Happy Trails

A Mini-Tour

It was a very productive weekend. We have been in the new house for a little over a month now, and this evening, we both finally feel like we're home. The last few weekends (some of them long ones) have been spent unpacking, organizing, shopping, etc. Today we were finally able to clean the house (the finished rooms) from start to finish, and it feels amazing to be able to walk across a room without tripping over a box, or stepping on something. Given that we have finished decorating a few rooms, I thought I would share them with you here in a mini-tour of sorts.

First, the front hallway:

 

Mom and I initially painted this room a taupe/grey, but I felt like it was a bit too dark, plus I wanted for the entire hallway to match the walls in the stairwell and upstairs hallway. The front foyer and hallway back to the kitchen provide the perfect backdrop for the mountain photos by my favorite photographer--Gene Taylor.

 

Next, we go upstairs to the master! We painted in this room, and that was pretty much all we changed.

 

I love the master bedroom. It's really large, and there is finally enough room for all of our clothes due to the awesome walk-in closet.

 

Probably our favorite part of this room is the reading nook.

 

The master bathroom is right off of the bedroom. We changed a lot of things in here. While it's nice to have the jacuzzi tub, there isn't a ton of storage in this bathroom, and there was only one (ONE!) towel bar. Salmaan removed the existing one, and installed all new hardware.

 

The picture window is really nice, and lets in a ton of light. Salmaan also put together the space-saver storage unit, which gave us the shelf space that we needed. Eventually we'll probably paint this room a nice pale sage green, but I'm done painting for now.

 

And last, but most certainly not least, my study/yarn room!!!! I've been really excited to share this one--it is definitely one of my favorite rooms in the house. A cool buy was the stainless steel magnetic board from PB--there are these magnetic cannisters, and they provide the PERFECT storage solution for the majority of my notions.

 

One of my favorite pieces of furniture is this cool bookcase--it provided all of the storage I needed for WIPs, sweater yarn, my old stereo, and other odds and ends.

 

This is my desk area, which I have really been using more than anything. There's room to spread out here, which I really dig. I still haven't figured out what I want to put on the walls so far as pictures/art goes, but I'm excited to get some inspiration in the future.

 

And here's the view from my knitting chair, with space to spare on the bookshelves for more knitting/hobby books!

 

This is one of the three completed closets that Salmaan finished this weekend. He put shelves into my study closet, the closet in the media room, and the laundry/utility closet. It was quite a big job (especially considering that when I measured the closets the first time, I did it wrong and so all of the shelves were too long. I can't count the number of times he had to go back and forth to the home improvement store to get these right...), and I'm so proud of him (not to mention appreciative!)

 

And there you have it! I'll share more rooms as soon as they get completed and are presentable. River and Mea have settled in nicely, and the whole family seems to like it here a lot. This weekend was also nice because we tried out the Indian restaurant that is near our house, and found it to be very good!!! (a serious must for us, as we both LOVE Indian food). We also went to a neat place called Chicken Fiesta for lunch that was out of SIGHT. I think my Dad would really like it too, we'll have to take him there when my parents come visit.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend, and believe it or not, there will be some knitting content on this blog soon!!!

The Move

So, it's been a few weeks since we've moved into our first home! Thought I'd take some time to reflect on the process, and share our hellacious Christmas move-in week with you all.

The first tremendous blessing (of many) was that my parents were able to arrive in town to help us a full two days earlier than they had anticipated, which made a TON of difference in how much we were actually able to accomplish that week. They were here for a full eight days, and pretty much became our "house slaves" as Dad termed it. We all worked our tails off, and painted the entire house (sans 2.5 bathrooms, which didn't need it), plus did some necessary repairs. (Well, Dad did them, and the rest of us attentively watched and learned). Here was our first meal in the new place, a la Subway:

I am tremendously pleased with the colors we chose, all accept for the dining room. The primer for "Somerville Red" (Benjamin Moore color) was the precursor of doom, when it went on and resembled one of my favorite, albeit UGLY, things:

 

It was all down hill from there, when after a couple of days I realized that Sommerville Red was actually purple. Yep. Purple. Not the sexy maroon/burgundy I was going for. Although I was so tired at the end of dining room paint day, exhuastion did fool me into thinking that it was a beautiful ruby color, resembling wine:

 

Or, maybe it was just the wine....This was at least day four, so give me a little break, eh? (It must be mentioned that Dad was very critical of the fact that these shots were taken of me wearing my very favorite, very potent orange colored Patagonia pullover (it's R.5 baby, they don't even MAKE that anymore!!!!!), and I must say, Pops has an eye for a *bad* photo op. ;-)

Anyway, between the movers we hired to handle our furniture (2 out of 3 of them were the nicest guys ever, with one negative Nancy that I almost went postal on), and our blood-relative house slaves, everything fell into place as much as it could before we hit the grind again at work.

Most notably, the huge L-shaped couch finally got STUFFED into the bonus room that we are currently using as the living room, upstairs, and we basically have a professional paint job that looks incredible--there's nothing like moving into your first place and feeling like you were able to put your own stamp on it--and a fresh coat of paint is almost like cleaning in a way. Here was the leader of our crew-David B. himself:

 

Another highlight of the move was the incredible menu that we enjoyed for 10 straight days. I was adamant that we would NOT be relying on any sort of take-out, and gosh darn it if anal planning didn't come through--between shrimp pesto, veggie wellington, and organic mac-n-cheese, one couldn't have hoped for a more decadent, fuel-filled selection. I have a feeling that I will think longingly of Dad's beef burgundy for months (or at least until I try to make it myself!).

A few things we learned along the way:

1) Don't be afraid to make sure you get what you want--whether it be when there are snafus at closing, or when the lazy oafish moving foreman refuses to recognize that the couch WILL fit if he would just remove the legs...

2) Be prepared to CLEAN. I was not--I thought the house would be in really good shape dust/dirt wise, and it wasn't. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have a cleaning service lined up to help out--after all, you've got enough to worry about, right?

3) Condiments--including pickled items like ginger and...well, pickles...have a shelf-life. I couldn't believe how much of the food in our fridge was expired--ew. Go through that thing every so often! We ended up dumping nearly everything, and restocking.

4) You'll always spend more money than you anticipate--so just be prepared for that, and work it into your budget as much as you can. Also, determine the short-cut to your nearest Lowes. It WILL be necessary.

I must admit, it was difficult to see my parents go, but we sent them off as rejuvinated as we could, with one-hour massages and a nice dinner out on their last Saturday here, not to mention a kick-ass brunch including mimosas to celebrate (thanks for the Champagne, Amanda!). While getting back into the routine at work as been a little squidgy, each day when I pull into the driveway I feel more excited that this place is OURS. It's an incredible feeling--especially when I see River belting her little legs out in the backyard--I've never seen her run like that before--it's awesome (video to come, soon!).

While I had big plans to photo-document the "entire" process, that really didn't even come close to happening. We woke up, worked, ate, worked, ate, worked, and crashed. Not to say that it wasn't fun--and rewarding--just, there wasn't much time to pause and take shots of the process. I must say I enjoyed painting the master with my parents the most--between two coats of paint I heard all about every home they ever lived in--from the roach motel to the house I lived my entire life in. Some good stories. It's always a neat thing when you get to experience your parents as PEOPLE, not just parents--know what I mean?

In any case, there's still a lot of work to do (including repainting the dining room--although I've picked the do-over--"Dinner Party"), but I'm excited to share one completed room at a time, as soon as they exist. And, before that happens I still need to tell you about what a great Christmas Eve we had, and all of its surprises! Until then...adios!

And So It Begins...

I remember reading a review of "The Two Towers" right after it came out, in our local newspaper...it described the battle at Helms Deep, and how King Theoden states, with great drama and foreboding, "And...So it Begins..." The reviewer commented that it was pretty funny that K.T. shoudl make such a statement, given that the film had been going on for over two hours...

We're there. We're two hours into a long ass movie, and there's another hour left to go, and yet, I'm sitting here, staring at the mound of things to come, and I'm saying to myself, "And so, it begins." Pretty damn lame.

And yet, the best part of the movie (remove the "i") is yet to come. The parental units were able to arrive in red capes two days ahead of schedule, which means two days worth of crap got done before it ever would have otherwise. An amazing blessing. I'm more exhausted than ever, but excited, too. The new house is quiet. And feels safe. And it smells nice. Yes, I think burnt carpet from fused seams and paint fumes smell nice. And the guest bedroom, soon to be the home of a lovingly knit coverlet, is actually NOT too bright a shade of yellow. Rock ON. "They call me mellow yellow..." (that is actually the name of the paint color).

Not to mention the fact that a neighbor stopped to say hello on our first day, and asked if Salmaan was Muslim. Yeah, not so socially graceful, but the intention was good--he wanted to inform us that there is a Muslim family at the end of the culdesac, in case we might want to ask them about where to worship. I'm alright with that. And am hopeful, and feeling blessed, and, oh yeah, did I mention? Exhausted. Time for B-E-D.

Happy Holidays to all of you. I hope you are as blessed as we are this holiday season. No internet for a while after this. Hopefully I'll have an F.O. to share by the time I get back...Peace OUT.

Getting Organized

In the last few months, before we started seriously looking for a new home, I allowed life to get a bit...cluttered.

 

The leftover yarn from numerous hat projects was strewn about, my needles were everywhere, and I was drowning in receipts. Not to mention the fact that my shelves had become overrun with...well...laziness.

 

I finally decided it was time for a change, and one Saturday I totally organized my study. It took forever, but I was quite pleased with the results.

I got rid of a ton of old books, and was very proud of my top shelf--it now holds all of the books related to my hobbies--knitting, hiking, Puppers, dreaming of a new Zealand vacation, and paddling--not to mention a few books on photography, landscaping, and water gardens. I had a place to put the yarn for all of my pending projects--no more digging around in rubbermaids stored under the bed to find my fiber. I even gave a whole shelf to all of my works in progress--)that's what all the plastic bags are).

And JUST when I felt I had gotten organized, we found the perfect house. And that has lead to a whole new kind of organizing--better referred to, perhaps, as PURGING. This past Sunday we went through the entire attic, and cleaned it out. A lot of things got thrown away, even more went to Good Will. It felt so good to get rid of all of that stuff...it really adds to the sense that we're making a new beginning with this house.

I know that packing is going to be a bear, but somehow it'll all come together. This weekend we hammered out a lot of important details--carpet installation, a moving date (as well as a moving company), putting in for leave at work to do it all, and we've even started to pick out some new items to purchase to decorate. It's been a little overwhelming, but also super fun.

Last week was the inspection, and everything went awesomely. It's a good, sound house, with hardly any problems at all. A few minor things will be fixed by the sellers before closing. While I initially thought that new construction meant "lack of character", my tune has changed. I'm thrilled at the first house being so low-maintenance, and with all the crown moulding and millwork details, I think it has a ton of character. Not to mention that with the new carpet and paint, we really have the opportunity to make this place our own. Here are some pictures that Salmaan took during the inspection.

 

Eventually I think it would look nice to have black shutters and a red door. I love red doors!

 

One of the things I'm most excited about is the kitchen. The cabinets have neat features--the shelves pull out for easy access, and the silver handles and pendant lighting are a lot of fun. I am THRILLED to have a pantry--no more stuff on display in rubbermaids! That's me and our real estate agent, who by the way is absolutely awesome. This past weekend we purchased some neat swivel chairs for the breakfast bar--and that long wall is just BEGGING for a cool organization system!!!

 

Here's the eat-in area off the kitchen. I love how the light streams in! I initially liked the green, but after sitting with it for a while, it's gotta go. It's just a little too...."too", know what I mean? It wasn't easy to sit with after five minutes.

This bedroom will be turned into my study/yarn room--my very own "Yarnia".

 

This is probably the room I'm most excited about--the "Man Room". It's the bonus room over the garage, and will serve as Salmaan's study/media room. It'll also be our living room for probably the next year, until we can afford to furnish the actual living room, downstairs.

 

And of course, there's the backyard. River doesn't know it yet, but she's super-excited about this part of the house!!!!!!

I can't wait to throw a ball and watch her run run run for it. There's also plenty of room for a nice vegetable garden, and the potential for a custom deck.

All in all, in case you can't tell, I'm really frickin' excited. And needless to say, with all that's going on, I haven't knit a stitch in weeks. My projects (especially my sweater) implore me to pick them up whenever I walk by. Until this evening, I haven't been able to oblige.It felt really good to pick up the needles again, and hopefully I'll have an FO to share soon. In the meantime, I'll be gushing over the house, posting recipes (an amazing indian meal is on its way, soon!), and looking forward to sharing the final steps of this process with you!

Happy Election Day!

The Acceptance!!!!!!!!!!!

Today at 5:00 p.m. the sellers accepted our offer!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, technically it was our counter offer to their counter offer, but who the frick cares?!?!?! We're gonna be homeowners! Pending inspection, blah blah blah...the big hurdle is over, which feels....incredible. I've been wanting this for so long, and I can't believe that it's finally here. If everything goes well, the closing date will be December 19th. I wonder if that'll give us enough time to buy/decorate a tree for our first Christmas in the new house? It's an exciting thought! There are 2.5 baths, which means I've got some Mason Dixon hand towels to knit. Yarn diet be damned, I'll be raiding the hemp section of the Yarn Lounge this weekend. ;-) We're off to go celebrate...

The Offer

At 8:15 p.m. this evening, we made an offer on a house. Our first offer ever, for our first house ever. It is the most exciting and the most frightening thing I have ever done. I can't decide whether I want to scream in celebration or throw up. I might just go do both. And then have a glass of wine with some piping hot, deliciously bad-for-you delivery pizza.

We'll know by tomorrow night whether the offer is accepted, rejected, or if there's a counter-offer. And so it begins...wish us luck!

Columbus Day Weekend

Friday Salmaan and I headed home to visit my parents for the weekend. It was great to spend some time with them, and also to enjoy this beautiful fall weather in the mountains. Saturday Salmaan went to VMI (it was parent's weekend there), and enjoyed catching up with some of his favorite professors and classmates. Mom and I spent the day at Orchardside Yarn Shop and had a good time. We packed a picnic lunch, and bought her some yarn and needles for a few more projects. I also taught her to knit in the round.

 

She's making Jared Flood's Turn a Square hat for her first hat project. She's using Cascade 220 for the base color, and a really nice shade of Noro Silk Garden for the contrasting stripes. Making this hat she will learn M1, striping, wrapping yarn, raglan decreases, and knitting on dpns. Not bad, eh?

I worked on my Knitting Pure and Simple Malabrigo sweater.

 

I've almost completed the body--maybe by the end of today, even!

Of course, anytime we're at home we enjoy Dad's amazing cooking. Friday night we enjoyed shrimp pesto with farfalle, along with a wonderful salad with homemade ranch dressing. Saturday night we had these marinated and grilled Cornish Hens, with homemade jalapeno cornbread and a side of basmati with black beans and freshly chopped vidallias and cilantro.

 

Sunday brunch was a delightful combination of homemade banana bread, a fruit medley of pineapple, mango, oranges and grapes, as well as a delicious homemade tomato basil quiche.

 

 

I think River enjoyed herself as well. While she didn't get to partake in any of the delicious meals, she sure got a lot of extra loving.

 

The whole experience left her plumb tuckered.

 

I had today off from work (AWESOME!) so I used the morning to go check out more homes with our real estate agent. Sadly, no serious options, but it feels good to be looking. We're starting to narrow our search down to certain areas, but haven't totally shut out the possibility of living within the city limits, either. I just can't wait to find THE ONE--it's going to feel so good to have a place to call our own! We're not in any kind of rush, but it would be nice if it happened sooner rather than later--please keep your fingers crossed for us! I'm off to repot plants, write thank-you notes, and of course, knit. I might also have a go at making some of that wonderful banana bread we enjoyed this weekend....Happy Columbus Day!

A Different Kind of Stash

Lately I've really been thinking about how awesome it would be to buy a house. We've been renting the same place now for two years, and we're both really ready to move on. The following phrases lilt beautifully through my daydreams...quiet neighborhood...tree-lined street...double vanity...hardwood floors without 1 inch cracks between the boards...patio furniture...backyard...respectable herb garden...driveway and/or carport and/or garage...*sigh*. I feel relaxed and at home already.

And that isn't to say that our current place hasn't been great. It IS great. It has a ton of character, it's huge, historical, and total unexpected for the rent. However, the glow of a fast-food restaurant sign invades our bedroom at night, the cops won't come by to disperse the drunk people that congregate on our street in the wee hours unless an assault is taking place (as one did last weekend), and the bars on the window, while comforting, probably shouldn't be. We're not students anymore, meaning we're not excited about the raving bar scene or the convenience of drunk food practically at our front door. We're professionals, and we want to live like the hum-drum suburbanites that we know we are inside.

Given that my job future is pretty uncertain right now, and the fact that Hubster has to pass a tough exam before he starts getting reasonably compensated for his work, it looks like house-buying is not in our immediate future. I'm a saver, but...there's gotta be something to save.

So in lieu of house hunting at the moment, I have decided to feed my need to move with creation of a different kind of stash. If I see a sale, or have some extra bucks and see something that I would love to have in our new house--I'm going to get it. And then I'm going to put it away, save it, and not use it. I'm also going to start knitting some houseware patterns I've been saving and stashing some great yarn for. Then, I'm going to put them away, save them, and not use them. I know, you're probably thinking--"Live in the moment, Laura! Enjoy it now!" And I hear you, I really do. I just...think this will help. Maybe it'll extend the efficacy of my daydreams just a little longer until they can become a reality. And think how cool it'll be to not only have a new house, but unique, half forgotten comforts to add to the novelty of it all, when all of our hard work finally comes to fruition...

My first stashed items:

George Carruth, how I love thee...

You can never have enough fabric napkins! Until, of course, it comes time to iron them...then it always feels like you have plenty...

 

I *heart* World Market--it's like Pottery Barn for people who hate Pottery Barn. And they're into free trade, which rocks my consumer-driven world.