Between Two Pheasants...

When we toured the house with our realtor, we noticed that a cat was being fed on the back porch. Nate and I didn't give any thought to it at the time, but once we moved in we were faced with the fact that we were new cat owners. I will point out that this addition wasn't disclosed on the purchase agreement. Our lovely neighbors, toting blueberry scones (aka a bribe) and a bag of cat food, introduced to Spotted Kitty aka Callie Cat. Apparently, the previous owner adopted the cat to keep the mice and rats away and they had been feeding the cat while the house was vacant. Meet Callie Spotted Kitty, our new, outdoor cat. We haven't seen any critters lurking around the house or garage, so she's doing her job well. She's figured out that we're the ones who feed her so she comes running when she hears our car and occasionally allows us to pet her. Mostly she just wants food and to be left alone. Don't we all? ;)

My mom brought her 42 year old Singer sewing machine to the house about a month ago and we finally got around to making a curtain for the 1/2 bathroom. I picked up the fabric at Ikea on sale. I think the fabric was about $6 and the curtain hardware was less than $10. Check it out! One thing we discovered while measuring for the curtain is that the window is completely off-centered in the wall. I never noticed this before! Gotta love old houses.

About ten days after we installed the whole house fan, we started to hear a squeaking noise. What the what? We paid a lot of money for it to be QUIET! Now, it sounded like a schizophrenic cricket calling for a mate. It was inconsistently annoying. Since it was Saturday, we had to wait to call the Fan Man on Monday morning. The next day, around 9:30 p.m., we heard a knock at our front door. It was our backyard neighbor letting us know that she had been all over the neighborhood trying to figure out where the squeaking was coming from and determined it was our house. Apparently, dogs were barking in the 'hood and other neighbors noticed it too. It was much louder outside than inside the house. Totally embarrassing. The next morning, Fan Man came out to inspect and determined it wasn't the fan. It was the Whirlybird. The what? Yeah, the little turbin vent thing that's on the roof. Apparently, the fan's suction is so powerful that our rusty, decrepit vent, aka W...

I hope everyone had a fun Fourth of July. We spent our weekend working on the upstairs bathroom and hosting a roll-your-own-sushi party on Friday night. I love when we get to actually enjoy the house! You will remember that the bathroom looked like this when we bought it. Then, in May, we took down the wallpaper and painted the walls, but we still had a lot to do. This past weekend, we tackled the vanity, cupboards, trim and ceiling, and let me tell you, it looks A TON better! Wow! Here are a few "in process" pictures, because I want to wait to post the big reveal until the new hardware and light fixture is in.

My happy place is Healdsburg, CA, specifically Dry Creek Road, my aunt and uncle's house, in their backyard. It is so beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing. Their yard is full of treasures my aunt has collected over the decades. She has a real knack of taking seemingly odd items and putting them together in a cheerful and stylish way. Nate and I were married there five years ago which only expanded my love for Healdsburg.

Goodbye June! Hello July!  We've been spending a lot of time outside since the days are longer and evenings are so nice. The downside is that our ugly, dirty-white, exterior paint keeps staring me in the face. I want to punch it! We have a long way to go before we have the money saved to paint our house, but a girl can still dream, right? We have gone back and forth about painting the house in a more historically-accurate color scheme, but they all seem too pastel, brown and dull. Source

This week we celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. Go us! We aren't big spenders on gifts and, truthfully, our anniversary kind of snuck up on us. So, in true, new-home-owner-fashion, we splurged on something for the house. A bistro set for the front porch. The reclaimed wood table satisfies the "wood anniversary gift" year and it is definitely something we can enjoy together while sipping a cold beverage or five. Happy anniversary to my main (handy)man!