700 Steps & 7 Miles

June 28, 2013 julie

OK, not exactly sure how many steps it takes for me to walk from my office to my parking garage but I love every step! And the seven miles accurately describes my commute from work to our new home.

I don’t mean to gloat but I’ve had an absolutely fabulous work week. Things are progressing nicely on our home and just as quickly things are progressing in my career. A study came out this week that said that 70% of Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs. As I walked to my car last night, I realized just how lucky I am to be one of the 30%. I love what I do and where I work and wanted to share my view of the world through a commute home.

When I leave the office, the friendly security guard who knows me as Glasses because of my funky frames gives me a wave. “You have a good night now Glasses!” It’s sunny and humid in Cambridge but there is always a refreshing breeze off the river. Kayakers are casting off from the dock for an evening cruising the River Charles.

Occasionally I’ll avoid the Longfellow Bridge for a scenic drive through Cambridge and then around to the Callahan Tunnel. Leaving Kendall Square on a summer evening isn’t easy with the farmers market in full swing and live bands performing in Technology Square for tourists, MIT students, and us office workers.

But just 30 seconds away from this hustle and bustle and I’m on the quiet shady streets of Cambridge neighborhoods. The streets are virtually bare of cars but the foot traffic is in full swing as moms take kids to the nearby playgrounds and yuppies ride their bikes home from the grocery store.

I tap the brakes past this church, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, every time. It’s a grand and detailed building with lively flamingo red doors nestled among the old row houses and shingled multi-families.

Through the Callahan Tunnel and over the Belle Isle Bridge I arrive in Winthrop. By the yacht club, I look back on the town I just left knowing how lucky I am to love what I do but also love what I come home to every night.

Are you one of the 30% who love their jobs? If not, please don’t waste a minute!

Stairway to Heaven

June 27, 2013 julie

Remember this?

This staircase has so much potential. Especially this lovely newel. Yes, newel. That’s a new word in my vocabulary. Did you know these central poles on a staircase are called newels?

We believe this staircase and the lovely newels are original to the house. They just happen to have about 50 layers of paint on them. But a heat gun should do the trick. As for the stairs, they are not salvageable. We knew pretty early on we’d have to replace every tread. But after that, we hope to have a grand staircase with dark wood treads and banisters and bright white risers and NEWELS!

Something like…

Painting USA

June 26, 2013 julie

With dry plaster on the walls the next step is a whole lotta priming and painting! Per usual, we’re doing this ourselves. But painting every room of a three story house could make us professionals. We’ve already got a rhythm with Jared rolling and me cutting in around any edges.

To make life a little easier, Jared purchased a Wagner Cordless Roller and we love it. The long handle helps with our high ceilings and doubles as large-capacity tube where the paint is stored. With just a push of a button, the tube sends paint into the roller for a smooth and continuous paint flow. If this was an infomercial, this is when they’d show people breaking their backs bending over to load paint on their old-fashioned rollers. Ouch! But not with the turbo roller!

The cleaning process is a bit of a, well, process but we think the benefit is there. It does save time and our backs!

Disclosure: This review is not sponsored by Wagner. I have no material relationship to any brand or person mentioned in this blog.

Come & Knock on Our Door…

1 Comment June 25, 2013 julie

…we’ve been waiting for you! Another song title blog post now stuck in your head. You’re welcome.

Anyways… this past weekend we went door shopping. It’s kind of an odd thing to feel so strongly about but Jared and I were dead set on a couple of things when it came to our interior doors.

Jared must have solid core doors. He had some terrible things to say about hollow core doors. Like f-bombs and everything. I almost felt bad for the hollow core doors after a while.
Julie hates six panel doors. I wanted nothing to do with them. And they were everywhere! Looking all ridiculous with their six panels! A four panel or two panel looked so much more casual and unpretentious. Yes, I just called six panel doors snobs.
Jared and Julie both want to paint our interior doors black. This got some serious backlash from a certain Aunt on Saturday night but she might be coming around!

Here’s my thing with the black doors. I know that most homes have stained wooden doors and a lot of new construction have white doors but trust me on the black door thing! It’s a rich, bold look. The bedroom and bathroom doors can be white on the inside but look at the impact a hall has with all black doors.

And these are the actual doors we purchased. Pre-primed ready for some black paint!

Getting Plastered!

1 Comment June 24, 2013 julie

Every night last week felt like Christmas morning. I would leave the office and race to the house knowing that a transformation was waiting there for me. Room by room, our walls were getting plastered. White, smooth, beautiful plaster!

If you thought insulation and blue board was exciting, check out this fabulous phase. Per usual, these are the same views day one, after demo, with insulation, and today.

View in Living Room looking into Dining Room