mystery flower

A while ago, we were surprised to see this leafless flower shooting out of the ground in our backyard.

Is this a new alien lifeform growing out of the ground, I wondered?  I emailed my mother-in-law, a former florist and world-class gardener.  Her reply:  thanks for the picture of your "naked ladies!"  

After the shock of my MIL saying "naked lady" wore off, I read on to learn that apparently, it's a type of amaryllis, also known as a naked lady because the flowers grow without any leaves.  

Any mystery plants growing in your backyard?  Do tell!

Jeffrey Court Roma Linea tile

Image:  The Home Depot

One of the more popular searches that brings people to our humble blog is for this tile.  It is Jeffrey Court Roma Linea Onyx and Glass wall tile, and we used in in our master bathroom.

 The relatively new tilework developed a crack when the drywall behind it popped a nail.  we thought we could replace a few tiles and call it a day, but we could never find the exact white tile (Lowes and Home Depot both had a glossy version of the tile, but our white tile was matte.

So we tore down the back wall and up went Jeffrey Court Roma Linea mosaic tile.  Unlike in the Home Depot photo (above), it's not actually a perfect square.  Every second row is missing a side tile so that adjacent pieces fit together like pieces of a puzzle. 

There were two tricky parts to the installation.  First, because the tiles are of mixed type (two different types of glass, one smooth and one rough and stone), we had to use different tools to cut them.  I don't know if it'd be a problem if you used a tile saw, but we did our cuts by hand.  Second, because of the bumpy surface of the brown tiles, it was hard to get all of the grout out of the nooks and crannies of the tiles once we were done.

Here's what the finished product looks like, and here's a link to the tile at Home Depot.  Happy tiling, and thanks for stopping by!  One question for all of you people searching for this tile:  what are *you* going to use the tile for?  Spill it!

American Express giveaway at Making it Lovely

Nicole over at Making it Lovely is having a great giveaway sponsored by American Express.  Even though I'd love to be chosen, I want to share this great opportunity with you, too.  The winner will receive 150,000 Membership Rewards points and a custom design plan from Nicole to help you on your way!  Head over to Making it Lovely to enter.

thanks for considering us for this great giveaway!

may showers bring may flowers?

I don't know what the weather has been like where you live, but it's been a rainy May here in OH.  We've become expert radar watchers, trying to find rain-free pockets of time to walk the dog.  Our hearts go out to those affected by the severe weather of the last few weeks.  I know times are tough, but if you can, consider making a donation to help out.  Here are some ideas from ABC News about organizations that are involved in relief efforts.

The rain has finally subsided, and we're enjoying the very happy, well-watered flowers in the garden.  Our front garden consists of roses, mostly, and they're in full-bloom.  We've even been able to bring some in to enjoy (always watch out for bugs, though!)

Hope the sun is shining where you are today.  Any big plans for your garden this year?  Fill me in!

a 'real' mower: Fiskars Momentum Reel Mower

We've had a Scott's classic reel (push) mower for many years.  Using it was hard work, but it was nice to be able to mow and watch the children without worrying about pollution and the awful noise.  It was, however, time for an upgrade (mostly because I'm hoping the kids will take over the mowing duties occasionally this summer!)

Photo:  Fiskars.com

Enter the Fiskars Momentum Reel mower.  If you're a sewer, you might have a pair of Fiskars scissors tucked away in your sewing basket.  But Fiskars also has an extensive line of outdoor products.  Who knew?

Husband is away for several weeks, so I'm on lawn mowing duty.  I managed to mow the moderately long front lawn in a light mist with no problem.  It has an height adjustment (from 1 to 4 inches), which will be great when the lawn is really long.  One of the main differences I found with the Momentum is that it throws the grass forward instead of back towards you, so your shoes don't get covered in clippings.  From now on, I think I'll mow parallel to the sidewalk, though, because otherwise the clippings shoot all over the sidewalk.  Good think Miss J arrived home in time to grab the push broom.

Although it is easier than our old mower to push, it *is* human-propelled, so be prepared to work a little, but perhaps not as much as you might think!  For me, that's a plus, I like the exercise.  It cost $199 at Lowes, and considering the price of gas right now, I think it is a good investment.  Reel mowers are supposed to be better for the health of your lawn (because they don't tear the blades).  If you have a lawn with a lot of tall weeds (we call 'em 'sticks'), sometimes reel mowers don't catch them all.  We don't have any of those weeds at the moment, so I can't comment on how well the Fiskars does with this type of weed.  There are different kinds of reel mowers for different kinds of grass (like Bermuda grass), so be sure to do your research before taking the plunge.

If you get a reel mower, be prepared for a few curious stares from neighbours!  When we had our first reel mower in Australia, it felt like the entire neighbourhood came out to watch us mow!  After I finished mowing, my next-door neighbour did come over and ask me how I liked it, and I was glad to share my reasoning behind the purchase (better for the environment, quieter, safer for the teen, no gas to purchase.)

Questions?  Feel free to drop me a line below!

Not paid or perked for this post, just thought you'd want to know!

quick perk-up in the laundry

Our energy audit was yesterday, and the verdict is in:  insulation upgrade required.  It was surprising to see how many areas (on exterior walls, mostly) were missing insulation altogether.  Yikes!

Miss J also helped me with a quick paint job in the laundry room (I'm not completely finished, as you can see!)  We used some leftover paint from her room to spruce up the wall behind my sewing table with some green paint.  Oh, and notice the new water heater in the background?

Cosmo's crate got a little upgrade, too, with a new crate cover that I sewed from curtains I made for the old place, and some new soft flannel and fleece bedding. 

Yes, that's our old dining room table in the laundry room.  It's that big.  Any quick fixes on your to-do list?  After several large projects, it's nice to get some instant gratification!

You could just call hgtv

A lazy Saturday morning...when is the last time that happened?! I was looking at Apartment therapy with miss j, and showed her a picture of a laundry room that I liked, and she said, "you should just call HGTV!"  If only it were that easy!

Image Source:  Unplggd.com

We are having an energy audit on Monday, finally, after being on the waiting list since January. For $50, Columbia Gas sends out an energy auditor to suggest improvements we can make to be more energy efficient. If we implement the improvements, approved contractors will give us a substantial discount on the work. I checked on Angie's List, and the contractors all have great ratings, so that inspires more confidence that the wait was worth it!

Anyone out there been through an energy audit?  Any earth-friendly improvements on the "to do" list?  Fill me in!

treading water

No, we're not *actually* treading water in the basement, thank goodness, it just feels like we're working hard without a lot of forward progress these days.  My office is up and running, but there are still piles and piles of things to go through and put away.  Here I am pointing at the huge mess, in case you missed it.

And, yes, I have a huge Canadian flag hanging on two random nails that were already there.  Should it stay?  Should it go?  All I know is that it looks so sad right now, all slouched down and wrinkly :(  Did you watch the coverage of the (US) government budget negotiations, and see how they make flags drape beautifully by using coat hangers?  Oh, the things you learn watching CNN...

The other neverending task has been lots and lots of raking of the pointy balls from the sweetgum tree, a tedious, year-long task in the front yard.

Oh, yes, and it's tax day here in the US.  Nothing like a slightly longer deadline to encourage more procrastination.  Back to treading water!

back to (office) basics in the basement

I can't even believe how much work we accomplished this weekend!  Drywall installed, taped, primed, painted...and we moved my mother of a desk and made the bed swap, all in one weekend!

These are by no means the "beauty shots", just small celebratory pictures to document the progress so far.

As you can see, the trim still needs to be finished, but for now, we're so happy to be past the construction phase of the basement project.  Time to move books down, clean out the closets, and hang some things on the walls!  Thanks to those of you who have stopped by with words of encouragement!

April is looking up (basement progress update)

No snow, a beautiful sunny day here in the old OH-IO.  And, as promised, some basement photos.  To set the scene, here is where we were at the beginning of the week.

And, like magic, we're almost finished installing the floor.

Why, you are probably wondering, did we not finish the drywall repair before installing the floors?  Mostly because I need this office up and running sooner rather than later (I work from home), so I need to move my desk in this weekend, so that things can get (more or less) back to normal.  I won't move my computer down there until the (drywall) dust settles, though, so don't freak out!  I've been working (and trying to finish the taxes) in my bedroom, and that does *not* make for a good night's sleep.  Between that, and the cough that I can't seem to shake, there hasn't been a lot of snoozing going on (except for Cosmo, who is always happy to nap whenever the opportunity presents itself!) 

Any tips from DIY veterans on the best way to make the drywall patch look seamless?