Really missing my little sultan.

Oh, Jiji, I miss you every day. Today, your first birthday since your passing, my heart is filled with sorrow.

I can't stop replaying moments with you in my head.

I keep thinking about you as a tiny kitten, so trusting and clownish, brave beyond wisdom. I will never forget the moment I first held you, clutching you close to my chest as your tiny purr unlocked a part of my heart that I didn't even know was there before I met you.

As you grew, so did your needs, but I didn't care. You were my baby, my black bundle of joy, and nothing you needed could ever be too much. Your personality and charm always far exceeded any minor inconvenience required to keep you healthy. Having you around was like having a really gorgeous, slightly judgmental friend with a razor sharp wit and an ultra-magnetic personality. I love the way you would put your paws up on my leg and yell at me when you wanted something. I always loved that you knew that if I whispered your name, you would get treats when the other cats wouldn't, and that you knew to be cool about it an keep it on the DL. I treasure the relationship we had, and I contend that you understood English better than most animals.

When you got really sick last summer, I was so scared. I just wanted you to be ok, and I wanted to take away the hurt. So many vet visits. So many phone calls. So many people touching you, examining you, giving me information. So many tears, so much worry. I have to laugh a little, looking back, at your surgeon telling me it was my fault you had such a diva attitude with her staff. I knew you must have been feeling awful, because you were usually a fabulous vet patient. I don't regret spoiling you one bit, my little prince, my fluffy sultan. You were a miraculous sparkling jewel in my eyes, and you still are.

I remember remarking how, after you had recovered from surgery, you were happier than I had seen you in a long time. I didn't know it was your swan song, but I am so, so grateful for those last few weeks we had with you. Your playful, demanding personality was there again, full force, after a long time of being dulled by discomfort. It was awesome in the truest sense, seeing the colorful boy in the dark fur come back to us. I thank my lucky stars every day that we had that time together.

I hate that you were taken from us so suddenly, but I can't help but be thankful that you saved us from having to make the terrible decision regarding your fate.

I will always have a hole in my heart the shape of a cat with no tail. You made your human father love cats. You made me realize what it really means to care for another creature and how rewarding it can be. I know I will never forget you, because I think about you all the time. Thank you for being my baby.

I dreamed of Jiji last night.

I never posted about it here, but our darling little sultan Jiji passed away last October, in the midst of all the house closing craziness. It was of course extremely rough, and I still miss our baby. I think about how he never got to see our new home and enjoy the expanded space. I think about the way he would look at me with an expression of utter understanding and how it seemed like he was somehow more of our equal than our pet. I feel so sad some days, but I am also so grateful that we were the lucky parents chosen for him. He enriched our lives in ways I never anticipated.

Last night, I dreamed he was in the new house with us, sitting on the loveseat in the living room. I couldn't believe my eyes. There were other people there, and after staring at my gorgeous boy in disbelief for some time, I asked the other people in the room if they could see him. They said they could and agreed it was miraculous, and I knelt by the loveseat and stroked his face and leaned in to kiss his head.

That's all I remember. Whispering that I loved him and missed him, looking at those beautiful eyes of his.

I miss you every day, Jiji.

A/C: Still on the Fritz

Our house is literally hot as Hades.

We are working to get it fixed.

I don't mind it so much, but Brian and the cats are going to rebel soon.

Several Months in the New House...

... and it is bliss.

I want to spend all my time in our lovely abode. I love being there. I love making our life there. I love cuddling our cats there. I love love love this house. It's my dream come true to have this place, our place, with our decor and our rooms and our crazy stuff.. Heavenly.

We officially started living there in January, and though there was a bit of semi-painful back and forth to the apartment after that to get it cleared out, I now am so happy every time I pull into the driveway and open our door.

We have so many projects left to work on - and I'm so excited about the evolution Wisdom House is going to enjoy!

"Have you moved in yet?"

This is the question I get asked roughly a dozen times a day by well-intentioned co-workers and casual acquaintances. I know they are expecting me to say "Yes, and it's awesome!" and they kind of look at me suspiciously when I say "Not yet -- still getting it ready."

I think most people do not do their own painting and renovating. Because if they did, they would know it takes forever! I mean, I'm still working my usual job and my volunteer job, so all we have are evenings and weekends.

Still, we ARE making progress, I swear! The living and dining rooms are almost done. I honestly feel like all other rooms should go much faster, because they are smaller. Even the kitchen might be a speedier endeavor (I hope).

Here is my beloved cutting in the ceiling paint around our foyer light fixture. That foyer is a tricky space. I really like split levels, but the little landing at the doorway makes for some interesting challenges when you're painting. Poor Frey is leaning semi-precariously back from the ladder (one day, I will post the story of how we bought this ladder, which is a hilarious nightmare) to get the job done.

I am so, so tired of taping. Still, it's the responsible thing to do, especially when you're as sloppy a painter as I am. Here's the door to the deck, and all its many window spaces, in fully taped-out glory.

Tricia stopped by to help! It turns out, she is a cabinet-peeling sensei. She managed to peel several door and drawer fronts off in complete unbroken pieces. If only that were a marketable specialty skill... still, she shows the pride of a job well done.

Let's talk about that hammered silver paint. Finish-wise, it is both the bomb and the diggity. Working with it, though, is trying. It is beyond fumetacular. I had a serious headache after finishing the fireplace, door and windows, even with proper ventilation. Still, it's just so preeeeeeeetttty:

Oh, banister, I have been putting you off for too long. I'm not going to lie - I have been DREADING painting this thing. So many nooks and crannies. And that trim goes down to the lower level, so I have to clean the stairs to get it all painted. (That darn Andrea, our cleaning maven, is overseas for work. What about MY needs?)

As things stand now, the banister has gotten two coats of paint, and needs some touch-ups.

Have I mentioned how much the purple we chose changes tone depending on how the light hits it? This next picture is a great example. The area at the top of the photo looks like it has an almost magenta cast to it, while the bottom appears to have the cooler tone of blueberry yogurt. Same paint! I suppose it's fitting that our Halloween-inspired rooms have a certain Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde quality.

Those stairs will be black, too, but we are using a high-gloss paint in those areas, vs. the semi-gloss going on the trim.

Have I mentioned how much I love having our Haunted Mansiony vision come to fruition? Every time I walk into the house, I sigh with happiness. I am always thrilled to see the last thing we finished in a new light the next day as each step becomes part of the overall effect. I know our design style is not for everyone, but there's no debating that it's impactful. I adore our "modern Victorian" aesthetic, and I can't wait to live in it all the time.

Warning: I suspect I will continue to wax rhapsodic at an ever-increasing pace as we get more and more done on the house. As I type this, it occurs to me that's kind of like constantly complimenting myself on design choices.

Nice.

The Black-Out Continues

So, we're getting trim in the living and dining room taken care of, and I am thankful. I'm so tired of trim! I also got all the hallway doors painted - finally!

This is the view of the upstairs hallway now that I've banished all the white. Squeeeee!

I kind of love the purple and the aqua with the black.

AND, last night's exciting development - the first coat of hammered silver on the fireplace:

I'll confess, I should have done this after I taped ALL the doors and windows that need this silver treatment. But frankly, it's been a rough few months, and anything I can do to add some sparkle and fun is aok. The paint-on version of this paint (I had previously only used the spray variety) is just as fumey as the spray. And all this time I thought it was the propellants making it stinky.

As we see the finish line for the main living areas, our thoughts turn to the next daunting task: the kitchen.

Brian took a peek at the cabinet doors, and after a little fiddling, discovered that they come off pretty easily.

Take THAT, cabinet door! One down, 25 to go!

Loads of changes.

It's been a bit since I've posted, and there have been a lot of developments, both in life and in the house.

After three years with Cartoon Network, I was laid off the Friday before Thanksgiving, exactly three weeks after we closed on the house. Sigh. I am still riding the roller coaster of reactions and emotions. Right now seems to be the angry and resentful portion of the ride. I'm hoping it passes quickly. On the upside, working at the house always makes me feel better.

Here's what's been happening:

Painting the ceiling is more or less complete. We still have a few cut-ins to do, but otherwise the textured nightmare is over for now. Here's an action shot of me attempting to get some coverage in the foyer:

The purple goes on...

...and on and on...

Somewhere along the line, we discover that the factory finish on the kitchen cabinets peels off quite easily.

Once this discovery was made and we decided to go ahead and peel them all, peeling became everyone's go-to activity when they needed a painting break.

Then, the black out began. Still working hard to obliterate any and all signs of white.

The fireplace is going to get a hammered silver/pewter finish, as will the windows. That will be one of the very last things we do in the living and dining rooms.




The view of the dining room from the living room, which shows our black wall. It will get a little Oogie Boogie magic before long.

There's been some significant progress in the trim and doors department as well, so look for pics in the next update!