The One Where We Spend $721.15

So. The plumbers came today. And despite the fact that we rescheduled with them so they could come fix our problems on Monday and not go into overtime, they didn't actually do any work on Monday. Instead, they scheduled an appointment for today. But they charged us a transportation fee for coming to check it out. We're 10 minutes away from their home base. TEN minutes. They charge almost as much for driving here as they do per hour. $1/minute = $60/hour. We spent $120/hour for two people to work, so I guess it absolutely is the same. I think I'm in the wrong field... not that I'd like being a plumber, but still...

To add insult to injury all I can say is that the home inspector for this house must have been hallucinating. Really. Standing water in the basement? Rotten, rusty cast iron waste pipes? They very nearly crumbled in the plumbers' hands when they went to remove them. How, oh, how did the inspector not notice those things?

So I'm going to think about the new coverlet/quilt/bed spread we're getting next week. I need to preface this by saying that I am not a Kohl's girl. Not sure why... I've been in there. I've seen some cute stuff from time to time, but it's got a little of the TJ Maxx feel to me. I know cute things are there, but I'm not sure I'm into looking through racks and racks of mediocre things to find a few cute things. Anyhow, we've been looking for new bedding for ages and ages and ages. Just when we thought we'd found something we liked, my grandmother offered us a fabulous shaggy greenish-yellowish rug. I'm a sucker for a freebie, so we're going to try to make it work... That meant the buttery yellow that we had picked out has gone by the wayside. We've had to shift to a different and as yet undecided shade of yellow to go with the grayish, silvery color that Todd wants. Anyhow, after looking at the usuals (West Elm, Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, CB, CB2, LaylaGrace, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Target, DWR, etc.), I'd just about given up hope until I saw BrooklynLimestone reference her 4th bedding set. It made me feel better, but it also made me check the comments to see if anyone had suggested alternatives. Someone suggested some godawful number at Kohl's, but it got me looking... and I think I've finally found something to satisfy Todd's architectural aesthetic while having a little pseudosophistication for me. I tried to do a print screen and paste the picture here, but it ain't happening. If you (translation: If *I* whilst rereading this years from now) want to check it out, here's the link. Scroll down to the platinum coverlet. I'm optimistic that it'll work. And if it doesn't? Well, I guess I'll just wait until we've saved up another $721.15 to buy the super fancy duvets I covet on LaylaGrace... :)

The One Where Marley Is Asleep

Our dog sleeps. Often. And well. He gets almost an inordinate amount of sleep. He has obviously moved to the right house 'cause that's about all I'd like to be doing right now. Because no one actually reads this blog, I feel like I can jump around and discuss things in any ol' sequence. Audience and purpose are two of the most important things for writers to consider, but as I have neither AND as I'm not a writer... what does it matter?

In addition to all of the little things that we've done to the house, we're about to undergo another huge transition: new windows. For 1200 square feet, we've got a ton of windows. We're replacing 16 of them, but we actually have 24. Who has 24 windows? And five that we're not replacing? They're five feet tall and and each one is about 2.5 feet wide. I'm thinking we probably have a corner on the heat loss market. It probably doesn't help that we have nary a patch of insulation in our walls either. Anyhow, just as we traded up with Cash for Clunkers, we're trading up (and selling our souls) for new windows and a measly $1500 "rebate" that we'll hopefully be able to get.

Getting new windows is a bit like the book _If You Give a Mouse a Cookie_. New windows means new window coverings. New window coverings means new window treatments. New window treatments means new bedding. And so it goes... So our venture that will cost us the same montly payment as our house payment will also yield complete disatisfaction with the decor (or lack thereof) in our two bedrooms. I know. Our world is really pretty happy, and window coverings? Is that really a problem. Nope. I guess it's just something I think about. I recognize that world peace is important... and feeding the nations... and educating the children... I know that. I just see our windows. And I wonder. And then I get thrown off by the visual insanity that I know will come in the weeks ahead. And I think that Marley has the right idea. Sleeeeep. And worry not 'cause we have no audience. I'm just sounding my barbaric yawp.

Yawp.

Yawn.

The One without a Title

So... There's no good reason not to have blogged 'cepting life just happened. Work on the house slowed down, and we started working on major repairs. Our plans to bring new plumbing to bring water INTO the house have been turned topsy-turvy by our need to get new exit pipes installed. On Thursday. Our neighbors (the ones with the father who was an on-again-off-again resident and was the scourge of the neighborhood for being on the FamilyWatchdog list) moved out. Ten days after their departure their house burned... badly. We didn't even realize it was happening. The blue lights of the police car in our front yard alerted us to the fact that something was amiss. What was amiss was the fact that 40-foot flames were leaping up out of the neighboring domicile. Not good. We've done a few things here and there, but most of our time for the last two months has been filled up with this guy.

Marley. No we didn't see the movie and get all sentimental and name him that. Nope. We read the book... Just kidding. English teacher bad joke. He came to us with that name. I'm so ignorant to dogparenting that I didn't know you could change a dog's name... oh well. C'est la vie, right? Marley it is. And I couldn't love him any more. He's perfect. He's quiet, patient, cuddly, attentive, smart... y'know, all the things dogs should be. And right now? He's got his head on my lap while I type. Really. Just that cute. Almost as cute as my grandmother shushing me in order to sneak him some table scraps. "No, Mama Jean. Don't feed him. He'll learn that begging is ok." Her reply came quickly, "Shush. I'm just going to throw it over there on the floor. If he doesn't know where it came from, he won't start begging." Really. That's what she said. And then my grandfather confessed to feeding him a smidgen of a cookie while Todd napped. Those grandparents of mine... they're suckers for a cute dog! And their granddaughters and grandson-in-laws...

So the Race for the Cure day will 'most always be Marley's homecoming day. And that's where we've been. I'm guessing I'll try to keep up with blogging more often. I want to remember these little moments...

There's Something 'bout the Southland in the Springtime

One of my favorite areas of our house is the back porch.  It still needs loads of work, but it's just layered in color.  The daffodils and camellias are just now fading, and the dianthus are bunches of green with great pink just starting to pop out.  The dogwood that reaches out over the patio is almost half covered in blooms.  There are these beautiful purple flowers that have popped up in the shade garden.  I'm sure they're weeds, but they're simply gorgeous.  I think we're about a week away from seeing the azaleas, and I'm in heaven!

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

And if we had a fire, it'd be delightful...

Wait! It IS delightful.

I woke up CERTAIN that we'd have at least a two-hour delay, but we got even better than a two-hour delay. We got an early release followed by a two-hour delay on Wednesday. Life is grand. I finished addressing gobs of wedding invitations for my sister in law, and I'm pretty pleased with them. She is going to be a beautiful bride, so I felt like the pressure was on to really make them look good. In the process of revising my own writing style to match the style of her invitations, I came across some beautiful writers on the ol' interwebs. I've realized just how mediocre my handwriting is. I've also realized just how talented others are. Sooo talented. Shoot, they have to be to A) charge what they charge for addressing envelopes and B) to turn these out with enough regularity to stay in business! Really though, I'm going to be working on my penmanship. Stat.


As I've come across beautiful writing, I've also come across the best possible match for beautiful penmanship... letterpress... mmmmmmmm... letterpress. Dreamy. Here's a primo example of a match made in heaven. I think if I lived in Syracuse, NY, I'd probably want to volunteer to work for Bella Figura just so I could spend time surrounding myself with their gorgeous, gorgeous miniature works of art.

I'm also in love with Betsy White's work. Stunning. And as much as I love picking out stamps at the PO, why didn't I ever think about how important they are to the overall look of an invitation? I'm hanging my head in shame. Look how well these Presidential Library stamps fit with these invitations. So stinking dignified!

I feel as if I need to go clean my pen nibs now...

Shelf

We're using this picture as a bit of inspiration. I expect I'll put some cut glass, milk glass and hobnail glass pieces up there, but I need some (lots) of color. I love the monochromatic look that Bosworth Hodemaker has created, but it's just not me. So... after looking at yesterday's beauuuuutiful fabric prints, I'm thinking thoughts of plates and fabrics and any pretty things I can put my grubby little hands on! I'm on the prowl!

traditional kitchen design by seattle architect Bosworth Hoedemaker

No more Zaner-Bloser?

I can distinctly remember practicing looping in elementary school. I was so excited to learn how to write in cursive. We learned using the Zaner-Bloser method, and I loved being able to write like grown ups. I read this article today, and I feel a little sad. I have students who can't write in cursive... much less read in cursive. I can get the writing struggle. I mean, I can hardly solve equations with only one variable. I can't get that it's hard to read in cursive. That escapes me.

After giving the SAT and watching those kids struggle to write a few sentences in cursive, I guess this article is true. Sad times.

5th and State Giveaway

There are a few (Todd would say a gracious few) blogs that I frequent just about every single day. Sometimes I stray away from those to check out blogs that they frequent. 5th and State is one of those blogs. It's at the top of Eddie Ross' favorites, and that says a ton to me. Unlike Todd, I don't have one particular style. I just like pretty things. She's offering a home exterior restyling giveaway, and I'm going to enter. It can't hurt, right? I'm working on my entry now...

New Finds

I have a long-standing love affair with gift shops. I worked in a series of related shops in my hometown during high school and college, and I feel like I have to have a relationship with a local shop in order to really feel at home. When we first moved to Southampton, we actually stayed at a B&B in Winchester while we sorted out our housing arrangements. I'm actually not sure if we found The Hambledon on that first visit or not, but my love for it has increased tenfold in the many years that I've been gone. I love everything about the shop, but I mostly love that it fostered my love for Cath Kidston. I'm not so much of a Shabby Chic kind of girl, but for some reason, I love Cath's prints. Love. And The Hambledon introduced us to one another. When my sister heads home to Southampton she's good about feeding the Cath-loving monster with a piece or two, but I just haven't been able to satisfy my need from here... until now. I just discovered the cutest, cutest, cutest fabric site I've seen lately. Heather Bailey, I love your prints! Love. I think it doesn't hurt that I'm ready for spring, but I'm even more ready for some fabrics from her store!

I mean, these ARE our kitchen colors... Hmm... Could there be another UPS package coming my way?

Took a Whole Lot of Trying...

As long as we're living, it's you and me baby. There ain't nothing wrong with thaaaaat.

And there's nothing wrong with feeling great about getting this far along! I am loving unpacking everything and knowing that I don't need to save the packing materials. I love knowing that my china is in a mostly permanent location!

And we thought we were making great progress here. And we were. Little did we know in July that we'd be living with these cabinets for as long as we did, but they were certainly built well. Really built well. Thank goodness for the sledgehammer and sawzall. I really wouldn't've minded a little extra cash for some shopping, but I guess the tools have really be useful. At least more useful than I'd care to admit.

To the East Side...

Well, it's not a deeeluxe apartment in the skyyyy, but it's definitely our home in progress.

Looking at this picture reminds me of just how far we've come in less than a year. Sometimes it's hard for us to see that we've done much until we go through these pictures. Here's our sink around August.

Cooking with Gas

Well, we're almost there... I thought we'd be farther along by now, but we're coming home and working pretty steadily. Below is what the kitchen looked like last week. You can see the cabinets sans handles, the old wall (y'know, the wall I scraped with a 1.5" paint scraper), the pass through, and the floors.


Last weekend we got the handles and knobs installed (except on the cursed cabinet), and the gas man came and ran lots of gas line for us. Lots of gas line. A preeeettttty penny's worth of gas line. Who knew piping could be so expensive?

This past weekend we spent all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon and evening installing the backsplash. I actually enjoyed that way better than installing the tile in the bathroom. Maybe having access to running water made it easier? I like to think it had everything to do with being able to use the extra fancy tile saw that we rented. I'd always heard that people shouldn't rent tile saws because you can buy them for such a low price. However, we couldn't have even come close to buying a tile saw of the same caliber as the one we were able to rent for a mere $35. And I loved using it. And I figured out how to use it. It's funny the things that make me prideful these days.
You can see the range hood starting to be installed in the shot above. Todd has done an amazing job figuring out the details. We've had some good workers, but we've also had some shysters. All in all, I trust Todd more than any of those guys. I know he'll be thorough and careful with everything.

We should be grouting this weekend, and we'll do some painting too. Once we've done that, I can slide my new BFF, the stove, back into place. I so can't wait. Maybe by then I'll figure out the camera a little better. Everything looks so stark and off color. The grayer tiles don't really stand out all freakishly the way they do in these pictures. Even still, I can't wait to post the rest! Enjoy!

187

While Todd fights with the cursed drawer in the kitchen, I was doing a little reading. Maybe because I'm so unorganized, I'm totally mesmerized by people who are organized enough to live in teeny, tiny spaces. I read this article in the NYT today, and I'm a little jealous! I really don't think I could live in a space so small! I definitely don't have what the article calls the knack for "artful arrangement."
I can't organize things fashionably to save my life. I guess it's a good thing Todd's got a handy degree or two in architecture.
I'd give my eye teeth to figure out how to make a Rubik's cube look chic.

(Pictures are totally stolen from the NYT and were artfully taken by Robert Wright.)

I wanted to title this post Smoking in the Boys' Room, but Todd didn't like that. It made sense to me because Aunt Frank used to sneak cigarettes with Mama Jean at Mama's house. I can't imagine what would've happened if they would've been caught. Anyhow, this has been done for ages, but hey... this is barely a blog, so what does it matter if we don't keep it updated? Well, maybe posting a few pictures of the (still) nearly finished bathroom will help cool my sister's jets a little. We've been busting our tails on the kitchen, and progress has actually been made.

So here's a view of our little bathroom...

Ch-ch-changes

I'd almost forgotten how tight the kitchen was... You walked through the door off of the porch and right into the refrigerator. I guess it wouldn't be a problem now as we only have the mini fridge, but it's nice to know that we'll have a proper fridge in a proper fridge cubby before long. Frigidaire, if you're reading this, WE NEED YOU TO START SELLING THE French Door fridge that Jeff Lynch has promised us in Q1 0f 2010... STAT!

I digress. As a preview of things to come... here's what our kitchen USED to look like. After yet another weekend full of work, I can't wait to see the next installment finished! We're almost ready!

Strange changes? No... They're pretty changes.

Slow changes? Oh yes. Ohhhhhh yes.

Before Floor:
Layer 1 was really the linoleum that was on top of this. It's a real pity that the yellowness and brownness of this flooring isn't clear in this photo. Beautiful. I guess it was meant to match the bathroom?And this rockin' red? Gorgeous. We're still not sure if it was meant to have the marble effect. It was a really strange leathery texture.