tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77790592009-07-13T20:56:44.558-04:00Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.comBlogger553125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-41634858970180393082009-07-13T20:46:00.006-04:002009-07-13T20:56:44.569-04:00

And so it came to pass, that on the first day on which travel to and from work was from and to The House, an envelope was delivered to The House. And on this envelope it was written Department of the Treasury. And on the contents of the envelope it was written United States Treasury and Tax Refund, and lo, it was a check, for an amount greater than that expected, as it was subject to interest,

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-82843779278163704122009-07-09T20:18:00.002-04:002009-07-09T20:33:54.397-04:00

Exciting stuff this week:First, the living room rug arrived.The black smudge is Sadie, breaking it in.Secondly, I think these are Gladiolas? This week's surprise in the garden.And not so exciting, my Welcoming Committee gift:Oops. I think I might have killed it. However, this is par for the course for me. The flowers in the garden are a continual surprise to me, as I would be certain to have

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-9598727243952989202009-07-05T19:56:00.002-04:002009-07-05T20:21:08.604-04:00

Well, I went and did it. Friday was "shopping day" and I went to antique malls, Crate and Barrel, The Container Store, Restoration Hardware, West Elm, Macy's, and Pottery Barn (and probably some others I've forgotten). After returning home and discovering that one of the rugs I had my heart set on at PB was not available through the internet, I went back to the store on Saturday to see if they

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-77028226748239642012009-06-29T20:28:00.003-04:002009-06-29T20:33:54.189-04:00

I took a day off from painting the new abode, and instead did some moving. Packing and unpacking is a much faster process than painting.Here are my most recent Day Lily additions:And, can you believe it, some knitting content!A finished pair of socks. Shown off in a new venue.These are the Hedgerow socks, shown with my new livingroom floor.Neato, huh?

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-19217272937943041692009-06-28T18:59:00.000-04:002009-06-28T19:01:12.712-04:00

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-80157665290310762882009-06-28T00:20:00.005-04:002009-06-28T00:45:49.662-04:00

This'll be mostly pictures.First, paint color results. Left: living room, Right: dining room. I love how the dining room color matches the wood and fixtures.And some organization: the laundry room before and afterAnd lastly, some garden pictures. My day lilies:A lone bee balm:And Shasta Daisies: (no longer being eaten by slugs/snails)And two mystery plants. What are they? Do you know? The

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-46821628953066627832009-06-20T10:55:00.008-04:002009-06-20T17:45:58.579-04:00

I don't think so. Farming and gardening are two very different things. But Gardener Beth just doesn't have the same ring.This is my butterfly bush just starting to blossom:And these are the Shasta daisies from Janet that I planted last week:However, the daisies seem to be somebody's dinner:And I have this long viney-thing I'm not sure what to do with. Should I cut it off? It's growing a

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-28664575069656262102009-06-15T21:05:00.004-04:002009-06-15T21:24:13.628-04:00

Hello! I am blogging from my new house! Yippee for cable/internet installers! Boo for stealing my neighbors' wireless-without-passwords.Here are some pictures of my sortof finished dining room. I need to paint the ceiling, and under closer inspection, we aren't any of us very good at getting a solid layer of paint on a wall; maybe that's why it didn't even take a gallon. A second coat is

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-55802560832523920522009-06-14T10:43:00.004-04:002009-06-14T11:20:20.323-04:00

I have a favorite bucket.Yesterday's painting party was a smashing success, by my standards, and I think everyone had a good time while putting in a lot of work, too. We only got one room actually painted (and I think it needs a second coat), but another room is primed and ready to go, and that's the majority of the work. They also weeded my front yard. Bless their little horrified-gardener

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-24117335391508672402009-06-09T22:13:00.003-04:002009-06-09T22:24:55.715-04:00

If you're still out there, hello.You probably guessed that I did indeed buy the house.  I did.  It went smoothly, the appraisal was spot on (and no, they aren't always anymore), closing took 15 minutes, and the neighbors are delightful so far.  However, I did close on the last Thursday of May Festival, which was crazy, and I am possibly still paying the price.  I have not moved in yet, but I have

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-36627784981184264322009-04-27T13:05:00.004-04:002009-04-27T13:18:22.331-04:00

Inspection of my hundred-year-old house has been completed, and I'm one lucky girl.  Not only did I find an adorable house that is in good aesthetic shape, but it's in good overall shape, too!Bad news: furnace isn't 10 years old like I thought.  It's more like 30 years old, but it looks clean and it works, so hopefully it'll croak while the house is under warranty, or it could run for a long time

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-64195311830639607552009-04-25T19:01:00.004-04:002009-04-25T19:25:11.605-04:00

I'm sure many of you know that when you buy a bigger house, you need more furniture. I'm pretty set, but there is a lot of space that could use some filler. And if I'm going to have people over, I need places for them to sit, and set their stuff. Right now, we're a little short on chairs and tables. So today I went to the local Antique Mall to see what might be found.One of the biggest holes

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-28428304075765047252009-04-24T22:23:00.005-04:002009-04-24T23:08:04.772-04:00

As I posted my last post, I had a little thought "what if one of the owners of this house is a knitter, and what if she sees that I love her house, and when I put in an offer she milks me for all I'm worth?"Well, it didn't happen.  I put in an offer, and they didn't even counter-offer.  Not really.  I asked for a table and chairs on the porch, hoping they had gotten it from a thrift store or

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-2492462268880297592009-04-22T15:16:00.002-04:002009-04-22T15:25:43.652-04:00

I said I was serious, and I guess I really was. Tomorrow I'm going to go look at it again, and when Agent returns on Monday I'll put in an offer. Here are some pictures of my favorite things, in case you were too lazy to click through on the last post (you're forgiven, I do the same thing.)For all you Antiques Roadshow buffs out there, get ready to feel jealous, because living in this area it's

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-35557785205737802522009-04-17T10:08:00.003-04:002009-04-17T10:50:04.423-04:00

Another house to loveAnd I'm serious this time. The "garage" is not-so-much. But some of the details are hard to pass up.

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-14751768095324616992009-04-13T12:11:00.003-04:002009-04-13T12:20:07.831-04:00

Sadie must be calming down, because Peanut's sweater is actually looking like a sweater these days!I'm particularly happy with how the edge came out.  It's very straight.  :)I'm pretty sure it'll fit him when he's six.  but that's ok.  That means I have plenty of time to finish it.

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-33692842019616764532009-04-10T19:14:00.003-04:002009-04-10T19:55:29.362-04:00

....and......it's a random toilet.So.  It was my first house-hunting outing with my real estate agent.  The first house we went to was one that looked good on paper, but wasn't.I took this picture:And then I took this picture while my agent was trying to get the door open:And that was the last picture I took, I was laughing so hard.  It was a dump.  It seemed like it was worth a look, and now I

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-82811540938656921222009-03-19T22:10:00.004-04:002009-03-19T22:23:15.427-04:00

When I was young my well-meaning doctors gave me advice like "When you grow up marry a man who is rich enough to buy you a dishwasher," (my dermatologist) and told my parents not to "let" me mow the lawn (allergist).  Well, I might have translated that into "be sure you get a well-paying career so you can pay someone to mow the lawn for you."  Right? Here's the House of the Day:Don't you just

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-2889617491939980482009-03-16T17:43:00.004-04:002009-03-16T18:00:18.468-04:00

Finally.  I think I have a real estate agent (including a bonus check from my apartment management company.  Long boring story, but true!)  I have spoken to one person about a mortgage, and have a call in to another person recommended by a realtor this weekend.Open House visiting was no more profitable this weekend than last, but whatever.  It's a necessary evil, right?  I have decided that a

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-79380448828718585782009-03-09T16:12:00.003-04:002009-03-09T16:19:57.855-04:00

Looky looky! A Rookwood pottery fireplace! Look at that leaded glass door! How can I resist?Do you think my little Arts & Crafts heart will physically break when I find out the "half bath" is really a toilet in the basement? (What is up with that? Why are there random toilets out in the open in basements around here? What is that? Why? What do I do if my dream house has a random toilet?)

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-47136455269753731102009-03-05T15:58:00.004-05:002009-03-05T16:36:28.293-05:00

Have you heard about the incentives first-time homebuyers have been given recently? It seems that if I get off my duff and buy a home by Dec. 1, 2009 I will get an $8,000 tax credit. Yes, people, you read that correctly: credit. So I'm lurking on Real Estate sites quite a bit and trying to figure out what I might want.I know that I do not want a big yard to mow. No long driveway to shovel. I

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-61434229405585654092009-03-01T19:51:00.004-05:002009-03-01T22:28:17.240-05:00

Friday afternoon, I returned to the living room after getting something from the kitchen to find my puppy chewing on something she isn't supposed to, which has become the story of my life.You can see from these pictures (click to embiggen) that the Palm Centro is NOT made from a new-fangled brand of pink Titanium.  It is, in fact, plastic, and easily mangled by a small dog.  Immediately upon

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-64050491727503324182009-02-24T10:03:00.000-05:002009-02-24T10:03:27.592-05:00

Knitting for charity (From Campaign Series)I have no idea why they are knitting chickens in Wales, but they seem to have taken to it.

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-29971484490284678042009-02-16T19:03:00.004-05:002009-02-16T19:19:43.054-05:00

Here's Sadie after a long day at daycare:She really seems to like it now that she's gotten used to it.  She was so excited when I dropped her off this morning that she peed on the floor.In other cute news, I visited my family in South Dakota last week, and my sister brought her daughter (you may know her as "The Princess").Here she and her mother are playing in the hard South Dakota snow.And here

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779059.post-76880132440251747932009-02-03T10:30:00.005-05:002009-02-03T10:39:51.305-05:00

Look! I made the list.I couldn't remember when I started blogging, so I wasn't sure. I used to pay all sorts of attention to how long I'd been blogging, who was reading my blog, who visited my blog and what search terms led people to my blog. Not so much anymore. I have also lagged in my posting frequency. I always have a blog post composing in my head, but more often than not it just doesn't

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18225417283932633558noreply@blogger.com2