RTFM

I sometimes try not to use profanity, so I will not spell out what the acronym RTFM stands for, but a close approximation is “Read the Fool Manual”.

The type of “manual” I’m referring to is not the instructions on a bag of microwave popcorn or the ever-so-helpful directions on the liquid soap container. You can safely ignore those. No, I’m talking about the ones that matter- for example, the ones with detailed pictures or the ones written by someone you know personally.

If you grab those a-ma-zing Lego assembly instruction booklets and toss them out the window, you’re in for some trouble. You are GOING to have a stack of leftover pieces if you just “wing it” by looking at the picture on the front of the box. Read the doggone instructions- one stinking page at a time! Daggummit. RTFM.

If you are at work and someone hands you a document that you ask for because you’re trying to accomplish a task, how about you just read the thing and follow it- maybe even all of it. It’s not some poorly-translated “engrish fail” half-Korean, half-Sanskrit manual for a frying pan. No, it’s typically the product of hours of school-of-hard-knocks lessons. The author wrote the darn thing because he or she beat their head against a wall a few times and didn’t want to have to go through that mess all over again next year when they have to do their process again. RTFM, daggummit!

For any of you loyal readers that are asking yourselves “Why the rant? Don’t tase me, bro!” allow me to explain. I just sent an email with an attachment to a competent IT guy. He disregarded half of my instructions, which I dutifully repeated in my reply to his “this junk didn’t work” email. I wish that someone in his past had sat him down and told him, “Dude, RTFM. Every time. Daggummit. Seriously.”

So, consider yourselves all informed. I am officially sitting you all down and instructing you to pay attention, RTFM, and start doing that right now. Daggummit.

Geek Quiz results

74% Geek
Created by OnePlusYou - Buncha buggy quizzes

In case you can't see it, I scored 74%. Woot!

Closet update

Pocket Door installed...
And closet organization in place...yea!

There are still a few finishing touches (like door hardware and baseboards) - which we have bought...but haven't gotten to yet.

Also, the baseboards are waiting for the 'built in dresser', which I told Rob to put on hold while getting to other tasks (like my kitchen faucet!)- sterilite "drawers" will have to do for now!

Finally got "my" kind of faucet in - single handle (and the sprayer stops spraying when you release the handle...rather than drenching you!)

Next step: Drywall

Carolyn helped me paint the pocket door (she got the bottom half - I did the top then cleaned up her bottom half) - we still have the other side to do this Saturday...I wouldn't recommend hiring a 4 year old for painting jobs. :)Then, the exterior wall had no insulation - Rob took care of that.
Then, the drywall went up. (The joints and screws have all been 'mudded' once so far, and will need a second coat sometime this week before we paint it and add moulding.)

Wish Rob had another day off... 4 weeks til goal date...and counting (at least I am!)

Demolition done...ready for step 2!

This is all cleaned up after Rob and Seth finished the demo last night - all ready to start drywall on Friday! yea!We wanted to put in a pocket door, but weren't sure about dealing with the studs (changing them to "split studs") - but a blessing happened under the paneling! The wall has previously been set up for a pocket door (why they changed it I don't know?) - so excited!
More posting after the weekend...

Project 1: Closet Remodel

This is Beth posting for Rob...he probably should change the address of the blog - b/c the couch isn't moving. However, there is TONS of room for change in this house (just not in furniture rearrangement).

So,...to leave Legend Oaks behind (which he never finished posting about anyways), here is the first project of our new (40 year old) house! :)

This is how the girls' closet looked upon moving in (awful - 1 crusty rack that I can barely reach and pieces of wood nailed randomly to the wall, oh, and the tacky paneling didn't even cover all the way to the ceiling - about a 1" gap).

So, demolition begins (with Seth helping him) - first the crusty closet rack and nasty wood pieces come off...why were they there? We don't know? (We expected to find holes behind them!)

Then, all that yucky paneling comes off! (along with baseboards and parts of the door frame of course).



It's a decent sized closet - walk in actually (the only one in the house that's walk in) - so we decided to get creative. The twins' dresser is going to the baby (it has a changing table type top), so without any luck on craig's list, etc (and not willing to pay full price for a dresser), we are going to put some built-ins in the closet to hold the twins' clothes (maybe Carolyn's too?) - more racks, and some better shoe organization.

And the door (which swings into the closet, limiting what you can put in there) - that's coming down! It will be replaced with a different type of door, but we're still looking into what we want to make sure we can do it.

Well, we'll keep you posted! Goal Date for completion: November 14th

Ending Radio Silence - Part 3

Let's make some room!

The girls room had these completely worthless things called "toys," so we got rid of those.

We eventually took Carolyn's bed out as well.

Seth's room (which is now Seth and Carolyn's room) didn't lose as much, but we put the bunk bed in the far corner and greatly reduced the clutter.


Our bedroom went through a massive de-cluttering effort. We removed Beth's craft table, my exercise bike, and our guitars.


We removed the food storage shelves from under the shelf in the kitchen, which was a simple but great improvement in appearance.


Rearranging the living room accentuated the "open floor plan". It doesn't fit our personality at all, but it looks fine for now.


All that just so we could put one small sign in the front yard.