Tess Shebaylo
Is a Richmond, Virginia writer, internet enthusiast, history lover, crafter, and compulsive organizer. She works in Community Support at Tumblr.
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Posts
Hey guys, look what we made you! It’s been a pretty productive day. #shebaybay (at VCU Critical Care Hospital)
Happy hour crew! @mobelux @rvanews @tumblr (at Pasture)
Some of the best dudes around. And hey, I only look about 80% as tired as I feel. Success!
Love these people! Best @tumblr crew (at The Roosevelt)
These people are my heart. Well there’s my husband and my cat and my family and teen vampire dramas and all that, but pretty much after those things, these people are my heart.
Backyard bricklaying, with your hosts, Dan and Tess. Filed under Projects That Are Totally Appropriate To Start When You’re 8 Months Pregnant And Have 9000 Other Things Going On In Your Life.
Next up: planting! Which is filed under Even Though It’s Already Blazing Hot Outside Because I Refuse To Wait Another Year.
Renovating Richmond: 14th Street Showroom
Guys, Ledbury’s on Tumblr! Welcome, across-the-James neighbors!
With a simple philosophy of, “make clothes we love and surround ourselves with people we enjoy,” Ledbury has created a tailored menswear movement in Richmond. Within their meticulous showroom, you’ll find clothing that appeals to everyone from your boss to your little brother.
Follow their blog for photo updates from their blogger-in-residence, our good friend, Brian McDaniel (of Dirty Richmond) that’ll inspire you to tighten up your look.
Welcome Ledbury! And to add to the day’s trend of new Richmond companies on Tumblr, I’ve got to mention Inchoate, a line of t-shirts and such run by some friends of mine. You know I don’t wear t-shirts, but if I did, I’d probably wear these. Follow them for watersports-inspired goodness.
Here’s a crappy gif I made of Dan installing some mirrors in our dining room bar. BOOM. More info here.
Learning about cider-making at Blue Bee, one of the only urban cideries on the east coast and our office building neighbors (and, incidentally, new Tumblr users).
See also Lianna’s post.
Free “Liberty or Death” Reenactments this summer at St. John’s Church!
Starting Memorial Day weekend and running until Labor Day weekend in September, free reenactments of Patrick Henry’s famous speech will be shown every Sunday at 2:00pm. The event itself is free, but donations are encouraged. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis, and reservations may be made for groups of ten or more.
Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity!
In case you needed more reasons to love Church Hill. We’ve got the whole founding fathers thing on lockdown as well.
Seriously though, if you haven’t seen the reenactment, go. You’re just sitting in the church and these guys in stellar period garb come in and sit amongst you (I think Thomas Nelson was in my row last time I went). It’s not just the Patrick Henry speech, but a whole portion of the Virginia Convention (the meeting at which the speech was delivered). Provides a lot of context that we don’t usually think about when we hear those famous lines and take them for granted.
CHAT (Church Hill Activities and Tutoring) has entered this video in a contest from TechSoup to win funds for video production equipment. If you have two seconds, please vote for them. They do huge things in our neighborhood with limited resources.
Also, cameo from the little girl I tutor at 0:50 (in the blue shirt)! I love her but full disclosure: that grin is 100% mischievous.
When you’re working at Tumblr HQ, TommyPom is never not doing a photoshoot nearby. #normal #dogs #celebrities #tumblr (at Tumblr HQ)
“Describe your perfect date.”
“That’s a tough one! I’d have to say April 25th.”
Yes! Perfect date day! This explains why I’m in such a delightful mood.
I noticed (and immediately loved) these row houses one night while walking around Capitol Square. Neat to see them written up on Architecture Richmond and also interesting to see that the architect was the same guy who designed the “birdcage” (James Monroe’s tomb) at Hollywood Cemetery.
(via Morson’s Row)
Oh you’re welcome @ie_rva. Let the #startup competition begin! #rva #ie_rva #tumblr (at CenterStage)
Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2013
Live and die
Macrofashion:
Love them all!Would wear all of them.
These versions didn’t make it up on the website but I still really like how some of them turned out.
This.
OK, guys, here’s the deal. KPCC has been doing a Public Radio March Madness bracket, and it’s down to the final round: Radiolab vs. This American Life.
We are total underdogs here. And we need YOU to make this a full-on, Mighty-Ducks-style, David-and-Goliath underdog TRIUMPH. Team Underdog, are you ready? VOTE!
Now this is my kind of bracket. Also this is probably the greatest loyalty crisis of my adult life. And it doesn’t help that I have a hard time making even the tiniest decisions and that I’ve been spending a lot of time watching The Vampire Diaries. I’m all “WHY MUST I CHOOSE BETWEEN THEM?”
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Tweets
- Hey guys, look what we made you! It's been a pretty productive day. #shebaybay @ VCU Critical Care… http://t.co/rn0c2rYbsG
- Sorry for lack of updates but I was basically battling Sauron all night with just a spork. Produced an heiress finally though at 9:23am!
- Still just waiting for #shebaybay to show. Doing fine and having a positive experience in the meantime. Your well wishes are all so sweet!
- Was admitted to Labor & Delivery. Some concern about blood pressure but it's looking better now. Going to have this baby today or tonight!
- Just took a nice walk around Chimborazo Park and probably didn't look crazy at all stopping and swaying during contractions. #shebaybay
- already have a doc appt scheduled later so I'll go to that and see how it's progressing. don't worry @danielwhite, it won't get all TMI.Jun 13, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- top concerns with being in labor: making sure we still get NIN/Godspeed tickets, and that the baby is born on @kennethclose's birthdayJun 13, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- ...just painful enough to where I couldn't sleep. so let the livetweeting commence.Jun 13, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- hello 4am internets. I'm in early labor, just hanging around and waiting for the part where I call the midwife. it's not so bad yet...Jun 13, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @Shrockmw @Lizt0mania Hoooo man. Dan thought the opposite -- she's super gorgeous, then she started talking and kind of freaked him out. Ha!
- RT @AdamBritten: @marssy: "You cannot call the GhostBusters because you ARE the GhostBusters" (in a user crisis.) #UserConfMay 03, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Excited to hear ideas at #userconf today. Let the support geekery begin! @ Scholastic Theater http://t.co/U1Q3HtIEsY
- RT @CommonGoodRVA: Great conversation today about moving the #commongood discussion forward in #RVA. Good stuff coming...Apr 24, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @kennethclose gah! :( maybe you just didn't recognize me bc I was 16 years old again.
- "We were here before you were, and we'll be here after you're gone" @funsizerva #rva #poppunk… http://t.co/Nk1QZ1YEMy
- @mattrock @ebonkovsky love it so far. is it blasphemy to say possibly even more than Google Reader? #feedly
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Posts
- Jun 11, 13
Planting is underway and it already looks a lot better out there.
Look at those little boxwoods just sitting there waiting to grow into a tiny hedge.
The area around the tree is much improved too, with some japanese painted ferns, shield ferns, purple dragons, and ivy.
This is a close-up of some purple dragon. I love the colors.Dan also constructed a gutter along the front of the shed that drains over the fence. It happens to make the shed look much better, too.That Coke cooler we got at last year's Church Hill yard sale has finally been put to good use as a planter by the shed. I moved a bunch of existing dusty miller and dianthus around to accomodate the new gardening plan, and some of it ended up in this planter.
Next time we have a day to work on it we'll be adding plants to the beds inside the boxwood squares, and then we'll be pretty much done with planting! Though we're only on Phase 2 of the backyard plan it's already way more amenable to entertaining that it ever was before. We're exhausted but proud of our work so far. - Jun 03, 13
We've been working on the backyard. A lot. In fact that's pretty much all we've done lately except for work and meals out here and there to keep ourselves sane. Dan's done the lion's share of the work here. I'm probably about as helpful as a small child given my current capacity for lifting only small amounts at a time and taking breaks every 5 minutes, but at almost 9 months pregnant I feel like I've worked really hard. Anyway, Phase 1 (the bricks) is done as of last night. Here are the before & after pictures of this part of the overhaul.
There are many more photos of the bricklaying fun (including some of a dump truck delivering sand to us) that do the process more justice, and you can view those here.
Looking at these pictures it seems like we should be done, but again this is just Phase 1. So here's the loose plan in my head:
Backyard Overhaul- Phase 1: bricks.
- Phase 2: planting.
- Phase 3: staining the deck.
- Phase 4: back stairs / gate (these will be outsourced).
- Phase 5: decorating (deck furniture, lights, etc!).
Just getting Phase 1 done was exhausting and makes me want to lay down my shovel once and for all, but hopefully that was the hard part. Planting is a pleasure for me and used to take me about a weekend when doing it back in Oregon Hill alone, which I would think would translate to about 1 day here in Church Hill with Dan lifting the bags of mulch instead of me dragging them. Staining the deck is, I believe, a straightforward task on a flat surface that will take a couple of days with drying time figured in. Right now when you get to the end of the backyard there's just a steep precipice of a few feet to the alley, so we're going to have some steps made and possibly even a gate put in, but for once we won't be doing that ourselves. And as we know, decorating is my chief thrill in life so I barely even count that as a task.
I'm not sure if the next pictures you'll see will be of a baby or some finished planting, but either way, ONWARD! - May 22, 13
You've seen most of the nursery already in this post, but we've finally put the finishing touches up in there. Below you can see the bunting (handmade from Etsy) and mobile (handmade by me) that have been added.
I like how this turned out. Everything is uncluttered, simple, and clean, but still pretty. The overall effect in the room is pretty calming, which I think I've said before has always been the goal.
The mobile, which is obviously not a toy, serves other purposes. It's shiny and nice to look at, and it allowed me to create something with a bunch of the random objects I've hoarded. Here's a list of what went into it:- A rhinestoned-up lightning bolt from an old earring of mine.
- A metal and glass pendant that encloses a picture of a ship on one side and some text about Cair Paravel on the other side (made by a friend of mine years ago).
- A little black spider from an old earring of mine.
- Two leftover chandelier crystals.
- A little june bug encased in plastic, from a broken ring that Dan gave me.
- A black resin flower from a necklace bought at the touristy little market across the street from our hotel in Waikiki on our honeymoon.
- A freshwater pearl from a gift given to me by my old boss at my college internship at the Math & Science Center.
- An old key from I know not where.
- A little silver flower from yet another old pair of my earrings.
- A small silver frame that has a picture of me on one side and a picture of Dan on the other.
- A rusty old lock from an antique store on Staples Mill.
And here's the changing table area, which has recently had some art added as well (by Scott Campbell).
In other news, Dan has been making steady progress on the backyard. He's gathered a zillion bricks, and he's dug out / leveled the space that they're going to occupy on the ground. I haven't been very helpful in general but I moved a few plants and leveled some ground myself. Sand is being delivered this weekend so that we can lay the bricks, and once that's all done, we'll move on to planting a couple of small beds in the remaining yard space. At some point the deck needs to be stained, too. And I haven't even really thought concretely about deck furniture, though I've been saving ideas for it forever. I'm just kind of hoping the baby doesn't come early and foil these plans. Wait, baby, wait! We're making you a patio!
A side effect of working in the yard is that Dan has been finding all kinds of fun things buried out there, including the objects you see here. Plus lots of random pieces of goal, bits of iron, shards of jars, etc. - May 14, 13
The plan has always been for Dan to add some mirrors and backlighting to the dining room bar, but that's one of those projects that always gets pushed to the back burner. Recently he did get some mirrors though, and distressed them with acid to make them look all old-timey. Wish I had pictures of this part of the process, but I was mostly at work while it was going on.
Then he cut a bunch of wood to frame each section of mirror, painted it black, and last night finally installed all of it. It looks pretty ballin' and really brightens up that corner of the dining room, especially at night.
You can see the evolution of the bar by clicking here to read previous entries, and the gif below provides some before & after context. - Apr 26, 13
So the nursery is starting to look like a room that someone lives in, though technically it's still just the guest room until mid-June.
I was all ready to get the room as ready as possible for baby-time, but Dan pointed out that it would be a good idea to finish the woodwork around the fireplace while the room is still empty. There was a small gap around the top of the fireplace where brick dust would intermittently fall through and make a mess on the mantel, so Dan cut some pieces of pretty trim and closed that gap up with the help of some caulk. He also closed the gap around the top of the mantelpiece, then painted everything (Valspar's "Rain Puddle") to match.
Before woodwork:
During woodwork:
After woodwork:
I love my old duvet cover with the wrought-iron-esque pattern, but it is getting kind of thrashed (I think it's about 8 years old now?) and the pop of bright blue doesn't suit the nursery well. So in my head I thought "well if there's one place in the house I can use something from that Shabby Chic line that's always a little too girly for my own room, it would be this room." But at Target I realized that the line has gone less understated swiss dots and ruffles and more floral to the max, so I wasn't into it much. Then I saw this duvet cover and immediately loved it. I was looking for purple but didn't want it to be too baby-baby / pastel, and this deep plum shade is nice. Provides some color in that corner of the room, but nothing too hectic. I'm thinking we need the most calming environment possible since this will be the room where a tiny person screams at us all the time.
Below are some close-ups of the decor on that side of the room, including art from The Black Apple, some old Nancy Drew books, and a Dick and Jane poster from an event at the Richmond Public Library in the 90s (thanks Mom!).
The other side of the room is pretty bare. We're on the lookout for some shelves, and Dan needs to hang the mobile I made above the crib. Both of those are non-urgent though. The room is really pretty ready to receive a baby, and should be much more so after we get some crib bedding that's likely coming very soon.
The bathroom is ready to roll, too. Still room for more art in there besides the collages by Sarah Ogren, but we can accumulate it as it comes.
The backyard is also in progress, though there isn't much to show for it yet. We're kind of on our own at this point since communications from the landscaper stopped coming and it's getting later and later in the spring. Dan has cleared the old broken cement sidewalk from the yard, and has gone to collect a bunch of old bricks and will soon be getting more. Because of the shade from our huge tree and its propensity to suck all water and nutrients away from other plants, we're just making the northern part of the yard entirely brick patio, and we will put a couple of beds of shade plants in the southern part. More news on that later. - Mar 21, 13
So Dan recently completed a little weekend project of organizing the attic. It was inspired by this idea from Pinterest, which is a lot neater-looking than we were able to accomplish but the main point is to be able to get to things without moving every single box in the attic.
The "before" pictures don't even really do it justice, as Dan removed a bunch of band equipment and trash before I even took these pictures. One challenge we have is that most of the walkable attic space is taken up with central air equipment that was put in during the renovation. So we only have a sort of sliver on each side of the attic in which to store things.
Now though, as you can see, those things are on shelves instead of in nonsensical piles.
Special thanks goes out to Billy, who lives close by and has been very gracious about stepping in every time something heavy needs to be lifted around here.
Now that we have a bunch of things cleared out of the nursery and put into the attic or Dan's practice space, the nursery should start shaping up in earnest. We've been accumulating baby gear but because we're waiting on final furniture configurations, not much has been put in its place. But stay tuned.
Also, zero progress has been made on the backyard and it's still the eyesore that it's been for most of the past two years, but a landscaper has been engaged and wheels are turning on that front too. - Feb 04, 13
It occurred to me that I've talked about this in various other internet places but not on the Shebaylo Times yet: we're expecting a baby in June. We just found out that it's a girl, and we couldn't be more excited. So I'll be updating this space lots more with family-related things.
It's crazy to think that back in November of 2010 I posted this:My idea is for this blog to be a chronicle of our home-buying and home-renovating process, as well as a place for our parents and friends to see recent photos and keep up with our life as a family. Maybe later, it'll be the place to see photos of cute babies, but for now, expect lots of before and after photos.
And now, the "photos of cute babies" era is upon us. Here she is at 21 weeks, just hanging out like you do in the womb.
But there's still lots to get ready at the Good Ship before she makes her debut. The way things worked out, Lianna caught the home-ownership bug from us and moved a few blocks away in August, just before we found out about the baby. We still planned to get another roommate if one presented itself, but we definitely don't want to rope anybody into living next to a screaming little thing that keeps them up all night. So we've gradually started turning the old front bedroom into a nursery.
Lucky for us, many of our friends are out of the baby years now so we've accumulated mountains of free supplies. Most notably, my cousin gave us a matching crib, changing table, and armoire! So, that was easy. And Dan's mom lovingly saved tons of his baby stuff, so we've got some cute vintage things to add to the collection. From my parents' house last weekend, we brought home a bin full of all the books that my siblings and I had when we were small.
Sophie has temporarily adopted the room as her favorite, and has been cheerfully helping me organize it for the baby.
The piece de resistance thus far has been the vintage Silver Cross pram we got from eBay, and which is currently taking up half of the dining room. Luckily it doubles as both a functional stroller and a killer decoration.
Other than these things, I have no plans yet for what we're doing in terms of baby decor in the nursery. But you can bet that it'll incorporate ideas from my Decor and Papoose boards on Pinterest... - Feb 03, 13
- Jan 17, 13Here's a photo that didn't make it into the R Home article, but is an awesome photo nonetheless:
Many thanks to Barry Fitzgerald for permission to use this photo. - Jan 14, 13
In case you haven't seen it yet, there's an article about our house in the January / February edition of R Home magazine. It's called "Modern Gothic," and was written by Susan Howson featuring photos by Barry Fitzgerald. The photo shoot was a lot of fun, and it's just really nice in general to get questions and compliments about something we spent so long doing. I think for Dan in particular it's very gratifying to have this project (which was 95% his brain-child) receive some attention in the press. I put some photos here, but feel free to pick up a copy around town (Martin's and Kroger have them, fyi).
(all photos by Barry Fitzgerald) - Dec 11, 12
I'm a bit late on blogging it, but over Thanksgiving weekend we decorated the Good Ship for Christmas.
This year required a new tree for the first time in almost a decade, and I was really thrown off by the fact that it's almost impossible to find a tree that doesn't come with lights pre-stuck to it. What happens when half the light string goes out? Doesn't it make it hard to set up and take down if there are un-removable light strings on each branch?
But we ended up finding a tree we liked which, while it did come strung with LED lights, opens and closes like an umbrella. So there's very little assembly required. If lights go out, we figure we can pile more light strings on.
This year Dan also declared that we needed more ornaments, and I had to agree after we had the new, larger tree set up. So some of the ornaments are brand new this year -- mostly the multicolored, made-to-look-vintage balls.
And of course all our old favorites remain.
The effect is very pleasant, and I love how suited our parlor is to having a tree in it.
Merry Christmas from Church Hill! - Nov 13, 12
Technically this wasn't our first Halloween here, as last year we had just moved in and started actually spending the night here when Halloween rolled around. We were totally unprepared though, and didn't decorate, and it was a pretty shameful holiday all-around for us since we usually go all-out.
This year was more like it. We broke out the decorations, got some new ones (tip: Garden Ridge, people), made some snacks, and had friends over to hand out candy with us.
I was particularly excited about the new creepy hands we got for the front yard. But the snacks were really what made the party. Those scallion pancakes with ginger-soy dipping sauce are going to return to my table frequently.
More photos are on Flickr if you're interested. - Aug 20, 12
For some time we've been on a slow, rambling mission to replace a lot of our modern or ugly furniture with old, sturdy stuff that will last forever and not go out of style. There's no real rush for this, so it's fun to just kind of meander around antique stores whenever we feel like it and let the perfect pieces call out to us.
Over the years we've accumulated an unwieldy collection of found objects, ephemera, and the like. So we've been looking for a display cabinet for this stuff, something classic and preferably lighted. About a month ago at Through the Garden Gate Antiques I had a hunch that I had found just such a structure, and Dan confirmed it. We picked it up Saturday, and I spent the rest of the afternoon moving our fiction books into the built-in shelves with the rest of our books to make space for the cabinet. Yesterday we broke out the box of Good Ship artifacts that were extracted from this house during the renovation, and Dan cleaned them up as best he could. Then they all went into the cabinet, along with various other items from our collection.
I think he did a great job, and it's nice to see this stuff looking more cohesive when displayed together. - Aug 20, 12
- Aug 18, 12
Haven't been blogging much here because there hasn't been a lot of renovating going on. But here are some recent photos for your amusement:
Weeds from the yard look kind of pretty in the parlor.
View into the dining room, pre-chandelier.
New chairs that we love.
Dan installing the chandelier he just refurbished (more pics to come after the last parts we're waiting for come in)!
The backyard continues to be the weakest link here, because of its insane amount of shade. But look, I got something to grow and be happy out there.
Sophie saying hello from her perch on our new coffee table. - May 07, 12
We finally had our open house this weekend. We had tacos, we gave house tours, and we officially welcomed everyone to The Good Ship.
For those of you who couldn't make it, here's the renovation slideshow we had playing on our TV.We had an amazing time! You forget what a pleasure it is to welcome people into your home when you haven't been able to do that in so long. To everyone who pitched in to help with the renovation in any way, thank you. To anyone who brought flowers or wine this weekend, thank you. To all the friends, family, and neighbors who make us want to have a nice place to entertain you in, thank you.Many more photos are here. - May 02, 12
- Apr 17, 12
It's been a grueling few days, staying up until 1am and 2am some nights, but the wainscoting and ceiling painting in the dining room are done.
Here are some updated photos of the parlor, too. Would have posted these earlier, but there has been a pile of wood in the parlor for two months, so that wasn't helpful.
This couch was a lucky find, and about 1000 times more comfortable than the little blue settee that will probably go upstairs somewhere. If you've ever sat on the blue settee for longer than a few minutes, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
I can barely lift my arms above my head and my feet are killing me from balancing on a ladder so many days in a row, but I am so glad to get this done. Excuse me while I go take a break of indeterminate length. - Apr 12, 12
The coffered ceiling and wainscoting painting is underway.
I made some good progress tonight with some help from Lianna, and I plan to work on it for about another week or so. The wainscoting is pretty easy and can probably be finished tomorrow night, but the coffered ceiling borders the red walls and the slightly-different-shade-of-white ceiling (WHY?!) and involves a lot of taping and awkward angles. So that will probably take the rest of the week. - Apr 10, 12
- Apr 02, 12
Well. I gardened from 9am - 9pm on Saturday and 5pm - 9pm on Sunday (I had to work), and finally all the planting I can do right now is done.
The front garden was quickly freshened up with some new dusty miller plants on either side of the rosemary, some new dianthus, and a new coat of black mulch. That took all of half an hour. But the real work was in the backyard.
Basically I had a blank slate of mostly-bare, rocky ground to work with. On the left-hand side of the yard the soil is very clay-like and hard, and on the right-hand side, it seems to be more of the regular old dirt I'm used to working with. Everywhere there are tons of worms, so that's good.
Herbs, etc.
Along the left-hand side of the yard I planted, from closest to the house to farthest from the house:
-- camellia bush
-- sage x 2
-- basil x 2
-- parsley x 2 (curly-leaf and flat-leaf)
-- dill
-- rosemary
-- cilantro
-- [then there's a giant tree]
-- rosemary again
-- dusty miller
-- dianthus
-- sedum
-- dusty miller
-- dianthus
-- sedum
Berries, etc.
Along the right-hand side of the yard I planted, from closest to the house to farthest from the house:
-- camellia bush
-- dusty miller
-- dianthus
-- blueberry bush x 2
-- raspberry bush x 2
-- blackberry bush x 2
-- [dusty miller and dianthus alternate between all these bushes for a little color]
Also there's this little rocky planter box next to the shed that I filled with the leftover dianthus and dusty miller. Hey, they're pretty and you can get a flat of like 22 of them for $11. I wanted some lambs' ears and maybe a peony bush, but I couldn't find them in the two places I looked.
Roses and boxwoods
In the middle of the yard there will soon be a path, which will Y off at the other end of the yard -- one sub-path going to the shed, and one sub-path exiting the yard via some forthcoming stairs. In the little space formed between these sub-paths there are six english boxwoods in a little semicircle, and within the semicircle is a little white rose tree, a la Alice In Wonderland. It'll be sitting in a pretty, tall pot of some sort, after I find one.
Everything mentioned in the sections above was duly mulched.
Grass
Then I tried to break up the rest of the ground as best I could with the hoe and the rake, and get rid of the little bit of old, dead sod that remained. I then raked it over as evenly as possible, and sowed grass seed with the little push spreader Dan got last year. Then I added fertilizer and topsoil, and watered the heck out of it.
I also have a little makeshift border laid for the future path using spare strips of wood, so I can see where it'll be and where I don't need to have grass growing. I'm going to pick up the gravel later this week probably, and put that down.
So. It's been a productive weekend, and I'm so glad I was able to get everything done. I just wish my whole body wasn't so sore.
Special thanks to that guy at Lowe's who notified me that I could just pull the truck around and they could load mulch and topsoil directly into the bed of the truck, rather than me dragged it all out to the truck and doing it myself. I am...not really an expert in how Lowe's operates, truthfully. Which seems silly, as much gardening as I do, but I've never had to start a yard totally from scratch. - Apr 01, 12
Exterior paint is done! Huzzah.
Seriously, compare that picture to this one from Google Maps, taken probably just before we bought the house. Amazing what a little makeup will do.
And I put the chairs and plants back out on the porch, and all is right with the world.
Going to be working more on painting the stair railing tonight and maybe tomorrow night, then tons of gardening must be done -- my favorite thing of all.
[Edit: The exterior painting was done by J.P. Painting, Inc. You can reach John Plasket at 804.559.4785. They have fantastic prices and therefore there's a bit of a wait, but I assure you it's worth it. They were highly professional, friendly, and went out of their way to fix a few little extra things (at no extra charge) to make the paint job look even better.] - Mar 28, 12
- Mar 26, 12
Dan framed out the dining room wainscoting, and I spent the past couple of weeks painting all the little pieces of trim that will go on it, as well as pre-painting the wainscoting itself. Here's what it currently looks like:
KC is working at the house even as we speak, adding all the other trim to it.
Also working at the house right now are the painters! They're power washing today, and will be painting tomorrow and probably the next day. I'm so excited to see how everything looks at the end of this week. This is a huge week for us. - Mar 14, 12
We got a chandelier for the foyer, which arrived in the most hideous shade of "antique white" (read: plain old yellow), and which Dan painted black and ordered crystals for. He then installed it, and I think it looks great. So all the entryway lighting is done.
He's been working on the dining room bar and wainscoting all week, and here's where we are right now:As you can see there is still cabinetry work to be done at the bottom of the bar, and no mirrors or backlighting have been installed yet. But the main frame is done and it's able to hold liquor and glasses and wine! I particularly love the wine rack piece.A lot of the wainscoting is already done, and he's hoping to finish up today or soon so that I can do my million hours of wood-filling and painting on it. Thank goodness for audiobooks.
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data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8499051162/"> " data-title="Faves." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8490218927/"> " data-title="How I relax." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8488875485/"> " data-title="Just doing all the household chores while this slacker clutches her mouse toy and looks on." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8486451638/"> " data-title="my morning fare." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8478050002/"> " data-title="breakfast in the Main Dining Room." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8478045834/"> " data-title="outdoor hot spring-fed hot tub and pool hangouts." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8478044898/"> " data-title="amen and amen." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8478032690/"> " data-title="Virginia countryside." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477994192/"> " data-title="the Stonewall Jackson House: sadly, closed in February." 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Lee Memorial Episcopal Church (a "new" church, mid-19th century)" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477992828/"> " data-title="sports on TV. WOMP" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477992474/"> " data-title="this gentleman is filling a bucket with water." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477992352/"> " data-title="contraptions." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477992214/"> " data-title="awards, etc." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477991358/"> " data-title="french toast breakfast for my valentine." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477990476/"> " data-title="quite a ceiling." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477990326/"> " data-title="the Crystal Ballroom." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477989728/"> " data-title="the Empire Room." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477989588/"> " data-title="the Empire Room." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477989404/"> " data-title="back in the Crystal Ballroom." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477989242/"> " data-title="the Garden Room." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477989092/"> " data-title="the Garden Room." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477988976/"> " data-title=""ballroom" (conference) space is abundant." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477988836/"> " data-title="the Library." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477988682/"> " data-title="coffee break." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477988532/"> " data-title="toward the front desk." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477988390/"> " data-title="view from the north end of the Great Hall." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477988196/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477987358/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477986894/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477986608/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477986424/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477986138/"> " data-title="Falling Spring." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477985944/"> " data-title="always a sucker for a scenic overlook." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477985330/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477985110/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477984882/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477984678/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477984536/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477984428/"> " data-title="Ashwood School Antiques." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477984256/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477983798/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477983530/"> " data-title="tea-drinking gentleman." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477983038/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477982914/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477982804/"> " data-title="walls of only slightly less attractive dudes." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477982094/"> " data-title="time for a walk around the grounds." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477981868/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477981680/"> " data-title="the Casino (sports shop / restaurant)." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477981444/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477981224/"> " data-title="" data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477980716/"> " data-title="hot springs and the Homestead." data-link="http://www.flickr.com/67682666@N00/8477980586/">
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Posts
- May 22, 13
Pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but Virginia.org is an incredibly useful site for anybody looking to plan some short (or long) trips around our home state. Check out their list of Historic Sites, their Craft Beer map, and their "Go Old School" feature about journeying around small-town Virginia. There's tons more where that came from, so don't ever come telling me you're bored.
- May 20, 13
Back in February (purposefully before I became too pregnant and uncomfortable for long car trips) we headed to the Homestead in Hot Springs, VA for a relaxing babymoon.
On the way there we stopped in Lexington for a visit to the Lee Chapel, which I hadn't been to in years. The chapel contains Lee's tomb as well as a small museum and gift shop. The tomb itself is a gorgeous sculptural feat, which the tour guide is very knowledgable about and can point out the significance of all of its details.
The R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church nearby is nothing to sniff at either, though we didn't go inside there.
Also in Lexington we made a little pit stop at Duke's Antique Center and were impressed by the collections there. Check out all this jadeite:
In Hot Springs, there is almost nothing in existence besides the Homestead hotel. The whole site is absolutely gorgeous and brimming with history, so it was the perfect getaway for us.
We attended a history tour of the hotel and learned about the various iterations of the business dating all the way back to 1766, and wandered through the halls into ballrooms, the movie theater, spa area, etc. etc. The place is crazy opulent, but somehow still feels relaxed.
Outside, I love how the steam from the hot springs rises up out of grates in the ground and gives an otherworldly quality to the view.
While in the area we also managed to check out Falling Spring, a lovely waterfall visible from the side of the road not far from the Homestead.
And we also stopped by the Jefferson Pools on the way out of town, which is the original location of hot springs bathing for Thomas Jefferson and other folks you've heard of from that time period. They were closed when we showed up but we took some pictures and read all the signs, etc. You can still bathe in these pools, which I would like to go back and do someday.
The way home was full of a generous dose of Virginia rolling hills, which everybody needs from time to time. In fact I think I'm overdue for more, so stay tuned and hopefully we can squeeze some more adventuring into these last few weeks before a third party is added to our road trip logistics.
Way more photos of the trip are here. - May 17, 13
As it warms up outside I find my thoughts straying to the beach as they always do, and it occurs to me that I never posted about our house tours from last September. On a quick trip east we managed to squeeze in the Francis Land House, Lynnhaven House, and Ferry Plantation House. Guys, these are old buildings. None of this 1890s stuff like half of Richmond. We're talking 1725 in the case of the Lynnhaven House.
It was amazing to learn about the construction of these houses, what they were used for over the years, and the history of the lives lived in them. I recommend seeing all three of them if you're looking for a cheap, history-packed day trip for this summer. The Francis Land House has a sort of understated opulence that is so perfectly-laid-out for the time period that it's styled in, and the Lynnhaven House is a stark contrast in its simplicity and ruggedness. It's also on a secluded, peaceful little field. The Ferry Plantation House was chock-full of artifacts and tchotchkes of all kinds, a bit of a historical hoarder's paradise that the guide led us through with lots of personal stories.
Our full set of photos from this trip is here. - May 15, 13
As a long overdue followup to the post about Corner Minor, here's a photo of me on that outing taken by Phil Riggan of Richmond.com.
And another angle by Brandon Hambright exists here.
The Decayed Richmond documentary is still being anticipated by all of Richmond, and has been delayed further. For an update on that check out this post. Once it comes out you can bet I'll be posting about it some more. - May 08, 13
I know it's been a while. I owe this site a couple of legit updates, but actually there hasn't been much going on in the way of historical adventuring lately for three reasons:
- I don't have a ton of free time right now so I can only adventure in small chunks.
- I've exhausted most (NOT all though) of the nearby places to explore.
- I'm getting ready to have a baby and am scrambling to take care of all the preparations ahead of time.
But time marches on, and others are discovering Richmond to my great delight. I'd like to point you toward a great blog post from Photographing RVA about Hebrew Cemetery, a lesser-known but really interesting place that's worth a visit.
I particularly love the attention to Jewish customs and typical headstone engravings. Take a spare hour and go over there, and if you have some more time visit nearby Evergreen Cemetery. That's a local favorite that we've posted about many times. - Dec 04, 12
The holidays are a great time to get your house tour on, and you KNOW we love house tours. Often a house is extra decked out for Christmas, and you can learn not just about the regular functions of the house but about how they celebrated Christmas during that specific time period. Sometimes they'll have special artifacts on display. Sometimes there is cider. This is also a good, clean, non-shopping-in-crowded-malls tradition to start with your family. And if you're looking for a holiday gift for parents who have everything they want, splurge on one of the Monticello evening tours (my parents enjoyed it the year we went). Check out this article on Virginia.org for more ideas about holiday tour destinations.
In Richmond proper, the Fan Holiday House Tour is coming up this week and next weekend is the Church Hill Holiday Homes Tour as well. - Nov 27, 12
The Virginia Historical Society intern who wrote this article is clearly on the same wavelength as me, because some of her favorite objects in the museum are mine as well. Especially the simple engagement ring from the 1700s that bears the inscription, "Time Shall Tell, I Love Thee Well." When I first saw that ring, I planted myself in front of its case and stared at it in amazement for several minutes.
If you haven't seen the ring in person or the entire Story of Virginia exhibit at the VHS, add it to your list of holiday to-dos. I highly recommend it. - Nov 08, 12
Here's a great little primer on the case for Poe and RVA, RePOEsessing RVA on the always-great Photographing RVA.
- Oct 08, 12
There are nearly 100 vineyards located within a two-hour drive of Richmond. Pick one, at random, or based on a tip from a friend or trusted bartender, and go there. Maybe their wines are world class, maybe they’re not. Maybe you’ll discover something you absolutely love, maybe not. What you will find, by and large, are small, often family-run operations; artisanal, old-world production standards; passionate people and bucolic scenery. I don’t care if you’re a certified sommelier, a complete novice, or anything in-between, if you can’t derive any pleasure from sitting on the grass, sipping a glass of wine, and overlooking rolling hills of beautiful fall foliage then you, my friend, are a reptile.
-- Matt Brehony on RVANews.com.
Cosigned! And if you need ideas for wine-related or other day trip destinations, check out this list. - Sep 28, 12Here's an article from Photographing RVA about a recent nocturnal visit to the Pump House. This guys takes great photos, so spend some time on his blog if you haven't yet.
"While I didn’t catch any evidence of ghosts, ghouls, vampires, or Stay Puft Marshmallow Men I was able to capture some awesome images of the inside of one of Richmond’s neglected but historic buildings."
- Aug 14, 12
Several of us Richmond history hounds toured the old Barton mansion last week, known formally as "Corner Minor," and John Murden has a great write-up about it over on North Richmond News. His account is way more eloquent and fact-packed than mine would probably be, so I'll let you read that instead of cobbling together my own set of details.
This place is massive. And its condition is way worse than any other abandoned structure I've visited in the Richmond area, including some of the long-neglected mansions in Petersburg. But it was a thrill to explore, and I can't stop thinking about how much Richmond continues to surprise me no matter how much I think I've turned over every rock in this city. I would love to see this house restored and cared for.
Another exciting thing about my visit to Corner Minor was that I was interviewed by the folks at Decayed Richmond for their forthcoming documentary. It was great to finally meet all of them in person, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the film.
[Edit: See more photos from Phil Riggan in Richmond.com's take.] - Jul 31, 12
As I mentioned in this post, I've been meaning to check out Mid-Lothian Mines Park for a while now. This weekend we finally got around to it...
It's a beautifully-kept, shady trail through the woods that provides a pleasant walk and a view of some ruins. Highly recommended for anybody who doesn't have a clue about Virginia's mining past or anybody who just feels like getting some exercise. The trail was pretty empty when we first got there, but as the morning wore on it filled up with runners and people walking their dogs. The ruins are really neat to behold, and would be safe even for children since a fence keeps people at a safe distance. More photos are here.
My big mind-blowing moment of the day? When I learned that the seal of Chesterfield doesn't feature a farmer leaning on a hoe. It's a miner leaning on a pick! All this time I've been living a lie. - Jul 15, 12
Finally, my creation is together-enough for its debut. I've been working on a map of Virginia stuffed with day trip destinations for the past month or so. There are hundreds of sites on the map, and I'm planning on beefing each point up with a short blurb and basic info like hours, cost, and a link to its web site. See more details on this here, or go straight to the large Google Maps version here. Enjoy! - Jun 28, 12
Check out this great article from Vintage Richmond on some of the buildings along the Canal Walk. If you haven't walked the full length of it before, you've got to. - Jun 14, 12
Most Richmonders don't realize that the Midlothian area was home to North America's first commercial coal mines, and I admit that I still haven't even been over there to check it out (but I hope to remedy that soon). For more info on this, check out Harry Kollatz' article on the historic park, and the official web site of Midlothian Mines Park.
- May 22, 12
The season for day trips (our favorite thing in the world) is in full swing, and if you're like us you've sort of done everything in a 50-mile radius and need to cast your net wider. Time for some fresh ideas. Here are a couple of resources that will be helpful:
Virginia.org's Go Old School highlights cool, old-timey destinations throughout small town Virginia. I want to try...ALL the ice cream parlors. All of them. And I'll bet my husband wants to check out all the breweries.
Nerdy Day Trips appears to be exactly what the title says. The interactive map makes it easy to get very location-specific, which is perfect if you already know you're going to be in a certain area of the state (or world).
Please let me know in the comments if you have any other great day trip planning resources I may not know about! This stuff is our lifeblood here at The Midnight Society blog. - May 11, 12
It looks like everybody's favorite Poe Museum curator, Chris Semtner, is coming out with a book called Edgar Allan Poe's Richmond: The Raven in the River City.
I've known Chris for a while now, mostly just from being a major lurker around the Poe Musuem, and he's a super friendly and knowledgeable guy. His work at the museum bringing fresh perspectives to an aging topic is always stellar. He never runs out of ways to examine how much Poe has influenced life as we know it.
As Harry Kollatz points on out in his article on the book, Chris has got multiple book signings coming up, so take advantage of having a Poe expert in your city and go meet him. - Apr 01, 12Today's Groupon is for half off a membership to the Virginia Historical Society -- you can't beat that! Support local history preservation and join up.
- Mar 25, 12
This isn't remotely local, but I thought it was creepy enough to share anyway: Monsters from the Kaibutsu Ehon, 1881 (via How to Be a Retronaut).
- Feb 24, 12
When you look at the depressing wasteland that is there now, the bulldozing of Fulton seems senseless. They've managed to slap down a few generic-looking houses but for the entire time I've lived in Richmond it's just looked like a construction zone. Check out some of the history of that area in this WTVR video, via CHPN.
I really didn't have any knowledge of this place existing, though I assumed something must have been there before. It looks similar to Oregon Hill, and I can't imagine what Richmond would look like if the city had applied similar plans to all the other historical neighborhoods during hard times. - Feb 14, 12I had never heard of the 19th century practice of "vinegar valentines" until this week when I saw this article from Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery. Vinegar valentines are "insulting cards mocking the recipient's appearance, profession or behaviour and predicting a loveless future." Wow. I thought our generation was nasty.
- Feb 13, 12Monticello, Montpelier, and Charlottesville are offering some savings on your next historical day trip to C-ville if you sign up for their Presidents Passport. This is right up our day-tripping alley.
- Feb 11, 12
StoryCorps will be rolling through Lewis Ginter in March, so if you have a story to tell, sign up! StoryCorps is a great project and one that's absolutely necessary to follow if you're passionate about the art of storytelling. - Jan 23, 12
Fredericksburg is one of those towns that's been lucky enough to preserve plenty of colonial buildings all these years. Some blocks probably look similar to how they looked in the 1700s, minus the power lines and parked cars. I think most Virginians visit Fredericksburg on elementary school field trips, as I did, but I was well overdue for another visit.
So on the day after Christmas, Dan and I made the 45-minute drive and went to some historical sites, thanks to the free tickets kindly bestowed on me by Preservation Virginia.
The Mary Washington House is a lovely but very modest cottage that GW built for his mother in her older years. The tour guide and I geeked out about the warm, muted shade of green used on the parlor walls and how it contrasts with the bright, rather garish green used at Mount Vernon. My favorite part of this property is the garden, though. Plenty of gnarled old boxwoods and a lush lawn would have made this the perfect little escape for Mary in the middle of the city. I need to go back sometime when it's warmer though, and see the garden in its full glory.
The Rising Sun Tavern is the site I remember most vividly from childhood, and indeed I think it's still the most kid-friendly attraction of the three we visited. Though the building was like 20 different things over the years, they've got it set up as it would have been when it was a tavern in the 1790s. The "tavern wenches" that guide your tour focus on the chronology of a typical tavern stay during that time period, highlighting lots of familiar turns-of-phrase which have their origins in revolutionary-era customs (like "mind your Ps and Qs"). It's interesting to see the difference between how a layman's stay at the tavern would have gone, as opposed to a gentleman's stay (like the Marquis de Lafayette on his big tour of the US).
Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop is the place to hear about all the weird / gross 18th-century methods of doctoring that you would expect. A sign on the door proclaims that they've recently gotten a new shipment of the "finest Swedish leeches." The elderly guides love to get a reaction out of people when they talk about amputations and bloodletting, but we've been to so many Civil War museums with related content that we remain nonplussed. The thing that got me was seeing the instrument used for pulling teeth. YIKES. My favorite part of this tour is standing at the big pharmacy counter and smelling all the vials and jars of different 18th century medicines, and hearing about what each one was used to cure. It's fun to notice how many of those ingredients are still used somehow or other in our modern treatments today.
After the museums we headed down to Caroline Street for plenty of antiquing and food.
Anyway, we had a lovely time and as Fredericksburg is just a short jaunt from Richmond and these museums are incredibly cheap, I highly recommend making a day of it.
More pictures are here. - Jan 23, 12
Have you guys seen this Walk in their Footsteps site? It highlights some of the "regular people" from Virginia's Civil War era and provides a well-rounded picture of the hardships faced by all. It's also just beautifully designed.
I particularly like the piece about inventor James Hanger. Though he doesn't usually get much attention, many of you will probably remember the Hanger Prosthetics shop that used to be right next to Domino's on Belvidere. Yep, that's the guy.
The sidebar also includes some cool resources, like a list of Civil War-related events. If only there were 8 of me so I could attend all of these things!
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Posts
- Jun 12, 13
Okay, now is the part where we try spicy food and wine and walks and all those various witchy recipes to get labor going. Until we’re successful though, we’ve still got this baby:
I know I have absolutely no room to complain, and I’ve had a really easy pregnancy. Tomorrow’s my due date, and I only started wishing for the baby to come in the past few days. But in truth, I think I can say I’m officially over it. I’m uncomfortable, I’m all puffed up, I’m breaking out, I’m a zillion degrees, I’m down to one pair of shoes I can manage to shove my feet into (or “flesh blocks,” as my friend Kate calls them on her hilarious blog about being pregnant with triplets — seriously — read this blog), my hands have checked out and gone on a carpal tunnel “vacation,” and and my knees are mutinying against all this weight gain and stress.
So last night we went to Magpie, my favorite restaurant at the moment, and I enjoyed a nice, leisurely meal and a glass of wine. Afterward came a frustrating Target trip where no shoe would accommodate my foot, and I do mean no shoe. Except for ones that are just too long and would leave 3″ of shoe hanging off the end of my heel. I even lowered myself to trying on flip-flops to no avail. I had a good night’s sleep though, and was able to fall back to sleep promptly all 47 times that I woke up in the night.
This morning I woke up to what I think the internet calls “light contractions,” which basically just feel like cramps. I figured they could go away or take forever to build in intensity, so I went to work as usual and had a good, productive day. I kept loose track of the contractions and they were fluctuating anywhere from 30 to 15 minutes apart, and not really getting stronger. After work I had a little wine during a very pleasant happy hour at Pasture with people from Tumblr, RVANews, and Mobelux, and as soon as I sat down at home the contractions came a bit faster — about 7 minutes apart for 3 or 4 iterations. I added some more things to our hospital bags just in case, had more wine, and walked around the block, but now they’re back to about 20 minutes apart. So oh well. I’m going to eat a little something and hit the sack. Things will happen when they happen. In the meantime, at least I have an oblivious cat to love and some very excited and helpful family, friends, and coworkers to keep me going.
Filed under: what's up - Jun 10, 13
More busy days at work, more yardwork at home, more trying to make it out to as many new restaurants as possible before we have a third party to lug around. The backyard is looking a hundred times better, even approaching the point of an acceptable space to entertain in. I’m ready for the baby to come, but not too anxious for her to come before we have this yard done.
Last night we had a little bit of excitement on that front though. After dinner at Mekong, we headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things. On the way I felt some crampiness and thought “Hey maybe something’s happening.” But it was vague enough for me not to mention it. It continued off and on through the grocery store though, and it kind of hurt but when Dan asked if I was okay I just wanted to continue shopping and get the errands over with. By the time we were on our way home it was more intense, with lower back pain thrown in for good measure. All that being said, I had spent about 11 hours gardening earlier and was probably in all kinds of pain related to that. I said “When we get home I’ll drink a big glass of water and see if the contractions stop.” I did so, tried to relax for a little while in front of an episode of The Office with Dan bringing me a bowl of ice cream, and by the time we were in bed they were gone and I was able to sleep through most of the night. So, nothing more than a little practice session, I guess. But it’s still crazy to go to bed thinking “I could wake up in full-blown labor” and “this could have been my last day of life not in charge of a small person.” I don’t know why this is startling to me. I keep thinking “Oh she wouldn’t come before the yard is done, would she?” But obviously an unborn child has no concept of how many more rows of shade plants there are still left to fix in neat rows before her arrival.
Filed under: what's up - Jun 06, 13
Everything from the last post still applies, except the bricklaying is done (more about that here) and we’re ready to plant. We went to the Great Big Greenhouse tonight to nitpick over varieties of boxwoods, and Dan is going to go back Saturday morning to pick up the amount we need and plant them while I work my weekend shift. If weather allows all of that to get done, we’ll probably finish planting and mulching the few remaining spots of the yard on Sunday.
The photo above is from a Polaroid we took for the photo guestbook at Michael and Melissa’s wedding, which was on a very hot and lovely afternoon at Pocahontas State Park. The bride was beautiful and they seem super happy together. It was encouraging to hang out with some couples we don’t see too often, and see them surrounded by their kids but having no problem enjoying the event. There’s so much negativity out there about the stereotype of having kids and then “life is over” or whatever, so it’s just nice to go out and see our friends totally owning that whole thing and remember “Oh yeah, that stereotype doesn’t have to be true.”
Yesterday evening I had a really nice time out with my workBFFs. Marc was in town from Switzerland, and we all headed over to the Roosevelt to drink drinks, eat pimento cheese, and get a daiquiri-making lesson from T. We always have such a good time together, and I feel like I could spend way more hours talking with my coworkers than I ever get to. As far as actual work goes, things are hectic. Obviously I’m trying to prepare for being on leave, and trying to wrap up projects and make sure everything can run without me for a few weeks. I feel good about those efforts but more stuff keeps popping up that I want to work on, and I know that at some point I just have to let it go and let others step up to take care of it.
As far as being almost 9 months pregnant goes, I’m still feeling generally uncomfortable, but the past three days or so have been a little better. Probably the more time I have to recover from yardwork-heavy weekends, the better. Carpal tunnel hasn’t been getting super bad until 3am or 4am, so at least I have some decent continuous sleep before that. At Centering Pregnancy today we talked about what to do in semi-weird labor situations, and people got Tdap shots (I already had mine), and we started watching The Happiest Baby on the Block. I scheduled an appointment for next Thursday (my due date!) because I could definitely still be pregnant by then, and the midwives will want to see me. There’s a good chance I will be going to this appointment, since first-time moms tend to go overdue.
I miss a lot of things about not being pregnant, like running and rollercoasters and WHISKY and sushi, but I’m trying to stop and cherish these last few days of this experience. I can’t think of any other way to describe it than just a sweet time for us. During the little moments of down-time where we’re getting ready for bed at night or sitting at the kitchen island eating toast in the morning, we’re talking about the baby and wondering what she’ll be like and just dreaming together in general. I think that rarely in your life do you have such a period of specific anticipation, so there’s something really singular about it. It’s cool to finally be at this place where all the practical planning / supply-getting / arrangement-making is done and we’re just kind of waiting. Waiting is probably something I don’t do enough of in life; I’ve eradicated or outsourced it away from myself by any means necessary (and of course I’m much more efficient for it), but calmly waiting is probably a skill that everybody could use a dose of now and then. So a little waiting, and intentional quiet and togetherness and wonder and probably a whole lot of other cheesy FEELINGS…I’m enjoying it. A lot.
Filed under: what's up - May 29, 13
The past several days have been a blur of yardwork. Pushing through even when I feel like I can’t take another step. Just getting it done. Digging, spreading sand, moving bricks, sweeping. Doing what little I can do to help and feeling kind of frustrated about how little that is, at almost 38 weeks pregnant. That and some music, surveying our progress, sharing a kiss, having some ice cream. Also chores, and errands, and work. And tonight, finally a little time to sit down and put my feet up and watch a movie and read. Besides these things and being swelled up like a blowfish, and not sleeping well from the carpal tunnel, not much to report. I’m tired and happy and ready.
Filed under: what's up - May 22, 13
Friday night: dinner at Fat Dragon finally, which was amazing. I hadn’t heard anything good about the food, but it was really delicious. I had the mussels, and though I love regular ol’ mussels in a butter / wine sauce, these included a soy-based sauce and greens and were just different and tasty. Dan had a fried flounder special that was spicy and full of paprika. The portion was huge, too — all four of us there had some of it, and it fed both Dan and I for lunch the next day.
Afterward we saw Star Trek: Into Darkness, for which we were joined by K. Whi. More impressive action and more Benedict Cumberbatch! I enjoyed.
The annual Church Hill Yard Sale at Libby Hill Park was kind of subdued by rain on Saturday morning, but I went anyway and got a maternity tunic for $1.00. Then I helped Dan with some yard work, but we got rained out. Dan and Lianna helped hang the finishing touches in the nursery (the bunting and mobile for over the crib, pictured above with more photos here), and then we went to Portrait House for an early dinner. The only thing that could have overshadowed their great decor, pizza, and dipping sauces (you know my life revolves around condiments) was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Need more asap. This was followed by running like 42 errands with Dan, including getting supplies for the birthing tub at the hospital. Being up and about that much in one day made me feel like I was going to keel over at any second, but I’m glad it all got done.
Sunday: more yard work. It’s coming along out there, foreal. Plus Dan is finding all sorts of fun artifacts in his own personal archaeological dig site, which I delightedly clean off in the sink and put in the curiosity cabinet.
Later we went to church for the last ever service in the building at Beth Ahabah, as we’re moving to Grace Covenant soon. It was bittersweet — I love that we don’t have to meet in a specific place to exist, but I will miss the temple and all it has meant to me over the past several years.
Afterward, dinner and Five Straight (our family’s favorite board game, though really I stink at it) and talking about family contingency plans for the zombie apocalypse at my parents’ house.
This blog isn’t about work, but this week we got some huge news: Tumblr has been acquired by Yahoo. I don’t have much information about what the future holds honestly, beyond what the Staff blog post shares, but I’m certainly excited that this will allow us to keep tumbling on with better resources than ever, and I’m delighted to work with the Yahoo team (and in other news, I love the new look of Flickr!). Because of the news, this week has been a bit of a whirlwind and I’ve been pretty immersed in work…but still managing to get the chores and a few lingering baby to-dos done.
This has been a lunch break blog post. Now back to the grind…
Filed under: what's up - May 17, 13
The news on the video camera effort from last time is that the thing won’t even turn on, so I guess that’s a no-go. It’s very old but in lovely shape and barely ever used, I think it literally just may be too old to charge. Giant bummer. But I did use iMovie for the first time ever to edit this cell phone video of my belly freaking out, so here’s my underwhelming foray into the video world.
I’ve been on evening rotation this week so I’m pretty exhausted — Friday mornings are always tough after working until 10pm the past several nights. Wednesday morning I had a great yoga practice and felt pretty energetic afterward. Yesterday morning I had another doctor’s appointment (these things are happening weekly now), which went fine though I’ve been put on a zillion milligrams of evening primrose plus four cups of raspberry leaf tea per day. In addition to the other 43 vitamins I’m taking every day. Congratulations, me. I am now essentially a limp bag of flesh and bones, being held up by vitamins. Ah, the dignity of being pregnant! I feel like this stuff is all fighting a giant battle in my stomach, but I’ll choke them all down for these last few weeks and hope for the best. Because the professionals said so.
Afterward I had a nice lunch with Ted at Aziza’s, then headed back home to survey the baby birds growing in the nest on our front door, make some potato salad for later, and start my work shift. Tonight we have a date after work, so it’ll be nice to be out and about before a weekend that I suspect will be full of yardwork.
More nursery decor pics coming soon to a blog near you, as soon as I hang up one of the last things I was waiting to arrive in the mail.
Filed under: what's up - May 14, 13
This rose tree I bought last year did not do well, and though I moved it to a better spot, I thought it was pretty much dead. But now it’s in full bloom. Such a cheering sight.
So much has been getting done, and the stress has really just ebbed away as I feel more “ready” for the baby to come. The current list:
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getting remaining essential baby supplies
-baby shower thank-you notes
-rearrange kitchen cabinets so I can put away baby milk / food supplies we got at the shower
-make or buy some bunting or something cute for the bare nursery wall by the crib
-make a packing list and pack the suitcase to bring to the hospital
-make a vet appointment for Sophie
-paint nails, avoid looking like a hobo clown-take pics of vintage baby clothes
-make City Group main dish ahead of time
-set up video baby monitor
-do thank-you notes for additional gifts received this week
-take Sophie to the vet
-add more small wire shelves within existing kitchen cabinets to create more levels / space
-disassemble, wash, and put away baby bottling supplies
-take photos of bar, edit them, and post
-run errands, including picking up stuff we need for the hospital
-pack more stuff in our hospital bags
-organize baby clothes in size-appropriate piles
-regular household chores that somehow still need to get done when all of this is going on
- learn how to use Dan’s little video camera so I can take videos of the baby
- finish book I’m reading so I don’t jeopardize the Nook I’m borrowing from Lianna for the rest of her lifeI’ve been managing to get all of that done without too much grief for my feet, though my knee does hurt again today after too much time spent running around yesterday.
Even though Dan finished his project with the bar mirrors and I’ve been taking care of everything listed above, the real hero of this week is Sophie. She had a really stellar day yesterday. She rode to the vet without too much of a fuss, let me carry her in without much squirming (I decided to just wrap her in a towel after the nightmare of cramming her into a carrier last time), calmed down in the exam room and didn’t freak out when the vet examined her, and got all the way out of the vet’s office and back home without a freakout. We’ve also been trying to get her to use the electronic cat door that Dan installed for her, but she’s been really confused about it and has only gone in and out of it with a bunch of coaxing. But when we got back from the vet yesterday, she hopped out of the car and I gathered my things up and started calling her, expecting her to follow me inside. But when I finally got inside she was already in there — she had run around to the back of the house and came in via her personal door. Then later I saw her go in and out of the door twice on her own. So she’s figuring it out steadily. She’s got a fresh supply of asthma pills, she gets fed with her automatic timed bowl, and she gets in and out of the house via her tiny door. She’s been such a trooper with all this change and I’m super glad that her needs are taken care of so she’s not screaming for stuff when the baby is here.
Here she is riding home from the vet in the baby seat.
Other, non-to-do-list things that have been going on:
On Thursday we toured the labor & delivery unit at VCU with our pregnancy group, and I feel like I know a bit more about what to expect now. It was good to get a feel for where everything is, and for what happens in what sequence when you get to the hospital. People asked lots of good questions and I got some more ideas about stuff to bring with us, etc.
Friday morning I had a pile of gifts on my desk from coworkers, including the video baby monitor I’ve been pretty excited about. Friday evening some of us toured Blue Bee Cider, and we learned a ton about cider-making and were allowed to climb into this big tub with the apple-destroying equipment. Awesome.
Saturday night Beth was in town and we went to the Roosevelt and then had drinks at home, catching up about all things nerdy and having a marvelous time as always. While we were sitting out on the front porch with Dan and Tom, a storm brewed and the wind and lightning were delightful until the rain drove us inside. I always love the first thunderstorm of the year. Beth spent the night and we got to hang out a little more before she left in the morning. I miss her all the time but I’m so thankful for friendships like these that are easy to pick up where we left off.
Sunday was Mother’s Day and we did a picnic brunch at Maymont with Mom, Megan, and Pete. Everything was delicious but I was particularly proud of my raspberry trifle, which will probably be a go-to dessert from now on. After we ate we took a nice, long stroll around the park and it only took me 9000 years to climb the steps back up to parking-lot-level. NBD. Later we went to the Sweet Frog in Oregon Heights, which is blessedly free of rude, pushy children, and I was informed that my baby bump “counts” and so I was given a Mother’s Day discount. Whoa! Totally not expecting that. Back at home I was also not expecting Dan to surprise me with a sweet card, hilarious Safe Baby Handling Tips book, and some framed ultrasound pics. Then we went to the Savory Grain for dinner, which was good, unrushed, and very relaxing. And we capped it all off by seeing The Great Gatsby with Megan and Pete. I think I had such high hopes for the movie that it never could have lived up to them. But visually it was really cool, and of course the dresses and accessories were exciting the entire time. But I think the movie doesn’t let you slowly figure out what’s happening the way that Nick does in the book; rather it bangs you over the head with the obviousness of it all, right out of the gate. I like the sort of creeping realizations that Fitzgerald accomplishes for the reader and kind of wish the movie would have allowed for that as well. A lot was said out loud that should have been left implied, etc. It almost starts you out from a point of being suspicious of and disliking characters like Gatsby and Daisy, when it should have first made you fall in love with them, obviously. But anyway, diamonds! Parties! Champagne! It’s worth seeing.
Yesterday I took Sophie to the vet, then ran errands, put stuff away, and did a mountain of chores. Last night Dan finished installing the mirrors for the dining room bar, and they look great. More about that on the Shebaylo Times. I’m glad to have all the barware put back where it lives, of course.
Okay, I’m off to mess around with this video camera and see if I can figure out how to work it.
Filed under: what's up - May 08, 13
As predicted the past couple of nights have indeed been full of rapid list-destroying, but of course for every two tasks I complete I think of another one to add to the list.
That being said, one of tonight’s tasks was quick and quite a pleasure to do: take photos of a few vintage baby dresses we’ve accumulated.
Pwecious, right? I love the details on these two colorful dresses, which came from Through the Garden Gate.
This last one was a baby shower gift and it came from Bygones. The bonnet is fierce.
These plus the ridiculous quantity of baby clothes we’ve been given have resulted in a downright scandalously sized collection. It doesn’t look that crazy in this picture, but these are JUST the dresses. The rest is crammed into those drawers. Overall I think there are almost 100 garments. We have bought a grand total of 2 of those garments. Crazy! Even Sophie is judging us.
Last night we also hung the rest of the art on the walls, but there is still one thing missing so I’ll wait to post pictures of entire walls. I’m really loving one thing we received as a gift from Sarah, a framed copy of the hymnal music for my favorite hymn.
So, back to sheer productivity. This is what the list looks like now.
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getting remaining essential baby supplies
-baby shower thank-you notes
-rearrange kitchen cabinets so I can put away baby milk / food supplies we got at the shower
-make or buy some bunting or something cute for the bare nursery wall by the crib
-make a packing list and pack the suitcase to bring to the hospital
-make a vet appointment for Sophie
-paint nails, avoid looking like a hobo clown-take pics of vintage baby clothes
-make City Group main dish ahead of time
- learn how to use Dan’s little video camera so I can take videos of the baby
- finish book I’m reading so I don’t jeopardize the Nook I’m borrowing from Lianna for the rest of her life
- regular household chores that somehow still need to get done when all of this is going onProgress. Progress. I ought to do chores now but after a couple of hours of lasagna-making so that I don’t have to rush through it tomorrow night, my feet are currently in no shape to get back up and do chores. So I’m going to work on reading that book now…
Filed under: what's up - May 07, 13
Captain’s log, stardate 34.5 weeks pregnant. Just imagine me weeping profusely while writing one million thank-you notes for baby gifts. That’s kind of what life looks like for me lately. But look at my first crop of roses this spring! They are huge.
Saturday morning’s train ride back from New York was blissfully uneventful and calm. When I got home Dan was unloading the first of the day’s loads of bricks, so I changed clothes and helped him do that, organizing each armful in a line to form a neat pile. It was really frustrating that my arms weren’t tired at all and can handle tons of bricks, but the small of my back was killing me after just a couple of minutes from having the stress of the baby pulling on it, plus me bending over with weights in my hands. Soon Dan left to pick up another load of bricks, and I went to Lowe’s to get a few things (including some obligatory front porch hanging ferns) and to Martin’s for groceries. Got back, put everything away and hung up the ferns. Went through the mail that had piled up, changed clothes again, and helped Dan with brick load #2. Then he raced off to return the rented truck to Home Depot while I changed again and headed to the movie theater to get us some seats for Iron Man 3. We were exhausted but glad the night ended with RDJ sassing it up on the screen, as expected.
This trend of go-go-going that started Saturday is the new thing, at least for a while as we struggle to get everything done that needs to get done. On Sunday morning after I had gotten up, eaten something, showered, dressed, and makeupped, I was already dying to sit down and rest, and I hadn’t even started my day yet. I fought that impulse and went to Babies ‘R Us, trying to find a few necessities that we didn’t get at the shower. They had exactly one of the 8 or so things I was looking for, so it was pretty much a wasted trip. Plus I just left feeling kind of disgusted at all the ridiculous products and dumbed-down decor they have for babies. The nursery decor aisle is full of cartoony daisies or monkeys. Take your pick.
I kind of sat in the parking lot for a few minutes trying to figure out what to do next. Try another store? Go to a consignment store? Meh, not for diaper-y type things, right? What’s even open right now? I’m tired. I don’t want to do anything. I ended up driving home and bursting into tears and just sitting on the couch trying to breathe deeply. I realized that for all my urging and pressing us to get stuff done “early” (before I got to the uncomfortable, hard-to-move part of the pregnancy), I didn’t set hard due dates and stuff just kind of didn’t get done. There are various reasons, and none of them are laziness on my part because you know I’m NEVER not doing some household task. With supplies, I wanted to wait until after the shower to get any leftover stuff that we didn’t receive. Since most people got us cute clothes, bless their hearts, that actually ended up being a lot of functional supplies that are still missing. With some things that need to be done in the nursery and around the house, they require being up on ladders or using power tools or just stuff that Dan can accomplish way more efficiently than I can, so it’s not really up to me when they get done.
And now, here it is. The uncomfortable part of the pregnancy, and I’m all but useless and still so much is left to handle. I don’t care that everybody’s always like “Oh you have PLENTY of time;” I’ve always ignored that in life and end up scrambling less than most people because of ignoring that impulse to procrastinate. But I really wanted to get baby stuff finished way, way ahead of time so that these last few weeks of pregnancy could be spent sipping smoothies and putting my feet up and getting absorbed in a good book. Now that’s out the window, as we have five weeks left and all I see is to-do list items in those five weeks.
As I was sitting there on the couch despairing about a given thing not being done, something else would pop into my head that needed to be done too, and soon it was like there was a battle going on in my head over which one was the most important to do immediately. And it occurred to me that actually we may not even have the five weeks I keep taking for granted. The baby could realistically come at any minute and they’d probably be like “everything looks good, you’re having this baby now.” Ack! One million things to do and all I can get done is rubbing Sophie’s belly (admittedly, a mutually pleasant activity that I don’t do enough).
Eventually I dried it up and rallied. Okay, I need to make a list of things to get done. I went up to my office and did so. Just having the list in RTM and out of my head felt better already, as it always does.
- getting remaining essential baby supplies
- baby shower thank-you notes
- rearrange kitchen cabinets so I can put away baby milk / food supplies we got at the shower
- make or buy some bunting or something cute for the bare nursery wall by the crib
- make a packing list and pack the suitcase to bring to the hospital
- make a vet appointment for Sophie
- paint nails, avoid looking like a hobo clown
- learn how to use Dan’s little video camera so I can take videos of the baby
- finish book I’m reading so I don’t jeopardize the Nook I’m borrowing from Lianna for the rest of her life
- regular household chores that somehow still need to get done when all of this is going onThat list is for me, and doesn’t include things Dan is working on like hanging the baby mobile, hanging remaining art in the nursery, installing car seat bases in our cars, installing the cat door, antiquing some mirrors and installing them in the dining room bar, and oh yeah, the brick patio.
Since I felt so feeble that day I decided to tackle the least athletic things on the list, the first of which was getting the remaining baby supplies. Way more efficient and less soul-sucking than stupid physical retail spaces, Amazon came to the rescue and I ordered the last few things (diapering-related stuff that I don’t want to get from a consignment store or anything). Next up was thank-you notes. Transcribing the gift list into a spreadsheet, then return-address stamping, postage stamping, writing the actual notes while feeling emotional, etc. You see where I was at with the opening sentence of this post. Also the ice cream truck seriously seemed to be circling just our block over and over again. The music was maddening as was the temptation to run outside and demand ice cream. But I still got a lot of thank-you notes done.
When Dan got home from sound board duties at church, I was almost done making dinner and we ate, cleaned up, and he installed the cat door (which Sophie promptly ignored). Then we took a long bath as he read to me from his Expectant Father book. Finally went to sleep feeling much more sane and relaxed.
Yesterday was another hectic one; after an early-morning Common Good RVA meeting followed by work work work, I finished the thank-you notes, then tackled rearranging the kitchen cabinets and putting away baby stuff, finishing it just in time to pick Brandi up and go to Balliceaux for Secretly Y’all (note: laughing and dinner with Brandi are statistically proven to comfort 100% of pregnant Tesses). Before bed, while working on a packing list for the hospital bag, we watched a couple of episodes of the Office.
Today: WORK. And this lunchtime blog post. And tonight, probably packing that bag with all the things that can go into it this early.
This concludes this uncharacteristically panic-filled post. I feel like a mess. But hey, since I get overwhelmed like this so rarely, I figure it’s good to document it for posterity’s sake, right?
Filed under: what's up - May 03, 13
It really has been a great trip. Here’s the view from the roof of the Scholastic building after UserConf today.
Last night I met up with Karen and Talia at the Meatball Shop and had an amazing dinner. It was so nice to catch up with those two and seriously, those meatballs. What a simple and delicious concept. Meatballs, served any way you can possibly want, with veggie options, various sauces, various sides, etc. etc. What a comforting night. I also really enjoyed walking through Chelsea and exploring the neighborhood a bit on this warm spring night.
Sign outside of a menswear shop.
Our pre-dinner dessert at Billy’s Bakery.
UserConf today was probably the best conference I’ve ever been to. Hours of inspiration and practical ideas for support, and it all zipped along so quickly and in such an upbeat fashion. I was still tired by the end of the day, but it’s amazing how they kept the energy going for such a long time. And of course just being around people who are in the same jobs we’re in and facing the same challenges we’re facing was therapeutic.
Later Jim and I had a nice, leisurely dinner at Tre Stelle, which capped off our hectic trip perfectly. We’ll be back on the train early tomorrow morning, and I can’t wait to get home.
Filed under: what's up
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likes / interests:
reading. running. day trips. historical sites. picnics. optical toys. founding fathers. virginia wines. photography. oregon hill. forgiveness. etiquette. yard games. storytelling. arachnids and felines. breakfast. archaeology. crafting. old-school Nintendo, new-school Nintendo. dressing well. making itineraries. garden mazes. holidays. tiny stuff. the old south. gadgets. gardening. cooking. the paranormal. sci-fi. rubber stamps. yoga. receiving handmade cards from friends.online in a million places:
more complete information, descriptions, and what-have-you about the spiderweb of sites I call my "online presence." organized loosely in the order in which they're important to me.
- Main Tumblr -- day-to-day stream of consciousness, phone pics, and general internet goodness.
- Parasol Party -- intermittent life updates (a good place to go for just the basics in what's going on with me).
- The Midnight Society -- adventures in historical sites, graveyards and day-tripping.
- The Shebaylo Times -- the wild, wild journey of renovating a hundred-year-old house in historic Church Hill.
- Unfamiliarize -- more of a "journal" in the old-school sense of the word. includes a lot of thoughts about faith and about seeing the world differently, intentionally.
- Pinterest -- a virtual pinboard for all the images I want to save.
- Flickr -- photography, mostly of cats.
- Instagram -- phone photography! also mostly of cats.
- RVANews -- writing for the best local news site, which includes Richmond Proper (my etiquette column) amongst other things.
- Google+ -- the internet, or at least what I've shared via Google Reader, which is my main way of viewing the internet.
- Delicious -- essential links that I've saved all these years.
- Twitter -- one-liners for those one-line moments.
- Always Midnight -- my Etsy shop, where you can find my handmade hair accessories.
- Goodreads -- books I've read or am reading, including my ratings and reviews.
- Foursquare -- useful for finding your friends on a weekend, or somewhere to eat lunch when you're out of town.
- Facebook -- keeping in touch.
- Letterboxd -- what I've been watching.
- Last.fm -- musical wanderings.
- Etsy Favorites -- objects of desire.
- Likes -- things I've liked, on tumblr.
- LinkedIn -- work-related social networking.
recommendations:
- City Church of Richmond -- flawed but earnest people coming together to get through this thing called life. this is what faith, community, and support look like to me in this town.
- CHAT Richmond -- if you want to invest in the lives of your neighbors, this is a good way to do it. I volunteer as a tutor here.
- Relay Foods -- going to the grocery store wastes time, promotes impulse buying, and stresses me out. this changed everything.
- Regularly scheduled programming -- a list of my favorite feeds and podcasts. this is how I consume information, mostly.
- The weekend guide to Richmond -- this is a few years old now and in need of an update, but still a good way to experience the city if you've only got a weekend.
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Yet, though I am not what I ought to be
nor what I wish to be
nor what I hope to be
I can truly say, I am not what I once was.
– John Newton
