Woodrow's Place

Today I am talking about this "ugly" little statue that greeted us the first time we looked at our new house.  He was sitting on the sidewalk as you approached the front door.  He was NOT in good shape, but I liked him.  He had character, and his presence was welcoming.  When we looked at the house the second time, I felt of him and notice he was solid concrete.  A good sturdy dog.  In my mind, I started referring to the houses we saw as names to help remember things about them, this one I called "The Dog House".  I honestly never dreamed he would still be there once we closed on the house, but he WAS!  My husband didn't like him (and still does not), but I loved him and I am not even a dog person.  I was excited to let him stay and I wanted to name the house after him because he was his place.  Since I have this obsession with all things Presidential, I started calling him "Woodrow" instead of "dog" and this because "Woodrow's Place" to me.  I really want to keep him so I had to make him look good so he did not disappear while I was at work (I am still worried that will happen).  Here is a little before and after of what Woodrow looked like when we purchased to what he looks like today.

New house and loads of projects

On February 28, we moved into our new house.  It was a house with fabulous potential, it just needs some updating and personalization.  What you will see below is the before and after to what we have done as of today, March 14, 2020.  Some of the "current" views will evolve and possibly change completely, they were put in place to get us in a "home" environment and not a "you have much to do" world, I will tell you when that applies next to the photos.


First of all, I will tell you that we got possession of the house around 5pm on February 26. We could not do much on that day because it was almost dark.   The movers came early on February 27 and I really only wanted to keep them 2-3 hours....so the goal was for them to move all the furniture and we would move the boxes and other stuff ourselves.    We had to be out of the house on February 28, so we had to get busy and get things done.  What a whirlwind!

Many of the first photos here are from the realtor site because I had NO time to get before photos due to the moving timeline.

the living room

the living room is very large

the living room, I loved the kitty in front of the fireplace

the living room from another angle

I call this the "foyer", it is the space between the living and the eat-in kitchen

to me, the kitchen is simply a dream, except the flooring

2 photos of the hall bath

bedroom #1, the future guest room (I have not done much in here yet)

the fabulous linen closet in the master bath, holy cow

master bath double sinks

the carpeted master bath, ewwww 

the master bedroom

bedroom #2, which I had big plans for

The Bonus areas.....

 the sunroom

Add caption

 the room upstairs

Now for the fun part, making it ours. Below you will see some of what we have gotten done in two weeks.  The first thing was to transform the bedroom across the hall from the master into a closet.  We needed this because the house had only a few closets and we have lots of clothes and shoes.  The plan was to do one side for her and one for him and on the 3rd wall add my 43 pairs of shoes and my dresser....on the 4th wall, I planned to add shelves I have not added the shelves yet), ties, jewelry and an antique mirror with handpainted elements around it.  I want the room to have one purple wall and three gray walls.  In the above photos, this was bedroom #2.

I will have to add the gray walls next....and we are planning to rip up the carpet.  

Next up was the sunroom.  I wanted this to be my studio from the first moment that I saw it.  I have tons of art supplies and my crafting is loud, the isolation of the room makes it where I can create out here at almost any time.  I still would like to paint in here, but I am not sure what color as of yet.  At least, for the time being, I can create.  On the other side of the sunroom, I made a cat perch (so they can watch the birds and play with plants) and a library/sitting area.  It is going to be nice out here. I can tell that cats like this room the best of all.  

 the cats on the second day, you could tell they loved this room

Next up was the utility room.  I had just a small amount of turquoise paint left (the bath color from our last house) and I wanted to use it somewhere. I decided to lighten up the utility room so that I could use all my old laundry room signs I had made.  I would like to get crown molding for all the rooms.  

 the utility room before

Next up, the eat-in kitchen.  I wanted a square table here because the light fixture was at a weird angle and because the area was my gallery/command center area.  Olive has already fallen in love with the stools. I still have to find room for the trash and recycle cans.  I have changed out the fall flowers and put on display the spring flowers.  

 the was before we got the table

 The was the way it looked on the realtor site

 how it looks right now, I have to paint that cart if it is going to stay, but I really don't want it to stay.  I desperately need a coffee bar.

 looking from the kitchen to the family room and dining areas. It is a very nice area, and currently has Bobby Ewing on the tv.  The curtains are coming down as soon as we can figure out what we would like.   

Moving right along to the next steps done...I have not painted anything else, but I do have every frame up that I wanted to get up on the walls. I still have no idea what color I want to paint things. I have tons of swatches but have yet to commit to a thing.  Anyhoo, the next photos are just us living in the house until we figure out the next steps.  

 right as you enter the front door, there is oak floor under SOME of this room.  I am not yet sure how much.  Pay attention to the front door, it will one day be a different color or a different door, we are not sure yet.  I think I will paint it first.  

 the corner near the front door

 the master bedroom, this will soon be a green shade, I just don't know which one.  We do have new curtains up in there.  We placed some over the bathroom doorway too (there is no door), I plan to put a barn door there.  

 the Cat Room, the room under the stairs.  They stayed here the entire first day we lived in the house and it is the perfect spot for litter and cat food.  

 door leading into the cat room

 the walls are very scuffed, the room needs to be painted. 

I will be back later with more updates.  Hopefully, soon the bathroom carpet will be GONE!

Review: I Love Lucy: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom

I Love Lucy: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom by Gregg Oppenheimer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Non-resident Library Cards, year 3

Every year I do a little research on which libraries across the US will give you an affordable non-resident card that you can obtain without visiting that specific library.  For many years I used the Free Library of Philadelphia, and I will tell you it has been by far my favorite for choices of books and how they not only had a large catalog, but they would also let you request items and often they would purchase it.  I am sad to report that today I discovered they no longer let you buy a non-resident card.

Last year I got a card at the Brooklyn Public Library.  I switched because BPL had many Hollywood books that I had been wanting to read for quite some time.  They have some very unique, very old titles that I had never seen before.  For the last year, I have read every Hollywood book that interested me so I was going to switch back to FLP (Free Library of Philadelphia).


Fairfax County Public Library (Virginia)--you can apply for a card online and it is $27 a year.  Here is the link to their Overdrive site if you would like to look at the catalog before you commit.


Houston Public Library-their The information listed is not clear if you have to show up in person or not to finalize the card, so I would check before you purchase.  $40 per year for a non-resident card.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library-It looks to me that you can do this one solely online and get instant access.  The fee is based on the current tax base and so right now it is $45 per year.

Enoch Pratt Free Library-This one seems like it could be a day or two delay because you have to download the application and email it to the library.  The current fee for non-residents is $50




There are a few more libraries with non-resident cards, but they were all over $50 which is my limit (Austin Public Library and Orange County Public Library.  After looking at the catalogs of the libraries that I found that will do non-resident, BPL has by far the most selections.  I will be renewing that card.

Review: Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have waited for my e-book turn at the library for what seems like forever. I was kind of sad that this book was so good because I devoured it in two sittings (only because I had to fix dinner for the fam). I pretty much fell in love with Kya from the first moment that Ms. Owens introduced us to her. As I watched her age I saw her do things that I don't think I could ever do and accomplish things I have only dreamed of doing.

The ending made me both sad and happy all at the same time. I won't spoil it for you, but if you like books that will warm your heart along with a little murder then this book is for you. If you don't like the murder part, don't worry, that is not the main topic of the book, at least it wasn't for me...for me it was SURVIVAL. This book was all about survival for me.

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Review: Dear Edward

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had no intention of finishing my February Book Club pick in one day. I had no intention of devouring this book and staying up way too late because I could not put it down. I had no intention of falling in love with this story, but I did. First of all (please don't read this if you have not read the book), I do not like airplanes, not one bit and I had an idea that what happened would happen because of the big plane set up, but I never once wavered in the love that I was experiencing while reading this book. I had so many emotions. Not so many tears, but I had so many emotions....and I am sure that I wore a shocked face for much of the time I spent with Edward Adler. We are barely into the new year and I already have read 2 books that I would pick either of them for the "pick" book of the year.

If you have not read this one, you must.

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Review: Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History

Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History by Maureen Orth
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

oooh this one is sick and twisted. I remember watching tv during all of these events and I tried to make sense out of what this guy was thinking. This book only left a few answers since Andrew seemed to left no answers in his wake. The sheer magnitude of his evilness towards people he said he was friends with, admired and one (possibly two) that he never even met...is just surreal. Don't read this one if you are squeamish.

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