Just when you think you could get something done...

It's been an interesting weekend here at The New Nest.

No. 1. The major pieces of the fireplace facade have been assembled (thanks Dad!) and we were planning to start the minor demo (removing some old moldings), attachment, and trim work this weekend so that I could work on caulking and painting this week. I had written and entire post about how the fireplace gods were finally smiling down upon us and we could really start this job, but then the skies parted and the fireplace gods looked on us with anger...see no. 2 below.

No. 2. The fireplace never happened because our cat, Bessie, ate part of a lily plant Friday night and ended up at the emergency vet Saturday afternoon and has been there since. Did you know that lilies are extremely poisonous to cats? They cause kidney failure and then a very painful death. I didn't know this, and I'm glad I looked into it the morning after she ate part of the plant. She's not home just yet, but her bloodwork tonight was clear and if it's still clear Monday evening she'll be coming home. This rather large vet bill may slow down house purchases for a little bit. 

No. 3. Despite the vet bill, we did make one home purchase today that we'd never thought about before.

Yup, a fire extinguisher. Actually we bought 3, one for the basement, one for the first floor and one for the second floor. On Saturday we were sitting in the den and thought we heard a crackling coming from a light switch.  It turned out to be nothing (but we did discover that our wiring is CRAZY OLD) but as soon as we heard it I turned to Adam and said, "We don't own a fire extinguisher" and he replied "yeah...we need to fix that". Another home purchase you don't even think about...hopefully, at least, it comes to mind before it's too late.

I am at that age where my friends are getting married and buying homes. I'm seriously considering making a fire extinguisher my go-to housewarming gift for first time home buyers. Although this may send the message of "Happy Housewarming! Don't let your new home burn to the ground!"

Anyway, I can't work on the fireplace much on my own.  And I will have to spend a couple of days doting on Bessie. I'm hoping to work on some sewing projects this week while Adam is away.  Hopefully some posts about that to come.

Things you don't think about, Vol. 1

The big move is 2 weeks away. The sellers will be moving out in 1 week. Come to think of it, they went to closing on their new house today. Good for them. Adam and I will be spending much of this weekend packing up whatever we don't need for the next two weeks, with the knowledge that A. I go back to work next week and my days of lounging on the couch are numbered and B. one of those two weeks will be spent mostly at the new house painting. We have been trying to think about things we will need to buy that you just assume came out of the ether when you live with your parents. This includes things like outdoor garbage cans, a garden hose, a lawn mower (are you seeing a trend here...apartment dwellers know little of the "outdoors") a ladder. I was admittedly eying up a ladder at the Pier 1 down the street that is going out of business and selling all their fixtures. 10' folding ladder for $100...is that good price? I feel like a telescoping ladder would fit our needs more. Something that hit me today was a mail box. We will need a mail box. Okay, that's completely untrue, the house has a mailbox. It will hold mail. That is pretty much its only redeeming quality. It is a little brass wall mount thing that is what I would call the "Oh crap...we need a mailbox...get whatever is cheapest" solution. I'm considering spray painting that mailbox black, or perhaps some kind of punchy color like an apple green to tide us over until I can get something better. Because it turns out, mailboxes ain't cheap. Right now, I'm digging this little guy: Cute, right? In that My-grandfather-brought-this-back-with-him-when-he-returned-from-WWII kind of way? He'd set me back $100.The little holes cut in the front also worry me, I feel like water could get in there if it rained, they don't look like they're hooded from wetness in any kind of way. Also, it would be better if it said "POST" rather than "MAIL" because secretly I'd like all of our neighbors to think we're British. This is also cute in a more modern sort of way: It is less cute in the $175 kind of way. Also, we won't be living in a log cabin, so it's possible my house couldn't actually pull this off. I don't think I want a post-style mailbox. They just don't seem to have as many options, they all kind of look the same. But of course, there's always the Whalebox... Seriously? The flag looks like harpoon sticking out of his head...but at least he happy about it?