1,322 days later

june 6, 2009: the day i purchased my new stainless steal set of appliances. 
january 18, 2013: the day all my Frigidaire appliances are officially working!

to be fair, the microwave and oven have been working all along, and the fridge was mostly working -- just not the ice cube and water spout parts -- but we got that working last month. so i was really just without a dishwasher (and trust me, i have been used to hand-washing dishes since my college years).

anyways, back to my point...that's 1,322 days i went with a brand new dishwasher just sitting there, looking pretty. i might as well have used it as a library like the old crazy lady who lived here before me did. but now i don't have to, because my awesome dad finally had time in his busy life to hook it up. thanks dad :)

a vanity once and for all

once upon a time a young girl and her father drove out to building materials outlet in eagan to pick out a sink top and unfinished vanity cabinet.

days turned to months as the girl waited for her new vanity, the last of the original cat-scented items in her home. but first her father had to rebuild the cabinet to fit between her shower and closet. plus, she had to buy the hardware: faucet, door handles, hinges from menards...

then one day, over a year later, her father showed up at her door with the newly remodeled vanity. painted a simple white, sink off to the side, and fitted with blackened bronzed hardware. a drastically new look, but the girl loves it.

 on a side note: i also bought matching hardware (the black with bronzed edges) for all my interior door handles, plus other bathroom items such as a toilet paper holder and towel rack.

sink + vanity = happy girl

most of you probably know that there was a crazy cat lady living here before me...which meant that the place had a somewhat distinct odor, if you know what i mean. luckily we've already replaced nearly everything reminiscent of her (floors, walls, ceilings, closets...) but there is just one thing left. my bathroom vanity.

so tonight me and dad drove over to building materials outlet and picked out a 48" vanity and a 43" sink top. wait. 48" and 43"? that doesn't sound right. well, that's because i have only 42" to work with between the wall and the shower. and apparently 42" is not standard (unless you want a really short vanity...) it's either 36" or 48". im sure i just lost everyone there.

anyways, after exhausting all ideas of what we could possibly do (like buying a 36" and a 12" tall cabinet and putting them side-by-side) we finally decided on buying the bigger one. now dad will have to cut it down, make two new -- slightly larger -- doors, and reassemble the whole piece.

have faith, it will all come together somehow. my dad is nothing less than amazing. and plus, then i can actually use my vanity for storage. what a novel idea!

the cat lady and her dishwasher library

i just realized i never filled you in on the history of this place...so sit back, relax, and find out a little about what went on here before i ever even walked through the door.

the building:
well, it's actually two turn-of-the-century brownstone buildings; sister buildings, if you will. they sit side-by-side, with a small, wrought-iron gated courtyard between. in the back is an adorable little garden patio area, complete with grills and tables. the residents chill out there at night, drinking wine and chatting (everyone i've met has been extremely friendly and sweet, and invited me to join them). and there are lots of bbq's and people even bring out candles and other decor to give it that romantic evening dusk ambiance. there are nineteen condos total, ranging from one-bed/one-bath (like mine) to three-bed/three-bath. most of them have fireplaces and at least one wall with exposed brick. we even have a website.

the cat lady:
the previous owner, nicknamed the cat lady, turned a little eccentric towards the end (or maybe she always was). she not only loved spam (i found evidence throughout the unit), but she must have liked cats too, because what started out as two, multiplied into fifteen...at least! animal control was called a few times to pick up the extra cats, but soon enough there were kitties wandering around yet again.

one morning a neighbor heard her crying for help and found her on the ground, where she had been all night after she fell and broke her hip. after a brief stay in the hospital, she was adamant on going back to the condo. the neighbors helped out, bringing her groceries, and even finding books stored in her dishwasher (among other odd things), but it soon became too much of a burden on the caring residents of the building, so she was placed into a nursing home. however, in order to get medical help, she was forced to liquidate all her assets, which was basically the condo. that's where i come in, and you basically know the rest...