online outlet

For those who have yet to hear...

JCrew has an online outlet on the weekends!!! 

best news of the year.

plumbing 201: leaky sink

This summer I took plumbing 101. With the help of Patrick and my dad we fixed our leaky pipe.

I have now advanced to the next level. I may not think twice about spending $100 at JCrew, but when it comes to spending money on 'fix it' things, I refuse. I am stubborn (thanks Mom and Dad...) and tend to think I can DIY with any and everything around the house.

I may have saved a LOT of money by not calling a licensed plumber...but if the 25 cent rule still applied to all curse words I'd be broke after this experience...

 (I use to make my dad pay me for cussing. he stopped real quick.)

the culprit

my tools (yes...rubbery jar openers)

 

Alright. Here it is.

The broken thing in the other picture goes under that big metal thing...the drain I think?

 Dad said I had to get that brass looking thing off to put a new one of the silver things on. This is where the rubbery jar opener comes into play.

Except that it didn't really work.

Off to Home Depot!

I show up, walk around with a blank stare, and a nice old man asked if I needed help. His name was Howard. I showed him my pictures and what I thought I needed - and we walked all around gathering supplies. He gave me a very detailed lesson about fixing my sink and when I had a panicked look on my face he reassured me that I would be able to do it. I almost asked if I could take his picture but figured he would think that was weird.

This wrench weighed as much as I do. I was getting arm cramps from trying to hold it, it kept falling off, and I couldn't get it tight enough, and then realized I needed another wrench or something to hold the other side. Thank God for rubbery jar openers....

After a VERY long fight, a lot of *@&;*'s, multiple texts to Pat and phone calls to my dad, it finally loosened up - see??!  

Now, I had very detailed instructions from Howard. Here is my $0.99 jar of plumber's putty that I rolled into a long string, circled around the drain hole and then smushed the drain back onto it real hard.

All of this work just to put this new piece of metal on...

Howard made sure I got these plastic rings that go between the pipes - he says that every time you undo these pipes you should replace the tiny clear plastic rings. If you don't, they may not fit back on the same and it will leak some more...so I did as he told me.

Test run. 

Sink full of water, took the plug out and not a single drop leaked!

I had a moment. I started getting nervous that maybe the other side was leaking too!?

So I did the same thing over there...

It stayed dry as can be down there!

 This huuuuuuuge wrench (see...it's as long as my upper leg!) is making a trip back to Home Depot. 

We have a love hate relationship after this experience...

wilson and court's visit

Courtney and Wilson came to see us!!!

Of course we went to the Arch, had a tour of the Brewery, ate some delicious food and what's a trip to STL without a car break in??

(sorry for the pictures, they're all from iphones...)

Courtney and I stalked the ice cream man while we waited for the police to come, trying to cheer Wilson up. 

We ate at a tapas restaurant, Modesto

Had our free beer at the end of our brewery tour

And celebrated Wilson's birthday at 1111 Mississippi...a very yummy restaurant in town. Patrick had too much work that night so he couldn't make it..

Our waiter brought Wilson a birthday dessert, with a 4th fork in honor of our missing guest...

And we ended the night at Vin de Set rooftop bar!

Sorry STL is so ghetto, Wilson :(

Glad y'all came to see us!!!!

beach tradition 2010

We took our annual beach trip earlier this month and had an amazing house right off the beach. It was a perfect weekend filled with sunshine, a birthday celebration, good food, water balloon fights, astronomy lessons and lots of sunrises and sunsets.

I have a fun app on my phone that takes these pictures...

this is the rural Alabama drive home from the beach

And Eloise got a prize - an Auburn necklace! Now we have to alternate which one she wears!