Murphy's Law

Okay, so this is the 3-day forecast...

Can you guess which day we are having 70+ people over for my son's birthday BBQ? Note the little "Picnic & Grilling Index" score. It's a 1. Nice touch.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm or The Long, Sad Story of My Obsession with a Pottery Barn Light Fixture

Very rarely do I willingly buy something for the house from places like Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel. For one, when I need something new for the house, be it furniture, decor, etc. my first instinct is always craigslist. And, I don't know who likes overpaying for middle of the road quality, but I don't.

Anyway, I do often look through the Pottery Barn catalogs that end up in my mail box. Hey, they have some great designers working for them - and it's a good place to get ideas. Well, while browsing through the summer catalog last year I FELL IN LOVE with one of their chandeliers. It was an outdoor chandelier, but I wanted it for my (indoor) dining room. I even called Pottery Barn to make sure it could be used indoors. It could. But I didn't order it. Why? Because I could not justify the$300+ price. And so I waited. I waited for Fall and the inevitable clearance sales that would come with it. The chandelier was indeed put on clearance and I ordered it online. Then, in the final stages of online ordering, I learned it was SOLD OUT?!?! Why does Pottery Barn DO this? Why do they leave sold out items up on their website? Is it to taunt us? To mock us for being frugal and waiting? I just don't know.

Well, to add insult to injury, the chandelier was NOT brought back this year. Discontinued. Done. Never to be had. I checked ebay for that mother every day with no luck - except for a particularly painful day when someone had, indeed, listed the chandelier for sale. Pick-up only. In Atlanta. To this day I check ebay whenever I remember. There is no chandelier in my dining room. Am I in denial? Probably. But, if anyone has seen this chandelier (or one like it, but apparently they don't exist) for sale somewhere, PLEASE CONTACT ME:

So Close, Yet So Far Away

While I was thinking about what I'd write for the blog today, I decided to focus on something unfinished. Something that I couldn't post a pretty "after" pic of - just to let the readers (if there are any) know that we are, in fact, still muddling through the murky, horse-hair-plaster-filled waters of home renovation. Accordingly, I present to you Exhibit A:

Our beautiful, MTI air tub. Complete with aromatherapy feature and a very Vegas-esque light show feature. Right in the middle of our unfinished mess of a second floor bathroom. Yes, this is where I bathe my children. This room has been in a semi-finished state for the better part of a year now and we still don't have a contract with a tile installer. Not for lack of trying, though. We have had three estimates done. We actually GAVE THE JOB to one installer. And...nothing. Guess he didn't really want the job, after all. It's gotten to the point where my husband has already mentally added this to his ever-expanding DIY list. Great. I should have the after pics for you some time in 2011.

Happy Birthday Finn Michael!

My "baby" is three years old today. Happy Birthday, Finn. We love you.

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! Here's a pic of my front porch - because I said I'd post one. And because my flowers are almost red, white and blue. :)

It's the Little Things...

Okay, well I forgot to take an updated picture of the front of the house. Not surprising. But, I did take a picture of my upstairs hall chest, (I know, I know, completely unrelated) which I've always really loved.

I bought the chest on craigslist for about $60, painted it, put some new hardware on it and voila - brand new hall chest! Anyway, while I was taking the pictures, it occurred to me that the reason I like this particular little corner of the house is because of the little things. The items on the chest bring me joy, in one way or another. First, I loooove my lamps. They were one of the first new things I bought for this house and it was a good year or two before we got them out of storage and were able to use them. Second, those brass-looking things on the far left are actually very old fire hose nozzles. My uncle was working on a job (construction) in a big old building and got them out of the trash for us. My husband is a firefighter - which is why said uncle thought of us. Anyway, they're really cool. On the other side of the chest is a little "Book of Manners" from the early 1900s that I got on ebay for about $4. I don't know why I love it, I just do. Oh, and the mirror! I am so proud of this mirror because I got it for $15 at a moving sale. This was a couple of days after I almost bought one for literally SIX TIMES that amount! Sometimes things just work out.

Better Late Than Never

Admittedly, I should have started this blog about three years ago. And yes, this is another house blog. After some consideration I decided that not only might this blog interest a few other people, it would also be a great way for me to document the (planned) transformation of our new house. Okay, here's a little background:

In April of 2005 my husband, Michael, and I bought our 3000 sq. ft. money pit from the Methodist Church in our hometown. The Church had owned the property for over fifty years and in that time it was a parsonage, a Sunday school, offices and rental property. Needless to say there was a general lack of TLC given to the house during those years.

Initially, based on city records and our Deed, we believed the house (a quasi-Victorian) had been built in 1910. Not so. Upon further research, we found the house clearly depicted on a map dated 1900 and a Mr. Cobb lists the house as his residence in a city directory in 1898. We now believe the house was completed either in 1897 or 1898 - we're still looking into it. One thing we know for sure is that the house has changed hands no more than three times in its 110 year history. Pretty cool.

Starting in the Spring of '05 my husband and I began the extensive, whole-house renovation that has consumed us for the last three years. We started at the top, and worked our way down. For the first year and a half, the house was totally uninhabitable and we lived with my husband's parents while toiling away on weekends. So far, the third floor has been completed, the second floor is about 75% done and the first floor is about 75% done. Oh, and my husband just had to build a deck this spring. :) Here are some pics of his handiwork (yes, I know I'm lucky to have him - he reminds me ALL the time):

Oh, and here's a pic of the actual house. Well, this is what it looked like the day we closed - I'll have to take an updated pic later today. The outside of the house wasn't in bad shape - just some minor cleaning needed. Our "Someday" plan is to remove the vinyl siding and replace it with clapboard. Someday. Like, after I win the lottery...

We call that paint color on the front porch "mac 'n cheese." It has since been repainted white.

Well, I think that's about it for my first post. Hopefully someone out there in the blogosphere bothers reading...