Quickbit - Bathroom Ventilation Fans

Me to Contractor: "I want the sleekest looking bathroom vent fan possible. Make sure it is really quiet too."

Contractor: "Why would you want a quiet vent fan?"

Think about it...

Turns out, ours are too quiet. Not just from the standpoint of masking "noise" but also we forget they are on all the time! I think we are going to put these on cheap little timers very soon.

End of Year - Date Mess Up!

It is that time of year when all of the files that you have been storing by date are going to get messed up if you start with the month. I would like this to be a nationwide movement, but maybe I am the only one who cares! YEAR FIRST PEOPLE!

For example, if you start with the date, month first, the newest one is no longer in order…

01-01-15 – January Expense Report 2015

02-01-15 – February Expense Report 2015

10-01-14 – October Expense Report 2014

11-01-14 – November Expense Report 2014

12-01-14 – December Expense Report 2014

Now, if we put the year first…

14-10-01 – October Expense Report 2014

14-11-01 – November Expense Report 2014

14-12-01 – December Expense Report 2014

15-01-01 – January Expense Report 2015

15-02-01 – February Expense Report 2015

See? Everything stays in order and your new files don’t move to the top (or bottom, depending on order) and you can easily see the newest file. This saves me valuable time and frustration!

Also, I had a studio leader as me to add the "20" in front of the year so that she new for sure that was the year... and I have no problem with that at all, so that is what I do now! Just a little tip for ya. :)

2015-02-01 February Expense Report

Insulation...

Let me start this disclaimer out by saying that insulation is a TOUGH topic to wrap your mind around... and I don't want you to take any of this as architectural advice, but more of a general conversation about insulation as a whole, and the many challenges and questions that you should ask yourself and your professional when you are thinking about insulating (or re-insulating) your home.

Here are some examples below:

1. What is my climate? Do I use air conditioning or heat more? Is it humid or dry where I live? 
2. What direction does my home face in regards to the sun exposure? Is it mostly shady or does my home receive direct sun most of the day?
3. How much can I afford when it comes to insulation?
4. Are there any pre-existing conditions which would determine the type of insulation I should use?
5. How is the condition or presence of a vapor barrier on my home?
6. Will the insulation be exposed to any of the elements? Air, rain, animals, etc.
7. Do I want to decrease my energy bill as much as possible, or is my home already quite efficient?
8. Where are my HVAC units located?
9. Do I have a hot damp crawl space or a hot damp attic?
10. Is this an older home or new construction? 

Basically, the main idea is to figure out your problem areas and the best way to fix them within your budget. I think insulation is has good, better, and best categories, and personally we went for the "better" for our home build.

Below I will share with you the choices that we made and why we made them:

Spray Foam:
The single most important number one place that needs to be insulated well is at your roof deck, and the best insulation out there is spray foam. We chose closed cell spray foam because it also adds some vapor protection and we are housing our HVAC units in the attic... this will put them underneath the insulation and within our thermal barrier, thus making them more efficient. We did pay about twice as much for it as we would have if we had gone with regular insulation, but a few thousand dollars now will save much more in the future.

Exterior Walls | R-19 batt insulation:
There are studies out there that have been conducted and there is also conflicting information about sealing a house too "tight" and that it "needs to breathe." This is one of the reasons that we went with batt insulation at the exterior walls. We want to keep out MOST of the water and humidity and heat down here in the south, but if some water happens to get in our walls via a window, etc. it will be able to get back out.

Crawl Space | R-30 batt insulation
This would have been the area in which I would have chosen to add spray foam if we could have afforded it. Even upgrading to R-30 in lieu of R-19 only cost about a quarter of the price of spraying foam underneath our house. We saved several thousand dollars and if we decide to add it in the future, it is much easier to add here than at the roof deck or within the envelope of the house.

Sound Batt Insulation
Any area that you can add sound insulation, especially between floors and including bathrooms, media rooms, and bedrooms at least, do it! I would say to just insulate at every interior wall for simplicity, but this may not be feasible. It cost us about $1,000 to have a much quieter house, but I have a feeling that after they install, we will be buying additional rolls from a hardware store and sticking it where we can!

I hope this helps! Any areas that I can share our home building experience with you, I will try to do it!

Note: Compressing batt insulation decreases the value of it... never force extra into a large space - leave it soft and lofty for maximum insulation-ability.

Sailing Trip Tips

We sailed for 7 days and 7 nights with two other couples in the Caribbean on a 38’ catamaran and this is what we learned! We went to St. Martin, St. Barts, and Anguilla.

1. If you like good head support when you sleep, bring a pillow. What we were provided might as well have been several tissues stuffed in a pillowcase.
2.  If you are not part of the crew, bring a book. Sailing is super fun, but 7 days of the same seas left plenty of time for reading.
3. Do not overpack… there isn’t much room on a boat. Instead bring 2 swimming suits, 3 beach coverups, and 4 outfits. The more that these can crossover, the better. I brought two pairs of flip flops, but could have just used 1. I also brought 2 beach towels, and although I brought them back, I was prepared to leave them in St. Martin. Don’t forget two pairs of pajamas that you don’t mind your friends seeing you wear! Several sports bras were a must for me. :)
4. As a couple, we brought 2 bottles of SPF 30 lotion and 4 spray cans of SPF 30 for reapplication. Include an SPF lip balm, sunglasses, and hat, and you should be good to go. I get burned medium easily and I didn’t get but a slight sunburn on my back one day when some of the SPF must have rubbed off.
5. They accepted American dollars almost everywhere we went. We brought $500 cash and spent an additional $250 on our debit card in groceries and this was plenty. Bring small bills for tipping.
6. Consider how you are going to preserve your sailing memories. We bought and brought a GoPro camera for pictures and underwater video and I also collected sand from each place.
7. Bring your own snorkel gear! The $50 spent is well worth it for an impromptu jump in the sea. I would test it out first in a pool before you leave, my original mask leaked so I had to get another one.
8. My husband was first mate and he was prepared with UV long sleeve shirts and gloves for the ropes. He definitely needed those gloves. He also rented a fishing pole from the marina for a week to fiddle with when he wasn't working.
9. The ladies made one trip to the grocery store, while the men got acquainted with the boat. We rented a car for $60 and spent $750 on groceries from the store (total), which included everything from the provisions list below.
10. Definitely check out the boat first to see what is provided… we had a percolator to make coffee (instructions here), no microwave, charcoal grill (did not use), and propane oven/range. Bring a large tervis tumbler with lid if you tend to like larger drinks that stay cold. The cups that were provided were just so-so.

*** Sea Sickness - this is a personal choice, but I only felt queasy one time in 8-10 foot seas and a quick trip to the side of the boat and looking at the horizon helped me out. One girl wore the seasickness bands on her wrists, and another took Dramamine but was pretty tired all week. No one else had any problems. ***

Our Provisions List – for 6 people for one week. (We ate about 3 meals on shore)

• 150 bottles of water
• 3 cases of beer (try the local Carib if you get a chance, very Corona-ish)
• 6 bottles of liquor, include a local rum – like Guavaberry!
• 6 bottles of mixers (2 liters of ginger ale, orange juice, sprite, etc.)
• Coffee, creamer, and sugar/sweetener
• Small dish-soap, trash bags, ziplock containers or storage bags, sponge, spray bottle of cleaner, toilet paper, and paper towels
• Snacks: Chips, dips, cookies, trail mix
• Breakfast: fruit, oatmeal, yogurt, cereal, milk
• Lunch: cold cuts, bread, sliced cheese, peanut butter & jelly
• Dinners: we took turns cooking and all girls did the cleaning (since the men did the sailing)
• Meal 1: Spaghetti noodles, Italian sausages, jar of red sauce, frozen garlic bread, shredded mozzarella cheese
• Meal 2: Frozen burger patties, buns, ketchup, mustard, onion, tomato
• Meal 3: Chicken tenderloins, bowtie pasta, alfredo sauce, broccoli
• Meal 4: Ground beef, seasoning, taco shells, sour cream, shredded cheese, black beans, salsa
• ICE! – We bought 2-3 bags of ice daily. The boat had a cooler, but it would melt per day and we would use ice in our drinks.

Messy Box?

I should preface this post with the fact that I am not a parent. I hope to be someday, but the below is an idea that I had that I wanted to write down.

Once my kids reach a certain age, and they don’t clean up their stuff, I want to have a giant box (maybe even with their name on it) that their stuff goes into if I am the one that has to pick it up after one warning. To get their items back they will have to do a chore or pay money. If it stays in the box for more than three months, maybe we donate it. And the money I collect can also go to the poor children who don’t have money for nice toys. The whole idea would be that they would respect and appreciate their belongings.

Just an idea to throw out there!

ROAD TRIP!

My friends, my husband, and I are taking to the road today for a 9.5 hour driving trip to Alabama for our friends' wedding! I do love a good road trip (at least on the way there) and I have compiled a small list below for necessities!

1. Hydration - water
2. Energy - Red Bull, 5 Hour, Mt. Dew, etc.
3. Snacks - salty & sweet!
4. Blanket and Pillow
5. Special Indulgences - fast food!?!
6. GPS
7. iPad or tablet for games
8. A good music mix
9. Cash - tolls, gas, etc.
10. Comfy clothes

I can't wait to get on the road with my good friends. The whole weekend will be wonderful and I will share some photos when I return!  

1980s Condo Transformed

The before (black and white) and the after of a condo I did at Folly Beach, SC. The closed stairway, carpeted floor, and dark kitchen were transformed into a bright and airy unit to be used by the owner and renters alike.

The owner originally called us to fix some items that had been neglected over time, such as a drainage issue at the porch, but the renovation grew in size and scope as our client realized the potential of his unit.

Opening up the stairway and removing a large pantry were two of the most instrumental parts of making the space feel larger. Durable finishes, paneled wainscoting, and updated color palette gave the space a fresher and more updated feel. Add a master bath renovation to that, and you have yourself an amazing rental!

Tips:

• Adding the wainscoting gives the unit some dimension and character.
• Running the flooring the width of the unit can make it appear wider (actual width only 13' wide!)
• Adding new lighting fixtures (even off the shelf from a big box store) is a quick and easy way to update any space - and can be relatively cheap! The dining fixture was only $85.00
• When painting a smaller space, avoid accent walls or multiple colors. Painting the room one cohesive color and having the same flooring throughout will make the space seem larger.

Project Specifications:

Paint: SW 6176 - Liveable Green
Flooring - Solid Hickory
Cabinets - White Bead Board
Countertop - Wilsonart 4588K-07 Kalahari Topaz

More Like Worst Present Ever

A surprise wedding is not a good idea for 99.99% of the population. In fact, even thinking that this could have been a possibility will now haunt my dreams for the rest of my days... I am just so glad that I am already married!

The gist is that a man, under the guise that he was planning the couple's own engagement party, set it up to be their actual wedding. According to this article, Adam wrote Carly a letter to explain what was actually going to happen (their wedding) instead of an engagement party and celebration of her homecoming from a 6 month sabbatical in Europe. With cameras already rolling, how could she react in any other way than thrilled?

As Carly read on, she soon discovered that Adam had planned every last detail, including picking a wedding dress, booking a hair stylist and makeup artist and inviting friends and family.

Barf.

Notice one little detail - NO ONE has pinned this article to Pinterest, there is a big fat 0 in the "Pin It" section. Want to know why? Pinterest is for wedding ideas that mostly girls have... and this, my male friends, is not one of them.

UPDATE:
A day later after the article went viral and STILL no pins to Pinterest. Men, if you have any questions on what to do to surprise your fiancee, I want to stress to you that THIS is not the solution.

Zippermend

Have you ever needed to fix your zipper but you didn't know where to begin? Well I did, recently, and found the perfect product for my needs. Just thought I would share! I got mine for about 7 bucks and my wrist-let was back to new in no time!

What's in a Name?

Weird? Personal pet peeve? I don’t care, I am just going to say it.

Don’t name your child Liam, Xander, Kate, Peggy, or any other name that is SHORT FOR SOMETHING ELSE!

Name your child William, Alexander, Katherine, and Margaret. It sounds much more formal and professional on a business card or deed and from there you can come up with a nickname. If you are worried that someone may try to form their own nickname for your child, either let them because it is adorable and you like it, or correct them and they are sure to never do it again. Then, when your child is old enough to think for themselves, they can decide what they want to be called. Isn’t that fair?

My husband is Steven. But people call him Steve AND Steven and one time his mom tried to correct me and say that it was Steven… but by this point he was 30 years old and very able to correct someone for himself. I mostly call him Steven, but he goes by either. I digress…

Regarding this whole issue, the one that gets me the most is naming your kid Tripp or Trey when they are not a III! If your name is, for example, Robert Griffin, III then by all means, feel free to be nicknamed and called Tripp or Trey, but not if you aren’t a third. It is just confusing.

Don’t even get me started on people in the south naming their baby the woman’s weird maiden name… Anderson or Thomas, yes, but do you really want to be named Blackwell, Schultz, or anything Polish? Didn’t think so.

Enough ranting for now. As you were. :)

Valentine's Day Prep

This year for Valentine's Day, I am spending the night with my girlfriend while our husbands go out of town for a Bachelor party together. I know, I am an awesome wife. haha ;)

It got me thinking about love and how we show our love all too often with food. Over the past 5-6 months, I have been really focusing on healing some chronic problems in my body with whole foods and supplements. Going mostly gluten, dairy, and caffeine free has been very hard for me, and although people have the best of intentions with their gift giving, maybe chocolates isn't the way to go this year?

 

If you are dating someone who is trying to lose weight and/or get healthy and they set a goal for him or herself at the new year, try to be supportive in ways other than taking them to dinner and/or ordering dessert. Valentine's Day isn't that far off from when they began their journey and if you become a help instead of a hindrance for them, this will go above and beyond their expectations.

Here are some ideas for expressing your love in ways other than a dinner date, chocolates, and flowers. All monetary values are included. For simplicity and since Valentine's Day is mostly for the woman (duh), that is how these ideas will be directed:

1. Rent out an old theater to play her favorite love themed movie just for you two. Maybe have a nice dinner brought in with a good bottle of red wine. Don't know her favorite love movie? Princess Bride should do the trick.
2. Take a secluded carriage ride (if available). Buy her a new soft down blanket and bring it along for a snuggle with some homemade low calorie hot chocolate. A quick stop to Starbucks beforehand will work if you can't make the drinks yourself, just make sure the order says "skinny" in front of it!
   
3.  If money is tight or you can't do something together on Valentine's this year, for whatever reason, send or give her a list of 25 things you want to do together over the next year with her Valentine's card. They could be as simple as getting some frozen yogurt to taking a trip. Just make sure you follow through with the list!
4. Cook her something healthy, including a healthy dessert like the one below, and spend a romantic night together at home. Build a fire, play some music, and buy her something pretty to put on - maybe a satin robe, massage oils, or other beauty products.
5. Speaking of massage oils, for the woman who has everything, how about a spa day and while she is gone, clean the house and prep for date night #4 above? Go a step further and hire a cleaning service to come back, repeatedly. 
6. How about completely washing the inside and outside of her car? Filling it up with gas and new windshield wiper blades or mats will get you bonus points. There is nothing I like more than a clean car.
7. If she has a dog, what about a cute new collar/harness and leash? Coach makes some really nice ones if you are in the mood to spend, or any pet store will have some too. Check online for cute accessories for their collar/harness as well, think bowtie for boys and flower for girls. Perfect time for a walk afterward to get some exercise!
8. A lady can spend HUNDREDS at the hair salon. It would probably mean the world to her to have you set up an appointment with her favorite stylist for hair (and makeup?!?) before a special night out. Bonus points if your city has uber or another less expensive car rental, taking one out could be a special treat. You can pull up to a play or other event in style. Be sure to take her through the drive through for a laugh!
9. Stay-cations can be a great idea for an extended Valentine's Day or two. Staying in a hotel in your downtown or nearby city can be just as exciting as a real vacation, as long as it is someplace new and out of the ordinary it will have the same affect. In our town you can find a cheap last minute rental on the beach, especially because it is off season. Look for rooms/housing with hot tubs and be sure to order room service for breakfast!
10. Think really hard about something she has always wanted to have or to do. Like REALLY hard. A new jacket (or bathing suit?!?) or touring a local place that she just can't seem to get to? Surprise her with a Pretty Woman-esque shopping spree or tickets. For this one, the thought might just count more than the money... there is always something that we've been "meaning to do."

The list could go on, but the idea is the same, your woman just wants to be thought about. Not getting her chocolates while she is trying to lose weight is step one, planning a date that she would love is just icing on the cake. See? There I go with the food again.

Chocolate-Avocado Mousse

 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli
4 very ripe (8 ounce) avocados, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Fresh raspberries, for garnish

Directions:
Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Place over a small saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
Place the melted chocolate, avocados, agave, cocoa powder, almond milk, vanilla and salt in a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Spoon into glasses and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (can be prepared 1 day in advance). Garnish with fresh raspberries and serve.

source

Leaving Notes

I feel like there are certain things that should remain in your childhood, and one of them is leaving notes for strangers and/or coworkers. Whether it is protecting your items or correcting behaviors, there has to be an adult way to take care of your problems, right?

There are some notes around my office and I am proud to say that, for once, I did not put ANY of them there! I think I may have crossed over an imaginary line of maturity when I turned 30. I no longer want to be the one that leaves a note out for replacing the toilet paper or leave a reminder for someone on how to park because when I saw the notes that other people left, well, I just don’t want to be like them.

Here are some examples of ways I have taken care of problems without leaving a note:

DISGRUNTLED DRIVER

While driving one day (not my usual route), I found that I needed to get over one lane to get on the highway. I immediately slowed down and turned my blinker on. While waiting a couple of cars I slowly moved over into the lane and started on the exit ramp. The man behind me was FURIOUS. He was waving his hand, flipped me off, and honking his horn. This was not even major rush hour traffic either; this was mid-day, and quite a nice sunny day at that.
THE FIX: He was driving a freaking business van! I called the number on the side of the van, reported his vehicle number to his place of business and explained the situation, only to find out that I was the second caller of the morning to report him and his supervisor would be speaking to him as soon as he got back to the office. Thank you, kind supervisor.

DISAPPEARING COFFEE CREAMER:

I rarely drink coffee, but when I do, I like to have a natural French Vanilla creamer to go with it. I keep said creamer in the office fridge (that of which has a note on the front of it exclaiming to ONLY eat or drink things that belong to you) and I used the creamer ONCE. About a week-10 days later I went to use it again and it was EMPTY. This was not a small bottle either; I sprang for the large size. I think the only thing that annoyed me more than the fact that I had to use the crappy powdered creamer is that they put it back into the fridge empty instead of in the recycling where it belonged.
THE FIX: At home, I transferred my creamer into a used but fully cleaned, 20 ounce plastic container with mountain dew on the label before I brought it into the office. When people don’t know what is in said bottle, they tend to leave it alone. I don’t mind sharing, but taking it ALL was just wrong.

NO MORE PAPER TOWELS

The bathroom I use is on the second floor and only about 5 people use it. When the toilet paper and paper towels are gone from under the sink, someone has to go to the first floors supply closet and get some more. For more than a year, only one person did it – yes, me. I would NEVER leave someone without a square of toilet paper and that happened to me several times, along with the paper towels on the regular.
THE FIX: I started bringing my own rolls with me and taking them back to my office when I was done and low and behold, someone else replaced them. This is an ongoing issue, but at least I broke the streak of being the only one to replace them for more than a year.

Also, I found these examples below to be particularly hilarious. See? I don't want to be that person! :)