Theresa’s Blog

Renovating w/Mark

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 11:01:38 -0500

I’m a lucky girl.

Like many moms, I try to balance the work-family scale so that I can fully care for my family and give my best to my work.

But I have an advantage that is really all about luck. My advantage is that I get to work at home most days, and I have the privilege of working with my husband. Plus I have an amazing babysitter who watches our son Jack just a few doors down our street.

Yes, Mark and I are together almost every day, all day long. On any day, you can find us renovating our home and clients’ homes, creating our radio show, and writing/photographing projects as freelancers.

Now how do we spend so much time together without going crazy? We try to give each other the lead on issues that are most important to each other. It’s a delicate balance on some days, but in the end we respect each other’s ideas and expertise. And in order for our team to work, we both have to be able to know when to let go and when to take the lead.

Example: Mark is insanely in love with molding. He even put crown molding in our 8-year-old’s closet. So, when it comes to selecting molding, he takes the lead. And Mark usually shows me two or three choices, so I have an opportunity to weigh-in. We do the same with everything else, from insulation to paint color.

Leading with grace and respect, and taking turns, is key to making sure our marriage and our working partnership stays strong.

On the road...

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:33:08 -0500

The first trip without my little guy.

Yes, it’s tough. And I’m counting on Skype to work so I can see him every day that I’m gone. (thank you, Skype!)

Few months ago, I heard an interview with Sarah Jessica Parker about how she had to leave her little babies just a few months after they were born to film the new Sex & The City movie. She said that when she’s at work, she misses her kids and when she’s at home she misses working. Pretty much the gist of the working mom’s mantra, I think.

Maybe I consume too much Daily 10, but I totally feel better knowing that even Sarah Jessica has those same feelings. I love working, but I love playing toys, too. Which is why I picked the pic to show off on this particular blog. I get the added pleasure of sharing some of my work with my family. My little guy is already interested in being a part of our FixitUp world, and we get to share that together. If someday he tells me that he’d rather be a lawyer, pro football player, or musician than touch another tool, that’s cool, too.

And, the other bonus of my work: I’m not traveling to the International Builders’ Show solo. I get to spend a week with my husband in Vegas talking with the leaders of the industry about really cool products and trends. We get to go to VIP parties and make our radio show, too. It’s a completely fun way to work. Maybe not quite as glamorous as Sarah Jessica, but mom-glamorous in my own FixitUp way. I’m a lucky mom.

Batteries and my baby....

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:55:03 -0500

I was surprised to learn from the US EPA that 40% of batteries are bought during the holiday season.
With all of the batteries we use at our FixitUpHouse with our 1-year-old’s toys (and with the new ones he’ll be getting tomorrow morning), I feel a little responsible for a piece of that battery consumption. And after recently becoming a fan of the entertaining ‘Living with Ed’ series...I’m planning to make an effort to reduce our household’s ridiculous consumption.
The answer for me isn’t reducing the number of battery-powered toys....Oh no. It took us a year to get Jack to sleep through the night and be pleasant during the daylight hours, so I’m cautious to make any changes that provide a slice of calm happiness in my baby’s world. (Oh, yes, he’s currently the king of our FixitUpLife.)
We’re turning to rechargeable batteries. They cost about $2 to $12 per battery for the AAA to D size, and are easily found. I like the website www.greenbatteries.com where there’s tons of batteries and chargers, including solar-powered chargers.
If you are curious about recycling rechargeable batteries, check out the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp at www.call2recycle.org to find a place that recycles rechargeables near you. And if you want to know how they are recycled, click on their ‘Recycling Information’ link to read how Nickel Cadmium, NMH, Lithium Ion, Lead Acid batteries are stripped, broken, hammered, washed, melted, shredded for their recyclable parts.
Also, visit www.Earth911.com for recycling of disposable alkalines, too.
When I was on that site, I found cool ‘green’ gift ideas that might be too late for the holidays this year, but worth keeping in mind for those eco-conscious friends’ birthdays in 2010. Included are travel bags from recycled fire hoses, messenger bags from seat belts, a gift tree that is planted in your friends’ name at a US National forest, and even a portable solar electronics charger for iPod, cell phone, batteries, too.

Getting ready for holiday parties?

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:36:50 -0500

Even without a kitchen, we’re still getting ready to host Thanksgiving with the grandparents on Thursday. We’re actually trekking out to a local Asian restaurant--Lai Lai. It’s our usual holiday restaurant when our home renovations make it challenging at home.

But, even with the holiday-feast pressure off this week, I’m still starting to formulate plans for holiday decorations and parties at friends’ homes. And one of the most important things I’ve discovered is knowing where to find those unique, fun items that make the celebrations special and let your hostess know you appreciate their invitation.

I’m lucky that I could ask an expert. Brooke from ShopMadisonBelle.com gave me the scoop on a few great ideas for this holiday season. Here’s what Brooke shared with me:

“The coolest thing about this season is that a lot of home decorating can be done with things that are easily accessible…for example, pumpkins & squash, which are the most perfect thing to set the tone of the holiday…and easily purchased at the local farm stand or grocery store.

If you have clear vases or hurricanes, they are ideal for filling with pine cones or leaves…instead of using them for candles as we usually do. That way it creates an instant centerpiece on your thanksgiving table.

Visit your closest Michaels crafts…right now they are having a 30% off sale and you can find all sorts of things to create an instant party…for example, brown, orange, or red paper to make name cards out of. Or tags to place by the food and drinks that explain what each is. I love vintage manila tags that have hand-writing on them…i.e. cool apple cider…etc. Gives your table more detail, and then guests aren’t asking what’s for dinner / or to drink!

Also, I know a new trend in crafting is the glitter glass…they sell it in all sorts of colors, and it looks awesome when covering a pumpkin or squash. My friend Tyler did this for his Halloween party and covered his pumpkins in black glitter…gave such a great effect, and made a beautiful coffee table centerpiece.

In terms of food, I am absolutely obsessed with this one particular appetizer for fall…shop at www.rowenas.com for carrot jam…and pour the carrot jam over cream cheese, serve with wheat thins or crackers. It is the perfect fall treat, absolutely delicious. Home goods sells the cutest harvest pasta noodles – noodles shaped as turkeys or leaves…perfect for mac ‘n cheese or a pasta salad on Thanksgiving day.

In terms of decorating trends, I am so thrilled that it is popular to incorporate vintage into our décor. That this is the popular thing now. Finding cool items in an antique shop, and adding it to the mix to make your room have personality, and meaningful items in it! I think we will continue on with this trend for a while. So many people are catching on to it, and it is a fun way for people to have a room full of “design” without having to spend a lot, and also have the chance to be creative.
We carry a ton of vintage finds in our flea market section…

How it was cooking in the kitchen

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:39:54 -0500

Our kitchen is a dust-storm of excitement and discovery. In the grown-up world, this means that we have to be extremely organized, careful, and patient.

The reason? Well, we find that even the best laid-out plans on the drawing table have to have a little flexibility onsite. You never know what you might find waiting for you behind a 100-year-old wall.

We knew there was a chimney inside this wall in the kitchen, but we didn’t know it was the original location for the stove. In the photo, you can see the hole where the pipe vented inside the exposed brick wall.

As I love to celebrate the history of our home, we’ve asked for a hand from a craftsman--an Italian mason and stucco worker--to help us clean up and re-point the brick. You might be able to see Ferdinando behind the dust storm in the photo. He’s going to fill-in the missing brick with other brick found inside our kitchen, too.

What’s fitting is that the new oven will be placed on the wall just next to this brick wall. It’s a total switch from the remodel that we’re uncovering from the 1950s. And more fitting for the original 1900s design.

The best part about this old brick wall? I’m already in love with admiring it. Even inside the dust-storm of the jobsite.