An (almost) clean slate

People just came and picked up our guest mattress/box spring from the house. We discovered it doesn't fit in any other room and since we need to fit a crib now, it had to go. We sold it on craigslist. This was our first big sell this way and were quite please with the results. ---For my mom: they paid cash so I don't think we will end up on Judge Judy!

So what had been the guest bedroom, now looks like this...






Hopefully next week the walls and trim will be repainted.

I don't think the relative emptiness will last long. Tomorrow we will purhcase the dresser. My shower is in three weeks, after which, presumably, more boxes filled with baby stuff will need a good home! Oh, and the crib and glider/ottoman have been ordered but won't be in for some weeks. (A special thanks to Linda/Rick for the crib and Bill/Pat for the glider & ottoman).

By request...

..a pic of my growing belly.

Feeling unaccomplished

I just got my high school alumni magazine which, like most college ones with which people are likely more familiar, is a glossy set of pages to brag about alumni enough to make other alumni so proud to have attended this institution that they send money. (Unlike my college one it doesn’t have ads, nor are classes charged for it). I digress.

Apparently a student - Ryan Sager - that was a year behind me (making him only 27 or 28), and who I actually knew quite well being a fellow day student, has written a book. It has been reviewed and quoted by the Economist, the Wall St. Journal and has been the topic of 2 Times Op-Eds. He has been on CNN, Fox News and many other radio and news programs. I had heard he was on the editorial board of the NY Post (impressive enough), but this is too much.

Of course, had he been on the Daily Show or Colbert Report I probably would have heard about his book when it came out instead of months later.

The premise of his book sounds an awfully like another book I read “The Right Nation” that also argues that the Republican party is composed of two main groups that at some point are going to have to split as the glue that binds is becoming less and less effective. I think the Right Nation was more historical, however.

On top of this, another student I knew that was TWO years behind me (also a day student) just published about about how to use advanced math to evaluate poker moves. (I am sure his parents are glad he is using his Cal Tech degree to good use).

And up to this afternoon, I just felt like I was unaccomplished because I had a to-do list a mile long and need to do some laundy.

Nothing major to report

So we have nothing major to report - we spent the weekend cleaning and doing things around the house which we had neglected for months. We are also starting to prepare the attic for its impending transition to our guest room and the guest room for its transition to a nursery. I suppose we better get that done now, as otherwise it will be many years before anything is done (or so people tell me). Also, I am in single digits until my due date.

A milestone, of sorts…

I just dropped in the mailbox my pre-admission for the hospital where I will be delivering…one more thing to make this seem very very real :)

Interesting Fact: The King of Thailand was born at the same hospital. The only reason I know is the “Square” (read 6 by 6 brick area) outside my office is named in his honor to commemorate his birth in Cambridge.

Bhumibol Adulyadej

Another beach...

another climate...


Steve and I spent the weekend in Dennis Port (Cape Cod), with my mom and stepdad and their dog (can't leave Rebel out!). It was a nice trip, though as you can imagine we passed on some of the more traditional seaside pastimes. We stuck to shopping and eating:)

Hmm, this is not good…

So we knew we wouldn’t have a kitchen or a ½ bath for awhile coming up in the spring, during the renovation. However, we were not expecting to lose the ½ bath now! Apparently a pipe burst the night before last (not the one that froze before?!) in that bathroom so for the moment the water is cut off to that room.

Steve has learned WAY WAY more about plumbing than I think he ever wanted to lately.

Kitchen Decisions

Yesterday we gave away a lot of money for a deposit to our contractor/designer, so our cabinets, floor, etc. can be ordered. (Rest to be paid at milestones during installation). Start date is going to be around March 26 - April 2 which gives them about 9-10 weeks to work until the baby should arrive. They claim that should be plenty, and we are cautiously optimistic as so far they have given us every indication that they are a well-run organization. My aunt's was just done in 5 so it can be done!

Pretty much everything has been picked except the final granite (long story I don’t want to get into right now). Since we haven't shared too much about this, and it is a huge project, here is an idea of what it will look like. White cabinets, round knobs, dark wood floors (see sample) and almost surely black counters (yes we know they show dust and finger prints).

Wall color isn’t final, but it may well be the red in the pic below. As of now, we won't have a full backsplash, but the granite will rise up 4" onto the walls... we may put a tile one in eventually, but a) we can't make a decision at this point - it is too daunting, b) the tile guy recommended living with it for awhile to see what you think will work best.

This is one our inspriation pics and the end results should be quite a bit like this - similar cabinet style/color, to the floor/ceiling cabinets, round knobs on all cabinets, similar molding and stainless appliances.


Floor:


I will post pics of some of the plumbing fixtures in coming days. Also up, more info on the 1/2 bath.

The most exciting thing to happen to our street, since, well .... probably ever.

For those of you not in the northeast, Boston had a citywide bomb scare yesterday that wreaked havoc on the city and traffic. It turns out the “bombs” were essentially lite brites of a cartoon character and part of a marketing campaign for a comedy central cartoon.

Last night they arrested the person that placed them around the city for the ad agency (3 weeks ago!), and they showed them on the news leaving his house with the cops. They mentioned it was in Arlington and I thought it looked like our generally area (most houses look the same) but one in the background looked really familiar. Still, I thought nothing of it. However, later in the report they mentioned he was arrested on OUR STREET! Apparently it was the house he lived in for a long time with his "parents."

Let's say Steve and I are not shaking in our boots about a struggling art-school graduate's family lives on our street.

Nursery Ideas

Steve and I are very lucky to have an extraordinarily talented friend. She is actually the one that introduced us. As if that isn't talent enough, she is also a wonderful artist in addition to being a big-shot NYC lawyer.

So, in honor of our Alma Mater (also Dr. Seuss') - Darlyn has offered to recreate these (or maybe slightly different) characters on our nursery walls. These specific images are from a relative's house she did awhile ago.

I am pretty sure she doesn't consider these high art, but I think they are pretty darn impressive!

All images are copyright by Darlyn, and can not be displayed or distributed without permission.

Check, Check, Check.............what, there is more??

So we have been very busy and accomplished a lot in the last 2 weeks:

*Bought and put up valences on the stairwell
*Hung a few pictures
* decided on a bunch of baby items and what my best friend will paint on the walls (this will be the topic of another post and will include sample pics!)
* Decided on a bunch of kithchen stuff including:faucet, glass for the few cabinets that will have glass fronts, and the color of cabinets (which white? ugh - we made our lives easier by sticking to the standard 8 whites to select from instead of opting to look through ALL the sherwin williams colors that they no offer - talk about too many whites!)

Sadly there is still a ton to do:
* final type of granite for counter (down to 2 blacks - absolute or galaxy)
* final color of floor (we are getting prefinished hardwood so we have to pick a stain)
* Any tile work (we may skip this at this point - long story)
* toilet
* bathroom fixtures
* furniture for the nursery
* lots and lots of baby stuff including figuring out what you do with one once they come home!


Once all the kitchen things are decided (they want it finalized this week) they will start in 8 weeks - the last week in March - and they swear it will be done before the baby. This gives them 9 weeks. My Aunt's contractor just managed it in about 5, so I am somewhat optimistic.

Exciting Friday Night

Apparently when it is cold out, water freezes. Even the water hidden in pipes!

We were unpleasantly surprised when we discovered the hot water in our half bath didn't work - at all. (All the other water worked fine in the house.) Luckily - or not given it is the cause of the freezing! - the pipes are exposed under the house in a crawl space. So Steve spent the last 1.5 hours figuring out which pipe is which and trying to defrost it with a hair dryer (which is the consensus online on how to fix such problems).

He also had some fun starting to demo our blue tile to see if he could access more of the pipe in the wall….



Success!

What we did on our winter vacation...

got to know the locals

[Besides tons of birds at Ding Darling, we also saw some dolphins up close but didn't have the camera with us on the beach.]











Took a scenic (well sort of) ride...















However we mainly enjoyed the view!

Crazy Weather...

Though the last few days have been seasonal, this is one of the hydrangeas next door to my office. I am no botantist/master gardener, but that is a green, green bud - not exactly normal for January in Boston.

First look!

So Steve came with me to my ultrasound today, and the very nice tech (a Spartan tech who wants to retire to TC no less!), gave us a bunch of great pics and gave us the great insight that she saw nothing amiss and the baby looked entirely normal! (I am sure with parents like us, that may not last:) She took all sorts of measurements and got all the shots she needed. Yay.

And for those that haven't heard - it is a boy!






Hmm, there is nothing to eat in here, maybe I should try this hand...














Are you looking at me? Because I am looking at you!














Big feet! (Like mom and dad)

Oh yes, that is a hole in our ceiling

For those of you who don't already know, Steve and I have decided to remodel the kitchen Ok, well gut the kitchen. Nothing will remain but the windows. Apparently picking which high-chair and crib was best wasn’t enough research for us, we also have to deal with drawer pulls, light fixtures and appliances. Steve and I have seemed to divide this up – I deal with the baby stuff and fixture he deals with everything else.

The contractor came the other day to see if they can raise the ceiling to the same height as the rest of the house and check out the bump in the wall that we assumed was the water wall for the bathroom upstairs. Luckily there were no shocks, and we can have our nice high ceilings and it is indeed was a couple of pipes along the wall.

Real demo won't start until approximately March. We are in the final stages of picking appliances and finalizing layout. If we get an updated drawing from the contractor this weekend, I will try to scan next week.

Just the beginning...

So besides all the amazing things that Steve and I received for Christmas (including the camera that took this picture), the baby bonanza has begun!

New Wall Hangings..

I thought finding something to go above the mantel was going to be our biggest wall decor challenge. I certainly didn't think we would find the perfect thing in downtown Traverse City. (Since we can't hang a model train above the mantle...)

However we (I should say Steve since he pointed them out) found these pieces on the wall just about where it says "unique gifts" at a store in downtown Traverse while there for Thanksgiving. The picture doesn't really show the color of them, the grid lines are a very very dark green, and the continents are mottled with some color on them..(though nothing bright).

We still need to put something on the actual mantel...

Howling Horse Pat II - The MAP!!!

Click on the image to observe the breathtaking detail!

It must be Christmas...

Naked Tree!
















Dressed Tree!


Bonus points to whoever identifies the move on the screen in the "dressed" picture