This just in...

While out to eat with Chris' family this weekend, we were discussing the recent earthquake.

 

Chris mentioned that something had fallen off our leaning bookcase in the dining room. 

 

"Huh?" I questioned, brows furrowed. 

 

Breaking News: This just in...

 

"Yeah, our Chef Wanted sign fell off the bookcase," he responded. 

 

I guess feeling the earth quaking wasn't just in my imagination.  

It was in my dining room too.

Housewarming Party!!

Last Saturday morning, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut-off...giving half-intelligible directions of what to clean, where to chuck/hide masses of things, etc to Chris, my parents and my grandma. Why? It was H-day...Housewarming party day. And, thirty or so friends and family would soon be knocking to come in and take a gander at all of our work on our *new* home. 

And they did! We had a great time getting to show people the house and changes and catch up with some friends we hadn't seen in a while! Our realtor, Jackie, stopped by too and got to see all the changes since she'd last seen the house in August...a lot. I think everybody had a pretty good time too...I was told of a few meatball-induced food comas following the bash.

To be very honest, there is not a chance that Chris and I would have pulled off such a party without some major help from both our parents and Grandma Versluys. Nope, not a chance. We are very thankful for all their help! Unfortunately, I didn't get any picture evidence of their work. Actually, I didn't get any pics of during the party, guests, etc. Here are a few pics that I got before the party...

 

Dining room bookcases (finally *pretty-ified*)

 
 

First floor *guest* room 

 
 

Living room area (which is now crawling, 7 month old-approved)

 

A tidier landing/shelf (above the front door, 

we think the stairs were moved to their current spot) 

Office upstairs sporting the vintage wallpaper...which was fairly popular with guests!

 

Tada...Master bedroom. 

(We spent so many hours in the 3-4 weeks prior to the party on this that it is deserving of it's own post...soon. )

Fast forward to this beautiful, sunny Saturday morning...I am slowly sipping my coffee in my pajamas, listening to country music on Pandora and blogging from the comfort of the EXTORP. And...thoroughly enjoying it. 

We've been constantly working on the house since we moved in in August...and now we are going to take a little sanity-induced break from major projects (organization and decorating are still fair game) for a month or so. We need a little time to regroup and enjoy all the love and sweat equity we've doused the house with so far. And, maybe I can catch up on blogging some of the improvements in more depth, future ideas and life in general in this vintage home-sweet-work-in-progress.

Knock, knock, Who's there? IKEA furniture delivery....

This is officially the first blog post being written....drum roll...from our new couch. For the past few months, I've been watching IKEA's stock of the particular sofa we want, EXTORP (yes, I speak IKEA), online. Knowing this week there was a sale (get a free white slipcover), I figured they'd sell out quick so I headed to IKEA while Chris was at work yesterday. 

Since there's no way to pack a couch in a Focus (even an IKEA couch), I was planning on having them deliver. What I did not realize was that I still had to get the couch from the warehouse (I flagged down an IKEA guy for that), push it on my "cart" through the checkout lane, pay for it and then steer it over to the "Home Delivery" counter. I was quite a sight...all by myself. I had picked up a few other items, including wine glasses (read: fragile) and other oddly shaped items and had to manuever them on top of the sofa along with the slipcovers. People were staring...probably wondering how long it would take me to drop something. Amazingly, I didn't drop anything...or run anybody over. 

Fast-forward to today. At approximately 9:45am, three friendly IKEA personnel arrived with our new couch. After a near wipeout in the kitchen (wet shoes from snow), the couch was in place. Chris and I unpacked the couch and threw on the SVANBY Beige (again, yes I speak IKEA) slipcover and...tada!! It is so nice and clean that I have to admit I've been paranoid to sit on it all day.

Fun fact to know and yell: the EXTORP sofa has been around for 30 years. Another fun fact: It does not currently come flat-packed like the majority of IKEA furniture. However, I found out from the guys in the sofa department that a flat-packed version is in the works to be rolled out next April. Yet, another fun fact: the EXTORP is slipcovered (the easiest slipcover I've ever had to deal with) so it is washable...for all of you who think we are crazy for getting a light-colored couch. 

P.S. I am aware the walls look bare...I am taking my sweet time to figure out the perfect place to hang things since we worked so so hard on making the walls look so nice and smooth.  

Christmas has arrived...

Yes, Christmas has arrived at the Buma household. We still have an artificial tree... ugh. But it does the job for right now...and did I mention it is pre-lit. Three snaps and three plug-ins later...let there be light...

all over the tree.  

(Side note: Everybody knows putting up the lights is a nightmare. Once it took my Mom and I about 5 hours to get them right...due to the white-corded light fiasco...plus the trip back to the store to buy green-corded lights...add in that we are both slightly Type-A. Ah, memories...and process improvement.)

I have a major question for anyone who cares to ponder...where does Santa Claus come in from when you have a boiler and radiators? We have no fireplaces. Chris and I are planning ahead so that in the future (when we actually have kids) we'll have our story straight. Chris' latest version is that Santa is ethereal...and can walk through walls and windows. Umm, a bit creepy and potentially child-frightening. Any other ideas?

In order to put the Christmas tree in the dining area bay window, I had to play musical furniture. Where, oh, where did the console table go? Hmmmm. Found it...residing behind one of the living room chairs in the front corner of the house where it can display my Nativity. What is that beautiful piece of material that pulls the whole Nativity scene together you ask? Hee hee. I repurposed one of the old curtain panels from the living/dining room...thank you, scissors. Very environmentally-friendly...at least for another month or so.

Growing up, Grandma Fliet gave us each a Hallmark ornament each Christmas. I have continued to buy a new ornament each year to keep the tradition going. Grandma Fliet passed away this September so this ornament is extra special.

 

Happy Thanksgiving...

Just a little peek at the table that inspired our love for Robbin's tables...

Food at the Fliet's is always awesome and Thanksgiving dinner was no different...hopefully my mom's cooking skills will rub off one of these days!

It is possible that Robbin's tables are magical...my dad willingly (after giving in to family pressure) ate a bite of Mom's new squash recipe...seriously, this was an event for the history books. 

 

Apparently, he has some texture "issues" with cooked squash...bwahahaha.

 

Curtains...Take two...

Drum roll please........Tada. Curtains. Ten curtains. Ten freshly-pressed green 95" long curtains. 

Before: Dining area bay window

After: Dining area bay window

Before: Living area 

After: Living area

 

Hmmm....

According to Chris, I'm a  "realist" since I tend to take a practical, nuts-and-bolts, lay out the plan attitude toward most things. Therefore, you'd think I would have thought of chairs before signing on the dotted line when we bought the dining table. Nope. The question of chairs never even crossed my mind. Not even once. What's the first thing every one asks me about the table? What chairs are you going to use? Oh, chairs...right, minor detail. My lack of planning actually makes me chuckle. It means a) I liked the table so much I didn't care if I had to sit on an upside-down bucket around it,  b) I'm learning to be spontaneous and less-planned, and/or c) All of the above. Either way, I'm okay with it!

The find of the day...probably the year...

 

Some history. A year ago, I would not have known what a Robbins table was. This past summer, Chris and I went to the Allegan Antique Fair with my parents and found out. My parents had been looking for this specific style/make of dining table for about 18 years according to my mom and they found one that day. It was made by the Robbins Table Company in Owosso, Michigan which stopped making these tables (and/or went out of business depending on what your source is) in the 1920's. The table seats about 4 people without any leaves in but can have up to 6 leaves and seat 14 people. The best part is that the table is built to store all the leaves within so no more hiding extra table leaves in the front closet or basement. It's like the original Ikea but not completely flat-pack. The table also has a moving 5th leg under the center for support. It looks absolutely beautiful in their newly-remodeled dining room. 

Fast forward to today. Chris and I headed up to the monthly Kane County Antiques Fair/Flea Market in search of an island for the kitchen...since the dresser/buffet is now back in the dining room where it "belongs." It had been stored in the kitchen as a makeshift island while we redid the living/dining room...for the past 2 months. Well, we did not find an island but we did find something even better. A Robbins dining table. 

 I spotted it from about half the barn away, grabbed Chris' arm and whispered "Look, look, look!!!" I called my mom right away and explained the find. Now, these tables are kind of rare to find. The dealer who was selling it said that it was only the second Robbins table they'd had because people tend to keep them in the family and pass them down to the next generation. It was love at first sight from afar. According to my mom, I "bought the table at 500 feet." This is probably true. Chris' parents drove up with the minivan and helped us get the table home safely. Guess I don't have to sand the table top for our old dining room table anymore!

You can see the center support leg in this picture and the small handle opens the flap where the leaves are stored. 

 

Here you can see the four leaves inside. All tables were built with slots for six leaves but people didn't always buy all six leaves. Ours came with four- which makes it 10 feet long with all the leaves in. 

Living/Dining Room...a work in progress

Here are some much anticipated pictures of the newly-painted living/dining room. We are going to be getting a new couch soon, so don't let the blue plaid scare you! Curtain trials start tomorrow. 

Looking out the picture window on to the porch. That empty space is where my dining table will be once I get around to sanding the top. 

This is the dining room bay window area. The flash actually makes the paint look more pink-ish/yellow-ish. It's more of a warm khaki. 

 

This is looking into the kitchen with the door to the main floor bedroom (which feels empty without an armoire and couch) to the left. Note the very nicely installed (by Chris) switch plates which match the color of all the door knobs. Yeah, Lowes. 

Another shot looking into main floor bedroom. 

 

Bye bye glue, Bye bye scraping you, Hello putty knife, I think I'm going to spackle

Chris and I said goodbye to the last of the glue last week and we have been spackling the walls to repair all the marks from scraping and general wear. In my up-close and personal interaction with the walls, I discovered that they are definitely more wavy than initially meets the eye. But, I dig it. The old lath and plaster walls are charming and add some character our abode. Next up is sanding the trim and walls, followed by a bath of TSP and Kilz....and, drum roll please.....PAINT.

PAINT? Do you know how many choices there are for paint colors? AHHH. Chris and I have been experiencing what I've termed *the paint wars* for the past month. He wants "color" and I want "neutral" ...and we are both stubborn firstborns of stubborn Friesan Dutch descent who think we are right. Makes for marital bliss...how many more rooms do we have to pick a color for? Yikes. Alas, we have finally decided on a warm colorish-neutral to try. Our neighbor, who happens to be a professional painter and general handyman, offered to get us the good stuff at cost and dropped off the test quart this evening. We'll see how it looks...after we finish the sanding, etc.

The space between.....

Ah, radiators. Source of warmth and comfort (now that the boiler has gotten down to business). Also, source of frustration and loathing when it comes to removing wallpaper and glue. Guess who's arms were small enough to fit between the radiators and the wall? Mine. Guess who's did not fit? Chris'. Spackle application was also fun times. I'd try to get the darn putty knife at the right angle... and then THUNK. Ouch. Radiator 47, Keri's forearms 0. Can't wait to paint the trim and walls in these spaces between. How'd they ever get the wallpaper behind there?

Sunday afternoon...

Chris and I were enjoying our cinnamon rolls from the Geneva Farmers Market & coffee on our front porch in the early afternoon on Sunday. Chris stepped back inside for a minute and came back out on the porch with the "I've got a plan" look on his face. Here's how the conversation went...

Chris: "I've got an idea for what we should do today...take down the wallpaper in the living/dining rooms."
Me: "Hmm" (Note: I had been people-watching out the windows on the porch when Chris had gone inside but then realized I had heard the sound of ripping paper.) "Hold up! Did you already start?"
Chris: "Yup" as he shows me the mass of crumpled wallpaper in his hand.Thus, we are in the process of removing the living/dining room wallpaper from the 25 X13-15 room. I am really excited that Chris decided to go for it since we haven't put the furniture back in since redoing the floors; however, I can say I'm 99% sure he won't be impulsively ripping off any more wallpaper since he is not so thrilled with the enormity of the current removal task. More pictures of the chaos soon!

After: Living/Dining Room

We absolutely love our *new* old floors! They make the space look so big and light! It reminds me of a dance studio floor. My dad was dancing the waltz on it in his floor-protecting booties on Monday!

Hmm, now all it needs is some furniture. But I was just getting used to the dresser as a make-shift kitchen island. And the main floor bedroom, dubbed the *tool shed & furniture barn*, now lives up to its nickname.

Flietstra Family Bonding...

Labor Day weekend is supposed to be a relaxing time, right? Hah. Not around our house! My parents drove down by 7:30am Saturday morning to meet us at Home Depot to rent our hefty floor sanders. Amazingly those don't fit in the *Focus.* Andy and Alysha (round 2 of reinforcements) arrived not long after we got back home!

Major thanks to Jack, Chris and Andy for the Saturday Sanding-fest. Floor sanding with the big rigs took up the majority of Saturday.... they stopped to eat dinner at the cook-out with our neighbors...then back to work till about midnight Saturday. Don't have any pictures of this (sad) but it was too dusty to really see anything.

Sunday was another Sanding Bonanza. More sanding with the smaller sanders. This was more of a collaborative effort- Andy, Alysha, Carolyn, Jack, Chris & me- all inhaling the dust together! We started around 8ish in the morning and it wasn't until Sunday evening that we were able to start the *Bona* flooring finale. My dad and I put the sealer down about 5 pm. Then we grabbed a bite to eat at restaurant in dowtown Batavia - where, between my mom and I, we managed to break a ramekin and spill 2 glasses of water. Around 9-10pm, Jack, Chris and Andy put the first coat of finish down followed by the second around 1:30am.

Everyone worked SO HARD! We really appreciated all the help! It would have never gotten done without all of the fam!

A quick note on shelving.....

I was convinced the first thing I was going to do was rip out all the *knick knack* shelves in the house. Wrong. They came in handy as very nice tool storage for a few days.

Before: Living/Dining Room

Asta la pasta, carpet! Chris and I ripped out the carpet within 24 hours of closing on the house! (see pictures of the fun times below)

This is the dining room/living room as seen from the kitchen. The original oak floor is laid in such a way that it looks like there are two wood "rugs" differentiating the two spaces. We found where some of the flooring was replaced which means originally there was some sort of archway or divider between the living and dining rooms. The dark areas are some sort of adhesive possibly from a large area rug. Let's just say...the flooring I saw when I pulled up the corners was slightly misleading....

The Living/Dining Room

This *dining* room/area with center door to kitchen and door to left into main floor bedroom

The bay windows in the *dining* room/area with original 1905 stained glass

The *living* room/area with picture window with 2nd original 1905 stained glass looking into front porch