snowy day snow day

Snow accumulations less than one inch, said iPhone weather.

It started snowing at 5:30 last night. Flurries quickly turned into big, heavy flakes. Just a dusting
covered roofs and the ground when I tucked E into bed. She and I were silently hoping for a snow day.

I sat in the dark with hubby, drinking tea. We watched less than one inch fall to the ground.
At midnight I watched snow falling in the light of the street lamp. Less than four inches accumulated.

 

When I was a kid and it snowed at night, I did not want to sleep.
I feared it would cease if I was not awake to see it. Even last night, I needed one last look before I closed
my eyes. I needed to make sure it was falling as beautifully as it was minutes ago.
What other reason is there for snow. Does rain serve the same purpose? Snow is quiet and beautiful;
snow gives us an opportunity to pause.

I woke up to the sound of the shovel scraping the sidewalk, but I opened my eyes to the view in
the picture below. It is only perfectly smooth and untouched for a moment.
Thank you for the snowy snow day. I needed this graceful gift today.

morning coffee, evening tea

I cried all the way home from drop-off today. My first-grader and preschooler are at school,

and I am relieved we had another on-time morning. It's cold again and foggy. I keep thinking the cold days are a fluke and tomorrow will be a normal, 70-degree winter day.

Fluke or not, we will not feel that warmth for a few more months. For now, I am keeping warm by the fire, drinking my Le Buzz coffee. Thank you Guinn for sending us some favorites from home.

* * * * *

It is late in the evening now. My computer gave me issues all day, so I am just now finishing this post.
In the photo below, I am standing at the site of our future, luxurious coffee station.
This part of the kitchen used to be the laundry area. I know what you are thinking, "how European!" It's not; it's just one of those quirky things about the old house. I visualize well, so I can see what it will look like
a few months from now (it's good to have goals). But, let's talk more about this tomorrow.
Snow is falling, my tea is ready, and I want to spend some time with my hubby.

weekend update

The boys' room is not done. Let me rephrase that. Our part in the boys' room is nearly complete.
Focus on the positive. Priming done, painting over half-way done, electrician will be here tomorrow to finish up his work, and in one more week the guy will be here to do the woodwork.

I am only going to give you a sneak peek at the wall color. It's not exactly what my four-year-old would have chosen. I will use his words and say, I do not love "lightish and darkish purples."

* * * * *

 p.s.  It was perfect weather for new storm doors to be installed. One in the kitchen and one in the basement stairway. They are already covered with Truman nose smudges; he likes to keep an eye on the squirrels.

- before -

- after - no more freezing, drafty stairway! -

in the details:

boys' room paint color- i will tell you later

new Anderson 3000 series storm doors found here

room sketch

This part is for my brother. He is an engineer. We were Skyping last weekend, and he asked me for a detailed drawing of the boys' room with exact measurements. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. Apparently, he was not able to visualize the new layout of the room. Well, I am not an architect or an engineer, nor do I own house plan software. So, a rough sketch is what I can provide.

- i suppose i will be asked for a before sketch too -

* * * * *
You know, my brother moved to Japan with his wife three years ago. I think it was a big adjustment for them, but it has turned out to be a great adventure. Both have embraced the culture; they seize every opportunity to learn, explore and travel. My sister-in-law started their blog right after they moved, and her dedication has yielded a beautiful story. Thank you for the inspiration.

my closet: currently

We are learning as we go. Learning life, not just the work on the old house.

You have a time frame for things in your head. We'll finish the closet this weekend. We'll get the kids in bed by eight. The boys' room renovation will be done by Christmas. Ha!

The closet is ninety-five percent complete after the weekend, the kids get to bed by 8:30ish,

and you know all about the renovation.

I used to get upset when the time frames didn't work out. Let it go. I can't, nor do I want to, spend every waking (or sleeping) hour on a closet or bedroom renovation. I confess, I do still get frustrated when the time frames stretch longer than I guessed. I want to have beautiful, "after" pictures to show right now.

Alas, you (and I) will have to settle for progress.

- currently - i had to get something on those shelves! -

- previous view through those doors -

 

painting

What were you doing at 10 o'clock last night? Were you painting a ceiling? I was.

I was super excited about it too. I was exhausted when we stopped working in the boys' room last night.

Not tired enough to go to bed with a paint speckled face, though.

And when I did finally get situated under our flannel sheets, quilt and our new, cute blanket from Target,
I decided to check the temperature on my iPhone... time to get up and make sure the children are snuggled under their blankets. I also rescued my kitchen plants from their cold, drafty posts on the window sills.

weekend misc.

I know I am not the only one who sits down on a Sunday night wondering where the weekend went.

Where did the weekend go? I feel like it was busy. Today is Monday.
I want another day with my family.

We spent more time than we planned at Lowe's on Saturday morning. We dread telling the kids we have to stop at one of the big hardware stores. I am certain they have the stores memorized.
One morning after I dropped my daughter off at school, I broke the news to my four-year-old. He started to cry and said, "I don't love Lowe's."

Are we the only ones who divide and conquer? You go get the 1x2's and I will put in the paint order.
Meet back in lighting so I can convince you we need to change another light fixture.

We got so close to finishing my closet this weekend, but we took many breaks to referee games of Scrabble (best game ever), to play outside and to make Dad's chili. I also popped into a favorite antique shop.

No school today, but it's quiet. I love pajama days with the kids.
The drywallers finished up this morning and it has been snowing for a few hours. Why is it so quiet when it snows? I stand in front of the window watching and listening. Like the kids, I don't want to miss one flake.
If you look away, those perfect, graceful swirls of snow may not be falling anymore.

*****

 

the tree

A few days ago we watched what I would guess to be a 100-year-old tree, in our neighbor's yard,

get chopped down. I sat with the boys in front of the new, North windows. Every five minutes the house shook, the remaining 38 old windows rattled and another piece of the tree fell to the ground.
The only evidence left is a large cross section of the trunk that was carefully placed in their landscaping.

 That tree had a twin, and he stands on a corner of our backyard.

the dining room: currently

Because the old house was not officially on the market during our house-hunting trip,
we had to get the seller's permission to go inside. While waiting to hear back, hoping we said enough to convince him we were perfect new owners, we peered through every window we could reach.
The view of the dining room was enough to sell us on the house.

- two months before we moved in -

The built-in's appear to be original. They have settled enough that a few of the drawers do not open (it's on the list). The beveled mirror is worn and peeling in a few spots. My hubby looked at it and said we could just replace it. I gave him my "you will have no say in this" look. The mirror is old and beautiful and will stay.

The light fixture was not attractive. Held up by a carabiner, pieces would break off when my daughter danced around in the room above. The windows do not open easily and will soon be replaced.

The room is bright all day, so it handles the color well. I replaced some of the cabinet hardware with hexagonal, glass knobs. The hinges will get replaced as well, and I am still looking for the perfect knobs for the end cabinets. I have many ideas for the long, piano wall and I can't seem to settle on a rug.

I hesitated before posting this. The room is not finished.
I rarely know exactly what I want to do with a space, so I start with a color or a find at an antique fair.
I am fickle when it comes to my decorating style. I took this picture yesterday and today it looks different.
My point is, go for it. You can always add, change, take away or rearrange (my hubby's favorite).
Yep, I need to change that lampshade.

- currently, well mostly -

 in the details:

Vintage style rotary knob found here.

Vintage bulbs can be found at hardware stores and online.

Wall color is mark twain ombra gray from the valspar collection.

Buffet inset color is filtered shade from the valspar collection.

update and mini makeover

Well, the drywall team is here and they make it look so easy.

This empty room means we are all sharing our spaces and the upstairs hall is filled with books, toys and stuffed animals. Luckily the upstairs bathroom (the one bathroom we all share- sigh) is huge so it now accommodates the changing table and stacks of the boys' clothes. It's not stressful at all.

I think it will be easier to paint before we move the boys back into their room, so we will start the minute the drywall work is done. I guess I need to get serious about colors. Any ideas?

  

* * * * *

We squeezed in a small makeover project this weekend.

Eventually, the fireplace will get a big makeover, but until then we spruced him up a little.

I primed and painted the red brick, and we (my hubby) installed new fireplace doors.

Aren't they awesome! The grill pattern matches the windows and no more draft!

The best deal on the doors was on Amazon. Just Google Pleasant Hearth and you will find your perfect size, style and finish. Installation is easy, says hubby. We watched this YouTube video.

- BEFORE -

- AFTER -

I hope the old house is feeling some love.

weekend antiquing

- nevermind the winterized, crusty old windows. we call it charm. -

I had a lightbulb moment two days ago. Our weekends are usually stressful and I finally figured it out.

Do not leave the task of grocery shopping for the weekend. I didn't realize how much it was affecting my mood, and eating away at our family time and opportunities for fun stuff, like house projects. Ha!

I will say, though, that I look forward to my weekly visit to Trader Joe's just like I did in our old city.

You are welcomed by a wall filled with lovely, fresh flowers. The store is small just like our favorite big city markets, and I always have a favorite staff person who knows the day I shop and remembers the conversation we had the previous week. I know many of you have the same feelings about your local TJ's.

Had our new city been without a Trader Joe's, it would have been a deal-breaker.

What I really wanted to tell you about is the time I spent at an antique fair this weekend. Not enough time, but only two other people would spend an entire day with me at an antique fair. Mom and Kylie.

The kids stayed with a sitter and hubby and I joined friends for weekend antiquing and lunch downtown.

My finds this weekend had a theme, which is not usually the case.

Kylie and I have this thing with arranging displays of our treasures. We both love littles. I've been told that littles should be referred to as "smalls," but whatever.

Littles are so fun to display on the window sills of the old house.

 

 

I always learn something new, meet someone interesting and learn something about myself when I go antiquing.

The best resource for finding quality antique fairs is visiting with the folks at your local antique shops.

You can also check here, here, or here to see if there is an event listed in your area.

house-hunting

When we moved to the new city, I knew one person.
Our realtor, Greg, spent most of a 48 hour house-hunting trip driving us around the old neighborhoods of the new city. After the first night I was discouraged and panicked about what we were about to do.
In the morning, we grabbed coffee and drove down several tree lined streets. I reluctantly got out of the car (okay, partly because it was 95 degrees with matching humidity) in front of the first house on the schedule.
Our realtor looked at me and said, "We are going to find you a house today."

He made a phone call after our previous evening of strike-outs and learned of a house that would be coming on the market. Later that morning, we pulled into the driveway and I was ready to make an offer.
After begging the listing agent, we were allowed to look at the house. It is a long story, but the seller was not easy to work with. We spent 30 minutes exploring and dreaming up ideas and then got on an airplane.

We met the seller and his son the day we moved in. The 87-year-old man brought us a journal with his best wishes for us written on the first page. He wanted us to have a picture of him and his wife in front of the old house, many years ago. He said to us over and over, "You're going to love it here."

polka dots

I wish I could say the boys' room was halfway finished. Maybe it is, but it seems like it is taking forever.
There are things we have to wait on other people to complete.
There are things we put off because we feel overwhelmed and just don't know where to start.
 Eventually it will be complete, I know, but waiting and living with the mess is hard.

My boys have been great through this process. I guess when you are four, you don't see crusty blobs of adhesive on the ceiling, you see polka dots and you are sad when they are gone.
Is this my life metaphor? I think it is for now, especially with our decision move to a new city.
I miss the polka dots, too.

in the details:

we had a little help with demo - thanks, Josh!

we had help with the new framing and drywall, too - thanks, Dave!

a plan for the boys' room

1. Knock down wall to combine third and fourth bedrooms into one room.

The fourth bedroom was only accessible through what appeared to be doors to a closet in the master bedroom. Now they will be doors to a closet!

2. Frame out closet for me.

I am living out of a suitcase that I packed before we moved last July.

3. Drywall ceiling. It was covered with fun, acoustic tile.

4. Electrical rough-in. We had help for this part.

5. Steam and scrape off wallpaper.
Phew, we made it to step six.

6. Tape, mud and texture ceiling and skim coat walls. The drywall guy will be here this week!

 7. Vacuum a lot. I hear step six will be dusty.

8. Complete electrical, paint, finish work (baseboards, picture rail, repair built-in beds).

9. Decorate! Replace windows.

- standing in middle of master looking into fourth bedroom -

- standing in doorway of third bedroom -

- wall we knocked down - photo above is what is on the opposite side -

I have additional pictures I will post, but I have to figure out iCloud and sift through 1,500 photos to find those I took of demo day and after demo day. Plus, I can show you current progress in the room.

It's coming along!

wallpaper

The weekend was spent steaming three layers of wallpaper off the boys' room walls.

The bottom layer had gold and white stripes with a date stamp of 1917!

The middle layer was white with a gaudy, green and teal flower pattern. The top layer had tiny, friendly flowers, which is what I always picture when I think of wallpaper.

 

The grasscloth wallpaper, circa 1965ish, had to go as well. It was gross and only on half of a wall after the demolition. Yep, we did demo! We even had a roll-off.
I felt like such an official renovator!

I should clarify that my hubby did all of the steaming. He did most of the demolition too.
He is a pretty nice guy.

I am not opposed to all wallpaper. We may put wallpaper in the pantry area of the kitchen and the water closet (I just like saying that) on the main floor.
The paper I like is from Graham & Brown. Check them out.

p.s.  If you have wallpaper that must go, use one of these. It is easier.
Also, if you were wondering, wallpaper was invented in the 15th century. Back in the day it was hand-painted or stenciled. I Googled it.

back to school

Tomorrow is back to school.

It was a lovely winter break. Pajama days, sledding, staying up late with the kids snuggled in front of the fire with our hot chocolate, a visit from Grandma (highlight of our holiday), light drives in our jammies, parties, candy houses, children's museum, lots of goodies, family walks in the snow, playing with new toys and
just being together.

 

Christmas at the old house

We moved to a new city, into the old house, only five months ago. I have moved many times before, but this time hurt. I carry around a pit in my stomach everyday.

I ache to go back to our warm and sunny home.

I want to feel the sun stinging my bare shoulders.

For now we are here, and we are trying to make it work. Part of our commitment with this move, was to live in and improve an old house.

I think we did improve the old house for the Christmas season. Vintage decor, lots of sparkling cinnamon candles, holiday happy hour for the neighbors, an eight-hour baking day with the kids and Christmas music playing until we (not even the kids) couldn't stand it anymore.

I think the old house improved Christmas for us this year, too.

Have you heard Barenaked Ladies version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen? It is amazing.

 

My vintage stuff looked great in the old house. Some is not old, like the centerpiece.
You can find the cute trees and penguin here.