Weekend Recap + Dining Room Update

People: You won't believe what I woke up to this morning...

No. Not the temperature inside. I'm talking about the top left corner with the outside temperature. Let's just say the snuggle bed - of which I'm particularly famous for - was in FULL effect this morning. The duvet was in strong cocoon mode, the sun decided to barely make itself present until I was wide awake, and it's gray and rainy outside as I write this. This, friends, is absolute bliss when you're 9 months pregnant and eternally radiating heat from the bun in the oven.

This past weekend flew by - especially when you realize we really only have two - three - weekends tops left as a little family of 2 (or 4. Depending how you count it.) This past weekend was our Theta Alumnae Chapter Garage Sale so Saturday was a long day of wheeling and dealing all in the name of raising some dinero for Court Appointed Special Advocates. The only problem was it rained, and rained, and rained - so the crowds didn't really turn out as we'd hoped. Nonetheless, we've raised about $3,500 this year for char-i-tayyyy and that's what counts. However, my feet, ankles and knees did not appreciate the manual labor on Saturday night.

We plowed forward with getting the dining room arranged. Mr. B and one of his awesome colleagues picked up the table + chairs on Friday afternoon so Saturday afternoon we did a quick clean, moved the rug into the room and arranged everything. I didn't get any pictures with the two leaves in, but everything fits perfectly at it's largest, and it's nice and compact without the leaves for day-to-day use. Next up - some pictures and a buffet and we can call it a day on this room!

The rug - which was also an auction find - was temporarily in the living room

but now lives full time in the dining room.

Excuse the mess on the kitchen island lurking through the doorway.

I really need to Scotchguard those chairs before they attract a red wine spill or gravy mess. I plan to get them reupholstered but who knows when that will happen...

And lastly, we made some progress with the final nursery arrangements this weekend but nothing to share just yet. It's still a work in progress, but there are a few shelves up and some adorable purple lanterns hanging in the corner. You will see soon enough...

Happy Monday friends! 



The Elephant in the Dining Room UPDATE

So no sooner than I posted that serious white girl problems post about the lack of dining room furniture did a solution present itself. Note to self: anytime one has problems, just blab them to the blogger universe and they will resolve themselves!

Mama H. came in town this past weekend to hang out and help me finish up some last details with the nursery. (Let's be very honest though: she was here in case I went in to labor while Mr. B was gallivanting around a golf course in Spain and drinking way too much beer. But no worries friends, the bun in still in the oven!)

Mr. B had mentioned, as he does every month, that I should check out the listing for the local monthly auction as there were a couple items which I might be interested. I sort of ignored him at first, but finally found myself scrolling through the pictures when BAM. I saw a dining room table. AH-HA!

Well yall know I just LOVE the auction. Think of all the deals we've scored over the years at various auctions: rocking chairs, dining chairs, pansy paintings, a Persian rug...oh I'm sure I've left a bunch of stuff out. I love the adrenaline rush (and so did Baby B! He/she was kicking up a storm when I was bidding!) and I love feeling like I crushed the competition when I win (um, competitive much?).

Mama H. and I went to check out the table and chairs the day before and they passed the test. Of course, this is a used table, so it wasn't in brand new retail condition, but that's okay. It had a little wear and tear, but let's be honest, YOU KNOW if I brought home a brand new table I'd find a way to scratch it within 7.3 seconds of it being in my home. That's just how it goes with me.

Fast forward to auction day, and lucky number 147, and the table + two leaves + 8 chairs were mine.

(pictures from the Auction House website)

 

I'd been hankering for a double pedestal table and while I'd prefer a little less upholstery on the chairs, I'll take it! The good news is the cream is so neutral (and clean) they don't need to be reupholstered immediately.

 

I've found what looks to be a later edition of the set by Broyhill so if I want the sideboard / buffet / china cabinet, I can hopefully match it so that only I know (and yall too!) how we pieced together this little deal. And it still leaves me the flexibility to find a really unique (and non-matching piece!) for the room instead. Call it the best of both worlds.

 

Hello jigsaw puzzles, turkey and stuffing and lots of family memories around this table!

 



The Elephant in the Dining Room

Elephant in the room meaning: there is nothing in the room. And this needs to be fixed. 

 

Here's the background. We have a formal dining room but no formal dining room furniture. The time has, frankly, come and gone for us to remedy this situation. We're hosting my family for Thanksgiving (which isn't a big deal because you helped me solve the dining room table dilemma and have that awesome PB dining table in the kitchen) and my family plus Mr. B's family for Christmas. That means the little kitchen table will not cut it for 8 people. Time is ticking before Baby B arrives so I want to get this situation in order as soon as possible.

 

Here's the dining room as of three seconds ago when I just took these pictures. (My favorite time of day is the afternoon when light streams in those windows. So pretty. But I digress.)

 

 

It's a fairly large room and can certainly fit a table for 8 (with leaf when needed) and a china cabinet and/or buffet sideboard.

I've gone absolutely bonkers around the block on what to do in here. Do I bite the bullet and buy a formal dining room set? On the one hand, I like the idea of the wood all matching and being a set, but anything too formal wouldn't really fit "us". And, those bad boys can get pretty pricey pretty quick. Especially when you figure you use it, um, at most, a handful of times a year.

Or, do I go mixey-matchy and find each piece separately? This means it would probably be more "us" and I could certainly find some bargains here and there. However, I don't really have the time and / or patience these days to be chasing a potentially non-existent dining room vision and Christmas is just around the corner.

I'm never one to rush in to a purchase so this timeline makes me feel a little uneasy. Do I just throw a cardtable in there and say "at least we're not eating on the floor!" and wait until I've found something I absolutely love? Or do I find something I can live with, which will seriously relieve my stresses about the holidays, but risk potentially regretting a hasty purchase in years to come?

I think this is why people hire interior designers. To solve these problems. And I'm sure this is why people don't try to decorate their house overnight - especially when pregnant.

And to quote my friend Kaysie, this is absolutely a First World Decor Conundrum. Sorry, I'm not sorry.

Buy my house?

The Anniversary Home is officially on the market!

In fact, we have our first viewing this afternoon. I did a special tidy/clean last night, bought some pretty flowers and made sure to leave all the lights on this morning when I left for work. We'll see how long before my enthusiasm runs dry and I'm scrambling last minute to throw junk in drawers to make the house look decent. 

So friends, if you know anyone who wants to buy a beautiful Victorian farmhouse in Pennsylvania, please send them my blog or email. I'd be happy to put the hard sell on them tell them more about this fabulous house.

I mean, who wouldn't want to live here?

This vintage style Victorian with wraparound porch was the original home of the Mayor of the town and located in a great school district. Recent updates have made this home comfortable and inviting. New designer kitchen with Thomasville cabinets, farmhouse sink, over-sized center island, high-end stainless steel appliances, granite and new hardwood floors. Formal dining room adjacent to kitchen with tall pillars defining the space. Formal living room with hardwood floors and gorgeous wood pocket doors. Climb the grand, rich wood staircase to the second floor featuring a large main suite with a wall of windows, second bedroom and library / office with full hall bath. Third floor features two additional bedrooms, both generous in size and rich in woodworking. Existing stable barn, prime for renovations as family annex and currently acting as storage and two car garage. Home features hardwood floors throughout most of home, new roof, new gutters, new chimney capping, new carpets, new sand mound, well tank, etc.

Pottery Barn Furniture Delivery - FAIL

I'd like to think this blog is so widely read, loved and esteemed that my mini-rant will make waves in the blogosphere, get back to Pottery Barn and result in corporate-wide changes that mean no one else has to deal with this crap.

But I'm also realistic and know the only good that will come from this little rant is that I'll feel better.

Pottery Barn, I love you, but must you make scheduling a furniture delivery so. darn. complicated?

(This mini-rant could easily lead to a greater rant about the irony of "business hours" for deliveries being 9-5, which is exactly when all of us are doing business-ey things, at our businesses, which are often not at our homes, from 9-5? But I digress.)

Since Mr. B is away again, I'm on my own for receiving both the carpet installation and the dining room table delivery. Not ideal with work, but I'll make it happen.

The carpet people have been awesome. You pick the day, we'll compromise a time, and bam. Carpet will be installed. Thank you Lowes.

But Pottery Barn? Noooooooo.

I asked for a Friday delivery. They said sure thing! Awesome. Both deliveries on the same day.

20 minutes later they called back to say NO Friday delivery, and really, they only deliver on TUESDAYS in my area. Are you freaking kidding? 1 delivery day a week? (Not to mention, Tuesdays are my busy/chaotic/forget to eat days at work.)

Frankly, in my book, that's just not good enough. I feel I deserve delivery, say, any of the five days in a business week? Because I'm pretty sure I paid a pretty little delivery surcharge, thank you very much!

I tried to explain that I had been told I could have a Friday delivery. "I don't mind the time, I just need it delivered on a Friday. Any Friday." That approach got me nowhere. So I had to get snotty. Southern snotty, of course. I never raised my voice, was immensely polite, but there's no messing around with Mrs. B when you've pushed the button. (Ask Walgreens!)

We settled on a Thursday delivery, which is maybe, not sure, still being confirmed with the guys at the logistics warehouse.

The kicker? The lady repeated over and over how she was making such an unusual exception for me, yada, yada, yada, and how I should "really be thankful for their flexibility".

Excuse me? Thankful for your flexibility?

No, Mrs. Pottery Barn Delivery Scheduler.

You should be thankful for MY PURCHASE.

Cause I'm the darn customer. And I am NOT being unreasonable asking for more delivery options than 1 day a week. I've said please and thank you, I've made a reasonable request given the communication error on your end and I appreciate you taking the time to help me out. But at the end of the day? I am the customer.

Since my unusual request to have the table delivered on a Thursday (heaven forbid) has not formally been approved by logistics yet, this saga may just be continued as the week goes on. I hope not, but I'm also not super confident that this is the end of the Pottery Barn delivery saga. Keep your fingers crossed.

Anyone else have a story like this? Please share! I need to know I'm not the only one out there!

Dining room table dilemma: Solved!

Thanks to so many of you who commented/emailed with suggestions for the table. Guess what? The dining room table dilemma is resolved! I know you are as relieved as I am.

Here's the winner:

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Pottery Barn wins again. The Tivoli Dining Room Table.

You're probably wondering how I went from basically being deadset on the Ballard Table to this one? A few of you coached me through the cost - I really wanted it but it just didn't make sense right now. This table didn't have to be the end all, be all, table and given ALL the other projects in the house... Well, +1 for common sense.

Plus, this table was on sale. Score. And, I have an AMAZINGLY AWESOME friend LC who offered her $200 voucher for her PB credit card. Double score. Talk about a good friend. LC saves the day. Everyone needs an LC friend.

So after the discount, taxes, shipping, etc, the table was about half the cost of the Ballard one. Not too shabby. In my head at least.

It's scheduled to be delivered next Tuesday although I may have to change the date to coincide with the carpet delivery.

What? Carpet?

I've been keeping secrets from yall! 

More tomorrow....

Dining room table dilemma

I need some help friends! The time has come for us to get a dining room table.

(You're probably thinking: those people are heathens! What do they eat dinner on? They've been married three years and don't have a dining room table!)

We are not heathens. We have a table to eat dinner on, but it was a temporary solution. And actually, we've had two dining room tables, but for reasons I won't get into, they both had to stay at our previous residences.

When we moved in, I immediately went to town on shopping for a table. I dragged Mr. B all over looking for the perfect table and made him stare at endless webpages searching for the one. I imagined this beautiful, huge, grand table where little kids would do their homework and we would host many a dinner parties and holidays. Heck, I even bought the chairs at the auction! How could you forget my Crate & Barrel steal of the century!

But I put the brakes on when I realized it didn't make any sense to buy a table BEFORE the renovation work. It would just get in the way, plus, I didn't want to risk it possibly getting scratched, painted, ruined, etc. So I held off. And now that the kitchen is done, it's time to find the table!

I've had my eye on this gorgeous piece from Ballard Designs:

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I'm especially digging the pedestal look on a rectangular table and it's safe to say that after a year of contemplating, I'm pretty much sold on this "look". But I was hoping to maybe find a cheaper version elsewhere? You know, something similar but say, half the price?! (Wishful thinking?)

Here's where you come in:

1. Have you seen a similar table elsewhere for cheaper? Tell me where. I'll drive to the ends of the earth to get it.

2. Do you have any promo/discount codes for Ballard you'd be willing to share? Even a hundred or two off would make a difference.
Thanks in advance for your help for letting me know what you think. I need your help!

Let there be light

Five days later, and I think I'm finally ready to talk about this weekend's traumatic experience of hanging a dining room chandelier. Traumatic. Experience.

Firstly, I can only blame myself for this business. I should have had my act together and gone to the darn store to buy the chandelier while the contractors were still around working on the kitchen. Then they could have hung it for me. But I didn't.

This past week, I realized I was sick and tired of looking at the single, pathetic light bulb hanging from an exposed socket in the ceiling and decided to do something about it. (Not by myself though. That would have been even more traumatic. Can you imagine the hot mess that would have been me with electrical work? Oh wait. I'm giving away the rest of the story.)

Mr. B has been traveling A LOT lately. As in, I haven't seen him for two weeks, his back is still nagging him and causing extreme pain, but yet, I wanted this light situation resolved. This makes for an enjoyable Saturday DIY activity, yes? Quality couples time? Not so much. I should have seen where this was going....

Fast forward through our trip to Lowe's and the minor domestic disturbance reasonable discussion that occurred in the ceiling fan section. (Why were we in the fan section when we needed a chandelier? Because Mr. B's back was hurting him so much he needed to sit down. Like I said, I should have known this wasn't going to end well.) In the end, we brought home this little beauty and decided to get to work.

Pretty, eh? The oil-rubbed look matches the knobs, pulls and sink hardware in the kitchen.

And get to work we did. Here's an actual quote from me as the project began: "I mean, really, how long can this take? It's pretty simple - follow the instructions and in an hour or two we'll be enjoying dinner and wine under the new light fixture."  Goodness, I'm naive sometimes.

Let's start with an important piece of information that will help you, friendly reader, understand actually how dumb I am: We started this project at approximately 4:45pm. The sun was setting. It was already getting dark. You see where I am going? No? Good, because that makes me feel better.

After turning off the electric fuse to the kitchen/dining room (don't want to blow ourselves or the house up!) we had the last few streams of natural light coming in through the windows. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Again, fast forward two hours and we're in the pitch black - with a freakin flashlight - at one of the most critical stages of the process.

If we weren't at each other's wits ends in the ceiling fan section at Lowe's, we certainly were now. (Mr. B. was upset that I was drinking a glass of wine during this project. Does anyone else think that is ridiculous? It's Saturday night at 7:00 and we're hanging a chandelier in the dark. Wine is a must.)

The situation was basically unbearable (I'm so dramatic sometimes) because Mr. B couldn't get up on the stepladder. He had to direct everything from his chair. And frankly, we communicate well, but sometimes his directions of "where to screw what" can be a little lacking. I was just a few inches too short to comfortably reach the ceiling so had to stand on my tippy toes (accident waiting to happen) and on top of all this, I had to hold the chandelier by myself up to the ceiling. Did I mention I have the weakest shoulder muscles in the world?  

Enough is enough. I called a time-out on the project, went to pick up a pizza and tucked myself in bed to continue the adventure the next day. Enough of hanging a chandelier in the dark.

Take two on Sunday started out much better. In fact, we got the thing up in record time. Only to realize we forgot a part and had to take it all. down. again. Seriously? But at this point, we knew how to hang it up and from there, it was only another hour or so to get to the moment of truth. The flip of the switch. And would you believe it, it turned on the first time.

Well, yes and no:

Mr. B: Is it on? I flipped the right fuse.

Me: No! It's still dark in here.

Mr. B: Did you turn on the light switch?

Me: Oops. That was dumb. (Turns on light switch.) No! It's still dark in here.

Mr. B: Did you adjust the dimmer?

Me: (Why does he always have to be right?) Oh there we go! It's on! We have light!

So the final product is this - hallelujah we have light!

The Anniversary Home's Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to The Anniversary Home!

Exactly one year ago today, we signed our lives away on the dotted lines and walked away with the keys to our new home.

At closing, the seller (a friend of Walter, it was an estate) gave us four photos from Christmas 1948. It's snowy and the house looks much, much prettier than it does today. We used this photo on the cover of our Christmas card for 2010. The photos are now framed and waiting to be hung in the foyer for all to see when they visit.

We knew from the moment we walked into The Anniversary Home that it was for us, despite all the terrible carpet, non-functioning kitchen, leaky roof, 70's paint colors and on and on. It would be a labor of love and it would be our home.

I wish I'd saved the list we'd made one evening over dinner when debating whether we were ready for the risk and the reward. It was on the back of an envelope and went on for miles. It ranged from complex and expensive like "renovate kitchen" to the easy and inexpensive like "superglue bathroom floor tile". The kitchen has been completed. The linoleum tile in the bathroom is still not fixed. Go figure.

A year ago today, I wondered: "Will we like living here?" "Will we ever get all this work done?" "Will this bring us closer together? Will this be a strain on our bank accounts?"

The answers, without a doubt, are: yes, yes, yes and yes. And that's a good thing. We've spent many a weekend holed up in the house doing goodness knows what repairs and cosmetic alterations. The greeter at Lowe's knows us. Our neighbors are impressed with our tenacity and ambition. I have to say I am too.

During a long car trip over the weekend, Mr. B. and I recounted the long list of major achievements in just one short year.

A new septic system.

(Partial credit only - it was mostly handled by the estate but there was lots of supervising involved!)

A new roof.

A new kitchen.

Every. Single. Room. Has. Been. Painted.

That darn rhodedendrum was removed.

(Still lots to be done in the landscaping department though.)

Those rocking chairs are on the front porch.

If I started listing all the "minor" projects that we did in the past year, you'd all get ridiculously bored and stop reading this entry. (Washing machines, pot holes in the driveway, wasp nest in the porch eaves, etc. etc. etc.)

I'm going to do a more comprehensive before and after photo tour of the house, but for now I'll leave you with this kitchen gem:

Kitchen Before:

Kitchen After:

Thank you little house for being a roof over our heads and a place we can call home!

The Steal of the Century

Go ahead, call the bargain-find police on us. I dare you. Because on Saturday morning, we snagged the deal of the year at the auction. Bold statement, yes. But, believe it.

Mama H finally got here (!!) late Friday night and the first thing on our to-do list - yes, there is a list - was to hit up the auction on Saturday morning.

When we walked into the back room, I saw this beautiful sight:

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White chairs? That's it?

Yes, that's it.

We've been searching for new dining room chairs. We'll briefly ignore the fact that we don't yet have the pedestal dining table for the chairs. That's being ordered post-kitchen renovation. (I'm so practical.) I knew it would be difficult / near impossible to find matching wooden chairs for the table. So I'd been toying with the idea of slipcovered chairs instead. We all know the usual places you can find these: just about everywhere. But I wasn't quite prepared to pay full retail for a seemingly basic piece of furniture.

So imagine my surprise when I flipped the chair over and saw this tag:

HA! Not that I'm a brand snob, but yes, the C&B chairs were on my shortlist when shopping around. And now I've found them at the auction? You're joking.

Thanks to the trusty iPhone, we pulled up the C&B website for to have a look at the chairs. On sale for $169.99. And I need 6?

Cue Mr. B and his amazing bidding skills. (Remember the Pansy Painting?) We agreed a price limit and then he was off.

Bidding started at $10. No bites. Then $5. No bites. Then $2. Great, we'll start there. Mr. B went back and forth with some guy until $6. And then the other bidder backed out.

Say what?

Yes, the other bidder backed out.

And Mr. B won the chairs. 

FOR $6 A CHAIR 

For a whopping total of $42.80 (sales tax and commission included) we became the proud owners of a set of 6 gently used Crate and Barrel slipcovered dining chairs.

Granted, they need new slipcovers. But for what we saved we could buy a set of slipcovers for every season. Plus a spare.

Kitchen concepts

I'm sure you've all been holding your breath this weekend in anticipation of the outcome of our meeting with the architects on Friday. In short: It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Most of all, it gave me hope there is a light at the end of this tunnel!

The Phase II offices are located right between a Wawa (yes) and a Starbucks (double yes). You better believe I enjoyed a little Christmas cheer (Mmmm, pumpkin spice latte) before heading over to the meeting. The offices exude creativity and I'm guessing that's partly thanks to the caffeine overload inside. And the cheese popcorn. Whatever it takes to get the creative juices going...

Jay and Peg showed us some sample cabinets, flooring, moldings, rugs, etc etc. I unfortunately didn't take any pictures (it was all arranged so beautifully though!) and we had a great conversation about likes and dislikes - one of many more I am sure because I have a feeling it's going to take a lot of back and forth.

We spent majority of the meeting reviewing initial schematics of layout and design. Here's our starting point:

A pretty simple layout. The kitchen and living room are both pretty decent sizes but the space isn't fully utilized due to random doors and walls in awkward spaces. Through many conversations, a some spectacular insight on Peg and Jay's part, we were able to come up with a short list of "must" change items:

1.  The bathroom door in the dining room. Thanks, but no thanks. No one wants to get up from a meal to excuse themselves to the bathroom, which is two feet away. Unpleasant. 

2.  The back porch is, by function, our main entrance, so we wanted to utilize the space there since it's currently just an outdoor porch.

3.  Since the day we viewed the house, I've been annoyed by the basement door in the kitchen (very random) and have wished we could change it.

4. I wanted the wall between the kitchen and the dining room to be removed so the rooms were attached, if only by sight.

5.  As you'll remember from the photos, we needed to greatly increase the storage options in the kitchen (and ultimately, the dining room).  Three cabinets ain't cutting it. It just isn't working.

So after reviewing three concepts, we came up with this revised concept, to include the best of all the ideas presented. 

I know the picture is a little small, but use your imagination and work with me here kiddos.  I'll give you an "executive summary" so you can piece together the picture with the narrative:

1.  Basement: Pending some structural stuff (I stay out of all that!) they are moving the basement door out of the kitchen and into the existing hallway closet. We'll lose a closet but gain a mudroom in the back with plenty of storage. Fine with me!

2.  Mudroom:  The current full bathroom and patio become a powder room and mudroom.  No more accessing the bathroom through the dining room and we "gain" the lost patio space into a functioning utility room. I had hoped to put the washer/dryer room here too but just not enough space. We'll have to figure something else out.

3.  Cabinets:  The new layout gives us TONS of cabinet space. In the kitchen, in the newly created pantry, above the new desk, in the new island, in the built in china cabinets in the dining room. Surely everyone else is as obsessed with storage as I am, right?

4.  Island:  I'm really excited about the island. It's been on our minds from day one and fits perfectly into the new space. By removing the wall between the dining room and kitchen, and replacing structural columns a little further in the dining room, we create extra space in the kitchen for both pantry/desk and a big island. I've hosted enough parties in my time to know everyone congregates in the kitchen and it's always the center of the home.

Phew. Lots of changes. 

And I know what you're thinking, so before you ask:

• We're starting to talk with contractors and cabinetry people now for prices.
• Ideally, we'll start construction in early February, hoping to finish in April
• I have NO clue what we're doing for finishes, so stay tuned.

Happy house remodeling everyone!

Kitchen, Living Room and Dining Room sneak peek

Today's tour will round out the rest of the first floor.

I must give full disclaimer on the kitchen.....it's awful.  Plain and simple.  It probably hasn't been renovated since the mid-70's when the last major work was done on the house.  I am adventurous and have some "vision" but this was even pushing it a little far for me. We still have yet to cook a meal, or even unpack, this room.  The good news is the architects are on the case. 

The living room and dining room will be beautiful once painted.  The ceilings are tall and both rooms are large and spacious, which is unique for a Victorian. 

Enjoy!

Living Room looking into the foyer.

The color? Not so much.



Amazing radiators.

From the foyer looking in.

The pocket doors are in this door frame - I owe you a pic!

Never said I was an excellent photographer.

I guess I was trying to capture the ceiling height?

Dining Room.

Blue.

And don't even get me started on why there is a FULL bathroom right off the dining room.

This door leads to the kitchen.

Why is the light switch so darn high? I have to raise my arm in the air to reach it!

I told you it was bad.

Please ignore the inspectors bag!

But seriously.  This is bad.

At least its a large room!

3 cabinets.  That's it.

The back door to the porch.

This is really the entrance we use most often.

Side view with doors to dining room and foyer on the left.

More to come tomorrow!