I Got My House Back!

For any of you who follow me on Instagram, you know I had some significant water damage in my lower level recently. 

The water came pouring in through a conduit pipe left exposed by the well company when they came to replace my well pump back in late November. 

Before & After

Thanks to all of you who chimed in on the door decision in my last post. It's great to know so many of you have Larson doors and love them - I had never heard of the brand previously, until I started doing my homework on purchasing a new storm door, and I have to say I'm sold!

Welcome To My Heaven On Earth

It's that time of year when we are transitioning from a season of heat and humidity to a season of cool breezes and chilly evenings. 

At least, that's what's right around the corner for us up here on the mountain top. We've already had our first night that dipped into the 40's and it was heavenly! Clear and cold with a billion stars twinkling brightly in the sky - the kind of night that reminds you that fall is on its way!

I Have a Dream....

I love my house, no secret about it. It's such a great little house, just perfect for me. 

But that doesn't mean it's perfect. It has a few flaws, for sure. 

One is that the garage is not attached to the house. I have never ever understood why people would build a garage in the snowy northeast and not attach it to the house. 

Another flaw is that there is no proper entry. When visitors come to the house, they are not really sure where to go.  I usually stand out on the deck waving people up the garden steps and in through the kitchen door. 

Through the long months of waiting to close on my house I thought of many ways I wanted to improve my home. Things I had always dreamed of having in my home like a sunroom, a proper foyer, a greenhouse, a beautiful entry. A screened porch and/or a covered porch. 

I looked into adding a sunroom or four-season room to my house, with a doorway from the living room. The price was crazy, I couldn't justify it. 

I tried to figure out how to make a proper entry in my living room using furniture - a bench, a hall tree, something. 

But it's just too awkward. 

And then one day the light-bulb went on over my head. 

Via

Bingo - an enclosed breezeway between the garage and the house that would serve as the formal entry, the foyer, a small sunroom, and a bit of a greenhouse for all the plants I would like to overwinter. 

It would have French doors that open onto my stone patio that is in between my house and garage. It would be like a secret garden back there!

It would need to be a multi-purpose space. It will give me the coat closet and proper entry/foyer I am lacking. It will serve as my sunroom/greenhouse in the winter months and my covered porch/screened porch in the summer months. 

It needs to be big enough for a small table and chairs and have a source of heat as well as a ceiling fan. 

I need to be able to sit there with my coffee in the mornings and my wine in the evenings. 

Via

And the dream was born. 

My contractor and I have discussed options on how to make it work best, given the tight space we are working within. 

Via

We have tossed around ideas for months now. 

I originally wanted it finished before the first snowfall. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a proper place to take off my boots and coat when I get home other than in the kitchen doorway?

When it came to October and my contractor was still finishing up the many other projects we took on, it was determined it needed to wait until spring. 

I thought the Gods were stepping in and telling me to take a break. Six months of continuous construction and projects was a long time - it would be nice to have my house to myself for a little while. 

And I also thought, let me live through the first winter in my  new house and see how it goes. 

How icy will the steps get leading down from the kitchen entrance to the garage door?

How hard will it be lugging firewood up those wooden steps and in through the kitchen?

How messy will things be when we are tracking snow into the house every single day?

Via

Well, our winter got off to a slow start but now it seems to be here to stay. 

And although my daughters carry the firewood in from the garage I'm constantly telling them to kick off their snowy shoes by the kitchen door before they track snow and salt all over my house. It's a continuous battle. 

The pups also bring in the snow on their little paws. My wood floors are a mess of little footprints constantly. 

The treads I added to the kitchen steps do help with traction, but we still have to be extremely cautious. 

And I absolutely hate not having a place to come in, take off my shoes and hang up my coat. 

Via

So, the wheels are spinning again. 

Too bad I didn't hit the Powerball. That would have made this a no-brainer. 

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Inspire Me Tuesday

The House Hunt

Today's my anniversary. 

Yes, another one. 

What? I can have more than one!!

Exactly one year ago today I walked in the front door, for the very first time, of what was to become my new house ....and I fell in love. 

Interestingly enough, I was ready to make an offer on another house. A completely different type of house. 

This house was no longer on the market. 

But during a site visit with a potential client, we started chatting about little things - what do you do for work, where do you live, etc....and I mentioned my house hunt and that I was ready to put an offer on a house. 

She told me I really had to see this one before I put in that offer. 

Yeah, sure. I've seen so many bombs....whatever. Ok, give me their contact info. 

And I reached out to make an appointment to view the house. 

That was no longer on the market. 

The rest was history. 

Kismet. 

Was this the style of house I was looking for? I'd say no....I set out looking for a small cottage yet when I walked into this Chalet style home I knew it was perfect for me. 

It checked off so many of the boxes on my Must Have list. 

1. Must be on a quiet road and not directly on the road but rather set back, safe for the dogs. Check!

I'd say this is a pretty quiet road, wouldn't you? My road is one of  the prettiest in the area....I loved this road long before I found a home here! Lucky me!

2. Must have a decent size deck for entertaining - check!

My deck wraps around and I actually have the fire pit area, a dining table with 4 chairs, a garden swing, and another smaller dining table all in separate areas on the deck. Works for me!

3. Must have a fireplace or wood stove to keep energy costs down. Check!

Granted, it did not look like this when I bought the house - there was an ancient wood burning insert that I had to take out and replace. It was most definitely not up to code and anything but energy efficient! But the stone hearth was there and I fell immediately in love with that. 

4. Must have room for a vegetable garden yet not be too much land for me to take care of. Check!

The fenced veggie garden was already in place, it just needed some TLC. And the house sits on 1.5 acres, but some of it is wooded so it's not overbearing for me to take care of. I use a push mower (cordless rechargeable one from Worx tools) and take care of the lawn myself for the most part. Once per month I have someone come in and cut the grass and weed-wack. I hate to weed-wack!! I just hate the way everything comes flying back at me, bouncing off every part of my head and body!! No, thank you! 

5. Must have a minimum of 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. A master suite with Jacuzzi tub and walk in closet would be a huge bonus!

Well, it didn't have a master suite. But it did have 4 bedrooms and 2 full baths. 3 bedrooms/1 bath upstairs and 1 bedroom/1 bath downstairs. Perfect for sharing a home with my adult daughter! I combined 2 bedrooms upstairs to create my master suite so the home now has 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths. Perfect. 

6. Must have decent bathrooms and kitchen - check!

I really didn't want to get into ripping out kitchens and bathrooms. I wanted to be able to move in right away and any improvements would be done while I was living in the house. 

I love my kitchen. It's nothing fancy but it suits me to a T. It's got a great work flow and it's open to the dining room. What more could I ask?

7. Must have room for me to host Christmas dinner for 15+ people. 

This house nearly lost me on that one. I fretted about the fact that the dining room won't be large enough to seat all my family for Christmas dinner. 

And then I just said, "Get Over Yourself, Lady!"

It's one day a year. 

And the rest of the year the dining room is absolutely perfect for us. 

8. Must have a nice view. Check!

The house sits on a hill and has views of the mountain ranges on 3 sides. That works for me!

9. Must have a garage and ample storage for garden tools, etc. Check!

I have a two car garage plus a garden shed...and of course my wonderful garden cottage. Nuf said. 

10. Must have a basement or a slab. NO CRAWL SPACE. They just totally creep me out. There's not one chance in H**L I'll ever go into a crawl space. Ever. For anything. Ever. All the pipes could burst at one time and I still won't go in there. So that was an absolute deal breaker for me. 

Nothing creepy about this lower level living space!! My daughter's room is behind the white door at the bottom of the stairs - en suite, with private bath and private entrance. Perfect situation for two adult women living together! There's also laundry, partial kitchen, and my other daughter's living space down here....as well as a tiny office and utility room. 

11. Must have nice neighbors. 

I think we're good. 

Welcome to my dream house. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can view the photos from my initial house tour on my Before & After post. 

The Princess Room

Friends of ours came over for a visit the other evening and when they saw my master bath they immediately christened it The Princess Room. 

So The Princess Room it shall remain!!

Hey - why not? Every girl dreams of being a princess at some point in her life!

I first brought you in here when I showed you my Master Suite about a million years ago. 

Ok, only 3 months ago. I might have exaggerated a tad. 

Well, today I'm going to give you a peek even further into the inner sanctum...the stuff you always want to peek at when you use someone's restroom....come on, don't lie - you know you always want to open the medicine cabinet!

Maybe that's just me. Sorry. I can be nosy. 

Continuing with the Clutter Busters....here are my tips on keeping my Princess Room organized. 

I wanted a vanity all my life. It was high on my must-have list when designing this space. It's such a luxury to be able to sit down and take my time with all my little beauty routines. And let's face it, after 40 the routines take longer and longer each year. Wahh!

I like to have everything right at my fingertips when sitting at my vanity, but without being "cluttered." This marble tray that I picked up at Sierra Trading Post for about $3 does an incredible job. The coordinating marble cup holds my makeup brushes. 

I have two of these rotating cosmetic organizers, one on either side of the marble tray - they hold my cosmetics and they spin around so I can see what I have. And let's face it - I have a LOT of products. A ton. I have always been that kind of girly-girl. These organizers came from Joss & Main.  Love that place!

In the vanity cabinets I have these mesh roll out organizers - there are two in each vanity which keeps everything so nicely organized. 

Yes, I'm a bit of a neatnik. I admit it. These kind of things make me very happy. 

There's actually no medicine cabinet in this bathroom - I couldn't put a recessed one in over the sinks as it's an exterior wall and all the products inside would freeze in my climate. And I didn't like the medicine cabinets that aren't recessed - I felt like they would stick out way too much and I would bang my face on them when washing up! So, medicines are kept in the medicine cabinet in the guest bath....and I don't mind one bit if you peek when you come to visit! 

I loved the fact that these vanities had such a large drawer underneath - however, it led to challenges in keeping things organized. This deep drawer organizer is awesome, I love it. And these Ikea storage boxes are perfect to organize the drawers as well. I ordered 2 sets of these and used them elsewhere in the master suite as well. 

This rolling organizer holds some items I use regularly such as contacts, vitamins, face wash, etc as well as taller items that don't fit under the sink. I told you how much I love these organizers and gave you a link to buy one for yourself when I told you all about my Kitchen Clutter Busters.  I actually ordered this one for next to my washer to hold laundry detergent but it was too narrow for the bottles I buy - but it worked out perfectly right here. 

I absolutely adore the tub I had put in however I limit the amount of times I use it due to the fact that I have a well and septic. That just makes the times I indulge all the more special! I go all out - I light all the candles, put on some relaxing spa music, and have a glass of wine - there's nothing like it!!

When we were putting in the tub my contractor asked me if I wanted a little recessed area for products and the answer was a resounding YES. More space for products? That's a no-brainer for me. 

I chose the same stone as the fireplace to back the recessed area. It's the perfect spot for the products I use in the tub. And everything has a lavender scent to make the experience even more relaxing!

My bath salts are kept neat and tidy and ready for action right next to the bath in an old ceramic container that came from a floral arrangement. It's just the right size to fit between the tub edge and the wall - who knew that holding on to these odd items would work out so well in my new house?

In the shower I put a tension organizer in one corner to keep all my shower supplies handy. 

The model I chose is from Simple Human and it's terrific! It got wonderful reviews and I completely understand why.  It's so sturdy and has 3 adjustable shelves plus hooks, razor holder, toothbrush holder, and soap dish. I bought mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond with a 20% off coupon. It was the best deal I found on this item anywhere - and it's worth every penny! All the reviews say it doesn't rust - that was a huge selling point for me right there. 

Across from the vanity my contractor built in shelving to store additional supplies. The width and height of the shelves was decided based on the amount of space that was left after everything else was installed and it couldn't have worked out better if we planned it this way!

I already had 6 of these fabric boxes that I was using elsewhere. I was originally going to get baskets for the bathroom shelves but when I tried out one of these on the shelves it was just too perfect! I bought mine at Home Decorators with a coupon code. 

Did you notice that there is usually a coupon code happening with me? Yup, I admit it. I hate to pay full price for anything!

These over-door hooks are wonderful - I have them EVERYWHERE. Seriously. Addicted. 

All these organizers not only keep the bathroom looking fairly tidy at all times but make my morning routine so much easier. Even on Mondays!

I don't have to go looking for anything. I know exactly where every item is. Things I use morning and night are right at my fingertips. 

And at the end of the day, that's what makes this space even more beautiful. It's amazingly functional. 

What's better than that?

Styling a Dresser, Part II

So, remember way back when I did a post on my Master Bedroom renovation?

And then on styling a dresser?

Well, believe it or not I'm still trying to get the balance right on that dresser. 

Ok, so the other day I went to The Happiest Place On Earth  which was a very, very good day. And I shared with you many of the items I bought that day. 

However, I left out just a teeny weeny bit of what I purchased. 

These beauties. 

Notice the glitter? The sparkles? The crystals? Yup, I'm still a 12 year old girl on the inside. For sure. 

I had a plan. I have been searching for ages for some tall branches to put in this beauty. 

Isn't she pretty? I had picked her up for a steal...of course....at Decor Steals. 

I've mentioned my obsession fondness for Decor Steals in the past, right?

Yes. Well. 

Anyway, this baby has been sitting on my dresser for at least a month. I've been trying to find just the right thing to put in her. 

I mean, you can't just put anything, right? I was going to see this every morning when I woke up and last thing at night when I turned out the light. 

So, when I made my trip into civilization last week, off to Michael's I went. 

Humming a happy tune and skipping all the way. 

And I went to their floral department. The place with all the branches and stuff. 

And it was all boring. It had all been done. Like a million times. 

Booooorrrriiiinnnngggggg. 

I needed flash. I needed sparkle. I needed bling. 

Yes, bling. 

And then across the store came a blinding flash of light....it was the sun shining in the front windows onto a display of....

....Sparkly Holiday Branches. 

At HALF off. 

And one of them was covered in silver glitter and pearls and crystals and was shouting my name from across the store.....

I mean, come on. Glitter. Crystals. Pearls. 

Perfect. 

So I ran to the front of the store and picked out three of the sparkliest, glitteriest branches I could find and three branches of pearls to keep them company and I zipped my now-covered-in-glitter-from-head-to-toe self through the register and brought those babies home to my little mountain house. 

In my now-covered-in-glitter car. 

You can never escape Michaels without being attacked by glitter, can you? Even the credit card swiper was covered in glitter!

So, here she is in all her glory. 

And she's beautiful and the sun catches the sparkly things and makes me smile. 

But now there's another problem. 

Look. 

No, look again. 

The lamp is too small. The scale is all wrong. 

So now I'm looking for a new lamp. 

In fairness, I never really liked this one. I picked two of them up at Lowes a few years back in desperation when I needed bedside lights after my divorce. 

But they were never my style. I thought I could make them work but....nope. 

Not doing it for me. 

So the hunt continues. I think I'm going to head back to the Happiest Place On Earth. 

Until then, maybe I'll put this lamp on a stack of books or something so that it doesn't drive me completely out of my mind. 

My sweetie's right. 

I am anal. 

But don't tell him I admitted it. 

Ok?

Shhhh. 

One Room Tour - My Dining Room

Ok, so I  might be a little obsessed with my dining room.  The sun shines in at a certain time in the  mornings and the curtains glow and the crystal sparkles and the wood glows and it just makes me smile. I look into the room while I'm making my coffee in the morning and it just feels like I'm exactly where I am supposed to be. You know that feeling?  If you don't,  I truly hope someday you do....

My morning view from the coffee maker

The light is changing - the leaves are falling rapidly, many of the trees are already bare, and we're heading into that thinner winter light. 

I don't care, I'll take it. I think this house gets more sun than any of the other homes I've lived in. I'm absolutely crazy about the sunshine in my new home. And pretty much my new home in general. 

My dining room isn't trendy by any stretch of the imagination. I don't have a big farmhouse table with skirted chairs or a painted hutch or white china. That's a gorgeous look but I tend to go more for a country feel with color and warmth and plants galore. 

I bought the table with the house because I loved it so much and thought it really suits the space. There are 2 leaves in it right now but when they come out it's a perfect little round table for 4. The antique chairs came with the table and 3 of them had to go out for repairs - the cane on the seats was destroyed.  I can fit 8 around the table comfortably, which works very well for dinner parties. 

My china cabinet came from Craigslist last year, before I even moved into my new home. Back in those long months when I was waiting for the closing. Long, long months. I paid $125 for this piece, delivered to my house and carried inside. I love the old look of it and it's just the right size for this little corner. I keep my crystal and wine/cocktail glasses in this piece, with napkins and placemats in the drawer. There wasn't enough room for my tablecloths, so they are in the basket under the hutch. And some are in the linen closet. Yup, I might have a few too many tablecloths. Oops. 

The basket came from Pottery Barn and of course I bought it on sale with a coupon. I refuse to pay full price! Refuse, I tell you!!

I bought a set of casters and attached them to the bottom of the basket simply using zip ties. Then my sweetie cut a piece of wood to set into the bottom of the basket to make it a little stronger - those linens can be a little heavy! 

In the other corner is my bar. We like to entertain and it's nice to be able to offer people their choice of cocktail when they arrive. This little bar is actually a dry sink that I bought at a yard sale about 15 years ago for $40. I just gave it a good cleaning and have loved it in each of my homes since. Underneath I keep cocktail mixers, soft drinks, straws, ice bucket, shakers, etc. In the drawers are taper candles to the left and after-dinner chocolates to the right - except that I may or may not have eaten them all. I'm not saying. 

The picture above is a daily reminder of an item on my bucket list - for my next big birthday I want to travel to Paris with my two beautiful daughters. They need to start saving!

All my infused alcohols are set out on the bar ready for sampling. Who will be my first taste tester? Any volunteers?

In between the china hutch and the bar is this little bench that used to be right inside the entry of my rental house. I placed it here a few months ago for lack of a better spot for it and I found I really like it there! I can sit on it and look out the window, almost like a window seat. And it can also serve as extra seating at the table if we are really trying to cram more people in. 

Oh, and the little Monkey has decided it's hers. She likes to watch the world outside and then settle in for a snooze. 

You can see how the dining room relates to the kitchen - it's an open space, perfect for entertaining. When I'm cooking people can sit at the counter and be right there with me for a chat. I love it. 

I can be at the stove cooking and still part of the gathering. As you know, everyone always loves to gather in the kitchen! 

I bought small scale stools for this counter so that they took up less space in the dining room but also so the backs didn't protrude too far over the counter top for passing dishes from one space into the other. 

Smart, eh? I told you. I had tons of time to think and plan. It took 5 long months to close on this house. I thought I was going to lose my mind. 

Anyway. 

This is looking back towards the dining room. One big happy space. Well, not that big. but compared to NYC apartment kitchens? Ginormous!! Perfect size for me. 

In the other corner I have my little wine cabinet. Most of my wine is stored in the lower level now  but I keep a few bottles up here. This little corner is just perfect for the wine cabinet. And of course every wine cabinet has to have a red sequin sparkly high heeled pump to hold your current bottle, right?

Of course. Duh. 

From that corner looking into the dining room there's a view of the mountains out the window. And tomatoes everywhere....ripening slowly. Remember the giant harvest? Yeah. We're going to be eating lots of meals with tomatoes....and celery. Hey, nothing wrong with that!!

So now you got the whole tour. What do you think? 

Doesn't have to be "trendy" to be awesome. Go with your heart. If you love it, it will show. 

I'm in love.