tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145929912012-01-24T11:05:13.204-05:00<br>The story of a love/hate relationship with a house, some land and the tribulations of living through a decade-long renovation.<br> And a few other things thrown in for fun.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.comBlogger461100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-87891051412577674162010-07-30T13:50:00.007-04:002010-07-30T15:12:26.963-04:00

This kitchen renovation that has been ongoing for way too many years is finally beginning to come to a close. Our custom drawers and doors were installed in May. There are still a few finishing trim pieces left to do, but for the most part, it's over.The exciting news is, crazy as it sounds, we're planning a new kitchen... in a new house. It's all still up in the air right now, for we may not

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-69247226708389502162009-10-30T11:47:00.006-04:002009-10-30T11:52:48.090-04:00

Well, why not?

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-54546011247878635932007-06-27T23:40:00.000-04:002008-11-13T04:07:56.208-05:00

36" Whitehaus Quatro Alcove Fireclay Farm SinkPronomen solid beech countertops with Waterlox original tung oil sealer Thermador fully integrated 9-program stainless steel Professional Series dishwasher Still a work in progress - just waiting on our custom doors and drawer fronts!

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-12790078784018585032007-06-27T10:00:00.000-04:002008-11-13T04:07:57.377-05:00

Thermador 36" Professional Series Gas RangetopAfter my budget eliminated my dream ranges (the Lacanche, and running a close second, the Aga), last summer we finally decided on the Thermador Professional Series gas cooktop with 6 burners (PCG366E) . We knew we wanted a pro rangetop, and we had narrowed the field to include the Thermador, Viking, Wolf and BlueStar. I don't really remember all the

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-59078547074852710712007-05-30T11:49:00.000-04:002008-11-13T04:07:59.281-05:00

Whenever I try to do something outdoorsy with DH, it's always an adventure. Over the past twenty years, we've been stranded in the Everglades on a Hobie cat, we've sailed through storms in the Gulf of Mexico, camped in the deserts of Arizona with no human being around for literally hundreds of miles, barely escaping a monsoon flash flood through the wash we were camped in, and more.Yesterday, we

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-17675823237573932212007-05-04T16:02:00.000-04:002008-11-13T04:07:59.517-05:00

"You Can't See Me!"The other two eggs never hatched, so this little guy is getting all the grub for himself. Whenever I go near the porch, I can hear the parents in the tree behind me calling out a warning. Judging from his size, the little dude should be fledging soon.The hummingbird eggs have hatched. Click on the link to see how cute they are!

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-86596186886082366602007-05-02T12:42:00.000-04:002008-11-13T04:07:59.983-05:00

"Come back, Ma! You're on the wrong side of the fence!"Six adorable little goslings hatched on May 1, just as predicted.

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-84836369039238065472007-05-02T09:47:00.000-04:002008-11-13T04:08:00.252-05:00

Do I have that finchy look?

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-60659670936967877592007-04-28T12:22:00.000-04:002008-11-13T04:08:00.428-05:00

House finches nesting in my Christmas wreath(two eggs and one fuzzy head)Check it out: Hummingbird Nest CamLogin: guestPassword: guest It's interesting how different people have different perspectives on things. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times people have brought nestling finches into the rehab center because they were nesting in the wreath on the front door or

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1172868074135898262007-03-02T15:22:00.000-05:002007-06-27T08:44:33.740-04:00

Sea FoamTwo feet of snow fell last night here in Minnesota, and it's still snowing today. They closed the U yesterday - something they haven't done for weather since 1991 when the temperature reached -70F. Of course, this morning we were all expected in class again - despite the continuing snow and partially plowed roads. Gotta love those Minnesnowtans...

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1169402158624249222007-01-21T12:49:00.000-05:002007-06-25T18:25:13.169-04:00

Old Kitchen/Laundry/Rehab - How many activities can you count? When we bought this house, the laundry was located in the basement. And it wasn't a nice, finished basement either. It's the scary, dirty, dark, concrete floor/rattling pipes/hanging wires/mouse and cave cricket infested type basement. Not a place I ever wanted to do laundry.That first year, my father helped us move the machines and

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1163621899542197842006-12-06T15:17:00.000-05:002007-06-27T08:44:33.740-04:00

I have never been a good rider. What I am is stubborn, and I'm usually pretty good at hanging on, no matter how awkward or comical I might appear.I've been falling off of horses as long as I've been riding them... That is, since I was 2 years old. My first real life memory is of falling off a horse as a toddler. It's just a few misty visual snippets of a wooden fence, a bunch of grey horse feet

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1157322339051142442006-09-03T18:06:00.000-04:002007-03-11T18:43:48.966-04:00

Tasha Tudor patiently poses for the cameraTasha is spending this rainy weekend at the Inn as a Pampered Princess while we begin our seasonal migration back to Minnesota. I miss her already. Once again, it's time for Weekend Dog Blogging! To see pictures of more cute dogs this weekend (and lots of great food), pop over to sweetnicks late Sunday evening or Monday morning.

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1156971976165655442006-09-01T08:35:00.000-04:002007-06-27T08:43:36.834-04:00

Archilochus colubris fledgling wintering over in 2002 It's the first day of September. The day before my seasonal migration, as some have called it. But like a misdirected vagrant Selasphorus rufus, I follow a lateral (although backwards) migration route rather than the typical north-south pattern. In some ways, this is validating because I have never been a crowd-following conformist. How very

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1156948327404531742006-08-30T10:32:00.000-04:002006-08-30T10:39:56.683-04:00

Happy Birthday to Ma!Hoping you have a sunny day!

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1156643910396844772006-08-26T21:52:00.000-04:002007-03-11T18:42:34.936-04:00

Tasha Tudor sprawls out and enjoys a sunny nap on our new kitchen floor.This weekend I'm joining in with some fabulous food bloggers for Weekend Dog Blogging! I decided that Dog Blogging, besides being fun, is a great way to keep track of Tasha's monthly dose of Sentinel. Especially since the blog is always here, and I can never find a calendar or remember to write down when we gave her the meds

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1156552724012257152006-08-24T08:19:00.000-04:002006-08-27T01:59:22.166-04:00

No, this is not about the first meal in my new kitchen. (I'm still building cabinets like a madwoman.) Unfortunately, it's about my camera.It's official. I fried my camera. Or rather, the sun fried my camera at the beach. In the late afternoon, I snapped this picture (sadly, the last one this camera will ever take), and then the camera just froze. When I turned it around to see what was the

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1156371245968175342006-08-23T18:03:00.000-04:002008-11-13T04:08:01.544-05:00

Yes, this really is New JerseyI am embarrassed to admit that I have lived in New Jersey for thirteen years, and I never realized we had a beach. Well, sure, I'd heard people talking over the years."So-n-so's not here today. She went down the shore.""Garden State clinic? Oh, it's not too far. Just down the shore.""Have you been down the shore yet?""We're vacationing down the shore this summer."

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1155732816261425772006-08-16T08:53:00.000-04:002006-08-26T19:45:02.806-04:00

Goldenrod signals the end of summerA plateau has been reached. Progress seems stalled. I am exhausted. In reality, I am just running out of time. Even though so much has been accomplished this summer, there are still so many things I had planned that I haven't yet done. Like visit the rehab center, and work for a few weeks at the emergency clinic. Like get to the dentist or have my hair done.

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1155645618786831342006-08-15T08:39:00.000-04:002006-08-15T13:42:49.483-04:00

Sewage.Certainly not the coffee. This morning I woke to the lovely aroma of sewer gas wafting throughout my entire house. While I've been in Minnesota for the past two years, strange things have been going on with the mechanicals in this house. The oil tank has a slow leak (shh - I'm sure this is a hideously illegal violation of some sort), so instead of using the heat last winter, DH heated the

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1155207949448933902006-08-10T07:05:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.509-04:00

Not sure if we actually achieved the pumpkin pine look, but I am happy with the cherry stain we chose. Here's the floor after the first coat of oil. The stain job could probably be better. I think they should've used a wood conditioner first, but I'm living with it, for now at least.

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1155167838565100722006-08-09T19:43:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.509-04:00

Floor guys are here today to sand all the floors in the whole downstairs. It almost feels like we're moving! A totally empty house can be so refreshing. We'll be leaving all the oak natural again, but in the kitchen we want to stain the new pine. We're aiming for the richness of antique pumpkin pine floors found in old farmhouses throughout the Northeast.Here's the floor before sanding, with the

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1154794471271429242006-08-05T10:48:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:19:11.495-04:00

Hard to believe I can be excited about something as mundane as trash. Our seventh? eighth? dumpster was delivered yesterday. The first record I have of a dumpster delivery is in September of 1997. We've had one almost every year. Which means we either have way too much crap or we've demolished and tossed out almost every inch of this house over the years (which is true). Or both. At least I won't

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1154378920433212672006-07-31T16:48:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.510-04:00

I noticed on Friday that the painting crew did not put a primer coat on the new walls before they started slapping on the yellow. Unfortunately, by the time I noticed, they were already on the last wall. This concerns me for a couple of reasons. One, according to the written estimate, I am paying for "primer coat plus two top coats on new walls," and I didn't get a primer coat. Two, I agonized

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1154146427643560652006-07-29T00:11:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.510-04:00

Wild swamp blackberriesReading this blog, one might think that this New Jersey kitchen remodel has all been a piece of cake. And comparatively speaking, it has been. Compared to the forced remodel-from-hell in Minnesota, this one has been a dream. So far. Knock on wood. Shhh.So far the disappointments have been few. The first one came with the arrival of the farm sink. Remember the sink from

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1153836747967548162006-07-25T10:06:00.000-04:002006-07-27T10:20:08.410-04:00

The lighthouse in St. Michaels, MarylandAfter much agonizing, I finally decided on a color. Two things helped catalyze the decision.1) We visited open houses this weekend, where I discovered what my house has been trying to tell me. It didn't want dark, deep and rich. It really wanted to be light. It said, "I am not a 1920's neo-colonial with dark woodwork and high ceilings. I am a light airy

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1153836373054729982006-07-25T10:05:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.511-04:00

Not the greatest shot since we haven't emptied the room of junk, but we officially have a FLOOR! It is a good shot of my ceilings, though.And a closer view:

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1153612816661695182006-07-22T19:51:00.000-04:002007-03-11T18:10:50.886-04:00

Or not.You only have 25,000 shades, hues and values to choose from. Who knew there could be so many varieties of a basic primary color? I have purchased about 20 sample cans of yellow paint and taken home hundreds (yes, hundreds) of paint chips during the past week, searching for that perfect shade. None of them is the right one. I don't even think I'm getting close. They are all either too dull,

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1153310295256649102006-07-19T07:50:00.000-04:002006-07-23T11:18:41.730-04:00

Summer is almost over. How depressing.I fear I'm running out of energy for this kitchen project. For some reason today the thought of building cabinets and calling flooring guys, arranging for PODS and picking out wall colors (ack!) is making me very tired. I need a vacation. (ahem, but you ARE on vacation.) No, I need a real vacation... like in the mountains somewhere near a lake or in a fully

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1153069464012440762006-07-16T12:54:00.000-04:002007-06-27T13:46:53.410-04:00

Yesterday, we left the house in the morning intent upon buying a $25 part for the lawnmower, so we could finally mow the lawn-as-hayfield.Now that we have hired helpers to work on the house, we're kind of confused about how to spend our time. What? We don't have to spackle? No painting? No woodwork? Nothing to install? What's a DIY family to do?Well, shop apparently. By the end of the day, after

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1153061822101700982006-07-16T10:50:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.511-04:00

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1152744962821679762006-07-12T18:54:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.512-04:00

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1152655173070932212006-07-11T17:45:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:22:25.993-04:00

Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!I can barely contain my excitement. Two different contractors showed up at my house today to give me estimates! The phone-tagging trim carpenter and a drywall/taping/spackling contractor. Waaa Hooo!! And the best part? They can both start this week...the spackler dude could start tomorrow. If I agree to his price. I am supposed to get the final estimates later

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1152319078535974482006-07-07T20:27:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.512-04:00

This is the hallway last summer. (Wow, it seems like eons ago!)And this is the hallway today. This is the Yellow Alien that helped us drywall the ceilings.When cutting out the holes in the drywall for the cans and vents, DH slipped on his goggles and mask and claimed, "Now it's MY turn to do surgery."So, I couldn't resist....His surgery:And my surgery:

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1152232913061038342006-07-06T20:27:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:22:25.993-04:00

I originally intended the post with this title to be about our new ceilings. But I must digress a moment.Just yesterday I said things might be looking up. Well, I’m beginning to wonder. With the trusty cordless phone ever-present in my pocket as I trudged around outside today, digging through garbage bags, tossing around junk and generally traumatizing the resident mice, snakes, spiders, bats and

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1152205005766818832006-07-06T12:50:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.512-04:00

Blanco Pot Filler in Stainless SteelWhat's the most fun part of a kitchen remodel? The shopping, of course! I'm fairly frugal and always looking for a deal, which is why eBay is one of my favorite haunts. Would I buy a house or a car on eBay? Probably not. Okay, no. But everything else is up for grabs -- as long as the shipping is not too exorbitant, and as long as the price is better than what I

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1152122681270021482006-07-05T14:04:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:22:25.994-04:00

Lots of progress was made on the house this weekend. For starters, I hired painters! Woo-hoo! Certa-Pro actually showed up, gave us a reasonable estimate and a date they can start (July 24). This is the same company we used to paint our house in Minnesota, where they did an incredible job. Of course, now this means I have a deadline! We must have all the walls and ceilings taped and mudded and

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1151952571389540602006-07-03T13:26:00.000-04:002006-07-03T14:49:31.416-04:00

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1151708514010771532006-06-30T18:36:00.000-04:002006-07-08T19:46:31.010-04:00

"Wheet wooo!"In the past week, our household has gained not one, but two new singing voices. DD would like you to meet Pikachu, her new 4 month old Budgerigar. Pikachu is really not much of a singer. He's actually pretty quiet, except for an occasional chirp in the morning. On the other hand, the vibrato rings out...To DD, we would like to say "Congratulations!" for being accepted into the New

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1150984198603751372006-06-22T09:22:00.000-04:002007-01-24T20:50:02.890-05:00

Strawberry in the back fieldWhy am I not there yet?I hesitate to link to this amazing blog I found because then no one will ever want to read mine again. Heck, I don't even want to read mine again. I just want to slip through the ether and materialize out the other side.... to this farm, this life. She even has my dog, Friday. This is what I've wanted my whole life. This is what my dreams are

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1150751718093161642006-06-19T17:13:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.512-04:00

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1150393396650484572006-06-15T13:40:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.512-04:00

While the cat is away, the mice will be .........drywalling!Tomorrow I am leaving for Ohio, where I'll be performing surgeries for the Humane Society of the United States in an underprivileged area of the Appalachians. We'll be spaying and neutering about 100 - 150 animals over the course of 2 days.Meanwhile, back at the farm, DH and his dad intend to finish insulating all the ceilings and walls,

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1150384794865583522006-06-15T11:06:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.513-04:00

Not only has the kitchen itself morphed over the years, the design and layout of the future kitchen has also gone through dozens and dozens of renderings. I began designing it with a program that doesn't even exist anymore. In my newest design software, I have at least 40 different plan files saved over the past 3 or 4 years, with about 12 of those files involving major structural differences,

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1150307636174108492006-06-14T13:47:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.513-04:00

The kitchen looks much cheerier today than three weeks ago when I arrived. I even decided to cut a rose bouquet this morning to brighten up the decor. (We were definitely in need of a little flair!) Those are two of my new IKEA cabinets on the countertop. I couldn't wait to put them together. How easy! And I love the unique hanging rail system.Progress has been stunningly expedient. DH has worked

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1150284796512724612006-06-14T07:29:00.000-04:002006-06-15T10:40:51.170-04:00

Life could be worse. I woke up from a bad dream this morning where neighbors had moved in next door to us. They were fat and loud and had about 6 teenage kids. They cut down all the trees and rode those loud ATVs around the swamp. In my dream they had to enter my back porch to get to their garage, and they walked through my garden, stopped to loiter and sat on hundreds of little seedlings I had

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14592991.post-1150214139304559672006-06-13T11:54:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:13:55.513-04:00

Where to start? It seems silly to start at the beginning of this fiasco we call home. That would entail backtracking 10 years. Too much work, too much time, too many memories. Let me just say that we've been living without walls for much too long.I suppose I should start with the Kitchen, since that is our current project. Well, actually, it's been our ongoing project for the past 10 years, but

Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16880771792608662640noreply@blogger.com2