A Sad Day for Me, A Happy Day for My Dream-House

On my way home from work today, I got the hankering to drive by my dream house...

Last year, Mr. Maestro and I had our townhouse on the market. As you are all aware, the real-estate market hasn't exactly been stellar lately. We placed our house on the market because we are ready for a yard. We want to have a vegetable garden. We want more space to entertain. Don't get me wrong, we have loved living in our little townhouse - it has been perfect, but we're ready for something we can make a bit more personal. 

About this time last year (Valentine's weekend to be exact) we were driving through one of our favorite parts of Midtown Memphis and stumbled across this beauty:

 {Don't judge - you don't know her like I do!}

She needed me! She was built in 1912 and had only had TWO owners since she was "born." Yes, she needs a little TLC {ok, a lot - no central heat/air, knob and tube wiring, plaster repair, a KITCHEN}, but she was my dream.  

It has only been the last couple of years where I feel my style has truly developed. If you were to come to my house now, you still might not be able to pin-point it {I don't believe in getting rid of things simply because they are not my "style" - instead, I prefer to repurpose things and I can only repurpose so many things at one time!}. I think "Vintage Modern" is the closest I can come to defining it, but even then i'm not sure that's quite right. One thing I know for sure is that i LOVE old houses. I yearn to live in one. To give new life to one. Yes, I know they can be money pits. Yes, I know they make strange noises. Yes, I know they are not as energy efficient. I also know they have SO much character. There are stories that live in those walls! And, like they say, "they just don't make them like they used to."

{take a look at this incredible built in that resides in the butler's pantry - yes, the butler's pantry}

{Perhaps you would like a close-up? Look at that gorgeous beaded board!}

{Notice the detail on these bad boys - yes, working radiant heat}

 {No biggie, just a stunning green marble fireplace in one of the upstairs

 bedrooms [pay no attention to the floors]}

 {Hello, pedestal tub and vintage hex tile}

 {This small door leads to the fully lined cedar closet. 

My wool sweaters would have loved living there...}

 {Just some stained glass over the built-ins that flank the fireplace in the living room}

{again, these radiators are not messing around! They are also not really gold...}

{Family staircase from the living room + more stained glass}

{Beautiful front door and stained glass entry [not so beautiful mauve drapery]}

So why am I sad?

I'm sad because I drove by my dream house today and noticed that it had sold and renovations were underway. Renovations that I had planned. Renovations that I had researched. I was prepared. I subscribe to This Old House Magazine for crying out loud! 

Alas, it is a bittersweet day. "My" dream house has a new owner. It will no longer sit and wait for more stories to fill it's rooms. It won't deteriorate in loneliness any longer.

I'm happy she is getting the TLC she deserves. I hope she wasn't purchased by house flippers. I hope a lovely family purchased her because she was their dream home too. 

Everyone knows not to fall in love with a house until their current one has sold. EVERYONE knows this - but that doesn't make it easy! We're putting our house on the market again this spring and I vow not to fall in love until our house is sold...well, I'll try not to anyway. 

One day I hope to get that old money pit, inefficient, noisy house - and I know that I will love every minute of it if I do! 

Today I am sad.

Today I am happy.

Today I am probably going to order pizza for dinner due to my grief.

P.S. - I am opening up my blog for comments so that you can all console me in my grief :)  Actually, I am opening up my blog for comments, but it is at the request of others, so start commenting, y'all!

Creepy Crawly Solution - My Mom's first Guest Post!

Today I am happy to feature our first guest post! It's written by none other than Mother Dearest. Thanks for sharing your expertise, Mom. Although the motivation behind this project is less than desirable, this is an inexpensive way to terminate those nasty critters WITHOUT introducing toxic chemicals to your home.

Enter the Roach Ball...

Have you ever had roaches barge into your home uninvited?  Many times they travel inside cardboard boxes and take up residence when no one is looking.  How do you get rid of them without spraying toxic chemicals?  Enter the roach ball.  This old time recipe is a sure roach attractant and roach killer.  It uses ingredients that are easy to obtain and the balls are easy to make.  
Put on vinyl or latex gloves to protect your hands.  You'll need boric acid (found in home improvement stores and most big discount marketers), flour, sugar, onion and bacon grease.  Mix an equal amount of boric acid (you can use borax, but you'll need to use twice as much) and white flour.  This is the base of your dough. Add a small quantity of minced onions, sugar,bacon grease (you can use butter or shortening, but bacon grease is best) and enough water to make a dough that has the consistency of biscuit dough.  The proportions can vary, so don't stress over how much of each ingredient to use.  Roll the dough into balls the size of walnuts.  Place the balls in the back of cabinets - especially where your water pipes come in, under the bottom drawers in your kitchen and bathroom cabinets and under heavy furniture where they can't be found by children or pets - It is toxic if eaten in large quantities and is a skin irritant because of its acidic properties.  Also, because it is a dough, you can squish it into cracks along baseboards where you suspect cockroach activity.
Roaches are attracted to this yummy confection and will feed on it.  Within a few weeks, all your roaches will disappear.  Remember to check and make sure that roaches aren't coming into your house through openings around your plumbing, cable or the electrical supply to your house or apartment.  If there are openings, roaches can be an ongoing problem and you'll need to replace your roach balls when they are no longer soft. For a permanent solution, you will need to use an expanding foam (like Great Stuff) to plug up those openings to the outside world. As a word of caution...that expanding foam does just that - a teeny, tiny bit goes a long way.  Practice first on something you can throw away and if you get too much, you can cut it down to size after the foam has cured!

Even the best housekeepers cannot guarantee a domain free of roaches {especially if living in an older home}. At least now we have a way to get rid of those pesky pests that will not put our family's health in danger! Thanks again, Mom!