Shower Pictures and Furniture Pruning

Joe and I did so much fun projing this weekend. I can't wait to show you some pictures. But for this morning, I thought I'd post a few shots I took of the living room all set up for a bridal shower I threw a friend about a month ago (as a lapsed blogger I have a big backlog of pics to roll through dontcha know).

These pictures show what's still wrong with the room as much as they show what's right.
In this one you can see that I finally got a great corner china cabinet (I'll post more about that soon too). You can also see that there's a couch on the right hand side of the room. It has to go. Makes the room feel crowded and cluttered.

Nuther couch view. Ick! But look how pretty the table looked with all the favor bags and sparkly silver.


You can also see the cool farm cabinet in the right hand side of this pic. Again, another big item that is just sucking up space in this room and needs to move. In fact, pretty much every room in our house could benefit from 20% less furniture. I'm pruning like mad at the moment. But with few finished rooms, we have had to cram a lot into a little. Thankfully, that's finally starting to change.

Oh how cute is this? I found a bridal knife at a friend's house sale. It was more like a bridal sword. Kinda scary/pretty in a 50's housewife kind of way.


More views. I make a mean tea sandwich btw.

Why do I have this many tea pots?


How much better is this view with the couch cropped out? What does belong over there, imo? An upright piano. But I'm still scouring Craigslist and Freecycler for the right one.

I am in love with these goblets. ps: that's my Mom's china pattern. I'm lucky. Who was picking a simple platinum band in the late 60's/early 70's? No one, that's who. Most moms were into gaudier things like orangey brown floral patterns.

Gotta love my makeup industry friends who kicked down fantastic cosmetics and skincare goodies for all my guest's goody-bags.

Promise to post proj pictures tomorrow. I hope you'll love the changes we've made (we sure do).

Dry Wall Hell

So yeah, here's what I'm doing now. This is me after countless hours spent sanding the kitchen ceiling and walls, and putting another layer of mud on the corners. Fun times, fun times. At one point I realized that I'd crossed over into insanity. Which of course, meant it was picture time. For the people...
There's sort of a Milky Way thing going on on my T shirt, with Saturn being my right boob. So you see, I find ways to be fancy no matter what I'm doing.
Ick. I'm looking forward to days and days of this. Anyone with a day off feel free to jump on a train and come help me. I promise to amuse you with the weird positions I plaster in (i.e. one foot on top of fridge, one foot on top of ladder) and as always, there will be snacks.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Listen up people cause Mama's got an announcement to make...

I have accepted a job at the Register Star newspaper! I will be the new reporter there, covering the Hudson beat. I know! That means I'll be a full timer!I just couldn't pass up the chance for this kind of adventure.

Here are the deets: I'll be coming back to NYC most weekends. Joe will stay in NYC full time - at least through November when The Apprentice season billion and one wraps. At that point, he will come up and join me, but we will probably keep a studio apartment way uptown as our working class pied a terre. I need to have somewhere to stay when I do comedy stuff, or need NYC friend time and Joe needs to able to take production jobs here until he sees what his  earning potential is upstate. 

Anyway - the job at the paper will involve meeting all of the members of local government (all of the members of local everything really) which was a big part of the appeal. The rest of the staff seems really cool too. My Hudson friends had plenty of critical things to say about the Register Star. But  most involved their history of printing typos. One guy suggested I , "Ask my editor about PUBIC SCHOOL FUNDING." It's a daily paper (I've never had to deal with deadlines like that) and they are running on a total skeleton crew, so you know, shidt happens. But here's hoping I can shake things up a bit and bring a fresh perspective to the table without making everyone think I'm a total condescending citiot. 

I start on the 14th ( have a comedy thing on the 13th) so the next week will be super hectic. I'm trying to get the drywall finishing done on the kitchen and dining room (by myself ahem.... any volunteers?). I don't want to be the  weird dusty girl at work every day. Kwis?

All for now - but many many more Hudson house updates  to come. they will be sporadic no more!

If Only I Were A Crystal Meth Addict

While Joe kicked the crap out of the kitchen, I pulled out the thirty thousand carpet tacks on the front stairs. Not being a meth user, I found the work tedious and backbreaking - though ultimately satisfying.

Kitchen Demo Continues

So the dropped ceiling is down. Joe had to take down the tin ceiling and the plaster ceiling above that because of years of leaks rust and over-all nasty bidness. So three layers of fun!



Here area few sheets of the tin that he saved for me. I'm planning on using it for a back splash - but I'll have to take a hard look and see how much there really is to work with...

Every surface has been peeled...


Original wallpaper - this kitchen is part of a 40's or 50's addition.

Pretty gnarly huh?

More Progress

We went up to Hudson yesterday for just the day. Joe's friend Mat came up to advise and help us strategize. He's been a contractor forever - so it was unbelievably helpful to hear what he had to say. He told us how to attack certain projects and also which ones were.... how shall I say... overly ambitious? Joe and he walked around sketching floor plans and discussing things in dept while I went nuts on the living room and dining room areas.

No - your eyes are not deceiving you. I did in fact rip up all the carpet and carpet padding in the living room by myself - while Joe and his friend had their little tea party Imeanplanningsession. We appear to have won the lottery on this room because the floors are pretty darn gorgeous as is (as long as you ignore the hulking cube of a recent bathroom addition which is pretty jarring). As you can see I have already moved some art up there (I ran out of wall space long long ago in the Brooklyn pad)

More Progress Continued

My other, less-sexy accomplishment was to pull up all the carpet track that surrounded the dining room floor. Sure, it may not look like much in photos - but let me assure you, it is a total pain in the ass. I did it while Joe and his friend Matt were giving each other pedicures Imeandrawingfloorplanstoscale.