Valeria Out Loud

Hi All!

It’s been another busy few days since I last posted.  Halloween was a lot of fun!  Almost everyone ended up at my house for the night. My sister included!  Then, we had family friends throw their children’s birthday party on Saturday. It was the last costume event of the season! And. My awesome father turned 74yrs old on Sunday; Buon Compleanno, Papa!,

So, we are about a month into the house renovations, and are at the phase of inspections this week..all of them. Do it along with me everyone, cross your fingers that everything passes this week!!

The guys busted their butts over this weekend to make sure things were ready. The plumbers, my God, they blew my mind! We had a major job in the basement for them, on top of the renovations; removing and replacing these giant old cast iron pipes that were embedded into the stone walls of the basement. In one day, and I kid you not, two plumbers removed those pipes without affecting the walls much, replaced the pipes, then continued to plumb the basement for the kitchen and bathroom. I mean, this job was HUGE, and they banged it out in one full day and added on to it!! It looks like a totally different place down there! Then Monday they plumbed the rooms upstairs, replacing everything and leaving no trace of a mess. My dream job guys!

Since my last post about the house, I drafted the letter to place inside the walls. And.. it’s no surprise that the letter ended up being more than just a page long! I figured if it was me opening the letter I’d want a touch more about the house. So, I added in photos of renovations past that we have been through, which drafting it all for the letter exhausted me! We have been through a ton of  major renovations in the 9 years we have been here. WOW, right!?

Here’s the run down:

2004-2005- we replaced the coal stove with the pellet one, we removed the white carpeting (yuk!) from the living room and master bedroom and replaced it with hardwood floors, then we gutted the heating system converting it from electric to oil-radiant. All, through my first pregnancy.  The heating guys literally finished the heating job at 2AM on the first night I had my baby girl at home. EEK!

2006- we replaced 9 windows and re-sided the house.

2007- we renovated the back office into a playroom, then we turned the spiral stairs we had into a conventional staircase, along with reconfiguring our own master bedroom closet and the whole upstairs layout of bedrooms (moving walls and doorways, creating a bunk bed, and ripping up and replacing floors). All while I was pregnant with my youngest.  If I remember right, because of the timing of our life events and this house, we had my oldest daughter’s second birthday at my parents right on the cusp of giving birth to her baby sister –I think she was 17 days old?

2008- we renovated the master bedrooms’ bathroom- from a strange yellow and blue 1970’s scary Mobile gas station stall shower to a swank bathroom, with a Jacuzzi tub and full carrera marble shower surround.  

2009-forever!!!- we gutted and renovated the back and front yards. We took a long time to finish this project, cause I posted some plantings and stuff this year. We started by fencing in the yard. Then, we completely removed and re-graded our yard, about an acre, then removed the deck and replaced it with a stone patio. At the same time, we had removed the railroad ties from the front and built a new stone retaining wall, and a decorative one above. Then we laid out sod, mulched, and finally had a normal space to call our own outside.

2013!! Here we are in the middle of this beast!  Taking our not so pretty tiny kitchen, Sunoco gas station bathroom and tiny dining room and converting them into modern spaces, that will hopefully be timeless.

Tiring right!?!?  Phew.

My husband thought adding in the project plans would be a fun way to tie up the renovations we are doing today for the letter. So hopefully we can have this thing wrapped up and ready!

 

Last night, my husband mentioned that he ordered the refrigerator I liked as we were browsing at some lights, and the whole time I felt that glow. You know that glow you got when you were a kid waiting on your birthday or Christmas, or Hanukkah, or whenever you got presents for just being awesome? I couldn’t help but get that giddy feeling in my gut over the fridge! I never had this for any renovations, ever. I am not sure why I have it for this one, but I do. Maybe it’s cause I am not pregnant?  jk!  I guess it’s cause I am getting something brand new that I really want, that feels is for just me. Well, for my family, too, but this area of the house is more mine than anything. I get a new granite countertop, a new modern refrigerator, a new dishwasher, all new cabinets, a bigger stainless new sink, a new disposal, all new handles and knobs, new dark wood flooring, new paint, new marble tiles, new china cabinets, new lights; new everything!!!!

I still can’t believe I am going to have a grown up kitchen!! Especially after living without a kitchen for this long. (I am not going to complain about our current living conditions without a kitchen or anything, cause I have to keep positive! I want to cause not being able to cook is killing me! But I am not going to!)

It is all so exciting now!  FINALLY!!!!!!!

OK, well, I gotta eat something for lunch or I might pass out!

Love you!

xoxoxoxox