tiled in
Our experience living in a renovation zone definitely has its ups and downs.
Tile progress? Thrilling! We are so pleased with the craftsmanship from our buddy Jose (and his patient wife Aurelia, who drives an awesome truck with the best license plate ever). He worked late and worked alone and did a beautiful job.
Hardwood sanding and staining? Nerve-wracking. I can't wait for this stressful, messy part to be over and I hope I can make a good (however uninformed) choice about the stain color on Southern yella pine.
(After my harried trips to Lowe's and Home Depot yesterday and a lot of googling, I've decided to test natural, fruitwood, driftwood, and weathered oak and see how they look. I'm going for super neutral and relatively light... we'll see.)
Oh yes, and gophers? Aka groundhogs? At first cute and harmless, now infuriating. They scratch under the house in the middle of the night, we get up and stomp. It's happened a couple of times now. They poop and pee under there. And they will die. (Gopher trapping dudes are coming tomorrow.)
Getting to know a new neighborhood? At times really heart-warming, like meeting David and Earnest yesterday who help care for property across the street. They were asking after the prior owners and so friendly. And getting emails from Emilie with information about the history of the house. Other times overwhelming when I feel or observe the culture difference living even just a few miles outside the city limits and imagine the responsibility of stewarding the Little River banks we now own.
It's feeling more cramped at home as we unpack more things and do more things and get busier at work. At first when we had just the essentials out, it was totally fine. But now we need more and do more and have less time to put it all back into cardboard boxes (because where else?). Without a living room, we have very little buffer on the nights when we just need to be. I've barely tried to cook and we rely on Foster's Market and Durham Catering for our meals. It's hurting but it's temporary.
We can do this. I know we can. I'm celebrating the ups and documenting the downs. (This reminds me of one of my favorite toddler quotes from Finley, who declared while brushing his teeth, "I have to get the uppers and the downers!")
Tile progress? Thrilling! We are so pleased with the craftsmanship from our buddy Jose (and his patient wife Aurelia, who drives an awesome truck with the best license plate ever). He worked late and worked alone and did a beautiful job.
Hardwood sanding and staining? Nerve-wracking. I can't wait for this stressful, messy part to be over and I hope I can make a good (however uninformed) choice about the stain color on Southern yella pine.
(After my harried trips to Lowe's and Home Depot yesterday and a lot of googling, I've decided to test natural, fruitwood, driftwood, and weathered oak and see how they look. I'm going for super neutral and relatively light... we'll see.)
Oh yes, and gophers? Aka groundhogs? At first cute and harmless, now infuriating. They scratch under the house in the middle of the night, we get up and stomp. It's happened a couple of times now. They poop and pee under there. And they will die. (Gopher trapping dudes are coming tomorrow.)
Getting to know a new neighborhood? At times really heart-warming, like meeting David and Earnest yesterday who help care for property across the street. They were asking after the prior owners and so friendly. And getting emails from Emilie with information about the history of the house. Other times overwhelming when I feel or observe the culture difference living even just a few miles outside the city limits and imagine the responsibility of stewarding the Little River banks we now own.
It's feeling more cramped at home as we unpack more things and do more things and get busier at work. At first when we had just the essentials out, it was totally fine. But now we need more and do more and have less time to put it all back into cardboard boxes (because where else?). Without a living room, we have very little buffer on the nights when we just need to be. I've barely tried to cook and we rely on Foster's Market and Durham Catering for our meals. It's hurting but it's temporary.
We can do this. I know we can. I'm celebrating the ups and documenting the downs. (This reminds me of one of my favorite toddler quotes from Finley, who declared while brushing his teeth, "I have to get the uppers and the downers!")
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