Front steps update!

One of the unfortunate things about being a homeowner is having to spend a bunch of money to fix very un-glamourous aspects of the house.

Case in point:
Our front steps had some nasty cracks that got very bad over the winter. So bad, there were weeds and moss growing out of holes in the cement. Yeah, time to fix.

The funny thing is, it was very hard to find someone to come out and fix the stairs. One company in our town was very reputable and constantly advertising. I called them no less than 10 times over the course of 1 month - each time they said someone would be over the next day, or possibly over the next few days. I actually had to call them to tell them I no longer wanted to do business with them because it I was getting no response from them, the receptionist was kind of like "Sorry, I know, this is weird".

It's a small town and I wonder what the deal is with them, because I would see their truck around town, like, ACTUALLY doing work. And they wouldn't even come over to meet us. I think they had some issue unbeknownst to us? About our house in the past or something? Because it was all very strange and very unlike every experience we've had with other companies around here.

And searching for "cement workers" on Google usually turned up companies who were like "we don't do stairs, only flat surfaces like sidewalks or driveways" or "we don't speak English" or "maybe we'll come around sometime in a few months"

I finally reached someone who immediately set up an appointment and responded very quickly to all my requests. He also seemed very knowledgeable about masonry and cement. And I think he is Italian. So you know, all that stuff about brick and marble and cement and stuff. (Hello Great-grandfather and sons!) So I just went on my intuition that this one guy who would show up and wasn't asking for a deposit* would actually be able to complete the job.

And in one day the job was done and we were able to walk on the steps. It looks great! And I can actually, you know, walk up and down the stairs without worrying I will trip and break my neck or something.

So this week I hope to update you all on my ideas for re-vamping the entry-way with paint, plants, etc. And my goal is to work on this over next weekend. I need to finish this before (gulp) the winter comes! Yikes!

*Since owning this house we have never paid a deposit before a job was complete. I have to say, we have had some pretty good experiences with all the contractors we've hired - everything from our floors, to carpentry, tree trimming, lawn care, electricians, and now cement workers - everything has worked out fine and we usually pay in full within a day the work is complete, but no sooner. I like to share this information and be as up-front about this because I would like people with less experience to know what to expect. Also if anyone in the North Jersey area needs services and doesn't know where to start, please contact me and I can recommend some people!

Well, that was interesting...

Hurricane Irene struck last night. Aside from some moments of Weather Channel-induced paranoia and anxiety, we made it out pretty much unscathed. This morning we ventured down the block to take some photos of the over-flowing Passaic:

holy $#!+

That's the first floor door in the bottom center.
This is a boat club house, but I fear for the residential homes down the block that were out of our view.


We drive down this street almost everyday, never saw anything like this in the two years we've been here...


Look at the stop sign and road signs - almost covered with water!

These photos are literally only a block away from our house - however we are on a pretty high hill.

A neighbor said the only other time this happened was after Hurricane Floyd (1999). So I think we are pretty safe in our home up the hill. Feel so sorry for the folks who now have extensive damage to their homes.

Hope everyone out there managed to stay safe with minimal property damage!

If you type the word "desk" enough, it stops looking like a real word

I have been tossing ideas around in my head for a while now - what to do with the ol' desk. Right now it looks like this:

It's basically an old IKEA coffee-table-top resting on 2 wood file cabinets. Wires are askew. Waste basket is falling-apart ancient. Also radiator needs a custom-built cover.

On top of everything, the desk is visible from the couch. So instead of catching up on Housewives, I spend half my time glaring at the office.

Last week, two of my favorite blogs posted inspirational desk photos:

via

via

So I found a wooden top from IKEA in a size that would work nicely with our space.

I do not want to work with the existing one because it is too long, and it's warping slightly. Also just thinking about cutting a piece of wood sounds like an insurmountable task.

Anyway, we need something a little chunkier and straighter, like this:

Varde countertop
(Pretend the "a" in "Varde" has one of those double-dot Scandinavian symbols over it)

I was all proud of myself today. I had my new great idea. The top is $100. We could revamp the office for the price of the top plus paint and stain and supplies that we probably already owned. And IKEA delivers! Score!! Because also stepping into an IKEA seems like an even more insurmountable task than cutting a piece of wood.

Except that IKEA delivery costs $99.

Looks like somebody's takin' a trip to the big blue box sometime soon...

another chandelier...

I think this light is my new favorite for the dining room. It is a bit of a splurge, but I feel like we need one nice thing in each room which isn't from TJMaxx (cheap) or one of our grandmothers (antique/vintage).

It is pretty special. I'm letting it sink in, then I might purchase it.

Maybe. I'm feeling a little feisty after we got the living room rug.

(Leona Chandelier available at World's Away or Harlow's Nest)

---

I'm showing these photos out of order (for some reason blogger is much less flexible on a PC?) - but look where I found this thing:

Traditional Home magazine. And luckily there was a resource listed!

We'll see...

We're officially grown-ups now...

Our rug is in place! It's fabulous. Everything around it is not.

I need to make a TJMaxx run for more appropriate throw pillows.

Also we are in desperate need of a decent coffee table. And a new couch would be nice. So would a couple of cozy chairs and a working fireplace. Baby steps, I tell ya.

I want

This coffee table.
It's perfect. I don't know where to get it. I've seen things like it, but not exactly.

Everything about this room needs to be copied and pasted into our living room.

Also, we received our rug today!!! Even though the website says it will be shipped out on 8/25 direct from the manufacturer. I'm unprepared and need a rug pad before I can open this thing up. We almost went out tonight for one then I realized we had to stay home to wait for our groceries. Yes, we get groceries delivered! It's literally the greatest thing ever, until they are out of stock on something and then they don't substitute. So if I order multi-grain bread, they won't substitute with whole wheat bread if they run out. Then I have no bread for the week. I'm currently annoyed because we only have a few more minutes in our delivery window and they still haven't shown up. Grrrrrrr. Tomorrow night we have plans. I'm telling you this, mom, so when you come over this weekend you're not all like "why didn't you put the rug down yet???"

Office update

This is a small thing but it took us about 5 months to get to.

Installing the roman blinds behind the computer!

Dum dum dummmmmm... May i present to you...


I'm almost as relieved to not have to look at the shipping boxes as I am to see the final installation.

It is subtle, but it is much neater than before.

You can look here for photos of the original roman shades!
(Or don't - those things were pretty nasty!)

Now we're starting to think about a better desk and rug, and perhaps a little reading nook or drafting table in the opposite corner. Also we have to figure out a way to neaten up those wires.

We actually have no idea what we're doing now since all we seem to care about is who gets to sit on the couch with the iPad.