Home Tour

circa 1930
Two large Japanese maples on the front lawn.

This is post is mostly for my mom, my AJ and my friend Tegan, who have all, in various ways, hounded me for photographic evidence of my house.  Here you go girls!

Welcome!

Living room, to the right of the door.  

Dining room, to the left of the door.
Yes, it came apple green and yes, we are leaving it for now.

Wise words, given to me years ago by a good friend.

Looking into my Pumpkin Toast kitchen.

Looking out of the kitchen into the dining area.
Love the arch?

Cool new backsplash.  My handiwork, thank you!

At the end of the kitchen, another arch, facing the back door and the pantry.
And since we are facing the back door. . . 

To the Right of the back door.  Large concrete patio area and storage shed.

Right of the back yard

Left of the back yard and garage.  See the three raised beds, Tegan?!
I can't explain the tire.  I blame it on Thomas!

The school room is in the heated, insulated garage!
Look at those boys, hard at work!
Behind Thomas is a row of built in cupboards and drawers.
The wall behind William is also lined with book cases
and the washer/dryer is in this room as well.


Let's get back inside because this is Oregon and I'm getting wet!

                

Entry into the bath and the vanity.  No, I didn't choose the asparagus green and yes, I will be repainting to something less vile!




The master bedroom is to the right of the bathroom and stairs to the left.

Have a peer into my bedroom!

Yes, that's my street sign from Portsmouth!
It's ancient and it came down in a Nor'easter.
I "rescued" it!

The color is Tate Olive, same as in William's room.

Shall we go upstairs?
The stairs and the second floor had horrible blue carpet which we tore out to find lovely hardwood painted in brown.
We will be refinishing floors, hopefully when the weather is nicer.  The carpet in the LR will also come out because those floors are hardwood as well.  And UNpainted!  Whew!

Landing to the L and the R.

See the built in cupboard?

William's room.
 Look at that built in cupboard and window seat!

The other half, and another built in cupboard.
It's behind the huge Triceratops that, believe it or not, was
in the RV with us.  It's a leftover from VBS that he won't be parted with!

Thomas' built ins in his Columbia Blue bedroom.  His choice.

His unmade beds as well!
I promised photos, not a perfectly tidy house!

There you go!  Inside and out, bottom to top.  1,008 square feet, cozy as can be.  We love it!

In Memoriam

I remember the first time I met Aunt Linda; it was at a family reunion and I wasn't even part of the family yet.  It's fairly nerve wracking to meet a boyfriend's family en masse, especially when you aren't even engaged.  I felt like such an outsider.  Aunt Linda pulled me aside, sat down with me in a quiet corner and asked me lots of questions.  When our conversation was over I really felt that she wanted to know me as a person, not just as potential family.  Since that day, I have loved her for nearly twenty years.

Today my heart is heavy because yesterday, Aunt Linda ended her decades long, in-and-out of remission, battle with cancer and is now at perfect peace, even more beautiful, with a full head of hair and a completely healthy body.  I just know that her eyes, always so sparkly and interested, are even more aglow.

Aunt Linda was an avid horsewoman, North Dakota born and a farm girl at heart.  She traveled the world alongside her husband, Uncle Delbert.  How my soul grieves for him at the loss of a fifty year plus best friend, lover, and soul mate.  Together they raised a son and daughter and cherished their grandchildren, making efforts of time and travel to be with them.

Aunt Linda was a supporter.  She, with my future mother-in-law, bought me seven cookbooks the Christmas that Donald and I were engaged.  I think she was a little worried for her nephew!  She flew from Washington to Minnesota for our wedding.  She wrote letters of encouragement when we had miscarriages.  She wrote personal notes to us in her Christmas letter.  When we were stationed in Washington state we were fortunate enough to share our Thanksgivings with her.  Aunt Linda's most valuable support, to me, is something I only recently found out.

Donald's grandma, Aunt Linda's mother, prayed for her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and each of their families every single day.  By name.  Having been privy to Grandma's morning devotions many times on the farm, I can attest that this was a lengthy exercise.  When Grandma died in 2009 I felt a great sense of sorrow at the loss of this tremendous gift of love because I didn't know anyone else, besides my mother,  so faithful and devout to pray for me, by name, Every.  Single.  Day.

When I began this blog it was under a time of massive sadness and upheaval.  Aunt Linda turned out to be one of my most avid readers, evidenced by the frequent comments she left for me.  One day she simply mentioned that she had been praying for Donald, and me, and the boys, every day and would continue to do so.  I was beyond moved to know that evidently she picked up right where Grandma left off.  I do not, for one minute, doubt her sincerity or honesty.  To my soul, I know that she prayed for us daily.  By name.  With all her heart.

What a powerful legacy.

I hadn't seen Aunt Linda since 2007.  I never took the time to thank her for befriending a young girl considering marriage into her huge family.  I never took the time to verbally appreciate her steadfast love, affection, and devotion.  I do so, now.  Aunt Linda, thank you for being such an exemplary woman who loved Jesus, the great outdoors and her family.  Thank you for being my friend, and my Aunt, and for being so faithful over so many years when we never even saw each other.  I will miss you here on earth and know that our reunion in heaven will be unimaginably sweet.

Homeowner Highs and Lows

I love having my own house.  I love knowing that I won't have to pay for nail holes or damage inflicted by my children.  No, they haven't yet but it's only a matter of time!  I love that I can paint my walls Olive Green, Pumpkin Toast, and Columbia Blue.  I love looking at my backyard and imagining fresh produce for a summer evening al fresco meal and gorgeous flowers on a spring morning.  I love talking about the renovations we'd like to do over the next twenty years.  A second bathroom rates highly by everyone!

What I do not love is when the heat exchangers on my furnace crack in half two weeks after closing and I don't have a landlord to call.  Or when my dishwasher suddenly refuses to drain and I find myself bailing slimy, murky water by hand at five in the morning.  Then there is my toilet which, all the sudden, is intermittently making asthmatic sucking and gasping noises.  Very disconcerting when actually sitting on it!

The good news is that our seller purchased a home warranty and all of these things are covered, minus service fees and installation.  More good news is that we know for sure our home is extremely well insulated because it took two weeks for the brand new furnace to arrive and be installed.  Two weeks without heat, in January!  We ran two tiny space heaters (RV leftovers) and stayed reasonably toasty.  We won't get a whole new dishwasher and it will take two weeks (must be a standard!) to get the parts but it will be good as new.  As for the toilet, we'd love any suggestions from anyone who has even a thimbleful of plumbing knowledge.

We have several small issues with both our plumbing and our decrepit electrical system; we realize these will be major areas of renovation.  Is it horrible to find myself half-heartedly hoping they will both go kaput before the warranty runs out?

Tomorrow marks our one month anniversary in the house and the honeymoon has not worn off yet.  Each of us agrees that it is even better than the "perfect" house we were in last summer and even though we'd love to spend time on a sandy beach somewhere south during these grey, Salem days, we are all quite content to be putting down roots!

Happy New Year!

Moving into your own home is one heck of an adventure!  We didn't get the keys (for one bureaucratic reason or another) until the evening of the 15th.  I spent some seriously long hours painting and cleaning; the refrigerator had taken on a fuzzy green life of its own, unfortunately.  We had an amazing crew of friends help us move; as one group was hauling in boxes and furniture, another group was tearing out the upstairs carpet.  By Christmas Eve afternoon I was hanging the last pictures and having a celebratory Scotch.  Then I had a nap in preparation for midnight mass, which is where, no matter what is going on, my Christmas always comes together.

To make the season even more interesting we've had four trips to Urgent Care/ER, two cases of strep throat, an actual Staph infection, a broken furnace and a partridge in a pear tree.

Just kidding about the partridge.

Our first house guests arrived the day after Christmas - Donald's parents.  His mom, Bev, will be staying with us for a few weeks while his dad takes an extended hunting trip in Arizona.  We thought we would kick off the New Year by having our rector do a house blessing followed by an open house.  If you're in the neighborhood, swing by.  Bev and I have been baking for two days so I promise you won't leave hungry!

If you can't make the open house, we would love to see you whenever you are passing through.  I hope that our paths will cross during this New Year!  Until then, may your year be bright with promise and brimming with hope.

Finally!

The signing was delayed until 2:30.  Then it was pushed to 4 pm and they still weren't ready for us.  However, we are happy to finally announce that, as of 5 pm this evening, we are first time homeowners.  My first car and my first house all in a weeks time - what a grown up I'm becoming!  We went out for supper to celebrate not getting writer's cramp from all the pages we signed but it was actually kind of a downer.  See, the catch is that while while everything is signed, we can't officially take possession until the money clears the bank.  Of course, no one is really sure when that will happen but we are crossing our fingers it will happen by Thursday.

That still leaves me 9 whole days to repaint, tear out carpet, move, unpack, plan a birthday and then get ready for Christmas.  Did I mention that half the family is sick?  Or that Donald is also writing papers and working crazy, holiday hours?  No problem for this retired Navy wife.

Right?

I think all I want for Christmas this year is a replenishing stock of sticky notes and a glass of wine.

My First Car!

Every kid dreams of turning sixteen and getting their own car.  Birthday, driver's license and car.  They go together like peanut butter, jelly and milk.  I did the birthday and got the license; as the old Meatloaf song says, "Two out three ain't bad."  I had to be content with first driving my parent's beige, huge, early 80's, Chrysler New Yorker.  Keep in mind, I got my license in the summer of 1989.  My boyfriend called it the One-Eyed Beast because it had headlights that popped up but only one of them worked, giving the appearance of a wink.  The next year my parents "upgraded" to an even bigger, 70's something, Ford LTD station wagon.  Yes, complete with wood panelling down the side and the extra seats that folded down in the "way back" as my mom termed it.  My friends called that one the Party Wagon because you could pack, well, let's just say A Lot Of People in it.  The exact number will remain a secret because my mother reads this blog!  She's too young for a heart attack!  Love you, Mom!

I went off to college and never bought a car.  Didn't need one.  My school had everything I needed on campus.  Besides, my mother mailed me a care package every single week freshman year.  Her cookies made me a big hit with the football team!  My roommate had a car and I borrowed it if I needed it.

Then I got married.  Donald had a baby blue, two door Subaru which eventually gave out on a deserted highway in Montana on our way home for Christmas break.  We were obliged to wait in a strangers house for five hours while my father in law came to save us.  I was sick as a dog and there were ferrets.  That's about all I remember.  I do know the car sat in the same spot for nearly a decade before someone got rid of it.

Donald and I have had numerous vehicles since then.  The coolest was a tiny Honda Prelude his dad gave us after the Subaru fiasco.  The worst was a short stint with a Dodge Caravan mini van; we swore off mini vans forever after that experience.  With all the cars we've owned, I've never had one that was just mine.  Shoot, I don't even think my name has ever been on a title.

Today, I went for three out of three.  At 38, I now have my very first car.  Her name is Penny (as in "Mini Penny"- come on 007 fans!) and she is a 1983 Austin Mini, which makes her the exact age of my little brother.  6,100 original miles!  She is even a Right Side Drive, a true British import!  I fell in love with Minis on my first trip to England.  Donald photographed me standing next to random Minis all over the country!  The fact that her heater needs some work and her wipers gave out on the 60 mile drive home in a thick blanket of fog does not tarnish my excitement.  The boys are pretty stoked too; they can't wait to be old enough to drive her!  They can drive her but I already let them know that they, too, may be 38 before they get a car of their own!

Closing Update

I don't mind nit picking when I am the nit picker.  I thrive on nit picky, especially when it involves spotting spelling errors on public signage.  When I am on the receiving end of nit picky, it's not so fun.  Must be what my husband feels like, living with me!

We finally got word of the VA appraisal on late on Thursday.  The appraiser noticed some peeling paint on a couple of windows.  He is requiring that all the paint be scraped, repainted and all paint chips removed.

This  is all that is preventing me from moving out of my RV.  Seems like an easy fix, right?  I'd go do it myself if they would let me.  Except that it has to be a contractor.  And then an order has to be sent to get the appraiser to go back, for another fee, of course, and verify that the work has been done.  Then three or four more days, minimum, for the appraiser to file his report.  Then, maybe, just maybe, the loan processor will produce all the needed closing paperwork.

Have I mentioned how much I love it when my life's details are being handled by invisible, unreachable, anonymous people?  Since we have nothing solid to go on, we don't have a new closing date yet.  Probably just as well, for my mental well-being!