 The year is almost at an end, so it's time to review my to-do list for 2011. Some things got done. Many things didn't. Some projects, like the Concord House, had to get done so that we could sell it. Some things I hadn't planned on, like the gutter for the deck side of the house, got installed. Originally, I hadn't expected to have our concrete stairs poured this year, but the old steps became so hazardous, we just had to have it done, and we're really happy we did. The new stairs are awesome.
More on the gutter -- we replaced the sliding glass door after finding that the original one was still leaking. I didn't get my French doors that I wanted, but taking the space into consideration, another slider was really the best choice, as well as being almost half the price of French doors. However, we discovered after a heavy rainstorm that the new door was also having a leak problem. Ugh! I decided that the only way to avoid leaks was to prevent splash-back from water pouring off of the roof and landing on the deck. We went with Byers' Leaf Guard gutters because they have really wide downspouts, and best of all, a zero maintenance guarantee. If anything ever breaks or the gutter needs to be cleaned, they come out to deal with it free of charge. We've had one rainstorm and so far, the gutter seems to be working. Thank goodness! The new slider has a great Energy Star rating, so even though it didn't fix the rest of the leak problem, it was a good purchase.
All completed projects are in green. There's not much of it. I'm going to go hang my head in shame now.
1. replace dry-rotten siding
The most important project of the year.
2. paint outside of house
I think I've finally decided to do gray with blue trim.
3. build a clothesline
I have the plans. I just need to do it.
4. build a firewood holder
We got more than we needed for this winter, so we'll
need to create something to store it for next winter.
5. purchase a storage shed
We don't have a garage or basement, so this is very
important.
6. purchase a carport
Our cars take a beating in this weather.
7. build a fence around 1/4 of our property
Bodie needs more runnin' room.
8. install baseboards in my office
Can you believe I haven't done this yet?
9. build the built-in shelves in my office
How I'll finally finish my office space.
10. paint bathroom
The previous owners painted it matte without any mildew
resistant additives.
11. repaint trim throughout the house
Again, the previous owners painted it matte.
12. repaint living space
We haven't actually changed any of the paint in the
house since we bought it.
13. purchase a new, Energy Star refrigerator
This is a must -- both for efficiency and for storage space.
14. replace the deck
This may not happen this year, but it needs to happen
soon.
15. build a pergola over the front door for shade
I just couldn't get into the sunshade look, and a pergola
will fit the style of the house as well as giving some
architectural interest to our box of a home.
16. purchase a new water heater
It's original to our '77 home.
and for my Charles' dad's house:
17. finish removing the rest of 35+ years of accumulation
18. gut & replace both bathrooms
Since we live 3+ hours away, we'll hire out for this.
19. replace carpet throughout house
Same as #18.
20. paint inside of house, including kitchen cupboards
 My Charles and I took a two week vacation. It was glorious. During the first week, The Concord House finished escrow! I love how the internet has made it possible to continue needed tasks without having to sacrifice some much needed time off. We went to Montana to visit my grandparents, and I took tons of photos along the way. I took so many photos, in fact, that I'm going to share them in a series of posts: Sightseeing, The Grandparent's Ranch, and Rodeo. I've downloaded all of the images to my computer, but I still need to sort and edit. Until then, check out this up close and personal shot I got of a buffalo in Yellowstone.Google+
That title may bring Googlers here. If this post title brought you -- howdy! Stay, read my blog. I write about house stuff and food and wine. I think you'll enjoy it. I hope you enjoy it.
The reason why I have this post title is ... (dramatic pause) ... The Concord House is in escrow. In fact, it's set to close on the 14th, so keep your fingers crossed for us that everything goes smoothly and our blood, sweat, tears, and the patience of our agent pays off.
 The Concord House before The Concord House is going on the market tomorrow! It's been a long haul, and we're so grateful for our patient agent, James. He's stuck through the whole messy process of getting the house ready to sell, including dealing with my Charles' brother, who lived there for most of the process but didn't do work unless Charles was there. That's just stuff, though, and we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
 The Concord House after Dealing with this whole process, including ridding the house of a lifetime's worth of accumulation, as well as grieving for lost loved ones on top of that, has taught me some things.1. Don't let your possessions possess you.2. Always have your compassion out and ready to use.3. If something is too overwhelming, take a walk and get some air. It will still be waiting for you when you return, but you'll be ready for it.4. It will take at least three times as long as you think to settle an estate.5. Be prepared to be knocked on your ass by the memories that will be triggered by the things you encounter -- no matter how unattached you think you are.It really has been a long slog, but once the house sells, our shoulders should be even lighter. Work on the house included: getting the front of the exterior painted, taking up the carpet and polishing the existing hardwood floors, replacing the carpet in the den (now called the family room), repainting each room, repainting the trim, repainting the fireplace, painting the kitchen cabinets, putting down new linoleum in the kitchen, taking down wallpaper, replacing the kitchen appliances, replacing the hardware throughout the house, gutting both bathrooms, treating and fixing termite damage, laying new lawn (which was done early on), and before anything else could happen, clearing the house. It's been emotional, a major burden, tension causing, but most of all, it's been a great learning experience, and I'm so glad we're almost at the end. I hope whomever purchases The Concord House has many happy years there and that the rooms echo with laughter.*All photos in this post are from James, our real estate agent.
 The house is slowly finding its space again, after acquiring items that we may not have planned for or expected. Some things had sentimental attachments, like this photo of my Charles' grandfather. Though we're not family-photos-on-the-wall type people, I love the history and styling of this piece and decided to embrace it instead of hiding it in a closet. I hung it on a day when Charles was in Concord, and it startled him in a very satisfactory way when he got home.
 This china cabinet used to live in the kitchen of the Concord House. I love its wood tones and storage. We've lived with the piece next to the kitchen for the last month, but I'm planning on moving it to a corner closer to our dining table. In the spot where it currently resides, I'm planning to build a little island to further identify the kitchen space and create more work surface. Once I settle on a piece and a counter top, I'll explain the process of creating an island.
 I acquired the secretary's desk that Charles' parents purchased on an antiquing jaunt. The jaunt itself was uncharacteristic for them, so he likes to look at the piece and remember the shock when he heard they were taking a rather whimsical journey. I've always wanted a secretary's desk with its hidey holes and writing surface that folds away, and any place that holds more books is a plus.
 My last piece was something that I stumbled upon upstairs at my grandma's house, and she graciously gave it to me. I love this chair so much! It's the perfect height for my almost 5'3" stature. Its low profile doesn't take up much visual space in my little office, and it's the most comfortable chair I've ever owned.
So those are some of the furniture pieces we've recently acquired. My sister just gave me a small table that my grandpa built, and I'm using it as part of a creative console behind the couch. That will be shared at a later time. Have a wonderful week. The heat is perfect for a chilled white or rose. A good wine can take a temperature agony to a treat as the condensation beads on the glass and the chilled flavors roll across the tongue.
 Recently, I have been feeling like the Concord House has crushed me, Oz like. Work has ground to a standstill until we get my Charles' brother out of the house, and let's just say, he's feeling no motivation to go. Most of the stuff has been removed from it, but some of that said stuff has found its way into our house, and the chaos is driving me crazy. Add to that my recently developed aversion to all things computer when I'm not at work (monitoring Facebook and Twitter as well as blogging and doing the day to day at my job can get intense), and I have been feeling overwhelmed.Don't worry -- I'm bouncing back. The bathroom is shiny and white and clean and looks twice the size with the light bouncing off the semigloss walls. I have photos, though not very all-encompassing, since -- as I've mentioned before -- it is the size of a postage stamp. The play by play, as well as some pics of the pieces that my Charles inherited -- and I have found space for -- will be shared soon.photo from here
 Work continues at the Concord House. Bob the handyman has been diligently updating the 1960s house that had been sporting the same interior since it was built. The kitchen is waiting on new counter tops, and the carpet still needs to be pulled up in most of the house. We are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. My Charles spent the whole weekend down there, striving to finish cleaning out the garage and the backyard. He probably won't finish it all, but after today, someone will stop by to pick up the rest and truck it away.
 It's been a pretty long journey. We've tried to stay positive, but we're ready to spend weekends together again, taking time off when we need it, working on the house when we need to do that.
Speaking of working on the house, I stayed home this weekend and bleached the bathroom and painted. I painted all the way through Tina Fey's "Bossypants" today and still need to do more. I opted to use a primer/paint combo that I had never tried, and three coats later, I'm not done. At least the bathroom is mildew free and is beginning to look brighter with its white paint. I've never had to paint quite so much in such a small space, and the fact that I'm not done (and need a new audiobook) is a bit frustrating. Thank goodness Tina Fey helped make the day fly by, but what should I listen to now?
 There's progress at the Concord House. My Charles and I went down there this weekend and packed up more stuff and checked out what's been done. Two of the three bedrooms and the living room have been painted and the carpeting pulled up to expose the wood floors. Both bathrooms have been gutted and completely redone. All that's left are the den, kitchen, and the third bedroom.
 It's glorious to see things moving along. There is still a lot of STUFF to deal with, but we're dealing with it. My Charles and I are keeping two pieces, and when they're in their new home, I'll share photos. My Charles' brother is keeping more of the furniture, but there are tons of pieces that we don't want. Hooray for thrift stores!
 My Charles is very pleased to see his childhood home turning into a place it's never been before. All of the walls are going matte beige with bright, glossy white trim. The varnish on the floors has yellowed a bit with age, but it's in very good shape, as they've been covered in carpet as long as they've existed. In the process of updating, we found that all of the closets have cedar plank floors -- very nice, and while the house isn't huge, the updates and bathroom and kitchen remodels should fit a first time home buyer's dream quite well. A silly bit of me will be sad to see the garish wallpaper in the kitchen leave, but I'm grateful we don't have to take it down. It's as attached to the wall as it was in 1960-whenever when it was first put up. Thank goodness for the efficient work of Bob the handyman!
I haven't taken photos of the updates, as I discovered that none of the rooms, other than the kitchen, have lights. Back when the house was built, I guess they were way into swagged chandeliers. Even with the sun streaming through the windows, there wasn't enough light to take shots. Maybe I'll succeed next trip.
 We've been without power a lot this winter, around two weeks cumulatively. Not being able to take a hot shower for days on end is quite the inspiration to get things done. My Charles and I had put replacing the water heater on the to-do list for this year. The puppy was original to the house. The house was built in 1977. That's a long time for something that sucks electricity to heat water. However, if it hadn't have been for the amazingly drawn out power outages this season, we may have put it off a while. With all of the work at The Concord House, it's easy to procrastinate on our own stuff. Luckily, fate took a hand in the form of an empty propane tank that made the house smell like there was a gas leak. While the technician was out making sure the pressure in the lines was still where it should be, I followed him around and asked questions. He told me that AmeriGas, our propane company, has deals on tanks. (I didn't receive any compensation for this. I'm just letting you know the steps.)
 If you own an electric water heater and replace it with one from them, you basically lease the heater until five years goes by, at which point, you own it. If you stop purchasing propane from them within the first year, you pay them 100% of the price of the heater, at which point, you own it. During year two it's 80%, three years 60%, four years 40%, and five years 20%.
So after five years with a company with whom I have no plans of leaving I have a free water heater? Heck yeah, sign me up! We still paid for labor and extra parts, but what a deal! The men who came to install it were friendly and funny. They had some struggles with the house, finding things interestingly done, rather like what my Charles and I have found in our own work, but nothing that was too difficult.
Four hours later, we had a new water heater, energy efficient and larger than the last one. We've been using it for a week now, and I've gotta say, it's glorious. I no longer run out of hot water before the end of my shower, and the next time the power goes out (because it will -- probably sooner than later) we'll still have hot water. What bliss!
Getting a new water heater was also a benefit for our electrical bill and not just in the way you think. While they were hooking up the vent, one of the workers found that a duct was loose in the furnace, so every time we've used the heater, we've been heating the attic. A furnace guy will be here on Thursday to fix that little issue.
It's easy to take hot water for granted, at least until it's taken away over and over again. I hope that I'll continue to realize what a blessing that hot shower is.
Since I mentioned The Concord House, I thought I should give you a quick update. My Charles has had a lot of work in trying to get the house cleared. It isn't empty yet. He's been going down there while I've been working on things here, so I haven't gotten any photos. The bathrooms are being gutted and replaced even as I type. We plan on ripping out the carpet, cleaning the hard wood floors that my Charles has found beneath the worn out carpeting, and painting every room. When that begins, I promise I'll share photos. Lots of them.
This is a pretty hefty list, so even coming out of the gate, my Charles and I are quite aware that we may not get it all done, but here goes:
1. replace dry-rotten siding
The most important project of the year.
2. paint outside of house
I think I've finally decided to do gray with blue trim.
3. build a clothesline
I have the plans. I just need to do it.
4. build a firewood holder
We got more than we needed for this winter, so we'll
need to create something to store it for next winter.
5. purchase a storage shed
We don't have a garage or basement, so this is very
important.
6. purchase a carport
Our cars take a beating in this weather.
7. build a fence around 1/4 of our property
Bodie needs more runnin' room.
8. install baseboards in my office
Can you believe I haven't done this yet?
9. build the built-in shelves in my office
How I'll finally finish my office space.
10. paint bathroom
The previous owners painted it matte without any mildew
resistant additives.
11. repaint trim throughout the house
Again, the previous owners painted it matte.
12. repaint living space
We haven't actually changed any of the paint in the
house since we bought it.
13. purchase a new, Energy Star refrigerator
This is a must -- both for efficiency and for storage space.
14. replace the deck
This may not happen this year, but it needs to happen
soon.
15. build a pergola over the front door for shade
I just couldn't get into the sunshade look, and a pergola
will fit the style of the house as well as giving some
architectural interest to our box of a home.
16. purchase a new water heater
It's original to our '77 home.
and for my Charles' dad's house:
17. finish removing the rest of 35+ years of accumulation
18. gut & replace both bathrooms
Since we live 3+ hours away, we'll hire out for this.
19. replace carpet throughout house
Same as #18.
20. paint inside of house, including kitchen cupboards
So there's the list. Wish us luck. If nothing else, it promises lots of posts and a very busy year.
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