Our Old House

There’s a lot going on at Camp Gary lately.  It seems like there are a lot of things that just need to be wrapped up.  So wrapping up we are.

Some of the current and ongoing projects…

• Finishing the boiler job (Yes, we’ve officially experienced an entire winter without real heat):  There were a couple really cold nights, but I’m actually proud of us.  It’ll be one of those stories that we tell our kids when they complain about the cold… “Oh, yeah…? You think you’re cold now? The electric space heater doesn’t get hot enough for you…?”  Dad and Brandon took on the challenge of installing the new boiler, and it continues.

• Laundry Hook Up: In college, I always felt like trips to the laundromat made me a grown up, like I was taking on some adult task that Mom and Dad use to handle.  I’m over it.  We now have more adult tasks than we’d like.  Carla and B’s grandmothers bought us a great washer and dryer set, and it had been sitting in the middle of the basement since January.  Brandon did some final plumbing adjustments (he’s getting so handy!) and I have my fingers crossed that I will spend this weekend doing laundry.  Really, I would love nothing more.

• Finishing Touches in the Kitchen: We’ve come a LONG way with the kitchen.  From tearing down walls, gutting to the studs, rewiring the electrical, ripping up ancient tile, uncovering various layers of tacky-once-stylish wall paper, “roadhousing” fake wooden beams, framing a beautiful pass-thru, assembling/installing new cabinets - the list goes on.  I realize that it really is the little things that are helping this space feel complete… like putting hardware on all the new drawers and doors.  Hanging some art helped a lot, too.  Start to finish slideshow of the kitchen forthcoming.

• Fantasizing About the Spring: When we bought this house, I envisioned spending lots of time in our yard.  Mom warned me that it would be awhile before we got there.  In the next couple of months I plan to build a worm compost (I think I can tolerate them if they’re working for me), pick up a rain barrel, planting a potted vegetable garden and GETTING A FIRE PIT!!  Recently obsessed with the thought of spending many nights sitting around a fire with friends.  A few drinks and a lot of laughs, a great (cheap) way to spend summer nights. Can’t wait!!