The end of the Bell Street Renovation Blog

No pictures or fancy stuff. Just a note to say we are home. We are not nearly as "complete" as we would like to be, but we are in our house.



Please try to come by in the coming months as we try to finish the work that must be done. Sophie is DYING for her bathroom!



Be in touch with us. Think good thoughts. We are thankful for all of your good wishes and positive vibes. We needed it and we love you for it.

So many people want pictures...well, we can't provide them now, but hopefully, we can shoot an email one day to show the finished product. We'd rather you see it in person...

Take care. I will pull the plug on the blog very soon.

XOXO,

Laura, Lynn, and Sophie

The school year is over...for Laura!

This weekend we celebrated Sophie's 11th birthday! She had a wonderful birthday with our family and friends. We had movies, red beans and rice, a day of cooking with Stiliani, a day of fun with Annie and Rosie, and fun with cousins. We are very lucky! 11!!! Whew!

Today I "celebrated" the worst year of my 24 years teaching. No details, it was just the worst ever. The good news is, it's over.

The house is coming along great! Stacy and Rodney are killing themselves so we can move in this weekend. No pictures...still, but lots to tell. Kitchen cabinets are in, the bathrooms are almost done, and floors are being refinished this week.

On Saturday, we hope to open the POD and get the two bedrooms set up. There will still be things to do, but nothing to keep us out of the house.

Pictures to follow! Look to the blog for pics in the coming weeks!

Also, sometime near the END OF JULY when all our summer fun is waning, we will have a party! You will get invited by email, not blog!

Hope all is well! We want everyone that reads this to be so grateful for all that you have. Love, love, love your pain in the neck kids, husbands, wives, friends, strangers...life is precious. Always be grateful and cherish every moment---even the not-so-fun ones.

Lynn and I feel so blessed to have a house to renovate---to have a daughter to fuss at about not doing homework---a partner that drives us crazy (OK, that's just Lynn). And I am so grateful for all of it!

XOXOXO

Lights!! Cabinets!!! Toilets!!!!

Stacy and Rodney have been working very hard to get us back home. We had excitement today with KITCHEN CABINETS BEING INSTALLED!!!

We've also had toilets, sinks, light fixtures, and many other exciting things being done!

We are not including pictures (sorry), but we do not want to ruin the surprise of the finished product!

We are all having stress for different reasons and we are lucky because we have a home to renovate, a family to aggravate and impose upon, friends to vent to, and a job to complain about!!!

Serenity now!

XOXOXOXO

Every hour counts!

Just three more weeks. After 6 1/2 months, three weeks shouldn't seem like a lifetime, but actually, every hour feels like a month.

Not hopefully, definitely, we will be home soon.

FInal touches are being worked on. Kitchen cabinets will be installed on the 18th and counter-tops to follow.

The bathrooms are getting finished and the floors are in the works.

We are ready!

XOXO

May is move in month!

This month we will be moving back home!

Sophie is having her 11th birthday and all she wants is to move into her "new" old house! She is also leaving for away summer camp for 2 weeks. Most of what she needs is packed away in the POD at Bell St. It's so hard for her to understand how March has turned into May.

I begin 2 summer jobs the first week in June and all of my stuff is in the POD! And Lynn has been paying hundreds of dollars for equipment that was due to be sent back to the rehab place in Mid-March.

Our twice-extended lease on the guest house is up.

We are homesick, that's the only way to say it. Stacy and Rodney are working very hard to help us get home.

The next blog post will be to announce that we are back in our house with pictures...

We need you to pray, light candles, howl at the moon-whatever you do to have godspeed in our way back home!

Laura

We're alive!!!!!!

We are still in the Guest House. Some days it has been difficult to keep up with the blog. However, work on Bell St. has continued. Let's go for the quick April update in 60 words or less.

We have new walls and closet doors....

....closets galore....storage-storage-storage!
....bathroom colors... ....and a shower floor....
....big "penis plant" has been removed....wow! there is a yard??? . ....a shower soon to be....
Easter fun had by all....

.....New uses for old things - made by Travis

.....Stacy works on new hall walls....

.....while Rodney labors over shower walls....

....a new front hall color....

....and Rodney continues to shower!....

New garden spaces were made

And we seek serenity ......

....while refinishing begins on floors!

See, April has indeed been busy. Keep watching....

Lynn

BELL STREET...THE LOST WEEKS!

Lynnz new car!

Haiden at 9!

Sophie and Tala

Sophie with STRAIGHT HAIR and GLASSES!!
Bella

Computer is dying...no internet...will post more later!

Jennifer's beautiful Patron gift!

Haiden's Birthday Wedding Cake The girls-growing up!

Thanks so much for all the encouragement to get back on the blog! I've missed it!

Three weeks of jury duty and fridge art are real blogging killers!

The jury duty was the most difficult thing I've ever done in my adult life. I still can't really talk about it without being sad and very upset, but it is what it is and I have to somehow accept it and grow from it.

Fridge Art was awesome! ISL is the greatest school in the world for our family and I just hope that our little bit of work goes a long way to helping the school. It is fast becoming quite the social event...there were many local artists there, a few who's who among NOLA "Cultcha" and tons and tons of beautiful people. The best part of my third and final year as chair is extremely symbolic to me. It is ISL's third year on Camp and back from the storm, our Patron Artist, Jennifer Schumacher's third year at the school, and Jennifer's patron gift was a series of 3 refrigerators! So cool! My family was there...my wonderful neighbors were there, my artist friends that were donors, my work friends, my best friends...it was so so so special to me. Thank each of you from the bottom of my heart! If I did not feel so loved and supported there, I would have been more weepy than I was! I will dearly miss that work! It is food for the soul.

Thanks to our WONDERFUL ISL FAMILY of FRIENDS! We love you, love you, love you and no matter where we all roam, may we always hold on to the ISL diaspora spirit! We love ISL and all the richness it has brought into our lives and all it has given Sophie as a person! Her life and ours are forever changed by our experiences there! Thanks especially to my dear, dear friends that support me no matter what, you know who you are (XOXO)! I love you!

Enough about Fridge Art! I could talk about it for a long time! I want to give a blow-by-blow of the past three weeks besides my civic duty (jury duty) and my passion (Fridge Art)...everything else!!!!!!! Enough self-indulgence...maybe not!

My friend, Erin's baby is a MONTH old and I haven't see him in person!

Sophie got straight hair and glasses! Haiden turned 9! I made my first WEDDING CAKE...and Sophie helped! We have walls and a painted room on Bell Street! Sophie is going to sleep-away camp for 2 weeks this Summer in Rockville, Illinois! Jean and Becky have been so patient with us! I've picked up 2 new kids and am administering LEAP to 2 4th graders this week...a far cry from last year when I had a 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th grader!!! My 5 LAA-1 (LEAP alternative test) students finished testing a few weeks ago! And...we got a new car! It is a used Saturn Vue, black with a working A/C!

I've attached a ton of pics that reflect everything I've just told you about!

Enjoy them, be in touch, and know that we love you! The house-re-warming is around the corner!

XOXO,

Laura

...and WE'RE BACK!!!

I bet that got your attention...

I mean, we're back to blogging!

Fridge Art is over and it was great!

Lynn is giving Stacy (OMG!!!) paint colors today!!!

We are plugging along! It's been 2 weeks since my last blog. Sophie has straight hair and glasses!!! Pics to follow!

Love you guys!

Laura

Bell Street is alive and well! :)

Hello, Everyone!

We are all alive and well, despite the neglected blog!

I have been burdened with two weeks of jury duty! It was my last day today, but I was chosen for another jury...it will end one day!

The house is coming along! Stacy and Rodney are ready to be done! They are working day and night to make it so!

Fridge Art is two weeks away! (shameless plug)!!!

XO,

Laura

Patience is a wise and wonderful teacher!

We are getting very smart! We are learning that we are happy absolutely anywhere we are together! We love our family! We love our friends! We are so lucky to have the opportunity to go through this journey! We think of all of our loved ones that went through similar exercises in patience...not by choice. We are not in a FEMA trailer...we are not in a strange place...we've had no contractor headaches, and no loss heartaches...we are blessed and blissful.

Stacy and Rodney have told us that in order to complete the job in the right way-to be proud of what they are doing and to really finish the great job they have been doing, we should be finished in 6 weeks. That is about the middle of April? We don't have a firm date, but there is still much to be done.

We are OK. Lynn talked with our dear sisters that have opened their home to us for these months. They are OK with us extending our stay until mid-April when lots of house guests start coming down from all over the place. Hopefully we'll be able to move out and clean-up before they turn the place over to another group of homeless family members.

Like Tolstoy said, “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time."

I feel like Stacy and Rodney are our heroes. We are all warriors in this process---even Sophie. I keep thinking that this time away from our home will only make our return sweeter.

Can't wait for the party!!!

Hope to have pictures soon! The boys are working very hard!

XO,

Laura

Jury Duty, anyone?

I am serving jury duty this month from March 2-16.

Life is such an adventure!

I feel stressed not seeing my kids and with Fridge Art AROUND THE CORNER...Oy!

Progress on the house is going well! Hopefully we'll be home in no time!

XO,

Laura

Steady progress and updates all around!

Mardi Gras has come and gone. Our girl can't get enough of it! I think she definitely has a Laura, Sr. (Maw Maw) gene for the Carnival fever! Her favorite was Muses because she had some very special attention from our friends, Liz (riding) and Gwynne (running). She even got a coveted SHOE!

She also LOVED the 2 days of fun with her cousins and marching in Les Enfants as a ninja (thanks, Ms. Andree) with Lainey!

Speaking of Ms. Andree...here she is with Lucy. Many of you that are faithful Bell Street bloggers note that Lucy is now almost 7 months old and has a tooth!!!

And finally...our dear Erin...the most persistent blogger...on Mardi Gras Day as a Zulu coconut...and yesterday this is what came out of that coconut:

Frederick Charles, III

Oh, yeah! About the house...we are plugging along. Stacy and Rodney are still doing a stellar job...we hope to be be home SOON!

Love you guys!

Laura

The Colors of Bell Street revisited

Ceasar

Lizzie

Deuuuuuce

Zoe

The real colors of Bell Street are of neighborhood scents and smiles that we miss. The colors are flowers that continue to bloom despite neglect and inattention. The colors are Mardi Gras beads on a fence. They are a daisy that refuses to not bloom after a freeze. The colors are people and pets that we miss. The colors are what we remember and what we know of the place that we love.

The colors make us happy and sad at the same time. Hopefully, as we prepare to get back home, the new colors we add to Bell Street will be as beautiful as the ones that are already there.

"Colors?" you ask...

Lynn said that the colors had to be part of the big "reveal." You know, like on HGTV when they bring the poor saps back into the house...they thought they were getting French Country, but instead got some hyperactive, wanna-be decorators idea of a Spa Retreat. The BIG reveal!

The colors are nice. Nothing too out there. Since we are basically traditional/eclectic in our house decorating, you'll get more of that...only on straight walls with safe lighting! Like it used to be...only much, much better!

Walls are continuing to go up! Stacy is having fits with my under cabinet (we call it "ambient" to be fancy) lighting...and Rodney told us that part of our ceiling had no supports...it's like eating through a big box of Valentine chocolate...never know what you're gonna get!

Keep reading!

Laura

Walls and Rehab! A great combo!

Stacy and Rodney are hard at work putting up WALLS!!!!!! While our house has been rehabilitated, renovated, and renewed...Lynn has been getting some of the 3 R's herself!

She goes to a very fun PT center called Superior Rehab in Metairie! Don't be fooled...these beautiful, smiling faces can inflict a lot of pain! Donna and Chelsea smile BIG for the Blog!

Speaking of inflicting pain...meet MIKE!!! He would have LOVED the Inquisition! He is an awesome therapist and he keeps Lynn working very hard to get better!

Our mantle got dipped at the bank! It had several layers of paint on it! Now it is all natural and beautiful!

Kitchen walls...

More kitchen...

And even more kitchen!

Rodney inspects the insulation.

Very pretty insulation!

Sophie's bathroom walls and the laundry nook.

Sophie's shower.

We are getting there! Thanks for your encouragement and support!

Happy Valentine's Day!!! We love you!

The very best things in life...

...are worth waiting for!

In my life, those things have been Sophie, meeting the love of my life, learning to really love others, and learning about what in life REALLY matters.

The house on Bell St. completed will be added to that list!

We are a bit behind b/c Stacy and Rodney want to do this job in a most excellent way. When we move back home, we want it to be the last time we have to move EVER AGAIN!

Lynn and I will be home for many, many, many years!

Patience is sometimes difficult to muster, but we can do it! Patience is a good lesson at any age! When we do move back home, it will be an awesome day!

With Fridge Art being just 7 weeks away,I have lots to keep me busy. Lynn is finding cool stuff, like a reclaimed door from the Green Project. Sophie is just keeping busy with school and listening to her iPod!

We will keep you posted. Sheetrock is up in Sophie's bathroom!

Keep sending good vibes our way!

XOXO

We Gotta Have Faith!!! It's February 1st

As a long-time and passionate Saint's Fan, those of you that know me well, know that it takes a lot for me to lose faith in my boys...I sit through bad play-calling, misreads, missed tackles, stupid mistakes, and lots and lots of lost games! I never give up! I know that before I die, the Saint's will go to and win the Superbowl! I even imagine a 16-0 season! I believe in faith and believing in something! Something even as silly as a football team!

Yes, I cried when Deuce made his last touchdown as a Saint. I boo-hooed when we had our first game in the dome after Katrina. I cry most of the time when we win or when we lose. I know I will cry when we can move back to our house and once again make it our home!

Here we are, February 1! As Sophie says, "28 days to go and we can move in!." Like me, she believes that we will be back home by March 1.

We have a short month to go and what looks like a lifetime of work! I have faith that my boys can do this...and we won't have to wait until next season!

Have faith! If you are religious, pray for us! If you are a pagan, have a drink for us! If you are an atheist, do whatever you do when you hope for something! If you are a skilled craftsman, show up at 2819 Bell Street and offer your services!

XOXOXOXO,

Laura

Living Free With Chemicals!

Stacy doused the house with chemicals to ward off termites and other wood infesting insects!

Bora beetles, formosan termites, other hungry insects...BEWARE!

Not exciting, but progress!

We also have cans in for recessed lighting and Sophie's shower is almost in!


Sheetrock coming soon!

WE HAVE WATER!!!

Lynn should be writing this because she is so excited about running water. The plumbing is finished and the lines were tested today. We are good to go. The water is flowing...well, to nowhere, but it's flowing with NO LEAKS!

A few pics to show where we are with about 5 weeks left to go...

This is our new light for our little "study corner" in the kitchen. This is the study corner as it looks now...

Tala gets her groove on with Sophie's shuffle.

We have water and it is flowing (to nowhere...at the moment)! We have beautiful pipes for the dishawasher and ice-maker...

This is a view from the dining room into the kitchen!

We have fabulous pipes and wires everywhere...

This is our shower...

The concrete guy finally finished after almost a year after being paid!

We have an awesome walkway all the way to the backyard!

This is some sort of very important water thing.

More pipes and wires...

Could sheetrock be around the corner?

Countertop...

It's hard to really see it, but this is our counter top...or at least a very small sample of it. It is quartz and named "Victoria" by Cambria.

I did the whole Type-A personality, evaluation of counter tops. Quartz wins if you really use your kitchen.


Ini April, at our Re-Open House, I can't wait for you gus to set your drink on it, lean on it, slap it with laughter, and see it!

Sneek Peeks at the kitchen...

Sink...beautiful and we love it. It came with a personal note from the craftsman that made it. Cool.
Our range. It is very pretty. I will mess it up with lots of cooking...one month soon!

Sophie's Bathroom Floor

Sophie’s bathroom floor from Floor De Lis in Mid-City. Hate the name, but they are very nice people. The girl that sold it to us went to St. Antny (Anthony) with me. Small world.

Stacy says that we will need the floor soon…I can’t wait!

QUICK UPDATE...

EVERYTHING IS PLUGGING ALONG...WITH THE HOUSE AND WITH US!

Stacy told Lynn today that in the next two weeks, the house will begin being put back together! Whatever that means, it is very exciting t0 me!

Walls...windows...trim...paint...fixtures...it all seems to good to be true.

Stacy also reports that we are still set for a March 1 move-back-in-date!

Wow!

Laura

Happy New Year!

As of today, Jan 1, 2009, we are HALF way through our renovation journey. There's been a lull in the activity due to the holidays, but January will be an exciting month!

We are looking forward to a 2009 filled with progress and prosperity---no pains in the knee or the a**!

Included are some pics of Soph with Tala and a Lucy update! She is 4 1/2 months and sooooo adorable!

Tala turns 2! Jan 11!

We love you!

Laura, Lynn, ans Sophie

Sorry we haven't been in touch by BLOG!

Since Lynn's surgery, things have been like a really un-cool roller-coaster ride! Looking forward to the surgery was very stressful. The day of surgery was surreal---no word from the doctor for 7 hours...no word from hospital staff b/c I was not "family," and no room at the end of the long, strange day! Then, after the surgery, it was like a dream! The day after surgery, Lynn walked better than before it! Yipee! Well, that was until the "OMG" of Day 2 after surgery. Lynn needed blood. Her blood count plummeted and she was in bad shape. After 2 pints, WE ARE UP AGAIN! Singing and walking around on clouds! Lynn was going to be all better!!! And the next day...a dip. But we were well enough to go home! We are up again! All better...Then she began having awful pain in the surgery leg from hip to ankle. After planned and unplanned trips to the ER, a blood clot was ruled out and the final verdict...siatica. Not sure how to spell the awful condition, but I know what it is!!! A literal pain in the ass that radiates to the ankle! We're down again...As of today, she is able to sit up for about 20 minutes without pain. When the pain comes, it's like an avalanche. She has been pretty drugged-up, but we are hoping she is better each day.

For the first time since we've been away from home, I broke down today. I think it's just the stress of seeing Lynn go through all of this (it's been over 2 years!), and I guess just a lack of sleep. We'll get through this. I keep trying to imagine a walk through our neighborhood with Lynn, Sophie, and the pack...it seems impossible!

Love to everyone. We'll have more pics soon and hopefully an update from Stacy soon!

Laura

Twas 3 Nights Before Christmas and ...we need an update!

The past few weeks have been quite exciting... We had SNOW!

Sophie met a few snow people on Canal Blvd!

The Bell Street garden looked pretty in snow!The rooftops had visible snow the next morning!

We have a shower in Sophie's bathroom! The one-piece would not fir through the door, so we had to get a 2-piece.

Rodney models it for us!

The kitchen is all plumbed...I guess that's a word...

Then there's the fireplace! OMG, the fireplace!!! It is so cool!

Stacy works to get all the old plaster off!
And we also got a black awning over the side door. We have always had a very complicated problem with that door. We hope the awning will help!

Other than all the house stuff, Lynn is on the mend. She is beginning to move around a little. The surgery and hospital stay was long enough! We are hoping this recovery is permanent!

We have a busy holiday planned and we will be wishing everyone well as we end 2008!

Laura

Shiny Copper Pipes and Pretty Yellow Wiring...

We are approaching month 2...


We now have new plumbing and wiring in our house. The boys have re-designed the 2 bathrooms and things are clipping along quite nicely.

Lynn went by today for a temporary pause in observation of the reno activity. Her surgery is tomorrow! We are excited and nervous, but are looking forward to a 2009 that is filled with long walks and NO PAIN!!!

The blog will suffer. I should turn it over to Stacy because he not only Blogs, but has a complete website ( http://www.tigersportszone.net/)... Check it out! He is quite talented and all of the writing and photography is Stacy’s.

Don’t give up on us. I will keep as much posted as possible and hopefully, before 2009, I will have more pics to post.

Thanks for keeping in touch,

Laura

Plugging away...

As the weeks roll by, we are all plugging away at our respective jobs. Rodney and Stacy are fixing and creating our dream house. Lynn is preparing herself for her second knee surgery (12/16), Sophie is tolerating us ignoring her hints about Santa gifts, and I am preparing myself, mentally, for the Refrigerator Art Auction (3/29 at the Foundry...tickets go on sale mid-February). I will shamelessly plug the auction from now until March 28! It is an important event for ISL and I am honored to play a part in making it happen.

I digress...Rodney and Stacy are working very hard to make our house functional, safe, and beautiful. Everyday, Stacy checks in and gives us an update on what new "treasures" they've found and how we get rid of them. Old houses hold the craftsmanship or stupidity of every previous dweller. In our case, it appears, Curly, Larry, and Moe once owned an electrical business and used our house as a training ground...the only difference between our house and a Three Stooges episode is our house isn't funny! Stacy and Rodney are great and almost 6 weeks into this, we are all still happy!

Lynn...her surgery is nearing, as is her pain and anxiety about it! She had to stop anti-inflammatory meds and most pain meds. By the weekend, she should be in major pain. One of the nurses I work with suggested a nerve block! I wish it were that easy. We are at the point that we (she) does not want another procedure...even one that might take pain away! Please keep her in your thoughts. As I did last time, I will try to email or text everyone after surgery.

Sophie is one the fence this year...she still believes, but I think she knows that Santa gifts are somehow connected to how much money her parents have. So many people have told us that she is pulling her leg, but we think she is still on the side of believing or being really, really not sure! We want her to believe, like us, until you have gray hair...if I have broken any bubbles or shattered dreams, I am talking about the Tooth Fairy...Oh. wait! She's real, too! Her name is Flossy!

Me. Fridge Art is pretty much my life from Jan. 1 until it happens. I am very passionate about this activity for many reasons. I love art, I love ISL, and I absolutely LOVE hosting a party-so Fridge Art is my very perfect social event. This year we have some lofty goals. I only hope we can reach them...people keep bringing up the recession and how no one has money. It's kind of a wet towel-reality, but I am choosing to ignore it. We will be OK.

Don't forget, Sunday, March 29, food, music, fun, and all to help ISL. Please join us!

I may not write for a while due to Lynn's surgery, but I will be back soon.

Laura

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

We have a little 4 foot tree in Sophie's room. It is cool because it has fiber optic tips and it glows in her room after the sun goes down. Sophie made a "tree" on the door to our closet. We are putting our Christmas cards inside of it...Festive!!

Sophie made name signs for our stockings. Our real stockings are packed away at Bell St.

Of course, we needed a moose. Sophie has one that sings (really badly) and sort of dances.

That's all for now. We hope everyone is getting ready for the holiday season that is fast approaching.

The ugly pink chair...

My mom had this ugly, pink-crushed velvet, Channel Back, Queen Anne antique chair. Lynn and I always knew it had great potential as an awesome chair!

After 16 years of talking about it, we had it re-covered in animal print. Yes, an animal print...leopard, even! My Mom would have loved it! We do!

My mom used to sit in it at our house. It was the only comfortable chair for her. Her knees would not allow her to sit in a lower chair or a sofa. We wanted to keep it, but the pink color just did not go anywhere we put it. It has lived in the living room of the Bell Street house, quite happily, in the corner untilo about 8 weeks ago...we went to Faubacher's on Oak Street. Just unbelievable! This piece of furniture will live on as long as there is someone to sit in it!

The beauty of old things...they can always become new again!

It was going to live at our neighbor's, Annie and Dennis, for a few months, but then we realized that Lynn needed a chair for PT after her surgery. It's perfect! And will be a great addition to our old-new house!

It's just awesome!

Laura

Pipes, wires, and termites, Oh, My!

Stacy and Rodney have finally finished fishing out all of the rotted, spliced wires from the attic and under the house. The plumbing is all gone and now they work to re-create it all-newer and safer!

It's amazing, when you are in an old house, you are the recipient of every previous owner/occupant that fixed a pipe with crazy glue, spliced an electrical wire using duct tape, and seemingly had little regard for their own safety or the safety of others...

Stacy said that we were a fire waiting to happen! Amazing!

We are so, so blessed to be able to have this work done to make our house better and safer. Lynn and I, as I've said before, always, always want to leave a place better than we found it...and this time, it is for keeps. We hope to never, ever leave our little Bell Street Side-Hall Shotgun...ever.

We want to share many meals, many laughs, many, many good conversations in our home with our friends and family. We are on our way and we are so excited! Still! Impatient...but excited!

Laura

Oy! What a mess!

Not the Bell Street house...just "us" in general.

Tonight, after hours of homework, we are all settled. Lynn and I share a banter about the renovation, while Sophie silently hopes for our Christmas decorations to appear in our temporary space...not going to happen.

With this, her 11th Christmas, she is feeling a bit neglected. I guess it's may fault...all the holiday decorations...all over the place...all the time!!! Gawd! Who needs 100 Santa's or 10 rubbermaid bins of elves and bears and moose...you know, we have to have moose stuff just to aggravate my brother! Who needs lighted-garland and shiny ornaments and even a nativity set (quite nice for heathens)...who needs my collection of snow-globes or Mr. Bingle???? (Jingle, Jangle, Jingle) I guess the 10 year old does...and so do we!

We miss our house and even though our "home" is here, all around us, we miss some of it, too.

CHEESEY SMILE AND A CLOSET!

Today we offer a picture of Rodney creating a new kitchen window sill…and for my buddy, Erin, a gratuitous picture of Stacy…with a Cheshire cat grin, in a very manly pose!

Sophie has a framed-closet!!!

Monday we get our babies back!

Our pets have been boarded for almost 2 weeks! Tomorrow we will get them back! Zoe

Deuuuuce!

Ke Ke and Ko Ko

Lizzie-Lou

We are sooo happy that we will see them soon!

As our 1 month anniversary out of the house is here, having them back home is a great way to celebrate!

XO

Update: Month 1

As our first month of work comes to an end... missing walls...

missing floors...

and a heap of electrical wires...

MEAN PROGRESS!!!

We are so grateful for the work that has been done! It is a grand mess, but it is moving us closer and closer to our "dream" house!

Stacy and Rodney have expectedly encountered the unexcpected! We need all new electricity, all new plumbing, new walls, and all the fixins'! We are still on time with our timelines and as hard as these guys work, I wouldn't be surprised if we remain on-schedule ( and I'm crossing fingers and toes that it may even be earlier!).

We were able to go through all of our attic junk and organize it all! All of our attic contents were taken down to re-do the electrical and for insulation. We were able to make a few Bridge House runs, go through some old memories from my mom and dad, see Sophie's baby treasures, realize how many pictures need to go into albulms, and finally organize some of our Beverly Garden stuff that we moved to Bell street, but never unpacked!

With my life, January-March revolving around Fridge Art, being out of our house will be difficult...but we will survive. Lynn and Sophie have become very used to my craziness around this activity that is so important to me.

This past week, we were at our third house and we did OK! We all miss being home very much! As our first month comes to an end, we are homesick and hopeful and still very excited!

XO,

Laura

Thankful 11/29/08

Bella is 8!!! today!

Giving Thanks!

What we are thankful for...

• A happy kid
• A wonderful family
• Our family of friends
• Our pets
• Each other
  

What's going on???

All of the work now is under-house and in the attic. There is a heap of electrical wires (a fire waiting to happen) that have been pulled out and all of the plumbing is gone!

Not much else to report at this time.

We hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving week and spending time with the people that we are most thanksful for.

L>L> and Sophie

Excitement and lots of changes...

If you know the book, If you give a mouse a cookie, you know that if you give a mouse a cookie, the next thing you know is he'll get thirsty and want a glass of milk, he'll spill the milk and need a napkin, etc.

I think this is how renovating an old house works, as well. If you decide to renovate a room, you'll have to do 2 b/c you'll have to tear down walls...if you want to change out a pipe, you'll have to change the drain...you know!

Anyway, because mice like cookies, we are getting all new electrical wiring, plumbing, walls, etc...

Stacy and Rodney are working very hard! They are beyond "on schedule." We are very excited! I am impatient so I have to stay away! This process definitely takes patience!

All is good...well, great!

Hopefully, I'll take pictures of the new pipes and wiring...ooooohhh! Exciting stuff!

Also, Kimberly came through with a great price on our quartz for the counter-tops! We are clipping along just fine!

Laura

We bought CABINETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kimberly uses 3 calculators, a spread sheet, and an on-call accountant to figure out how much our cabinet order will cost. Then, there was the waiting for the Brinks truck to be available to take the check and all the drama...it was sort of like buying my first car, except a few dollars more expensive. My first car was a Plymouth Arrow (you remember..."Me and my arrow, taking the high road..."). It was silver and very cool and it cost $1600.00!Kimberly smiles after we write the check! Heh! Heh! If the whole "showroom" and tape measure thing is a ruse, Kimberly may be in Costa Rica as you are reading this!!? But seriously, Kimberly is so professional and thoughtful in her work. We were so lucky to have her help us make our new kitchen be the perfect kitchen for us.

Tala had a good time "helping" as we finalized the cabinet order...She was so funny all day. She is imitating everything! She has her daddy's sense of humor!The Cabinets are so nice! We hope that they help maintain the integrity of the original house. The pulls are not shown because they looked crappy in the pictures on the Armstrong site.

Rutledge Cabinet. Mocha finish on maple.

you can view it at http://www.armstrong.com/content2/resam/files/25188.pdf As we have said over and over again...there will be a party in our new "old" house...if you are a blog reader...you will know when it will be!

XO,

Laura

KIMBERLY to the rescue!

The long hallway is now part of the open space that will be the dining room-kitchen. We are thinking, with Stacy's suggestion, to open up the living room as well...we'll see! Kimberly came over to get some difinitive measurements for the kitchen!!! I can't really tell you how excited I am about the kitchen! I still can't see it, but I know it's there!!!

Kimberly re-designed the space and Lynn and I both really love the re-design. I know that you all will, too!

We are really so lucky to have so many people working together to make this all happen so smoothly!

Finally, the window guy came by to make arrangements for the last window in the house to be replaced.

Onward and upward!

Love,

Laura

Not much to share as work moves under cover...

Rodney and Stacy are so cute! They are trying to reassure us that work is continuing, but will not be as glamorous over the next several weeks! Is that so sweet? They are concerned that we will think that they've stopped work if we don't continue to see walls coming down!

Lots of excitement, but for the next several weeks, you photo buffs will have to wait. The paparazzi is temporarily closed until further notice. I don't even think we'll post the most recent visual of the "open floorplan."

We want to wish everyone a happy turkey day with family and friends. We love you and appreciate you!


XO,

Laura

Look into the light...or LET THE SUN SHINE IN!!!

The temporary wall in some way impedes the view (especially in pictures...however, it is spectacular! The very large support beam was being constructed and going up possibly today.

This is the view from the KITCHEN!!!!

Another view of the temp wall and Lynn reacting to the view!

We are also excited because on another leg of our journey, we are once again within (and a little under) our budget!

We were able to shop for our bathroom stuff (showers, faucets, toilets, etc) and for both bathrooms, we are $4 under budget!

We are very, very proud that we are able to control our usually expensive taste in stuff for the house.

We also went to the Bank (awesome)(http://www.thebankantiques.com/ ) today on the way to get Sophie and Haiden from school. For $75 we will have our mantle (pretty sure original to the house-square,hand-forged-blacksmith-looking nails) stripped! can't wait to see what is under all that white paint!

Framing is well underway, but over the next few weeks, things may get boring...plumbing and electrical is not nearly as exciting as DEMOLITION!

XO,

Laura

No photos...broken camera...an incredible view!!!

Sorry to report that there are no photos attached! The camera was not working!

Lynn went by the house this afternoon and...(drumroll)...the side-hall wall is DOWN!!!!!! The view to the windows is breathtaking...Lynn took a picture w/ her cell phone.

Will try to post pictures soon!

Laura

EXPOSED!

Rodney and Stacy The Dynamic Duo!!! Rodney and Stacy are so awesome. Their skill and vision and ability to make something new out of something very old, while respecting and maintaining the integrity of the space is so incredible to me, to us.

The best birthday gift to me today was the EXPOSED fireplace...completely exposed! It is beautiful and looks so ready for the BIG stove! I hope everyone is hungry, b/c in a few months, a whole lotta cooking will be happening! That will really be the best gift ever, to cook for everyone again!

One of the coolest findings, besides the old high school ring, was the old wallpaper on the barge board. There were 2 layers of paper, one 19th century, the other, early 20th century. The walls under the paper were covered in burlap. To think that the earliest residents of the house had the barge board and a layer of burlap between them and the elements...

There were also graffiti marks on the newer paper. Drawings and scribbles in paper. The word, "mama" and a bird were the most discernable.



Scribble

The bird

Our old closet.

Our old bathroom.

This large hole above the window was to vent the wood burning stove 100 years ago.

The fireplace on the dining room side.

What will tomorrow bring?!

A "no picture" day

No pics of the renovation today...the cement guy came back to finish...well, complete yet another phase. We prefer not to talk about the cement stuff...paid for in April, promised completion in June before Lynn's surgery...not completed yet...Ugh!



The surprise cement visit thwarted progress today, but according to Stacy, the fireplace is completely exposed! Can't wait to see it! Hopefully, this time next week, Kimberly from Armstrong can come by for some hard measurements. Fun!

A day of progress...11/4/08

Today...

Beautiful Barge Board in the sidehall, dining room wall...

The front bathroom is GONE!!!!

The fireplace peeking through.

The Sidehall exposed.

The hall.

Inside Soph's room.

Fireplace and where the bathroom used to be.

Barge Board. Wow!

A look into the new kitchen!

Beautiful brick ready for a stove!

I hope everyone exercised the right to vote. No matter what the outcome, history is being made today. I'm just happy to be a part of it. I'm so excited for my daughter and my young family members. What an interesting future the world holds for them...maybe one day we'll see an election where race, gender, age, or political party doesn't matter...

Progress was made on Bell Street today, as well. Talk about exciting!!! Stacy is the right person to entrust our major life "renovation" to. He loves the house, too. Lynn said that until the kitchen (the very ugly kitchen) was ripped out, Stacy was a bit incredulous about our master plan. Now he is like a giddy school girl (he’d say that). With the walls gone, even I can see the plan unfolding. It’s so strange how Lynn and I looked past the existing space for the past 2 ½ years. We knew what we pictured in our heads was the house we would see one day. It’s just amazing…totally amazing.

What else is amazing…my first day in 10 days where I am not on heavy drugs! My head is clear. To Sophie and Lynn’s disappointment, my reticent demeanor over the past few weeks is a thing of the past! Back to being a pain in the butt! Too talkative, too impatient, and just “too” everything!

The disclaimer for this blog is that you may have to divide every fact (especially numbers) by 2! My family has this long-running joke that I exaggerate…so they divide everything I say by 2. For example, if I say, “there were like 100 people in line to vote today.” My family automatically translates that to, “50 people in line.” You may have to do that while reading the blog. I will try to be as accurate as possible, but if I get too excited, the facts may become distorted!

When the walls come tumbling down...sort of!

The wall of the front bathroom, looking from the kitchen into the dining room. Where you see light blue is the fireplace. This will soon be exposed brick and the new home for the stove.

The walls are coming down. Today Stacy found termite damage in the walls between the bathroom and the kitchen. For a 110+ year old house that is pretty typical. We've found termite and bora beetle damage throughout the house, but it has all been old. The wall between Sophie's room and the old study.

Sophie's closet.

The front bathroom.
The termite damage.

The outside wall of the front bathroom. Soon to be part of the kitchen.

Looking from Sophie's room looking into the study.

The DUMPSTER!

Soph's room.

The old pantry space.

More termite damage.

The dining room and a cute little girl.

My new PLANTER...the clawfoot tub from the front bathroom.

The front bathroom before...

The progress and hard work is so appreciated! It's amazing how much can get done in a day!

Much better picture of Stacy...awake

Stacy, Stiliani, and Popi

Stacy and Stiliani

Bell Street is so beautiful...

When you look at the demo pics, I hope you notice the beautiful, natural light that our little Bell St. house bathes in. It is more beautiful empty than with all of our crap in it!

This week, we will hopefully have more demo pics and a better picture of Stacy and Rodney...hopefully both will be awake!

pictures, pictures and more pictures...

The first hole in the wall...
Stacy and Rodney toook off doors...

Ripped out the awful stove...

Took off more doors...

Looked down the looooong hallway that is about to be no more...

Sophie donated all of our alcohol to our neighbors...

and drumroll...what I've been waiting for...

THE FIRST HOLE IN THE WALL!!!!!

Sorry this post is rather pitiful, but I am pitiful, too. The tooth from hell is worse and needs to be extracted on Monday. I am in a pain-pill induced state and am not good for much of anything.

Will keep up with pictures this week and as the walls come tumbling down~

We have a new address...

Oy! What a week…wait, I mean month!!!

We did it-we are gone pecans from Bell St. for the next (fingers crossed) 16 weeks…

We’ve had a rough couple of months with Lynn’s legs and then last week, Sophie gets sick (she's doing better now) and I had a toothache that requires a "re-treatment” of a root canal. In non-endodontist language that means, the first root canal was not done properly, so all this pain now is free! GO figure! You usually have to pay a lot of money to make your mouth hurt this much! It was so bad that Wednesday, I actually took a ½ day off work!

It was the day we had planned to move and Lynn was reluctant! She said it could all wait until the weekend! Well, being the bulldozer that I can be (Yep! You heard it right, “BULL-DOZER”), I told her, “No! We will move today. We will stay on schedule. We will do this!!!” It was kinda funny because I said it all with that after-dentist numb lip talk…so it was more like, “Wa wi do dis!!!”

What we’ve learned together is that you have to look at your challenges, your obstacles and just decide if you are going to let the difficulty define your life! Yes, it would be easier to wait until the weekend, or the end of next week, or after the holidays-but what do we want??? We want to complete this renovation…that means we have to start! Last night, Lynn was a bit happy to have a bulldozer for a partner! I can such a B****, but in a really “aw come on way”, that I can usually talk Lynn in to anything! We were stressed, we were confused and frustrated and scared…but by 8pm last night, we were snug as bugs in rugs in our new temporary home! The animals were settled, Sophie was in her new bed, and Lynn and I were glad we’d plowed through another major obstacle towards our goal!
Impatience is not a bad thing sometimes!

It’s so strange, but last night as I left the Bell St. house for the last time of the day, I was so sad. I will miss it so much, with all its’ flaws, holes in the floor, leaky doors, squeaky doors, that awful kitchen, and the unkempt backyard and the patches of incomplete concrete…our wonderful neighbors, the sounds, the noise!, the quiet, the smells, and the smiles.

We are on our way! It’s sooooo exciting!

ISL Fest is over...back to reality

Sophie and Lucy at ISL Fest (Lucy is almost 11 weeks old)

This weekend, we shared great weather and even better company at ISL Fest. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful extended family at Sophie's school. Haiden performed on Saturday and Julie brought her on Sunday to spend the day! Sophie climbed the rock-wall several times and ran a booth by herself on Sunday afternoon after a parent was in an accident...Overall, it was a nice weekend...and the Saint's won! It was a great break from all the work that has been done over the past few weeks.

Now it's back to planning, packing, hauling, and just getting on with the renovation!

Happy and Wilson discuss how many gray hairs we will have by January...

XO,

Here's to not being afraid of hair color!

Advice from the refrigerator repairman...

You know those appliances we rec'd that were the wrong model numbers??? Well, the fridge door was damaged and needs to be replaced...

The guy came by early today to say that we need a new door and we should not get it replaced until "like 6 months from now when the workers have gone." He said, "The contractors are going to break things up."

Let's hope the advice from the fridge guy is not necessary! Maybe it's just me, but I don't see Stacy and Rodney flinging plaster around or losing their grip on the sledge hammer...

Today is the first day of the rest of our lives...???!!!

Our Contractor, Stacy!





Tala says, "Ogle umm da." That's baby-talk for "yipee!!!"

Today we paid the first installment of our renovation!!! OMG!!! We are sooooo nervous and excited!

Stacy met with us and really made us feel better about the whole thing!

After we met, he fell asleep thinking about all the work we were offering him!!!!

We didn't wake him because we figured that he needed a "BIG SLEEP" before he begins work next week!

I hope he still does the job after this post!!! I promise to have a picture of him awake put in at a later date!!!

Wish us luck, pray like hell, and keep up with our blog!

XO,

Laura

Lizzie
KeKe and KoKo Sophie and Lainey

As we go to sleep tonight, we have one more week before we move to our temporary home in Metry.

Sophie is getting sick (I think it's just the change of weather funk), my asthma has been kicking me around, and Lynn's legs are painful and weary on good days...We are pitiful!

The puppies went to the beauty salon today for a treatment before the big day! They are so nervous about all the boxes...I promised Deuce a photo shoot tomorrow!

XO

Did I mention we were making baby steps??? Well, we are now toddlers!

Today, our nephew, Travis, picked up some of our very favorite pieces of furniture: two rockers and a large barley twist desk. Each held special memories for us.


The chairs were reclaimed and totally restored by Lynn's dad, Wilson. They are breathtaking and quite spectacular. I have a thing for chairs and I love rockers...these were my favorites, I think b/c they are such a wonderful pair (and Wilson made them).

The desk is a gorgeous hunk of solid oak with 3.5" barley twist legs. Awesome. Lynn and I purchased it at auction when we had our shop. We bought it at one of our favorite auction houses and it was a super buy. We've used it to hold our TV, computer, pictures, and finally as a regular desk.

Travis and Tricia share our affinity for the old, used, and special funiture that we try not to collect.

Lynn and I are so funny. We really LOVE our stuff. We hold it close and care for it and just love it. Then, it seems, the pieces we love the most, we give away. We just say, "We've loved this 'thing" long enough...it's time for it to go!" And off it goes for someone else to love it!

No pics for my friend, Erin...Maybe Travis will post a pic or two?

All is packed but Sophie's room...and our clothes!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO.

Laura

Blooming Cacti on Bell St.

Tonight on Bell St., a very special event occurred...a group of neighbors gathered together for a drink. That's not the special event b/c that happens daily---sometimes more than once a day! The special event was Joe's spectacular bloomin' cactus plants.

They are glorious and beautiful! Worth going outside on this beautiful night to gaze upon!

How will we ever survive 4 months without our Bell St. neighbors?

Laura

You are now entering...The Prozac Zone!

Lynn and I are not on drugs, but sometimes we act like we are. For example, today, 2 appliances were delivered by freight. It took 4 of our neighbors to unload the appliances, take off the doors, big production...only to realize that BOTH appliances were the wrong ones! Neither of us really even reacted!

I was at Children's Hospital. Lynn called me and I calmly asked her to check my email for the number to "Homeclick.com." She called and we are now waiting for a supervisor to contact us! We've kinda decided to just keep what was sent to us, even though they are not what we ordered!

We are so calm, I feel like somehow we've been given drugs, or possibly rec'd lobotomies and were unaware...Here's to accepting whatever comes our way, whether or not we asked for it!

Serenity Now!

Laura

Just How High are the Hurdles/how many are there/are they over yet???

In my head, I've viewed the month of October as a series of hurdles to be cleared prior to the actual/physical renovation work.
Packing up all the stuff in the house. This has been relatively easy - tape up a box, insert stuff, tape box, add to the mountain in the living POD room.
Preparing for and holding garage sale. Preparation hurdle very time consuming and more physically challenging. The actual sale was such a nonevent. We almost put more stuff in Jean's car than what we sold! Bridge House has a lot to pick up on Monday.
Delivery of frig and dishwasher. In my next life I want to return as a delivery person. They only have to deliver our appliances to the curb - not inside the house. We've been working on a potion to magically levitate our appliances up the steps and into the house. Monday should be interesting here on Bell St.
Rocking Chairs and Desk. Travis and Tricia also share our love of antiques and family. They are to become the treasurers of 2 rockers that Dad to beautifully and lovingly restored for me many years ago. They have to juggle soccer, work, travel, and life to get here to pick up soon.
Treadmill. Need to keep our contractor in good shape and help declutter our soon to be living space - have to find time to move a treadmill.....
Moving old Fridge. - only way out if the front window/door in the living room. Need to soon move furniture in front of this exit. Timing is everything. Been feeling like my timing chain is definitely off!
Lucky Bags. 600 bags to be done and only 200 completed. Tick, tick, tick ...

Individually these all seem very simple tasks. Collectively they just seem to get higher and higher. And for all who know me, I couldn't even jump over a paper clip if I had to!
What I am constantly remembering is that together we can do anything. Laura, Sophie, family and our wonderful friends and neighbors have constantly been lifting me up and over each of these hurdles. Boy I can't wait for Stacy to take and keys and the controls!
New to blogging,
Lynn

Deuling Infants of Prague

My altars are put away in the empty china cabinets!

The large and medium Infants of Prague are in a face-off in the tall china, while St. Anthony (St. Antny, as I said growing up!) listens and while the Mary Santos looks on...like a virgin!

What a strange little house we have!

Several people have told me that they can't post comments. I think you need a gmail account...not really sure! Don't give up! I still feel like I'm talking to myself!

XO,

Laura

Night Jasmine and Mandevillas

We are making progress...with work and life, things seem really slow. Everyday we get a little closer to our current goal of getting started! Please send good energy our way! We need it!

About 15 years ago, Lynn and I went to visit Bellingrath Gardens in Alabama. There was a very graceful and lovely 90+ year old guiding the tour. She had spoken to me aside and when the entire group was together, she proudly stated, "These lovely young ladies drove all the way here on the High-10. How daring!!! Let us give them applause!" Lynn and I were touched and floored! We have always remembered her for that and also stating, quite emphatically, "Life is grand when the mandevillas are in bloom!" I think she's the reason why we often give mandevillas as gifts and always have a few around...This is our yellow one on the gate. Tonight she is blooming quite exquisitely!

As I walked with the dogs tonight, the sweet smell of jasmine followed us. Our neighbor, Annie, inherited the jasmine with her house, but somehow it smells sweeter with her and Dennis there. After dark, when we arrive home, it is the first thing to greet us-sweet smells and a feeling coming home. We are so lucky!

Lynn goes back to the doctor tomorrow and Saturday is our garage sale! Goodbye to stuff that we no longer need. We've managed to give away the things that held sentimental value or fond memories. It's amazing how much stuff we have that we don't need!

xo,

Laura

Boxes and bubble Wrap and Tape! Oh, My!

we are packing up!!!

I can't believe how much stuff we have!

We are having a garage sale this weekend and hopefully by Sunday, have less!

Speaking of having less...Sunday, on the way to get MORE BOXES, I got a speeding ticket on Airline Hwy. I hadn'e gotten a ticket (just lucky) in years! I made up for lost time! 60+ in a 40! Did I mention, Officer Knight was a STATE TROOPER!!!!???

All is OK! I didn't need that extra kitchen cabinet anyway!

Send us all your good wishes and energy...we need it!

Laura

Timelines...

People are so funny! Complete strangers, if they hear you are renovating, the first thing they say is, "Dawlin', whateva they tell you, double the time for completing the job!" We are not doing that!

We feel strongly that Stacy and Rodney will do a bang up job in record time! Just to prove everyone wrong, we want to finish on time, if not early!

One person said to us, "Umph! You'll be lucky if it less than 6 months that you are out of your house!" Well, all we can say to that is, "You don't know us!" We have done everything to have this job go smoothly! All appliances are purchased, the cabinets and countertops are waiting to be ordered, and we are buying as many fixtures and other stuff, so when the boys are ready for it, it will be there.

In the meantime, we are packing up. Pretty much, everything is packed but the bedrooms. We are having our garage sale next weekend to have some breathing room around here. Jeanie is getting her space ready for us. We went there today and set up Sophie's bed. It is going to be so great!

Laura

Thank you, Lynn!

Today after work, I met with Kimberly at Armstrong kitchens. Lynn encouraged me to meet with Kimberly and really go through the kitchen design, tweak it, and sort of finalize the basic design.

I did and it was so much fun! Kimberly is very patient!

I chose cabinets and a countertop that we both love. No pictures for Erin! I want some things to be a surprise! The cabinets are sort of traditional and the counter top is quartz. Lynn and I chose the perfect pulls and I tentatively indulged myself in a glass-front corner cabinet! We'll see of the budget can handle that in 6 weeks...

Thanks if anyone is reading this. I feel like I am talking to myself!

XO,

Laura

As we begin this process, it is Saint's season and it is, as Sophie says, "The month of Halloween!" She gets her love of fall and Halloween decorations from me!

These are 2 areas of lucky bag storage in the hall. Each bag contains 100+ small choking hazards, 50 action figures, 25+ miscellaneous toys that no child really wants, and at least one toy a child does not realize his/her parent has given away!

KoKo is expressing the feelings of all the animals, as he sits on his perch, very unhappy about the boxes and the turmoil going on around him. I think he is staying on the perch so we can't pack it! (KeKe, Deuce, Zoe, and Lizzy are equally confused and unhappy about boxes in the house!).

This is our wonderful sidehall! It is going away in the renovation. The wall of windows on the right will be the only wall on that side of the house. We'll miss the great gallery for our Jazz Fest posters. If we don't have wall space for them in the "new" space, some of you might get them as gifts!

This is Sophie's closet. It will expand in the renovation!

This is the "study." That's code for the room that is supposed to be a third bedroom (only according to realtors and extremely tiny people), but is really only good for a chair and a desk. It will be the Master Bath.
This is a blurry picture of Lucy, our friends', Andree and Ben's, baby. She is sister to Lainey and Zachary. She is so cute! She can also help us, along with seasonal pictures, chronicle the blog. Lucy is now 7 weeks old...let's hope the renovation is over before her 1st birthday!

My friend, Erin, is a pro at blogging. She has a great blog that chronicles her wonderful life. It has hits from around the globe...she inspired me to blog the renovation (or anything!).

I decided to add a few pictures to the blog to fill in the blanks for some of you...

Baby steps!

These are the two areas that have been cemented! It look so neat and ...well, done!

About 5 months ago, we contracted with someone to complete some cement work around the house. We planned this long in advance of the renovation, thinking it would make it easier to haul things out of the house during the demo, for a work space for capentry, etc...well, 5 months came and went and the only thing we had in the space where cement was supposed to be was overgrown grass!

Today, the cement guy showed up and completed about 1/3 of the job! We are very excited that the cement might actually be finished by the time we begin demolition!

I also want to say, "Thanks" to everyone that has commented on the blog. I have no idea what we're getting into, but I do know, that no matter what, we know and love a lot of very good people!

We love you guys!

Packing around ISL Fest!

Lynn has spent the day packing boxes and stacking them around 1,000+ Lucky Bag items...these items are not really "Lucky" but that's what we call them so children will buy them at the upcoming ISL Fest!

Lynn is in charge of Lucky Bags and we are decorating and filling 600+ this year. Unfortunately, the lucky bag loot is in our hallway...bags and bags of fast food toys, parade throws, and various other treasures found under car seats and in the bottom of toy boxes.

The good news...as we pack...the house is in disarray...we can blame it on the Lucky Bag!!!

We'll be packed up soon!!! Any empty boxes? Call us!

This is our tiny hallway that leads to the bedrooms and back of the house.

This beautiful, gourmet kitchen is an inspiration for eating out and...sledge hammers!

This is our dining room. It will be opened up into the kitchen. That white door is a FULL bathroom...

This is our current living room...soon to become the POD! We are moving all of our junk from the pocket doors to the back of the house into this room!

The Beginning!

Dear Friends and Family,

This will be my attempt at creating a blog! Lynn, Sophie, and I are beginning our Bell Street renovation. We have planned this renovation since BEFORE we purchased the house! It is a long overdue love fest for this little house that we love.

After years of planning and hoping and dreaming, Lynn and I finally sold Beverly Garden Drive. Many of you shared countless hours of fun in that wonderful space. When we moved here, we could only hope of having the same feeling of home and warmth we experienced at BGD. We had Three 50th B-days, a wedding reception, an 80th birthday celebration, and a couple of 25 year anniversary parties, endless kid birthdays, and 14 years to decorate that beautiful space for the holidays! The final chapter of BGD enabled us to share our home with family members displaced by Hurricane Katrina. It was one of the most wonderful chapters of our life in that house. Now that another lucky family is there, we are ready to move on…

Bell Street is so wonderful! We live on the best block in our neighborhood! On all sides, back and front, we are surrounded by friends! Our neighbors are the best in the world! Lynn and I are so lucky b/c at BGD, we had neighbors that over the years became treasured friends. We still talk with Ms. Yvonne and Eddie often. The big difference between Bell St. and BGD, is that when we moved in, we felt like we had just been away from home! We returned to fruits and flowers on the porch, warm smiles, and laughter all around.

Our house is small and strange, but while waiting for the realtor to show up, we decided to buy it! We ignored the strange features (bath in the dining room), small spaces, no closets, and the ugliest, least functional kitchen in the universe!!!! We ignored the fact that it would take a major renovation to truly make it ours…we just knew we were home.

That brings me to the way in which we looked at the renovation…Before we purchased the house, we called on our nephew, Stacy for his eye, his heart, and his good sense when it comes to renovating old, old spaces…Bell St. is well over 100!!! Stacy said, “It’s got good bones. It’s a good house.” That’s all it took to reinforce our feeling that we needed to love this house and keep it forever.

When we began talking seriously about the renovation, we also consulted our neighbor and friend, Joe. Joe lives next door, but he also takes very good care of us. I can call Joe, (and I have), at a moment’s notice for help and Joe is there. We asked his advice and expertise and he advised us well. He wanted to bid for the job, as did another friend and neighbor who is a partner to an ISL parent…lots of connections…So Jed and Kevin and Joe all placed their bids. Stacy, of course, was a bidder as well due to his love and connection for us and the house! We were so luck to have such wonderful, trustworthy, and competent contractor/designers at our service!

After much contemplation and consideration, Lynn and I had to follow our hearts and ask Stacy (and his partner Rodney) to complete the job for us. Stacy just knows me and Lynn and how we feel about this house. Stacy knows how we feel about the city we love. Stacy just knows us better. In this process, Lynn and I learned that we believe in the concept of home and unconditional love. New Orleans is our home and we love it, good, bad, or ugly. We’ve come to realize that “New Orleans” is part of our family and no matter what, we will not give up on “her.”

When we came back to the city after Katrina, many thought we were crazy, and maybe we were. We knew, however, right or wrong, it was what we had to do. It was more than buying a house inside the city limits… it was getting into the guts of the city and finding the heart of it all…Mid-City! We re-planted seeds and instantly had roots!

Our tiny, tiny house became our sanctuary and we fell in love with it and our city all over again. Our commitment to that love, in part, is this renovation. Most of all, we hope to teach Sophie that when you love something or someone, that love should make whatever (whomever) you love better. We did that on BGD. With every year, we made the house better. The more we loved it, the more “home” we created in that space. The same goes here on Bell St... We want to take this little, long, strange house and love it, love it, love it. We want to make it better, ultimately to teach our daughter about commitment and love and hope. We want her to know that our house is not just ours, it is for our neighbors, friends, family, and for our city.

It looks like another part of our wonderful family will be helping us on this journey. Jean and Becky have offered their “backhouse” space for us to live in while we are displaced. We cannot begin to thank them for easing our stress with their generosity and hospitality. We love them so much! Sophie is also very excited to be staying with Aunt Jeanie and Aunt Becky!

This blog will chronicle the journey of the little house. It should begin sometime in October and end 3-4 months down the road. I hope that you will find time to visit it from time to time and share in our progress. I also hope that, when all is said and done, if you are reading this, you will join us in a BIG party in the new, old space!

We love you,

Lynn, Laura, and Sophie