Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Gameroom Roof Update

We are determined to get this roof completed even if it means working in the dark...
...with snow on the deck and roof, ice on the extension ladder, and the cord to the electric circular saw laying in the snow.  It was even sleeting for a minute or two.
Today we worked on the roof until we finished the south side of the roof.  The north side needs 3 more pieces cut but they are tedious odd shaped pieces and there is ice all over everything.  We need a day of sunshine to melt the ice so we can finish.  But I don't expect sunshine anytime soon.  We are in one of those grey periods where you never actually see the sun.  Today's high was 28 degrees and I heard on the radio that the average temperature for today is 48 degrees.  What I would give for just 2 or 3 more days of 48 degrees.

It was so cold outside that the cats came out onto the deck and then immediately wanted back in.  They stared at us working while they sat at the kitchen window wagering on which one of us would slide off the ladder first.

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Friday, November 23, 2018

Black Friday and Weekend Sales Codes

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!! Sorry this is so long.
Here are some sale codes that are not readily available for some sites that usually don't advertise here in the US. 
Want to save even more?? Sign up for Ebates to get 1% to 20% More in savings. Use this link and you get a $10 gift card (after you spend 20 bucks using Ebates) and I get credit for the referral. Ebates has been around for years and even advertises on TV. In the 6 years that I have been using Ebates I have saved over $800. They send quarterly checks.
You won't forget to use Ebates if you add the little E to your Favorite Bar because it will prompt you if you visit a site that offers Ebates such as eBay, Etsy, or the other 1800+ sites.
The % changes daily or weekly and sometimes I put items in my cart and then wait until the % goes up. Last week I save 10% on an Etsy purchase. Today eBay is 2% and Etsy is 3% (Etsy is almost always 1%)
I just saved at Misguided and Asos. I'm heading to Cult Beauty to see if anything I use is on sale. If you haven't tried The Ordinary products found on Cult Beauty, you are missing out. They sell just the active ingredients in small bottles so you use just a few drops daily. I use the Moroccan Argan oil on my neck and the Hyaluronic Acid on my face. Lanolips is a great product, too.
Some of the sites listed below are in UK pounds. Some can be changed to USD and others are converted when you pay with credit card or PayPal. If you need more info on The Ordinary products just ask me, I have used about 50% of their products.
+ LUISAVIAROMA CYBER WEEKEND COUPON CODE RS1130
US, AU & ASIA:
Extra 20% off sale
Code: RS1120
Valid Nov 20-27
(Offers exclude starred items.)
+ Luxury Fashion & Accessories
Coach: http://bit.ly/2R5AecY
20% Off selected lines with code BF2018
T&C: 20th - 25th November
Selfridges: http://bit.ly/2R9QsSr
Discount will be up to 20% off sitewide, using the code SELFCCE
T&C: 21st - 26th November
MyTheresa: http://bit.ly/2FAF4xt
Extra 30% off Sale category
T&C: 23rd - 26th November
+ Fashion & Accessories
Pandora: http://bit.ly/2RaHp3x
Spend £125 or more and receive a limited edition sterling silver bangle
T&C: 19th - 26th November
Missguided: http://bit.ly/2KsuWG0
20% sitewide with code: TEQUILA
T&C: 20th November. New promotions each day
ASOS: http://bit.ly/2QcNzmN
20% off sitewide
T&C: 22nd - 26th November
River Island: http://bit.ly/2TDjbAH
Up to 30% off Women/Men Winter Treats
T&C: 19th November onwards
T&C: 20th November
+ Beauty
Charlotte Tilbury: http://bit.ly/2PPGZDm
Up to 50% off selected lines with new promotions every day
T&C: daily promotions starting 19th November
30% off FLAWLESS FACE MASKS KIT
T&C: 20th November only
Cult Beauty: http://bit.ly/2R3J8HY
Up to 40% off selected items
T&C: started 20th November
+ US Only
Up to 40% off in designer clearance
T&C: started 20th November


Monday, November 19, 2018

Quick Roof Update

Finally a day without rain or snow. 
 We have one last very short rafter to install because we ran out of daylight.
Tomorrow we install the plywood.
Then the roof felt and drip edge.

Can't wait to be done with this project so we can get onto installing the vintage exterior french doors.

I told you it would be quick.

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Saturday, November 10, 2018

Roof Update, Snow, and Winter Car Maintenance

All we need is two days of weather that is not dropping rain, sleet, or snow out of the sky.  The temperature has dropped from the 50's to the low 30's and I am really not happy about that.  What happened to the days of 40 degrees temperatures?  I've already hauled out my winter boots, gloves, and coat.  Now comes the 6 months of winter and days that have little sunlight.  I swear it gets dark at 430PM.

The photo below shows the progress on the roof at the end of last week.  We have made a little additional progress but basically this is where we are at the moment.  Four more short rafters and then the plywood sheathing.
We feels like we are spinning our wheels.  Today for example I ran up town to get something and then we were going to work on the roof.  I was at a traffic light and put on my left turn indicator and it started blinking real fast.  That is an indication of that either the front or the back turn signal bulb is burned out.  Just great.  There are several chain automotive supply stores in the area so I stopped at one to get a bulb but first I needed to know if it was the front or back bulb.  So before I went into the store I checked and it was the rear bulb but I noticed my driver side headlight bulb has burned out.  Who knows when that happened because I haven't driven at night in eons.

Long story short.  It took us all day to change out the rear turn signal bulb because you need to remove the entire tail light assembly to change the bulb.  Who designs tail lights that need to be removed to change out a bulb?  Obviously the same person who designed the front headlight assembly.  

We still need to replace that bulb but like I said it gets dark at 430PM.   The method for removing that bulb is to access the headlight assembly from the back through an access opening in the wheel well.  We removed the access cover and turned the tire as far right as we could but still couldn't reach the bulb.  So tomorrow we remove the wheel/tire and replace the bulb.

I  was talking to someone later in the day and she said they had to take their vehicle in to the dealership to have a headlight bulb changed.  R and I just can't won't do that.  It is bad enough that those two bulbs cost 28 bucks but then to add on a dealership fee of at least $100.......ouch.
But while I was at the auto parts store I noticed everyone coming out with new wiper blades in their hands.  Some people were changing them in the parking lot.  So here is a friendly reminder to check out your windshield wiper blades now before the first big winter storm hits.  If your blades are OK but probably won't make it through the winter, just throw the used blades under your seat in case you ruin your new blades during an ice storm.  Been there, done that.  Never force them when they are frozen to the windshield.

Also, top off that windshield washer solvent bottle and squirt a few drops of oil into your door locks.  When the battery dies in your key fob and you try to use your key to unlock the door, but the lock is froze up from salt and road dirt, you will wish that you had squirted a few drops of oil into the lock mechanism.  Fun fact....it is mostly the driver side that locks up because the driver side gets more road salt/snow because of oncoming traffic spraying the driver's side as they drive by.

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Sunday, November 4, 2018

Update on the Game Room Roof

Progress has been slow due to the weather, appointments, and the fact that we are rookie roof framers.  The weather is cooler colder but not too bad, but it is the rain that is the problem.  We worked on the roof one afternoon while the precipitation waffled back and forth between a mist and small rain drops.  We finally quit when the deck started getting slippery because all of the leaves that fell in just 2 days.
The photo below was taken several days ago (so we are further along) and we are ready to put plywood sheathing on the gable end.  We had to wait until we knew what our roof pitch would be before we could settle on a gable vent style.  The house has two styles of gable vents and one of the vent styles is in the photo below and at the top of the photo.  
Our roof pitch is one that doesn't have a ready made gable vent in this style so we are going with the style of gable vent in the photo below.
We can make the vent after we finish with the roof as long as we make the cut out for the vent before we sheath the roof.
So that is where we are with the roof but we are getting there.  We are getting burned out on this project so the day we put down the felt paper and nail the drip edge on can't happen soon enough.  The roof shingle part will be hired out.  

We removed all the plants from the window boxes and the bareness is killing me so my plan is to fill one window box a day with evergreen cuttings.  One year I waited too long and the soil was frozen solid so I had to use hot water to thaw it out.  That was both a hot and cold mess.

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