A Sampling of Progress

I know I said you could injure me if I didn't do a post on the 14th, but I have a very good excuse! We rented a Uhaul and moved another truckload from Old Home to the Squat. How do we have so much stuff? As we were driving it all over I kept hoping the truck would burst into flames, incinerating all the crap I've accumulated over the years and forcing me to make due with what we'd already brought with us. We did get our bikes, though, which we are very excited about. It's been years since we lived in a neighborhood where we could actually ride them around. Thanks to my pops for bringing his pickup into town and helping out!

We've been busy working on the place, too! Mr. Squatter put some shelves up in the sink room, which make a world of difference. We bought them in December, but were waiting to fix the walls before installing them. We finally decided that as it will be some time before we have the money or time to invest in a room that houses our dirty dishes, and the shelves can always be taped off or taken down when we get around to it, we should have a place to put our clean dishes in the meantime. You know, like normal people. I'm kinda glad we waited, though, because before I probably wouldn't have been so excited over something as simple as having kitchen shelves.

Get Out(side)!

One of the funny things about Portland weather is that it seems to be able to sense when you are ready to take outdoor pictures. It will be sunny and clear for hours, but the minute you step outside with your camera in hand, clouds roll in. Everything turns a shade of blueish-grey. The wind cuts through your lightweight sweater and knocks the bouquet of tulips off of the table. Rain drops threaten to obscure your lens. You manage through it, getting the shots you need as quickly as possible, then frantically moving everything indoors before the impending downpour hits. As soon as you've safely secured the last item in the dryness of your home, the sun breaks through the clouds again.

Fenced In

The amazing Mr. Squatter (with materials from Amil and Vanessa; thanks again!) put up a fence and gate. We now have a private backyard! Here are some before pics, to give you an idea of what we're working with:

As Promised

Here's as far as we got:

Brick, Take 1

Wow, time goes so much faster when you live in a project! I feel like we've been working non-stop, but more and more we don't have photos to prove it. Our projects are either more slow moving or "behind-the-scenes," so we don't have much to share with you. But yesterday we got something!

Perfect Curtain Fabric

I've spent the last few days painting the kitchen to prepare for the brick installation (finally!). I scrapped my first couple color palettes and instead used the fabric we're using as our curtain as inspiration. It's a piece Josh's mother gave me, leftover from making curtains for a house Josh lived in as a kid! I think this makes the absolutely perfect and awesome fabric even more perfect and awesome. A bonus to building the room around it was that we didn't have to buy paint, as along with the red/ oranges in the "brick" we had coordinating colors in our stash!

New Year/ New Kitchen

Happy 2013!

Here's to a better year than last, which shouldn't be hard because 2012 pretty much blew big fat chunks everywhere. 

A Squatter Christmas

Our Glorious Tree

Happy holidays from Mr. and Mrs. Squatter! We put our 4 day weekend to good use, though most of it involved running errands to prepare for doings. The highlight was definitely the creation of our new light fixture, which now proudly hangs in our foyer with Albie the Ram.

It's Here.

Tonight when Mr. Squatter gets off of work, he is driving home in the company's giant box truck. You know what that means: WE ARE MOVING INTO THE SQUAT. For the next couple (rainy) days we will be loading/unloading, fighting, and crying. I'm not even being negative here, just realistic. Moving SUCKS.

Anyway, here's what's happened in the last few days. Excuse the crappy phone pictures. I misplaced my camera, then forgot to put a memory card in it when I finally found it and took it over to the GS.

This is the previously mentioned doorway shelf in the kitchen, shown with a sample of my faux exposed brick. Obviously when it's done the entire wall will be covered, and the tones will be on the orange-y side, not the pinkish of the test panel. I just used what we had laying around.

A Post for Corey

Corey asks, I deliver, so here's a quick morning update. I didn't have my camera with me last night, so you'll have to use your imaginations.

I spent yesterday packing at the Lexington house, then met Josh at the Squat when he got off work. Remember this poorly constructed door frame shelving in the "kitchen?"

In which hope returns

Priming

Today Mr. Squatter dropped me off at the squat on his way to work, around 6:45am. I got to painting by 7:15, and finally returned home about 30 minutes ago. I am posting this from bed, and will cram in a couple hours of sleep before returning at the same time tomorrow. But I must share, as there are finally signs of progress!

After finishing up the second coats of paint in the record and bedrooms, it became apparent that the colors we had chosen and spent the last couple days applying were hideous. The light grey in the record room appeared lavender, and the lighter khaki-ish contrast was an awful tone that I can only describe as "doll flesh beige." The combination made it look like a nursery. This obviously was not going to work in Josh's manly den. Unfortunately the lighting was so bad this morning that I couldn't get my white balance right, so you'll have to take my word for it.

We don't have a baby.

The darker grey we had chosen for the bedroom was almost okay, but when natural light hit it also appeared to be a dark purple. Also, we'd decided to save money by buying Home Depot paint, which is always a terrible idea. Behr sucks. We all know that.

As luck would have it, our landlady sent a friend over to haul some junk out of the basement and yard, and he happens to be a professional painter. He sent me to Rodda with his info, where I was able to use his discount on replacement paint: yay! The new colors seem to be working out much better.

In the meantime, we had our first guests at the squat today. First our friend Sunday stopped by, followed by my father a few minutes later. As predicted, he is NOT happy about the living situation. He's horrified. They spent a good deal of time trying to convince me that the house is far from livable, and that we need to break our lease before moving in. I was feeling pretty down and defeated, and was racking my brain for other options.