Building shelves where the refrigerator was… SO MUCH STORAGE!
Paul is home alone, because I am off gallivanting with my brothers.
I assume he’s having the most fun ever, because he gets to do this project with zero input from me.
I’m beginning this post on Sunday, at the airport, on my way to New Mexico… my baby brother is getting married next weekend!!
Matthew is everyone’s favorite, and Chris and I fully support this; because he is OUR favorite too! Like, if Chris or I were the favorite, we would wonder what was wrong with mom and dad!
LOOK AT THIS FACE!!!!
Just as exciting, for me; (EVERYTHING IS ABOUT ME, as you know): I’m going early, to spend a week with JUST my two brothers beforehand.
We are road tripping randomly, with no goal other than to spend ALL OF OUR TIME MOCKING EACHOTHER, vomiting with laughter, and generally basking in being alone with the only humans who share some version of our brain.
This experience defies words.
My brothers are my favorite people on the planet, (apologies to anyone else who might have expected to hold that title,) and they are also the only reason on earth that I would voluntarily leave my house overnight. *shudder*
We are going to party like the deranged animals that we are!
We are going to lie on the floor, crying… immobilized and shrieking with laughter, while Matty mimics my father: asking my mother if she has seen his shoe trees, (not something I made up, shoe trees are an important Dad accoutrement).
Fast forward to Wednesday, I need to say to my mother, (because, let’s be honest— my mother sacrificed her entire being at the altar of her children; and Dad got to enjoy the benefits of that blood ritual, while drinking a cup of coffee and offering pointers… NOT THE SAME.)
So.
Dear Mom,
MY BROTHERS ARE THE BEST THING ON EARTH.
Jazz Hands,
Your annoying female child.
Ok… now kitchen stuff.
Now that we are moving the refrigerator, we have access again to the basement stairwell; read this post to understand why the fridge was there, etc.
So now we have an unused space… so we are going to build a wall here, and extend the kitchen counter across this wall.
But what I’m writing about is what is going to happen on the OTHER side of the wall– the side that faces the interior of the basement stair landing (where the ladder is.)
We are going to build floor-to-ceiling shelving for shoes, and all the other nonsense that floats around your home near the front door.
I’m now unable to sustain interest in this post… just look at the photos!
I would have liked to skip writing anything until I am home/regain some space in my brain; but Paul will be WAY past this; I assume the wall will be finished.
And I have realized this about myself: if something non-fancy is happening with the house; blah, blah, details, blah, blah, boring, blah, blah, construction… if I don’t blog about it immediately, I lose any kind of interest… and I just skip it because it’s too boring to write about.
But this irritates people because they WANT TO SEE CONSTRUCTION!
So here you go!
Random note of clarification on my refrigerator dilemma: I’m getting lots of different suggestions (thanks!!!) but a good percent of those suggestions are for 36″ panel ready options, and I get the feeling that some of you are like, girl– did you even google this?
YES! I did! I promise! BUT my entire fridge dilemma is based around 36″ of refrigerator, being 36″ MORE INCHES THAN I WISH TO SEE.
And if I spend nine million dollars, I can get the same cubic feet of 36″ storage, at 30″ of actual refrigerator… and this BUGS ME… just because I am poor, I must have an extra 6″ of ugly?
Ok. This is over now! I’m hitting publish EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT A WELL-EDITED POST WITH GOOD PHOTOS AND CLEAR EXPLANATIONS.
If this bothers you, you will have to take it up with someone else because I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR YOUR JUDGEMENT.
November 8, 2017 @ 4:16 pm
SITE Santa Fe (newly reopened after construction); Bandolier National Park (hike the cave dwellings), amazing! La Fonda, for your hotel. Cafe Pasquale’s, The Shed, Blue Corn Cafe on Water St. for eating! The Collected Works Bookstore and Coffee shop. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum for the ambiance and early works, etc. etc. So many things to see and do.
Love Santa Fe!
November 8, 2017 @ 4:29 pm
We adore Santa Fe, and considered retiring there, but it has gotten very expensive to do so. Also, they ration water due to little rainfall. So, as people from the South where we are used to regular rainfall and lots of green, we decided against it because brown is my least favorite color. You will be fine for a week or two, but then you will need serious humidifying via expensive house systems and skincare. It is a fabulous place to visit, though. The last time, we rented a condo and stayed a month. Just go see as many museums and historical sites as you can, spend lots of money, eat everything in sight and plan to come back. We stay at La Fonda when we are only there for a week or so, but most any restaurant is very good, although you should try theirs, too, for the ambiance if nothing else. Their bar is the best people watching place in town. (You might see some celebrities, and do have a Silver Coin Margarita.) Ignore the pesky panhandlers as they are a well organized scam operation. If you can, see the Saturday Indian market on the Plaza.
November 8, 2017 @ 4:30 pm
Visit one, or better yet, all 3 locations of La Casa Fina https://www.lacasafinasantafe.com/ Your type of stuff. Say hi to Seva for me.
November 8, 2017 @ 4:39 pm
Be thankful for your carpenter/handyman/mover of BFT’s. Mine fell and fractured and dislocated his shoulder and is in a sling for 3-6 weeks. My kitchen floor is half done and christmas is how many weeks away???
November 8, 2017 @ 4:44 pm
Is Paul flying out for the wedding? Who will be your dance partner?….I assume the bride might actually want to dance with her own husband. We have projects going in two houses, but NOTHING seems to be getting done in either one. 42 years of marriage and 3 home remodels later I am OVER it. A double wide in tornado alley sounds appealing, it could blow away and just get a new one every few years. My apologies to anyone who has ever suffered damage at the hands of mother nature ( I’ve lived through many direct hits from hurricanes)….I dont mean to sound so flippant, but some days…….
November 8, 2017 @ 4:53 pm
Victoria, Lets get real. We are just thankful that you posted anything today. Its always a high point when I get to read your ramblings. Have a great trip and congrats to Matthew. I hope he lets you post pictures of the wedding! If not, maybe you can just share a few details of your wonderful time.
November 8, 2017 @ 4:59 pm
Yep, it’s not enough info or pics but I know you will satisfy all desire for more with pics when it is done. In fact, so many pics, I will be able to imagine myself in your house, which I will love! This post is such a tease, anticipation building, good as Christmas waiting!
November 8, 2017 @ 5:06 pm
Two places I have, have, have to go in Santa Fe – The Cowgirl Café for sweet tater fries and the dime store on the plaza for frito pie with loads of jalapenos. There are non eating places too of course but just off hand I can’t think of them.
November 8, 2017 @ 5:16 pm
The Shidoni Bronze Foundry! You will be SO glad you did!
Look it up and take the tour, it’s phenomenally astounding and slightly overwhelming. Totally worth it, take a picnic (including wine or champagne, of course) and sit on the grounds to eat, after you wander around with your mouth hanging open. Then you can discuss the awesomeness of literally everything there!
November 8, 2017 @ 10:41 pm
Shidoni is permanently closed.
November 8, 2017 @ 7:46 pm
I think the Georgia O’Keefe museum is in Santa Fe… If I am remembering correctly from that ‘Breaking Bad’ episode…
November 8, 2017 @ 9:17 pm
Sounds like great fun,three rascals on a road trip. The inattention to the road ahead while laughing madly at childhood criminality should provide,arrests, numerous tickets and hopefully no crashing into the 18 wheeler ahead driven by a huge tattooed gentleman in a very very sour mood.
If your brothers are half as articulate and inventive as you,there should be no problems making bail in time for the nuptials. Never fear- most brilliant writers have written from imprisonment-Oscar Wilde-Hitler? – perhaps a few of the present swamp dwellers in DC making confetti of our Constitution.
Long life and contentment to the Fortunate couple and happy trails to you.
November 8, 2017 @ 10:24 pm
I’m thinking food! We love Gabriel’s and Maria’s. We spend 1/2 of the year in Taos, so I recommend the High Road to Taos as well as stopping at Chimayo for lunch! A great place to eat and nationally recognized! You will see beautiful scenery and get a sense of the life outside of cities. In Taos you could visit galleries downtown, but a DO NOT MISS is the Rio Grande Bridge! It is stunning. Doc Martins at the Taos Inn on the Paseo is great, as are many restaurants in the area around the square.
New Mexico is my heart. Enjoy it my dear!
Peggy
November 8, 2017 @ 10:45 pm
We love to stay at the Hacienda Nicholas. Fave restaurants include: Pasqual’s, Plaza Cafe, and The Compound. Stop by Nathalie’s on Canyon Road. Go visit the Nedra Matteuchi Gallery (formerly the Fenn) and go out to Museum Hill.
November 8, 2017 @ 10:46 pm
Oh, and Tesuque Market is pretty cool.
November 8, 2017 @ 11:24 pm
Gabriel’s has the best Guacamole on the planet. I do not order margaritas anywhere else besides Gabriel’s because they will not compare. I’m serious! The Shed on the Plaza and the Tesque Market were our 2 other favorite places. Ditto on the High abroad to Taos/ Chimayo/ Rio Grande Bridge. Your brothers will love the bridge if you don’t warn them in advance. We lived near Chimayo 7 years ago and the food truck tamales at the Chimayo Sactuary were some of the best we had. Another short drive up to Abiquiu to see Georgia O’Keefe territory is a top recommendation . Have a wonderful trip!
November 9, 2017 @ 6:43 am
LOVED this post.
Your other posts are fabulous of course but this one was crafted almost entirely the way my brain processes a n y t h i n g !
November 9, 2017 @ 9:36 am
my reaction to this post…
construction… blah blah blah. ~~ ROAD TRIP! Yippee! ~~ more construction details. and pictures of construction. uh huh, uh huh. A CORUCOPIA of veggies and bananas ON A PIANO-turned-KITCHEN-ISLAND. whATT?!?!
(i obviously need more vacations, fresh vegetables, and repurposed pianos in my life.)
November 9, 2017 @ 10:45 am
damn it… corNucopia!
“My spellcheck, my spellcheck! Why have you forsaken me?”
November 9, 2017 @ 10:50 am
Santa Fe is such a magical place! I agree with the above recommendations about Bandelier, Gabriel’s, the Georgia O’Keefe museum, 10,000 Waves, and doing Canyon Road on Friday night if you don’t already have plans for Friday. Also, Santacafe is a nice place to eat if you’re down at the Plaza. If you weren’t spending time with family this week, I would have definitely been crashing your party! I’m only 5 hours away from you. The chance to meet the famous (and infamous!) Victoria Elizabeth Barnes would have been too much to resist! Oh, and I don’t know if they a lot of GFT in stock but you might want to check out Stephen’s Consignment Gallery on Cerrillos if you just need to scratch an itch… Have fun! Best wishes to the bride and groom!!
November 9, 2017 @ 11:14 am
I second the suggestions of Meow Wolf and Bandelier National Monument. I also love to visit Tent Rocks or drive along the Jemez Trail National Scenic Byway with lunch in Jemez Springs and many stops to get out and explore. Santa Fe Plaza is enjoyable to wander through, many beautiful churches to see. Enjoy your visit to New Mexico and time with your brothers!
November 9, 2017 @ 12:30 pm
While you were busy choosing a non-refrigerator looking refrigerator, I found an almost giant, but fancy antique Eastlake parlor table at a yard sale ($10)… and immediately thought of you. You are my inspiration, even if the AGFT is currently living in a storage unit until we move.
The fact you must have been sipping copious amounts of an adult beverage while blogging this to leave us hanging in the middle of an adventure, is hereby forgiven, but I do want to encourage you to see the staircase. Not only was it an unprecedented feat of engineering at the time, the mystery of the out-of-town stranger who showed up to solve the nuns’ dilemma, though it was never advertised, has never been solved. I won’t ruin the rest of the story, but this is a must-see. We will want to see pictures as proof you did not skip this part of your trip.
And if you aren’t Catholic and never exposed to the austere practices of convent life, here’s a hint. Nuns frown deeply on laughing or other expressions of mirth or levity, so might want to button that down in front of the “miracle” staircase. Even Navy SEALs fear the glare of an offended nun! Still, the staircase is worth the penance of sobriety.
Love your blog and all of your adventures. Enjoy your brothers and this brief respite from the boring construction. Keep those stories and photos coming!