86'n It

It is not often that Asheville gets a White Christmas, so these 6-8" are pretty remarkable!

I really hope that everyone is having a terrific holiday!

Here's to hoping for a wonderful, renovation progress-filled new year!

We got our new tv, which has not only led to no renovation work getting done, it has somehow led to me looking at wedding dresses.

[Here's how: Our new tv has netflix, so we have been watching tv shows. (The Riches is awesome!) I also discovered that I can stream netflix on my phone while I'm closet pumping. (I'm beyond irritated that I only realized this with 26 pumping days left, but I digress...) So, while in the closet, I'm indulging myself in "Say Yes to The Dress" because it is short and fun to watch. My old office in NYC was very close to Kleinfeld's and I regret not dress shopping there...]

And so here I sit, only my lunch hour, looking at wedding dresses.

I bought my wedding dress in pretty much the same fashion that we bought this house. I wasn't looking for a dress, but rather going dress-shopping with a friend when we happened upon a trunk sale at Saks. We weren't looking for a house, but just walking to the grocery when we happened to see a for sale sign on this heap of a house. Both were sold as-is. I love both, but have regrets and always wonder "what if" in both cases.

What if I would have made my dress like I had planned. Would it have been prettier and less sack-like?
What if we would have backed out of the house, would we have found another and be done with renovations already?


I guess I'll never know, and wondering really does me no good. The only thing that gives me hope is the possibility that maybe the future of this house can make me as happy as my marriage has....

OPP = Other People's Progress 
This is to be the first in my many spotlights on other people's progress, due to the udder lack of progress at our own house. If you'd like your progress to be spotlighted, please shoot me an email at: 

Tracy is my coworker & friend. Tracy is very cool. Tracy bought a house. Tracy's house was weird.

It included a 20" wide spiral stair connecting the lower and upper levels. A human could barely get up this thing without getting vertigo, let alone asking her wonderful dog Cosmo to navigate it. So Tracy made a new stair, oh, and gutted the kitchen, ripped out some walls, got new floors, refinished other floors and polished the concrete floors and "humps".

She still needs to paint, but here is a sneak peak of her gorgeous new stair
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(Tracy is also a master proofreader/grammar nazi, so I'm sure she is cringing at all my language mistakes.)

So I finally got around to thinking about Holiday cards this weekend. Franca helped me out by taking a 3 1/2 hour nap. I had grand plans in say, mid-November to hand make our cards like I do every year, but with Marc working overtime every weekend, it has been a little rough.

My sisters ordered my baby shower invitations from tinyprints.com and I really liked the quality. They print on thick card stock that has a really nice texture, so the invitations look and feel really great. Marc and I found a stock design that we were happy with, I entered our names, plopped some photos in and basta! Done.

Halfway thru the proofing and checkout process they offer to address, stamp and mail the cards for you. WOW, tempting! Actually, I had found an online coupon that was $10 off $75. (My favorite coupon source is http://www.retailmenot.com/) My order total was currently $60. Stamps would total over $15. Perfect!  So essentially I'd get the stamps for free AND not have to address them myself. As a part-time single mother I thought: Um, yes please!

I already have our address list in Microsoft Excel, and that imported right into tinyprints! (Make sure you have the name and each part of the address (street address, city, state, zip) in a separate cell.)

I wasn't able to send out a ton of cards this year, because ordering cards is expensive compared to the almost free way I usually DIY them. (Some paper I have lying around, printed at my office or hand-stamped at home.) So sorry if you are reading this and don't get one next week. Either way:
Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Also during that three hour nap, I ordered Marc's gift (60% off coupon), rewired the telephone/internet from outside to inside the house, paid four bills, wrapped five presents AND made a batch of mushroom & barley (a new favorite in this crack house).

While I do like the idea of hands-free hair drying, I don't really need it while sitting on the couch watching tv. So we decided that we needed to do something about our leaky, drafty windows. I did some research on solutions for historic windows and they are all pretty pricey.

The options are:
1. replacement windows $$$$$
-(which would have to be approved.)

2. wood frame exterior storm windows $$$

3. aluminum frame exterior storm windows $$
-(I refuse to do these. I think they completely ruin the exterior aesthetic of a historic house.)

4. interior storm windows $$

5. interior window "shrink wrap" $

I'll let you guess which we choose. Here's some photos to help you figure it out:

I'm really happy with the way it turned out, not that "crack-house-y" at all.

I was trying to get some shot where you could see the edge of the wrap.

And we stuck it right down to the sill.

Our kitchen wall has not even been started, but did the idea already jump the shark?

I just saw this post on Design Sponge about WALLPAPER that looks like recycled beadboard.

Uh. Oh.

It wasn't that long ago that I got my first real Christmas tree, and this year, it was time for Franca's first tree!

We got the tree from a real great local farm, Boyd Mountain Farms. It was sleeting, but the place is really beautiful and Franca loved it.

Family Photo Opp. Like our matching hats?

Sleepy, but interested.

Awake for a cookie!

Check out these awesome cabins they have for rent.

We had to ditch our white and silver theme because all the ornaments were glass. So this year, we went to "shatterproof" aka plastic ornaments in a more funky color scheme.

As if shiny ornaments weren't enough, I got a sequined tree skirt.

We let her play with this one... until her face was covered in blue glitter.

And because we still don't have the funds to do a real fireplace, the rope light will have to do.  (Safer for the kiddo anyway!)

After reading this post from 3 acres & 3 thousand square feet and this post from Russet Street Reno, it really reminded me how badly we need to re-insulate our attic. The house has been staying pretty warm, but the really cold weather is still ahead of us.

Sadly, unlike the two renovating couple above, we have a bio-hazard in our attic. The previous owner left the attic windows either open or with broken panes for a while, so there is bird crap all over the nasty old cotton batt insulation. GREAT. So we have to clean this up before we can put the new insulation down. Bring on the off-site babysitter, hepa-filter masks and Devo suits.

We are going to try to at least buy the insulation before the end of the year to take advantage of the tax credit.
Now, let me hunt for a photo of the attic. Oh crap. I can't find my hard drive. Just another day in the life of a scatter-brained new mom, DIY renovator.

If I remember tonight, I'll try to add some pics!