the life of Riley

No, that was not Earth I fell off of. I just moved to Mars.

2012-09-19T17:27:00.002-04:00

Hi all-

I think it is time for an update. What do you think? First up...

Life

Since I last wrote after Easter in early April (ahem) a many wonderful and terrifying things have occurred. In mid-April Nate and I were shocked, blessed and indescribably happy to find out that we were expecting after being told by my doctor that it would take a loooong time for us to get pregnant (you don't have to do the math...I am 24 weeks pregnant!) And now we expectantly await the arrival of our daughter who is due on January 7! Hence the lengthy absence and panic you might be sensing over the computer...

Round these parts, we affectionately refer to this sweet profile as Peaches...

Our summer was pretty standard with a family beautiful wedding, time at the lake, renovations and lots of work. Below is Nate's beautiful sister and her hunk of a husband.

We visited Boston and Maine at the beginning of September where Nate somehow convinced this girl...

...to climb this vertical mountain trail...aptly named the Precipice Trail.

Please do not tell my doctor. She will kill me. But to make up for it Nate fed her lots of yummy food for 10 days...I ate a chocolate croissant for breakfast at least 5 of those 10 days. Worth it.

Presently, we spend most of our time placing bets on whether the house will be livable by the time Peaches arrives. Well, Nate spends a lot of time painting while I lounge on the front porch drinking Mai Tai's. I wish. Which leads us to the house...

Renovation

Since April we have...

1. Installed an irrigation system in the front yard

2. Landscaped round 1 of front yard

3. Installed sod with the help of Nate's college roommate, Uncle Danny (They also sanded all the floors upstairs that weekend...troopers)

4. Had 12 weeks of lead paint stripping fun on the exterior of our house...and a new paint job

Our primer white front door makes my eyes burn..
5. New gutters (see above)
6. One layer of floor paint on upstairs floors

7. Refinished a cast iron claw foot tub for the upstairs bath

8. Had an army of Sittema's painting away in our living room, dining room and a room upstairs. They have us on our way to normalcy. (Pictures soon!)

And now I am exhausted...more coming up soon! Hint: the dusty tile next to the tub is going in the upstairs bath!

I'm pretty sure Caleb found his doppelganger

2012-04-20T12:18:00.000-04:00

Round face, blue eyes, jolly laugh...yep, those two McElveen boys are definitely of the same blood!

Some photos from Easter weekend in Charleston! Rather picturesque...You might be wondering to yourself, "What is she? (Melissa)"...well the verdict is still out but we could use some of that chocolate-y tan skin in our family.

The whole family

Seriously Nate? It was such a good picture...no matter, you can be cropped out.

Pudge and his parents...

Tired of reading about stairs? This is whats happening around our house...

Nate spent about two weeks building a swinging daybed for our front porch. He used a router and mortise and tenon joints... this is the real deal folks, just a few more finishing nails and one more coat of paint! Feel free to come lounge upon it very soon! I have been sewing up a storm, making outdoor pillows and a fitted sheet to cover the twin mattress that sits in the bottom.

Our front steps and walkway have been done for about a month now...oops? Forgot to tell y'all. They are just beautiful. Our ah-mazing contractor (who is the reason we now have time to build daybeds and sew) found the perfect brick pavers...not those wimpy pavers that are about 1.5" thick, these babies are about 3" thick. They look old, which we like...see below.

We have been battling bamboo and ivy in the backyard...sometimes winning...other times not. Those bamboo shoots are stubborn. I think Nate has put in 40+ hours back there.

As I write, the guys are finishing up putting on our new roof and up next is PAINT!

Stairs, stairs, everywhere

2012-03-02T10:20:00.000-05:00

Front steps are looking good, but everytime I go out there to take an iPhone shot the workers seem to get nervous...so I don't. Maybe I can sneek one in later. Inside the house the handrail is up and running, just patching and priming left to do! The stairs need a good deep cleaning before they get painted...maybe a painted runner until the construction settles down.

Perhaps something like this?

In other news, we are lovin the 80 degree weather...especially Reacher, who enjoys sunbathing.

My nephew Caleb is beefing up for his sumo career...

At about 2 1/2 months I think he has a large leg up on his competition. Have you ever seen such delicious rolls? I can't stop laughing when I see this picture.

I love how they painted this wall at the David Sutherland showroom in Houston...inexpensive and graphic.

Until later folks!

There is a gaping hole in my front yard

2012-02-27T17:52:00.000-05:00

They began the demo of our front steps today...

And we now have a hole where our front steps once were. During the excavation they found the footings for the original cheek walls...that bobcat is making quite the racket outside my window. Oh yea, that is a porch handrail that you see in the photo below! We have so much to catch up on, but I seem to have misplaced the charger and cord that transfers the photos to the computer. When I told Nate that, he just smiled and said he wasn't surprised. Yay for conditioning husbands!

This morning...

2012-02-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

...I asked Miguel to move all the new spindles in my new handrail 1". I'm a subcontractor's worst nightmare. Photos later.

(semi) renovation progress

2012-02-18T13:42:00.000-05:00

A mostly photo-story of our house...

Yay! No more worthless upper cabinets! Boo...kitchen still a disaster...

dining room primed

ahhhmazing custom hand-rail for stairs is in!! Goes in Monday!

Hallway was primed, then the plaster repair touched up, now needs another primer coat...can lights, smoke detectors, outlets (upstairs) are all in...too bad we have no fixtures to put up :)

Trim work underway on columns of stairs...

Upstairs is about 70% primed...

February was a big month. Nate turned 26 (yesterday), I turned 25, and I started a new job (why I have officially disappeared from here). Looking forward to warmer weather, longer days, and progress on the house. I'll check back in soon...

Lights, bathroom, crazy-train

2012-01-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

I began this blog to help me corral my hair-brained, crazy train thoughts. When functioning in multiple universes (as my dad refers to my mom...it is absolutely genetic...craziness, that is), and as the wife of an extroverted, dreamer husband who would talk to a brick wall if it talked back, I need an outlet that allows me string my thoughts together. I miss that. Somewhere along the way this blog became about me speaking out to the world (just bloggers, actually) and I began subconsciously lobbying for more followers, hits per day, and honorable mentions. All this to say, I really do want to keep blogging. So things might get messier around here as I revert to stream of consciousness.

I love the moulding in this space by Kelly Wearstler...

We will be painting the wood floors upstairs so I have been gathering tutorials on how to do it...here, here, and here. The floors are soft pine that have seen better days, entire sections have been pulled up (I think to wire some of the rooms downstairs...we like it ghetto 'round these parts).

I've been gathering inspiration for our "kids" bath upstairs.

Floor.

Feels like a room, not a bath...

Handy-dandy storage...

Paneling... and those are all the hints you get - because that is all I know.

I can't get the "sexy and I know it" song out of my head. My cute, innocent sister-in-law to be sent the LMFAO music video to Travis a while back, and it simultaneously makes me want to puke in a shoe and giggle. Look it up if you dare. I was going to put the link here, but YouTube has deemed it inappropriate for all audiences and you might have to sign up to see it. Too much hassel.

Meanwhile the saga to find three light fixtures to hang in our newly raised hallway continues. Meet the contenders: first up is the crowd favorite...

Cirque by Urban Electric Co.

And really there is no competition.

She said "yes", he said "wow"

2012-01-19T10:28:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my little brother proposed to his lobster (who can name it and doesn't think I am totally batty?)! We could not be more excited about adding Melissa to our family! The secret has been killing us softly for the past few months but it was so worth it...

Aren't they just a beautiful couple? After the proposal, we spent the weekend getting to know Melissa's family at the lake. We bonded while waiting for Travis to arrive at the lake house with Melissa. We were instant family. Baby Caleb even went for his first hike (and loved it).

Yay for weddings!

Pink for a change

2012-01-17T15:02:00.000-05:00

Nothing softens the scourge of winter like a bright dose of pink!

I made this. It delighted our taste buds. You should make it, too.

2012-01-09T19:45:00.000-05:00

I could say that one of my New Year's resolutions is that I am going to be a more frequent, devoted blogger...but that probably won't happen. I have resolved to make an effort to eat local, visiting the farmer's market across the street, AND I am learning to cook intuitively and simply. Much of this new vision for our eating comes from the book I am re-reading for at least the 6th time....wait for it...Under the Tuscan Sun. (And the documentary, Ingredients) Don't mock. It is nothing like the laughable movie by the same name. This book is amazing.

I digress. This recipe is neither intuitive or very simple but it is splendid. Worth every penny and every hour it took to make. Make a note to yourself: if I make this dish for you I must really, really adore you.

P.S. This may be the most ghetto thing I have ever done on this blog. As soon as I realized that I had to type the recipe out, I began regretting it...keepin' it classy.

YUM.

Back to Under the Tuscan Sun - my favorite part this time around:

Southerners have a gene, as yet undetected in the DNA spirals, that causes them to believe that place is fate. Where you are is who you are. The further inside you the place moves, the more your identity is intertwined with it. Never casual, the choice of place is the choice of something you crave.

More jaw-dropping fire screen options

2011-12-20T14:41:00.000-05:00

Fire screens by John Lyle Design

Have you ever seen a fire screen like the one below? Amazing.

I'm loving...

2011-12-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

These fire screens by Philip Nimmo Ironworks...

Introducing the newest (smallest) McElveen

2011-12-19T11:21:00.000-05:00

Caleb Reese was born last night at 10:14 PM! He is so precious and such a blessing to our family! Way to go Reese and Linds, you did good.

"D" is for drywall

2011-12-18T19:16:00.001-05:00

As I write this we sit in Greenville waiting for baby Caleb to arrive! In fact, my parents just hightailed it over to the hospital. Busy is the word of the week with finishing up work, Caleb, the casa and traveling for Christmas. If I were president, I would make today through the new year a national holiday. No workin' just eatin'.

On Saturday the drywall was (almost) finished upstairs and this week there will be more of the same.

Post-church, Nate and I laid a concrete bed for our new hearth. We said that it is good we decided to head to Greenville because it just forced us to do it. No more thinking about it. (Apparently, Nate spent Saturday counting, re-counting, pressure washing and re-counting the bricks we will be using to make sure we had enough... such a planner). We actually found all of the bricks laying around our property in random places.

Before laying some Quikcrete (we just discussed how that word should be spelled), Nate spent a day re-enforcing the hearth from below with some concrete blocks.

In other news. I can't stop looking at this office done by Kelly Wearstler...well mostly just that painting.

I'll introduce my newest nephew once he arrives!

Sleigh bells and big bellies and insulation...

2011-12-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

We went to the lumber yard very early this morning (they are doing a custom handrail for our new fancy- schmancy stairs (photos below!!)) and on the way home Nate told me, "I like it when you're on coffee." ON it. Like a drug. I, also, like it when I am on coffee.

Coffee literally makes the sun brighter. My thoughts...
I am now officially obsessed with Vampire Diaries. That's what I do instead of blogging these days...Nate told me that I had to stop watching it because I woke up screaming one time. You would have screamed too if Nate had been trying to touch you with his bloody leg stump that was taken off in a scary supernatural manner. Yes, you would have screamed. I am always a sleep talker/walker. Nate overreacts and tells me I am annoying, Reacher just groans and pushes me further away with his legs.

Christmas is 12 days away. I am officially done with my Christmas shopping, boooyah.

My newest nephew seems to be on the way. I think his official due date is now Christmas Eve. Poor buddy. I tried to find a picture where you can see Lindsay's cute baby bump, but it is almost impossible to perceive in photos....but I know Linds doesn't feel that way in person! Mom, Dad, Reese and Linds in Oklahoma last week at Reese's graduation from Orthodontics residency/school. Yay!

Back at the ranch things are a-happenin'.
By the end of the week there will be insulation and drywall upstairs, along with a myriad of other things! We will be able to use heat...translation: y'all feel free to come visit next week! They also took down the half wall around the staircase and we will be getting grown up railings and such.
Some photo story-telling...

Keep you posted.

Let the fiesta continue

2011-12-02T17:23:00.001-05:00

The fiesta in my living room that is.

This week our house was once again filled with worker bees as we renovated our fireplaces (not a literal we...we have mad skillz but not that mad). They were in serious need of repair with crumbling fireboxes and flues. We bit the bullet and went ahead with the $$$ fixes because it's one of the reasons we bought it in the first place and we were going to do it at some point anyway so why not now. Take a look. We no longer have to block them off as safety hazards and energy sucks....Just remembered that we DO have a safety hazard...see the giant gaping canyon in front of the pretty new firebox?

We had them remove the buckling hearth and now have to reinforce it from below before laying a new one...if you give a mouse a cookie...Now, of truly garish nature, our master fireplace. The shoddily laid pink marble surround is going away along with its interesting mantle, but the firebox is oh-so-pretty. The guys were able to add another 8-10 inches to the depth. What a happy surprise!

And from outside: they built up the chimney to code, new flues, liners, cap, dampeners...the works. Some of those words were probably made up in my mind.

I see some of you are still jealous of our Tar Heel blue house...but as Clemson alum it turns our blood to ice. Sorry, little bro (UNC alumni), its gotta go.

And the porch?

Almost there.

Wired and ready to go for outdoor speakers, two fans, and two receptacles (plugs for us SC folk).

Remember what it looked like before??

Still in the pipeline are our front steps and new walkway (we have to meet with the Historical Society to be approved), drywall hopefully by mid- January, insulate upstairs, reinstall moulding, paint hardwood floors upstairs, paint downstairs...overwhelmed, so I'm stopping.

In other news, there have been some seriously fun finds recently...

I got this onesie Troy wall sconce from Habitat for $100...retails for $567. He has a future home, but not a current one. And is wonderfully large in person.

And this table lamp for $180...retails for $840. Shazam.

Mom got an amazing pair of sconces but I can't find them from any of our vendors and no mo' iPhone means no pictures on hand.

I have been exhaustively searching for the perfect fabric for our lake house drapes, picky I might be...and it is a lake house so we don't want to break the bank. Today I found this Oscar de la Renta fabric and it will be perfect...it has a hand-made folksy look and beautiful colors. I may just have to go buy the rest of the lot tomorrow before work.

We are making one pesto, fresh mozzarella, tomato and pepperoni pizza tonight...it will change your life.

P.S. I am a professional run-on sentence maker. It would make my awesome Aunt Tracey (and little brother) cringe and turn blue, so don't let them read it, Hannah. Just pictures. We don't use sentences in my profession, or math. Calculus was a waste.

It's an Etsy holiday

2011-12-01T11:07:00.000-05:00

Check out the Luxe girls (me included) top Etsy picks for the holiday on our blog...

Note to self

2011-11-30T17:52:00.000-05:00

1) The find my iPhone feature on iCloud only works if your phone is still alive
2) Next time you're in a car accident make sure you walk away with your vehicle's registration...not the other guy's.
3) Try getting a tangible paper calendar, iCal and all other systems with the "i" in front of them seem to have it out for you...but who really cares about appointments.
4) 100 year old, uninsulated homes are really quite chilly
5) Despite the energy savings, turning your water heater from "Very Hot" to merely "Hot" when your house hovers in the 50 degree range is just plain stupidity.
6) When all of the fluorescent light bulbs that hang above your plastic drop ceiling finally burn out, try replacing them...you can really only tell if the chicken is fully cooked when the lights are on.
7) NC State Vehicle Inspections are legit, please do them in a timely manner.
8) Front headlights are expensive.
9) Cockroaches are unfazed by hairspray...and room spray. Only husbands can do the trick.
10) When you and your husband fight over who gets the dog on their side you have reached a new low...turn on the heat and get a king sized bed.

Porch, ceiling, great finds

2011-11-18T17:07:00.000-05:00

I was trying so hard to be a bit more consistent with my posts, but this week just sent us for a loop. School, work, house, work, school...you know. Good news... I'm 99.9% done with my project for school (due the week after Thanksgiving, man, I love being ahead of schedule).

Last weekend. We had several helpers with the front porch project...here is where we started:

Nate took the "siding" that had been added when they first lowered the porch floor off. The term "siding" can mean anything we have learned. In our case it was particleboard. Crumbly. Yuck.

Dan and Nate got started removing the flooring that need to go and tearing down most of the steps. After consulting with a good friend, who is also a contractor, we decided to build the new porch on top of the existing one.

You can see in this photo how the original porch floor came up to the front door and the current level of the newer porch floor.

After removing the particle board siding, Nate added that plastic stuff (really, it's called that) in case water came up towards the house. Like rain. Or giant snow drifts as Daniel pointed out...because of those mad blizzards we get here in North Carolina. You know.

Next, they began framing up the new porch floor. We had the help of an awesome guy who has worked in construction before. We would have a crooked porch without Chris.

This is where we ended on day one...look at all of our happy helpers...at least two of them were very, strangely excited...HUGE thanks to all of our worker-bees!

On day two, Nate and Chris finished the framing and began rocking the porch flooring.

And this is what it looked like at the end of day two...and today for that matter. Sorry, the photo might make you feel like you are riding one of those giant swinging pirate ships at the state fair...

Muuuch better, wouldn't you say? Hopefully, we will get the rest of it finished this weekend.

It's amazing what a couple of inches can do for the proportions of a home.

Yesterday my mom came up and cleaned our house for an entire day. She must love us or something. Thanks mom! Then today we went all over Charlotte and got some amazing finds! Will share those with you soon! Nate's home from work, gotta jet!

Ah-mazing, how does she do it?

2011-11-14T08:07:00.000-05:00

Jenny on Little Green Notebook has once again pulled a stunning DIY out of her back pocket...This woman has some serious patience! Check out what she made and how she did it.

Say it ain't so

2011-11-12T09:14:00.002-05:00

And that is our inside temperature...

Design Shuffle Guest Post :: Eight Vintage Chic Rooms

2011-11-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to have our first guest post here on The Life of Riley. When the ladies at Design Shuffle contacted me about doing a guest post I was thrilled...fodder for my readers who are tired of pictures of our creaky, old house! Have a great weekend...don't forget about Nate and his carpentry venture...I'll take many photographs.

.................................................................................................................................................

Hi, I'm Susi, a writer for Design Shuffle, a fantastic social media site that showcases designers and their projects from around the world. I love following the house renovation on The Life of Riley so I'm excited to be a guest blogger here. My post today is about eight vintage chic rooms that range from sophisticated to shabby, with one thing in common: gorgeous vintage style and great decorating ideas. I hope you enjoy!

Vintage pieces and a chic cool pastel color palette are gorgeous in this eating area. The vintage half dome light is perfect above the round top of the Tulip table.

This chic black, white and pink room is full of vintage pieces. A set of white painted vintage chairs around a Tulip table makes for a chic dining space.

A vintage mirror and vintage botanic prints against zebra patterned wall paper make for a chic vintage room. Other vintage touches like a tortoiseshell patterned coffee table add to the vintage chic look.

This living room design is so chic with its mix of vintage pieces. A vintage bar cart and a vintage black & white photograph gives the room a cool Mad Man chicness. Interior design ideas reminiscent of that era are so popular right now.

This guest room/home office is a gorgeous example of mixing vintage pieces and interesting textiles for a chic look. The eclectic looking space is full of vintage chic charm from the desk chair to the daybed to the art.

With the trend of thrifty chic right now, mixing in vintage thrift store and flea market finds with new pieces is all the rage. A vintage chair, light and birdcage give this living room a chic look.
This home office is filled with chic vintage finds set against a gorgeous bright blue wallpaper. The eclectic mix of furnishings and accessories could be called effortlessly chic interior design.
For a vintage chic look that is has a touch of shabby chic, look for vintage pieces that show their age. Vintage floral paintings add a feminine style to this pretty bedroom design. [ Images 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / †5 / †6 / 7 / 8 ] Do you have any vintage pieces you can incorporate into your home? Find some great vintage ideas at Design Shuffle and learn about the history of interior design!

It was inevitable...

2011-11-10T08:27:00.000-05:00

We decided late last night to go ahead and raise our hallway ceiling a foot from its 8'6". Duh. I don't know why I was so hesitant from the beginning to just go ahead and do it right. "Do It Right." That's our motto...although it seems to be pushing our kitchen renovation back entire years instead of months. Oh well. More time to plan where the spices go. And so, we are going from this...

And now this...

...to it's original grandeur...or almost.

Today the foundation was repointed by our mason...no pictures because it isn't exactly thrilling stuff. PLUS. I have a real bone to pick with those in power that declared Daylight Savings...HATE IT. I'm going to bed at 9:00 PM and waking up early...early for me, that is. My point is that it is dark when I get home from work so I cannot show you the handiwork.

Our front steps should be in the works soon, as well as our electrician rewiring the upstairs, the chim-chimney man fixing the chimney for a hot buck and Nate is tackling restoring our front porch floor to its original level this weekend...wish him oodles of carpentry luck...

I started this post last night and do not remember what else I was going to tell you. I do know that I love a cold, grey fall morning when all the leaves just pop with color and are falling. Beautiful.

When I can't see past the piles of dust I think of this...

2011-11-08T15:43:00.000-05:00

Beautiful moulding....where can I put it? Future 1/2 bath?

I have design paralysis

2011-11-05T13:32:00.000-04:00

The most stressful part of our renovation thus far has been the feeling that someone is standing behind my shoulder whispering in my ear that it is time. That someone is Nate, and he is whispering that it is time for me to make some freakin' long-term design decisions about the house. What? He wants me to buy furniture? Paint? How on earth can someone with the design world at their fingertips pick what they want to live with long term?

Design paralysis.

Here is where we are so far...

This fabric will become the window treatments in our bedroom. It is silky, luxurious, multi-dimensional. Nate's response was "It's sheen-y". Yes. There is a bit of sheen but it will rock.

And for the walls and trim: BM Iron Mountain.

It will be dark and lovely...sort of like me right, honey? And the ceiling? BM Candle White

Not really as pink as it seems. This could change. We want to do a sparkly chandelier...vintage or antique...but I do love this one, too:

Our hope is that the room will be a balance of masculine and feminine...we will see, we will see.

On the lookout for:

Maple, mahogany highboy...preferably antique. I want that warm old glow to it.

Two vintage benches/stools to be reupholstered to go under the windows so we can toss our clothes on them.

New lamps

Bedside tables

OK. On the lookout for a lot apparently.

Other than those decisions I have paralysis.

I have to choose whether or not I want fixtures or can lights in our hallway...I want fixtures.

In other news...my (Nate's) awesome cousin just moved here from Dallas and we are so excited to have her! This is a picture from her welcome to Charlotte breakfast this morning (she is not in the photo, but look at that cute kid candy!)

Is anyone else out there counting down until Breaking Dawn comes out? You know me and my tween books and movies. This morning we (no, not Nate) made plans for a very adult, sophisticated evening watching it at the MEZ. I already looked to see if I could buy tickets yet...I can't. But its in my iCal.