Author: eaumaison (Page 2 of 212)

It feels like there’s always something breaking or something I want improved about the house. At least this toilet leak was a one-day job. Then I opened up our bathroom exhaust fan. There’s a flapper valve that taps whenever wind blows over the top and the noise was driving me crazy all year. It took a long time to figure out how to gain access to the flapper, then it was fairly easy fix to add padding. Another long time to wrestle everything back in place, and ta-da! Silent bathroom!

The last project here was a longtime dream. Our living room is so dark, even with 5 lamps illuminating it. I can’t embroider or knit at night because I can’t see! I had an electrician install LED wafer lights and I LOVE it. I planned to do the drywall repair myself, having learned some basics after our basement repair and the kitchen wall disaster. I didn’t do a very good job. I should have spent time leveling all the pieces, instead of assuming I could mud and paper them to blend in. I’m fairly unhappy with it and might scrape it off one day if it for a do-over. But after two days of work (mostly waiting for things to dry between layers) I wanted to move on. Good enough.

Sam participated in his school’s Science Fair as a seventh grader. He wanted to study the best regions to pet cats. We solicited many friends and family to gather data for his research. I helped with with the study design and Ben help with the graphs. He put together a fantastic project board and did a great job presenting at the fair. The science teachers gave him great feedback during the fair. Days later he was surprised to receive an award for “winning” the fair! Way to go, Sam!!

Jack got his driver’s permit in January and has been doing great! The first few weeks were a little wobbly, but now he has a good feel for driving around our neighborhood. We’re slowly adding in driving on the freeway and working on endurance and focus. Ben is a great teacher! He seemed to really enjoy being a driving instructor. The pictures are of his first time behind the wheel, and the first time I rode with him.

I wanted a no-stress easy birthday this year. My regular massage therapist had to reschedule, but Ben whipped up a full spa treatment at home that soothed my muscles and made me laugh at his commitment to the bit. We had lunch out at a local chinese restaurant. For dinner I ordered a generous amount of meats from my favorite barbecue joint. The kids were big fans of this dinner, I might make it a tradition. I made lemon squares for dessert and they didn’t turn out good. I don’t know what I did wrong! The base was squidgy and the curd was too tart and not flavorful. Ah well, most of my other bakes turn out great and I’ve been a baking a lot this year.

Once again Ben found a feed of the Japanese New Year’s program Kōhaku Uta Gassen. It has musical performances from K-pop and J-pop groups as well as kooky cultural traditions and shout-outs from different regions of the country. Sam got to hang out with us while Jack went to a sleepover.

The next day was a simple celebration at home for Ben’s 45th birthday. I tried to make Miyeok-guk, the traditional Korean birthday seaweed soup. It was not great. Not sure if I messed it up or it’s more of an acquired taste. Ben has really gotten into cooking over the past couple years and his skills with Asian flavors and techniques surpasses mine. I don’t have a picture, but I think I made his usual Italian Cream cake for dessert. It was a pleasant, relaxed day at home together.

My assigned winter holiday shift was Thanksgiving this year. I decided to celebrate at home the day prior, so we had a traditional full dinner on Wednesday!

It totally warmed my heart at work to received this video and picture of the Christmas tree being set up.

Here’s some daily life pics from Nov-Dec 2025. Somehow they got mixed up in order, so never mind that! I’m trying to catch up on a lot of journalling and I can’t be bothered!

The far kitchen cabinet had been a little crooked for a long time, but in November if suddenly sagged farther. I guess I overloaded the cabinet for what a drywall anchor can handle, because it started ripping off the wall. Ben and I disassembled a few cabinets. I decided to repair it by cutting down the cabinet so it will fit entirely on the support bracket. I learned about drywall patching and did my own paint matching to cover the tears. I took the Ikea cabinet apart and built it up again as a single cabinet and a shelving unit using the old parts. Had to trim the soffit and do other annoying tweaks too. It turned out pretty good in the end, but what a headache!

Last fall Jack performed in the pit orchestra for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” It was unusual for the director to choose a fall musical instead of a play. This production was especially fun for him because the pit got to be on stage. They created a very small orchestra and he got to wear costume and make-up. He said it was great fun to get to watch the show at the same time – a lot less than boring than the dark black pit.

I got Jack’s permission to share some photos he took during the show’s run. His POV is fun.