Heated floors and another seating solution

Lots of people have asked me if I'm staying warm in my little house.  The answer is YES!  A couple of weeks ago I plugged in the radiant heat floor and that has helped quite a bit.  Here's an example. This morning I got up and my thermostat said that the ambient air was 56 degrees F.  Now that might seem a bit cold, but my bare feet were standing on a floor that was 71 degrees F.  I was wearing fuzzy pajama pants and a short-sleeved t-shirt and I didn't feel all that cold, maybe just chilly enough to put on a sweater.  That warm floor makes ALL the difference.  My suggestion to anyone building a house, no matter what size, put in a heated floor.  Even if it is just in your bathroom or kitchen.  It is lovely to have warm feet, and when your feet are warm, the rest of you feels a little warmer.  

I purchased a "kill-a-watt" electricity monitor.  It measures a lot of electrical things, but the reason I bought it was for the kilowatt-hour measuring capability.   I wanted to see how much electricity I truly use so I can actually have an appropriately sized solar system.  The first 24 hours it was plugged in I used about 2 kilowatt hours of electricity. Which means I actually need another panel and 6 more batteries.  Solar goals!  When I was originally sizing my solar system, I had difficulty imagining how much power I would actually use because I lived in a 1200 sq ft home with big appliances, different heating solutions, more lighting requirements.  I couldn't estimate how many hours my ceiling fan/light would need to be on.  I realized the other day that I only turn on lights in the house after sunset.  Even on the cloudiest days I don't need lights on in the house, just the right amount of windows, I guess.  Since I have never had radiant heat floors before I didn't know how they would cycle on and off.  My thermostat actually tells me if the floor is using 100%, 75%, 50% or 25% of the rated electricity to maintain the set temperature of the floor.  Sounds fancy, but it really isn't...well, maybe it is just a little.  So while I could estimate the full capacity use of the floor and everything else electric, it is nice to have an actual measurement.   

I went to IKEA aka The Danger Zone and got a cabinet to put above the trunk.  I think it will be really nice to have a little extra storage space.  The size I got also allows for a 5-6 inch closet rod between the cabinet and the wall so I can still hang my coat in basically the same place. I'll post a picture when the cabinet is hung, as it is currently still in the box.  As I was eating breakfast this morning contemplating putting the cabinet together, I realized that I didn't buy the cabinet door.  I got the hinges, but the door comes separately.  I guess I'll just have to go back...such a travesty!  Sigh! 

Then, I'm finding that I'm still not 100% pleased with my seating arrangement.  Yes, Nellie is 150% pleased because she LOVES the big green pillow and has adopted it as her own, which leaves me curling up on her dog bed to read.  Well, maybe not quite that extreme, but almost.  So while at The Danger Zone I looked at benches with underneath storage, couches, futons,... Then I came across TV stands. The one I got is the right height, the right width, storage underneath and all I need to do is make a cushion.  Shucks, that means I'll have to go to the fabric store...what a pity. I think when the weather gets warmer it will get a coat of paint or two though, the dark color just doesn't quite work, but it didn't come in any other color.

Then again maybe I'll make a cover for the whole thing and incorporate a cushion...instant transformation. Hmmm, the wheels are turning.