Utility Sink

The finished product.

A couple of years ago my dad bought me a utility sink for my birthday. This year as my birthday approaches, we finally got around to installing it.

Attaching the faucet to the tub.

It isn't large, but I needed a sink that I could use for messy projects like washing the dog or dying clothes. And it will be perfect for that. I can also temporarily hook up a hose to the faucet to water the plants in my front yard so I won't need to drag the hose from the backyard around the house.

It was fairly easy to install since the old washing machine hookups were still in the garage. When the previous owner moved the laundry room inside they just capped off the pipes. So we turned off the water and then cut off the caps.

The tricky part was making sure we had the right pieces before cutting off the pipe caps since we couldn't turn the water back on until the project was done. Dad actually ended up making two trips to the hardware store since we forgot something on our first trip. But he actually returned some of the things we got on trip #1 in favor of a different option.

The pipes after we cut off the caps and
before we attached the new connections.

Once the pipe caps were removed we used a plumbing sealant to attach the new fixtures. These had faucet shut offs so I can turn off the water at the wall if needed. The sealant needed to dry for two hours before the water could be turned back on, but meanwhile we finished connecting the plumbing and sink drain to the basin.

Attaching the new connections!

We also bought a drain cover for the garage drain, something that's been on my to do list for a while.

We still need to anchor the sink to the floor since the ground isn't even near the drain, but overall I think the project went very smoothly and I'm excited to have one more thing checked off my to-do list!

Let There Be Light!

My pendant lights are installed!

Finally! On Monday I was able to get an electrician to come out and install the lights that I posted about a while ago. I originally started thinking about this project in 2010. I even had an electrician give me a price quote before I had a financial set back and ended up putting the project on hold.

In the process...

I already had the light fixtures, but since there weren't already lights over my bar area I had to have an electrician install the wiring. What surprised me was how hard it was to pin down an electrician! With all the complaints about the economy I thought finding someone to do a job right before the holidays would be pretty easy. However, I wanted to use someone that was recommended so I wouldn't worry about safety or the quality of the work.

I called the company that gave me a price quote back in 2010, but after talking to the receptionist twice and never getting a call back I moved on.

The second electrician I spoke to sounded interested, then I never heard back from him. Even after calling and leaving another voicemail. I finally found an electrician who was able to come out Monday morning (which was perfect since I already had the day off).

They drilled holes from the attic for the wiring and made a second double switch where the light switch for my kitchen is.

The guys were really careful to make as little mess as they could and by the time they left I think my kitchen was cleaner than when they arrived!

Something that I hadn't considered until my electrician, Jason Camp, asked was buying light bulbs for the new fixtures. Luckily he had some that fit. He said that it happens all the time; he'll finish installing 100 light fixtures and there won't be a single bulb for any of them. Light bulbs were especially important because he needed to test that the wiring was connected correctly. And as it turned out one of the wires on the middle light actually came loose so the light didn't work when he checked it. He had to take the housing off again and reconnect the wire.

See how the one on the end looks orange?

Interestingly, the light on the end closest to the wall turns orange once the lights are on. When the lights are off all the shades appear the same color of red. I'm not sure what causes the different color, but I'm debating moving it to the middle so it doesn't look as awkward.

Do you think it looks strange?

I'm so excited to finally get this project checked off my list. Not only do I now have beautiful lighting over my bar (an area that didn't get much light), but the cabinet where I was storing the glass pendant lights and light kits is now freed up for other storage!

I went ahead and rearranged the cabinets and cleaned up my laundry room Sunday evening after taking everything out for the electrician. I was amazed by how much space I had. The lights take up a lot less room hanging over the bar then they did in storage.

What do you think? Doesn't the pop of color add to the space?

Trashy!

My new monster recycling bin. Pictured next to the old one.

Tulsa is changing to a new trash program and my neighborhood just got our new garbage and recycling bins. With the new program our twice weekly pickup is changing to a once weekly pickup, but recycling is now included instead of being an addition added for a fee. 

It amazes me how divided our community has been over the decision to revise our trash program. Personally I was excited about the changes, especially the addition of recycling at no additional cost. I was surprised when I got my new bins and realized that the new recycling bin is half the size of my car! We were able to choose from three sizes for our garbage bins (with each size meaning a price difference in our billing), but the recycling bins were one size for everybody and it barely fits in my garage.

One article I read in the Tulsa World said that Tulsa's trash program was last updated back in the 70s. Recycling for at-home pickup wasn't even an option until a few years ago and its only in the past several months that we've been able to put aluminum cans or cardboard (among other items) in our recycling bins.

The arguments and complaints about the new program made me realize that how far behind some other cities Tulsa is. A few years ago I visited Seattle. They not only have public recycling bins next to all trash cans but also public compost bins! Yet in Tulsa people will throw something in the trash even if a recycling bin is two feet away. I hope that having recycling as a designated part of our regular program will encourage more Tulsans to recycle and help our city move forward.

Today was the first day I used the new bins. I do think there are a few kinks to work out, but overall I'm liking the new program. My only problem now is what to do with my old garbage cans. No one in Tulsa needs them anymore!

Breaking and Entering

I'll admit, there have been a few times when I've heard something late at night and felt nervous. I get up, grab my giant flashlight (perfect for clobbering an intruder) and peer out my windows. It's always been my imagination though.

FACT: It took me a few weeks to realize that sound I thought might be someone trying to get into the garage was actually Oliver snoring.

On Easter, however, I had the opportunity to discover how I react during a real emergency situation. I was minding my own business, just hanging out at home when the door knob started to rattle. At first I just assumed it was my brother coming home, but when he didn't just unlock the door and come in I decided to go check it out.

Looking out my peephole (thanks Dad for helping me install it!) I saw a shorter, balding man in his 40s or 50s trying to unlock my front door. Talk about creepy!

At first I tried banging on the door and shouting "Who are you?" thinking maybe he didn't think anyone was home (despite all the lights on inside). When that didn't deter him I began hunting for a weapon and grabbed my phone to call 911. Then I went to double check the locks on my back doors and make sure the alarm was on. I must say, I was glad for my home security system last night!

Talk about a scary 5 minutes, but luckily that's how long it takes the cops to get to my house--a fact I learned thanks to this incident. The man was gone by the time they arrived, but the officers checked my backyard and side yards for me.

In retrospect, my guess is that the man was too drunk to realize that he wasn't at his house. You'd think me yelling "Go away!" and "I'm calling the police!" would get that message across, but drunk in the dark and with all the rain he probably just made a mistake. I didn't see any cars nearby so he was probably walking and trying to hurry out of the storm.

I've never dealt with a situation like this before. The only other time someone tried to break into my house I was five or six and we weren't even home. A police officer happened by before the housebreaker even made it into our house.

FACT: I was convinced the robber stole my mancala beans (because a handful of beans is what any thief would go for). Oh and my mom told my brother the robber stole all of his pacifiers.

All in all, I could do without this experience, but at least I know the police aren't far and nothing bad happened. What safety measures do you have in place at your house? Have any of you ever dealt with a scare like mine?