Renovations 2015 Update

For us to accomplish the renovations of the living room we talked about before, the infamous "home renovations onion" has made its appearance. Nothing is as easy as it ought to be.

For us to be ready for the new furniture and accessories to be delivered in late March (Tanner's current estimate for when everything will have arrived), we wanted to have the wood floors sanded, stripped, re-stained, and finished in polyurethane instead of their current 27-year-old wax. Well, for the floors to have cured enough to put rugs down, we need to have the floors redone by the end of February--and so we've set it up that the week of February 23 we'll have that accomplished. Thanks to the Kuehns for the tip on using Hatcher's Floors--we look forward to seeing the results!

HOWEVER, to have the floors ready for Ed and company, we have to have the rooms emptied. That means the massive china cabinet and dining room table need to be moved, plus everything else that was in the room. We've already donated the two old couches and moved three bookcases down to the rec room; I'm not looking forward to this last bit, though. As you can see, the living room looks sparse as we're readying to paint!

Goodbye, beige!

HOWEVER, one of the things to move out of the dining room was the wine cellar. Mary had had the idea of knocking out her "desk" in the kitchen--it had never really been used as anything more than a landing pad for clutter--and moving it into that niche. So first up was demo-ing the desk, patching the wall, repainting the niche--then finding a cabinet to install in the leftover space and creating a mini-bar area--each of which took time, and precluded our getting to the main event.

I think you'll agree, the new wine niche is a great addition to the kitchen:

Our new wine niche, bar cabinet, and wine rack.

Remember how this used to be a desk?

We also are taking advantage of the floors being done by painting the walls in the living and dining rooms first…that way, won't have to worry too badly about drips! HOWEVER, whilst doing that, it emerged that a lot of trim work in the kitchen and foyer hadn't been done, so that's now on the to-do list.

So, to sum up: to install our new living room furniture, we have to redo the floors. Since we have to redo the floors, we ought to paint first. Since we have to empty the dining room, we ought to move the wine cabinet. Since we have to move the wine cabinet, we have to demo and rebuild a space for it first. Since we're making the kitchen nicer, we should take care of those hanging chads of undone trim work. See how the onion just keeps peeling?

At least this morning I got to put one of the colors on the wall in the living room. Here's a taste of what's to come--more later!

No longer beige! See, there's a difference with the air return duct!

Home Renovations, Cont'd (2015 Edition)

Last year's big change to the house was the new master bathroom. This year, we're planning at least one change in a much more visible part of the house.

We've been in the house for over ten years now, and still haven't done a thing to the formal living room. We scarcely use it, and we've talked for years that it needs a coat of paint and some rethinking about what we can use it for. And the furniture probably needs refreshing after 20 years too.

Last month, we went back to our old friends at (don't laugh) La-Z-Boy, whose stuff has been a mainstay of our family room since we moved in. Turns out they have an actual real live interior designer on staff, and Tanner came out to take a look at our space and give us some ideas. Last weekend we met with him to see his ideas, and we signed a deal whereby he'll redo our entire living room for us later this winter/spring.

Before it goes, though, one last look around the current space (as configured for Chili Bowl XXI today):

Living room, into the dining room (also to be painted this year?)

What visitors currently see when they first walk in…to be changed!

From the dining room looking out; the TV usually isn't there, that's just for Chili Bowl.

Without giving away too much, be on the lookout for major change coming in the ~March timeframe. I have some painting to do in the meantime, and (for the first time in at least 10 years) the floors will be sanded and redone too! But what will come in its place? Here's a hint…and it's only a hint for now! (OK, two hints: Think Paris!)

Tanner's idea board for us…how will this all come together? Tune in and see!

Christmas 2014

Finally, I've pulled together some of the pictures from Christmas 2014 and set them in this album. Click and see how our holidays looked!

This was a different Christmas: for the first time in 16 years, we were able to sleep in past 6 am! The kids were completely teenagers this year; Mary and I woke around 8 and had not been nudged at all from them. Sarah was up next, then she awoke David, who sleepily came down to empty his stocking. Ah, the Christmases of yesteryear are ending.

Our Family Portrait

I've had several comments on the family portraits used in this year's Christmas card and letter.

They were part of a series of pictures that we did in October with my brother-from-another-mother, Glenn Cook, who's set himself up as quite the professional photographer in the last couple of years. I mean, if he can get David to smile…  If you're interested in seeing the whole shoot--and, if you didn't like one we gave you for Christmas, you can even order prints of other photos--then click here and visit the SmugMug site to check them all out.

Merry Christmas 2014!

Instead of making copies of our Christmas letter this year and mailing them all, or creating a new site to capture the year, we're listing here some of the highlights so you can get caught up, and dive in more where you like, to learn more about our year.

courtesy Glenn Cook Photography

Our year involved tearing out the master bathroom for a major renovation, but six weeks later it looked better than we had imagined it could. Up next: the kitchen? The kids' bathroom? Our annual ski trip with the Scouts to Canaan Valley was in February, and then in August we flew out West, the kids' first visit someplace west of West Virginia, for a very full experience of Nevada, California and a little of Oregon. We also had a nice weekend in a cabin at Deep Creek Lake in October with our Fergie, who passed a set of milestones this year. Not only was it her first "puppiversary," or a year after we got her, but in June came the time when (we estimate) she had spent more of her life with us than before--I guess that means she's found her Forever Home. She turned three in October, and kept wryly amusing us with her antics throughout the year. Our puppums is a happy doggie and has attached herself quite firmly to Mary lately.

If you look up the address for South County Middle School in the Fairfax County tax records, you will see that yes, in fact, Sarah *does* own the school. She's having a wonderful time as an eighth grader in Advanced Academics, as a Peer Helper at school, playing guitar, doing Girls on Track, and (most recently) being elected the school's Vice President. She rejoined Girl Scouts with her friends, with whom she is surrounded most of her free time. In the summer she had her second mission trip with Jeremiah Project, which she really enjoyed and which has her thinking of going as a counsellor someday.

The theme for the year with David was "adolescence," the one-foot-in-one-foot-out nature of being a high school junior. He earned his driver's permit this year, and is making slow progress in learning to drive--it's just not a huge priority for him to do, which baffles his parents. His burgeoning leadership was recognized in the winter when his Scout troop elected him its Senior Patrol Leader, and he took the first  (quite halting) steps into the world of girls and dating. But by far, his biggest adventures were a weeklong mission trip to Costa Rica in the summer, and beginning the great college hunt--with visits to William and Mary (two stories to tell there), Berkeley, U of Arizona, and his current #1 choice, Arizona State. Where will he end up? Tune in next year!

Mary celebrated her tenth anniversary with American Bankruptcy Institute this year, and accompanied Sarah on her Girl Scout troop's visit to New York City in the fall. Eric remains in Finance Division at the FBI, although at the end of the year is beginning a six-month rotation to work temporarily in Procurement instead of Budget, a new adventure. In the summer, he had a much-appreciated chance to spend a week at Harvard Business School, and is pursuing continuing ed into the new year. He's also still drumming, with Refresh at Sydenstricker UMC as well as with LifeSign at Burke UMC, loving every minute. This year he also began serving as the Chaplain of Boy Scout Troop 688, and will have a chance next summer to take a long walk in the desert with David--they both will be part of a dozen-strong crew hiking Philmont.

As 2014 fades, we hope it's been a good year for you and your family, and we pray for the light of the season to guide you throughout the new year. Join us here throughout 2015 for more of our adventures, and be sure to share your own--and stay in touch! We very much enjoyed the visits we had this year from Courtney, Naomi, Monica, Mom & Dad Tarrier, and many others…come back again!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2015 from us all!