end of the month wrap up

Not really. Just random spewage. Duck!

1.) Can I just say, this is my favorite of all possible New England weathers. It was so nice today and yesterday. Doesn't it make you just want to go walk for miles? Everyone who has kids in school or jobs which revolve around the academic calendar or who go to school themselves is all, oh, summer's over, boohoo. While I, on the other hand, having none of those constrictions, look forward to six more weeks or so of probably very pleasant weather, perfect for outdoor activities (especially if you're willing to wear a hoodie) and I'm not conceding the end of anything yet.

2.) So. Yesterday. I don't want to tell you how many hours I spent trying to clean the inside of my range hood. Despite my admissions herein about the state of my cabinets prior to last week's scrubbing, I am not a complete disgusting slacker. I do regularly attempt to clean the outside of the hood. The inside? Um, not so much. And I gotta say, even trying to clean the inside with much effort? I have small hands but there are places I can't get to. I can see the caked-on grease (by hanging backwards over the stove and looking up into the fan thingy), but I can't reach it. I bought some super grease cleaner stuff today (yesterday I was just using your regular nondiluted Mr Clean) that I can spray on. I'm hoping that'll get some of what's left. Also? I bought a new stove five years ago. Why didn't I buy a new hood then? That makes no sense. I dunno what I was thinking.

3.) Also over the past few days, in following a link about pros and cons of different countertop materials, I found that chowhound has a cookware/appliance/kitchen design board so I've had pages and pages of fascinating threads to read. Damn, those people know everything about kitchens. I found out the explanation for why my refrigerator periodically spews water out of it in hot weather, though I haven't yet attempted to perform the cure. I found out that because my range hood (I'm 99% sure) isn't vented to the outside (I didn't know that was even an option) that's why there's so much grease buildup in my kitchen. It's a whole different world reading what people who think their kitchens are primarily for, y'know, cooking and baking in think about kitchen design and all as opposed to what people who think kitchens are primarily for looking pristine and increasing the resale values of their homes (aka RMS) think. Though I have to admit, there are some "two dishwasher" proponents on chowhound too.

4.) I ordered some free countertop samples. High end laminate. Feel free to mock. M1, who has a nice house on a lot of land in the country, told me she has laminate. And she's replacing it with more laminate. She has Corian in one of her small bathrooms, and she loves that (she's spilt a whole thing of hair color on it without a freaking stain), but she thinks that's too expensive for a whole kitchen. Even though her husband installs it himself.

5.) I know you people are sick of me talking about things I want to do to my house or am doing to my house.

6.) But I have nothing interesting to say and this is taking up a lot of space in my brain.

7.) The end.

xoxo