just another Saturday

This Saturday, my dad came over to help me limb the giant tree in my backyard. Not only is it just a bit too shady in the summer, it was also threatening my power lines and my garage. Here's a couple pics after we'd made our mess. The big branch on the driveway side is the most obvious difference, but the difficult part was on the power line side--we had to take the branches down a tiny piece at a time, mostly with a pole saw, trying to drop the branches neithr on our heads or onto the power lines. Good times. And...here's a couple pics after cleaning it all up. Happy sigh. Doesn't it look great? And I may even have enough firewood for half of next winter already.

living room

With the advent of a functional fireplace and new curtains came a distinct need to rearrange furniture. Take a peek!

Ah, the warm glow of a fire. Tasty. Yes, my brown chair is missing. It's been relocated to the bedroom--where Clifford is enjoying it pretty much 24/7.

Who can tell what's different about this wall? Ok, there's more than one thing different. It's called fire. But technically, I've only hung one more thing on the wall...

And, of course, the awesome vintage suitcase set I got for my birthday. Too good to store in a closet somewhere.

the kitchen continues

On those days when I feel like I'll just never get done with the kitchen, I take a look back, and see how far I've come...

 

 

At possession, July 2009. About five minutes before we started refinishing the cabinets.

April 2010, with new appliances, counter, and tile. Awesome linoleum remains.

September 2010, outlet covers done and window trim refinished. Curtains to come. And then, the kitchen will be "done."

more kitchen

Well, for anyone who was wondering if I ever got the outlet covers put up in my kitchen...

Yes, yes I did. Of course, you may note, it was not as simple as it "should" have been. First I had to remedy my design flaw (gasp! a mistake! surely not!) and knock out some of the little glass tiles and replace with bits of subway tile, so that the covers could lie flush. Some of it was fun--I do like to tile. But I do not like recutting the same piece three times. Oh, well. It's done.

Here's some action footage. On this outlet I just had to lay a new piece on the top edge. It was pretty simple. Except it broke when we were tightening the outlets back up, so I had to do it again. Sigh. The second time, I slid little bits of tile under the bottom "ears" as well, which helped a lot. Then I had to mix up an absurdly small amount of grout. Hence the use of the baked bean can. Which I thought was awesome.

backsplash!

Prepping the walls...

The first little wall of tile...

The worst bit ever (check all the cuts I had to make)...

And more tile...

Pause to grout and caulk...and done!

first signs of spring

Check it out!

Look what's growing on the south side of my house! It's a perfect spot--the only place where the snow has totally melted, tucked out of the wind and right smack in the sunshine.

I can't wait to see what they are. I'm thinking this massive cluster is daffodils.

But these, I'm not so sure. Tulips and grape hyacinth? Oh, I hope they don't get killed off in a late cold snap. It happens. After all, we still have another month of winter. But man, it's hard not to think spring when I come home from work to a sight like this.

kitchen chaos

Before...

During...
(first changes, painting walls and cabinets)

During...
(ripping out the old counter and sink...but at least I have doors, now)

During...
(new counter and sink, scraping backsplash)

During...
(counter and sink in, new corner door in, now just need to finish that backsplash...and get some new appliances...and refinish the window trim...)

house!

Before.

After.

'Nough said.

guess what we're doing...

I'll give you a hint. It involves fabric and a staple gun.

wallpaper!

Hey, check out what my awesome mom and I did this weekend...

I certainly wouldn't have been able to do it without her. She's fierce! So fierce that this pic turned out blurry--from the sheer force of her power!

I'm totally painting that little light fixture lime green...party time!

home decor delights

Well, at long last, here's my sewing room--all painted and purdy. Specifically, everyone needs to see my awesome red wall! And... the vintage pattern pics. Love it!

And here's the spectacle that was repainting my kitchen cabinet doors. I don't recommend jury-rigging a spray booth in your garage the way we did, but hey--we got 'er done! And the kitchen looks fabulous. Doors and handles, now--as of this weekend. The squarish ones, for those of you who came to my open house and "voted" for different handles.

dots! and a not-so-orange kitchen

Well, no one's perfect, right? Not even me. Ha ha. The orange color I chose for the kitchen wasn't quite...right. Solution? Tone it down by painting the one large wall the same color as the adjoining hallway. It works--without me needing to donate even more cash to the paint store. Add some fantastic curtains (hopefully soon) and I think we'll be in business. Oh...and cupboard doors. My dad has a little spraying booth set up in my garage, so hopefully I'll get them back up soon.

In other, more exciting news, check out this awesome fabric I picked up to slipcover my boring cream-colored chair. It's so purdy!



Well, I just realized I didn't take any pics of my freshly-painted sewing room. Pity. It's downright delicious--my best room yet! Instead, here's my favorite closet...



Don't know if I'll be able to keep it this way, but right now...shoe heaven.

ham on buns

I've moved!

Saturday was terrific--thanks again to all my friends, family, a coworkers who lent a hand. We set a new record--three hours start to finish! And we only made one trip. Well done everyone!

And when we were finished, when the last box was brought inside my new home...we had the most fabulous lunch, provided by my mother. Good old fashioned Dutch ham-on-buns. She even got us the old-school raisin buns, which are somewhat hard to find. I was so happy. And that's a good thing--I believe I ate five or six on Saturday, over the course of lunch-supper, and a couple more yesterday...and one for lunch right now, in fact. Mmm. SO good. Almost a balanced meal all by itself: fruit, grain, meat, dairy. And I'm glad to not have to cook just yet. I did find most of my kitchen yesterday, but I'm not quite there yet. Soon, though...

As soon as I run out of ham.

a little update

I hope to get pics of the house-in-progress soon, but to hold you over until then, here are the paint names that have gone up in the last four days:

autumn orange
pot of cream
wilmington tan
celery sprig

I hope to do one more room on Thursday before calling a brief break and moving in. For that room, I currently have it narrowed down to three choices:

swan sea
harmonious
opal silk

So much fun! I love paint names.

and we're off...

I'm fully prepared for my life to be swept up in a furious whirlwind of chaotic activity. Ha. Is anyone ever truly prepared?

I've tried to prepare. I've seen this day coming for the last few weeks, and have cleared some cobwebs and moved some mental furniture in an effort to be ready. Well, ready or not, the day has come--tomorrow I close on my new house.

Gulp.

I get possession at close, so the work will begin instantly! I have two weeks to get as much done as possible before moving at the end of the month. Exciting! Scary! Crazy!

I am very grateful to my family, especially my parents, who have really jumped in to support me and help me do this.

Here are a few pics of the house as it currently looks...stay tuned for pics of work in progress and be ready to witness the transformation! (Note: the hideous linoleum in the kitchen is staying. I love it.)

merry-go-round

Yes, the last few weeks have been a whole lot of up-and-down and round-and-round as I have begun to seriously shop for a house.

Two weeks ago I viewed a great house, put in an offer, went through the whole business of counter offer and counter-counter offer and mortgage pre-approval and at last reached an agreement on price. Hypothetically, I had just bought a house.

One week ago, this great house failed the hard core Spoolstra family inspection. I had to walk away from the deal, and I was back to square one.

Today I have three or four promising listings in hand and hope to get inside them soon. And the carousel ride continues.

Excuse me, it's time I got back to reading Home Buying and Selling for Dummies.

applesauce

I'm eating applesauce out of the jar with a long-handled spoon. It's delicious--part of the batch I canned last September. I've pretty much decided I make the best applesauce ever. Mmm. Yes, please shield your eyes while I glow with inappropriate pride.

Would I think it was so good if I hadn't made it myself? I don't know. There's just something so wonderful about making applesauce. It is ridiculously simple, with a great lack of required precision. You peel and core and slice a giant pot full of apples (I prefer Empire), then toss it on the stove with a little water, sugar, cinnamon, and a little nutmeg (if you're me) and let 'er cook over low heat until the apples are easily mushed. And then, my favorite part: the smashing. No blender or strainer here, folks. Just me and the potato masher. So good.

Then pint jars are filled, lidded, and processed in a hot water canner. Also super simple: giant pot of boiling water? Check. Thirty minutes? Check. Pull the jars out, and let them sit on the counter to cool, listening for the delightfully satisfying "pop" sounds as the lids seal. One doesn't seal? That's ok. Just throw it in the fridge and eat it sometime within the next week.

The jars that do seal? Leave them on the counter so you can bask in their loveliness for a day or so, then put them in the cupboard to be enjoyed when apple season is far, far away. Like today.

yum!

Always on a quest for culinary adventure, last night I ventured into uncharted territory and made...Pineapple-Black Bean Enchiladas. They are absolutely fantastic. And quite healthy, with whole grain tortillas and fiber and whatnot. I think next time I'll add a bit of cooked chicken, but even vegetarian they are wonderful and tasty. Not too spicy, so I may also kick it up with more spices next time.

Here's the link: http://www.recipezaar.com/154388.

Perhaps I should have taken a picture; they even looked quite pretty. Occasionally I make things that taste delicious but don't quite look it.

Speaking of delicious, just wait until I get a post up here with a picture of my new dining room set! I'm almost done painting the last chair. Of course, then there's the small matter of getting the seats reconstructed...but at least I have the fabric already. Of course I do.

fabric utopia

I sew. I do. Whether or not it's cool, I like it. I also just love fabric in general. Mmm. Lovely, delicious fabric. As I've been living in a house with plenty of space, I've been able to get my fabric out of it's bulging tub and into this nice shelving unit in the second bedroom--aka, the sewing room. Ah. An entire room just for sewing. Marvelous!
So, I had plenty of fabric bits and bobs...and then my parents moved, and my mother (a far better seamstress than I) decided it was time to purge her 30-year fabric collection. And VOILA!

Fabric Utopia! Ugly upholstery fabric! Canvas! Fleece! Salvaged tablecloths and sheets! Cotton remnants! I could sew for months without leaving the house. And if you look closely on the upper right-hand border, you can see there is more stacked in the closet next to the shelves.

Life is good.

oh deer!

The other day I realized that it had been a while since I'd seen my "regulars" in the yard--a doe and her two yearlings. (Ok, so I assume they are both hers--how could I ask her?) When I "met" them last August, they were a momma and two large fawns. Despite the gratuitous quantities of deer that I regularly see, I fancied that I could always pick them out, even when the fawns lost their spots. Not many does travel with two young. So, when I stopped seeing them, I suddenly realized a possible why--and an answer to why I haven't been seeing many deer at all lately.

It's spring! Birthing season. Think Bambi in the thicket. So, had my favorite deer family expanded? How could I know?

I can't know, not for sure. But yesterday evening, as I looked out the living room window in the pre-twilight gray, I saw a doe trot out of the heavy brush that borders the woods just west of my house. She was followed by the smallest fawn I have ever seen.

And I--even I--stopped to saw "aw, how adorable!" I think my cat could beat this little thing up. It was so small and wobbly--and absolutely all legs.

They are definitely nesting? roosting? bedding down? in that patch of thick brush and bramble close to my house. Hopefully, that means I'll see them again, and I'll get to watch that little guy grow.

And maybe I'll get to see his big siblings too. Though they're probably off with families of their own now. The next time I see the herd, I'll ask.