Melissa, one of my oldest and dearest friends, was in town visiting family over the Easter weekend. She was excited to check out the progress at the house, so before our coffee date I gave her the grand tour. While I can see the transformation that 212 has undergone by looking back at the first few blog posts, it is cool to see the expressions of friends who witnessed the early stages of renovation and are just now re-visiting in person. Mel was last at the house in the late summer, when only a couple of the walls had been gutted. Needless to say, she was more than a little surprised by the house's current appearance. [Side Note: As one of my future interior designers, expect Mel to make a re-appearance on the blog this summer!]
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Despite the dreariness of this week, I made sure to stick to my goal of cleaning up the backyard. Because of where we are in the renovations, I have not been able to help out as much inside the house, so it feels good to be able to contribute in other ways. I am going to keep looking for side projects to do over the next few weeks so that I can continue to feel like I am a part of the progress. Kyle, his dad, and my dad took on the kitchen floor yesterday while I filled four garbage bags and one massive tarp bag (seriously, it could probably fit four people in it comfortably), with leaf debris. While at first I thought that the leaf assignment would be a breeze, I soon realized that the soggy-cereal texture of the thawing leaves made for a heavy and arduous task. That said, I ended up leaving a few piles and need to go back and finish today. [Raking 101: It is best to wait for the weather to warm up before raking the lawn. This is because you can pull up the new grass if there is still frost in the ground... Hopefully this week wasn't too early for me... Lesson learned if I have a bald backyard this summer.] The silver lining of the leaf haul was discovering a cluster of crocus buds growing by the shed. They have not yet bloomed, but I will be sure to document when they do. I love those tiny signs of spring. My education on the home renovation front continues. This week's lesson was on ductwork and the cold air intake. [Side Note: These terms make me feel really knowledgeable when I use them in everyday conversations, but really, my understanding of them is very limited, :p].
While working on the first floor this week, we had a family friend come over and help us to plan out the ductwork. We will need to reinstall the ductwork before we get to the drywalling. We were advised to move it from its current location to one of the walls. This will keep it cleaner and allow for better air flow. The ductwork and cold air intake ensure that heat is properly distributed throughout a house. Apparently, without a cold air intake, a house will have cold floors, regardless of how warm the actual air is. As a girl who wears her moccasins year round, I can appreciate something that will promise warm floors for next fall and winter. With March Break next week, I am shifting gears from days of crayons and the alphabet, to old floor boards and dust. My goal for the beginning of the week is to do some yard work. I need to spend a day raking the backyard and would also like to sweep and scrub down the front porch in anticipation of spring. There is nothing more satisfying than freshening everything up after the winter months. For those of you who also have this week off, enjoy your little holiday :). It is crazy when a poem or song or video speaks perfectly to what you are feeling or experiencing at that moment in time. The easiest thing to do when this happens is to casually brush it aside as a mere coincidence or just an example of effective marketing. But what if we chose to make something of the words-- whether or not they are in fact meant solely for us? What can we harvest from these words and use to our advantage? The poem below spoke to what I am feeling right now with the house. I have decided to take it as a quiet message from the universe. Maybe, this poem will be a personal message for you too. "Life is unpredictable.
It changes with the seasons. Even your coldest winter, Happens for the best of reasons. And though it feels eternal, Like all you'll ever do is freeze, I promise spring is coming, And with it, brand new leaves." -e.h. |
About MeKyle and I just became new homeowners. The house we purchased is not what one would classify as "move in ready"; in fact, it is quite the opposite. Built at the turn of the 20th century, our Victorian style house is both beautiful and terrifying in its ancient status and will be a project in renovation. This is a documentation of our triumphs and lessons learned, as we deconstruct and reconstruct this house. The end result? A space that we can proudly say we created. Archives
December 2016
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