Power to the Power Washer

Who thought a post on power washing a fence could be interesting? No one... but I'm doing it anyways.

A few weeks ago I decided the weather was getting cooler and it would be a perfect time to finally start tackling those outdoor chores we had been restricted on completing for the past couple of years because of our foundation issues.  Well, the foundation was repaired back in August so now is the time to finally start tackling the yard.

I know we have the option to pay someone to do my long list of honey-do's for the yard, but I thought it would be a fun, rewarding and learning experience to do this yard renovation on my own!  Ask me when it's done if I learned anything other than hiring someone is a better option!

The yard has a long list of to-do's for the renovation (that's another post!) but it all starts with restaining the fence.

I started by doing a lot of technically research on how to restain a fence. I utilized trustworthy tools like Google, hours of HGTV and DIY network, Pinterest, and asked all my handyman patients what to do first.  After many afternoons on the couch "researching" I finally came up with a plan of action for the fence.

1. Buy a power washer
2. Power wash the fence, deck, patio, exposed foundation, and the house in general
3. Power sand and hand sand rotted areas of the fence
4. One week to let the fence dry out.
5. Buy a paint sprayer
6. Stain the fence/deck with a paint sprayer and back roll the fence with a cloth roller
7. Never do it again, hire someone

Step 1 was easy and much cheaper than I expected. I'm an Amazon Prime member so I thought I would get a power washer price point there, but most likely purchase at Lowe's or Home Depot.  I found a great power washer for a great price then headed up to Lowe's to see what they had to offer.  Their selection was pretty limited, about 5 at most and a few of them ran off gas. I knew I wanted to stay simple with an electric plug and go so that ruled out most of them.  The smallest option they had was almost $150 and had wheels and just looked bulky.

I thought I would take a risk and bought this one off Amazon for $100, paid $6 for next day shipping so I could get started after Brunch with friends! Sure enough it arrived at 5pm on Saturday!

Power washer from Amazon 

The best part, it arrived MOSTLY assembled! I just had to screw a few self explanatory pieces together and I was set! I was really nervous about using it so I think I read the manual like 3 times.

I finally got the courage and went out and just started spraying!  I was so worried when the color on the fence changed, I made Hunter come out and look to make sure I did it right and didn't ruin the fence.  Once I realized that new "color' was actually the real wood color, we started having a little fun with it! Hunter drew my name on the fence, I timed myself on each board to see how fast I could go, then finally just settled down with some audio books. ( I think I've listened to about 6 books on this activity!)

Now to focus on the important part of this project.  I grossly misjudged the amount of time it was going to take to power wash the fence!! That afternoon, I allowed about 3-4 hours to do both sides of the fence.  In reality it took about 30 hours to do the entire fence, deck, house, foundation, and patio.  In all fairness, I don't think our fence had ever been power washed so I think that increased the time it took to complete the project!

So if you are here because you searched blog tags on how to power wash a fence I'll give you my words of wisdom.

How to Power Wash a fence by Lauren Jarvis

1. Hire someone
2. If you don't hire someone, quadruple the amount of time you estimate to wash the whole fence
3. Get a waterproof cover for your phone
4. Order anti vibration gloves (TRUST ME)  Try these.
5. Download MULTIPLE Audio books to listen to while working
6. Wear sunscreen (you will get sunburned)
7. Wear sunglasses ( you will get particles of the fence in your eyes if not)
8. Do it when it's warm outside and sunny. (You will get wet and if its cold, and the sun will help you see the dirt on the fence.
9. Get lots of water to drink. (you will be thirsty and need to spit out wood chunks in your mouth, frequently)
10. If you have dogs, pick up to doo-doo's! You don't want to accidentally step in it... trust me.
11. Check the length of the cord and hose.... make sure it reaches the end of your yard
12. If you have plants or flower beds by your fence, cover and protect them with a tarp (it will get real nasty and the spray could damage the plants.
13. Turn on the water FIRST, the motor can't run dry or it will burn it out.
14. Next turn on the power washer
15. Find a good pebble or rock that will hold the trigger open.  You will get tired of pulling the gun!
16. Start power washing from a distance and walk closer slowly.  You will quickly damage your wood if you wash too close
17. Wet the area you're about to clean really well. It will help loosen the dirt. (I didn't see the need to use a prewash. I worried about the chemicals since we just installed sod and have dogs in our backyard)
18. Start washing!! I made slow up and down movements on one board at a time, then would move up and down quickly. I alternated that the whole length of the fence.
19. Wash the bottom portion of the area first (before the ground starts to puddle water and spray back up at you)
20. Once you do the bottom, wash the very top portion next.  
21. Next, get all the small crevices in the corners and along the boards.  It's easier to see these spots when everything else is really dirty still. Otherwise those areas get lost when its clean and you don't see it until it's dry again. 
22. Wash your little heart out. Enjoy the time to listen to books, music, or just think!

Your fence will look beautiful and you will feel very accomplished!!

Do you have any suggestions for power washing??

A Monk and a Rap Video

What do those things have in common? My neighborhood!

Hunter and I live in the "older" side of Richardson, Texas. Were are one of the first suburbs outside of the Dallas city limits. Actually so close, one block south is considered Dallas. 

If you are from the Dallas area you know where I'm talking about. The west side of Richardson has some very high dollar homes and prime real estate in the top high schools in the area. There's fabulous shopping, minutes from Addison, and a great place to raise a family! 

Well, we live on the East side. 

When I first met Hunter, he already owned this home and was sharing it with a roommate. He said he picked the area because it was cheaper than the West side and was still close for his commute and close enough to Addison for nights out. 

Fair enough right?  Well he overlooked the fact that we aren't the fabulous side of town. Now, don't get me wrong, we aren't in the "hood" or a dangerous part of town!  We just live in the most culturally diverse part of Richardson! And I LOVE IT. 

Our house "under construction" when we had the foundation repaired in August. 

One day a few years ago while study for my boards exam with some friends, we were looking out the window when a fully dressed monk walked by. Later that afternoon a group of guys were recording themselves driving up and down the road in their car. I asked what was up and they informed me that they were filming a rap video! Oh and the Monks drive a Lexus around the neighborhood. Across the street from me is Baby Cow (it's what I call her, I can't pronounce what she says). She is a 4 foot little Vietnamese grandma with over 40 pepper plants in her yard. She waves to me every time I see her (whether I'm inside the house or outside....) and tries to give me bags of peppers everytime. 

And that my friends is just the too of the iceberg of some of the characters that live in our "diverse" neighborhood. 

So many of our friends are leaving the city and heading out to the suburbs of the suburbs. Sometimes I'm jealous because the city life just isn't for Hunter and I. We want to live on land, close enough for neighbors, but far enough those neighbors will drive to the house. I want to let my dogs out without a fence, sleep with the windows open, and let out kids leave their bikes in the yard knowing they will be there in the morning. 

Unfortunately that dream is only true if we were an hour out of Dallas which is impossible with our careers right now. So we are staying in East Richardson! 

Why don't we head up to the 'burbs suburbs with our friends? We could have a better zip code, be in the better school districts, live in a big brand new home, and just be overall more fabulous. Well we aren't going because I love our neighborhood! 

Where we live, we are so connected to everything! You know the type of store or restaurant you want, and it's within 10 minutes of me. Our neighboorhood is in a great location, we are walking distance from everywhere! (We don't always walk....but could!) 

A typical Saturday morning starts with an 8:15 wake up for me, and 15 minute leisure walk to the park, free yoga class in the  park, then a walk around the duck pond, and then walk home by 10:30. 

My view for yoga in the morning!

We live so close to so much! We could easily walk to the park, the recreation center, the post office, both of our banks, a donut shop, several restaurants, the bet breakfast restaurant, car repair shop, gardening center, and so much more. 

One block over (but across a busy street) we have Target, Lowe's, Ross, PetCo every fast food, a gym, and a few specialty shops. Oh and don't forget our massage salon!

Just a couple minutes down the road the other direction is Main Street. Richardson is investing a lot of money to transform it into a great dining and shopping area! There are bars, locally owned restaurants and 2 great movie theaters where you can eat dinner while you watch a movie! 

The safety freak in me loves that we are just 1/2 mile from the fire station and police station! In case you get a ticket... Court house is right there, too. 

Did I mention the best part??? For my commute to work, I never have to get onto the highway!! It takes me about 15 minutes to get to both of my jobs! I commuted in the past when I got out of school, but for over a year now I've worked at offices with in my city, I've become so spoiled. I don't know if I can ever commute again!! 

Hunter went back to school this year for his EMBA and we spent a lot of time deciding where he should go. Finally the decision was easy! University or Texas-Dallas has one if the highest ranked programs in the state and it's a 10 minute drive from the house! I love that he doesn't have to commute for school! Helps keep his stress down, costs lower, and him HOME more! 

This past year I joined the Richardson Chamber of Commerce with my business and I've learned so many great things about our city and it has really made me learn to appreciate where we live! There are so many small unique neighborhood niches we can try out for restaurants and parks! 

Another great part about where we live is the accessibility! We are less than 20 minutes from every hot spot in Dallas or great shopping area (not in rush hour, no where is 20 minutes in Dallas rush hour). 

I could go on and on about loving our neighborhood, but none of you reading this will most likely move here and that's ok. It's not for everyone, but it is for our family! 

The 3rd year

Can you believe that was 3 years ago??? On June 18th, Hunter and I will be celebrating 3 years married and over 5 1/2 years together!

I always intended to do anniversary posts... But never got around to it so here's a quick summary of our 3rd year of marriage!

We rung in our 2nd wedding anniversary in Hawaii! It was a trip of a lifetime! We enjoyed time with my family and had an even better time acting like honeymooners running around the islands!

Hunter turned 30 and I surprised him with a pair of boots he's been drooling over!

https://twitter.com/OrionHjarvis/status/347458788820926464

We jumped on the Johnny Football wagon and had a great fall cheering on the Aggies, and celebrating the many wins of Mizzou!

We supported each other through some difficult life challenges this year. Hunter's uncle lost his battle with cancer the same week my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.  It was a very emotional time for both of us, but we focused our worries and hurt into prayers. It brought us closer together and gave us an new appreciation and understanding of family.

Hunter and his Uncle Slab at our wedding. His uncle gifted him a family heirloom gun for a wedding gift. 

My mom and sister celebrating my mom's fight with breast cancer at the Race for the Cure June 2014, 6 months after she completed her breast cancer treatments and received the "all clear"!

We both had big changes in our careers and we couldn't be happier! Hunter got a promotion and a cool new office! I'm working regularly as a hand therapist and an outpatient clinic locally with good friends. My Juice Plus business is growing and I'm having a blast with my team!

Me at one of my speaking engagements this year. I've really enjoyed my opportunities with community education I've had this year with my Juice Plus+ franchise.

Hunter ALMOST had one year without back complications, but we had a small slip up in April.  He has since started listening to his favorite OT again and is back pain free!

Our house has broken, been repaired, and broken more again. Despite the challenges with our house I absolutely love it! It's our first home together, its the home we brought our fur babies home together in, we've hosted holidays and friends from out of town, we've had wild parties and low-key parties, and have made so many memories in this house, I'll let the jinxed AC system slide. 

We (me) started gardening! We have our challenges with our foundation problems so we can't plant landscaping, but we made the commitment to getting some potted plants and growing veggies in my Tower Garden.  Hunter acts like he isn't involved, but he is always inspecting the plants and giving me updates. It's pretty cute.

I'm so proud of my little garden!
What is a Tower Garden? Check out www.LaurenJarvis.TowerGarden.com

We welcomed our 2nd nephew into the family! He's precious and perfect! Actually we welcomed a lot of babies from friends this year and it's been so fun watching our friends become parents!

My sister and brother in law with Coop-dawg at a family wedding this summer

We've traveled ALOT! We love vacation and weekend trips together and have had plenty of them this year! So many fun memories have been made and checking things off the bucket list!

Our Vegas Trip this February. Hunter had a conference for work so I tagged along for fun!

Last but not least.... we expanded our family!  Hank Jarvis joined our family back in February right before we left for Vegas.  He was supposed to be a yellow lab, but was actually a small horse. He is the most ANNOYING dog you will ever meet. He is constantly in your face, he steps on your feet, has no personal space boundaries, and has serious digestive complications that will clear a room. But Hunter and I LOVE that dog more than we ever though possible. We didn't know we were missing a family member and had no idea we had so much more love to give, but Hank has brought it out of us. 

Meet Hank Jarvis, the 3rd fur-baby member of our family

Hank represents our 3rd year of marriage so perfectly! Life gave us some real challenges this year, but instead of letting it bring us down and feel sorry for ourselves, it forced us to grow closer, look deeper into our faith, and strengthen relationships with family and friends! 

We are celebrating our anniversary this year with a surprise trip planned by yours truly! Hunter doesn't know yet, so I've had fun making him guess!  Can't wait to share with everyone where we go!

3 years as Mrs. Jarvis has been fantastic! I can't wait to see what the next year will bring!

This just reminded me of how AWESOME Hunter is and how he supports and loves me unconditionally!

Smothie Saturday 2.8.14

Smoothie Saturday! February 8, 2014
Thanks for checking out my weekly series of Smoothie Saturday! Smoothies are an easy, yummy, and nutritious way to incorporate fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and other healthy stuff we may not usually eat!

Get creative with your smoothies and try out lots of different recipes so you won't ever get bored.
Because smoothies can be high in sugar (NATURAL GOOD FOR YOU SUGARS!!), it's important to balance your smoothie with proteins so you don't crash a few hours later. My favorite and recommended protein to add to smoothies is Juice Plus+ Complete plant protein powder.

JP+ Complete includes whole food, natural variety of ingredients including: Golden Chlorella, Chickpea, Pea Protein, Tofu Powder, Rice Protein,  organic evaporated cane juice, monkfruit extract, stevia, Proprietary Fiber Blend, Corn Fiber, dahlia, chicory, artichoke, Rice Bran, Apple Fiber, Calcium, Carrageenan, Pumpkin, pomegranate , spirulina , yucca , broccoli sprout, alfalfa sprout, radish sprout, organic amaranth, organic quinoa, organic millet and SO much more! Ask me for details or check it out www.LaurenJarvis.JuicePlus.com

Now get your smoothie on!

While surfing through Pinterest (one of my favorite things to do!) I came across this great blog! (Flavor Fiesta Blog She has so many wonderful smoothie tips and link to a great digital magazine with even more smoothie tips! Definitely check this out!

Photo: http://www.flavourfiesta.com/recipes/spinach-cocoa-and-berry-smoothie/

Here are Divya's Smoothie tips:

1. SPROUTS
Sprouts are a rich source of a myriad of nutrients. Add them to your smoothies for a touch of “green” flavour and to add texture to your beverage.

2. INSTANT OATS
If you want to thicken a smoothie, add a few tablespoons of instant oats. For a smoother texture, soak them in water for a few minutes before adding to the blender.

3. ALMOND BUTTER
If you love the taste of almonds, add a spoonful of almond butter to your smoothie for a dose of vitamin E and several minerals.

4. TEA
Brew some strong tea and let it cool. Add to your smoothies for an antioxidant boost!

5. GOJI BERRIES
These berries are a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin C and also contain iron. To add them to smoothies, soak them in hot water to soften first.

6. CHIA SEEDS
Just a tablespoon of these seeds provides a significant amount of fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. Add directly to smoothies or as a chia “gel” (made by soaking the seeds in water).

7. COCONUT MILK
If you’re on a dairy-free diet and want something that tastes thicker than almond or soy milk, add some coconut milk to your smoothies.

8. CARROTS
Finely grate carrots and then add them to smoothies for a dose of vitamin A.


Try incorporating some of these tips into your smoothies this week! Don't forget to share your smoothies recipes!

For more fun daily tips check out https://www.facebook.com/HealthyLife.HappyLife.Jarvis on Facebook! Make sure you click "Like" for all the daily motivational quotes and healthy living tips!

See you next Saturday!

Thanksgiving 2013

Hunter and I are blessed to have 3 moms and 3 dads! The bonus to having a big family means more Thanksgiving dinners!!! Unfortunately all of our family lives two hours or more away so we don't get to visit everyone on the holiday so we get to celebrate holidays for weeks!

We had our first Thanksgiving the weekend before with Hunter's mom's side of the family. We were lucky and got to host so it made decorating fun! I love setting the table for fun dinners and I got to use lots of my fun wedding gifts! (Still haven't used the china, but we will one day!)

Hunter and I used this day as our CT cheat day.  We were good to start with and had our smoothies before dinner to prevent over-indulging and I think that helped! Everyone helped cook and brought food, Hunter smoked a turkey, and we drank the wine from our winery visit last month! Everything was perfect! We sat by the fire all evening watching football and catching up, just like family visits should be!

I'm very blessed by the flexibility in my work schedule and Hunter's extra PTO this year so we headed to St. Louis to see my family for the week of Thanksgiving!

We loaded up the dogs and were headed north Tuesday afternoon! I have to brag that we have the cutest, best dogs ever! They didn't love staying in a hotel, but they were so well behaved the entire trip!

Did you know Chick-fil-A gives you dog treats??!

Our first stop in St. Louis was Imo's Pizza and brought it back to my parents. Those who grew up in St. Louis and have moved away, know just how exciting authentic STL style pizza with fresh provel cheese is. (I bought 5 pounds of the cheese to bring back to Dallas!) 

We enjoyed lots of family dinners and family visits! I miss my niece and nephews so much, it was great watching them play and seeing how much they have changed in the past few months. 

My grandma has had some health problems this year so it was nice to bring Hunter over to visit and see some of my cousins. She was interested when she realized I was an OT and asked me to show her the exercises her therapist left for her to do. I also modified her phone, remote and made some other recommendations to my family to help them take care of her. It made me feel really good to help out because being so far away, I feel like I can't help my family how I would like to. She was happy and rewarded me with some of my Aunt's famous brownies!  

Our Thanksgiving was also our Christmas since hunter and I can't make it up again this year. It was beyond cute watching the kids open their presents (and everyone else's!). Kids make Christmas so much more fun and so much more exciting. Mom and Dad got us a food saver and I can't wait to start freezing some stuff! Mom knows I'm frugal and hate wasting anything, so that was the perfect gift!

Saturday was the Texas A&M vs Mizzou football game in my old college town, Columbia. Our original plan was for my best friends and their significant others and my parents to all go to the game together, but unfortunately my Dad got sick and my friend's grandma went into the hospital so we were down a few important that day. We had a great day, but they were missed!

I had so much fun showing Hunter around MY campus. Seeing everything there brings back so many memories of the years I spent there, the friends I met and the life lessons I learned!  We went downtown to our favorite pizza place then hung out in a bar I used to sneak into when I was underage!

The game is so important to us not only because those were the schools we attended, but because the Mizzou/A&M rivalry is where we got engaged 3 year ago! My parents got us the tickets as our 2 year wedding anniversary gift and it was a perfect way to celebrate!

Just like the weekend we got engaged, Mizzou won! Hunter was depressed, but later admitted it was a fun game because of the energy in the stadium. 

I felt like it was freshman year again, and I had my best friend of 15 years at my side. We spent more time chit chatting and laughing than we did following the actual game, but that's what made it so great. 

My Mom still came along even though my dad got sick and she had so much fun hanging with us "kids"! We loved having her and we laughed so many times telling her college memories she probably still wishes she never knew!

We got back so late Saturday night that we slept in late on Sunday and got a late start!  Just like every other morning we were there, mom had an awesome breakfast ready for us! We were beyond spoiled this trip like we are every visit. It never gets easier leaving my parents house, but knowing that I get to go back home to Dallas with my husband and puppies makes it bearable till the next visit!