Love, Love!

Taking a small break in the basement story to post pics of a simply beautiful outdoor pot design that I saw when we visited the Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels, MD last weekend.

It is really tough to make winter gardening beautiful, but this design just struck me as exquisite. I noticed the topiary first, which was interestingly done...and upon closer inspection, saw these delicate little birds' nest tucked atop the birch twigs.  Just spectacular!

By the way, white birch is apparently super popular right now, because sleeves of it blanketed every vase inside the Inn.  

A Basement Story: Day 7

After an exciting, whirlwind first three days in the basement re-do, we have hit the doldrums.  Since the middle of last week, each day has been marked by small achievements...holes cut into the ceilings for recess lights, new outlets installed, doorways constructed.  All tediously important, but (sigh), no sexy before and afters to display.

Such is remodeling life as we wait impatiently in line for the City inspectors to pay a visit to our chaotic abode.  Walls are half done because the inspectors need to make sure the electrical wires in the wall are A-OK before the rest of the drywall can be installed.  The bathroom remains a rubble-mess until the inspectors can make sure the plumbing is done well enough to avoid a toilet, sink, or shower disaster.  So, the contractors are sort of spinning their wheels each day to tackle small projects while waiting to finish.  Since they seem bored, I offered them a To Do list of a hundred little things that need to be done in the rest of the house, but I didn't get any takers...or at least not any that would do it for free.

The two sunshine spots in the work over the last week are:

1. The stacked washer and dryer.  Hello 27 more inches of space in the laundry room!
2. And, our new stairs/banister, which are beautiful and WAY better than what we had...even before the paint.

Stay tuned...until then, some more pics

A Basement Story: Day 2

First of all - apologies for the long blogging hiatus.  I am slightly embarrassed that my last post was over a year ago.  It has been a bizarre personal and professional year to say the least and so my creativity consequently ebbed and flowed - way more ebbing than flowing.

So, last night we came home from a movie to the scent of fresh wood dancing through the house.  The smell of progress, of realized dreams, of another item checked off the house To Do List, of anticipated, but nonetheless terrifying chaos.  

The basement renovation has reached a point of no return and has taken off with a vengeance. 

Grant and I begin this adventure a little wiser than before the kitchen renovation process, but still pretty clueless.  We just ask a lot of questions (well, I do) and I often get blank stares from the workmen before they catch themselves from saying out loud, "you really didn't just ask that?" They wouldn't dare say it, but I know they think it. 

Renovating our basement has its pros and cons over a kitchen.  For example:

Pro: We can still cook normal meals, having functioning appliances, etc.  

Con: When the only access door to your basement is in the kitchen, the kitchen sort of becomes the construction zone - aka: you can cook there, but it never feels clean.  

Pro: We can close the basement door and not look at the mess

Con: It is soooooooo messy, dirty, dusty.  And anyone who barely knows me, knows that I hate mess. 

The basement started last Friday and already there is incredible process.  Broken up concrete for the new bathroom, incisions all over the walls for new electrical wiring and outlets, new sinks and toilets impatient to be used ...exciting stuff.  Fingers crossed it all gets finished with no (or few) catastrophes.

And now a few pics to sum up the last few days...

BEFORE

DAY 1

Same view as above, but no more walls!

DAY 2

Same view as above w/new walls

Our shower will be here 

Framing of our new bathroom