Home Sweet Home...
Not really having a firm idea of what to write last week, I texted Lauren and Cassie looking for input. Lauren suggested our new home. Immediately, I did a mental "UUgh" as visions of boxes and clutter filled my head. Would you believe I'm still unpacking boxes? Yeah. Unpacking all our things means we are meshing stuff together, cleaning, reorganizing, and - yep - making more boxes, damnit.
Along with the current reorganization, Vince has been doing home improvement projects for the last few years. There was the BIG kitchen re-do, and the deck that was added off the new kitchen a few summers ago. In September, all new windows, new front storm doors and a new sliding door to the deck were installed. Last month we added a loft area above the garage for storage. At some point we hope to paint inside and out, and finish the basement.
The house is in flux. Boxes in odd places waiting to be unpacked, things moving from here to there, looking for a perfect fit. It will take some time to unpack everything and completely settle in. Still, the topic was a good idea. As we get to each project, and I unpack and update different areas of the house, I'll post more pictures. For now, ignore the boxes etc... and here's a look.
The house sits on a curve. This is actually quite a nice feature, since we have no neighbors to the left/south of the front. I think it has great curb appeal, even with that darn snow. In the spring, we plan to remove the zebra grass, and I think we'll plant the big flower bed with perennials and some annuals for quick color. I love the bush in the corner - taken before the snow. What gorgeous red color!
The front door opens to a very pretty staircase, to which we've recently added more plants and a chair my mom refinished. Vince had the marble table in the living room, and after trying out a bunch of different stands looking for the "right" height, we've settled on this one. My cactus (cacti?) are alive and well!
Beyond the stairs, we have an office/library and it's probably one of my favorite spaces. Henry likes it too, as you can see. Vince and I have our books, records, CD's, our collections of poetry books, and little treasures all stashed on these six IKEA bookcases. There's a huge comfy chair - if you can get Henry to share, and two desks, one for each of us. Right now, mine's a bit messy.
In the dinning room, catty-corner from the office, we spruced up the china cupboard which was previously filled with glasses of all kinds, and re-organized drawers and doors. To say Vince had "a small collection of stemware" in the china cupboard would be an understatement. We picked our favorites and stashed some in the bar in the corner. That made room for some of my favorite family pieces, and we also found a bunch of boxes in the basement with china and serving pieces for parties, so I added some of that to the mix.
At the end of the hall is the kitchen. I think it took Vince and I almost a year of "reconnoitering", gathering estimates, sales, contracts... to finally settle on a layout plus all the tile, counter top, appliances... At the time, I was driving up once a month. I'd get here Friday night, and we'd head off on Saturday afternoon and look at row after row of marble, granite... or handles for doors. It felt like the never-ending project, almost as if it would never come to fruition, but when it did it turned out beautifully.
The dogs love to sleep in front of the sliding doors. I disturbed Dexter's nap time. We turned the old kitchen table against the wall, and it's a nice spot to grab lunch or breakfast. Eventually, we want to put a bistro-type table there, and matching stools under the wide curved counter top.
You can see a bit of the deck, but we've mostly stored everything for the winter. I'll save the living room for a separate post. I've been experimenting with the mantle, and I'm going to paint my coffee table in the spring and add it to the room. You'll have to wait, but not too long. We have pictures to hang, and I want to print photos from our trip to Italy and frame and hang those somewhere. But for now, there's a bit of our home.
We've had a busy two-weeks. Gabe had a pretty nasty cold, I finally picked a hair salon and got my hair "done", we are in the process of getting Ontario plates for my car... I'll write more soon and catch up on a few other things. Hope you're warm and dry, and enjoying your weekend.
Talk soon!
Jennifer
Along with the current reorganization, Vince has been doing home improvement projects for the last few years. There was the BIG kitchen re-do, and the deck that was added off the new kitchen a few summers ago. In September, all new windows, new front storm doors and a new sliding door to the deck were installed. Last month we added a loft area above the garage for storage. At some point we hope to paint inside and out, and finish the basement.
The house is in flux. Boxes in odd places waiting to be unpacked, things moving from here to there, looking for a perfect fit. It will take some time to unpack everything and completely settle in. Still, the topic was a good idea. As we get to each project, and I unpack and update different areas of the house, I'll post more pictures. For now, ignore the boxes etc... and here's a look.
The house sits on a curve. This is actually quite a nice feature, since we have no neighbors to the left/south of the front. I think it has great curb appeal, even with that darn snow. In the spring, we plan to remove the zebra grass, and I think we'll plant the big flower bed with perennials and some annuals for quick color. I love the bush in the corner - taken before the snow. What gorgeous red color!
 |
 |
 |
The front door opens to a very pretty staircase, to which we've recently added more plants and a chair my mom refinished. Vince had the marble table in the living room, and after trying out a bunch of different stands looking for the "right" height, we've settled on this one. My cactus (cacti?) are alive and well!
 |
 |
 |
Beyond the stairs, we have an office/library and it's probably one of my favorite spaces. Henry likes it too, as you can see. Vince and I have our books, records, CD's, our collections of poetry books, and little treasures all stashed on these six IKEA bookcases. There's a huge comfy chair - if you can get Henry to share, and two desks, one for each of us. Right now, mine's a bit messy.
 |
 |
 |
 |
In the dinning room, catty-corner from the office, we spruced up the china cupboard which was previously filled with glasses of all kinds, and re-organized drawers and doors. To say Vince had "a small collection of stemware" in the china cupboard would be an understatement. We picked our favorites and stashed some in the bar in the corner. That made room for some of my favorite family pieces, and we also found a bunch of boxes in the basement with china and serving pieces for parties, so I added some of that to the mix.
 |
 |
 |
At the end of the hall is the kitchen. I think it took Vince and I almost a year of "reconnoitering", gathering estimates, sales, contracts... to finally settle on a layout plus all the tile, counter top, appliances... At the time, I was driving up once a month. I'd get here Friday night, and we'd head off on Saturday afternoon and look at row after row of marble, granite... or handles for doors. It felt like the never-ending project, almost as if it would never come to fruition, but when it did it turned out beautifully.
 |
 |
 |
The dogs love to sleep in front of the sliding doors. I disturbed Dexter's nap time. We turned the old kitchen table against the wall, and it's a nice spot to grab lunch or breakfast. Eventually, we want to put a bistro-type table there, and matching stools under the wide curved counter top.
 |
 |
You can see a bit of the deck, but we've mostly stored everything for the winter. I'll save the living room for a separate post. I've been experimenting with the mantle, and I'm going to paint my coffee table in the spring and add it to the room. You'll have to wait, but not too long. We have pictures to hang, and I want to print photos from our trip to Italy and frame and hang those somewhere. But for now, there's a bit of our home.
We've had a busy two-weeks. Gabe had a pretty nasty cold, I finally picked a hair salon and got my hair "done", we are in the process of getting Ontario plates for my car... I'll write more soon and catch up on a few other things. Hope you're warm and dry, and enjoying your weekend.
Talk soon!
Jennifer
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