Faucets that Fit

I'm a bit germ-phobic. I'll admit it. I wash my hands a couple dozen times a day. I realize that is more than most people, but I'm okay with that.

My point is this: when I chose faucets for the sinks in my house, I was looking for a few key things:

First, that I had plenty of room under the spigot to scrub my hands without scraping my knuckles against the sink.Second, that I could turn the knobs easily, and possibly with the back or heels of my hands, so I have minimal contact with them. For me, that meant lever-style handles.Third, that they could be easily cleaned, with few nooks and crannies for gunk to build up.

Highly Recommended: Extra Deep Kitchen Sink

I've been in kitchens where the sink is so shallow that you can hardly submerge a soup pot in the dishwater. Or the faucet spout is so low, you have to move it aside to maneuver dishes around as you wash. What a pain!

Mom was all for a deeper sink, too. She ought to know. When she built her house back in 1989, she didn't make any special decisions about the kitchen sink, and so they just put in your standard contractor-grade sink. I know at the time mom was thinking, hey, I'm going to have a dishwasher, I won't need a big sink to do dishes. But she soon learned that sometimes you don't want to fill a quarter of your dishwasher with just one big stock pot, a giant colander or mixing bowl. I'm sure she wishes she could put in a nice deep sink like the one we picked out for me, but since there is nothing really wrong with hers, she can't justify changing it. Maybe someday.

We were determined to get the deepest sink we could find, but we ran into a bit of a snag. We found out that our choices would be rather limited because we had a width restriction. I think there were about three models for us to choose from. We picked one we like, and I am very happy with it. The sinks with three bowls are awfully nice, though, if only one would have fit.

Anyway, mom and I highly recommend splurging for this extra if you are in the market for a new kitchen sink.

Clean Counters I Strive For

Just look at all that work surface, would ya? This is what I aim for:

But it rarely stays like this for long.

Usually, it looks more like this:

Bathing Beauty

Right this moment, Oliver is getting a bath. Lewis sent me this picture with the cell phone.

Doesn't he look miserable? It's just terrible the way we torture this poor creature. Forcing him to be clean and smell nice. It's a shame, I tell you.

First Signs of Spring

I'm relieved to see new buds on my purple-leaf plum tree. I was mildly worried about it making it through the winter. I haven't really been watering it because we've gotten a fair amount of precipitation this season. But it got a good solid start last spring, and I think we can rest easy now.

And I am very excited to see all those buds on my lilac. I think I had four blossoms last year, and I'm hoping for even more fragrant blooms this spring.

Re-organized: Fridge Style

My Nan surprised me yesterday by cleaning my fridge while I was at work.

Isn't it great? All shiny and clean.

Oliver certainly approves.
Nanny does this sometimes, comes over when she knows I am away and cleans something. It is a wonderful surprise to come home to. Yesterday, the downstairs bathroom and the oven also benefited from Nan's visit.

This is all in preparation for the Pampered Chef party that I am hostessing on Sunday.

Quilling

Of the many things I've inherited from my grandmother, I've always been rather fond of these little pieces. The quintessential 1970s owl.

And the three little panels of intricate flowers. Forgive me, they are a bit dusty, but I'm not sure how to dust them without damaging those delicate little curls of paper.

This type of craft is known as paper filigree, or quilling. A neat little hobby, if you've the patience.

Heat Lamps in Cold Bathrooms

One of the greatest things we put in this house are the heat lamps for the bathrooms.

Mom was the one to suggest it, and knowing from experience how nice it was in grandma Millie's bathroom, I knew it was a good idea. Particularly since there is no heat source in either bathroom.

We did discuss putting in the mat type of radiant heating at one point, but my dad said he didn't think it was a good idea. Too much of a risk with leaks. I think he's wrong, but what do I know? I just think he didn't want to be the one to install it. Daddy and grandpa don't like technology.

Anyway, I think it would have helped take the chill off the bathrooms a bit better than the heat lamp on those cold winter mornings. I know you can put them under tile, and I'm pretty sure you can use them with cork as well.

But anyway, the heat lamps are great, and I'm very glad mom suggested them.

They have a timer, I guess so they don't overheat, but I often use the timer like an alarm in the mornings. When the heat lamp goes off, it's time to be done in the bathroom.

I only wish they came in some kind of cool, retro finish. This plastic doesn't really say bungalow to me.

Comparing Bungalows

We went to an open house on Sunday. It is a little bungalow, similar to mine, built in 1938. Mostly I wanted to go out of curiosity. Actually there have been many open houses I've wanted to see over the years, but I've been too timid to go since I am not actually house hunting. But this time was different. First of all, I talked mom and Lewis into going with me. Secondly, they are asking almost twice what I paid for my house just five years ago, and I wanted to see how Oliver's Bungalow would compare. We've put a lot of money into our house, and I've been afraid that, at least right now, we have more money sunk into the house than it is worth. Market value worth, not, you know, what it is worth to me. I know that most of the improvements we have made were necessary, long-term investments. But it is interesting to see something so similar, in our neighborhood, on the market for this price.


This little brick bungalow has some things that we don't have, but I still think our house comes out looking better. And if they really get anywhere near their asking price, I'm gonna feel a lot more comfortable about all the money we've spent.




Stuff the Open House Bungalow has that Oliver's Bungalow doesn't:
+ brick construction
+ driveway, off-street parking
+ - one car garage (straight into basement with no dividing walls, safe?)
+ beautiful back porch
+ cool beadboard porch ceiling
- new breaker box, but older electric wiring, outlets and switches
+ central air
- + tiny, tiny, but level lot, nicely landscaped
+ - wash up sink and urinal in basement (what girl doesn't have that on her wish list?)
- steep staircases
- no attic to speak of
+ more nook type storage spaces
+ first floor laundry
- possible foundation damage
- painted, but pretty, wood work (probably oak)

Stuff Oliver's Bungalow has that Open House Bungalow doesn't:

+ all new plumbing
+ two new, larger bathrooms
+ all new electric
+ all hardwood floors
+ restored chestnut wood work, more detailed
+ terrific wide staircases, with easy tread to riser ratio
+ more character
- metal siding covering stucco (in who knows what condition)
- crazy steeply sloped lot
+ more spacious, taller ceilings
+ more closet space
+ better kitchen cabinetry


All in all, it is a cute little house, with a lot of potential, but it needs some major work, just like my house did.

Loafin' Around

With the winter doldrums, Oli and I have been hunkered down in the house trying to keep warm, watching lots of movies and television.

Oli particularly likes Lauren Graham on Gilmore Girls. His ears perk up when he hears her voice, and he stares at the tv screen.

I've been baking a lot because turning the oven, or the breadmaker on makes the kitchen warmer. Plus, since the breadmaker is still a new novelty, it is getting heavy use.

Cinnamon swirl loaf...

Wheatberry loaf...