Warning: Power Tool Use Imminent

I’m trying not to lose my momentum with my project completion here. I’m having many discussions with myself about whether it is better to seed and fertilize before or after the predicted rain over the next several days, if I should even be doing this in the spring rather than the fall, if I can do it alone or need to wait for help from my husband…blah blah blah. Having not come to any kind of a solid decision, I settled for mowing the front yard and finishing the de-thatching of said front yard by doing the last side yard. Doing that on a windy day was probably not the best choice, but it’s as done as I’m going to get it. I also went and picked up my new microwave and chest freezer from Lowe’s. They barely fit in the back of my van, whew!  So that’s what I accomplished yesterday.

I had many plans for great strides in the project department today, too. I didn’t get far. I spent much of the day dealing with homeschool group work, freelance work and spending some quality time with my older son. You see, we just ordered a Wii and it was imperative that we do some research online to see what games we might want to get for it. We bought a bundle and probably will exchange the games it includes for some other ones, so…of course the projects had to be postponed for this important activity. I’m not really a ‘gamer’, but I am excited about the Wii as it will be more active games, not just sitting on the couch exercising our thumbs. I was a little freaked out by the cost, but my friend Heather mentioned it being out of my physical education budget for homeschooling and somehow that made it feel a lot better.

What I did accomplish project-wise today was getting our range hood down in preparation for the over-the-range microwave. That was not easy and I got quite a workout. *insert flexing biceps visual* Come to find out, the range hood is not vented! I was sure it was vented out of the house, but no. I’m really surprised because this house is new enough for me to expect outside venting. However, that’s not the case, so we’ll be going the re-circulation route with the microwave fan. GE wants us to spend an extra $40 every 6-12 months on a charcoal filter for said re-circulation, but I’m pretty sure I know how to take care of it for much less. So no thank you, GE, you have enough of our money already.

I then started reading the installation instructions and getting the template ready.

Tangent: How do you pronounce the word template? I say ‘temp-lutt’ and my husband says ‘temp-layt’. I’ve never heard anybody else pronounce it the way he does. He claims the computer people he’s worked with say it the way he does. I find this odd. Anyway…

So I got my ‘templutt’ all folded to size and ready to go, then saw that I have to insert some wood blocks as filler because we have a recess under our cabinets. This is the way my projects are going. If there can be an extra step needed or something a little ‘off’ which causes a lot of extra work, that’s how it will be. Fortunately, I did locate one lone 2 x 4 in the garage, which is there for some unknown reason. I’m very glad I don’t have to go back to the home improvement store for yet another item this week!

So that’s where the power tools come into play. I now need to cut this 2 x4 to create 2 blocks of wood that will perfectly fit the recessed area under my cabinet so I can attach the microwave to them. This will involve sawing and sanding as the 2 x 4 is about 1/2 inch too thick for the recess. I will have bandages and tourniquets at the ready.

You may be asking yourself about now, “Where is her husband and why isn’t he doing this stuff?” That is a good question. And here’s the answer. My husband would most likely be doing this stuff if I weren’t so impatient and would wait for him to get to it. But his ‘get to it’ list is quite long and I’ve learned that if I want it done on my timetable, I need to do it myself. Which is fine. I’m fairly handy and like doing most of this stuff. So much of what I do in my life is intangible and invisible, it’s nice to do something that I can actually point to and say, “I did that!”, once in awhile. My husband is very good about jumping in to help me when I get to a point that needs more than one person to accomplish or I’ve managed to get myself into a situation I can’t figure my way out of.

So…that pretty much sums up my day. Other than a gaping hole where the range hood used to be, my home looks very much the same as it did when I got up this morning, other than some additional dishes and toys strewn about. There were already plenty to start with, thank you very much. Maybe I’ll get some house cleaning done tomorrow. Or not.

Tags: home improvement, projects, tools, Wii