Specifically, we are in the very beginning of another Michigan winter! It has been snowing every couple of days over the last week or so and most of it is sticking around. We got another inch or so this morning and more is expected this evening and into tomorrow. Being that we LOVE winter, we're all pretty excited. I took this photo at our house last week during the first snow. I just had to go by and see what our space looked like with the first blanket upon it. So beautiful. We miss being there.
Along with the winter weather comes more time inside....it's inevitable and we find lots of fun things to do! The boys were sent a cute little gift package from a dear friend in Kansas including gummy Army men (her husband is in the Army) and lots of stickers! Arlo entertained himself for quite a while with his book!
Winter also brings some great capitol area activities including the Silver Bells in the City celebration. We went last year, as well as this year, and loved the electric lights parade and the lighting of the tree with the fireworks.
So cold, so fun, so worth it.
The house work is moving right along, too. Below is a photo of the bathroom when we bought the house. You can see the octagonal window and the HUGE vanity and double sinks.
We opted to put in a regular double hung window and replace the large vanity with one pedestal sink. You can see the basic changes below, though it is still hard to visualize where things will be. Once it is all done I'll post before and after pictures.
The house has now been fully smoke cleaned and sealed, which is the white powdery looking stuff all over the walls. We have all the new windows in upstairs and it is nice to have the plywood removed from the window spaces. It makes the house feel more like our home. Below is the master bedroom.
And the dining room all sealed. You definitely don't smell smoke anymore...now it just smells like sawdust and paint! Smells I much prefer!
Of course, when ripping apart an old house there will be surprises and what you see below are the remnants of a fire from possibly 30 years ago that began in our mud room wall and then smothered itself. The previous owners likely had no idea the fire ever started and were very lucky it didn't progress. The cause of this little surprise was taken care of...an improperly sealed 220 wire. Ugh. It was a little scary to find this, but the contractor has assured us that it is all being dealt with appropriately.
Next week the new plaster walls will begin going up and by the end of the week the new siding will also begin going on. It is beginning to feel like we'll actually get back in by February 1st....
