Sunday, July 13, 2008

Disclaimer: Many potatoes were killed in the writing of this post.

Operation Fix this Fucking House is fully underway. We have a lot of preliminary stuff to do before we can bring in the big guns (electrician & plumber), including giving IKEA about $1600 of our hard-earned cash before all is said and done. Damn IKEA- with your tantalizing fat-free frozen yogurt cones for a dollar- I can't escape your Hostensnaarsgord clutch.

Here is a picture of the color I was originally going to paint the entryway, but then I decided that baby-poop greenish brown is not what I want greeting visitors to my home. Even Ralph Lauren baby-poop greenish brown.

I wanted something striking and different but not too dark or a color I'd get sick of right away. This room was painted with a semi-gloss Chinese red that I loved (with a gold-painted ceiling), but it had to go.
I settled on a soft metallic silver (again, Ralph Lauren- the metallics are worth the $$).
I love it, and when I finally get curtains, my fancy new light and get the rug in there it will be fabulous.


The reason for so many trips to Grundalhortenbordland/IKEA is that we own a 100+ year-old house that had exactly ONE closet when we bought it- a small coat closet in the entry.
That's it.
One.
We worked around that horrifying (to me) issue by converting a room attached to our bedroom into a "closet room" that usually looked like this:

While having an entire room as a closet is lovely, we are now taking 2/3 of that room and adding a master bath, leaving only a small walk-through closet. I cannot live with only a "small walk-through closet." Nope. I have few (read: MANY) demands, but on this issue I can't budge.

So... we're adding gigantic storage units/armoire type things (93" high) in the entryway, our bedroom and the guest room in order to give us somewhere to hang our clothes.
This is where IKEA comes into play. They have all kinds of these things in all kinds of colors.
We had no choice.
This is the first one, in the entryway:

You can't tell from the pic, but it is a behemoth. Huge.
#2 is currently being assembled by the Mr. in the bedroom. He was making good progress last time I checked, but I just heard him turn the TV in there on to The Simpsons, so I'm starting to doubt that it will be completed today.
Oh Homer, you are both my hero and my nemesis.

Right now I'm in the process of getting dinner ready. Nothing too exciting, just herbed turkey burgers & potato salad.
I got these adorable little new potatoes at the farmer's market. I didn't want to have to cut too many of them up, so I thought just boiling them whole & then tossing them with a lemon/mint/parsley/dill vinaigrette would be best.


Before we eat, I'll toss some crumbled feta in there. Yum.


Oh, and...

Pooter and Trouble say "hey."

Other than a minor psychological breakdown (thanks to y'all for your lovely words) which I am completely recovered from, the weekend was very, very nice. My house may be a total pit from all of the projects, I may have ate my weight in junk, and I'm pretty sure I haven't washed my hair in 4 days (I can't remember- don't worry, I'll be taking care of this tonight), but I did get to go down an Alpine Slide, I kicked ass driving go-carts, I got to hang with friends at a BBQ, attend a day of birthday festivities, get a bazillion loads of laundry done and make out with my cats, so I'll put this weekend in the "win" column.


And, another exciting! jury duty! update!:

My alleged singular week of performing my civic duty will be stretching into week two tomorrow.
Yay.
I am so bored with and sick of the whole thing. I can't wait until I can tell y'all about it so you can re-live the boredom with me. I started counting the freckles on my arm the other day while sitting there listening to the riveting testimony. Riveting.

The word "sequestered" has been used more often than I am comfortable with. Staying in a hotel with 11 strangers a mere 2 miles from my own comfy house is of no interest whatsoever to me.
Hmmm...I wonder if the hotel will have wi-fi. Do you think that "blogging while sequestered" is allowed? Can I bring my cats?

I'll keep you posted on my findings...

XO

19 comments:

Moe Wanchuk said...

Jeesh....how many handjobs is this remodel costin you?

We're gonna have to start callin you Popeye.

Fran said...

I was right there feeling your pain until I saw the tiny cute potatoes... I never did meet a carbohydrate that I did not like.

Will paint for potato salad...

Does that work?

Hang in there girl. The house will be great.

My last house was 90 years old. I had 2 closets. Tiny. Cute. But 2!

Whiskeymarie said...

Moe- No handjobs (well, not today anyways), just my soul and the understanding that I will be gainfully employed (minus summers, duh) for the next 30 years.
I think it's a pretty good deal, and Satan agrees.

Fran- The salad was De. Lish. Us. When the taters are that tiny they are super-creamy. Tons of herbs, tiny taters & cheese- what more do we need?

kirby said...

I would kill to be able to remodel. No. Seriously, I'd have to kill my mom and dad, then move into their house which will eventually be mine anyways. I am so fricking bored with renter's white.

Renaissance Woman said...

I'm with you on the remodel. Love Ikea and am so jealous that there isn't one here! Like the silver paint.

And just thought that I would tell you that between jury duty and living in chaos of remodeling hell...a minor psychological break down is nothing. Hang in there.

Pants said...

Your baby new potato salad looks delicious!

JR said...

Your Ikea words just made coffee come out my nose. Well played, Whiskey.

Anonymous said...

Love the silver! I love old houses but the closet situations would drive me nuts!

Glad you had such a good weekend!

Hope this week goes quickly!

Patti

John said...

Whiskey,

Home remodeling is one of the most stressful things ever. Sometime before you're finished, both you and Mr. Whiskey will have hired contract killers to off each other, but before you singularly lay claim to the VonPartypants estate, you will conspire together to send the entire contracting crew "to their next job" (and they will never be seen again). Love your RL metallic silver, and when all is said and done and everyone who is currently making your life miserable has been ki....er, uh, is working on another house, you will be luxuriating in the new and improved Mansion VPP. It's a good time to be sequestered actually. : )

Stefanie said...

My house is severely closet deficient, too, and mine is only 58 years old.

Also, potatos with feta? Yum.

CDP said...

I love the silver, and the brown was aptly described. If you're sequestered, can you just leave a nice long list and instruct everyone involved that you expect the renovations to be done, and done completely, while you're gone? Hope you're feeling better.

L Sass said...

Those potatoes look divine! I'll be over for dinner.

Amaya said...

Wow! Sequestered? I'm scared for you - that case sounds like it would be too scary for me. When you're sequestered (sorry that I keep saying the word), do you have to stay there 24/7? I'm guessing yes, but I never really thought about it before. I hope there are some cool people on jury duty with you. Also, what got me through my way-less-traumatic-jury-duty was reading Eat, Pray, Love. Great book if you haven't read it. If you have - second time's as good as the first. :)

BigBottomMcGee said...

1. I love Ikea. And seeing what other people's homes look like. Thanks! Like the paint color choice, too!

2. We went to Taylor's Falls for 7 & 8th grade "field" trips. When I was in 7th grade, I went on the Black Hole water slide and it completely shredded my swimsuit. In the butt. And my 8th grade crush was standing at the bottom as I got off and held my hands over my bum. But, still a really good time! :)

Nature Girl said...

I'm so envious of your remodeling. I LOVE remodeling. If only I had a house to remodel. We're renting,and this place? Yeah...the best way to remodel would be to set off a few sticks of dynomite and start from scratch! I love the color you chose for the entryway. Keep posting pics. Love them.

I skipped the pic of those adorable little potatotes with the herbs on them because potatoes are the devil to me right now. they're dead to me. I won't look. I won't! You can't make me!

Stacie

Mommy Lisa said...

St. Paul Farmer's Market - ahhh heaven.

I live in Robbinsdale, and Mom in Chaska - Yet at LEAST 5-6 times a year we are over to St. Paul. Mpls is too people crowded!!!

Thank heavens I NOW work in St. Paul and can get to the few open booths during the week. And have free parking when I come on Saturday/Sunday just the other side of Mears Park.

Stacey said...

Dude, I'm pretty sure your cats are humping. You better be careful because you might come home one day to a litter.

Oh and that armoire, yeah I'm pretty sure it's making me salivate. I so heart Ikea.

Suze said...

Knock Knock. Hello? It's me at your door for supper. Don't ignore me - I see you. Pooter just waved at me. Open up and give me some of those potatos!

Shannon Erin said...

I'm in love with that silver paint. Nice choice!