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!

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

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

Norm shows off his banquette design

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

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

[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!!!!

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

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