic light to work after changing out the switch (and I am not motivated to play with it anymore since it requires turning of the power main again). I just keep a flashlight on the stairs in case I need to go up there at night. During the day is no problem because there is enough light.

Kitty is learning to use the petdoor which is a great improvement for us both I believe.

I managed to get over to my favorite store for Thai ingredients and stocked up completely so I am set to make just about anything that sounds good (minus the fresh stuff I have to buy day of). I don't have the kitchen put away yet, because it requires a lot of cleaning that I haven't gotten to yet but it has been functional for the one week I have been here.

Need to get the door thing worked on tomorrow so I can have a door on the bathroom before I get visitors in ten days...and I need to get settled in so I can start on our taxes, which are looming in my brain...but one day at a time, and one task at a time...that is my motto...haha.

No Such Luck

So, started working on the livingroom outlet that I had already dissembled and it started turning into a mess. The leads were too short and there was no way I was going to get the wires reconnected with the box still in a position where I could actually tighten the terminal so I ended up having to splice the neutral to give myself a bit of space.

This of course meant another trip to Lowe's, after I had already been out and about earlier (thinking when I got home that I was home for the day)...but I was able to get a few other things I needed while I was there.

Found out that I do have enough stuff to cover the bathroom window (so it is translucent rather than transparent like it is now), so I hope to get that accomplished today along with some cupboards cleaned out in the kitchen so I can put some dishes away....did I mention that the previous tenant really didn't clean anything so the cupboards are petty gross and I am not putting any clean stuff in them until I clean them out.

Looks like I am going to have to try some paint thinner on the hinges on the door I need to hang so I can get the old hinge off and a new one on. Just can't have visitors for long periods of time if the bathroom doesn't have a door on it...yuck.

Needless to say, the list hasn't shortened but I do have a three prong receptacle in the livingroom that functions allowing me to not use an adapter any longer!!!