Spaces We Pass Through

When renovating an entire house, it's the spaces we pass through that get put on the back burner. Our hallway is a perfect example. This was the last space that had (for over a month) paper still covering the floor, which was like walking on a medium grit sandpaper. We left for a weekend trip to California to go to my sister's wedding and I wanted to have it done before I left because I DID NOT WANT TO RETURN TO AN UNFINISHED SPACE.

It's a good thing I completed it because I got tonsillitis on our vacation and now I'm holed up in bed, but I can peek out the bedroom door and see our lovely hallway and that makes me feel a little bit better.

Now Milo has a new favorite resting spot.

A Bit of History

To begin with: as of today, we have been in this home for one month! With all the progress we've made, it seems like much longer.

When Jason and I began our home search, it was very important to us that we be the perfect people for whatever home we end up buying...that the owners would be excited about passing the torch to us. It did end up happening this way for us, although the passing of the torch was bitter-sweet. Tracy, the seller and grandaughter of the previous owners, gave us this picture and a letter detailing some of the history of this house and the people who lived within it:

Jason and I knew that this house was very loved and had alot of love within it and we are honoring this spirit when we go through our renovations...like keeping the original wallpaper in the bedroom closets to remind us of the history here and planting around the existing plants in the garden beds. I sent the blog link to Tracy so she can continue to be a part of this home's evolution.

This morning we received an e-mail from another grandaughter, Diane, who spent much time in this house as well...here is some of her letter:

Hearing your words, reading your blog... gives me such pleasure and joy. The love, time, and energy you've put into making the house your home -- it is wonderful that you have shared it and included us in it. We are so happy to know that the house is alive with joy, laughter, love, children... my grandparents would be extremely happy to know that such warm, loving, special people get to enjoy a home in which they found those things -- and more.

Thank you for allowing us to share a part of your family's history. Of our family's history. You have done amazing things with the house -- things we thought of doing to "keep it in the family". But I think it is just where it belongs. God bless your family. Your home. Your future. I know you will find such joy and gifts in that house. In your marriage. Your lives. Take care of one another -- my grandpa would slip his arms around my grandma's waist as she did the dishes, standing at the sink looking out at the garden. And he would whisper to her. "I love you." And she knew this to be true. With her whole heart.

Blessings to you, again. And for the disjointed nature of this note, and the changes in subject mid-sentence, I apologize. As my son tells me, "I must have seen something shiny." Perhaps it was my tears. Of joy. Knowing that you love the home as much as did / DO, we.

Our neighbor, Dock, and I are battling over which one of us is the 'luckiest person in Oklahoma'. I think I am but he's got 55 years more than me so I'll let him keep the title.

Little Victories

Now we are down to the nitpicky stuff that is hard to find spaces for. Our kitchen's storage is strange but there was a 5 ft. wide empty space to the right of the stove and underneath some really high overhead cabinets that had great potential. I found the table at the Habitat for Humanity Restore for $10 that fit the space PERFECTLY and there was just enough room overhead for pot and pan storage.
Jason bought a closet rod, some metal rings and "S" hooks and VOILA! Efficiency is AWESOME.

Our Nighttime Visitor

Jason, the kids and I enjoy spending some time outside after dark...our budding garden is a whole different world when the sun goes down. Last night I saw a camel cricket eating one of the many tiny mushrooms that pop up in the plot and we are getting a sense of the territories of each of the toads...now there are four. Their names are: Black Jack, Jackson Robot, Jim Jimminy and Ramona Mona. This frog (Jim Jimminy) spends his evenings near the garden in front of the grate that goes underneath the house. It seems to be working for him...he's getting plump.

Click here to see a gallery of frogs native to Oklahoma.

Wildscaping

Jason and I are avid NPR listeners because you never know what you are going to learn. A few weeks ago, we were introduced to the concept of "wildscaping", which is a term sometimes used to describe the process of making a garden attractive to wildlife - by offering water, shelter and native plants to eat - which is vital in urban areas where native species of bugs, amphibians, birds and mammals are in serious decline (click here to listen to the program). After days of searching I found a book tailor-made for Oklahoma: Landscaping for Wildlife: A guide to the Southern Great Plains. If you live in the OKC metro, you can pop into the Wildlife Department headquarters just south of the Capitol and pick it up for $15.00 or you can click on the book title which will take you to a page where you can purchase the book.

We already have at least three toads and a family of caramel colored birds that I've never seen before, as well as robins, cardinals, blue-jays and mourning doves that frequent our lot...and some other birds we can't identify. I've been researching urban frog habitats to keep the frogs happy through the winter and reproduce in the spring. We'll see!

Finding a Niche

Through this moving process, I've discovered that Jason and I have very different packing techniques. He packs quickly and sorts out the mess later and I sort through the mess before packing so the unpacking part is less stressful. I've not decided which is better but I can say that creating niches has been slower going since everything is in different boxes.

This is a photo of the shelf by the front door...for mail, change and keys to reside. I've never had a space like this before and I find that I lose stuff less. We used to have a catch-all box that was like Christmas every time we cleaned it out: "So THAT'S where that's been hiding!" was a common statement.

We still have a lot of niche creating left...but this is my favorite part.

A New Order

We put the crown molding up in the living room at last. Everything (save for one box of randomness) has its place in the kitchen. All the books are unpacked and are finding their nooks. Most of the clothes are either bagged up to donate or resting in their proper places. The workshop is beginning to reveal itself now that the boxes are thinning out.

So, while Jason and I were tending to all these things, Jesse and Tillie thought they would do some decorating of there own...by covering no less than fifty feet of sidewalk, from the workshop door in the back yard and up to the front of the house. We took them out for ice cream for a job well done.

Saturday bounty

It's Saturday...that means it's time to head out to the Cleveland County Farmer's Market! I took Tillie, a tote and $40. In the past I paid more attention to the vegetable assortment, but plants grabbed my eye more than anything this time. We picked up 3 hyssops, a basil plant, a drought tolerant fern, 4 tomato plants, some sort of hot pepper plant and a Japanese maple sapling. It's been four days and nothing has died in the garden yet which, for me, is a minor miracle...so I will keep adding to it as time, money and weather permits.

Click here for a list of Farmer's Markets around Oklahoma...and which ones are Okie grown.

The baby-new garden

I've never planted a garden before...I'm excited and nervous and neurotic about it. I find myself going outside every half hour or so to make sure that everything is still alive. Until I met Jason I had a certifiably black thumb. Now, after living with happy living plants for a while, I'm going to give a try at not killing some plants for a change. Thankfully Jason can help me.

It seems like I am approaching it more like an artist than a gardener and I have a feeling that I will be learning ALOT about how laughable this first attempt will be when I look back on it but it was relaxing and creative and I needed that.

Our first drop-in guest...literally

One of the tasks that Jason has been working on is thoroughly washing all the windows...he must have washed them so well that this bird didn't notice any obstruction. He (the bird) hit the bathroom window while I was in brushing my teeth. When I made it out, I swear I could see stars swirling over this poor bird's head...which made it easy prey for the gang of prowling cats in the neighborhood. So, he hung out with me until his senses returned...then flew away.

Click here to go to the Oklahoma bird field guide to see pictures and hear calls of birds in various parts of Oklahoma (and the country).

New life to old stuff

Eating as a family is very important to us but that old "re-gifted" dining room table had to go. We found a 1950's chrome and laminate kitchen table at the Habitat for Humanity's ReStore that screamed for me to buy it for $10. I repainted it with chrome spray paint and we found a 4x8 piece of beautifully veneered wood and put the two together to give that old table a whole new life for a total of $55.
The aging barka-lounger didn't make the move either, so I put our new orbital sander to use to sand and then re-stain this mid-century modern chair that I rescued from a dumpster quite a few years back. I stored it in my garage because I had nowhere to put it but I knew a gem when I saw it...even though it was (cosmetically) in dismal condition. When I moved in with Jason, our dog Jasper used it as his favorite teething toy.
With a few dollars in Rit dye, I dyed the cushions from a faded wheat color to a subtle chartreuse. Total cost $10.
I don't know if this chair will make it either...he misses the comfort of a cushy recliner.

Before and After

Our living room

before (midpoint, really):

after:

before:


after:


In between space:

before:

after:
(we still have crown molding to install)

Our dining room
before:

after:

before:

after:

We still have the bathroom, kitchen, loft, den, hallway and workshop to do but t's good to have something (almost) done.

The Fun Part

Man was I nervous about this part. Jason decided to stick around outside the house while I primed the entire interior with a spray rig.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly...but if I never have to do this again I would be grateful.

Our hard work is beginning to produce tangible results...