Our Back Porch is Falling Off

That title is pretty self explanatory. This retaining wall took a big hit when the cookie monster bathroom flooded last month, which worsened the existing structural issue. Check it out:

That is the center column that supports the weight from the screened in porches on the back side of the house:

So--  pretty urgent. Time to get an estimate! $$$

Another Oil Refill

I worked from home today so that I could meet the oil guys and to see how an oil refill works. It took less than 5 minutes to get 100 gallons into our drum.

The Oil Truck

Oil Drum: It holds 250 gallons

Now we have the whole summer to insulate the attic and wrap our basement pipes so that we can increase the efficiency of our heating system before it gets cold again.

Dryer: Vented! Bring on the Laundry

Our basement is straight out a horror film (think cockroaches and large spiders), but I've never been so excited to do laundry. This washer/dryer set is at least 3 times as big as any combo I've used in years.

And it's vented! It may be a ghetto rigged, but I am okay with that. Instead of drilling through the brick we went through the window. Here was the process:

1. We removed a glass pane from the original window
2. Cut the plywood to the size of the glass pane
3. Spray paint the wood so that it won't expand or shrink
4. Cut a vent-sized hole in the plywood (we used a sawzall- look out kids)
5. Install the plywood into the window pane, screw the vent hood to the plywood, then hook up the dryer.

Unpacking Continues

Staying up past midnight to unpack is totally worth it. It's even worth staying up for days in a row because look: everything in our kitchen has a home. It's a beautiful concept.

No Laundry Yet- Desperate Times

It’s been at least a month since I’ve done laundry, mostly because we haven’t figured out how to vent the dryer yet. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I’ve been throwing together some interesting outfit combos and trying out those clothes in the back of my closet. I bought a 3-pack of grocery store socks that go by the brand name “No Nonsense,” which is exactly how I feel when I wear them.

Instead of drilling a hole through the brick, I’m going to figure out how to vent the dryer through the basement window. It’s an original window, so getting it off might be a challenge. I hear that TrueValue in Brookland cuts glass, so this weekend is do or die on the laundry front.

Also this weekend Andy, Genelle, Ella and Lainy are coming to see our new place! Then on Sunday I’m kicking out Ben and having a ladies brunch. #mimosas

Race Weekend

Everything leading up to this weekend was in glorious preparation for Ben’s side of the family to stay with us during our DC Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon. Acknowledging that there are some things I can control and some things I cannot has been difficult albeit immensely freeing.  I cannot control that our electrician is on medical leave and did not wire the electric in our kitchen. This also means I cannot help that we do not have counter tops, a dishwasher, or an oven for entertaining the 8 of us this weekend.

Then there are things that I can control, like cleaning, moving boxes to the side, and buying paper plates and no cook groceries.  So that’s what we did.  And as it turned out, no one cared about all of the other stuff except us. Not even Benjamin & Taylor...

This dream of hosting family has been a long time in coming, and this weekend was one of my favorites. The race is over and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved to have 5 days/week back, but I’m so proud of what we accomplished together.  

Guest Beds!

Our Friday nights have turned into trips to the Mattress Warehouse, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Home Depot. It was a reality check when we talked to both sets of our parents and realized that the roles had somehow changed and they had become way cooler than us, going to their blues concerts and dinner dates with friends.

No rugs yet for the floors, so we're rocking cardboard boxes:

Ben's pretty pumped about installing kitchen cabinet door handles:

Move into a House with a Kitchen.

It was our goal to have a functional kitchen by the time we moved in. That didn't happen. So we've been eating take out for weeks and trying to stay sane:

One thing at a time. This is a process.

Officially Out of the Apartment!

We're officially done at Park Road! It feels so right. We packed up the rest of the apartment, loaded it into the car, cleaned the place, and went to brunch at Red Derby. It was a beautiful day & perfect for mimosas on the rooftop deck.

This weekend has been gorgeous- the first spring weekend of the year. We almost worked inside on the house the entire weekend, but decided to take a break to play football on the mall. At the time it seemed like a tough decision, but looking back on it, it should have been a no brainer. 

Working from Home

On Saturday we had the internet, cable, and phone line hooked up so that I could work from home today. I just received our new dishwasher, and later today I will receive our new dining room chairs. Aside from the floors, chairs are what Ben and I have been most excited about. It's funny the stuff that you care about (and the stuff that you don't.)

There are boxes everywhere, but I created a little haven where I can work:

Tomorrow at 7am the plumber/gas fitter is coming to install the garbage disposal, dishwasher, and gas stove. We almost have a fully functional kitchen!

Moving Day

It is here! Moving Day!

We're getting to the age where donuts, pizza and beer are no longer a proper payment for the pain of moving someone, but I'm glad to have squeezed out this deal one last time. Thank God for good, generous friends.

After we moved out of the apartment, John & Hannah were thirsty. Drinking glasses were hard to come by, so they made due with a champagne glass and a measuring cup:

Stuart and Jeremy in our empty apartment:

Stuart and John fighting off the evil spirits at our new house #gargoyles

Nick, Evan and Erin came over later to hang out because our move was actually entirely finished. Erin and Evan brought us two plastic champagne cups, a bottle of Prosecco, and homemade cookies with a card welcoming us to the neighborhood. How adorable are they?