We're at the point in the building of our new old farmhouse that we're starting to think about some finishes. That means Nat is trying to wrangle all the choices with counters and tile and colors and trim and such. But it also means things like railing hangers and garage floor epoxy and doorbells.
Yeah...doorbells.
And Nat and I have been looking around online to find a doorbell that we both like and while there are some neat ones that seem right, I just haven't found anything that I'm in love with. I know...it is just a doorbell. But, I loved our last one. And I want to love this one.
That's lead me to this crazy idea: what about a mechanical doorbell?
See the photo above? That's the 'outside' part of the mechanical doorbell. You have to 'turn' the dial to ring the bell. Below is a photo of the 'bell' part that would sit inside the house.
Remember, we're trying to build a #NewOldFarmhouse. We're already using some salvaged house parts like our windows. And the knobs that Nat has chosen are really awesome and fit the whole 'new old' thing. I'm thinking this doorbell would fit that theme, too? But is it obnoxious?
How does it work? Well, check out this video below that shows both parts.
The video shows a small rod connect the two parts. Because that's how you would mount it to a door. That's about the thickness of the normal door. But, I think we love our new front door a bit too much to want to drill into it. Also, there's lots of glass on it, so it might not work.
But, what about mounting this right where the normal doorbell button would go? Like right next to the door? Turns out, that's doable. I asked our builder what the final thickness of the wall would be after the siding is put on the outside and the drywall is put on the inside and he said it was in the 7" range.
If you check out this listing on the Vintage Hardware site, you'll see that they offer this mechanical doorbell operator that comes with a 10" long rod. And that you can easily trim the length of the rod to make it work for your specific size.
So, instead of having a doorbell with a electric chime, we'd have one of these.
Am I crazy?
That video makes me think the bell is loud enough? But, Nat is worried that our doorbell would need to come with 'instructions'. "How would the UPS guy know how to ring the bell?"
My answer is that there *are* instructions, right? Look at that photo above again: it says 'turn'.
Also, you've seen the Sebastian Maniscalco routine about what happens today when someone rings your doorbell? LULZ. But, true. People don't just 'pop over' these days, right? So, the doorbell isn't used all that much unless you're expecting company? In that case, we'd be listening for it, right?
Give this a watch.
If you came up to a house and saw that mounted to the outside of door, would you know to turn it to ring the doorbell?
Earlier this winter, I wrote about the old Lou Malnati's menu and mentioned that as I was waiting around for my pie to finish up, I spied an old Chicago Tribune article posted on the wall that included the original Lou Malnati's Italian Salad Dressing Recipe. The Tribune reporter called it "prized". We were set to host a little pizza party over the weekend, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Here's the article as seen through my mobile phone's camera.
I'm not a wine drinker, so the fact that the recipe called for Burgundy wine didn't strike me as odd. I went shopping at Angelo Caputos in Addison - a really incredible shopping experience - and when I got to the wine section I found Burgundy wine was carried ONLY in those HUGE jugs. And they were dirt cheap. The only issue is that needed just 4 ounces. We ended up with a whole-lotta-wine that Nat won't drink.
I've taken the recipe and modified it a bit by eliminating the percentages (60…
**NOTE** If you're looking to make your own version of this dressing, you should check out the recipe I posted back here: Lou Malnati's Salad Dressing Recipe.
Last week, I was in the Elmhurst Lou Malnati's picking up a pie and noticed that they're NOW selling a bottled version of their salad dressing they've called "Lou Malnati's Sweet Vinaigrette". That's the second consumer packaged good they have in their take-out shops - with the first being Lou Malnati's Tomatoes. They sell it in 16 oz jars.
I didn't catch a price, but I did catch a photo of the ingredient list.
Hmmm...comparing that to the Lou Malnati's salad dressing recipe, it seems that there are a few differences. First, the bottled dressing uses corn oil (listed first) and olive oil (listed way down), while the recipe posted in the Tribune back 40+ years uses olive oil. The bottled dressing also has mustard, "natural flavors" and a few different preservat…
Move over vegetable garden and garage pavillion, there's potentially a new entrant into the currently crowded backyard at the Parrillo household. Behold: this beauty. The Cedar Summit Panorama Playset from Costco. Comes with 3 swings and a tube slide. Nat spotted this behemoth at Costco and after doing a bit of comparison shopping at a place like Menards (more expensive, I think) and Wannemaker's (don't sell these type of things any more), it appears to be a fair deal.
It is a kit - so I'd be putting it together myself, but I'm up for that challenge. The real issue is getting it home. I'm going to head back to Costco to take a look to see if it will fit in Nat's car with the back seats folded down. If not, it seems like I'll be renting a truck from Home Depot.
Yes, the Babe is likely too small for a lot of this, but certainly NOT the swings. We take her to the park on a regular basis and she gets a kick out of the swings. The whole fort thi…
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