#ToiletProblems

When guests first come to our insanely old house, one of the things they get a kick out of is the toilet in the master bathroom. It's not everyday that one can see, let alone use, an old fashioned pull chain toilet. It really does add sophistication and fascination to the most mundane of tasks.

Unfortunately, our beloved old fashioned pull chain toilet broke this weekend. It immediately became clear why these things went by the wayside. They are impossible to fix! There is no access to the tank so Andrew's efforts didn't get very far.

The plumber came over, took one look at it, promptly took a selfie with the toilet, posted it on facebook, and told us we need to buy a new one. We could buy another old fashioned pull chain toilet but they are super expensive and we'd find ourselves back in the same situation the next time it inevitably breaks. 

Farewell, old fashioned pull chain toilet. Thanks for the memories.

Library, Here We Come

The aforementioned 'Empty Room' is no longer empty! We have chairs (thanks Ethan Allen) and bookshelves (antique from my uncle's old law office). Also, a cozy gas stove for the fireplace is in the works. High-five for staying warm and reading books!

I never thought I'd be happy about the collapse of the print industry, but now that we've got shelves to fill I'm loving the cheap prices. Barnes and Noble has beautiful Collectible Editions of classics that we've been scooping up for a bargain.

Here are a few photos of the new chairs and mostly empty bookshelves. 

The Empty Room

Although the house is still a work in progress, most rooms are functional and just lack a few touches here and there. Except one room. It is part of the living/family room...we think. We've never had enough furniture to make a distinction between the two before. That leaves us with a room with a couch next to an empty room. We don't know what to do with it. So far we've considered (only semi-seriously) a pool table and a baby grand piano.

More realistically there will be another sitting area to go along with rug, book shelf, and dog crate currently occupying the emptiness. Maybe we'll be fancy and call it a library since along with our bookshelf there are built-in book shelves.

Click through the pictures and see what we're working with.

Dog vs Rake

Silly city dog. So focused on the rake monster that you don't run through the mountains of leaves around you. We really need to countrify this pup. 

Bed & Breakfast Open for Business

Visit us, we'll feed you.

See, it's fun!

I heard a lot that once you move to New Jersey your friends will never visit you again. So far that isn't true! We've had both family and friends stay with us every weekend and that doesn't seem like it'll stop in the next few weeks. Especially since we finally got a bed for the 2nd guest room and a sofa bed for the media room. Plus we see our New Jersey family all the time. They basically unpacked everything for us so we immediately felt settled and have no idea where anything is in the house.  

Having people around has kept Otis from falling into a depression. I don't think he misses his dog friends yet. He is too busy chewing on sticks and running around like a maniac in the leaves. Don't worry, a video will come soon. 

Even though we don't feel isolated yet, I need to find Otis some NJ dog friends quick. I can already see Andrew plotting to get a second dog. "But honey, we have such a big yard and so much room. Why not?" No thank you. Between living in an old house, the moving dust bomb we just got out of, and Otis sleeping in our big comfy new bed every night, this girl is barely keeping it together with her allergies. The plan is to keep this house filled with friends and family, not dogs. So please, if you live in Union County and want to set up a doggy play date, Ariana and Otis Good are ready.

I Regret Nothing

It has been 2 weeks since I've blogged. Now that we live in the house, actually settling in doesn't leave time for much blogging. I thought that finishing Miami Ad School would free up my life but I was wrong. Between the commute, house errands, catching up with the friends I've been neglecting, and chasing down new opportunities I feel like I'm even busier.  

The good news is that so far we love living in New Jersey. I feel like I'm actually living like an adult for the first time. It's a little sad how happy it makes me to be able to get in the car, buy whatever I need (not how much I can carry), throw it all in the trunk, drive home, and unload the car without having to deal with the stress of double-parking. 

Before moving I was mainly worried about the commute but it isn't that bad.  Even though I wake up a little earlier, my mornings feel less stressful and hurried. Partly because I don't have to spend time walking the dog. I can just put him in the backyard and keep getting ready. The other thing is that I can check the NJ transit train schedule on my phone so I feel in control of my time. I don't have to rush to the subway because I'm not sure how long I'll have to wait. Also, the walk to my office from Penn Station brightens my day.  So far I'm regret free in making the move across the Hudson.

Kitchen....Check!

Last weekend my mother-in-law conquered the kitchen. My sister-in-law and I helped but no one moves at the pace of my mother-in-law. The woman is like 3 people in 1. We did a deep clean and watched as Mom lined all the shelves and unpacked all of our kitchen stuff (that she packed the night before). If it weren't for her I would still be in the kitchen covered in Murphy's Oil Soap a week later. 

Having the kitchen ready has started to make the house feel like a home and not a strange, empty, dust-filled disaster. I have no idea how we ever fit everything into our tiny NYC kitchen. It's a relief to actually have options of where to put things. 

All the furniture gets moved this Saturday and then we'll officially be living in New Jersey. Oy vey. 

DIY Pain & Gain

After

My knees have been killing me all week because my sister-in-law and I painted the floor of a guest bedroom. The floor was originally painted a cream color and it had seen better days (sorry, I forgot to take a before picture).

I vacuumed, then cleaned the floor on my hands and knees. Why I didn't mop is escaping me and my aching body now but I'm sure crawling on the floor was necessary. After the floor was clean and dry, my sister-in-law and I painted it a smoky gray.

Painting is oddly relaxing and fulfilling. You see the results of your efforts so quickly. It made me feel really empowered that I DIY-ed the hell out of that room and it wasn't even hard. When the first scratch on that paint happens I'm not sure if I'll say to myself, "Whatevs, I can fix that." or "Nooo, my beautiful work is ruined!" I'll have to wait and see.

Husband of the Year

It says a lot about us that the first thing we did to the house was set up cable and internet. Next up are installing a fence that Otis (our dog) won't be able to get through and new carpet for the 3rd floor. Andrew (my husband) is continuing his new landscape design hobby. He's got the poison ivy rashes to prove it. 

I haven't been able to be as involved with the house as I want to be because I'm so busy finishing my Miami Ad School program. We are fully moving in the day after I graduate and my fingers are crossed that I'll have time to pack. So far my contributions have been scheduling the movers, vacuuming the entire new house, and collecting packing boxes from the liquor store around the corner. Yes, Andrew gets the Husband of the Year award. He is doing all the heavy lifting literally and figuratively. Work, school, and the new house has made this the busiest time of my life. I've been running around like a crazy woman and before I know it I'm going to wake up one morning in New Jersey with no idea how to use NJ Transit. 

 

And so it begins...

I thought that my years of religiously watching HGTV would make homeownership a breeze. False! We're barely a week in (and we haven't even moved in yet) and I'm wondering if we bit off more than we can chew.  My "New House" Pinterest board is full of so many pins I can barely make sense of it anymore.

Moving from NYC to New Jersey is a huge change. I've lived in tiny apartments for the last 9 years and I don't know what we're going to do with all the space in the new (for us) old (for America) house. We really only have enough furniture for two rooms. I'm realizing that reading all those issues of Architectural Digest haven't been good preparation for decorating on my budget. Whoops. I see weekends antiquing in my future. I think typing that sentence aged me 20 years. Hello 47, so nice to meet you.