Kristie & Tom McConnon

I am now intimately familiar with all the inner-workings of the modern-day toilet. In fact, I might be able to give this guy a run for his money:

But seriously folks…2/3 of our toilets were leaky and busted, which was very uncool, especially since we had our first overnight guest staying with us this weekend. But now, after multiple visits to Home Depot and much time spent reading ‘plumbing for dummies’ type-literature, my hard work has come to fruition in the form of another working toilet! That’s right…I replaced all the hardware–from the pipe coming out of the floor to the guts of the tank. 1 down, 1 more to go.

Mario Brother: 1. Leaky Toilet: 0

We still need curtains and a few other decorations to tie-in more color, but here’s how the sitting room is coming along:

The contemporary feel isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I love the bright, open, minimalist feel of it.

Remember back in ’08 when we picked up and spray-painted those free dressers that an apartment complex was giving away? Well, since white is our current theme, they got makeover #2.

I predict that by the time we’re 50 years old they’ll be composed of 20% wood and 75% acrylic.

The good and bad part of living in tiny apartments for so long is that you have very little stuff.

Our house is steadily becoming a home…here’s some fun furniture assembly:

…with an 8-month pregnant wife that I won’t let help with manly stuff.

Figure 1.8: Improvised Dolly Maneuver

Figure 2.9.7: Jungle-Lawn Taming

Exhibit 37A: One Man Car Cramification

A continuing series.

Today our washer and drier arrived. We went with an Energy Star rated clothes washer since we figure it will save us money in the long run (and since we get a nice rebate from our power company for buying it). They look nice in our laundry nook.

Action Plumbing & Air also came by to “green sticker” our furnace…which apparently needs to be done to verify that it’s safe, and in good working order. Seems like a racket to me.

The guy that checked it out found that the interior fan was pretty clogged up with dirt (since it looked like the previous tenants hadn’t changed the air filter since the Regan administration), which he claimed could overheat the system and break the whole thing. Cost to clean it? $350.00.

So I said, “umm, that’s not really in my budget. Can I clean it?” He looked at me funny and then cut me a deal. He would dismantle and reassemble  the blower system and motor for $50 and I could clean it.

So he did, and I did. It took a little improvisation (our toothbrushes were still packed), but I found a way to de-gunk it enough for it to pass code. He told me in 40 years of working with furnaces, that’s the first time any of his clients has ever cleaned their own drum fan. I took that as a compliment, and saved $300.

Screwdriver: $2.75

Bits of old carpet pad: $0.00

Not having to pay $300 for a task that took me 20 minutes: Priceless Ok, technically $300.

Days till we have to be out of our apartment: 0

Today carpet went in, which means we’ll drag our mattress into a room and crash here for the first time! The place is really coming together..