This Full House Archive

Category: Extreme Home-Do-Over

  • Hump Day Diddy Dumbs: Just Another Date Night on Twitter

    Date night at lowes

    I wonder if he spent this much time, you know, picking out my engagement ring?

    After spending Labor Day weeding the garden, along with property the size of a football field, then just hoping for a quiet moment, or two, before the work week started (did I mention, we got kids?) this wasn't quite what we had in mind.

    "Do you hear water running?"

    My poor husband, Garth [not his real name] is too busy switching off lights, or turning down the temperature, to worry about a mid-life crises.

    In fact, he's turned into quite the eco-nazi!

    "Relax, I'm washing clothes."

    Later.

    "Oh SH*T!"

    Water heater twitter

    Well, to make a rather long story short (you're welcome) this is what happens, when you give a busted water heater, to a couple, married for 19 years, on Twitter:

      Twitter water heater 2

    Twitter water heater4

    Twitter water heater5

    Twitter water heater6

    Twitter water heater7

    Twitter water heater8 

    Twitter water heater9

    Twitter water heater10

    Twitter water heater11

    Damned, if his holding out for that tax credit doesn't cost us in the end…literally!!!

    Morale of the Story:  The next time someone asks you if you hear water running, you say YES!!!

    Extreme Home Takeover

    Or, risk a couple of sleepless nights, lying awake, stinky, watching your husband put a few extra holes in the wall!

    Twitter water heater12

    Or, not and spend the rest of your life, posting stupid stuff on Twitter, like me.

    Twitter water heater13

    [Edited to Add:  We did NOT go with a tankless water heater, after all.  It would have been placed as a special order, which would have meant a few more days,  without hot water.  Oh, and we decided to install it ourselves.  Because, we just LOVE a challenge.  Besides, it called for another date night.  This time, in the laundry/play room, where we spent a whole 7 hours, last night, alone, together, you know, making it fit.  Aaaand, that's what she said last night.  Buh-duh-bum.  I'm here all week, folks.  Try the veal!]

    Liz@thisfullhouse signature

    © 2009 This Full House - All Rights

  • Now, that IS some serious feminine protection!

    Disclaimer:  This is not a review. I don't do those, here — although, I do, do those, over there — but, you don't even have to click on that link, if you don't want to, since I wasn't approached by anyone,or offered to do a review for Kotex, now, or at anytime during the month, or am I considered an "insider" for Kotex — although, that would be funny, right? — so, this blog post is being published for no other reason than, you know, it's been raining for a really long time, the kid was bored, we got a sample in the mail (linking just in case you might want some, I SWEAR!) and it's just some funny stuff we do, sometimes, here at our house and I'm just darned surprised she actually let me film it…I mean, her…d'oh…blogging used to be so much easier, you know?

    [inhales deeply]

    Edited to Add:  Just noticed I forgot to move the bottle of hand lotion, as some may even consider that a serious offense and poor excuse for product placement, but I'm not mentioning (or, typing) the name of the brand, so it's ALL good.

    Liz@thisfullhouse signature
    © 2009 This Full House – All Rights Reserved.

  • Sew, What’s Love Frickin’ Got to Do With It, Anyway?

    Hopey-pinned

    My oldest daughter had this really great idea.  You see, she needed to come up with a sewing project for a benefit fashion show at the high school, "Barbie Through the Ages."

    What — I didn't pick the name — but, it was going to count as a HUGE part of her final grade, so, you know, what was I supposed to do?

    "What do you have to make?"

    Because, I do NOT sew, or help "make" anything, if it means having to use something other than hot glue gun, let alone…mechanical…with running parts and a very sharp object, that puts holes in things, on purpose.

    "I have to make a wedding dress."

    Holy crap, that should be easy, right?

    "Actually for the wedding party."

    Oh, okay, still I'm guessing a "NO!" on the hot glue gun.

    "How about if I sew a dress for Barbie's sister, Kelly?"

    Um, okay.

    "Yeah, and maybe even get my baby sister to model it, too, right?"

    Riiiiight.

    Like, most everything that comes (and goes) around in this house, it sounded good, at first…on paper…but, if I had a dollar for each time one of my kids came home with a school project, that I did NOT have to buy, sell, or help them with, the night before, while in a sugar-induced shock, then I'd be poor AND a diabetic, by now.

    Oh, wait…

    (more…)

  • PBN Blog Blast: It’s the Best View in the House, Sort Of

    This-full-house

    The Parent Bloggers Network has teamed up with the folks over at Windex Outdoor All-in-One to help people (like me) find a quick and easy way to see things a little more, you know, clearly.

    [cringe]

    Although, at first glance, our house may look very small — not to mention, in desperate need of a paint job — and, though they would never admit it (out loud) my kids know our house is bigger than the 5-roomed cape I grew up in; it's got good bones.

    Still.

    We ARE 6 people, living in a 7 room house and — though, I'm blessed with many friends (both, online and in real life) who are able to feel themselves right at home, anyway — I'm having a hard time trying to find a way to 'splain it, to their kids.

    (more…)

  • First Monday, Our Stinky House Contest and Mother’s Day, OH MY!

    Doofus-laundry

    Welcome to the 1st Monday of the month and you know what that means, right?

    [sound of crickets chirping]

    Besides catching up on tons of laundry from last week, I've got this little column over at the Imperfect Parent — yeah, I don't know how that happened, either — and, this month, I'm opening up (for the first time) about how I Remember Mama, why I hate the dark, going down into basements, cleaning out closets, or how I try NOT to remember anything else before the age of 12.

    Because, I am ALL about over-sharing.

    [takes deep breath]

    Speaking about dirty laundry, remember last week, when I admitted that, you know, my house stinks?

    Well, I did it — no, not the stinky part — I entered the girls' room (all 3 of my daughters share a bedroom) into the My House Stinks Contest.  Why?  Well, did I mention that all 3 of my daughters share a bedroom?  Yes.  Okay, but did you know that the walls are purple?  Okay.  So, then you already know that it is DESPERATELY in need of a fresh coat of paint, or 2 dozen, right?

    Vote-for-this-full-house-my-house-stinks-contest

    Help me win a room makeover and I'll love you, forever — vote for us, here!

    So, what does Mother's Day have to do with all this?  Absolutely, nothing.  Besides the fact that it's this weekend and, you know, I'll be too busy running around wishing everyone else a "Happy Mother's Day" to celebrate, my own!

    [heavy sigh]

    Feeling sorry for me, yet?

    [sound of crickets chirping]

    Okay, I'll shuddup, now GO VOTE!!!

    Liz@thisfullhouse signature

    © 2009 This Full House – All Rights Reserved.

  • My House Stinks, How About Yours?

    [EDITED TO ADD: IT'S OFFICIAL, WE'VE ENTERED THE MY HOUSE STINKS CONTEST – VOTE FOR US AND I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER, I SWEAR!]

    Girls-room-caution

    I don't know about you, but there isn't a day that goes by when I'm NOT saying stuff, like, "Ewww," or "Wait, my sock is stuck to the floor," and the ever-popular "What's that smell!?!?"

    Oh, you don't…uh-huh…well, you must not have kids then.

    Anyhow, so, I get this email yesterday from James of Dutch Boy's "Team Stinky" (I kid you NOT!) wondering, "Do you have the ugliest, stinkiest room in America?"  And I'm all, like…wow, he must read my blog and…um…let me think.

    Stinky-room-hope

    With three girls, sharing one bedroom…oh, boy…uh, SHYAH, I've got proof that theirs is stinkafiably (yes, it's a word!) the fugliest room in our house and totally submitting it as an entry into the My House Stinks contest!

    Why?

    First place wins $5,000 and 50 gallons of paint; 2nd prize gets $2,500
    and 25 gallons of paint and 3rd prize is still worth $1,000 and 10
    gallons of Refresh.

    The girls are getting new bedroom furniture, today (thank you, Mama and Papa) and, in my mind, I had already committed most of yesterday to getting their room into shape (I know, ironic, isn't it?) just in time, really, lest the shiny new white furniture be spat out, like holy water, from the mouth hell.

    Twitter-swine-flu

    So, I sent a note to Twitter (in case, you know, I went missing, or something) and headed in, sans shower and donning my protective mommy gear.

    WARNING:  ENTER WITH CAUTION – THE USE OF PROTECTIVE GEAR IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – GET READY TO BE AMAZED!

    (more…)

  • Old House, Has Good Bones

    Nest

    It was a rundown cape, on a rather large piece of property choked by over a
    dozen trees.  I still remember that first day; my father unlocking the front door and
    being surprised to find the stray dog, the previous tenants had left
    behind, still alive.

    Then, the pipes froze, my father forced open the cellar door, the
    entire front wall caved in and I don't know who cried more – me, my
    brother or my parents.

    Still, my twin brother and I were 12-years-old, sharing the same bedroom and my parents couldn't live with my grandmother's abusive husband…one…minute…longer.

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  • Martha, Martha, Martha

    Marthathisfullhouse_2

    Did you see it?  You know The Blogging Show on Martha Stewart, yesterday?  Did you see me?  Yeah, I was there.  Got all dressed up (i.e. no pajamas allowed) brushed my teeth and everything to schlep all the way into the city, from Jersey.  Stood on line behind Mario Bozquez, shook his hand and – when one of Martha’s producers thought I was actually a radio personality, I introduced myself as, "Liz Thompson and you probably don’t know me, either."

    [blank stare]

    So, what’s Martha like in person?

    (more…)

  • Martha Stewart does NOT live here – but, I read her blog and she probably won’t remember me, either!

    I almost didn’t make it to the toilet, this morning (yeah, I do that a lot) and so I slammed the door sort of…you know…like, what I tell the kids NOT to do (ditto) and a piece of wall paper, literally, jumped up and tore away from the bathroom wall.

    "I bet Martha Stewart NEVER did that!!!"

    Besides putting up wallpaper in a bathroom, I mean (I know, what WAS I thinking?) so, I sat there (because, I had a minute, or two left in me) and I started looking around.

    UGH!

    Definitely not a good thing to do – especially, with the Martha Stewart Show starting up its new season on September 15th (that’s Monday) when something supposedly is gonna happen (I dunno, it’s supposed to be BIG) and you’ve got tickets to the September 17th show about bloggers.

    LIKE ME!

    (more…)

  • Wordless Wednesday: Ant Zinnia

    Antzinnias_2

    Gosh, but this picture almost sort of makes me wish I liked ants…ALMOST!

    Check out the Official Wordless Wednesday HQ
    Tag, you’re it:

    More photos from our home garden:  Through a Child’s Eyes

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    In Other News:

    This Full House Reviews:  Hanes Kids – Back to School and Wedgie-Free!

    © 2008 This Full House – All Rights Reserved.

    [Please, clean off a chair and stay a while – subscribe to email updates or the RSS feed or – if you really, really like me – visit with us, again and I’ll love you forever!]