I have made banners to add seasonal sparkle and put up lights at Christmastime in an effort to feather my nest and make it look fabulous.
Oh ~ but there was a time when things weren't so pretty around here.
It was just about three years ago. The kitchen was clean, the pillows were fluffed and then it happened.
Yikes.
I think I had about three followers when I wrote that post. I stumbled upon it last week, reread it and really feel that it's worth sharing again.
It's called Nuts and Bolts and I really hope you'll click on over to check it out and weigh in on the topic. I was sitting at home that day feeling like Diane Keaton in Baby Boom...and not in the good scenes!
I think it's one that we can all relate to!!
But I'll let you be the judge of that! 😉
Posts featured in collage above:
Elegant Wooden Frame Art
Bargain Basement Redo
Stenciled Rooster Pillows
How To Add Fabric To Glass Panels
Your House Is Frowning
Black And White And Red All Over
Book Page Magazine Hanger
DIY Screened In Porch
Picture Frame Ideas
I am guilty of that. I have no interest in plumbing or electricity and resent the money spent on repairs while I'll happily spend that and more on pretty impractical things :-)
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
I'm right there with you, Amalia. I am all about the pretty!! Although running water is nice, too! ;)
DeleteLol! The only times I HAVEN'T liked running water: 1. The time the washing machine broke and I was ankle deep in water. Floor, wall and washing machine repairs. 2. Hurricane damage to the roof. Had water running down the walls INSIDE the house! Shudder....many repairs. 3. Drainage hose to dishwasher breaking.....while it was in the draining portion of the cycle. Cabinets, floor and dishwasher repairs.
DeleteOn the other hand, while I wasn't excited to pay to repair the leaking water main, the busted water main or the broken water heater.....I was delighted to have water that ran instead of crawled, water that ran into the house at all and water that was HOT as opposed to not!
That is a lot of water damage, Kim. I am so sorry. Here's to dry days and water that stays where it's supposed to!
DeleteI can totally relate to your "nuts & bolts" post because we too live in a 1920's house. Oh, the things we have had to do over the years that no one sees. But, one of them turned out positive.
ReplyDeleteOur driveway had a major crack and it looked like two pieces of concrete might crack open. Steve looked into the hole and saw that it was hollow. It turns out that someone had simply concreted over the old cesspool. We had to put in a new driveway, but I said, "if we are digging up the driveway then the washer/dryer and water heater can be moved to the garage. That change set off a HUGE domino effect, but it meant that our entry no longer had the washer/dryer and water heater. Walls were knocked down and our entire house changed.
I agree, Carol, there were a lot of changes made around here simply because we were already in the thick of repairing something structural. Silver lining, for sure!! :)
DeleteYeah,buddy. Story of my life.....about the time I have saved up enough money to do the fun thing, the exciting thing, the thing that is gonna make me break into song every time I see it thing.....that's when some THING in, on top of, underneath or around my house decides to leak, implode, explode, fall apart or quit working for no apparent reason. I swear my house is sentient and it looks through my bank account after I fall asleep at night and it knows EXACTLY when to break something that's going to cost 10% more than what I've saved up for the make me break into song thing.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing, isn't it, Kim? We have been there SO many, many times. It's so frustrating...and just when I think we are done...we have replaced or repaired everything in the house, boom, something else goes!
DeleteI knew it!!!! Baby Boom is MY ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIE, TOO!!!!! Well, non-holiday....but that's a separate genre!! We are kindred spirits without a doubt!!!!! I love that last scene where the baby is sitting in the sunshine by those glorious windows.....sigh
ReplyDeleteHa! We are kindred spirits!! Although you’re the better cook!! :) WAY better!
DeleteGreat post, and boy can I relate living in an 1870 home! I have been watching too much Fixer Upper and Flip or Flop on HGTV where there are always issues and I fear for my own home's underwear!! For now I am just blindly fixing up the cosmetic stuff until the next major issue comes along. What can I do about a sinking house anyways???!!!
ReplyDeleteA sinking house?? Yikes! That sounds like a very expensive (and not at all pretty) problem!!
Deleteohmygosh
ReplyDeletewhere to start!
thoughts are tumbling.
my favorite scene too! and to awaken in the office of the handsome vet!!! ♥♥ loved that movie. every single bit of it. I OWN IT! LOLOL
and
who in her right mind gets rid of a palladian window??? sorry! even if she is your sister.
but how LUCKY could you get? it's simply magnificent! I love that it gives such grandeur and light to your adorable little cottage.
I could ooh and ahhh til the cows come home!
It's a funny movie, Tammy. I don't own it, but I watch it whenever it's on...and laugh just as hard as I did the first time I saw it. I was lucky to get that window. It was out of our budget if we had to purchase it new. My sister actually had a few of them and when they added on to their home the new roofline did not accommodate them. Several people, including me, got a lovely gift!! Rest assured, she got a wall full of windows that faced the water, so her view was still fabulous. Win -win for everyone!! :)
Deleteoh. that makes sense. and makes me feel better. LOL.
ReplyDeletegoing now to read each on your list of links. didn't have time this morning.
there is so much I loved in that last go round... the saving of the little frog from his beloved grandmother... how she would LOVE seeing what he did to make a home for it...
I think your home is wonderful in every way. a labor of love for sure. and so beautiful.
ok. off now to enjoy more of exquisitely unremarkable (but truly remarkable.) LOLOL! xo♥
:) Thanks Tammy!!
DeleteOh yes, as a home owner, I can certainly relate! While our home isn't as old as yours (ours is about 28 years old), we've poured a ton of money into this house already...roof, soffits, gutters, water heater, exterior and interior doors, lots of plumbing issues, well issues (we have a private well), windows, floors, driveway and sidewalks, on and on. Right now we desperately need a new furnace and AC (we still have the original units of the house!), a few more new windows, new front porch, new shower and bathtub, etc. Between all these expenses and our high property taxes, plus the horrible housing market, sometimes I wonder if we would've been better off renting.
ReplyDeleteRight there with you, Melanie...especially now since we've been here almost fifteen years and it's almost time to redo a lot of it again!! Grrr.
DeleteHubster says I have a certain tone to my voice when I yell for help as opposed to just yelling!:^) We live in a 1950's house, so I guess he has heard "the tone" often enough to know!
ReplyDeleteGreat post....both times!
Blessings,
J
Thanks J! Yes, I have that tone, too!! These old houses seem to "burst" at the most unexpected moments!! :)
DeleteThat is so true!
ReplyDeleteIt is important to keep these things updated. My husband does septic inspections and some of the systems he inspects have never been pumped or updated! Its a real mess!
I'm with you though, I'd rather have pretty purchases than the hidden ones!
Deanna, we had to get a new cesspool, too, thankfully before we had a problem!! We had it inspected when we moved in and it was basically stone pressed into a hole from the 20's...not safe. I did not want to invest money into (a literal) hole in the ground, but it was a necessity. I do agree though, pretty is way more fun!! :)
DeleteWe live ina realatively new house Kim but we have so many earthquakes it is falling apart. You never know when the next big one will hit. Actually a year before we moved here there was a really big one and it practically totaled the town. We were lucky that our house wasn't finished at that point and the pressure from the quake wewnt right through it. So yes, having good bones is sooo important.
ReplyDeleteEarthquakes?? Oh yikes, Mary!! You are one brave lady. I am not sure I could live in an area like that!!
DeleteHey Kim! Been there, done that...pipe broke in the bathroom..we had water gushing everywhere with NO TURN OFF IN THE HOUSE!!! The city had to come and shut our water off at the street because the idiots that built the house didn't even put a shut off anywhere---not on a sink, or a toilet, or a water main. It WRECKED some of our flooring.
ReplyDeleteI do think the most important money you spend is on what you can't see often (sadly). lol
Just think- now you have a 'fixed' fixer-upper and a PRETTY home, to boot! xo Diana
Wow Diana, that sounds like a nightmare and very bad planning on the original homeowner's part!! Yikes!
DeleteOh my something like that happened at my son's house a few months ago...they were running the dishwasher and everything backed up and it flooded / had to get new flooring ( insurance took care of it ) but in the end it was due to some scrubby-thing that the garbage disposal had sucked down and couldn't eat :)
ReplyDeleteI continue to be amazed at what a garbage disposal considers a proper meal to be. The potatoes peelings? Nope. Upset it's delicate digestion and it threw up everywhere. My nice olive wood spatula? Loved it! Chomped it right up and begged for more. Sigh.
DeleteDisposals are not allowed in my town and while I always wanted one, now I am kind of glad I can't!!
DeleteNuts, bolts, screws, hammers and a good workman are always what is needed in a home.
ReplyDeleteThen someone like you to make the decoration and colour theme wonderful.
All the best Jan
A good workman is the best!! I agree, Jan!! :)
DeleteWe have never done re-model since we live in a parsonage. However someday we shall get a place of our own. I can not imagine my husband being handy or enjoying any projects. I do admire those that can do a lot to transform a home into a beautiful place to live.
ReplyDeleteAngela, my girlfriend has lived in a parsonage all of her married life, too. Recently, they purchased a small condo in a beach town for when they retire and they are embracing the DIY projects! It's new to them and has become a hobby since now they own the place! :)
DeleteHi Kim!
ReplyDeleteDo I have a story! In our last home, the day after Christmas the hot water heater that was in the attic above our formal living room malfunctioned and water began pouring out of the ceiling onto our Christmas Tree! The ceiling literally fell out-we were like chicken little saying the sky is falling!
I enjoyed your story and all the tales these other ladies shared!
Thank you for joining us at Thoughts Of Home On Thursday!
I hope your weather is feeling like Spring today:)
Oh no, Jemma!! What a total nightmare...and at Christmastime! What a mess. I guess it happens to everyone! Boo.
DeleteOh I SO relate! Your post is such a good addition to Thoughts of Home on Thursday. Thank you SO much for sharing the joy.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend!
Thanks so much, Laura!!
Delete