it looks like a garage

 A little update for you-

The garage is taking shape. I am amazed at how quickly a structure can be put together after the
foundation work is done. What do you think of the dormer? Our foursquare style home has dormers, and we want the garage to blend in as much as possible. I purchased two old, salvaged windows from a guy who owns an architectural antique business here in the new city. In addition to period windows, the side entry door is vintage, along with the brick that will go partially up the garage facade.

- less than two weeks ago -

- this afternoon -

- the old windows - they just need a little love -

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More to come!

weekend spontaneity

By Friday afternoon I am completely spent.

Most Fridays we have family pizza-popcorn-movie night, but I had no energy even to make pizza.

I had already decided I wanted to get take out. Hubby called though and said we had been invited for burgers at our friends/neighbors house. Sold! I love spontaneous get-together's! I think life often gets in the way when we try to make official plans. It doesn't mean we shouldn't try or that we don't need get-together's,

but allowing ourselves to be spontaneous means those get-togethers end up being

much needed and more fulfilling.

Speaking of spontaneity, I was at the Saturday morning farmers market and got a text from our babysitter saying she was available that night. I guess I texted her a week prior to set up one last date night before she moves away to start life in the real world. Apparently I forgot, but thankfully she remembered.

Hubby and I got an impromptu date night, and I need to tell you, we had the best Thai food! It has been since our Seattle years that Thai food has tasted so good. Our favorite dishes:  pad see ew, panang curry.

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Much of Saturday and Sunday was spent in the yard cleaning up and planting flowers. The children helped and also logged several hours on the neighbors' swing set.

Sunday brought thunderstorms, so I decided to bake. I made blueberry muffins and strawberry rhubarb pie. The muffins are one of my usual recipes, but this was my first strawberry rhubarb pie. I crafted it while hubby and our neighbor (remember Bruce?) fixed our leaking kitchen sink. The fix has been needed for a few weeks and Bruce just happened to pop over yesterday. It was crowded in the galley, but I persevered and the pie was a success! I even shared a few generous slices with Bruce and his wife. I wish I could pay for
all the work on the old house with baked goods.

 

- picked up the rhubarb at the farmers market -

I had to patch the crust and I didn't get the pie crust shield on early enough. It looks rustic I think. I used the Joy of Cooking as my guide for tweaking the filling, and the crust is a recipe my sister uses for her
dutch apple pie. Like Bruce said, any day is a good day if you have pie. I also think any day is a good day with a little spontaneity.

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plant friday: orchid

- phalaenopsis or moth orchid-

The friends we had over for dinner last weekend brought yummy cupcakes for dessert and
this lovely orchid. This is my first orchid. I think I have always been intimidated by them. So, I do not have much advice to give you, personally, regarding orchid care. I will say though, like most house plants, water only as needed. I really believe if you over care for your house plants, they are not likely to do well.

And, do a little research. I did and I can tell you that this guy is one of the most common orchids.
In fact, I am pretty sure this guy came from Trader Joe's! Another reason to love TJ's! Click here for further information on orchid care and varieties.

Rick and Kate, thank you!

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fresh paint and homemade granola

Perhaps I have said this before, but cooking and I think painting, too, is like therapy for me.
I recently spent a rainy afternoon with S making my family's favorite granola and painting the pocket door in the kitchen... just the way I intended to when we moved into the old house last summer. The inset is now a chalkboard, regularly used for recipes, bible verses, kind sentiments and kid drawings.

 

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in the details:

chalkboard paint - rust-oleum, home depot- i did a double coat
granola- i cannot share, but after 50 tries, it's just about right - it is very loosely based on this recipe

spring trees and hope

A year ago I was still in AZ. It is spring there too.
Spring in the new city looks different. It feels different, but shouldn't I be happy? It's spring, and from every
window I see trees in bloom. All shades of green, white, fuchsia and lavender, perfectly planned and placed.

Am I happy in the new city? I do not know. Do we ever ask one another or ourselves, are you happy?
The question I get always:  how do you like it so far? So far, I have survived. The winter, barely over, was lingering and cold, but I survived. The last nine months have been emotionally painful, but I am surviving.

- flowering crabapple -

This tree sits in front of the old house. It was planned and placed many years ago to grow tall and
shade the front porch. When we moved in last summer, it looked like it was dying. No one had cared for it for a long time. An old support rope was embedded in the trunk and it was starved for water.
We removed the rope, as well as hundreds of twinkle lights that had been entangled in the branches for
years, said the neighbors.

I gave it water and pruned the dead branches. The local nursery guy said he was not hopeful. I was
not holding onto hope either, but the tree survived. Spring brought vibrant blooms and the tree looks happy. When I sit on the front porch, I cannot help but contemplate another life metaphor. While I may not be able to say with resolution, I am happy, I can say that there is hope. And, there is always another spring.

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kitchen: butcher block

The cabinets in the kitchen of the old house appear to be original.
They are also the fun, original height of 31 inches (current standards are no less than 36). Perfect for the children, but not for myself or my unusually tall hubby.

We thought we were ready to tackle the kitchen, but there are too many unknowns.
A possible layer of asbestos tile under more than one layer of linoleum, closed off mystery panel behind
the stove, abandoned duct work, plumbing... I mean, if you know old houses, you know you stop talking about it when plumbing comes into play.

You see, there is no easy answer when working on an old house. Remember my previous questions- click here. Our solution for this space is practical. Make it user friendly, decorate, embrace and love it.

Our first priority was to raise the one work surface in the kitchen. It is big and a great space, but we
have to hunch over to use it. To make it more functional, we decided a piece of butcher block would look great and give us a large and higher work space. I looked at many options, but decided to ask my uncle if he had any ideas. Well, he did, and he made us the most beautiful countertop. I sent him the picture below.

- before -

- currently - it raised the counter to 34 inches -

- the detail is amazing - we love it -

the next few steps in the kitchen:
get it plumbed for gas- we love to cook and you must have a gas range
 paint all cabinets, replace their hardware, insert glass into a few of the cabinet doors


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in the details:

how to take care of your butcher block - click here

thank you uncle john- while it may be a part of the old house now,

this piece has already become a family heirloom

garage: part two

I guess this is more of an update than a part two.

It is noisy at the old house. All day Koko says, "what's that noise?" Today it is a bobcat front-end loader, a compressor that clicks on occasionally, the nail gun, the saw and really bad 80's music.

I am exhausted today. We were up late. Again. After the children were in bed, we spent time working out the shape of the new driveway and patio. There are many decisions we did not consider when signing
the dotted line for the garage. We have learned that some of those details are meant to be worked out later in the project, but it doesn't make it any less stressful. Even so, we are all quite excited for the
eventual after in our backyard.

- before -

- today -

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the garage: part one

Have I mentioned we are building a new garage?

Last Saturday was a work day for the builder, so we all had our faces pressed against the windows

watching the backhoe dig footings. They did some work this weekend, too.

Here's a current picture; we call it progress.

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Let me just say a few things here.

When making decisions about renovations, you need to consider how long you will be staying in

the house. Is this your forever house? What will be the return on your investment? How is the housing market in your city... in your neighborhood? If you live in an old house, in an old neighborhood, are other people renovating? What are they renovating? Can you afford to renovate? Can you afford not to?

Hubby and I ask ourselves these questions all the time. The big and small renovations we have completed and some we have started, we hope will increase the value of the old house. Do your research, talk to your neighbors and befriend a realtor who knows your neighborhood.

I think the pictures below provide the answer to the question, Can you afford not to?

The old house's garage was falling apart. It fit one car (barely), and we only parked a car inside if snow was in the forecast. The back wall was held up by a large piece of wood that was braced by a tree, the structure was completely rotted, the roof was ready to cave in, and it was home to many small, whiskery critters. Have I convinced you? Can you tell, I am still trying to convince myself? It is a big project.

- original, but completely rotted carriage door on left -

- no caption needed, ha! -

- yep, there is a garage under all that vine -

One more thing about renovations. Will they improve yours and your family's quality of life while in the house? Hubby and I believe this project will for us. Not only will we have a building to protect the cars, but we will have needed storage. Most importantly and what we are most looking forward to is a

beautiful and secure backyard for the children and Truman (ruff!). We are so thankful this is happening.

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plant friday: may day

May Day was a big deal when I was a kid.

I remember Mom helping me fill tiny baskets with popcorn and treats. We left them on the porches of our

neighbors and friends, pushed the doorbell and ran! I think in some cities and neighborhoods this day is a big deal and others, not so much. It was not something we ever did in AZ, but I learned this week that it is a big deal here. After school, the doorbell at the old house rang several times.

That brings me to plant Friday- were you wondering where I was going with all this?

S brought home from school, fresh and cute baskets from his buddies. One Mom and her son planted impatiens in those biodegradable pots that many starter plants come in now in your local nurseries. Follow the directions, but basically you just tear off the bottom of the pot, loosen the roots as you normally would and plant it. I have done this with my pepper plants every year. I could go on now about gardens, but for now
I will just ask:  do you have a garden this year? What's in it?

- if/when it warms up, we will move this guy outside -

Enjoy your weekend, dear readers, and Happy May Day!

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