Day Three: Warning - Do Not Paint Inside an Oven...

Ahhh, lazy Sundays. A day for church, for brunch out, for lounging about in the warm sun while cool breezes rustle the pages of your book...

But not for us!

We played hookie from church and set out to gather supplies at the Depot of Homes and the Space of the Green, meeting up at the new casa just in time to welcome back my parents for another fun-filled day of renovations and demolition. (And kleenex - Mom's sniffle had transformed into a full blown nasty cold. Ugh.)

It was 84 degrees at 10am, mercury steadily rising... I don't know about y'all, but I do *NOT* do heat gracefully. When Matt came back from an errand in the afternoon and cheerfully shared that it was 97 degrees, I just about had a heart attack.

Matt: "It's 97 degrees outside!"

Me: "Don't tell me that! Geesh! Ack! I'm melting!"

Matt: "What? I thought it would make you feel better to know that it actually is really hot and that it isn't just you suffering in the 80's or something..."

It can NOT be that hot up here on another work day, or we all just might melt and die.

I must admit that the milk paint is not going according to plan... Instead of gliding effortlessly over the pine paneling, creating an artistic whitewashed effect, it is glopping (perhaps the heat had something to do with this...) and not covering very well. Some of the wood panels are warped, making roller application rather difficult (and less than attractive.) The wood is causing the paint to yellow in some areas, creating a very sallow wall color.

(But it will be great! Yes! The power of positive thinking!)

Dad continued to plug away at the kitchen, sanding and priming most of the walls and ceiling despite the uncooperative nature of the paint in the extreme heat... (and that room gets HOT in the afternoon... HELP!) Mom gamely went back and forth between projects, taking her kleenex and iced tea wherever she landed.

Matt continued to kick ass in his quest to rewire the house. Methinks perhaps he had the best job location of us all on Sunday - under the house was actually cooler than outside or up inside. We did our standard two person electrical show: I bang on a stud to let him know where to drill, he puts holes in the house and shoves wire thru... I am pleased to report a 100% accuracy on Matt's drilling for Sunday. Don't ask about Saturday. Remember the pine paneling downsides in regards to hiding holes? Yeah...

After much sanding, prepping, taping, priming, painting, drilling, wiring and oh-so-much more, we were ready for BBQ time.

BUT FIRST: THE TREE REMOVAL!!!

Those of you who know me might think it a tad strange that I would willingly remove any live plant from my gardenspace... but this thing HAD to go. There was a rather hopeless fir tree in front of our house that looked as though someone had planted their live Christmas tree a while back... after little Timmy broke off the top of the tree while trying to put the angel on straight! It needed to be gone. Immediately. Dad brought their chainsaw over and HANDED IT TO MY HUSBAND. OMG. Heart attack number two of the day. But in all fairness, Matt did a great job taking the tree down (and even wore safety glasses while using the chainsaw! Shocker!)

The lot looks even better with the fir tree gone... but we'll have to figure out what to do with the stump remnant. Perhaps when Matt and his brother have their digging party to replace the plumbing main they can also turn their excavating efforts towards the root ball...

We enjoyed our first cooked meal at the house (thanks mom and dad) and ate our BBQ on the porch steps. I have a feeling that those steps will see quite a bit of sitting over the years - such an awesome place to perch and observe the property! We didn't die in the heat (although I feared we might at times...) and are only a few days behind schedule in my preconceived notion of how much work we would accomplish in the first weekend... Ah well. Onward!

Day Two: You Aren't a REAL Homeowner Until...

...your plumbing has blown up in your face.

We, my friends, are *REAL* homeowners!

There I was, minding my own business, pulling and thrashing about to get the last of the wallpaper and backer board off the kitchen walls (next to the faucet) when, out of the blue, the faucet began to leak.

And drip. (Try pulling the faucet tighter.)

And pour. (Take off the faucet handle to see if we can replace the gasket or even just tighten the handle's internal valve a bit more.)

And, eventually, gush out faster than the still-needing-to-be-snaked drain could handle. (Oh poop.)

At this point, we discovered that *tada!* our pre-1950's faucet pipes do NOT have shut off valves. The hot water valve attached to the water heater is too corroded to shut. The bucket that I have placed under the heavy stream of increasingly hot water is almost overflowing. Mom and I take turns running buckets of water out to the side yard while my dad valiantly tries close the faucet valve with various pliers, wrenches and brute force. No such luck. We turn off the main, only to be visited by the oh-so-friendly foundation contractor who needs water to set the concrete posts in the back. Ah. And Matt has just showed up from a half day of work, filthy from the job and needing to shower. Yes. Well. We took turns monitoring the main valve and the buckets in the kitchen sink as the water was turned on and off, on and off. And then we left my poor dad on his own to attend my baby shower down in Santa Cruz... Matt ended up sneaking out of the shower with his BF Jim and heading back up to the house... where he installed a brand new BEAUTIFUL WONDERFUL FABULOUS faucet as his first plumbing project, ever. I am SO damn proud.

Dad spent the day sanding away at our kitchen walls. Mom spent the day removing carpet staples and tackboard from our front room floor. (Did I mention it is gorgeous?!?) Matt spent the day working to rewire our lovely knob-and-tube riddled house. And I spent the day experimenting with milk paints. We accomplished less than half of what I had on the "to-do" list, but I am quickly coming to realize that lists and goals and expectations are *WAAAAAY* overrated when remodeling a house... And I need to be ok with that!

Day One... Searching for Bloodstains

...is always the hardest.

We got the keys to our new home on Thursday and took possession on Friday. After all the crazy setbacks, problems, breaches of national security, wrong turns and disappointments, I fully expected the car carrying our title papers to be hit by a semi on the way to the county recorder office, burst in to flames and further delay our close of escrow. In fact, I was *very* surprised when our FABULOUS realtor, Caren, called early Friday morning to say that the house was ours.

Caren: "Congratulations!"

Me: (to self: "Good Lord, what have we done!?!?!?!")

Matt and I met up at the house after work on Friday with a picnic dinner in tow, anxious to see what lay under the carpets. For weeks I had the same dream: we pull up the carpet in the front room and expose a blood stain the size of a small car. Pregnancy hormones or too much CSI? I can't tell... Carpets were ripped, breath was held, and VOILA! They are gorgeous! No blood! Not even a single chalk body outline! Old fir floors, excellent condition, waiting for us to rediscover them... Come to mama! Matt began the fabulous process of rewiring the whole house while I started ripping out old wallpaper and backing board in the kitchen.

Did I mention that the whole house is (uninsulated) original knotty pine paneling?

Oh yes!

The upside: AMAZING wood walls, perfect for oh-so-many different styles of cottage or bungalow refinishing.

The downside: no insulation. No mistakes allowed when cutting a hole for electrical boxes or new faucets. No hiding the past mistakes (and holes) left by previous owners' attempts to add new light fixtures or faucets. Paralyzing fear when starting to paint over the previously plain wood surface, even when I am absolutely, completely, fully 100% positive that the house is too dark, dated and "cabin-y" with the pine paneling as-is...

We ate our first dinner out on the small porch, homemade sandwiches, salt and vinegar kettle chips and a bottle of sparkling apple cider. The good life. Our new life. Starting our new home.

So it begins...

I haven't been on here much (at all) in months... there is too much going on in our lives, and a brief pause from cataloging it all online seemed appropriate. I just couldn't get in to the whole "blog your way through pregnancy" thing... particularly since ours has been a bit of a doozy.

Bottom line at this point: we're due September 23rd, and we just bought a house.

What?

Yes, a house. In California. With a baby on the way. In the worst recession in decades. With construction jobs still unstable. Because we like to live on the edge (of reason...)

In a few weeks we will move in to our new home - a 1940's cabin that is more of a project than a house at this point.... but it is ours, nonetheless. If I wasn't the size of a manatee (and just about as mobile) this wouldn't be a problem: Matt and I love to work on home renovations or upgrades and are incredibly excited to be able to transform this "charming" and "rustic" cabin into a home for our growing family. BUT I happen to be very large, very uncomfortable and very limited in the scope of projects I can tackle at this point. I'm trying to do all that I can, but combine my size with a difficult pregnancy and I really should be resting at home on a couch with a book, jug of water and a fan. (Sounds heavenly. Not realistic.) Did I mention I'm large? I'm sure all pregnant women feel this way at this point, but COME ON! My frame is not meant to be carrying an extra 45 pounds (with more to gain as the weeks continue.)

But I digress...

The house. Yes. Here we go. Onward. Home.

Let's start at the very beginning...

Orla @ Chez Target!!!

I just about fell out of bed...

Oh Happy Day!

I'm online... Now what?

Soooo.... my Etsy shop is up and running, so to speak, at http://www.threadandbranch.etsy.com/. This was a ridiculously draining experience - every little iota of self-doubt came roaring out at me each time I went to shoot, photoshop and post pictures, create branding, pick a name, write descriptions, even create a return policy! But there it is, in all its tiny glory. I only have three items posted, with many more to photograph or finish or whatever. I'm a whimpering pile of self-doubt. Time to back away from the computer and go on a walk. To the beach. In the sun. In a tee shirt. In January.

Life IS good.

So, you want to open an Etsy shop? Ack!!!

The newest addition to my line of fun stuff... (I just LOVE this fabric! And you'll never guess who makes it!)

And, of course, what bag is complete without a custom matching piece of flair?!?! A whimsical flower pin with deconstructed edges and thread accents rounds this piece out quite nicely, if I may say so myself(!)...

I would love to open an Etsy shop and offer custom handbags, knits, jewelry and refinished furniture, but haven't the faintest idea where to start... A million questions come to mind:

Prices?

Item names?

Descriptions?

How to best do made-to-order items?

...and most importantly... what to call my shop/enterprise???

I have a few names that I'm kicking around, but please feel free to offer your two cents... or ten cents... or a dollar...

And, as always, keep in mind that this and any other item you see on this blog is available for purchase either in the colors shown or in any custom combination of fabrics/yarns/materials. Grazie!