May the Force Be With You!

Dylan and Alexander doing there best impersonations of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Lincoln Logs

The kids got Lincoln logs from their Mema. We built the house on the tin. I loved Lincoln logs as a kid. Needless to say the minute after this picture was taken a "Tsunami" (see force of nature to left and right) destroyed the house.

The End in sight!!!

So we are more then 90% done. The kitchen looks great.
Back splash is in, it is a green glass, with sea foam green grout. I forget the color of the granite I think it's something like vertigo blue, but it's is a dark blue/green iridescent color.

Joanne (AKA mother in law) came over all weekend and help put the kitchen back together.

What is left to do:
Stain the bay window
The accent trim to molding (rope)
Molding over Microwave
Paint
Saddles

That's pretty much it.

Get me out

This was our trip Sunday to the Children's Museum in Manhattan. Dylan spent about 15 minutes getting o this costume. Once he had it on-- he couldn't get it off fast enough.

Backsplash

This is up and grouted. It looks awesome. We are a week or two away from being done with construction and the major parts are over. Just the finishing touches.

Maybe Sea Monkeys Were the Wrong Analogy

I was trying to remember the product they sold on the back of comic books. You add water and rainbow colored coral like mountains grew in the "aquarium". Well, here it is the counter top. On Friday 5 guys showed up from Mondials to install the counter top.
Next up is the back splash. That should be done by the end of this week and also the trimming on the kitchen closet and bay window. So by the time the New Year rolls around we will have a brand new kitchen and family room.

Just like Sea Monkeys

Alright, I bought this piece of granite from a little old man reading a comic book on Coney Island Avenue. He sold me this little piece of granite for $10,000,000 and said "if I just add water It will become a beautiful counter top in just 24 hours."

How could I argue with the price?

BTW, The Who Sells Out can be had for $9.97 over at Amazon.com. Another mythical consumer trap. "There is magic in my eyes..."

Christmas Invades the House? Nope, Welcomed with Open Arms!

Well, after the floors were done we laid down the rug, papered up the dining room floor, and bought a Christmas tree. I have to say that our house is now filled with Christmas cheer, a tree, and assorted decorations. The kids are systematically playing with, destroying, and examining every ornament they can get their hands on. The first four feet of the tree might be bare before we know it. Most importantly it's great to have a common living space that resembles what our home will be like in a couple of months.

The kids didn't really get to flex their creative muscles at our house. Instead it was off to conquer Grandma's "genormous" tree just down the block. We also attempted to get a Christmas Card Photo-- without much luck.
Tomorrow it's back to reality and one day closer to getting our house back-- and better than ever!

Floors - Take Two!

The living room, dining room and stairway are all clear for the Micolosi Brothers. We are having another coat of Polyurethaned slapped on and some light sanding done to the floors. Not in that order of course. So, tomorrow we can repopulate these rooms and get one step closer to living like human beings.

Stove and Microwave- We have them installed

These were installed prior to Thanksgiving, but things have been hectic. Having a stove back has been great. The new microwave it pretty much nuclear. Things cook in half the time of our normal microwave. The stove has a griddle. This is great for pancakes for the kids and my new found love for hamburgers. Until you eat lots of takeout and frozen dinners for six weeks you can't appreciate this simple meal.

My recipe is simple:

- Sirloin (95% lean, I have high cholesterol after all)
- couple of dashes of L&P Worchestshire Sauce
- Garlic salt, mixed in and sprinkled on top
- Pepper, mixed in only

Cook on the griddle for 10 minutes (6 minutes one side , 4 minutes the other). Toast bun of choice (even the wonder bread works when you have been on the diet I have been on). Add Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, little mayo, and Heinz Ketchup (if it ain't Heinz it ain't ketchup). Don't forget the pickle on the side (Claussen).

Finishing Touches Pt. 1

Your probably asking what the saw and an unrecognizable piece of wood are in terms of finishing touches? Well, it's the crown molding. One step closer to a finished kitchen! Hallelujah!

My future counter top

What the heck is this? This is the slab of granite that will eventually be cut into my counter top. The thing is huge. The shapes in the granite are our reflections. We got the counter top from Mondial ((718) 232-0800 6501 14th Ave) and they ask that you come in and "inspect" the piece before they cut it up. Our type of granite is pretty much uniform so our inspection was more customer service than any real decision process. So, next week (w/o 12/10) we should have a counter top.

WE HAVE A SINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have a sink......... ok so it's not permanent and the counter top is a piece of ply wood, but Heck we have a sink and a working dishwasher.

Next step getting the stove hooked up...

Saturday the glass guy is coming to measure the closet doors.
Mondial is coming next week to measure out the the Granite counter top. The only thing is we have to wait 2 weeks before they will be able to install the counter top...


I feel good, that we are making progress...

Still going!!!!

Nothing is ever as simple and as fast as we would like it to be. We have two too many corners and it has proven to be a bit challenging in install the cabinets. Lucky Kaz is pretty creative and has really made these corners work.
We are hoping they are all installed by the end of the week.
Today hopefully we will have a temporary sink installed...

Moving Right Alone!!

The floor is done and the cabinets are getting installed. We had a few minor issues installing the cabinets since there are a couple of corners but we have worked it out and hopefully today the upper cabinets will all be installed and tomorrow we can start with the base cabinets. Went to Sears yesterday and order a GE Profile Stainless Steel stove and matching microwave. Things look good.

Oh, Sh**! Part 2

If you were a fan of Oh! Sh*** The Joys of Ownership, well here comes part 2. Last night the gurgling returned. The only difference this time is that we were on our own- No Uncle John or my faithful Father In Law -- Kaz!. It didn't make it back to and out of the toilet this time-- That is the good news.
Around 10pm we were alerted by our diligent tenant-- Kelly-- that she heard gurgling again. After a quick call to review instructions with Kaz, I was off to the basement to get it done.

- I opened up the sewer drain
- Instead of back up in the bathroom my drain was filled to the rim, and it wasn't Brim
- Note: You always knock off the drain cap closer to the street.
- I did this and the drain pit started draining.
- As soon as muck cleared I began plunging the stuck pipe.
- Something gave way and we were back in business.
- I cleared the remaining Muck out of the drain.

Time to finish-- roughly 20 minutes.

Most notably, I went down to the basement at least 5 times today. Call me paranoid-- It makes sense. Next up-- the plumber comes to figure out why we have had a crappy couple of weeks in the basement.

Halloween Night

This year the Reddish family joined up with the Robersten family of girls and went to the Glenwood Road Parade. All the neighborhood kids all came out for a fun night of trick or treating. This was Ryan's first Halloween he was dressed as a monkey. Alexander was suppose to be a Tiger and he did not want to wear it, so we gave him a cowboy hat. Dylan was Spider Man for a second year in a row. Dylan had the most fun running around trick or treating with his buddy Kate the Witch.
After trick or treating with the girls, Dylan then wanted to go trick or treating with his friend Josh who was dressed as Batman.
It was a long and fun day for all the kids.

Tile floors are being put down

Things are moving along. Floors are being put down this week. Cabinets are coming Thursday.
The kitchen is really starting to come together...

Oh Sh...! The joys of home ownership

I have lived in a building for most of my life. The waste disposal pipes in buildings are big enough for a roll of paper towels. Last night was a reality check for me. While doing the laundry in the basement I heard a faint gurgle from the bathroom in the basement. I tried to ignore it, but since the gurgle got louder with the sudden flush of a toilet on the first floor I was forced to investigate.*
The half bath was flooded in the basement and all sorts of "stuff" was all over the otherwise clean bathroom floor. So, Uncle John,Alexandra and I began to assess the damage. The pipes were backed up, that was pretty obvious-- Now for some professional help! Alexandra called her father, my father in law, and our contractor- Kaz. Luckily Kaz was on his way back from a party. If he was in bed we might not have received such stellar service. In a flash, the following happened:

- trap (sewer) door removed
- Kaz and John knock off first sewer line cap- nothing
- Kaz notes, " Most people think you twist these off, you knock the cap off."
- I note in my head that I am not "most people" and one of those people to would endlessly twist. I just call someone.
- Kaz knocks off cap number 2 and it's like a geyser. As bad as the bathroom looked- the "stuff" coming out of that hole looked worse
- Pipe Number One handled the run off, now if we only had a snake to find the clog.
- Well, Uncle John not only has an industrial juicer in his car, but also a whole host of tools- including a snake.
- After the hand powered snake was sent into the pipe a few times- out came "unidentifiable rag".

The water all drained out. Kaz and Uncle John made sure the pipe was clear and the clean up began. Alexandra, Uncle John, and I all cleaned up the bathroom. Estimated time from disaster and back to bed; 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Special Thanks
Kaz for coming over after a party and educating me on what to do.
Uncle John for helping with the line, cleaning up, and the tools-- They guy demonstrates on a daily basis what a great guy he is.
Alexandra for making the effort to let me sleep, calling her father, and cleaning up.
Kelly for "discovering" the problem giving us the heads up.

There was some upside:

- next time it happens I know what to do**
- Joanne got to see the basement finally

This definitely rates as one of the "crappiest" things that come up when you own a house. Also, we are now learning how to communicate things they should not flush down the toilet without pointing the finger. As Alexandra said, "It could have been one of our kids". We certainly were not going to examine the offending "unidentifiable rag".

* I am completely lying, my wife found it as I lay asleep in the bed. Realizing the gravity of the situation I got my lazy butt out of bed.
** there better not be a next time.

The Dumb Waiter

Talk about you never know what you will find till you open up the walls.
We found a dumb waiter. Pretty cool!

The Reddish Boys of Rugby Road do Stuy Town

We all went to visit MeMa today and went to one of the many under utilized playgrounds in the complex. PS 217 is insane on the weekends. The tot lot on Cortelyou varies from crowded to empty. Every once in awhile PS 139 has their playgrounds open. I just wish Victorian Flatbush had playgrounds like Stuy Town.
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These go to the 3rd Floor

The one on the left-- light. The one on the right weighed more than most pro-wrestlers.

The Kitchen!!!

The kitchen is gutted. I really did not think we were gutting it but I guess my ideas and my wife's ideas are two different ideas.
Cabinets are on order. They should be here in, hopefully, in 2 to 3 weeks. The electrician has started working. Frank plumber comes tomorrow to move the gas line for our stove and for the dryer on the 3rd floor.
I guess as a first time home owner and a first time renovator you really do not realize what goes in to doing a kitchen and how many steps are involved. You have to to follow a certain order and each steps depends on the other. Some things like the counter top cannot be ordered until after the cabinets are installed. Then we have to wait two weeks for the counter top to be cut and installed, then we can install the back splash.
You need a lot of patience to do a kitchen. No matter how good your contractor is, if you want a nice kitchen, you want nice materials (i.e. granite counter tops, etc), then you have to wait for them.
I think it will be worth it all in the end.

Just hoping it will be done for Christmas. The wife is planing a big party!!!

The Kitchen Demo Begins

So it begins, Six Pack and Uncle John (who we recurited) begin demoing our kitchen. We are taking down the wall that from the family room and making it a nice open kitchen family room.
Not fun living with out a kitchen when you have 3 kids. The dust is every where even on my keyboard. But once it's done we should have a really nice kitchen.
Now if we only had time to go to the tile store, the granite store and so many other places to pick every thing out that we need.

Thank goodness the kitchen cabinet guy is coming to our house to measure and draw everything out for us, that make life a little easy...

The Pulaski Parade Part II

The Pulaski Parade

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Alcove

Living Room

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Da Pride of Flatbush

8:21 am, Cortelyou Road

Life is Good When Your 2 Years Old!!

We got this nice leather chair on Craigs list.
I got this chair for ME!
When you have kids nothing is for you anymore.. I wish I could nap like this..

Life is good when your 2 years old!!!!!!

Never Know What you Are Going to Get

Although this picture does not make it abundantly clear but while stripping the wood detail in my dining room (I should say Six Pack stripped the wood) I discovered that not all of it was the original oak. Rather some Pine has snuck into the mix. Blasphemy! When we sat down for dinner last night we looked up and noticed the words "Prime All Cuts" displayed prominently on the wood. Beyond that-- can you believe what they are doing to my red walls... Uggh!


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Now playing: Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow
via FoxyTunes

The New Office, Home Office

Here is my home office. This is now where I work for DJEMG. It's up on the third floor away from everything. I even have a lock on my door. It's cool so far. Then again, it has only been two days.
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Listening to: Richard X. Heyman - Home Again
via FoxyTunes