Our old house is officially on the market, and has been for just over a week now. We've had two showings, but no offers have come in. We'll probably do an open house in a little while, but for now we're in a "wait and see" holding pattern. We've had several people call it a "unique" property (I guess because it isn't your typical subdivision house? and it still needs some work?), so I suppose the right person just needs to come along.
I have so many ideas for the new house and for my life, and I want to jump head first into everything and do it all at once, but the reality is I need to pace myself and choose maybe one or two decent sized projects to tackle in a year or so. But I am a millenial and having to choose frustrates me. I WANT IT ALL. AND I WANT IT NOW.
Because I want to do so much, and I don't know which few projects to choose for this year, I'm probably going to end up doing very little. I tend to plan, plan, plan, plan something, and then...never do anything with that plan.
That being said, I feel completely different this year than I have in the past few years. Without major renovations looming over us, or having too much stuff in a too small house, I feel like I can breath, and my mood and outlook are vastly improved. So in completely cliche fashion, maybe this year will be different?
And just in case it is, here's a look at a few of the things gnawing at the back of my mind.
CHICKENS.
I've been talking about getting chickens since we moved into the old house. Enough talking about it, it's time to get some feathered friends. This spring. Mike and I were throwing the idea around again a few weekends ago, and there's still a lot of figuring out to do (where exactly do we house them? will they freeze to death in the winter? how many do we get? dual purpose or straight up egg layers? day old chicks, started birds, or ready to lay?). I'm good at research and planning, so this part of the process doesn't freak me out. When it comes time to order actual birds is when I'll start procrastinating...
VEGETABLE GARDENS.
We have seeds. We have cedar to build raised beds. But, we probably won't take this on this summer. There has been discussion about moving the fence that's by the horse barn, because the way it's situated right now results in a lot of 90 degree angles in a short distance and it's a pain in the arse for my father-in-law and brother-in-law when they're running tractors and other machines in that field. Currently there's a great open space behind the horse barn that would be perfect for gardening, but if the fence is moved this space goes away. Which is obviously fine because the farm is the priority. So even though we have most of the supplies needed to get this project going, it's on hold for now until we determime exactly where the garden beds will go.
THE BATHROOM.
Mike and I both really dislike this bathroom - both it's functionality and it's appearance. A renovation of the room isn't in the cards, but I would like to spruce it up in the looks department. It'll take a bit more than just paint and swapping hardware to get it to be more tolerable, and I'm sort of dreading the idea of turning our only bathroom into a work zone. But, I've been gathering ideas and sources over the past few weeks, so it's actually something I might tackle relatively soon. Fingers crossed?
FRONT & BACK PORCH.
Both the front and back porch need a little bit of attention. At the very least they need to be pressure washed and restained/painted, but the stairs on both could use some work too - they're a little bouncy.
THE BASEMENT.
I wrote a post awhile back about there being water in our basement. Putting in a proper sump pit and running an outlet pipe from the basement is a must. There is a ton of room for storage down there, but we aren't using it right now because of there being such a high chance of things getting ruined. So hopefully we'll get to this when things start to warm up. Which probably won't be for a million years based on how flipping cold this winter has been so far.
In addition to all of that, there are a few small things here and there that need done. Like fixing up the oval window that I started in the fall. And re-attaching some metal flashing around one of the posts on the front porch. And recaulking all of the windows on the exterior, because oh my goodness when the wind gets blowing, does the bay window ever howl.
One thing at a time, right?
Showing posts with label House Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label House Love. Show all posts
Four Months In
October 1, 2013
We've been in the new house for four months now, and my mental well being has skyrocketed. Living in a small construction zone of a house was incredibly draining - I dreaded going home. But things are so much better now, although we still have the old house hanging over our heads (it's almost finished!). There's not much point to this post, I just wanted to jot down some observations.
1. Quiet country living is a thing of the past.
The new house sits on a fairly busy road - a two lane rural highway, which just happens to be part of the route between Toronto and Wasaga Beach & Collingwood (major tourist destinations for those not familiar with Ontario). Our setting and the surrounding property is beautiful, but it's loud here. Louder than when I lived in town back in BC, and so much louder than the bumpy dirt side road that our old house was plopped down on.
2. Wildlife diversity has plummeted.
At our old house, we were located pretty close to a well renowned wetland and swamp. We heard and saw coyotes often, and the number of different species of birds was awesome...and we were lucky to see some pretty rare ones. At the new house, we have crows, starlings, mourning doves, and barn swallows. All of these species of birds have adapted very well to living in places well populated with people, and they aren't very interesting. Except for the barn swallows. They're kind of funny when defending their hatchlings. They may or may not have dive bombed the dog some days when she did her business out in the yard.
3. Having more space feels amazing.
I don't even care that it's more upkeep and it takes longer to do anything - having a bigger house is liberating. And because this house isn't a constant project in progress, it's so much easier to keep reasonably clean and organized. And closets - we have five. Compared to the two we had in the last house, it's like winning the lottery. And with two living rooms, THERE'S SO MUCH ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES!
4.The animals are so much happier here.
Meowzer hasn't had a single incidence of her idiopathic cystitis since we moved. I was really worried about moving into a fully carpeted place with her...but so far, so good. Tassy rolls around on the carpet like a lunatic, which makes more frequent vaccuuming necessary, but oh well. She also likes that I can throw her ball from my chair in the evenings and it doesn't hit a wall after 5 feet.
5. There is so. much. opportunity.
This is a place we can grow into, not grow out of. I'm not sure what all of this opportunity looks like yet, but I like the possibilities.
1. Quiet country living is a thing of the past.
The new house sits on a fairly busy road - a two lane rural highway, which just happens to be part of the route between Toronto and Wasaga Beach & Collingwood (major tourist destinations for those not familiar with Ontario). Our setting and the surrounding property is beautiful, but it's loud here. Louder than when I lived in town back in BC, and so much louder than the bumpy dirt side road that our old house was plopped down on.
2. Wildlife diversity has plummeted.
At our old house, we were located pretty close to a well renowned wetland and swamp. We heard and saw coyotes often, and the number of different species of birds was awesome...and we were lucky to see some pretty rare ones. At the new house, we have crows, starlings, mourning doves, and barn swallows. All of these species of birds have adapted very well to living in places well populated with people, and they aren't very interesting. Except for the barn swallows. They're kind of funny when defending their hatchlings. They may or may not have dive bombed the dog some days when she did her business out in the yard.
3. Having more space feels amazing.
I don't even care that it's more upkeep and it takes longer to do anything - having a bigger house is liberating. And because this house isn't a constant project in progress, it's so much easier to keep reasonably clean and organized. And closets - we have five. Compared to the two we had in the last house, it's like winning the lottery. And with two living rooms, THERE'S SO MUCH ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES!
4.The animals are so much happier here.
Meowzer hasn't had a single incidence of her idiopathic cystitis since we moved. I was really worried about moving into a fully carpeted place with her...but so far, so good. Tassy rolls around on the carpet like a lunatic, which makes more frequent vaccuuming necessary, but oh well. She also likes that I can throw her ball from my chair in the evenings and it doesn't hit a wall after 5 feet.
5. There is so. much. opportunity.
This is a place we can grow into, not grow out of. I'm not sure what all of this opportunity looks like yet, but I like the possibilities.
Spring Flood
April 24, 2013
For a short time each spring, the Minesing wetlands swell with water, giving us the illusion of having water front property. After fall, it's my favourite time of year here in Ontario. Bird watchers flock to our road in hoards on the weekends, but in just a few weeks when the water recedes, grazing cattle will replace the scavenging seagulls and quacking ducks.
I'm surprised (and thankful) that Tass didn't jump right in. Would have been a little bit muddy, I think.
I'm going to miss this road. But the new property has it's perks, too, and I can't wait to explore it.
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I'm surprised (and thankful) that Tass didn't jump right in. Would have been a little bit muddy, I think.
I'm going to miss this road. But the new property has it's perks, too, and I can't wait to explore it.
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House Royalty
February 5, 2013
The new old house that we're moving into falls into the architectural category known as "Queen Anne" (more accurately, Queen Anne Revival). Since I can't show you pictures of the new place yet (and won't be able to until we move in sometime in the late spring/early summer), I'm hoping this will mollify your appetite for house porn, if only for a little while.
Queen Anne's can range from incredibly intricate to almost plain, but the common characteristic that I see over and over again is that they are asymmetrical in their footprint. Sometimes jarringly so, sometimes subtly. Often coated in "gingerbread" and bright paint colours, the opposite can also be true.
These first two examples sort of explain why Queen Annes are sometimes referred to as "painted ladies". Colour schemes can include three or more colours, depending on the trim work.
1893 Queen Anne, Georgia
1891 Queen Anne, Wisconsin
A common identifying structure of a Queen Anne is the presence of a turret, as the first two pictures as well as the next one show.
1909 Queen Anne, Texas
It's not mandatory, though...
1907 Queen Anne, Iowa
1889 Queen Anne, Ohio
1888 Queen Anne, Ohio
Our new old house is brick, as are most old homes in Ontario. It doesn't have a turret, and it is most definitely on the plain end of things. But, it's a Queen Anne. It's asymmetrical, it has a generous front porch, side porch, and upper level verandah (although any gingerbread and fancy balusters that the porches may have boasted originally have been lost and replaced with more modern things). Most of these houses also have various surface textures that make up the exterior - ours is almost entirely brick, with the exception being the gable ends (all four of them!)which are covered in wood planks.
The house was built in 1906 to replace an older original home. I'm hoping that when we get in there we find that they recycled some of the hardware from the original house!
So...which house is your favourite? Or is Queen Anne really not your thing?
PS - all of those houses were listed for sale! Click on through to see how much they were going for, if you're interested.
Did you like this post? Click here to subscribe and be notified of new posts. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Queen Anne's can range from incredibly intricate to almost plain, but the common characteristic that I see over and over again is that they are asymmetrical in their footprint. Sometimes jarringly so, sometimes subtly. Often coated in "gingerbread" and bright paint colours, the opposite can also be true.
These first two examples sort of explain why Queen Annes are sometimes referred to as "painted ladies". Colour schemes can include three or more colours, depending on the trim work.
1893 Queen Anne, Georgia
1891 Queen Anne, Wisconsin
A common identifying structure of a Queen Anne is the presence of a turret, as the first two pictures as well as the next one show.
1909 Queen Anne, Texas
It's not mandatory, though...
1907 Queen Anne, Iowa
1889 Queen Anne, Ohio
1888 Queen Anne, Ohio
Our new old house is brick, as are most old homes in Ontario. It doesn't have a turret, and it is most definitely on the plain end of things. But, it's a Queen Anne. It's asymmetrical, it has a generous front porch, side porch, and upper level verandah (although any gingerbread and fancy balusters that the porches may have boasted originally have been lost and replaced with more modern things). Most of these houses also have various surface textures that make up the exterior - ours is almost entirely brick, with the exception being the gable ends (all four of them!)which are covered in wood planks.
The house was built in 1906 to replace an older original home. I'm hoping that when we get in there we find that they recycled some of the hardware from the original house!
So...which house is your favourite? Or is Queen Anne really not your thing?
PS - all of those houses were listed for sale! Click on through to see how much they were going for, if you're interested.
Did you like this post? Click here to subscribe and be notified of new posts. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
A wee update
January 31, 2013
Things are chugging right along at our house. We're currently sleeping in the living room while the four bedrooms upstairs are being dealt with. At first it felt like camping or something and it was exciting. Now...not so much. The electricians were in yesterday and are coming back tomorrow, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they're finished by then. They did an unreal amount of work yesterday - I am so glad we decided to hire this job out rather than tackle it ourselves. What they did in one day would likely have taken us at least a week.
Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to share. The power is cut off upstairs, and the furnace is blowing dust around like you wouldn't believe. I tried to take a couple of pictures yesterday with my phone when I got home from work but all you could see were dust particles.
Once the electricians are done, some foam insulation is going up over the barn board (you can see what I mean by barn board in pictures from this post), and then we'll be ready for drywall. There is no way things could be moving along so fast if it weren't for Mike's dad and brother. They've been working their butts off to help us get this house fixed up while Mike and I are at work and I will be forever grateful. We're crossing our fingers that everything will be ready for mud by the time we leave to BC for the wedding. We'll be out of the house and the pets will be out of the house so it'll be easy for the guys to come in and mud and sand and mud and sand and mud and sand. I'm glad we're hiring that job out, too.
As for the new house, if all goes according to plan we close on February 12th. We have some paper work to figure out before then, since we aren't going to be the only owners of the property, but I'm not expecting that to be a problem. It kills me that I can't show pictures of the new place yet. I drive past it every single day on my way to work and IT'S SO PRETTY.
Ta ta for now...hopefully sometime soon I'll be writing a post that includes pictures.
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Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to share. The power is cut off upstairs, and the furnace is blowing dust around like you wouldn't believe. I tried to take a couple of pictures yesterday with my phone when I got home from work but all you could see were dust particles.
Once the electricians are done, some foam insulation is going up over the barn board (you can see what I mean by barn board in pictures from this post), and then we'll be ready for drywall. There is no way things could be moving along so fast if it weren't for Mike's dad and brother. They've been working their butts off to help us get this house fixed up while Mike and I are at work and I will be forever grateful. We're crossing our fingers that everything will be ready for mud by the time we leave to BC for the wedding. We'll be out of the house and the pets will be out of the house so it'll be easy for the guys to come in and mud and sand and mud and sand and mud and sand. I'm glad we're hiring that job out, too.
As for the new house, if all goes according to plan we close on February 12th. We have some paper work to figure out before then, since we aren't going to be the only owners of the property, but I'm not expecting that to be a problem. It kills me that I can't show pictures of the new place yet. I drive past it every single day on my way to work and IT'S SO PRETTY.
Ta ta for now...hopefully sometime soon I'll be writing a post that includes pictures.
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From here to there.
January 22, 2013
I confessed last week that we're leaving our first house, which was supposed to become our forever home. I bet there's a bunch of you scoffing about how naive I was to think that this would be it. I know that's how I feel, at least amongst the sadness and the excitement and the stress.
There's no point in dwelling on those feelings of inferiority, though. We've got a lot of work to do.
There's no point in dwelling on those feelings of inferiority, though. We've got a lot of work to do.
Well this is awkward.
January 16, 2013
Has anyone ever noticed that the word awkward is awkward itself? Like the spelling, it just looks....awkward.
Anyway, that's not the point of this post. I'm just delaying talking about it. The point is...we're moving.
Anyway, that's not the point of this post. I'm just delaying talking about it. The point is...we're moving.
Less is More.
October 24, 2012
How cliché.
These days I am tired. I am overwhelmed. I am in a rut.
And I think my house has a lot to do with that. It's not a happy place for me to go home to right now. Not because of who's there, absolutely not. But because of the stuff that's there. The things, the clutter, the chaos.
I am tired. I am overwhelmed.
I feel like I can't breathe. I can't see the details that made me love our house so much in the first place. I can't find any damn foam paint brushes even though I know for a fact that we have some, somewhere.
Don't get me wrong - we're nowhere near an episode of Hoarders or anything like that. But my enjoyment of life is being compromised by stuff. Perhaps that's superficial and shallow. But does that make how I feel any less real? Any less valid?
I don't think so.
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These days I am tired. I am overwhelmed. I am in a rut.
And I think my house has a lot to do with that. It's not a happy place for me to go home to right now. Not because of who's there, absolutely not. But because of the stuff that's there. The things, the clutter, the chaos.
I am tired. I am overwhelmed.
I feel like I can't breathe. I can't see the details that made me love our house so much in the first place. I can't find any damn foam paint brushes even though I know for a fact that we have some, somewhere.
Don't get me wrong - we're nowhere near an episode of Hoarders or anything like that. But my enjoyment of life is being compromised by stuff. Perhaps that's superficial and shallow. But does that make how I feel any less real? Any less valid?
I don't think so.
Did you like this post? Click here to subscribe and be notified of new posts. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Old House Sins
February 13, 2012
We got a bit of a head start on our bathroom renovation over the weekend, but I'm taking a break from that today to write a post that's been nagging at the back of my head for awhile.
Old house lovers can be a touchy group. "Original", "restoration", "preservation" - those are happy words to old house lovers. "Renovated", "remodeled", "updated" - those words make many cringe.
The ultimate old house sin is replacing windows. Or ripping down plaster. Or replacing original hardwood floors. Or making a floor "open concept". Or...you get the idea. Almost anything that messes with the way a house was built in the first place is bad news bears. Some old house lovers make their opinions well known, and berate anyone who feels differently. Some are more realistic and while they may have those standards for themselves, don't look down on those who choose to do some of these things to their houses. Others love old houses and their character, don't mind doing a little updating, and don't view it as ruining a piece of history.
Can you guess what camp I fall into? You might be surprised based on what you've seen around here so far.
I love antiques, old hardware, bulky baseboards and fancy Victorian casings. And at the risk of losing some readers...
I hate lumpy horsehair plaster and restoring drafty wood windows and the flies that get stuck between the storm windows and actual windows and die there. And believe me, I've heard all of the arguments for keeping both. I hate sloping floors and crappy patch jobs that can't really be explained away as "character". I also hate how easily the soft pine floor in our living room is impossible to keep scratches out of. Sure 113 year old pine is harder than pine now, but it's still not oak! Or maple. Or some other hardwood.
We are making this house our home. We intend to be here for as long as forever. We will "restore", "renovate", and "update" what we want, keeping the "original" elements that we enjoy.
I'm not saying we're replacing all of our windows. But we might. We are most definitely replacing some (and what we remove will be stored safely in the basement for as long as we live here). The only floor we plan on replacing is the living room floor, and when we get to overhauling that room I'm sure you'll see why (and I'm sure we'll come up with a use for the random width pine boards). But the horse (cow) hair plaster? It's all coming down. It's gross. Something about really old dead animal bits in my walls is a little disconcerting.
Anyway, I know I have some readers that are big-time into old houses, and I want to be totally honest here on the blog about what we're doing. I don't want to just show "after" pictures and have people reading think "wait a minute, that window isn't what was there before!" without me making a single mention of it.
So that's that. I hope you'll stick around and see what happens!
Old house lovers can be a touchy group. "Original", "restoration", "preservation" - those are happy words to old house lovers. "Renovated", "remodeled", "updated" - those words make many cringe.
The ultimate old house sin is replacing windows. Or ripping down plaster. Or replacing original hardwood floors. Or making a floor "open concept". Or...you get the idea. Almost anything that messes with the way a house was built in the first place is bad news bears. Some old house lovers make their opinions well known, and berate anyone who feels differently. Some are more realistic and while they may have those standards for themselves, don't look down on those who choose to do some of these things to their houses. Others love old houses and their character, don't mind doing a little updating, and don't view it as ruining a piece of history.
Can you guess what camp I fall into? You might be surprised based on what you've seen around here so far.
I love antiques, old hardware, bulky baseboards and fancy Victorian casings. And at the risk of losing some readers...
I hate lumpy horsehair plaster and restoring drafty wood windows and the flies that get stuck between the storm windows and actual windows and die there. And believe me, I've heard all of the arguments for keeping both. I hate sloping floors and crappy patch jobs that can't really be explained away as "character". I also hate how easily the soft pine floor in our living room is impossible to keep scratches out of. Sure 113 year old pine is harder than pine now, but it's still not oak! Or maple. Or some other hardwood.
We are making this house our home. We intend to be here for as long as forever. We will "restore", "renovate", and "update" what we want, keeping the "original" elements that we enjoy.
I'm not saying we're replacing all of our windows. But we might. We are most definitely replacing some (and what we remove will be stored safely in the basement for as long as we live here). The only floor we plan on replacing is the living room floor, and when we get to overhauling that room I'm sure you'll see why (and I'm sure we'll come up with a use for the random width pine boards). But the horse (cow) hair plaster? It's all coming down. It's gross. Something about really old dead animal bits in my walls is a little disconcerting.
Anyway, I know I have some readers that are big-time into old houses, and I want to be totally honest here on the blog about what we're doing. I don't want to just show "after" pictures and have people reading think "wait a minute, that window isn't what was there before!" without me making a single mention of it.
So that's that. I hope you'll stick around and see what happens!
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.
February 3, 2012
Changes! Everywhere! But they're small. And non-earth shattering.
Change #1.
Remember this tool chest, which I blogged about awhile ago?
It's now over here...
Yeah, we're not those people that keep our fridge empty. Eventually the tool chest will have a more permanent home in the basement, but that's not likely to happen until we have a pegboard on the side of the basement stairs for frequently used tools like screwdrivers, hammers, and tape measures. Moving the tool chest to the side of the fridge left this space between the fridge and the buffet empty...
for a DISHWASHER!
Friends of Mike's parents are renovating their kitchen, and are giving us their portable dishwasher because they're getting a new one. We get to go and grab it this weekend and I can't wait! The butcher block type counter on it will be way better for the toaster oven than it's previous spot of balancing precariously on top of the tool chest.
Change #2.
This dresser, from the spare bedroom?
Is now here!
This dresser (which I snagged for free when I first moved off campus after university) houses our spare blankets, bedsheets, and pillow cases, and having them in the hall is more convenient than in the spare bedroom. Moving it also gets me one (small) step closer to revamping that bedroom into a super multi-purpose room of closet/office/craft room/guest room.
Mike picked up the globe from an auction he went to last summer. The wood box and the old books were given to me by my mom when I was home over Christmas. I love the designs on the book covers! The oil lamp was given to me by a co-worker. It did have a chimney, but it fell crashing to the floor one day, and I haven't gotten around to replacing it yet.
Change #3.
Where the dresser is now, there used to be this guy...
Total junk collector. Don't ask me why we had a jug of maple syrup upstairs? After clearing everything off and putting it in it's proper place, I thought I would take the shelf apart and send it off to Goodwill, but this space...
...could really use some contained storage.
Don't mind the door leaning against the other door - that will eventually be put back on the office (we found the door in the shack). And I need better boxes or baskets. The giant baskets on the bottom shelf are just place holders! Of course, everything I did was a temporary change. Eventually we'll overhaul the entrance way and have some sort of built in storage (I have big plans for this little space!). One day I would love to replace the cheap white dresser upstairs with a well built vintage or antique piece. The dishwasher is a little more permanent, since we're not redoing the kitchen until the next life time or so (at least that's what it feels like).
I hope everyone has a great weekend! Whether you're making changes around your own home or just taking it easy and watching the Super Bowl!
Change #1.
Remember this tool chest, which I blogged about awhile ago?
It's now over here...
Yeah, we're not those people that keep our fridge empty. Eventually the tool chest will have a more permanent home in the basement, but that's not likely to happen until we have a pegboard on the side of the basement stairs for frequently used tools like screwdrivers, hammers, and tape measures. Moving the tool chest to the side of the fridge left this space between the fridge and the buffet empty...
for a DISHWASHER!
Friends of Mike's parents are renovating their kitchen, and are giving us their portable dishwasher because they're getting a new one. We get to go and grab it this weekend and I can't wait! The butcher block type counter on it will be way better for the toaster oven than it's previous spot of balancing precariously on top of the tool chest.
Change #2.
This dresser, from the spare bedroom?
Is now here!
This dresser (which I snagged for free when I first moved off campus after university) houses our spare blankets, bedsheets, and pillow cases, and having them in the hall is more convenient than in the spare bedroom. Moving it also gets me one (small) step closer to revamping that bedroom into a super multi-purpose room of closet/office/craft room/guest room.
Mike picked up the globe from an auction he went to last summer. The wood box and the old books were given to me by my mom when I was home over Christmas. I love the designs on the book covers! The oil lamp was given to me by a co-worker. It did have a chimney, but it fell crashing to the floor one day, and I haven't gotten around to replacing it yet.
Change #3.
Where the dresser is now, there used to be this guy...
Total junk collector. Don't ask me why we had a jug of maple syrup upstairs? After clearing everything off and putting it in it's proper place, I thought I would take the shelf apart and send it off to Goodwill, but this space...
...could really use some contained storage.
Don't mind the door leaning against the other door - that will eventually be put back on the office (we found the door in the shack). And I need better boxes or baskets. The giant baskets on the bottom shelf are just place holders! Of course, everything I did was a temporary change. Eventually we'll overhaul the entrance way and have some sort of built in storage (I have big plans for this little space!). One day I would love to replace the cheap white dresser upstairs with a well built vintage or antique piece. The dishwasher is a little more permanent, since we're not redoing the kitchen until the next life time or so (at least that's what it feels like).
I hope everyone has a great weekend! Whether you're making changes around your own home or just taking it easy and watching the Super Bowl!
De-Clutter the Crap Initiative - Guest Post
January 9, 2012
Happy Monday!
I'm excited to say that I'm guest posting today over at Our Crazy Ever After for Lauren's De-Clutter the Crap Inivitiative. If you're in a de-cluttering and junking out mood this January, go check it out! I talk about how I changed my kitchen sink cabinet from bomb zone to organized. Click here.
Here's a sneak preview of what I started with:
After this, I was on a roll so I junked out all of our other kitchen cabinets, plus the drawers. That's one thing checked off my 2012 to-do list!
Did anyone else do any organizing this weekend?
I'm excited to say that I'm guest posting today over at Our Crazy Ever After for Lauren's De-Clutter the Crap Inivitiative. If you're in a de-cluttering and junking out mood this January, go check it out! I talk about how I changed my kitchen sink cabinet from bomb zone to organized. Click here.
Here's a sneak preview of what I started with:
After this, I was on a roll so I junked out all of our other kitchen cabinets, plus the drawers. That's one thing checked off my 2012 to-do list!
Did anyone else do any organizing this weekend?
Cyber Monday
November 28, 2011
This weekend was full of reading and being social, rather than DIYing and being productive.
So I don't have a post for you today. But I DO have a video for you to take a gander at...it might help you understand why I'm restoring my windows rather than replacing them.
The Window Salesman (redirects to http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/11515585/the-window-salesman).
Have a happy Monday!
So I don't have a post for you today. But I DO have a video for you to take a gander at...it might help you understand why I'm restoring my windows rather than replacing them.
The Window Salesman (redirects to http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/11515585/the-window-salesman).
Have a happy Monday!
A little bit over here, a little bit over there.
November 11, 2011
Another organizing/decluttering post for ya!
This little number sits on the kitchen counter by the phone.
After
I put this up on the wall by the door a few months ago, thinking it would help us keep mail and stuff organized. It didn't. It just got jammed with stuff, and it stuck out way too far from the wall. It was a total bust.
This was how much stuff was in it....most of it was recycled/shredded.
I grabbed these on sale at Ikea for $1.99.
They'll probably make their home in the living room on the bookshelf. Right now they're hanging out on the kitchen counter.
It's such a huge adjustment living with another person and all of their stuff. I wonder if there are people out there who find it totally seamless and unstressful?
On Monday, I'll take a break (a long one) from talking about organizing, and give you a little bathroom update!
Keep in mind that I said little. It won't be anything exhilirating!
In other news...it's snowing!
This little number sits on the kitchen counter by the phone.
Before
After
I put this up on the wall by the door a few months ago, thinking it would help us keep mail and stuff organized. It didn't. It just got jammed with stuff, and it stuck out way too far from the wall. It was a total bust.
Before
This was how much stuff was in it....most of it was recycled/shredded.
After
They'll probably make their home in the living room on the bookshelf. Right now they're hanging out on the kitchen counter.
It's such a huge adjustment living with another person and all of their stuff. I wonder if there are people out there who find it totally seamless and unstressful?
On Monday, I'll take a break (a long one) from talking about organizing, and give you a little bathroom update!
Keep in mind that I said little. It won't be anything exhilirating!
In other news...it's snowing!
Take it easy, take it easy.
October 17, 2011
We're in for the long haul.
Over the weekend, we decided that we're going to continue to tackle the house by doing one room a year. We're both in entry level positions, and we want to borrow as little money as possible because paying interest is so not appealing.
The bathroom will be done this year. That's 2011.
2012 - Living room and hall
2013 - Master bedroom
2014 - Office
2015 and on - ??
We're in no hurry to do either of the spare bedrooms (one of which we're sleeping in right now). They may have bumpy walls and unfinished floors, but that's okay because they're not often seen by visitors, or us, for that matter.
The kitchen isn't even on the radar right now. It will definitely be the last room to be dealt with - so maybe we'll get 10 years out of it. This will be a job that we'll have to borrow money for...although maybe not because we likely wouldn't be purchasing new appliances. We'll see.
Now, this timeline doesn't mean we're going to be sitting on our behinds doing nothing. Believe me, there's plenty of little things to do around the house. But the big expensive stuff will be saved for. Our house is livable, and we're lucky. It may be ugly inside right now, and I do find it tough to deal with when I'm browsing Pinterst daily and seeing lovely homes. But, our house will be there one day; having a pretty home right now isn't worth going into debt over.
In the mean time, we'll strip and repaint trim and doors. We'll rehab windows. We'll put in exterior outlets so that we can put up Christmas lights (Mike did this yesterday, actually!). We'll plant a garden and work on landscaping.
And we'll also enjoy our house for what it is right now - our home, not just dream of what it can be.
Over the weekend, we decided that we're going to continue to tackle the house by doing one room a year. We're both in entry level positions, and we want to borrow as little money as possible because paying interest is so not appealing.
The bathroom will be done this year. That's 2011.
2012 - Living room and hall
2013 - Master bedroom
2014 - Office
2015 and on - ??
We're in no hurry to do either of the spare bedrooms (one of which we're sleeping in right now). They may have bumpy walls and unfinished floors, but that's okay because they're not often seen by visitors, or us, for that matter.
The kitchen isn't even on the radar right now. It will definitely be the last room to be dealt with - so maybe we'll get 10 years out of it. This will be a job that we'll have to borrow money for...although maybe not because we likely wouldn't be purchasing new appliances. We'll see.
Now, this timeline doesn't mean we're going to be sitting on our behinds doing nothing. Believe me, there's plenty of little things to do around the house. But the big expensive stuff will be saved for. Our house is livable, and we're lucky. It may be ugly inside right now, and I do find it tough to deal with when I'm browsing Pinterst daily and seeing lovely homes. But, our house will be there one day; having a pretty home right now isn't worth going into debt over.
In the mean time, we'll strip and repaint trim and doors. We'll rehab windows. We'll put in exterior outlets so that we can put up Christmas lights (Mike did this yesterday, actually!). We'll plant a garden and work on landscaping.
And we'll also enjoy our house for what it is right now - our home, not just dream of what it can be.
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