And a few of the inside too....

Pictures

More updates to come later, but thought I'd post a few pics of the outside of the house. This will be more impressive when I can locate a "before" picture.

Who Has Time to Write?

It has been an incredibly long time since I’ve written, for several reasons. First and foremost, we have been so busy with all of this house renovation/moving out/moving in stuff that I am exhausted and my creative juices are running dry. Secondly, the little time and little juice that I do have has sadly been rationed toward my grant writing duties. Unfortunately, the monetary gains of that endeavor surpass those from writing this little blog. But, due to a surprising (albeit slight) demand for entries , I have decided to expend a bit of energy this evening providing updates on the house.

Because there has been so much that has happened since my last post on September 14^th (wow! It has been a long time!), I will break up the events into little chapters, the first being titled:

Home/Time Sucking Depot:

I cannot tell you how much time I spent en route to and at the Home Depot. And I cannot tell you how much time I would have saved had I known that there was a Home Depot located in Poulsbo, Washington, which is a good 15 minutes closer than the one we’d been traveling to in Silverdale, Washington. Sigh. At least we found out before we had completed all the home renovations, cause that really would have been hard to take.

Each location, however, has come to recognize me. I felt a twinge of pride when I walked through the door at one of the locations (I cannot even remember which), and an employee stationed at the front of the store said, “Oh, you’re back again.” This feeling was quickly replaced with embarrassment as I rolled the cart over my toe, but I digress.

Home Depot has provided pretty much everything and the kitchen sink. By the way, kitchen sinks are heavy and I strongly advise against any attempts to lift a boxed sink into your cart on your own. (My toe could have experienced much worse than an empty cart incident.) I picked out a beautiful bronze faucet to go with our sink, and a very helpful employee recommended that I pick out the drain at the same time. (Side note: why don’t kitchen sinks come with drains? Isn’t that like selling someone a car without a steering wheel? What good does that do me?) The employee recommended special ordering a bronze drain cover thing to match my faucet (because how embarrassing would that be if someone noticed the drain was silver and the faucet was bronze?). And then she told me the price. Seventy five dollars. As opposed to $20. I started laughing somewhat hysterically, and I think the employee recognized that the sale was about to disappear and she rapidly backtracked from her previous argument. “But I mean really, are you having your company do the dishes? How would they even notice the drain didn’t match? Ha ha. Ha ha.”

I also color matched my “Divine Paint Colors.” Our downstairs walls, if referred to by color name, sound delicious. We chose a “cocoa” for the kitchen and living room accent wall, an “almond” (which is deceiving – it is actually a shade of blue) for the family room, and a “vanilla” for the ceiling and hallway walls. The upstairs include Ellie’s “Grapes and Beans” – a lovely lavender, Sam’s “Full of Beans” – a lovely blue, the office’s “Birch” – yellow, and our room’s “Manzanita” – an awesome shade of green. Kind of Easter-ish upstairs, but I love it.

My Father the Hero

So, my Dad came up to help the week after we ripped out the carpets. He is amazing. The man’s work ethic is seriously unparalleled. He has tackled so many projects here at 201 Ihland Way, that I am embarrassed to say I can’t even remember what all he has done. Removing light fixtures, taping and painting many, many, many interior walls, including the aforementioned cocoa accent wall which actually is enormous and required some serious creative solutions. He will be a key player in the next several chapters, because he was pretty much there for it all. And, he came back for seconds, which is really impressive. I thought we’d never get him to come back, but after a short reprieve in Oregon, he made the trip back up to Bainbridge to paint again the following week and help with the move out/move in. I am seriously lucky.

El Gato No Es Una Parte De Mi Cuerpo

The previous owners here at 201 Ihland Way used the wooden stove. A lot. The downstairs walls in this place were completely covered with ash and soot. The outdoor painter that we contracted, Jose Ponce, had given us a business card that also included his wife’s cleaning business. We hired her and informed her to bring another individual to wash the walls with TSP which helps prep them to accept paint. Unfortunately, my high school Spanish class was not very good. We literally learned the Macarena dance for one full semester, when we weren’t learning very helpful phrases like the one that serves as the chapter title for this entry (it translates to: The cat is not a part of my body. I think.). So my attempts to communicate with Maria were comical – at one point I was trying to tell her that I’d be back but I had to first pick up my “ninos,” and I think she thought I was asking her to watch my kids. Anyway – she did a fabulous job, alongside her daughter-in-law. They each spent 8 hours ridding the walls of smoky remnants. They didn’t get a chance to finish the ceiling in the downstairs, so my Dad and I came back for the evening. What a job! We spent roughly two and a half hours on just the kitchen and the family room ceilings alone. My Dad came back the next day to work on the crazy hallway ceilings and the accent wall and living room ceilings, which were much too high for Maria. “Muy grande” she finally told me after several other attempts that left me clueless. Oh Seniora Mareno, you have failed me so.

It's all in the genes...

This particular post highlights a trait inherited, for better or worse, from my mother. Last night I crawled into bed with the heaviest of eyelids. Tyler finished brushing his teeth and hopped in as well, muttering something that was lost in the fog of my exhaustion. As I rolled over to turn off the light I managed a "hmmm?" He spoke again, and his words seemed to run together. While I could not make out exactly what he said, I could tell by the inflection that it was probably a question. I forced my eyelids open. "What honey? I didn't get that." He spoke slowly, clearly and loudly for my benefit (we've been married long enough that he knows I pretty much shut down mentally past 10 o'clock). "Can. you. please. go. check. the. house. tomorrow." "Why?" I asked, trying to surface completely from my haze. "Because I left a fan on in the Master."

I jolt up completely. In about ten seconds flat, a dozen horrendous scenarios play out in my mind. The gist of each scenario is the same: the fan shorts out, sending electrical sparks through the air that land on the chemical laden floor (thanks Kilz!) and ignite the house. (The variation comes in how we come to discover that our brand new home is now a charred pit. The real estate agents? The neighbors? We have out of state area codes..how would they know how to reach us.....)

"Why did you do that?" I finally ask.

"To air it out in there," he mumbles.

I am fully awake now with no help of going back to sleep. "Did you turn it on and watch it for at least one minute to make sure the fan is in solid working order?"

Silence. At first I think his silence is of the guilt ridden variety, and then I recognize the pattern of his breathing. He's fast asleep! How could he be? Why am I freaking out over this?

I look at the clock. 10:13. I wrestle in my mind with the notion of driving over to the new house to check on it - but the thought of peering in the black unfurnished house by myself is scarier than the house burning down. Plus - how tragic would it be if I got in an accident on the way over....

At 11:08 I am no closer to sleep, but am closer in understanding how difficult my mom must have had it during our teen years. If I am this worked up over a house, I can't imagine what I'll be like when my kids are out past curfew.

Speaking of kids, mine are making my house chores pretty much near impossible. I was charged with two house-related tasks today: pick out a sink and buy paint for the ceiling and upstairs rooms. I failed both miserably. I had barely uttered the words "Home Depot" when Ellie went ballistic. "No! No more Home Depot Mommy!!! Please no!!!" (Part of me echoed that sentiment....).

"Ok, ok....no Home Depot. We'll just go to Ace and look at paint there. That means a trip to Home Depot tomorrow though....."

"On the island, right mommy?"

"Yes, Ace is on the island. I promise."

When we arrive I put Sammy in the cart, assuming that this would keep him somewhat immobilized while Ellie and I began looking at paint. As soon as the aisle with paper cardstock samples was in view, Ellie ran ahead and began pulling cards with such alacrity that she had a stack at least 30 cards deep by the time I caught up with her. "Hold these Mommy, I'll get more. Don't worry."

At precisely that moment, Sam managed to free his legs from the cart leg holes, stand on the seat, and bend his legs with every intention of jumping out. I grabbed him (Ellie was still pulling cards in full force) and wrestled to keep him in my arms. He now knows that if he attempts to dive head first out of my arms, I have no choice but to put him down and get a better grip. He's a fast little bugger though, and he tore down the aisle as soon as his feet hit the ground.

The paint guy grabbed a set of all the color samples available. "Here. Take this. I usually only give it to contractors, but you can totally take it. Just pick your paint out at home and come back."

I was equal parts humiliated and relieved. I thanked him, took the enormous ringed stack, grabbed Sammy and motioned for Ellie to follow me. (For the record, her stack rivaled the one the employee had given me.) I sheepishly handed the stack back to the guy. "Umm, I can start to put these back for you..." We both knew there was little sincerity in that statement. Any additional moments lingering in this store section would only lead to more chaos. "No, no. Please, it is fine. I'll do it. Have a nice day ma'am." And thus concluded my house errands for the day.

I did make some progress, however. My friend Lisa came over for dinner with her boys as her husband is out of town and Tyler is working late. While the kids ate yakisoba noodles and rice, Lisa and I looked at all the paint samples I had acquired and she helped me make a few decisions. She has a great eye for color - her home is beautiful - and I think I've settled on colors for most of the rooms. Can't wait for you to all see!

With a little help from our friends...

Tyler and I enlisted the help of our very generous, very awesome friends and neighbors this weekend to make substantial progress on the home front. Tyler spent all day Friday tearing out the carpet and dragging it to the dump. (You'd be surprised by how much you can load in and on top of an Outback). Matty and Tyler spent Friday night ripping out the remaining staples - a job made more tolerable with a couple of Blue Heron beers.

With the stinky carpet off the premises - the house smells remarkably better. Our very own smell tester (Ellie) showed her approval by willingly stepping inside the house. Previously, she preferred to remain on the front porch. She has an incredibly sensitive nose...I'm wondering if there is a way to harness this talent for profit. Ideas anyone?

Sky Stewart arrived from Port Townsend with his son River in tow as a playmate for Ellie. I was again placed on child duty while Sky, Matty, and Tyler tackled plumbing and electrical issues and repaired walls. Meanwhile, the kids and I hit up waterfront park and the fudge shop, made a picnic lunch, put together a few puzzles, took naps, baked cookies, and watched part of Wall E. I'm telling you - rough day.

Sara and Matty invited us over for pizza and sports on Saturday night. I proceeded to make an ass of myself by explaining to Ellie that we were going to watch a basketball game while dining. Imagine my surprise when we tuned in to men with pads and helmets. What season is it anyway?

This morning Sara and I took the kids on a run to the beach while Tyler worked on painting the floor with Kilz. (The fact that it appears through this post that I am exerting minimal effort towards house issues is not lost on me. However, the intense damage that I am preventing by keeping Sam away from any ongoing projects must be given its due credit. More on that to come.)

Ellie helped Tyler remove...um...some heater cover things? not really quite sure what to call them...from the wall after our run and then we headed back to Fir Acres Drive. After Tyler finished "Kilzing" the floor, we dropped Sam off at the Otepkas for a play date and headed to Home Depot. We ordered counter tops, picked out a toilet (we opted against both the wooden toilet seat and the pink toilet seat that were Ellie's top choices), and purchased new door knobs and door handles.

My favorite part of the outing was catching Tyler in the tool aisle surrounded by four - yes four- sales associates with boxes of drills and saws piled at their feet. Two of the associates were pretending to drill phantom holes in the wall in demonstration. I'm not sure what they were attempting to illustrate - proper holding technique? - while the other two eagerly talked over one another to discuss the finer points of tool maintenance. Tyler looked like a kid in a candy store (and believe me, I know the look - I just took three of them to the fudge shop yesterday). "They're having a sale!" was about all he could muster. I left him there and took Ellie to the demo counter stations. When Tyler caught up to us he had three items in his cart. "You have to spend $300 to get $75 off, so we definitely needed the extra drill!" he assured me. I agreed wholeheartedly, not only because Ty will undoubtedly use these tools for years to come and he is doing an amazing job on the house, but also because this logic is going to serve me insanely well come the next major sale at my favorite shoe store on the island. Yes!

Tyler spent the rest of Sunday installing the new toilet, mulling over new closet doors, sinks, and faucets, and spackling a few more walls. I spent the rest of the day catching Sam in several destructive acts. He found a red pen in Ellie's box of art supplies and scribbled all over the couch cushions, he ripped open the bag of M&M's I had in my purse as an emergency pick-me-up for the extended Home Depot outing and scattered them across the floor, and he attempted to dump a handful of his rice from dinner into the heating vent before I caught him (I swear he stowed it in his cheek while I was taking him down from his high chair). I write about Sam's indiscretions only to prove that my efforts to entertain him away from the ongoings at 201 Ihland Way are also worthwhile.

A couple of big weeks ahead for us - wall cleaning, outdoor painting (forgot to mention in the post that the house was pressure washed on Saturday), deck staining, indoor painting, and carpet installation. We are so excited to have this project done! It is going to be beautiful!

It's Ours!!!!!

Today was a big day for Tyler and me. After many emotional highs and lows throughout the buying process - we finally got the keys to our new home. Yay! We are incredibly excited. The kids and I picked up Tyler from the ferry and drove to the new house to meet our realtor. The kids then proceeded to melt down (it was past their dinner time....) and so I took Ellie and Sam home (to the rental house) to make dinner and Tyler stayed behind soaking in the sights and smells of our new home. That didn't last too long.....you should smell the carpets in this place - ugh!

First thing tomorrow - carpet removal.