Note to self

1) The find my iPhone feature on iCloud only works if your phone is still alive
2) Next time you're in a car accident make sure you walk away with your vehicle's registration...not the other guy's.
3) Try getting a tangible paper calendar, iCal and all other systems with the "i" in front of them seem to have it out for you...but who really cares about appointments.
4) 100 year old, uninsulated homes are really quite chilly
5) Despite the energy savings, turning your water heater from "Very Hot" to merely "Hot" when your house hovers in the 50 degree range is just plain stupidity.
6) When all of the fluorescent light bulbs that hang above your plastic drop ceiling finally burn out, try replacing them...you can really only tell if the chicken is fully cooked when the lights are on.
7) NC State Vehicle Inspections are legit, please do them in a timely manner.
8) Front headlights are expensive.
9) Cockroaches are unfazed by hairspray...and room spray. Only husbands can do the trick.
10) When you and your husband fight over who gets the dog on their side you have reached a new low...turn on the heat and get a king sized bed.

Porch, ceiling, great finds

I was trying so hard to be a bit more consistent with my posts, but this week just sent us for a loop. School, work, house, work, school...you know. Good news... I'm 99.9% done with my project for school (due the week after Thanksgiving, man, I love being ahead of schedule).

Last weekend. We had several helpers with the front porch project...here is where we started:

Nate took the "siding" that had been added when they first lowered the porch floor off. The term "siding" can mean anything we have learned. In our case it was particleboard. Crumbly. Yuck.

Dan and Nate got started removing the flooring that need to go and tearing down most of the steps. After consulting with a good friend, who is also a contractor, we decided to build the new porch on top of the existing one.

You can see in this photo how the original porch floor came up to the front door and the current level of the newer porch floor.

After removing the particle board siding, Nate added that plastic stuff (really, it's called that) in case water came up towards the house. Like rain. Or giant snow drifts as Daniel pointed out...because of those mad blizzards we get here in North Carolina. You know. 

Next, they began framing up the new porch floor. We had the help of an awesome guy who has worked in construction before. We would have a crooked porch without Chris.

This is where we ended on day one...look at all of our happy helpers...at least two of them were very, strangely excited...HUGE thanks to all of our worker-bees!

On day two, Nate and Chris finished the framing and began rocking the porch flooring.

 And this is what it looked like at the end of day two...and today for that matter.  Sorry, the photo might make you feel like you are riding one of those giant swinging pirate ships at the state fair...

 Muuuch better, wouldn't you say? Hopefully, we will get the rest of it finished this weekend.

It's amazing what a couple of inches can do for the proportions of a home.

Yesterday my mom came up and cleaned our house for an entire day. She must love us or something. Thanks mom! Then today we went all over Charlotte and got some amazing finds! Will share those with you soon! Nate's home from work, gotta jet!

Ah-mazing, how does she do it?

Jenny on Little Green Notebook has once again pulled a stunning DIY out of her back pocket...This woman has some serious patience! Check out what she made and how she did it.

Say it ain't so

And that is our inside temperature...