Is that a drip I hear?

Well, I didn't hear a drip but I did see what appeared to be a wet spot on the ceiling. Dan and I bolted up to the attic (where the water heater is housed) to see what the problem was. After taking a photo of a blue canister suspended kitty-corner over the water heater we made a trip to Lowe's and got an education in "potable water expansion tanks". Apparently, the blue canister that sits above the water heater is a "bladder" that controls the pressure when water is turned on and off in the house. Supposedly without this "bladder" the water heater would make a knocking sound like one might hear in the pipes of a much older home.

We discovered that the "drip pan" that was holding up the PWET (potable water expansion tank) was entirely rusted and had disconnected from the drain spout. More than one of the metal strips holding the drip pan to the beams in the attic had rusted through and had broken loose.

So, here are some Before, During and After photos of our exciting Saturday morning home repair adventure.

As you can see here the 'drip pan' is tipped forward, away from the existing drain spout.

Sorry for the rotated angle, however it shows just how far away the drip pan was from the drain spout!

The outside of the Potable Water Expansion Tank had to be cleaned off and inspected for any damage or cracking...

The original drip pan caked with layers of rust...!

We had to get creative in our repair as Lowe's doesn't carry or even know of any small (12"x12") drip pans with drain spouts. So, we used a plastic storage box and a 1/2" wood bit and made our own hole.

We independently suspended the PWET to hold it up out of the drainage container. We then positioned the plastic drainage container and used liquid nails to attach and seal the hole in the box to the existing draining spout.

We'll have to check on the seal after the glue has seasoned overnight. We had to remove some insulation from the attic and treat several wet boards. There is no mold or mildew but I'm just overly concerned with such possibilities. My super-sniffer has not picked up on any indication that there is a growth in the boards up there.

We thought we were out of the woods, so to speak, upon completion of this project. However, when Dan went outside to turn the water back on, the pressure jolted the pipes and I then noticed a small drip on ANOTHER pipe connection. You cannot really see the small pool of water around the base of this connection.

The leak is where the copper piping meets the plastic ring...there is evidence of rusting in the copper pipe. I thought copper was sturdier than this! The house is 7 years old! I'd expect pipe degradation in an older home but not here!

Painting Party

Dan and I have been having fun adding some color to our lives...and by that I mean we've been painting!

The color on our living room accent wall is called "cinnamon stick". Dan did a fabulous job of taping off the arch that leads into the hallway for the two secondary rooms and guest bathroom.


Initially we were a little worried about how we would transition from the cinnamon stick wall but we thought we'd try taping off instead of wrapping around into the hallway.


As you can see, the taping job was beautifully done and we have a crisp line.


The cinnamon stick color wraps around from the living room into the kitchen and really sets off our new floors!


Next on our list of things to do is replace the window treatment in the living room and finish refinishing the end tables and coffee table to better coordinate with our new floors!


We are LOVING how good the kitchen furniture looks against the new paint.


We are considering wrapping the cinnamon stick around the rest of the kitchen...and might even resurface the kitchen cabinets a clean white!


Our entry way has been painted as well. The color here is called "Warm Caramel" and we've really "warmed" to it! Dan was the one who picked out this color and initially I was a little wary of it but now I just love it!


I love how our moulding and white trim just pops now! If we didn't have such angular ceilings I'd want to put crown moulding in.


Even the furniture looks new in front of the new color! The chairs currently are covered in a cream backed birdie pattern but we want to change it out to either a solid blue that will pick up on the area rug and stoneware dishes we have OR maybe a taupe that would be more neutral (would have to coordinate with the walls otherwise it might clash...) or even a cream to go with the curtains... lots to think about!


More shots of our beautiful wall! The color inspiration is Dan's couch. The blue-red area rug in the foreground will be leaving as soon as we find a replacement...

I especially love the new wall when we have the wall sconce lit and the lamps on...the red glass in the Tiffany lamps glow beautifully and really pick up on the cinnamon stick tone! Hmmm, looks like we need to center the couch...!

Christmas in South Austin

Merry Christmas! Dan and I joined John & Darby & the boys for their visit from Caroline & Max at the SoAusPerk home. Eli was very excited to see me arrive with an arm-load of wrapped gifts ;) He was very patient and even waited until Uncle Dan and everyone else was ready to watch him open presents!

Jed has this gift opening thing down pat!

Just love the "Ho! Ho! Ho!" on the PJ flap!

I joined the barbershop quartet at a young age...

Snugga Bugga?

We are a family of snugglers. Dan walked into the bedroom the other day to discover Abby (Lt) and Silas (Rt) curled up on the bed dozing. Silas woke up for the photo.


After working on some "nesting" around the house we had decided it was nap time. Dan crawled into bed and was quickly joined by both dogs and both cats. Abby quickly took her position of "Queen of the mountain" while the boys curled up in the nooks and crannies that one's body creates when they lay on their side. Wait, where is Silas? Silas is actually burrowed under the blankets curled up against Dan's chest, which is where he often sleeps, for this photo.


Because of Reese's leg(s) situation we are trying to train him to utilize the doggie stairs at the end of the bed. AJ has gotten quite adept at this new skill but Reese is reluctant. At bed time he takes his place on his dog bed to the left of Dan's side of the bed. It isn't until the following morning that he wants up on the bed to snuggle. As it stands, our sleep (in our queen bed mind you) includes AJ and, for most of the night, Abby & Silas. It's a full house and we love it!

Playing Catch-Up...the month of November

I haven't posted since September and the year ended without any updates! So, in an effort to wrap-up and close-out 2009 I'll make a final post for the year...

In November, Dan and I made our annual trip to New Braunfelds for Wurstfest. This year was also our second annual trip to the Tour de Gruene. I rode with Dan in the non-competetive group ride earlier in the day. The course was much changed from last year and not as enjoyable for us. Granted, my experience could have been dampened due to the multiple spills taken on my bike two months earlier...let's just say my ride wasn't as relaxed as it was last year! Too many overpasses to traverse and too many inexperienced (hello kettle) riders made me too nervous!

The turnout for the Individual Time Trial wasn't as impressive this year because Lance Armstrong didn't attend. Oddly enough, the organization of the event was far superior last year even though the same people ran it this year and for the past dozen or so!

After we took some recovery time from our rides we got ready to go to Wurstfest and enjoy the sumptuous feast of brats, fried potatoes, sauerkraut, brochen, roasted corn on the cob, and funnel cake. Did I forget beer? Can't forget beer at Wurstfest...!

Dan and I got 'kickered' out in boots and jeans for a little boot scootin'! Fun Fun Fun!

On our way home we attended Merle's wedding to Tom. Dan worked with Merle at the AG's office. The views at Vintage Villas overlooking Lake Austin were great! I can only imagine how much more beautiful it is when the lake isn't 30ft low...!

Happy Quads...

We've got ourselves some of the happiest four legged beasts I've ever seen! Abby loves lounging with her daddy :)


Silas loves snuggling with his momma

And AJ just loves to lay around the house!

Estes Park, CO. PFR'09

As the Perkins family all start to post their accounts of the fantastic PFR'09 I find myself compelled to share the Leander Perkins Family account of PFR'09.

Originally Dan and I planned on camping our way up to Estes and back but with Dan's schedule keeping him in court up until our departure we decided to shed that layer of complication and just find pet friendly accommodations on our North bound route.

Diego, our Explorer (Dora's replacement) got a check-up before we started the long trek up IH-35. Day one was our long day as we drove all the way to Hays, Ks and stayed in a clean but microscopic Baymont Inn. AJ and Reese are fantastic travelers :) Each stop along the road was met with compliments for our "well-behaved, beautiful" dogs! Ha! I can go with the "beautiful dogs" business but...

Day two of driving was fairly short with a quick 5hr jaunt from Hays to Denver for our visit with the Stapleton Perkins family.

Dan and Steve rode in a group ride (Copper Triangle) on Saturday and Laura and I got pedi's on Sunday. I laughed about how the ladies in the salon complained about the 'heat'...16 degrees cooler with no humidity felt like heaven to me!

On Monday we arrived in Estes and dropped AJ and Reese off at Linda's pet care (no dogs allowed at the reunion cabin as per the Y-camp rules). Wow. One word for the Fairchild cabin is wow. Oh, another word is HUGE! What a wonderful space to host a family reunion! Two stoves, two microwaves, two dishwashers, two fridges, plenty of counter and storage space! Wonderful! The view was amazing and now I wish we would have spent more time sitting outside and enjoying that view.

Dan and I went into town daily to play with the dogs at the bark park. I'm not sure who had more fun...us or the dogs! On Wednesday we took Caroline into town with us and took Orvis to the park as well. Swimming and running was just what the boys needed!

Not only did I get to go on my very first hay ride this trip, I also rode my first horse! Frank (named after Frank Sinatra...one blue eye) was a great horse and even let me drive some of the time. Dan's horse, Bill, wasn't as agreeable and didn't let Dan drive much at all! I heard a lot of "whoa Bill, don't crowd Frank" from behind me.

We missed the Sprague Lake hike but tried a hike of our own up Emerald Mtn. Unfortunately the trail we were looking for was closed off for revitalization so we stayed on the available trail and eventually circumnavigated all of Emerald Mtn. After four hours we were ready to get back to the cabin. It was a lovely day with my Danno.

On Friday the party ended. Courtney and Cliff had to zip back to Texas with the girls and get Cliff on a Sunday plane for the work week. John and Darby loaded up the boys after a fun morning of zooming around and playing and followed Steve & Laura to Denver for an overnight visit before loading onto a south bound plane for Texas. Dan and I stayed one night in Broadview with Max and Caroline soaking up the phenomenal view. Cousin Julie and her fiance came for dinner and we talked and played Boggle for what must have been hours!

Dan's final adventure of our vacation culminated as he jogged across the finish line at the Boulder 5430 Triathlon. Laura and I camped out at the reservoir beach with Will and Alex for the morning. The boys played and played and played in the water with their trucks! It was fantastic. Max and Caroline arrived in time to watch Dan cross the finish line and to catch up with Steve after his foot injury.

So, back in the car for the long drive home. As much fun as we had we were ready to get home. I think the dogs missed their cats (hmmm?) but I know they missed their Mommoo (I know I missed her).

I took more photos than are in the slide show but I wanted to share my favorites (there are so many) with you. I've never embedded a slide show so I hope it works!