And (finally) the After...

BEFORE (This isn't really a fair comparison since this picture was taken before we moved in and doesn't contain any of our things).



AFTER (Note the fabulous 1960's, solid walnut, mid-century modern table and chairs that we found on Craigslist. I LOVE it and it looks even better in person).







DETAILS:







My mom helped me make these fantastic silhouettes of the kids. (Yes, we left a space for Baby K. I tried to use Sadie as a temporary space holder but, frankly, her silhouette is not very aesthetically pleasing).

An oil painting that we bought in Spain a million years ago (Before Kids. When we actually traveled internationally and had some disposable income...)






The Smokebrush Pendant...the picture just doesn't do it justice. Feel free to come over and bask in its glow.


Next project: Baby K's room

Sneak Preview

The first thing we did when we moved into our new house in October of last year was remove all of the wallpaper. With the exception of the dining room, we managed to get most of the main floor repainted by Christmas.

After careful deliberation, I decided that I wanted painted wood paneling on the lower third of the dining room. I got an estimate.

I almost fell off my chair. Seriously.

So...we decided to simply keep the existing chair rail (for now) and paint the room. I'm not sure that I'm pleased with the effect but am trying to withhold my judgment until after the room is finished (e.g., new light fixture, curtains, art).

If all goes according to plan I should have new photos to share with you by Sunday. As you can see from this picture of Cate "helping" paint the dining room, the kids are definitely enjoying the process---they've pretended to paint every room of our house and most of their toys this week.

Wall of Fame

Although photos of the new house have, admittedly, been a long time coming, I do (finally) have one to share for you.

I had my heart set on similar ledge shelving from Room and Board, which was the only place I could find 4 foot shelves like this in black. Chris was appalled by the price---$79/shelf plus shipping. Especially when I told him that I needed at least three shelves!

So he made them for me.

These shelves are in the kitchen, right next to the table and every day when I see them they make my heart happy as they hold artwork and objects that are near and dear to us. It is a particularly good place to display the kids' artwork, which I must say looks pretty classy when paired with a simple white mat and black frame.

New Rug

We had a rug delivered the other day and Cate's reaction was immediate and exuberant. Laying eyes on the rug for the first time after her nap, she threw herself on the rug and exclaimed, "It's the rug I always wanted!"

During.

When we moved, I had all of these grand plans for how I would keep my devoted readers updated on all of the progress that we'd made on the new house.



I took dozens of photos of the house before we moved in so that I would have plenty of "BEFORE" photos to share with you. Although the previous owners took great care of the house, there are some things about the house that are, well...a bit dated. (Think lots of floral wallpaper, big brass light fixtures and some peeling vinyl countertops).



I now realize, however, that it may be months (maybe even years) before I ever have an actual "AFTER" photo to share with you. The more we do to the house--even if it is something very simple and cosmetic, like painting--the more we see that there is to do. (NOTE: This is why the cost of my simple bathroom renovation has almost doubled in recent weeks...sigh).



This weekend we made some progress. After two and a half months we finally managed to hang things on our walls. We've done other things along the way--painted, hung new light fixtures, and changed the hardware in the kitchen, for example--but it wasn't until we started hanging things, our things, on the walls that it really started to feel like our home.




So...to make a long blog post short, although it's unlikely I'll have a beautifully photographed
BEFORE/AFTER post anytime soon, I'll try to (at the very least) document our progress along the way.

First Two Weeks in the New House: By the Numbers

Trips to the Emergency Room: 1

We moved in on Sunday. Chris left for LA Monday morning. By 5pm Monday night we were on our way to the ER.

Ben, our little explorer, ingested a rock from our fireplace, proceeded to choke, cry hysterically and then bleed from his mouth. I called the Peds Clinic, who suggested I call poison control. Poison Control suggested that I take Ben to the ER immediately. I did.

Two hours and several chest x-rays later, the doctor shrugged and said that if is stomach became distended (it didn’t) or he stopped going to the bathroom (he didn’t) that we should bring him back. Immediately.

Baby Gates: 3

One at the bottom of the stairs, one at the top of the stairs and one blocking the opening to the !@*#& fireplace. (See Trips to the Emergency Room).

Cate and I are trying to teach Ben to sit down when he goes down the stairs. Cate demonstrates and says things like, “Buddy, sit down on your bum. Like this.” Ben just smiles and then walks right off the edge---yes, just like the Road Runner in the Looney Tunes cartoon.

Empty Rooms: 0

It’s amazing how an assortment of Fisher Price Little People and Little Tykes play equipment can really warm up your home, making even a completely empty room seem filled.

Number of Times We Have Raked Our Leaves: 2

Note that our neighbors (many of whom are retired) have raked their leaves twice as many times in this two week period. I also noticed that there are still many, many trees in our yard with plenty of leaves left to fall.

I actually enjoyed raking this morning (although I will admit that I didn’t do the whole yard because the kids needed to eat) but I suspect that the novelty will wear off soon.

Remember this post when you say to your spouse, “Honey, I would just love to have wooded lot with lots of mature trees.”

Months We Had to Make a Double Mortgage Payment: 0

Miraculously, we closed on our old house October 31 at 11am, which meant that we completely avoided two mortgage payments. Thank you St. Joseph.

Chaos.

We moved to our new house over the weekend and the one word that best describes our life at this point is chaos. Total chaos.

We don't have the internet connected at the new place so I am taking a brief blogging vacation.

See you all next week. I'm sure I'll have some interesting moving/unpacking stories and photos to share.

An Empty Fridge

Even though we haven't officially moved, we've been spending a lot of time at our new house.

We painted Cate's room on Saturday and my parents brought her over on Saturday night to see the transformation.

Later that night as I was putting her to bed I asked, "So Cate, do you like our new house?"

"Yeah," she said. "But there not any food in the 'fridgerator. And there not any popsicles either."

Hmmm, I guess we have a few more items to add to the to-do list...

Well, at least SOMEONE is enjoying the moving process...

The New Man in our Lives

Well, it's official.

Chris and I are now the proud owners of TWO lovely Eastside Iowa City homes. Although I knew the day was coming, now that we've actually signed the papers the prospect of paying for these TWO homes has ratcheted my anxiety to levels reminiscent of my days in graduate school.

We've done everything we can think of to make our house attractive to prospective buyers. As I told our realtor yesterday, we are definitely Motivated Sellers. Among other things we have moved a small couch, four boxes of toys, all of Chris' winter clothes, one oak table, 6 assorted throw pillows, and bunch of junk into storage.

We have mowed our lawn with feverish regularity. We have rearranged furniture.

We have turned all of the food in our pantry so that the labels face forward. (Picture the scene from "Sleeping with the Enemy" where Julia Roberts opens her cupboard and finds all of her Campbell's soup and green beans neatly arranged and realizes her crazy husband has found her).

We have even sorted our washcloths by color in case a prospective buyer views a disorganized linen closet as a potential deal-breaker. Hell, we even planted mums by our front door.

So, we are now turning things over to a higher power: St. Joseph.

I purchased him for the bargain price of $7.50 at the Mercy Hospital gift shop last week. (I'm not sure why a hospital gift shop even stocks statues of St. Joseph but the volunteer manning the cash register told me they've been "flying off the shelves").

On Saturday, hoping to capitalize on some positive karma after the Iowa/Iowa State game, we buried him upside down in our backyard.

I admit that I'm a bit skeptical of St. Joe's powers. I find it a little convenient that you can only use him once--if you move again in the future you need to buy a new statue.

Oh yes, and there is a disclaimer on the package insert that indicates for St. Joseph to be "fully effective, however...sellers must, of course, first do such practical, yet all important chores, as completing all necessary fix-up, properly staging the home and finally, adjusting the price to as to reflect true market value."

Apparently St. Joe doesn't make any promises when it comes to a dirty, disorganized, overpriced home.

I'll keep you posted...

Home Sweet Home

After several requests, I'm posting a picture of our new house. I'm just paranoid enough to avoid posting the address but will say it's about 5 minutes from downtown Iowa City and within walking distance of the school that Cate and Ben will likely attend. The neighborhood is great--lots of trees and lots of character.

AND the answer is no. We haven't packed yet. In fact, we haven't really started although I will admit that Chris did pack three boxes last month. (I'm not exactly sure what he packed but, whatever it was, we haven't missed it).

How two anxious, neurotic, Type A personalities can be so...unmotivated?...laid-back? ...lackadaisical?...is a mystery to me as well.