The Cutest Mouse Trap

We've been pretty much pest free here at the Nest (except for one episode with a brave squirrel). But last month, like clockwork, on the day the first signs of the New England Autumn began to creep in, we discovered an unwelcome visitor. One evening I walked into the kitchen and saw a mouse run across the counter. I turned on my heels and went right to my laptop to pull up Amazon Prime where I ordered some friendly traps. Two day shipping. As I was shopping the selection of friendly traps, I noticed that the package of three traps was only a few dollars more than the single trap. So I clicked the triple pack. The traps couldn't arrive fast enough. Now I'm not really squeamish, but when I felt a mouse run across my FOOT while doing dishes later that night I almost did a backflip. I wanted this guy OUT.

Of course Murphy's Law was at play and exactly two days later I had house guests- my dear friends from childhood, Jasmine and Corinne. They live in different cities and were staying at my place for the weekend to celebrate our bestie Kate's fabulous wedding. 

I was giving Jasmine the grand tour soon after she arrived. We checked out the library, the lovely bathroom, then on to the kitchen where I flipped on the light and saw a little guy scurrying across the stove. "OooooH NO!" I yelped. Luckily my Amazon package had arrived that day. So we immediately put out the trap with some fresh ground organic unsalted peanut butter. Only the best for The Nest's interlopers. So the guests and I settled in to catch up.

It wasn't long before we heard a few tap tap tap sounds. When I flipped the light on in the kitchen there was one mouse in the trap, and another mouse looking at him from the outside! I was immediately glad I got the three pack! We set another trap and within two hours there were THREE more baby mice in the trap. I sent that group to Medford with my pal Sophie. Then I caught another one that night and released it in Dedham the next morning. I set the traps out every day and averaged a mouse per day for the next 5 days. 

I also soaked cotton balls with Peppermint oil and placed them around the kitchen. Apparently Peppermint is a mouse repellant. And it also smells like candy canes. 

Sometime in the middle of this mess, I was chatting with my mom who suggested nature's most adorable mouse trap: a kitty! I've always wanted one but it never really seemed like the right time before. All of a sudden, it seemed like the perfect time. 

I started searching for my new fur baby immediately. I applied to three different local shelters. The application process was actually quite thorough including a reference check and lots of questions about my pet owning history. Just about a week later I met Sweet Clarissa at The Kitty Connection in Medford. I pet Clarissa a few times and then sat myself down on the stairs. She jumped right into my lap and hunkered down. I guess you could say she chose me!

She had to be kept in a safe room for a few days when she first came home. It was clear that she knew she landed in a safe place. She didn't stop purring for the first three days! She was so curious to come out and explore the rest of the house. By the end of the week I just had to let her have free reign of the place. 

Clarissa has been settling in nicely. Still very happy to cuddle, but also becoming more playful as she gets more comfortable. She has brought such  great joy to The Nest! She hasn't caught any mice, but the sightings seem to have ceased, thank goodness!

Every Nest Needs a Throne

The Bathroom Remodel. The biggest and hairiest project to date. But we survived! And I get to gaze at this beauty every day! The bathroom is arguably the most important room in the house, because let's face it, you can eat or sleep anywhere, but when it comes to bathroom activities... You get my drift.
Judging from the style of the features, the former bathroom had probably last been remodeled in the 60's. Pink tile, drop ceiling, a "cozy" enclosed shower space, all hallmarks of the time. There was probably a time when that bathroom was sparkling clean and modern, but by the time we moved in the linoleum floor was peeling up and the subfloor showed signs of rot, the tile was falling off the walls, the medicine cabinet was rusty and the lighting was jaundiced and depressing. It was time for a change.



Bill had the job planned out like clockwork. It was crucial that we stay on schedule so each phase of the job would be ready for the plumbing and tile contractors. Plus we wanted to spend as little time as possible without a working bathroom. I ordered all the fixtures from my homegirl Kourtney Miller at Build.com. The choices were endless and she was super helpful with the selection process. I don't know who was more excited, me or her, when I settled on my amazing rain shower head and wand set up. The parts began arriving a few weeks before the job. I never knew I could be so in love with a faucet!

We started on a Friday the 13th, fully gutting the place. We took one last look at it then Bill started by pulling out the toilet and sink vanity. The drop ceiling came down. The linoleum got pulled up and cracked into pieces. We used a hammer to crack the tiles off the walls. And I carried huge pieces of wall covered in ceramic tile and all kinds of craziness down to the back yard.

By day's end there was nothing left but the bathtub.




This also marked the beginning of 8 days without a working shower or toilet! Yes. That's right. We had to get creative by grabbing an occasional shower at the gym and taking daily walks to whole foods around the corner to "powder our noses".





The next day, Derron and Mike showed up to do the rough plumbing (you might remember them from the Washer and Dryer saga). Mike had just been in a bad car accident a few days before, so he showed up with a bruised nose. He didn't even take a day off after the wreck! He toiled away for the day and had the place ready for us to install cement board the next morning.




We spent the entire day installing cement board. I mostly took care of the apprentice work, lugging tools, cleaning up debris, and steadying materials while Bill did the skilled work. But I also got to do my share of installing screws in the cement board. I was actually thrilled to get a "real" job. But it wasn't easy. I had to press my whole body weight into the impact driver to sink the screws. What I lack in brute strength, I make up for in sheer determination! The next day when I changed for yoga I noticed a football size bruise down the center of my chest. I felt pretty badass.





We installed the last bit of cement board at 6AM on Monday morning before rushing off to work, just in time for Vasil from CB Tile (owned by Bill's friend Chris Brand) to arrive to start laying the tile. He worked all week long, first cutting and laying the tile to make a regular pattern. Much more mathmatically complex than I ever realized before! And then grouting his work. Allowing it to set. And then laying more tile. He did a fantastic job!



Next we were ready for finish plumbing (and also ready to get our toilet and shower back in working order!). Dana, another good friend of Bill swooped in and took care of the finish plumbing. He squeezed us in right before having to go to a wedding later that night.



But first, there was an emergency trip to home depot because I had ordered the wrong style faucet for the sink! Quick decision making has never been my strong suit, so there was also a frantic text to my group of gal pals, including my very own design coach Liz Martin of Charleston Weekender, to help me make a final selection.

Dana worked for hours, and the bathroom was really starting to come together. I could almost feel my first shower!! He was just about to leave when we discovered..... the toilet tank was cracked. We would need to replace it!

Dana had to rush off to get to the wedding, so Bill and I piled into his van and drove to Home Depot to pick up a new toilet. An unplanned journey at the most inconvenient time: Saturday afternoon. We fought through traffic and alternated between grumbling and trying to keep each other's spirits up about the whole business. After all, we were so close to having the bathroom back in working order. So close! We grabbed the box that looked the least dinged up and hopped back in the van.



We got home and opened the box.... only to discover that the toilet was shattered inside the box! We barely said a word, hopped back into the van, headed back to Home Depot, and swapped it out for a toilet that was in one piece! Since this was my THIRD TRIP to Home Depot in one day, Bill said I earned my Contractor Brown Belt. Bill installed the throne when we got back and finally did the honors of the FIRST FLUSH! Hooray!

Next Bill went to work on the finish carpentry. He installed a drywall ceiling and walls and beadboard and chair rail. The intricate carpentry is a labor of love. He did lots of sanding, and I did lots of vaccuuming.



Every day it looked more and more fresh and beautiful. Then we were ready for finish painting. I had a vision in my mind, but debated back and forth about whether it would be too dark and make the room feel small. So I bought four different blue samples to try before settling on Silvery Blue by Benjamin Moore. Completely different from my original vision, but I couldn't be happier.

The gorgeous medicine cabinet went in. Mom and I painted the radiator a brilliant shiny white.




Bill installed some small shelves for storage. And I hung some art and, of course, a house plant. And it was complete!

 


The whole project only took about 6 weeks in total. But we definitely busted our butts the whole time. Spending time in the bathroom went from uncomfortable to luxurious and now I have to work to conjure up the memory of the old and broken down pink tile and dusty nooks and crannies. Bill and I have definitely been known to enjoy a glass of wine reclining in the bathroom, we alternate who gets to sit on the toilet seat and who perches on the edge of the tub.

The Before and After Pics are pretty incredible!

The Nest Gets a Winter Coat... In July

There's a long story and a short story here. Kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel...

First the short story:

The Nest got a winter coat this week! After a rocky road (see "long story" below), the weatherization job was finally completed. I had been in touch with Schuyler at EAI for a few weeks and she was fantastic. She was very patient and accommodating, I could tell she wanted the job-well-done as much as I did. Finally the big day came, and Andrew arrived with his crew right on time. 

We did a walkthrough of the house and found a handful of holes in the horse hair plaster leftover from the electrician's work. Andrew used a foam gun to quickly fill them so the insulation would stay put in the bays between the interior and exterior walls. 

They brought a truck with a huge hose, kind of like a dryer output hose, and bales of recycled newspaper. They removed panels of the vinyl siding and drilled holes in the old shingles. Then they aimed the cellulose into the holes and packed the walls. It was loud! 

The guys were here for two long hot days. That is tough work! They even did their best not to trample my flowers. It was a big crew, one of the guys was Andrew's brother! 

And now I'm looking forward to a cozy insulated winter... But first we intend to make the absolute MOST out of the precious New England Summer. 

Ok, now... The Long Story:

Remember way back when I had an energy audit with Next Step Living through the MassSave program? One of the benefits was the weatherization (insulation installation, say that three times fast) subsidy. But first I had to "remediate" the knob and tube electrical wiring. That took months. But I still held out hope that I could get the work completed before the very cold months. But then I discovered that my oven (or lack there of) was a barrier. So I got an oven (which was a saga in and of itself. Finally I was ready to book the project. When I called Next Step Living, they said they'd be happy to schedule the work, but it would have to wait till spring. Vinyl siding becomes more brittle in the cold and they didn't want to risk cracks. So, I got the date on the books. April 29. 

Next Step Living and Hanscom Credit Union helped me arrange the very attractive 0%APR for 7 years loan that is part of the MassSave program. And oddly, they required me to pay for the work in advance. Now, if this was any other contractor I would have scoffed, and offered a third on booking, a third at halfway done, and a third on completion, as is customary and smart for all involved. But since it was a government program, I shrugged and signed on the dotted line. Never again. 

I thought we were all set, and I patiently waited. I had to start paying off the loan the next month even though the work was in the distant future. But it was ok with me, the job was finally going to be done! (Eventually!) But then one Friday in March I got an automated voicemail from Next Step Living. I also got this email:

My jaw hit the floor. And I gave out a whimper. They went under. I was shocked! And then I called the number. A very nice person helped me get my name on some kind of "list" and let me know it would be taken care of. 

Then began months of back and forth. Finally the very professional, very cold "Matt" from The Legal Department at MassSave called.  He let me know that since Next Step had already cashed my check when they closed their doors there was nothing they could do. They suggested I contact a lawyer. 

Oh hell no. 

I called the front lines of the MassSave Program and "registered my displeasure". I called my real estate attorney, Nicole Stark, and she gave me a crash course in consumer law. She suggested I call the Attorney General. I did. I also called and emailed my town representative Sean Garballey. 

I reached out for help, found out how to take actions that were in my control, but also tried to relate to the situation neutrally, I only lost a few hours of sleep over it, and I tried to keep the faith that all would work out in the end. 

I'm not sure if it was one of my "strongly worded letters" that made the difference, but I have to believe it was one of those Horton Hears a Who situations.

They called again and let you know they were going to get the project funded. I called Schuyler to book right away. 

Finally!! The Nest got outfitted with a cozy, recycled newspaper winter coat!

Sunshine Windows!

The blog has been quiet for the past few months, but make no mistake, that does not mean that the work has slowed down at The Nest. We just haven't actually FINISHED anything recently! But that's all about to change. Stay tuned for a few BIG projects that we are finally wrapping up in the next few weeks. (Thank goodness!)

The Nest is outfitted with a total of 33 windows in the living spaces. All single pane glass, wood frames, weighted system, and 100 years old! Fighting them open or closed was always a commitment. And it was immediately clear that they didn't do a very good job of keeping the inside in, and the outside out. Many of them were missing screens or storms or even whole panes of glass. I was gung ho to replace them all right off the bat, so I had four different Replacement Window Contractors give me bids.... when I saw the price tag I realized it would have to wait a bit. 

I was SO CLOSE to going ahead with the project despite the cost. I had even signed an agreement with Next Step Living, a MassSave contractor, to do the job. Something fell through with my HEAT loan application though and looking back it was a blessing in disguise. Next Step Living has since gone under and I'm currently in a legal situation with the MassSave program to recoup my losses associated with a different project. No bueno!

look out below!

So we had to weather the winter with the vintage windows. Bill was able to replace the missing panes of glass. And, you might remember from #NewWindows2016, my mom and I caulked all the them shut when we started to feel the North Wind make herself at home in our living room. Between the caulking and plastic seals, we made it through the winter. There were still a few exciting moments though, like the day I went to work on a Sunday and got a text from Bill saying that one of the storm windows blew right off the house and landed in the EXACT spot where my car would have been parked if I was home. Close call!

Bill dug up one of his old contacts: Sunshine Window Company out of Reading. They gave us the best quote by tens of thousands of dollars. Bill had worked with them 10 years ago and we were happy they were still in business (always a good sign!) We researched the product they used and felt good about it. Finally, almost a year after starting to research the window project, I was ready to go for it. But only for one unit. The tenants have to come first. 

So, last Saturday, Feng and Sing (father and son) showed up with a pickup truck full of vinyl replacement windows. The got to work right away, pulling out the old windows and installing the crystal clear new ones. They made it look so easy! We had fun chatting with them, even though Feng's accent made it a bit challenging to understand. They guy clearly knows his stuff. By 5pm they were wrapping up to go home. 

And WOW, the windows look gorgeous! Crystal clear and so easy to operate. The tenants get to enjoy them now, and I am REALLY looking forward to when I can save enough to spring for ours.

But like any Nest story, this one is not without a final comical twist or turn. Less than one week after the windows went in, Bill heard a knock on the door. It was the tenants. They noticed a tear in one of the screens in their kitchen and food was strewn about the room. A squirrel had noticed a loaf of bread on the table and ripped its way through our brand new screen!! The squirrel eventually escaped the house and apparently re-screening a screen is not a huge deal. But come on! As if running across the roof sounding like they are wearing stilettos isn't enough! 

Do One Thing at a Time, or....

It was a hot July day and we were standing outside The Nest talking to Tony, the leathery retired contractor turned home inspector. He gave us the sage advice to "do one thing at a time" among other gems of wisdom, like: "it's been here for 100 years. It's not going anywhere" and "you two, you're gonna have words" Truth. On all counts.

Well, I started out taking his advice, tackling one large project at a time. But sooner or later I started seeing the tips of ice burgs and had to move along to keep up momentum. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. But that leaves a lot of things partway done and a month long silence on the blog!

At the moment, the nearest thing to being done is the front hall. An under appreciated room in most houses in my opinion. But trust me, it's more complicated than it looks!

First we had to patch large holes where the electricians' fed Romex through the walls and ceilings. The ceiling was falling down in one area. So Bill needed to build up the angular ceiling and plaster over it in three layers to get everything up to snuff.

note the hole in the ceiling!

lots and lots of trim

a well loved staircase, in need of an update!

Then it was ready for paint. The front hall actually has very little wall space. It's mostly trim! So I spent an entire weekend on just this part of the project. First I sanded to surface of the old yellowed and chipped paint. Then I cleaned the dust off of all the trim and the floor. I masked the floor around the base of each baluster (there are a lot of those). And then I got to work with my old pal, white semigloss trim paint. It took over 20 hours for just this phase of the project! Since we are planning on refinishing the floors in the future, I wasn't meticulous about wiping up little white paint splatters (which are inevitable). So I have to live with them until the floors are redone.

trim paint complete, we live in a construction site!

Once the trim was completely dry, Bill painted the ceilings and the walls. I chose the color "Amethyst Sky" as a nod to my favorite crystal. It's basically a grown up version of my childhood bedroom wall color!




Finally it was time to paint the radiator. GOLD of course! But don't worry, I won't paint every single radiator in the house gold ;)

As a finishing touch, I placed a gold pineapple on the tall table in the corner of the landing. A pineapple is an traditional American symbol for "Welcome"!

Welcome!

Truly, the photos of this odd shaped oddly lit space do not do it justice. We need to hang some art and put some finishing touches in the space (stained glass window hanging is coming soon). But since it's so hard to get the full effect through the photos, you should just come visit so you can see it in person!

The front hall was complete just in time for our New Years Eve open house party. We were so excited to welcome so many of our friends and loved ones to see how far we've come. Of course, I didn't take enough photos.

My yoga friend Jeanette

Sweet Neighbors: Effie and Cindy

More fabulous Neighbors: Mimi, Jen, Meg, Cindy, and Ben

Dear Melissa, who helped me clean the house the very first week
we lived here. It's come a long way since then!

Family Friend Alan who has known me since birth

Some of my besties, Becky and Sophie

The day after the party Bill and I basked in all the love from our friends. We left the mess for most of the New Years Weekend and drank Champagne in bed while watching Mad Men on Netflix. We earned this rest! The following weekend we went to Newport for our birthday celebration (my bday is Jan 9 and his is the 10th, crazy right!?). And we've had a lull in reno work and enjoyed just being in our home!

Newport Cliff Walk

All I Want For Christmas is... a working oven!

It all began the first night we slept in the house back in August. We had set sleeping bags up on the living room floor among the contractor bags and cleaning supplies and got cozy in our new home. When we woke in the morning there was a new smell we noticed, the unmistakable odor of gas! (You may remember this story from our first work weekend at The Nest). We called National Grid and they sent Matt out right away to take care of the issue. He took one look at the ancient appliances, found the gas line to the oven and cooktop and switched them off. All cooking appliances were from henceforth unusable. "Ok" I thought, "that's a plot twist." We managed for quite a while this way, with no stove or oven. I used the crock pot, the toaster oven, the George Forman Grill ... And we ate about 50% of our meals from the Whole Foods Hot Bar around the corner. And if you know me, you know how important food, nutrition, and cooking home made meals is to me! It sure kept things interesting!

Over the next few months we were able to safely resurrect the cooktop, a heavy duty stainless gas number that I love. It needed to be scrubbed and greased and reassembled. And now it does the trick! Except that it needs to be lit with a lighter because there is no pilot light, always a bit hair raising.

But still no oven. Honestly I got accustomed to this. But I called The MassSave Program about a month ago to let them know our knob and tube was being remediated and that I was ready to schedule the insulation job. They looked at my file and... surprise! They let me know that I would also need a working oven to fully pass their inspection and be eligible for insulation installment. So all of a sudden the oven got bumped toward the top of the list.

I hemmed and hawed. It would be a financial risk to try to have the old oven repaired. Just having someone take a look at it would cost $100, then parts and labor on top of that if it could even be done. Still, it may never work quite right. It's probably 30 years old after all. Very few have even heard of the brand: Chambers. And ovens are particular, they need to cook evenly and efficiently to make baking and roasting successful. Still, I didn't WANT a brand new state of the art oven straight out of the box. A large expense considering the way money has been flowing out these days. But I had to figure something out. 

My first stop was to call local appliance repair guys, including my old pal Derron (the hero of the dryer saga from a few months ago). But I learned that no one seems to sell refurbished ovens, the liability is too great.

Plus the built in cabinet space for the oven in our kitchen is 24 inches. An odd size for 2015. There weren't many options for new ovens in this size and they were pricey.

So I scoured Craigslist. And hooray! Finally I got a hit! A guy in Vermont was selling his brand new 24 inch gas oven. They had planned a kitchen remodel and then not followed through with it. That oven could be mine for $299! I called and emailed right away. When he called back and told me where he lived, I discovered that acquiring the oven would be a 6 or 7 hour round trip. I would also need to rent a vehicle and find someone to make the drive with me and help me lift it on the other end. He wasn't willing to meet me in the middle. And in fact, he was downright nasty to me. But he had the goods. So I decided to grin and bear it. A week went by and I finally had a solution. I found a courier through Derron who could go pick up the oven for me. I called the seller again... he was crotchety again... and arranged the pick up. At last! I would have my oven!

Then I got a text from Derron the next day: "He sold the oven locally"... WHAT? We had an arrangement! I called and spoke to the guy. Let's just say that wasn't pretty. And I sulked for a bit. But then it was back to the drawing board.

My parents suggested I try Build.com, a building supply company they've used in the past. When I reached out by Live Chat, I was connected with Kourtney. She found me an oven! The right size, free shipping, and a good price. Crisis averted! I placed my order and we scheduled the delivery window. I'd have to wait two weeks, but at this point I was just happy to have something in the works! Kourtney and I shared Home Reno woes and Craigslist sob stories before saying happy holidays and goodbye. She was great.

A week later I got an email. The oven I ordered had been discontinued and the one I purchased was not actually available. This was getting silly. I spoke with Kourtney again. She was almost as disappointed as I was. Now she was like a dog on a bone. In about 2 hours she had found two other options and had me back on the phone placing the order. Two more weeks to receive the oven.

I scheduled a day off to be home to receive the oven. I booked a plumber to come and do the install. And two days before the Big Day I got ANOTHER email. The oven would be delayed another 5 days!

At this point I was singing "All I want for Christmas is a working oven" in my head daily. Slight change of plans and I was more than ready when the day finally came.

The day before Christmas Eve, two guys in a Budget rental truck came to make the drop off. I was all but jumping up and down when they pulled up. They looked amused when I said "You guys are totally making my day!" They carried the oven up to the second floor. I gave them a Tupperware of Christmas Cookies. And they were on their way. Mike the plumber was just finishing a repair in the bathroom sink and was ready to get that oven locked and loaded.

The kitchen went from a bit rough, to downright chaos for a while there. Pulling the old oven out of the built in revealed 30 years of fine and pungent dust in the built in cabinet, the kitchen was full of ovens, and there were tools and parts everywhere. Madness! But before too long we were testing out the broiler. Success!

I'm THRILLED to close the chapter of The Oven Saga. So as a celebration of this Christmas Miracle, I made a big batch of Spiced Nuts. I love this recipe and it's always a crowd pleaser. Last time I served them, my friend Kate Welby has said "these taste just like Christmas!"

SPICED NUTS

Recipe courtesy of the fabulous Kate Radville. 

Ingredients

1- 1.5 lbs of nuts (the original recipe called for just pecans, but I like to do a mix of pecans, almonds, and walnuts). 

Sugar

salt

cinnamon, nutmeg, other spices

2 egg whites

2 tbsp water.

Directions

1. Mix 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, and some nutmeg in a large bowl (you can experiment with other spices added in like clove, ginger, cocoa powder, and/or cardamom)

2. Beat 2 egg whites with about 2 tblspoons of water in a separate med size bowl. Add the nuts and mix/toss by hand to coat. 

3. Dump coated nuts into the sugar/spice mixture, toss and mix to coat.

4. Spread the coated nuts onto a cookie sheet (lined w parchment).

5. Bake for 1 hour at 250 deg, stirring every 15 min. (the stirring seems to be the most important part). If your nuts don't look completely dry at the end of 1 hour, bake for another 10-15 mins. 

Let cool and enjoy!