Mostly Unpacked

Now that we've been in the house for a year and we're feeling (mostly) settled, I thought I'd post a few pictures of my favorite features.

I'm pretty sure I got the idea for the fabric/embroidery hoop display from Alicia. Everyone on the internet has done it--I also saw it on the Martha Stewart show--but it fit two criterion for me: 1. it was inexpensive and 2. it used up some of the scraps that I had accumulated.



Don't tell the Mister, but I really like the neutral color of our paint. My heart was set on painting but the Mister's heart was set on leaving well enough alone. Although the color reminds me of every rental and flipped house we saw on the market, it does make the room feel really warm. It also makes our black picture frames pop.

The big picture window in the living room still manages to make our tiny Christmas trees (real tree = expensive!) look big and beautiful. The wood floors have a lovely honey color to them.

All right, enough of the real estate lovefest. I don't dare show you the downstairs or the backyard!

Open House

We've been in our house one year! Tonight we're finally have our Housewarming/BBQ. I took this picture on the day we closed. We signed the papers, grabbed our keys, swung by Chipotle to get some dinner, and then had our first meal in our new house.

The last year has been incredibly difficult--we've lost and grieved so much. I've never experienced anything like it. Working on the house and the yard has provided a much-needed distraction. We already have good memories and many, many reasons to be thankful.

Our Yard

Hot Water

Our hot water heater went on the fritz on Sunday and we've been trying to get it fixed all week. Showering at 24 Hour Fitness every morning has not been my favorite, but it does make me grateful for all of the appliances that are working! Never have I felt such fondness for a furnace or a dishwasher...

Nothing like a little home repair drama to increase your stress level. To counter that, I've been reading quite a bit. Finished Sue Grafton's T is for Trespass on Tuesday with a sigh of contentment. Grafton's books never fail to entertain me. For a while in college I took up jogging because the main character runs three miles a day! Unfortunately, that phase did not last long.

Now I'm working on The Year of Living Biblically, which has been on my "To Read" list since it came out. I loved The Know-It-All so much I paid to have it shipped to my cousin in Malawi so she could read it! The new book is excellent and more thoughtful than I was expecting.

This week at the library I hit pay dirt. Sometimes I go in and feel noncommittal about what I end up checking out. This week it seemed like every book I saw was going to be interesting and exciting. My book bag was groaning with the strain of getting all of my finds back to the house.

Business Plan

Step 1: Buy cool old building.
Step 2: Break up into tiny rooms. Decorate with rugged wooden desks and comfy chairs. Excellent lighting a must. Install pencil sharpener.
Step 3: Rent out space to writers! Apparently writers are so desperate to have a quiet space to work that they actually rent space. As far as I know this service is not being offered in Denver yet. I wonder if our basement would work?

Brilliant!

Back On Track!

The plumber came and fixed the sink, so we're back to being able to wash dishes. That's a huge relief. The house is 75% unpacked and I'll be working on it more on Wednesday and Thursday nights. After the unpacking comes the fun part--hanging up the pictures and setting out the knick-knacks. I have a strong nesting instinct, even after changing residences so many times over the years, and this last stage is the part that I like best. It's not just hanging up pictures that have sentimental value and finding the perfect spot for my grandma's glass candy dish, it's making a home. A home that we don't have to pack up again for many, many, many years! We can finally get rid of our cardboard boxes.

The Mister...

...had a wild look in his eyes this morning when I came downstairs. The reason?

(sigh)

The kitchen sink isn't draining.

Things That Are Broken or Strange

The towel rack in the main bathroom fell off the wall.

The grout in the bathroom was never sealed.

The dishwasher won't drain.

Water pools around one of the basement windows when it rains.

The dryer can't be vented to the outside.

The kitchen window won't open now that the mechanism is broken.

I still love it. The Mister, however, is starting to feel a little stressed.

Thoughts On Moving

For as much crap as I give away and throw away, we still have a lot of crap.

We thought 1900 sq. ft. would be almost too much room. Now I'm not so sure.

Three days without internet? Surprisingly painful.

How did a box of my underwear get labeled "Kitchen"?

How do you know how many layers of sealant you should apply to grout in a shower stall?

Home Depot and Lowe's are too overwhelming. I've been living in apartments too long--I don't have the hunting instincts, skills, and persistence that are needed to find what you need. The thought of another trip to either place could cause a panic attack.

It's a sad, sad day when the Wal-Mart home improvement department starts looking good (see above). What does that say about my ability to cope and adapt?

I thought we'd be a lot further along than we are.

Tired. Happy. Spent.

Next word in the sequence? Moved.

Days Until Closing

The day we've been waiting for has finally arrived! I woke up this morning in a complete fog and my first thought was, "Do we move today?" So much time and energy has been spent on getting ready for the moving part of the process, we haven't thought much about the making-it-legal-and-official-plus-getting-the-keys part of the process. Middle Sister called and left me a voice mail this morning that included lovely sentiments and a bizarre little ditty that she sang to help us celebrate. She's driving into town this evening to help. Yay!

With everything that's happened in the last two weeks, only some of which I've written about, it was really easy to push the home purchase to the back of our minds. Now that we're through the worst of it, I woke up this morning feeling overwhelmed but also incredibly excited.

Quaker Blessing:

Receive Ye Welcome
In a Quaker home, author unknown

LET the guest sojourning here know that in this home our life is simple. What we cannot afford we do not offer, but what good cheer we can give...we give gladly.

We make no strife for appearance sake.

Know also, friend, that we live a life of labour, therefore, if at times we separate ourselves from thee, do ye occupy thyself accordingly to thine heart's desire.

We will not defer to thee in opinion or ask thee to defer to us. What thou thinketh ye shall say, if ye wish, without giving offense. What we think, we also say, believing that truth hath many aspects, and that love is large enough to encompass them all.

So, while ye tarry here with us we would have thee enjoy the blessing of a home, health, love and freedom, and we pray that mayst find the final blessing of life.

PEACE

Days Until Closing

Photo by: Benefit of Hindsight

Did our final walk-through today and everything looks legit!

Days Until Closing

Photo by: badjonni

Days Until Closing

Photo by: Scott Foy

The mortgage guy called today and we've been cleared to close! Friday at 4:00, baby!

Days Until Closing

Photo by: doylesalor

Days Until Closing

Photo by: Wotanseyepatch

Days Until Closing

Photo by Visentico

Days Until Closing

Photo by: uBookworm

Pretty Green Paint

Thinking hard about painting the living room--a fresh, light green color would be nice. However, with my history of migraines I'd like to find a brand that is "low odor" and nontoxic. Looks like Sherwin-Williams will be our best bet. This is a good list, but what strikes me as odd is that some of the major brands aren't represented: Behr and Glidden both coming to mind. Hmmm...

Inspiration from Pottery Barn

I think I like the idea of this room better than I like the room itself. On first glance it's very attractive, calm, clean, etc. When I think about having that room in my house, however, it quickly becomes unrealistic. First, I hate wicker. Hate it. Second, there's not a lot of color, so while the neutrals are nice and universally appealing, it really doesn't reflect our tastes. Third, I could never be that tidy. Where is the unfinished book hanging over the arm of the chair? The unopened mail on the coffee table? The pair of shoes that were discarded after work? Lovely in theory, impractical in practice.