School House Rehab
Trying to leave our little slice of America better than we found it!Are we done with the rain yet?
June 25, 2012
I am normally one to welcome the rain because it saves me SO much time watering the vegetables and the annuals. But, (and it’s a big but) I have plans to paint the decks before we have people over on the 4th and I simply cannot get to it when the wood is soaked for days on end. I stained the front porch railings white two years ago and they are in desperate need of a fresh coat.
Milk was a bad choice...*
June 21, 2012
HAPPY SUMMER! New England has welcomed the season of bathing suits and BBQs with an onslaught of 100+ degree heat and brutal (baarrruuuutal) humidity. As I’m writing this, it’s 84 degrees, with a “real feel” of 89 degrees and off-the-charts humidity. It’s 10:00pm, people. That’s just too damn hot. Seeing as our house was built in 1875, it’s safe to say we are roughing it. No A/C, baby. We’re so old school.
You are what you drink... and other weekend updates
June 10, 2012
There were a few loose projects lined up for this weekend. I wanted to paint a couple of interior doors, do a brake job on my car, and tend to some yard maintenance. Before we tackled any of the above, we took a ride to the Thomas Hooker Brewing Company in Bloomfield, CT (a suburb of Hartford) on what was mostly a dreary, wet Saturday here in CT. It really put the kibosh on any productivity that might have happened on Saturday because we had way too much fun.
Mancave Modification
June 4, 2012
Matt’s mancave is our oversized two-car, detached garage. And by “our garage,” I really mean “his garage” because I can’t toe the line without his mancave radar activating on full alert. He rushes out from wherever he is in the house or yard and tries to casually ask, “What are you up to, babe?” Of course, I know he really means, “What do you think you are doing in my garage?
The show down...
June 2, 2012
While I was hustling and bustling around the house this rainy Saturday, I paused to take this shot of Griff giving the ol’ stare down to an intruder in his space. This deer is actually in the neighbor’s yard (note the overgrown weeds along the stream…yikes) but Griff is protective of anything within eye and earshot. Classic.
Dining al fresco
May 23, 2012
With the warmer days of spring finally upon us, I’ve taken it on as a personal mission to get our back deck freshened up. It’s a small space, so it shouldn’t be too hard. We eat out back every chance we get from April-November and the dining area (a gorgeous little bistro set in jet black with stunning rust undertones) was in need of a facelift. We installed a new storm door which you can read about here, and that made a huge difference from the start.
Colorado Trip, Part 2
May 16, 2012
When we last left off in Colorado, Part 1, I was exhausted from hiking with psycho dog, full from all of the delicious beer and food, (mostly beer) impressed with my furniture lugging skills, and very excited for our impending trip into the mountains. Matt and I are not tremendous skiers…well…let’s be honest here. By “not tremendous” I mean I’m intermediate and Matt had been skiing once before. Once(!!!) This past winter.
Stormy Switcheroo
May 15, 2012
I’m not going to do a big foreword on this post. You’re welcome! ;) I’m just going to tell you that we replaced the back storm door and it was a top priority of ours… I think you’re all bright enough to see why… Refer to the picture below for hints… Wow, right? So gross. I haaaate that door. Once we had a nice day late last fall and a couple of hours free, we went at it.
I can't stand the rain...
May 14, 2012
…actually… I’m lying. I do love me some old school Missy, though. In reality, I love the rain. I love the rain for the sound it makes on umbrellas, lawns, windows, roof shingles, and porches. I love the rain because my husband happens to love my frizzy hair. I love the rain for it’s ability to turn what would be a productive day into a lazy, movie marathon day. I love the rain for it’s ceaseless power of turning every living thing into a grateful, lush, paradise of green.
Five Boro Bike Tour
May 9, 2012
Despite our better judgement, Matt and I enrolled in Bike New York again this year. Yes, we are 3 years older than we were the last time we biked 50 miles around the NYC burroughs. No, we didn’t train. Thanks for pointing those things out. We even bested ourselves, and signed up with Matt’s sister and brother who are both in OH SO MUCH better shape than us. We dropped Griffin off at Matt’s mother’s and made the train with a few minutes to spare.