I hid out strolled leisurely through Walmart tonight picking up beverages and snacks for the moving crew that will be spending the next couple of days unloading our household goods from England. We closed on our new house last week which makes three homes and three hotels in the past two months.  Soon as we got the keys in hand we began an ambitious run of renovations and DIY work trying to get done anything easier to do when the house was empty. 

That makes a girl tired.

So yes, Walmart. For an hour I just walked around.  Slowly. By myself.  With nothing to clean/paint/move.  Nice.  Very nice. : ) 

What follows is just a highlight reel because it's 11pm and that aforementioned truck will be arriving in 9hrs.  

First there was a freak snow. Though we don't mind freak snows when they stick around just long enough for a photo op and then promptly temps return to the 60s.  East coasters, my apologies.  Sincerely!

Brothers.  Near and far. 

 

Then came the keys, the keys to the most awesome kitchen I have ever had. 

Ever.

 

We looked at what felt like a hundred houses.  Many had gorgeous interiors and postage stamp yards.  Some had funky interiors and large but treeless yards.  One by one they left us cold and there was a last minute search for rentals, none of which was handicapped accessible nor took pets. In the end we found this fabulous neighborhood begun in the 60's and added to over the next 50years.  Trees, hills, and an array of homes, none of which looked alike.  Some old, some new.  Ours is more one than the other but it had great bones and the major systems were solid and updated. It felt like home. 

 

The views that sold us… 

 And the exploring that followed.

 

and the most awesome kitchen was next to the not awesome 90's wallpaper AND stencil job.  The stencil from hell basically that climbed down onto wallpaper, over trim, and up onto the ceiling.  

Why?  Really?

 

There has been a lot of painting.  Miles of masking tape.  

Maybe I exaggerate.  It just seemed that way. Gah, I need a manicure.  My nails are embedded with spackling compound.  Gross.  Sorry.

I have a clicker.  'Cause I have a garage.  First one since 2002. Which was one of the few we have ever had.  

And the world's most awesome kitchen sits above possibly the world's most hideous family room fireplace.  The 80's, people.  It was not kind.  As late as 2007 (per my resurrected reno mag) Better Homes and Gardens asserted that "a wall of mirrors reflects light and doubles the square footage of the room." 

 

To borrow another 80s/90s bit of advice….

 

 

So we have just embarked on quite the adventure, commuting back and forth to family in Colorado and falling in love with – and updating – a new old house. 

More to follow!