Whatta week

I knew when last Monday night rolled around that I would pay for the blissful weekend.  There's no way you can have 3 days that great without some universal balance.

This week has involved 3 nights of bat invasion, a chipped tooth, a possibly broken toe and a very, very bad day at school for Mr. Charley.

We're lying low this morning in an effort to slip beneath the radar of the angered universe gods. 

Way back, last weekend, when life was still being kind, Chris acquired the best table for our side porch.  It's 10 ' 8" long and very sturdy.  It's an old harvest table, that I think has been used for a workshop surface for the last number of decades.  Needs a bit of a sanding on the top, but it's really perfect for our outdoor dining needs.

Between the weather, the bridal-wreath spirea in bloom, the happy children and our beautiful porch, I had 10 minutes last evening where I wasn't wondering what misadventure lay ahead.  (And then, while watching a creepy scene in Game of Thrones last night, a bat swooped me, I just about turned inside out from fear and then I remembered the week I was living.)

I will hope that the week's curse is now lifted and life will continue is it's normal, maniac way.  Please!?

Gasp... shriek... breathe...

Almost there...
Well, okay...  not quite.  But almost there to moving in.

Yeah, we'll have lots of work left to do (mostly painting) but the parts that are done are exactly as we wanted them.  It's worth the wait for the house of your dreams, right?!

Library - Before and After

No more burlap on the walls, painted orange floorboards or lethal wiring.  Oh, no ping pong either.  Well, you can't have it all!

Another before and after for you:  Kitchen arch with new floors.  Hey!  There's no longer a closet in the middle of the main hall!  That's a good thing.

And just for fun, here's what my new kitchen looks like today:

Okay, so it needs a little work.  And it needs to not be in the den.  Fingers crossed the kitchen dude gets it all in for Friday's arrival time!  Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!

I'm so, so delirious after the last week, month and year.  Chris is too, but x10.  Soon enough we'll have sanity, a few moments of peace and rest and a severely bitchin' house!!

Sorry

I hope I can be forgiven for the long delay between posts.  Life is a bit hectic at the moment.  We have 11 days left to make the house livable... and that's a big task.  There is still no hint of a kitchen, no shower, no sinks, no fully finished floors, etc.

Yep, I'm pretty much freaking out.

No new shots, per say.  Here's a few that you may or many not have seen on facebook last week.  It's looking beautiful in the places that are more complete, that's for sure.  At least the drywall is done!  No more Ben and Harley though... that's too bad.

More updates this week, I promise.  You had better believe that when I see my custom, picked-by-me kitchen going in, there is going to be a large grin on my face.  Very, very large.

I want to marry my floors

I thought that the drywall was a quick and dramatic thing... well move over walls!  Here come the floors.  We have a great company bringing the home's original floors back to life.  They've never really been finished as they've been under many, many layers of carpet/tile/etc for many, many years and before that they were just painted.  They are beautiful old red pine, the likes of which you don't see anymore.

I seriously almost swooned (I know! How Victorian!) when I saw the guys doing the first pass.  I mean, there is no faster and more dramatic way to change a room.  We've had the kitchen guy, the electricians and the mason all there as well this week.  It's all systems go.  (Really... we've got a month.  Anyone else wanna get their hands dirty?)

Here are some shots of the floor after it's first of four sandings.  I can't believe it's going to get even more beautiful.

 The hallway with the edges done.  Nice to see the contrast!

 They're using what you would call a 'coarse grit' paper.  (Read: gravel grade)  There's a lot of old paint on them there floors!

 Here, Chris gives the one finger salute to the boards he personally pieced in.  With white pine.  Ooopsy!  Not quite a match.  Oh well... it's a character floor, right?

 The library was the first room they worked on.  The boss did a quick application of the finish to show us what it will look like.  Dreeeeeamy.  Lots of nail holes and cracks and history, you know?

The main stairs have had the carpet and glue removed.  What a huge difference.  And, yes, there's still a wall of that tree wallpaper, but not for long.  The plaster underneath needs attention, so I'm afraid the retro-greatness is no more.

Tomorrow marks the start of "Panic-Go-Time".  On month to go.  We can do it!! (??)

House progress!

This week we've had the insulation team in and the heating guys are half-way through their work.  I really couldn't be more excited.   There's something so uplifting about getting to the point of adding to the house, instead of just taking away.  The place is already less 'windy' with the spray foam in, and the furnace is working much more efficiently now that the pipes are connected properly.

All this forward motion inspired me to write up this "great-stuff-to-come" post.

Here are a few of the bits and pieces we've purchased for the place:

Obvs, these are all for the bathroom. Chris is quite excited about the high-tank toilet.  I'm sure the kids will be too.  (They'll need a little stool to be able to flush though...).  Don't worry, I'm not going to re-create the wooden seat/border effect in my powder room.  (Unless you think that look is coming back?  Jules, thoughts?)

The kitchen designer is working away on drawings for the most important room.  Here are two of the pictures I sent him as guidance/inspiration:

I'm really excited about the apothecary/industrial look we're working on.  And I'm getting the apron front sink from the first kitchen picture!  Yay!


We don't have much furniture that will make the transition into the new house, but we do have art, like our beautiful Andrew King pieces, including this one:

And we just found an antique bread rack, not unlike this one:

I'm really, really, really getting excited now!  I know, I know... months to go.  But it's starting to feel like a home to me.  Sigh.  Can't wait.