Holiday Card Part 5: 2011 & Happy Holidays!

December 23, 2011

So here is it for those who were waiting patiently….

I would like to wish everyone a joyous holiday season!

 

If you are one of my family member and you haven’t received our card yet, they are in the mail (really!).

For this year’s card we decided to move everyone around the scene. And since Mr. S. & I still prefer the blocks to our kids it only seemed fitting that we should be playing with them.

The colorful blocks are the Alexander Girard Alphabet Blocks by House Industries. These were one of the first things we bought for Sam (even before he was born). They are a little pointy on the corners so they only come out on special occasions. They have carved letters, hand silk screens puzzle and letters. Plus one side has the beautiful carved suns on it (one of the things Alexander Girard is most famous for).

Girard Blocks

Girard Suns

*To see all of our holiday cards click here. Does anyone have a favorite?

**I will be posting a few things next week in between all of the family time.

In -Holiday Cards, -Living Room, FAMILY, OUR HOME
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Homemade Christmas Ornaments and My Great Aunt Emily

December 22, 2011

Our Christmas Tree

I like crafts, but I can’t say that I am gifted in the crafting arts. However there is one person who I look back on and am amazed at the things she created, my Great Aunt Emily. My grandfather’s family was full of very creative people. My grandfather was amazing at making things, including our beloved rocking horse Horsey (which he made for my mom when she was a little girl). I still remember him putting together little buildings for my brother’s train set. They were all PERFECT (he wouldn’t except anything less). One of his brothers was even a professional artist who painted many magazine covers. But my grandfather’s sister Aunt Emily was the master of crafts. She sewed quilts, knitted blankets, painted ceramics and made elaborate Christmas cookies. But my very favorite thing was her Christmas ornaments! Every year for Christmas when I was growing up I would receive a box containing several handmade ornaments. Depending on the year they varied but they were always so amazing. Even as her eyesight started to fail, she shifted into using simpler cross stitch and yarn.  I thought I would post up a few of my favorites. The kids ADORE them! We have a hard time keeping them on the tree. As you can see they are very well loved!

Some of my Aunt Emily's Christmas Ornaments

 

Sam's first Christmas riding on Horsey w/ Grandma

*Tomorrow I will post up our 2011 Holiday Card. I am waiting until most of my family gets them in the mail (which will hopefully be today and tomorrow!).

In CRAFTS, FAMILY
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Holiday Card Part 4: 2010

December 21, 2011

Holiday Card 2010

Our 2010 card was inspired by Maisie. She was starting to get into everything including all of the Christmas lights and ornaments. Sam was very excited to be wrapped up in lights and make a face. Maisie was tricky to shoot since she didn’t want to stand still. She is dressed in one of my childhood dresses.

Interesting tidbit is that the “painting” over the fireplace is of Fonthill, where we were married. Our TV is actually mounted over the fireplace. We change out the “painting” depending on the year. In 2009 the painting was of George Washington visiting Bartram’s Garden (the 18th Century Home of John Bartram a famous naturalist and botanist) which is nearby in Philadelphia.

*To see all of our holiday cards click here.

In -Holiday Cards, -Living Room, FAMILY, OUR HOME
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Holiday Card Part 3: 2009

December 20, 2011

2009 Holiday Card

In our 2009 card we returned to our Living Room fireplace. The card was inspired by Sam’s love of music. Interesting tidbit is that Sam’s guitar is actually fake. At the time he had a little yellow plastic one, that was pretty ugly. That year he actually got a 1/2 size real electric guitar, which he still enjoys playing, although the only thing he has mastered is his rock face.

Christmas Morning 2009: Sam's New Guitar

Here is a picture of the kids rocking out last winter (a band is the works)…

Our Little Musicians in January 2011

As you can see, this is much closer to how the house normally looks with a 2 & 4 year old.


*To see all of our holiday cards click here.

In -Holiday Cards, -Living Room, FAMILY, OUR HOME
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Holiday Card Part 2: 2008

December 19, 2011

2008 Holiday Card

I can’t believe Christmas is less than a week away! So much to do, but I can’t wait to celebrate the holiday with the kids.

This Christmas Card from 2008 was probably our most elaborate. It involved buying a dirndl  for my pregnant belly and lederhosen for Mr. S.  It was inspired by Sam’s Halloween costume (Alpine boy) and our trips to Germany around the holidays.

The picture itself involved using a white backdrop and adding the entire scene behind us using Photoshop, which meant LOTS of work for Mr. S. So Although we did enjoy the outcome we have decided that we should stick to using our Living Room for the foreseeable future. I think my favorite part is our cats Spike and Spot driving the Isetta (which is a tiny BMW in case you were wondering).

Alpine Sam from 2008 was the inspiration

As a side note I have to mention that if you ever have the chance to go to Europe (especially Germany, Austria & Alsace France ) right before Christmas and hang out in the Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market) do it! It is so lovely! It is everything that Christmas should feel like. There are outdoor markets that sell all sorts of things from lovely ornaments and crafts to tacky Christmas presents. Perhaps the best part is the Glühwein (hot mulled wine) and the sugared almonds. There are also lots of festive decorations, often in beautiful historic squares. Suddenly you don’t feel so cold sipping the Gluhwein while all bundled up! Ahhh….I wish I was there now.

Collage from our 2005 Trip to Munich


*To see all of our holiday cards click here.

In -Holiday Cards, FAMILY, TRAVEL
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Hoilday Card Part 1: 2007

December 15, 2011

One of the things that our family is known for is our holiday photo. We (I mean mostly Mr. S.) have been creating a holiday scene every year since Sam’s first Christmas in 2007.  We have tried a few different things in the last few years but have now set some ground rules.

1. We always take the photo in our Living Room in front of the fireplace. (I suppose this means that we can never move.)
2. Create a different scene each year.
3. All members of the family must be included (including Spot and Spike).
4. Try to have fun!
5. Shoot the photo the weekend after Thanksgiving so that we have enough time to get it finished.

It takes quite a bit of planning to come up with a theme and to get everything set up. We have also reshot some of our photos when things haven’t worked out. It also requires LOTS of patience to get the kids to stand still long enough to get a shot (this year involved bribing them with waffles and snacks). There is also of course some Photoshop magic thrown in to complete the scene. I am not going to unveil this year’s card quite yet, since we just got them back from the printer’s yesterday afternoon, and no one except us has seen it. I thought I would put each year up individually. Enjoy!

Anyone else have any fun holiday photo traditions?


*To see all of our holiday cards click here.

In -Holiday Cards, -Living Room, FAMILY, OUR HOME
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Our Basement Part 9: New Waste Line & Drains

December 14, 2011

Look at those shiny PVC pipes!

It is has been a busy, noisy, smelly and cold couple of days in our basement. The good news is that our plumber is done with stage 1 of his work.

Here is a rundown of what he did:
1. Replaced part of the old cast iron waste line/main stack and added a clean out.
2. Removed all of the old basement bathroom plumbing connections.
3. Installed the drain lines for the new toilet, sink, shower and stationary tub.
4. Replaced the connection from the kitchen sink waste into the main waste line and added a future connection.
5. Moved the hot water heater to a more out of the way location.

New PVC waste pipes with old cast iron pipe up above on diagonal

New connection for kitchen waste pipe & future hook up w/ clean out

He and his assistant had a long day yesterday completing all of the waste line. This also meant that it was loud thanks to the drilling up of the part of the slab that we couldn’t get up, smelly thanks to the chemicals that adhere the PVC together and cold because the back door was open due to the fumes. It was really convenient that it was a day that the kids were at school (plus a lack of a bathroom doesn’t help).

Hot Water Heater in new location next to the Boiler

Today he moved the hot water heater and did a few last things to finish up. I wish I could say that we were done with demolition now, but alas we have another month of striping things apart before we can start building everything back. I am busy dreaming of tile floor and beadboard walls.

*To see a full rundown of the basement click here.

In -Basement, -Bathroom, OUR HOME
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Our Basement Part 8: Digging out for the Basement Plumbing

December 13, 2011

Cast Iron Waste Pipe under the concrete floor in the Basement

Today is a big day in the life of our basement! Mr S. and I spent a good bit of time this weekend breaking up part of the concrete floor in the basement and digging the clay soil out to get ready for the new drains for the basement bathroom. This included exposing a good section of the old cast iron waste pipe. This will all be replaced today! The plumber is here and will be shutting off the water shortly (okay right now!), so no bathroom for most of the day!

The demolition went pretty well over the weekend. Mr. S made good use of our antique sledgehammer (originally his Grandfather’s) and a crowbar and hammer. The floor is old, we are guessing from about 1900 (when they added the radiators). The concrete is quite thin averaging about 1 – 1 1/2″ thick, but I can’t say that it was easy to break up. One interesting fact about concrete is that it continues to get stronger and stronger as it ages, so it took some work to get it broken up. I was in charge of moving the buckets of concrete debris to the backyard (not sure what we are going to do with it yet) and digging up the dirt after the concrete was removed.

After the cast iron was exposed, we reviewed it with the plumber. It will be replaced from the angle part way up the wall to our existing (and a few years old) connection at the washer and dryer. This will include a clean out (really convenient considering we didn’t have one) and connection to the new stationary tub in the work room. The horizontal will include a connection to the new shower, toilet and sink. Yeah! At the other end of the waste pipe he will also be updating the drain connection from the kitchen sink to the waste pipe and adding a future connection, in case we ever put an addition on with a new bathroom (someday hopefully). The new PVC piping should outlast us, so hopefully we won’t ever have to dig this up again!

Old bathroom! Complete w/ tiny shower

Bathroom after demolishing all of the walls

Bathroom w/ bucket of clay (to go back in the ground)

The bathroom plan is pretty much the same as I showed a couple of weeks ago.  Since then we have added a stationary tub to the workroom (I’m not sure why we didn’t think of it sooner) and tweaked some of the dimensions. We also found a better location for the hot water heater. It will JUST fit next to the boiler, this way the entry to the workroom won’t be so tight and we gain some extra wall space. I triple checked the plans yesterday, since as of right now I can’t change the plumbing locations.

Bathroom Layout Options (Option 3 is the FINAL Plan)

Fingers crossed we will have new waste pipes later this afternoon!

*For all of our Basement progress click here.

In -Basement, -Bathroom, OUR HOME
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Indoor Plants: Succulents in Our Dining Room

December 12, 2011

Backstairs in the Dining Room

The backstairs (aka the cat stairs) go from the hall upstairs to our Dining Room. Originally our Dining Room was the Kitchen, which theoretically makes these the “servants” stairs. I don’t think our house ever had servants given our house’s location and size, but I suppose maybe these were handy for the kids to go up and down. We have had a baby gate on ours for the last 3+ years (with a hole cut out for the cats). The kids are good about not trying to use the stairs, so we thought it was okay to take down the gate. It has been down for a few weeks and so far so good. Now time to pretty them up! I have put some of my indoor plants on the stairs for the last several years, since it is a nice out of the way spot (and we rarely use the stairs ourselves). The plants go out on the porch in the warmer months, so it is really just for the colder 6 months of the year.

The Backstairs with Babygate (before the walls were repainted)

The random pots were looking pretty sad, and I was way over due in re-potting some of my succulents. So a trip to Ikea was in order to pick up a bunch of white pots (Kardemumma) in several fun patterns to brighten up the corner. I should note that although I have a pretty extensive perennial garden, I am not blessed in the art indoor gardening. My mother has an amazing selection and all seem to thrive, but I have killed more than my fair share of house plants. I now stick to almost all succulents (and a couple of dracaena marginatas), since they enjoy being neglected. I have several aloe plants already (also convenient for burns) and a couple of other random plants. I picked up a few more at Ikea for $1.99 & 2.99 to create a more interesting mix of textures and colors. I also have a couple from the Tropical Sale at Scott Arboretum this spring.

When I stopped by Terrain a couple of weeks ago I admired their pretty collection of succulents. I saw that they had a charcoal product for putting in the bottom of pots that don’t have holes, to help keep the water clean. I prefer not having to deal with saucers with my pots and thought this was worth a try. It does mean you have to be careful not to overwater, otherwise you still risk rotting the roots. I also used a moisture mat which helps keep the extra water in place and slowly releases it back into the soil. For the soil I used standard potting soil amended with peat and sand. Once I got going it didn’t take too long to get everything replanted.

I am still working on the exact placement of the plants, but I am much happier with this corner now! The only thing that I have to remember now is that I have to pull up the roller shade to get more light in every day. The one disadvantage of a solar shade is that it blocks enough of the light that the plants were starting to look pale. We will have to see if I can keep these plants alive!

New Pots and Plants on the Backstairs (and adjacent cow bell)

We will have to see if I can keep these plants alive!

In -Dining Room, GARDENING & PLANTS, OUR HOME
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Laura & Ken’s House Part 4: The Kitchen Layout

December 8, 2011

Original First Floor Plan: Blue Denotes Main Family Living Spaces

Laura and Ken picked out a lovely open floor plan for their cape cod style house. I like the mix of a more traditional house (and who doesn’t love dormers?) with an open floor plan for modern living. The one thing that didn’t seem to make sense was the kitchen layout. Although open to the main living/family room, it still seemed separate and a little hemmed in, definitely designed for 1 person in the kitchen. Also the diagonal sink (which I am not generally in favor of) was causing us problems because it didn’t work very well with the farmhouse sink that Laura really wanted. But there was one really nice feature of the kitchen plan (that I am totally jealous of), the separate pantry. I feel like this is a major trend that we are going to see a lot more of (especially now that kitchens are being opened up into family spaces). A generous pantry to hold all of the stuff that you don’t want on display, but want close at hand. Even the latest kitchen on This Old House  is installing a large pantry.

First Floor Plan After Kitchen Changes: Blue Denotes Main Family Living Spaces

Changes

-Removed the wall between the Kitchen and Family Room
-Removed the peninsula and angled sink
-Added a large island for seating and cooking
-Squared off the corner of the Office
-Created a shallow counter/cabinet area for small appliances (and a place to mount the microwave)
-Moved the sink to the outside wall and added a window
-Move the door to the Screen Porch to maximize dining seating
-The rear wall of this area was also pushed out 2′ feet to give them more space in the dining and family areas

Here is a side by side of the 2 kitchens:

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

I really like how the plan looks now. I think the kitchen will feel much more open and light. Looking back at the original plan, I think it would have felt very dark with no windows and a lot of upper cabinets.

One of my favorite things is how well zoned the kitchen is now. It has 3 distinct areas.

Zone 1: Main open cooking and seating area. The person cooking and using the sink is in the main space.

Zone 2: The workhorse area where the small appliances and fridge are located. This area is still convenient but is not in the main line of view.

Zone 3: The pantry with the less used items. This is especially helpful when you have limited upper cabinetry elsewhere in the kitchen, as is the case here.

For the rest of Laura & Ken’s house click here.

In -Laura & Ken's New House, INTERIOR DESIGN CLIENTS
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