The Temp is Right!

I started this post just at the beginning of lacrosse season.  Now that lacrosse is over, I think that I have the time to finish it! 

You may have noticed in some of our pictures that we have the old mercury thermostat.  We wanted to switch to digital.  Sooooo this is the tale of installing digital programmable thermostats...

So a very good way to make your home and your furnace more efficient is to install programmable thermostats.   The reasons for  this is because, digital is more reliable, you can now program the thermostat for when you want the heat to come on, and since it is electronic and not mechanical, you do not have to worry about the thermostat sticking and bringing the heat up WAY beyond what you had it set for.  Let the savings begin!

On a Tuesday night, (No lacrosse practice) Josh and I ventured off to Lowe's to get some Honeywell digital thermostats.  After stopping and looking around at some lawnmowers, we made it to Digital Thermostat Aisle.  There is a whole array of digital thermostat's ranging from $15 all the way to $90.  After doing some research and talking to my uncle about them, I found out that going with one the cheapest was the way to go for our case.  This was because we had the thermostats just for the heat and didn't have to worry about getting anything special since it was just a normal furnace.  I was nervous that I had to go with a more expensive one since the furnace was older than my dad.  Turns out I didn't and went with the $25 ones.  The thermostat we got were 5-2 programmable thermostats.  This translates into 5 day programmable (the week) and 2 day programmable (the weekend).

So we get home around 8 o'clock at night and I decide that I am going to install the thermostat's now.  It does say that it should be done within 15 minutes.  Soooo I think to myself, "If I start now, I will be done right before Josh goes to be, even if i go over, he will be reading in bed and it will be ok."  So what does everyone think happened?  From my last post, you can probably guess that my estimation was WAY off.  And you know what.  If you guessed that, you couldn't be more right!

Let's start with removing the mercury thermostat.  It was a little nerve-racking removing the first one from the wall.  I was nervous that I would pull too hard and the capsule would break and I would have hazardous waste all over the place.  Thankfully, after a little twisting and pulling, I was able to remove the thermostat from the wall.  Next was disconnecting the wires.  This step was pretty simple, just take your flat head screwdriver and unscrew until the wires come loose.  (NOTE: Please make sure to turn off the thermostat on your breaker.  This is powered and you will feel a small shock while using the wires.  I unfortunately found out the hard way.)


Now, you follow the instructions that came with the new thermostat and input the correct wires into the appropriate slots.  As you can see here, there were between 5-7 wires but only two were connected to the thermostat (remember this, it will come in handy).  So after reading through the instructions, they wanted me to connect four of the wires.  Yellow to Yellow, White to White, and so on.  So after completing the wiring, I was ready to test out this new thermostat.  I turned the heat up to 80 degrees and... NOTHING!  So I reread the instructions and just could not figure out what was wrong with the installation.  Since there were a few more wires that I didn't connect, I figured that I would connect those to the appropriate connection (brown to brown, blue to blue, and so on). So after connecting those extra few wires, I again turned the heat up to 80 degrees.  NOTHING!  I was stumped, so I decided to go with the original two wires that were connected, which as you can see in the above picture were yellow and red.  So I disconnected all of the wires and connected the red to red and yellow to yellow.  I again turned the heat up to 80 degrees.  After hearing the furnace go on, I thought that I have finally have figured out this stupid furnace.  But after feeling the baseboards in the room, I figured out that the furnace was on because Josh was in the shower.  So after over an hour worth of work on the thermostat that was supposed to take 15 minutes, I still wasn't done.  So what was I to do?  It was time to take a break, think about what I was doing wrong and maybe something will click.

So I took that break and watched some TV in the den.  Since it was now after 10, Josh was in bed sleeping and Lindsay was in bed doing homework, so working on the upstairs thermostat was out of the question.  Good thing there was a thermostat in the den that I was able to work on.  So I opened up the new thermostat and again followed the instructions.  As I was taking off the old one, there was something different about this one.  The two wires that were connected were red and white.  Yea, that's what I thought.  The last one was red and yellow.  So I followed the instructions and put red to red and white to white.  Then I screwed it to the wall and connected the thermostat to the Base.  Turned the power back on to the thermostat and then pushed the heat up to 80 degrees.  Then guess what happened, the thermostat TURNED ON!!!!  The instructions were right, it really does take 15 minutes (when the right color wires are connected to the furnace).

So after basking in the glory for a minute I was determined to finish the first one I started.  Since there was a yellow and a red, I decided keep the red connected to the red but to connect the yellow wire to the white.  That seems like the right logical thing to do, right?  Well anyways, after connecting that I put the thermostat on the base and turned the heat up to 80 Degrees and guess what happened.  The furnace clicked on and the radiators became hot FAST!  I finished the last one a few days later.  So after a few hours of work, I completed the thermostat project and am still alive to tell the tale!  Overall, this wasn't too bad of a project, just hope that the wire's are connected the right way and it will actually take 15 minutes!

Wasted space

There’s something wrong with this picture. Can you guess what it is?

 

Normally, people park their car INSIDE the garage, but not me. My little Honda has been parked OUTSIDE of the garage since the day we moved in. (Please note Jay’s car is conveniently parked in the adjoining carport. Wouldn't want him to get his hair wet.)  So one may ask, “Lindsay, why don’t you park your car where it belongs?”  My answer – I can’t! The garage is chock full of stuff – boxes, furniture, sports equipment, tools, etc that were thrown there in all of the moving chaos. Despite all of the changes we've made inside, we have yet to make it to the garage. After nearly two months of not utilizing this wonderfully amazing space, I knew it was time to clean this baby out. It’s the perfect weekend project - it provides instant results, it’s a form of exercise and best of all, it’s FREE!

So, last Saturday Jay and I set off to tackle the mess. And boyyyy, do I mean mess. Don’t believe me? Check it out yourself. (Note: We are entering a judgment free zone. This is not my finest moment. By no means am I proud of all the stuff we’ve accumulated and left in that space, but with an active 11 year old, a crazy lacrosse schedule, full-time jobs and school…it is what it is.)

Before:

Making some progress:

Five hours later (Ok so it didn’t take five straight hours. I stopped for some chalk fun and a slip n slide adventure), I had space to park my car!

Ta-da!

 

That’s a job well done if I do say so myself. Future plans for this space include a workbench, better defined spaces for our items (aka 5Sing for all of my UTC people), and added storage racks. However, for now, I will simply bask in the joy of my new parking space.

50 shades of gray

No, I’m not talking about the salacious new book that everyone is reading; I’m talking about Chateau Marut, of course! Fifty shades of gray is the perfect way to describe our home.

Recently, we took on the daunting  exciting task of painting our 26x13 dining room, window frames and all! A 40% paint sale at Sherwin-Williams recently inspired and propelled us to complete this project sooner than we had originally plan.  Actually, we were supposed to get the paint and start the next weekend; however, before I knew it, I was sanding and priming the wood trim. I meannn…when will I learn??

Don't remember what our wood-stained window trim looked like? Let me refresh your memory. 

Hours later, with tears in my eyes, I turned to Jay to complete the second coat on the frames. He did a good job, don’t you think? 

Although painting the trim made a huge impact, we didn’t stop there! Onto the walls! (Note: we decided not to paint the actual window because we were afraid of ruining the functionality of it. There is nothing worse than a window sticking when you are trying to open it!)

The color we chose for the walls is called passive (mistakenly referred to as passion by my husband). Categorized in the cool neutral family, this gorgeous shade of gray is perfect for our dining space.

I couldn’t muster up the strength to take pictures while we painted, so check out the before and after pictures!

Before:

After (The color is a bit hard to read in the photos, but I assure you it's the a perfect shade of gray!):

Best of all, we finished this project just in time for Josh's 11th birthday. Happy birthday, Josh!

(Special shout-out to my amazing husband who despite a terrible cold, helped his crazy wife paint a room in record time!)

Movin' on up!

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the Maruts have their first ever dining room table! Sure, it’s a hand-me-down from someone we've never met, but it sure beats the plastic folding table and less than desirable blue chairs we were using when we first moved in.

My lovely friend, Elisabeth, hooked us up with the owners of a very large and very FREE table. Though the table was a bit more ornate than we wanted, how could we turn down a FREE (did I already mention, FREE) 8 ft table?!? We couldn’t! So we set off with Jay’s dad’s truck to pick up the table, two leaves, 6 chairs and a table pad. Score! Check it out.

(Comfortable, Chloe?)

So what are my plans to make this table more in style with our taste? Well, I was sort of all over the place with it! My initial idea was to paint the table yellow, raincoat yellow that is. Yup, you heard that right! Actually, everyone I told had a look of shock and disbelief on their face. Now before you think I've gone off the deep end, let me give you a visual. Maybe something like this?

Ok, I thought…maybe they just don’t get my vision. However, after pondering the idea of a bright yellow table for a few days, I started to realize I don't have the guts to do it! So, my next idea was to paint everything white. Of course I’m thinking outsource and Jason is thinking DIY. I don’t think DIY would give us the results we wanted. We would certainly run the risk of chipping paint and an uneven finish. On the other hand, I highly doubt I would spend the money to get the table professionally finished, so the idea of a white table was soon lost.

The funniest thing happened though as I let go of all of my crazy ideas. The table actually grew on me. Sure the ornate design kinda conflicts with the modern(ish) feel we were going for, but it is interesting and it serves its purpose. Therefore, I chose to embrace; to take it for who it was – a FREE, ornate table, with character. Eventually (aka when I regain my sanity), I would like to change the fabric on the seats as it is a bit boring. Maybe an interesting, funky fabric will help bring cheer to our dining room.

All the small things

Lately, it seems as though all of our money has gone to practical items like electronic thermostats (more on that later), tools, paint, putty, etc.; however, unbeknownst to my husband (love you, Jason!), I have managed to snag a few decorating items that I absolutely love!  Besides, who says pretty things aren’t practical! 

First, check out this sleek table that I purchased from Joss and Main (an online members-only site that offers limited-time sales on items for your home and life; jossandmain.com).  You may remember from previous pictures this spot temporarily housed a bulky Ikea storage unit. Well not anymore! I love the way this space looks now. (Might I add how practical it is! I occasionally store keys and sunglasses on it, thank you very much.) 

On the top of this very practical table are a few new items such as this funky lamp from Target, Bob the ceramic koi fish from Home Goods (yes, Josh named him), a milk glass candy dish from a second-hand store and a cheery red bartender tray from Joss and Main. 

I purchased this AMAZING sunburst mirror. I have always dreamed of owning a mirror like this for years (I know, what an aspiration!). I happened to spot this beautiful baby while procrastinating from doing homework browsing the Joss and Main website one evening.  What a great find!

These two bright beauties came from Home Goods. While on a shopping spree with my dear mother, the bright yellow urns caught our eye. After staring at them for a full 10 minutes, we knew I had to get them. Though I’m not quite sure where to put them (currently they are shining brightly on the bar), I know they will add a nice pop of color to any room.

As I’m sure you’ve seen from our previous house tour, there is not a rug, carpet or patch of softness in the entire main living area. So naturally, I’ve been keeping my eye out for a rug for at least the living room to start.  I thought something cheery and light would be nice.  Joss and Main was having a rug sale one evening and I found yellow and white patterned rug for a great deal. I figured this would be the perfect addition to our living room, but unfortunately, I was WRONG! I really tried to like it, I really really did. But in the end, it just wasn’t what I thought it would be, so off to the spare bedroom it went! The hunt for a living room carpet continues.

Here I am trying:

Really trying:

See ya later, yellow carpet:

I picked up another carpet (yes, another Joss and Main find), but this time it was a runner. Originally, I thought it would look nice in the entry hall, but the gray and white pattern competed with the slate stone. So off it went to the upstairs hall. It certainly looks great there, if I do say so myself.

Geez, I’m glad I wrote this post! Going back and reading everything that I’ve bought in the past month has made me realize that I may have a bit of a shopping addiction! No more Joss and Main…for at least a week ;)

“Lindsay, flowers need water or they will die..”

…says my husband after I couldn’t figure out why my newly potted pansies were on the verge of death just one day in their new home. I mean sure, that’s common sense – all living things need water in order to survive. I guess I’ve just always had this notion that plants were self-sufficient; that once you plant them outside Mother Nature does her job and they flourish and everyone is happy. I suppose my dead daffodils will tell you my thought process is WRONG. (Blame it on 10 years of apartment living!) So, I am on a mission to become one with nature…or at least our yard. Well, maybe “one with nature” is a strong statement. Let me rephrase - my mission is to become more aware of my outdoor surroundings. (I don’t think I’ll ever become one with bugs and snakes, which of course I think are lurking around every corner.)*

So what was my first step in this mission? I bought myself a watering can, of course.

Well, the first one I bought was a poor excuse for a watering can, but I thought the color was pretty. Jay ended up surprising me with this fine green, sturdy watering can the next day.

No longer dying of thirst, my pansies are thriving – CHECK! (I desperately tried to water those daffodils, but there was no reviving them. They are as a dead as a doornail. Oh well, maybe next year.)

Now let’s take a look around the rest of our yard. I’ll also take this opportunity to provide updates on a few outdoor projects that we’ve begun.  This is the front of the house (might recognize it from our logo at the top of the page). We live on a bit of a hill, so that incline you notice is real and not just the result of a poor photographer.  Eventually we will need to trim down the bushes, they are getting a bit overgrown. I would love to make some other changes like add a little color to the front, but quite honestly, I'm not even sure where to begin. Heck, I could barely keep those pansies alive!

Over to the left is my favorite thing about our property...our gorgeous birch tree! Since this is our first month in the house, every time I look outside I see a new surprise blossoming. Check out those pretty pink plants. Not sure what they are, but I love 'em!

Let's keep going to the left to the left (sorry, couldn't resist a little Beyonce reference). This is the side of our yard. (The first picture is looking from the front to the back. The second is a view from the back yard looking to the front.) Check out that cute little lilac tree that just started to blossom. I've always wanted a lilac tree so you can imagine my surprise when what I thought what was a dead plant sprouted into a pretty purple blossom. I'm no expert gardener, but I'm sure it needs some pruning. Add pruning shears to my list of things to buy!

Off to the back yard we go. The owners before us built this pretty little blue stone patio. (Don't mind the dead weeds in the cracks. Josh's home project this weekend was to spray the weed killer.) 

Let's mosey on back now. This is a view from the wayyyyy back. 

It pretty much gives you a clear shot of everything...including those HOLES. Now let me just say that if there is uneven ground, a dip, a hole, or even the slightest change in level ground, my husband will find  stumble into it. Next thing you know he'll roll his ankle and be on bed rest for a week. Let's just say, he "found" the 2 ft deep hole... and a few others for that matter.  As a result, one of Jay's most recent projects was filling those dangerous holes to prevent another injury. Four bags of soil and two bags of top soil later, the holes were filled. He topped each hole with grass seed and off he went watering them (with our new hose and sprinkler might I add) till his heart's content.

Quick fact about our house. We learned many things about our house and its previous owners at the closing. One of the most interesting things we learned was that immediately after moving in (9 years ago), the previous homeowners filled in the brand new pool and the surrounding cement patio. Although I'm happy we don't have the expensive of a pool at this time, I'm sure I'll be cursing them when that 90+ degree heat starts to filter in. Oh well, let's break out the slip -n- slide!

*(I know, I know it's been a while! Life got in the way of blogging, but don't worry, I'm backkkk and ready to update on what we've been up to.)