Day 239: adventures in homeowning, part I

Well, we did it. We successfully purchased and moved into our first house! The whole process happened much more quickly and easily than either of us anticipated, so it's no wonder that the "adventures" began our first day in the house, and continued through the weekend.

First, let me mention that the house has been used as a rental property for several years and was empty when we bought it. The owner sold it to us "as is," with a small stipend for the things that the home inspector flagged (dishwasher that doesn't drain and a broken knob on the range).

As we were moving in, we noticed that the toilet in the hall bath wasn't flushing properly. So we bought a plunger, and thought it was remedied. It wasn't. Okay. We decide to not use that toilet, so now we're down to the sink and shower in the hall bath, and the toilet in the master bath. It's kind of confusing, so Wes taped off the unusable fixtures with duct tape. Resolved, for now.

The dishwasher was not a surprise, but it was a surprise when the home warranty folks refused to come out to repair it per our arrangement with the previous owner. Status: unresolved.

After all of our wonderful helpers and visiting friends finally left us alone last night, we decided to get down to the business of unpacking and restoring order. The house had other plans. Halfway into a load of laundry, we find a puddle of soapy water spanning the width of the kitchen. Ahhhhh. I frantically search for the bag of old towels as Wes ends the wash cycle and pulls the machine out from the wall. Several minutes under the house and one call to his handy-man father later, and it's decided that part of the pipe has corroded from months of not being used and it all must be replaced with new PVC. Fine.

So now we have a load of clothes sitting in a washing machine that's half-full of water and several sopping-wet bath towels. Sweet, ingenious Wes pulls the drain tube out of the wall and sends it out the window next to the washer to drain into the carport. It was pretty ghetto, but at least we didn't wake up to mildewy clothes and towels.

Somewhere in this process, the corner of the metal screen door in the kitchen catches the back of Wes' leg and gouges a hole the size of a penny. It was gross, and it looked like it really, really hurt. Just as we think we're finally ready to hit the hay, he realizes he has bled all over our white sheets. Two Band-Aids were obviously not enough! Into the washer go the sheets, while we wait out the cycle (so we can close the window when it finished) with a glass of wine on the couch and watch the end of of "There's Something About Mary."

Despite it all, we're completely thrilled about the house. For now, these kinds of things are actually kind of fun, I just hope they don't become a frequent occurrence!

Day 235's lazy post

Things are hectic, but I still need something pretty (and neatly unpacked and organized) to look at. I thought you might too. Enjoy Martha's pretty Cantitoe kitchen.


I only like orange juice when it's mixed with Champagne and called a Mimosa, but suddenly I have the urge to pour myself a glass -- just to look at.


I'm pretty sure her coffee station has more dishes than my entire kitchen.


Clean, calm kitchen bliss. Yes, please.

Day 233's famous book

While flipping through the March issue of Domino last night (should have been packing ...), I made an exciting discovery! I actually own something that is on the cover! So thank you, Wes, for giving me the book Chairs: A History for Christmas, even though you thought it was dumb. Look closely, it's on the bottom left.

Day 232's warning

I'm starting a new job this week while packing our apartment for the weekend's big move. It's pretty intense. Apologies in advance for light posting ...

Day 228's wish

Friends, I have a secret to share. It may surprise you -- it surprised me. The truth is, I kind of like Valentines' Day. I don't look forward to it with the same anticipation as say, Christmas, of course, but I do enjoy it. In fact, if it were the type of holiday that came with a day off work, I might even love it.

Maybe it's because it is pretty much the only day of the year I can wear pink without feeling completely foolish. Maybe I like chocolate just a little more than I'm willing to admit and will use any excuse to buy it, I don't know.

It's not even that I've always had really spectacular Valentines' Days, or that I've ever even had a great one at all. Until Wes came along, I'm pretty sure my dad was the only man who'd ever given me flowers on the "big day." Last year on February 14, I was on the way to Texarkana, Arkansas in the freezing cold to attend my great-grandmother's funeral. The year before that was pretty good. Wes and I hosted a mildly successful cocktail party. It was fun, but nothing mind-blowing. I can't even remember anything about the years before that, so they obviously weren't anything to write home (or blog) about.

This is our first supposedly-romantic post-honeymoon evening, and I don't really care what we do as long as we're together and maybe we can eat a little chocolate. Of course, having a pretty bloom or two to view from the couch can't hurt either.

So whomever you're spending Valentines' Day with, be it your husband, boyfriend, kid, best friend, sister, cat, dog or remote control, I hope you have a good one.

Image: Real Simple

Day 225's first look

Wes and I took at little mid-week field trip to Lowe's last week to check out the goods and start formulating a reasonable budget for our upcoming bath remodel.

Here's what we're workin' with:


A teeny-tiny master bath with a leaky shower stall, a drab little sink console and a peach/pink toilet. The floors and shower are tiled in funky yellow and brown. I'm pretty sure that Wes assumed something original could stay -- the lighting or the mirror, for example (both are slightly less than attractive, BTW), but as my mom and I found out when we did her bathroom, as soon as the paint is dry, everything else must be shiny and new as well or it just won't work (right, Mom?).

All-white baths (and kitchens, for that matter) are just so appealing! Wes seems to have gotten on board with my plan, even though he usually thinks my color choices are pretty boring (thanks for humoring me, dear). Luckily, amid the palm frond-shaped ceiling fan blades and typical suburban kitchen cabinet mecca, Lowe's had some nice things. And we think me may actually manage to maintain our budget, most importantly.


First up, love a pretty pedestal sink. And holy crap, this one is just $88.


With a pedestal sink, storage space is at a premium. While I'd love to have something like this beauty, it's just not practical enough. This handsome cabinet looks just like the popular Urban Archaeology one, but without the $1000 price tag. It checks in at $98.


Next to the sink, this cute little guy. I have no idea why some manufacturers make toilets that look like spaceships, but thankfully, there are some on the market like this. For a mere $180, he can be yours today.


For the shower and bathroom floor, love simple little tile like this. Timeless. Perfect. Yea. We're looking a lot like that picture up there, aren't we?!

I'm not sure I can take white walls with all of this, so let's talk paint color. I'm a little obsessed (okay, a lot) with antique nest and egg prints. I've got one from this series, and it's basically the color palette in our bedroom. Our towels are a frenchy-powdery blue and taupe, respectively. Thoughts?

Day 222

Wishing you a weekend with lots of moments like this.

At our house? Probably not going to happen. M-day (that's what we'll call moving day) is approaching, and there is much packing to be done!

Image: Real Simple

Day 220: keepin' it simple

I spent the better part of my growing up years on a little farm in the rolling hills of Tennessee. It's still one of my favorite places on earth, and exactly where I want to be when things get hectic. Life in the country is just so simple. I love it. And today, with a new job and a new house on the horizon, I'm dying for some simplicity.


I told you about simply breakfast, now check out her beautiful postcards and such. This one, "still life with berries," is my favorite.


See the rest of this house at Absolutely Beautiful Things. She's right, it's absolutely beautiful in its restraint.


Couldn't you just soak in this bathtub for hours? I feel more relaxed already ... and I'd love to get my hands on that wall color.


Real Simple magazine has mastered the still life cover image. This one makes me want to purge, purge, purge before we move into the new house!

Image at the top: Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee

Day 219's update

This will probably come as a surprise to those of you who endured my whiny post about our house hunt, but we're in a contract with the very house that inspired the whining, and we close at the end of the month! We're really really excited, and think this is a good move. The market is just too good to not take advantage of, and we can't wait to delve into some improvement projects and make the house our own.

I hope we'll eventually have some dramatic before-and-after photos to show you, and I'm sure by the time this is all over you'll be pretty tired of hearing about kitchen flooring and the pros and cons of pedestal sinks. But I'm looking forward to hearing your input, readers and friends, so don't be afraid to share it! Especially you, blog-less anonymous stalkers with good taste (I'm talking to you, SM!).

Up first: the master bath. Last night's home inspection revealed a leaky sink and shower, so out goes the icky yellow and brown tile, and in comes ... well, all of our money.

Image: don't you just love these reproduction fixtures in Coastal Living?

Day 215's pretty

Loving this by Todd Romano today. Happy Weekend!