tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post1761291547010334658..comments2024-03-28T14:33:26.011-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: On Deck(oration)Jungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-16776033684943370842016-06-17T21:19:11.002-04:002016-06-17T21:19:11.002-04:00Susan, can you tell me where you got the tea theme...Susan, can you tell me where you got the tea themed cushions? I can't afford a big renovation but that fabric would cheer things up! Thanks for the article; funny but there were a lot of similarities with my parents' old house (glass door knobs and built in class shelves) even though it's in Hawaii). Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-20203965489909947182016-06-14T06:55:45.593-04:002016-06-14T06:55:45.593-04:00We finally replaced our old laminate countertops w...We finally replaced our old laminate countertops with quartz...love it - indestructible and easy to care for. Also a new and deeper set-in sink to go with. Love those Pinterest pix!Gramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027824918114690029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-13976327058547163702016-06-13T19:42:45.695-04:002016-06-13T19:42:45.695-04:00Oh, Karen, great advice about the appliances. I j...Oh, Karen, great advice about the appliances. I just got a new refrigerator last month, and although we measured, and the place where I bought it (run by a friend of the family) was sure it would fit, it lacked about an inch sliding under the overhead cabinet. Luckily, I had someone who was great at a fix. He was able to take the single cabinet unit off the wall and shave off the amount needed gone. Great fit and I got the refrigerator I finally wanted. <br /><br />My kitchen got a refresher about 8 years ago. New floors, fresh paint, and painted cabinets. I went with painting the cabinets because they were older, solid wood cabinets in great shape, but painting them an ivory made all the difference. <br /><br />And another thing about a redo. There are so many little decisions, as well as the major ones. I had to pick out closet doors and hardware for the bathroom and blinds and ... I found the perfect closet doors for my new bathroom and wanted those for the bedrooms, too, and, of course, they had quit making them all of a sudden. So, I asked my contractor to pick up some close to them. He got them, but before he put them up, I decided they were just not nice enough. They looked cheap to me, and I knew I wouldn't be happy. So, off I went to find others. I did find some that I liked and we used those. Best advice is if you think you aren't going to be happy with something before it even goes up, you won't be, so go for what you want.Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-35106698679767230182016-06-13T19:34:20.045-04:002016-06-13T19:34:20.045-04:00Hank! That's how we pick our dishwashers!
OK,...Hank! That's how we pick our dishwashers!<br /><br />OK, on the hiding place in the Billerica woods... walk the fire road in from Riverdale Road and follow the Shawsheen River which will be to your right but not too close. When you can see that you are uphill from the river, there's a small clearing. There are two large holes dug into the ground. When people want to hide there they cover them with pine poles, mud, and pine needles. They leave an opening for getting in and out. There are small hand and foot holes dug in the inside surface of the hard dirt walls.<br /><br />One of my uncles brought a friend to visit when my parents were at work. They wanted me to show them where the "pueblos" were. That's what the kids called them. When I started out with them, the woman who lived next door yelled out and asked where we were going. I told her who the men were and that we were going for a walk in the woods. They changed their minds. I realized what they'd been up to when I was 13. My uncle asked me to help him deliver Pesach wine for a Maimonides School fundraiser in Brookline. Don't worry. I got away, and he moved. Eventually he was caught for similar and imprisoned.<br /><br />xoxox<br /><br />Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-72815547373877299682016-06-13T19:33:17.231-04:002016-06-13T19:33:17.231-04:00All I can say is if you want to redo your house, b...All I can say is if you want to redo your house, be careful what you wish for and know that it's a snowball in the making. Last year was my redo. Completely gutted the main bathroom, which had those lovely green sinks and tubs and tiles from the 50s. I do love the new bathroom. which I pretty much designed from clipping pictures of things I liked. The block glass window was my contractor's idea, and I love it. I also had the bedrooms, living room, and both bathrooms painted. Oh, and the little library room, too. I had new floors put down in all of those rooms, too, except for the master bath. The master bath just got refreshed a bit with a new vanity and shower door and paint. I lived in a mess for so long that I thought I would never get out from it. Now that it is done, I do love that it's all fresh and updated. Put in some new lights, too. The worst problem I had was finding a mirror to go over the vanity in the new bathroom. Finally, I decided to use the gold leaf one in the living room, had my painter paint it white, and voila, perfect. Choosing the small chandelier light for the new bathroom was my favorite accessory choice, as it was just right, too. The countertop to the new bathroom vanity is marble, and my bathroom guy used marble trim around the white subway tile around the tub. I had bead board put up around the walls beyond the tub. <br /><br />Julia, where do I send the pictures to for you to post. I will send pics before and after of the bathroom.<br /><br />And, Julia and Hank, I'm so impressed that you all change out dishes and slip covers and the like. I don't do anything different except change the blanket on the bed to a lighter one. Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-29754643686425812312016-06-13T19:02:24.247-04:002016-06-13T19:02:24.247-04:00No decorating skills of any kind means that my one...No decorating skills of any kind means that my one big acknowledgement of winter's end is that the extra comforter comes off the bed. (I almost put it back on a couple of times this past week.)<br /><br />DebRomanoDeb Romanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01650858888197217258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-7956207857464302622016-06-13T18:17:55.518-04:002016-06-13T18:17:55.518-04:00Reine, yes!
And yes we has only one choice for ou...Reine, yes!<br /><br />And yes we has only one choice for our new ish dishwasher -- we got the only one that fit. There's a certain freedom in that...<br /><br />XxxHank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-61478227685062482042016-06-13T18:08:19.668-04:002016-06-13T18:08:19.668-04:00I'm still wondering if I should tell you about...I'm still wondering if I should tell you about the hiding place in the Billerica woods.Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-36127368920322583912016-06-13T16:45:56.288-04:002016-06-13T16:45:56.288-04:00Starting a kitchen remodel this week and scared to...Starting a kitchen remodel this week and scared to death.<br /><br />Julia, I was whining about the cost of new slab granite countertops and my brother told me there are lots of DIY videos on YouTube on installing granite tile countertops.<br />Home Depot sells black granite tile. Susannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-80732424167242032682016-06-13T16:29:28.203-04:002016-06-13T16:29:28.203-04:00Karen,
I hear you about the appliance thing. We h...Karen,<br /><br />I hear you about the appliance thing. We have the original 1920's (we think) cabinets, with room underneath for an icebox. A real icebox. When we moved in, there was a 50's refrigerator that fit the space perfectly. It also used electricity like nobody's business, so we had to replace it. The problem? Our kitchen has two full windows in the west side, three (3!) doors on the south side, all the cabinetry, countertops and plumbing on the east side, and another two doors and a solid masonry chimney and woodstove on the north wall.<br /><br />Which is why our frig is in the hallway across from the WC. #joyofoldhousesJuliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553268569509053159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-14082749223446662016-06-13T15:32:36.261-04:002016-06-13T15:32:36.261-04:00Karen, thanks for the recommendation on the dishwa...Karen, thanks for the recommendation on the dishwasher. I'll check it out--when I finish the book... And that's great advice on the appliance sizes, especially on the fridges. I think you have done more interesting things than anyone I know!<br /><br />Ann, waiting for pics!Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-76382250700753358672016-06-13T15:08:47.017-04:002016-06-13T15:08:47.017-04:00Debs, I just replaced our old dishwasher, with a B...Debs, I just replaced our old dishwasher, with a Bosch Silence Plus 44dBA. It's the best dishwasher I've ever had (and it was replacing a Bosch). It has flexible interior (including a silverware tray that we find we love), lots of useful cycles, cleans the dishes like a boss, and is so quiet you can't hear it when you're standing next to it. And it uses very little powdered detergent. They no longer recommend the pods, since they leave a residue (plastic) on the interior of the dishwasher, and on your dishes, ew. <br /><br />Julia, I used to be a kitchen designer (for less than a year, but I learned a lot), and one bit of advice I'd give you is to make sure that you can replace your old stove in the future without disrupting the rest of the kitchen. Appliance sizes have changed, and you don't want to spend a lot of cash on new countertops around an appliance that you might need to replace with a couple to few years. Measure it, and measure the replacements that you might eventually want in that space. Typically, stoves were 30-36 inches wide, but they've gotten bigger, and it could be tough to find one that fits. <br /><br />Refrigerators have also grown. We (actually, I) designed our kitchen in 1999 around our old fridge, and when it died I found they now make them with the hinges on top, and now we can't open the door on the cabinet above. In fact, I really don't remember what's in that cabinet any more. :-/ A friend promised to modify the doors for me, so they slid sideways instead of opening out, but he has never gotten around to it. Karen in Ohiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18002794561817071780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-42664454591505011892016-06-13T14:25:42.867-04:002016-06-13T14:25:42.867-04:00Sitting here waiting for mammo results, which I ch...Sitting here waiting for mammo results, which I chose to do instead of returning to my kitchen renovation. 1923 house, and it's been fun uncovering past renos. This time is it is from the plaster out! Best finds have been the old wallpaper and returning to the original nine foot ceiling. Floor is done. Cabinets go in the end of the week. Appliances arrive next week. White cabinets with dark gray to black granite, cherry island with butcher block top, butter walls and dove grey subway tile splash back. Someone please hold me. Oh, and the renos also includes the powder room and dining room. In for a dime, in for a dollar. Lots of them. Stay tuned. Film at eleven. Ann in Rochester.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-6298317674832485832016-06-13T13:42:27.676-04:002016-06-13T13:42:27.676-04:00Hank, the dishwasher seemed like a great idea. And...Hank, the dishwasher seemed like a great idea. And so pretty. But the drawers don't have real motors, just water-powered impellers, because there's no place to put a motor. And the thing is impossible to work on. A new dishwasher is on my "when I finish my book" list, but I don't have the time to do all the consumer research right now. Or want to spend the money:-)Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-80220059465589318422016-06-13T13:11:12.380-04:002016-06-13T13:11:12.380-04:00I envy you folks with handyman husbands. My guy ca...I envy you folks with handyman husbands. My guy can't do the useful type stuff I need done. But if you need an electric fence put up. . . My ongoing dream is to repaint the kitchen. I swear, Aggies lived in this house before us. The house is maroon; the livingroom and dining room were painted maroon. All of the kitchen cabinets are painted maroon. The LR and DR are now a nice pale yellow. The kitchen hasn't magically changed. I am afraid to get an estimate for painting the cabinets. Even the insides are maroon. So, it remains a future project. We just got a new roof and that will have to be it for the year unless we win the lottery.Pat Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-15153476779941326432016-06-13T12:56:23.302-04:002016-06-13T12:56:23.302-04:00Um, Debs, what happened with the dishwasher?.
Mar...Um, Debs, what happened with the dishwasher?.<br /><br />Mary, and Mary's husband,WOW.Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-51358814271741562162016-06-13T12:14:06.348-04:002016-06-13T12:14:06.348-04:00The flags come out on Memorial Day and stay up all...<br />The flags come out on Memorial Day and stay up all summer (the Patriotic Season). I don't display my fine quality 35 year old Correlle dishes, and I am stripping off the 20 year old linoleum in my kitchen - just replaced the 20 year old faucet! New tile and paint in the kitchen and that's it for me!Paulinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02786463183900120910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-76365904914412468842016-06-13T11:42:49.854-04:002016-06-13T11:42:49.854-04:00Karen in Ohio - yes. The books and the wood, just ...Karen in Ohio - yes. The books and the wood, just so welcoming. And in the winter when there's a fire going in that stove I don't want to leave my living room.<br /><br />Perhaps I have found The Hubby his second career once he leaves civil service for the government! LOLLiz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-8906039245941779012016-06-13T11:39:43.035-04:002016-06-13T11:39:43.035-04:00Mary Sutton, you could make a fortune hiring out y...Mary Sutton, you could make a fortune hiring out your husband. The bookcases are wonderful. Don't you think they warm up a space? <br /><br />I don't swap anything out but the throws and the bed coverings. However, since I want to build a new house, I've been A)sprucing up our 1939 house for a sale someday, and B) drooling over lovely, airy rooms with a lot less stuff to take care of. Writing for a local shelter magazine for the last four years has not done a darned thing to take the edge of this desire, either. I keep getting new ideas! <br /><br />My oldest daughter recently redid her house, with a totally neutral palette. But she has boxes and boxes of seasonal pillows and other decor: winter, summer, Halloween, Christmas/holiday, etc. Her husband gives her a hard time about how pillows seem to multiply in the dark.<br /><br />Gosh, I haven't heard the term lincrusta in decades. Some friends restored a wonderful historic home here in Cincinnati, and they had to have the missing parts of the (wood) lincrusta wainscoting in the stairwells to the third floor made. By hand. I can't imagine the staggering expense, but you should see it, it's fabulous. <br /><br />Good luck with the update, Julia. It's a big job, but very satisfying when it's done. While I was in Europe our cooktop, which was new when we added on to our old, dark, cramped kitchen, bit the dust. Now I'm reevaluating the whole kitchen thing here, too. I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, but we do need a way to make the omelets.Karen in Ohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-68105597956375862552016-06-13T11:34:05.043-04:002016-06-13T11:34:05.043-04:00Julia, we redid our kitchen nine years ago. I can ...Julia, we redid our kitchen nine years ago. I can hardly believe time has gone so fast. It was a HUGE ordeal--we moved wall, windows, and doors, as well as completely gutting cabinets and counter tops. I lived with piles of shelter magazines for a couple of years before, so keep looking at those pictures! Ours has held up well, too, I think. It needs a coat of paint now, but otherwise I wouldn't change anything except for our Kitchen Aid two-drawer dishwasher. Don't ever buy one of those, folks.<br /><br />The sofa, ah... I do love the leather sofa, but have given up on trying to keep it pristine and am instead going for the "loved, scuffed Chesterfield" look. And I don't have to worry about slipcovers...Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-76493425420347026082016-06-13T11:10:20.234-04:002016-06-13T11:10:20.234-04:00Julia, I'll let him know what you said. His ma...Julia, I'll let him know what you said. His mantra is "It's hard to mess up good wood." It's been a lot of love and patience - especially patience. He, of course, has his own full-time job, so most of these projects have to be shoehorned in on weekends.<br /><br />I am quite lucky. There are very few projects where we've had to call pros - mostly dealing with plumbing, gas, or electricity where it's best if left to licensed, insured professionals. Oh, and installing the wood stove. Because, you know...fire.<br />Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-63892403873693160312016-06-13T11:06:45.669-04:002016-06-13T11:06:45.669-04:00I promise I won't touch the kitchen until afte...I promise I won't touch the kitchen until after HID FROM OUR EYES has been handed in! <br /><br />Edith, maybe I could borrow your guy as well as Mary Sutton's? Clearly, I don't need more money for home renovations, I need more husbands.Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553268569509053159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-9779326267431123662016-06-13T11:02:47.749-04:002016-06-13T11:02:47.749-04:00Hank, no, the slightly blurry, dark pics of staine...Hank, no, the slightly blurry, dark pics of stained, broken and peeling stuff is MY kitchen. The all-white, beautifully lit and photographed interiors are from Pinterest.<br /><br />Incidentally, I have a new respect for home decor bloggers. They must work their tails off keeping their places clean for photos. I was going to take a couple wider-angle pics of my kitchen, but I would have had to clean for an hour before I'd have let you all see it...Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553268569509053159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64396350113562256842016-06-13T10:59:56.192-04:002016-06-13T10:59:56.192-04:00Mary, can I borrow your husband? I mean, I love my...Mary, can I borrow your husband? I mean, I love my Ross, and he's a whiz with landscaping and gardening, but he's sort of the anti-handy-man in the house. <br /><br />Everyone else: if you haven't, take a look back at the front page for a look at the beautiful work Mary's husband has done in their home. (Maybe "Can one of you do basic woodworking and home repairs" should be one of the questions the priest or minister asks in premarital counseling.)Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553268569509053159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-61926908254064471982016-06-13T09:53:01.694-04:002016-06-13T09:53:01.694-04:00Changing out for seasons? We took the down comfort...Changing out for seasons? We took the down comforter off the bed and replaced it with a light cotton quilt. And that's about it.<br /><br />When we bought the house in 1998, it was...ugly. Some sort of pink with floral wallpaper and forest green lace swags in the dining room. Everything else was what I call "industrial cream." You know, that bland color that goes with everything. They'd just put new carpet in the living room. There as indoor-outdoor <b>glued</b> to the oak hardwood in the den.<br /><br />We've redone the kitchen twice. A new laminate countertop to replace the awful yellow with chrome. Painted the walls and the hubby put up a nice stone backsplash. We redid the hallway with a green plaster finish (boy, that was tiring work). Each kid's room has been redone. The Boy's three times because it was my office, then a nursery, then he decorated in super hero's. Now it's been painted again (gee, I guess that's four times) and the hubby made a nice built in desk when he took out the closet - because as soon as The Boy leaves for college, it's gonna be my office again. The Girl painted her room blue and did a "High School Musical" theme back when she was 8. The movie stuff is long gone and we finally told her she could paint the walls again. Oh, and we gave up trying to refinish the pine floors upstairs and put in nice, plush carpeting. Gray in The Girl's room, light brown in our room and The Boy's. Oh, our room had more hideous floral. I did a suede finish on the walls, chair rail with wallpaper below in a parchment-looking paper. Then we hung prints The Hubby brought back from an Army trip to Korea on the walls.<br /><br />But our real pride and joy is the dining room, living room, and den. Hubby built bookshelves in the living room and den (the living room ones have slate tops) and put a wood-burning cast iron stove in the living room with a slate hearth. Custom silk curtains in the dining room (those cost more than I will share and are going with us if we ever move even if they don't fit windows in the new place - just 'cause). He also made the wainscoting in the dining room (oak-colored). Just this year we felt confident enough to put the Persian rug he bought on his first Gulf War Army deployment down in the living room. We tore up that awful carpet in the den, and put in floor to ceiling bookshelves (also made by The Hubby).<br /><br />This year's project is central air. Some day, when the kids are gone, we're gonna tear apart the kitchen and put in granite countertops (or whatever), new cabinetry, and new appliances. A little island between the dining room and kitchen. Right. Someday.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.com