Nothing says welcome to our home like a new door...

Okay, so maybe the door isn't exactly new. But I vowed to make some changes this summer and changes I did make!

Remember what things looked like before?

Oh my god, awful & embarrassing...right?! I suppose when you don't use your front door and you don't welcome guests through it, you just kind of cast it aside and pretend that it doesn't look so bad. But it does.

So anyway, after the new front steps were installed, I decided the mangly (not a word, I know) storm door had to go. We had no plans to install a new one...which, come to think of it, is probably something important to have in Buffalo. But after surveying the neighborhood to see what others were doing, it was about half and half--some had storm doors, others did not. I prefer the look of the original door (sans storm door) anyway, so I don't know why I bothered with my informal neighborhood "survey" in the first place. My mind was already made up. Okay, enough with the rambling...let's get to it Katie!

First step was removing the door. I was on my own here, as the husband wanted no part of this process. After several stripped screws & try as I might...that damn door was NOT coming off. I was able to remove a screw here & there, but the door was not going anywhere. And that's no exaggeration...the thing was literally painted on & stuck to the molding. I swear, I think it was installed in 1909. So I gently begged asked the husband for help, tearing him away from Die Hard 45 (or however many Die Hard movies there are out there) and he very patiently removed the door for me. People, this was not an easy task! And I would know...I was watching!

So WHEW...the door was finally removed and I put it out to the curb (just in time for our Thursday morning garbage pick up), and I'm not totally positive...but I'm fairly certain it was gone by the time I left for work in the morning....and garbage pick up hadn't happened yet! The husband is super perplexed by this & wonders why anyone would want that stupid, ugly door. But hey, another person's trash is another's treasure! Even when it's a 100-year old storm door.

Okay, so much better, right? Bye, bye storm door! I don't miss you!

So then came the task of filling in all those holes. Which, for the most part was easy, minus a few larger areas that needed some help.

I'm no expert when it comes to this stuff, so I just did what I thought would work in this case (I learn as I go!), and that was to completely wood fill the larger gaps. I'm sure there is a better looking way to have taken care of these areas...but oh well. It's not perfect, but then again neither is our old house.

So that's where things stand as of today. I'll be back at it this weekend sanding & painting and ready to reveal the final results next week!

TGIF!

Batman needs a new mailbox

For those of you who've been reading this blog as of late, you know we have a bat...ahem..."issue". And that the husband is really into bats, bat research, and educational bat videos. If it's bat related, he's educating himself. Which is why he has an MBA. He likes to learn. When it comes to bats, I can't say the same for myself...

At any rate, I give to you the latest photo of Batman...

Yes, that would be the husband standing outside of our house studying the flight pattern of bats. If you look close enough, you can see the worker's gloves and flashlight in hand. He means business!

I thought for sure he was joking, until the following night when my father-in-law showed up to the house & the two of them worked for 3.5 hours sealing up the attic with wire mesh and god knows what else. But before that, it's important to note that they each pulled up a patio chair, sat street side, swapped bat stories with the neighbors (true story) & watched the bats in action before they got to work. And my response to all of this? Better them than me.

So far, so good...no bats have made entry (that we're aware of), but that doesn't mean I'm sittin' pretty. Those jerks can squeeze themselves into just about anything, and our 102 year-old house is no exception. Which makes me wonder....what is it about our house that they like so much?!

In other non-bat related news, why are mailboxes so, so ugly? I came to this realization when visiting Home Depot and Lowes today, in search of better options to replace our current, very ugly mailboxes. Ugly replacing ugly? Clearly, I'm not getting anywhere here.



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I've had my eye out for something similar to this, after spotting this mailbox during a garden walk this summer (the homeowner was nice enough to get the name of the manufacturer--Ecco--after I told him how much I loved his mailbox...god, I'm getting old).  Anyway, after a little research I decided that I'm not ready to shell out nearly $90 per box (we need 2 of them afterall). And secondly, when it comes right down to it, it's a mailbox for god's sake. A mailbox that's not even visable from the street. So yeah, it's back to the drawing board I go...

Anyway, I'm full of all sorts of things to talk about these days, so I'll be back tomorrow with an update with whats happening around the casa! Thank you, thank you cooler weather....we're actually getting things done around here!

Vacation recap

Does anyone else have days when they'd really like to chuck their computer out the window? Yeah, me too. I mean seriously, 35 hours to upload 4 pictures is not cool. Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but honestly. Girlfriend needs a new computer! For reals. Not to speak ill-will of the dead, but my damn computer died last night. DIED people! So much for actually getting to chuck it out the window...or maybe that's the whole point right now? Blogging is certainly going to become interesting from here on out, as I was relying heavily on that thing to store & upload my pics. Thank goodness everything is backed up or it would be bye, bye memories for me! Oh, and also, thank goodness for the ability to use my work computer. Being employed by family certainly has its benefits. Not that I'm blogging at work or anything....

Anyhoo! As I mentioned several days ago, we're back from a lovely 9 day vacation...from our problems. Ha! Just kidding. It was just our lovely annual vacation. But I'll give you bonus points if you can name that movie!

Our first stop was Indianapolis for the wedding of a dear college friend...

No, sorry, those are not blury aliens. It's actually the bride & groom. Apparently, god doesn't like me taking photos in church.

Here's a better photo of the happy couple...

Much better. Assuming, of course, you're looking at this with your binoculars or magnifying glass. Someone could use a photography course, no?

We got to spend an entire weekend catching up with my favorite girls...good times.

So after all the wedding fun was had, we flew to Philly, took TWO separate trains to get to Atlantic City, where upon arrival we were picked up by my parents for the 40 minute drive to our final destination, Cape May. We're talking planes, trains and automobiles here folks! Are you still with me? Or did you lose me somewhere in Pennsylvania?

We spent the rest of the week relaxing on the beach, eating a lot of seafood, kayaking & shopping. Come, take a trip down memory lane with me!

First and foremost, we did a lot of eating. A LOT. No trip to Cape May is complete with a trip to George's for some amazing greek food. Even Guy Fierri thinks so.

Or a mid-day beach break for Hot Dog Tommy's. We're snobby about our hot dogs in Buffalo, but Tommy's comes in at a pretty tasty second. I mean, just look at that girl staring at the husband...I bet she thinks he's theee Tommy.



We enjoyed drinks at the the Virginia Hotel, followed by dinner at the Ebbitt Room...yum. So good. Zagat rated. Gourmet. GO.

The Virginia Hotel is fab...beachy, modern decor...why yes please!

This is the last of the pictures I would take, as we were getting wisked into dinner by this point. Plus, I was on the verge of getting yelled at by the man at the front desk for taking photos...when in reality he was only pointing out other fabulous things to photograph. My bad. The dining room got a major makeover since we were last there a year ago, and I'm not sure I'm all that jazzed about the update (the beloved king louis chairs are gone). But unfortunately, I'm the only one who can be the judge of that since I was too busy scarfing my tuna tartare to even take a picture. And now I'm rambling and you don't care. But anyway, here's what things look like these days...very pretty, but definitely different (sorry, no before pic, but let's trust, shall we?)...



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We did some miniature golfing too. I debated about even posting this picture, as we look like the Adam's Family & I have a sumo arm, but what's real is real around here people. Also real? The fact that the husband always wins mini golf, and I always lose.

I could have photographed the victorian houses all day...good sights in town for sure...

We ate a ton of seafood...all week. My stomach couldn't have been happier. Eating at home one night was no exception...

But most of the week you could find us at the beach...arriving first thing in the morning (which is why it's practically empty in these photos!) and staying until late in the day. Heaven, if you ask me!

And we capped off the trip with blue pig martinis at Congress Hall...



Overall, a fabulous vacation, but it's soooo good to be back home. Nothing beats the comfort of your own bed, right?

Now..time to get working on that computer situation. Afterall, writing this post took about as long as the length of our vacation....not normal.

I'm back...

...to reality.

I had a wonderful 9 days celebrating with friends & relaxing with family. Now I'm busy getting myself back into a routine (cleaner eating & visits to the gym anyone?) and facing the reality of going to work in the morning. Fun times.

I'll be back tomorrow with a recap post!

I've got nothin'...

...but a big headache & a to-do list a mile long.

But I have some inspiration and it's in the form of this transformation...

The Before:



YIKES. Anyhoo, here's the after...

Amazing, right? The interior is quite impressive too...

I'm loving this accent wall in the master bedroom. Hmmm...the wheels in my head are already spinning with a possible (soon?) bedroom makeover. Baby steps Katie, baby steps...

And isn't this bird mobile in the nursery sooooo cute? I'm bookmarking this image for future nursery inspiration (with no baby in immediate sight...but it's good to be inspired, right?)...

You can find all of these photos (and more) over at 4 Men 1 Lady, as well as info on the builder & designer HERE. Pretty impressive, right?

And that, my friends, is all she wrote!

Bathroom walls can become new again!

Wow! Lots of folks thought yesterday's bat post was hil-larious! I can tell you that it really wasn't at the time (never is!), but definitely funny after the fact. Also, I'm considering a gig in stand up comedy. Just kidding...obviously. Anyway, I thought it was important to point out a couple of things....

1) Our house isn't some bat sanctuary. Remember, that same jerk just keeps coming back.
2) The husband wanted me to point out to my readers that he has single-handedly trapped, killed or released every bat that's ever dared to enter our home. I'm not sure why that's important to mention, as clearly my standing around, sceaming & swearing certainly didn't solve the problem.

Also, the husband likes to do lots of bat research online. I'm not sure why...maybe to perfect his art of bat catching? He also likes to tell me about it too (I was sent a wikihow video on how to catch a bat today. I don't know what he's trying to tell me.). I, on the other hand, prefer to just forget the whole thing ever happen. Which is why I'm officially changing the subject. So let's move on, shall we?

We don't share pictures of our bathroom very often, and for good reason...

It's certainly not the prettiest. I've been able to deal with the seafoam tile (the husband has not), but not the floor because it's just gross. I figured in the time we'll spend in the house, we'll update the flooring and leave the rest. But now that the kitchen is officially paid for (more on that soon...I promise!), I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. Ha, no, just kidding! I'm dreaming of a new bathroom...duh!

Did you know that you can simply cover tile with bead board & molding? Why, yes, yes you can! Rachel at Just a Touch of Gray has done just that.

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 Oh my god, amazing right?! I guess the process wasn't as easy as one, two, three, but I think doable...I think? The husband was so amazed by this transformation that he took a break from bat research to see just how easy (or difficult) installing bead board will be. But not to tease you, as we're not planning to update the bathroom anytime in the immediate future, but these photos are definitely inspirational, no?

Does anyone out there have any experience or tips for working with bead board & tile? Or tips for getting bats out of your home? I kid, I kid.

When Bats Attack

No amount of caffeine in the world could wake me up today.

Call it a combination of the never ending heat & lack of sleep, but I'm done for. And the heat is a huge reason we haven't been doing much house related work these days. When we replaced both furnaces (in a panic in the middle of winter, mind you) central AC was the last thing on our minds. We just needed heat & needed it stat! File that decision under what were we thinking!?

But before I get to the gist of my post you should know two things:

1) It's content heavy, light on the photos.
2) We have a bat problem.

There, I said it. It's an awful & gross confession, but for those of you who know us, you're familiar with the stories. If you don't, here's the highlight reel...

Bat number one flew in & out of our lives 2 short months into owning our home. Nothing says 'welcome new tenant' like a bat flying around in her bedroom. The bats went on hiatus the following year, but came back full force in year three. I've lost track, but I'm going to say there were at least 3 to 4 incidences (for the moment, let's just say it was the same bat reeking havoc on our lives...probably not, but let's just go with that theory). Then we called in the pros, who offered to take care of the problem for over $1,200. Um, no thank you. At that price, we'll make nice with the bats or take matters into our own hands with the handy dandy sticky traps they left us (which later proved to be very helpful). The husband later caught a bat on said sticky trap and off it went to the county health department to be tested for rabies. Did I mention the bat had contact with our cat too? Thank goodness for updated vaccinations & the fact that the bat did not, in fact, have rabies. Whew.

And if you're still reading, I'd like to point out that I wish I was making all of this up.

Anyway, we were naive to think that after the roof replacement we'd be free of any bat problems. But we were wrong! Around midnight last night the husband spotted one flying around. Mother of god, are you kidding me? We've crossed the threshold from being scared to just plain 'ol angry, and the husband does the dirty work of getting them out of the house now. Which is really a win-win for everyone, since my version of "helping" was standing around while shouting expletives & listing multiple reasons of why I hate bats. See? Not helpful.

So with the bat finally gone, we had a good (angry) laugh and went to bed around 1:00 a.m. Fast forward to 5:00 a.m. and off goes the smoke detector. What the holy hell, I can tell you I've never been so scared in my life! I bolted out of bed & erratically shuffled around the bedroom (or so the husband says), while shouting "did you hear that?" Well, duh. Of course he did.

After doing a once-over of the entire house & concluding that the thing probably needs new batteries (it beeped only 3 times...is that the universal symbol for needing new batteries?), we went back to bed for the second time. Until I came up with another theory. What if it's a CO2 warning?! Here's a sampling of the conversation that followed:

ME: "what do you think that meant?"
THE HUSBAND: "I don't know" (as if nothing had happened)
ME: "what if it's a CO2 warning?!"
THE HUSBAND: "it could be...but honestly, does your head hurt or do you feel sick?"
ME: "no"
THE HUSBAND: "where do you suppose the CO2 would come from anyway, our furnace hasn't been on in months" (good point)
ME: "well, it's a slow death you know"

So to wrap things up...the husband has gotten really good at bat excevation, neither of us has coherent thoughts at 5:00 a.m., our smoke detector needs new batteries, and I'm really, really tired.

Here's hoping for a better--bat & smoke detector free--night's sleep tonight.