Signing Papers! - and building a stick pile

It is official! Yesterday Eric and I signed the papers on our contract. I thought it would be more difficult or scary or…….well I thought we would have to sign in more places or something. But it wasn’t difficult or scary at all. Then we went to the tax assessor’s office to put the taxes in our name. Again, easy as pie. We took in our contract and a form from the lawyer and that was it.

 

So – what did we really spend most of the day doing? Working outside!!! It was a glorious day and finishing painting the kitchen could wait. We picked up sticks. SO many sticks.

 

 

 

Okay not really that many sticks, but that is our stick pile. Then we raked Hickory nuts, or at least shells from Hickory nuts. Does anyone know what you should do with Hickory nuts? I read a bit about them today. Apparently there is a sweet kind and a bitter kind. I’m not yet sure which category ours fall into – guess there is only one way to find out.

 

My next job was bringing Armageddon to all the ants. You see, down where I’m from, ants make one big nest. A huge pile – you can easily tell if you have ants and it is easy to tell where to spray the bug stuff. I tracked some ants from our kitchen window back to a bed – a rather big one, under a few rocks. Then later I started looking around and I saw more ants, going different places. I intently followed each set of ants back to the holes and I found hole after hole after hole. There are ants EVERYWHERE. Apparently in Illinois ants don’t like to live together as one big happy family. They would rather have ant condo communities and retirement communities and you get the picture – LOTS of ants.

 

I’ve been told I just need to accept that ants are a part of life here. Inevitably, once a season, sugar ants will appear in the kitchen. Maybe it is my memory of Texas fire ants (which we don’t seem to have around here) but I have a very large aversion to ants and I don’t want to see them in my kitchen once a year. Someone needs to invent something for this.

 

So, after the sticks and the nuts and the ants, I raked the grass. And mom, you would be proud of me. I did not use a stupid people bags and I did not set my grass out by the side of the road. I have saved it in the stick pile for future composting use.

 

The Details: a beautiful unidentified flower

 

If you happen to know the name a of this beautiful tulip like flower, please let me know. This photo was taken in the evening as the flower was closing. During the day the blossom was full opened.

Weekend Update #2

I’ve never been, shall we say, manually dexterous. Personally, I blame it on left handedness – that just sounds like a good idea. My mom says it is because I didn’t play Nintendo enough with my brothers when we were little. What does that have to do with renovating a new house? Quiet a bit, I am primarily relegated to organizational tasks. I provide direction for the chaos and my opinion matters the most in most rooms of the house. (And I’m not going to lie, that’s pretty cool.) So, I get to pick the color of paint, I’m just not allowed to paint, unless someone is willing to go back over the spot I just painted.

 

Eric took art classes in college. Eric is also a perfectionist. And Eric has played a LOT of Nintendo, which means he is the only one qualified to do all the painting.

 

I started painting primer in tight spots with a really tiny roller, thinking Eric would rather do the “cutting in” since he is more into detailed work. Also, cutting in means getting close to cabinetry, which has already been taped and covered with a layer of plastic, but come on, we both know a little plastic and tape isn’t going to stop me. Using my tiny roller didn’t last long. Eric ended up painting over everything I had painted, (excepted for the spots I managed to paint in my hair), including the spot behind the stove that no one will see. I have become an expert cutter-iner because most of that gets painted over anyway. And I suppose I don’t mind because I will have an absolutely perfect kitchen - which is what Eric kept saying as he would repaint a whole section of my work.

 

Here is a sample of what we are painting over. A fun filled floral print in peach and blue.

Now, use your imagination……for our kitchen colors we decided to select olive gray and heavy cream for the trim.

 

The walls of the home are primarily plaster. They have been covered in almost every room by paneling. No, not the dingy faux wood board paneling. In most cases the paneling looks like wallpaper. With the right primer, I’m told, it is very easy to paint. I will tell you what I think when we finally get to the paint – which seems like it will be a while, seeing as we spent a whole Saturday afternoon redoing what I had done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not a Weekend Update - Aka the expert mouser

 

I know – it is Monday, and a weekend update is in order. Maybe tomorrow. Today, I want to talk about the place we are moving out of. Moving somewhere new always means leaving somewhere old behind. In this case, Eric and I are leaving behind a cute two bedroom home, with a great kitchen and lovely landlords. – Really, they are lovely. Oh and a beautiful Star Magnolia Tree. (Is that why Mississippi’s license plates read “And Stars Fell On” ? – oh wait, no, that is Alabama). Anyhow, the tree is beautiful.

 

Over the weekend Eric and I have been packing up and cleaning up the old place because our landlords are showing it this evening to a potential buyer. We really like our landlords and want to make sure we do our best to help their efforts. But fast-forward to the juicy stuff.

 

When I walked into the kitchen this morning – well it just stinks in there. So I thought, well we’ve just got to be sure we take out the trash before we leave. We took out the trash – same smell. It’s coming from a particular corner of the kitchen. The ants are making a trail through my kitchen, but they aren’t eating our food. They are going to the little mousey hole in the wall. I’ve been trying to draw them away with ant poison, but they persist towards the hole in the wall. The smelly hole.

 

So here is our hypothesis: over the weekend we took all the furniture out of the kitchen. Saturday night our faithful mouser Cali Elizabeth had it out in the kitchen with a mousey friend. But Cali is more of a player than a killer. She kills things by accident, or when she is really, really angry. And when she does kill something, she eats part of it, if she is interested. She doesn’t eat bugs. So, it is our hypothesis that Cali caught and played with a mouse and that this mouse crawled back to it’s hole – mortally wounded. And died – in the wall of course. Now, Cali can’t get back to the mouse, but alas, have no fear, the ants can!

 

This reminds me of the time a pigeon flew into my attic and somehow fell down between two wallboards and couldn’t fly back out. They had to cut a hole in the wall to remove the pigeon – which was of course already dead. True story.

My Kitchen Dilemma

Before Eric and I got married my kitchen was decorated with grapes, vines and various shades of purple – my favorite color. I had even asked my landlord if I could paint the walls a light shade of lavender. Let’s just say, he didn’t share my vision for the place. After Eric and I agreed to become husband and wife it was clear to me that the kitchen décor needed to change. I knew he wouldn’t demand that I remove all traces of purple, but let’s face it, I wanted to do everything possible to encourage his presence in the kitchen. I make big, big messes, and someone’s got to clean them up.

 

At this point the kitchen “theme” changed. When we registered for kitchen wares we choose an olive green – to correspond with some of the dishes and glasses I already had, a bright, warm red and a yellow. The theme is now kitchen al naturale. We use clear canisters given to us from wedding guests to show off our beautiful pastas, beans and rice. The red serves as a nice “pop” color for displaying other things you would expect to see in a kitchen. The red tea kettle - always on the stove. A couple of red skillets and my beautiful red Kitchen Aid.

 

It was always my plan to eventually paint the kitchen walls yellow. Having a yellow kitchen seems so happy and tranquil. And almost as good as having a lavender one. However – our new kitchen has beautiful, brand-new, oak cabinets. A light oak, that would most likely clash with the yellow walls.

 

There in lies the dilemma. Should I go with the olive green instead? Will this make it look festively Christmas year-round in my kitchen? If you have any ideas, please let me know what you think.

Craftsman Details

Many of you correctly indicated that JoMar Acres is a Craftsman home. And just what makes it a Craftsman home? Here are a few distinguishable features of these homes – taken from about.com’s Craftsman House Style:

 

Wood, stone, or stucco siding

Low-pitched roof

Wide eaves with triangular brackets

Porch with thick square or round columns

Stone porch supports

Exterior chimney made with stone

Open floor plans; few hallways

Numerous windows

Dark wood wainscoting and moldings

Built-in cabinets, shelves, and seating

 

And here is our home sweet home, in all its craftsman detail.

Stairs to the master suit.

Stone column supports for the porch

Triangular brackets under the eaves.

Weekend Update #1

I am happy – no absolutely overjoyed, to post this first weekend update. It is a sign of progress!!

 

When Eric and I started talking about our priorities for our new place – what we need to do before we move in versus what we would like to do in the future – I requested two projects.

 

• We must have a door going from the kitchen down into the basement.
• I do not want to do my laundry in the basement.

 

Let’s get to the real root of these projects. I don’t like basements. I didn’t grow up with them. They remind me of cellars and tornados and of leaving my Kentucky Fried Chicken in the middle of a storm. What if my Kentucky Fried Chicken had been blown away!

 

Our basement, at the moment, does not escape my dislike. I say at the moment because there are grand plans to eventually make it a “man cave.” But until then I don’t want our kitty Cali wandering down there. I don’t want me or something else I like to accidentally fall down the steps. (and yes, there is cause to be concerned, I have fallen down more than one flight of stairs.) I certainly don’t want to even think of making laundry clean in such a dirty space. In fact, until it is a man cave, or something similar, there is no reason for me to acknowledge the existence of the basement at all - unless of course the storm season forces me to do so. But until then – there IS no basement.

So I give you the first photos of our progress – the beginnings of an upstairs laundry room and a basement door!

 

This room, which will be our laundry/craft room used to be a garage. This sink will soon be removed and a raised, level floor will begin to appear.

 

 Okay, this isn’t the raised floor, but you can see that Eric is hard at work - which is why his face looks a bit fuzzy. Zoom, zoom.

 

 

 

And this….this is the LOVELY basement door. It still needs a coat of paint and the casing also needs to be painted, but oh, how I love this basement door.

For even more photos, check back tomorrow. I will be sharing all the details that make our house a Craftsman home - until then, Happy Trails!

 

Choosing a Fridge - and other appliance quesetions

I love to cook (or at least make messes), so you would think that picking out a brand new refrigerator and a stove would be thrilling. At least I’ve been expecting it to be thrilling – my very own grown up kitchen…a stove where all the burners are mine! But so far, it has just served to remind me that I am all grown up, and these are the type of responsibilities that go with the territory. So, I’m counting on your experience and excitement to help Eric and I to make a wise decision. J

 

 

Here are the things we know we want in a fridge and stove:

• They must be white but I have no fridge size constraints.
  
• The stove will be gas and must have easy to clean burners. (That’s Eric’s suggestion because of my “love of cooking”.)
  
• We don’t use ice – so no need for an icemaker.
  
• Our budget for the pair is $1,200.

 

Pretty short list. Here are the things I have learned I should look at according to consumer reporting websites.

• All refrigerators are generally made by three major manufacturers, regardless of the brand.
• Check at least four stores for the same models and compare prices. Always ask if this is the lowest price they can offer.
• If you buy two appliances of the same brand, ask for a discount.
• Just because the manufacturer gives you the cubic space of the fridge, it doesn’t mean all that space is useable.
• Fridges with the freezer on top have the most useable space.
• Extras like icemakers take away from energy efficiency.
• Fridges now have BUILT IN tvs. That’s just crazy…..I mean seriously – so the veggies can watch Veggie Tales…?

 

Eric and I don’t really like the look of a side by side freezer and fridge (which has the least amount of usable space and apparently can’t fit a whole pizza in the fridge.) I’m not really a fan of the “French door” look either. I can’t imagine carrying a baby around and trying to open two fridge doors just to pull out the pizza.

 

I’ve heard that knowing what you don’t want is helpful in finding what you do want. But I really feel like we are no closer to actually selecting a fridge or a stove. I did play around for a while on Sear’s build your own kitchen website.

 

So – here is the time you chime in. Lend me your experience and opinions. Do you know of any places that offer really great deals? What brands or products should I stay away from? Which appliances have you been happiest with?

 

Ya’ll Talk Funny

I first realized that my preferred mode of speaking wasn’t entirely kosher to Midwesterners my freshmen year of college. I was in the dinner line when the gentlemen in front of me turned around to make my acquaintance. He asked me what I was doing and I, rather obviously, picked up a large spoon and said, “I’m fixing to get some mashed potatoes.”

He collapsed into a pile in the floor, laughing hysterically. Fortunately he wasn’t holding his dinner tray at the time, or his mashed potatoes would have been all over my dress. I picked up my tray, gathered my dignity and stepped around the gentlemen still making a scene in the middle of the cafeteria floor. I do not remember the gentlemen’s name.

 

It took a while before I even realized what had so greatly amused him, but once I did, I realized a change was in order. It took me most of college, but I have scrubbed my vocabulary clean of most of my Southern colloquiums.

 

I quit saying “fixin to” and “ya’ll”. I properly pronounce words ending in “ing”. I don’t call everyone hun and I refer to carbonated beverages as soda or pop, instead of coke. There are still days when I would like the comfort of a diner like the Kozy Kitchen, where all the waitresses call you Sugar and no one laughs when you order chocolate milk….

 

Even though I have made progress, I still find areas of “miscommunication.” When Eric and I talked to grandma about buying JoMar Acres, we proposed the deal as a lease-purchase agreement. Only, grandma had never heard of a lease-purchase agreement. And neither had her lawyer, or her tax man. With a number of voices chiming in, it was clear we had chosen the wrong wording – which, when you want to purchase a house, is not necessarily setting you off on the right foot.

 

Last Saturday, Eric and I read over a contract. In the next several weeks we will agree to purchase the home, “on contract.”

 

Still learning. J

 

Have you ever entered into a lease-purchase agreement, purchased something on contract, or something similar? What were your experiences…..please share your thoughts in the comments section!

 

Four Reasons to Write You

This leap year, Eric and I spent our extra day talking to his grandma about the possibility of purchasing a house that she owns on the edge of the small farming community of Bismarck, Illinois. On June 23, 2008, Eric and I will be official at JoMar Acres, but between now and then, there will be mounds of paper work and a bit of renovation to do.

 

So, why am I writing a blog about this experience?

 

•  Because inside I’m still five-years-old and I must share EVERYTHING I do with my mother so that she can put it up on the refrigerator. Mom – I’m serious – print this out and put it up on the fridge.  

• Because I have a way of collecting moms, so there are a lot of you I want to keep in touch with. If you’ve ever considered me a member of your progeny, you too must put this on your fridge.  

• Because I want to keep a chronicle of our journey towards our dream home. Anytime Eric or I get discouraged about our progress, we can look at our fridge to see how far we’ve come.  

• And finally, I need your expertise. So when I say AHAHA! What kind of fridge should I buy? You can give your honest opinion – or just laugh at all the silly things along the way, (like pouring candle wax down the drain – if you don’t know, you don’t want to.)

 

Bet you’re pretty impressed that I could work a fridge into every single reason.

 

I promise to add pictures of our progress and adventures, if you promise to chip in with your advice.

 

Love you all,

Christy