The New Birdroom/Home office

Last month I went to North Carolina for a few days to visit one of my best friends, Hilary. While I was there Aaron took the opportunity, as a surprise for me, to begin renovations on our birdroom (the new home office). FYI: It's called the "birdroom" because, well, those of you who know me know that one of my favorite pastimes is birding. This room extends from the back of our house and overlooks our yard where I have several feeders so I can spy on our feathered friends.

Originally this room was more of a mudroom and had only a bench and a bookshelf in it as we had a larger room upstairs that served as our office/craft area. Then, last spring, we found a BEAUTIFUL antique desk at the library and moved it into this room. The desk was SO large that it was the only thing that fit in the room. Later, once we found out there was a little one on the way, we knew the room upstairs, our office/craft room, was destined to be sacrificed and become the baby's room. Thus, this presented a dilemma for us.

I, personally, enjoy small spaces. I don't know why. I just always have. When we were looking for houses we looked at a house that had large, spacious rooms; to me it wasn't comfortable. So, needless to say, I fell absolutely in love with our 1100 sq. ft. antique cape and bought it immediately. Yes, it's small. Yes, I know we will probably have to move in a few years to a bigger (sigh) place, especially if we have additional children (we have a two bedroom/1 & 1/2 bath). But, for now, we're staying put in our tiny hidey hole.

So we had to make a few decisions. The birdroom was going to have to become an official office/craft room. We moved out the giant desk (we have it stored in our basement, however, it will be a nice piece of furniture to pass down to our children and use when we have a bigger home). We also decided to cover up one of the windows to create a full wall of space. Aaron put up new sheet rock and made all new window trim and molding. We also made a trip to Ikea and purchased new furniture. I, of course, picked paint, carpets and curtains.

Now we have a perfect small extension from our kitchen that serves as our new and improved birdroom/craft room/home office/side entry. As I said, it's a small room (8X5) so we made the very best (functional and cute) use of the space.

I am in love with this room.

The original room (pay no attention to Homer, the scary lion growling)

With just the antique librarian desk and side window (and Homer, the ham)

Covered the side window

New sheet rock

First coat of primer (without window/floor molding. Aaron was convinced he needed to make new molding because he thought the old molding probably contained lead paint. Oh, Aaron "Worry" Molloy. That added a few days on to the project but he still insisted even after I promised not to let Alien use the window sills as a teether)

First coat of paint (and a little graffiti courtesy of Aaron)

Voila! View from the kitchen.

This cabinet is amazing. It was advertised as a "shoe" cupboard but I thought, "No, NO, NO! This will be perfect for my scrapbook papers, fabric and yarns!"

A quick note about my ribbon holder: Aaron made this out of one dowel cut in half and two wood blocks- super simple. I think I spent $1.50 on the dowel and wood blocks at Michaels (plus paint).

*Also, please note our license plate art work- This piece means a lot to both of us. The license plates belonged to Aaron's grandfather and the wood was a piece of drift wood that washed up on the shore one day while Aaron and I were taking a stroll on the beach in Portland with Pepe. Pepe liked the piece of wood so Aaron and I took it. One night for a date night we had a great idea... and the "art" is the product of that idea!

This room still has to serve as my birdroom therefore we keep my seeds and corn here so I have easy access to feed my birds (*Note: Aaron is in the process of making a threshold between this room and the kitchen; our next project is to rip up the linoleum in the kitchen and replace it with hardwood, so we might leave the threshold off for a bit- but that's the last thing to do before this room is finally DONE!)

My craft space/supplies

Workspace & Craft space (*Note the shelf in the corner that holds my punches: Aaron's grandfather made that shelf years and years ago. With a coat of paint, it fits my punches perfectly!)

All my equipment!

In total (sheet rock, curtains, rug, chair pad, furniture, paint, shelving/storage) we pulled this off for under $500. Y'all know I'm cheap but if you're crafty you can also find ways to recycle old things to make them functional and new)

Top Ten Tuesday: Vacation Fun

Aaron had school vacation last week so I took the week off to be home with him. We threw around ideas of going a few places but, when everything was said and done, we stuck close to home and scratched some projects off our to-do lists. Below are ten of the many things we did during our April vacation.

10. Eat, eat, eat! We kicked off vacation by going out for a nice dinner and made elaborate meals all week.We (re)discovered bruschetta; I'd hadn't tried it before, boy-oh-boy, it's dangerous.

9. Went to Portland to celebrate my Pepe's 88th birthday.
8. On one of the rainy days we lazed around with the boys and we did "nothing." I love "nothing days."

7. I read a book one day and started another a few days later. I bought and finished the memoir, This is Not the Story You Think it is: A Season of Unlikely Happiness by Laura Munson. It was amazing and, true to its title, it wasn't what I thought it would be. I loved it. I later started The Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. I'm about halfway through and so far so good.
6. Aaron made two bird houses from some wood we had laying around and we're going to decorate them for an upcoming "date night."

Almost finished... They just need to be sanded and have tops added then we can decorate them!

5. We had our friends (and their Chihuahua) over for burgers on the grill.
4. Yard work, Yard work, Yard work!
3. I did quite a bit of crafting. I find that so relaxing and therapeutic.
2. We had our stumps removed!!! Finally! Since the trees fell in February we've been waiting for everything to dry out enough to have them removed. The nice people at Stumps Are Us drilled them out.

1. We started the shopping for our landscaping ideas. Yikes! What a job that is going to be.

Oui Have a Happy Little House

Exactly one year ago today we closed on our happy little house. That period of time was, honestly, a blur. While it was exciting, action packed and satisfying; it was busy, stressful and exhausting.

We started thinking about the prospect of purchasing our first home around Christmas 2008. By the middle of March we were in the process of searching for a home, had been preapproved for a mortgage, had already seen a few houses, and had requirements in terms of what we wanted and didn't want. I knew I had to have something with character. I didn't want just any house I wanted an old house with nooks and crannies and personality.

We happened upon our little house by complete accident, by way of detour. It was a Sunday afternoon and we were on our way to dinner at Aaron's parent’s house. Due to a street/highway closure we were detoured and drove past a 1930's white cape with black shutters and a red door. I think when I saw it I screamed out loud, "That's it! That's our house!" Aaron looked at me like I had 3 heads and, after processing the fact that sight unseen I wanted to buy this house, he explained that it was also .07 mi. from where he grew up and his parents currently live (literally, we walk our dogs to his parent’s house all the time.)

Anyone who knows me knows all too well; if I want something get the hell out of my way. We first laid eyes on our house the last Sunday in March. The very next day, Monday, I called my realtor and told him that I found the house I wanted and I needed to see it immediately. I think we ended up seeing it on Thursday the 2nd, put in an offer almost immediately, and closed 26 days later. My banker, my parents, and my realtor all agreed and told me "closing 26 days from the first time you looked at the house is impossible." Um, have you met me? Nothing is impossible and we did it.

Our little house is small, less than 1200 sq. ft., and it is a work in progress but it's ours. It's exactly what I imagined. Every time I pull in the driveway and I see our flowers, our shed, our rock wall; every time I walk my puppies and they stretch their leash and walk up our walkway well before I get there because they know where their house is, I get this enormous sense of pride. Every time I get a mortgage bill in the mail and relish our measly interest rate (we have an AMAZING rate) I have an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

This is the house where we became a family. This is the house where we will have our first child. This is the house where we worked out the kinks of being first time homeowners. This is the house where Aaron heaved me over the threshold in the final hours of October 10th. This little house, number 11, is where it all began.

Happy House Anniversary to us!

Photographic Friday

Aaron recently cut a “kitty door” out of the door that leads from our kitchen to our cellar. Up until about a week ago we were keeping the litter box in our upstairs den until we realized it was a waging a massive assault against my allergies (yes, I'm allergic to cats) thus moving the litter box has improved my quality of life.

Rocko and Shredda love having access to the cellar where they can sniff around and hide. It's not a huge room, but we keep it tidy and there are plenty of nooks and crannies for a feline to explore.

Surprisingly, Bing and Manny have very little interest in the cellar. Being nosy, they will check out what’s going on, but wouldn't dream of going through the actual portal into the unknown; just hanging out spying.

I captured this picture of Bing on Sunday evening. I love this picture.

Wednesday, Oui- Meteor Shower

On Tuesday morning Aaron woke me around 3:30 AM to see the meteor shower. Astronomy is something I have become interested in since being out of grad school (and being able to read for pleasure.) It was a crisp and clear night; we were able to see a few meteors before going back to bed around 4:15. We first attempted to watch the showers from the bird room, which has windows on all four walls, but to no avail.

Finally, we packed up a sleeping bag, some pillows and a blanket and laid down in our driveway to see the showers. It was actually warm and cozy. We even spotted several meteors!

As I was laying in my driveway, watching things fly through space, I felt so small. I just kept thinking, "I'm laying here, in MY driveway. I own this driveway. That's MY house. MY husband woke me up at 3:30 AM to watch something that amazes me. How did I get here? The world is going on around me. People are going to work- living their lives. I'm laying in my driveway, comfortable and cozy, star gazing. How does this happen? This is my life and I can't believe it most days."

I don't know if that makes any sense to anyone. But, to me, it does.

Oui

Top Ten Tuesday: House items

In an effort to combat writer's block, I'm trying to come up with some fun new ideas to add every now and then. So, for Tuesday (when I don't have other material) I'm going to start doing "Top Ten Tuesday." Top Ten Tuesday will be much like all the other blogs that do Thursday Thirteen; I just don't care for the number thirteen so, I'm modifying to "make it my own."

For the first Top Ten Tuesday: My ten favorite new/old items we bought or remodeled for the house:

1. My side-by-side washer and dryer. I was unconvinced that I would like them but my sister has been raving about them forever. So, I bit the bullet, and paid a few extra (but worth it) dollars.



2. My Amish made hutch. I wanted something for the dining room to store some dishes and such. This was an incredibly great deal, too.


3. My dry sink. I wanted a "catch all" by the front door but didn't want a plain table, I wanted something interesting. This is Amish made and perfect for the spot.



4. My L.L. Bean sand dollar quilt. Although I live a bit far from the ocean, the sea (or any body of water) brings me peace and comfort; the perfect feel for a serene bedroom.

5. The bookshelf Aaron built. It's not new, but we repainted the inside black to accent the other furniture and it gave it a brand new feel.

6. The "king" chair. We found this chair on clearance at Bernie & Phyl's (quality, comfort and price -- that's nice) Our living room is NOT huge, by any means. It fits perfectly in the spot.

7. My bathroom hutch. This hutch was almost the demise of our relationship. No exaggeration (just kidding) Seriously, though, this hutch weighs just over 250 lbs. We moved it, just the two of us, up a flight of stairs (our stairs curl around a wall too) at 11:00 pm after a long day of work. Yeah, it wasn't a shining moment in our relationship. But isn't it gorgeous? ;)

8. Up until about 2 months ago, I had never owned a "coffee table" I've never been crazy about them. This is actually a bench (again, Amish made) that I purchased to use as a table (I'm creative like that.) I love it in this function.

9. My upstairs bathroom sink. When we purchased the house, the entire upstairs bathroom was floor to ceiling pink tile with a cheesy white cabinet/sink. I found this one at Lowe's (cheap) and we installed it. I love it!!!

10. Our HUGE dresser. I'm a clothes whore. I love clothes. We bought a very large dresser to hold all of our clothing that isn't suitable to be hung. I love this furniture. Again, moving the dresser up the stairs, was another moment in our relationship I don't care to remember.... LOL!

Photographic Friday: "The Bird-room"

It has been a while since I've been in the routine of my specified blogging days, ie., "Wednesday, Oui" and "Photographic Friday." Now that the house is ALMOST complete I should have more time to get back to my regularly scheduled programming.

I named all the rooms in my new house. Yes, just like on the movie, Clue. (Amber- your favorite!) I love this picture for so many reasons. For one, Bing looks like he's almost saying "Who, Me?" which automatically makes me think of Clue... "Bing did it in the bird-room with the dog bone" LOL, I crack me up.

But also because the bird room is very special to me. It is my space and my space alone. Aaron gave the room completely to me because it's positioned perfectly in the house to where I can sit on my bench, enjoy the morning sun, and listen to the birds right outside the room (where I have feeders, birdhouses, and the like.) It's very exciting to have my own private space where I can watch the birds in my very own yard. It gives me a profound sense of satisfaction. What's more is at night the room, being mostly windows instead of walls, provides a nice view of the night sky... a perfect place to relax with a glass of wine after a grueling day. (Although, lately there has been no relaxing after work, it has just been more work, work, work- but soon. Very soon....)

Wednesday, Oui? "Fruits" of our labor...

Forgive me, please, for always posting about the house. I have tons of other joyous events going on in my life right now, but I am just so dang proud of our home. It's something that, even months ago, felt so far away.

Buying a house has been one of the "rites of passage" I thought was so unattainable for us. You know, one of those things where you have a negative internal dialogue that constantly challenges you? "Will I be able to afford a house?", "Will I be able to afford the house I want?", "Will I have to do a ton of work to it?", "Will I be able to handle being a homeowner?", "Will I love the house right away?", "Can I (we) actually do this?", "Where am I going to settle?", "Will it be big enough?" ,"Too big?", "Will my parents be proud of me?" , "Will I be able to afford everything I want for it?", "Do I know how to be a homeowner?", "What?! Lawn-mowers and snow-blowers don't come standard in a new house?!" , "What do you mean I need to buy a washer and dryer?!", "Will I be patient enough for the work to get done without pulling my hair out first?" and on and on and on. I tend to be really hard on myself, so trust me when I say these are the nicer questions I ask myself... and Aaron.

Ah, Aaron. Poor, poor Aaron. But that is a story for another day; if I live to write it. Trust me when I say he is probably plotting my murder. If there is one major thing I (and probably everyone who knows and loves me) would change about my personality it would be that I lack patience and would love to be more patient. Actually, strike that. "Lack" implies that somewhere within me exists a morsel of patience. Not true. I am not patient by any stretch of the imagination. Again, poor Slave Aaron.

Something I am pretty satisfied with is the landscaping. While it does need some weeding, this house came mostly ready for my green thumb. Whomever owned this house before us loved this yard and loved to garden. It's serendipity that we ended up here, I tell ya. The yard is just waiting for my loving hands, and the annuals that are here already are EXACTLY what I would have picked.

Bleeding hearts

Some form of a Lily, I think. Any thoughts on this one?

Strawberries!

I'm not really sure what this is, but I'll consult my gardening bible. Any thoughts?

And roses! Roses! Roses!

Gardens... ready to go. Is that a "Oui?" or what?!

Friends & Family Month: Mom & Dad M.

Due to demanding schedules, I had to postpone Friends and Family Appreciation Month. It's about a month late, but here none-the-less, drum roll please.....

The first person/people I am posting about are the Aaron's parents. It didn't even take me a nanosecond to decide whom I should thank first, or why.

I will start off by first saying this house would not have been possible without Jim & Linda. The move would not have been possible without Dad M and Mom M. The remodel would not have been feasible without Dad M., and without Mom M., we would have surely starved to death (oh and she was also referee a few times when Aaron and I thought we would kill each other.)

During the closing they were there every step of the way. Every last minute piece of paperwork, every question I had, anything, anything, anything I needed they were a phone call away; both taking much time out of their professional lives to help us/answer questions/let me vent. Even for the first viewing of the house... Jim came.

The pre-closing help was unbelievable. The post-closing help was insurmountable. Jim and Linda came the day we closed, with dinner of course. So many nights when Aaron and I were up late packing, reading paperwork, remodeling... they would just show up with dinner in hand, Jim ready to work; Linda there for encouragement and to keep me company when I needed a break.

Jim helped with painting (every single room, except three) he helped put down every single one of our new floors. He made trips to our old apartment to help us load trucks, he brought all of our old building material (ripped out of the house) somewhere (I don't even know where, all I know is that he took care of it) he put together furniture, he made thresholds, (yes, MADE them) he put up new light fixtures (I insisted on new light fixtures in every room... somewhere in the vicinity of 12 to 13 light fixtures) He made trips (what must have felt like 100 trips to him) to Lowe's. One day, in particular, he went to three stores for me. He gave us tile for our bathroom, he lent us many tools, we could come raid his house/refrigerator and we never came up empty.

And Linda, oh my darling Linda. She would stop by, almost every night with food, food, food! Half the time Aaron and I wouldn't have had a meal yet that day, and didn't realize how hungry we were until she carried in a bag of some delicious smelling concoction. I'm not talking about finger sandwiches, I'm talking about chicken and roasted potatoes... and steak with all the fixings. One day, I said in passing, I was CRAVING veggies and then low and behold, I had a huge bowl with a gorgeous salad in my fridge just hours later... unbelievable. She helped with curtains, decorations, where-to-put what, and mostly a lot of phone calls from me, at my wits end. I can't even begin to recount how many times I called her, on the verge of tears, and she consoled me; telling me it would all be done soon. She always had some sort of antidote to make me feel better.

Everything given, everything shared, everything offered doesn't have a price tag. We don't owe them anything, they just kept (keep) providing; unconditionally. Even when I think we have absolutely exhausted them in every sense possible, just as they are about to walk out the door to go home (at 10:00 pm, with work the next day) they will both kiss us goodnight and say "see you tomorrow" or "what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" or "If you need anything, call us we're right up the street." (.07 miles to be exact).

It really makes me think about my future in this family. You know how people have "in-laws?" Well, these two folks know every detail of our adventure in buying and remodeling. They will be able to recount it so much better than we will remember, when we are ready to reminisce on it. They continue to talk and help us plan our wedding, no one else is really this involved in every detail of our lives. They are watching us grow together, and someday we can all talk about this, when the dust settles and the house quiets. I know when this happens we will all laugh about how crazy, for about 2 months, Aaron and I were.

I know I have probably forgotten, hundreds-- no, thousands, of things they did for us in the blur that has been the last few months. Their physical labor, the emotional support-- everything. They would be horrified at the thought of me even listing the things they have done, because that's the kind of folks they are. They don't keep score, they don't make lists, they just "do".... because they want to. That's how they're built. They don't give their own kindness and generosity a second thought. I love them for that, I thank them, and we appreciate it.

House Updates

Okay people, I'm sorta, kinda, just barely back into the blogosphere. Don't count on me plunging deep into a full return until I feel a bit more settled into the new place.

Speaking of the "new place" don't you think it's time for some updates?

On the first floor we have, so far, completed the following:

Kitchen:

Replaced the light fixture

Painted each wall a Tuscan Yellow

Lined the back splash with "punched tin"

Replaced the old fridge with a new one (freezer on the bottom... YAY)

Dining Room:

Removed old hardwood right down to the sub-floor.

Replaced sub-floor

Laid down a beautiful pergo

Wains coated the entire room (half wall)

Painted the walls (above wains coat) "sauteed mushroom."

Living room:

Replaced the light fixture

Removed old hardwood right down to the sub-floor

Replaced sub-floor

Laid down a beautiful pergo.

Painted the walls crocodile tears.

On the first floor we still have to replace the floor in the "birdroom" (my room that is an enclosed porch. The room belongs to Me. Aaron gave it to ME. He can't use it. I will keep all my gardening books and bird books there. I have an entrance to the side where I am going to hang all my bird-houses and feeder. I will also have a window seat to spy on birds and read) We also have to do a few touch-ups to the hallway and redo the floors and door in the mudroom. The downstairs bathroom also needs some finishing touches.

So there is the story for the first floor. I'll get to the second floor when I have more of it done. We haven't even touched the landscaping yet! Grrrr... "Hello summer... goodbye summer..."