6 months

In a few days, we will have officially lived in our new old house for six months. It is insane to me that we have already been here for half a year. Time sure flies and it has been quite the adventure.

My entire life I have always lived in older homes... but, never anything quite this old. 113 years is new for me. And so are the little quirks that come with it.

For starters, nothing in this home is perfectly square. When hanging curtain rods, or art work, or anything that requires a level... we just have to laugh. The baseboards don't line up with the windows that don't line up with the ceilings. Interesting visuals. That is for sure. But, this is life when you live in a home that was built before levels were even invented.

To compliment the lack of squareness, the floors also slope and slant and dip and essentially do whatever they want. In most areas it's not noticeable unless you're REALLY paying attention, but in others it can completely catch you off guard. I definitely had a few moments, when we first moved in, that I was convinced the entire house was going to collapse out from under us... but then I would remind myself of that big glorious support beam we installed down in the basement... and now, in all honesty, I barely notice even the most drastic slopes.

Despite the "character" (that's what I affectionately call crooked windows and wonky floors) I think the most... ahem... interesting thing about living in an old house is all the messes that previous owners made. I mean really.... painted over hardware on every window and door? Thanks. Wallpapered over vinyl tile that was glued directly onto the plaster and lathe walls? Oh joy. Paint slopped.... everywhere?BB pellet holes in beautiful leaded glass? Taking on a character home is not for the faint of heart.

But then I look around and things like the 31 windows, all incased in beautiful moulding (I dare you to find 31 windows in a new 1500sq ft house without breaking the bank)... or the 12" wide baseboards... or the original wood floors made up entirely of inch wide "boards" (do we call them boards when they are only an inch wide?). And the warm fuzzies come flooding back. Character becomes charm and I remember why I love this house.

Sooo... what's the point of this long rambling bumbling post you might ask? The fact that this house is a project house. It's not a move in, throw on a new coat of paint, and call it a day house. I wrote out a lengthy "to do" list when we first moved in... and although much of it has been checked off over the course of these last 6 months, there is still plenty more that needs doing.

Eek!

The big project we're working on right now is the kitchen. Though it's not the original kitchen, it's a hot mess of 1960's walnut, lime green laminate, and half peeled off wallpaper over crumbly plaster. Does anyone have any advice for dealing with plaster walls that does not involve ripping them out and putting up drywall?? Oof.

Anyways... as it's already after midnight I should probably wrap this up. Stay tuned for a 'before' (current??) kitchen tour... and a glimpse at the BIG change we've made so far! Get excited people.