February 3, 2007
Are you kidding me? Settled in?? We are still coming down from the wrap party and eight months of dust—did I say dust? Whew!
The stylists for American Woodmark cabinetry were here for two
days lining up their "shoots." Then the folks from NYC—
This Old House magazine—did their magic styling and shooting the house for a future
issue
[Ed. Note: it's the March issue]. Wow! Do these folks know how to make something beautiful look
even more beautiful…the lighting, the placement, the backgrounds. All were very fun to have around—nice to be around people who really
love their jobs.
Tom stopped by for a short "punch list" review. The
electricians, Marc and Danny, finished off some adjustments. I still
don't know which light switch works for which light, and there are
finger prints on the wall where the old switches were, out of pure
habit.
Adding our personal "stuff" to how it was decorated poses
questions—does it really go there anymore, or does it even go? The
thought of the Return of the Pod makes my stomach turn—what is in
there? I am sure that folks question why we didn't inventory. Believe
me, I question that myself. It would be nice to have dishes rather
than paper plates—and how about some pots and pans? Clothing, gatzies
and tourist trinkets all need to come home or probably keep moving on
via a donation to a charity.
The house is nice and cozy and bright! Everyone comments on the
light. I need to get a job licking envelopes from home.
—Chris
January 8, 2007
[Ed. Note: I'm posting this a bit late, but I think the ladies' sentiment is timeless!]
A lot can happen in a year! Whew! This time last December Liz and I were lining up mortgages, etc. to buy Our Old House from the family. We were also dealing with the sewerage back up in the cellar—way to go for Christmas.
January sealed it…February we entered the This Old House contest…March we were selected…April our new "friends" showed up and left in November.
To everyone that chose us for This Old House, worked with us, for us, donated, supported (let's pass the hat), fed us, spiritually nourished us: Thank you and may there be peace in your heart these holiDAZE.
With much love,
—Chris and Liz
December 18, 2006
…Wearing a dish towel over my shoulder after having washed a
"few" items? There is a state-of-the-art
dishwasher beside me—fear
factor after never having had one?
…Still running down two flights of stairs to see who is at the
door? The new
intercom system could probably pick up signals from
Logan! I actually touched it the other day and heard voices. It has
a radio in it—did I know that? No!
…Keeping up my newly acquired ritual left over from the summer and going out early to get a medium coffee? That is a coffee maker sitting on the counter, am I not correct?
…Saving the plastic bags from the grocery store and putting food
ends and scraps into them, tying them and then placing them in with the
regular trash? I think it is called a garbage
disposer that awaits
these elements and gets rid of them for me.
It is hard to teach an old dog, er, aunt, new tricks, but I am
becoming a willing learner. Now back to the
radiators—"righty/tighty, lefty/loosey."
—Chris
December 7, 2006
"Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've
got 'til it's gone?" Yep, the "lads" are gone—guest appearances now
and then for "punch-list" items. Pretty tired…did someone say that
Christmas is less than three weeks away?
The "pod" still hasn't returned with our "stuff"—if it gets lost
on the way that's okay. Where would we put the "stuff" anyway, and why mess up
how beautifully it has been decorated? Winter sweaters APB—where are
they? In the pod, at my sister Maura's, or out at a friend Suzanne's, who
took boxes for me 8 months ago. Or were they thrown out??
Just like a new homeowner I have to buy the paper towels, sponges,
dust pan and brush, etc. Of course I am now scanning the Sunday
newspaper circulars for the best deal on the above. A little late to
try saving "cents." (Or should it be sense?)
Da da! The new washing machine is just amazing—almost up
to my shoulder in height. It has a flow
mechanism that shuts the
machine down automatically if it detects a leak—whew…3rd floor that
could be scary!!! What? It doesn't work? I actually read the manual! (Like that is going to make a difference for me.) Finally I climbed up
on the counter that Tom made in the laundry room, reached way
down (pass the Aleve!)…oh, I have to plug it in! Cabana Boys, where are you?
I couldn't twist one of the radiator valves—couldn't find a plier or a wrench—hence it is still off. Oh, Cabana Boys…
I had to call my friend Jerry Twomey who made the TV
entertainment
center for me: "How do I get the TV to work?" "Well, first you have
to open the cabinet and there is a little box…" I had been shooting the
remote at the screen…oh, Cabana Boys…
I told Tom that I thought that they should have put
dimmers on my
kitchen lights. I was looking for the big old knobs to twist. With
that
look he showed me that the dimmers were in place—small levers
that go up and down. Cabana Boys…Where are you??? Come back!!!
Hope this finds everyone well and rested…
—Chris
December 1, 2006
Yep, Friday afternoon after the This Old House Wrap Party, and the people are still coming through the doors! (Well, almost…) What a sendoff to everyone—very funny people, and fun loving.
Wanted to let everyone know that we survived, loved it, and will detail later…that new comfy chair is beckoning…in need of some serious zzzzzzzzzs…
Have a great weekend!
—Chris
November 29, 2006
Norm shows off his banquette design
Firstly, Welcome to the new
This Old House victims, er, I mean winners (only kidding) in Austin. You will have the experience of a lifetime! Enjoy the ride—even the bumps. From Boston to Austin.
The countdown is on. Approximately 52 hours until the wrap party and the parting of the ways…where HAVE I been?? Hmmm…for starters, I think they are ready to give me an orange apron at Home Depot, I have been there so often—looking for another cabinet for the upstairs bathroom, blah blah. My next life I am coming back organized. Until then—they shoot horses, don't they??
The painters from Zimco, headed by Buzzy, have been here for weeks—or years—painting. They truck down from New Hampshire every day, always with a great attitude, and then do what they do. The paint has been donated by Sherwin Williams, and the colors are gorgeous. I never knew there could be so many gradations of beige and still have it catch your eye. There is a lot of surface wall to prime and cover, including staining the woodwork—Kudos!
The Friday before Thanksgiving I returned from dinner and could hear a light tapping in the kitchen. It was NORM! He was finishing up the banquette (window seat with storage, for those of us not proficient in French). I couldn't believe it—and we thought he just showed up and looked pretty for production.
Joe Ferrante's special touches with the tiling and backsplashes have been done in true Italian artisan craftsmanship-style—really nice, everyone comments on them. Ron Coldwell has been "steady eddie" with the plumbing. But Tom is still the Captain of the ship—always in control, and with endless humor. My friend, Jerry Twomey, hand-crafted an entertainment center for the kitchen area. He kept the beadboard going and added alot of classy extras. Thanks!
This is being written from by bed…the painters are encroaching…my last refuge from the fray is being conquered…the ladders and paint cans are coming! I will turn the webcam away from the dining room back to the kitchen—a neighborhood kid, Chris, helped cover the floors with the brown paper over the weekend and wanted everyone to see his work!! Who is running the show here??
—Chris
November 28, 2006
Pat Hunt gets ready to sand the floors (photo by Russell Kaye)
Happy Post-Turkey Day! Yes, we are still alive here in East Boston. Things have been really crazy lately—in a good way. You can not imagine how wonderful the house looks. Everything is coming together and we can't believe that it will all be completed in one week. Seven months of fun. We are really going to miss all the "guys"—they have really become a part of our lives.
Wait until you see the floors!! They came out so great—the walls, the bathrooms, too. I actually learned how to tile last week with Joe Ferrante. I put subway tile in my shower and it looks great. Such a cool urban feel to it. Roger and his crew did the landscaping, and they also put up a white picket fence around the house. You can see a little bit from the webcams. Our house is on a corner so it really defines the perimeter and brings out the white of the windows. Family and friends that come by cannot get over how great the transformation is.
Sorry this is so brief—will update more asap.
—Liz
November 22, 2006
[Ed. note: my apologies to Chris, who had this post ready to go before the holiday, but fell victim to our technical difficulties.]
We live—I don't know how but we are still part of the
living! We never surrendered, and Liz and I are still talking to one
another!!!!
This is the wildest part of the adventure, and sadly, there has
been no time to sit down and jot a few thoughts and invite you into our
wacky world. Had been involved with a few meetings/events in
Boston, then came back last Friday to find out that our broadband is
down. I am writing this from the library.
I just came back from the
laundromat after Tom helped, er, actually stripped the dining room table,
and
Lissey helped to cover the chairs. Yeah, the money pit is alive and
well. Deborah [Hood, producer] and Isa [Markevitz, Production Coordinator] have been great trying to help out on that
end. I have only caught 2.5 episodes of the show—a lot of folks kid
about being a movie star and I just tell them that I have the same
agent as Lassie…yuk yuk!
I feel like Ray Liotta in Goodfellas, when he has 1,000 things
to do—take care of the wife, appease the girlfriend, make sure that
his challenged brother is stirring the spaghetti sauce, making plans
for the "hit," and the helicopters are closing in on him… if you've
seen it, you get the picture. I now measure the mail by how high it has
gotten: i.e., 14 inches. Don't worry—still paying the
pipers…
No poetry, no prose, but one big THANK YOU on this aptly named holiday, Thanksgiving!
Seriously, no one could fully describe the man hours, the hard
work and added touches of so many artisans, craftsmen and excellent
workers—UNBELIEVABLE! There is no alpha and omega, no end to it
all—the laughter, the tears… Yes, there have been tears, but out of
appreciation not out of frustration. The dust, the dust—did i say dust?—the empty water
bottles, the blog, the ACTION! calls. Are we even on the blog radar?
And of course to our readers…(Isn't that what I am supposed to say?) No, really, the feedback has been great and hopefully when the dust—did i say dust?—settles, I shall be encouraged to do more writing, as it
has been quite cathartic and alot of FUN!!!
So, everyone: one HUGE THANKS!!!!!! Appreciate and enjoy the day.
—Chris
November 5, 2006
Chris's new kitchen takes shape (photo by Russell Kaye)
I returned to Old House My House and WOW! Yes, I did miss the ivy on the house this year. It is usually a brilliant ruby/rust combo and covered the side and front of the home. But the underlying truth is that it was a forebearer of winter (ugh), as the leaves crinkled to a dusty brown and fell off—and we were left with a washed out exterior. Now I love the sage/grey color. The monocolor will be welcoming in all seasons. Ch-ch-ch-changes…
I loved my claw foot tub and found it difficult to relinquish, because it had always been in my life. Now I love the tiled bathroom and spacious shower stall. Ch-ch-ch-changes…
It took me a while to get used to having my kitchen appliances moved to the other side of the room. I had always loved washing dishes at the sink while looking out the window and being nosey. But the sink in the middle of the island is fabulous. I was also reminded that I would now have a dishwasher and would not be hanging around the sink with a dishtowel over my shoulder. Ch-ch-ch-changes…
I never liked the metallic storm doors but I love—I said LOVE—the original doors that have been painstakingly restore. Ch-ch-ch-changes…
The hedges were so sparse in some places—in other words, non-existent. The old forsythia, a harbinger of spring, will be missed. But Roger saved my Dad's crocus (is the plural crocuses or croci?) and rose bush. The replacement fence and varying shrubbery will be great substitutes. Ch-ch-ch-changes…
The Stephen King attic was a place to turn on the single hanging light bulb, search for your winter boots and try to find the Christmas ornaments and RUN out—brrrrrrrrrrr!! Now, I may never leave my insulated top floor "Zen Den" bathroom and laundry room. Ch-ch-ch-changes…
Change is Good…Bring it on.
—Chris
October 31, 2006
Okay, "stuck" here in Hawaii after ten days of slaving, er, working with my Princess House travel staff Buds. I had made my flight arrangements so that I could be home for Halloween at TOH. Last year we had nearly 200 kids…yup, that's right!!! I am sure that there will be more this year, mainly out of curiosity from the parents.
Well, the best laid plans do go awry. My flight was delayed for four hours, then there would have been a five-hour layover in L.A., and I'd still miss Halloween. I opted for the original routing, but on another day. So Liz is running the show. She has picked up 1,000 candy bars (like the show says: "Liz is not as conservative as her aunt"). I know that she will be blogging about the kids, tours, etc. (Won't you, Liz?)
So here I am at a five-star hotel doing laundry because I go right into another program when I get home, paying bills that should have been paid two weeks ago, making dentist/hair appointments—you road warriors know the drill. Okay, maybe a treat of an hour in the sun and ocean!! Happy Halloween (the highest Celtic holy day)!
—Chris
