What a Year It's Been

It is very easy for us to recall where we were a year ago. We spent the holidays in Wisconsin and New Year's Eve out with my (almost) entire family. Elizabeth wasn't feeling well, but other than that we had a great time. Eric, Angela, Michael and I actually spent the night at Elizabeth and the Bad Man's house and I remember how wonderful it was for us girls to just sit in the living room and hang out together. The three of us were sprawled on the couch with the dogs and just couldn't stop laughing and talking. Later that night we played cards at the kitchen table and drank way too much. Oddly enough, that was the last time either Michael or I saw the Bad Man. It would only be a matter of months before he just left my sister and shortly thereafter they were divorced.


Last holiday season is also when Michael and I decided that our lives needed to change. We needed to spend more time together - in the same city and the same home - and we needed to move on from LA. We talked about the different city options for us, and opted to visit Raleigh first. We came here initially to scope out the city on 1/11/08 and had moved here by Memorial Day. And here we are.

No surprise with how we are spending this New Year's Eve. Painting walls and hanging cabinets. So much has happened this year and I am terribly grateful that we have this opportunity...to be together, to live in the same place together, and to renovate together and still love each other. No parties and no great dinner for us tonight. And I would have it absolutely no other way.

Happy New Year!

The Pain of Progress

We are both moving very slowly this morning. I guess about 15 hours working on the House yesterday was just a few too many. While there is great pleasure in all this sweat equity, I acknowledge that turning this over for someone else to do has its advantages. Ah, if only for a bigger budget.

We finished the kitchen wall paint (Lariat Tan) and almost all the Living/Dining (Leather Satchel), and the Foyer (Dry Earth and Caraway Shield). We have to finish the touch up and trim, but the main walls are done. The moldings are still yet to come. Neither of us had the energy to tackle that yet. I don't think we'll strip them and repaint this go around.


We were still painting the foyer at 11p last night, and we're hoping it looks good in the light of day. We were concerned about the primary green color when it first went up and were worried that we had another "stomach lining incident". Several years ago we needed to paint over a room that was COMPLETELY covered in a Storybook themed mural. We are talking ceiling, closet and walls. If you had a slightly demented kid that liked being stared at by creepy things, then this was your room. If like us, you only had house guests that preferred not sleeping with Humpty Dumpty, then something had to be done. On the advice of the paint person at Home Depot we chose paint that was supposed to cover dark colors with one coat. Well, we ended up with a shiny, dark pink room that was hideous and repulsive. We decided it was like standing in "stomach lining". It subsequently took a coat of primer and almost three coats of regular paint to cover it. I doubt any of our guests appreciated the time that room took us, or the horror that they almost slept in!

Our initial paint pass in the foyer looked with greenish-yellow...well, you get it. Second coat looked good. At least it looked good by the standards of two exhausted home owners.

Good deliveries yesterday! All the appliances and the tub came! Granted, there is no good place for anything right now, so the tub is in the middle of the living room, the washer and dryer in the bedroom, and the fridge is floating in the soon to be kitchen space. The tub is so beautiful and was nicknamed the "Army Tub" by the restoration guy.

All and all a good day. Now, back to it you slackers. Chop, chop.

Covering the Sins of Others

After a slow start yesterday (and $450 worth of paint and supplies) we finally made it over to the House. The floors are fantastic, so we immediately needed to cover as much of them as possible. While I love painting, I can't claim to be the neatest at it.

During our last house renovation, I had one major regret...and that was the color of the kitchen. It was our house up in Lake Arrowhead and I had envisioned mustard colored walls to accent the custom cabinets and the blue tiles. What ended up on the walls was this awful lemon yellow color. Once I had two walls painted, I realized it was just wrong, wrong, wrong. I tried to like it and thought that balancing it with a lighter brown would help. It didn't. And each time I looked out the window to the house next door, I was reminded of the color I could have had. Should have had. The neighbors had painted their entire house a perfect mustard color and it was a slap in the face every day. HA! Other people got it right!

The entire time we owned the house, I wanted to repaint. Michael wouldn't agree to it though, and there was absolutely no way I could paint those high walls myself. I needed help, and help was being stubborn. It might of had something to do with dangling on a tall ladder that was positioned on top of a cedar chest while stretching to reach the highest peaks. OK, I give.

I think we got it right this time. Mustard kitchen walls are coming! Half the dining and living room walls are a darker version of the same color. We wanted to keep the same theme going through all three rooms to show the depth of the space. I think it will work wonderfully. I think Michael is a little skeptical, but I am getting happier by the paint stroke. I am heading back to Lowes today to buy more (underestimated) and then we'll work on cabinets. We're also expecting the appliances and tub to be delivered this afternoon. Now if only the plumber, counter guy and electrician would call us back...

Holidays with the Iona Pig

Despite traveling over 2000 miles by car, sleeping in two hotels and two strange houses, temporarily living with two other dogs, having to pee in the snow, and being surrounded by lots of new small people, Iona handled her Christmas adventure surprisingly well.

With all the time she's spent in my car this year, she's adapted nicely to napping while in motion.

Her snow face. She looked this way every time we told her to go outside and pee. Seriously? Out there? Where's the grass?

Learning to share was the theme of the season. I think my Mom and Michael often felt like they were channeling the Dog Whisperer. Lexi only attacked Iona twice...once she definitely deserved it. Luca on the other hand is probably very grateful he gets his ENTIRE couch back.

Iona went running off the front porch on Christmas morning, only to discover the snow was higher than she was. Fortunately my dad was there to rescue her!

Our godson Will thought Iona needed a glass of water on Christmas. The best part was that she immediately started drinking from it. I guess all those years of stealing wine from people's glasses has paid off.

My favorite Christmas portrait - Michael and Iona, and Elizabeth and Luca. I still claim that Elizabeth and Iona are actually twins trapped in very different bodies. "I love you; I bite you. I love you; I bite you."

Thanks to everyone for letting her participate in Christmas. The grumpy quake pig appreciated not spending the holidays with the cats and a pet sitter. She was also grateful that Lexi the Black Lab didn't cause a trip to the vet. She feels she's been there enough this year. Happy Holidays!

Merry, Merry Christmas

Michael and I decided to forgo the traditional gifts this year, as we've already received many, many boxes of good things for the House. We also figure that when the storage pods are delivered, it will seem like Christmas all over again. The best Christmas. EVER.

In the meantime, we received a few photos of our finished floors. I expect we'll spend New Year's Eve sitting on them and toasting with some champagne. Oh floors and walls how we love ye. We still have a day of rest before we head back to Raleigh and a week of manual labor. I admit to actually looking forward to this. Progress is good.

Happy Holidays! Be well, be safe and have a wonderful time with friends and family.

You Can't Kill the Rooster

...but you can HIRE him! Here is further evidence that the Rooster, aka Paul Sedaris was at our home. It is truly a bummer that I missed out on commandeering a sign. Maybe he'll take pity on me.



We could only take pictures of the floors from outside the House, with no lights on (haven't been installed in the foyer yet). They had only one coat and no poly, so the actual density of the color will change. How did we decide on the stain? It matches the corgi, of course. To keep my sanity in check we thought it best that Iona's fur match the floors. This is best for me, and therefore best for Michael in the long run.

Six degrees of Sedaris

Before we left for our roadtrip, we needed to decide on our hardwood stain. The Sedaris guys had been working there for a few days and we admittedly loved seeing their sign in our front yard. We felt a little honored. I wanted to steal the sign, but I was sober and Michael only tolerates drunken klepto moments.

On Wednesday and Thursday they sanded, and you could already see the big impact! We had hope walking through the House and seeing walls AND floors! Oh, I may have neglected to mention last week that most of the walls were repaired and plastered. The House actually retains heat.

On Thursday the Sedaris guys finished the sanding and provided us with a stain sample buffet. They had about twelve options stained in swatches on the dining room floor. We went in separately and made our decision, as not to influence each other. We fortunately choose 2 out of 3 colors the same, and made our choice from there. Gunstock it is. Medium color with deep red tones. It is the second color from the right.

We went over Friday night and peeked at the floors. We weren't allowed to walk on them, so we peered in through the front door...they will be glorious! The poly will go on this weekend and they'll be completely ready by the time we return. Giddy girl. Merry Christmas to me.

So we made it to Wisconsin. The drive was fine...long, but fine. We listened to the other Sedaris brother recite "Me Talk Pretty One Day" which helped pass the time. We'll be up here freezing our asses off this entire next week. If my posts are coming in slow, it is because my fingers fell off due to frostbite and I am figuring out how to type with my thumbs.

Lookin' Good

The Beast must really want to come Home, because he has cleaned up good. He had a makeover and is ready to be used and abused again. I think he is beautiful and can't wait to see him in our new bathroom (which is still a blank shell, by the way). Money very well spent.

Need a tub restored? Bob Eaton in Raleigh is your man.

Used Stripper

What do you do with your used stripper? That was just one of the inane questions I asked this past weekend while high on fumes. Both Michael and I were playing with chemicals, and I am disappointed that we didn't get photos of the two of us. We are vying for the hottest couple of the year, and this would have sealed the deal. I spent Sunday with elbow high bright orange chemical resistant gloves and a face mask, while he was covered in dust and wearing a respirator mask. Sexy.

THe results made the day worth it though. That and the side trip to pick up a Hawaiian pizza from the Mellow Mushroom. I expect that they wonder where I scrounge up the change to purchase food, as I seriously look homeless each time I walk in there.

Our fireplace is looking great and Michael just needs to apply one more coat of sealant. This next one is a LOT less toxic as it is simply Elmer's glue and water. As long as he doesn't apply glitter and scrapbooking stickers to the brick, I am all good with him getting his craft on.

My turn to get a little preachy. DO NOT PAINT OVER DOOR KNOBS, HINGES AND OTHER HARDWARE. EVER. It is NOT a method to save time; it is lazy, lazy, lazy. If you want white door knobs, buy white door knobs. And if you REALLY have to paint everything, do you REALLY need to apply five coats of shiny white thick cheap paint???? Enough said.

I was militant about saving the original hardware and after about eight different steps of soaking, spraying, scrubbing, soaking, spraying, scraping, scrubbing, soaking...I uncovered the original look of this hardware. It was worth it, and I was happy. Now I only have about four more doors to go. Sigh. Please don't ever paint hardware. Lazy bastards.

Not so stupid, after all!

How dare I question my dog's intelligence? It all makes sense to me now. Iona was not just trying to retrieve cat treats from the box; rather she was trying to get shipped off to see Samu. Based on this recent post, I would say she was ready to meet him halfway. Any dog that is willing to bike to NC, is so totally worth it.

"Samu on the junkyard cruiser trying to get to North Carolina to visit the Iona Pig…"

Beauty and Brains...Not so Much

I wish I could say that Iona is as smart as she is pretty. Unfortunately when it comes to food and small running animals, she loses all sense. Tonight was no exception.

I came home after work to take Iona for a walk. Michael had already been to the Condo to feed her and bring in the mail, including a large package. Iona and I opened the box together and discovered that it was her dog food. Yay for the Pig! Food. Food. Food.

Before running off to the market I wisely moved the bag of food to a high and protected place on top of the refrigerator. I figured this was good enough. I mean, the dog doesn't have legs. How much trouble could she get in?

Well, 30 minutes later I came back to the Condo and found my dog trapped. Trapped with her front stubs in the empty food box and looking completely busted. She had smelled a tiny, teeny sample bag of cat treats under the invoice and decided to go after it. She got in the box well enough, but couldn't get herself back out. It was damn funny.

The front flap of the box was completely covered in spit. I am not sure if it was due to the excitement of the situation or the panic that she was stuck. No matter. It is moments like this that make you understand why people with pets live longer. I've completely forgotten all the work I have to do tonight, as now I just have to hang with my stupid dog.

The Beast

Our big cast iron clawfoot tub has taken a little field trip. Basically, the Beast has left the building. Michael found a local guy who makes his living restoring these old tubs and he took it back to his shop about a week ago. We had initially considered doing this ourselves, but all the DIY blogs and sites strongly recommended that one leave this particular project to the people who know what they are doing. Something about sandblasting and hardcore stripping chemicals. Danger! Danger!
The hall bathroom is currently a complete shell, but we do have a vision. Again with that damn vision. That's what got us here to begin with. EVENTUALLY, the walls will be painted a bright green to complement the white of the wainscoting and the plumbing fixtures. Bronze hardware to offset. And the Beast. He will have bright white feet, a calmer white interior and be Austin Healey Green on the outside. I am so excited. Here comes giddy.

We've been getting progress reports on the Beast and here are a few. Metal drying, base coat and primer. All this love and attention...he may never want to come home.