tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78565362905712751122024-03-13T21:33:50.125-07:00886 MilesMeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-22715600279808672362016-08-10T12:11:00.000-07:002016-08-11T20:06:02.112-07:00The little bathroom that just couldn't any longer... (Finally finishing and publishing this post from the Spring!! Argh!)<br />
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It thought it could, it thought it could, but, honestly, we just couldn't.... The blue bathroom just finally had to go.<br />
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Our house was built in the mid-50s which meant that every bathroom had to have its own color code. I guess saying "our bath" or "the hall bath" was too confusing of terminology back then so they just had to color code them all.<br />
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Apparently American Standard went crazy with the color coded bathroom and thus they were in every house in America during a housing boom. Well, now I am sure pink and blue toilets make up a good portion of construction waste...<br />
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<i>I guess it works as long as your sash matches...</i></div>
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So while it was in good shape, it had to go. And the guest/hall bath was first because 1) it was a huge embarrassment to guests, 2) we may have little ones soon and we wanted to get that done in advance, and 3) it was just depressing to come up the stairs every day and see that at the end of the hall<br />
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So in early Feb, we decided to finally start. (Took me like 6 months to figure out which shade of white subway tile I wanted, otherwise we would have started last year. And, yes, there are different shades of white subway tile...)<br />
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And just to remind you of what Big Blue looked like...<br />
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When we bought it... </div>
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After move-in and a lot of wallpaper removal (including the damn ceiling, because that makes sense)....</div>
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<b>Step 1 - Demo Day!</b><br />
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As most projects go, D-Day started on a weekend when I was at work. Actually, it started, and was basically finished when I was at work. Bill rented a jackhammer to do the tile, discovered it worked, and powered through a really rough 2 days of removing all the tile, mortar, and lathe in about 15 hours...<br />
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No going back now! </div>
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To most people's surprise and/or admonishment, we left the blue tub. While I didn't like the style or color of the tiles in there, there was definitely something not-great feeling about removing all of that perfectly-installed, in-good shape tile that made it for so long, just because it no longer was stylish. </div>
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So we drew the line at the tub. First off, its a solid cast iron tub that we couldn't afford to replace with anything similar today. Also, its a <i>solid</i> tub. It would have been a nightmare to remove. Lastly, it would have probably doubled our budget to get a new tub in there. </div>
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So, we went with it! </div>
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<b>Step 2 - Get rid of all that stuff</b></div>
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Bill carried a lot of it down in bags, but some of it went out the window (post puppy scouting) </div>
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Rented a Home Depot truck for an hour, Bill loaded everything up (with pretty much zero help from my weak self) and we went to the construction dump. </div>
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Let me just say thank god Bill had been to this dump previously. Its intimidating. Its like the dodgeball of DIY work. </div>
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You pull up, the only people there are full-time construction workers who are driving giant trucks and bulldozers and no one 'greets' you to tell you what to do - you just know or you don't. Luckily, if you do know, or your husband does, then its pretty quick, and crazy cheap!</div>
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Just over a ton of debris in garbage bags!</div>
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<b>Step 3 - Put them walls back </b></div>
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So you have to learn a little something every time you do a project, otherwise, what's the point?!</div>
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This time, we learned about 'packing' out walls to make them 'plumb'. Oh jargon.... </div>
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Apparently the old walls were done with this not-quite-but-pretty-close plaster-esque material over lathe, which meant it could be sculpted. Like over things that aren't straight... </div>
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Yeah, that's the sewer stack (for your poo!) and its round... and bumps out a bit. </div>
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Didn't quite realize that as we were putting up the cement board and then we saw a little bump. </div>
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Not a big deal except we were tiling over it, and tiling over rounded surfaces doesn't make for a good look. </div>
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We then learned all about packing out walls, which is the appropriate way to make your walls straight again. </div>
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But we didn't do that. Of course not. We just sort of cut into the cement board and tried to make it flatter. </div>
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Ta-da! </div>
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(you can see little waves in the tile!) </div>
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Luckily this was on the wall covered by the toilet and sink so we knew most of our mistake was going to be covered. </div>
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And we did a better job on the other walls, some of which needed to be packed out a but, but none of which were over big bump-out bits of cast iron pipes. </div>
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Bill did have to do some fun plumbing to get the new faucets ready... </div>
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Cutting the cement board was a little bit of a pain, but overall was an easier part of the job.</div>
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P.s. You have to use cement board in showers - not 'green board'. Green board is still drywall, its just got some moisture protection, meaning its good for behind sinks, backsplashes, other bathroom walls, etc. Its not water-resistant and can't be used in the shower. </div>
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<b>Step 4 - Waterproof!! </b></div>
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So speaking of what you SHOULD put in the shower... you have to waterproof! </div>
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Apparently, most showers in America aren't waterproofed. Its part of code in most European countries but here, we tend to think tile is good enough. But you have to have something under that tile to keep moisture at bay when the water will inevitably get behind the grout/caulk. </div>
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We ended up using this pretty great stuff called <a href="http://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/" target="_blank">Schluter Kerdi</a>. Its like wallpaper, but its a water proof membrane system you get to 'paste' on. It comes with all kinds of extra products you can use too, like a sealer for corners, little tape pieces, and round fittings for faucets. You can go crazy with all of their well-thought-out products, but we just used the membrane on rolls, their mortar, and their glue (called Fix). </div>
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Its literally like putting on wallpaper. </div>
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Pretty easy too. Cutting the sheets is easy, its just hanging that might cause you to curse a couple times. ;-)</div>
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<b>Step 5 - Wall tile!</b></div>
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With the walls pretty ready to go and plumbing in place, next up was tiling. In other words, we were only maybe half way done. </div>
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We planned to tile up 2/3 of the wall and all the way to the ceiling in the shower. We chose subway tiles that don't need spacers, thank god. Many subway tiles have built-in spacers on their edges so you can automatically have a grout line and proper spacing without having to measure and space each tile (which would have taken us even more of forever!). </div>
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We also had border tiles - a 'quarter round'-looking edger and chair rail that we planned to finish each edge with - and another accent subway tile. That latter one was a special buy. Its a vintage find from a salvage shop that apparently used to be use to surround Victorian fireplace fronts! Its this gorgeous aqua-blue cracked glaze tile. The downside was we only had so many that we could find to work with so it meant getting very precise and creative with spacing along the borders. </div>
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Tiling was a learning experience for sure. Bill had some experience from helping with our kitchen floor. But these were a different beast. Smaller, more manageable, but lots more planning!</div>
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I won't go into major detail here, but a few take aways... </div>
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<u>1) You HAVE to start with a ledger board at the bottom! </u>You can't just start at the floor and go up - it will get all wonky! </div>
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A legder board helps you start with a perfectly straight row you can work up from. </div>
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(see the board at the bottom? Its straight!) </div>
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<u>2) Don't get a handheld cutter - its trash. Buy or rent a wet saw. </u></div>
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If you are really smart, you'll find a nice spot to locally put your wet saw. </div>
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We didn't have that so we had to run up and down the steps into the garage for every single cut. Most of this project was spent walking to and from the garage. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dbj1tR7EtwE/V6ti-yexF4I/AAAAAAAAF3g/Wmn0ck_clmc5v4RIUIuB50mrlGkkuKaQQCEw/s1600/25967248105_d2e0dc4a14_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dbj1tR7EtwE/V6ti-yexF4I/AAAAAAAAF3g/Wmn0ck_clmc5v4RIUIuB50mrlGkkuKaQQCEw/s400/25967248105_d2e0dc4a14_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Lots and lots and lots of subway tiles to cut. Don't use that handheld thing in the top corner. </i></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVCiZKl1AkM/V6tjZYDztZI/AAAAAAAAF3s/sJHhpPQiehUm9XCHexzDDoIy9jW51MgnACLcB/s1600/24945350213_16bb505b7c_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVCiZKl1AkM/V6tjZYDztZI/AAAAAAAAF3s/sJHhpPQiehUm9XCHexzDDoIy9jW51MgnACLcB/s640/24945350213_16bb505b7c_k.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<i>A wet saw! So easy, I can do it! </i></div>
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<u>3) Watch lots and lots of Sal. </u></div>
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Oh, man. Good ol' Sal. Thank God we found <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/saldibs" target="_blank">this guy on YouTube</a>! </div>
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There are zillions of how-to videos on tiling, but we found this guy early on and fell in love. He's a serious craftsman - no cheap way around doing things for him. He has about a trillion videos on how to tile and I would advise watching as many as possible! We pretty much learned everything from him. </div>
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<u>4) (White) Grout covers a lot of evils. </u></div>
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We had some spots we thought were going to look a little odd in the end, but once the white grout went on the white subway tile, all the wonky lines were (relatively) erased! Obviously, if you use dark grout on tiles, which is popular right now, then things get more obvious. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iwNUEknEfvE/V6tlRHOUecI/AAAAAAAAF38/-APpQpAfX3Yh_VQazUtDBSFnsmjXnJ99wCLcB/s1600/25919774835_5049d7046e_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iwNUEknEfvE/V6tlRHOUecI/AAAAAAAAF38/-APpQpAfX3Yh_VQazUtDBSFnsmjXnJ99wCLcB/s640/25919774835_5049d7046e_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ovQ36iBbFE/V6tlgvopbvI/AAAAAAAAF4A/45OVYwqQU58WLIShznCjocH9yL0reoptACLcB/s1600/25666681400_02d7c92326_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ovQ36iBbFE/V6tlgvopbvI/AAAAAAAAF4A/45OVYwqQU58WLIShznCjocH9yL0reoptACLcB/s640/25666681400_02d7c92326_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>So many tiles!! </i></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Odrx1qbjymU/V6tloPMaBkI/AAAAAAAAF4M/H1H2T0JirvIdivP7r-yQhjjzEHWuUztzACLcB/s1600/26208436856_bfdd5b54b3_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Odrx1qbjymU/V6tloPMaBkI/AAAAAAAAF4M/H1H2T0JirvIdivP7r-yQhjjzEHWuUztzACLcB/s640/26208436856_bfdd5b54b3_k.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<i>See those lines go bye-bye?!</i></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-izOQNqOKkqM/V6tlm4dwtDI/AAAAAAAAF4I/-wuOEceHrDMU-Q_reuhWNIyYWq2qwVAvACLcB/s1600/25924012450_589ffb00ba_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-izOQNqOKkqM/V6tlm4dwtDI/AAAAAAAAF4I/-wuOEceHrDMU-Q_reuhWNIyYWq2qwVAvACLcB/s640/25924012450_589ffb00ba_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i> Even the border tiles look finished with the grout! </i></div>
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<b>Step 6 - Floor Tile </b></div>
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So actually, before we grouted and technically before we even finished the wall tile (removed the ledger boards and left a blank row at the bottom), we started the floor tile. </div>
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The floor tile was done in marble hexagon tile that's made in sheets. So totally different tiling technique. Easier in that its fewer tiles, gravity is on your side, and the majority of spacing is done for you. Not so easy in that you have to perfectly space the sheets in a not-square room. Again, we turned to our friend Sal to figure out how to start, but like most floor tile jobs, you measure the middle of the room and start there. </div>
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First, you scribble lines on the floor, and then you dry fit everything to make sure it all makes sense before you cement it down. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wM7DuWTmSmQ/V6tm_zF_ySI/AAAAAAAAF4Y/gwBXR0s6WSMpHjB38sMFrpKgP7IbtpneQCLcB/s1600/25941305696_d73686d38c_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wM7DuWTmSmQ/V6tm_zF_ySI/AAAAAAAAF4Y/gwBXR0s6WSMpHjB38sMFrpKgP7IbtpneQCLcB/s640/25941305696_d73686d38c_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>But always leave room for your music speaker... </i></div>
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Once we measured 3 times, we cut once and did a final dry fit, numbered everyone, made a colorful diagram of the four quadrants of the room (because why not!?) and then got to actually cementing everything down. </div>
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Even after dry-fitting, we ended up having to eyeball some of the spacing when we were cementing them down. You have a few mins to wiggle things around before they set. </div>
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Some of the little tiles do pop off the sheets too, thus the handy blue-painters-tape. </div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vds-aLJDU4s/V6tn5aPZigI/AAAAAAAAF4o/bOgSTakiwJIi4lZW07BEyaDJYcWlaV5XgCLcB/s640/25518136064_ce5f28d0ae_k.jpg" width="566" /></div>
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<i>This is actually the tile being dry-fit </i></div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zLGG_JyPE4g/V6tn5I4q07I/AAAAAAAAF4k/xjN9IuZANUECc2mOYVy0ufr6bjS3pkFOgCLcB/s640/25493508683_b1956b4b08_b.jpg" width="480" /></div>
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<i>Here its actually cemented down, I believe... </i></div>
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Lots of grouting was next, plus measuring and fitting that last row of wall tile that we had to do at the end. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZyrT3LVnr0/V6topROEwGI/AAAAAAAAF4s/NN9i3875B3Aqq7hZcOB2DHrv4JqIkhZcQCLcB/s1600/26170958606_546a03c18e_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZyrT3LVnr0/V6topROEwGI/AAAAAAAAF4s/NN9i3875B3Aqq7hZcOB2DHrv4JqIkhZcQCLcB/s640/26170958606_546a03c18e_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8rKaS4Vdtw/V6tosUUOFgI/AAAAAAAAF4w/7-btaD_dVbkWZZ0YgCTRfMorztwrtm8UACLcB/s1600/25924012200_7a3d18a4d7_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8rKaS4Vdtw/V6tosUUOFgI/AAAAAAAAF4w/7-btaD_dVbkWZZ0YgCTRfMorztwrtm8UACLcB/s640/25924012200_7a3d18a4d7_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 7 - Finishing Details! </b></div>
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With the tile done, we were in the home stretch. We just had to put humpty-dumpty back together again... </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s_5lioM0luY/V6trRHkZSFI/AAAAAAAAF48/QIHx1k-2JHAHcoODIJ-W8YIhyvxGVKgCgCLcB/s1600/bath%2Bdetails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s_5lioM0luY/V6trRHkZSFI/AAAAAAAAF48/QIHx1k-2JHAHcoODIJ-W8YIhyvxGVKgCgCLcB/s640/bath%2Bdetails.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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That meant putting the toilet back in, installing the vanity and sink I bought, installing the mirror on the wall (which was maybe the most curse-word inducing project of the whole rehab), paint the walls, add a new window sill (the old one was made of tile and we weren't that good), add a new wooden register cover, put the door back on (it was pretty in there without it, but probably not that practical...), reinstall the schoolhouse-style light we had, and add the finishing details like curtain rods and towel hangers. </div>
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Other than the mirror, we did all of this in a couple evenings one week with relative ease. </div>
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Which meant sometime in March, one random Thurs evening, all of a sudden our bathroom looked like this...</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5AOK_3GaUek/V6tsyaBPjjI/AAAAAAAAF5Q/iP3wdkQe6roDXBp27JuQwZP7yLa-LFqSACLcB/s1600/26268620902_6e53355d17_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5AOK_3GaUek/V6tsyaBPjjI/AAAAAAAAF5Q/iP3wdkQe6roDXBp27JuQwZP7yLa-LFqSACLcB/s640/26268620902_6e53355d17_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Whhhaaaaa?!?!?! </div>
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Yeah, in a matter of about a month and a half, we had gone from this... </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k3a-PsyKb2w/UcjwBqNothI/AAAAAAAAC_A/GMqoAST3_O4Tg28EQPbn800t04cs99j_ACPcB/s1600/blue%2Bbath%2Bprogress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k3a-PsyKb2w/UcjwBqNothI/AAAAAAAAC_A/GMqoAST3_O4Tg28EQPbn800t04cs99j_ACPcB/s400/blue%2Bbath%2Bprogress.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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To this... </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mUzd57ko1kA/V6tukUud4LI/AAAAAAAAF5w/qxGUzodJcw0CuyVyttt0_e5mzGHjT8q7ACLcB/s1600/bath%2Bafter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mUzd57ko1kA/V6tukUud4LI/AAAAAAAAF5w/qxGUzodJcw0CuyVyttt0_e5mzGHjT8q7ACLcB/s400/bath%2Bafter.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>(don't mind that this picture was actually taken before we finished the window..) </i></div>
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And.... drum roll, please..... </div>
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We did it all for a little under $2500.... </div>
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According to some of our friends, this would have probably cost us $5-7,000 to have it done for us. </div>
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We honestly couldn't have been happier with the outcome. I even like the blue tub in there. It pops. It was a lot of work. We won't be doing our bathroom anytime soon now - we need to recover. But its doable! And we certainly learned a lot about major rehab work! </div>
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In the mean time, its sure nice to look down the hall and see this white, sparkling beauty now</div>
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---- </div>
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For the full picture dump, see<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/williammcewan/albums/72157664386391276/with/26126052860/" target="_blank"> here</a>! </div>
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<b><u>Source list: </u></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Jeffrey-Court-Allegro-White-3-in-x-6-in-Ceramic-Wall-Tile-8-pieces-pack-99501/202663548" target="_blank">White Subway Tile </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Jeffrey-Court-Allegro-White-Gloss-Crown-2-in-x-12-in-x-8-mm-Ceramic-Wall-Trim-99532/202671392" target="_blank">Large tile border </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Jeffrey-Court-Allegro-White-Gloss-Dome-3-4-in-x-12-in-Ceramic-Wall-Tile-99531/202663577" target="_blank">Smaller tile border </a></div>
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(All wall tile was the Jeffrey Court Allegro Gloss White collection from Home Depot)</div>
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Aqua accent tile is salvaged but <a href="http://www.ebay.com/bhp/victorian-fireplace-tile" target="_blank">Ebay</a> has some similar stuff </div>
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<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/MS-International-Greecian-White-Hexagon-12-in-x-12-in-x-10-mm-Polished-Marble-Mesh-Mounted-Mosaic-Tile-GRE-1HEXP/204265384?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D23-Tile%7c&gclid=Cj0KEQjwoau9BRDMvsnv5MCh24UBEiQAKOqcfdVTBpJ_fdktE8BdRxd6fwSk14_4TQQGsUIipOoz_CAaAiBj8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">Floor tile </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/American-Standard-Chatfield-Single-Handle-3-Spray-Tub-and-Shower-Faucet-in-Brushed-Nickel-7413502-295/206310465" target="_blank">Shower and tub faucet </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd/Moen-Boardwalk-Spot-Resist-Brushed-Nickel-1-Handle-Single-Hole-WaterSense-Bathroom-Sink-Faucet-Drain-Included/4736795" target="_blank">Sink faucet </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09906060/" target="_blank">Vanity and top </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.target.com/p/threshold-acrylic-faceted-knob-4-pack-green/-/A-12456703" target="_blank">New vanity drawer pulls</a> (bought on sale at Target and they no longer carry them. But<a href="http://www.buyknobs.com/octagon-cut-glass-knobs.html" target="_blank"> these </a>are similar) </div>
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<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Decorators-Collection-22-in-W-x-28-in-L-Framed-Fog-Free-Wall-Mirror-in-Brushed-Silver-81160/205577524?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D29B-BathVanities%7c&gclid=Cj0KEQjwoau9BRDMvsnv5MCh24UBEiQAKOqcfX_-Y8ZrIgoeQbvMW40jhqIVqP4aCr-hQt4HOpWgSjAaAhY58P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">Mirror </a></div>
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Bathroom vanity light (can't find original, but <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd/Sea-Gull-Lighting-2-Light-Academy-Chrome-Bathroom-Vanity-Light/50334647" target="_blank">this</a> is similar) </div>
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<a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd/KOHLER-Elliston-White-1-28-GPF-4-85-LPF-12-Rough-In-WaterSense-Elongated-2-Piece-Comfort-Height-Toilet/50034688?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-FashionFixtures-_-Toilets-_-50034688:KOHLER&CAWELAID=&kpid=50034688&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=1047&k_clickID=677a331c-3f96-4a7f-a8cf-95329ed127ed" target="_blank">Toilet </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.target.com/p/watercolor-shower-curtain-nate-berkus/-/A-16603812" target="_blank">Shower Curtain</a> (no longer available) </div>
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<a href="http://www.target.com/p/nate-berkus-pinstipe-bath-towels-gray-aqua/-/A-15247190" target="_blank">Hand towel </a></div>
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Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-57097476003772349912015-10-13T07:10:00.002-07:002015-10-13T07:13:53.958-07:00Dovidenja, Croatia! Sorry for the riveting suspense caused by the delay since our last post. I know all 3 of you reading this are wringing your hands. Don't fear, loyal few, lets move on with our story:<br />
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After our time in Split, we jumped over to the island of Hvar. All we had heard of Hvar and its main town of the same name was that they were the most ritzy of Croatia's island towns; a yachting port of glitz and glamour. It certainly lived up to the former; A LOT of yachts - some so over-the-top they must have been sailing advertising campaigns.<br />
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Hvar did have a certain younger-EU sparkle to it. It was 99% tourists but, thanks to ferry size, not overcrowded. And while there were less tourist shops, it was definitely geared towards visitors, just ones seeking electronic-music clubs instead of tchotchkes.<br />
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We checked into our place and per our lovely hostess's recommendation, decided to walk to a place that served lunch on the rocks... and offered Bill more time in the Adriatic. At 4 p.m., I was starved and would have eaten anywhere, and this was the walk-to location she recommended. I expected a beach hut serving the usual pizza slices but when we walked up, I was surprised by what we found: a-for-all-intensive-purposes beach club. Little cabanas and chaises dotted the rocks and young swimmers tanned waterside with their drinks in hand. A total change of pace from our usual Roman ruins.<br />
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Now normally, this would not be our scene. We would turn up our noses at dub-step-accompanied sunsets and alcohol-rich, American cocktails but this time we didn't. We embraced it.<br />
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It wasn't a Roman ruin, after all...<br />
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So we grabbed a chaise, ordered tortilla chips and salsa off the menu (yep!) and I ordered not 1, but 2, pina coladas (yep, a pina colada. In Croatia.) and we watched the sunset, swam and tanned next to 21-year-old hostel stayers. And it was freaking amazing! So amazingly relaxing that we didn't take a single picture...<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4I5tHb-X7g/Vh0RfZa_YvI/AAAAAAAAFcs/Djp1QK11v_s/s1600/Sumer-in-the-city-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4I5tHb-X7g/Vh0RfZa_YvI/AAAAAAAAFcs/Djp1QK11v_s/s400/Sumer-in-the-city-09.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Thanks to <a href="http://www.discover-island-hvar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Sumer-in-the-city-09.jpg" target="_blank">these people</a></i></div>
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After tanning and getting intoxicated next to youngins, we stumbled back to our room, grabbed this pic from our window and got glitzy for our dinner out.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bZA-a5XE34M/VhwtQf8P94I/AAAAAAAAFWc/gGHg2TPlndQ/s1600/21517911386_9e2f37ce5c_k%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bZA-a5XE34M/VhwtQf8P94I/AAAAAAAAFWc/gGHg2TPlndQ/s400/21517911386_9e2f37ce5c_k%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zHJ0TjveIMw/VhwtS24fhpI/AAAAAAAAFWk/5n82kBaxwEg/s1600/21517902586_7831396f30_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zHJ0TjveIMw/VhwtS24fhpI/AAAAAAAAFWk/5n82kBaxwEg/s400/21517902586_7831396f30_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zBnMIZyZTvE/Vhwt9c0o6fI/AAAAAAAAFWs/CwdxdoG4q3M/s1600/21356068830_f715ac452f_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zBnMIZyZTvE/Vhwt9c0o6fI/AAAAAAAAFWs/CwdxdoG4q3M/s400/21356068830_f715ac452f_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The next morning, after catching a ferry back to Split and our car, we started down towards Dubrovnik. It was a pretty standard drive, though we did have the excitement of crossing into Bosnia for a few miles (Croatia's southern most tip is disconnected from the rest of the country) and hoping we didn't look suspicious. We <i>were</i> carrying a lot of truffle foods... </div>
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Dubrovnik is called the "Jewel of the Adriatic" and there's no surprise it got that moniker. Though we should have been jaded of white-walled cities, there was no denying that Dubrovnik is breathtaking. </div>
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Its a large old city perched on rocks and cliffs hugging blue waters. But if that wasn't enough, the city is still enclosed by its original medieval fortress walls. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CROVrsfxRLY/Vhw0cTMWoqI/AAAAAAAAFXE/SiWdeMLWK1I/s1600/21615713101_6f2c4edcbc_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CROVrsfxRLY/Vhw0cTMWoqI/AAAAAAAAFXE/SiWdeMLWK1I/s400/21615713101_6f2c4edcbc_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These fortress walls are massive. Pictures probably won't do them justice. Even video doesn't! In fact, Game of Thrones shoots here A LOT. Its the backdrop of their capital city but even the grandeur of the show does't do these things justice.<br />
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Luckily, you can actually walk them!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-phurImzHGQ8/VhxB-KBLIgI/AAAAAAAAFX8/NtIfUSqbCtE/s1600/20982692953_9f0afa5e05_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-phurImzHGQ8/VhxB-KBLIgI/AAAAAAAAFX8/NtIfUSqbCtE/s640/20982692953_9f0afa5e05_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ijE9ivHe_eQ/VhxB-scYP7I/AAAAAAAAFYE/FrO2AfW8v9s/s1600/20984015894_9d12afddb6_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ijE9ivHe_eQ/VhxB-scYP7I/AAAAAAAAFYE/FrO2AfW8v9s/s640/20984015894_9d12afddb6_k.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<i>A real drawbridge!! </i></div>
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The walk atop the walls allowed for some pretty incredible views</div>
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And also some pretty incredible chances to reenact Game of Thrones scenes...<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-proDqR9netg/VhxDZF5jRTI/AAAAAAAAFYg/Ix347zOHDJ4/s1600/21576952686_46257586cd_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-proDqR9netg/VhxDZF5jRTI/AAAAAAAAFYg/Ix347zOHDJ4/s400/21576952686_46257586cd_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g3g_7lizotU/VhxDdtj3SII/AAAAAAAAFYo/s7nId2ZXQUs/s1600/tumblr_inline_mrdfbqVbqM1qz4rgp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g3g_7lizotU/VhxDdtj3SII/AAAAAAAAFYo/s7nId2ZXQUs/s400/tumblr_inline_mrdfbqVbqM1qz4rgp.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>(Top pic is the real thing, bottom isn't - a little CGI addition and gondola boats make it Kings Landing) </i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6-zW-nUYU28/VhxFzpfdfHI/AAAAAAAAFY4/v0ib_gzUikk/s1600/21603015185_ca3a68690a_k%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6-zW-nUYU28/VhxFzpfdfHI/AAAAAAAAFY4/v0ib_gzUikk/s400/21603015185_ca3a68690a_k%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9I-457q_eg/VhxF-mE2FFI/AAAAAAAAFZA/fsPols7L3jI/s1600/game-of-thrones-s3ep1-kings-landing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9I-457q_eg/VhxF-mE2FFI/AAAAAAAAFZA/fsPols7L3jI/s400/game-of-thrones-s3ep1-kings-landing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Just add a big, red castle! </i></div>
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And, of course, Bill and I's favorite... </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9GCvegdimMQ/Vhz8iuwFhOI/AAAAAAAAFZY/U1p-kM1L-XE/s1600/3yf.afdoj8.940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9GCvegdimMQ/Vhz8iuwFhOI/AAAAAAAAFZY/U1p-kM1L-XE/s400/3yf.afdoj8.940.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yrBXMNa0P3E/Vhz8vnVTnKI/AAAAAAAAFZg/CXVm7DrAJuI/s1600/21416631889_b2ea468303_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yrBXMNa0P3E/Vhz8vnVTnKI/AAAAAAAAFZg/CXVm7DrAJuI/s400/21416631889_b2ea468303_k.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Thanks to Bill... </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mlnsUVlaigI/Vhz94SK6B2I/AAAAAAAAFZs/l1SJ1aCU5O8/s1600/got.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mlnsUVlaigI/Vhz94SK6B2I/AAAAAAAAFZs/l1SJ1aCU5O8/s320/got.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6mxougJYsmw/Vhz96t_i_2I/AAAAAAAAFZ0/TsrTVtzy4-M/s1600/meg%2Bdragons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6mxougJYsmw/Vhz96t_i_2I/AAAAAAAAFZ0/TsrTVtzy4-M/s640/meg%2Bdragons.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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No one reading this gets this, so I'll just move on, but that character looses her dragons and has to find them in this building. Don't you hate it when that happens??!</div>
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ANYWAY... </div>
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Dubrovnik did have some pretty fantasy-inspiring architecture. It is an obvious set for medieval, Renaissance or fantasy fables. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QSWjf_anPbo/Vh0BvCgzxoI/AAAAAAAAFaA/RW5CjLnoSC0/s1600/20981104054_9be6d79b31_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="636" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QSWjf_anPbo/Vh0BvCgzxoI/AAAAAAAAFaA/RW5CjLnoSC0/s640/20981104054_9be6d79b31_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then there is this guy... </div>
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This was actually pretty funny. It was a <i>cat sanctuary</i>. They had so many stray cats so someone took a tiny courtyard and turned it into a cat bunker with food, little beds, water, tons of plants to get shade under, etc. But they had to fund it some how so they put this random guillotine prop in there for photo ops and asked for donations. Odd mix, but hey, whatever works... </div>
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After a hot, lengthy walk around the walls, Bill took another dip in the Adriatic off yet another cliff-side cafe</div>
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He thought about trying to scale the walls.... </div>
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... but even Bill wasn't going to break Dubrovnik's record for never being breached</div>
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Dubrovnik also had a plethora of live, extremely-talented musicians. There were a ton of free concerts set in these beautiful white stone museums and churches. And, fitting the romantic atmosphere, all the concerts had candles leading guests to them. </div>
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But we did spend a few evenings walking around, listing to pianists, Spanish-guitarists, string trios, jazz bands and piano mans. </div>
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<i>(Ok, "men", but that doesn't rhyme, does it?) </i></div>
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A few more good meals, a final museum tour and Bill's final dip into the sea ended our next day in Dubrovnik before we had to catch our flight back up to Zagreb. It was also our fond farewell to Cherry Bomb. :-(<br />
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<i>Heavy sigh.</i></div>
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We got back to Zagreb and were lucky enough to have our next host schedule a private pick up from the airport. Our driver was a barely-speaking-English man in his middle-years who used to be a famous folk dancer in Croatia. Of course he was!<br />
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Our place this time in Zagreb was right in the middle of old town, which was perfect as we were only there for one more evening before our long trip back home, early the next morning.<br />
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<i>The view from our apartment's window. The cathedral, apparently, is under constant construction because each original stone is slowly being replaced. </i></div>
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We walked the very short but very pretty Stossmayer Promenade, but since it was so bitingly cold (and we without much in the way of a jackets), we didn't snap a pic. So thanks to <a href="http://madelynincroatia.blogspot.com/2014/11/4-favourite-places-in-croatia_30.html" target="_blank">this person</a> for this picture. But its a very romantic, chandelier-lit walk with a little wine kiosk and benches, which, if it weren't for the cold, we would have probably taken advantage of.<br />
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Instead, we finished our trip back at our (at least my) <a href="http://www.timeout.com/croatia/restaurants/prasac" target="_blank">favorite restaurant</a>. </div>
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It was a wonderful end to a truly wonderful vacation. It definitely scratched the travel itch I had and was a great experience together. </div>
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Even if Bill had to have me be a back-seat driver in another country and give him this face at pretty much every picture... </div>
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<i>William! Did you eat my share of the cheese plate!?</i></div>
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Haha, just kidding. I probably ate his. ;-) </div>
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El Fin! </div>
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Thanks for joining us on our tour of Croatia. </div>
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Dovidenja! </div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-32277099765718553612015-09-28T07:45:00.001-07:002015-09-28T07:45:46.250-07:00Croatia - Part II <b>Pula</b>'s lack of sights was kind of perfect as we had to head out early the next morning for our longest drive to <b>Plitvice Lakes</b>. This national park in the country's interior is stunning. Fed by several rivers, the park's highlight is 16 cascading lakes and their waterfalls, ranging from babbling rocks and pools to 250 ft drops.<br />
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Unlike American national parks, Croatian parks are designed for tourists. It was like if Disney did a national park. Gorgeous and Hobbit-like, but there wasn't much "hiking" to be had. In fact, I noticed a few women wearing fashionable flats for the entire walk. A series of wood planked walkways connect the lakes, making a beautiful walkway through reeds and over azure pools. Later, a boat takes passengers over some of the larger lakes.<br />
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(Doing my best teapot impression for some reason in one of the parks caves)</div>
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Probably the most striking part of the walk was just how vibrantly turquoise the waters were... </div>
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Ok, you've probably seen enough water and trees now, but it was really an incredibly beautiful place. We were glad we went later in the day and in Sept though because larger crowds of people easily ruin the experience. </div>
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That night we stayed in our one non-AirBnB booked room. It was a little inn on the outskirts of the park made of a few remade houses filled with cozy but plain little hotel rooms. But we were so pleasantly surprised by our hostesses (another mom and her daughter) and their wonderful, non-touristy cooking. </div>
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(Croatian plum brandy to start and finish!) </div>
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(sorry for the dead fish picture, but it was an amazing dinner!) </div>
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After our day 'hiking' around the interior and eating meat and potatoes, sitting in a Venetian-styled square in <b>Zadar </b>sipping our coffee again was wonderfully refreshing. Zadar was one of our favorite coastal cities. For some reason, it wasn't overly awash with tourists. It was vibrant, full of life with the locals, and yet had all the usual tourist-appeals: a fabulous Adriatic view, coastal promenade, cafe-lined main square, and even a few Roman ruins. But because we got all of this with fewer tourist-shops, Zadar made the top of the list. </div>
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(Certainly didn't hurt that our digs were beautiful. This picture is also called "Can you find the Megan?") </div>
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Zadar's forum with Roman ruins</div>
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Bill gets very proud of his water drinking ability. </div>
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Zadar has a gorgeous promenade along the sea with 2 very cool additions from a local architect: The Sea Organ and Sun Salutation. The Sea Organ is a set of pipes that sit under stairs on the sea. The wind off of the sea and its waves enters the pipes from holes in the stairs and plays a beautiful, whistling sound (like a pan flute) all day and night. Check it out<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQf2qgyfIsw" target="_blank"> here</a>. </div>
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The sun salutation comes from a series of solar panels in the promenade that produce enough power to light the walk way as well as produce a nightly light show... </div>
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We ate dinner in the square again, where we also landed in the morning, where we got to watch 2 folk dance groups do a lot of fun twirling</div>
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After our fun in Zadar, we actually went back for some more national park-ing, this time to Krka, another Disney-like, waterfall adventure, but this time, the wooden paths took you to a pool that you could swim in! </div>
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Believe it or not, I actually went in as far as Bill is there, but there is no proof of it. You'll just have to take my word for it</div>
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We stayed the night then in the small but very pretty town of Sibenik. Very few tourists stop here, which was fine by us, particularly because we didn't need a reservation to dine at one of our top 3 Croatian restaurants, overlooking the stunningly beautiful Cathedral of St James. I kept remarking on just how white the stone was. Later, I realized that probably wasn't the only one - the extremely white limestone comes from the Croatian island of Brac which was used for many highly-white constructions,<a href="http://victortravelblog.com/2012/10/29/common-facts-about-white-house-diocletian-palace/" target="_blank"> including even the White House </a>(though it depends which historian you ask...) </div>
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That's my proud-I-drank-that-water face. </div>
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This was one of our favorite meals in Croatia. Unlike so many of the tourist-driven spots filled with the same grilled octopus, shrimp risotto and pizza (not to mention the countless beer gardens set up for the hoards of German summer tourists), this place was a real culinary treat. It even introduced us to orange wine! Yep, orange. </div>
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(those little white rolls are charred polenta! yum!) </div>
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Our setting certainly helped. We even got to watch a very playful kitten jump on dust and grass in front of the cathedral while a local choir group practiced in one of the rooms above the restaurant. Perfect European entertainment! </div>
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The next day we drove down to Split, which I think I can summarize in one sentence: <u>We were tired</u>. </div>
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At this point, we had been travelling for 8 days, 9 if you include the plane trip, which is longer than most of our vacations. Plus, at this point, other than a few hours in national parks, we were starting to run a theme - coffee, Roman ruins, Venetian square, risotto lunch, check in, dinner, coffee, Roman ruins, Venetian square, risotto.... </div>
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So another day of Roman ruins, this time the very large Diocletian's Palace, had little appeal for us. So the city that a lot of people call their favorite did little for us. We were just too jaded. Plus, Split's narrow corridors are infamous for being overly congested by tourists. </div>
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When we finally did go out to explore the palace, which is essentially most of the old town (Roman emperor Diocletian built his retirement palace here and after his little fortress's collapse a few hundred years later, settlers started building a whole city in its walls. So now the 'palace' walls encapsulate various medieval and Renaissance-period streets and homes), we actually got a few enjoyable sights... </div>
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Like this a cappella group who utilizes Diocletian's round 'foyer' for acoustics </div>
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The white (yep, from Brac) walls of the palace</div>
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My favorite part, though, was probably the storage halls underneath the palace, which are massive and quite impressive architecturally in their own right. Not sure what he stored down there in his retirement but later the medieval townsfolk stored their poop down there. Seriously. They tossed all their waste down in the halls until it was a gross soup. At some point in history, it all had to be drained out of there and now we walk around in there! </div>
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Actually, some major scenes of Game of Thrones are filmed down here, right in the old sewers... </div>
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<img src="http://gameofthronestourcroatia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/game-of-thrones-season-5-episode-1-daenarys-dragons-catacombs-scene.jpg?a8a5b2" height="344" width="640" /></div>
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Via <a href="http://gameofthronestourcroatia.com/game-of-thrones-scenes-filmed-in-split-croatia-season-5-episode-1/" target="_blank">GameofThronesCroatia</a></div>
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(Keep your wine down there, your poop, or your dragons! The basement halls and very versatile!) </div>
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Split was also the site of what was probably Bill's favorite meal. The plethora of restaurants that make up coastal towns' promenades are generally junk, rented for prime tourist real estate. But this place, while in the middle of tourist territory, was remarkably good.<br />
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We ended our time in Split with our first dip into the Adriatic ("Finally!", said Bill). Bill spent the early morning, while I was still lazily snuggled in bed, cycling around the town, looking for swimming spots. Our house hosts were nice enough to leave a couple bikes for their guests! So after breakfast (at Bill's favorite spot, of course) and before we jumped onto our ferry to the island city of <b>Hvar</b>, we spent 30 mins at a busy public beach, dipping our toes into the sea and soaking up a few rays.</div>
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Next post will be about our last few days and nights in the yacht-hopper town of Hvar, the "pearl of the Adriatic" Dubrovnik, and our last night back in Zagreb. </div>
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<i><b>Dovidenja!</b></i></div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-25157712333772798472015-09-25T09:20:00.000-07:002015-09-25T09:20:44.736-07:00An American in Croatia - Part I Make that two Americans. Two American honeymooners.<br />
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We just got back from our 2 weeks (ok, 12 days) abroad, celebrating our recent nuptials. We haven't blogged in ages because of those nuptials. It was a very busy Spring planning everything, and then a busy Summer recovering from the festivities and planning our two weeks away. So one of these days I'll get around to recapping the wedding. Obviously anyone who is reading this was probably there, but I still think its probably smart to write down our wedding experience before its lost to my poor memory.<br />
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But on to Croatia! The land of truffles and honey and more truffles and risotto, and more risotto, and a little more risotto...<br />
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For those of you who hear Croatia and start picturing Borat or the Kremlin, let me set you straight. Croatia is the opposite coast from Italy on the Adriatic. In fact, its even kind of shaped like Italy. And their boots are very similar in feel - similar scenery, weather, food... The language is definitely more Baltic - more Borat - but everything else is very Mediterranean.<br />
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We picked Croatia after a dutiful search through travel blogs and well traveled friends' recommendations and, after narrowing in on the Mediterranean, all of those sources pointed us towards Croatia. Cheaper, less traveled, less touristy. Oh, and Game of Thrones was filmed there.<br />
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Done.<br />
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We planned our trip via car, travelling down the Adriatic coast line with a few hops into the interior.<br />
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We started in the capital, <b>Zagreb</b>, where we flew in. We flew across the pond via Virgin Atlantic, which I am officially in love with. We flew their American line to California a few years ago and for long stretches like that, I think I will always fly with them. They are just too luxurious not to. Like 30 free movies, tons of music (duh), another 30 free TV shows, blankets, pillows, extra leg room, really awesome meals (including chocolate covered popsicles and free wine!). Ok, I guess everyone gets it. Fly Virgin if its for 5 hr+ flights. (Ok, can I get some free Virgin miles for that advertisement??!!)<br />
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We spent about 48 hrs in Zagreb, which was perfect as we were a bit jet lagged and travelling the next day would have been torture. Zagreb is in the North and inland so it has a much different feel than rest of the Adriatic-hugging towns. Its not as far over as the Serbia/Hungary side of the country but it has more of that feel. In fact, I thought its old town looked very like Vienna (not that I've been, but via pictures, the architecture is very similar), which is not off base seeing as its about the same distance as Budapest or Venice.<br />
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Zagreb is all about the cafe scene. They really, REALLY like their kava (coffee) there. About every other shop is a coffee shop, or at least serves coffee. The thing to do is sit and drink coffee, wherever you are! So Day 1, that what we did - went to find us some coffee! We headed to a popular spot, not far from the square, where they advertised gluten free options (one of the 2 places I saw gluten free options advertised).<br />
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We sat outside, just under the funicular, a blue tram that runs from the newer (Victorian) square to the old town.<br />
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Since we slept in, this was around noon, and as I put my next spoonful of gluten free cake into my mouth, the entire ground shakes and a huge boom reverberates off the buildings. My eyes dart from one person to another, gauging reactions, looking for people to start running and screaming. I say to myself, "God damn it, my mother is going to be right! Her note about European conflicts that I laughed at is going to come true - we are going to be in the middle of a firefight!"<br />
That actually wasn't too far from the truth, but the firefight is fireless, and happens at noon everyday. Apparently, holding with tradition, the bell tower right above the funicular, right above us, shoots of "the noon cannon" everyday as a way of setting the towns clocks all to the same time.<br />
Bloody hell.<br />
Thank god Bill had read about it the night before, otherwise I would have started crying.<br />
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If I had only read that before too: Or<a href="http://www.likealocalguide.com/blog/5-things-only-tourists-do-in-zagreb/" target="_blank"> this post </a>(where I borrowed the above picture from as well).<br />
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After I changed my pants, we headed to the Museum of Broken Relationships (fitting to get that out of the way before the rest of our honeymoon), to see Saint Marks cathedral and eat some of the best food in our whole Croatian adventure.<br />
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Sitting, enjoying our lunch at (at least my) favorite restaurant in all of Croatia. </div>
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<i>(For those of you who can't read that - its a toaster and the caption reads "When I moved out, and across the country, I took the toaster. That'll show you. How are you going to toast anything now!?")</i></div>
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Our favorite 'exhibit' from the Museum of Broken Relationships, which was a collection of 'artifacts' from past relationships and the stories they told. </div>
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What you do when you are in Zagreb - sit, drink kava and people watch. Bill was in heaven. </div>
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Next up was Motovun, in the heart of Istria. But before I move on, let me introduce you to a very special someone, our travel partner, Cherry Bomb... </div>
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She's a Skoda, 3-cylinder, diesel babe. She took us over 1000 km on our trip and, while we were a little unsure at first she would get us 1 km, she was pretty awesome. </div>
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Chh, chhh, chhh, chhh, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hAF6xyP3yg" target="_blank">CHERRY BOMB</a>! (For those of you who have no idea what I am referencing) </div>
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So the first place she took us was the medieval, hill town of Motovun. Its right in the middle of Istria, Croatia's Tuscany or Umbria. Its a hilly, green wonderland of vineyards, truffle forests and olive orchards. In fact, the first place Cherry took us was Karlic Tartufi, a family-run truffle hunting business that was certainly one of the highlights of our trip. This super kind family of 4 (and 9 dogs!) runs a hunting and truffle plantation that also hosts guests as they gorge on truffles and take part in the hunt. Our two hostesses, mother and daughter, filled us in on everything one can know about black and white truffles, and then sat us down with a bottle of wine and fed us several courses of truffle-infused dishes. We even got to watch her make our omelette! </div>
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After we were about to pop, we laced up our sneaks and followed 3 adorable and well-trained hunting dogs down into the forests where we (ok, the dogs...) found 5 truffles! </div>
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After our truffle hunting adventure (aka eating a lot of truffles), we cleaned off in our gorgeous room in Motovun. </div>
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This was hands down our favorite place to stay. Stuccoed white cement, stone and reclaimed wood everywhere. The host even had a nice music selection so we got to chill out for a while to Nina Simone and Thievery Corporation. Bliss!<br />
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<img height="480" src="http://i0.wp.com/www.istria100.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/motovun.jpg?resize=1024%2C768" width="640" /><br />
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(via www.istria100.com)</div>
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Motovun itself was pretty breathtaking. Its a pedestrian-only hilltop town that winds up the hill in a spiral, with steep stone streets and some stunning views at the top.<br />
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After having another truffle rich dinner at the top and then our morning coffee, we headed off the the Istrian coast town of Rovinj (the j is like a g. Like "Roving").<br />
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When doing research, I assumed Rovinj would be my favorite spot on the whole journey. Everyone I was reading referred to it as "romantic" and "old world". Its interesting peninsula shape and striking bell tower looked glorious in the pictures.<br />
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But you know what happens when you hype something up in your head. It always disappoints.<br />
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Rovinj was romantic in spots and certainly old world in those same places, but it was the first place we hit the tourists. Lots of them.<br />
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And with hoards of tourist apparently comes crappy t-shirt shops and kiosks filled with stuff - magnets, mugs, etc. Empty and without those shops, it would have probably been a charming town, but the romanticism was quickly drained of this city.<br />
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We did get to climb up the bell tower, though. Some rickety wood 'stairs' got us up there.<br />
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The view from the top </div>
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There were a few restaurants/bars along the coastal towns that allowed people to sit out on the rocks and sip their drinks. This was the first one we went to, which went all out with ambiance, but I am pretty sure my drink was water w/ food coloring. Oh anything for the tourists! </div>
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The next morning we decided to take a quick ferry ride over to a neighboring island, Katarina, were we heard there might be some swimming spots for Bill to take a dip.<br />
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We found them! But they were surrounded by cedar trees and the abundance of lizards that come with them. It wasn't quite the breakdown that happened in Yosemite (for those of you who haven't heard that story, lets just say it was the emotional breakdown that almost caused Bill to leave me. Semi-kidding!). I freaked out a little, and then uncomfortably sat on a rock on the beach for the next hour while Bill took a chilly dip.<br />
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Then Cherry Bomb drove us down to<b> Pula</b> - the tip of Istria that juts into an Adriatic bay. We assumed Pula wasn't going to be much to look at, which was true. Its a very small town with a limited old town. However, its spot on the map is marked for the Roman amphitheater in remarkably good condition. The very large and well kept Roman ruin sadly was filled with the modern remnants of a recent concert but the following should give you an idea of the magnitude of the structure...<br />
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And Bill got to play Maximus for a few moments. </div>
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A few other spots in the forum were left but otherwise our time in Pula was spent eating and drinking in the forum (not unlike James Joyce, apparently, who lived and worked here with his wife while writing/rewriting <i>Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man</i>) </div>
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For Part II we head to Plitvice Lakes, Zadar, Krka National Park, Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik (aka Kings Landing)....</div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-56227962496412826472015-02-12T13:41:00.002-08:002015-02-12T13:41:59.645-08:00Restarting Tradition 2014 was a busy year for me with work. Both work work and home work (ugh, does any one else still get sick at the mention of 'homework'?). So 886 got the shaft. Most of our posts (ok, like 99% of them) were about the house. Which is fine - cause, who are we kidding, thats all we do now.<br />
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But I was perusing old posts and noticed back at the end of 2012 I went through the year and shared my favorite moments from that year. What better way to recap your year, feel happy about it and excited for the next?<br />
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So I'm bringing it back! (We just have to all pretend you are reading this post 1 month ago).<br />
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So 2014...<br />
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Lets start with the fact that in 2013, this little lady was added to the McEwan clan..<br />
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She's been an amazing little person for all of us Aunts and Uncles (oh, and I'm an Aunt -whhaaa?) to witness. </div>
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So here are a few of my favorite Leah moments from 2014</div>
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First birthday! She learned how freaking awesome presents are. All goes down hill from here, kiddo. Presents are IT! </div>
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That party can't be mentioned without noting that the 'lady bug theme' was somehow translated to 'wear a ladybug costume'. We were the only ones dressed like ladybugs, in case you were wondering. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qYdacRhwxnE/VN0Mcn3wIbI/AAAAAAAAEmM/ckWqEVuS8vg/s1600/Leah.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qYdacRhwxnE/VN0Mcn3wIbI/AAAAAAAAEmM/ckWqEVuS8vg/s1600/Leah.mp4" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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She made a few visits to our house, one of which included learning to play the piano in the cutest way possible. </div>
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And lets note how freaking adorable she was a Christmas, when her hair got long enough to put into pigtails, she could repeat pretty much every word you said (uh oh) and almost every outfit contained an adorable penguin. </div>
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But, I suppose we should move on to less cute stuff... </div>
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2014 started with a lot of love. Bill had just proposed at the end of December. Our wonderful friends threw us a perfect, intimate engagement party...</div>
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Look at our beautiful hostess hard at work... </div>
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... and play!</div>
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That lovely lady is also now quite pregnant with their first! </div>
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Shortly thereafter, we had the same group over for a fantastic Murder Mystery Dinner! </div>
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Set in the roaring 20's, of course... </div>
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The murderer is amongst us!! Gasp! </div>
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2014 also brought a TON of new engagements - Carrie and Chris, Eliza and Mike, and April and Steve (some of who are already married now!) </div>
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In worse news, though, 2014 also marked the announcement of April and Steve's moving in Chicago, which was pretty devastating. </div>
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But it does mean more Chicago trips in 2015! </div>
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Bill climbed pretty much every bit of terrain in 2014... </div>
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2014 was also the year of Bill showing how many ants are truly in his pants (tons, just tons). </div>
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The man couldn't go an hour without a project. So when he wasn't working on the house, he was... </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2_8x721PgZc/VN0QgPTD2II/AAAAAAAAEn8/KCRnO-lr9a0/s1600/14761436947_eaa21ae4da_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2_8x721PgZc/VN0QgPTD2II/AAAAAAAAEn8/KCRnO-lr9a0/s1600/14761436947_eaa21ae4da_z.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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...welding or building motorbikes.. </div>
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...forging metal... </div>
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... to create hand-made knives... </div>
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2014 was also the year of a gazillion home projects...</div>
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Certainly the biggest of which was the kitchen transformation </div>
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But a lot of areas got a good coat of paint</div>
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And the guest bedroom got an overhaul ...</div>
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And the house got a heavy dose of Meg's artwork </div>
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And I think the hall counts as 2014 as we finished it right at the beginning of the new year... </div>
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2014 held a few great trips for us...</div>
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Like sailing the Chesapeake </div>
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Newport Folk Fest with the family! </div>
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Hiking and visiting quaint Jim Thorpe with Kate and Ty </div>
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Of course, Cape May! </div>
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Shotgun shooting with April and Steve!</div>
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Invisible River on the Schuylkill with my parents </div>
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(no, those aren't my parents... or us... or anyone I know because my friends just aren't that flexible) </div>
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NYC/MoMA with Bill </div>
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and STL and Chicago to visit my best friends! (who happen to be my bridesmaids!) </div>
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Speaking of which...</div>
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Wedding planning took off this year.</div>
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We picked a venue... </div>
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... the food, the flowers, the dresses, the invites... everything, basically. Now 2015 is just when that shit gets real! </div>
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Speaking of real... </div>
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This beloved couple got married in 2014. Liss and Sean finally tied the knot and it was a super fun weekend to boot. </div>
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I was also entrusted with throwing the bride-to-be a bridal shower in 2014. I didn't totally blow it... </div>
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And, we certainly weren't short on parties 'round here... </div>
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(yes, that a piano-melodica duo - limited engagement, sorry) </div>
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Ending with the epic McEwan Christmas party! </div>
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With tickle-dance-offs and everything! </div>
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All-in-all 2014 was a good year!</div>
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Here's to an even better 2015! </div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-66794145608034502162015-01-29T12:30:00.000-08:002015-01-29T12:30:56.685-08:00Grass is always greener... ... when there isn't any. Thats right, we finally got rid of the grass (cloth) wallpaper in our hall and now I'm no longer dreaming whats on the other side.<br />
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Its here and its gorgeous!<br />
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The grass cloth was one of the least offensive wallpapers in the house, which is why it survived so long, but after the rest of the house looked so fresh, new and white, it was an obvious relic. </div>
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So off came the wallpaper (rather easily, I might add) and we began to plan the board-and-batten replacement. Actually, its batten. The 'board' is just wall. I'm sure in the days of plaster walls, it was all but impossible to create a flat, smooth surface but drywall works beautifully. And, actually, the battens weren't that hard either. </div>
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We had to work with the original baseboard molding, which was high and quite beautiful in its own right, but didn't obviously lend itself to the very straight battens. So Bill came up with a piece of molding that would meet it, and create a flat surface for the vertical battens to butt up against. The battens themselves were just math - figuring out the spacing on each wall and then buying the right amount from Home Depot. </div>
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Then came adding the horizontal molding of our choosing, which for us included a picture rail on one of the walls. Right now, its only got the one, but I plan on adding a few overlapping pieces.</div>
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Bill worked a few days on adding a second light down the hall. Not sure what the electrician was thinking when he did these homes. Only one light at the top of the stairs and if the bathroom and bedroom doors are closed at the end of the hall (which would make sense!), you can't see a damn thing, which would be annoying in its own right but the linen closet is also at the end of the hall and with no light I can't figure out if I'm grabbing toilet paper or a pillow! So in went a matching, mint light!</div>
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We are very happy with the hall. So many projects in our home were done quickly, out of necessity. We had 30 more walls of wallpaper to remove and 30 more walls to paint. And that was just the walls! But now that we are not facing a home's worth of work, we can take more time on our projects. The hall took a couple weekends and night trips to Home Depot but we painted with expertise, planned and planned before purchasing a single batten, and even spackled, sanded, and caulked before painting to get a beautifully integrated piece. </div>
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We are very happy with it and it sure is a refreshing change from yellowed wallpaper! </div>
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Even the new lady is pleased enough to use it as a modeling backdrop...</div>
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(How's my lighting? Does my coat look nice?) </div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-85711759454005987722015-01-13T13:40:00.000-08:002015-01-13T13:40:28.936-08:00Family Round Here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Its growing. </div>
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Nope, nope, not that news yet. This baby is much furrier (well, I hope) than our future human babies will be. </div>
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Meet Lana</div>
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She has one ear up, one down, permanently </div>
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She's a super cuddler and melts into your lap </div>
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She gets along (pretty) well with her big brother</div>
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She sleeps pretty well</div>
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Plays really well </div>
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And is a good companion to our Oxy...</div>
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which is why we opened our home to her. For a while, we thought Oxford could use with a bit more socialization. Every time we introduced him to a new dog, he would lunge to attack and then come back over for a good ol' game of tag. By then, the other pup was less than fond of Oxford playtime. </div>
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So we started our search for an in-house puppy playmate and soon came across our gal Lana. </div>
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They work really well together, actually, play well together, respect one another 90% of the time, and keep each other in check (Oxford actually pushes her if she takes too long to 'sit' at mention of a treat, and Lana comes to our rescue if Oxy snaps at us for taking away a found Kleenex). </div>
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We're very happy with this little lady and are glad to call her a McEwan! </div>
<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-68888496098411800502014-12-23T15:05:00.000-08:002014-12-23T15:05:06.246-08:00Holiday Cheer <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I sometimes think our house was made for Christmas. My holiday decor fits so perfectly on everything. The mantle looks perfect with some garland and a few red stockings. That corner is the perfect home for our tree - the little window behind it offers a view of the sparkling evergreen from the car on the way up the drive. </div>
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So, needless to say, it looks pretty perfect around here now... </div>
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Well, it does in the pictures. Most of the time there are bits of wrapping paper and Bill's latest DIY project floating around on every surface. But, thankfully, we won't be sharing any pictures of that... </div>
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Merry (almost) Christmas, everyone! </div>
<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-48909511037480929362014-11-04T09:10:00.000-08:002014-11-04T09:10:43.513-08:00Hello boys! Every time I sit down to work on and dream up a new decor idea, my inspiration generally starts more masculine. I start looking at cognac leather, darker paint colors, black and white accents... and somehow when everything gets thrown together, there's something obviously soft and feminine about it. Somehow a dark and dramatic dining room goes grown-up-girls'-equestrian-dream. And neutral living rooms get oddly spotted with yellow and pink.<br />
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Not sure how estrogen keeps popping up in my decor, but I've gotten a little sick of it. So I tried my best to not get pulled in any soft-flowy-curtains way and this is what I came up with...<br />
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Okay, so I snuck some coral in there. But its certainly a more masculine approach than our current bedrooms. Oh, and its far better than this approach to guest quarters... </div>
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What? You don't want to come over and stay a while? </div>
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Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-36320953245409038422014-10-23T10:40:00.001-07:002014-10-23T10:40:10.449-07:00ArthouseA while back, my parents came to visit and brought with them loads and loads of my old high school and college art work and supplies. It has been kind of fun rummaging around in what is a autobiographical history book of sketches and screen prints.<br />
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(The mess of art supplies currently taking over our unfinished bedroom)</div>
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Some of it was good enough to hang up...<br />
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(These are potentially going up in the hall, but we may first redo the hallway before putting them up) </div>
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A few pieces haven't been framed yet... </div>
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And, of course, we've had a few pieces floating around here for a while now from my more recent years. </div>
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The most recent additions to the gallery. </div>
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(Rough draft. Will probably end up the front hall)</div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-70641728212694630072014-09-11T13:05:00.001-07:002014-09-11T13:05:29.412-07:00Island LifeIts been a while since my last post. A long, long while.<br />
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With the lapse of time and this post's title you might be thinking Bill and I were off on a remote, tropical island, living for weeks without a care in the world. Ok, you probably didn't think that at all, dearest 5 family members who read my 1 post a month, but I sure wish that was the case!<br />
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Actually, I don't because Bill would get ants in his pants on an island, they have lizards and, most importantly, they don't have this....<br />
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the island I was actually referring to! </div>
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Thats right - we just increased our kitchen workspace by 50%. Boom. </div>
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We now sport a pull-out garbage and recycling drawer (Oxford will miss getting into the trash to grab tissues), a wine rack, a spot for all our paper towels and open shelves for all the cookbooks I rarely use but like to look at anyway. Also, seating! For 3!</div>
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And it has a glorious walnut butcher block on top that I will never, ever cut anything on. </div>
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And no, those paint-covered, mismatched stools won't be there much longer. They are just place holders for our future stools, which might look a little something like this... </div>
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So, what do you think? Wanna come over for dinner? </div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-5027712376065335942014-06-28T14:24:00.000-07:002014-06-28T14:24:17.484-07:00A Year's Worth of Work! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<u><b>Outside</b></u> </div>
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<u><b>Front Hall</b></u></div>
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<u><b>Living Room</b></u></div>
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<u><b>Dining Room</b></u></div>
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<u><b>Kitchen</b></u></div>
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We must not have taken a lot of pictures with the old wallpaper, but we needed a close up of that awesome yellow laminate! </div>
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<u><b>Den</b></u></div>
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<u><b>Half-Bath</b></u></div>
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<u><b>Bedroom One</b></u></div>
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Not exactly enough happening in here to consider it "after", but better than it was!</div>
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<u><b>Bedroom Two</b></u></div>
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<b><u>Hall Bath</u></b></div>
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<u><b>Master Bedroom</b></u></div>
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<u><b>Master Bath</b></u></div>
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<u><b>Third Floor Suite</b></u></div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-54190331474797244972014-04-27T08:10:00.001-07:002014-04-27T08:10:10.033-07:0011 Months In.... <br />
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<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">The gestastional period for a human is 9 months. Apparently homes take longer. At least to redo. </span></div>
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As of last week, we've officially been in our home for 11 months. It doesn't sound that long and yet it also sounds like forever. But in our gestational period, we've actually taken on a lot. </div>
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We've shared most of our home projects here, but there are probably a few updates we've missed, and the last month has been a bevy of projects so we have lots to share! </div>
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First, I have to say we finally sold out and hired a professional. I know, gasp. </div>
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But Bill HATES painting, and he's been kind enough to paint every month for the last 10 months so lets give the guy a break on month 11, huh? And I don't mind painting at all but lately my weekends have been very busy with work and to be honest, I'm a little short and weak for those tall, long ceilings. </div>
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So we hired a professional painter. At least for the living room and the den (a lot of ceiling surface!) </div>
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Here was our living room prior to painting. Not bad at all, but hadn't been painted in 40 some years. </div>
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And here it is now: </div>
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Its a little messier, sure, but so much brighter and cleaner looking! </div>
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And it was amazing to see what a difference hiring a professional makes. I was starting to get embarrassed he might look at our paint jobs... </div>
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Haven't done much else in the living room yet - just switched out some pillows, curtains and stained/painted our coffee table. The bigger plans in there will come later in the form of build in bookcases where our tv now stands. </div>
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We hadn't shared anything about our den on here in a while so before last week, this is what it looked like: </div>
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Its still a complete mess by my standards, but its much better than it was. We finally got all the quarter round down, painted all the trim and doors, and figured out a makeshift furniture plan with all of our hunking pieces (its a big room, but there's a lot of big furniture down there...) </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RYq5tQcxvu4/U0H8l91CW2I/AAAAAAAADv8/zlAuHUaAkO4/s1600/IMG_4446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RYq5tQcxvu4/U0H8l91CW2I/AAAAAAAADv8/zlAuHUaAkO4/s1600/IMG_4446.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KxrREkneW0E/U0H8oQn_0JI/AAAAAAAADwE/LHSVUJttpFw/s1600/IMG_4442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KxrREkneW0E/U0H8oQn_0JI/AAAAAAAADwE/LHSVUJttpFw/s1600/IMG_4442.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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And Bill made this great stump side table. Picture doesn't do it justice. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9BysU702aew/U10Vm_izfFI/AAAAAAAADz0/WuK68qJxkp4/s1600/IMG_4525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9BysU702aew/U10Vm_izfFI/AAAAAAAADz0/WuK68qJxkp4/s1600/IMG_4525.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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And obviously these will have some great art work in them soon enough. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OH80Acbh4rU/U0H8uPJRUmI/AAAAAAAADwU/wYnSr_MvcZ8/s1600/IMG_4444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OH80Acbh4rU/U0H8uPJRUmI/AAAAAAAADwU/wYnSr_MvcZ8/s1600/IMG_4444.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Future home of a gas fireplace.</div>
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And here is the room post paint job: </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N4-x5uBywFQ/U10V4yhTwSI/AAAAAAAADz8/e7NOOuDRQTI/s1600/IMG_4527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N4-x5uBywFQ/U10V4yhTwSI/AAAAAAAADz8/e7NOOuDRQTI/s1600/IMG_4527.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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(also you can see the mostly completed ottoman above) </div>
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I suspect its a little harder to see the difference but its much cleaner looking and the brighter paint makes the texture less obvious. </div>
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ALSO.... a beautiful new bath! </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BSTjbsCeC4k/U0H8vvW7lwI/AAAAAAAADwc/gS41OSL9gxY/s1600/IMG_4448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BSTjbsCeC4k/U0H8vvW7lwI/AAAAAAAADwc/gS41OSL9gxY/s1600/IMG_4448.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Ok, there's one shitty picture of it thus far. Its a deep, dark, matte blue and we installed the new sink. I've got to come up with a plan for the mirror (not sure if I'm sticking with that one), add some blinds, and some accessories and its good to go. </div>
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Speaking of baths, I'm not sure if we ever put pics of the upstairs baths up here - not that we've done anything new to them, but I'm too lazy to go through my own blog to see if we posted any at all. </div>
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Ok, now that we got that out of the way. A few other shots of the house updates we've done over the last year... </div>
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Bam!</div>
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(Do you like our model?)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KEgnOn9mKvA/UxUW2SPPs4I/AAAAAAAADss/MWohz2Xrf9A/s1600/House+Updates+and+Oxford+August+13+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KEgnOn9mKvA/UxUW2SPPs4I/AAAAAAAADss/MWohz2Xrf9A/s1600/House+Updates+and+Oxford+August+13+045.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Our massive upstairs room</div>
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Our guest bedroom! I actually love this room and other than painting the side tables to match and changing out that overhead light (and maybe for once ironing a sheet...), I like the room as-is for the time being. Probably will change it in a few years, but its a pleasant room in the mean time.<br />
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Our master bedroom (clean, for once)<br />
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The bedding will get changed out (getting a hotel-style white duvet cover soon) </div>
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And that dresser is getting a coat of glossy, dark gray at some point. </div>
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Our art-gallery (sans art!) foyer. Art is in the process of being made so we'll see what goes in there. </div>
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With the poly'd chest and with a real camera... </div>
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And now for the super big reveal......</div>
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Holy kitchen, Batman!</div>
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Yep, we painted the cabinets. Finally. And they look stunning, if I do say so myself. </div>
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And if that wasn't cool enough, Bill also put a cement finish on our awful, neon-yellow laminate counters! It turned out really beautiful. </div>
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He also installed a ton of super-sparkly LED under-cabinet lighting that makes the whole room look more expensive. </div>
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Of course, our kitchen looked like this for about two weeks... </div>
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But it was totally worth it! </div>
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The floors come next once I pick out some damn tile (Bill would have had the whole floor installed a week ago but its taking me like 3 weeks just to pick a color). It will be in the same herringbone pattern that the current "brick" tiles are in. </div>
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We also bought new lighting for the kitchen so we can rid ourselves of those nasty fluorescent lights. </div>
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The other side of the kitchen basically looks the same. I chose not to paint the pantry cabinets because I like the look of them as a piece of furniture and I want to eventually do a two-tone thing with our cabinets, adding a darker-cabinet island in the middle to match the pantry. </div>
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But here it is now (actually not now because this is an old picture as you can tell by peeking into our hallway there) ;-) </div>
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... but Bill MADE this awesome bench. From reclaimed wood from a 100+ year old factory. With no plans! He's amazing. </div>
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We are getting so close to a "done" mode in the house, which feels really good. There are still a lot of small projects (there always will be!) and there are some other larger projects that can get done down the road (built ins in the living room and third bedroom & redoing the tile in both bathrooms) but the house isn't embarrassing anymore, which feels pretty spectacular. After the tile is in and the new kitchen lights go in, the first floor (and den) living areas will just be there for the decorating! </div>
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We can spend year 2 on some outdoor projects (like that pond...) and just maintaining our home. There are a lot of utility items with our home that have been put on hold (cleaning out the air ducts, inspecting and repairing the chimneys, getting a new AC unit, etc) and it will be nice to spend money on those things without it feeling like "Oh, well, I guess now we can't redo the ugly bedroom this year". </div>
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So all in all, Year 1 has been pretty fantastic and I'm very happy with where we are at. Especially since 2014/15 will be pretty wedding related (more on that fun planning soon!) </div>
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Next month on May 23rd, we will have our official 1-year in and I'm hoping to do a house tour then with video and legit before-and-afters, so stay tuned for that as well! </div>
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P.s. A special shout out to all of our friends and family who helped us with this crazy house - we seriously could not have done it without you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! </div>
Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-30258802641755558832014-02-24T15:34:00.000-08:002014-02-24T15:34:16.479-08:00The Big Reveal! So we just (well, about 2 weeks ago at this point but you know how quickly I post these...) survived Snowmaggedon. Not one of those "our driveway got coated in snow and it was cold out" Snowmaggedons. This was a 6-days without power Snowmaggedon. It wasn't what I would call pleasant, or even quaint. It sucked. But, absence makes the heart grow fonder and now that we have it back, we cherish this good ol' electricity probably more than each other right now.<br />
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In the celebration of electricity, I thought it fitting we share our most airy and light-filled transformation yet: Our foyer.<br />
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As a reminder, here's what the room looked like upon move in:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Efr9jOmahH0/Uvq5iS1NsnI/AAAAAAAADmo/l1F7CtQCTd8/s1600/New+House+013+before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Efr9jOmahH0/Uvq5iS1NsnI/AAAAAAAADmo/l1F7CtQCTd8/s1600/New+House+013+before.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Sexy, thick navy carpets, granny-approved floral wallpaper (pre-stained), and a broken, dim lantern. </div>
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For the first thing guests saw when they came in, it was pretty bleak, and entirely unwelcoming. </div>
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So after some careful thought, and a <a href="http://886miles.blogspot.com/2013/10/in-need-of-little-guidance.html" target="_blank">little help</a> from my friends, I decided the space needed brightening up... </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zmpMkgdwQK0/UvrB1nBaETI/AAAAAAAADnY/fyF28vN2Tk8/s1600/hallway+progress+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zmpMkgdwQK0/UvrB1nBaETI/AAAAAAAADnY/fyF28vN2Tk8/s1600/hallway+progress+2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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And more "Progress".... </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s13wY7K4UiA/UwvDeAze3OI/AAAAAAAADpE/T466DNza5ys/s1600/IMG_20140109_215313104_HDR+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s13wY7K4UiA/UwvDeAze3OI/AAAAAAAADpE/T466DNza5ys/s1600/IMG_20140109_215313104_HDR+(1).jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sorry for the shitty iPhone pics, but immediately after getting together the space, we took the furniture out to sand it and restain (which we are in the process of doing!). So these were some pretty quick captures. But hopefully you can see we went with gallery-white walls, a glossy-black door and mod light fixture and painted the risers on the stairs. </div>
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We plan on putting up some original artwork and some fun frames to give the space some more character, but I'm a big fan already. Once the chest gets some poly on it and we get it back in there, this room will be 90% complete! The result? I hope a general mash-up of the following: </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-76sfW9q0om4/UwvTmHvXqAI/AAAAAAAADpk/EKI_41ZVxiY/s1600/2aff8a733404d660ff09930c164489c8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-76sfW9q0om4/UwvTmHvXqAI/AAAAAAAADpk/EKI_41ZVxiY/s1600/2aff8a733404d660ff09930c164489c8.jpg" height="640" width="536" /></a></div>
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Hoping for that kind of artwork... </div>
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Those stairs, similar black door, and pops of turquoise glass and natural greens.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jhTcTVSzOpo/UwvTp8KRCCI/AAAAAAAADp0/3ak_0L2hOao/s1600/d3ca6573d0ea96c754e00f7f433b304b+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jhTcTVSzOpo/UwvTp8KRCCI/AAAAAAAADp0/3ak_0L2hOao/s1600/d3ca6573d0ea96c754e00f7f433b304b+(1).jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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All on a super white background with a few modern elements. </div>
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Hope it looks like we are getting close! </div>
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We've been cranking through a few other small projects as of late (and by we I mean Bill)... </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qqlr_gipU1U/UwvUllho3wI/AAAAAAAADp8/NW8e5Ck8IUE/s1600/12707592733_07485c0fb2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qqlr_gipU1U/UwvUllho3wI/AAAAAAAADp8/NW8e5Ck8IUE/s1600/12707592733_07485c0fb2_z.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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An awesome stump side table that will be making its way to the den</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x7Waje9Cj_I/UwvVE-GsakI/AAAAAAAADqE/OU2QkupkIow/s1600/12281385163_cb6b5fbbc0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x7Waje9Cj_I/UwvVE-GsakI/AAAAAAAADqE/OU2QkupkIow/s1600/12281385163_cb6b5fbbc0_z.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our welcoming new house numbers! </div>
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And we may have given our dog a mohawk.... </div>
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Stay tuned for more house updates, life updates and dog hairdos! </div>
Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-88820519368554358532014-01-12T14:19:00.000-08:002014-01-12T14:19:37.569-08:00Holidays in Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It often takes me a while to write a post - there's some editing involved, I have to try to be witty, and the actual writing usually takes an hour. Thus, I don't do the post. So instead of waiting another decade for me to think of something funny to say about Christmas, I'll just post the pictures. You'll see the gist of the holiday was all of us being obsessed (rightfully so!) with baby Leah, anyway. So description needed. </div>
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(this girl got read to a lot...) </div>
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(Dr. Mike!) </div>
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(Yeah, that's Bill in a cabinet. He was glad he didn't decide to a plumber by trade...) </div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-25520785929176753512014-01-09T17:05:00.001-08:002014-01-09T17:05:33.186-08:00Our Engagement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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People who know us really well already have heard that we got engaged over the holidays and most have heard the story. For those who don't know us well think we got engaged or married like two years ago.<br />
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I thought for a while whether or not I wanted our story to make its way to the internet. We had a very personal, beautiful moment when Bill proposed and I wasn't sure if we wanted that bannered across the web. But then I realized I'm not Gwyneth Paltrow and no one reads this blog so I said f*ck it.<br />
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Actually, what I really decided was that I wanted the story to be written down some place before I forgot what happened with my twenty-something Alzheimer's.<br />
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So here's most of what I remember:<br />
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This really should be a two-part story. Bill should tell you his end, the 6 months or so of planning and having to keep a big, juicy secret from the person he lives with. But here is my side of the story - which was a total of like 2 hours.<br />
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The weekend before we went away for the holiday, Bill and I decided to have a couple dates. I would plan a date for Friday night, with our good friend April (who was apparently in the know the whole time!), and Bill would plan something for Saturday. I planned a good outing for Friday and he said he had his night planned as well, though he was going to make it a surprise. I didn't really think anything of that. Bill is a good date planner and romantic so he making it a surprise isn't out of the ordinary. Plus he was really casual about the whole thing. The day of he didn't make a big deal out of it, almost like we could go or not, it didn't matter. The only thing he told me was that the event was late and that we should go out for a few drinks before.<br />
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So we do. Its like 9:30 (way later than I would normally start a night out because I'm <a href="http://www.kulfoto.com/funny-pictures/21537/so-ill-pick-you-up-around-10" target="_blank">that old now</a>) and we start to get ready to go out to a nearby bar. We have a couple of drinks. I'm a bitch about how the place doesn't have ambiance. He still decides to propose later that night somehow.<br />
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Then we head to Bryn Mawr, where its completely dead and no bars are open. I begin to guess that we are going to the Bryn Mawr Film Institute - a little boutique art theater that holds film discussions and film theory classes to stuck up snobs like ourselves. I figure they are having a one-night midnight showing of something fun, like a Christmas classic. I'm excited for that, but don't put much stock into and just enjoy our evening. Then we park outside the theater, we start walking towards it and Bill says, "Ok, we are seeing a midnight showing. That's the surprise!" Perfect. Just like I thought. Plus I get to have popcorn after my two dark and stormies. Ideal.<br />
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We walk in and its dead. There is one young man at the concessions counter. He greets us and Bill says he wants two for the midnight showing. The guy says sure, and then casually mentions that no one else is there, that's its probably going to be a quiet night because of the holiday. I don't think anything of it - makes perfect sense. Then he says that their ticket machine is down so he has to give us old-school, blue raffle tickets. They had just undergone a major renovation of the theater and just reopened so I still don't think anything of it. I hug Bill's arm and ask if I can get popcorn. We order a big thing of popcorn and walk into the theater. No one is there.<br />
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I think this is really fun. I run to the bathroom, smile at the concession guy, and go to my seat. Bill and I make some jokes about being the only ones there, about how we can talk during the movie and be on our cell phones. I begin to munch away on the giant tub of buttery goodness.<br />
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The usual before ad-titles are playing on the screen: advertisements for local car dealerships and the like. They played a few "coming soon" scrolls for the theater, one of which was for White Christmas. I'm sure that's what we are seeing and even say so. Then they play the "turn off your cell phones" bit. Then its movie time.<br />
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But instead of Irving Berlin's WWII opener coming on, our piano, in black and white, is huge on the screen. I'm confused. I recognize it, but it doesn't click. Probably those two dark and stormies. Then Bill comes on, stage right. And I realize what's happening. He's going to propose. After I realized that, I mostly was just giggles and overwhelmed. I said in retrospect that I was so overwhelmed that it was hard to pay attention to what was actually happening. Luckily, Bill made the video on the big screen himself, so we've had time to review it since.<br />
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Not to go into detail about the video, but Bill started with a piano song, after which he wrote on the screen a few lyrics to "our" song. Then, the video stopped and in the dark theater, Bill got down on one knee in front of me and asked me to marry him (the exact phrase is one I'll keep for myself). I think I just squeaked instead of saying yes, but some place in there was an affirmative, then a hug, and then a very sparkly something slid onto my finger. Then Bill sat next to me again and the film started back up. It was a collection of images from our life - the things that brought us to that moment and made us partners. I made little squeaks and fanned my face like I was in Steel Magnolias the entire time. Then it ended and we hugged again, and snuggled. Then I immediately said he was crazy for letting me give into by two biggest vices, booze and popcorn, before such a major event.<br />
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Then the great actor who was the concession worker came in with a picnic basket and a camera. Bill opened the picnic basket, which had a bottle of champagne and a couple of glasses and the nice young man took a picture of us, me still giggling and being overwhelmed. Bill was pretty much relieved (not for me saying yes, but for the whole thing finally being over) at this point and cool as a cucumber. We then popped the bottle, filled our glasses and I started staring at the sparkle on my hand. Bill tells me he designed it himself, with the help of a jeweler friend of ours. I'm even more overwhelmed. And he did a great job - it looks antique but its super strong and has much more meaning to it.<br />
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Then one of our favorite movies starts playing, Moonrise Kingdom (which is what we named our "grande estate", by the way). We sip our champagne as some of our favorite scenes come onto the screen. I don't want to moment to end. Bill is happy its done. He tells me how much he wanted to tell me every day what he was doing, the newest development, how it was coming together, my opinion on the ring. Such a big thing and he couldn't tell his best friend. I'm glad we get to finally share again too.<br />
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It really was the perfect proposal, regardless of the popcorn, booze or the being so overwhelmed I barely knew what was happening. But I'm so glad it did happen and it feels so good to look down at this ring on my hand and think about that night and all the nights we have coming to us.<br />
<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-40392259741135929892013-12-19T06:26:00.001-08:002013-12-19T06:29:06.076-08:00Holidays Around Here Ok, so we skipped Thanksgiving in the holiday recaps - mainly because Bill and I were terrible at taking photos. Ok, Meg was terrible at taking photos, but lets not go into details...<br />
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Last year was the first year I got to decorate my own place with Xmas gear but this year we have our own home... with two mantles... and a space for a ginormous tree...<br />
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Here's last year's set up ---><br />
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This year, things got bigger... </div>
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I definitely didn't need this chair last year...</div>
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But we have had to keep the presents from under the tree because of our newest addition... </div>
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Yeah, he would totally open all our presents for us. And I can assure you he wouldn't wait for Christmas morning to do it... </div>
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But on to the new rooms... </div>
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(Ok, its a little sad down here, but I didn't buy a lot of new stuff this year. That money goes into house projects!)</div>
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And some exterior fun too!</div>
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We also have gotten a lot of this exterior fun.. </div>
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Which has been pretty stunning. Not to mention Bill gets to play with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND_cZ1EL4sU&feature=share&list=UUC7XNSbIYyMp-WTfvVLWcuA" target="_blank">his new toy</a>... </div>
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In fact, that's how we spend most of our nights now, shoveling, salting and scooping up snow. But we seem to have fun doing it, and Oxford doesn't mind it like he does the rain, so its all in good fun. </div>
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This year we've been a little too busy to take on the 12 Dates of Christmas again, but we hope to get in a few holiday festivities this weekend. Then comes Christmas! Then Bill and I are getting some extra-special holiday guests, my friend Nissa and her partner, Sterling, for a full-packed 24 hour celebration. So I think we'll have a lot to share coming up!</div>
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Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-36197869398662532872013-11-10T14:38:00.001-08:002013-11-10T14:38:58.130-08:00A Belated HalloweenEverything on this blog is belated. I should stop announcing it. Maybe I should rename this blog "After the Fact" or "886 Days Later".<br />
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In any case, most people have already been to or seen pictures from our Halloween party, but I just wanted to recap here all the same because, well, I said I would...<br />
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We've been carrying the Halloween party torch for a few years in a row now, so we were a little nervous/excited to host it in our new place. Pros) More space and some creepy wallpaper. Cons) Farther from the city and thus possibly fewer attendees. Luckily, people actually came and got to enjoy the last of the creepy wallpaper.<br />
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Here's a few shots on how it turned out...<br />
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The Set-Up... </div>
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The Characters... </div>
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(The hosts - I'll give you a hint - its a movie - from the 90s - with Kevin Spacey - and a lot of symbolism...) </div>
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The Price is Right!!!!</div>
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Bob is sweet-talking that lovely Plinko girl... </div>
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They got these t-shirts spot-on! </div>
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Redneck Zombie Hunter (of course!) and his prey</div>
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The most adorable couples costume ever: PB and J! </div>
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They make a sandwich when they hug!!! </div>
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Retirees!!! They visited all the way from Florida. So nice of them. </div>
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Urkel's Hottie Girlfriend (aka April's excuse to look hot in glasses and suspenders) and the Rock, aka Dwayne Johnson, aka April's excuse to show off her tat skils and Steve's excuse to show off the guns! </div>
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She likes it! </div>
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And that was it - overall awesomeness at the new place. Scary wallpaper and all! </div>
<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-12270509817278010672013-11-03T15:04:00.000-08:002013-11-03T15:04:01.746-08:00Two New SpacesThat sounds like a HGTV show. And in a lot of ways, that's what happened over the last couple weeks here at the MegEwan residence. Bill and I have been working like an HGTV crew to put together not one, but TWO newly finished spaces in the house!<br />
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As I noted last week, I stripped the wallpaper and went to painting pretty quickly in our dining room.<br />
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A month ago, our "dining room" looked like this...<br />
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It was dirty coral and dust all over. And the wallpaper was this linear, Greek-motif that was dirty and spotted... </div>
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Good stuff. </div>
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But a month later and several weekends of wallpaper removal, painting, cleaning, electrical work and buying a few extras (like beautiful new curtains!), we are at this... </div>
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Oh. My. Is that better. </div>
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New gray paint (Behr's Grant Gray) with white chair rail (Behr's Whisper White - which is what we use for the trim throughout the house)</div>
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A newly-stained table from the McEwan Garage</div>
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Lights from Ikea (Bill rerouted the main electrical box to two separate boxes yesterday!) </div>
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And new curtains from West Elm (ones that I was swooning over <a href="http://886miles.blogspot.com/2013/07/home-inspiration.html">back in July</a>)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d8YkstIhV_Y/UnbUl671vSI/AAAAAAAADXY/ocH7HTbGReo/s1600/Dining+Room+and+Den+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d8YkstIhV_Y/UnbUl671vSI/AAAAAAAADXY/ocH7HTbGReo/s400/Dining+Room+and+Den+027.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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Its amazing how little can do so much. Not that it was a little amount of work, but we basically transformed our dining room for under $400. </div>
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Its also the only room we have that I would consider 90% done. I have a few accessories that I need to add to finish off the space, and there are a few paint touchups that need to be done, but there's very little left to do overall. Its pretty great to get to peak in there... </div>
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But it also worked out that we got to do more than peak in there this weekend. We had family and friends over for a Halloween party (all of that coming shortly), and we had a chance to feed them all prior to the shindig. And guess what? We didn't have to all huddle around the coffee table... </div>
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Very exciting stuff. </div>
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But onto the next exciting thing... </div>
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By now we all probably know about the sewage disaster downstairs in our den. Well, after installing floor number 2, we are back in action - and looking better than ever...</div>
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Its still far from being done down there (still needs quarter round, paint, I need to upholster the table, and there are a million accents, lighting and furniture choices that need to be added). However, its pretty exciting to have another space that is usable and not disgusting! </div>
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And, to be fair, I've started playing down there a little bit, like adding some furniture jewelry to our freebie couches... </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FFYModvnMtE/UnbUJpITwvI/AAAAAAAADXQ/AUrSfBPId_4/s1600/Dining+Room+and+Den+062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FFYModvnMtE/UnbUJpITwvI/AAAAAAAADXQ/AUrSfBPId_4/s640/Dining+Room+and+Den+062.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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It also means we get to have our laundry room/basement back as all of this furniture was stuffed in there while we were redoing... then redoing.... the floor. </div>
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Its really coming along and its exciting to see our hard work paying off! </div>
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As we get closer to the holidays, I don't think we'll be tackling any new spaces for the rest of the year (Sorry, Foyer), but we still have plenty of time to put the finishing touches on things around here like painting some trim, working on some furniture projects, and installing quarter round. </div>
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Stay tuned for the costume parade that was our Halloween party! </div>
<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-6934830989262313402013-10-23T20:13:00.000-07:002013-10-23T20:13:13.639-07:00In Need of a Little GuidanceTwo posts in a row, I know, terrifyingly on top of things. But I could use everyone's help with a little dilemma.That sounds dramatic, like I want weigh in on a career change or whether or not I should have kids, but its really very simple: I am torn on what light to put in our front hall. I know, really important shit we are dealing with here.<br />
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All the same, if you like pretty things, home decor, or just giving your opinion whenever asked (or not asked), here's your chance.<br />
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So right now, our hallway looks like this...<br />
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But eventually, the plan is to remove that awful printed grandma-paper (yea for the last of the horrifying paper!) and do something much more sleek. I've been thinking wainscoting the walls (which is this for those who aren't decor-porn voyeurs or woodsworking geniuses....)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ym_Cilnec9o/Umh_twpaUII/AAAAAAAADRc/ymzWxWj4uQM/s1600/What-is-Wainscoting-with-fine-white-colour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ym_Cilnec9o/Umh_twpaUII/AAAAAAAADRc/ymzWxWj4uQM/s400/What-is-Wainscoting-with-fine-white-colour.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It shouldn't be a difficult project, especially in comparison to making a table! But that might not happen right away. Not sure what color would be painted on top, something neutral like this?</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zp-l45vqBsc/UmiAbwnoEhI/AAAAAAAADRk/4uHklBl-ySM/s1600/wainscotdecorpad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zp-l45vqBsc/UmiAbwnoEhI/AAAAAAAADRk/4uHklBl-ySM/s400/wainscotdecorpad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Or some great, brave contrast like this?</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OwR7nvJboj8/UmiAldzfznI/AAAAAAAADRs/yRzlVZNGLxY/s1600/Installing-Dark-Gray-Modling-Wainscoting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OwR7nvJboj8/UmiAldzfznI/AAAAAAAADRs/yRzlVZNGLxY/s400/Installing-Dark-Gray-Modling-Wainscoting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I would tend to lean towards the later, especially as I would want the wainscoting to go about 3/4 the way up. </div>
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But anyway, on to the lighting.... </div>
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With that more neutral space in mind (and a mid-century credenza which will either be a dark wood finish or painted some amazing color like green or red), here's my options... </div>
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#1. School House</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1nmXu0OLzJ4/UmiEULoo3AI/AAAAAAAADSE/bDdYIUkdeh0/s1600/fe0ae95e-cbd2-4bb5-b191-3f073e9c691e_1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1nmXu0OLzJ4/UmiEULoo3AI/AAAAAAAADSE/bDdYIUkdeh0/s320/fe0ae95e-cbd2-4bb5-b191-3f073e9c691e_1000.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is both elegant and retro, which would fit the space well. But it doesn't WOW me the way I would have anticipated, but then again its not installed, so.... $70 from H<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/World-Imports-Luray-Collection-Oil-Rubbed-Bronze-1-Light-Pendant-WI900988/202046749#.UmiEFNWzKpg">ome Depot</a>, btw. </div>
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Inspiration... </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s9VCDS88PUg/UmiFAr3kkpI/AAAAAAAADSM/dQ6oH9o7qSs/s1600/picture-472.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s9VCDS88PUg/UmiFAr3kkpI/AAAAAAAADSM/dQ6oH9o7qSs/s400/picture-472.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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#2. Natural fibers</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Acw3TSlSiao/UmiFlCJ9-KI/AAAAAAAADSY/i28it3VWSNM/s1600/wqjfgd1312448827110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Acw3TSlSiao/UmiFlCJ9-KI/AAAAAAAADSY/i28it3VWSNM/s320/wqjfgd1312448827110.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
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Its earthy and unique and will probably make a cool pattern on the wall. Its not my immediate favorite of the bunch, but I have a feeling it would be gorgeous and a real eye-catcher when installed. </div>
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$90 from <a href="http://www.lightinthebox.com/bamboo-pendant-light_p220695.html?currency=USD&litb_from=paid_adwords_shopping&gclid=CObqj_G1rroCFcid4AodN0EAhA">Light in the Box</a>. </div>
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Inspiration... </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HpdNeqoHs4Y/UmiGxqRDCHI/AAAAAAAADSk/DS2oqnIF1rc/s1600/design-pendant-lamp-bamboo-63088-2948483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HpdNeqoHs4Y/UmiGxqRDCHI/AAAAAAAADSk/DS2oqnIF1rc/s400/design-pendant-lamp-bamboo-63088-2948483.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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#3. Retro Orb</div>
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(should be plain white all around - not sure what happened to this pic) </div>
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Pretty popular right now, these are both modern and retro at the same time. Great, simple design with a wow factor and lots of light. $76 from <a href="http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=157380-22685-6022-15&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=1147013&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1">Lowes</a>. Similar option at <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90206351/">Ikea</a> for $40. </div>
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Inspiration... </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RX7CYYYFWg8/UmiIC940MnI/AAAAAAAADTA/ScrIq1UO3WI/s1600/d3ca6573d0ea96c754e00f7f433b304b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RX7CYYYFWg8/UmiIC940MnI/AAAAAAAADTA/ScrIq1UO3WI/s400/d3ca6573d0ea96c754e00f7f433b304b.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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(Ok, so its not an orb, but its close enough) </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Euow-mCpiKU/UmiJFELzHiI/AAAAAAAADTI/UM3lV9Oi8_0/s1600/OMM-LightHung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Euow-mCpiKU/UmiJFELzHiI/AAAAAAAADTI/UM3lV9Oi8_0/s400/OMM-LightHung.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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#4. Architectural and Traditional </div>
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A traditional lantern is not lost on me. I like the square, architectural interest with this one as well as the stunning, glossy black. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cStqi6GNWVA/UmiJfF0I3YI/AAAAAAAADTQ/KgCeIn-w0L4/s1600/736916544351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cStqi6GNWVA/UmiJfF0I3YI/AAAAAAAADTQ/KgCeIn-w0L4/s320/736916544351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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$84 from <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_93188-17771-6943+ROB_1z0y297+2z8vm+2z8vn__?productId=3651578&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1%26page%3D2&facetInfo=$25%20-%20$50|$50%20-%20$100">Lowes</a>. </div>
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Inspiration...</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OmiUDD1XcrY/UmiKPytezjI/AAAAAAAADTc/fzhM-HJPEes/s1600/4abbc336cd35d2a2aa1eb0268f7a4495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OmiUDD1XcrY/UmiKPytezjI/AAAAAAAADTc/fzhM-HJPEes/s400/4abbc336cd35d2a2aa1eb0268f7a4495.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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#5. Colorful Industrial </div>
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I love the idea of the bright color up above. I think its a very playful spin on industrial chic. But its very industrial. It would probably be very cute up there, and an eye-catcher, but I'm not convinced yet its the best option. Maybe you, or this inspiration, will convince me further... </div>
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$72 and $40, respectively, both from <a href="http://www.thelampfactory.com/search_individual_result.asp?current=304403&page=6">The Lamp Factory</a></div>
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Inspiration...</div>
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#6. Capiz Orb Pendant</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hYXEF-QqCZY/UmiKrJclj-I/AAAAAAAADTk/x13MyiEb7MA/s1600/4569900lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hYXEF-QqCZY/UmiKrJclj-I/AAAAAAAADTk/x13MyiEb7MA/s400/4569900lg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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To be honest, this may be my favorite. You know the saying about when you should leave your favorite.... (last, its save your favorite for last). </div>
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I like the orb shape - something I'm more drawn to. I like the natural component of the capiz and how it will probably diffuse the light. And I love the architectural detail of the black lines. But does three rights make a another right? Not sure... </div>
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$77 from <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_447106-48373-LMPCAPIZ_1z0y297+2z8vm+2z8vn__?productId=4569900&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1%26page%3D7&facetInfo=$25%20-%20$50|$50%20-%20$100">Lowes.</a> </div>
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Inspiration... </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ROGbq0k0QLc/UmiMtv1aXsI/AAAAAAAADTw/dQCjpheRkM4/s1600/5de0f2aaa3dcd292_img13o.preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ROGbq0k0QLc/UmiMtv1aXsI/AAAAAAAADTw/dQCjpheRkM4/s400/5de0f2aaa3dcd292_img13o.preview.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lvCpQXR3Fm0/UmiM1DLj2PI/AAAAAAAADT4/8j8NHXL5898/s1600/cococozy-style-at-home-rustic-modern-barn-foyer-capiz-shell-globe-pendant-light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lvCpQXR3Fm0/UmiM1DLj2PI/AAAAAAAADT4/8j8NHXL5898/s400/cococozy-style-at-home-rustic-modern-barn-foyer-capiz-shell-globe-pendant-light.jpg" width="353" /></a></div>
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So there they are, the contenders. Please weigh in! Send me a comment for some sanity that I might be choosing the right one! (White people <a href="http://first-world-problems.com/">problems</a>, I know....) </div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-2056165882446831562013-10-22T13:30:00.002-07:002013-10-22T13:30:59.439-07:00Hello again! <div style="text-align: center;">
Its been several months, I know, but we haven't had access to a computer in a while. Why? </div>
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Because our office space looks like this.... </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RHi9WxPiVzw/UmR5pu1Z6JI/AAAAAAAADPU/hApFV53Jv0U/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RHi9WxPiVzw/UmR5pu1Z6JI/AAAAAAAADPU/hApFV53Jv0U/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And our computer is chilling with the front hall credenza...</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M6UOT8LfEQ8/UmR52HZ4YhI/AAAAAAAADPc/vu2rB14bedE/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M6UOT8LfEQ8/UmR52HZ4YhI/AAAAAAAADPc/vu2rB14bedE/s400/photo+(1).JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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But I finally broke down and just took a bunch of shitty iPhone pics, because we've had some fun updates around here. </div>
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First of all, about two months ago, we finally decided to tag out the horrible shag carpet that haunted our den. It was orange, covered in dog pee (and human in the carpeted bathroom), and 40+ years old. So it was time to go. We hiked out to Lumber Liquidators and came home with a sagging-trunk load of boxed planks. Within a week, Bill did the whole thing. By himself. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ezQmw8ZtMa8/UmR-aAGxP8I/AAAAAAAADPs/9ANcfLKJquo/s1600/IMG_7935.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ezQmw8ZtMa8/UmR-aAGxP8I/AAAAAAAADPs/9ANcfLKJquo/s640/IMG_7935.jpeg" width="476" /></a></div>
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It looked incredible. For all of 36 hours... </div>
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Then, Bill left his beloved floor, and a storm of sewage wrecked havoc on it. Yes, sewage. About 40 years of sewage spilled out of the open sewage pipe in the half bath. It covered everything before we even had a chance to enjoy it. Another 48 hours and it looked like this again... </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WbjbPW7mTEk/UmSEoJoWjZI/AAAAAAAADP8/nzfq62SFgNQ/s1600/IMG_3750.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WbjbPW7mTEk/UmSEoJoWjZI/AAAAAAAADP8/nzfq62SFgNQ/s400/IMG_3750.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yes, that's mopped up sewage. </div>
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But the good news is that only two weeks after this travesty, Bill was back to work - no surprise there - and we now have beautiful floor #2. We also have a clean sewer main and a new toilet (to protect us from sewer gremlins crawling up...) </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4fcTENNdnf4/UmSJvwUHjHI/AAAAAAAADQM/48g8L0zPrv8/s1600/IMG_4155.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4fcTENNdnf4/UmSJvwUHjHI/AAAAAAAADQM/48g8L0zPrv8/s640/IMG_4155.jpeg" width="478" /></a></div>
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We will be buying the new vanity shortly as well so we can finish up that space and have a truly functioning half bath! </div>
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In other house news, we were sick and tired of finding little poop presents on the kitchen floor when we got home, so we installed a beautiful new fence to keep little man in, and the terds out! </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DCu--LA_9mk/UmSKUxOANbI/AAAAAAAADQU/l7A9naBoyiw/s1600/IMG_7043.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DCu--LA_9mk/UmSKUxOANbI/AAAAAAAADQU/l7A9naBoyiw/s640/IMG_7043.jpeg" width="478" /></a></div>
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Hello beautiful new fence! Goodbye kitchen poops!</div>
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We've also started tackling some of the furniture around here - finally painting and staining the coffee table we've had for like 9 months...</div>
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Oh, and Bill, his dad and brother Jon BUILT a dining room table! They BUILT IT!!! In a day!!! I left for work and came back that evening and in our garage was a brand new, BEAUTIFUL and huge dining room table!! </div>
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There they are, the brilliant craftsman themselves!</div>
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Its all sanded and ready to go - we just need to stain it! </div>
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Because we have this gorgeous new piece, I've quickly made the dining room my next project. Two weekends ago, I tore down all the wallpaper (before and afters to be shared shortly!) and this weekend the paint is going up! So, ideally, my next post will be sharing a mostly finished dining room! </div>
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Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-8587099663638410212013-07-31T06:47:00.000-07:002013-07-31T06:47:22.549-07:00We interrupt this broadcast for a very important message... I know I said the next post I did would be more house updates, but we have something much more important to share!<br />
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Meet Oxford! - the newest member of our family!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k6Qua_fWFqk/UfkSRT2btOI/AAAAAAAADFw/XRYtPOyGDeE/s1600/Oxford+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k6Qua_fWFqk/UfkSRT2btOI/AAAAAAAADFw/XRYtPOyGDeE/s400/Oxford+1.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>
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That's right, we adopted a dog this weekend! We had been looking at dogs online for about a month and came to realize that its a pretty competitive process - one dog we were interested in had 100 applications in on her! So when we inquired on Oxford and heard there was another family in before us, we figured that's the last we'd hear about him.<br />
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But on Sunday at 6pm, we got a call telling us that the other family's current pup didn't get along with Oxford so they passed! So we hopped in the car, drove 30 minutes away and met Oxford. He warmed up to us right away and we to him and it didn't take long for us to realize he was going to be the perfect fit for our family.<br />
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And boy has he been a good pup!<br />
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Not to mention super smart and playful...</div>
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwwpgodctKNsqXlkHM1l2Mz75sn1BN_8xoCRzf7M860m6ehteBJ6EVK40oFfx-aWlIZgluTYi7CNqSJHv_nNQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-77723774070761064172013-07-22T15:10:00.000-07:002013-07-22T15:10:51.264-07:00Home Inspiration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Its been a while, I know, but we've been spending every extra minute on house projects - projects I'll be sharing soon. But today I'm feeling under the weather and so I'm taking this opportunity to share a little inspiration for the new house. Right now we've been in mainly de-carpet-and-wallpapering mode so decorating seems pretty far off, but its ok to dream and plan, right? </div>
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Inspiration for the new house... </div>
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<u>Living room</u></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Ee3ZnBvMTo/Ue2eFZ-VA8I/AAAAAAAADDE/cVTPVv6ontA/s1600/living+room+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Ee3ZnBvMTo/Ue2eFZ-VA8I/AAAAAAAADDE/cVTPVv6ontA/s400/living+room+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Clean, neutral surroundings with natural wood elements and fibers plus blue velvet and gold accents. That's my convoluted plan </div>
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<u>Dining Room</u></div>
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Green and grey! We plan on painting the walls a grey (maybe lighter than this one here), painting farmhouse chairs in emerald green and adding these curtains... </div>
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<u>Kitchen</u></div>
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The kitchen will likely have many phases. Right now we are keeping the current blue and yellow tile and gold range cover so whatever we do needs to work with that. Right now we are planning a lot of white cabinets, concrete countertops (a DIY project) and some new, orb pendent lights. Oh, and deep shades of blue everywhere... </div>
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<u>Master Suite </u></div>
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We have some taupe-y looking walls and lots of white, including a new white four-poster I will share with everyone soon. So, while I want to keep our room clean and serene, it needs some personality too. Maybe something earthy and dark or red and bold. Not sure yet, but here's the current inspiration... </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eyjQQ1CojW4/Ucpnqav3xvI/AAAAAAAADB4/fbd-Wtw7xQI/s1600/bedroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eyjQQ1CojW4/Ucpnqav3xvI/AAAAAAAADB4/fbd-Wtw7xQI/s400/bedroom.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aHSrwJC7M90/Ue2jMReH2xI/AAAAAAAADD0/Hpn4SDzPNHc/s1600/bedroom+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aHSrwJC7M90/Ue2jMReH2xI/AAAAAAAADD0/Hpn4SDzPNHc/s400/bedroom+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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The bathroom is currently dealing with its pinkness with a lot of white and clean, new "marble" floors. A lot of people who have had to keep the pink have balanced it out with black and white, which is our plan. We just need to paint some horizontal black stripes (like below) to finish things off in there for a while. </div>
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<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vMIb2d11f7U/Ucpitbgm35I/AAAAAAAADBI/g4TKxPwrpCo/s1600/Pink+bathroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vMIb2d11f7U/Ucpitbgm35I/AAAAAAAADBI/g4TKxPwrpCo/s400/Pink+bathroom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lY7fgXhcHtA/UcphEUyxaQI/AAAAAAAADA4/rIHS2ZXGq4E/s1600/black+and+white+bath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lY7fgXhcHtA/UcphEUyxaQI/AAAAAAAADA4/rIHS2ZXGq4E/s400/black+and+white+bath.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>Guest rooms</u></div>
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I can't say I really have a plan for any of the guest rooms right now, or even the guest bath. But I do know I eventually want twin beds in the smaller room and the larger guest room to rock out in some bold colors - something the rest of the house will probably lack. </div>
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Some current inspiration... </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C37H8tBriuk/Ue2jFzceDII/AAAAAAAADDs/fwGA7Aszn1g/s1600/bedroom+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C37H8tBriuk/Ue2jFzceDII/AAAAAAAADDs/fwGA7Aszn1g/s400/bedroom+3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<u>Family room </u></div>
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This room is also pretty far off so I can't say I have a plan for it either. But I'm feeling like it will be more modern, masculine with hints of traditionally girly colors, like coral. </div>
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Ok, that one is a tad ornate and old world for me, but the color scheme and stone walls are working for me. </div>
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Love the dark and simple lines with punches of coral color</div>
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Maybe go a little more Mediterranean? Either way, love to colors. </div>
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LOVE this room! Maybe use greenery for punches of color instead! </div>
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<u>Downstairs bath</u></div>
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I've been thinking lately about saving some of our money and keeping the crazy fuchsia toilet and vanity downstairs. With the right flooring and accents, we might be able to work the fuchsia to our advantage. </div>
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Like this but, well, a bathroom... </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a3vJQbK7xPg/Ue2p51DaqKI/AAAAAAAADE8/lAC8zIiYMyw/s1600/fuschia+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a3vJQbK7xPg/Ue2p51DaqKI/AAAAAAAADE8/lAC8zIiYMyw/s400/fuschia+room.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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And that's all for now, folks! </div>
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New update photos coming soon - I promise! </div>
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Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-48597165730630374582013-06-24T19:22:00.004-07:002013-06-24T19:22:57.307-07:00A Very Belated Home TourSorry to my 5 readers out there who were probably waiting with bated breath to see more of our new home. We had our computers packed away for the last several weeks and just put them up last night.<br />
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The month of June has been a whirlwind of home projects and, luckily, family to help us out with them. The McEwan clan has truly transformed our home over the weeks, not only moving us in, but tackling some seriously back-breaking projects, like scraping wallpaper in the attic room in 90 degree weather. And then this last week my parents came to stay with us and help us with a multitude of projects, including an entire garage makeover! On top of all of that, our new roofing and siding went up which has totally transformed our house from an over-grown eye sore....<br />
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... to a respectable, if not beautiful, home...</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAF4Fj1nJRo/UcjNrCEwBFI/AAAAAAAAC7w/W5BNNtxc5Jw/s1600/IMG_1649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nAF4Fj1nJRo/UcjNrCEwBFI/AAAAAAAAC7w/W5BNNtxc5Jw/s400/IMG_1649.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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New siding really makes a difference, as does the new electrical we've done - new front and back door lights as well as adding lights to the garage, which really looks rich. We also tore out all the terrible plants around the front, which were all too tall and too far gone to be saved. We still need to repaint and add the shutters and plant new landscaping in September, but right now, the outside is feeling pretty finished. :-) </div>
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But on to the inside... </div>
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Really, last week was all about setting up the man cave. We really needed to have a good work space for all the house projects, and not knowing where half of our tools were made it kind of hard to effectively tackle projects. Plus, having a garage and work area made the Top 5 list of owning a home so it really needed to come first. </div>
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My dad has a lot of experience with electrical, so we enlisted his expertise in installing some new lighting where there was none, outside the garage and in. </div>
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It all started with this beast - a massive wood overhang previously used for storage in the garage. It looked just like its brother there holding up our old AC unit - but much longer. See that beige line on the white wall in the garage? That used to be its home. But it needed to come down if Bill was going to have a workspace. </div>
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So, thanks to my dad's genius, we plopped it down on the bed of his truck and hauled it out. But not too far as we ended up reusing it as a narrowed-down workbench! Free wood! After hauling up the laundry-room cabinets, installing a pegboard, adding about a zillion new outlets and a florescent light, Bill has a real-deal man cave.... </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xP2SZUkw40E/UcjRxI-YSvI/AAAAAAAAC8s/mcd7By2Yew8/s1600/New+Workbench+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xP2SZUkw40E/UcjRxI-YSvI/AAAAAAAAC8s/mcd7By2Yew8/s400/New+Workbench+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Pretty great, eh? </div>
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Just to show you, taking down that shelf was no small feat... there were about 30 mile-long nails holding the back up alone! </div>
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This post is getting long, <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/">Young House Love</a> style, so I'll just fill you in on the rest with some good ol' Before's and After's... </div>
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Sans carpet and with a new, modern light.</div>
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This room looked even better a few days ago but I didn't take a pic then - I took one when the linens were all over the place and a picture had fallen off the wall, of course... </div>
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And for the real inside masterpiece... </div>
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Ugh.</div>
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Oh, much better! (thanks to Bill's dad who painted the whole room and ceiling for us!)</div>
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And for a little reminder on what the master bath looked like a couple weeks ago...</div>
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... and now, after replacing the door with a shower curtain, installing a new toilet, faucet, and vanity light, as well as tiling a new floor! </div>
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Ok, so its far from "done", but that new floor and toilet and getting rid of that nasty shower door has sure made it much nicer to get clean in! </div>
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<br />Next post I want to share some of our getting-it-done pics - the progress shots mid-job - as well as a few inspirational photos for future plans (the fun part). </div>
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Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7856536290571275112.post-88531022105816226192013-06-03T10:46:00.000-07:002013-06-03T10:46:48.698-07:00Back in the Saddle Again Its been a while. Or a little more than that, but we've been busy bees around here. Since my hair cut post 3 months ago, we have been up to some pretty fantastic stuff.<br />
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First off, let me re-introduce myself. By night, I'm Meg, but by day, I'm ...<br />
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MEG AUGUSTIN, REALTOR! </div>
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Look! I'm professional! </div>
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That's right, I finally got my real estate license in April and am now an active agent with Prudential, Fox & Roach, Realtors! Its been great so far and I'm pretty excited by my new career. </div>
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To step up the professionalism a bit, I've been slowly converting myself over to a PA resident. Finally, I got a new Driver's License, a new PA phone number, and, what's that Bob?.....</div>
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A NEW CAR! </div>
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Yes, Obi Wan is retired. He's become one with the force. And I've grown up and have a real deal, working vehicle! Its a new Hyundai Tucson and its like twice the size of any car I've ever driven. Which is good because.... </div>
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We are moving! Into a house we bought! WHAAAAAA???!?!?!</div>
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Yeah, we won the Showcase. </div>
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We started looking at the beginning of this year and after about 15 homes, we stumbled upon a fixer-upper in Wayne. </div>
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This one to be exact. </div>
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And oh boy, is it a fixer upper. Almost 3,000 sq ft of it. </div>
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Its a beautiful home with 40 years of dirt and disrepair covering it. Not to mention about 100 patterns and carpets from the 70's. </div>
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Yep. She's a beaut. </div>
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The good news is within the last two weeks, we have had the force of the McEwan clan to take on this beautiful beast. We've been ripping out carpet left and right and removing every piece of wallpaper we can find. </div>
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I plan on giving some good before's and after's of what we have so far later this week, but here's a few pics of what it looks like sans crazy furniture. </div>
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Mmm... orange carpet. </div>
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Mmm... pink, asbestos tile... </div>
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The only bedroom without wallpaper. These people were wallpaper nuts. </div>
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Our glorious master</div>
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A few less patterns in the "blue room", but still a little pattern crazy (and that's coming from someone who has like 12 patterns in her bedroom right now)</div>
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The famous colored baths of the 50's and 60's. We have all three colors. Woot! </div>
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Yeah, that's white shag carpet up there in the 4th bedroom. It doesn't smell nice. </div>
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So now that you have toured our gross home, you'll be as happy as we are when you see the "so-fars" I'll post shortly. Thank God for the McEwan Clan! Without them coming in, we'd still have half a home full of stinky carpet and patterned paper. </div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770273453245357640noreply@blogger.com0