These are a few of my favorite things

Sounds of my street on a Friday night in May; the party going on across the street, the blend of instruments from at least two different bands playing a few blocks away, the muffled hum of the street light, dogs barking, the distant roar of a motorcycle nondoubtedly flexing their muscles on Broadway, my neighbor doing the dishes, a secret meeting of presumed lovers under the tree, the Tweens chattering about the who was kissing who in school today.....what's not to love about living downtown 'Toga?

Houston, we have a problem!

It's this little thing called life, it keeps getting in the way of our remodel!  Posting seems to have taken a backseat to the following:  big event at my work, spending more time with the little Lawrence's, STILL cleaning out our old house (will it ever be finished and rented?) Chip's birthday, an unscheduled trip to CT for last minute passports, spending time with family and friends and of course, drinking wine :-)

On Christmas morning Chip surprised us with a trip to the Bahamas and then up to FL to visit Mickey, the Sullivans and Papa for a few days.  It's going to be a whirlwind and our first official trip out of the country with the girls.  Let me preface the next sentence by saying that Chip and I are fairly intelligent people.  So the fact that neither one of us thought twice about the fact that the girls were going to need their passports blows my mind.  To be honest we probably would have showed up at the airport without the docs had it not been for Chip's fraternity brother who we are traveling with.  He called over the weekend and asked if the girls had their passports.  I was at work when Chip called Saturday morning with the news and I immediately went into a full blown anxiety attack that I couldn't shake for the rest of the day.  Of course it didn't help that practically everyone at work told me there was no way I was going to get passports in time for our trip.  Once home my night consisted of reading every single word on the government travel website.  Thankfully it is possible with a bit of driving and some extra dough!  Our choices were NYC, Boston, St. Albans, VT or Norwalk, CT.  We nixed NYC and Boston immediately, for obvious reasons - mainly parking.  Norwalk was closer so 4:45AM this morning with a bagful of snacks, new software downloaded on to their Fisher Price computers and Madeline playing on the car DVD Chip left for CT.  Three hour drive there, 15 minutes at the passport office, 3 hour drive back to Saratoga - crisis diverted!    Seriously though - how in the hell do we all juggle this stuff. 

Since we are leaving within the next few weeks I definitely don't anticipate doing much renovating (or blogging) except keeping it clean and tidy and doing laundry (when in the hell will the laundry ever slow down???)  We have managed to get a few things done - Chip started the guest 1/2 bath downstairs.  I did my research on Pinterest and this pic was my inspiration.  Plus, since the walls were in such horrible shape we decided on wallpaper- why not just cover them up, right??!  Our generous neighbor gave us a few rolls he had left from his dining room renov and it couldn't be more perfect.  We love it!  (thanks Teele!!!)   Here are some pics of Chloe's reorg and the beginning of the guest bath.

Complete disaray

left side of the disarayment

some organization

next up...window treatments (besides the blinds)

in need of:  window treatments and wall art/accessories but still looks 100% better!!!

Original 1/2 bath downstairs

hard-working man!

bad lighting but you're getting it right?

A Great Guide

Life has been hectic as usual.  No time to post with being away (sans kiddies I might add!!) Superbowl weekend with my awesome Brother and Sister-In-Law and work events all this week.  But I HAD to share this post from another Saratoga Springs, NY blogger, You Idiot!  I've been reading this blog for over a year now and I laugh out loud at every single post.  Well, their last post just took home the prize for most awesome - I even had to add a couple of spots I've come to like *blushing*!!  Also, loved the shout-out to our friends, Pete and Gina's, Harvest and Hearth!  Below is the post but make sure to follow their blog - and be prepared to laugh!


(Source:  You Idiot!)
Hey Saratogians, Valentines Day is right around the corner and instead of suggesting a bunch of places to take your loved one for a stupid sappy romantic dinner that will most likely end up in a fight, we're gonna suggest something that will put a little spark back into that boring old relationship of yours.....

The best public places in Saratoga Springs to have car sex!

1) Behind Kings Tavern next to the dumpster - Go during the weekday when they don't have events. Get your car as close to the back of the building and near the dumpster to conceal yourself from the fuzz.

2) Gidean Putnam parking lot - Park your car in the lot closest to SPAC and make sure you park in between the lamp posts, it's not as lit up. And if you get busted just tell them your guests at the hotel on your wedding anniversary.

3) Skidmore College parking lot - Enter the college from Broadway, take the first right onto the campus main road, then take the second right into a sketchy looking parking that has construction equipment, remove clothes, have sex!

4) The parking lot on Division Street, across from Clinton Street, behind the white building - That parking lot was made for fucking.

5) Upper Phila Street (Between Henry and Circular) - The street is barely lit on that part of Phila and the people who live in the neighborhood are cool enough that they won't give a shit if the car is a rockin.

6) The ally behind The Local - The ally is a bit of a tight squeeze, and hopefully that won't be the only thing that's tight.

7) Hearth and Harvest parking lot - Pizza then sex or sex then pizza. Either way, it's a win win situation.

8) Malta Drive In - This one is seasonal, so it won't do you much good for the upcoming Valentines Day. Perhaps you can give a coupon that promises nookie during a double feature. And seriously? Does anyone actually go to watch the movies?

9) Racino parking lot - It's a huge lot with no lights. Fuck like crazy.

10) Add your own personal spot here.

Country Mouse, City Mouse

Below is my guest post for Mamatoga while she takes a short blogaternity.  Thank you so much Jenny for the opportunity!

I grew up in the ‘Burbs.  I say that with a twinge of sarcasm since
almost everywhere in upstate NY is considered either Suburbia or farm
country.  There are a few true cities in the Capital Region; Albany,
Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs (just summarizing – not
intentionally excluding.)  Having spent my tween and teen years growing
up in Ballston Spa I’m biased in saying that Saratoga Springs is by far
my favorite city in the area.  To be honest I haven’t found too many
small cities that can compare.  For me, Saratoga Springs encompasses
what every small city should strive to be/have; community driven,
friendly residents, beautiful architecture, history, delicious
restaurants, one-of-a-kind shops, not to mention several famous
landmarks (Saratoga Battlefield and the Saratoga Race Course to name a
few.)  My love affair with Saratoga runs deep!

After over 10 years in the Suburbs  (Malta) we uprooted the family to
downtown Saratoga Springs.  We had been contemplating a move for quite
some time waiting for that perfect opportunity to arise and that it did,
in a fixer-upper on Regent St.  So, here we are and it’s an adjustment.
Let me preface by saying that I’m in love with the change.  I adore our
old house, creaky wood floors and all!  And I know in 6 months-time the
renovations should be close to complete and we will be more settled into
our city life.  But honestly, it’s still a pretty big change.  I like
our neighbors – but adapting to living 10 feet away from your next door
neighbor as opposed to 50 yards away in the ‘Burbs takes some getting
used to.  It reminds of the scene in “Big” where the two boys are
talking to each other through their bedroom windows.  We’re that close.
I guess I’m just accustomed to my privacy and also protective of my
children’s privacy.  On the other hand I get a huge kick out of waking
up in the morning, going down in the kitchen to grab some coffee and
waving to my neighbor through our kitchen windows.  A cup of sugar is
only a few steps away (or a wine opener in our case!)   Another
adjustment for the family is the traffic and noise.  Thankfully this was
just minor.  The traffic on Regent St. is minimal and the noises, well,
you get used to them just as you do any house noises.  One such noise we
were super excited to hear were the fireworks on New Year’s Eve.  A
quick walk out the front door onto our porch and low and behold, we have
the ultimate porch view for Congress Park Fireworks.  New house bonus!

As I sit here writing and thinking of other city v. country living
comparisons all I can come up with is how lucky we are to have found
this house in the town we love and how much I can’t wait for the girls
to grow up here.  I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I also cannot
wait till the summer to take full advantage of our location.  I see
Friday night Happy Hour cocktail sessions with family and friends on the
front porch, walking downtown to meet up with friends, riding bikes with
the girls and Chip around the Eastside, a leisurely walk to the track to
catch the 1st race or down to the Farmer’s Market and family picnics in
Congress Park…just to name a few.  In my opinion this city has the
best of both worlds and I for one couldn’t be happier about it.

Just Take One Step at a Time

Renovating Regent St. is overwhelming (if you haven't already noticed!)  Not only have we taken on a complete gut job in the main house but we're on the clock to get the apartment finished by this weekend when our renter moves in and STILL packing up Featherfoil (can't I pay someone to finish that up??)  All of this and we are still trying to squeeze in time for the everyday household chores; laundry, putting clothes away (my achilles heel), dust, grocery shop, vaccuum...you see where I'm going!  Oh, and did I mention we have Irish Twins who demand (and righfully so,) our full attention?  You just have to involve them and make a game of even the smallest of mundane projects.  For instance, I started a game with the girls called, Find My Match.  A matching socks game where I am always the winner :-)  Bonus, they love it!!

Somedays I don't know where to start so I began to think...if i put something down in writing it then becomes real and I'm forced to own up to it.  Truth be told I don't even know where to start; where do I begin the organizing, putting up pictures, decorating every room, finish painting, UGH!  Then I heard my mom's voice in my head, "just take one step at a time," or in my renovating world, take one room at a time.  So that's the plan and I'm starting tonight.  Maddie's room is getting tackled first.  It's the smallest room in the house (besides the bathroom's of course) so I'm hoping and praying it's the least overwhelming.  I'm a HUGE proponent of lists (I <3 lists - checking things off is so theraputic!)  Below is my my list of things I want to accomplish in Maddie's room.  Not in any particular order because I'll obviously go for the easiest first!

1)  Organize Closet
  a)  purchase and install closet door
  b)  finish molding around closet door
  c)  install shelving/drawers

2)  Finish painting
  a)  bedroom door
  b)  window moldings

3)  Organize/purge/merge dresser drawers

4)  Decorate top of dresser

5)  purchase bedside table

6)  create (albeit very small) play area

WOW - I already feel better

Pin It!

Pinterest is to me what fantasy football is to Chip - a necessity of life.  I'm completely obsessed with it.  Actually, I don't think obsessed is the right word....need something more severe; dependent, fanatic, completely engrossed in, devoted, invested.  Need I say more? 


Pinterest came in to my life at the most opportune time.  Renovation time.  B.P (before Pinterest) we were still living in Malta, content, with not many home projects on the forefront.  A.P (after Pinterest) we bought Regent, began the renovation and moved in.  To say I needed some design inspiration is an understatement.  My life needed Pinterest.

Some things you probably don't know about me (unless your my mom or hubby reading this;)  I'm a procrastinator, I'm completely disorganized at times, I love interior decorating but I think I'm pretty horrible at it, I get overwhelmed shopping for our home even in Target and I come up with many grandiose plans but only follow through on about 1/2 of them.  So, Pinterest has been the perfect tool in many ways for the Regent St. renovation.  I get to browse through zillions of pictures of bedrooms, bathrooms, entryways, porches, etc.  I can find similar sized rooms as the ones in our house, in a color palate that I like, and decorated close to our taste, put the Lawrence Twist on it and voila - I have a blueprint for a room.  Here's a perfect example; the bathroom below (from my pinterest bathroom board) is a very similar size and layout to our downstairs 1/2 bath.  The first thing that caught my eye were the horse pictures and the wallpaper.  Then after further inspection I found the hardwood floors.  I don't love everything about this bathroom but I guess that's the point.  My fondness for Pinterest comes from the fact that you don't have to love everything in the picture but that you can lift certain elements from it for inspiration.  My plan is to do something very similar in our guest bathroom thanks to this one picture.  How can you not LOVE Pinterest??

“And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!”

Gotta love the chance to throw in a Dr. Seuss quote!  Well, we're not at exactly at 98-3/4% percent but baby, we've come along way (in the Kitchen that is.)  Just a quick update/post as I'm working on a doozy for a cross-promotional post with the Mamatoga blog.  I'm so excited that Jenny invited me to guest blog for her while she is out on blogaternity leave. 
It's been a very busy week at Regent St.  Monday morning was quite the shocker; house temperature read 54 as we left for work/school (it's really daycare but calling it school takes away some of the mommy guilt I have.)  Couple of phone calls later and Rotterdam Heating and Air Conditioning were on their way to assess the damage.  Thankfully, due to our own neglect/inexperience it was just a filter issue.  Problem fixed.
Next up on the Monday agenda - final kitchen cabinet install.  Home Depot had finished about 85% but still had some finishing work (moldings, shelving, etc.)  They did an amazing job from start to finish.  As I said in this post - I would highly recommend the team that we worked with.  Kristen Lombard from the Latham, NY Home Depot and installer Ed were top notch.
Finally Wednesday came - a big day for the kitchen renovation - installation of the granite.  As I have said before, we've been using plywood as our countertops so this day could not have come any quicker for us!  Hubby texted me around noon at work to tell me the installers were done and it took every fiber in my being not to bolt out of my chair and zoom up the Northway.  I must have told 30 people at work that the countertops were installed.  Honestly I think everyone at work is a little sick of hearing about my renovations - oh well.
Knowing that the countertops were going in on Wed we had invited my Mom and Chip's Mom and Step-Dad over for our first official dinner party.  We wanted to thank them for all their support and love during this process because honestly, we would have NEVER gotten to where we are without them.  Chip's stepdad was a very integral part of our renovations having refinished, stained and polyed all the downstairs moldings, front door and staircase.  The intricate and tedious job would have been on the back burner for a long time if it weren't for him.  He's almost finished but leaves for FL for a few months so when he returns he'll finish the staircase.  Hopefully by then we'll have another job for him to take on :-)
Below are a couple photos of the kitchen.  Mind you we still need to finish molding throughout and around the window but what a difference!

Prepping for our first official dinner party!

Our first shout out!

I started this blog to document our renovation project on Regent St.  My thought was, "how in the hell am I going to keep up with all the progress Chip is making in such a short period of time?"  I knew that all the pictures I took would never make it off my phone if I didn't take action.  I read a lot of blogs; some for pleasure (www.corksandcaftans.com   www.mamatoga.com http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com http://seejaneworkplaylive.blogspot.com)  some for work (no need for mentions here - don't think anyone is interested in auto blogs) and I also post/update our Keeler Motor Car blog so for me it was a no-brainer.  With a click of a mouse and few tweaks Renovating Regent came alive.  Well today I received my first shout-out.

Thank you to Jenny at Mamatoga.com for spreading the love.  Check out Mamatoga at the link above or on Facebook and make sure to "like" her page.  If you're a mom (or dad for that matter) in the Saratoga Springs, NY area her blog cannot be missed!

Sunday Family Dinners

We are an Italian/Irish family so it goes without saying that Sunday consists of shopping, cooking, drinking and eating.  Since Chip and I have two little ones, our house seems to have become the Sunday Family Dinner place to be.  I'm great with this except that since the move to Regent St. we have no stove or dishwasher.  You read that correctly - no stove/no dishwasher.  To add insult to injury we also don't have countertops or a working sink.  Hubby easily corrected the "no countertops" issue with some heavy duty plywood and with our granite/sink installation right around the corner (next Wednesday to be exact) I'm coping.  And by coping I mean we are using mostly plastic/paper products and washing dishes in the UPSTAIRS bathroom.  It's amazing how much you actually miss the convenience of running water in a kitchen.  Even to make coffee in the morning we have to drag ass up the stairs just to get water.  You don't know what you miss until it's not there anymore!

SFD proved to be quite the culinary challenge.  While shopping at Price Chopper Sunday morning I decided at the last minute to grab a Rotisserie Chicken.  They are a godsend for busy families and usually a staple on a random Tuesday after dance class at our house.  But for SFD??  My Grandma Cel would be rolling in her grave.  Hell no - SFD is home cooked (usually Italian) comfort food.  Think ooey gooey lasagna or delish Chicken Parm with homemade sauce (never called it gravy in this family.)  Time for some improvisation.  Sunday's menu at Regent St.;  Rotisserie Chicken, Not-so-Roasted Red Potatoes, leftover Vodka Rigatoni with sausage and a green salad.  Here's how we did it.  Not-so-Roasted Red Potatoes; Mom and I quartered the potatoes and put them in two separate bowls (all my big bowls are still at the old house - more on that in another post.)  Oddly I had some basil and garlic powder - the only spices in the new spice rack cabinet.  I say oddly because I did not have salt and pepper.  No olive oil so we used butter, covered with a damp papertowel and did the Microwave Rotation dance.  Edible.  That is all they were.  Vodka Rigatoni; We were "gifted" with some delicious Vodka Rigatoni from our friends the Haskell's  We had been there the night before for a birthday party and they knew of our Kitchen Situation and sent us home packed with food!  Love them!  Green Salad; pre-packaged greens and cut up some veggies on a paper plate.  Dinner is served! 

And that's how we rolled out our first SFD at Regent St.  Down and dirty baby, down and dirty!!

Our first Holiday Season at Regent

Despite the fact that there was no snow this year (which I really don't mind) the Holiday Season came to our new abode on Regent St.  The girls were quite concerned that Santa wouldn't be able to find us since we had just moved in the previous weekend but I assured them that Blaze, our Elf on the Shelf, would inform Santa of our new address.
The Christmas weekend was joyous for many reasons.  First, Santa did find our new house with no problems, even without a chimney.  Second, Santa was VERY good to all of us.  Not only do we have a beautiful new (to us) home but the girls and I were totally surprised by Chip with a trip to the Bahamas and Florida this Spring.  I'm thinking that trip is going to be perfect timing for all of us to unwind a bit from the stress of the renovation/move.  Third, and most important, we were able to start showering at Regent.  It was quite hairy (no pun intended) getting up every morning, getting the girls ready, packing the car up and heading to Malta to take a shower in our deserted old house.  It was getting a little creepy too.
So, just to recap; when we moved in the weekend before Christmas we did have a working toilet and sink in the downstairs 1/2 bath but the upstairs full bath was not complete.  No shower/bath, no sink, no toilet - basically a whole lot of nothing!  It looked like this (and this pic was taken after some renovating - still looking for the original photo before we started gutting.  I need to read up on photo organizing from one of my fave bloggers, http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/):

Still original toilet and radiator in place

Vanity already removed - yes that is plaster and lath

 These are the earliest pictures I can find unfortunately.  The following pics of our progress:

pulling back old flooring and getting ready for new plumbing

new plumbing installed

Prepping for Vanity area

prepping tub for tile job

Chip starting the tub tile job and deciding at 7AM which beverage to begin drinking!

Floor without grout

Shower and floor finally grouted!

New Vanity being installed - by my amazing hubby who is doing ALL of this work!

Somehow this post took on a life of it's own and became all about the upstairs bathroom and nothing about the Holiday's.  Oh well - not sweating the small stuff.  BTW - the Holiday's were fantastic and bonus, we found out that we can see the fireworks from Congress Park in Saratoga Springs perfectly from our porch.  We were a little beyond excited about that.   Peace out!