Author Archives: CT

As I have hinted in a few previous posts, JT and I are working on revamping the front entry.  We did a little more this weekend . . . . but let’s go back to the beginning — here is what we were starting with:

First the front door went from white to my current favorite teal color.
 Next JT did some concrete work to the stairs and I painted them a nice earthy color with epoxy paint.  This weekend was supposed to be the final jewel in the crown, the installation of our brand new, full-light, amazing storm door.

Yikes.

We got the old door demoed out, and unpacked our sparkly new door.

Cue the needle scratch on the record now.

It was the wrong door!  But it was a special order!  The overly helpful employees at Home Depot made it right but we still have to wait another three weeks for the new special order door to come in.

So with about 5 spare hours on our hands where we were fully expecting to be sweating and cursing through the door installation process, JT and I instead tackled the planting beds on either side of the front door.  After hunting all over town, I had finally found some metal edging at Lowes.  I was really looking for the corrugated stuff and Lowes didn’t have the nice clear anodized metal color I was going for, so I made do with the chocolate brown instead.

After a quick dash to the city’s free mulch pile, we had a small *ta-da* project completed, albeit not the one we were planning on tackling.

Here’s another before shot — I went all Edward Scissorhands on the azalea bushes — they needed a lot of trimming!

All in all, it tidies up the front of the house well.  If I had my druthers, I would pull out all the azaleas and that scraggly evergreen at the west side of the house and do more of the ornamental grasses.  I couldn’t really justify ending three innocent azalea’s lives over it though.  Now that we don’t have a storm door for another three weeks (we put the old one in the alley and the metal scrappers/thieves had it hauled off in 40 minutes), we have to keep a closer eye on the furry ones.   Look at snoopy Mr. Shenanigan — he already has his long nose halfway out the door.

Posting this picture makes me realize we still have a bunch to do — sand and patch up the brick mold and lintel and paint the step into the house.  Good thing I have a few weeks!

One night as I was emptying the dishwasher, I went to set a reusable plastic container on the drying rack and found . . . .
There was no room!  Our collection of plastic storage containers was getting out of hand.  Also considering that I take my lunch to work every day and am often heating left-overs in said plastic containers, I began to question the health impact of eating a little bit of plastic with each meal.   It might be time to switch to glass . . . better for the environment, better for me.

Off to the interwebs I went.  (Is the word  interwebs still being used?  You guys know that’s a joke word right? )

I finally found this set from Snapware on Amazon.com  although when I happened to be browsing through, it was listed for $35.48 (now $52.99, boo).  Based on some other online research I had done (Target, Walmart, Container Store, Bed Bath and Beyond), this seemed like a good deal so I bit.  I didn’t even think/ask/realize that the lid color might not be as shown in the picture.  The lids are pretty bright green . . . but it seems to work in the kitchen  —

The Big After —

I recycled a lot of our temporary plasticware but saved some of the big ones for freezer storage as I don’t think I’ll be using the glass for that.  I have a drawer I can tuck those other ones into, so for now only the glass storage is sitting out.  (And our Shenanigan as Elvis mug — so perfect — we got it on our trip to NYC last year).   I think the green lids look more intentional next to the greenery of our Hen and Chick plant.  (And it helps that I buffed up the countertops — they are custom concrete tops with recycled glass in them, done by local outfit CK Designs.)

So it’s not a jaw dropping jump up and down while screaming and crying reveal/change.  But that little corner of my kitchen counter makes me smile.

Our corner of St. Louis is known as South City because, well, it’s south of the city.   It is the officical home of the brick bungalow.

Our brick bungalow is not nearly so ornate (which is okay with me, some of it gets a little gingerbread-y for my tastes).   

It appealed to us because of the more open floor plan which seemed a little unusual for the area.  I spend so much (read: too much) time in AutoCad at work so it seems normal to have drawn our familiar 800 square feet up.

To the McMansion crowd, 800 sf may seem on the “quaint” side but for the two of us and the fur-kids its pretty great.  Would I change anything?  Sure!  A half bath would be great for when we have people over or for when JT has locked the bathroom door during an hour-long shower and I drank two Diet Cokes and need in . . . .

Sometimes I dream about living in an even smaller footprint.  Like I would quit my current life (by life I mean job really) and move with JT and the fur-kids into a cozy little space like this one by Ikea.

I spotted it in the newest Ikea catalog!! Can I just mention that JT and I battled our way through the Atlanta Ikea on our way back from Florida and I spent only $12.87.  There must have been something wrong with me, like a severe brain trauma or something.  Now that the new catalog is out, I’m already planning/scheming for things that might generate an Ikea Chicago trip.   I’m also planning/scheming some things for the front porch and door, possible related to the Pinterest Challenge.    First, I am frantically trying to learn Pinterest!!!