A walkable neighborhood

This weekend we had our first cookout of the year - neighbors, friends, lots of kids. And the best part of it all is that we are so well located, everyone can walk here. Living in a walkable neighborhood is not something I will ever be able to give up. I love walking everywhere, and I love sitting on my porch watching people walk by.

I'd like to give you my Top 10 Reasons to Live in a Walkable Neighborhood, based on our 4 years of living in one.

1. We walk to the grocery - we have a great, fully stocked, well priced grocery called Kazmaiers just a block away. We walk there almost daily, which not only saves us gas, but also helps keep us moving in the winter! Since everyone shops there, it's also a social thing. Plus, they have a fab wine selection. :)
2. We walk to church. In fact there are 4 churches within walking distance, Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Lutheran. I love the church bells and love to sit our our front porch when the lights are on at night. The stained glass windows just light up the night.
3. We walk Downtown to shops, bars and restaurants. We have Stella's, Perrysburgers, Swig, Casa Baron, Meig, Elegant Rags, My Daily Grind, Zingos, Scoots, Rose and Thistle ... so much variety and fun. All of our Downtown is walkable as well, so you really can have a great 'night on the town' and walk home. Perfect!!
4. We walk to Way Library. Our library is first class and we are often there for functions, book signings, voting and more. Opened in 1881, it was the first library in Wood County.
5. We walk to the 577 Foundation. This deserves special mention because it really is a gem in our area. It is a lovely old estate that has been converted into a place where the public can enjoy the beauty of the land and Maumee river. It has numerous gardens, educational seminars and a the best kids garden and play area I have ever seen.
6. It's Historic! Not every walkable neighborhood is Historic, but ours is. With homes (like ours) that are over a century old, you know there is a lot to see, do and explore in a historic walkable neighborhood.
7. We walk to the Maumee River, and our boat! We are sooo lucky to have the river just a block away. Also, since we belong to the Perrysburg Boat Club, in 10 minutes we can be on the water for the Walleye Run in the spring, an early morning ride, tubing, island picnic or pot luck dinners at the club.
8. In the summer we walk to the Farmer's Market. Now, this is one of the best things about a walkable neighborhood - especially ours. Our Farmer's Market is every Thursday and people come from all over the area to buy, sell and socialize.
9. We walk to school. The elementary school in our area is walkable (or bikeable) and so is our Junior High. We also have bus service, but it really makes it nice come Spring when the kids can bike to school, ore when you can walk over to get them after their day is done.
10. We can walk to Mr. Freeze!!! This is just a neighborhood icon. I have to admit that we bike there more than walk, but come March, we are in line all the time. Head there on Opening Day and it feels like home.

Living in a walkable neighborhood is something to be treasured, but it really isn't enough that you can walk AROUND. You really want somewhere to walk TO. When you are looking at neighborhoods, consider where you can go, what you can do and the seasonal activities before you consider a neighborhood "walkable".

One thing at a time...

I have an old home which has been well loved and cared for over the last 130 years. She has many of her original features- trim details, siding, windows, sash lock, hinges to name a few. She was also a duplex from about 1939 - 2007 when I bought her. I've slowly been converting her back to a single family home and I have 2 goals - keep as many of the historic details as possible and make her an oasis for my busy blended family of 7 (and 2 cats).

In the excitement of any renovation you get caught up in all the possibilities. I say possibilities - you might say work - but I'm a glass half full person. To me, this is joy. Anyway, one of my personal minefields, aside from budget creep, is not focusing on one room/space/thing at a time.

At work and at play (as in renovating this house), I tend to be a goal oriented, list making kind of person. I set my overall goal - Q: what do I want my home to be? A: an oasis for my family. And then I move one space at a time within that, setting goals for each space. I used to worry about getting it right. I used to want to attack a space and be done with it, but I have found, in my case anyway, that I have had to allow my home to evolve, including spaces that I already "completed". Why? Well, we had some immediate needs I had to address, like bedrooms, office space, etc., and they needed done NOW. So, I stayed true to my overall goal of historic preservation but did spend money crafting temporary spaces that met immediate needs - I knew I would change them eventually. I'm ok with that. Now that things are settled a bit, I am focusing on the room by room goals again. One space I am focused on is my upstairs hallway.

The upstairs hall is beautiful and wide with high ceilings. From a space perspective, it is probably my favorite in the house. I know, it's a hall, but it really isn't JUST a hall. It is graceful in its proportions, full of light and leads us to our bedrooms - so it is an important area. It has 3 different views out of tall, low slung windows that invite nesting with a good book. It has the original creaky wood floors that I complain about but don't want to fix. It has a good feel to it. So, I want to pay it special attention and not just make it a path from point A to point B.

Here is my color palette. I like Retreat on the ceiling and Lily on the walls, which are plaster. I am torn between Ocean Liner or Blushing on the doors. On the one hand, I think Blushing for the fun splash of color, but on the other, I have wood furniture and floors and I think Blushing on the doors might compete. Ocean Liner is a strong color, but balanced with fabric at the windows, a runner and the right door hardware, it could look sunny and charming. Another idea I had was to go with a deep rich gold/wheat color on the doors. An end of summer harvest color...still pondering that one. It's growing on me. Who knows, maybe Harvest is the new black? The trim is Downy (not shown). It is my favorite, not-quite-white shade.

I plan to run vintage style pendant lights from the ceiling - probably 3 - on dimmers, of course. Additionally, the railing needs updated since it isn't to code and is a bit short feeling. The hand rail will be wood toned to match the floors, the rest will be painted Downey. Also take a look at the hinges I'm using - these are original to the house and on every door.

I also have multiple doorknob styles currently in the hall and I need to decide on the final. I think if I go with Blushing on the doors, I'll do white glass knobs. If I choose Ocean Liner or Harvest, I'll go with clear glass. Either way, the back plate will be cast iron to match up with the hinges.

So, those are the bones of the space. Any feedback? Ideas? Once the bones are in place, I will move on the the finishes - fabric, runner, furniture, art. I have some ideas, but I'm not a natural at this so I have to take it one thing at a time. As with everything, the effort and thoughtfulness I put into it, will be exactly what I get out of it.

Kitchen Inspiration board - round 1

Kraftmaid Cabinetry has a cool tool on their website - an inspiration, or idea, board builder. I use idea boards all the time, both personally and professionally, though I call these versions Vision Boards.

Essentially, an Inspiration board is a visualization tool that allows you to take all your whirling ideas out of your head, desk drawer or shoebox, and put them down on paper. You ideally use images, but you can add words or quotes as well. Take a look at my first draft for the new kitchen. Go easy on me - it isn't complete and it only has finishes, not structure or architecture. And, it only has about 30% of that!

In fact, I've been puzzling over this all week ... Here's the text of an email I sent to a VERY clever design friend of mine - you can see how much still needs to be decided.

"Have any thoughts on these ideas for my kitchen?

Right now the idea board is too traditional. I want the space to be 30% timeless (cabinets, trimwork, floors), 30% vintage (sink, faucets, backsplash, hardware, ceiling, windows/doors, door knobs), 40% fresh and modern (lights, countertops, wall covering, decorative items, fabrics). I'd also like to add some unexpected elements to the space so I can have a little whimsy.

The new kitchen will be a decent size and we're likely going to add a hearth room off it. I want to do a small vintage-y corner fireplace, TV above. Cast iron or soapstone probably, an insert or freestanding set into a hearth. The furnishings in there will be the 40% fresh/modern and I'll add vintage and whimsical design elements through the pillows and decor that I can change seasonally. I have a nice, small collection of vintage toys that would be fun to display. I want a LOT of light - the hearth room will be almost sunroom-like with all the windows.

Questions -

Stamped tin backsplash? - I would probably paint it, fyi

glass knobs and hardware or too done?

beadboard ceiling with coffers or too heavy?

I love mercury glass for lighting - thoughts?

heated tile floors in the kitchen and carpet in the hearth room

I'm going to start getting designs finalized and quotes in the next month! Maybe if I dream it hard enough, everything will come through :) What do you think??"

I've attached a few images I also like for the space. I love the red doors for my mudroom, and I love the cobbled floors.

Tell me what you think? Any great ideas?

Drunk birds

Fall is my favorite time of year. The leaves, the holidays, the parties - and the drunk birds! Sounds funny, I know, but this is the time of year when all the birds in town get their party on in my wild honeysuckle tree. I really dislike this tree (because it's so invasive and because the seeds germinate beautifully all over the place causing huge amounts of weeding) but I keep it because Tim likes it and because the birds love it.

Actually, the birds love it a little too well. They gorge themselves on the shiny red berries to the point of boorish drunkenness - in fact, they get so drunk, they can't fly and end up sitting all over the yard so stupid with intoxication that you can go and pick them right up! Of course, they also fly into the windows, which drives the cats crazy with excitement. Cat TV is at its most entertaining when the bird reality show is on.

Most of the time, we have these obnoxious visitors for about a week and we laugh at some, rescue some and bury some (poor victims of flying under the influence into the windows a bit too hard). This year they are later than usual - I just noticed them today. I'm hopeful that this means a mild winter :)

Fall Happenings

Well I can tell you that it sure feels Fall-ish today and the trend will continue all week, it seems. Yes, I know the trend will actually bring us significantly colder temperatures, but for us October can be a fairly warm month. Sometimes Halloween is downright toasty. Anyway - the weather turns my thoughts to all the fun Fall happenings going on here in Northwest Ohio.

For starters, it's time to get into the apple orchards and pick! Probably the best thing about a sunny chilly fall day is a gorgeous Honey Crisp apple fresh from the tree. My mouth waters just thinking about it. My favorite orchard around here is MacQueens, and they have a great apple festival every year. You can pick your own, shop in their market, buy apple fritters and amazing pies and drink fresh cider made right in front of you. I had never seen an apple tree until I moved to Ohio, and MacQueens was the first orchard I had ever been to, so it has a special place in my heart.

Another event we make effort to get to is the Grand Rapids Apple Butter Festival. This ranks right up there as a top 10 thing to do, and we go every year. I have no idea how many people head there for the one day event, but it sure feels like 50,000 - tons of people, but so much to see and do. I particularly like the primitive village and the antique threshers, but the best thing going are the hot apple dumplings with vanilla ice cream. I could eat my body weight in those things, I swear.

Of course, our Farmers Market, here in Perrysburg is a big draw every Thursday, but we're right at the end here now. People come for miles to buy all the wonderful fresh produce and organic meats and veggies. It's a sad day when the vendors pack up for another year.

Speaking of endings, it's also Docks Out time at the boat club. The Maumee River freezes here and so we have to get the docks out come mid-October. It's work to close down the boat club for the season - not just the docks but the clubhouse gets tucked in for the winter. Our club is pretty cool because unlike other boat clubs, the PBC is a Workingman's Club - which means that you can't just pay money and park your boat ... you have to give hours of service for the benefit of all. Each family contributes 8 hours in the spring and 8 more in the summer so the club runs smoothly. We have emergency days too - rising or falling water levels, debris tangled in the poles - and we all get down there and work to put things right.

With the bounty of activities, it's no one Fall is my favorite season :))

Mushrooms in the garden

Today, while wandering about the yard, I stumbled upon several white softball sized things in the grass and garden beds. They were Calvatias, or Giant Puffball Mushrooms! Apparently, this is the time of year for them.

I had always heard to be very careful of mushrooms. In the past I would never have contemplated doing anything more than throwing them in the compost, but I was ambitious yesterday, so I looked them up and discovered that the variety I had in the yard was safe to eat.

Naturally, I was the only one who was willing to try them - even Tim was a chicken - but I don't regret not having to share ... they were delicious! This is what I did:

• Washed and peeled them - I read the skins can make some people have a tummy upset
• Chopped them
• Sautéed onions and garlic in some olive oil
• Added chopped mushrooms and a bit of chicken broth
• Cooked for about 10 minutes
• Sprinkled a bit of parmesan

Ate with relish! Yum!

A resource for wavy glass

If you saw my recent Facebook post, you know that the gorgeous window in the living room recently cracked. You can see how beautiful it was. Anyway, I am having it repaired and had hoped to find wavy glass to repair it with.

Alas, the expense was a bit much, but I did want to share a link to a company that I found who makes hand blown glass panels ... Restoration Window ... I couldn't afford to use them for a window of this size, but a resource is always good to have! :)