One year ago today, we got the keys to Cavender and drove over immediately after work to find that TXU had forgotten to connect the power and we would have to paint in the dark all weekend until Oncore could connect us Monday morning………I tried telling them that my wife was in an iron lung and needed electricity immediately, but they didn’t fall for it…….they did however credit me $120 for my trouble …..and their mistake.

Saturday will be the one year anniversary of us in the Cavender house. We got the keys a few days early so we could have the weekend to paint everything before the movers consolidated both our old houses. We opened the place up to some close friends to join us with mimosas and see it  before we completely changed everything in the first 3 months….

Well, we didn’t change everything….in fact , when I look around there are still so many things left undone.

So I thought I make a quick list of all the things we have done in just one, quick year.

• Painted every room ( except the guest room and bathrooms ) this includes the ceilings, brick fireplace and  most of the trim
• Installed the coolest cedar horizontal fence in the neighborhood
• Changed every light fixture and ceiling fan
• On that note, installed  can lights in the living room, master bedroom, both halls, and surrounding the exterior
• Continued the parquet floor in the entryway and hall closet
• Installed the same white wide plank blinds in every window
• Hung curtains 
•  Removed the pony walls, walled over useless closet and wallpapered the entryway
• Changed every switchplate to brushed stainless and changed switches to new ones
• Replaced the dated mailbox, front patio light and house numbers
• Scraped popcorn ceilings from master bedroom and hallway

 And now the “Still Plan on Doing” list,

• Install can lights in office, guest room and front living room
• Replace electrical box
• Stain the fence
• Paint the eaves chocolate-brown, and the garage cream to match the rest of the house
• Replace the door/window in the back with double doors onto a deck
• Build a deck
• Install sconces on either side of the fireplace
• Replace the kitchen counters with something solid
• Farmhouse sink, tile backsplash, light glass front cabinets, mount under cabinet lights, relocate microwave and add a vent hood over range
• Cover outside posts and ceiling of front patio in cedar stained same as fence 
• Build modern shutters for 3 front windows
• Gut and update both bathrooms ( we don’t fit in the Master bath shower right now… and have been using it to store Christmas ornaments )
• Crown moulding in the Master bedroom, paint existing baseboards white
• Install updated closet fixturing in all 3 closets and linen closet
• Replace bedroom and office ceiling fans with industrial models
• Tape and bed the garage, paint walls and floor, install barn lights and workbench
• Build tool shed and potting bench on side of  house
• Add raised vegetable/herb gardens to the back yard
• Update front flower beds with raised rock walls and assorted cactus/agave/succulents
• Have chimney cleaned and install rain cap on top
• Finnish radiant barrier in attic
• Replace the front door to a modern one more fitting to the house
• Paint the guest room walls and ceiling
• Install sprinkler system

This list is immediate and ongoing, I don’t expect to have half of this done in the next year ………I’m pretty certain that our priorities will change and a few may be dropped and some new ones added. This is only to be expected working on a dream.

Found this picture the other day. Not only does it highlight the Pottery Barn light we put on the front patio, but if you look at the upper right,  you can clearly see one of our little friends. There were 2 preying mantises (mantisi? mantisises?…) that we watched all summer as they took nightly turns perching on the light fixture catching and eating moths. One praying mantis is lucky, so 2 must be double the luck.

As much as I hate the moths and silver fish that devour my cashmere sweaters , I know that if we exterminated the outside of the house we’d lose the mantises, geckos, and little stripped garden snakes.

Today is the 4th day in a row with temperatures under 25 degrees, can’t say I remember any days this cold in Texas in my life. (currently, it’s 19 outside) There was the Christmas about 25 years ago that Josh,Ben and I had to take turns breaking up the ice in the pool with a pick-axe so it didn’t freeze solid and crack the foundation…….but this seems far worse. Tuesday early morning it sleeted and we woke to every street a solid block of ice, then last night it snowed about 5 inches. As I type this, I’m watching a more giant flakes pour down on the front yard.

I did a lap around the house to get some pictures and fell on my ass twice.

Who knew Wellies worked in the snow as well as mud?