Back on the home front... or, I painted my couch.

So we've been in the house two weeks now and been busy with buddies both weekends... This makes for not enough time putting a house in order! Boxes and duffel bags still surround me. To top it off, the awesome HVAC guy has been diligently working to give us some heat in the attic (nights here are still chilly!). This means lots of sawing, (lead, ahem) dust-making and mud tracking. Big sigh for the just painted floors and hand scrubbed stairs ;). But it also means Air Conditioning!!!! Holy Cow. The kind of unit that would work for the attic just happens to both heat And cool. My second favorite question from the Little Man this month (second only to "What's shampoo?") is: "What's air conditioning?". When I told him that the vents that blow hot air would blow cold air he couldn't believe it ;)

Other big news for the week, we have moved into the kitchen. S-weet. Working out of a mini-fridge and tiny cooktop with no counter space makes Jac a not so happy girl. We tried grabbing burritos from an organic place around the corner for a few days, but poor Z got all rashy :(. Started cooking it all from scratch again and whalah - perfect skin! So a real kitchen has been a major upgrade - even without a dishwasher and with the awesome stovetop from the (eek!) 70's! Lol. I DO love my house. Its just a process ;).

Then, drumroll, we schlepped the furniture into our floor! Oh my, heaven calling. It is freaking awesome to have a table to eat at again! Aaand, drumroll, we got a couch! I've been scouring Craigslist for weeks, waiting for the right one (easier than trying to schlep the kids to vintage stores;) And I found the bones I wanted, but they had been beaten and covered red. Hmmm, what to do? Paint it!

No. I'm not kidding. Yes, I painted my couch. No, not the wood. It was a researched decision :). But, for the record, and for anyone considering this sort of project, it takes longer than you plan...

After snagging it from the sweet tatted taxidermist (who had it stored by her body filled deep freeze...) E and P picked up the textile medium and we went to work. E vacuumed out the crystallized food chunks while I ignored the possibility that it wasn't pristine. Then came the patch jobs. Then I taped off the wood and painted. And painted. And painted. And sent E out for more textile medium. And painted some more. That tufted, buttoned back I wanted so very badly? Yah, its a bitch to paint. But the final product is Awesome. And apparently indestructible. Which is what I was going for in the first place, having two littles at home ;). Permanent markers? Bring it. Gorgeous, crazy cheap and childproof? Yes, please.

We also celebrated our pea gravel patio (thank you Superman - I love me a yard without a mud pit !) with a little BBQ. It was sunny and lovely. Fast forward 30 minutes and a *thunderstorm* erupts (Portland doesn't have thunderstorms!) and E is out stirring veggies amongst lightning and driving rain. P thought it most faaaabulous and stomped around in the gravel, getting soaked.

We also finished planting the front bed. Hope we can keep it all alive :). This week we've gotta get our veggies started in back!

Random phone bloggy order: BBQ, pre-storm. Couch, pre and post face-lift. P sitting at an honest to gawd dining table (skipped it in Brooklyn for a floor-side craft space and ate at the kitchen counter in our last rental. I'm in love with sitting to eat!!!) And an attic sun-set.