Thanks!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
I've Moved! Bigger, Better, and Uncut. Domestiphobia.net
So. I totally forgot I had this blog. If you stumble across it, you can check out the... uh... beefier one over at Domestiphobia.net.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
"I don't know what you're looking at. I'm not too big for this bed."
"Seriously... it isn't polite to stare."
"I dare you to take this bed away from me."
Even they don't want to admit how fast they're growing up...
The Money Pit (Part 1)
I suppose if we're going to be telling you about our home renovation DIY flops, we should probably go ahead and show you what we're working with here. I was hoping to avoid this post until we had some - any - completed "after" pictures to share, but alas, 2-1/2 years of home-ownership hasn't spawned in us any sense of urgency.
Until now.
Because now you can see this and now I feel judged.
And I don't like feeling judged.
So with no further stalling, here is the shameful love-child that we call home:
Whew. That actually wasn't so bad. The house is actually kinda cute... or maybe that effect is caused by the elated first-time homebuyers standing on the front step on C-Day (Closing Day). What's there to be embarrassed about? The rusted-out porch light? Nah... that adds character. The backwards storm door? No, we love the challenge of opening two doors two different ways just to let someone inside. And the weed-bed in front of the porch? Completely intentional.
So that was the easy part. Really, the front exterior is the least of our worries. Now we enter into the living room, one of the rooms in which we have probably made some of the biggest improvements thus-far.
Yikes! Okay that was a bit more painful. But that was on moving day... This is closer to how it looks right now:
Still needs work, but after scraping the "popcorn" finish off the ceilings, patching the speaker holes in the fireplace wall (sort-of), and painting some inviting colors, I think we've improved it. *There will be many more details on the aforementioned projects to come.
And the kitchen. What can I say about the kitchen, except that the original builders must have LOVED the color white. And brass. And then more white.
Yikes.
Yowza.
We are currently in the midst of an excruciatingly-long, exceedingly-trying kitchen renovation. It has seriously sucked up the last year and a half of our lives. So rather than show just one in-progress picture, this project warrants its own post (or several).
But the worst of the kitchen monstrosities is this... this thing that was left to us by the previous homeowners. It was hanging directly over the kitchen dining area. Above the very place where were were expected to eat. You could see it right when you walked in the front door and looked straight on into the kitchen. (I'm not talking about our realtor - Hi Kay!)
Here's a closer look - avert your eyes if the pain becomes too great:
What is that? Is it a fan? Is it a chandelier?
No... it's a fandelier!
This was one of the first things we changed. Since Justin is in the military and frequently gone for training, I didn't want to be alone in the house with it.
So that takes you the first couple of rooms into our 1600 sq. ft. abode. I'm excited to reveal more of our in-progress projects, but even more excited to have the motivation to finish them. Putting these images out into the world has made me realize two things: 1) We're extremely lucky to have what we have, and 2) Getting judged isn't so bad when it motivates you to improve. And another piece of wisdom about judgment? It goes down much easier with a glass of cabernet.
Cheers!
v/r,
Katie
Until now.
Because now you can see this and now I feel judged.
And I don't like feeling judged.
So with no further stalling, here is the shameful love-child that we call home:
Whew. That actually wasn't so bad. The house is actually kinda cute... or maybe that effect is caused by the elated first-time homebuyers standing on the front step on C-Day (Closing Day). What's there to be embarrassed about? The rusted-out porch light? Nah... that adds character. The backwards storm door? No, we love the challenge of opening two doors two different ways just to let someone inside. And the weed-bed in front of the porch? Completely intentional.
So that was the easy part. Really, the front exterior is the least of our worries. Now we enter into the living room, one of the rooms in which we have probably made some of the biggest improvements thus-far.
Yikes! Okay that was a bit more painful. But that was on moving day... This is closer to how it looks right now:
Still needs work, but after scraping the "popcorn" finish off the ceilings, patching the speaker holes in the fireplace wall (sort-of), and painting some inviting colors, I think we've improved it. *There will be many more details on the aforementioned projects to come.
And the kitchen. What can I say about the kitchen, except that the original builders must have LOVED the color white. And brass. And then more white.
Yikes.
Yowza.
We are currently in the midst of an excruciatingly-long, exceedingly-trying kitchen renovation. It has seriously sucked up the last year and a half of our lives. So rather than show just one in-progress picture, this project warrants its own post (or several).
But the worst of the kitchen monstrosities is this... this thing that was left to us by the previous homeowners. It was hanging directly over the kitchen dining area. Above the very place where were were expected to eat. You could see it right when you walked in the front door and looked straight on into the kitchen. (I'm not talking about our realtor - Hi Kay!)
Here's a closer look - avert your eyes if the pain becomes too great:
What is that? Is it a fan? Is it a chandelier?
No... it's a fandelier!
This was one of the first things we changed. Since Justin is in the military and frequently gone for training, I didn't want to be alone in the house with it.
So that takes you the first couple of rooms into our 1600 sq. ft. abode. I'm excited to reveal more of our in-progress projects, but even more excited to have the motivation to finish them. Putting these images out into the world has made me realize two things: 1) We're extremely lucky to have what we have, and 2) Getting judged isn't so bad when it motivates you to improve. And another piece of wisdom about judgment? It goes down much easier with a glass of cabernet.
Cheers!
v/r,
Katie
Truth.
The truth is, there are three different types of people in the world of domesticity: Those who do, those who can't do, and those who think they can do but really can't.
Wait... what?
If you were able to follow that, I will tell you that Justin and I have thus far fallen closer into that third realm. We're wannabes. Misfits. Naive. We often walk into our home and don't even see the ripped, worn carpets, unfinished trim, or paint splotches on the walls. We only see what it could be... what we want it to be... not what it actually is. We're blinded by our own enthusiasm. And then we wonder why our neighbors give us questioning looks when they walk into our house.
Case-in-point:
Think this is the latest in modern art? Unfortunately, no. We're not that trendy. This is evidence of us trying to lock down a paint color for the kitchen. It's been like this for two years.
And how embarrassing is this?
Do you think the carpet looks like this in some obscure corner of a back bedroom no one ever sees? No dice. Welcome to our main hallway.
And umm.... wait... what is that?!
Well that's another story for another time.
In all fairness, we truly did buy a "fixer-upper" for our first home, thinking our vast HGTV-watching experience would make us experts at flipping a house. It was only built in '94, but years of negligent owners and uncaring renters had let the place fall into major cosmetic disrepair by the time we bought it in April of 2007. Nothing in here that is dirty, worn or broken (besides some of our old furniture) is a mess of our own making. We bought it like this, I promise. But the incomplete projects? The disorganization? The gnaw marks on our table and sofa legs from when we first took home our pups? Oh yes, that's all ours.
v/r,
Katie
Wait... what?
If you were able to follow that, I will tell you that Justin and I have thus far fallen closer into that third realm. We're wannabes. Misfits. Naive. We often walk into our home and don't even see the ripped, worn carpets, unfinished trim, or paint splotches on the walls. We only see what it could be... what we want it to be... not what it actually is. We're blinded by our own enthusiasm. And then we wonder why our neighbors give us questioning looks when they walk into our house.
Case-in-point:
Think this is the latest in modern art? Unfortunately, no. We're not that trendy. This is evidence of us trying to lock down a paint color for the kitchen. It's been like this for two years.
And how embarrassing is this?
Do you think the carpet looks like this in some obscure corner of a back bedroom no one ever sees? No dice. Welcome to our main hallway.
And umm.... wait... what is that?!
Well that's another story for another time.
In all fairness, we truly did buy a "fixer-upper" for our first home, thinking our vast HGTV-watching experience would make us experts at flipping a house. It was only built in '94, but years of negligent owners and uncaring renters had let the place fall into major cosmetic disrepair by the time we bought it in April of 2007. Nothing in here that is dirty, worn or broken (besides some of our old furniture) is a mess of our own making. We bought it like this, I promise. But the incomplete projects? The disorganization? The gnaw marks on our table and sofa legs from when we first took home our pups? Oh yes, that's all ours.
v/r,
Katie
Jack of all trades
...but sadly, master of none. Believe it or not, that's exactly the phrase a college career counselor used to describe my aspirations when I refused to turn in a paper laying out, in detail, my career goals for the future. Although he meant it as a deterrent in a last-ditch effort to convince me to make a plan, he inadvertently inspired in me the drive to resist focusing my life, values and career in only one direction and continuously acquire radial knowledge in any area that piqued my interest. "Not bad!" I exclaimed, the excitement of a dawning realization still fresh in my voice, "I will be a jack of all trades - but I will master them all."
Seven years later, I may not be living the wildly adventurous life I'd imagined, but I am trying - really trying - to become a jack of, well... whatever I can get my hands on. I didn't realize it at the time, but my counselor was absolutely right. It's extremely difficult to try to master anything while focusing on nothing. Wizened by years of aimless flounder (inspired by my acute fear of stagnancy and what I like to call "Life ADD"), I've managed to acquire a piecemeal spattering of tidbittal factoids, skills, and learned behavior. Some of this has been quite useful, but I've admittedly become notorious for never finishing a lesson - never completing a project. And what's worse, I've been dragging my husband along for the ride since 2006!
From attempting to learn a foreign language, to concocting edible food, and even to renovating and decorating our home, nothing ever gets finished. Throughout this blog we will be documenting our self and home improvement attempts, including: tiling our bathroom floor; learning how to focus an expensive camera; wheeling and dealing with contracted professionals; creating a website; and understanding how cook something that doesn't come from a box. Often we will use other blogs and online resources as our inspiration for projects and ideas, and we will show how ours pan out compared to theirs. When you look at a project someone does online and ask yourself, "How hard can it be?" We will tell you - we will tell you from the unnaturally-talented, un-crafty, discomfort of our unfinished home. You will be privy to it all, my friends - successes and failures alike.
So that's why I've created this space. It's my - nay our - commitment and record of all that we start. And with any luck and a new-found sense of commitment, hopefully everything we finish.
v/r,
Katie
Seven years later, I may not be living the wildly adventurous life I'd imagined, but I am trying - really trying - to become a jack of, well... whatever I can get my hands on. I didn't realize it at the time, but my counselor was absolutely right. It's extremely difficult to try to master anything while focusing on nothing. Wizened by years of aimless flounder (inspired by my acute fear of stagnancy and what I like to call "Life ADD"), I've managed to acquire a piecemeal spattering of tidbittal factoids, skills, and learned behavior. Some of this has been quite useful, but I've admittedly become notorious for never finishing a lesson - never completing a project. And what's worse, I've been dragging my husband along for the ride since 2006!
From attempting to learn a foreign language, to concocting edible food, and even to renovating and decorating our home, nothing ever gets finished. Throughout this blog we will be documenting our self and home improvement attempts, including: tiling our bathroom floor; learning how to focus an expensive camera; wheeling and dealing with contracted professionals; creating a website; and understanding how cook something that doesn't come from a box. Often we will use other blogs and online resources as our inspiration for projects and ideas, and we will show how ours pan out compared to theirs. When you look at a project someone does online and ask yourself, "How hard can it be?" We will tell you - we will tell you from the unnaturally-talented, un-crafty, discomfort of our unfinished home. You will be privy to it all, my friends - successes and failures alike.
So that's why I've created this space. It's my - nay our - commitment and record of all that we start. And with any luck and a new-found sense of commitment, hopefully everything we finish.
v/r,
Katie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
