Renovation progress report - week 38

It's that time again... the time when we at NewlyWoodwards share the weekly renovation status update. Hold onto your hard hats, here we go...

Painting, painting, painting
I've been doing lots more painting this week. So much so that my dreams are even filled with cans of paint and rollers. All the window trim that's installed has been painted.

It looks awesome in person. What a difference new windows with new trim can make.

The dining room is tied for my favorite room in the house. With every other room.

I also painted that lovely wooden ceiling I shared last week. I honestly hate painting ceilings. And this is a big room. With extra tall ceilings. And wood that really sucks up the paint.

Luckily, Behr just came out with a ceiling paint with built-in primer. (Thank you.) So, two coats covered pretty well. After a quick Twitter call-out, I decided to use ceiling paint instead of trim paint.

Some of you may remember my stories about my dad's dismay at me painting all the woodwork (it's well-documented on NewlyWoodwards). After seeing the woodwork on the ceiling on the blog, he called me up to make sure I wouldn't be painting that wood.

Poor dad. I'm killing him with all this paint.

The next step with the ceiling is to add batten to make a board and batten ceiling. We're I'm waffling back and forth about the width of the batten boards. The decision must be made soon.


The most beautiful door in the world
I'm not being melodramatic. It's beautiful. (Or at least it will be.)

Our house still has the original front door and it's gorgeous and wooden and has windows. It's also an extra tall and wide door. It's a very common style in our area for late 19th century homes.

When we closed on the house last August, the locks were totally wrecked, two of the glass panes were cracked and there were some issues with the wood. Also, the door only opened about half-way. So, we have hardly used it.

But we both really loved the character of the door from the beginning. 38 weeks later, it's fixed up and ready to paint. Woo hoo!

To get it to this point:

• We had new panes of glass cut and had them installed by a local glass company.

• Ryan removed the messed-up locks and chains, filled and sanded the holes left behind 

• We chose and installed a new deadbolt that accepts the common house key. We chose some sort of black/rubbed bronze to try to coordinate with the original iron door knob.

• Ryan replaced some wood pieces that had cracked/rotted.
• Ryan realigned the door so it opens completely.

It's so darn beautiful and functional and perfect, I can hardly stand it. Every time I walk through the door, I make a ridiculous squealing noise. To buy another door like this would have cost us a fortune. I'm planning to get it painted this weekend so we can get rid of the horrible storm door.

Can you guess what color I'm planning to paint it?

A fan of the fan
I forgot to mention Ryan installed our new ceiling fan in the kitchen last week. Here she is.

I chose white to just blend a bit with the ceiling. It's a nice Hunter version that I spotted at Tuesday morning in August for a really good price. (Actually I walked away from them and then called my parents three days later to pick up all the fans for me.)

On this note, I am going to go out on a limb right now. Right here. If you are a fan hater, I'll apologize in advance.

We at the NewlyWoodwards are big fans of the ceiling fan. I just don't see the beef that people have with ceiling fans. Perhaps it's because Ryan and I both grew up happily in homes with ceiling fans. I don't know...

But we are proud, card-carrying ceiling fan fans over here.

I often hear folks say they are ugly, but I honestly just don't see it. I don't think they are most beautiful of all lighting. But they are so darn functional, I'm willing to overlook an mediocracy in looks. I've tried floor and table fans, but I just don't think they do as good a job as a good old ceiling fan. And in an old house in the Midwest, summers can be brutal.

And while we probably could have skipped the ceiling fan in the kitchen (based on lighting alone), when I cook or bake or can in August, I must have a ceiling fan. Or I will probably drop dead. For realz.

(Phew.) I'm glad I got that out of my system. You can shoot all your flaming comments at me and my choice of fixtures. I have a ceiling fan to keep me cool.

The next step
Flooring is really the next big project on the docket. Ryan is filling in rotten and missing boards right now throughout the house. Once this is done, we'll be ready to refinish. (Can I get an A-men?)

So, that's the week in review.

What do you think?

(The house list is updated here.)

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You-musts

You must:

• Drool over Beth's fabulous patio and Pottery-Barn inspired ladder lantern holder  at Unskinny Boppy.

• Learn how to make a fun pinwheel mobile like Jenny's at Anything Pretty.

• DIE over the fabulous DIY kitchen remodel at Modern Jane. (Am I the last person to see this?)

• Turn inexpensive vases into very chic lamps like these at create.live.design.

• Be inspired by this lovely Chicago Loft via Apartment Therapy. (I'm particularly smitten with the DIY artwork.)

• Discover a super simple way to corral all your ribbon like Design-Aholic.

• Fall in love with the combination of charcoal and gray in this bedroom at Casa Greer. 

That is all, friends. 

What do you think?

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A prettier carrier for cheesy potatoes

You may recall that my to-make list included a casserole carrier. (Or most likely you do not remember.)

Why this is important is that I have appointed myself family maker of the cheesy potatoes. It's an important job that I take incredibly seriously.

I received a Pyrex insulated carrier from our wedding registry, but I was immediately smitten with the cute fabric insulated carriers at Homemade by Jill (and subsequently 2 Little Hooligans).

I had all my fabric and Insul Bright waiting for me to get going.

Then I saw the awesome carriers that my sister-from-another-mister Jen at Home in the Country made last week. Put me over the edge. I had to make one, before taking cheesy potatoes to Easter-slash-the day of my birth dinner.

So, after my birthday dinner and six iced teas, I went home and got to working. Here's the result!

Nice people give their creations as gifts. But as the family cheesy potatoes maker, I have a job to do. And this lovely makes my job prettier.

I will certainly be making more of these in the near future. It was a relatively quick project (2 hours from start to finish) and the second one will certainly go faster.

So, all is right in the world. Cheesy potatoes were transported while staying warm. And I looked darn good doing it.

What do you think?

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A very happy birthday (weekend)

You know those people who just never mention their birthdays and hope everyone just forgets about it?

That's not me.

I'm more the person who sings herself "Happy Birthday to Me" on the 30-minute drive to lunch with Ryan. (He was conducting the song.) I'm also the one who tells random strangers/waiters/checkout clerks/anyone who is looking in my direction that it's my birthday. And who preludes everything on the day of my birthday with "Because it's my birthday..." or "27 years ago..." or "Do you forget that..."

Lots of people outgrow the excitement about birthdays, but it's still alive and well in me.

And this year's birthday was swell. I kinda thought that Easter may steal my thunder since it was the same day. (Shaw! How dare we celebrate another holiday on MY HOLIDAY? ;)) But it ended out working in everyone's favor. I got to see lots of family and it gave us a long weekend.

Who doesn't love a long weekend?

So I began to celebrate the holiday on Thursday night after work. When I got home, I had a stack of birthday cards (I love birthday cards) and an envelope from Ryan.

I've been lobbying for an iPhone for my birthday for months. Poor Ryan. He never stood a chance. Most people ask for things for their birthday. I run a streamlined campaign. It worked, though.

After making a few squealing victory laps around the house and a few rounds of "Go, Kim, Go, Kim, it's my birthday, get an iPhone," Ryan agreed to take me to dinner (Texas Roadhouse with my birthday gift card from my parents) and to pick up my new iPhone (Verizon).

All in all, a very exciting night. I went to bed with apps and onion blossoms in my head.

Then some of my favorite Southerners arrived in town. Rock on.

Then, we ate supper at my favorite place with Ryan's family.

And of course, Addy.

I received this fab-U-lous Kate Spade cover for my Nook. (Or as my father-in-law says, Kate Spah-day.)

Would you believe he picked it out without knowing it is the exact one that I was coveting?

It's so darn cute I can hardly stand it.

And then on Easter Sunday-slash-the day of my birth, I did a lot of this. Baby snatching...

Keri snuck Addy onto Uncle Ry's lap for a second. My husband looks slightly less petrified than last time. He's still waiting for her to be less like a bobblehead.

Lots of family photos were taken. Not because of Addy. Because of my birthday. Duh. ;)

And lookie what ended up on my plate... my favorite: carrot cake. (Ryan's mom and dad got me my own giant piece of carrot cake and a sheet cake of chocolate for everyone else. Just a little spoiled over here.)

So, I guess my birthday weekend kinda rocked. As a result, I've declared that I will be celebrating my birthday for at least another month.

At least.

(My husband is shuddering at the thought.)

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Renovation progress report - week 37

Ryan's started a large project in week 37, of which he's still in the midst. I hesitate to share anything at this point, but that's not my style. So, here's your sneak peak.

Being Superman, Ryan also tied up some other loose ends this week.
Lighting.
This light fixture in the dining room is my new favorite. Doesn't it just 'go' with the room? I didn't know Ryan had already put it up and I squealed when I walked into the room.

It's a hand-me-down from my in-laws. I swear I didn't know that they would give it to us if I mentioned that I wanted one just like it for our dining room. Pinky. Promise. If I had, I'd have brought it up sooner. ;) It also has shades, but I like it as is (for now).

Bathroom vanity installed.

We finally received the new faucet from Vintage Tub. I'm kind of obsessed with it. It's super heavy, and feels well-made. 

It really mirrors the look of the tub fixtures, too. Not exact, but similar.

In our minds, the bathroom is 'finished.' Sure, we need to put in light switch covers and I need to seal the tub, clean and decorate a bit, but we could really move in tomorrow and have a lovely bathroom to use. So, it's 'done' to all intents and purposes. 

But not so fast! Lots more on the docket. This long holiday weekend will be filled with painting for me and woodworking for him. Wish us luck.

What do you think?

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VIQ (Very important question)

Where I answer all those super important questions you've been asking... so you can finally sleep at night.


Q: What is pickleball?
A: Quite possibly the best game in the universe. I cannot believe how many people asked what pickleball was in our Arizona trip post.

Come out from the cave people. STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER.

Pickleball. Google it. Wikipedia it. Then play it.

Pickleball is played on a court the same size as doubles badminton. I liken it to a cross between ping pong and tennis. You use those paddles and a whiffle ball above. The court is smaller than tennis so you can actually play a game without dropping dead. We've played doubles and singles.

It's one of the few sports Ryan and I can play together. I love tennis. But if we play it, Ryan ends up grumpy because I beat him into a bloody pulp win. If I let him squeak by with a win, he grumps that I'm letting him win. So tennis is a one a year battle.

If we try bowling or mini golf, I may end up with a sour face from losing.

But, pickleball. That we can get behind. It's a fun game and we're relatively evenly matched. Ryan usually wins, but it's still fun and I usually even manage to keep from pitching a fit, or my racket.

Psst: Sometimes I still throw a racket.

Clearly, the both of us are great sports. Model athletes for your children.

(2 years ago)

Ryan actually took a pickleball class in college. So, when we play, he likes to say (repeatedly), "I'm just good because I played in college." Like he got a sports scholarship to an ivy league for his hardcore abilities with a whiffle ball and a large ping pong paddle. Scouts were knocking down his doors. Offering him exotic vacations and sports cars.

For some reason, old people love pickleball. (No offense to you old(er) people. It's just my observation.) And since my still-young parents live in a retirement community, they have a pickleball court right by their house. Most of the residents play at the crack of dawn. (Who actually gets up before 6 a.m. willingly?) But, Ryan and I like to play at 7 p.m. Bedtime for those folks. Which confuses all the neighbors.

I'm not kidding. Someone told my mom they were wondering who would play pickleball so late...

Crazy kids.

So the moral of the story is: you should really play pickleball. I think you could probably modify it on a tennis court. Or just head to your nearest retirement community.

You are welcome.

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A baby boy quilt

Here's baby quilt #3 for 2011. I made this one for Shelly and Luke and their baby boy. I'm really pleased with how this one turned out.

 Something a little different.

I've been wanting to make a strip quilt for a while. When I saw the pretty version made by Tara at Tara Being Tara, I bit the bullet and ordered a jelly roll. It went together really easily, but did take some time.

I started with Moda's Pure Jelly Roll. These fabrics are so darn pretty. And I supplemented with white and brown Jelly Rolls by Kona. I have a LOT of this fabric left, so we'll see what I do with it.

Simple (semi) straight quilting, as usual.

I love the brown polka dot backing. Don't you?

And, as an aside, this baby boy is going to be extra warm. My talented friend Stephanie also made him a really cool alphabet quilt. (Which is also appropriate since we are all in book club together.)

And Shelly's college roommate gave her this super fun farm animal quilt.

Yay for baby boys and cozy quilts!

What do you think?

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