Super Hero Needed!

First report: Plumbers will be there Tue/Wed
Second report: Plumbers will be here Wed/Thurs
Um....So you didn't come Tue, Wed, Thurs, or FRIDAY?! I'm confused....when were you coming?

I've decided I'm going to try this scheduling technique at the salon....I'm sure it'll be a hit!  "I may show up to cut your hair......sometime this week, or maybe next....."



If anyone sees this guy....send him our way.....



A better day today....

Yay!  A productive day!  I got the living room ceiling primed & 1 coat of paint, thanks Pete for the tips...! You keep telling me you love painting but never pick up a brush!? :)

It's funny the plaster on the ceiling looked white till I primed it!

Pete installed the pantry countertops....WOW! Do they look gorgeous!  He will finish secure them & finish the last coat in place....they make the cabinets look awesome...I had caught myself questioning my choice when the cabinets first arrived 2 weeks ago, then the hardware went on, and they got better....and now with the tops- boom! they look awesome...!  I will admit I truly wanted "inset" doors, however this feature added $20,000 to our cabinet budget....after today, I KNOW we didn't need to spend that- just needed Pete Spadone talent & reclaimed southern pine!





both pics of our right side of butler's pantry....(um, when is the "butler" showing up?) :) I CANNOT wait to see our Fiesta Ware dishes in this plate rack, well that's if I can get them in there before Scott gets pigeons in this look a lot like pigeon loft!



left side of pantry with open shelving & our wine fridge...wine rack to be built by Scott above fridge....(likely w/ Pete & Theron's guidance! :)!! )



We set our tub into place, in preperation for plumbers tomorrow (cross your fingers!) oh my!! This pic says it all- wow!

& yes Jodie, Scott was "put to work" again today! :) I bought him a "present"....a great scaper...and off he went!  Such simple things....lol! (this pic was actually prior to his gift)....



as you can see in this pic, the plaster is taking its time drying, I am sure in part to cold temps...the plaster has to turn a lovely white before its painting time, so you will see me jumping here & there painting due to drying/setting being ready in different areas.







The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow....bet your bottom dollar that Tomorrow....They'll be Sun!

What is worse....

1. Realizing you've run out of fuel COMPLETELY & the house is 40deg. & dropping on the coldest day of the winter yet....knowing this is only your own fault for not checking it sooner.

2. Peeing in a freezing cold porta-potty in your front yard, that has to have a path shoveled to it.

3. Realizing your "freeze-resistant" outdoor spigot is indeed FROZEN! & therefore you have NO water source...despite the fact you have 4 toilets, & 4 sinks in your possession.

Catch up....!

(1/16) So....time has come for those of you who don't know...big news- Scott has asked me to marry him!  I know I can't believe it either!  1. Scott is "never getting married, marriage is this, that & all unnecessary"  2. He wants to marry ME!-despite the fact he has surely seen ALL my not so pretty sides thru this adventure of "renovating this old house"! Amazing I know! 
He surprised me with a nice dinner..."I have an idea, you stay & work some more...& I'll come back with dinner..." (um, ok, but I really want to go home!) "yeah, sounds great Scott!"
He did indeed arrive with dinner, and a proposal, a beautiful 1930's sapphire & diamond antique ring, & a bottle of Clicquot! This was our first dinner at our house- & an unforgettable one as you can imagine! YAY!
(& to answer your question....no date is set....getting in the house is our priority for now!) :)




Our first dinner, it doesn't look amazing, but it was- one of my fav dishes lately, "Empress Lemon Chicken" & yes, the milk crates were our seats! ha!



The beautiful ring- & it fit!  I love the idea this is 80 years old...makes me wonder who wore it, and what their love story was...I did a bit of research & realized giving a sapphire (or other gemstone) as an engagement ring was quite common during this era. (Antique jewelry site)



A nice surprise on Sunday, we expected to have to park at the neighbors and walk in, Matt had told us not to shovel, that he would plow...I thought this meant Tuesday when he came to work...but he made a special trip over to clean up, and brought Marshall to help!  & Remy of course! Thanks guys!!!



Sadie, Remy & Marshall enjoying the snow!




Diggin' IN!!!

 

To announce one more thing.....(same day as our engagement!!) Big commitment day! We are preparing for the arrival of a new member to our family...(ha-got ya!)....a puppy!  She was born on/around 1/13/11, she is a Vizsla, her name will be Frannie!  We haven't been up to see her yet, she is sleeping, and growing with her Mama & siblings in Dover-Foxcroft Maine.  She will come home to terrorize the new house in March! (yay!)
Here's the breeder's website link if you want to check it out, they also sell goats, sheep, donkeys etc... (could be handy since goats may be in the future!)
Widdershins (home page)
Widdershins (dog link from main site)
 Basic Vizsla info

This is Frannie's mom, Rye Whiskey, (yes Scott loves her name!), & her new litter...one of these little runts is our Frannie!



3 or 4 month old pup

 

This is a Vizsla from Widdershins breeding, again about 4months old.



Back to the house.... (always, back to the house!)

Our master bedroom is painted, we painted as mentioned before in "fossil" by Martha Stewart paint.  Okay, so it's the color of bone, of a fossil right....wrong....it is until it dries, then it turned this beigy/green....we debated & decided to live with it, change the floor color plan, and move on....& surprisingly we both really like it now!



I know, it still may look scary to a lot of you....but it's come a long way!



Maybe we WILL live in this house just yet!

My picture documenting is horrible for this post, I ran out of batteries in my camera & tried my best with my cell phone, which sadly is often a better pic than my camera.  (not sure in this case though!)
Today Scott forgot his camera (my backup) altogether...so you will all have to use your imagination, and boy won't you be surprised when you DO see the updates!




As usual, there was a bit of monkey-ing around...he would tell you he was removing the blue tape from underneath the sheetrock mud...you believe what you'd like....
We were uncovering & preparing the 2 beams in the kitchen for a whole lot of sanding as they had terrible black marks on them from being exposed to moisture somewhere along the line...(not since being "in" the house thank God!)



Scott created this template, along with another one which functioned for about 4 template marks...as seen here in this photo.
We arrived Tue am to our friend Pete measuring & triple checking counter measurements....he helped us with figuring cabinet knob & bin pull placement....he had some great ideas, and BOY are we both pleased he happened to be there...we both feel the outcome is a more unique and less as Pete put it, "amateur" placement of our knobs!
Scott spent the entire day doing this project...we laughed about it, and on Scott's third trip to Pete & Theron's shop, Scott mentioned he was happy to be doing this project and not my brother...(leave the stuff over our heads to Matt)...our pal Theron commented, if it's taken you all day Scott, this JUST may be over your head! HA HA!!!

If you recall we had ordered bin pulls & then handmade rock knobs from Aimee's Rock Works on etsy.com

It's a bit hard to tell from the pics, and the pantry is not included here in photos, but it is done- and it all looks awesome!  Scott did a great job on the hardware....patience to get it all just perfect, and to my demanding standards was not an easy task...on top of it, as any of you that have installed cabinet hardware likely know...the bolts are NEVER long enough...so off to the hardware store for 54 screws for bin pulls! ugh- who decides this & have they ever tried to attach one of their knobs to a real cabinet?!



Another very monumental occurance happened...our master bedroom got painted!  (ie. was able TO BE painted!) our 30 day plaster dry time finally passed for our bedroom, and so Monday primer walls & ceiling, Tue. 1 coat paint on ceiling, & today a busy day of 2nd coat on ceiling, & 2 coats of this great color featured above "fossil" on almost all the walls....(I ran out of paint....this hand troweled plaster is like a sponge sucking up anything you put on it!...off to buy more paint!) (pics to come...it looks great...& is SO exciting to have a room well underway!

Like Christmas!

It was like Santa's Sleigh showed up this morning!  & a kitchen appeared!

Ho Ho HO!  You're late Santa, but it's okay we're just happy you're finally here!! :)



"um...how did these go now?!" ...Matt



a new mess.....by the end of the day it actually all looked better already!

My absolutely adorable nephew, Remy, "in" the cabinet drawer!

Steve (the amazing electrician) couldn't run away quite quick enough!  (he hates his pic taken apparently!), or is wanted by the FBI, I'm not sure which (some things are better not known)...& yes, it's lunch time & Steve is using his Coleman camp stove to heat up soup... (there was a microwave, but obviously a boyscout at heart!) :)-





our new ceiling fan, which proved to give Steve a difficult time...sorry, it REALLY wasn't from IKEA- promise!

This is a sneak peak of our custom made lights from Lamp Goods, without schoolhouse globes installed (we thought we'd avoid catastrophe!)



Underneath all the sheets are our appliances which were also delivered today!  A VERY BIG day indeed!

The last coat of poly went on the old wood floors & the upstairs bath floor is on it's way to completion as well!  Looks like we may just have a kitchen & a bathroom before long!! yipee!



Progress....!

Front Entry floors sanded before finish

Living room & into office view after sanding, before finish.

Office floor sanded!

SO obviously we got our floors sanded & refinished today....they  look OH SO amazing!  The house really feels like it's coming together now!  They will finish the last poly coat today and will have to dry for 2 days...they really look amazing, we always could see their beauty, but to have them clean, sanded, repaired & poly'd is great!

One more coat to go....

siding continues...we love it!