Home Improvement

So here it is - Spring. The season of renewal. Out with the old, in with the...well, you get the picture!

Carpets need cleaning. Windows need washing. Toilets need repairing...what? The toilet thing...that's just in my house? Oh.

Anyhow, off to Home Depot I went to try and stumble through an explanation of how my powder room toilet was misbehaving. Wow.

Now, I can talk medical terminology all the live long day. But I do not speak "toilet." I do not know the names of the parts. I do not know how they work, only that they do. Or don't. I do not know the parallel "hip bone connected to the thigh bone" song for the toilet to try and identify which area is malfunctioning. So I am quite sure that the Home Depot person was wishing they had not asked how they could help me or better yet, that they had just called in sick altogether! (Ever had one of those days? I can relate!)

Miraculously, I somehow - through pantomime and the use of sound effects - managed to convey what is (hopefully) wrong and I am now the proud owner of two brand spanking new Toilet Fill Valves! Why two, you ask? Because my Sweet Hubby had already replaced one! One down, two to go!

Should be fun! Right?? Maybe?? Pray for me and my toilets. And Valerie, if by some small chance you're reading this...NO - I do NOT need Robert to come over and do it for me. But thank you. And yes, I'm sure. And yes, I know I'm stubborn. We've already established that. (Umm, Val - how much does Robert charge for an emergency visit? I'm putting him on speed dial.)

I know I'm not the only one that will be in the bathroom this week. Huh...that didn't quite sound right. Anyway. My friend, Kimberly, has taken the week off to tackle her own list of home improvement tasks and that includes some bathroom remodeling and redecorating. I think hers will be a lot more exciting than mine. With a prettier outcome!

How about you? Have you been up to anything around the homefront lately? Painting? Rearranging? Deep cleaning? What exactly is it about this season that drives this "need" anyway? And is there a pill we can take to eliminate it?!

Whew, that's enough excitement from me! How about a little for you?

If you've been following my blog for a little while, you may recall a giveaway sponsored by CSN Stores a couple of months ago. Well, I was recently contacted by Jessica at CSN Stores asking if I'd like to host another. Uhhh...yeah!

If you're like I was, you may not have heard of CSN Stores. But the reality is that they have more than 200 online shopping sites! Isn't that wild??!!!! And in perusing what they have to offer, can you imagine my surprise when I came across bathroom vanities, of all things?!! (Note to self: call Kimberly.) But they also have a store for practically every thing you can think of, need, dream of or drool over...hello, my lovelies! And believe me...that's just the tippity-tip-top of the iceberg!

Where was I? Oh yeah, sorry! I'm such a sucker for a pretty coffee machine!

That's right...it's *GIVEAWAY* time here at ItTR courtesy of CSN Stores! And this time, I'm not picking for you! The gift will be a $40 gift certificate redeemable in any of the more than 200 CSN Stores online!

For added excitement, I've cooked up 4 chances to win! They include:

• leaving a comment telling me about YOUR home improvement plans! What's that? You don't have any? Then feel free to leave me a comment like, "Gigi, I'm kicked back on my deck with a freshly squeezed lemonade and the latest Martha Stewart magazine." I won't cry...much.
  

• mentioning the giveaway in your blog along with a link back here and then leaving a comment that you've done so.

• a mention of the giveaway and a link to my blog on your Facebook page.

• following me and then leaving me a comment that you've done so. Already "follow" me? Thanks!! Just leave a separate comment saying so and I'll count that one too! Easy, right?

In one of your posts, please include your email address as that is how CSN will contact you with the gift certificate details if you're the winner. If you'd prefer not to post it in a comment, feel free to email it to me through my profile.

And for those of you that may have "won" something here in the past...YAY!!! But please feel free to enter again! I truly believe if it's meant to be, it will be! Remember Proverbs 16:33 ~

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

I'll close this post to comments at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, June 1, 2010 EST and will use the random integer generator thingamabob to determine the winning comment(er)! Look for the announcement post sometime Wednesday, June 2, 2010.

In the meantime, get to posting and thinking of how you'd spend that $!

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Random Integer Generator

Here are the numbers, generated with randomization based on persistent identifier 6/2/10 21:50 EST:

23 



Congratulations to katiegfromtennessee!!


And my thanks to all who posted!