Getting Rid Of Stuff has been a major theme for me these past two years. After a lifetime of being an accumulator, I now love throwing things away. Today I threw away a scratched Teflon skillet, thus liberating the pots-and-pans drawer (as well as my family ) from a potentially poisonous cooking utensil. I also gave away our cream-colored dining room rug, which I once loved but whose color I always regretted, especially after Milo used it as a poop mat when we were on vacation recently. I gave the rug to a man who came to haul away the bricks from the front yard. I gave it to him on one condition: That he must absolutely clean the rug before presenting it to his wife. I'll never know if he does this, but I tried.
Here's another thing I gave away today: a ton of bricks and bluestone shards. Well maybe not a ton. I'm not good at judging things like tons. It seemed like a ton to me. But the thing that really puts today on the anti-clutter radar is that at long last, I got rid of the ugly evergreens out front. Except for a few gnarly juniper stumps, the front yard is as naked as new construction.
Ahhhhh.......
For a progression of photos of the front of my house, click below
This is what the front looked like when we bought the house 2 years ago. The junipers were overgrown, the front steps were crumbling and the black trim made the house look goth (as observed by M, who is 13 and knows some goth-ish kids).
On a snowy day:
June '07:
November '07
July 08
mid july 08
We moved into a 1920's dutch colonial in bergen county, nj in September 2007. I was thrilled to come across your blog (actually, this is my first post!). Your house looks fantastic. We are replacing our brick front steps and I really like the stone you used on your steps. What type of stone is it? Thanks!
Posted by: shara | August 20, 2008 at 10:35 AM
Congrats on your Dutch Colonial! We love ours, especially the high ceilings and woodwork. For the front stoop, we used bluestone. It looks lovely. I wish the top step was a little longer to the left and right--the columns are flush with the edge of the steps, and this sort of bugs me. I think it will be ok when we do some landscaping. Just fyi!
Good luck!
Adrienne
Posted by: adrienne | August 20, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Congrats on your finished project! The facade is truly stunning, and I LOVE those bluestone steps. We live in a 1940 Dutch Colonial, and it's a very welcoming style of house that's easy to live in. We have tried living in new construction, and found that an older house better suits our family. Looking forward to your updates!
Posted by: Molly | March 03, 2010 at 08:42 PM
If they're ever in Lincoln ma Also the Decorvada Musuem and sculpture park is right down the road and place to stop by. Along with Brayer's house down the lane. You can't go inside his but you can walk around the neighborhood. So his neighbors weren't all that upset since it was his friends.
Posted by: viagra online | October 01, 2010 at 09:03 AM
It looks much more relaxing now. The overgrown junipers were just stressful to look at. Good call on the trimmings. Maybe you can place some greens again at the front of your house, but not on a magnitude as before. Anyway, congratulations on your home makeover.
Posted by: Rodney Orton | April 08, 2011 at 06:55 PM
Hi There!
Just came across your blog and being the proud owner of a 1917 Dutch Colonial I am thrilled to find someone who is documenting their process. Thank you, I'm hooked!
We are in the process of choosing exterior colors and I'd like to update my red door color. We changed from a white to a red color about 2 years ago but the red we selected is just too wimpy for me. Can I ask what color you used?
Posted by: Adrienne | June 21, 2011 at 09:44 AM