Home Sweet Home

Well, Friday was the big day to close on my very first home. I put on my big girl panties and went to the closing by myself, signed all the documents that had ugly words like “a single woman” written all over them, and hugged my wonderful, sweet realtor, Laura Monin, who saw me through the whole process. I took a bunch of pics so you can see all the work going on as it’s happening!

So this is what I worked on this past weekend. The first pic is how the hall closet looked. There were 4 layers of wallpaper that mostly peeled right off the wall to reveal three layers of yellow, green, and then pink paint.

I also tore up the parquet to reveal yet another layer of awesome linoleum that is so brittle it just chips off in small pieces. But underneath it is wood floor that is just aching to be refinished and see the light.

Then there was the fireplace. It was originally ugly with each individual brick painted red. I got some high gloss enamel paint and went to town on that thing. Now it’s a pretty glossy black and looks much classier. The first coat took a while because of the surfaces and crevices, but the second coat went on like a dream and covered really well. There are just a couple of places to touch up where the tape didn’t adhere well.

Purchased the tub today! It weighs 74 pounds, but between Rob and I, we hustled that thing right in the house. Also bought a new ceiling fan for the living room. The current one makes a really lovely humming sound that makes you feel like yellow jackets about to swarm. Speaking of yellow jackets, one decided to make a small nest in my bedroom window, so Rob took care of that with a paint stick. The tile I want to use for the bathroom floor is sold out in 3 Home Depot stores, so I’m going to make a trip to one and buy everything they have and hope that 6 more units come in next week. It’s called Snow White. I think it’s going to be my fairy tale beach bathroom. We took the medicine cabinet off the wall to reveal a lovely seafoam green paint underneath. Once the new vanity is in, that room will be unrecognizable. Did I mention that the light switch for the bathroom is in the hallway? That is going to be confusing for a lot of people, I think. This is the funniest light switch cover I’ve ever seen. Perhaps if I get one of these, it’ll help people notice it?!

I found some really cute Long Island prints that I’m going to put up in my dining room along with a Jacqueline Penney print I bought when I was home in the summer. She is this incredible artistic woman who opens up her barn for people to walk in and see what she’s working on. I bought a print of New Suffolk in the moonlight on a summer evening. To me, it is breathtaking. I cried when I was picking out the other prints online and looking at all the pictures and missing Long Island desperately. In my heart it will always be home, no matter where I live. I told Rob the dining room will be my NY room.

Anyway, quite a lot accomplished in a weekend with nothing but pouring rain. The next big decision is a shower head and faucet, which are totally expensive by the way! I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures and keep you updated on the progress inside and outside.