Raindrops on Roses

I realized yesterday that we may have reached the point where things currently look worse than when we bought the house - but that always happens when there's progress.  Things have to look temporarily worse before they can look permanently better.  I remember that (mostly), but you'll have to excuse the occasional whiny posts when I decide I'm tired of sanding drywall.

Amidst all the projects (and the mess, and the drywall dust, and the strange arrangement of furniture), there are certain things about this house that make me smile every time I see them.  They're the aspects of the house that had me gushing about love at first sight when we walked in with our realtor.  And, most of them are the things that convinced Justin that his crazy fiance' might be right about this potential new abode.  And so, without further ado, here are a few of my favorite things...

1) The hard wood floors
    The house used to have gross, stained, yucky, awful carpet.  On a bit of a wing & a prayer (and lots of crossed fingers), we took this picture and hoped that the wood was the same under the carpet. 

Thankfully, it was, and the day we pulled up the carpet found me jumping up and down and dancing around the living room.  Lots of sanding, staining, and polyurethane later, we have the gleaming wood floors that I love so much.

2) The flat, sunny, & fenced backyard
  We have a long, narrow strip of grass behind the house.  It's fenced on both sides, with some trees at the back.  I have visions of a lounge chair in the shaded area under the trees, a big vegetable garden, and a patio on the concrete pad that appears to be the foundation of a former garage.

Looking straight back from the house.

Standing closer to the house, looking slightly towards the left.

3) The "strong bones"    We have enough work cut out for us to just change the surface coverings of the walls, floors, and ceilings - structural strength is very much appreciated.  'nough said.

4) The biiiiiig bathrooms

   We're pretty sure that the architects designing the house in 1880 weren't thinking about bathrooms, which is why both the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms are the size of a bedroom.  We know for sure that the downstairs bathroom was converted from a bedroom within the last 5 years (to accommodate the decreasing mobility of the aging former owner), which provides plenty of space for the addition of a washer and dryer.  Even with a washer, dryer, toilet, sink, and full-size shower, there's still enough room for dance parties.  And believe me, I will be dancing for joy when these appliances are hooked up and I can do laundry right here at home! 

   Again, I have realized that my collection of "before" pictures is severely lacking.  Future posts will hopefully provide more visual interest.  (C'mon, I've gotta dangle some sort of carrot to keep you reading!)

5) The new windows
   Justin has explicitly stated on several occasions that if it weren't for the new windows, he wouldn't have been sold on this house.  And they are fabulous (provided you can get past the dirty windowsills and the awful red trim in these pictures).

6) The bathtub arch
  Last, but not least, in my round-up of favorite things, is a somewhat quirky selection.  This tiny little feature was love at first sight for me, and on our first visit to the house, it was this view that changed my tune from "this house could work" to "I'm in love, it has to be ours!"  Call me crazy, but it's this arch above the bathtub that had me at hello:

And doesn't it look charming now that it's been painted?

So, there you have it.  Six of my favorite things.  Another favorite thing?  Ithaca is finally going to get some real snow tonight!  I feel entitled to at least one big storm, having moved north!  :)  My apologies to those of you who are already feeling weather-weary from too much!