Monday, September 20, 2010

House Update

The ARC meeting went well, so hopefully we'll start work as soon as we receive notice of the facade grant!

For every step forward, though, there's always two (or three) steps back. The fence we put up in the spring had a section busted down, and people resumed throwing trash in our side yard, including two mattresses, a dresser, and five computer monitors/television sets. The basement entrance and kitchen entrance were broken into as well. Luckily, we didn't have much in the house, so the burglar(s) stole some tools and flashlights but courteously left the chifferobes alone.

I had also just finished reading "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson (I honestly only bought it because of Penguin's new book cover design) and felt this immediate, visceral connection to the characters' struggle to protect their home. It opened up the reality of home ownership to me and how much you depend on the social contract once you own property. I'm more fired up for local politics than ever!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Our New Apartment

We got the keys to our new apartment! It's on a lovely street, with great views. This picture is from the front lawn, overlooking the Hudson River. We are already planning our first bbq!


The front of the house. Notice the one piece of furniture we moved in over the weekend:


Right in front of our apartment door:

That one piece of furniture in the process of being moved in. There's a whole other section that may have to go in the bedroom.

The kitchen. We're putting in our own refrigerator and stove:

View from the bedroom. The windows are curved!


I can't wait to move the rest of our stuff in! And tomorrow night Eddie has a meeting with the ARC to discuss the facade work we plan on doing for our house (which is only a couple blocks away). If all goes well, we'll be starting work in October.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Sonogram Pictures

From Week 20 when he was 12 ounces, or a can of beer (Eddie's units of measurement):

Scavenging

We are packing and getting ready to move up to our apartment in Newburgh! In addition, we have been scouring Craigslist for old furniture - particularly chifferobes. We found a children's one for $25 in Long Island that could double as a changing table. I'm sanding that puppy right off:

And a bigger one from the Upper West Side for $120. It's a little busted, but just the right size for a guest bedroom.



I'm thinking of painting them, but Eddie wants to just give them a cleaning and nice finish. I guess I could always paint it later on, when we're moved into our house.