Taking House Notes

Sometime in the next year or two, we hope to become homeowners.  In the meantime, we take note of all the things we like in other peoples houses. 

Here are a few things we liked about the rental house near Charleston, SC where we recently stayed.  (Let's momentarily suspend the knowledge that we can't afford a place like this.)

1.  Open floor plan.  We loved the way the kitchen overlooked the dining area which overlooked the living room.  Even though it was a large space, it was separated perfectly, allowing each part to feel defined and comfortable.

2.  Pocket doors.  Pocket doors are great, especially in tight spaces when you can avoid having to worry about the placement of swinging doors.

3.  Screened-in porch.  I love being outside and being able to open doors and windows to let in fresh air.  What I don't love is paying for it the next day with 100 mosquito bites.  If I could have the best of both worlds, I would be a happy camper. 

4.  Modern fixtures.  We're not ultra modern people, but we do enjoy clean lines and more modern looking lights.  Tommie liked this fan a lot.  This is something we could work to upgrade if we got an older home.  I also liked the use of pendant lights all around the house, including in the kitchen. 

4.  A nice kitchen.  We like food, so having a good kitchen someday is important to us.  I liked this yellow kitchen--it had plenty of space, an island, and a really nice gas stovetop.  

5.  A marsh/creek/ocean/yard.  I realize I'll probably never own a place near water living in Durham, North Carolina in the middle of the state, however, outdoor space is important to me.  I like yards and gardens and decks and patios.  I like looking out the window and seeing something natural and peaceful.

What are some of the top items on your house-hunting checklist?

Guest Room

We had our first long-term house guests for Thanksgiving.  Tommie's parents drove down from Boston and arrived in Durham in time for dinner.  (They drive like typical commuters, while my parents don't believe in using the passing lane and would have taken double the time.)

The guest room has been a work in progress since we moved, but it's finally sanctioned as a decent place to stay.

It has our old wicker double bed that we draped with a new large blue quilt we got for sale at the outlets for $50.  Updated thrift store lamps provide lighting, and a sage green refurbished dresser from Craigslist gives some drawer and surface space.  I'm sticking to natural tones like tan, blue, green, and white in here.

I also put one of our bookshelves in the room because I like the idea of people being able to thumb through books before bed or if they get bored.  I used to like snooping through other people's libraries.

Having a house with an extra room is nice so that we can host visitors.  It's also scary having a house with an extra room so that we can host visitors.  I love my family and encourage friends to visit...in small increments  :)

Conference Table Makeover

Tommie's office space at new job recently changed and one of his tasks was to help makeover the room, which, of course, turned into me also helping with the room makeover. Luckily, Tommie and I both like us some HGTV real-life action.

The new office space, which was the old computer lab inside a Durham private school, is shared by four staff members. Among other new items, Tommie chose these L-shape desks from Office Depot for each corner of the room.

The group also wanted a conference table in the middle of the room where they could converge. With a small budget in mind, Tommie and his boss found this dated dinging room table at the Habitat for Humanity Store in Durham for $75, along with the black chairs you will see in the "after" photos for $3 a pop.

The table had some knicks and other eye-sores but it had sturdy bones and plenty of space. So, the boys bought the table and told me to fix it, woman. Not really, they asked me politely what I could do with it and I made something up like I usually do.

Since the organization is a young, education-based non-profit, we went for a bold change, incorporating the group's colors (blue and white) with part of their logo (the "U").

Like most DIY projects I start, I had no idea what I was doing. After giving the wood and laminate surface a little sanding down, we coated it with Zinsser Cover Stain Primer which I read worked on laminate.

Then we applied a really good Valspar semi-gloss white paint to the base and the legs, even painting over the rusted brass "details." The top got a few coats of Olympia's premium semi-gloss, low VOC paint in Brilliant Blue. 

The logo was created by first tracing the outline of a trash can lid to get an even circle, then putting tiny pieces of painter's tape around it. I also used painter's tape to create the "U" inside the circle.

After applying three layers over consecutive weeks, the finished product got a couple light coats of Briwax clear finishing wax to make it seal and shine.

The U isn't perfectly even, and the surface of the table shows some bumps and imperfections, but we'll just call those "marks of character" and enjoy the end result as it is--bright, fresh, and vibrant.

Takes Some Getting Used To

Naturally, moving to the south from the northeast takes some getting used to. 

If you move in the summer like we did, there is the heat. It might surprise you how quickly 89 degrees begins to feel temperate. The hardest part of this season to get used to is that it looks so nice outside. It's not like winter was back home when I'd look out to three-foot deep snow drifts and return promptly to the comfort of my couch. I look out here to a sunny sky and green trees and I always test it...I go outside to rake, or to water the plants, or sit on the patio...until five minutes later I am airing out pit stains and swatting away swarms of misquitoes. It's an evil mirage, and it tricks me every time.

There is the swearing--or I should say, the lack of "cursing" (that's what they call it here). I'm all for PG language, but every once in a while you have to let out a shit. (Pun intended.) On the "rule board" at one of the parks we walk the dog, profane language is just as restricted as firearms.

Along those same lines, people are very polite. I know, I know--that sounds horrible. It's not really a problem unless you are like us and you make fun of yourselves and others a lot. If I say something funny about my sister (which I never do, Eva), they don't laugh about it--that would be rude. They also get concerned when Tommie and I poke fun at each other--like we're going to get divorced because he called me a bug-eyed freak with man shoulders.

Lastly, there's God. He's big down here in case you didn't know. Sometimes young people pray before meals...and it's not Thanksgiving. That's just odd. Religion is more a part of every day life for people than it is where we are from and have lived before. Does that scare me? A little. I'm sure there are already multiple people praying for my soul and I haven't even mentioned my theories on reincarnation. I think we need to start making friends at Weaver Street.

Feet on the Ground

When we moved into our new place in North Carolina this June, the entire yard was covered in several inches of leaves, sticks, acorns, vines, beetles, snakes...you name it. 

After weeks of sweaty determination, about 300 mosquito bites, and breaking out into hives after brushing up against some kind of poisonous plant, I can finally see most of the ground in the backyard. 

I wish all that raking revealed something beautiful underneath, but really, it's just dirt. 

On the bright side, every pile we rake displaces the bugs that were getting a little too comfortable around the perimeter of the house. Less wet leaves also (I hope) means less misquotes. And it just looks a lot "cleaner" back there.

Even though it's currently too hot and buggy to sit outside, getting the deck set up with furniture and lights was, naturally, one of the first projects I worked on. You know I love my lights and lanterns.

The next step for the yard is determining if I can figure out some kind of groundcover in certain areas. I actually like that some of it has patches of moss (albeit, dried out moss until it rains). Maybe I'll plant shade tolerant flowers in the circle around the tree, or try to get a patch of grass for Maya so she stops rolling in the dirt with her ball. 

It's all new to me...the climate, gardening, and having to soak myself in calamine lotion every night.

Day Trip to Little Washington

We didn't do anything crazy for our one-year wedding anniversary...we figured moving to North Carolina this summer was crazy enough. Plus, we've been together something like 13 years (I've lost count), so we've had many an anniversary already. 

I did manage to drag Tommie away from work on Sunday to take a day trip to Washington, North Carolina. It's a small town about two hours from Durham on the Pamlico River. They call it "the heart of the inner banks," and people in Durham call it "Little Washington"...I'm guessing because DC is "Big Washington."

We decided to bring Maya with us, and thankfully she was on her best behavior. I had read that Washington had a nice fenced-in dog park so we made our first stop there. Maya had the entire park to herself. It was Sunday morning and I guess all the other dogs were at church.

Afterwards, we grabbed brunch at a little cafe/restaurant by the river. We sat out on the back porch with Maya who poked her head out from under the table when people walked by in their Sunday best. She shared the deck cordially with another dog, and a lizard who contemplated jumping on her head.

On a cooler day, we would have liked to take a walk along the waterfront. We stopped by Goose Creek State Park on our way out and I waded in the water with Maya. We didn't stay long--children were screaming and it made the peaceful park, well, less peaceful. It did seem like a nice, well-kept park for families camping and hanging out along the river.

It was a beautiful day and good to get out and be along the water for a little bit. There are so many big and little places to check out around here.

Housewarming Party

This past weekend marked one month since I left Massachusetts and headed south to join Tommie in Durham. We've met a lot of new people through Tommie's work and had some of them over for a housewarming party. It was nice to show off our current home, which has come a long way since the very first day when I cried because I didn't know where to put anything.

Here are people hanging out in the living room (our couch arrived just in time)...

And by "people" I also mean Maya who lasted as long as she could sitting on the floor before reclaiming her chair.

Some people braved the heat and sat outside on the patio...

Part of the set-up, of course, included lanterns hanging from the trees, but it was too light out to put candles in them...

We Tommie cooked and grilled. Here's our pulled pork and grilled chicken slider station...

And I put out snacks. I couldn't wait to use my new appetizer orbs and ceramic berry trays... 

Everyone liked going around looking at Tommie's photographs. They all seemed to have a really good time. Next time, Tommie and I will try not to strangle each other before the guests arrive. In the end, the house was full of noise and laughter and good smelling food...you can't go wrong with that.

Around the House

Now that we have unpacked most of the boxes, the fun part of finding new furniture and decorating begins.

Here are a few things we've done around the house so far:

Sand and stain the outdoor chairs that were already here...

Put together our TV stand from World Market (we also ordered a new couch to come in a couple weeks)...

Spray paint and decorate (this mirror is from Target--I made it yellow!)...

Turn the dining room into an office (we have yet to hang up any art)...

Buy a lamp and a table to refinish from sketchy people on Craigslist...