She’s a Brick House

Okay, well she’s a clapboard house, to be fair, but man, is she sturdy!  We survived the storm with absolutely no problems at all. Power remained on and we could barely hear the wind and rain. A far cry from our rental, where the windows shook whenever the UPS truck drove down the street. Guess those tradesmen knew what was what 200 years ago. Of course, I am happy we managed to get those trees down last week. That could have been bad….

We are slowly but surely getting unpacked. We tackled the most important rooms first, of course. That would mean that the kitchen, family room, playroom and office are all set up. They are in working order, and with some more finishing touches, will be ready for their close ups sooner rather than later. As for the rest of the house? It’s a box graveyard.  In fact, we managed to fill our garage with so many boxes we couldn’t pull our cars in, which could have been problematic with the storm. So I got on the horn on Sunday morning and a junk removal company was here by noon, tackling our used boxes and old paint cans and drapes and trashed wallpaper. We pulled the cars in and everyone tucked in for the storm. When you’ve got a playroom and a working AppleTV, turns out, you’re set. Colin even napped for 3.5 hours. Sandy? You’re nothing.

Otherwise, it turns out that moving while pregnant and with a two year old in tow is a lot different than moving with a one year old who’s happy to play in packing paper in his pack n play. It just so happens I am an ungainly mass with no stamina. Colin on the other hand is a terror on wheels. There is no stopping him. Literally. We’ve just accepted the fact that our child can now run away from us, up one flight of stairs, and through the upstairs and down another staircase, well before we even realize he has left the room. I just wish we could teach him how to unpack things and break down boxes. He could be so….useful.

And in the end, I was able to make my family a nice home cooked meal last night- it was great. We are really going to love it here.

Hope everyone made it through the storm okay!

Let’s Eat! [New Kitchen Moodboard]

It’s no secret. I like to eat. In fact, most of my day, when not changing diapers or driving back and forth to our new house, is consumed with thoughts about what I am going to eat next. I’d blame the baby, but truth be told, I was like this well before I was knocked up. Except now, it’s worse.

Speaking of eating, our new kitchen looks like this:

Well, it looked like that, with the old owner’s things in it. Including that lantern. Wowzas. I’m tallying votes on the lantern. So far, I have my mother in law in my corner for getting rid of it. She even told me where to bring it to sell it. And she has an appreciation for antiques. But even she said to toss it. You can vote too. You’re like family. Most of you probably *are* family, actually. Thanks for reading. So what about that lantern?

For now, we definitely need a kitchen table. Currently, we have one dining table, and it’s too big for that space, and besides, we actually have a dining room to furnish. Who woulda thunk?  So I’m looking for a cheap round table to fill the space. And while I’m at it, I picked out some other pieces to go with it.

Chairs/ Rug/ Pendant/ Black Table/ White Table/ Oak Table

Most of the items above come from Overstock. I have a good history with them. We bought our drum pendants in our old condo through them, which were a decent Jonathan Adler knockoff, and you can’t beat their prices, usually. I already have the runner version of the rug, and it matches the space nicely, tying in the granite with the wall color, so I wouldn’t mind getting one for the tiny dining nook as well. Emily ordered the chairs already, so I have seen them in real life photos, and I likey. All silver and industrial-like.

Now, my question is: Which table?  I kinda like all three. We’ve got the dark grey granite and a sage-y gray wall color (we decided not to paint the kitchen. Had to draw the line somewhere….). I could make an argument for all three. Of course, the black and the oak are cheaper, so there’s that. What do you think?

Moving Day

Almost a month to the day after signing our closing documents, we are making the move!  Two new cars later, five less scrub pines, one large dead oak, a sh*tton of poison ivy, one less wood stove, two less ugly carpets, a rebuilt stone wall and a whole painted house later, we are moving into our new home. With our son. To the home where we will welcome the next little Jubboori. I am waxing and waning between feelings of anxiety and disbelief and total and utter excitement. Ever feel like that?

Let’s do this thing.

That’s the floor plan, Stan.

I realized I’ve been writing about the new house and and Hot Messes and Green Miles that lead to Green Monsters, but I guess I never actually posted a floor plan. And since every contractor and inspector who has ever been welcomed into our home has gotten lost, I can only imaging how confusing reading about it must be. So I scrounged up our appraisal which conveniently included this helpful little floor plan. Thought I’d post it. Sorry if it is a little blurry and hard to read, I had to work with what I had.

Oh, and try not to get lost. 😉

Now that you’ve got the lay of the land, I’ll continue to post more “befores”. And hey, maybe one of these days, I’ll even get to an “after” or two. What can I say? I’m just a girl with a dream….

Stairway to Heaven

Enjoying the house tour? Oh good. I’ve got some more eye candy for you today. And by eye candy, I mean these before shots are the equivalent of a dusty Werther’s Original from the bottom of your grandma’s handbag. Shall we?

This is the front stairway. Our house is one of those old houses that has two staircases- one for the back of the house and one for the front. Imagine an estate like Downton Abbey, with back staircases for the help. And then wipe that idea out of your head, because who do you think we are? We just have two staircases. Basically, it’s confusing and maze-like. It doesn’t help that we also have four separate doors/entrances at the front of the house. It’s like Russian Roulette whenever there’s a knock on the door. Any time a contractor comes over, they inevitably get lost. It’s really not that confusing since our house is not that massive, but it’s not exactly intuitive either. I blame the two staircases. Or maybe the four doors.  Anyhoodle, the front staircase goes to the green painted bathroom and the front two bedrooms, which we will be using as guest rooms. So we are taking to calling this the guest wing. Only to be silly. And pretentious. We love being pretentious.

Which naturally, makes this the guest staircase. Or the front stairs. If you’re feeling unpretentious.

That? Is a very old carpet runner. Covered, no, sorry, *layered* really, in cat hair. I don’t need to remind you how I feel about cats.  And oh looky there, I see a hole.

So the carpet runner was on that list of “safety issues” that Kase initially scoffed at. But then he saw the cat hair. I mean, the hole in the carpet.

So I was happy when the carpet installers called me to let me know they could stop by and install the carpet. I was even more ecstatic when I realized  Chris the Painter had gotten to painting the walls! Hallelujah and Amen!  The colors we are using throughout the house are Benjamin Moore “Soft Chamois” and “Ice Formations.” They are much softer than the old paint colors and have more gray in them. Love it.  Soft Chamois is on top and Ice Formations is on the bottom:

And then the carpet installers came with the bound runner. They were weezing and coughing a lot. I can’t imagine why. Don’t suppose they were allergic to cats?  (FYI, we used Mohawk Carpet for both our master and the runner. Basically, it was priced right and I liked the colors and textures offered. We used Lowes for the contracting. Easy peasy. Can’t say much more than that really. I am still clueless when it comes to carpets. Here, the runner is Mohawk Northwich in “Chardonnay.”- I’ll take my wine however I can get it these days.  It’s not nearly as thick as the old runner, so it lays nice and close to the stairs, and the texture should prevent any falls. I can only hope, anyway.)

And now it looks like this:

So much better, right? It’s like one of those lunchtime face lifts they tout on the radio all the time. Instant update. Our front hallway has entered the 21st century. Which is cool, it’s only 200 years old after all.

Progress Report: The Green Mile and the Hot Mess

So I promised some “befores” and well, I am going to deliver. That and more. I love a good before and after, but you rarely get to see the “during.”  And my friends, this is it, in all it’s non-glory.

Most people out there would DIY most painting and trim when they move into a new house. They might take it a room at a time. They have something I like to call “patience” and are most likely “visually impaired” or at the very least, suffering from some form of cataracts.  Since I’m pregnant and not blind, we decided to hire this one out. And oh yeah, because of these, too:

The Green Mile:

This is Green Mile Ground Zero. Top to bottom, even that lovely beam, was painted an olive green. Historically accurate olive green. Let me tell you. I love me some history, and I always did really well in history. AP and all that. But I’m not reenacting the Civil War, so sorry Green, you gotta go.

So we started painting. Okay, our painter started painting.  The trim was the beginning. What trim you ask? Well, we had to find it first. And then we painted it. Fine, Chris the Painter painted it.

Here is the back staircase, before:

The color had to be blown out here, since the room was so dark, but trust you me, that there is more olive green. On the stair risers. On the door. On the walls all the way up the stairs. Green as far as the eye can see. The Green Mile.

Starting on the trim and risers:

Here’s a good shot that highlights the contrast between the new white trim and the olive green:

I didn’t quite notice how nice our wood stairs are until we painted the risers. I like how they really stand out now. The contrast is working for me, gotta tell ya.

We managed to find some trim around the windows, too. And of course, the window casings were originally olive green, natch, so we’ve trimmed those out as well. I love how the lead glass panes look now. Oh. I’m sorry. How rude of me. Allow me to introduce “Pa Pa”:

Colin calls my dad, “Pa Pa.” Turns out, “Pa Pa” lives not only in NJ, but in our stained glass window, pouring himself a beer. Colin and Pa Pa catch up when we visit the new house, over a beverage, of course.

But the Green Mile wasn’t our biggest headache. Oh no. Meet our (former) schizophrenic bathroom, located off the mudroom:

You can join me in screaming, “MY EYES!!! MY EYES!!”  No, you’re right. That’s mean. Miss Havisham would totally dig that powder room. And she would call it that, too.

Again, it’s just a matter of taste. Some people really like dark, rich colors and stripes. Mixed with dark, rich florals. I? Am not one of those people. So it was stripped. In all its naked glory:

All trimmed out and ready for paint (like the rest of the house.) READY FOR PAINT! Do you hear me, painting gods? A *gentle* reminder- we move on Friday. Not that I’m counting the days…..

So that’s the current progress report. This was more for my edification than anything else, but it’s always nice to see the ugly reality of even small projects, like painting. I really admire people who like painting. I for one? Am hating the process. I’m ready for it to be done!  We’re getting there, though, slowly but surely.

Let There Be White [Carpet, that is]

The carpet is done! And the trim is *almost* done (so just pretend it is!). It’s amazing how much more open and brighter the room appears. Much less dungeon-like. Which is good, since this is on the second floor and all and we are going to make it our master bedroom. Eventually, it will be masterful. Mark my words. Just don’t set a date. Excuse the iPhone photos, but that’s what you get.

I love how the fireplace really stands out now. I don’t love how much the tan outlet covers stand out, but don’t worry- I already bought new ones. You probably already knew that, though. And why yes! Thanks for noticing! The ceiling fans *don’t* match. And only one has a light. Which is the only light source in the whole room. I’m working on Kase to approve new fans. Wouldn’t you agree, these would really do the trick? They are even on sale! Help a sister out. Leave a comment. 🙂

For the record, this is pre-jump, not pre-dump.  Same position. Very different outcomes.

For now, we are hoping to keep the back bedrooms as open and clear as possible since it looks like we will be hosting family over New Years. Yay! And with the new carpet, the back bedrooms are much more light and open feeling, even with their funky “textured” ceilings. Those are *on purpose*. I don’t know. I don’t understand it either.

Over time, we will make the transition to creating a walk in closet, maybe once January hits and Container Store hosts its annual Elfa Sale. (PS- Anyone have experience with Elfa closets? Or something similar? Did I read somewhere they go on sale in January? I am clinging to that hope.) Colin seems to think they are cozy as they are. He made himself right at home.

In the meantime, our painter continues to paint trim, trim and yet more trim. He is doing the whole house, so it’s taking a bit of time. He’s hopeful he will get the walls started this week and be done before Friday. Keep your fingers crossed. 😉 I’m very excited, because it’s going to make such a difference. In fact, tomorrow I’ll show some “befores” of the mudroom bathroom and the family room. Bring your sunglasses. Or sick buckets. Whichever you prefer.

Timberrrrrrr!

Colin and I were out at the new house yesterday waiting on the carpet installers when a large truck complete with utility crane and bucket pulled into the driveway. Turns out, the tree cutter-downers would also be keeping us company for the day, which was helpful in that it kept Colin occupied from walking all over carpet tacks and just generally bothering the contractors. Win-win.

We started out with a mostly dead large tree. Think it’s an Oak. Not sure. Don’t care. The point was, it was a glorified tree trunk. I mean, this is it. And this is how it looked well before Fall came to town:

So, we knew we would be cutting that bad boy down upon purchase. For a tree with no foliage or really, very many branches left, it cast quite the shadow on our house. We had already cut down some scrub pines at the front of the house as well, and the large pine behind the tree was also going to be cut down as it was interfering with power lines. No bueno. To be clear, we don’t hate trees. In fact, our property boasts the oldest tree in all of our town, and it is spectacular. We just hate ugly trees. Better?

After the tree guy got all Paul Bunyan on it, he happily showed off his hard work. This guy’s a trip:

Of course, the main reason we were there was to have the Green Monster eradicated. And the painter had already started on the Green Mile, so I took a progress shot. Can you believe the difference?

I’ll take some more photos this weekend- the carpet has been completely vacuumed, I just didn’t get a picture since the despot was in tow, and hopefully the second coat of trim will be done. Can’t wait to see it all finished. Now, just contemplating paint….but think we might leave it white. We like very bright open spaces. We don’t like color. You know this about me.  Also, that ceiling is hard to work around. But if you have a better idea, please share your thoughts…..

You should read this. And this, too.

Maybe it’s the three seasons of Real Housewives reunions running simultaneously, or the sheer overwhelming number of fall shows that have returned and I can’t keep up with, but I have found myself snug in bed by 8:15pm most nights, curled up with these two guys:

I guess I just need the peace and quiet. Something that watching six straight hours of Real Housewives reunions doesn’t quite afford.  And a nice warm canine body snuggling my big fat pregnant belly ain’t so bad either. Bottom line is I’ve been reading a ton. And I’ve got some book recs for you.

First up, we have “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Fair warning: it’s a tear jerker.  Well, to be fair, my mom thinks it made me cry because I am pregnant with a little boy and experiencing “hormones” but I’ll let the reviews speak for themselves. This book is good. Here is the synopsis:

“August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a New York Times bestseller, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance. “

“The Light Between Oceans”  is my next pick. I love a book that really makes you think “what if?” and puts you in the mindset of the character right away. This book is thought provoking in that way. I know this because I talked about the premise of this book a lot with Kase. He wasn’t reading it, and generally didn’t know what I was talking about, so he nodded a lot. I recommended my mom read it and she loved it. Here is the synopsis:

“After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.”

“The Shoemaker’s Wife”  I am a sucker for historical fiction, especially that which takes place in New York City around the turn of the century. So this fit the bill. That it is a love story that spans generations and geography is the icing on the cake. It’s a feel good book, which this “hormonal” lady needs. Here is the synopsis:

“The fateful first meeting of Enza and Ciro takes place amid the haunting majesty of the Italian Alps at the turn of the last century. Still teenagers, they are separated when Ciro is banished from his village and sent to hide in New York’s Little Italy, apprenticed to a shoemaker, leaving a bereft Enza behind. But when her own family faces disaster, she, too, is forced to emigrate to America. Though destiny will reunite the star-crossed lovers, it will, just as abruptly, separate them once again—sending Ciro off to serve in World War I, while Enza is drawn into the glamorous world of the opera . . . and into the life of the international singing sensation Enrico Caruso. Still, Enza and Ciro have been touched by fate—and, ultimately, the power of their love will change their lives forever.”

So, have you read any good books lately? Share, please. The more hormonal the better.

The Green Monster

We are making progress on the new house. Rather, the worker bees are making progress on the house as we speak, er, type, and we are shuttling back and forth every few days and on the weekends to check in. Which I’ll admit: is getting OLD. Fast. I am ready to get settled in our new place. But first, we have some projects to tackle. Like landscaping, painting and then of course: The Green Monster.

We’ve got a Green Monster and a Green Mile. Both are being eradicated.  First, may I present, The Green Monster:

But wait, there’s more!

Sadly, though these are merely iPhone photos, the color is accurate. That is a forest green carpet. And it extends the full 1,000 square feet (not a typo) to the back bedrooms.

The previous owner used this room, which is a more recent addition located above the garage, as a bonus room. She had a large sectional with a media center and the back bedrooms were used as just that- additional bedrooms for guests. When we initially looked at the house, we couldn’t reconcile how to make the upstairs floor plan more child- friendly.  After some consideration, Kase came up with the plan to use this bonus room as our master bedroom. The two rooms in back could be converted to storage space and a walk in closet, and we would have easier access to the two bedrooms down the hall where Colin and his little brother will sleep. Down this hall:

The dog is the only cute thing in this picture.

That? Is the Green Mile. It starts downstairs. In the family room. As in, the whole family room. And part of the ceiling. And the stairs. And stair risers. And extends to the upstairs doors and trim. Methinks someone really likes olive green. Sadly, that person is not me. But I’ll get to that later.  With photos. You’ll be green with envy. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Back to the real beauty contest winner:

“You b*&^#s are just jealous!” – Green Monster

Eventually, the plan is to create a master closet in the one back bedroom there, and a master bathroom in the other bedroom. But that is a five year to ten year plan.  As for now? I just want the green monster gone.

Upon purchasing the house, Kase and I went through top to bottom and prioritized projects as “safety” issues. Things like electric work and pool covers and plumbing and landscaping and the wood stove which was a fire hazard. So imagine my surprise and disdain when Kase literally laughed at me when I said the carpet was a safety issue. But I still won that argument. Because I am me. I’m awesome at getting my way. Would you not agree that beyond the blinding nature of the carpet, its general “nastiness” would qualify as a safety hazard? Cuz I would.

There’s only room for one rough looking lady in this house, and that is me. Move aside, Monster. Move aside.

You can put your pens and paper down. There will be no time to eulogize. Tomorrow, the Monster leaves this dark and ugly world.  Granted, she made the world dark and ugly, but bygones and not speaking ill of the dead and all that.  But can I say one thing? Good riddance to bad ruggish.

God, I crack myself up. Or maybe I’ve been smelling too much paint. Whatever.

Rub A Dub Dub. Goddang that Tub is Ugly.

[Warning: Photos of an iPhone Nature below]

Last week, we started on making some cosmetic changes to the new house. We’ve got a laundry list- even though the house is wonderful, some things just aren’t our style, or even safe for that matter. So on Thursday, we had some contractors stop by the house to take care of some of the items we’ve got in our crosshairs. And we’ve got a few.

When we were considering putting in an offer on the house, we had a contractor come in and give us some quotes for some work we might want to do. One of the items I had him look into were the bathrooms. Since it is an old house, we’ve got some fun layout issues not found in more modern floor plans. For instance, one bathroom literally has a door off the landing of the front stairwell, with a little mini stair. It’s strange and charming.

It also has another door off a hallway that leads to the guest room and what will be the nursery. Its toilet is squeezed into a corner and the faucet was grandfathered in since it has no mixing valve. But we like those things about it. It’s got character. It has its original fixtures- the sconces are porcelain, the ceiling light would sell for loads of dough on SchoolHouse Electric. What I don’t love? The hand painted floor. And the painted walls. And the painted cabinets. And the scratched claw foot tub. It had seen better days. Trust you me. It was gray and scratched up and just looking rough. Sadsies. I love a claw foot tub. And they are a mother to replace. Not to mention the whole “Grandfathered” aspect means no reno’s until we have quite a pretty penny to spend on them.  Getting things up to modern code is like, expensive and stuff. But painting and reglazing stuff? Totally in the budget.

My claw foot tub so shiny and bright and new. On the inside. And now it’s making the rest of the bathroom fixtures feel badly about themselves. Not cool, Tub. Now I’m thinking the outside needs to get spruced up. And perhaps the sink should get reglazed too. And those tub fixtures are gross. Can of worms. Opened.

Moving on…..

I also had the contractor take a look at the other full bathroom which is off of what will be our master- it also happens to be where the laundry room is. Not a problem. What was a problem? This sucker:

Have you ever seen a tub like that? Can you tell this was part of the addition done in the early 90’s? I mean, beyond the color, which is gorgeous, isn’t that shape just something else? Apparently, it is called a “cottage tub”. And removing this sucker and redoing this small space? Would cost us about $15K.  Absurd. But here’s the thing. I have an issue using “used” tubs. The last time we bought a place, it was brand new construction. No one had ever used the tub. And not having used a tub for a bath since selling?  Not cool. But there isn’t enough bleach in this world to make me sit in someone else’s tub. I don’t know why. It’s a thing. I should get over it. Or…. OR! I could just reglaze it. Brand new tub!

It makes such a difference. Let me tell you.

So tell me: Have you ever reglazed anything? Updated an antique bathroom? Fell down a full flight of stairs leaving the john? I fear that might happen one of these days. I’ve got a bad history with stairs.

Fall is here!

Fall is here! I know this because I got to wear jeans with boots and I bought some bales of hay. And I crossed off some items on my Fall Fun List. Fall is upon us. It’s official!

Fall Fun

One of the things I love the most about living in New England is the Fall.  As a season, I like it a lot. Personally speaking, I think I look cuter in sweaters and jeans than I look in a bathing suit or shorts. Mostly because I am so pale. And fall welcomes a certain pallor. So fall is awesome, in my book. But in New England, it’s just *better*. That’s a fact. You can google it.

So like some other bloggers out there, I’ve decided to come up with a “Fall Fun List”  I love me a list. And I love me some fall, as noted already. So combine the two and you have nothing but sheer amazingness.

1. Visit a bonafide pumpkin patch. Pick out pumpkins (Kate, Kase and Colin). Take a tractor or hay ride (Colin).  Partake in cider & donuts (Kate).

2. Decorate with Hay Bales and Mums.

3. Wear puffer vests.

4. Visit a farm. Apple picking?

5. Jump in leaves!

6. Trick or Treat & Carve a pumpkin.

7. Donate Thanksgiving Fixings to Food Bank.

8. Housewarming! Serve cider & donuts.

9. Find Corn Maze. Find way out of Corn Maze.

10. Fall Bonfire (buy fire pit). Drink cider and eat donuts.

11. Watch Charlie Brown Movies

12. Drink cider & eat donuts. Did I mention those already?

So what do you have on your fall bucket list?  Will you be eating donuts and drinking cider? Cuz, I don’t know if you know this, but I will. In my puffer vest.

Call Me Martha.

I don’t consider myself to be the best of housekeepers, in fact, I would go ahead and say my mantra is “if it looks clean, then it’s clean.” I’d say I’m a good tidy-upper, but not so much a great deep cleaner. Let alone regular cleaner. I’ll vacuum, I’ll dust, and if absolutely necessary, I’ll wash a floor without using my wet Swiffer. And if it’s dusted, it’s not washed. I never clean in a logical way that leaves the whole house feeling “done.” I’m all about the convenience cleaners, like Magic Eraser, Clorox wipes and those toilet wands. I own a mop bucket, but haven’t used it since we lived in Boston. Now it just holds cleaning stuff. Stuff I don’t use all that often.

But when you move into someone else’s home, you learn that your cleaning methods, while lazy and not exemplary, are basically at Martha Stewart levels compared to the previous owner’s. Who owned a cat.  And that makes me sad. It also makes my back hurt from leaning over kitchen counters and wiping down backsplash. Here’s a little PSA: Wipe down your damn backsplash, people. It’s gross. Wipe down the handles on your appliances, people. It’s gross for someone else to ponder just how dirty your hands had to have been in order to create such an insane amount of grime. And on that note: Wash your hands, people. That’s just basic manners. I’m sure Colin is learning that at school. If a two year old can do it, then you can do it, too.

So yesterday I spent Colin’s nap wiping down backsplash and appliance fronts and about one million drawers. I am sure I will come to appreciate the drawer and cabinet space we have in our kitchen. Eventually.  Maybe after my back stops spasm-ing.  I placed some cute drawer liners from Target once they were all Cloroxy clean. (My new mantra: If it doesn’t smell like bleach, it ain’t clean.) The liners are obviously adorable with their greige stripes, but the liner is also a nice thick foam, so it’s cushion-y and will help prevent things from sliding all over the place.  And I can’t say I terribly mind the new kitchen mat I picked up as well. It screams fall without saying “Boo!” know what I mean? Yes, you know what I mean.  And before you ask, no, glittered ghost pails for Halloween candy from the dollar section *don’t* count. They are adorable and necessary. IT’S FOR THE CHILDREN. 😉

Lucky.

Thank you for all your comments about our new house!  We are excited of course, but most of all, we feel really fortunate.

We spent the night “camping out” on Friday at the new place- we did that when we bought our condo in Virginia, so we felt that it was a good tradition to keep alive, regardless if we added a pack and play to the list of things to bring with us.  We blew up the air mattress, got cozy and settled in.  It was such a nice feeling to wake up in “our house.” Colin is already a big fan, yelling “House!” whenever we pull into the driveway. I guess toddlers can appreciate a raw space with bare wood floors as far as the eye can see, and no furniture to speak of, or to bump into, so long as they have their matchbox cars with them. And of course, we never leave home without those. 😉

Yesterday, we were able to meet our new neighbors.  They were incredibly kind and even sent along some great photos of the house for us (the side of the garage), taken from their deck. And I fell in love all over again.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend- between the house closing and my mom’s birthday party down in NJ, I’m feeling very lucky this morning- a wonderful visit catching up and reminiscing with supportive, funny, and loving family, and now a house in which to grow my own little family and create our own traditions and memories. Just lucky.