The Collection

Sick

2012-02-10T12:24:00.002-05:00

I'm home sick from work today. You can tell just by looking at the mess in my kitchen. When I'm under the weather, I give myself permission to not clean up dishes or fold laundry or put things away. Oddly, having stuff sitting around like this drives me crazy, so I'm not really sure its helping me get any rest today.

I might watch Twilight: Breaking Dawn this afternoon. But first I have to get through a 2 hour special on the History Channel on the Mayan 2012 calendar. Yep. Livin' the life.

aawWWW FREAK OUT! (or, London Calling, Part 1)

2012-01-26T19:30:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm carrying a new, incredibly high balance on my credit card thanks to the pre-paid, non-refundable hotel room in London that I just booked, and I'm feeling okay about it. I have a room reserved for the 4 days around the dates I have Olympic tickets for, so at least I will be able to see my events. The length of the trip and other activities are yet to be decided. Possibilities include a concert in Hyde Park featuring various British rock groups that coincides with the Opening Ceremonies (Coldplay might be a decent substitute for the actual ceremonies!), a 4 day small-group tour to Dublin, Ireland, the annual film festival in Edinburgh, and an overnight stay in the Cotswolds that includes a guided tour of the inner ring at Stonehenge. Needless to say, I'm stoked!

So, why am I freaking out? After I booked the hotel room, I was feeling all empowered and decided to take a look at airfares...thus confronting images of my greatest fear - FLYING!! Seriously, I am really not sure how I'm going to do this. Sit on a plane for that long?? Over water? Really, really deep water? Immediately I chewed through three finger nails and had to shut the computer off. Perhaps I need to do some practicing? Like short, mini-flights over ponds and such? Working my way up to multi-hour flights? This is sounding like an expensive way to get acclimated...

Things That Make Me Happy

2012-01-14T14:20:00.003-05:00

It has recently come to my attention that I need to focus on all the things in my life that are good, and at least attempt to stop dwelling on the things that are less than great. So every once in a while, I'm going to try to mention, out loud, something that makes me happy. Today's deep thought has to do with this photograph. I took that picture of the western sky one evening last week from my front porch. I think its beautiful, but that in and of itself is not the happy thought. The happy thought is that I love my house. MY house. I love having my place and that it feels warm and homie all the time. But what I really love are all the little routines that I've developed in the 2 1/2 years I've lived here. Having a cup of coffee after work, and sitting on my couch while looking at the sunset is one of them. I can see out over the entire downtown area, and watch the lights come on as the sun sets. It only last about 10 minutes, but I just love it. Makes me happy.

Party Aftermath

2011-12-18T17:36:00.003-05:00

Last night I hosted a Mad Men-themed Christmas get-together. Complete with fake cigarettes, Manhattans and a lot of pretty fabulous '60's fashions and hair styles! A good time was had by all, I think, as evidenced by the aftermath in my kitchen this morning. Sadly, my photographys kills are lacking, and very few of my photos came out well at all. Guess we'll just have to do it again next year!

In other news, the countdown is on for a White Christmas! Its most definitely not going to happen here in Virginia, but I've got my fingers crossed for Pittsburgh!

The 10th Tree

2011-12-14T19:11:00.004-05:00

The finished tree! I also managed to finish that tree skirt...
A paper village that I used to put together every year as a kid - my parents handed over to me this year!

As I was putting the last ornament on my tree this weekend, it suddenly occurred to me that this year marks the 10th time I've had my own Christmas tree in my own place. Yep, its been a whole decade since I dragged my grandmother's ancient artificial tree up all those stairs to my grad school apartment and decorated it with a grand total of 3 ornaments and a homemade paper garland. That kind of amazes me. Now, when I unpack all of the ornaments I've accumulated over that decade, I can remember each story and each occasion that goes with them - the tiny mittens that an old boss gave me, the glass candies acquired the day my cousin and I went shopping for my bridesmaid dress for her wedding, the miniature Congress Hall which was the hotel my grandmother worked at during the Depression. I love the process of decorating almost as much as the final product!

So, I think Christmas Tree 2011 is a suitable 10th Anniversary tree, too! Good shape, great smell, lots of good ornament-hanging branches... and lots of memories.

What Goes Around...

2011-12-06T17:24:00.003-05:00

Today, I bought a cloche. It will be my Christmas hat. I used to wear cloches quite often years back when they were in style - I don't wear hats very well, but cloches apparently are good for my head shape. Then cloches went out of style, or so I was told. I was very happy to hear that they are back in style this season!

Just a little something that made me smile on this extremely dreary day!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2011-12-04T15:11:00.002-05:00

Or, it would, if it weren't over 60 degrees outside. Its no secret, I'm a bit of a Christmas fanatic, but I must admit this warm weather is dampening my seasonal spirit just a bit. I'm pushing through, though! This weekend, I finished a felt wreath that I started at a recent crafting get-together and hung it up on the front door. It looks pretty awesome on the newly painted blue door, and I love that whenever I open the door I hear jingle bells!

I also brought the boxes of Christmas decor down from the attic, and as the coming week progresses, I hope to get most of the decorations up in the house. And then next weekend - THE TREE! I always get a little pint of egg nog to have on hand for the evening I finish decorating the tree. After I get the last ornament on, I pour myself a little glass, turn the tree lights on and listen to carols in the soft glow for a while. Its impossible not to be in the spirit at that point. My own little tradition that works like a charm every year!

Jingles everyone!

Rare Occurrence

2011-11-16T20:43:00.002-05:00

I'm not going to lie - mushroom risotto and roasted broccoli might be one of the most un-photogenic meals known to mankind. But, I made this risotto and broccoli, and it was pretty darn good! So, G (who helped me eat said risotto) thought it was worth a blog post. Well, here you go! Its a rare, rare occurrence that I either a) cook, or b) cook something well. Enjoy it!

Chillin'

2011-10-29T10:16:00.003-04:00

The new fridge, which makes the old stove and range hood look pretty bad. Geez...it never ends!

After two years of intentionally trying to get my old refrigerator (and by old, I mean ancient) to die, it finally did last weekend. I used to kick it, shove hot food into it, never vacuumed the coils, just generally abused the thing in the hopes that it would give up and I could get a new machine. Well, apparently they made refrigerators to survive the apocolypse back in the early 1970's, and the old girl just kept on truckin'. Until last weekend, that is. Naturally, when the fridge decided to give up the ghost, it would be while I was out of town and had left two full bags of ice in the freezer, leftover from a summer cook-out. So, I came home about midnight last Sunday to find about an inch of water allover the kitchen floor, and a fridge full of defrosted meats and spoiled foods. It was nasty to say the least. So after a couple of hours cleaning it all up, I went to bed, consoled with thoughts of shopping for a new refrigerator.

And shop I did! The next evening I went to just abought every appliance store in the area. It was exhausting, but I learned the hard way back when I bought my washer and dryer that you really should never purchase appliances on-line. In the end, I got a fridge at Lowe's. Shocker. The price was the best, and they do free delivery and haul away of the old fridge. Unfortunately, Lowe's customer service leaves a bit to be desired. The fridge was suppsoed to be delivered the next day. After 2 additional days, no less than 6 phone calls, and one late night trip to Lowe's to physically show them what fridge I had ordered (yeah, seriously), it finally showed up late in the afternoon on Thursday. And its a beauty!! It makes my kitchen look better...and really makes me want to get started on that kitchen remodel that I've been mentally planning for 2 years.

Hmmmm....

The Royal Treatment

2011-10-16T17:45:00.003-04:00

I call this one "Blue Door with Cat"

Paint samples in the summer-long testing phase.

From left to right, they are Indigo Streamer, Royal Navy, Blue Coal and Twilight Purple. And yes, I am aware that in this picture they look like the exact same color.

After literally an entire summer of debating over color choice, I finally re-painted my front door this weekend. I finally selected a color called Royal Navy (I was somewhat bummed that it didn't have a more inventive name, but what are you gonna do?). It took a lot longer than I actually thought it would (turns out there actually is a bit of a method to painting a panelled door, FYI) and I might still have another step in the process (the addition of a coat of super-shiny polyurethane to make the door look very House Beautiful), but all in all I'm pretty happy with it! Now I have two more doors to paint before winter sets in. Anyone wanna lay bets on whether I'm actually going to get it done??

Finally!

2011-10-10T19:23:00.004-04:00

An original water fountain, installed in the 1950's.

After many years of kicking myself for never taking in the fall foliage in Shenandoah National Park, I finally got to check it off the list this past weekend. The parents were visiting, so we drove up to the mountains and drove the central section of Skyline Drive, stopping to do a couple of the short hiking trails and take lost of pictures at the waysides. The leaves haven't completely changed, but there was a lot more color than what seems to show up in these pictures.

We also stopped for lunch at Skylands Resort, one of those old-school national park hotels, with a lodge and cabins and everything. The food was kind of amazing, and the view from the dining room was spectacular. I had to take a picture of the drink menu - thought G and the beau might be interested! The national parks are celebrating their 75th anniversary, so EVERYTHING is Great Depression-themed up in Shenandoah - kitschy, but in a Great American Road Trip kind of way.

Next time, I'm taking a horseback trail ride. I used to do that kind of thing all the time back home, and seeing all the horseback riders in the mountains this weekend made me miss it. What a way to see all that scenery!

Win Some...Lose Some

2011-09-03T10:05:00.005-04:00

Wins for the Summer of 2011:

7 radishes

2 heads of broccoli

1 fig

3 pumpkins

Losses for the Summer of 2011:

1 ornamental cherry tree

3 peppers (crushed under afore-mentioned cherry tree)

3 bags of zinnia seeds (not a single plant appeared after planting)

All in all, I'm going to call it a draw!

And then...

2011-08-26T13:56:00.002-04:00

Yep, this photo pretty much sums up the week I've had. About an hour ago, B. called me to get the lowdown on what exactly has been going on this week, and after nearly half an hour of discussion, I realized that I had said, "And then...!" about 17 times. See, last weekend, the family left for our usual week at the beach in North Carolina. We should have known it was going to be an ill-fated trip when my parents arrived at my house the night before departure and we realized that we were woefully under-coordinated this year. Usually, with a family as big and shall we say boisterous, as mine, all en masse travels are planned with military precision. Its really the only way we can survive. Well, somehow this year we all kinda fell down on the job when it came to our pre-trip military maneuvers. Bed linens? Forgotten. Pre-baked, frozen casseroles? Only 2 for 7 nights. Who bought the various soaps - hand, shower, laundry? Uh, no one. We did, however, remember all of our assorted alcohols, so we decided to forge ahead despite the bad omens.

Now, I'm going to take a serious turn here for a moment. Because what happened on our first night at the beach was really not funny in any way. In fact, it was truly one of the most awful things I've ever witnessed. My dad and I decided to take an evening stroll down on the beach after we unloaded the car. It started out lovely, but within minutes had turned into a terrifying situation. A family had gotten themselves stuck in a massive rip-tide just off-shore, and before I knew it, my dad and I were involved in a full-scale rescue operation. We tried and tried and tried, but the waves and currents were just too ferocious to get everyone. In the end, a grandfather died there on the beach, and I was holding his face in my hands when it happened. I now know his name was John. And he was from Vermont. And that's all I'm going to say about it.

What followed was a really surreal week. Obviously a strange pallor had kind of fallen over everything we did, and honestly none of us had our hearts in vacation anymore. That's when the crazies started showing up. First, we felt an earthquake. A little investigation via Facebook and I discovered that EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE had felt the earthquake, and low and behold its epicenter wasn't too terribly far from my house. A flurry of calls and messages ensued, and luckily none of our respective friends/properties/places of employment had been significantly damaged, although there were a whole lotta freaked out pets. So, we get through the earthquake and suddenly there's this hurricane named Irene barreling down on the Carolina coast like its got it in for us personally. I'm not kidding - our annual rental beach house is literally the highest point on our particular barrier island of choice. So after a couple of tense days of watching weather reports, the Carolina coast was officially ordered to evacuate. We had exactly 1 hour to get ourselves packed and off the island. I've never seen such chaos - both in our house and around all the other houses in the neighborhood. During the rush to get things thrown into the cars, one of my nephews decided it would be a great idea to lacerate his foot and bleed allover the deck without telling anyone. My brother-in-law discovered him, and I spent some time trying to bandage hime up - luckily, it didn't look too serious, but man, was there a lot of blood. So, that little episode behind us, we all jumped in our cars and took off for the highway...where we sat and sat and sat and sat with all the other 3 million tourists trying to evacuate. The Outer Banks are great and all, but their one major drawback is that there are only like 3 bridges to connect them to the mainland. Not really a problem until EVERYONE has to cross them at the same time. Nevertheless, we made it out of hurricane territory and arrived at my house late at night.

Upon our arrival, we noticed a ton of debris and downed trees allover my neighborhood. Turns out a big storm, completely unrelated to the impending hurricane, had swept through and we didn't have any electricity. We took showers, in the dark, and went to bed. This morning, however, I happened to look out my kitchen window and see one of my backyard trees lying across the yard. Half of it was resting on another tree and half of it had taken out the neighbor's fence. A groundhog sat in front of it blissfully eating the downed foliage. And that's when I started laughing. Laughing in that high-pitched, kind of hysterical way that usually signals a major breakdown is coming. But I didn't completely lose it, because believe it or not there is actually a bright side to all of this. I don't have to clean up that tree or any of the debris in my yard!! You know why? Because that pesky Irene is still headed my way!!! So, she's probably just going to cause more damage and knock more crap down, so why bother cleaning up now, right?

Yeah, it was one bizarre week. The way it began seems like a million years ago, and in someways it feels like it happened to someone else, but it didn't. That one might take some time to get over. As my mom pointed out in the midst of all our issues this week, maybe life is just throwing so many crazy things in our paths right now because we're not ready to focus on the other stuff yet. Maybe she's right. All I know is I need a nap.

Yellow Lamp with Bird

2011-08-17T18:15:00.002-04:00

I recently deviated from my signature decorating color scheme (i.e. a red accessory is a good accessory) and purchased this brilliant yellow-shaded lamp, which also features a cute little wrought iron bird perched on the base. Its quite adorable and adds a nice pop to my living room (which some may argue did not really need a pop at all - note the green walls and crazy patterned curtains). Many thanks to G for being decisive when I was waffling on the purchase and encouraging me to plunk down the money for it - you were right, G! I know you're feeling a bit sluggish lately, so I hope this little yellow lamp makes you smile!

Coming Out of Retirement

2011-08-13T09:49:00.006-04:00

Sammy and I spent considerable time looking out the front window. That kid loves him some trees.

So, its been a while. Just shy of a year, as a matter of fact! Why did I go into blogging-retirement, you ask? I honestly don't know. A personal funk, of sorts, I guess. I just didn't have anything to say there for a while. And once I had something to say, I was out of the habit, and etc. etc. etc. But, things have transpired recently to get me off my butt and back into the blogosphere. My friend L (who has created one of the most enjoyable blogs ever!) is leaving today for a cross-country move with her son and husband to their new home in El Paso. As a bit of a good-bye gift, L created the new header at the top of my blog for me, with the caviate that I had to start blogging again (I guess the poor girl felt she would miss my witty banter on her 6-day drive to Texas!). So, here it is, L! My gift to you! I don't know if you'll notice this for a while, but when you do, just know that I'm thinking about you and Sammy and Sandy and Jim. In the meantime, here's a few pics my day of baby-sitting Sammy during the packing phase.

Sammy did a lot of dancing that day, but every time I turned the camera on he stoppes. This is the best effort - his interpretation of 500 Miles by the Proclaimers. Also, notice my lightening-quick reflexes at the end.

I Can't Even Tell You...

2010-09-15T20:15:00.003-04:00

This picture of Pepper and a Goonies T-shirt has nothing to do with this post, other than the blatant pop culture reference. And of course its adorable!

...How thrilled I am that the new television season has FINALLY started!!!! Tonight, as a matter of fact, with the premiere of Survivor: Nicaragua. I don't even really like Survivor, but I have missed new TV so much this summer that I'm actually sitting here watching it like its the best show I've ever seen. (I do, however, think this show has kinda fallen apart in recent years - a Medallion of Power? seriously? Jimmy Johnson? seriously?). Its no secret that I'm kind of a pop culture junkie, and as much as I enjoyed summer evenings puttering around in my yard and catching up on good reads over the last few months, I've also been BORED TO TEARS in recent weeks with only Wipeout and Bachelor Pad to choose from. So, let the celebrating begin!!! Fall TV 2010 is here!!

In the coming weeks I will be keeping my eyes on the following new shows:

Hawaii Five-0 (Alex O'Laughlin anyone??)

Nikita (Oh Alias, how I miss you!)

The Event (hopefully, it will be the new Lost - if its not, I'll probably be in mourning all year)

Outsourced (it just looks hilarious)

Raising Hope (also looks hilarious, in a Knocked Up sort of way)

Running Wilde (possibly awful, but also possibly great!)

My Generation (the music, really, just the music)

Returning favorites include:

Castle

Glee

Brothers and Sisters

Modern Family/The Middle/Cougar Town

Dancing with the Stars

I have openings on Thursdays and Saturdays, if anyone has any suggestions!

End of Summer...Almost

2010-08-29T17:38:00.002-04:00

I think it happened this weekend, as I was doing yardwork. My summer vacation to Emerald Isle is now a week in the past. The students have returned to UMW and are clogging the sidewalks, grocery stores and restaurants. Its still 92 degrees outside, but there's something ever-so-slightly different in the air. And the Steelers are on TV tonight. Yep, I'm pretty much ready to call the Summer of 2010. Fall can come on over. The leaves can change, the humidity can take a hike, and all of my summer clothes that I'm sick of right now can disappear. I'm all set for it. Of course, its not even Labor Day yet, but just so you know, Fall, I'm ready!!

I'm going to go pop a bag of corn chips and get ready for the game. Lest you all think I've jumped the gun on fall a bit too early, let me just say that I did refrain from baking pumpkin bread this afternoon. Even though I really, really wanted to. I'll just make do with corn chips for now...

P.S. The enamel-top table? Its now my TV stand!

I Shouldn't Have...But I Did

2010-08-11T21:28:00.002-04:00

I went to a big flea market here in town last weekend (actually, it was even called The Big Flea) and I swear I went with the intention of spending minimum cash. In fact, I only took a few bucks. Which I blew ten minutes in on some vintage Pittsburgh post cards. And then I found some awesome Mad Men-ish holiday serving dishes, so I had to go to one of those mini-ATM's that charges a billion dollars in fees. And I swore I was done.

And then I found the Ultimate Flea Find. A piece that I have been looking for since I found out I would be moving into my house. A 1920's enamel-top kitchen cupboard. In near-pristine condition. And it was only $65. It was like light from heaven was shining down on it. The thing is, I had already obtained another table a while back when I wasn't able to find a decent enamel-top piece. So, technically I don't need this cupboard. Nor do I really have a place to put it. But I now own it. And i have to say I'm pretty thrilled with it!

So, its advice time. What should I do with it? Its currently sitting under the side window in my living room, but it takes up a bit too much room there. Would it make a good TV stand? Should I abandon my plan to someday put a bed in the spare room and move it in there? Should I get rid of something in the kitchen and return the cupboard to its original use? Should I completely rearrange the living room? I'm just not sure.

Belated Father's Day

2010-08-06T15:59:00.003-04:00

This is the full company of Marines stationed at Barracks Washington DC, after the drill team had performed. If you look closely, you can see the band member standing on top of the monument in the background, just about to play Taps.

It still amazes me that there are touristy things left to do in Washington, DC that I haven't done after living there for 3 years and very close by for another 6 years. It really is a very cool city. Earlier this week when my parents were visiting, I took them up to DC to see my Dad's long-awaited Father's Day present. He has always wanted to see the Marine Corps' Silent Drill Team perform, and I recently found out that every Tuesday evening in the summer they and the Marine Corps Band perform at sunset in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington. The Sunset Parade is free and open to the public, and lasts about an hour. So, I drove the parents up to Arlington, along with a few folding chairs, to take in the show.

It was well worth it, too - we had a great viewing spot, it wasn't nearly as hot and humid as its been lately, and really the Silent Drill Team is incredible. Not to mention that seeing them perform with the memorial, the US Capitol and the Washington Monument in the background is pretty awesome too! My Dad declared it a success, and really enjoyed the performance. I'll admit that my few photos/videos don't do it justice at all, and I only took photos of the band and of the drill team as they marched out. I was too entranced by the drill team to take any photos!

The Desk Chair

2010-08-04T15:53:00.004-04:00

Finished and in place!

After the last coat...

First coat of primer in progress, while watching bad summer TV, of course...

Cleaning in the driveway - apparently 70 years of rough use will build up some serious grime!

These are a few pics from the most recent project in the spare room - a chair for the new work table. I am extremely proud of this chair, because it is almost identical to the desk chairs I've been drooling over in Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel for months, but unlike those $400 options, this chair cost me a grand total of $10. I found at the Washington City Mission's Renovation Station (which is much like Habitat for Humanity's ReStores) at home in Pennsylvania. The re-sale store usually only sells construction materials and things like used sinks and electrical parts, but they do have a few odds and ends of furniture that come in, and sometimes its kind of unbelieveable what people leave there. This little chair, which was already in primo condition, was holding a huge stack of drop cloths on the day I found it. I asked if they would sell it, and $10 later I had a vintage (I'm guessing 1940's, only because my grandfather had a very similar one when I was a kid that came from his war-era office) banker's chair. Actually, I shouldn't call it "little" at all - its built like a tank, of solid oak and steel bolts. The whole thing weighs about 25 pounds!

The finish was a little beat up, so I decided to try my hand at refinishing it (I know, I know - all of my curator/antique store friends are gasping in shock right now) and quickly discovered that I am not the type of person who has the patience for refinishing. So, after a few failed starts, I decided to just paint the thing white, which would really look better in the room anyway. It took two coats of Kilz primer (low-fume, oil-based) and two coats of semi-gloss white latex paint (both of which I already had). Ta-da! Now it looks perfect in the spare room, which is just about finished.

Yes, Folks...

2010-07-22T20:55:00.002-04:00

...THAT IS A DISHWASHER!!!

In my kitchen, hooked up and working! As I'm typing this its whirring away, scrubbing 2 bowls, a plate, a fork and three spoons. I realize that's probably a huge waste of water (although I put it on the Energy Saver mode) but I just coudln't wait to try it out!

I'm not sure whether or not I was more excited about the washer/dryer or the dishwasher. All I can say is that appliances rock!

P.S. This is my 150th post!

Cutesie Curtains

2010-07-20T21:24:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post to show off the super-simple but super-cute curtains that I made for the spare/office/craft room. I bought some $5 canvas valances at Target, and some ball-fringe trim at Joann Fabrics - add a couple hours with a needle and thread, and voila! Cute, vintage-looking curtains for a total of $14.

Progress in getting that room done has been slow lately, as has the dishwasher situation, but I have reason to hope that there will be real progress on both fronts this week!

The Living Room

2010-07-06T10:32:00.004-04:00

The AC at the museum is out today (and its supposed to be 101 degrees outside), so my boss (i.e. me) is letting us all work from home - yay!! I do fully intend to sit down and work on a huge stack of grant applications today, but I thought I'd take a few minutes to do a blog post first! Bess reminded me some time ago that I never get around to posting pictures of my finished projects or room decor. After I spent hours cleaning my house in preparation for the 4th of July cook-out this weekend, I decided it was a good time to take some photos of the living room - it very rarely looks this put together and organized! Its the first room in the house that I can really consider "done". I still need to come up with another solution for the TV/VCR/cable box/rat's nest of cables and wires, and eventually I want to put up some crown moulding. The rug in this room is also temporary - the color works, but its not big enough and I'd rather have some sort of natural fiber woven thing to go with the bamboo window blinds. Otherwise, I can pretty much check the living room off the "to-do list".

Hopefully by the end of the day today I'll be able to put up some photos of the mostly done spare room/office/crafting room, as well. It's just about done and looking pretty good!

4th Fun-ness!

2010-07-05T16:53:00.002-04:00

I had a crowd of people over last night for a backyard cook-out and some fireworks watching. It was the first test-drive of my backyard for entertaining purposes, and all in all I think it did pretty well. It hasn't rained here in, oh, 3 years or something, and its been in the 90s for weeks on end, so sadly my grass and many of my plants are pretty much dead. So, I bought a picnic table and cute twinkly lights to hang in the trees to dress the place up a bit. The lights definitely made the scene - I only wish the photos above could have come out better! Anyway, there was a lot of great food (even my first attempt at grilling kebabs didn't go too horribly!) and good friends, and the fireworks display at the end of the night was pretty great too. This might just become an annual thing!

I HATE SPIDERS!!

2010-06-16T09:56:00.003-04:00

So, I get home VERY late last night from the Harry Connick, Jr. concert, and I'm literally ready to fall right into bed. As I was pulling back the covers, I notice Pepper sitting on top of my dresser staring intently up into the curtains over the window (which, by the way are new - I put them up a couple of weeks ago, and I kinda love how they look. But, I digress.) She's not doing her normal "stalking a bug/wiggle butt" thing. She's not meowing loudly as she does when there's a shiny thing or reflected light just out of her reach. No, she's just staring. So, I go over to investigate - AND SCREAMED SO LOUD MY ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD HEARD ME, I'M SURE!!!!!!!!!!!!! There, in one of the the folds of the curtain was literally the biggest spider I have ever seen in person. It was easily 4 inches in diameter. Even as I'm typing this my hands are starting to shake at the memory. It was awful.

I grabbed Pepper and fled the room, racing down the hall to the kitchen, where I cowered for a few second to gather my thoughts. Pepper was ticked that I'd taken her away from what I'm sure she thought was an exciting new play toy and went running right back into the bedroom. After some deep breathing exercises, I decided a wad of Kleenex and a shoe were probably my best weapons, and I ventured back in, too. I'll just make a long story short and say that it turned out that this colossal spider could also jump. And I ended up chasing it allover my bedroom for nearly half an hour. There was no way I could let it go, or even let it out of my sight, because I knew there was no possible way I would ever be able to sleep in my bedroom again if I didn't know that the thing was destroyed. Finally, it made a dash for a tiny space under the baseboard near my closet, and to my astonishment, if managed to fit all 8 of its legs in there. I used a flashlight to look into the crack, and discovered that the floorboards stopped short of the wall under the baseboard, and there was a gap that I'm guessing leads straight down to the crawlspace under the house. EWWWWWW! A completely open access-point for every creepy-crawly in the world to get into my bedroom! The spider squeezed itself into this little gap and disappeared, so I'm guessing that's where it must have come from to begin with. I couldn't very well kill it at that point, so I did the only thing I could think of - stuff tons of Kleenex into the crevice between the floor and the baseboard, and then put duct tape over it to hold it in place. That sucker's not getting back into MY house! At least not that way! Feeling at least somewhat relieved (although, I had the nagging thought that there could be more of these things lurking in other corners of the house) I finally went to bed. Where I laid wide awake for the next 2 hours. I really, really hate spiders.

So, on today's to-do list is a trip to Lowe's to buy some sort of caulk, which I will use to fill every baseboard gap in my entire house before night fall. I need some sleep tonight!

Kitty Wars

2010-06-06T10:01:00.005-04:00

I can't explain it, but whenever the temperature and humidity gets ridiculously high, Bailey decides its cuddle time. He's not an overly affectionate cat normally, but all of the sudden he's demanding that I sit on the couch so that he can sit on my lap, or he tries to sidle up next to me while I'm brushing my teeth. My favorite is when I come in from doing yard work, completely sweaty and disgusting, and he climbs allover me. Nothing better than a coating of kitty fur to round out the disgustingness! And its not just me - Bailey suddenly wants to cuddle with his sister, too. Sadly, Pepper does not react to the heat the same way. She likes to stretch out under a fan and generally stays away form everyone. Sometimes their two personalities clash. The clash is demonstrated above. Witness Pepper, happily sleeping on the back of the couch, near an AC vent. Then, witness Bailey moving in on the party and attempting to look comfy while barely clinging to a corner of the couch because Pepper refuses to move over. Also witness Pepper's pissed off expression. What I was not able to catch on film was a few seconds later when the all-out fight for couch-supremacy started. It was a short battle, and Pepper won. But that's okay, Bailey just moved over to my lap, where he's now happily generating heat.

Hello, Summer!

2010-05-31T15:59:00.003-04:00

So, here it is - the unofficial start to summer! And in grand Virginia style, Memorial Day 2010 is weighing in at 94 degrees, 72% humidity, and possible thunderstorms on the horizon! I got a fairly early start this morning and got my front yard mowed. I would have done the backyard, but by then it was already in the mid-80's and I thought I might pass out. So, the mower is now parked under a tree in the side yard, just in case I want to go back out later this evening and finish up (yeah right). After mowing, I parked myself in the shade and planted (finally) the last of my perennials in the flower bed. They were all looking very sad and bedraggled (and I would too, if my new owner left me sitting in tiny plastic pots for 3 weeks on a hot deck) but I have to say, after I got them planted, mulched and watered they really perked up, so maybe they'll make it!

Among the items I planted was a GORGEOUS hydrangea that my friend Cathy gave me (and also one to G) as a thank you for hosting her bridal shower on Saturday. Cathy, it looks awesome already - thank you!! The shower went off without a hitch, and I think everyone had a good time. It was a very nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon! The photo above is of one of the flower arrangements that G and I put together for it - I don't know, G, I think maybe we should open that florist shop afterall!

Lastly, a decision has been made re: my last post. Stay tuned for results!

Decisions, Decisions

2010-05-21T13:54:00.004-04:00

The Ikea dropleaf table. Hmmmm...

Details of the farmhouse table that Pottery Barn sells. If I had a billion dollars, this is the way I would go.

Much like G over at Dandelion Garden, I need some help making a decision. I'm an incredibly indecisive person on a good day, and this particular decorating decision has been going back and forth in my head for far too long!

Here's the issue: my spare bedroom is very small, and it has to serve two main purposes - an office/crafting room, and a guest room. Therefore I need both a bed and a table or worksurface in the room. One twin bed would fit easily in the space and leave enough room for a fairly good-sized table, but I would really like to put in a twin-sized trundle bed, so that I can sleep two people in there comfortably. Two twin beds will only fit in the room, if whatever table I have can be moved out entirely or folded up in some manner. Hence the dilemma.

What I've always dreamed of is a big old heavy farm table with turned legs - it would look great in the room and would give me the huge expanse of work surface that I've never had before. However, such a table would not be something I could move easily, nor does it fold up. Another option would be an old drop leaf table, which as it happens my parents have in their basement (currently holding a pile of dropcloths and paint cans). This particular table has the vintage charm, and it could fold up fairly small when I have guests, but it would not be as big as my dream farmhouse table. Also, by design, drop leaf tables have their legs in the center, which makes the ADORABLE rolling office chair that I bought at a flea market last weekend somewhat hard to use with the table (I would constantly be banging my knees against the legs, and I know this would eventually drive me up a wall). There are 2 other options that I have conceived of - one super-easy, but not satisfactory in the style department, and one super-complicated but possibly a solution to all my problems. Super-easy would be to buy the white drop leaf table that Ikea sells, which is the same surface size as any farmhouse table I could fit in there, and has the added bonus of having drawer storage. This table however, is very sleek and modern, and does not fit the style of the room very well at all. The super-complicated option is to buy either a vintage farm table or a new one and come up with a clever way of mounting it to the wall on hinges, so that it could be lowered when necessary. My dad has some thoughts on how to do this - none of which I really understood.

So, what should I do? Go for the big, old table of my dreams and put possibly days of my life into figuring out how to make it collapsible OR purchase a cheap but functional Ikea table OR go with my parents' FREE drop leaf table that has some drawbacks?

Wandering Thoughts on a Day Off

2010-05-12T10:09:00.003-04:00

In a bold move this week, I have taken today, tomorrow and Friday off from work. Yes, its 10:00am and I'm still in my PJ's, sipping coffee, and I LOVE IT!!! Of course, I have a huge list of things I want to accomplish, but at the moment I'm not feeling any pressure to get them done. On Friday I'm going to head up to the parents' house to celebrate a belated Mother's Day - plant shopping and tea at the Frick in Pittsburgh! It should be a nice, restful vacation...

In other news, the battery in my camera died last week, and I'm having a mental block about charging it. So, every time I've wanted to take a picture in the last few days, I've reached for the camera and then said "oh, crap! I forgot...". Hence, the lack of photos with posts recently. Its charging away right now, though - photos will be back soon!

In other, other news, Pepper and her boyrfriend had a spat the other night, and I think she's depressed over their break-up. I don't know if I've mentioned Harvey - the neighbor's huge Maine-coon cat - but he and Pepper have a "through-the-screen-door" relationship (i.e. Harvey sits on the front stoop studiously ignoring Pepper, who is purring, rubbing, rolling on her back and everything else she can do to get his attention). Well, the other evening for some reason Pepper and Harvey started hissing at eachother. It went on for 5 minutes, then Harvey took off and hasn't been back since. Now Pepper just sits in the window staring wistfully at Harvey's house. I swear I'm not projecting, either - she's definitely wistful! Anyway, I have hopes that Harvey will be back soon...

There are Days...

2010-05-09T10:41:00.002-04:00

...when it all just gets to be too much. You know what I mean? I had one of those days yesterday. I've been battling a cold all week - a week during which I was doing exhibit de-installation and re-installation at the museum (which I swear is the most stressful part of my job) - and yesterday, when I could finally relax a bit, the cold exploded. I think I'd just been pushing through it to get the work done, and as soon as I didn't have deadlines hanging over my head, it just hit me like a Mac truck. In one day I managed to run out of Kleenex, chapstick, orange juice and Jell-O. Unfortunately, there's a lot of stuff around the house that I'd been putting off "until the weekend" that was still up in the air - my nemesis mowing the lawn, piles of laundry, huge stacks of bills to pay, a long list of calls and messages to return, grocery shopping and cleaning the house (its been WAY too long) were just a few. Then on top of that, I discovered that the ventilation fan in my attic shorted out, and the ant invasion from last week returned. I think the moment when I just about lost it, though, came when I noticed that some little animal had systematically pulled up every single one of the strawberry plants I planted a few weeks ago.

So, I did probably the worst thing I could have done - or maybe, it was the best thing (hard to say). I marched inside, got my PJ's on, layed down on the couch and watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding, followed by The Blind Side, followed by an array of ghost hunting/UFO programming on the Discovery Channel. I still felt like crap, but at least I was horizontal instead of vertical.

This morning, thank God, I seem to be feeling better. I'm going to take stab at the lawn, and tackle the stack of dishes in the sink. Wish me luck! And send Kleenex...

Homecoming

2010-05-03T18:14:00.002-04:00

I just got home from a 3-day weekend in Massachusetts for my cousin's wedding, and I was greeted with two surprises - one good, and one not so good. First the bad news: I have been invaded by ants! Poor G had to deal with the swarm when she came in to feed my cats (sorry G - but thanks for the clean-up effort!) and unfortunately they had returned by the time I got home. They're those teeny-tiny ants that walk in straight lines across your floor - it would be fascinating if the floor they were crawling across wasn't my kitchen! They seem to have come in around the kitchen door, and they were drawn in by the cats' food bowls. Poor Bailey and Pepper - I'm not sure how much ant-free food they got this weekend! Now for the good news: after I spent about 45 minutes trying to clean up the ant mess (I went all-out and used the serious, chemical ant-killer stuff) I noticed that the rose bush outside was blooming! I'd almost completely forgotten about the "yellow rose of Texas" that was here when I moved in. I don't think it even had buds in it when I left on Friday, but its covered witht hem now and there are too full roses already. It made up for the ant invasion...

Results

2010-04-25T09:46:00.004-04:00

I've been doing an immense amount of yard work lately (hence the lack of posts). It seems like I spend most evenings after work and pretty much all of my weekend time outside weeding, digging, cutting, dragging, planting, mulching, etc. There are begonias in pots on the front stoop, squash plants and strawberries out back, red daisies by the shed and two new azaleas under my bedroom window. I wrangled a huge bamboo tree into submission, and I removed about 10 years worth of brush and debris from an old flower bed. I'm pretty much exhausted!

Today we're supposed to have severe thunderstorms all day which is good news. Because of all this yard work, I've pretty much been ignoring housework. So, while the rain soaks all of my recently planted stuff, I'll be cleaning the bathroom and folding laundry.

The picture above is of my first crop of daisies - lots more to come this summer!

It's Time...

2010-04-14T21:14:00.003-04:00

After tonight's marathon dish-washing session, I came to a decision. It's time. It's time for me to bite the bullet and get a dishwasher. My tax refund has arrived, and my dish-washing discipline is not getting any better with time. I'm now up to 3 days worth of dirty dishes in the sink before I break down and wash them. Actually, that's a lie. If I rinse them thoroughly before stacking them in the sink, I allow them to build up for 4 days. And they overflow onto the counter and sometimes onto the stovetop. Its never good when you decide to order takeout for dinner because you can't get to your stove to cook anything.

The first step is to get my electrician in to put a line in. Check. I got an estimate from an electrician back in October. Then, I have to find a plumber to put in a water line. Hmmm. I'm sure I can find a plumber. Then I have to actually buy a dishwasher. Sears Scratch n' Dent, here I come!

Yes, its definitely time...

Who Knew?

2010-04-06T17:52:00.003-04:00

Over the weekend, the old, gnarled tree in my front yard suddenly burst into bloom. Lo and behold, I have a Redbud in my yard!! I've always loved seeing these beautiful pinkish-purple trees out in the woods or along the side of the road in the springtime, and now I own my very own! Its a huge one too, and looks like its been there forever. Hopefully it has a long life ahead of it, too.

Mom and Dad were a huge help over the Easter weekend. We pruned the afore-mentioned Redbud, dug out some dead shrubbery and mowed the lawn. I also acquired a grill and a wheelbarrow, and we had the first cookout of the season my back porch!

All in all, it was a great weekend!

March...Out Like a What??

2010-03-30T20:08:00.002-04:00

I supoose its not really March's fault that it rained BUCKETS on Sunday night. But I'd rather blame March than myself for the fact that my pesky roof leak resurfaced with a vengeance. You see, after I discovered the leak back in February and had zero luck finding a roofer to fix it, I kind of just put it out of my mind. Afterall, we didn't really have anymore downpors, and it was pretty easy to pretend that there wasn't a problem at all. Well, apparently that is not the best strategy for homeowners. On Sunday, the downpour broke right through the laundry room ceiling, and - get this! - began gushing water into the ceiling light fixture! Yeah, the glass globe filled up with water and then the light shorted out. A little scary, I have to say! So, I spent the rest of the night on bucket brigade, running up and down to the attic every couple of hours until about 5:00am when the storm finally moved on. I was left with a wet, sopping mess in the kitchen and I was literally crying.

So, Monday morning I got my butt in gear and got on the phone to a whole new set of roofers and DEMANDED that they listen to me! Interestingly enough, they responded to my new authoritative tone - apparently the nice girl routine I tried the last time was the wrong approach! Anyway, I had one roofer here today after work to give me an estimate and I have another one coming on Monday. No rain in the forecast until then, so I should be okay.

In the end, March didn't defeat me!

Sexy Filing

2010-03-23T17:59:00.003-04:00

If this filing cabinet were a person, it would be the sexy librarian type. This filing cabinet is hot. I think I love this filing cabinet.

Yes, at long last I got around to spray painting the old, beat-up, institutional gray cabinet that I looted from my office. Its now a shiny, fire-engine-red color that looks pretty awesome in my spare room. Now I just have to put all the red hanging files and red folders into it. I might just enjoy filing with something as sexy as this little number!

Success!

2010-03-07T12:04:00.002-05:00

On two fronts actually! At 8:00 last night I finally finished my taxes. It wasn't too bad - yes, more complicated than last year, but still manageable. I now await my refund, which of course makes the process worth it in the end.

On the other front, I finally figured out how to hang my homemade padded bulletin board on the wall above my desk in the guest/craft/office room. I can't rememebr if I mentioned this or not, but this padded bulletin board has been vexing me for WEEKS! I've tried about 15 different ways of getting up on the wall, and all of them ended with it falling down minutes later, and leaving a lovely set of gouge marks and scuffs on my beautiful "Meadow Mist" paint job. During my marathon procrastination session yesterday, genius finally struck and I came up with a full-proof plan. And voila! You can see the results above.

And to all of you who I have given these homemade padded bulletin boards as gifts over the last couple of years, my sincerest apologies - I've seen most of them hung in your houses somewhere, and I had no idea what you had to go through to get them that way!

Ugh.

2010-03-06T13:56:00.002-05:00

Yep, there's not much else to say. I have assigned myself the task of doing my taxes today, and as you can see, I'm procrastinating. I hate doing my taxes. I don't even really know why - I've never had really complicated taxes, so its always been fairly painless. But, every year, I drag my feet and stall and complain until its April 14th, and then I freak out. Obviously, this year I'm trying to be a bit more on the ball, and that's mostly because I have the sneaking suspicion that my taxes will suddenly be far more complicated due to the addition of the house to my personal assets.

Hmmm. So far, its not going well. I've washed dishes. I ran some errands. I vacuumed. I watched the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. I'm blogging. And I just discovered that the Da Vinci Code is going to be on TNT in a few minutes. I can't do taxes while watching a movie, so clearly I'll just have to wait until the movie is over. Did I mention that I actually own the Da Vinci Code on DVD, so I could just watch it whenever I want. But no, its better to let it stave off the taxes for a couple more hours.

Anyway, that's my fun and exciting weekend. Hope you all are enjoying yours'!

Are Those Inflatable Beavers?!?

2010-03-01T10:08:00.002-05:00

Sadly, the 2010 Winter Olympics came to an end last night. In an unbelievable written-for-Hollywood game in the afternoon, Canada's hockey team beat the US by one goal in overtime, and 2 hours later it was time for the closing ceremonies. Vancouver treated the world to a dazzling final show consisting of enormous cartoon-style Mounties, dancing canoes and - I'm not kidding - giant inflatable beavers. It was all set to the mellow strains of Michael Buble. I'm not going to lie, it was one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen, and not really in a good way. My parents were visiting this weekend, and I insisted that we watch the closing ceremonies. They both sat on my couch with horrified looks on their faces the whole way through it.

Oh, Vancouver. You're so Canadian.

I'm going to miss the Olympics. I always do when they're over. But, we had a good run - 37 American medals (a record for any nation in a Winter Olympics) and the Canadians got 14 golds (also a record). The competition was great, and the memories will last. I really do love the Olympics...

Moving Moments

2010-02-26T09:56:00.002-05:00

I stayed up to 12:30 last night to see all of the ladies' figure skating finals, and I'm really glad that I did! Kim Yu Na of South Korea won, and thank goodness she did. Apparently the poor girl was actually worred about her family (and her entire country) turning their backs on her if she didn't win gold. Good grief. Anyway, her performance was absolutely amazing - and she broke all records for the highest score ever in competition. That's an Olympic moment!

Then there was another Olympic moment last night - a very different one. Joannie Rochette of Canada, won the bronze medal just three days after her mother died very unexpectedly of a heart attack. I'm not going to lie - I balled like a baby the whole way through her performance. Scott Hamilton even got choked up afterwards. I can't even imagine...

So, the 2010 Olympics have not failed in providing us with some very memorable moments that no doubt will be part of video montages for the next 30 years, and there's still more to come. The big final hockey game is on Sunday afternoon - its always the last event of the Winter games. Of course, we don't know who will be in it, but I think everyone's hoping for another USA/Canada showdown (well, except for the Finns and whoever it is that the Canadians have to play today). It shoul dbe a great weekend in Vancouver!

Historical Note

2010-02-22T09:41:00.002-05:00

It was 30 years ago today that the Miracle on Ice took place at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. I was not quite a year old at the time, so I don't actually remember it happening, but like everyone else in my age group, I have heard the story a thousand times and seen the movies and the documentaries, etc. over the years. Watching the US Hockey team defeat Canada last night was exciting and exhilerating to be sure, but I can only imagine what it must have felt like to see the US beat the USSR back in the day - one of those moments when everyone watching knew they were witnessing history. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - those are the best moments!

Olympic Update, etc.

2010-02-20T11:07:00.002-05:00

We're a week into the Olympics now, and I have some thoughts. First of all, I was somewhat under-whelmed by the opening ceremonies last Friday. I mean, visually, it was very pretty, and I liked the general concept of the projected images on fabric that moved (the Orca whales moving across the floor was very cool), but mostly I thought it was a little slow. I love the song "Allelieuia" (and I did not know it was written by a Canadian!), but I don't think having k.d. Lang (who's Canadian -who knew?) sing it at the opening ceremonies strikes quite the right "yay athletes! go get'em!" vibe. For me, it was a bit of a throwback to the '94 (I think) Barcelona games, when everyone generally had no idea what was happening during the opening ceremonies. But, in general, good effort Canada!

I've pretty much watched all of the prime time coverage since then, and my top moments so far are definitely Evan Lysacek winning the gold medal in figure skating and Apollo Ono winning his silver medal. This probably isn't a very politically correct thing to say, but I really miss the '80's, when the USSR was our arch rival in all things, and every athletic competition turned into a contest for the fate of the world. So, when Evan Lysacek had to go up against Evgeny Pleshenko (sp?) to win the gold, it just felt like the good ol'days! I'm really looking forward to seeing more hockey as it gets into the more competetitive rounds, and they just started Skeleton yesterday - still in my opinion the craziest of all winter sports - so I'm looking forward to that. Today I plan to pretty much park myself on the couch and watch a full day of coverage! Why couldn't the Olympics have started during the Snowpocalypse two weeks ago, when I was desperate for something to watch??

In other news, I have broken my vacuum cleaner. This is a major crisis, because I vacuum a lot. Like every day. Its genetic - my dad does it, too. I accidentally ran the vacuum over a cat toy and sucked it up, breaking the rubber belt thing that turns the motor. So, before I settle down for the Olympics, I have to go in search of a vacuum repair shop that hear tell actually exists in the local area. Here's hoping a cat toy extraction is cheaper than buying a new vacuum!

Operation Peep Rescue

2010-02-08T15:12:00.003-05:00

There is a bird in my house. Not an accidental "eek, a Robin just flew down the chimney" kind of bird, but rather a tiny, neon yellow cage bird named Peep. I think I may have mentioned before that we have a pet bird in our office at the museum. Normally, Peep can survive just fine on her own for a couple days, along as she's stocked with plenty of seeds and water and her radio is tuned to her favorite top 40 station. However, this snowstorm is pushing the limits of her patience with being left alone, and they are now predicting another 6 inches of snow tomorrow.

So this afternoon I mounted Operation Peep Rescue. It took an hour of shoveling to finish digging my car out, some assistance from my neighbors to get out on my still unplowed street, and then some serious white-knuckling to get across the bridge into the downtown area and up a couple treacherous hills to the museum. Upon arrival, I found literally a 10 foot high mountain of snow piled around the entrance to the building. I managed to climb over it, and with the assistance of a co-worker we were able to carry Peep, cage and all, out to my car for the ride back to my house.

Peep is now safely ensconced on top of the bookcase in my living room, where she is happily chirping away. However, she has attracted an audience of two very curious cats who are making increasingly bold attempts to get a closer look. It won't be long, I'm sure, before I have to close her up in my spare bedroom to keep her safe, but at the moment there is peace in the animal kingdom.

Huh? The Super What?

2010-02-07T16:33:00.003-05:00

What's that you say? There's some sort of super football championship game tonight? A bowl of some sort? Well, I don't know anything about that - between the Storm of Doom and the fact that my beloved Steelers are not in said championship game, I simply don't have the time to care about it...

Actually, I'm totally joking. I did forget completely about the Super Bowl until this morning, and I really have no vested interest in who wins, but I'm so completely and insanely bored from being stuck in the house that I'll probably watch it anyway.

Sigh. This time last year my cousin Beth was headed over to my house for homemade Primanti's and pierogies. Still one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever in my opinion. Good memories. Almost enough to erase the depressing memories of the '09-'10 season...

Well, since I have no Super Bowl excitement this year, I guess its time to move on to my other favorite sporting event: THE OLYMPICS!!! Yes, yes, hard to believe, but its been two years since my awe-inspiring coverage of the Beijing games in '08. This Friday, the "youth of the world" will be gathering in Vancouver - you can bet I'll be parked in front of my TV with some sort of Canadian-themed food for the event.

Obligatory Snow Pics

2010-02-06T10:01:00.003-05:00

Yes, I've taken more pictures of my yard in the snow. Who knows if this area will ever get this kind of snow again - I want to make sure my little house is well-documented! Plus, this snowstorm is a little different than the last couple we've had. This snow is very heavy and very wet, and its doing really funny things to all the trees in my yard. Unfortunately, its also causing the pine tree by my driveway to droop onto my power lines, directly above my car. Needless to say, I'll probably be worrying about losing power the rest of the day. Not really sure where else I can park my car at this point, though, so I think I might just have to keep my fingers crossed!

Which reminds me - guess what happened to my car last Monday after our last snowfall (of only a few inches)? A city snow plow hit the front bumper and tore out the headlight while the car was parked on the street in front of my museum. Actually, I don't know for sure that it was a plow - no one left a note or anything - but last Monday plows were about the only thing out on the local streets. So, that was fun. I guess if a tree limb falls on the car at this point, it won't make a huge difference!

Well, I guess I need to quit procrastinating and get to shoveling. Wish me luck!

Broken Record Anyone??

2010-02-05T10:33:00.002-05:00

Not that this is news anymore, but its going to snow again this weekend. Another Big Snow of possibly 18-24 inches. I'm not sure what we'll refer to the Big Snow back in December as if this prediction comes true - perhaps we just won't care to discuss it ever again. This snow stuff was fun for a while, but I get the impression the novelty has worn off for most people. A police officer had to step in and break up a fight over a snow shovel at a local hardware store yesterday.

I have to admit, I'm getting cabin fever myself. I honestly don't have a plan to keep myself occupied for the next 2-3 days. I guess there better be some good stuff on TV!

Its Snowing...Again

2010-01-30T11:36:00.007-05:00

The new red folders displayed with the padded bulletin board I made last week, in front of the newly painted spare room walls. Nice combo, right?

Yep, we're getting another snowstorm today - possibly 8 inches by the time its all said and done. I don't know what's happening with the weather patterns here in the Southeast, but I think I like it! Notice in the photo above I got smart this time and parked my car at the END of my driveway last night, so that I'll only have to shovel a few feet to get myself out. I also bought a real shovel, so the digging out should go much better all the way around this time!

So, what to do with my snowed-in time? Well, I'm just so giddy I can't stand it, because in anticipation of having a lot of time on my hands I went out and purchased file folders and hanging files to use in organizing the massive amounts of "important papers" that are currently housed in a bunch of moving boxes in my spare room. And, the best part is - wait for it, wait for it - they are RED!! Yes, bright red file folders and hanging files! It just makes the task of sorting through mountains of insurance paperwork and old paystubs that much more enjoyable.

Eventually there will also be a bright shiny red filing cabinet to put the the files in, but that step will require a bit more work. I don't know if anyone else is shocked by the ridiculously high cost of filing cabinets (and I'm just talking your basic institutional, olive-drab metal cabinet - nothing fancy) but I finally decided I just couldn't justify the expense. So, I'm doing the next best thing and stealing one from my office. Well, its not exactly stealing - my office is getting all new office furniture next week, and our furniture delivery guy mentioned that because our current office furniture is in such bad shape, they're just planning on throwing it out. Ah-ha! So, by sneaking one of the cabinets out of the office before the new furniture comes in, I'm actually helping the environment while taking major steps towards organizing my life. Its totally not stealing. At some point I'm going to give the cabinet a coating of bright red Rustoleum, but that might have to wait until spring, so that I can do it outside.

Anyway, I can't wait to get to sorting!

Eek! A Leak!

2010-01-23T09:44:00.003-05:00

My first homeownership crisis has arrived. Or is it my second? Third? Anyway, during the heavy rain we've been having over the last 2 days, I discovered that my roof is leaking. Yep, a nice big leak near the chimney is allowing a pretty steady stream of water to flow down the chimney, through the kitchen ceiling and onto the floor of my mud room. Awesome. So, yesterday I spent most of the morning trying to get reccomendations for a roofer, and trying to ascertain whether or not my home warranty covers roof leaks (it does not - does it actually cover anything??). Today I have to hope that one of the three roofers I left messages with yesterday calls me back, because we're supposed to get nearly 2 inches of rain tomorrow, and I'm getting really tired of lugging full buckets of water down from my attic every few hours!

In other news, Pepper has a boyrfriend. His name is Harvey and he lives next door, but seems to spend much of his time on my front stoop. Pepper thinks he's the bees knees. Her social life is way better than mine...

PAINTING IS DONE!!

2010-01-17T15:14:00.002-05:00

I know, I know - most of you thought it would never happen. I myself had my doubts. But as of 11:30 this morning, I am officially DONE painting in my house! I finished the last section of trim in the spare room, and put down my brush with a satisfied sigh of accomplishment. Awesome feeling.

In all honesty, its only the painting in the rooms that don't need major construction that's done. There will be much more painting to do in the coming years when I remodel both the bathroom and kitchen at some point, but for the moment I am done with rollers and trays and brushes and wet paper towels and blue tape and, well, you get the idea. Let us all rejoice that I won't be subjecting you all to anymore posts about painting, either. There will be one last wrap-up post with photos of my finished work (as Miss Bess pointed out over the holidays, I never get around to showing of my final products) and then I can move on to other things. Yippee!

Ah, 2010!

2010-01-03T16:29:00.003-05:00

So, for my first post of 2010, I thought I would turn to a topic that I haven't mentioned since about this time last year - my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. I suddenly realized today as I watched the last regular season game of the year that I haven't blogged about the Steelers at all this season. It might be because other things in my life have been taking precedence lately, or it might be because the Steelers' season has been, ahem, sad to say the least. Whatever the reason, I decided to start off the new year by rectifying the situation. So, the Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins just moments ago, and thus are keeping a very paper-thin playoff hope alive. Baltimore, the Jets, and another team I can't remember at the moment all have to lose today in order for the Steelers to get into the playoffs. Like I said, paper-thin. But there's always hope.

So, here I sit, wearing my trusty Steelers sweatshirt, drinking from my Steelers mug and watching the Ravens game. Its weird what the playoffs do to a person!

In other depressing news, I have to go back to work tomorrow. Blah. I should be all rested and ready to attack projects at the museum with renewed energy and enthusiasm, right? Well, its not looking good - I'm already coming up with reasons to procrastinate tomorrow!

Bon Voyage 2009!

2009-12-31T10:07:00.002-05:00

Here it is - the last day of 2009. I can't really say that I'll miss this year - it was not a stellar year as years go. Well, for me it was a pretty monumental year: I did buy a house - that was awesome - and I did ring in my 30th year of life in style, but a lot of people out there had a pretty sucky time of it. For those folks, I'm happy to see 2009 come to an end, and I have every hope in the world that 2010 will be better.

As an historian, I love New Year's. I love looking back on a year, or in this case an entire decade, and wondering about what events will be the lasting historical moments. We have no shortage of memorable moments to choose from in the last 10 years, and somehow I think this past decade might someday be viewed as the one that changed it all - its not often that those living through history realize it at the time, but I think we all realize that we're living in extraordinary times.

So, that's my philosophical moment for the day - now on to the fun part of New Year's Eve '09! I'm going to be spending my evening at a James Bond-themed party at a local pub. I'm going as Bond-girl Strawberry Fields - aka, the agent who was drowned in oil and left on Daniel Craig's bed in Quantam of Solace. I chose her mostly because her signature look consists of a trench coat and brown boots. This is a costume I can pull off without too much trouble, and I should be fairly comfortable for the evening!

I hope you all have a good time tonight - be safe, and I'll see you in 2010!

Pepper vs. The Little People

2009-12-30T10:37:00.003-05:00

I'm the first to admit that my cat Pepper is a little, well, odd. She is extremely clutzy for a cat, and she has a habit of suddenly noticing things that have been right in front of her for weeks and taking a new dislike of them for no apparent reason. This morning was a prime example. We got back from our holiday vacation up in PA last night, and Bailey immediately curled up for a nap in his usual place. Pepper, however, started staring intently at the arrangement of Christmas caroling dolls displayed on top of my secretary desk in the living room. Within half an hour she was growling at them. And by bedtime she was pacing anxiously back and forth in front of them. These dolls have been up on top of the desk for nearly three weeks, and she'd never given them a second glance. This morning her paranoia reached a new level when she started attacking the desk by leaping from the back of the sofa towards the dolls. As I mentioned, she's clutzy, so she didn't make it to the top of the desk, but rather hit the front of it several times and slid down to the floor with her nails imbedded in the wood. The dolls and much of the pine were knocked down, and she seemed pleased with her work. I put everything back in place, and now she's started the whole process again. The picture is of her staring at the dolls from the sofa just a few minutes ago. Anyone wanna lay bets on how long it takes before she starts dive-bombing the dolls again??

The holidays can be stressful...

Winter Wonderland

2009-12-19T11:58:00.004-05:00

As promised, here are the pics from my walk in the Winter Wonderland that appeared overnight! I'd say we have about a foot of snow, and its still coming down. I had planned to walk all the way to the bridge over the river that separates my neighborhood from the downtown area, but I got to the point where I could see the bridge and quickly discovered that if I ventured any further I wouldn't be able to get back up the hill to my house, so I took a picture of two cars attempting to cross the bridge. One made it, and the other one turned around.

Its gorgeous outside, though!

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-18T16:41:00.004-05:00

So, I think its for real this time. Its not just a bunch of Southerners freaking out about the possibility of a little winter weather. I think we might get a real, honest-to-God snow storm tomorrow!!!! I cannot wait! I have nothing to do all day but bake cookies and watch the snow fall. Aaah, snow flakes, cookies and a Christmas tree. Does it get any better??

On another note, I just got back from the local hardware store, Earl's, where I went looking for a shovel and a bag of salt. I do have a driveway now, so I should have both of those items on hand. The neat thing I saw at Earl's was a huge stack of those old fashioned Flexible Flyer sleds. I love those things! I have one at home in Mom and Dad's basement somewhere. I'm sure Miss Bess recalls our many near misses careening down the hills of East Wash on my old trusty Flexible Flyer. Apparently today's parents don't have the same warm fuzzies for these sleds that I do - while standing in line at Earl's, the cashier took at least three phone calls from people asking if they had any sleds left. The cashier kept saying, "All we have are Flexible FLyers, and you probably don't want one of those." What?!?!? Why wouldn't you want one of those?? For any amount of snow over 6 inches, you don't just want a sled with metal runners, you NEED a sled with metal runners! Its a necessity! Otherwise your little saucer sled or plastic toboggan thing is just going to get bogged down and go nowhere. Every child born North of the Mason-Dixon line knows this. Geez, Southerners...

Anyway, I hope to have some beautiful pictures to post after the storm tomorrow - keep your fingers crossed that none of the pipes in my house bursts!

Beauty...

2009-12-16T12:01:00.004-05:00

...is in the eye of the beholder, or so the saying goes. Its funny how your idea of what is beautiful changes after you buy a house. Yes, I still love arranging knick-knacks and finding the perfect curtains for a room, but other things have caught my fancy more and more lately. This weekend, my dad and I braved the frigid temperatures in my attic and insulated the WHOLE DARN THING by ourselves - no professional help or anything. It was a long, laborious day, but just look at those photos! Beautiful, snowy-white, fluffy insulation rolled out as far as the eye can see. Gorgeous!

The shot of my dad and I (taken by my mother, who wisely decided not to venture into the attic, and instead finished my living room curtains which also look gorgeous) before we climbed up the rickety little ladder to the attic, however, is not so attractive. I included it because of the funny factor. Apparently, fiber glass insulation is one of the most annoying materials ever created - the little glass fibers stick to you, and your eyes and even your lungs! And if you sweat while using the stuff the fibers get into your pores and you have a horrible itch under your skin until the fibers disintegrate. Needless to say, I was terrified of this happening, so I bought respirator masks, safety goggles, and leather work gloves to keep us safe, and we wore our Gore-Tex raincoats to keep the fibers off our skin. Afterwards, we took ice cold showers to get the fibers off our skin before they could get into our pores. Yes, it was one fun day. But just look at those beautiful photos!

The Tree is up!

2009-12-12T09:16:00.003-05:00

It took three nights after work to accomplish it, but the 2009 Christmas Tree is up and decorated! Looks pretty good, too, if I do say so myself. I also set up my annual display of caroling dolls (I'm sure Miss Bess is happy to see them again!) and sprinkled some candles and pine around the house. I failed in my grand plan to have a big house-warming/holiday party, but it seemed a shame to have the house all decorated for the holidays and not have anyone see it, so last night I had the girls over for happy hour and tomorrow all of my family members who live in the general area are coming over for a little Christmas cheer. Unfortunately, in getting all of this decorating and entertaining done, I've completely neglected everything else, like, oh I don't know, maybe ALL OF MY XMAS SHOPPING! I now have one week to get all of my presents. The scary thing is I only know what I'm getting for 2 people. I can feel the panic setting in.

Progress...Sorta

2009-12-02T19:51:00.004-05:00

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes indeedy, its my favorite time of year, and I've already got a steady stream of holiday tunes flowing through my, ahem, CD player (yes, I am still stuck in the 20th century, despite Phil and Elizabeth's best efforts in donating an iPod to the cause!).

I'm gearing up to go all-out in the new house with the decorating. Well, as all-out as you can go without any money and some residual packing boxes STILL acting as furniture. But, before I start going hog-wild with Christmas deco, I've promised myself that I will finish painting and unpacking my spare room. As you can see above, I've put up my first set of shelves (after which I smacked my head on the corner of one, and gave myself a goose egg the size of a baseball - fun!), painted one wall, and decided to go with the dark teal color on the trim. Unfortunately, as you can see in the second picture, I still have a long way to go to sort through the piles of crap that have been building up in that room. Bailey promises to help.

Stay tuned...

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-11-24T19:46:00.002-05:00

Just packing up to head out of town tomorrow morning for the big Thanksgiving event, and wanted to wish everyone who I won't see a very happy holiday! I'll be enjoying a big traditional meal with the ENTIRE fam up in the Pittsburgh area, and we might even have some snow flurries on Friday!

Ah, the holidays...

Sparks!

2009-11-06T13:59:00.002-05:00

So, I just have to share - I had my first real homeowner appointment today: a meeting with an electrician about the laundry list of things I need done in the new house. The good news is that I actually kinda sounded like I knew something about electrical matters, and I don't think this guy tried to pull anything over on me. The bad news is that in order to have him do all the work, I have find some moolah somewhere. Hmmm. Why is everything so darn expensive???

However, when we were in my attic looking at my ancient ventilation fan that runs 24/7 for some reason, he gave me some free pointers on how to re-insulate my attic before snow flies! Did you know that when you roll out the pink blanket insulation, you should coat any exposed skin with baby powder so that the fiberglass threads don't stick? And then, when you finish you should jump in the shower and stand under cold water for a few minutes to make all of your pores close before the threads can get into your skin? I mean, these tips were free - he was just giving them away. Sadly, he is not giving away free dishwasher electrical hook-ups.

Free Candy!

2009-11-01T10:43:00.003-05:00

Halloween by the stats:

Number of Trick-or-Treaters: 2
Number of hours I waited for the munchkins: 3
Pounds of candy that I still have: 3+
Pounds that I will gain because this candy is still in my house: not going there
Number of reggae/ska bands listened to: 1
Number of rum and cokes consumed: 3
Number of dirty old men at the bar ogling costumed girls: 2

Ah, what a night!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T10:56:00.003-04:00

Ah, the last day of October. My blog posting has been pretty pitiful this month, so I thought I'd make one last effort to get something in before November. I do indeed have a jack-o-lantern for my front stoop that will be making its appearance this evening for the trick-or-treaters, and I did indeed take a picture of it last night to post, but alas once again blogspot is giving me problems with my photos. So, check back later for a look at Jack.

I'm honestly not sure what the turnout will be for trick-or-treating in my new neighborhood. I see lots of kids around, but I'm kind of on the fringe and so far my neighborhood has not been overly neighborly. But, I am prepared with several bags of candy to hand out, should the hoards show up!

So, that's Halloween '09 for me this year! Next year, my goal is to do something that involves a costume - I miss costumes! Which reminds me - Miss Bess, you need to FIX YOUR COMPUTER so that you can post some pics from that annual Halloween shindig!!!

It's Not Easy Being Green

2009-10-24T09:41:00.004-04:00

Bailey and Pepper take a break from the all-family painting marathon last weekend.

So, after an extended hiatus from this blog, during which time I was madly installing a new exhibit at the museum and attempting to get something - anything! - done in the house, I'm back with a little progress report. After literally three weeks of short bursts of painting, my living room walls are now officially covered in two coats of Enchanted Forest green, and I'm totally in love with the final result! My parents were in town last weekend to attend my exhibit opening, and while they were here they also installed my new bamboo blinds and and wrought iron drapery rods. I still have to hang the curtains, but its on my list for later on this weekend. Anyway, it feels so incredibly good to get something DONE! I was so inspired that I decided to forego a nap after the parents left to unpack some of my books and arrange them by color on my bookcase. Its an arrangement I saw in a magazine once upon a time and thought was very cool. I'm kinda loving the effect, but I think I need more books!

So, next on the list is to procure a pumpkin and get it carved this evening. My front stoop looks very naked right now and definitely needs some fall-ish decoration!

If I Don't Go Crazy...

2009-10-02T14:53:00.004-04:00

Image Courtesy of U2.com - because my camera phone takes bad pictures.

Took a brief and much-needed break from all the craziness at the new house and at work yesterday to go to the U2 concert last night. It was my first U2 concert and it was pretty awesome! We had good seats and had a pretty nice view of the bizarre "360" stage that U2 is using for this tour. G says it looks like an octopus, I immediately compared it to a Flintstones dinosaur. I heart U2!

Now I have to mow my lawn. Ugh.

Guess What I'm Doing Right Now!

2009-09-20T11:49:00.003-04:00

Right this very minute. Go ahead - guess! Its something that I haven't been able to do for 5 years. I AM DOING LAUNDRY IN MY OWN HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, that's right - my new washer/dryer was FINALLY installed this morning! It took 4 separate attempts over the last two weeks for it to be delivered and (properly) installed, and truth be told I'm still missing a piece, but it ACTUALLY WORKS!!!! Which means I can now spend my time doing other things while my laundry is going in the kitchen. I can unpack boxes. I can watch TV. I can paint a wall. I can make dinner. I can do whatever I want, because I can now do laundry in my own house whenever I want to. This might literally change my entire world. What am I going to do with an extra 5 hours every weekend?

I'm so unbelievably jazzed over this whole thing that I've almost completely forgiven Lowe's internet sales department for the "4 attempt" debacle (this washer/dryer was originally supposed to be up and running before I even moved into the new house). I was planning to write a scathing post about the evils of big box stores and their lack of customer service, but I've decided to just let it go. I have a washer/dryer. It works. I'm happy!

P.S. Check out those fire engine red walls in the photos - thanks to G and the parents for applying that paint!

P.P.S. For some reason Blogger is being stupid and not letting me post pictures. So, for now, just imagine gleaming white appliances in front of fire engine red walls!

P.P.P.S. As of 5:00 this evening, Blogger has decide to allow my photos once again. Geez...

Move Complete!

2009-09-14T18:01:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post to say that I am officially moved into the new house, as of about 3:00pm yesterday (that's when we all collapsed from sheer exhaustion and frayed nerves!). There are pictures to come and stories to tell (oh, the stories to tell!) but for now, let me just say:

IT'S GREAT TO BE HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's a Recession, right?

2009-09-05T13:56:00.002-04:00

I'm not wrong about that am I? We are in the middle of a recession and unemployment is running rampant, right? And people are cutting back on luxury services, like pedicures and oh, I don't know, lawn care, right? I'm not just dreaming this bad economy up, am I? Because you wouldn't know from that last WEEK of phone calls I've been making desperately trying to find SOMEONE to mow my new lawn. I mean, I actually WANT to PAY someone to mow my lawn - and I'm even willing to pay quite well. But, I have called at least 12 different lawn care service companies listed on the BBB web-site, and NOT A SINGLE ONE has returned ANY of my phone calls. I have called multiple times. I have emailed. I have mentioned fliers and special coupons that these companies PUT IN MY MAILBOX. But nothing. I've got nothing. And my lawn is quickly turning into an amazonian jungle, and I've now got it in my head that my new neighbors already hate me for it. I'm sure that's why none of them have stopped by with a warm baked good to welcome me to the neighborhood. They're all meeting in the evenings and discussing the "new girl" who clearly doesn't believe in maintaining her property. I even thought about driving around my new neighborhood to see if I could find any enterprising teenage boys who'd like to make a few bucks over the weekend. Then I decided that might not endear me to the neighbors either. AAUUUGGHH!

You see, after emptying my bank account to pay for the closing on my house, I decided it would be more financially responsible of me to spend $30 - $60 to pay someone else to mow my lawn the one or two times its going to need it before real fall weather sets in, rather than spend $350 to buy my first lawn mower. I figure I could build up my funds a bit over the winter and then buy the mower. I'm not planning to use a service forever or anything - I'll join everyone else in cutting back on luxury services just as soon as I can. But right now I JUST WANT SOMEONE TO FREAKIN' CUT MY LAWN!!!!!!!!!!! Is that too much to ask?

And so it Begins...

2009-09-03T19:55:00.003-04:00

Well, its been a week since the big closing. And the pressure is starting to set in! I have just a little over a week until I move at this point, and I feel like I'm moving in slow motion, like I'm not accomplishing anything. It doesn't help that I came down with a cold this past Tuesday (that's like my third one this summer - what the heck??? does kharma have it in for me right now??), on the very day that I had set aside to take off from work and give the new house its first deep cleaning. Well, I did clean the bathroom. That's done at least!

G and Cathy did hang out at Lowe's with me for a better part of the day last Saturday, and with their help I was finally able to narrow down my paint color selection and purchase mass quantities of cleaning products. The photo above shows my "wall of decision" in the living room. Its going to be green, I know that. But which one??

With any luck I'll be back in shape by Saturday and I can hit the ground running at the house!

Its Finally Here...The Other Thing!

2009-08-27T09:54:00.003-04:00

Yeah, so I'm back from the beach. And yeah it was great. Sand. Waves. Sun. Great!

But today is THE DAY!! At 4:00 this afternoon, I will close on my house. By 6:00 tonight I will be a HOMEOWNER!!! (imagine fireworks and Sousa march here).

I went to the bank to get a cashier's check for the closing costs this morning. That was a little scary - completely emptying your bank account and then holding a check for every cent you have in your hands? Yeah, scary. But, the bank teller was very sweet, and said "Honey, that's the best money you'll ever spend - don't worry." Thanks, Cindy.

Some friends are gathering at the new place this evening for a little bubbly to christen it, and then we're off to more thoroughly celebrate at our usual happy hour place. You know, because I don't have chairs yet. Or anything else.

Its Finally Here!

2009-08-14T12:50:00.002-04:00

Well, folks, I'm off to Emerald Isle tomorrow morning, bright and early! I still have to pack, do laundry, wash dishes, bake a batch of cookies and locate my beach towel, but otherwise I'm all set. When I get back, it'll be time to go to closing on my house and start moving in, so lots of excitement on the horizon. Until then, I hope everyone has a great week!

Dog Days

2009-08-10T12:31:00.003-04:00

So, if its possible, its even hotter here today than yesterday. There's an actual heat advisory. So, I rescued my buddy Sasha and brought her to work for the day. She's peed on the office carpet twice already, despite the fact that we've made 5 trips to the grassy area behind our building. Being an outdoor dog, I guess she just doesn't get this house training thing. Luckily, the office carpet is tefloned to the max and is covering a concret sub-floor, so clean-up was easy. Anyway, another co-worker also brought his dog in today, and Sasha and Joby are having a blast just roaming the hallway! At the moment, Sasha is taking a break while Joby goes out for a walk. Clearly, she's exhausted, as you can see above.

Bleh...

2009-08-09T11:18:00.003-04:00

I know all of my Southerner friends are probably sick and tired of hearing me complain about the heat, but alas I am a Yankee and I was NOT made for this kind of weather. It is currently a little after 11:00 in the morning, and according to weather.com its already 84 degrees outside. Now, granted, we have been blessed with a fairly bearable summer thus far, and today is really the first day that would qualify as "blistering" (we're on our way up to 98 degrees, with a heat index of 105, what with the lovely humidity), but I still feel like a sweaty, gooey mess AND I DO NOT LIKE IT. Its days like this when I really, truly miss Pittsburgh. When I see the weather map on TV and there's a beautiful shade of green over southwestern PA, and there's an angry crimson red color over this area of the country.

My landlord left for the beach this morning, leaving behind the much-ignored Sasha the dog (pictured above in happier, snowier times). I've already run outside about 5 times to check on her and make sure her water bowls are full. I also rubbed her head down with an ice cube a little while ago - she loved it! I guess me and Sasha are going to have a long week of heat-survival ahead of us. I just keep telling myself that in T-minus 6 days, I'll be on the beach enjoying a cool breeze and catching some waves. Until then I'll be staring at the clock watching each and every humid second tick by.

P.S. I just noticed that this is my 100th post! I really should have come up with something better for such a milestone, but this is all I got...

Back on the Road Again

2009-08-07T19:49:00.003-04:00

Halleilujah!!! The parents came through and have agreed to bail my butt out in closing on my house!!! Yippeee!!! The champagne party on August 27th is back on! I will admit that it wasn't the greatest moment of my life, having to tell my parents that I wasn't going to be able to do this whole house buying thing on my own afterall, but I guess we all have to learn when to ask for help, right? Anyway, now that I'm over the awkward part, I'm mostly just relieved!

With all the craziness surrounding the house, I almost completely forgot that in just one short week I'll be headed off to vacation in Emerald Isle, NC! This year, the fam has rented a house with air conditioning. We learned our lesson last year. I can't wait!!! Normally, I would have spent several weeks prepping for vacation - collecting the various toiletries, bathing suits, flip flops, etc. that are necessary for the beach and trying to squeeze them into a tiny suitcase, attempting to get at least some semblance of a tan before going out in the blazing sun, whipping up batches of cookies as my contribution to the family's food supply for the week. Well, this year I've fallen completely behind schedule and now I only have a week to get myself beach-ready!

Oh well, its a fun thing to work towards...

Screeching to a Grinding Halt

2009-08-06T09:40:00.002-04:00

So, I've hit a roadblock on my way to homeownership. The last hurtle I had to overcome took place earlier this week - the appraisal. Normally, this step is really just a formality required by your lender to verify that you're not paying an outlandish sum of money for a worthless shack in a demilitarized zone. The assumption is that the seller had his house appraised prior to putting it on the market and he's not asking for too much more than its value. So, I had no worries about the appraisal - I completely forgot it was to take place on Monday. I forgot about it until Suzy called me Tuesday afternoon with some bad news.

Yeah, the house was appraised for a HUGE amount less than what I had agreed to pay for it. My lender immediately rejected my loan application, and I was left wondering what the hell just happened?? There are a few ways such a situation can be worked out: 1) the seller can just lower the price of the house to the appraised value, and we all continue on our merry way, 2) the seller can lower the price of the house, but refuse to pay any incentives like closing costs or inspection repairs, 3) the seller refuses to lower the price and I can either walk away or find enough money to make up the difference between my loan amount and the asking price. Well, #1 was extremely unlikely, and #3 would result in me walking away because I don't have that kind of money just sitting around. Luckily, on Wednesday morning the seller decided to go with #2 - good news and bad news. The overall cost of the house is now less (yay for lower mortgage payments and property taxes!) but I have to come up with the cash to cover the closing costs and repairs.

So, that's where we are now - looking for money. I have a feeling a really awkward call to the parents is in my near future...

Loans and Inspections

2009-08-02T16:23:00.002-04:00

Well, the road towards homeownership comtinues! Last week, I had two big hurtles to get through - the inspection, and my loan signing. I was far more worried about the inspection than the loan signing, but as it turned out it should have been the other way around! The inspection was done by a really nice guy named Bob whoexplained everything in extreme detail. The house is mostly in pretty good shape. The few bigger issues are going to be covered by the seller (well, I hope so - I found out for sure later this coming week), and the other stuff all seems to be things that I can learn to do myself (Bob seemed to think so, anyway). So, check off the inspection - done!

Then we moved on to the loan signing. It was originally scheduled for last Wednesday, but it was delayed due to a tornado warning in our area. That should have been my first clue that this was not going to be a fun experience. I mean, it all turned out okay in the end, but watching a seemingly endless stream of paperwork pass in front of you, most of which might as well be complete gibberish for all the sense it makes, showing exactly how much money you're going to be giving up - well its terrifying to say the least. There was a moment when I honestly thought I might have a panic attack. "Wait! Wait! I was wrong - there's no way I can afford a house! Can we just forget about this??" That's what I felt like saying. But, the last thing they do is show you all the money going in to the deal from the seller and from the FHA, and suddenly things look a lot better! I'm still pretty much committing myself to 30 years of donating most of my paycheck to the cause, but at least now I'm getting something out of it - unlike renting, where I got nothing out of it. That's what I keep telling myself anyway...

So, I now have my closing date: August 27th. By the end of that day I should have the keys to the house in my hand and I can pop some champagne in my new living room!

Boston, Part 2

2009-07-27T17:48:00.009-04:00

I got a little sidetracked what with the whole "buying a house" thing, and I'm afriad I never did post the rest of my trip to Boston! So, here we go:

We went on a super-touristy, but really nice, swan boat ride in the Boston Public Gardens. It just so happened that several of the resident swans had recently had their little goslings, so there were lots of cute little guys swimming around. It was another great way to cool off during Boston's heat wave! Along the Freedom Trail, we stopped into a little cemetery - there seem to be tons of them all around Boston - and lo and behold it was the final resting place of militant revolutionary and famous brewer Samuel Adams. Although, as G discovered while reading the signage, he isn't actually buried under the marker pictured above. We're not entirely sure where he's buried (alas, the signage was a little vague) but we finally decided he was somewhere inside the brick wall lining the cemetery. Theresa explained that the bar across the street advertised itself as the only bar in the world where you can drink a Sam Adams while looking at his grave. I love Boston.

On Saturday, I went off to meet up with my cousin Andrew, who moved to Boston about a year ago. I took the ferry across Boston Harbor to get to Andrew's neighborhood in Charlestown - really great views! He took me to see Bunker Hill, and the monument there. We decided not to climb up the 24 flights of stairs to the top, but it was still a great view of the area. We also stopped into the oldest continuously operating tavern left in Boston for lunch - the Warren Tavern. We wound up the day with a really fantastic tour of the USS Constitution, more commonly known as "Old Ironsides". The ship is currently undergoing pretty major renovations, so the masts and the top deck aren't where they normally would be, but the young sailors who are assigned to the ship were really passionate about their ship and did a great job.

So, that's it! That evening Kristin and hosted a great BBQ at her house, and at 9:00 the next morning G and I were on the train headed south once again. It was a whirlwind trip, but so much fun! I think I finally satisfied my need for a good summer roadtrip...

Now, of course, I couldn't do an entire post without mentioning the new house - tomorrow is inspection day! Yikes! Everyone keep your fingers crossed that the inspector doesn't find something horrid...

I Think I Bought a House!!

2009-07-25T11:20:00.009-04:00

Cute little cubby behind the door in the spare bedroom.

Side door into the kitchen - the original door, too!

The front door that opens into the living room - gotta love those vertical blinds!

A bad photo of the really great yard - you can kinda see the little shed behind the crepe myrtle.

Suzy pointing at a dead shrub in front of the house.

Yes, you read that correctly! Its all happened extremely fast, but apparently its true! After much back and forth, I finally decided to put in an offer on House #1, the small bungalow with the great yard (geez, that sounds like House Hunters doesn't it?). So, Suzy and I did all the paperwork yesterday afternoon, and low and behold at 4:00, the seller verbally accepted my offer! This morning he made it official and signed off on the deal! So, assuming nothing terrible shows up during the inspection, I'll be a real homeowner by the end of August! WOOHOOO!!!!!

At the moment, I'm only slightly terrified. I'm not sure if that will get better or worse, but I think its safe to say that I'm going to be good for absolutely nothing for a few days. I'm so distracted that I threw an entire box of cereal in the trash this morning!

Anyway, I've posted a few (million) random photos of the house - enjoy!

Boston, Part 1

2009-07-23T19:56:00.010-04:00

The "Birthplace" house - where JA was born.

Peacefield - the house JA bought after his presidency. It was owned by the Adams family up until the 1920's.

The coolest place in Boston Common!

Here's the first few of my pictures from Boston. After a long 12 hour train ride, on which we sat behind a family that liked to scream at their kids in Russian - I wish you had been there, Bess, you coulda translated for us! - we made our first tour stop at Adams National Historic Park, the home of John Adams. Very cool, although from a curatorial perspective they need some help! I truly appreciate the fact that G's college friends Theresa and Kristin were willing to hang in there through the history-geek bonanza that ensued as we explored all three houses on the park property - thanks ladies! The third photo above was taken on Boston Common. I took it to prove that for the two full days we were in Boston it was FREAKIN' HOT!!!!!!!!!! Apparently Boston has been suffering through a really cold, rainy summer thus far, except for the two days the Virginians were in town. In the photo, you can see all the kids of Boston desperately trying to cool off in this beautiful wading pool. I cooled my feet for a minute, too.

Tomorrow: swans, Bunker Hill and where exactly is Sam Adams buried??

The Latest Batch

2009-07-22T17:33:00.007-04:00

So, it seems the real estate market picked up a bit around here while I was in Boston. Last night after work, Suzy and I went to look at three different houses, pictured above. All are excellent prospects! The first one, a 1957 rambler, is in very good shape, has a somewhat updated kitchen and is on a quiet, residential/commercial street. Its the lowest-priced of the three, but its also pretty small - two bedrooms/one bath. It has an awesome yard, though! The only real drawback is the second house shown above - only slightly more expensive but 3 times as large. Its a 1967 ranch with a sunroom, 3 bedrooms and a huge finished basement. If it weren't for this second house I wouldn't even be debating making an offer on the first one, but now I'm wondering - do I buy a tiny but cute house or a much larger but less attractive house? The larger house would have better resale value, but I've always thought buying a house based on resale value is kinda pointless - why should I buy a house based on what other people find appealing? I'm the one who has to live there! So, anyway I'm doing some serious debating back and forth between the two (it doesn't help that I might just be the most indecisive person in the world). The last house shown above is a little rambler that's ACTUALLY LOCATED DOWNTOWN and its priced UNDER $200,000!!!!!!!!!!! However, its still above my price range. Suzy says it is extremely unlikely that the buyer would accept what I can offer, but she's going to make a verbal offer in a few days, just on the off chance. I'm holding out hope that because it needs serious updates inside that everyone else will pass on it. A girl can hope, right? In the meantime, I have to choose between the more reality-based properties. Hmmm...

Back in Town...

2009-07-20T09:51:00.002-04:00

Got back from Beantown last night after a LONG train ride! I think G and I survived okay! I have lots of stories and photos to share, but first I have to get myself settled back into life - I'm not even sure where my toothbrush is right now...So, stay tune - more to come!

P.S. Just heard on the news this morning that today is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo landing on the moon. Cool, huh? Hard to believe its been 40 years. And really, what HAVE we been doing since then??

Allright, Allright!

2009-07-16T09:31:00.002-04:00

So, its been a while. I realize that. After several subtle hints from friends wondering if I had cracked up after losing The House last month, I decided I better get something up on this blog before July disappears entirely! Really, the reason for my absence was just that nothing much has been going on. No new houses to look at, no summer happenings to report. I've just been going to work and watching really bad summer TV in the evenings. Well, I also squeezed in a quick 4th of July weekend with the fam in there - that was nice. But otherwise, same old, same old!

I do have something exciting coming up, though! This evening I'm leaving for a long weekend up in Boston with G! I'm really looking forward to it - lots of site-seeing and general touristy stuff. So, at some point next week I'll have fun stories and hopefully some decent photos to share. Until then, well, I guess that's it...

Just Not Meant To Be

2009-06-29T14:01:00.003-04:00

I finally heard the results of my offer on The House today. And its not good news. To put it simply, my offer wasn't accepted and someone else will be occupying MY house in the very near future. My only consolation is that the winning offer was for $10,000 more than I could even afford, so even if I'd offered more than I did I wouldn't have gotten the house. At least I don't have to ask "what if?" for the next 20 years!

So, that's that. There's nothing I can do about it, and its time to move on. Who would have thought that you can get so invested in a house having only set foot in it once? I know what my mom will say (and probably G, too!) - it just wasn't meant to be...

No Worries

2009-06-27T19:27:00.004-04:00

Its good to know that with their shelter situation for the foreseeable future hanging in the balance Bailey and Pepper are remaining calm. As long as the new comfy down throw blanket comes with us, where ever it is we end up moving, they're cool. Well, the throw blanket and their gourmet kitty treats, of course...

Ticking Some More...

2009-06-26T09:56:00.002-04:00

So, I just sent a kinda nasty email to my Realtor, and now I feel bad!. I'm STILL waiting to hear about my offer on The House, and I think the stress has finally gotten to me completely. I told Suzy that I wanted her to push the listing agent for an answer, whatever it is, before the close of business today so that if its "no" I can move on and start looking at houses again. I also intimated that maybe she needs to be a bit more on the ball and start acting on my behalf a bit more aggressively. I think these are all valid points, but now I'm feeling that maybe I overstepped my bounds - afterall, what do I know about the real estate game?? Nothing, really. Maybe banks that are trying to sell foreclosures just take FOREVER to say yes or no to offers, and I'm just being impatient. And maybe Suzy is trying to do everything she can, but there's only so much she CAN do.

In case you can't tell, I'm not the kind of person who likes confrontation!

Tick, tick, tick...

2009-06-24T10:20:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not, I'm STILL waiting to hear whether or not my offer on The House was accepted. Its been a week now, and I'm not sure how much more I can take!! I did find out through Suzy that the listing agent for the house went on vacation last week, so that slowed the process down considerably. However, the posting for the house has been taken down from its web-site, so I can only assume that a decision has been made. Oh, the agony...

Wish I had more to report, buts that's it! Everyone keep you fingers crossed!

Tension and Paperwork

2009-06-16T13:59:00.002-04:00

Just got back from filling out the paperwork necessary to put in an offer on THE HOUSE! I'm completely jazzed and over-caffeinated (probably could have foregone my morning coffee - I was up at 5:00 this morning, just pacing) and I can just feel the tension! According to Suzy, one other buyer has put in an offer on the house, and of course we don't know how much it was for, so we had to talk strategy over lunch today. I finally decided I felt comfortable with adding 5% closing costs, plus $10,000 to the asking price. That still works out to $15,000 under my maximum budget, so I feel good about that. Now, its just a waiting game. Supposedly I'll know by close of business tomorrow!

So, in the meantime, let me tell you all about this house! Its a 1940 bungalow foreclosure that's in a small post-war housing development just on the outskirts of the downtown area. It has 3 full bedrooms and a "den" which could totally be another bedroom, but it doesn't have a closet, so legally it can't be listed as a bedroom. Whoever owned it previously obviously poured some serious money into updating important things, like appliances, electric, roof, etc. but also left all the original trims, doors, cabinetry, hardwood floors, etc. completely alone - so its the perfect combo! It also has a working fireplace and a sunroom addition on the back - obviously those will become Bailey and Pepper's domain. I think I knew it was the house for me when I discovered that there was already a cat-door cut into the door leading down to the full basement (with washer and dryer)! The house also sits on half an acre of yard, which is somewhat of a drawback - that's a whole lotta mowing and raking! But on the other hand, it means space for a great patio and garden. The only real issue I could find with the house is that its not actually downtown, which was my target locale. Its in a very quiet, somewhat rural, neighborhood that looks like its mostly populated with retirees and young families - not the greatest social scene, but I'm only 3.7 miles outside of the action, so I can live with it!

So, that's the deal. If you all could keep your fingers crossed, I would appreciate it!

And on the 7th Day...

2009-06-15T09:54:00.002-04:00

... the clouds parted and rays from heaven shown down. And God decreed that M should have this house, and he saw that it was good.

Yes, that is how momentous this is - I have to get all biblic-y to describe the moment at which I saw this house yesterday. I LOVE it! It is THE house, and I am putting in an offer tomorrow.

Tune in later for more info on THE HOUSE!

Pet-Sitting

2009-06-14T14:50:00.003-04:00

This week, I'm playing mama to Sasha, Bonnie, Mia and Smedley - in addition to my own Pepper and Bailey. It seems EVERYONE is on vacation this week, and apparently I'm the neighborhood go-to pet-sitter! Actually, its just my landlord (Sasha the dog and Bonnie the cat's owner) and a co-worker who lives nearby (Mia and Smedley, both cats).

I'm excited to have a week in which to spoil Sasha and Bonnie - they are decidedly un-spoiled by their owner. Last night, I gave Sasha a Kong (apparently THE toy of choice among dog-owners) stuffed with treats. Most dogs would play with a Kong, and work relentlessly to get the treats out of it. Sasha, however, is snuggling with it. Ever since I gave it to her, she just carries it around and then curls up to nap with it. I'm not sure she's caught on to the fun aspect of the Kong. Anyway, in the pic above (which I took from inside my back door, so I wouldn't wake her up, hence the generally bad photo) the red thing under her chin is the Kong. I took this picture like 6 hours ago. She's still in pretty much the same position right now.

Storm Scenes

2009-06-10T20:00:00.003-04:00

It seems that everyone around here is really taken with the weird and whacky weather we've been having for, well, it seems like MONTHS now, but I think its only been a couple of weeks. I snapped these photos of the sky a couple of nights ago after one particularly violent storm. I've always loved summer storms - they're exciting and moody. But, I have to say that I'm just a wee bit tired of all this rain!

Nothing else to report right now!

P.S. G and B - I made risotto and asparagus one night, broiled salmon and dill potatoes last night and I'm still looking for time to roast the squash! I'm like Martha Stewart this week! Which of course means that next week I'll be lazy and order pizza three nights in a row...

Fresh Stuff!

2009-06-06T10:41:00.002-04:00

Just a picture of the haul from the farmer's market this morning (I also bought asparagus which is not pictured)! I have to come up with something to make now. I think I've mentioned my inability to just throw things together and come out with a great meal. I really need a recipe to do any kind of cooking, and even then its always anybody's guess whether or not I'll produce something edible. But, everything at the farmer's market looked so pretty and good that I got sucked in! Anyway, we'll see what I come up with...

Adieu Van Buren

2009-06-05T09:24:00.003-04:00

Well, its official, I've passed on the Van Buren house. After another visit with Suzy to take photos and make notes and 48 hours of serious deep thinking, I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't the right fit. Well, that and I think I witnessed a drug deal go down in the neighboring yard the other evening. Just didn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy! I've also decided to start looking at houses outside of my target neighborhoods - a great house could be out there somewhere.

So, that's not much in the way of news, but its what I've got!

Did I Mention...

2009-05-31T11:08:00.002-04:00

I was just looking through my posts over the last few weeks, and I realized that I never got around to blogging about the fact that the Van Buren House from a month or so ago is BACK ON THE MARKET!!! Yes, that's right - apparently the buyer who swooped in and offered the owner his exact asking price didn't actually have the funds to back up that offer and the contract fell through. Surprise, surprise. Well, anyway, last weekend Suzy called me to say that Van Buren's owner called her to ask if I was still interested, and if I was he would take my original offer plus he would pay my closing costs.

Well, gee, darn - that presents a dilemma for me. After the Van Buren House was off the table, I had pretty much talked myself out of it (it needs too much work, the whole scary apartment building next door issue, the weird parking lot situation, etc. etc.) and decided I hadn't been that thrilled about it. So, now I have someone practically giving me this house and agreeing to all of my demands. Does that change how I feel about the house? I don't know...

I was supposed to go take another look at the house yesterday, notebook in hand, so that I could make a very thorough list of all the pros and cons. That didn't happen because of the afore-mentioned Summer Bug (still visiting, by the way). Instead, I've been laying on my couch going over and over it in my head. That's never good. To compund the problem, my landlord showed up yesterday afternoon with a new 12 month lease for me to sign. I guess he got tired of letting me go month-to-month while I looked for a house. What to do???

Any and all advice would be welcome!

The Other Kind of Summer Bug...

2009-05-29T09:58:00.002-04:00

Well, it seems that no sooner was I infected with the need for summer road trips a mere week ago that I was also infected with a dreaded SUMMER COLD. I haven't had one of these horrible little buggers for years, and I had forgotten how miserable it is to be sick when its bright and sunshiney outside and not to mention hot and muggy. Yesterday at work I had what I thought was a severe allergic reaction to something and went home early to take a Benadryl and sleep it off. I was feeling just fine by the time I went out for dinner and a movie with some friends last night, but this morning I woke up with a jug of sloshing water for a head and a throat that was on FIRE! Yuck...I had so many plans for this weekend! Bummer...

On the bright side, I saw Angels & Demons last night, which was really good. G, as promised, I will tell you all about Ewan MacGregor's hotness. He was made even hotter by the fact that he played a priest. I kinda get why women went bonkers over Richard Chamberlain in the Thornbirds now! Anyway, good flick.

Off to drink more tea - with some ice in it...

In Memory of...

2009-05-26T20:10:00.004-04:00

Just a couple of photos from the annual Luminaria at the local Civil War battlefield over the weekend. I have been to this cemetery many, many times in the daylight, and yeah, 3,500 graves looks like a lot. But when you see a little candlight next to each and every one of them it looks like a million points of light, and it really makes you stop and think. I learned this year that under most of the 3,500 grave markers the remains of 3 or 4 soldiers are buried. I'll do the math for you - that's between 10,000 and 13,000 people. And that's from just one battle in the Civil War. Unbelievable.

Anyway, that's how I marked the occasion...

The Summer Bug...

2009-05-22T09:20:00.004-04:00

Once again, I've got it. Every year, just about this time, I always catch it. No, not a summer cold or the swine flu (heaven forbid!) but rather a serious bug for travel and road trips! I get really, really bad cabin fever, and nothing will do until I have a whole line-up of things to go and see scheduled for the rest of the summer. Now, most years, this bug disappears by the time the weather gets really hot and humid - then I catch the bug for sitting on my couch under a ceiling fan with massive quantities of Crystal Light. But, I usually accomplish at least a few of the road trips on my list, and I have high hopes for this season!

With the long holiday weekend approaching, I'm thinking about a little trip to DC on Monday to do something memorial-ish (monuments, parades, etc.), although it might actually turn into a trip to get a pedicure at a favorite shop in Alexandria, Virginia, with side stops at Ikea and the Crate and Barrel Outlet. I'm also headed out to Phil and Elizabeth's for a cook-out on Saturday - not really a road trip per se, but it still gets me out of the house!

I'm also contemplating a serious trip through Philly and Boston - Amtrak has lowered their East coast prices, and I could get to Boston for $67! I think I might even have G convinced to go along!

Now I just need to nail down a list of local summer festivals and craft shows, and I'm all set!

Three Strawberries!

2009-05-16T10:20:00.003-04:00

Yay!!! After much trial and tribulation in trying to actually find strawberry plants to put out on my stoop for the summer, I had an actual strawberry HARVEST the other day! Yes, that's right - three whole strawberries! I washed them and ate them right then and there. Awesome. Someday, I hope to have a much larger strawberry patch in a much larger yard. Oh yeah, that reminds me - no news from Suzy. Where are all these homeowners who list their houses in May??

LOST!!!

2009-05-14T09:17:00.003-04:00

Wait, what? Jack with the what-what, now? And Locke, huh? Jacob - an actual person? JULIETTE!!!!!!!!!!!

Huh. Well, huh. That was, well, gee...Um...

Brain. Melted. Totally speechless.

I have to wait until JANUARY?!?!?!?

Well, Crap!

2009-05-08T16:04:00.002-04:00

So, I think I've finally had my first real setback in house-hunting. At the time of my last report, the Bunker Hill House had been sold, which was a bummer, but not hugely upsetting. Well, 45 minutes later, Suzy called to tell me that the Van Buren House had also gone under contract. Apparently, someone who hasn't heard about the lousy housing market and the current recession swooped in and offered the owner his exact asking price. So, while the owner had agreed to discuss my low-ball offer, he obviously backed out on me. So, there you have it. In the span of one hour I lost the two best house prospects I had going.

The really, really sad part is that there's NOTHING else in my price range on the market right now. Suzy says she really thinks things will start popping up soon (May, apparently, is prime home-listing time) and not to lose hope. I haven't lost hope at all (I have been at this for a comparatively short time, afterall), but it was fun to have houses to fantasize about - you know, furniture arrangement and paint color selection, all that fun stuff.

Sigh....

Update on the Update

2009-05-06T10:51:00.002-04:00

The Bunker Hill house (the completely renovated one that was cute but lacked much charm and had some odd electrical issues) sold last week. Well, I guess I can take that one of the list! I'm not as bummed about it as I thought I would be, so I guess I didn't really want that house afterall.

The Update...

2009-05-05T16:48:00.002-04:00

Miss Bess requested that I get on the ball and post something with regards to the Van Buren house, so here you go:

Well, the saga of the Van Buren house continues. Suzy managed to get the property assessment documents so that she could find the legal property lines. As it turns out almost half of the gravel parking lot in front of the house actually belongs to the house property. So, I could conceivably get a permit from the city to put in my own driveway, and then grass-in the rest of "my" gravel to make it part of the yard. So, practically speaking, that solves one of the biggest problems with the house! I would probably still need to put up some sort of privacy fence, too, because Suzy was also able to confirm that there are indeed 5 apartments next door to the house, and they are all currently occupied by college students. Ever since I hit 30, I've come to have an aversion to finding passed-out drunk kids face down in my flower boxes on Saturday morning, so the neighbors at the Van Buren house are still a bit of an issue. The other new issue is that the owner of the house says he would be willing to accept my offer of somewhat under his asking price, but only without including the $12,000 of fix-up money he was originally offering to the buyer. I understand that, but its still kind of a bummer - especially since the house does need work, and that $12,000 would have been a HUGE help - I don't know how much a driveway costs, but I'm guessing its more than $50. On the bright side, my local historic preservation/renovation expert and good friend Phil has offered to help me build a fence, if I need it - I just have to pay for materials and beer.

So, basically, the update is that I'm still thinking about it! I still really like the house, but I'm not sure its "the one". Suzy says its not going anywhere anytime soon, so I have some more time to consider it.

The Van Buren House

2009-04-29T16:36:00.003-04:00

So, nearly 2 weeks after her disappearance, realtor Suzy resurfaced on Monday with a phone call to let me know that after her vacation she had come down with bronchitis. Okay, okay, so she was sick. I apologize for questioning her work ethic. Anyway, she offered to show me the little house on Van Buren (as in Martin) Street last evening after work. The house (which is the last one pictured below) is a 1949 bungalow that has had some renovations done, but not many. Happily, I think this might be a real possibility!!!

The Pros:
It still has plenty of fixing-up that needs to be done, so I don't feel like its been stripped of its soul the way some other properties have. The bathroom still has its original tile work - yay!

Although it needs work, it doesn't need major huge things like a new roof or wiring - mostly its cosmetic stuff (it currently has some NASTY carpet in every single room, including the kitchen - that would be the first item on my to-do list!).

It has a great fenced-in yard that currently features a rusty corrugated metal shed that I could probably knock down with a good shove, and some really old grape vines that are still producing!

The owner/realtor had intended to flip this house, but has since decided that its not worth his effort, so he's offering $12,000 to the buyer for improvements - woohoo!!

The Cons:
The house is set back from the street quite a ways, and that space in between is a gravel parking lot. Not very attractive, and a little confusing.

The reason there is a gravel parking lot in front of the house is because the property next door is a not-very-big house with 5 - count'em 5! - apartments in it. At the moment, they're all college student renters. Yay.

The view from the front of the house is of the back side of a service station. Also not attractive.

No air conditioning. No dishwasher. No washer/dryer. And no place or hook-up for a washer/dryer. Ancient refigerator (and not in a cute, vintage way, but rather in a electricity-guzzling 1980's way) and stove.

So, that's the latest news fromt he house-hunt! I have some thinking to do about this place...