Singing in the Rain

Walking into our bathroom was accompanied with an Alfred Hitchcock soundtrack when I first moved in to the Blueberry.  No amount of disinfectant or air freshening would rid this room of its creepy vibe. I could almost see the germs smirking at me from cracks in the poorly installed bathtub. Showering at the gym seemed the lesser of two evils.  We eventually gave up using it as a bathroom, and it became a makeshift laundry room instead.  Two years later, Clint worked his remodeling magic.  After gutting it, he redesigned the layout.  Clint installed the tub against the far wall, providing width to the room and opening up the space.

Now, instead of Hitchcock, we hear the chipper steps of Gene Kelly—dancing in the rain of our room. 

Led Zeppelin Steps

They must have had our house in mind when writing their climbing lyrics. Our original 1914 home had a second floor (rafters in the attic) only accessible by a rickety pull down ladder.  Clint fell through this hatch while working upstairs, and we then realized that permanent stairs were needed.  After months of geometric carpentry, the stairs were complete!  I polished them off with a few coats of paint.  We pieced together the railing from Second Use, a vintage salvage shop in Seattle.  What will you find upstairs? Page, Bonham, Plant, and Jones rocking 80s hits…on Guitar Hero. 

A Charlie Brown Christmas

After our drawn-out floor staining process, we were exhausted. Christmas Eve morning, we stumbled into Starbucks for piping hot cocoa and warm conversation. We recapped the week in a series of play-by-plays about the coats of stain and the accompanying nights that never ended. Then Clint announced his plan to pick out a Christmas tree! We drove to his family’s property in Carnation and trudged around in the rain until we found the perfect (for us) tree. Its small size made it easy to cut and carry. My dear husband also surprised me with ornaments, strings of lights, and stockings at home. Our tired bodies were energized, and we decorated in a frenzy before falling asleep atop our new floors and under the twinkle of lights. Some would call our Christmas Eve decorating silly, but our tree and décor lasted well into February. Fire hazard? Perhaps. Fun? Absolutely.

Staining with the Beach Boys

“Little Saint Nick” lyrics are eternally tied to my memory of staining our fir floors. The week before Christmas, we patched, mended, and sanded spots needing extra attention. Then came meticulous vacuuming and washing until not a speck of dust remained. Blaring Christmas classics was our secret to sanity. The actualy staining process scheduled for 3pm quickly became 9pm. Our progress became tied to the number of times Beach Boy ballads repeated on the radio. Finally, at 9:55, we brushed our first stroke of stain across the light wood. The floors instantly “popped” with vintage color. Our “wax on, wax off” method continued over every square foot. Our bags were packed and sitting near the door, as we made our way to the finish line. Although The Beach Boys provided numerous reminders that “Christmas comes this time each year,” staining floors will happen only once in a lifetime.

Week 38: The Tortoise and the Early Bird

Sometimes the tortoise does not win the race. Sometimes the early bird does not get the worm. Sometimes waiting a year to find an affordable oven does not pay off. After searching Craiglist and outlet stores for months and months, we ended up paying for a brand new range that fit our irregular opening. What did we learn? Stewardship of resources is a good habit, even if does not always translate into dollars saved. I am sure Tortoise and Early Worm retired comfortably, despite minor setbacks.

Week 37: Reaching the Threshold

Our front door was framed near the turn of last century. It was sized just right, until the advent of King-sized mattresses, Costco overstuffed furniture, or in our case, industrial sized refrigerators. We drove over to Mill Work Outlet, a family run door supplier, and searched for a wider style. To correctly hang the door, Clint and I stood on either side of it, and moved shimming pieces for the right adjustment. It was a humbling communication experiment. A job that we planned for ten minutes turned into hours of back and forth directions. We were an inefficient yet successful team!

Week 36: A Room for Living

From years of teaching high school, I believe projects have beginnings, middles, and ends. A definitive launch, and a ceremonious finish. Not so in the remodeling world. With the kitchen “almost” complete, we have moved on to the living room. This staggered progress is less satisfying, but more efficient. We have now dry walled, spackled, and painted the living room. Clint installed recessed lights, and called the living room done—“almost”. Both the kitchen and living rooms are quite smart and will soon graduate with honors.