Victoria:
Dictator. Procrastinator. Hoarder.
Loather of noise. Hater of disruption.
Adorer of the oversized and ornate.
Lover of fashion, wearer of pajama pants.
Paul:
Magician.
Fixer of all things broken.
Mover of walls, slayer of lath.
Fetcher of unwieldy Craigslist treasures.
Elvis:
Swing vote, lap cat.
Leader of the revolution.
RIP sweet monkey, see you on the other side.
The Blog, est April 2012:
Plaster. Disaster.
Marriage. Construction. Gardening.
Sinks. Paint. Demolition.
Dirt. Dust. Mess. Filth.
Sheetrock. Frustration.
Restoration. Tile. Noise.
Progress. Lack of progress.
Joy. Failure. Faucets.
Flooring. Disappointment. More noise.
Old stuff. New stuff. Budget. Over budget.
Chaos. Panic. Obsession.
LisaSadie
June 30, 2013 @ 10:20 am
I cannot quit sharing your posts on my FB page. I have laughed so much and can definitely relate. I love Paul. However large or small the item is, I get a surge in energy and my heart races when I find a treasure and I am anxious until I have the item in my possession. My tiny little island on the Georgia coast is full of treasure hunters so I really have to be on my toes and willing to hit the back roads of the mainland and tiny towns surrounding us to find a treasure now and then. I am a junkie and I have to get my fix now and then too. I can’t wait to see your next find.
Eliesa@ Pinterest Addict
June 30, 2013 @ 6:20 pm
We have a kitty named Elvis too – and he is King of the animals in our house. He thinks he’s a dog. He doesn’t like it when I read your blog because I scare the crap out of him as he is sleeping on my chest and it makes me bark out a laugh!
Nina
July 2, 2013 @ 6:05 am
I’ve recently discovered your blog and it is great! I’m up to my ears in projects and general craziness. Today as I looked out the patio doors where the deck was last week, the view was so lovely that I wondered allowed why we were putting in another deck instead of *insert custom plan and various details the scope of which is only fully obtainable in my mind here.* To which my sister replied, “Okay, Victoria…”
Toots
July 3, 2013 @ 10:33 pm
I can’t tell you how comforting it is to know there is someone in the world who would not ask me to explain myself when I go a little crazy over some idea. Most of my friends are “regular” people. I will never ever be “regular”. Heaven knows I’ve tried. I understand all too well your thought process. And Paul’s. What a wonderful match. I am at a point in life where I must live vicariously. Thanks for taking me along for the ride.
A new reader.
Melissa
July 6, 2013 @ 11:08 pm
You’re damned funny. I’m subscribing this second.
Julie
July 8, 2013 @ 11:25 am
Your blog is awesomely hilarious. My best discovery since I was put onto the Fug Girls years ago. (And a special thanks to the blogger of Take This Sofa, who posted a link to you, without which I would still be living in sad ignorance .)
Kristine
July 12, 2013 @ 8:17 am
My first time to your blog and I am in love! Can’t wait to read more!!
deb-u-naunt
July 14, 2013 @ 9:36 am
YOU are my favorite “Summer Reading List”!
thanks for sharing yourself!
Brandon Turner
July 16, 2013 @ 3:51 pm
I’m a guy… a straight one. This blog doesn’t suck, I guess.
Ok, enough with the coy. You’re pretty awesome and your blog is pretty awesome. I found it because my friend shared something on Facebook about a mirror. I’ll be back.
Probably.
Carolyn V. Williams
July 17, 2013 @ 1:08 pm
I love that your name starts with a “V.” When I turned 18, I legally changed my name so that I had “V” as my middle initial. It’s the best letter. I emailed my husband snippets from your posts re: conversations between you and Paul. He said you all were our couple twins. Except you are better looking. I wish we knew each other in real life. My husband is glad we don’t. Keep writing. I’ve almost read the entire blog from start to finish since yesterday.
Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
July 18, 2013 @ 8:51 am
You made my day.
p.s.- Keep in mind that if you wrote a blog, you would ONLY post photos of yourself where you looked AWESOME.
xo
Carisa
July 20, 2013 @ 5:53 pm
I can’t even remember how I came to your site 4 or 5 days ago, but all my free time since then has been spent happily, madly, obsessively reading ALL your previous posts. I adore your blog and I hope you keep posting tons. You are hilarious and real and oddly informative. And you make me want to poke my husband with sticks until he learns how to make things and fix things and be generally awesome like Paul. To be fair, my husband is already awesome just with different areas of expertise. Perhaps I need multiple husbands, mayhaps a harem. Time to go find the fix-it husband. Husband number one won’t mind. Right?
Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
July 21, 2013 @ 2:12 pm
Saving this in my “favorite comments folder.”
I AM oddly informative.
p.s.- my extra husband is going to bear striking resemblance to Channing Tatum. FYI.
Melissa
July 23, 2013 @ 4:46 pm
Found your blog yesterday and just finished reading it all through. I flippin love it and love your voice!
I think you and I are kindred spirits with the Craigslist escapades (although I haven’t scored as many good items here in Atlanta as you have!) and also with wonderful husbands who going along even when they don’t really wanna!
I made sure to follow and I can’t wait to see how the house continues to come along!
Kristin
July 30, 2013 @ 3:41 pm
Oh dear. I knew there had to be another couple out there as crazy as we are.
Our mad, mad love for dead pigeon filled Victorians. (Second Empire, if you like to be specific like that.) Maybe I haven’t read far enough into the archives to see if you had pigeons, but that attic photo looks terrifyingly familiar.
I’m thrilled to have found you.
If you’d like to see a similar attic, look no further. http://thirdstory-ies.blogspot.com/2013/03/lucky-thirteen-love-story-and-attic.html
Valerie
July 31, 2013 @ 9:49 am
Just found this today. Yayyy!!! Erma Bombeck reincarnated!
Elizabeth
July 31, 2013 @ 12:34 pm
I just found your blog as a result of seeing the piece you wrote for Houzz. Then I read about the Kingdom Mirror and now I’m hooked–thanks a lot! My husband and I are doing a rather large dormer-bumpout-renovation thing to our 1930s balloon frame house. I am extremely excited about having a walk-in closet and doubling the size of the bathroom.
Cheers,
Elizabeth
Tish
August 1, 2013 @ 2:02 pm
So, I’m thinking you must be the long lost child who was stolen from me by gypsies years ago, right? lol My bf said this sounded so familiar to him, he simply had to send it to me to see if I recognized anyone I knew.
I wish you could see the massive cherry wood bedroom furniture he had to drag up the hill to our house. It weighs a ton… probably from the marble top and all the marble columns on the dresser and queen bed (with tiara), and maybe the mirror (with tiara) might have something to do with it. I’m not sure. The drawers are velour-lined, and there’s lots of gilt edging and dentil molding that tmake it fit right into “the Vatican”, which is the name Harvard (my bf) gave my bedroom. He says every time he tries to touch me in there, he can hear the choir of angels. 🙂
But yes… it was another of my Craig’s List finds. The whole house is filled with them. And I have Harvard’s eye roll timed down to the second when I tell him about my latest “must have”. He suffers in relative silence because he knows that to resist is futile. lol
So, yes… I am subscribing to your blog. I have to keep up to date with what my long lost child is doing, after all. And maybe Harvard will feel he has a kindred spirit when he sees the CL adventures Paul is having at your place. Awesome! Keep up the good work!
(((Hugs)))
Tish
Jessica
August 1, 2013 @ 6:26 pm
I found your blog through Houzz, while looking for bathroom pictures… I renovated 2 houses (one for practice, a 1945-er and one for real, a 1906-er). I can completely relate to all of this, except the mirror fetish. I have my own fetishes which vary depending on which room I am currently obsessing over. Luckily I live in Calgary now where Craigslist isn’t as popular, so I can’t hit it up to satisfy my needs. However, they use a site called Kijiji here, which isn’t as great, but sort of trying to do the same thing. After taking a break from the remodeling thing and moving overseas and renting for a while, I found myself living in Canada with a boyfriend that needs his condo redone. I joke that when I was looking for a boyfriend one of the musts was someone who needed their place remodeled. So, here I am again, obsessing over how to redo this bathroom. I always wanted to do a blog about my last remodel of the 1906 house in Portland, OR, but I was too busy trying to finish my master bedroom beadboard vaulted ceiling idea so I could stop sleeping in the dining room on an air mattress…
M
August 1, 2013 @ 7:39 pm
I found your blog a few days ago and immediately abandoned my family so I could obsessively read all your posts starting way way back at the beginning. And now I shall obsessively refresh this page for days on end so as not to miss a reply or a new post. I find myself saddened and at lose ends that I’m up to date on your house-capades. WHAT will I read now?????? What will I do with my time??
Tracy
August 2, 2013 @ 9:43 am
I always love coming to your site! You’re so quirky and cute. Elvis is also adorable. I can’t wait to see your home when it’s all done, although I have a feeling that as soon as you’re done you’ll start over again – or fine a new home to master. Keep up the great work 🙂
Katherines Corner
August 17, 2013 @ 10:06 am
I enjoyed my visit to your lovely blog and I look forward to many more. Now stalking, ummm following ….you everywhere ( pinterest, facebook, etc.) Hugs