home sweet home

After our very long closing last Friday, I wanted to go back over to the house and walk through it for the first time as owner. All of us, as a family. I wanted Chris to carry me through the front door, I imagined myself walking down the hallway as I cried silent tears of happiness. My own home!

Well, I did cry a little. But I think it was because of the smell. And no one shared my desire to visit the house for the first time as owners. They actually dropped me off in front and then drove over to Target to look for a movie to buy as a "thank you" to the kids for waiting almost three hours at the law offices of so and so.

I wasn't upset or even really all that disappointed. I didn't blame them. The thing is, the house is kind of stinky. The grass in the back yard is two feet tall. The carpet on the stairs is stained with only lord knows what. The lady smoked in there and until quite recently the home's only living occupant was a pair of giant macaws. (Who destroyed the window frames, by the way).

The downspouts are missing, the radiators are in shambles, the nasty fridge is shoved in the back of the pantry (the only place it will fit in the teeny kitchen built in 1910), and I'm pretty sure three layers of linoleum tile under the top ugly layer of linoleum tile lurks asbestos - the silent killer.

Of course, this is precisely how Chris and I could afford a 4 bedroom single family home in the city of Chicago. And really, really, I'm not upset. It's funny. It's a challenge. But more importantly, it's at least 10 blog posts. Seriously. Get ready for some fun before and afters. Here are a few befores to whet your appetite.

Que aprovechen...

Someone was definitely murdered on these stairs

My new project. Ridding the kitchen of three layers of linoleum tile, the bottom one most likely contains asbestos.

I don't mean to poke fun at your taste if this is your sort of thing. There is a whole lot of over the top brass going on at the new place. And this light? I almost hit MY head on it when I walk through the dining room. Note the brass sconce on the wall. Multiply these guys by about 10, add some 80's track lighting (big and clunky), and you've got the lighting mood of the place.

This is the least obscene ceiling fan in the whole house. I'm not sure what to say about the wallpaper. This is the kitchen.

My mom is coming to town tomorrow to see the house for the first time. I tried to cut the grass to make it more presentable for her but my trimmer/edger broke down. She doesn't know it but she's here to help me remove some wallpaper and figure out what to do with the kitchen floor. All the floors will be refinished next Monday, and I'm hoping that the sanding and the excessive fumes of the polyurethane will improve the overall odor of the place.

Stay tuned!