I've gone minimialist!

Well, kind of.

Michael and I have gotten into spring cleaning mode, probably as a combination of three factors:

1. I discovered Freecycle.org.

2. We live in an older house with small closets and not a whole lot of storage space.

3. We own so much crap that it has started to weigh on me.

Last night I finally pulled some books off my bookshelves that I've been wanting to get rid off. I then rearranged my books and made some room on my office shelves for some books I've been wanting to bring up from the basement.

Between last night and today, I culled about two-thirds of my clothes. Michael's also picked out a bunch of clothes to get rid of. I'm about to inventory everything and organize it into donations to local charities. I've also listed a few things on Freecycle.org.

I have actually been tempted to do this for a while; I think it was Freecycle.org that finally tipped the scales. It's amazingly liberating to get rid of stuff, as if I've been carrying all of my possessions around on my back. Especially my clothes. Fashion, smashion. I have a horse, for crying out loud — if it's not practical, I don't need it!

A perfect snow day

I knew today was supposed to be cold and snowy, so I made sure to take care of Panama's needs yesterday so that I wouldn't have to go out today.

Sure enough, when I woke up the three or so inches of snow on the ground had doubled. It's not a ton of snow, granted, but it's still nice not to have to go anywhere. It's on days like today that I really appreciate being a freelancer.

I have a lot of work to do today, but here's how I'll be doing it: Sitting on the couch, where I have a view of the pretty snow scene outside our living room window, and listening to my favorite Christmas album, Christmas Eve by David Lanz.

Thanksgiving: A reminder

People take things for granted -- it's just human nature. That's why I'm okay with Thanksgiving as a holiday, no matter how politically incorrect it is. I know that there was never any happy little Thanksgiving feast where the pilgrims and the Indians sat down together, held hands, and sang "Kumbaya." For one thing, the much-lauded pilgrims were actually self-righteous, priggish jerkoffs who were responsible for massacring the local natives. By another account, the first Thanksgiving in actuality marked the failure of William Bradford's attempts at a communist community. (I wonder if Joseph McCarthy knew that his "one nation, under God" had its roots in communism?)

But wait, I'm getting sidetracked. I'm not okay with the myth of Thanksgiving, but I am okay with the holiday itself. I think it is good to remind people to appreciate what they have in their lives.

So without further ado, this is what I am thankful for this year:

* A wonderful husband... whom I married in a beautiful 1920s-themed wedding earlier this year

* The career I've always wanted... for which I don't have to dress up, drive in rush hour, or deal with office politics

* A happy, healthy horse... who is learning more every day

* A beautiful home... that we own

* ...And pretty much everything else in our lives. We have wonderful families, pets, and lives. What more can I say?

My new morning ritual

The last few mornings, I've discovered something new: working on the front porch in the mornings.

Like most bungalows, one of the best parts of our house is a big, beautiful front porch. Here's a picture of it, taken when we first bought the house:



Because our porch faces west, I haven't spent much time working on it until recently -- with my late schedule last summer, it was always flooded with afternoon or evening sun when I was up. (In Colorado, late afternoon and early evening are the hottest parts of the day, because of the way the sun beats down on anything that faces west.)

For the past couple of weeks, however, I have been getting up early every morning to walk the dogs with Michael before he goes to work. I've gone from getting up at 10am at the earliest every day to getting up by 7am during the week, and 8:30 or 9am on the weekends! This leaves a nice, long -- and more importantly, cool -- morning for me to work out on the porch.

Our porch is so big that we have two patio sets on it -- one on each side. Here is a picture of my favorite place to work:



The view is quite nice, as all the houses across the street from us are older, like ours. If it weren't for the neighbor's car in the driveway (and the computer on my lap), you could almost imagine that it's actually 50 years earlier.



The other patio set is nice because it has a table, but as I am always more comfortable with my laptop on my lap, I don't work there as much. It suits the house, though, as it is vintage and rather quaint:



Oftentimes, one of my cat joins me on the porch. Both of my cats are kept indoors, but this one I can trust to stay on the porch with me while I work, as she has never been an outdoor cat (whereas the other one has, and would bolt).

So that's it -- my new morning ritual. Do you have any similar work habits or rituals?

My new desk chair: Comfort is the key

I have the perfect home office setup. Michael's and my desks share the front bedroom of our two-bedroom bungalow -- a room I usually call "the study." My desk faces the large, front-facing window that overlooks one side of the generous porch, allowing me excellent natural light, not to mention a nice view of anything that goes on (or doesn't go on) during the day.

Besides our desks, the room contains two bookcases, my rocker, and a nesting table that houses the printer.

My desk is beautiful: a heavy, antique desk in a dark stain with three leather panels inset in the top. Although it is a heavy, chunky style, it is probably meant to be a lady's desk, because it is low and the footwell is small.

Unfortunately, the chair (a small vintage dining chair) that came with the desk when I bought it isn't very comfortable. I have never been able to sit in it for long periods of time, and I have a difficult time working when I am not completely comfortable. As a result I spend more time in my rocker with my laptop on my lap, than at the desk I am so proud of.

I finally realized last night why I dislike my chair so much: it is too high for my desk. Basically, it puts my forearms at the wrong level for typing. As a result I tend to sit in an odd slump, with one leg tucked up under me, which doesn't stay comfortable for long.

So I decided last night that I needed a new desk chair, one about an inch lower. I found what I was looking for today, at a nearby antique mall. It's a dark spindle-back chair with a beautiful hand-painted banner across the top. The seat is not padded, just a wood seat with a depression for your butt, but the chair is comfortable nonetheless.

Since I'm pretty proud of my find, I'll post a few pictures here.



The flash tends to bleach out the painted banner, so this is the best I could get. The banner is of light pink roses and green leaves. The design is raised, so I think it is carved into the wood.



And here's a picture of my work space, with the new desk chair -- please don't mind the mess.



I'm hoping to spend a little more time at my desk now. Hopefully the new desk chair will do the trick!

My weekend has been hijacked!

I've been playing catch-up all week, trying to get back into my work routine after nearly two weeks away. So far it's been fairly trying, which means I have some work to finish up on this weekend.

Unfortunately, our dryer chose last night to die on us, which complicated my weekend plans quite a bit. (It's been squeaking intermittently for about eight months, so we knew it was coming -- just not now.) We spent a considerable chunk of our morning trying to figure out what the model number is (can you believe it's not on the dryer at all?!), researching dryer components, and visiting a local used appliance and repair shop.

Ultimately, we decided the dryer -- which is at least twenty years old and rather basic -- wasn't worth trying to fix. The repairs would have been only about $70 less than the refurbished dryer we bought (which is considerably newer, I might add, not to mention considerably nicer), and although we might have been able to fix it ourselves, it no doubt would have cost us an entire day -- not to mention a week's worth of frustration.

The delivery crew brought the new dryer (and took the old one away) just a little bit ago. In the end I think this little escapade cost us about four hours, but unfortunately I babysit tonight so I'm on a bit of a time schedule. Luckily, I only have a couple of priority jobs to do this weekend, so I'll just concentrate on getting those done.

A Room of My Own

I was inspired by Debbie Ridpath Ohi, who recently blogged about her office cave, to share my own workspace with the world (or at least the writing community). I've never considered myself a tidy person, but I was amused to see how messy Debbie's office was. I think there are two factors that keep me from becoming even more of a clutterbug than I already am: 1) my fiance is extremely tidy, and would probably leave me if I didn't clean off my desk occasionally (not to mention the dining table, where I spend my afternoons), and 2) my cats have a bad habit of knocking things off my desk when they want to look out the window.

In other words, the top of my desk is visible through the piles of crap. It's a little cleaner than usual in these pictures, as I did my semi-annual cleaning job about two weeks ago. I also am pretty good at keeping my drawers organized, particularly my filing drawer, which also minimizes the stuff that lands on top of my desk.

For those of you who don't already know, we have a little two-bedroom bungalow that was built in 1920. It's the traditional bungalow layout, which is divided into quarters: the front door opens into the living room, with the kitchen/dining room behind it, and the bedrooms one behind the other on the north side of the house. (Our common rooms both have south-facing windows, as I've heard is the norm in bungalows, because they get more sunlight - and thus more heat - in the winter.)

Anyway, my office is the front bedroom. Our house is extraordinarily well-lit, and the window behind my desk is one of the large front-facing ones. (All the windows have the original glass - it's so cool! I should have taken a picture of that, too!) My fiance has a desk on the other side of the room, but the office is mostly my space. I'm not ashaed to say that I believe I have the best spot in the entire house.



The rocker that sits on the other side of my desk is also older. It might look like your grandmother's rocker, but I'm telling you, it is so comfy. I do most of my work in that rocker, with my laptop and a lapdesk on my lap. For Christmas Michael got me one of those deluxe lapdesks that you find at Barnes & Noble, and it's wide enough to have my mini mouse and a mousepad alongside my itty-bitty laptop.



Like I mentioned, I spend my afternoons in the kitchen. It's better lit on that side of the house, and I like to open up the blinds on the south-facing windows and let the sunlight in. Especially recently, as warm as the weather has been, I'll also open the windows sometimes to let the air circulate.

In the evenings, though, I work in the office. The cats usually join me - one in Michael's office chair, and one in the rocker if I'm not already in it. Emma (our dog) will often sleep on the rug, too. Sometimes late at night, I'll have all three of them in here with me!



I have to agree with what Debbie says - my office is as good as anything I ever could have dreamed up. I love all of my antique furniture, and the way it makes my office feel so cozy. It's just a pretty room, and it makes working in it so much nicer. :o)

The way I always dreamed it

When I was younger, my dreams of being a writer always included a quaint little old house, which I would share with my cats. Picturesque, isn't it? Well, evidently I'm no longer destined to be single, so my dream of being the eccentric, talented writer living alone with her eleventeen cats is not to be. However, the house part is... Michael and I have bought the house of my dreams!



Isn't it beautiful? It's a frame bungalow that was built in 1920. The best thing is that we are the third owners of the house. The house remained in the same family who built it until the 1970's, when it was sold to the second owners after the death of a family member. Although it has been used as a rental over the years, it has been beautifully maintained; in fact, that was the deciding factor for us. So many of the old houses we looked at had been poorly maintained or had cheesy updates!

Michael and I are both alike in this regard: we like old things, particularly old houses. We both think new houses - and newer updates to old houses - can be hideous. So, this house is nothing less than perfect for us! The important stuff has been updated: all of the electrical has been rewired with modern copper wiring, and all of the plumbing has been updated, as well. (No lead pipes to worry about!) The furnace and water heater have also been replaced within the last 10 years. There is no cooling system, but we will probably put in air conditioning. The appliances - refrigerator, stove, washer, and dryer - are older, but they are all there. (We will probably be replacing the washer and dryer right away, however - they are ancient and don't have the delicate cycles I need. Women's clothing manufacturers - don't get me started!) There is a thick layer of modern insulation in the attic, and the full basement is partially finished. The brand new pedastal sink in the bathroom is also a nice touch.

Although these features are all updated, the important things have been maintained in original condition. Almost all of the interior trim - baseboards, door trim, window frames - is original. Almost all of the window glass is original, too - and the windows are so pretty! The frames haven't warped, either, so they still seal (and lock!) tightly. The original clawfoot bathtub is every woman's dream - I can't wait to take a bath in it! The doors also still have the original lockboxes in them - you know, with the old keyholes that you could see straight through, the ones that took skeleton keys - and I've already found a set of beautiful old glass knobs to replace the modern Home Depot reproductions that they have now. The kitchen cabinets appear to be original - solid wood, and pretty heavy wood, too, by the looks of it - although the counter seems to have been replaced (in the fifties, judging by the style!). The siding is all original - when the second owners bought the house in the seventies, they stripped and sanded all of the boards, and then repainted the exterior. In other words, the original siding is in excellent condition. Best yet, the original hardwood floors are underneath the carpet and something called "pergo" - I don't know if I have it spelled right, but it's imitation hardwood sheets that lay down over the original flooring. Anyway, we pulled up a few corners of the carpet, and the original hardwood is simply beautiful - it's either pine or fir, the inspector said, and it has a beautiful reddish-gold color to it.

The layout of the house is pretty typical of the era. It's built on a square - you enter into the living room, with a door to the eat-in kitchen at the back of the room, and a door to the front bedroom to your left. In the back wall of the kitchen is a pantry and a door to the mudroom - at some time during the house's younger years, the back porch was enclosed and turned into a mud room and an interior entrance to the basement (probably a cellar, once upon a time). Facing the back wall of the kitchen, the door to the rear bedroom is on your left. The bathroom is between the two bedrooms, with a door on each side, making it a walk-through bathroom; the closet is a walk-through, as well.

The house is small, but exactly what we wanted. For now, the important thing is that there is all the room we need: room for my antiques, a second bedroom to use as our offices, and the unfinished side of the basement for Michael's weights and exercise equipment. There is also growing room, too - the side of the basement that is partially finished can be made into a third bedroom, eventually. The lot that the house is on is also quite large, providing plenty of room to build a garage.

Ooh, I almost forgot to describe the outside of the house! In the rear right corner of the lot is an old garden shed. It doesn't look as old from the outside, but from the inside you can really tell its age. The giveaway is the door - siding covers it on the outside, but on the inside you can see that it is styled in the old way. There is also a parking area back there that can be accessed from the alley (where the garage would go). The yard (as you can see in the picture) is well cared for. At first, I didn't like it, and it took me a while to realize why: there are no big trees on our lot! It's really a blessing, though, as we won't have to worry about tree roots causing problems with the pipes. The owners just planted a pair of trees in the front - we think they are Japanese maples, but they couldn't remember for sure. In any case, they are sure to be beautiful as they grow.

Of course, we have plans for the house. The first thing we intend to do is paint the walls some color other than white. We picked out colors for each room: ivory for the living room and two walls of the kitchen, a soft grey for the bedroom, and a dusky reddish-brown (not too dark) for the office. We're leaving the bathroom white, as well as the two walls of the kitchen with all the cupboards (which are painted white and look great that way). We plan to pull up the carpet and pergo in the living room and bedrooms to expose the hardwood. The kitchen and bathroom, on the other hand, have ugly brown (very seventies!) linoleum. We don't like it, but we're not going to do anything about it yet. We can't just pull it up, because the hardwood is apparently in poor condition in there. Further down the road, we intend to lay tile in the kitchen and bathroom - probably some shade of white, as we both like white kitchens and bathrooms.

As for other long-term plans, like I said, we'll probably make a third bedroom in the basement eventually. Air conditioning is also on the long-term list - I'm not sure if we'll get to it before this summer. Thankfully, it's an old house, so it shouldn't get too hot. Along with the tile, we intend to replace the countertops, but we'll keep the original cabinets - we love them! (We'll replace the hardware, though - those look like they're from the same era as the countertops!) We decided against adding a dishwasher, as we don't want to tear into the cabinets.



We have about a month of overlap between our rental and the house, so that should give us time to paint and pull up the floors. I also need to do some research to find out how to protect hardwood floors - they don't need to be refinished, but I want to keep it that way! It'll be a busy month but it's well worth it for my dream house...hell, my dream life.