Let there be Period Reproduction Lighting!

Saturday was a long day.
Believe it or not, this is the short version:

We got started around 10am by sanding some drywall patching that I had done earlier in the week. Then we painted the Dining Room/Kitchen ceiling with a classy flat white paint. Then it was off to the hardware store for some wiring, etc. Then it was up to the attic for some electrical work. Then it was back down to the Dining Room to punch a new hole in the ceiling and more electrical work.
Time to install our new fixture. The first time we hooked it up, something about my wiring scheme tripped the circuit breaker. Back to the hardware store for moral support and special light bulbs. Upon hooking the fixture up a second time, still no luck. A third trip to the hardware store for a new dimmer switch (we had decided that during the first test the original switch was fried - and we were right). The third attempt at installation with the new switch with the correct bulbs was a success...partially.



The problem now was that the power in our bedroom would only work if the new light fixture was turned on. We uninstalled the fixture and altered the wiring scheme. Finally, full success...at 7pm



Luckily, a friend of ours was a having hat-mandatory party that included a hula hoop, PBR and fancy cheese.



Not only was Sara the only one who could actually rock a hula hoop, she rocked two h-h's at the same time:



So, so proud.

Updates GALORE!

It's been awhile since we posted last. We've been busy enjoying the snow, celebrating our 1st anniversary and finishing up some projects around the house (of course!). Here are our latest updates/upgrades:

Spice Rack Shelf
Jim constructed this magnetic spice rack to go above our cook top. It is just deep enough to also work as a nice shelf for additional spices, etc. Our previous spice location was the cupboard to the left in this photo. It is incredibly difficult to easily access spices when they are in a cupboard. We purchased a pre-packaged spice "carousel" that contained metal topped spice jars, however they were not steel so Jim hot glued some washers to the insides of the tops of the containers so they will hang. This is a much better solution, and we are also able to hang some often used utensils from the magnetic strip for easy access. Bonus!

Hall Lamp

Jim removed a hall light this past summer when he installed our attic fan. We found that we missed the extra light in the hall, especially in the evenings. So, we decided that replacing what was a ceiling light with a wall light would be pretty easy and would give us the extra light we wanted. We found the fixture through "Rejuvination", a company that specializes in recreations of home fixtures from past decades. This fixture matches the time period when our house was built.

Dining Room

We finally completed the dry wall work that needed to be done around the door. Jim then fabricated some trim so that it would match our existing trim. We also purchased FLOR carpet tiles to create the rug under the dining table. Everything ties together really well. I can't wait for summer so we can open up the door and entertain. The access to the patio will be so much easier than having to go through the garage. We are now anxious for a more eye catching piece of artwork for the north wall. We are also awaiting the arrival of a new light fixture for this room. So, more updates to come!