Wild Weekend

What a crazy weather weekend here in our Nation's Capital.

The weather was crazy. It was 77 degrees on Friday.
Everyone and I mean everyone was outside.
It's always funny to see that first spring like day around here.
It's like everyone has been let out of prison and they are all outside enjoying the fresh warm air. Everyone was on bikes, walking their dogs, playing ball with the kids, or just sitting on their porch. Everyone was happy.  The warm weather brought out the endorphins I guess.
I like that it finally rid our streets and sidewalks of all the remaining mounds of snow which is always a treat.

Saturday we had 55-65 mph winds and the temp dropped to the low 50's.
Not bad but after Friday we were all a bit spoiled.

Saturday while walking Izzy we about blew over. Seriously.
I felt like I was Dorothy and she was Toto.
Izzy doesn't like wind in her face. She won't stick her head out a window in the car.
(she's weird like her human mom)
She was blinking her eyes & putting her head down because the wind was really bothering her eyes apparently. I was holding on to her leash for dear life because I felt like it was going to knock me off my feet.  If she wasn't 67lbs I would have picked her up and ran back home. But my chubby girl had to run along side me as best she could to get home.  At least she did her business quickly because she wasn't thrilled with this wind.

I'm sure you all saw on the national news that the tree in front of the White House that has been there for 34 years (the one they light for Xmas each year on TV) fell over and snapped as well.  Crazy wind caused fires and wreaked all kinds of havoc around here.

Sunday Rick and I figured we better go out and look over the damage.
We could only see our roof from across the street.
So as we walked across the street we noticed other neighbors doing the same.
We lost a lot of shingles and our roof vent broke off as well.

It's supposed to sleet/snow tonight and we have a big hole now on our roof.
If you don't laugh you'll cry!  
We called the insurance company this morning. 
Apparently they are very busy today with trees fallen on cars, homes and roofs like ours.

On Saturday with the winds howling we hunkered down inside all day.
There were a lot of things that I should have done that day.
The typical mundane things like laundry, vacuuming and unload the dishwasher but I just didn't want to do any of it.  Aargh!
So I said to Rick, "What is on your agenda for today?"

"I was thinking of tackling that garage but you could persuade me to do something else. Do you have plans?"

"What can we do that is cheap or free?"

Of course he burst out laughing and with a wink he says, "Oh I know what we can do that is free."

"Yes, but that is only 2 minutes - what about the rest of the day?"

"2 MINUTES?? - hey I beg to differ missy, give me some credit here - at least 3 minutes!"

"Honestly sex is the only thing you can think of? What is wrong with you?"

"I beg your pardon. I'm a normal red blooded American man who doesn't want to clean his garage and that loves his wife. What is wrong with that?"    

"notice how you said clean your garage first?!"

So 3 minutes later we are rummaging through the garage and I can't believe this site.
I honestly hate walking in here.
Aside from the freezer out there I try to stay away from our garage where he makes things, fixes things and does who knows what.

As I have told you all before he is Mr. Handy and I love it and put his skills to work all the time. But that creates a garage which is filled with tools and equipment that looks like a mess to anyone but him.

As I was standing in the garage on Saturday afraid to move I see the tile he brought home to do our fireplace surround.  We've had this for some time now. (year ?)
I suggested that we attempt this today.  We never did it because we didn't have time.
We have a lot of time right now let's give it a go.  So we did.  I grabbed the tile and the high heat resistant paint on the shelf for the inside of the firebox.  (notice in before photo it is white and ugly)

We headed to the kitchen and set up to get started.
Now I am not a fan of working the saw but I can put on the "stuff" (that is the technical word for what holds it on the wall) like frosting a cake. I can paint as well as a professional so off to work we go. He saws and I put it up there.  He grouts and I paint. Great system.

So here is an old picture of the before (which I forgot to take on Saturday)
As you can see this is our kitchen area (counter top in corner)
It's also at Christmas time but who knows what year.
Ugly huh?.

And here is a photo of the after.

I'm still camera impaired as you can see it's a bit blurry isn't it?
Perhaps I should start drinking it may help my picture taking.
Even better, maybe I just shouldn't stop.

The red light is the off light on the TV which you can't really see.
Trust me it's not that bright in real life.
I should have closed the doors to the TV but I was focused on the tile....sorry 'bout that.
I do love the end result though.
It cost us nothing on this particular day and I think it looks so much better don't you?
All told it only took us 1 1/2 hours. (and 3 minutes)

Just in time for a bottle of wine.