Feeling Thankful

We’ve been a-bustle with activity the past few weekends, but I’ve failed to update you Dear Readers on it!  My apologies.

I’ve added the clear plastic insulation layer to almost all the windows downstairs and have a few more to go.  It’s quite easy and I’m convinced is helping keep the house warmer.  Improved insulation, unseasonable temperatures, and a fully functional spiffed up single-loop radiator system also probably are contributing factors.

Ryan’s Mom told me to start from the top and concern myself more with the seal (the kit includes double-sided tape) than shrinking the plastic.  I did notice that because it was chilly outside on the days I put up the insulation, it was hard to get the plastic fully shrunk even with my hairdryer kicking off some serious heat.  And so, I need to revisit a couple windows to tighten up the plastic.  

We’ve also added a braided rug from L.L. Bean to the family.  We’ve placed it in front of the door to the cellar to collect some of the dust from the dirt floor downstairs.  I opted for an indoor/outdoor rug, which in addition to being Much Cheaper, is also easier to clean than the wool or chenille versions.  This is Very Important, given our Very Dirty basement.  I’m also loving how this rug plays with our Oriental… and this slate blue/ochre palette we’re rocking.

Ryan also hooked-up the freshly painted radiator in the kitchen and brought back in the one for the living room (which we removed to lay down flooring).  After an annual service visit from HVAC Mike and identifying one leaky component, we are 95% up-and-running heat-wise.  (And my architect-plumber hubby-to-be has a plan to get it up to 100%.)

That all said… I’m very proud we made it until the snowy Halloween to turn on the heat.  

(I’ll take any excuse to post the crayon pic again!)

We killed it this past weekend.  Yours truly is still Rather Sore from raking the entire yard (don’t judge).  I also spent a good deal of time painting the TOP COAT of trim in the kitchen and behold – removing the painter’s tape!

I also painted the base of the breakfast nook bench.  We had originally planned for it to be high gloss white like the rest of the trim, but after seeing six months of wear and dirty shoe marks galore, we decided to go for marine green.

Ryan spent all weekend working on the window seat/entertainment system/bookcase/hallelujah-we-finally-have-some-storage unit. 

The open space under the bench is to accommodate baskets for additional storage.  My window seat will also have a wall washer to eliminate the shadow the bookshelf casts (as you can see).

We are so so pleased with how it’s looking, and we have decided to do something totally outrageous and paint it slate blue (just like our planned sideboard cabinet facing the dining room). 

Happy Thanksgiving, all!  This year, I am thankful for my amazing (and handy, and handsome) fiancé, my family, my friends, Tela the wonder dog, built-in storage, and a Christmas tree ready living room… with or without that damn fireplace.