I battle every fall to wait until the very last moment possible to drive up the gas bill. I’ll put on a sweater, my slippers and wrap myself in blanket until I just can’t take it any more. That moment came two nights ago as the temperature outside dropped to 38 degrees. I finally broke down and flipped the switch to HEAT.
As a native of western Pennsylvania, I should be used to the cold and the snow that towered over me as a kid. We had so many snow days every year, they just built them into our school calendar. And, no, I didn’t have to walk to school in 4 feet of snow, although my parents will tease that they did.
My fiance and I like to joke about the “Saturday Night Live” skit — it’s definitely “sweater weather.” And while my bones just can’t seem to get used to the chill, it’s inevitable the snow will be coming. In fact, the local weather channel says flurries for Monday! My theory is there shouldn’t be snow in October. But who am I to argue with Mother Nature.
I’ll just stay inside as much as possible and enjoy my heat, and in the meantime, I plan to call a service technician to make sure my furnace is ready for this winter — it’s going to be a long one.
Author Archive for Kristy
My house was the talk of the block for a few weeks recently. So much so that we ended up meeting half of the people in our neighborhood for the first time.
I’m almost 100 percent positive they weren’t interested in meeting us; they were just scoping out their new competition for next year’s neighborhood landscaping contest.
That’s right, it took six months, but my landscaping in my front yard is finally complete (see one of my first Blue House Blog entries from April: “Living with a professional landscaper”). Continue reading ‘Landscaping gets thumbs up’
With the push of his nose or the slap of his paw, my 8-month-old Rottweiler Moto can open the sliding glass door. He thinks it’s a new trick; I think he’s a bad boy. There are evenings when he lets himself out (very helpful) but lets mosquitoes in. If only he learned to shut the door behind him, I’d be thrilled with his self-sufficiency. Continue reading ‘You’re either in or you’re out!’
I’ve crossed off several more items from my to-do list. After two weekends and multiple nights after work, my household is finally coming to order. I sanded and stained my outdoor wooden patio table (pictured right); stained the wood behind my outdoor lights connected to my house; finished spray painting two outdoor chairs; downloaded pictures I took in May onto my computer and sent them to friends; bought patio chairs for around the table and an outdoor umbrella; and started my wedding website. Pure satisfaction! Who needs a handyman or a personal assistant? Not me. Who needs a break and a masseuse? Me. ☺ Continue reading ‘Check!’
The never-ending cycle of home ownership responsibilities has my head in a fog. My to-do list keeps getting longer and longer. I cross one item off the list, two more get added; I cross two items off the list, several more get added.
Things are meant to be in order in my world, but chaos is the name of the game lately. Continue reading ‘A big to-do about homework’
My fiancé and I can go anywhere in the world for our destination wedding next year. Sounds nice coming from our destination wedding travel agent, but the truth is, like most people, we (and our guests) have a budget.
We’re in the stages of narrowing down our location. This is, we’ve been told, the hardest part of a destination wedding. I hope so, because I want my wedding to be as easy as possible for me. Continue reading ‘No worries, mon!’
Friday night (May 30) Indianapolis was hit by a tornado. Luckily our Angie’s List offices are still standing, but 430 people were left without homes in the city. I’ll consider myself lucky since less than 20 blocks away from my house the wind tore off roofs from homes and businesses. Continue reading ‘Living without electricity’
Spending five hours at the mall isn’t how I’d spend the typical Saturday, but this past weekend I was on a mission: Buy summer clothes for my upcoming trip to Mexico.
After two stores, I was doing quite well. I found a dress for my friend’s destination wedding at a reasonable price. Before I handed my debit card to the lady, she asked: “Would you like to save an additional 20 percent?” “No thanks,” I responded. I knew she would be onto the next spiel: “All you have to do is open a credit card with us today.” Continue reading ‘Credit card pushers’
Friends and family arrive at my front door and their first question always is: “Where’s the landscaping?” I smile and sigh. I’m wondering the same thing since my fiancé, Matt, owns a full-service landscaping company.
The saying, “A plumber’s pipes always leak” holds true, I guess, for most service professionals. I’ve come to the conclusion if you spend so much time working on other people’s homes, the last thing you want to do is work on your own home in the little spare time you do have. Continue reading ‘Living with a professional landscaper’
