First Year Recap Update

I fully intended on providing more details/recaps on Monday night, and throughout this week, but the week kind of got away from me/us. And now we're getting ready to head out of town for a wedding weekend extravaganza in Vegas (!) and won't be back home until Sunday. SO. Now I fully intend on providing those aforementioned details/recaps on Sunday and Monday. In fact, I'll hold myself to that: I promise I'll post our first year recaps and our next plans on Sunday and Monday!

In the mean time, off we go to HOT HOT SUNNY LAS VEGAS (a first for me, and adding another state on my visited state list = bonus!), where the weather for the weekend looks like this:

(aren't you curious about those "On The Go Breakfast Recipes" from the Weather Channel??)

 
We'll be back in a few days exhausted, I'm sure, and sporting even better tans to kick-off the fall! And then we'll jump-start the next phase/year of this crazy Home Sweet Schwab adventure!

Congratulations to Kelly & Jeff!

Lazy Sunday Morning

Just popped a banana bread in the oven, have some coffee brewing, and sitting outside, in the wind, still in sweats, watching the windy, wavy view below... Happy Sunday.

(And Happy (American) Anniversary Rags and D! We love you guys!)

Finally! Floors Part II and a Call for Organization

The floors are here (again)! And they're glorious! They really do look beautiful. And maybe even (dare I say it?) better than before? Wood's a funny thing. We ordered the exact same product as we did before and this time around it has more variation, interesting coloration, and richer tones. Or maybe we're just SO excited to have consistent, seamless flooring in again that it just looks and feels that much better to us? I'm not sure. But I think it's the former.

(it also looks yellower and brighter in this shot than it really is, as you can see below where I've panned out)

Again I have to apologize for the lack of sufficient photo evidence - we were so ecstatic about getting our home back the other night that I never took pictures of the floors before we put back all our rugs and arranged the furniture back into place. Still... come on, this is fabulous, isn't it?

The relief at having this all set back up and put into place lit a little flame under our butts. We kicked it into high gear yesterday getting our organization on. The second bedroom had suffered as a paint storage, everything storage, furniture storage, catch-all room for a few months. Our plan for the summer was to get it set up as the guest room/office it's truly meant to be. That will wait just a bit more, but after yesterday's work we can finally see back to imagining it in its final glory again.

(clean, virtually empty of random stuff, besides the pictures we haven't put up that still need to find their homes)

(an organized closet = Maayan is happy!)

And since we were also already at the organization game and doing so well, we figured why not tackle another project and took the extra closet in the hallway to task. It, too, has fallen into a state of chaotic question marks, actually, since we moved in. We're not really sure what it's real purpose is, but it's just extra closet space in a somewhat awkward placement in the house. With all the work we've been doing since we moved in, it sort of just start being a holding pattern for random odds and ends that didn't yet have their own place in the world, as well as for tools and supplies we are using more regularly. With the bathroom debacle and the other work going on the past few weeks, it actually really got horrifyingly out of hand. I was ashamed to open it if I needed anything and someone was over, and a lot of stuff fell into the black hold it had become and I couldn't find it anyway. But look:

THIS HOUSE... IS CLEAN!

(ahhhhhh... that's a collective sigh of relief, since I know I can hear you sighing with me. thanks for the support.)

Quick Update

Blogger is causing image-posting problems (I'm researching options, and may be moving this blog to another host soon... will keep you posted), and on top of that our Internet's been finicky for the past three weeks, so I apologize for the absence of posts and am here to provide a quick update on the goings-on at the HSS. Certainly, with the drama that unfolded last month on our beautiful new floors, you can imagine there's been plenty happening that would, under normal Internet/blogging circumstances, have provided lots of posting fodder. It's true, there's been lots of frustration, rearranging, planning, interacting, shopping, and other activity. We'll give a good ol' summary once everything's finished and back to "normal," we promise.

In the meantime, though, we're here to report that our place has been "packed in" by professionals, and floors should go back down starting tomorrow! Hooray! Unfortunately, the turmoil of all of this means it will be challenging to live at home, so we're packing ourselves out and will be enjoying a brief staycation at the Other Home Sweet Schwab (Dave's parents' place) for at least the next few days. Supposedly we'll be back home by the weekend.

What this also means is that I won't be home tomorrow to record and post our eleventh Twentieth in our home. Can't believe we're so-quickly approaching our first full year! You'll have to forgive the fake-20th post again, which I'll take and post our first day back home. Every day's the same right now, anyway (read: hot/humid/sunny/beach-vacation-y), so it's six of one, half a dozen of the other, right?!

We'll be back soon!

M.I.A.

Just a quick explanation for our recent disappearing act. Our Internet connection has been M.I.A. for at least the last two weeks, causing annoying disruptions to lots of our activities at home, but also to our ability to report our HSS-goings on. We're hoping to resolve this soon... this week? After we do, there will be some catching up to do. Since we last posted any home update-related details, Dave has repaired a torn screen and replaced a toilet, though that last one came with some side-effects. We also have some flooring updates, and then some fun things, like enjoying our recently-opened pool, and the beach, and the balcony, and grilling with friends. All good things.

So in the meantime, hold tight! We'll have stuff up here ASAP. While you await our posting return, here's a shot of how we've been spending our weekends lately (and I'll preempt my Aunt Joan's comment be reminding you that there is always an open invitation to join us!):

 

Milestone Overlooked

Somehow I missed our hundredth post! How did I overlook that?! A milestone, indeed. 100 seems like a lot... but when I look back at Post #1, it definitely feels like a lifetime ago.


Lots to be happy about with regards to our progress here, so we're just having an easy, restful Sunday, and not doing any home projects. We just got back from a nice long walk (it's supposed to rain for the next four or five days, so we have to take advantage of the sunshine when we have it), and it's back to taking it easy.


So to note this slightly overlooked milestone, here's just a quick shot of us lounging in our newly-rugged living room. Enjoy your Sunday! Love, us.

(= cozy)

Doors/Blessing Update

Courtesy of my good friend, Ash...

"I think they mis-wrote the G - it should be a C:

A Catholic tradition for the Epiphany is the blessing of doors. With chalk the letters CMB are written, symbolic of the names of the 3 magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar) and also an abbreviation for the Latin blessing Christus Mansionem Benedicat (Christ Bless this House). If your family is interested in this blessing, you can read more about it here. May each of your homes receive  "health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy" and many other blessings!"

With this new information in my arsenal, I returned to Google and found A BILLION (at least) listings confirming this to be the case. The 19 and the 89 surrounding the three letters represent the year of the blessing (1989). And I have also found an explanation for the G/C confusion - in Hungarian, "Caspar" is "Gaspar"... so the mystery is solved! Thanks, Ash!

Has me thinking about other ways to bless/honor/bring good luck upon a home...

 

For Japan With Love...

Tomorrow I will honor a moment of blog silence for the victims of the unthinkable natural disaster taking shape in Japan.

If you haven't heard of For Japan With Love, please check it out. You can donate directly (in support of ShelterBox), and if you are a blogger, you can consider joining me/us in a day of blog silence tomorrow.

(http://www.forjapanwithlove.com/)

Amongst the endless images we've seen coming out of this news, I came upon this one, of two dogs presumably caught in the tsunami and displaced by its after-effects. As you know, we are MAJOR animal lovers, and I have to admit I was absolutely petrified to click on the link. But I did. And what I found was a picture of animal love, which sums up just why these creatures are so special. One of the two appears to be in a grave state, and the other will not leave his/her friend's side. He/she circles the suffering dog, protecting him/her from anyone who approaches, clearly unwilling to abandon or leave vulnerable his/her furry companion.

(http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/dog-in-japan-stays-by-the-side-of-its-ailing-friend-in-the-rubble)

There's a link on the page to a donation site for supporting animals affected by this tragedy. It's through World Vets: International Aid for Animals, an organization that sponsors aid efforts for animals around the world. While I hadn't heard of it before, I checked out, and am happy to find such an organization, doing such honorable work on behalf of our animal friends. For some this will be a meaningful, alternate way to participate in the relief efforts on the other side of the globe.


It's easy to get caught up in what's happening in our own present, but moments like this one across the world can and should be a reminder that we're part of something big, and that caring for those you love - your family, your friends, your home - is really what we live for. So we continue to build our Home, here in our own little present in Chicago, and we also continue to care for our bigger home...

Hanukkah/Chanukah/Chakakhan, a Pot Rack, and a Cabinet Update

It's the second night of the first Hanukkah/Chanukah/Chakakhan in our first home!

(our beautiful chanukiah! with beautiful candles! thank you to Aunt Juice and T-Huesos!)

Because the cabinet painting process is going on in the computer room, I have to wait each time I want to post until there's a good way to move the cabinet doors around so I can get to the computer without messing them up. I've spent the past two days and then some prepping the backs of the doors (yes, I said the past TWO days (and then some) prepping...)... but more on that later.

First, check out our new pot rack:

(I want to find some sort of organizing tool to line the covers up on the shelf nice and neatly)

Sort of wish we'd painted the wall first, but we *had* to see it up! Hmm...

Anyway, so, like I said, I've been prepping the backs of the doors for more than two days now. Tomorrow I can do the first coat, so by Sunday we should have freshly painted doors on our cabinets -- finally! The reason it's taken more than two days of prep work is that as you can see in the photo that follows, when I flipped them over, I realized that some of the paint from the front side had pooled over the edges -- but not in a nice clean painted-on way -- in a goopy, bubbly, messy and bumpy way. Good times. Night One of prep involved getting this off and smoothing edges. Last night I spent at least an hour sweeping up all that crap (granted, Top Chef: All Stars was on at the same time, so I had to work in commercials, but STILL!). Tonight I finally was able to sand the backs of the doors, so we're ready to go. I apologize for the delay (I've gotten at least two emails, a phone call, and a G-chat message about seeing the cabinets with the doors ON), but we're almost there.

See what I mean:

So... that's all for now. Happy Hanukkah/Chanukah/Chakakhan (that's mostly for Adi and Dad), go eat something fried!

Love, Us.

Reminders...

So, first of all, Happy Birthdays are due to our dear friend Troy (Dave's best man), and another dear friend, EP. Love you both lots and wish you another year filled with happiness and laughs and good friendship and everything good.

I had been planning to go to the paint store last night after work, but between bad weather, traffic, and needing to return the too-small rug, there was no way to get there before it closed. That will happen this weekend. Hopefully to take care of all of our various kitchen-painting needs (more posting to follow, obviously). That's why I haven't updated in a couple days. Tomorrow our appliances arrive, so I'll have that to report on this weekend as well.

That said, I just had the sweetest little reminder of what this is all about, and I just have to share it. Design*Sponge posted the loveliest video for its weekly wrap-up. It's a sharing of a video made by a couple that eloped when they realized their wedding was getting out of hand and out of their control, a sentiment I know we felt at many points in our planning process, and which I know others have experienced as well. It does sort of all get away from you at points, and while we pushed through it, and had an extraordinary day (if I do say so myself), this video, and summary, nudged me gently and reminded me that what all of this is about, this Home Sweet Schwab and all its associated adventures, is love. And family. And home. And love = family = home.

Take a look here.

And here's a little memory to go with this reminder...

(27.June.2009; Ph: Danielle Aquiline Photography)