A blog dedicated to chronicling the successes and failures of an Historic Old Town Alexandria couple as they completely renovate and appropriately restore an 1880s Victorian row house...almost entirely on their own.
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Recent posts
Do you have a block or collection of homes in your neighborhood that catches your eye almost every time you walk or drive by? Perhaps even an enclave in another city that you go out of your way to pass simply because you like the houses so much? Admittedly, there are many blocks in and around Old Town that hold this distinction for Wendy and me, but one block in particular stands out as an unexpected collection of beautifully maintained and interesting historic homes....read more
Posted 2 hours 47 min ago.
I'm going to change it up a little bit for today's Toolbox Tuesday. Thus far in our (somewhat) weekly series we've been talking about tools that we own that have worked out particularly well for us. While this has hopefully been a good approach for those of you trying to build a good tool collection, or perhaps it has helped you to find that perfect gift for the hard to shop for person, it only covers a small aspect of "owned" tools, leaving out the wide array of "coveted" tools I hope to some day own. I think today is an important day to show you that I don't have every tool I need, and that there is still plenty of room in my workbench....read more
Posted 1 day 3 hours ago.
I'm going to change it up a little bit for today's Toolbox Tuesday. Thus far in our (somewhat) weekly series we've been talking about tools that we own that have worked out particularly well for us. While this has hopefully been a good approach for those of you trying to build a good tool collection, or perhaps it has helped you to find that perfect gift for the hard to shop for person, it only covers a small aspect of "owned" tools, leaving out the wide array of "coveted" tools I hope to some day own. I think today is an important day to show you that I don't have every tool I need, and that there is still plenty of room in my workbench....read more
Posted 1 day 3 hours ago.
Ahhh. Is there anything better than having a Monday off? Alex and I are basking in the glow of our three day weekend and are finishing up a few odds and ends around our home. Hint. One major New Year's Resolution is being checked off as we speak. Any guesses? On this holiday, we'd like to take a moment to honor our country's Commanders-in-Chief, and at 1:00 will be attending the annual Alexandria Presidents' Day Parade. We'll be sharing photos of the event as well as other local sites that catch our eye. We hope you'll come along for the ride! Live Tweets: 2:24 PM - There's so much #GeorgeWashington history in #OldTown #AlexandriaVA 2:08 PM - Another fun year at the #OldTown #AlexandriaVA Presidents Day Parade....read more
Posted 2 days 2 hours ago.
Ahhh. Is there anything better than having a Monday off? Alex and I are basking in the glow of our three day weekend and are finishing up a few odds and ends around our home. Hint. One major New Year's Resolution is being checked off as we speak. Any guesses? On this holiday, we'd like to take a moment to honor our country's Commanders-in-Chief, and at 1:00 will be attending the annual Alexandria Presidents' Day Parade. We'll be sharing photos of the event as well as other local sites that catch our eye. We hope you'll come along for the ride! Live Tweets: 2:24 PM - There's so much #GeorgeWashington history in #OldTown #AlexandriaVA 2:08 PM - Another fun year at the #OldTown #AlexandriaVA Presidents Day Parade....read more
Posted 2 days 2 hours ago.
I don't know about you, but I've been absolutely swamped at my day job lately. We're talking once every El Niño or even once in the cycle of the cicadas type of swamped. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about this, because I'm one of the lucky ones who sort of loves their job, but I am incredibly busy nonetheless. But as much as I love my job, I really can't wait to get back to working on projects that I can share with you and show you real, tangible, and actual progress on things. Speaking of our blog, Wendy and I would love it and would be hugely appreciative if you would vote for us as part of Washington City Paper's "Best of DC" Best Local Blog/Blogger. You don't need to be a local to vote, you just need an email address (and I haven't even gotten spam from them)....read more
Posted 5 days 3 hours ago.
I don't know about you, but I've been absolutely swamped at my day job lately. We're talking once every El Niño or even once in the cycle of the cicadas type of swamped. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about this, because I'm one of the lucky ones who sort of loves their job, but I am incredibly busy nonetheless. But as much as I love my job, I really can't wait to get back to working on projects that I can share with you and show you real, tangible, and actual progress on things. Speaking of our blog, Wendy and I would love it and would be hugely appreciative if you would vote for us as part of Washington City Paper's "Best of DC" Best Local Blog/Blogger. You don't need to be a local to vote, you just need an email address (and I haven't even gotten spam from them)....read more
Posted 5 days 3 hours ago.
As many of our readers know from my DIY desk overkill, structured wiring obsession, pencent for whole house audio, DIY Server Rack, frequent Star Wars references, and typical demeanor, I like to fancy myself a nerd's nerd. I freely admit and appreciate this nerdliness about myself and have no qualms about truly embracing the title. I'm more at home behind the keyboard and a monitor working on websites than I ever am while working on the house (though the house is more of a relaxing hobby). So about two weeks ago when I restarted my computer only to have it hang at the bios screen, I was rather annoyed, a little worried I might lose some files, but also a bit excited by the possibility of getting a new computer....read more
Posted 6 days 4 hours ago.
As many of our readers know from my DIY desk overkill, structured wiring obsession, pencent for whole house audio, DIY Server Rack, frequent Star Wars references, and typical demeanor, I like to fancy myself a nerd's nerd. I freely admit and appreciate this nerdliness about myself and have no qualms about truly embracing the title. I'm more at home behind the keyboard and a monitor working on websites than I ever am while working on the house (though the house is more of a relaxing hobby). So about two weeks ago when I restarted my computer only to have it hang at the bios screen, I was rather annoyed, a little worried I might lose some files, but also a bit excited by the possibility of getting a new computer....read more
Posted 6 days 4 hours ago.
After recently making a public declaration of our newfound love of roasted Brussels sprouts, I decided I should branch out and try new vegetables I've either never tasted or never prepared myself. Thanks to a reader's suggestion, turnips were next on my list. Surprisingly, they were very easy to find at my local grocery store and they were very reasonably priced. (Only $1.39/lb. if I remember correctly.) So after snagging four purple-tipped turnips, I was happily on my way home to try them out. I did a little online research to find a recipe that was healthy, simple, and contained few (but already on hand) ingredients. I landed on a recipe that called for roasting them in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar....read more
Posted 1 week 3 hours ago.