two hearts, meant to be together

Darling Loopy made these hearts for me for Valentine's Day. Aren't they amazing? Simply amazing. No benefit of sewing machine, she painstakingly sewed them with her tiny fingers that are so often riddled with pain. She asked me right after Christmas for a length of white feathered boa, I'd used some on the wedding tree.

She worked on the gift so many times since then. Little feathers scattered on her bedroom floor for me to vaccuum. My scissors weren't where I keep them. She needed "more white threads" a couple of times, so I knew she was up to something. She presented these fellas to me, their names are "x and o". She told me this little poem:

x and o are as busy as can be
spreading love as far as the eye can see
business gets rough around Valentine's Day
now they're sending barrels of love your way!

Don't you just love, love, love them? They have little wings on their backs and they're sewn together. I put them on my pillow when I make the bed in the morning. This was my best Valentine's Day gift, but don't tell Veto, he got me flowers and chocolates and I got to keep what he delivered them in. So spoiled am I. Really. Really, really spoiled.

by the numbers

22 days of renovations
5 wallpaper borders removed
2 home inspections
350 square feet of red brick tile removed
450 square feet of slate tile installed
1500 square feet of powder blue shag carpet removed
1140 square feet of new carpet installed
750 square feet of hardwood flooring installed
2 new staircases installed
1 fireplace replaced
3 dumpsters filled
2 broken light fixtures
2 ceiling fans removed
1 dumpster diver who took 2 light fixtures
2 ultra "low-efficiency" furnaces to be replaced
2 lemon pound cakes baked for bribing suppliers
25 sheets of drywall - the last in the city - delivered for bribe
1 wife wanting to remove a closet
1 disagreeing husband
1 closet removed
1 argument between carpenter and painters
2 painters caught smoking pot
2 painters fired
23 custom milled doors
1 carpenter going to Las Vegas for a week
5 doors hung
1 untouched kitchen
1 gutted bathroom
4 untouched bathrooms
0 doors on bathrooms
288 linear feet of crown molding
2 installers
1 scaffolding
2 light fixtures spray painted
16 gallons of paint
0 painters
2 leaks in the roof
4 pails of water
1 more home inspection
5 attic vents installed
1 moving date pushed back

gifts from house faeries

We've discovered some little trinkets while renovating the new house. I like to think they are little clues leading to a treasure or something. We now have three old keys, a fancy old hairpin, and two pennies which were placed - year side up - under the carpets in two of the bedrooms. I'm going to place 2007 coins under the new carpets next week.

I wrote a note on our stationary and placed it into a ziploc bag along with some photos, concert tickets (the Barenaked Ladies, last Saturday night) and other little bits. Before the subfloor got screwed down today I tucked it under the boards.

I think we will frame all of these artifacts when the renos are done - but then again I wonder - should I take them out? They were hidden very specifically - the fanciest little key was tucked above the door jamb. It would have never been found if we'd not replaced the door, so is it meant to be put back for someone to find it again after another ninety years? If I frame these things, then the frame should always stay with the house. What could I hide before we nail everything back together again?

dizzy from damask

We only have one month to remodel our new home. February. The shortest of the months. Kelly came for a wonderful visit and gamely helped with so much. We pulled up old carpet on the weekend. We did lots of other things, fun things, like seeing a movie, eating out, and catching up. It was so nice to see her, send home the dollhouse for Moira, and share a lot of giggles.

I've made a ton of decisions. The hardwood is oak, stained very dark. The carpet is neutral berber with a delicate damask pattern cut into it. The walls are a funny shade of not-quite-blue and not-quite-green that I guess is all the rage right now but works with the furniture from my formerly sage-green house. The tile is natural slate with a greenish-gray-bluish look to it.

I talked my husband into taking out one of the front hall closets. Actually, it's the old, original main closet for the house but there was a big closet to keep so it is a very good idea to open up the main foyer. Now the sun comes streaking through the staircase window - so bright and sunny! I'm now calling Ben "Veto" because he tries to veto all of my good ideas. Eventually I end up telling the carpenters to get things done "before Veto gets here" and that does the trick, they get right on it for me. Veto tried to stop me from removing that closet, but it was too late.

Old houses have finicky walls. We have to put wallpaper in the upstairs hallway and through the laundry area to hide the flaws... and cover the pink wallpaper that is already doing that job. I ordered a blue damask pattern. It has a nice shimmery metallic highlight that is so delicate you almost miss it against the flatness of the paper. I found my chocolate brown velvet damask curtain panels here of course.

I hope things continue to move along or we'll be homeless or camping on the first of March, and neither option works for me. Camping especially.