Wednesday, June 30, 2010

First Impressions

We are moved in!

Well, sort of. We are currently ‘camping’ out in the living room – leaving the upstairs strictly for the renovations and bathroom use. I’d use the bathroom in the basement, but well, you’ll understand in just a bit why it's not the most favourable options.

I'll first apologize for the lag in entries; our internet is yet to be set up.

Anyways, the house! For beginners, we have have some incredible details. I love my front door. The casings are great; some, unfortunately, have been replaced or altered, but most are original, solid wood. The medallions are pretty sweet but were painted in the 80's I assume, when literal representation was a little more popular.  Once they’re back to their original white, they should look quite beautiful.


And so, here is the long awaited tour through our new (old) house: a collection of photos of my favourite (and not-so-favourite) things.


Sunrise on the house this morning.

Loons!

 Our door.


Yum!  Gold, mirrored doors.

The living room.  
Originally this would have been two rooms, both living and dining, 
and the dividing wall would have been at the end of the foyer wall.

Medallions.

 A casing that fell victim to renovations.

The dining room.
When it was built this would have been the kitchen 
and it is where the original house ends.

The kitchen!
Red, cherry wood, dark green walls and seafoam green counters.  Sexy.
But the layout is great, so I can't complain.

Kitchen border.

I love matching my furniture to my walls.

Upstairs hall and our lovely, lovely carpeting.

The master bedroom.

Angel border in the master.

Sometime in the 80's (I think) the occupants did the kitchen addition 
and added several cathedral ceilings - this is in the master bedroom.

The original bathroom, renovated into a den, 
which we will now renovate to serve as the upstairs laundry room.

No sure what this is... ?  Keep going...

That would be our basement bathroom.

And now on to the outside:

The deck.

The bar, complete with mini fridge (non-working, unfortunately).

The yard!

You may have noticed I don't have a picture of our basement, main bath or our guestroom.  The guestroom, we're out of luck as I forgot to take a before photo.  The bath, I'll photograph as we haven't done anything yet and I'll update the post soon... and perhaps if I decide you are ready and brave enough, I will post a picture of the basement.

Thanks for stopping by!

- a.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Oil of Oregano

I have been sick for almost five weeks now.  The strangest part is that I don't often get sick... no colds, no flus... This time, some wretched disease grabbed me by the throat and has been hanging on.

In these five weeks, I was (incorrectly) told I may have developed allergies and prescribed a puffer, tried cold medications, teas, you name it, to get rid of this thing.  Then, yesterday, after hearing about it for a while, I went out and bought Oil of Oregano.  It tastes awful.  It leaves this slick oily coating in my mouth.  And, it sort of burns on the way down.  But, after one day of taking it, I have noticed a significant improvement in my coughing - especially at night which is when it was the worst.

So I'd like to share some information with you about what is thought to be a potent infection fighter, which you can buy at most grocery and natural food stores for about $15-$30.  *Consult your physician or naturopath first to make sure it's okay for you to take. 

Source | Home Remedies Web

Oil of Oregano is a natural substance that is extracted from wild oregano plants, and two key compounds found in it are carvacrol and thymol. Studies have shown that both of these compounds have significant effects on harmful microorganisms that cause many illnesses in humans. 

(Note: This is not the same as common (cooking) oregano which is typically Origanum Marjoram. Oil of Oregano is derived from Origanum Vulgare.)

Some benefits:
  • Destroying organisms that contribute to skin infections and digestive problems.
  • Strengthening the immune system.
  • Increasing joint and muscle flexibility.
  • Improving respiratory health.

Read more on the above site about how Oil of Oregano can help with skin infections, digestive issues,  sinus congestion, colds and sore throats.

However, as with anything, you have to be careful.  Oregano oil may reduce the body's ability to absorb iron. Therefore, it is recommended that any regular use be combined with regular consumption of iron supplements. For this reason, pregnant women are advised not to take Oil of Oregano regularly.

A few more sites with information:
http://www.oiloforegano.com/
http://www.thestar.com/article/176197

If you've ever taken it, successfully or not, let me know.  I'd love to hear any other opinions and experiences.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

What's in a name?

Everything, apparently.  Do you know how hard it is to choose a name for a blog?  To assign it a title that will become associated with you (hopefully) for a long time?  Unbelievable - I have names picked out for my future children (which I'm not even ready to have any time soon) and yet I found it so very difficult to finally settle on a title for a blog.  I've been debating this for months.  Regardless of that, I finally did it, and here it is. 

It is my intention to convey (and combine) two things - my love for design, shaped by a career in architecture and my desire to be a lazy hippie with a vegetable garden and, hopefully, one day a pet goat named Howard.

So welcome to my new project; it will serve as a record for all my other projects - the biggest of which will be... dum dum dum.... our new house! We move into it a week from tomorrow!  I will post on various topics, including our attempts to fix up a 100 year old brick Victorian with a serious 80's decor problem, organic gardening at home and amazing antique finds.  I am an avid photographer and so you can expect many of those as we proceed through this little escapade.

Thanks and welcome!
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