Monday, May 24, 2010

Things I Must Stop Buying/Bringing Home


Chad has been watching the television show Hoarders lately. Like a hypochondriac with a medical handbook, I've decided that maybe I'm an extremely well organized, highly functional, hoarder. Well, okay, maybe not a hoarder exactly, but I have hoarder potential for sure! Especially in regards to the following items:

Scented Candles
- I love scented candles. I have eleventy-hundred scented candles of all shapes, sizes and, uh, scents in a cabinet in the dining room. I keep buying them. People keep giving them to me. I can't burn them fast enough. Stop the (lovely-scented) madness!

Board Games - After our Xbox 360 and video games were stolen during the infamous house robbery of October 2009, we chose not to replace them. I bought several new board games to fill the void. I have not hosted a game night since.

Books - I have approximately thirty books in my possession right now that I have not read yet. In a good week I'll read two books. However, some weeks I am memorizing scripts, and can't read for pleasure. Other weeks, I simply don't have the attention span to look at a magazine, much less read a book. I must stop buying books from amazon.com, Target, HEB, Book People, Half-Price Books, etc... Books seem to be everywhere! I have great ambition when it comes to reading, but must acknowledge my limitations.

Clothes - After losing weight, I had to more-or-less replace my wardrobe. Done. I have lots of clothes for just about any occasion. In fact, friends need to start inviting me out more so I will actually have a reason to dress in something other than gym clothes or my jeans & t-shirt uniform.

Fashion Accessories - During the infamous house robbery of October 2009, I lost some of my favorite cheap jewelry. I wonder how the robbers felt when the pawn shop informed them that they didn't have any jewelry worth pawning? I love me some cheap, cute jewelry! Also, as an actress, I need costume jewelry for the dinner theater shows -- the gaudier, the better. Done. Got plenty of jewelry (none worth pawning). Restocked what was stolen and then some. Not to mention that I have many thoughtfully curated pairs of shoes and many bags, purses, clutches & totes.

Pets - Currently we have a pet hiring-freeze at the 1952 House with three cats and one forty-nine-pound dog. I love, love, love cats and dogs. I must respect the delicate balance of four pets and two people sharing the limited space here. Even if I would love to adopt all of the pitiful babies at the shelter...

Perhaps I should limit all near-future purchases/acquisitions to grocery items. I don't want anyone to find me buried under a small mountain of clutter in this house, or feeling that they need to stage an intervention, or submitting me to Clean House - though I do love that television show.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Yeah, I'm Thinking of Getting My Plumber's License


In a DIY-fit this week, I decided to fix our toilet. We only have one, so it's vital to keep it in good working order. The water in the toilet kept running after flushing despite lots of handle-jiggling, and despite cleaning the tank flapper. I watched an extremely helpful youtube video. I bought a new ballcock and new tank float ball at Lowe's. Ninety minutes and eleven dollars later, our toilet works! No more wasted water, no more annoying glug-glug drippy noises and no expensive plumber visit. I feel so empowered! Even if I did get a bit light-headed from hanging upside down under the toilet tank trouble-shooting the water line leak. (The trick was not to screw the water line into the tank too tightly.)

Spring-a-ding-ding!



Spring in Austin is joyfully colorful and aromatic. Mmm... lavender (middle right). I was delighted to discover silver ponyfoot (lower right corner) at the nursery this spring. I hope it will spread out.


Bumper crop of mint survived the winter freezes. Mojito time!

Tomatoes on the way!

Sonic chatters at the birds and squirrels to protect the crops.

Kenji is about to spring into bug-chasing action... any second now...

Janie models her new spring wardrobe while keeping an eye on her kitty-friends.

In August when I'm crying and proclaiming that it's hotter than Hades here, remind me of spring lest I put a "for sale" in the front yard and hightail to Seattle.