together again

Oh hey, did I mention that it was cold? Did I happen to mention that my kitchen is only about...ooo... 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature? Sure, sure, we put in a new window. But when the other 75% of glassed surfaces in the kitchen are wonky, I bet I could make ice cream just by mixing ingredients together. No special equipment required.


So, we cranked up our Senior Citizen boiler in the basement, and it promptly rebelled by increasing the pressure to the scary"red zone" on the little meter-- meaning that it relieved it's frustrations by spitting water out the safety valve onto the floor. Baby. So we decreased the heat and sifted around through drawers for our heating guy's number. We'll have to give him a call tomorrow, because isn't it always the case that boiler incidents happen in subzero conditions on Sundays? I mean, honestly, there is no better time.


:::


On another note. We've always split the hunch/buffet and put them in different places downstairs, but over the weekend as we took down the tree and moved things around, I decided it was time to put them back together. They look nice, huh?

Wrapping up 2009...

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Started making soaps, attended Dog Obedience Class, started a new job in a new town with a longer commute. Planned a trip and went to Provence. Bought a Buick. Met with a personal trainer. Went snowshoeing, Booked an all-inclusive.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


Here's what I wrote last year: I haven't come up with anything solid. I am, of course, trying to cut back on the industrial-sized quantities of sweets and crap I've been shoveling down my gullet over the holidays and shape it up for some spring weddings we have coming. There...vague, huh?

Did I keep that... eh. Not so much. I mean, my size and food intake didn't really fluctuate throughout the year. So eh. That was a wash.

Resolutions for 2010:

• Write more. Like almost every day. I used to write in journals alot when I was younger. Sure, most of it was crap, but I still think there was worth in it.

• Stop thinking so much and start doing. Just take a step-- in any direction-- and see what happens. (yeah this isn't quantitative-- or as we say in the work world-- a S.M.A.R.T goal)...and I'm not sure how I'll keep it.

• Continue to work on eating less preserved foods. Grow more of our own.

• Spend more time in outside, in forests- hiking, snowshoeing, riding. I love that stuff, yet somehow always make excuses not to do it.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?



Friends Bridget and Dan have a new son, born in November.

4. Did anyone close to you die?



My grandmother. Although I wouldn't say we were close.

5. What countries did you visit?



France.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Some direction, especially in the 'what's next in our life' department.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why. Nothing specific.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Hm. Probably planning and going to France. It was a dream for a longtime to visit Provence, and it did not disappoint.

9. What was your biggest failure? I don't think anything was a failure this year particularly.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No, thank goodness!

11. What was the best thing you bought? Our new car!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Darby O' Gilligan! though, his behavior more often merits punishment.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Oh Geez. Some people at work, for starters.

14. Where did most of your money go? Vacations, Cars, House.

15. What did you get really excited about? Planning trips and going on them. Planning remodeling the house and then doing it. Pretending we're moving and looking for pretend houses to live in.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? That "I've got a Feeling" song by the Black Eyed Peas.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:


– happier or sadder? Happier, or the same.
– thinner or fatter? Same. Maybe a bit stronger, and definitely able to run farther and easier than a year ago.
– richer or poorer? Slightly richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

 Spending time in a way that makes me happy. Be more creative, visit friends more often. Write more letters.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Work. Commuting. Cleaning. Scheming with no result. Making excuses.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

First at Jed's parents, then down to mine. It wouldn't be Christmas without the running undercurrent of whose side of the family we are spending more time with and on what day, etc... Christmas eve was ours, which was nice. We baked chicken, opened presents and went to the midnight service.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? I don't think so...

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Oh, probably still the Office. I don't watch much tv, but I always look forward to getting those DVDS for Christmas.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
 No.

24. What was the best book you read? I haven't read too much. I did enjoy Animal Vegetable Miracle and loved The Backyard Homestead so I now own it.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Avett Brothers.

26. What did you want and get? Our kitchen finalized- the planning desk, the backsplash. It is finally DONE and looks so great.

27. What did you want and not get? A horse. This fall we fantasized about running up to Wisconsin to work with a horse that we could ride and play with for FREE... and then, there were inklings that that horse could be OURS... and none of it came to pass.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? My birthday was almost last year already, and we went snowshoeing at the Arboretum.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Knowing what I want to do in life and working towards it.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Either dressed up for work or dressed down for home. Black pants and heels or comfy pj pants.

32. What kept you sane?

Wine.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I did enjoy the lovely little snippets of Michelle Obama we got to see this year.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

I'm not going to say I was stirred, but having quality, affordable healthcare is important to me. Having slight experience with universal healthcare in other countries, I only hope our country can figure something ASAP. I think the part that stirred me the most was watching the ignorant arguments about the issues, not the issues themselves.

35. Who did you miss?
I miss my friend Melissa. It's been too long since we've seen each other, and it's always a nice 'reset' for me when we see each other...

36. Who was the best new person you met?

This is also an area to work on. I'm afraid that I'm losing more than gaining in the friends/warm acquaintances department. Some of Jed's work friends and one of my new employees are nice people, but I don't know that I'd classify them as 'best' new people we met.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Some people really do get by on looks and lies. It's crazy, really...

Best wishes in 2010!

it wouldn't be vacation...

...without a house project! Some exciting new changes coming to our kitchen area and main living space... Pics to follow shortly!

Hope you're having some lovely downtime before the New Year.

back in business

Phew! A little 10 dollar card reader was all that stood between me and photo uploading. Good thing it wasn't worse.

What a GREAT weekend-- gorgeous weather, catnaps on the porch, cleaning the house, Murphy's oiling all the wood floors- it smells great and clean and fresh and completely dustless. How did we ever live with carpet before... Seriously?

Anyway, no need to hold your breath any longer... without further adieu...

...Our BACKSPLASH!!!

I think it was one of, if not *the* most successful remodeling projects I've ever tackled. It was challenging- but not too hard, relatively inexpensive (but doesn't look cheap), and overall, I think,completely takes the kitchen to a new level.

Can you tell I love the way it turned out?

Anyone want to tile a backsplash? I'll be there to help!

I especially love the way it looks at night. Really, this picture doesn't capture it... but the little light that glows down really makes the tiles look beautiful.

Today I took some cleaner and sealer to it-- especially made for sensitive stones like Travertine.

The things you learn when you do home projects.

::: the end :::

new backplash!

It's completely unlike my house to allow a project to go off seamlessly-- easily-- perfectly. We got an entire travertine mosiac backsplash up and grouted in 8 hours flat. It was all thanks to Simple Mat. This thing is AMAZING people... if you are considering any tiling projects, do yourself a favor and just get the Simplemat. Sure, it cost about $30-50 more than hanging tile the old-fashioned way with trowel and mastic, but it gives you so much more time-- time to be a newbie and hold up tiles, lay things out, and generally just be *sure* before you commit to placement. And it's cleaner and doesn't require any tools besides scissors. PERFECT. We used some leftover grout from my parents' bathroom project, so in all, I can return a whole box of tile and the unused grout we purchased. Total price? $200. And I think the kitchen looks like million bucks...

photos on their way! (as soon as I figure out why my camera isn't auto-uploading anymore...)

the wonders of kale.

Ok...fine. Summer's over.

I lit the Mulling Spices candle yesterday and planted the flowering kale for our window boxes. Kale is to Fall as to Geraniums were to Summer. Love it!

And a final updated house pic. I'm totally scheming of photoshopping this sucker- changing the color, putting on some different shutters (or maybe none?) All in a scheme to get hopelessly excited for a remodeling project we won't take on anyway... blah.

change of pace

End of summer calls for some changes around here-- we moved the table from our 'dining' room and made a little seating area where it was. Jed put up the matching chandelier we had stored in our basement for a few years-- swapping out the ugly half-dome thing that was there.

Our little house doesn't offer too many options to re-arrange... but it's nice to see things a little differently every now and then.

Agh! Fall decor already? I decided it was Mid-September already. How did that happen?

Our new 'sitting room'
.The new table area.
Chandelier with autumn berries!

not doing.

We have so much to do around the house, it seems. The list grows:

-clean out the basement before winter
-take large floor rugs outside for a good slap around, and rotate
-plant fall lettuces (too late, maybe?)
-weed the west side of the house
-change out light fixtures inside... (we have them... they are just sitting, waiting)
-fix leaky faucet
-fix kitchen floor tiles
-weather seal the doors
-buy/install new kitchen windows
:::Dream::: rip out/replace godawful astroturf steps

Sigh. It's so much cheaper when you don't do things. Well, except for weeding. And cleaning. But who likes to do that?

OK. Enough of those thoughts! We've been doing zipzilch around the house, truly, because of FUN! WEEKEND! OUTINGS! Such as: Wisconsin! Camping! YAY! Summer is only so long, and we have all winter to clean, right?

Another fun (and free... for now) pastime of mine is playing "Let's find the perfect house" on realtor.com!
I've searched properties up near where we were in Wisconsin, and it makes me GAG to find places like

this
or this
or this
or this

and this with more land, more room, and gorgeous views-- all for equal or less the price we paid for our fixer-upper?...

WHY do we live in the Chicago suburbs.... why?

won't you be my neighbor

just in case you were in the market for an 1880s church, boy do I have a deal for you!

Who doesn't love the tasteful decoration of a gold disco ball hanging from the 23-foot cathedral ceilings. Or the large table with supersize skull?

But seriously, if someone wanted to dump ALOT of cash into a house that already costs nearly half a million dollars... it could be amazing!

downside: no yard

upside: you get to be my neighbor!

summer's in the air.

I caught a glimpse of a bank sign that read 87 degrees today, and I believe it. It's just a tinge bit warm upstairs, but perfectly cool downstairs thanks to our cellar... but who wants to sit inside when it's a perfectly splendid night to hit the new porch, pop open a sweet white lambrusco, and download some Jack Johnson. Yep... Summer's in the air.

Tomorrow- we'll be loading up the car and heading down to Dixie (heh) to visit my sis for her big grad party after work. Working tomorrow...blech... I'll try to see what I can do to swing heading near home for some sales calls to advance my cause...

And a final wrapup on the porch: Darby tested/Poppy Approved.

ps. if you don't click on Dooce.com much, I totally loved the little video she posted today about her dogs. For some reason I'm having issues linking to her site, but totally check out the post: http://dooce.com/2009/05/21/zen-master-vs-toddler-meth

For two dogs with very very...very... different personalities, I *get* it.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

welcome to Nantucket...

....or... my front porch. We decided to go with taupe/clay/slate rug and took the snoozeville basketweave one back. I've never decorated in these colors before, so it's a bit new for me. I have to watch the urge to go total 'Seaside Rendezvous' with kitchy shells and stuff, so I'm decorating in moderation.

I'm putting my clearance lanterns back to work, as well as a new seagrass arrangement and metal sculpture-thing I found at Homegoods on display...

Anyway... here I am doing night-time pics again (and I really need to figure out how to use the manual settings to make it look right...) so in the meantime, you'll have to use your imagination to sense how wonderful it is to have a *clean* floor that doesn't require flip flops, and a nice rug that has made me care now if I drop things on the floor...

the porch project...

So... the porch.

Here's the progress so far, and I'm kicking myself for not taking daytime pictures of the finished floor, because it's pretty. Hopefully you can imagine based on the paint color above.

BRICK: That brick was a mofo to paint. We started with a $6.00 VERY ROUGH surface roller, which our brick promptly ate up and spit out thankyouverymuch.

Then we used those small sponges on sticks to googe the paint in the grout. That lasted for about 15 minutes until we poked our eyes out with the sponge sticks.

Then... the wheels started turning and out came the spraypaint. 7 cans later, we (I) had sprayed into every stinking crevice possible. AGAIN. and AGAIN.

Seriously-- my nose hairs were white-- and I wore a mask...

The brick wasn't only rough, it was... sucky. See the pic below-- we painted 3 more cans after this because it was still absorbing paint... it's a more solid, normal ivory now.

RUGS: the bain of my existence right now. WHY WHY WHY do I always see what I want when I don't need it, and the exact second I decide I want to buy something, it becomes completely elusive and disappears from the face of the Earth. This is my luck with rugs.

And, AND... I can't even find one of the runners-up that we bought at Target online, so I'll have to describe.

RUG 1: Braided/basketweave indoor/outdoor fabric. Pretty, but plain. Could probably find something similar elsewhere for $20 less, but who wants to deal with searching more. Would be great to compliment with the summer-y and SO "in" green apple/lime/fern colors I'd like to use in there. ALSO great for all seasons because it's neutral-- could be accessorized/swapped out with different colors for Fall, Winter, etc.

RUG 2: $40 more expensive than Rug 1. Colors of putty, gold, cream and slate blue. Matches the floor really well. Sets off the ceiling really well. Good color match. More expensive, but worth it if we like it. Not technically indoor/outdoor, but is bristlier feeling than most indoor rugs. 100% cotton. Would be great if we wanted to take the room into a slightly blue/wheat/ivory theme, which isn't what I was intending, but would look really good.

Hopefully I'll have pics tomorrow.

Too quiet... but busy.

I know, I know... I hate to say it, but it's been busy.

We had a good weekend, but a quick one. We have friends coming to stay with us at the end of this week, and there is so much I want to get done before they get here. Of course, this week's evenings are all but booked up.... tonight, a work meeting, Wednesday- a dinner with my old roommates, Friday- a makeup Mother's day dinner with Jed's mom. And so much to get done in between.

Of course Martha arrived in my mailbox with a feature on gorgeous summertime porches, so we launched into action yesterday trying to spruce up our own. We hauled out the furniture, brought in a bucket of soapy water, scrub brushes and a hose-- and we CLEANED it out. Of course, after all of our effort, it looked pretty much the same. So we figured some new caulk around the windows would be nice. And after we were done, the glistening white caulk made everything else looked super dingy, so now I think we'll have to do some spray painting. I'm thinking also of painting the brick-- something less... red... and maybe doing some indoor/outdoor carpet. Or perhaps just painting the floor and using some rugs. Anything to make it a bit home-ier and less mudroom-esque.

:::

So our dogs are with my parents this week because one of them is getting their teeth cleaned for the bargain basement country vet rates down there, and so the house is creepily quiet. There is nothing to monitor, nothing to watch out for. No whining, no barking. No little noises or distractions. It's just silent. I became acutely aware of how sad it is without them last night when we were climbing into bed, and it just seemed so lonely. I *KNOW* we still have... us.... but without something ELSE to dote on, snuggle on the couch with, or yell at... there was just something missing.

Do I live a life that relies on distraction? When I'm by myself, I have to have the TV on for some background noise. It seems like it's most comfortable for me to always be multi-tasking. Eating dinner and checking Facebook, emailing and watching TV. Driving and (i know...) talking on the phone. Maybe it's a byproduct of a job that requires doing at least 4 things at once-- paying attention to staff while emailing, while thinking about who I'm going to call next, all on top of at least three downsized spreadsheets... while wondering if I'll have enough time to get some work done in the porch tonight... OR, perhaps, I'll put a coat of poly on the bay window seat. During the finale of Dancing with the Stars.

good thing it's stainless...

...because it might start to rust soon from all that licking.

The second I get any stainless appliance wiped off with metal polish, Darby is ON it, licking like he's never tasted anything so good. Nutrient deficiency? I hope not...

Summerlike Spring...

If someone ordered an instant Summer warmup this Spring, it arrived promptly today, at 81 degrees.

We started the day with the loud calls of flirting cardinals... this female and male were chirping it up like crazy out on the top of the fence. They'd each fly down and perch, swapping spots on top of the fence and the low-hanging branches. We seriously felt like Planet Earth journalists capturing this stuff. And it was all through the storm door-- pretty clean, eh?

And then, I admired the fruits of my fall planting... everything was looking so glorious today (and you know what-- seriously... something is lost in translation because these pics are way more beautiful on my screen...)

And then there was the business of laundry...

...and I can't wait to climb into those fresh sheets tonight. I could definitely get used to this 80-degree, Friday-off thing.

breaking & entering

One of my favorite things about our house is the lovely screened/glassed in porch at the front of the house. It's wonderful March through November, and we're almost always out there reading, or on the computer... drinking wine... relaxing...

Tonight, I was sitting and typing out there and had a little reminiscence:

I distinctly remember the day we put on offer on our house-- the very same day we'd toured several others with our realtor and my parents-- the critics to end all home searches. That day, it was decided that every house we visited was terrible, too small, or too outdated... except one-- which wasn't as terrible and somehow more live-able than all the other houses we'd seen.

l remember exactly where I was when our realtor called to tell us that the sellers had accepted our offer. I remembered thinking HOW MUCH MONEY we had just committed to (gulp)... Of couse, the sale was in '06 at the top of the market, and today we stare up from the bottom.

I remember the day we drove up to see it, again-- this time with friends-- the sale still incomplete. We parked in the driveway, snuck into the front porch (which still doesn't lock well) and peered through the bay window...this would be OURS... We poked around the garage and even lifted the cellar door and crept down the stone stairs just to show how creepy and old the whole thing was.

And now it's home.

Three years this July... already. There have been changes... many changes... but the bones are still the same.

They'll see us, like they've seen many families before us, and perhaps many after.

all over the place... con pix!

I woke up this morning to a huge pop-- sharper than thunder, but almost just as loud. My eyes were closed, but I swear I saw a burst of light. I was still too tired to explore, but when I did crawl out of bed and open up the shades, I think I spotted the culprit: a poor fat squirrel met its end on the power line and fell to an untimely death at the end of our driveway. We buried him later and put a little concrete piece on top for a headstone. Poor guy.

After that, the day improved drastically, including 'finishing' the curtains in the bookroom (which Jed has pointed out many times, really *isn't* a bookroom anymore, since I shoved them all into the closet.) Today it functioned as a nice little craft room---and it would be an excellent sewing room if I had any aptitude or drive AT ALL for sewing. It's not that I don't want to create adorable clothes or handy homegoods... it's just that sewing, to me, is SO FREAKING ANNOYING. By the time I haul out the machine, I can barely remember how to do anything, and I'm not sure if you can see it in the photo, but my cellphone always is within arms-length, because every time I bring out the sewing machine, a call to my Mom shortly follows. I can't remember how to do the bobbin... my needle hits the little strikeplate, I can't get the bottom thread to 'come up'... it's just insanely ridiculous how completely PROBLEMATIC the whole thing is.

After I held back the instinct to call, within half an hour, I had successfully wound the bobbin. (BTW, I feel like I have such a 'man' mind for this-- I actually tried just holding the thread rather than going to the book and reading about all the 6,235,678 hoops you have to pull the thread through to successfully gain the right tension.) After that, surprisingly, I was cruising along, sewing little hems on my perfectly cut fabric (thanks to the absolutely correct size at Joann's and their industrial winder/cutter for upholstery fabric, I did not have to CUT ANYTHING-- probably better that way.) Then- after 6 feet of what seemed like an awesome little straight stitch, I flipped it over to admire my work, only to find millions of little loops of thread... all the way down!! UGH!!! Add another half-hour of cutting out the stitch, while trying to find my scissors and my sanity in the accumulating piles of thread mounding around me.

The reason I scare-quote "FINISH" my curtains up there is that, while they look like someone might reasonably buy them-- someone even, who has a somewhat normal sense of style-- don't even look at the backs! My little mini-hems are stitched alright, but the backs are fricking embarrassing... the cuts aren't straight, and they're fraying in some parts... BUT YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW THAT, OF COURSE, because you never turned them over did you... did you?

Oh well. I give myself a solid C for this sewing endeavor. It's adequate, but not over an overachievement by any means. And hell, at least I turned under the sides, so it's better than nothing.

Next- pillows. YIKES. I have the fabric pictured below-- one yard of little paisley/floral and one of the matching stripe (to be ironed.) Maybe I can try that little slit-backed design, with buttons or something for easy on-and-off dog washing capabilities. Oooh... but I'd need to check out the button-hole section of the booklet...

Anyway. On to something that seriously makes me beyond happy x100. If you've ever been to our house and drank out of our glasses-- this little segment is for you. Sorry if you've noticed the totally disgusting pools of lime residue that have been collecting on our Target Drinkware Finery. It won't happen again. I rinsed EVERYTHING in CLR today and gave them a thorough washing. Literally, when I opened the dishwasher door today, the intense prismatic sparkling nearly left me blind. GORGEOUS:

Anyway. One of the only things I'm actually procifient at (not sewing): planting! I hauled home some pansies today and got to work! Happy Spring!!