Adventures in shoe organization

Remember when my water heater blew up a couple weeks ago? 

And remember when I was trying to organize my life? 

Remember how much I love shoes?

 

Well, those things collided.  Gene's not thrilled about it, but too bad.

 

 

We installed our new water heater.  Well, I say "we" in the sense of "Gene".  Gene installed our new water heater.  Can I get a "Hell Yeah!" for handy men?  Can I get another "Hell Yeah!" for clean feet?

 

In the processe of that happening, the "door" that was on the closet that held the water heater was shot.  Now when I call it a door, it's only a door in the sense that it covered a hole and nothing better than that.  It was a couple pieces of crappy drywall screwed to some plywood.

 

Know what happens when that gets wet? 

yeah... it's really gross.

 

So in the middle of my master closet is a gaping hole with a shiny new water heater in it.  I still think that the person that designed this concept was a raging moron, but when your feet are dirty (you don't want to know what I was standing in) you'll take what you can get.

 

So I'd had this idea for a while for that space in front of the water heater anyway and since I'd had to do a mass exodus of everything in the bottom of my closet (which was a lot for the record) I decided now was as good of time as any.

 

I proclaimed "we shall build a shoe rack"

 

And Gene moaned.

 

 

So last weekend we went to the lumber yard, bought some pre painted shelves (because it was cheap and easy) and cut them into 2' lengths.

 

 

He's so bubbly and estatic can you tell?

 

 

It was pretty simple at this point.  We just screwed through the sides to attach the shelves.  Since you can't really see the sides, I didn't worry about the screw heads.  If I were in a situation where the sides would be seen, I would probably either counter sink them and fill the holes, or possibly I'd attach the shelves from the inside.

 

I bought a thin piece of plywood to cover the back of it.  Originally I was going to just paint it white, but as I went to get the paint, I saw my pretty turquoise blue paint that I loovvvvvve and changed my mind.

 

The next morning, Gene screwed the plywood to the back and we pushed it in place in front of the door.  Easy peasy! 

 

No really, anyone can do this.  All you really need is a drill.  Want the boards cut?  Most lumber yards will cut boards down to length for you for a little bit for each cut.  If you bat your eyelashes and stick out your boobies, maybe even less than that.

 

Having said that, they never give me a deal on cutting a board for me.

 

I guess I shouldn't expect them to do that for Gene when he sticks out his boobies.

 

Just add shoes, and pixie dust and music falls around you.  LOVE my new shoe rack.  It's so much neater around the house now (I really didn't have a lot of places to put shoes.

 

We also removed the closet door as I realized we never shut the thing and it takes up real estate.  Someday when we remodel, I'll be putting a barn door hardware on a slide across that door anyway.

 

Tangent:  Dearest Torrie.  I love you.  Do you want this damn door cuz I'm fixing to throw a match on it.  I love you.  Lana

 

So if you want to make your own shoe rack, don't be scared.  Buy a drill, get hex head bits/screws (smartest thing ever).  Organize your shoes.  Be happy.

Ignore husband.

 

The end.

In out in out in out in out in out in out. Pick one.

 

Sometimes I think, that we as humans think we can do better for a "helpless" critter than they can do for themselves.

 

At least I felt that way when Boo came to live inside.  If you've followed here at all, you know that Boo is a feral cat that showed up at my house one day looking for food.  I fed him, and he stayed.  He's in the background of almost every single outdoor photo I'd taken for a year.  Nearly  my constant companion while outside doing something he deemed "interesting" enough to take part in. Which probably means "she might feed me!"  in his little head.

 

Frequently in the evening, a little white cat would come to our living room window and peek in as we watched our evening shows.  If the window was open, he wouldn't be scared to hang on the window screen to show his loyalty.

 

About  November, the neighbors warned my husband that they'd be putting out poison for possums that kept making his horses sick.  He knew the little white cat hung out down at our house and was worried he might get caught up in the poison.  In he came, and he's been inside ever since.

 

 

But you know, he always feels a little "caged".  Like he THOUGHT being inside would be a good idea, but now that he's thought about it a bit, he's rethinking his stance.

 

He frequently stares outside pensively like he's got something important that he's supposed to be doing and it's *out there*.  

I was getting the front end view of that pose for a year, and now this.

So a couple times he's jumped outside and I let him.  I'm morally opposed to outdoor cats as they don't have as long of a lifespan as indoor cats.  I've started to wonder though, is he happy inside?  Because I'm confident that a lion can live a longer life in a cage too, but is that really where he wants to be?

So come spring, I may toy with the idea of letting Boo be an indoor/outdoor cat.  I'll hope he comes in at night because, let's face it, the loss of his dangly bits and the never ending cat food bowl has given him a little bit of a trailer park waddle.  I'm no longer sure he can outrun a coyote.

But don't tell Jingles that, because he's kicking his ass on a regular basis.
still.

More than you'd ever want to know

Gene and I have been in the news recently.  Twice actually.  It seems opening up an entirely new store front attracts some attention.

whodathunkit.

If you'd like to read the article that the Maryville Daily Forum wrote about us a week or so ago, click here to go to our website.

It implies that I might like that guy I'm married to.
Don't let 'em fool ya.
;)

Cleaning tip #124 - How to empty a closet in less than 3 minutes

Remember how I told you I was going to reduce the clutter in my life?  Well, I think I told you that anyway. 

 

I'm overwhelmed and want some things just to go AWAY.  It's been almost overwhelming with junk and I've suddenly lost my sentimentality over pretty much everything (except my painting stuff and photos.  That's it.)

 

Well, I found a way yesterday to make that process go a lot faster.

 

 

Just let a pipe attached to your water heater (that's in your master closet) burst.  Fortunately (and you rarely say fortunately when you're talking about plumbing) I just so happened to be sitting about 4 feet away on the other side of the wall when it happened. 

 

Also fortunately Gene was there.

 

FORTUNATELY, we were there at all.

 

A plumbing "fix" that Gene did 6 years ago, really wasn't a permanent solution, but we'd treated it as such and in return, gallons and gallons of water gushed into our closet.

Gene ran to the water main to shut it off.  Tanner and I started bailing crap out of the closet and scampering for towels and then we started cleaning up.  It really wasn't too bad, but in the process I turned and looked at the pile of crap on my bed and really just wondered what the hell it all was.  I kinda wanted to just push it all into a pile and flick a match.  Some things I hadn't used or touched in 5 years.

So there you go, that's the fastest way to clean out your closet.  

I vow only 25% of it is going back in.

Someone cover me.

PS.  No I do not have clover in my closet.  It is, however, symbolic of how I felt.

The cobbler's children have no shoes....

unless he has an inspection and licensing due, then he's kinda forced into it.

It's kind of embarassing to pull up to your own glass shop with a broken windshield.   But Gene's hand was forced by the great state of Missouri.
Yeehaw!

In Missouri, every other year your car is forced to go through the inspection process to prove that your car is road worthy.  Welp, January is our month.  Not sure why we thought buying a car right after christmas was such a smart idea, but we did it anyway.

Stupid bad weather 3 years ago that kept leaving us stranded in our house for days.

Anyway.  My windshield broke, and due to a supplier that wants our business badly, we somehow managed to get a free windshield to replace it.

 

 

On a slower day, Gene took to it.

First you cut it out.  He used a cold knife.  This is done by hand, not by a machine.  This is why Gene has forearms like a pro body builder.  Never pretend to squeeze his hand in a handshake.  He'll crush your hand like a bug. Don't ask me how I know.

 

 

 

Zoink.

Out it goes.  On to the big old trash pile we're accumulating.  I think we shall keep it all in a big pile out back and call it art.  The city might disagree.  We might need to file a permit or something.

 

 

Now he crawls up there and cuts out all the old urethane.  This is what keeps your windshield attached to your car, and keeps you from popping out on the highway when you do the big 360.  That and your seatbelt, which I am working on making myself wear more often.

 

 

 

*insert several steps I was too cold to take photos of*

 

Blah blah insurance, so person come help!

 

That doesn't work.  Oh well.  Anyway so Gene finishes setting the windshield which means new primer on the car (this keeps it all bonded together) and urethane on the pinchweld.  That's the gooey stuff that gets hard.

 

The "gooey-to-hard process" is what has caused Gene's allergy to the very business he's in.  He wears breathing protection now to help cut down on the break outs.

 

He made me help him set this windshield because he wanted to take a photo of me.  Only problem is, I looked like a gray slug so I'm not sharing.  But pretend like a gray slug with long hair that needs recolored is setting this windshield.

 

 

 

Ta DA!

I have a new windshield.  Keeps bugs out of your teeth and rain off my pants.

It also now means I have a bill that I have to pay - licensing my car.

 

Told you it wasn't as exciting as it looks.

 

 

Hey, do you need glass?

Come visit us at 115 S. Main in Maryville or call 660-254-8822.   I'll get you a quote!  I'm pretty darn confident you won't find a better price than us.

Go us!

In queso emergency, I pray to cheesus

There's a lot of mice praying to cheesus here lately. 

Not sure what has changed from last winter to this one, but we have an influx of little critters making their way around the house.  Not just down by the washer like they usually are, but at the other end of the house. 
Where my scrapbook stuff is.
And my watercolors.

About a month ago, I went into Tanner's room (he was gone) to do something and I heard a scritch-scritch-scritch noise coming from the closet.  I opened the doors and listened.  High up on a shelf, beyond where I could reach was a cardboard box with a noise that was either in it, or right in my ceiling above it.

I called Gene into the room and he determined that the noise was coming from the box itself.  He pulled it down and took it outside.  I stood at the door and screamed my head off like a wee little girl when a mouse shot out of the box and straight at me.  He skittered under the deck, or where ever he went.

That's when I first realized, that there was a mouse (or 9) that had made their home on the west end.  Tanner's closet, littered with mouse poop and someone had a BIG party in there.  Ate a big hole in a flannel sheet to make a nest.  If I were a mouse, I'd go with a flannel sheet in there too.  His room is cold while the door is shut.

I pulled out a photo that I had mounted to take to the shop, and when I got it there I saw little chew marks on the corner.  And my craft room?
Well, I'm still pissed off about that. 

Mice seem to leave a little "trail" where they "go" and one mouse (or more) was all over the place but seemed to really enjoy my watercolor paper.  You know, the really expensive stuff.  I still haven't decided what to do about the beautiful travel journal he seemed to have hung out on for hours.  blech.

But my biggest mistake was probably throwing a granola bar in my travel bag in case I got hungry while out painting.  Licked clean.  However, I kind of chuckle knowing that they probably didn't like the nutrisystem cookie quite as well.  Ha.  Hope it made it hurt when you poop.

So now we have traps all over the place and 3 completely useless cats.  Even Boo, who would mouse when I didn't feed him fast enough.  No need now since he's in the house warm, fat and jolly.

Pretty sure that the drought caused cracks in the ground which has made an easy avenue to get under/into the house and I have decided to fight fire with poison.  I even have to put in the "attic" because I hear scritching around up there!!  I'm pretty ok with having to smell an occasional rotting mouse rather than have one crapping on my $20 per sheet of paper.

Why are mice cute when they are behind glass on a little wheel, but disgusting when you catch one chewing on your latest copy of Rangefinder?

Maybe I just answered my own question.

Snow day!

 

This is what happens when you take a photo on a super bright snowy day, so bright that you can't even see the meter in your camera, or the LCD screen on the back.  You guess and shoot.

 

Perfect focus (on a lens that has focus problems).

Perfect exposure.

One shot.

 

Pretty sure I need to shoot blind more often.

 

Bailey Bean went home.  We miss her, but I'm 100% confident I should not own an 8 year old girl.

Foreverandeveramen

 

 

New Year, new slate!

Happy New Year!

Pretty ready to see 2012 in my rear view mirror.  It had some good times, but it had some pretty low lows too.  Time for a clean slate and that's where 2013 comes into play.

It's going to be big.  I can feel it.

Change is coming and it is GOOD.

 

Tell me, What is your resolution?