Home Improvement on a Budget with a Toddler: Part 1

Hello faithful readers.

My mother-in-law has put in a request for more Edie photos. I admit that picture-taking (and posting) has decreased by a solid 85% since Edie's first year. One explanation is that so much more time is spent engaging and chasing her and making sure she's not climbing into the dishwasher. We are no longer staring googly-eyed at a cute, immobile, magical baby. Another reason is that Edie's hip to the iPhone and wants it. Most picture-taking ends in a grabby cry-fest. So we keep it to a minimum.

But now that I have my own iPhone I've been messing around with Instagram. With a click of a button you can make your photos look straight out of 1963 (see below) or 1982. You know we like that old timey ass shit. Anyway, I will try to post more Edie pics today.

I've been tackling some small-scale home improvement projects, including painting the kitchen (with my parents), consulting my Aunt Kitty who is making us living room curtains, framing artwork, and changing light switch covers. The woman we bought our house from straight-up loved polished brass fixtures. I do not. And I don't think anyone else in this house cares, so I'm the project designer, manager, and foreman.

I've spent quite a bit of time pouring over magazines like Rejuvenation and Smith+Noble. I mostly order samples because they're free, and I feel like I'm making some kind of progress. I'm a long-time fan of blogs such as Apartment Therapy and DesignSponge. I love collections, color, roadside finds, affordable artwork, modern design, and shoestring solutions (which is why Smith+Noble is more an idea source). Although built in the '40s, our home is in great shape and has been well maintained, but I haven't really dived into making it ours. Here's early Saturday morning playtime caught on camera. I consider this a 'before' photo. Note the lack of curtains, stopgap entertainment unit (made by my Dad circa 1978), and wisp of blue on the walls. Can you spot the kiddo?

Here's a close-up. I love the morning light.

I'll continue to post as we make progress. Next on the to-do list: paint our hallway, which is a grand undertaking that will include painting up a staircase, and installing new kitchen lights (again with the brass- it needs to go!). My Dad is eager to knock down the wall dividing our kitchen and dining room, and we're on board, but we're not yet there financially. In the meantime here's some parting family shots.

Edie's obsession: Daddy

Good night!

I'll Take Hartford for $200, Alex

Hartford is my home city but I know so little about it. Now that I work downtown I'm learning a little bit, like good places to eat (Trumbull Kitchen), good places to get an Americano (yes, they exist if the owner of Jojo's makes it), and where to find the world's most un-friendly eyesore of an arena (The Civic Center, now called XL Center, is an urban planning nightmare). My cousin Marshall and two buddies have started a custom denim company here, resurrecting old industrial sewing equipment and bringing handmade manufacturing back to the city. The Hartford Courant published a great piece last week. I want to visit their shop and when I can scrap together the cash, order some custom jeans. Go Marshall!

Here are some pics of downtown, brushed with some Instagram love.

...and home

Chim chim charroo

Good tidings noble blog readers! Since we last met I've successfully finished the Manchester Road Race and steadily decreased my workout regimen (not really by design). I still have a glimmer of hope that I'll do some push-ups and squats tonight, even if just for morale, but I'm hanging up my running shoes for the season.

Now it's time to paint bathrooms, braise carrots, and trim our house with holiday decorations. On Friday we went to a local nursery that has the feel of a secret garden. I could easily buy every other thing there, but I excersized restraint and did not buy $150 worth of sparkly decor and magnolia wreaths. Mom's hand-me-down Santa nesting dolls little will have to buck up for another year, even if the paint is chipping off their faces.

As for Christmas shopping, I have not really fallen in yet. I have lots of gift ideas, and I do love picking out the right thing for everyone, but Black Friday and the mall scene turn me off. They make me dehydrated and anxious, and I usually drive away feeling depressed about humanity (and my shopping budget).

I do, however, love Etsy. It's an online handmade marketplace, the complete antithesis of Target (which, let's be frank, also love). I've gotten everything from custom artwork to fabric potted plants. Another benefit to shopping Etsy is that there's a good chance your stuff is made in the USA, and you can even shop local to see if there are any goods in your 'hood. I've thought of starting my own shop on Etsy but for now I just enjoy browsing and picking up treasures here and there.

We are going to Seattle for Christmas in a couple weeks. Although I'm not psyched about flying with a 16-month old at the busiest time of year, it'll be nice to be back in burrito country. We do miss the coffee, our friends, Oliver's Twist, and family!

Set it and forget it

As the time between blog posts indicates, I've been pretty swamped with a new new job, my baby, my husband, 8-day power outages, family illness, and weekend getaways. I keep thinking things will slow down soon, but they don't! And my 5:50am alarm sure does go off early.

My new job is going well. The last few days have been very busy, which I like, because the day just flies by. I ate lunch at 2pm today. That never happens. My clock strikes breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday. I look forward to each meal, and have always reacted to those who claim "I just forgot to eat!" with sincere skepticism. Today I didn't forget to eat, I was just trying to finish a few things before I took lunch.

One bummer is that I now work full-time. I'm the first to admit, I had a very lovely on-ramp back to work after I had Edie. Following my maternity leave, I worked three days a week for about 10 months. In between jobs and newly planted in CT, I had July off, then began working a four-day week. A full year after going back to work, I'm a full-timer again. I'm certainly not the first mom to do it, but I really did enjoy my days home with Edie.

I miss my girl but have been streamlining operations at home to make room for hanging out. For example, we hired a bi-weekly (not live-in, unfortunately) housekeeper on a friend's recommendation, and her rates are totally affordable. I've also been trying to order groceries online. The housekeeper is going well, but the food delivery has not totally taken hold. I have two gripes with Peapod: when something I order is out of stock, they don't provide an alternative. I ordered one type of eggs the other night, and they were back-ordered or something, so I got no eggs. They should just send a comprable carton of eggs. And, what's with the 89 plastic bags? Ever heard of Mother Earth?

Also on my streamlining to-do list: sign up for delivery dry cleaning. They pick up and drop off for no extra charge. Seems too easy.

To counter my new commute, which for the first time ever is in a car, I intend to download episodes of This American Life and KEXP's Music That Matters podcasts. KEXP is a wonderful, unique Seattle-based radio station that I really miss. CT radio makes me want to cry a little, or get satellite radio.

Lastly, Dave and I have started a new family work-out routine. We're training for the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day, and have been running with Edie after work. We bought some reflective gear and a flashing light for her jogging stroller. Although it's already dark at 5, we stick to the main roads and wear our shiny gear as we run around the 'hood together.

a home of one's own

Today was a success because I went running after an unintended four-day haitus, I ate at least two vegetables, and Edie and I got some good playin' in after work.

Also, I'm finally blogging about our new home after four weeks of keeping my faithful readers in the dark.

The house was in "turnkey" condition when we bought it meaning we opened the door, moved our stuff in, and parked our butts on the couches that were left behind. The woman who sold us our house kept the place immaculate. Let's call her Maureen. Maureen was an avid gardener, and a very generous woman who sold us pretty much any furniture (indoor and out) that we wanted. Did I mention she loved gardening?

I am absolutely confident that I'll kill the garden in two months flat. Frankly I can't believe the greenery is still green. Maureen swore that it was a breeze to keep up, which I'm sure is true if I had 4 hours of weekend time to weed and prune rose bushes. My one hope is that Edie will chill in the Ergo while I bumble around, armed with shears and a big brown bag for collecting weeds (my hope is equally for me and for the baby).

So far we've painted our dining room. And by 'we' I mean my mom and dad, who have also re-wired our front porch light, dismantled and remantled our bedroom furniture to get it up the stairs, and hung our t.v. I've bought one new piece of art, which I'm anxiously awaiting, and could drop some serious moolah on home decor, no problem. But I'm honoring our budget so we're stuck with curtains of the Great Aunt variety, at least for a little while.

I am truly ecstatic that we finally own a home. I've been a renter for ten years, and although I've had a pretty good string of landlords, it's awesome to not have to ask if I can paint the walls, to have ample storage, and to not have a front door in the kitchen (I'm talkin' about you, Densmore Ave). I'll post more photos soon, but I hope this gives you a peep into the totally rad home we're calling our own.