progress report: week 25
Ok, maybe I won’t give up the weekly progress reports just yet. I think our to-do list is still random enough.
1. Backtracking a bit – here’s the recap on our lyptus butcherblock:
Our lyptus came as a 25″x144″ piece. We discovered that biscuiting together two pieces would be significantly cheaper than buying one slab. Not wanting to take any risks on the strength of the connection, Kyle did two rows of staggered joints.
…then we clamped the crap out of it. (These clamps belonged to Kyle’s late grandfather. I’m sure he’d be happy to see them put to good use.)
After the glue dried, we cut the slab to size and sanded the cut edges. The material came pre-finished, but we bought some extra finish for the edges.
2. After our silestone counters and backsplash were installed, it was time for some finish electrical work. Below is Kyle’s greatest electrical accomplishment to date – a 5-gang!
It was a success…besides installing the outlet upside down.
3. Our range has been installed and functional for over a week but we couldn’t fire up the gas cooktop without our 900 cfm Vent-a-Hood (it has a Magic Lung people, I have been looking forward to the day when we would finally have a venthood that did not filter the air through a 20-year old mesh and then back into my face)! This proved to be a little bit more cumbersome than we expected (IKEA and Vent-a-Hood, please coordinate your fastener locations so they’re not in the exact same place!).
Done! There’s still a lot missing on this wall, like a backsplash at the range, the custom open shelving, and another steel ledge. In due time.
And what about this sexy Seiho vent! Complete with bugscreen and raincap, it’s the big sister to the dryer vent we installed last year.
4. I may have shed a tear when the faucet and sink went in. The Grohe faucet is solid and elegant and the Kraus sink is gloriously deep. Not only can I actually fit pots and pans in it, but I can hide at least a week’s worth of dirty dishes (but you know I won’t)!
5. In IKEA news, we’ve installed a whopping 6 drawers! We’ve been really impressed with the IKEA drawer hardware so far. Then again, it’s been 4+ years since we’ve had drawers so the concept itself is pretty awesome.
6. Finally, we spent part of our anniversary furniture shopping. It was, for the most part, a success. Pieces were re-evaluated, decisions were narrowed, but by the 6th store…we were tired and I was giving Kyle the stank eye on everything he pointed out. Except for that giant Z from an old sign. We need that. Last night, we did some mock-up space planning to figure out what size couch and coffee table to get. This is more or less what we’re thinking…just imagine a sectional in a brown felt and a white lacquer coffee table. Oh, and those IKEA ex-cafeteria chairs that we bought in the as-is section for $10 each? Eames, LCW lounge chairs in natural cherry. Someday. IKEA for now.
We also picked up a new piece of art on Saturday. More on that later this week – though I must warn you, the bird theme continues.
five years
Yesterday, Kyle and I celebrated our five-year wedding anniversary!
We were married at the Tulsa Garden Center – an early 20th century villa built in the middle of Woodward Park. Look how young Kyle looks!
We designed and made our invitations and programs. It took forever to cut all those slits and thread the ribbon through, but we’re glad we did it.
Our color scheme was blue and brown. Our cake was amazing. We bucked tradition and went chocolate all the way.
[I love this photo because we are completely hamming it up.] I wore a Monique L’huillier dress. A few months after the wedding, I sold it on ebay so we could start saving for a house.
Married! The next day we flew back to Seattle and then were off to Kauai for a week. It was on our honeymoon that we decided to start saving up for a house. I’m sure we were swept up in the romantic notions of a cute little house to call our own. A year later, we closed on our fixer – a cute little house that needed a whole lotta love.
[All photos were taken by John Lew Photography.]
birthday loot
In June, I made a “things we like” collage, which also proved to be a good birthday list.
I didn’t know about Heath Ceramics until I moved to the west coast. Now I’m in love….especially with the colors from this year’s summer collection.
This egglfat fruit bowl from Josh Jakus is smart and beautiful. And let’s face it, felt is hot.
I think we’ve developed a reputation amongst our family and friends…I’ll take one of each please! [Except for that one on the lower right.]
I’ve been coveting this Seattle neighborhoods print for a couple of years now. We’re not quite sure if we’ll frame it or mount it, but I can’t wait to find it a good home!
Ok, so this isn’t a birthday gift, but I was on a box-opening roll.
This Saturday, we will celebrate our five-year wedding anniversary. The traditional gift for 5 years is wood.
You see…the Eames house bird is made of alder wood.
Well hello friend. Welcome to chezerbey. [Is it strange that I find real birds kinda creepy but have an affection for abstract birds?]
Thanks to my sweet husband, friends and family for the great gifts…here’s to 30!
30th birthday
Phew. It’s been a whirlwind last couple of weeks but we got the house finished (enough), made multiple trips to and from the airport and had a big 30th birthday party on Saturday night. We just dropped the last sister off for her red-eye back to D.C. and the house is quiet again. There is a pile of wrapping paper on the floor, blankets and pillows stacked up on the couch and a sink full of dishes that need to be washed. And it’s great – it finally feels like a home. We have lots more photos to share, but here are a few from Saturday night.
My sisters pulled together and made most of the food for the party. As the four of us stood around the new island talking and prepping, I couldnt’ help but think, this is what it’s all about. This is why we wanted an open, inviting kitchen with a big work surface. I think we all envision pretty “after” pictures with every piece of fruit perfectly staged, but I sorta love this version too.
So we don’t have the flooring in and the cabinets aren’t finished, but that didn’t stop everyone from having a good time. [And thanks to the intermittent heavy rain, we fit about 30 people in our house – another first for sure!]
Kyle thoughtfully moved the cake as far away from the smoke detector as possible. Fortunately, I got them all in one breath.
Two thumbs up for sorta kinda meeting our deadline. We’ll have a proper housewarming event when it’s all done. I think it will be a Christmas party.
Speaking of, we still have lots to do but I’m thinking of transitioning away from the weekly progress reports. Since our remaining tasks will likely be tackled on a project by project basis (barn doors, loft ladder, flooring, etc.) I’d like to do specific posts that go from start to finish within a single post. What? You were getting tired of posts about electrical work? Yeah, us too. Bring on the fun stuff!
progress report: week 23
We went to bed after 1:00 last night but things are coming together! Here are a few quick photos…have a great week!
Hang in there, Bailey. We’re almost there.
