On the fast track.

I am making up for lost time here ... 3 posts (almost) within a week!  There has just been so much happening so quickly here and I want to get it all down so we can look back on it to see just how much progress we've made.  Because we have made a lot.  And it's amazing to us when we stop to think that we've only owned the house for 3 months now (and 2.5 weeks), and only lived there for 2 months (and 1.5 weeks).  Crazy. 

Although, we definitely would not be getting as much done this fast without help (the paid professional help).  So, the plumbing inspection was the day before Christmas Eve, and it went fabulously!  The crew was able to start assembling our bathroom ... everything is in order and ready to go!  As I previously (incorrectly) stated that all of the plumbing was done - of course it's not done!  The plumber can't do the second half of his job until after the first bathroom is done.  Why not (you probably already figured it out, smarty)?  Because we have to have a bathroom to use!  Duh, Marissa.  But he is scheduled to finish the updating to the plumbing after the contractors are done with all their work. 

Here is the updated pictures of the bathroom with the work before Christmas ... hopefully they'll be able to finish before New Year's, maybe?  (But, like we've been told ... drywalling and tiling can be a lot of waiting; waiting for mud/grout to dry before new coats and sanding ... kind of like all the time we spent hurrying up to wait for the spackle in the cracks to dry, sand, repeat before painting.  Ugh.)

Before Christmas Pics:

And two more after Christmas pics ... yesterday they started putting the tile in around the shower!

We had a good Christmas ... my parents, brothers, and sister-in-law were able to make it to our house to visit. We had a pretty uneventful, relaxing day, with good food. I successfully made my first Christmas dinner - prime rib, cauliflower bake, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, spinach salad, baked apples, and cheesecake ... and it all came out together and hot using just my one oven (well, except for the salad and cheesecake ... and also I had some help from my mom, who has done this a couple/few times before!  And, a thanks to Liz for bringing the pumpkin rolls, cranberry butter, and marshmallows - they were delicious!)

We do wish we would have been able to spend time with other family members ... my sister and her family didn't travel due to kids and newborns, and Pat's family was scattered across the country (and I mean across); but hopefully we'll be able to see and visit with everyone (or most) over the next few months ... and hopefully their Christmas's were good too!

And, a few pics of new stuff in the house ...

The final piece to my dining room set ... my parents were able to bring it down with them!

A lovely centerpiece sent by my grandma for Christmas ... THANK YOU!!!

The only tree we had this year, for our first Christmas in our first house ... it's fiber-optic and Pat's favorite!

This is what it looks like lit-up (pic taken without the flash) - it is futuristic Chirstmas!

Another Update.

And my second December post!!  Who says that just because I got a late start posting in December, I can't get several posts in before the end of the month!

So, the house is coming along swiftly this month.  It seems like every time we leave the house, we come home and something new is finished.  (Which, is awesome - because unlike before when we came back to the house and it was in the same shambles we left it in, and we were the ones that had to fix it, paint it, or clean it ... this time, we just get to marvel at the immaculate work that is being completed for us!)  They finished the kitchen ... ceiling is demoed, drywalled, painted, and the lights are hung! And, I love it, love it, love it. It looks so much bigger and grander than before, and I can't wait to finish painting, flooring, tiling!

Also, like I said in the last post ... the plumbing on the bathroom is completely updated (turns out I was wrong though, and the remainder of the plumbing is still in the works).  The rough inspection is going to be today or tomorrow, and then the contractor crew can start assembling the bathroom!  They did go pick up our tub, vanity, sink, and tiles for us though (great news since we don't have a way to haul stuff).  The fixtures all look awesome!  We can't wait until it's all put together and we can use our new bathroom.

This is what the underside/backside of a tub looks like ... in case anybody ever wondered that!

But, since they are waiting on the plumbing inspection, and can't do anything else until that happens ... we are going to have them insulate the crawl space in the basement.  Why would we need to do that, you ask?  Wasn't that addition built in the 50s and didn't people live there before?  Specifically, didn't their daughter have a bedroom and bathroom in that part of the house?  Yes, yes, and yes. 

The addition was built in the 50s, the previous owners did turn it a bedroom/bathroom, and yes, there is a lived-in uber-pink bedroom back there.  BUT ... the crawl space and piping/duct work was never insulated.  Therefore, when it's winter out (which happens annually here in Ohio), the floor in the back of our house gets cold, and the air being pumped back there from our furnace gets luke warm by the time is reaches the vent, the water is heated but then the frigid pipes do a nice job of cooling it before it exits the shower head, and all of that, in-turn, makes the back part of the house about 60 degrees (give or take), and a huge money pit for us. 

SO, Ritchie said that while they are waiting on the plumbing inspection, he could insulate for us ... this is actually exciting in the world of home-ownership.  It means less heating costs (at the beginning of winter), warmer floors & shower, and a guest bedroom that doesn't make our guests feel like they are perhaps camping.  (This was something that we did not know about prior to purchasing the house - and once discovered, we planned on doing this ... but we get to do it now!  It really is true that you need to add about 30 - 50% on to whatever you budgeted for a remodelling project to estimate an actual cost ... good thing we did that!)

And, as a Merry Christmas ... we got an awesome present from our good friends Katie, Shawn, and Avery.  An ornament for our first Christmas in our new house, and it is adorable and we love it!

The Update Post.

I started this post about 3 weeks ago, with the intention of posting a few times in December - because we have a lot going on! But alas, things happened (good & bad), and here I am, a week before Christmas with no December posts yet. And, to top that all off, I am taking this time this morning to post, even though we have no tree, no shopping done, no food bought, and remodelling fixtures to decide on and purchase - all before Christmas.

This is what my original post read. It was written the week after Thanksgiving ...

So, I woke up Wednesday morning to find snow on my car! Then, I noticed it was actually snowing (barely, but there were flakes!). Then, as the day progressed, it kept snowing! December is awesome!

Bad news ... The contractor is not coming until next week now ... he has been working on some roof jobs that just have to get done before winter and the weather has not been cooperating with him. Boo for us, but at least we know that we've got the right guy!

Good news ... So, we've been working on getting some stuff done. See mighty list below!

1. Rain & more rain. So, before the beautiful snow started coming down, we had a bunch of those 34 degrees and raining days (the worst). During those days, Pat did some rain checks on our house. Up until the last day, we didn't notice any water in the basement, which was great because they said it leaked pretty bad (which is does when the rain is significant ... old house, dingy basement, no big deal). But, what he did find was a couple of items that are a little more pressing ... a) the gutter is pulling away from the house above the window in our bedroom, so the water is just pouring/dripping down the siding (it creates a this noise that is just loud enough to keep you awake and annoyed when you're trying to sleep); and b) the roof leaks. Stupid previous owners. But, so far as Pat can tell, we should be able to patch it for now ... and since our roof is so small, at least it isn't the biggest set-back ever, even if we did have to replace it sooner than later.
2. Den is set-up, with new rug!
3. My picture wall is back up in the dining room! YAY!
4. Blown the leafs - several times. The paternal parents gave us a bunch of stuff in their process of moving down south ... and Pat got a 'bad ass' blower, trimmer, etc. all in one, gas-powered tool. He has been pretty excited to use it each and every time something needs to be done yardwork-wise ... and I am NOT going to complain about that (I just hope he's still giddy next year).
5. AND, Decorated for Christmas!!! Wreathes, lights, music boxes, and more!!

And, so now here is the actual list and pictures of some of what has happened this month of December!

It has snowed quite a bit since then!  And, for the most part it has been welcomed ... and hopefully it'll stick around for a white Christmas.  Pat & I are having my family over to our house for the holidays ... which means that I better get a list together for food and go shopping.  It also means that we have to get moving on buying those mattresses for the guest bedroom!

Contractors started working on the house!! YAY!! And, boy do they work fast ... even in small spaces!  The kitchen ceiling is done ... demoed, drywalled, and painted! Now, we just need to pick out a lighting fixture and they'll be done in there! (Then all we have to do is paint the rest of the walls, the cabinets, replace the sink and counters, demo the floor, refinish the floor, and buy new appliances!) Great news though ... dishwasher is in and working - it truly is the best ever.

The master bathroom is demoed. We ran into a bunch of plumbing work that just had to be done once they contractors finished the demo ... we knew it was all going to have to be replaced eventually, but lucky us, we got to do it now! We have purchased the tile, sink, vanity, lighting, and faucets for that bathroom and they are all ready to go ... except paint, which we have to decide on still?

Dry wall is up on the ceiling ... with cut out for fan/lighting!

Old plumbing ...

New plumbing!

We had 3 different lines running to the cold/hot water and drains in the kitchen and back bathroom ... so the plumber corrected those and ran them all into the same line.  He also took the drain pipe from the kitchen (that was running diagonal across the basement and being held up by the gas line) and married it into the bathroom drain.  So, we now have much less piping in the basement, and our plumbing is all up-to-date!

We got new rugs for both the living room and den.  The LR rug was not what we are really looking for, but should do for now (and by not what we are looking for ... I mean I want a different, more expensive, rug but can't spend the money right now!).  We also aren't sure what we are going to be able to do for a coffee table or ottoman in front of the couch ... there isn't a ton of room with the door opening right there!  So, I found a pretty inexpensive ottoman that has 2 smaller ottomans for seating/feeting inside, storage, and also the lids flip over into trays for drinks and food.  So, for now, this is what we'll use ... and it's been working out really well.

Our garage was partially cleaned out before Thanksgiving and looking pretty good ... now it has turned into a dump zone for contractor stuff, demo stuff, and other stuff. Some day we will get that cleaned out and Pat will be parking in there!

Christmas decorations are up ... other than the tree! We just haven't been home enough to buy one and set it up. Hopefully we'll head out today or tomorrow to get one?

So, in case I don't post again this week ...

We hope that everyone has a

Merry Christmas

and

 Happy New Year's.

(because who am I kidding, I truly might not get to posting again before 2011!)

Back up and running!

So, we were out of commission for the two weeks prior to this one.  It's been dreadful.  Seriously.  But, good things have come!  Here's a recap:

Patrick's excuse:
Working late a lot lately.  (Good thing ... because his promotion is coming up and showing that extra effort right before the bosses decide on the important things is always an awesome opportunity!).  Also, he's been taking care of me.

Marissa's excuse:
I've had some tooth pain from a thing my dentist has been calling 'bite issues' for close to 8 months now.  So, I go to the dentist for pain & a scheduled cleaning.  I need a root canal - but, the kicker is that the tooth is already infected, have to take antibiotics for a few days before they can do anything about it.  (side note about actually needing a root canal - it is the most excruciating pain you will ever feel.  It totally knocked me down and out for 3 days - to the point of just sitting in bed crying because there was nothing anyone could do for me and all the Advil and Vicodin just dulled the enormous amount of pain - it did not numb it.)  On Monday afternoon ... I got the procedure done.  It's unbelievable, but I was SO happy when the endodontist came in to actually start the procedure.  (side note about actually having a root canal when you need one - it is the worst.  I was crying in the chair and he pumped me up with 3 full shots of Novocaine, and gave me a booster part way through; again ... just dulled the pain.  And, just so ya'all know - I can tolerate some pain, usually.  This was too much.) 

Needless to say, I won't be returning to that dentist office.

Other news ... and on the brighter side of things ... my sister had her babies!  Everyone is healthy and happy and doing well!  Agatha Jane (AJ) and Emerson Richard (Rich) were both born on Friday, November 5, 2010.  Both babies are doing well.  They were premies and spent some time in the NICU, but AJ is home now, and Rich should be home sometime soon.  CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Libby & Rich (6 lb, 2 oz)

(My) Mom, Frankie, & Joey with Agatha Jane (5 lb, 5 oz)

On another super exciting note ... we got our furniture last week!  Oh, I am so excited because we have been sitting in 2 green chairs for months now, and with everything that has been going on, it would have been nice to have a couch to lay on!   Plus, we had company over the weekend, and it was SO very nice to be able to have places for everyone to sit without hauling in dining room chairs or camping chairs!

So, the pictures say it all (well, the beginning of it all, anyway), and we just love this furniture.  I love the way it looks, the way it feels, the way it fits in the room; it was well worth it (and we knew it would be, but it's just so awesome!)  It is the first time that Pat or myself have actually purchased our own furniture - we picked out the frames, styles, fabric, everything.  Before this, we've always had hand-me-downs ... from garage sales, to neighbors, to parent's old furniture ... and it was great and we really thank everyone for being so generous with their used-up furniture, but this, THIS is exciting!   And, I really think that things are finally going to start pulling together. We've already starting picking out curtains, rugs, lamps, end tables etc. ... all that stuff that we haven't gotten yet because I just don't know if I should buy it without seeing the furniture in the house first!

And, this is to come at a later date (and I don't think I'll be able to wait very long for it ... so probably soon!)

I'm looking at these pictures as I post them ... and we need to get some stuff up on these walls!! 

We also bought a new dishwasher finally ... but the delivery guys weren't able to install it, so we still have no dishwasher.  Boo.  We pretty much hate the people who used to live here because they didn't take care of anything.  I think I've mentioned before in this blog that at first we just joked about how dirty they were, and how they skimped on everything, and only ever did anything that absolutely needed to be done - and even then, just that and no more.  Well, they've done it again, and we hate them even more now.  The dishwaser has a corroded, copper water line running to it, and it is just a bent piece of piping - now elbows or fittings ... 'just bend it in there to fit, and shove a kickplate in front of it' = best solution.  ALSO, the dishwasher doesn't come out of the cabinets.  I'm sure you're all thinking: "What, how is that possible ... how can it be absolutely built into the cabinet?  Do you guys need some help with this home renovation thing?  Let me see that."  Well, the dishwasher is older than the shitty flooring ... and wait for it ... yes, they just built up the floor in front of the dishwasher.  So, luckily for us, we were ripping that floor out eventually anyway, but it now looks like we'll be ripping it up this week. (At least we'll find out if we have more hardwoods under the 3 layers of laminite there).  Worst. People. Ever.

And, I'm going to start to paint the kitchen.  I don't want to do this project, but I can't pay someone to do it for me, and I really want it done ... so there is no choice but for me to do the project that I don't want to do.  Ugh.  It'll be put on the list of things that 'I won't remember how horrible the actual doing of the project was once I get to enjoy the finished project', but I swear I don't want to have to do anything about this project twice, so it's going to have to be carefully planned and thought out.  Details to come.

(Also, just noticed that I put finally at the end of the dishwasher statement above.  Funny, how I had one, then I didn't have one; and I only had it for 2 weeks, and it's only been broken for 2 weeks ... but finally certainly describes how I'm feeling.  Interesting how quickly we slip into the conveniences!)

Officially home owners.

So, as of two Sundays ago, we were officially moved into our house. We no longer have keys to our apartment, which in many ways is totally awesome. We no longer have to key lock doors from both sides, and we only have to enter/exit via one door to get into our dwelling; we don’t have to worry about the raccoons destroying our garbage and piling it all over the driveway (b/c we have a garage now); we get to fix the stuff that we don’t like, such as the mauve colored seashell sink and fake wood countertops; we don’t have to call a landlord again and listen to 3 minute messages about the electrician coming and the coupon she needs to make sure that we use when the guy comes (because EVERY message she left us took up most of our answering machine!). On the flip side, we now have to pay for the stuff that we want to fix, and pay for the electrician that needs to come out; but so far it’s been way worth it!

Quick home-owners schooling (many of you already know this stuff):

1.  Sometimes your funace will just quit working, like on the first night that you actually wanted/needed to turn it on. Had to call a furnace company and get someone out there – we got lucky and it was an easy fix and not that much mulla.   Pilot light problems, no big woop.
2. Sometimes garbage disposals sound like they're working, but in reality they aren't doing anything and your food is just beneath the sink flange and just sitting on top of the disposal, but your hand doesn't fit down there (nifty, this creates a great breeding ground for fruit flies).
3. Sometimes your dishwasher is not hooked up properly, and when the drain hose is loose or rotted through, or just not attached ... your dishwasher will simply drain underneath it, wherever that may be.  In our case, it's our basement, and in between the 3 layers of flooring stacked up in our kitchen.
4. We have mold in our bathroom (to be fair, we knew this before buying the house though). We had a contractor out there to talk about remodeling the bathroom. Only option really is to gut and redo the bathroom – but, will be completely worth it since we don’t even open the door to that bathroom right now.
5. Ceiling fans and lighting fixtures are WAY overpriced. Seriously, $800+ for some dining room lights … we will NOT be buying you, Mr. Tiffany chandelier with matching colors that would look ultra classic in our newly re-decorated house. We will be buying your semi-flush mount cousin that costs a small fraction of your price and will look 80% as good as you do.
6. Also, end tables and rugs – RIDICULOUSLY priced. And I mean ridiculous like any movie you might watch on the Si-Fi channel kind of ridiculous.

Anyhoo … so we are in the process of unpacking and organizing. It’s been slow, but it's coming along.  By the way - it's hard to unpack stuff and figure out where to put things and where to hang things when you don't have any furniture?  I'm trying to organize around 2 recliners in the LR with TV trays for end tables, and an office that has no furniture and needs to be set up as a rec room/den; a guest bedroom that has no bed, and a linen closet being used to store the kitchen cabinets ... it's not a good place to start.  Plus, it didn't help that since we ended up moving earlier than we were supposed to, we just threw stuff in boxes and brought things over (to be fair again, this is probably the way that it would have gone down regardless, but at least now I have something to blame the chaos on!).

BUT, this is what we've gotten done since the last post ...

1. MOVING!! (the garage is packed!)
2. Hardwood floors completed with shoe molding
3. Carpet installed in guest bedroom
4. Hung the wallpaper in the DR (Thanks to my mom for teaching me how!)
5. Replaced the smelly garbage disposal (Thanks to my dad for helping! - Also, just so ya'll aren't so grossed out, we only lived with it all backed up for 1.5 days until Saturday when we had time to replace it ... we just got lucky that my dad was in town, who had just bought one for their house, installed it, and helped to make things go faster by knowing where the best deal was and exactly what we were going to need - because we have yet to accumulate the dad size tool box/room.)

So, here are a couple of pics of the craziness going on in our home now, and the new floors - both hardwood and carpet (what you can see of them!). I’ll try to start posting more frequently again ... just have to set up wireless and find some free time to organize this mess!

Side note ... the moving was seriously the worst part of the whole ordeal. I made a deal with Patrick that I would pack and unpack everything if he did the majority of the moving. I felt as though I was totally getting the way better end of that bargain - the fun parts (especially unpacking & organizing a new home!). He whole-heartily disagreed with me, but then he got DOMS; yet, now his part is mostly completed, while mine is still fully ongoing. I'm excited to get everything organized though!

Second side note ... we will either be living here for the rest of our lives, or we will be paying someone to move us in the future. I've said that every time we've moved (4 times now) - but this time I mean it. Seriously.

Parting note ... Having a home with a dishwasher is the BEST. THING. EVER!  Having a home with a dishwasher that doesn't work is the WORST. THING. EVER!



The wood floors before we had moved in all the way - they look great and we love the color!



My dad and Joey with her cat glasses on!

Wallpaper up in DR ... still need to add chair rail.

The floor pics above are a more accurate color - it is not this red!

floors in Den where the different wood meets

It's an air matress bed ... but at least it looks a little more organized!