Home Improvement

My Tried and True

Women’s Long Sleeve Coveralls in Dark Navy

It doesn’t look like much from the photo, but these long-sleeve coveralls from Dickies have served me well, and check all the boxes. They’re durable, comfortable, and they fit my long torso. For reference, I’m 5’8″ and wear the small. Dickies also offers this style in plus sizes. I’ve worn these for a few years now and find them perfectly comfortable for projects around the house; plus, they’re appropriate for the inevitable mid-project hardware store run. Speaking of which, now that they’re thoroughly worn in, I find that I’m treated with a bit more respect at the hardware store since I look like I know what I’m doing (I don’t actually know); a bonus. Finally, I love the front and back deep pockets on these coveralls – perfect for stowing my phone or an errant paintbrush.

Boilersuit, Coverall, Jumpsuit – what’s the difference?

Jumpsuits take their name from the one-piece garment typically worn by parachuters beginning in the early 1900s. Boilersuits and coveralls generally are one and the same, the former name being used more frequently in the UK. As the name suggests, boilersuits are protective clothing traditionally worn by men working in boiler rooms (and other industrial settings) and were looser-fitting than jumpsuits. Protective coveralls became popular with women working in munitions factories during WWII.

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Happy DIYing!

For years I have fantasized about owning my own home. I loved our last apartment, but after I’d painted and hung new curtains, and bought more throw pillows than one person could possibly need, I had exhausted all feasible improvements. I longed for a space of my own with floors to refinish and chandeliers to hang.

I am now the proud owner of such a place (yay!). And I am drowning in projects (hyperventilates into paper bag).

I could share the looooooooooong list of to-do’s, but lists stress me out. I am not a list person. I prefer to keep important information stored in the ol’ noggin, where it will quickly be forgotten. Much less stressful!

It’s not really the list of projects that’s getting me down though. It’s that I can’t seem to find the time to accomplish any of them. I’m useless during the week after work, and the weekends seem to fly by in an instant. This would be so much easier if I could somehow continue to receive a regular paycheck, but focus my time and attention on my own home improvement projects.

HOWEVER, my mom, DIY Commander in Chief, was in town last weekend and we managed to check off the first* item on the long, non-existent, list.

Friends, meet house.

She’s quite lovely in all of her 1980’s Colonial grandeur. But like many of us, she could use with a bit of sprucing up. Let’s avoid the stress list and focus solely on the sprucing that needs to occur out front.

This weekend, we managed to replace the carriage lights – a HUGE improvement. It should have taken us an hour, tops, but like all good home improvement projects, it took us almost all day and an extra trip to Lowe’s. The first light went up just fine, except that the bolts holding the light in place were too short due to the placement of the backplate against the siding. We couldn’t hang the second light at all because I didn’t have a ladder tall enough to reach it. Off to Lowe’s we went for ladder and chisel (P.S. ladders are more expensive than you think).

With new, six-foot ladder in hand, it was now time to crouch among the bushes and the bugs in an attempt to shore up one side of the ladder in the sloping flower bed that shouldn’t be sloping at all (add one to the non-list). Eventually two pieces of granite borrowed from another bed did the trick, just barely. The ladder was still quite wobbly, requiring my mom to hold it with one hand while handing me tools with another. I’m pretty sure I overheard a neighbor predict I would break my neck. Nothing like a vote of confidence to help you keep your balance!

She’s going to break her neck if she’s not careful

After we installed the second light, which did not butt up against the siding in the same way as the first, we fixed the bolt issue by removing some of the siding with a chisel. Mom had to do this bit as my arms contain little to no muscle mass. She successfully chipped away at enough siding that we were able to secure the fixture on the provided bolts. It isn’t perfect, but as we’re hoping to replace the siding next year (bank accounts willing), its a detail I can overlook for the time being.

The lights look SO good! I can’t wait to replace the door hardware. Still searching for the perfect handle set… Maybe one of these? Or should I mix it up with another finish?