Long time no blog!

We were away for the last week dow'thecape (Peter is this how it is spelled?) with Linda, Rick, Grandma Sue and of course, Rebel. We stayed at a place right on the water, it was a very beautiful spot. For those of you who know the area, it is just around the corner (about 1/2 mile away via road)) from the Chatham Bars Inn.

Views from the back patio at high tide -









View from the back patio between tides.











Sunset - view from the backyard










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Updates on the house

• new roof tomorrow or Tuesday
• floors refinished on August 9th
• kitchen remodel on hold until we decide what to do with it - a full rehab is looking likely

We are now in full packing mode - our apt. is a mess of boxes, books, clothes for donating and slivers of packing tape stuck everywhere. Why does it get less and less sturdy as the years pass?? I swear this tape is garbage.

In progress - Full Bath - Flooring

Before -


What I had envisioned a few months ago -



What it looks like today - the color is a little greener in person, though less green than my computer rendering above. The pic was taken after 1 coat of paint had dried. We did a second this afternoon. It is called Majestic Blue.


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In other news, we have a floor refinisher coming to give an estimate tomorrow. Hopefully it will be reasonable as he gets great reviews on Angie's List and he can do it before we move in.

New Moving Date

We are moving August 15th!

"After" pics of 1/2 Bath

The valence is temporary - the color doesn't really match in person - Also I am now thinking I am going to go with a natural fabric (linen maybe) to make the room less "fake" with that blue. What do people think?

There are also no pictures on the wall and we need to hang our mirror.

More progress..

• The 1/2 bath painting is done.
  
• The master bath is free of wallpaper and the backing - down to bare, smooth walls! I also painted the trim in the master bath, hoping 1 coat is enough.
  

Next up - painting walls in master bath

Appliances

instruction manual printed: 3/31/65 - I must say, Steve and I got a kick out of the images, fonts and colors of the manaul.

Our fridge is brand spankin' new in comparison - '83

And we're off!

Today held a lot of firsts for us -

• first (of many) trips to the home depot and paint store as homeowners
• first time Lauren ever painted
• first time Steve tore down wallpaper

I also impressed Steve in my speedy picking of a paint color. It took less than 1 minute. For the truly curious it is Atrium White by Benjamin Moore.


1/2 bath before - A lovely combination of baby blue and turqoise



1/2 bath in progress (will do one more coat tomorrow)



Master bath without the seashell wallpaper - but still with the wallpaper backing gunked on the walls. This is thenext big to-do item.




And for those who doubted the hideousness of the kitchen floor (yes I know it was a very popular pattern at one point).

Phew...

Good news - We have had neither heart attacks from the roofer's estimate, nor has there appeared any poison ivy on Steve from the mowing. Oh, and the roofers had a color printer in their car - our kind of roofer:)

Next up this weekend: Lauren attempting to paint for the first time, ever

For those worried about my health - it is a tiny room (probably 4 by 4) and the walls are tiled half-way up. It is, in other words, a VERY small job. I will take it easy:)

I also can't resist pulling down wallpaper each time I enter the master bath. This drives Steve bonkers, but gives me great satisfaction.

The first chore ---

Steve bought a lawn mower yesterday AND mowed the lawn. He still has all his fingers and toes but is a little worried he might have contracted the dreaded, venomous, deadly (well maybe not deadly) poison ivy. No pictures yet, but for those of you (Pete!) drooling at the possibility of a new gorgeous, air-conditioned tractor with cable tv and wireless internet, you will be sadly disappointed. We bought an old-fashioned, motorless push mower.

Tenative Moving Date & Other -

August 10 (not final, but may be "good enough") - Given all our busy weekends (Cape vacation, Chicago long weekend, friends' wedding), there is no "perfect" day. We just need to pick something and go with it!

Also - We have a roofer coming to give us an estimate on June 29th. They are highly recommended on Angie's List so hopefully we will only have chest pains, not a full-blown heart attack at their quote.

We're Homeowners!

Bathroom Plans

I have one room all figured out - well sort of:) I have the fun part done. The real "work", removing the wallpaper, painting, getting a new light fixture is surely going to take some time.

Current bathroom pics








Our new shower curtain, valance and towels - It is strangely similar in color scheme as their seashells. I guess it is what works with the white counters, beige/brown floor and off-white tiles! The shower curtain is the striped fabric.

The biggest Challege - the KITCHEN! Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to have one that both Steve and I can stand in together, but the current state is severly lacking in the modernity department.





The Current State












The Ideal State

The House