[i] LoveLife

House90 update: first floor.

Three cheers for Friday. In celebration of the last day of the week and the rapidly approaching 1st anniversary of house90 - I am sharing some shots of how things went down. HOW LIFE HAS BEEN REDEFINED AROUND HERE. I did a TERRIBLE job of taking photos and documenting things as we went along, but thanks to my scuzzy iPhone - I have more than NOTHING. Which is cool. Before I start - I feel the need to say that I am neither and interior designer or a show-home kind of gal. I'm simple. We chose house90 because we wanted to live in the heart of the city and not a suburb. We live in a neighbourhood that is old and full of towering oak trees. There are bakeries and organic grocery stores within steps. There are cafes and a bookstores. A vegan burger joint. Thrift stores. Incredible churches and firehalls. A handful of mom-and-pop convenience stores. A few elementary schools and a zillion parks. There is no super-freeway. There is no Walmart or gas stations. No Starbucks. There are very few houses younger than the average age of 100 years. Which is what I LOVE. It's not for everyone, I totally get that. It's not fancy and new. It's not full of show homes or big garage doors.

But it makes a nice place for my little family to call home. This is house90's first floor...

When we bought this house it was almost entirely original. Built in 1910 - it was oak floors and trim throughout. It was recently fixed up to sell so the paint was fresh and lots of things were sugar coated. Which wasn't really an issue because if you want to live in this 'hood you take what you can find when you find it. EVERYTHING is a hundred years old. Goodness. I'm 34 years old and can hardly get out of bed somedays so I'd say that the construction around here is pretty great. There aren't many THEN photos because the main floor had 5.5 separate rooms an awkward closet and a winding hallway. It made for shitty photos. It was DARK. It was rich with history and tradition. It was full of design elements that made hanging out as a family almost impossible. WHICH IS TOTALLY HOW WE ROLL. My first opinion was: NO THANKS mainly because the kitchen was 10x10 feet in very back of the house in a small addition. HUGE APPLIANCES and zero space. Three solid oak doors away from the living room. One huge and heavy swinging galley door that nearly claimed Pilot's fingers within the first 3 minutes of getting to know house90. (ELEVEN doors in total were removed from the first floor in the demolition.) Dan could only see the space and the neighbourhood. I could only see being shut away in the back to slave over a lifetime of meals by myself. He wanted to buy it. I did not. UNLESS he agreed to taking the walls out of the first floor and starting fresh.

And he did. So we bought it that week. All of a sudden we were in panic-mode. Sell our old house! Pack! Move! Yikes! Find somewhere to live while we renovated. Find contractors. Engineers. Ideas. Design something. Good grief - we hadn't even thought about what to do. LUCKILY for us - we have a good friend that is an architect and a good friend that is an interior designer. BOTH of those nice people helped me hack out ideas and measure things and bite their tongues where I did not take their advice and made unconventional and sometimes not super good choices. (Thank you Dean and Tammy. )
It was right around waiting for the engineers report that we realized this was not a small renovation. "Taking out the walls" is easy on paper and complicated in real life. In order to change things - we would need to move the main plumbing stack from the center of the house - to somewhere else. ON ALL THREE FLOORS AND IN THE BASEMENT. We needed to accomodate for posts and beams that would be added to support the second and third floor. The basement would be gutted in order to add even more support. It went from easy to HARDER in a hurry and we still had no idea if it would be worth it. We had never even met our neighbours. What if they were cranks?

Somewhere around this point - we learned about Baby3. She was coming. The girls + dogs and I were living here and there - traveling 500 miles back and forth between my parents and house90 because our old house was sold and gone. Our new home, house90, was unlivable. Our stuff was packed in boxes minus the things we could squish into our Honda Pilot. (Yes, I drive a big gas guzzling SUV. Occasionally I feel guilty about that. And then I load in three small people, two dogs, a stroller and away we go on a road trip and I'm okay with it.) We put on a lot of miles of chaos. We missed Dan like crazy. Renovating is a gong show with even the best contractors. After our share of miscommunications and frustrations - it started to feel like a long haul (even though it was a speedy, speedy job taking only 16 weeks from start to finish). I missed my old neighbours friends.

WE did not have a plan. Actually - I KIND OF HAD A PLAN, but since we were designing and changing things as we went (due to the timeline) the plan changed daily depending on what new findings were found. That's how old houses roll. Everyone gushed and how cool it was to have my dream home... only that's just a crock pot full of piss because it's not my dream - it's a combination of the best THEY could do and the best I could think of and the best the history of the house left us. SURPRISES. EVERY. DAY. Hey - the house is 100 years old. Floors were hard to salvage. Things were hard to do. Post had to be in strange places. People didn't always show up when they said they would. Contractors couldn't see my vision - didn't think it was doable. In the thick of it - every decision became ENORMOUS and important and ridiculous at the same time. I admit to shedding tears over cabinet pulls and screaming at poor Dan over tile. SO SILLY. In the end - I taped up this drawing of what I could see in my mind - minus how it would technically unfold (minus the upper cabinets because that is something I do not like to see in a kitchen). We wanted one big space. We wanted a big kitchen that was simple, but inviting. Somewhere that three girls could grow and be a part of meals. And have friends over. And be comfortable. And hopefully I could be in the kitchen, but part of the action, too.

We crossed our fingers.

Things didn't always work out. It took a little longer than we agreed upon. Some plumbing blew. Some choices blew. Some tradespeople blew. Some things still don't work right. The FLOOR was a big headache for me. I gave a little. The contractors gave a little. I kept as much of the original character as I could and then added some. You will notice that we painted the original oak trim. YUP. I wanted things light and clean and as much as I appreciate the beautiy of wood - we had a different vision. (Plus it was poorly refinished.) It's not for everyone. Some people would prefer to live in spaces that are authentically 1910, but I am not those people... I wanted to show my respect for the life the house has had sine 1910... but to make it 2011 savvy where we could congregate with family and friends and enjoy every inch we have. There's another hundred years left in this old house. That's at LOT of birthday parties!

This is a bit of a hacked together photo - but this is what house90 looks like at this point. Yesterday, in fact. I didn't really want to share it because the furniture is not what I'm after and the chandelier is being replaced with something amazing (when I can figure out how to get it shipped to Canada). The floors needed to be swept. Etc. Etc. Etc. BUT THIS IS NOW. This is where we are SO FAR. Every day life. Crap on the counter. Clothes all over the place. Not-quite-right furniture. We're missing a range hood. Blah, blah, blah, blah. BLAH.

But, this is NOW + real.

It's coming along. Please excuse the girls in their new raincoats sitting on the floor watching TV in the top shot. That's how we roll. In the bottom left shot - that big beautiful door is a double-wide pocket door that is original to house90. It weighs almost 250lbs. We put it up on barndoor hardware and it slides back and forth to be the door to Dan's office (man den) or the cover to the front closet. It was a happy accident that the measurements worked out so perfectly for that. SO happy. It's my favourite part of the first floor and it's my silent tribute (except it's REALLY noisy!) to 1910 and all this old house has been through to get to us.

The reason-for-the-reno kitchen. The kitchen was originally in the back addition. It was squashed into a small room with no transition to the outside... The backdoor opened up INTO the fridge and the floor space was barely 5x5. With an oak door. It's now a mudroom (in progress) where the dogs eat and hangout when they're muddy (see the babygate - that's for Norman!). It's full of junk at the moment, but I'm hoping to get some counterspace and cabinets worked out so the recycling has a nice home out of sight (that's what the blue box is) and our shoes can find homes away from the front door.

Above: The dining room is now the hub of the first floor, but instead of being dark and dreary it's light and awesome. The moose painting was done specifically for this spot under the high windows. (So it's is NOT for sale.)

One of the harder decisions to make was to CREATE a wall to run along side the stairs. Originally house90 had an intricate and very pretty bannister (left photo is looking OUT from the dining room to the hallway and stairs). We took the bannister down and created a wall there to help create a kitchen space that was more efficient. BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT TO ME was the BEST advice I've ever read in a design magazine. It said to DESIGN FOR HOW YOU LIVE - don't try to fit into some crazy design. I get a lot of people coming to the house to pick up artwork or prints and I HATE having our mess and life exposed like that. This way - when you come in the front door you are slightly closed off from the kitchen. I love that. I never have to worry about making sure the dishes are done or the chocolate bars I am snacking on are put away. ;) The right bottom photo is another look at the barn door hardware and the double wide pocket door. Originally I wanted to use the double wide door as a headboard for our bed. BUT - it wouldn't fit up the stairs so I needed a new plan. I'm so GLAD. (You can also see my XXL min bus roll - it's block mounted and hung with 3M velcro - PERFECT!)

The 'Weird Eating Area' was this really awkward L shaped space where house90's kitchen would have been originally built. Somewhere along the line - someone felt it was a good idea to move it into the addition on the back leaving an awkward L shaped room that was GOOD FOR NOTHING but slipping and falling on the peach coloured marble tile they laid down. Blech. The left and right photos are the exact same space the THEN and the NOW. I LOVE the black and grey stripes.

SO. Even though I didn't know what I was doing - it worked out. There were bumps and bruises. There will be lots of changes to come. It's not perfect. It's not exactly what I was after.... but it might just be better. The girls LOVE the kitchen and there is plenty of room (and stools) for them to be in the thick of things. (Pilot is Canada's new Top Chef a one handed egg cracker to boot... no joke - she's a wizard with an egg!)

Penn is my Toast Girl. She's just turned two, but we toast it up there with the best of them. ;) (The Underground sign is a piece I designed for my local sign maker to make for me. It's a replica of the New York subway signs and it points to the hidden stairs to our lowest level. The Underground. (That's a whole different post.)

Poet is still finding her spot in house90's spaces. Although she just got here - she has really been a big part of the renovating process. I was pregnant with her for ALL OF IT. And she was awesome. (In the background of this shot - notice the moose painting, the tabouret stools and Pilot sitting at the dining room table naked. Toddlers are SO WEIRD.)

The two hounds have been real troopers, too. Living all over the map and getting their routines shook up and missing walks here and there. Hopefully, 2011 will be about ALL of us getting settled and back into a new NOW.

That's THEN + NOW.

Today: I'm going to hit it out of the park this morning and then go get my hair spruced up. Spring is here!

GO!

House90 update.

I've been super hung up on posting shots of the before+after phases of house90. We are nearing the 1 year mark here. That amazes me. The problem is that WE ARE NOT AT THE AFTER I IMAGINED YET. So the very word AFTER is tripping me up.

So I will call it THEN+NOW. And I will get on it because NOW is good enough. Life is NOW.

House90 update.

 
  Here are some peeks at house90 as it stands right now. Things are missing. I haven't been good at posting the 'in-progress' shots because 'in-progress' is not as great as it is in my mind. But, life is a progression. So glimpse away. My party last night was great. Awesome. I was so busy painting yesterday that I didn't even start getting ready until it was too late... but that's the beauty of women - they just showed up and rolled with me. Washed their own wine glasses and made do. Because they know what you need when you need it. My only complaint about the party was that it was too short. I didn't get a chance to kick back and connect with every single person... but I was a pretty pleased 'mother hen' watching the other connections take place. Our old nanny Teri-Lynn was introducing us to Stella & Dot and it great. Teri-Lynn is awesome. (Thank you to everyone who made it out and NO THANK YOU to you all for leaving me with so much delicious baked brie BECAUSE I ATE IT ALL. Brandy - it was delicious!)My moose made it to the party, too. I'm not sure he's completely done - but I'm happy. There's so much you can't see in this photo... I will introduce you soon.

Today: We are off to the salon. My girl tribe is getting haircuts from awesome Aunty Tamara. And we are going to chill and play and that kind of thing so that I can pick up where I left on painting on Thursday. Sweet.

GO! 

 

Making dining historic (and green).

One of the new old things we have incorporated into our design here at house90 is a special dining room table. I'm not all that formal - nor am I big on traditional furniture. BUT YOU HAVE TO EAT and I have developed a fondness for eating with my family + friends together. When it came time to fill our dining room with a table I wanted something big enough that we wouldn't need to worry about how many were there for dinner. But, I also wanted something beautiful. And real. And green. And modern, but old. And with woodgrain (but not too much). And history. Hello WOOD ANCHOR. WOOD ANCHOR is a radical company close to us that does amazing things by repurposing old wood. Pretty, pretty things. For floors, for furniture, for just about anything you can think of. WHICH IS SO GOOD. After experiencing some of the reinvention of house90 - I developed a new respect and love for old wood. It has a thickness and a heaviness that can not be matched. Wherever possible - our salvaged wood items were taken to The Old House Revival (specifically 11 beautiful, solid wood doors from the main level). (And one special wood and glass door that Tammy + Jared are using in the renovation of their home!)

Our dining room table top is made from thick fir planks from an old grain elevator in Oakden, Manitoba. Wood Anchor magically stuck things together and made it all pretty and black and treated it with some kind of good for the world colour. I don't ask questions. I just love it. I added some metal legs and we are off to the races. Comfortable seating for 8 adults. Or 34 children. Or 6 dogs playing poker. Or what have you. It fills the space perfectly and falls right into line with my house90 plan to incorporate things from circa 1910 and 2010. It has character and cracks. It makes me think of my Grandma + Grandpa and the grain elevator from their town. It makes me look forward to plenty of dinner with growing girls. It makes me feel good to know that we invested in something good.

Dining is now historic. Thank you Wood Anchor.

I will post a photo of the table in action when I get the long vintage mystery bench I am looking to use on one side instead of chairs. Or this weekend. Whichever comes first.

Today: I am doubling my girl tribe and doing my best to entertain 4 wee girls (mine plus two others) with pumpkin painting, Halloween colouring, cupcake decorating and lunch. Yes, after the suggestion left my mouth I was pretty sure I was asking for trouble.... but I thought it would be fun and I thought that their stay-at-home dad could use a break for a couple of hours. I am going to brew an extra pot of coffee because I think this is more than tea can handle.

Wish me luck. GO!

Oh no you DIY didn't.

Excuse the iPhone photos, but this was a recent project around here. The blinds. We have a lot of windows in this place and they are all original. That means they are 100 years old. They've seen better days and as soon as I get my way they will go to the 100-year-old window graveyard. Until then - I wanted a clean and modern type of shade that would allow light in, but perhaps keep my unlucky neighbours from seeing me dance around in my gotch. The view is not particularly awesome - but, I am fond of the window casings. I figured the IKEA enje blinds were perfect. And cheap. And I had it on good authority that they were easy to trim to fit. Only I would asterisk that to say Easy (and somewhat annoying) to trim instead of just Easy. I might even add it's a good thing they're cheap because it wasn't super fun. It took Dan and I about 2 hours to get this one up. I am a measure twice cut once kinda girl - but that turned into a measure twice cut once, measure again, cut again, eyeball it, freehand it and get on with life. Technically I have 15 windows left to do on the main floor. Nine on the second floor. Five on the third floor. At this rate it will take me three thousand years to complete them. My verdict is: OKAY. They are a little more sheer than I was imagining and because of the strangeness of the house - it hangs crooked and bugs me.

Note in the photo:

- the sad rad is waiting to be cleaned and painted either creamsicle orange or a cobalt blue. Opinions?
- the cute stool is IKEA bekvam. We have 4 of them waiting for fresh coats of paint.
- there are three cute duvet covers from IKEA sitting on the sad rad
- there is a glass panel and range hood coming for behind/above the stove

Other updates at house90:

- the new dining room table is almost done! It's salvaged wood from our downtown elm trees.
- I opted to NOT get the Eames dining chairs only because they suddenly appeared in every magazine and blog I was reading
- I decided, instead, on some simple white chairs and a long white bench
- the missing barndoor hardware arrived and is waiting to be completed
- the girls bunkbeds and dressers arrive at the end of the month (Pilot is beyond excited)
- the enormous bookshelf unit for Dan's man-office arrives then, too
- I almost have Dan convinced to rip out the carpet in my painting studio
- I STILL haven't started a painting for the foyer
- I love the kitchen layout and actually enjoy cleaning up after meals
- I adore my dishwasher - it does really clean quick loads in 38 minutes
- the basement is a topic for another day
- I love the dogs, but I'm sick of dog hair
- I need about 100 linear feet of shelving or picture ledge in my studio

One step at a time, I guess.

Today: I am finishing a bunch of ridiculously cool creativity postcards for the ONLINE class. I was going to sets of 6 but they are so cool I am going to do 10 or 12 different ones and mix the sets up. I think. These ones are off to get printed this weekend so they are ready to roll. I am also dedicating 2.5 hours to reorganizing the third floor. I'm making progress, but I wish I could materialize shelves and worktables just by thinking about them. Sourcing them out IS ANNOYING! Productive Friday in the works. Ahoy!

Dan's brother and his pretty wife Jessica are welcoming their brand new baby boy later today. The girls will have their first FIRST COUSIN! Yay! Big hugs and good vibes guys!

GO!

The door.

The barndoor hardware went up yesterday! It was a little anti-climactic. I think that's because I was really imagining it as something more wonderful. Not that the hardware isn't awesome. And not that the door isn't radical. It just didn't go in as picture-perfect as I was envisioning it.

The door. That's an original pocket door from house90. That means it's about 100 years old. It's also 4 and a half feet wide solid oak cut on the bias. That means it has a swirly "gasoline-like" pattern in the grain. It was too cool for even me (the non-wood-aficionado) to pass up. It's in impeccable shape probably because it spent the majority of its long, long life slid into a dark pocket in the wall. Probably because it is too heavy and too cumbersome to slide back and forth with ease. It weighs just over 200lbs. Throughout the demolition and reinvention of house90 I have remained its biggest (and sometimes only) advocate. I'm glad. Using it in the final design was, in essence, a tip of our hats to the age and history of the house and a way for me to pay my respects to a lot of the wood trim that passed away in the making of house90. (Todd - I especially thought of you during this project.)

The doorways. The wall that the door hangs on got beefed up in reconstruction with some mega beams around the opening to Dan's office. That made putting a door frame in REALLY awkward and there is no room for awkward in my vocabulary. There is also no room for "fix it with quarter round" either, but that is a different story. This wall had two doors that needed something interesting and perfect because neither could support an original door (the close is new). The big door hardware is (at the Pioneer Woman's suggestion) from barndoorhardware.com. They were great to deal with. Not cheap. But great. My only complaint is that the hardware left us no option to deal with the enormous baseboards so we had to put the pretty black metal on backwards to keep it from wrecking the baseboards. It will act as a door for either of the openings - but, not both at the same time.

Oh, well. It's still cool.

Good news: The photos from my melted TimeCapsule harddrive have been recovered. I think you could hear my sigh of relief around the world. Baby photos and painting photographs ARE SAFE.

Yesterday: was full of technical glitches and frozen computers so I am still not through the piles of YOU-ARE-AWESOME posters. I'll catch up on the weekend.

Today: The girls and I are hanging at the spray park in the morning and prepping for DINNER FOR 16 at house90 tonight. This will really put that island to the test - I'm looking forward to it!! (I'm looking forward to coffee first though.)

GO!

Thinking pink.

It's been incredibly HOT PINK around here. It may have melted our brains because we have REPAINTED our first floor. Now let me be honest - when it came time to pick paint colours for house90 I was thinking that I wanted the space to be white + stark + open + airy + more 'art gallery' than 'artist lives here'. I wanted it to be sophisticated. Well, that proved to be straight silly because we are not sophisticated at all. What resulted was a sort of flat feeling. We're a colourful family. We're bold. And we are pretty opened minded and fearless when it comes to paint. So at Dan's suggestion we painted the main wall HOT PINK. What the heck! It's only paint! My opinion when it comes to pink is GO BIG or get back in your crib. Really. If you're not up for taking a risk with pink - then it ends up more of a baby-nursery or dusty 80's than loving-life statement. The mailbox behind Pilot in the top (adorable) shot is the colour...

As much as it seems like it would be overwhelming and tacky and all of those things - it works. True that this photo is pretty crappy, but in real life the thumbs up have been plenty. There's power in pink. Seriously it was just what the room needed. Some drama. Some awesome colour to take ownership and lead. I love it. Dan loves it. This is definitely one instance where our colour risk paid off. So. Sweet.

This was our best attempt at a family photo with a timer. Yeah - the BEST out of all 10 shots. I was feeling the need to get out and document our life amidst all the change. Summer is the best around these parts. I am totally and hopelessly in love with our community and the sweetness of walking everywhere and having everything important within walking distance. Parks, pools, libraries, bakeries, cafe, restaurants, corner stores, markets, friends, pilates... the list is pretty impressive and I truly heart our life.

We've got more home craft projects going on than I can keep up with. Most recently some amazing antlers that are already being spruced up for display. It's chandelier-palooza after an afternoon on kijiji. I sewed up the perfect bathmat solution. MY VINATGE CUSTOMIZED BUS ROLL IS BRING PRINTED TODAY. There are hip-funkster murals going in the girls' rooms. Oh, and the barndoor goes in on Wednesday, too. I can't keep up with the goodness! There's power in pink.

OH.The 2-for-1 sale on YOU-ARE-AWESOME posters is only until tonight at 11:59pm CST. After that they are regular price and about to go the way of the dodo bird. Expect an email from me today if you ordered one (or 10 like one person!). If you're thinking of ordering click the link above and order one poster and leave me two sets of instructions. It's easy.

Today: Norman and I have an early date at the vet which means we will probably have to stop at Starbucks and sit in the sun for a while, too. I'm looking for plain white laminate flooring to lay down in my studio so I can GET PAINTING because the big blank walls are calling my name! And so is coffee. Don't forget to sign up to receive the early updates on my online class.

GO!

Owning it.

Hello Monday. I promise to stop assaulting the internet with house90 updates soon (I also plan on a digital tour soon, too). We spent a good part of the weekend (in between spray parks and children's museums) giving the outside of house90 a little bit of love. Our house is WHITE, WHITE, WHITE, WHITE, WHITE. Actually - whomever painted it before us pretty much just flew over in a fast jet and bombed it with paint. It's not a perfect paint job THAT'S FOR SURE... but I don't even care because I love that it's not stucco and I love that it's not brick and I JUST LOVE that it's not vinyl siding especially. IT'S PAINTABLE and that means I can make it into what I want - and I can CHANGE IT UP. Sweet. Our last house had vinyl siding on the front and we were stuck with the gentle snot colour. Crappy paint job and all - the exterior makes my heart happy. We wanted the neighbourhood to know that we are not the people that lived here before us and we intend to be the ugliest house on the street NO MORE. We were owning it. We added some happy little details. Subtle stuff, budget-friendly stuff - the good stuff. Dan got started on his flower beds. He weeded! He painted the front sun porch door. We added the barn star. We changed up the house numbers (not pictured here) and made an honest to goodness room out of the previously used to store contractor garbage sun porch by adding a loveseat, chairs and a bench. What a heavenly space - I can't get Dan to leave it! I spent most of the weekend Cinderella-ing. Washing floors, doing laundry, wiping down walls and unpacking more boxes. It's all good because I SEE PROGRESS!

Today: I have nine things to finish and a painting to start. I'm going to pour 14 cups of coffee to jet fuel me because my studio is in a state of disarray and so is my work life. Which really gets me foul and agitated. The past month has felt like I was the bottom rung on the priority ladder around here and it's been frustrating. I'm not going to think about it right now or I will start to cry. SO. Today is my day and today I will get myself sorted. I'm owning it. (NOW WHERE IS MY EFFIN' SCANNER!!???)

GO!

1,2,3,4.

Hello Thursday. I think that the carpenter is officially finished at house90! Today is the last day for the plumber AND MY FINGERS ARE CROSSED. Looks like finishing touches of house90 are being turned over to my hands and any and all delays from here are in are strictly mine. I can handle that. I can TOTALLY handle that.

And by 'totally handle that' I mean I feel like having a party!

1. THE COUNTERTOPS ARE COMPLETE! Serious celebration. This is a quick shot of what the countertops are supposed to look like. We started out wanting quartz and ended up going with a laminate because as the island grew in size I wanted it to be three inches thick and eventually laminate looked like a better fit for us. The island is massive and I think technically it's called a peninsula, but I'm not all that into technicalities so call it what you wish BUT DO COME BY FOR COFFEE BECAUSE IT'S PERFECT FOR THAT.
2. BERRY, BERRY MUCH. We went berry picking and the only thing I really like to do with berries is make jam. Strawberries. Raspberries. The last couple of days I've been making jam all evening long and that means that I've been thinking about my Grandma a lot. She knows raspberry jam is my all-time favourite and for my entire life she has been letting me take as much of her yummy homemade jam as I could fit in my suitcases. After slaving away on my own jam it finally hit me just how little jam is the result of SO MANY HOURS OF BERRY PICKING. And washing. I'm going to hoard my jam like a greedy gus and NEVER SHARE. Except for a couple jars that I am going to send to my Grandma as a small token of my appreciation. (Thank you Grandma - your jam is WAY better than mine anyways.)
3. ONE MAN'S GARBAGE. We are SO CLOSE to being completely done in the kitchen. Dan installed the under the sink garbage can last night, but not before I could snap a photo of the pretty thing before it gets all garbage-can gross.
4. THE KITCHEN SINK. I like this A LOT. Somebody called it SINK PORN (and by somebody I mean Dan's cousin Carleigh). I agree. It's really pretty. It's big and deep and fits gigantic things like platters and french bulldogs. When we decided to go with laminate the square undermount sink that I wanted was a no go. I looked for a long time to find a top mount sink that I love.

Today: Oh man the plumber is coming to fill the boiler and connect a couple more radiators. I don't really want to be around for that in case there is a disaster to stress me out so the girls and I are going to boondoggle around the 'hood. That actually means that I am going to pull them in the wagon from park to park and tucker myself out. That's okay. They like it and my brain is very, very distracted by the enormous canvasses I hauled home from the art store yesterday. I have art on the brain. BIG. ART. Yay!

GO!

So they tell me!

Today is supposedly the second last day before the house90 REINVENTION is complete! And by complete they just mean the stuff the contractors were hired to do. But that was the hard stuff anyways. I'm crazy doubtful that it will all get done by Thursday but at least the end is only a short time away.

I can't wait. (Cross your fingers!)

The kitchen is coming together. Yesterday I made yummy strawberry jam and had the battle of my life with fruit flies. I won so it's all good.

Today: get serious about work. Our nanny is back. It's raining. The coffee pot works so there us no reason I can't kick this day hardcore.

GO!