The kittens are getting bigger

Not only did Steven clean the slate patio, but he also took the table to pieces and cleaned that, too. Of course, no sooner done than the kittens wanted to check it out.

At least Maya did, Hermes was more interested in the trees.

Power washing chore sparks kitchen design idea

concentrated power washing
Originally uploaded by modernemama

It's that hot, humid time of year when the algae grows like crazy and the beautiful slate patio looks like a mossy lawn.
Steven got the power washer working properly for the first time this year and boy did that green gunge fly off. Unfortunately so did a lot of mortar, too. *Sigh*. You know, it would be really nice to do a job and not cause another little problem by doing that job. Just once.
So next week we plan to spend the holiday weekend power washing the front path, the back patio, the brick path and pool area. Then we'll take that big bag of mortar we have left over from the barbeque project and re-grout the slabs in place.
Just maintenance, not exciting but it has to be done. The benefit is we can see how gorgeous the stone really is. Which led me to a little thought: When we renovate the kitchen, should we put slate like this on the floor to bring the outside in?

How much damage can water do?

DSCF0055
Originally uploaded by modernemama

I feel bad even writing about this, given the amount of flood damage that people in the mid-west are experiencing, but I'm getting increasingly frustrated at the mysterious pool of water that collects under the kitchen sink.
This has been going on for the last three years ,and the last time we said we'd rip out the kitchen sink if it happened again. Well, we're not in a position to do that so I'm sucking it up. Again. (Not literally).
Here's the thing: It's not there all the time, I check for puddles under there regularly; it's not caused by drips from the wastepipe, or from the faucets; we had new lines put in when the dishwasher was replaced last year and they are fine, too. And here's the other thing: The water under the sink is clear. I found this out because we'd put a roll of kitchen towel under there and while it was wet through, it was clean. But it's still water, and that in itself is damaging enough, especially to laminated cabinets.
And of course there is the damage to my psyche. It is driving me nuts. I have to know: Where in the world is that pool of clean water coming from?

Beach car

Just to prove that our trials aren't limited to things going wrong with the house, my Jeep decided to choose to today to test me, too.

It's rainy and coldish and I have to run to the vet with the kittens tomorrow so I decided to put the soft top back on and zip in the windows. I think that was my mistake. When I'd washed the grime off my hands and filed down the nails I broke struggling with the zippers I tried to start the car and it hiccoughed twice, beeped and flashed the interior light forlornly. Then, nothing.

Luckily we have AAA and more luckily it only took twenty minutes for the guy to turn up and even more luckily I was watching for him and saw him driving into the front drive so I was able to sprint across the lawn before he drove off, unable to locate a black Jeep on the property. This has happened before, even when I explained there are two driveways, one to the garages and one to the front door. It pays to keep your running shoes on so you can chase them up the road waving and yelling like a crazy person and direct them to the right entrance. As I was on my way to the gym when the saga started I was dressed appropriately.

The guy gave me a jump start and left me to reverse the car out of the garage so I could charge up the battery. I got two feet back before the car died and I had to leap out of the car and chase the guy down the road, waving and yelling like a crazy person. To cut a long story short, the battery was dead and I spent this afternoon waiting for a replacement because they don't keep that type of spare battery on the truck.

I swear the Jeep only did this because it's a beach car, happiest with its top down and doors off. It didn't like being smothered in its rain gear. Either that or there is a conspiracy to drive me nuts and the house and the car are in it together.

Being jacked around

I spent a very frustrating hour this afternoon trying to glue two telephone sockets back on the wall. Sockets we never use because we have cordless phones, which Steven has told me just to cut off at the wall. But if I cut the phone wire I will be left with lovely holes in the skirting boards (baseboard). And not tiny holes either but miniature mouseholes, like the ones in the Tom and Jerry cartoons.
Every room in the house has a phone jack, and judging from the tangle of wires in the basement, there were at least six lines going into the house at one point. The electrician said he had only ever seen this system in offices, never in a residential home. There were also UHF and VHF TV cables in all the rooms, too. I imagine everyone lived there own lives and came together just for meals. Maybe.
Anyway, the new kittens, being stronger than they look and always up for some mischief, managed to pull the jacks in our room and the bamboo room clean off the walls. It looks as though these have been re-glued several times before, I'm sure I remember doing it myself once, but despite my best efforts with Gorilla glue and weights to secure them to the wall while the adhesive dried, they just refused to stick.
Now I'm left with a couple of options: chop off the wires and replace the sections of board with the holes in; try a stronger glue and hold them to the wall for 24 hours. Neither of these is very appealing.
Or I suppose I could try Velcro?

Shady shopping

Is it my imagination or has it suddenly got a whole lot easier to find clean, modern soft furnishings in the US? Three or four years ago I had terrible trouble trying to find something sleek to keep the early morning sun out of my eyes before I'd had my daily infusion of caffeine. I even made Steven carry two 6' roller blinds from Habitat in London, England back to New York because I couldn't find anything here. Customs at JFK sarkily informed him that they did sell blinds in NY and, while that was true, at that time they were all vinyl or frilly. Now, though, I have a ton of resources to look at, from relatively cheap to astronomical.
I don't actually need any new blinds or shades at the moment but if I did I would definitely check out this modern roller blind at The Shade Store. I always have a hard time picking upholstery and fabric on line because the colours can't be accurately displayed but the great thing for me is that I can visit their showroom at The Conran Shop in Manhattan and see the merchandise close up. Some of the things that Conran sells are pretty expensive, although I've had quite a few bargains there over the years, but the wood blinds seem to be slightly cheaper than the one I bought for the downstairs bath, and the designer hardware seems reasonable too.

From blue to green

Fern shade
Originally uploaded by modernemama

We got the last shade up today. A much easier job than the rust shade in Steven's office. To determine the exact height for the cord in that room we had to utilise a very precise measuring device. Steven needed to be able to walk under the lamp without hitting his head. As he is 6' 2', the shade is 14" long and the ceiling 8' high we knew we didn't have much room for error. Rather than use a rule, which we didn't have in the room at the time, we improvised. It appears that I am a screwdriver length shorter than he is. So he held the shade in the approximate position and I held the screwdriver on my head and walked under the shade until we got it right. And we did, with millimeters to spare.
This time it was just easy, cut the cord, trim, attach. Perfect. This the spare bedroom with the new Eden pendant shade form CB2, nifty, no? White, sand and green, very soothing.
A little look back at the way things were:
This is the room with the dingy lucite and plastic shade. Everything else is new: windows, floors and paint. We call it the fern bedroom after the pattern on the curtains.



This is the bedroom as it was when we moved in three years ago, we originally called it the blue room after the shag carpet. The windowless wall was covered in faux paneling, and the awning window was fogged, making it very dark. It's much lighter now.

Crowning glory

Rust pendant shade
Originally uploaded by modernemama

As long as Steven doesn't choose to tiptoe through his office in stiletto heels and a tiara he'll clear this new pendant shade by a hair's breadth.
He's always wanted a touch of red in this room, although this is on the rust side it goes well. Now I have to cover his office chair in a toning color. Any suggestions?

Tidying up

No renovation, no demolition, no construction, no new purchases. Man this is going to be boring. I mean, seriously, what does that leave?
I decided it left those chores I've been putting off forever because I thought they needed an extra pair of hands. Turns out I could do it all by myself.
I started by throwing out the 10 year old Dell we bought from Belgium as no-one had used it in over a year. Then I fixed the hinge on the desk in Steven's office, moved his desk around so it's L-shaped rather than straight, cleaned the dust off it, kicked some filing boxes into his cupboard and washed the floor. Hurray for me. I think it looks better and will be more efficient, but it's not my space.
So if you're reading this dear, I rearranged your office space. And now can you put up that pendant shade I bought the other week?

Three Year Anniversary

With all the visitors this summer we totally forgot our three year anniversary on June 29th. That's three years we've been in the house, not the time we've been together. That is much, much longer.
So a little late, just like the remodel process, I've been looking back over the past twelve months, taking stock of the progress. Last year, our second year here, I wrote out a long list of things we'd done renovation-wise, and what we still had to do. Looking back on it now it seems I was a little optimistic, we haven't accomplished any of the things we set out to do this year.
Well maybe one: we replaced the window in the boys' bath; and oh yeah, we also replaced the glass in the back door. We did tackle a couple of things off the 2008 list, at least partially: we bought new appliances for the laundry, tore out the rotted cabinets and painted the space. We also replaced the gate and mended some fences from the 2009 list but we'll need to replace most of the fencing sometime. Continuing the outside projects, we decided it wasn't worth replacing the doors on the barbecue given the state of it and we demolished it. Then we put 3 Bluestone flags on the base and bought a new barbecue to sit on there. We pulled off the door on the pool bar and left it as an opening - great for trash now, maybe one day we can fit an outdoor fridge in there (in my dreams).
Of course the big ticket renovations this year were dictated by the leaks in the plumbing: the boys' bath, the girls' bath and the downstairs bath. Astute readers will have seen that there was no previous mention of these projects on our lists. That's because we weren't planning to do them at all and that, my friends, is where the best laid plans of the Vineyard Rd renovation go awry. Something crops up, maintenance becomes renovation and before you know it the budget and the timeline have taken on a life of their own.

Early morning flowers

hibiscus
Originally uploaded by modernemama

A violent rainstorm woke us at 4 AM but it didn't knock the flowers off the hibiscus on the kitchen porch.

70s wall art

The last of the decorative items I've purchased recently arrived this morning. This cool 70s burnt copper and brass sculpture came from Canada via ebay and looks much cooler than the African mask I had there before.
I found a new space for the mask in my office, where the blue wood stands out much better against my yellow walls. He's looking down on me, making sure I don't slack off too much. Or spend any more money.

More lamps

Continuing the search to update the pendant lights in the bedrroms, I found this modern Eden lamp in fern green from CB2, which will appropriately enough, go in the fern bedroom.
And to appease Steven I also got a rust pendant light for his office to replace the Ikea light in there that he hates, on sale even, for $29.95. I only hope it isn't too large for the space.
Now all the bedrooms have pendant lights and we can move on to choosing some table lamps for the bedside cabinets...

The Vanderbilt Mansion, Centerport, NY

Screen porch
Originally uploaded by modernemama

Steven contemplating how much the maintenance is on the Vanderbilt's Long Island residence. And imagining his yacht, The Alva, docked out on the Sound.

Mibo Lulworth lampshade

Mibo Lulworth lampshade
Originally uploaded by modernemama

All it took was a simple dish of garlic fried in hot anchovy oil, added to Tagliatelle with the contents of the jar of anchovies in chili oil, served with a green salad. A really easy supper and Steven was more than happy to put up the Mibo pendant light in Verity's room.
And he didn't even mention the cost!

It's a different part of the budget, dear

A stream of delivery men have come and gone today leaving me cool and necessary items. Nothing renovation related, mind you, that part of the budget is closed for the remainder of the year. No, these are decorative items and decoration, as everyone knows, has absolutely nothing to do with construction or demolition.
Creative economics or semantics this may be, but it's how I will be accounting for it when Steven comes home and though wowed by the new pendant light in the bedroom, asks me where the money came from!
I'll need to be a little conciliatory because I want him to help me install the shade tonight before our gusts arrive tomorrow. I've been looking for nice shades since I bought this one at the Conran Shop a while ago. It was a really reasonable $49 and not surprisingly they sold out quickly and never restocked. That meant two bedrooms had their original plastic lights, which I like, but no amount of cleaning will change their dingy grey colour so it was definitely time for a change.
Then I saw this gorgeous Lulworth lamp from Mibo at Design Public that will go perfectly in Verity's room.
We also needed a new duvet cover and I got a cool grey one from CB2, which is now sold out, so no picture until I make up the bed.
The last delivery and the most important, was three cases of espresso coffee pods from our local supplier. Like everything else these pods have been going up in price, but it's my habit and I need my daily fix. Now, if I make Steven a nice espresso before I show him my new purchases do you think he'll be in a more receptive mood?

Sometimes I wish I lived in Europe

Not often, but when Heal's send me their newsletter and it contains gems like the Twigs Bronze Shade for a very reasonable 16 GBP, which is approx $33 today, and that including tax, I get a little homesick. At least for classic, modern design.

Reviewing the weekend

This turned out to be an unforgettable weekend. Not only were we able to tick off all the chores on the list but as it totally poured down all afternoon we took a well-earned nap. Steven reminded me that, in addition to all the other chores he completed this weekend, he also removed the wasps nest from the hemlock nearest the kitchen (he sprayed it with the stuff we use on the carpenter bees and it crashed down, mercifully not unleashing a swarm of angry wasps) and climbed up on the roof to clear the gutters.
One of the neat things about the design of the roofs on this house is that it's relatively easy to climb on them and then you can sit on the edge and clear the gutters with the aid of a stick and a black plastic sack. It was just as well he cleared them because the one under the balsa tree was so blocked with leaves and tiny seeds that the rain would simply have bounced off the gutter and cascaded down the side of the house.
I completed a very successful weekend by placing the winning bid on ebay



for this mid-century wall sculpture, that I will hang on the chimney breast in the great room in place of the mask.



If you think the photo is a lot sharper than my usual efforts, that's because film maker Jake Gorst was here on Friday to look at his grandfather, Andrew Geller's work and he took a few photos, too. Like I said, it was a really memorable weekend.

Sunday morning

Should be for lazying around, drinking coffee and reading the paper. One day maybe it will be but for the moment it is when we try to get all the chores done.
On today's list: re-align hinges on another tall kitchen cabinet; install hardware in downstairs bath; mortar three bluestone paving slabs on the old barbeque base.
Chore one went without a hitch. Chore two hit a snag when we realised that one screw holding the old towel bar on the tile had had its head stripped and would not come off. We'll leave it for now and make do with the old towel rail that matches the mirror. If we ever do a re-tile or beadboard job in there we can install the new one then. We did get the toilet roll holder on the vanity without a hassle, though and it looks very smart.
Chore three started to go bad when Steven realised he had badly underestimated the amount of mortar he needed and blamed me for not accompanying him to Home Depot to get the stuff. He had to apologise when he decided this made him look a) incapable and b) grumpy, but that cost us half an hour or so. We made a run to the Depot together, collected an 80lb bag of mortar and then broke for lunch.
Despite the increasingly grey skies, and the weather forecast predicting thunderstorms, Steven declared he wouldn't recommence work outside until he had got the results of the Tour de France - on TV. He could have had them on the web anytime but no, it had to be on the TV, right now, this minute. I did point out that he was probably the only person left who was still interested in this year's race, but that failed to move him, so I waited patiently (ahem) until all the men in spandex had received their bouquets of flowers and we ran outside just as the first claps of thunder started.
Luckily all the prep work paid off and fifteen minutes later we had three 2' sq flagstones laid perfectly level. Steve covered his beautiful work with contractors sacks to keep it dry, I cleaned the tools and we made it inside just as the first drops fell.
No pictures yet but it looks pretty neat. I'm not sure what we will do with the base now. We can either use it as a base for the new bbq or for planters. Or we could plant flowers around it and encourage them to grow over the edges. I'm sure we'll think of something.

One door closes

It's been a few weeks since the corner cabinet door fell off its hinges, and for all of this time we have leant it up against the door frame and pretended nothing had happened.
One of our neighbours did ask why it was leaning like that and offered to bang a nail in it for us just so it would be back in position, but I politely declined. It's laminate, and I thought it would crack and look awful. Like a door leaning against the frame doesn't look bad enough?
Today was chore day, though and we thought we'd either have to nail it in or superglue it in place as it was becoming something of an embarrassment and more guests are due next week. We were all lined up with the glue when it became obvious that to close it in position we'd have to take off the hinges. And then it hit me. Why not take off the broken parts, put the good parts back at the top and bottom of the door and shut it (hopefully remembering NOT TO OPEN IT AGAIN, EVER). Half an hour later, with the help of another broken piece of another kitchen cabinet (did I mention we need a new kitchen?) the door was securely closed.
Steven is really proud that we managed to do this, but I can't get over the fact that it took us six weeks. Now, nobody breathe near this unit.

Jungle Maya

Maya in the tall plant
Originally uploaded by modernemama

If you're a tiny kitten and you want some peace and quiet away from the big cats and dogs, where would you hang out? On the balcony, ten feet up in the great room, seems like a safe bet.

Cheapest repair ever

espresso
Originally uploaded by modernemama

And the most efficacious. The repair on the FrancisFrancis X1 consisted of a new part: an 82 cent rubber gasket. I got a spare one while I was about it because the postage cost three times that amount and the week we were without an espresso machine was truly trying.

Laundry countertop redone

laundry countertop
Originally uploaded by modernemama

Well it's very clean and bright and I actually don't mind spending time in here now, but I don't yet know how tough it will be. At least it's an improvement on the old formica.
I'm really impatient to put in some new cabinets in here. All it takes is time and money. Unfortunately both of these are in short supply at the moment.

More makeovers

I finally persuaded Steven to put a coat of Benjamin Moore Cloud White on the ceiling and it took him, oh I don't know, maybe 30 minutes to finish. Then he spent two hours in the pool recovering.
I spent that time undergoing a change of my own. I left the house blond and returned a brunette. All this house makeover stuff must have rubbed off on me because it wasn't a planned thing at all.
Today I put the primer on the countertop and tomorrow I'll give it a coat of Rustoleum. If it doesn't work, it's no big deal, it's a temporary thing. The new hair colour, on the other hand, is a keeper.

Finally paid for the bathrooms.

I finally got the bill from the plumber last week. That is the bill for all the work on the three bathrooms, one of which was finished in April, one in May and one on June 22. How many contractors would do that amount of work, including purchasing special order toilets and not even ask for a deposit? And the bill was very fair for all the hours they were here and the anal retentive pickiness we put them through. I showed them the master bath plan last time they were here and they seemed to be looking forward to it. I'll but up with the moaning about my European fixtures to get service this great again.


I also chose and ordered a toilet roll holder and towel bar for the downstairs bath yesterday, which'll mean the work has truly come to a close. Considering we started on November 23, that's not a moment too soon.

When it rains here

July 18 2007
Originally uploaded by modernemama

it really rains. A few weeks ago the Village cleared the land it owns at the corner of Vineyard Rd and laid twelve storms drains. The idea is that the first inch of water, which contains all the pollutants, will be absorbed into this area before it has a chance to reach Long Island Sound.
But it rarely rains a little here. Huntington frequently features on the local news as the town where residents abandon their cars and take to kayaks. three inches is a common amount of rainfall and today we were hit by a serious storm.
The poor drains were overwhelmed and for an hour or so we had a raging torrent 2' wide streaming down Vineyard Rd alongside my property and a big flood on the bend where the road level dips. I don't know if any of the nitrates made it to the bay but the surge sure left a lot of debris behind.

Never miss another call

Although Steven has issued a "the well is dry" notice which effectively precludes any more demolition or construction before January 2008, I am still hunting around for inspiration for the master bathroom renovation. After all, looking costs nothing, right?
While researching bathrooms on HGTV.com I came across this gem:
"Phones in the toilet area are part of the expanding communication technology for baths".
Lovely. Just what you need when you were hoping for a quiet, private moment. If you look at the picture that accompanies this piece of puffery, you can see how well that communication technology blends with this year's decor. Also, not at all unsanitary, is it?

Another one bites the dust

It's been a bad year for appliances on Vineyard Rd.
First to go was my beloved imac, then the Dyson needed a bunch of new parts, followed by the barbeque and of course, the washer and the dryer, and the laundry room fan.
But the latest appliance to throw a hissy fit is the one that really hurts. My trusty FrancisFrancis X1 espresso maker, which was the first thing I bought in the US when we arrived in 2000, decided that the gasket seal had put in enough work ensuring we had a good presion and therefore great crema and shredded itself.
How can I explain my need for three decent cups of espresso a day? For some the staff of life is bread; for me it is coffee. I crave the colour, the aroma and the taste. So when I am forced to make a choice between going without or driving the three miles to the local coffee shop after every meal, I can get a little snippy.
If this disaster had occurred next year it wouldn't have mattered so much as we plan to put in a built-in coffee maker, but we are nowhere near tackling the kitchen yet. So I've left a message with the service department at FrancisFrancis to see if I can get a replacement part. If not, it'll have to be a new machine and quickly before the crankiness really sets in, and I start wearing out, too.

Reflective

First Frost
Originally uploaded by modernemama

I just love this color, First Frost, from Pittsburgh Paints, not only because it's clean but it's also shiny too. Just look at the cat food cans reflected off the wall. (Must hang cabinet for those!).
I still have to paint the old laminate countertop but it already looks a gazillion times better than it did before.

Meltdown averted

iBook G4
Originally uploaded by modernemama

I had an awful morning trying to get my iBook G4 to start. I'd left it sending email last night and when I got to it this morning its screen was blank and it was making a horrible whirring sound.
As I'm still in mourning over the demise of Ruby Red my beloved iMac G3, I was slightly freaking out especially when turning it off and on accomplished nothing, and performing a hard restart resulted in a chime, the noise of the fan and a grey screen.
After that I tried turning it off again and another Shift-Control-Option-Power restart and I got the Apple symbol up and the power wheel but it just stayed like that for hours. I was about to pack it up and trek to the Apple store when it occurred to be to try one last thing: Pressing the C key while holding down the power button.
And it worked. It did take almost fifteen minutes to start up but it's working now. I'm going to be extra nice to it today and not ask it to perform 10 functions at the same time and hopefully it won't let me down again. If it does I foresee a major meltdown in my future.

Maya

Maya
Originally uploaded by modernemama

As cute as a kitten.

Hermes in the bamboo bedroom

Hermes
Originally uploaded by modernemama

Is this the cutest Siamese kitten?

A little mint with your chocolate, anyone?

I took a look in the kitchen cabinets this morning. The fact that we actually have food in them means we have guests and this particular selection can mean only one thing: Verity's home.
Can anyone guess what her favourite ice cream flavour is?

First Frost in High Summer

Voice of Color- First Frost
Originally uploaded by modernemama

While the gusts have gone to Baltimore and DC for a few days I decided to paint the laundry room, a task I have been putting off for a couple of weeks. I used First Frost from Pittsburgh Paints Voice of color range.
It truly wasn't my intention to do this but I'm sure that this is the same color that was on the wallpaper in here in 1970. I think I might have chosen it because subconsciously I'm worried that we are taking too much of the original feel out of the house, but my original intention was to get a clean, reflective tone into a windowless space. This is just the tinted primer so we will have to suspend judgement until the top coat has dried. I'm going to paint the formica countertop while I'm about it. Hopefully the Rustoleum will do as great a job on that as it did in the medicine cabinets in the boys' bath. Those babies look brand new. This will be a temporary fix until we do the kitchen and put in new countertops and cabinets in here as well. But I want a nice space to do the washing in until then.
I've had to stop for today because I took a brushful of primer to the right eye and as we had to use oil-based primer because of the weird stains it took a while to clean it up. And it's nearly martini time.

Finishing Touches but no Fireworks

Smith and Noble 2" wood blind - dark wenge
Originally uploaded by modernemama

As the skies got darker on Independence Day we decided no one was going to get into the pool and we should just get on with a few chores instead. Verity and Steve put up the Smith and Noble 2" wood blind in the downstairs bath. The dark wenge has turned out to be an almost prefect match for the vanity and this bathroom looks totally remodeled now. It lacks only a toilet roll holder to be completely finished.
The rain held off until lunchtime so we managed to get a fair amount of weeding done, too. One brave guest did venture into the pool but it was too cold for anyone else. I barbecued at 5 pm but we ate indoors, and just as we sat down the thunderstorms started. It looks like it has set in for the evening so I guess we won't be walking down to the beach to see the fireworks across the Sound.

Happy BBQ Day

BBQ
Originally uploaded by modernemama

What do you do if you can't get the old barbecue support pipe out of the ground? When you tried disguising it with a sapling and that didn't work? You buy a new bbq and strategically place it in front of the pipe. That'll do for now.

Balcony kitties

Balcony kitties
Originally uploaded by modernemama

They've been hanging out here for a while but they are making their way downstairs now. I took them for a check up today; Maya weighs 2lbs and Hermes 5lbs.
So far they have stood their ground against the other cats and the dogs and even pushed Sadie and Polly away from the dog food so they can get at the dogs' Nutro.

Nemesis

what shall we do with the bbq support?
Originally uploaded by modernemama

The old built-in barbeque is refusing to lie down and accept defeat. So far three of us have had a go at removing it. Verity took out most of it with the sledgehammer, Steven decided to save the bricks and chipped the mortar off the whole ones, I took the sledgehammer to the bottom course and chiseled out the cement between the patio and the bbq base.
But the base itself is a surround of bricks with poured concrete in the middle and right in the centre is the old support for the bbq and gas line, which was cemented into the ground. This obviously went in first, then the brick surround and them the concrete was poured in. The base is 5' long, 2' deep and 6" deep. And it won't budge.
I think the only thing to do is to rent a jackhammer and reduce it to rubble but until then I've lent this Japanese Knotweed seedling that was growing behind the barbecue in front of the pipe. I think it disguises it quite nicely, don't you?

The Unimal

It's a crazy, scary concept but I kind of want one in my kitchen to remind me to keep only real food in there. The Unimal toy was created by H.E. Babcock, professor of farm marketing at Cornell University in the 1920s.

The clip is from Farmboy, a documentary about his son John Babcock. It is directed by Jake Gorst, grandson of Andrew Geller and lead mover to save the modern icon The Pearlroth House, a beach house on the east end of Long Island.

Ready for the summer visitors?

High cabinets
Originally uploaded by modernemama

We all know it's true, S**t or as D. Rumsfeld, would have it, "Stuff" happens.
So the day before the first visitor arrives, the old barbecue has been demolished and a new one has been ordered, and all the bathrooms (except for the master shower, but who cares about that apart form ME?) are functioning. The house has been cleaned from top to bottom and the yard is looking good. We are all set for a relaxing summer, just in the nick of time. When...........
Many months ago, while we were deciding on a timetable for the remaining projects, the far left kitchen cupboard door came off two of its hinges. We managed to get it back in place and agreed not to use that cupboard again. We didn't really need it as we have plenty more space and it was an odd corner cupboard anyway (we used to keep dog food in it but we found another place for that).
In the frenzy to make this place look gorgeous I (it was me, mea culpa) opened the lower door instead of the upper where the vases are kept and the door fell completely off, twisting the remaining hinge in the process. Impossible to re-attach, the hinges have already been re-positioned at least once, impossible to fix into place, and exposing the nasty, old cabinet interior.
Luckily we were just about to leave for a well-earned martini in Huntington, and I couldn't do anything other than laugh about it but today we are now faced with another dilemma. Do we take the door away completely leaving the old dirty white laminate for all to see (think rotten tooth) or leave the door leaning against the cabinet and risk someone (probably me) walking into numerous times each day?
Is there any way we can get the kitchen remodel done by this evening? I mean if Extreme Home Makeover can rebuild an entire house in five days how long would it take to do a kitchen? Seriously, we need help here.

More demo

This time in the yard. The old built-in barbecue finally expired when Steven was slow grilling a pork butt just before we went to Tennessee (we were craving bbq and couldn't wait).
We could have re-pointed the bricks, got new stainless steel doors made and installed a new barbecue unit, but it would have cost $$$$ more than buying a new gas grill so we went the demolition route.
As we believe in making our kids work for their supper, Verity gave a few whacks of the trusty sledgehammer and this is all that was left.

Now all we have to do is choose a new grill.

Downstairs bathroom done

downstairs bathroom
Originally uploaded by modernemama

We're all plumbed in and good to go, only three weeks after the final deadline but importantly two days before the visitors arrive. It's a temporary makeover but it's a big improvement over the 60s suite that was there before.
I do wonder, though, how long it will be before vessel sinks and pillar faucets are considered passé?

Hermes and Maya

Hermes and Maya
Originally uploaded by modernemama

Don't get too used to that hiding place, kitties. It's coming out later today.
These are the latest additions to the household. Maya is the tiny tabby and Hermes el bandito is the Burmese cross with the raccoon eyes.

Quick bathroom makeover

new vanity, backsplash
Originally uploaded by modernemama

Well not really quick, but at least not the six months the other two baths took. We got back from Tennessee to find the tiler had been as good as his word and he'd tiled grouted the backsplash for the new floating vanity.
This is a temporary fix, I'm still sold on the beadboard paneling idea for this room when we completely remodel it in a few years' time. Or maybe glass subway tiles, if they've come up with a better solution to fixing them to the walls by then.
With the mosaic backsplash in place, we noticed one thing immediately about the bathroom wall. If you get up close you can see how the wall is off by about .5" under the window, luckily by placing the vessel sink on the countertop the eye gets distracted and it's no longer obvious. However, when we looked closely above the window to the ceiling, we could see that the wall slopes badly to the left (more like 1"). This wasn't noticeable when the old roller blind was up, so I hope when we put up the new wood blind we'll camouflage this problem as well.

Downstairs Bathroom

The vanity is in, the ceiling has been patched, the old blind is gone. These are the positive things. Yippee.
On the less positive side, the shower has yet to be caulked, the new wood blind won't be here for "two weeks" and the tiling has hit a bit of a snageroo.
Although the tile showroom assured us we could build up the specially modified thinset to make it flush with the existing tiles, they didn't tell us it would take a few attempts, many hours to allow the thinset to set up and the patience of several saints to arrange the glass mosaic, watch it slide off, catch it, wash the thinset off, re-attach it, watch it slide off again and repeat these steps until you just want to rip off all the tiles and replace them with beadboard that you just staple to the walls.
The handy tiler guy says we are not defeated yet and he will attempt to fix it while we are vacationing in Tennessee. If he's successful he'll then grout it and finish the caulking. He didn't say what would happen if he wasn't........

We are buying up all the caulk in Huntington

Well, on Saturday we found out why the foyer ceiling has water damage. Steven managed to clean out all the old grout and there was an inch gap between the tiles and the bath tub. Even worse, as far as we could see that there was no backer board behind the tiles. I guess it must end somewhere up that last course of tiles but WTH were the tilers thinking?
Steven was just working out how best to caulk this again so we can use the tub for the next few months when we got a call from our handyman to say he could start back on Tuesday and finish up all those jobs he had to leave when he damaged his knee. We were so thankful to get this call, but I'm not sure the handyman felt the same when we regaled him with the list of extra things that had gone wrong while he was away and now needed to be fixed.
He was pretty appalled at the mess they'd made of the tiling, especially as the actual tiles are in good condition and were obviously expensive. He had two thoughts - a border of tile edging around the tub or ripping the whole lot out and doing the job properly. We are obviously going with option 2 but not until after the house-guests leave, so for now he is building up the caulk, one layer each day until we are leak free.

More ivy

But this time it was the poisonous kind. I must have brushed against it while I was clearing the border. I thought I'd cleared it all away but judging by the red itchy rash on my leg I missed a bit. Luckily we had some Zanfel in the house so it wasn't as irritating as it might have been.
On a more positive note we got the tempered glass for the back door a week early. So now we are up to code and we can see out to the backyard again. This pane is much clearer than the old one, in fact we didn't think the guy had installed it until we touched it. I hope the dogs don't think there's a big hole there and try to jump through!

Ivy irony

cassis and jefke
Originally uploaded by modernemama

I have spent every spare moment this week clearing ivy from the borders on Vineyard Rd. I've filled trash bag after trash bag and this morning I finally declared it done. All the ivy under the rhododendrons? Gone. All that ivy chocking the tiny azalea bushes? Gone.
Then I bought some more flowers to fill a planter. And what did I use to trail down the sides? Variegated ivy, that's what.
Oh, the irony.

Exposed plumbing - a trendy new look?

We are now a week passed the "absolutely has to be finished by" deadline and we still have this charming hole in the laundry room and its mate, the lovely new wastepipe in the downstairs bathroom.



Still no word from our lovely handyman on his poor knee so no chance of repairs to the drywall, or tiles for that matter but apparently we will have an installed vanity in the bathroom by Tuesday morning. Then, if I'm smartish, we may get the bathroom plumbed before we leave for a week of music and mayhem in Tennessee at the end of next week.
May. Might. With a lot of luck.

Peonies

I have been suffering from peony envy for about five weeks. My neighbour's front yard has the most beautiful, large, continuously flowering peonies. They start early, in the beginning of May and are still blooming now.
Mine, on the other hand have taken all this time to reach flowering stage. I put this down to the fact that these are ones I transplanted from the shady rear yard, where I never ever saw them bloom. This year, though, I noticed big buds on them and I've been anxiously waiting to see what colour they would be.
They turned out to be a glorious shade of cream with a pink center and a pink tinge to the outer petals. But the strange thing is that this year more peonies sprung up in the back garden. I obviously didn't transplant them all, although where they've been for the last two years is a mystery.

pink peony
Originally uploaded by modernemama

A bigger mystery is why these peonies are a dusky pink.
Any thoughts?

Revenge of The Cool House

back door
Originally uploaded by modernemama

It is a truism in house renovation: fix one problem and another is thrown your way.

In this case not many hours after I was dancing a jig of glee at having replaced the decades old laundry appliances Steven walked past the back hall and bang went the pane of glass in the door.

Apart from the damage to his nerves nobody was hurt but we can't work out what happened. The dogs were in the other part of the house, no birds have flown into the door, it just cracked across blowing a huge hole out of the middle. Of course it was 8 pm so apart from a temporary keep the elements out job with duct tape, cardboard and contractor bags on the outside there wasn't much we could do.

I'm waiting for the glazier to open at 10 am to find out what the damage will be to replace the door light with tempered glass. Until then it's kind of dark down this end of the house.