Home

So now we get to enjoy our mostly unpacked home for a quick minute before the next adventure begins.  I'd like to laughingly say, "work on the nursery!"  But we are not quite there yet ... I'll keep you posted.  For now we are enjoying cold windy nights curled up on the couch watching through the dining room window as leaves drop off our brilliant red maple.  Christmas has come early this year. Its heaven.

Celebration of unpacked boxes!

Thankfully the party was potluck.  Otherwise, dinner would have been rather crisp and dessert would have come with an expiration date stamped on the box.

Guest started arriving promptly at 3:45 (the party started at 4:00) and the surprises: exotic dishes, unexpected faces, reactions to the house or the fire pit, another plate of dessert! didn't taper for hours.

Thank god mom was there to put all the potluck dishes out while I greeted and did house tours. Russ was out back with the boys keeping the fire pit stoked (everyone went out to visit throughout the night). I was expecting around 30 guests. We had over 50! Aunt Carol had to run to the store to get more forks and dessert plates.  My sister showed up with extra toilet paper (we only buy a 4-pack at a time - plenty for us!)

Food kept arriving, plates kept being replenished, dishes were emptied and washed. The next door neighbors came over. Dessert was served -- tray after tray of cakes and pies and rice crispie treats.

Around 8:30-9pm the grandparents, parents, kiddies and older folks started clearing out. The last train to the city left at 11:30 and a few more people headed off.  My crew of running girls begged one of the guys driving to stay and drive them all home.  They would have to squeeze, but he would do it. Russ did some repair work on the keg's tap (beer was only dribbling out making it difficult to get refills).  Once the keg was working, we runners enjoyed the free flowing beer and the boys sat around the fire pit until the sun came up.

There were a few children at the party.  One of them was an inquisitive 3 and a half year old.  He was in the process of packing his own boxes for move of house and to him the project seemed endless.  I explained to him that I too had packed a lot of boxes and that we were having this party to celebrate that fact that we had finally unpacked all (white lies!) our boxes.  I gestured toward the china cabinet and he examined all the unpacked glasses and dishes, mouth agape.

Whirlwind but we got there!

This week, Russ and I had our first days of coming home after work and just relaxing together. It's been amazing.

The whirlwind of activity building up to the house warming celebration this past weekend was intense. The bathroom on the main floor had to be finished, the pantry had to be built, and the house had to be cleared of sanding dust, construction debris and tools before it could get a proper pre-party clean.  The time crunch took us to the brink of insanity.

Veteran's day, Mom came over and the yard work that had been relegated to a back-burner project was resumed with a vengeance.  We raked leaves, thrashed edges, groomed trees and eventually when the lawn mower decided to start working we mowed.  It was like giving a baby his first haircut. 

Before lunch time, the house glowed with love on the outside so I made sandwiches and we started hanging pictures and arranging furniture inside.  Russ had put curtains up in the living room and it looked cozier for it, but the stark walls rankled me to no end.  Mom and I found spots for the few apartment-sized pictures I had to hang and day-dreamed about the someday wall dressings.  I hauled the remaining boxes from the garage to the attic.  I fought back panic as the large loft space became filled with Clutter.  I pledged to attack those boxes after the housewarming.  I told myself that the disheveled stacks of unused items (junk!) were only temporary ....

I didn't have much time to contemplate ... organize or discard ... the junk because we were off to the shops down the street for some final touches.  Hand towels and a waste bin for the downstairs bathroom; Paper goods and juice for the party.

The morning of the party, Russ re-installed the sink and toilet in the little bathroom, hung my hand towels and added a hook-and-eye lock and a bar of soap. I filled the pantry with food items stashed on kitchen counters, filled a curio cabinet with pretty things (more boxes unpacked!) vacuumed, dusted, polished, prepared, set-out all that I thought we might need for the party.

Settling In

We've been sleeping in our bedroom for the last 12 nights and its rather nice.  The heat works, the house is pretty well sealed, and I found the feather comforter from my college years to make the bedroom extra cozy.

I had an amazing shopping experience at Bed Bath & Beyond.  Someone with my exact design color palette returned a bunch of high end, thermal, room-darkening curtains.  I collected all the half price curtains and rods I needed and paired them with their full price partners.  Curtains for the living room, dining room and bedroom for a fraction of the anticipated price.

Hanging them has taken a bit of time, but the list of To-Dos is shrinking.

The master bedroom has gone from done to more done to lived in.


The dining room has fast become my favorite room, with plenty of family dinners around the table (pork and apples, scalloped potatoes and veg - yum!).

Inside is not the only place changing fast - the yard has undergone dramatic transformation.  Uncle Jim and Cousin Jimmy were over with giant tree chopping equipment.  The nasty tree overshadowing the entire facade of the house is gone and Saturday Russ and I spent the day clearing weeds, shrubs, and leaves.  With each bag of yard waste the house looked less haunted. I'm not sure whether it add or detracted to our Halloween appeal for trick-or-treaters!

We had a Mom-crashing incident both Saturday and Sunday.  She was a huge help finishing the yard on Saturday after I lost steam.  I can marathon ... I'm not so strong for hours of manual labor though!  Sunday, she was back to get curtains up in the kitchen and sunroom.  The curtains in the sunroom were necessary once the tree was removed.  The kitchen was pure (and needed) motherly-touch.

Tonight, the living room was set up courtesy of High-Tech Electrical.  Russ had one of his buddies over to help get our pull-out couch up the narrow stairs and the living room couch and rug situated.

Next up for me is the little cupboard in the dining room.  I sanded, primed and painted it yesterday.  It needs a second coat and the shelves painted.  I think I'll use the space for family photos.  We certainly don't need any more storage space!

Next up for Russ is the powder room.  It's components are currently in the entry way ...

Dinner Parties!

Last week, the master bedroom was primed, the trim was painted, the trim was taped off, the walls were painted, the dining room furniture was moved in and the contents of the (endless!) boxes of kitchen supplies continued to find homes on shelves and in cupboards.


We made time for a grocery shop (conveniently close to Home Depot) and were fascinated by the variety available in the expansive suburban Stop & Shop.  We found further novelty in being able to purchase 10 cans of crushed tomatoes, a roast the size of my leg, and 2 gallons of orange juice without breaking our backs to cart it home.

Currently, all our lovely groceries are piled on the kitchen island as the pantry is still missing shelves.   The pantry door is where we keep the To-Do List: colorful post-its that are pulled down once the chore is done.

Saturday, roasting dishes and fry pans were located just in time to host our first proper guests, two friends from college visiting for dinner and a Peekskill-sleepover.
 
Before they were due to arrive, we tested the heat; we didn't want my girlfriend to California to freeze trying to sleep in a 60 degree house and we managed to set up the dining room furniture just in time for the occasion.

The girls helped me touch-up the paint job in the master bedroom.  I dug out my artistic paint brushes from the shed and we got to work while Russ cooked dinner. 

We hosted our our first dinner party at the dining room table and perfectly reminiscent of college, we ate pasta and drank too much wine.   The girls crashed in the attic under a pile of blankets and pillows and claim that it was very cozy.

Sunday was dinner party #2, and we had all the helpful movers (family!) over for dinner, the my-leg-sized-roast served on our fancy china.  After dinner my sister set up the china cabinet. One more fussy job done!

Today, we finish carpeting the master bedroom and maybe get to (finally) sleep there tonight!

Dust Settles

We've been hauling boxes, furniture and lamps in from the garage and starting to set up a "home" in Peekskill.  Its been a slow process with limited time to get the endless list of To-Dos done.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday I ran loads of laundry (Russ was totally out of socks and had to borrow a pair of mine - yikes!), continued scrubbing the kitchen shelves and bathroom tiles, improvised curtains (yet to be purchased) and bath mats (the real ones are packed protectively under the china) and improvised dinners. We unpacked clothes and toiletries; hauled in dresser drawers and finally the dresser; moved out of the attic and into a temporary bedroom.

The plastering and sanding that has to happen in the master bedroom before a cozy coat of paint can be applied and the carpet laid was put on hold while Russ organized the transportation and delivery of a free 17' boat.  Its another possession that needs A LOT of work, but should be worth the sweat in the end.

Thursday, we cooked our first meal on the new stove and tested out the hundreds of TV channels.  Despite our chaotic DIY reality, we still find HGTV wonderfully entertaining.  The best part of this low-key evening was crashing on a mattress and not crawling into a sleeping bag at the end of the day.

We're all in!

One blow-out (not a tire this time) and 6 days since my last post, we are officially moved into the house.

The plaster has dried on the bedroom walls and the kitchen has been scrubbed from six-foot ladder high to on my knees low.  The big furniture moving weekend was glorious. Saturday and Sunday the sun was shining, the temperature was cool ... well except for the hot-headed homeowners who just barely avoided killing each other.

The final furniture pick-up on Monday night was the only rain soaked journey with the trailer and of course we were hauling the mattress and the pull-out couch.  We made it to Peekskill by 8pm (really good time for all the lifting, hauling, driving that had to happen after work) and had the mattress and box spring spread on newspapers in a spare bedroom before 9pm.  We left the fan blowing on it all night and by morning it was just about dry.  Thanks to Russ and Aaron's water proofing efforts, the couch was far less damp and actually looked slightly cleaner after a quick wipe down with a dry rag!

Boxes are stashed in every corner, blocking doorways and making use of the kitchen impossible.  My shiny new stove has only been used to boil the kettle and re-heat pizza.  I can't wait to chuck in a roast and fill the house with yummy smells ... In order to make that possible, in addition to clearing some boxes, I would need to find the roasting dishes and make time to grocery shop. Hopefully by the end of the week these activities will be higher on my priority list.

Currently, I am trying to figure out how to keep the bathroom warm enough to enjoy a shower ... add a wall heater, cover the drafty, poorly placed window, get the oil tank filled, maybe think about a larger hot water tank so the 2nd person to shower has more than 30seconds worth of hot water. We are coming into winter (fast) and we are already feeling slightly nostalgic for the (free!) high-pressure hot water we left behind in the Bronx.

Still promising pictures as soon as I can dig the computer out!  Actually, that is one project we have been totally on top of, we need to keep up with our social networking and email checking, so the internet installation was high priority.  Saturday the computer was hooked up and internet ready.  I even surprised Russ by adding digital TV and a phone line to the package.

Suburban living, we have arrived!

Last Days in the Bronx

Russ hasn't spent a night in the Bronx in a week.  I've been holding down the fort; cleaning out cupboards and drawers; boxing stray shoes and electronics; noshing on the scraps left in the fridge and pantry (I'm officially out of pasta and down to my last packet of 2 minute noodles!)

Tonight, I've demanded that Russ take a night off plastering, sanding, paint prepping and sweeping and come "home." 

A dear friend shared the feeling of safe secure love snuggled in bed with her husband and newborn.  All that she needed in life was cuddled beneath blankets and within arms reach. The knowledge that they were together, safe, whole left her ready to face the challenges beyond the flannel and feathers.  The apartment in the Bronx is still home because that is where our bed resides.  The safe place we can recharge together.

After days ... 2 short weeks ... of homeownership we need to recharge and we need to do that together.  There has been so much change.  Our own personal tornado, a literal upheaval.

Tonight, probably our last night together in the Bronx, I imagine as the eye of the storm.  The next time we have a moment to step back together, reflect, snuggle deep under the covers for a few more fleeting minutes, it will be in our new home in Peekskill!

Exhaustion

Another week has whipped by and the exhaustion has increased exponentially!

I spent Saturday climbing stairs and hauling boxes.  I did some calculations (16 steps per flight of stairs, 5th floor = 4 sets of stairs = 64 steps per trip down.  I did the trip around 40 times over 5 hours ... Up and Down approximately 5000 steps!)  My arms, back and quads are screaming today.

Russ spent Saturday plastering the living room wall where the panels of mirror once hung and scrapping and smoothing the kitchen floor and then installing vinyl tile as a quick fix until real demolition begins next year!

We couldn't have survived Saturday without all the hands and vehicles that come out to help.  It was a whirlwind and I easily could have slept through Sunday. But in addition to home-remodeling, I am a coach.  My mom and running protoge has a half marathon coming up in two weeks and she had to complete her final long run.  Sunday morning we were  pounding the pavement by 9am.  My quads hated each step of the entire 12 miles.

Run complete, we kept the momentum going.  The local Sherwin-Williams paint store had an interior decorator on hand for the weekend and a 40% off sale, as if I needed further encouragement!  I selected and purchased primer and paint for the living room, entry way and bedroom.  Then we were off to Sears to purchase a stove and back down to Riverdale to pick up a rocking chair.  Russ ignores me when I tell him his "office" in the new house will soon be a nursery!

After a quick stop at Home Depot for some "space invaders" crack filling foam and a giant tarp to cover all the boxes that are currently being stored in our leaky garage our errands were complete!

Mom and I were up in Peekskill by 5pm to nosh on some Kentucky Fried Chicken with Russ and drag the stove inside before we headed south again.  We left Russ covered in plaster and sweeping up the almost finished kitchen floor.  I was back in the Bronx around 7pm and somehow found the energy to organize and pack more scattered remnants still in the apartment.

Big Weekend, Major Improvements

On Friday, Russ headed up to the house after work (and a detour to the pub).  He surveyed the disaster area (the entire property we now call home) and plotted out the projects and order of operation for the next 48 hours.

On Thursday evening, we had cleared the living and dining room floor back to its original layer and it just need some minor improvements (tacking down a few buckled pieces near the heat vent where moisture had seeped in and scraping off any remnants from the laminate).  The very sticky black and white laminate in the hallway has been left in place until we are ready to sand and re-varnish all the wood floors; a much bigger project than we can take on right now.

The kitchen was the Problem Room on the first floor.  The stove was nearly radioactive and coated with some (probably) highly combustible grime.  Four layers of laminate covered the kitchen floor, the counter top had at least as many layers of dust and grease, and the refrigerator hummed its way to a dust/fur heart attack.

While Russ plotted our plan of attack, I checked out some more "donation furniture." I have been very fortunate to have friends with furniture-that-needs-a-new-home and we have happily taken in the donation; the most recent from some running buddies in the shape of a hardwood oak dining room table, a hutch for my inherited china, and 6 gorgeous chairs - all the pieces part of a matching set. We are moving up in the world!

On Saturday, before I headed up to Peekskill, I hunted for carpet for the master bedroom with my mom and sister.  We picked a beige color that will go with whatever decor we eventually decide on. The discount store we love to frequent in Yonkers (aptly named National Wholesale Liquidators) also had vinyl tiles which would be an inexpensive short-term fix for the horrendous floor situation in the kitchen.  Into the cart, I piled mops, brooms, bleach, toilet cleaner, contractor bags, reams of paper towels, toilet seats, a shower curtain, various cleaning sponges and a plastic 40 gallon tub (in which to carry it all!).

We trooped up to Peekskill armed for combat and met my brother and Russ in the driveway hacking at the overgrown bushes edging the drive.  They had been shopping at Home Depot for rakes, gardening clippers, hackers and thrashers; all this in addition to the Thursday night excursion to Home Depot for a shop vacuum, dust masks, gloves, hammers, screwdrivers, pry bar, scrappers ... By the end of this renovation, I hope we own some stock in some home renovation conglomerate!

All weekend long we worked (and visited Home Depot one more time for extension leads, brillo pads, wood floor cleaner, buckets, carpet pads and carpet tack strips, more paper towels and a six foot ladder). Mom and Pops were indefatigable in their efforts to scrape, tear, and pry the house into tip-top shape.  Russ was our captain and we the crew.  He had us scraping paint off window sills, prying the floor to ceiling mirrors off the living room wall, tearing out wall paper in the bathrooms and linoleum in the kitchen, and sucking giant tufts of fur and dust out of the refrigerator motor (it had happily sucked everything that passed by its grates for decades and never been cleaned).

Saturday night we treated our helpers to dinner at the Birdsall Tavern and enjoyed sitting, sipping a few cold brews and inhaling a delicious dinner.  Russ and I collapsed into our sleeping bags on the attic floor, the only fur-less, dust-less corner of our house.

Sunday, there was demolition of deteriorating and useless wooden shelves, more scraping, bush-hacking and junk hauling to the (thankfully) cavernous garage but there were no breaks.  The stove was beyond salvaging and we hauled it out of the kitchen.  Every window blind and curtain was pulled down and fixtures removed. We hacked out tangled phone cords and hung a new shower curtain.  Around 5pm, ravenous, I managed to sneak in a phone call to a local pizza place and ordered 2 large pies for delivery. We sat around the makeshift dining room table and surveyed our progress.  It looked like a different house.

It was starting to look like our home.




*****Promise pics will follow soon.  Just wanted to update before I crash into bed.

Sweet dreams

After a long evening of floor tearing and dust sucking, we slept soundly. (The place is filthy!  The old couple couldn't keep up with the house cleaning and left it all to me, Cinderella! )  Russ' work buddy Jay helped him tear up the floors (laminate over hard wood!) while I vacuumed up the debris and attempted to clean the bathrooms.  I had never suffered a gag-reflex until faced with these toilets ... I promptly enlisted some assistance (more on that later!).

We crashed in the attic on sleeping bags and camped indoors.  The only noise was the sound of crickets and Jay snoring.  I counted 7 cars driving down the street before I fell asleep - Jay and Russ beat me to the Sandman.

I'm looking forward to my bed tonight, but missing the solitude of our home.

Free Time Evaporated

I'd like to think I didn't waste my free time while I had it.  I feel prepared, but that sneaking feeling that I could have - should have done more while I had the time lingers . . . 

The closing went without a hitch on Monday and was complete in less than an hour.  The sellers and their daughter were in attendance, as were a multitude of attorneys.  I was glad I hadn't braved the paper signing alone and invited my mom along when Russ realized he really couldn't take another day off work.

We met some local running friends for lunch after the closing and got to experience the cozy familiarity locals have at the Bean Runner Cafe. I was introduced to Ted, a former marathoner turned kiddie coach, who owns the cafe. It was a pleasant dining experience, but I will have to save further praise/critique.  It seems there is some intense rivalry between the Bean Runner and the Peekskill Coffee House around the corner. I'd like to sample both establishments before I lavish praise on the quaint cafe that regularly hosts local musicians and serves up a mean jerk chicken wrap and corn chowder. 

Since Monday, our world had been a flurry of activity, including a lackluster attempt to celebrate our 3rd anniversary.  I haven't been back to the house since a brief visit after the closing to test out the feeling of opening MY FRONT door.  The list of things projects to complete before move-in: remove the linoleum flooring, salvage the wood floors underneath, establish a palette and pick carpet/rug/paint colors, get a fresh coat of paint on the walls,  remove the old carpeting, clean out the fluffy white dog fur that has settled into every crack and crevice ... and that's just the interior.

I'm working hard to persuade Russ to hire someone to help with clearing the overgrowth and brush outside.

It just seems like too much for one man (and his motely Crew) to take on and complete in less than 2 weeks.  The clock is ticking. I'm making TONS of lists.  When do we find time to savor this new experience: homeownership.

Final Walk Thru

The final walk-thru was on Sunday.

I took a mental snap shot of the young couple walking through their first home. A tall man with strong capable hands and a foreign swagger in his step.  A petite woman following closely behind him with quick careful steps, knotted brows and laugh lines sprinkled across her face.  Through each room they touch and tug at the things the previous owners left behind; eager to make it theirs.  Certain it will be theirs.


She imagines the big (ugly, free, yellow) floral couch filling the living room, a writing desk and cork board in the enclosed front porch, a coat hook behind the front door and shelf where he can drop his keys.  He sees beyond the wood paneled dining room walls to the tangle of wires of beyond and sketches data ports, outlet points, recess lighting ... His eye refocuses on the wall and he curses the jib board/dry-wall projects ahead.


They step outside.  She lifts her face toward the last of the summer sun.  He walks directly toward the garage, proud of its expansive size and possibility.  He plucks a walking cane left forgotten in the rafters and mimics a gimp he may one day acquire.  She swats at him for his foolish antics.  She loves his foolish antics.


On the train ride home, he makes drawings of the garden they will plant.

Too much free time

I haven't made it to the library ... yet, but I have been trolling the web for useful moving/renovating information.  I just found my new Favorite Website: Do It Yourself or Not.  This website will provide the information I need to prioritize projects (increase energy efficiency and curb appeal pronto) and get a better understanding of the actual labor required to complete the project.

I will be able to disagree with my husband when he says he can do it himself with less expense. And when he decides to forge ahead anyway, I will know how long the project may actually take.  I can even start (and ideally finish) projects myself when DH (dear husband) deems them unimportant and removes them from his list of things to do.  The website provides step-by-step instructions with a complete materials and tools list.  I just need to get my own electric drill!

A First Time Homeowner's orientation and a monthly chores checklist will certainly keep the To-Do List endless.

The Waiting Game

still waiting to close .... SO frustrated
a lesson in patience i guess . . .

Perhaps its time for another trip to the library for some more preparatory reading.  I find even reading about what we're going to do frustrating.  I want to get in there and start doing already!

I have learned to savor the quiet weekends before the Renovation Storm hits and all my naps, long runs, and aimless puttering will be consumed by sanding, painting and cleaning.  I imagine autumn is the perfect time to begin these projects, so I might as well enjoy the long slow summer days while they are here!

Reading and Getting Ready

I am so thankful that I have a husband who is good with his hands.

I am not so talented in the manual labor department, not that I mind getting dirty or breaking a sweat, but I fear I am accident prone and probably slightly lazy. However, I have always been a very good reader and I have used the interim between making an offer on the house and actual home ownership to check some books out of the New York Public Library.

Marie's Guide to Home Improvement, by Marie Leonard, was a great place to build my confidence.  She outlined a list of necessary tools, a manageable list of 20, that included measuring tape, a utility, a level, putty knife, 6 in 1 painters tool, and a DeWalt 18v cordless drill.  I was familiar with most of the tools and even excited about the prospect of capably wielding a power tool. She briefly explains how to use the tools and when to use different materials (ie caulk vs. grout).  The rest of the book is a step-by-step guide for common home improvements: painting, fixing holes, hanging pictures, shelves doors, and window treatments, and minor plumbing and electrical work.

In her introduction she states,  "My passion is teaching women how to do home improvement projects so that they can experience the immense satisfaction and self-esteem boost that comes from taking on a project you don't think you can do and successfully completing it." 

So, do I get my own 18 volt drill or do I have to share with Russ?

(picture credit to Lindsay Roberts at apartment therapy)

The other book, I only allowed myself to skim, lest I get too excited and get ahead of myself: Starter Vegetable Gardens: 24 no-fail plans for small organic gardens, by Barbara Pleasant.  Summer is coming to a close and I will not be able to plant a garden until next spring.  And before the planting can begin there is  A LOT of clearing that has to take place. It is well organized book with lots of photos and clear concise step-by-step instruction for multiple years of planting. I look forward to checking it out again in the spring!

Commitment

Months ago we decided we were committed to this house ... yesterday, we got our letter of commitment from the bank.  It feels like everyone can see the potential that exists in our little home!

Rip tide

We were sucked deep into Real Estate land and after a few more weeks of comparison shopping, I discovered there was nothing else out there.  Nothing with 3 bedrooms and a good-sized garage, nothing commuting distance from the city, nothing NOT bank owned in our low-ceiling price range.  Not one single house on MLS (the multiple listing service) fit our criteria except the one on Hemlock Street.  If we wanted to move out of our increasingly cramped one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx and into something more spacious, then THIS was our opportunity.

One hot night, from a rooftop bar in the city, we called Diane and made an offer on the house on Hemlock Street.  It already had an accepted offer.  It felt like that moment in a relationship where one partner says, "I love you," and the other party isn't able to reciprocate the sentiment.  It sucks.

We figured, something better will come along; everything happens for a reason; its for the best; we're not really ready to buy a home anyway!  But we secretly hoped that the deal would fall apart.

10 days later, we got our wish and resubmitted our offer.  The sellers agreed to our terms, basically sell us your lovely home as soon as possible and we will fix it up and restore the beauty it once emanated. 

That was the pledge, now begins the work!

Manifesting

15 years ago I had been the weekend key girl at Houlihan/Lawrence Real Estate in Bronxville.  I opened the agent list online and I pondered who to get in touch with: Lynn Joyce!  Always calm, always cool, always collected, I knew that she would be able to refer me to a fellow agent who worked up-county, as most of the listings within our hypothetical price-range were in northern Westchester.  Lynn was pleased that I had reached out to her and we caught up on all the life changes that had taken place since she had been the recipient of emails I sent while traipsing around New Zealand 5 years earlier.  She referred me to Diane Ryan and it seems that within days, we were looking at 4 houses in Peekskill and Ossining. 

The house with the barn converted into a 3-car garage had of course made the cut as did one with a dirt floor basement, a third with a severe water damage, and finally one short sale home that would require total gutting.  The 3-car garage home didn't have to try very hard to charm us with its original 1890s wood staircase and door frames, expansive, but overgrown backyard, and dated, but functional appliances.

As with most wonderful things in life, the way we felt about the home was powerful and unexpected.  We were falling in love with the house.

Directed Day Dreaming

On a rainy Sunday, 3 months ago, I surfed onto a real estate website.  My sister was looking at condos with her boyfriend and it was fun directed day-dreaming to house-hunt for her, with her.  Houlihan/Lawrence Real Estate had been my first employer and I returned to their website and entered a few parameters into the search function.
I quickly navigated away from searching for condos for my sister to wistful thoughts of my dream home.  I looked at properties all over the world from New Zealand to the Adirondacks, rolling hill and jagged coast line. I found properties in my old home county of Westchester that were reasonably priced.  I excitedly flicked through a few houses and their accompanying pictures before I turned to my dear husband and asked if would join in my day-dreaming.  A few hours later, we had a list of 10 properties that might be fun to check out.

"Can we look at a few of these?" I asked.
"Sure, why not," my dear husband replied.

The Beginning

It is supercilious of me to claim that I am at the beginning of anything.  Billy Joel's song lyrics come to mind: "We didn't start the fire / It was always burning / Since the world's been turning."   But for my blogging and home renovation purposes THIS is the beginning.  The first words are being written and the floorboards, walls and roof on my new home are still in tact.  This Beginning is fleeting.