We Lift Things Up and Put Them Down.

Ed and I spent the entire weekend at the house working away and also working on our muscles.  As a matter of fact, don't be surprised if you come to the house you hear Ed and I speaking something like this:

Since we have bid our hasta la-bye-byes to the furnace, we have to do a lot all of the contractor work our awesome sauce contractor, Tom, was supposed to be doing (well, besides refinishing the hardwood floors and plumbing).  This has it's pros and cons.  Pros: We gain homeowners fix-it how to knowledge and some biceps/triceps/a more toned physique.  Cons: It get's done in two times the amount of time because it is usually Ed and I and 2 or 3 other people - not a truck load like Tom would have.  Am I complaining?? Heck no!  Bring on the challenge!  

This weekend brought about some surprises and discoveries and awesomeness by siblings!  (I love the word awesome; it's such an all encompassing word.)  First off, THANK YOU Will, Mandy and Adam! Will came down to help Ed with the electric - considering he's a badass pro - and Mandy and I, well, we lift things up and put them down.  Remember the basement/rec room with the fireplace and icky floors? 

We destroyed them.  Mandy and I took up those floors with ease and neatly piled those cat-pee-smellin (oh it's AWFUL!) wannabe fake wood boards in a hot mess of a pile in the garage.  Underneath the faux(pas) flooring was more flooring which looked original.  I was able to take these tiles up carefully and with ease, but they left a black not-so-sticky-anymore adhesive which, according to Google, is called Mastic or Cutback adhesive and *could* contain asbestos.  Before you freak out, take a deep breath.  The tiles removed came up like glass creating minimal to no dust/particle fibers in the air and the mastic will be removed with Bean-e-Doo, a environmentally friendly (and lung no-harsh-make-you-pass-out-from-fumes friendly) soybean adhesive remover that when done working its little bean magic, will turn the mastic into a motor oil type substance that can be scooped up and cleaned up with kitty litter.  How cool is that?!  Keeps all potentially harmful fibers out of the air and is tree-hugger friendly!  My mother-in-law would be proud! 

Ed took care of a lot of plumbing in the bathroom and we scored an almost new deck/patio set for our favorite price: F-to-the-R-to-the-double-EE!  If not for Adam and his work van, we would have lost out - Thank You, Adam!

We also discovered something in the front yard that Ed and I are stoked about!  Ready?  We have fruit trees!!  Yes plural; as in multiple different varieties of fruit growing in our front yard.  We have an apple tree, a pear tree, a peach tree, and a raspberry bush.  We also discovered we have mint growing in the front too, which my dad scowls at; I smile and say 'fresh mojito's, anyone?'.