Stages

As we wrap up our third week of renovation in our new Boise home, I continue to look back upon a "kitchen" renovation we were in the midst of just a year ago.

We learned so much from that job, and it was truly one of the most creatively interesting endeavors Scott and I have ever completed as Casa Creations.

It is with great joy that we get to celebrate with our friends as their beautifully unique kitchen (plus so much more) is highlighted in the Spring edition of Stages Mississippi!

The article can be found at the website link below (then on pages 54 and 55):

http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=289640#{"issue_id":289640,"page":56}


Wish we had a kitchen like that!  At least we've got part of an island. And flooring. Boxes and boxes of flooring :)

Old West

I took these pictures in downtown Boise in 2009.

The "Old West" feeling accentuates the rustic charm of this picturesque, small city center.


My fascination with the West, fed by many long roadtrips along I-40 and I-70 over the years, will definitely be satisfied in our explorations of this historic frontier area.



When we purchased our home, I loved that it is located just off of a street called War Bonnet. This immediately invokes a Wild West theme. Colorful headdresses worn by Indians caught up in a war dance...

We live on Silver Spur Avenue, the name reminiscent to a snazzy, cowboy accessory. On walks with Dulce, we've explored the streets surrounding us:  Rawhide, Chaps, Saddlehorn, Sundance, Thunder Mountain, Mojave, Ambush, Maverick, Carbine, Packsaddle, Stetson, Conestoga, Arrowhead Way, and Pony Drive. A neighborhood that John Wayne would have been proud to call home :)

Recycle

I love recycling! Not so much the compiling of plastics, metals and glass in neat little bins (which we do get to do here in Boise!), but the reclaiming of vintage or dated items and repurposing them for a new life.

I dabbled in it some in Yazoo, often taking the castoffs of clients or neighbors and selling them online or at my little booth downtown (which I miss!). There were some exciting sales--like the boxes of Coca-Cola paraphernalia that found its way into a local collector's stash and the dusty old book (written by William Faulkner's grandfather) from Mrs. Wilburn's home library that ended up in the University of Virginia's Faulkner collection.

 I enjoyed working on the occasional vintage travel trunk, ornate mantle, antique sewer and Japanese tea chest found at estate sales. Researching historic or odd items and discovering their value was always a fascinating process. Working with older clients who were seeking to downsize was a special and often tender process as I learned the personal, sweet stories of how a certain item came into their possession.

Doing an entire estate sale—one of my last challenges in Yazoo—was an exhilarating experience! For days, I discussed and met with buyers whose eyes lit up as they walked into the house; they had come on a treasure hunt, and none of them left empty handed. I learned stories from both sides—neighbors stopped in to tell stories of the sweet little lady who had once lived there and ended up taking home a piece of her special home collection; others came with stories of what they needed or desired—a piano for their little girls to start lessons on, kitchen supplies to replace what they had lost in a house fire, and unique pieces to make a daughter’s new college apartment feel homey.

Right now, we’re working on our new home. The entire downstairs is completely gutted and we will finally begin the process of recreating the space as we’d like it. After 35 years, this house is getting a serious facelift.

But part of the process, for us, is to keep as much as we can out of a landfill.

The cabinets were the first to go—to a sweet couple who plan to resurface and install them in their own kitchen renovation. Another couple came by and helped us pull up about 400 square feet of coral-colored carpet which will now insulate the floor of their garage.

Old light fixtures, laminate countertops and even the cast iron sink will get to go and live somewhere new. And along the way, we’ve made some new friends—many of whom are transplants to Boise themselves.

I guess it's no surprise that the motto for our business is "Once was old, now repaired, good as new." We love seeing things get a fresh start. Call it reclaiming, reincarnation or recycling; it's all good.

Faith

"There are people who believe only so far as they understand--
          that seems to me presumptuous and sets their understanding
                         as the standard of the universe."  (Woodrow Wilson)

Renovación!

Day 3 in house.

So, that classy kitchen with the cool chrome pin-striped cabinets... gone!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Those cabinets were unique... and now they belong to someone else (thank you, Craigslist!).

We are loving our house; it has some very familiar qualities--large window walls and lots of light, lofted ceilings and much wood, some classy or possibly dated vintage elements, room for entertaining --all the things we love!

The plan for the kitchen:  a huge island, an open-concept flow, and lots of lighting (recessed, under-cabinet, some cool island pendants).

View from the once-separated-dining room :)
That's Scott having a coffee-break; he's earned it!!!

Home Sweet Home

We spent our first night in our new casa last night! We're mostly camping right now, only moving in enough things to get us through the first phase of renovation. But we're off to a great start!!!

Day 1 included all of the important set-ups:  Cable internet and TV and our new washer and dryer delivered and set up for free by Lowes!!! My fellow Yazooans can appreciate that statement.

We love being less than 3 miles from Lowes. Scott and I get giddy every time we drive home from Lowes and comment again to ourselves at how amazing it is to be soooo close to our home away from home. Three times already in the past 48 hours.

And then there's Wal-mart. Right next door to Lowes. In our wildest dreams, we hardly imagined such convenience! In fact, it may be a little too convenient. Every time I walk in a Wal-mart, I'm reminded of Vonetta (one of my college BFs) who grew up in Kenya. She told me that Wal-mart was really overwhelming because it had so. much. stuff. But, that's exactly what we need--sheets, pillows, trash cans, detergents and soaps of all kinds, towels, etc! All the things we need to make this house a home.

Caucus

As we watch the Iowa caucus tonight like one might watch the Superbowl, Scott and I contemplate what the past four years have brought us:

We chose our future home and imagined our move here--four years ago. On a pleasant July evening, sitting on the riverside patio at Eagle, ID's Bella Aquila, we enjoyed a fabulous Italian meal and decided we would make Boise our home. We had fallen in love with the town, the landscape, the outdoor lifestyle and adventure possibilities, the friendly people who inhabit this healthy, growing metropolis.

Today, we went and signed final papers on our new home, and laughed at the location of the signing office. As fate would have it, it was EXACTLY right next door (and literally in the same building) to the Bella Aquila restaurant that we sat at that path-determining night.

We didn't know how long it would take; I think that if we'd had our way, we would have packed up our belongings and moved that year. I'm so thankful that's not how it worked out. In the past four years, we have lived a very special chapter of life.

We began our renovations business Casa Creations and were blessed with the wonderful experience of completing so many amazing projects, mostly working with people we were already very close to. Our jobs created deeper relationships with friends, clients and our community; those four years were an amazing opportunity to work and grow as a couple and business.

We enjoyed long visits and trips with our family and grandgirls in Georgia; I love all of the memories we've made during Spring Break and summer vacation time together!!! More than anything, these relationships made the past four years so incredibly special.

God blessed us with friendships in our church and community that enriched our life more than I ever could have imagined. It's hard to imagine that we will ever love a life and home more than we loved our life and home in Yazoo City, but as God gives me little reminders of the inspired decision we made four years ago, I have to believe that He has even greater things in store.