#have been living on the floor of an amazing friends garage since February

[aller-geez]

Vent in the tags, just keep scrolling~

[scrapyardboyfriends]

Jenny’s Belated Live Blogging - 22 February 2018 

 - okay so there’s still no way I can speak coherently about this episode. This will still be a mess. But in general, I love Maxine. As I’ve been reminded by scrolling through tumblr all day yesterday and today, she’s so great at everything. From romance, to those deep meaningful conversations that need to be had, to the humor, to the heart and warmth she instills in every episode. She’s amazing 

- Let’s get Ross out of the way first. I mean normally, I’m at least sympathetic to his plight but in this episode, I used his scenes to shove some food in my mouth since I was watching during my lunch break. But they were good. I just couldn’t care. Haha

- The Tracy parts of the Tracy stuff were great. Amy continues to do amazing with the material and I’m glad she’s getting to show her range more. I was happy to see Tracy get to be the one to take Phil down and not have David come in to save her. Thank god Frank is at least a decent human and gave her a hug after she told him what happened. Yep, still side eyeing you for that one David. It’d be a lot easier to believe his explanation if he hadn’t you know...cheated on her with Leyla and continued to lie about it and play on her insecurities to do so. But whatevs...on to more important things!

- Oh right...also...couldn’t care less about the micro brewery stuff but at least that provided Charity with an escape plan.

- I loved everything about the girls night out + Robert. It was so nice to just see everyone out having fun and see characters interact that don’t normally get a chance to. It was a welcome change of pace. And I like Robert having friends even if it was just for this episode.

- Robert and Vanessa was amazing. I really want them to at least stay friendly here and there. It was great seeing her encouraging him after he had been supportive of her earlier. This is the kind of character relationship stuff I like to see. More please.

- The Vanity content was amazing. It had just the right amount of weight in the episode, where all the heavy emotional stuff was with robron but they got to have a fun little reunion of their own and take their next step. I’m so glad that they seem to really want to go somewhere with them as a couple. I was so worried at the beginning that they would just let it be a one off.

- I loved seeing Charity go to the club and slide in there alongside Aaron. I love Aaron and Charity together even if he was way too preoccupied staring at Robert to bother. It was just fun. And Vanessa being all ‘she cares if I live or die as Aaron just couldn’t care was perfect. But the banter between Vanity was great and I’m glad to see them decide to be girlfriends.

- And then you know...there was a robron reunion. Haha. Where do I even begin?

- Big fan of Robert having to be dragged out by the girls because he was having second thoughts as well as his moping during the ‘i never’ game. These two are hopeless. But bravo to Maxine for sticking in a reference to portacabin sex.

- The Vic and Aaron conversation in the back room was perfect. It reminded me so much of their dynamic back in 2011 when Aaron moved into the pub. It was so nice to see them like that again. Just snarky and playful but with an underside of warmth and care that their relationship has grown into now they’re family.

- I loved Bernice and Vic dragging Robert out on the dance floor. He was so intent on just moping the whole time but they weren’t having it and that was lovely.

- Robert is a failure at flirting when it’s not Aaron. Great.

- Aaron’s look of surprise when Alex showed up was priceless. He just genuinely had no idea what to say to that sudden change of events. ‘Oh sorry I was just here stalking my husband to stop him moving on...’. Also just the fact that Aaron was just blatantly standing there watching him, pint in hand, not caring what that looked like. I love it.

- I loved all the girls being so protective of Robert when they saw Aaron there with Alex. It was nice that they weren’t just used to get Rob there but actually were genuinely invested in the situation.

- The Alex break up cracked me up because he did it so quick. He was just watching Robert dance badly with a little smile on his face and then it was like ‘oh...right...you. Yeah I can’t do this. I miss my husband.’ And that he was fully about to do it in front of the nameless friend was even better.

- I kind of love that he didn’t just go right over to Robert after that. I liked that there was that space and time to let things play out. I fully expected there to be a big moment in the club but I’m kind of glad there wasn’t. I adored that little scene outside before Robert went off with Mike when they joked about the bisexual contract and the crimes against dancing. It was so very them.

- So very sad we didn’t get to see that cab ride home with Aaron and the girls but I’m glad to know it happened.

- I’m so happy that Maxine put a Paddy and Aaron scene in there because it was perfect. The humor with Paddy’s back lightened the tone of Aaron’s heartbreak but I loved that he was so open about his intentions with Paddy. It was a simple little scene but it was lovely to see him not bottling it up or going off by himself right away.

- Aaron breaking into the garage. Haha. They really do hate doors. The fact that they both went to the garage is so sentimental and so grossly them. I love it. That whole scene was amazing. Robert’s realization that Aaron had ended things with Alex. Ryan and his face are perfect. And Aaron being like ‘trust me, I’m not broken up about alex’ was great.

- The hand holding!!! They finally learned how to do it properly and I was so pleased. And Aaron looked so happy to be holding his hand again which just makes me emotional considering his character growth.

- The deep conversations were had. I’m glad they talked about everything, that they didn’t just gloss over and ignore the hard stuff. I was happy to finally hear some thoughts about Seb from Aaron. Was it enough? Was there a good enough build up to that point. Probably not but it was something and I appreciate Maxine’s words for Aaron. I think they ring true to him and his character and I think it works going forward even if how they got there is still an issue. As long as Aaron is happy, I’ll be happy, even if I’m still critical of the writing for the storyline as a whole. And I was glad she put in that line about Robert not forcing him on Aaron. That was important as well as Aaron saying ‘he wouldn’t have to’

- I’m so happy Aaron brought up their communication issues as their main problem because it’s so true. They were always afraid to be honest with each other because they feared that truth would cause them to lose each other. And that led to so much pain. That has to change going forward and it seems like now it might. They’re in such better places now.

- I knew Robert was going to try and pull away though and protect Aaron and himself. I’m glad he got that speech out though about how hard it was for him to lose Aaron and how he can’t go through it again. I mean, he’s insane but we all love that about him. Like I said, Emma Barton is rolling over in her grave.

- Aaron’s speech!!! God it was like every ask we’ve ever answered about why Aaron loves Robert and it was beautiful. It was also very Aaron with the insults at the beginning. Gotta get in those digs about his music tastes!! And I loved him saying that he sees the good things Robert does, the good in him even if other people don’t. It’s always been what’s drawn Aaron to him and I’m glad Robert got to hear that because he always doubts that about himself. And the ending with the come Home was beautiful. And Aaron’s little ‘well okay you can talk now’. Perfection.

- I died at Robert’s first response being ‘I’m actually a really good dancer’. So good!! And Maxine getting in on the Adele discourse with the ‘we definitely don’t have a song’ exchange.

- And the Mr Sugden/Mr Dingle call back!!! I wanted it after prison but it was tainted then so I’m glad we got it now. And it made my reunion tag super relevant.

- Aaron’s little ‘shut up’ and the smiles and the kisses and the hugging. Clinging on to each other so damn tight. It was perfect.

- And holding hands and walking off home...while leaving the door to keeper’s open because their love is more important than Vic’s safety. Just brilliant. Hahaha.

- Safe to say, this episode was perfection and I’ll never be over it!!!!

[authoressskr]

Give and Take

So, I had an odd sort of dream the other night and it helped shape this fic. This is unbeta’d and probably not all in one tense, but I had to get it all typed out!Hope you all enjoy it even if parts don’t make sense sometimes - I is sometimes not so good with the words...

This is a Castiel x Reader AU fic and it had some language (i think) and mentions of character death and some abandonment kinda mentioned.

Tagging the usual people I like to bother...

@lyndsay88 @sdavid09 @lucis-unicorn @thewhiterabbit42 @mamaredd123

Returning to your hometown, with a six-year-old in tow, was not ever in your immediate plans.

Lawrence, Kansas had always held a special place in your heart. You had grown up here. Fell in love for the first time here. But when a job offer had come from California for your mother, just after graduating high school, you’d gone with her simply because she was the only family you had and you had never been apart for more than a couple weeks.

But life has a funny way of giving and taking.

It took your save haven - the only place you could actually remember growing up - but gave you Eileen Leahy, who was the best friend you could have ever asked for. Eileen and you met the first day of college, English 101. She’d been delighted to find someone who knew sign language, even if only enough to get through a short conversation, but you had scribbled down on the paper with your cell number and room assignment that you were willing to learn more.

Your friendship blossomed. Or as your mother put it “Overtook the garden like ivy.” You two were like sisters, subtle sarcasm and movie quotes galore. Both of you had been born in one place and relocated to another, you: California to Kansas and Eileen: Ireland to California. Eileen was simply the best person you had ever met in your life.

So, when she had called you that rainy California night, asking you to hurry and come over, you had done so without hesitation. And when she held that little plastic stick up, with its little blue plus sign, you let out a squeal of joy. Eileen would be a wonderful mother! But she just looked at you with sad eyes, signing ‘What if I can’t hear my own baby cry at night?’

’Other deaf parents do it all the time, all over the world. You will do awesome. I expect nothing less from Eileen Leahy.’ You sign back, a wide grin tugging on your face.

And just like that, your worlds changed. You both moved into a new apartment, two bedrooms and a small “den” that would serve you well until the baby went to school at least. Her boyfriend, Eric, would take her to appointments and for the ones he couldn’t get off from work, you went.

You cried when you first heard her heartbeat.

Eric died in a car accident when Eileen was five months along. Drunk driver plowed straight into him. But Eileen was strong, making the funeral arrangements since he had no family.

She’d crawl into your bed on particularly hard nights, scooting until her back was pressed against yours before sighing and falling asleep.

It was September 24th, 2011 when life gave you Madeline Leahy and September 26th, 2011 is when it took Eileen from the two of you.

Eileen had, of course, prepared for any and every eventually. You’d gone to court and with no blood relatives able to claim her - and Eileen’s will and legal papers - you were legally able to adopt her less than two weeks after she’d been born.

Thankful to have your mother to help, you raised Madeline as your own. When she cooed out “mama” for the first time, you cried. And your happy life was upturned again, just after February 2014, when your mother died in a car accident.

And after a few more years at your well-paying job, you gave your two-week notice, loaded up your sensible three row mid-size SUV and headed back home to Lawrence, Kansas. Better schools for Madeline and a visit to the familiar was what you needed after these last few years.

Pulling into town, you realized how much has changed and how little has changed. You typed in the address to your new home, realizing it was actually just a handful of houses away from where the Winchesters and Novaks had once lived. You wondered briefly if they still lived there before Madeline let out a squeal from the backseat.

“Is that our new house, Mommy?”

“Yes, it is, squidgy! Ready to see it?”

“Yes!” A little pause, her little feet swinging and gently hitting the edge of her booster seat. “Who’s that lady?”

“That’s Jo. I went to school with her and she found our house for us.” You pull into the driveway, next to Jo’s very nice, very new truck. Freeing Madeline is relatively easy and you grab your purse before handing her the soft, periwinkle bunny that Eileen had bought the day after she’d found out she was pregnant. “Don’t forget Poppy.” Madeline tugs the bunny from your grip and hugs it tight to her chest, giving you a nervous smile.

“Hi, Y/N! And you must be Madeline!” Madeline held out her little hand, shaking Jo’s bigger one firmly.

“Madeline Leahy-Y/L/N. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Joanna Beth Harvelle, but you can call me Jo. And it is very lovely to meet you as well. Very good hand shake.”

“Thank you.” Madeline takes your hand, giving it a squeeze. Jo hands you two plain silver keys and pulls another from her pocket that is purple with lime green and lighter purple polka dots all over it.

“Here are the keys to your new home!”

“Go ahead, squidgy.” You urge, letting your daughter use her very own key to open the front door. “Thank you.” You whisper to Jo, who just smiled reassuringly as Madeline pushes open the thick mahogany wood.

“This place is huge!”

“Go on and explore then.” Her little feet scurry from the entryway towards the dining room/kitchen. “Thanks again, Jo. I know it’s difficult enough selling a house when the person lives in town or nearby, but states away? You’re amazing.”

“Thanks, but it’s all part of my job. And it was nice to help an old friend, bring them home.” Jo follows you into the kitchen, her smile widening as you sigh happily at the large space. “Oh - this basket has some fudge, cupcakes, and scones from Gabriel Novak’s bakery and café Heaven Sent.”

“Mom, is the really big room - can I have a cupcake?”

“Sure honey, but just one please. And yes, the really big room is mine.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. Call or text if you need anything. I sent you all the paperwork, but I’ve left your originals in the dark green folder under the goodie basket.” Jo gives your forearm a squeeze. “And brace yourself for the neighbors and casseroles.”

Four hours, six neighbors, three casseroles, and one pot roast later you manage to set up both your and Madeline’s beds and got most of her room set up by the time the next visitor rang their doorbell.

“COMING!” You and Madeline yell in tandem, pushing up from your seated position on the floor, sorting through all her clothes as she put them away in her drawers. Thank the Lord for Jo, who had let the movers in the day before. You pad downstairs, running a hand through your hair before putting on a smile and opening the front door.

“Welcome to the neighborhood! I’m Mary Winchester and this is my husband John. We live -”

“Five houses down. Sorry. I just, uh, I grew up here. I remember your sons. They were all a little older than me. I’m Y/N Y/L/N and this is my daughter Madeline.”

“Oh! Of course! John, you remember Y/N, the one the Novak twins had a crush on when they were little?”

“Yeah, of course. The one who cried over the snails and punched Lucifer.”

“Mommy, you aren’t supposed to hit.”

“No, honey, you’re right. You shouldn’t hit. But I did it a long time ago and I had my reasons.” Madeline blinks big brown eyes up at you then shrugs.

“I’m not much of a cook, so I didn’t bring you anything edible. I brought some apple cinnamon candles and a coupon for the garage if you ever have any car troubles.”

“Wow, thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Winchester.”

“Of course! And just know that we’re just a few houses away if you need anything. Is your husband at work?”

“It’s just Mommy and me.” Madeline answers, opening the lid of one of the two medium-sized candles and sniffing.

“Well, in that case, you need anything done just call me, I’ll run over to the house and jot down our numbers, and we’ll get one of the boys to come help.”

“Okie dokie! I’ll post them on the fridge. Thank you, Mary.”

---

Three days later, Madeline woke you up bright and early, a good hour before your alarm was due to do off.

You had gotten up, got your shower first then shooed Madeline into the shower. As soon as she got out, you could hear her shuffling around in her room. She picked her own outfit, a dark gray shirt with white sparkly angel wings on the back and a pair of red skinny jeans. And you laughed when she came into your room, since you were sporting maroon skinny jeans and a dark gray shirt.

’Copycat.’ You sign, smirking at your daughter.

’You copied me!’ Her little fingers danced before she stuck out her tongue.

“Got your backpack ready? Whatcha want for lunch?”

“PB and J!” Once downstairs, you made her sandwich while she flitted around and gathered a couple snacks to add to her light gray kitty lunchbox.

“Okay! So, since we are early, do you want me to make a big breakfast - pancakes, eggs and some sausage - or would you like to go down to Heaven Sent and get some cocoa and breakfast sandwiches?”

“Heaven Sent! Can we get me a cupcake for lunch too?”

“We’ll see if they have a small box for them to go. If they don’t, we’ll get you one next time. I still can’t find the box with the plastic ware, and I think the cupcake holder is in there.”

“Okay. We’ll look through some more boxes when I get home.” She says so matter-of-factly, tucking her lunchbox into her galaxy print backpack with a tiny, cute, cartoon unicorns on the front pocket. 

“Got your key?” She nods. “Okay, you want your hair up, down, half-up?”

“A messy bun?”

“Can do! Go grab the brush and the pink mason jar with the hair ties and bobby pins from the bathroom then we’ll head out.” Her little bare feet don’t make too much noise as they climb the carpeted stairs and it reminds you to shout up after her. “Socks too!”

“I shoved the socks in the hair jar.” She pants out, rejoining you in the kitchen. You lift her up onto the barstool, brushing her long brown hair before pulling it into a messy bun, braiding a long spare piece you’d left out and wrapping it around the base of her messy bun.

“Ta-da! Okay, lets grab our socks and shoes.” You sat side by side on the little antique bench, pulling on your socks and shoes before grabbing your purse and Madeline her backpack.

“Can we walk? Like yesterday?”

“Yeah, we got the time today.”

A short ten-minute walk got you downtown and another few minutes got you to an offshoot of Main Street where Heaven Sent was located. The space is big enough for five big tables, a couple of booths, and a half dozen two-seater café tables. The bakery is open from 5 am to 6 pm and offers almost every delicious thing anyone could dream up. When you walked in, you were assaulted with the wonderful scent of coffee and an underlying smell of cinnamon.

“Can you read the signs?” You ask softly, scanning through the options.

“I can read, Mom.”

“I meant can you see it, Miss Sassypants.” A deep chuckle behind you draws your attention, making you turn to look over your shoulder. And you suck in a sharp breath. You’d know that face - those sapphire eyes - anywhere.

“Good morning.” His voice rumbles out, smiling at you.

“Good morning, Castiel.”

“Y/N?! Wow. It’s been - it’s been forever. When did you move back?” You turn to face him fully, only to be suddenly wrapped in his embrace, his scent still the same as all those years before. All those other embraces, sweet words and stolen kisses. The feel of his body claiming yours for the first time. His last whispered “I love you” before you left.

Funny how much more you had in common with his family now. Chuck Shurley had adopted all his sister, Amara Novak’s, children and raised them as his own. After she had come for a visit one day with five-year-old Michael, four-year-old Lucifer, and nearly two-year-old Gabriel - she had simply told Chuck it was too much, too hard and they needed stability. So, she left her three sons with her brother. And every time she got pregnant after that, she’d appear at Chuck’s home with her baby - or babies as was the case when the twins, Balthazar and Castiel - only to disappear a day or so later after all the paperwork was signed.

Not identical but similar. You both now had children you loved more than anything through circumstances you never saw coming.

“Mommy. The line’s moving.”

“Sorry,” You excuse yourself to the two people behind Cas, pulling yourself from his embrace reluctantly. “Sorry Madeline.” You step forward in the line, just one person from the register now. “Oh, um, yeah, it’s been awhile. I just moved back a few days ago. Wanted better schools for Madeline.” You put a hand on her upper back, her little hand shooting out. “Castiel, this is my daughter Madeline. Madeline, this is Castiel Novak, we grew up together.” Cas takes her tiny hand in his, shaking it very seriously.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Madeline.”

“Thank you, Cat - Cas, Castiel. That’s a hard name.”

“You can call me Cas, most people do.”

“Can I help - IS THAT Y/N?!” Gabriel shouts from the register, making you whip around, a grin stretched across your face.

“Gabriel!” He’s already around the counter, pulling you into a crushing hug.

“You know the cupcake man?!” Madeline gasps out in wonder. Gabriel releases you, but keeps an arm around your shoulders, giving you a firm squeeze.

“That she does, little sugar cube. I’m Gabriel.”

“Madeline.” She extends her hand again and Gabriel drops his arm to kneel on one knee, grasping her small hand in his.

“Very pretty name. Now, what can I get you two pretty ladies?” He slides back behind the counter, rubbing his hands together.

“We will have two medium cocoas and I will have a cranberry white chocolate scone and you, squidgy?”

“I want a blueberry muffin. Do you make cupcake holders?” She ordered and asked all in one breath and Gabriel chuckled.

“I can absolutely get you a cupcake to go. What kind?”

“Strawberry!”

“Done!” You pull your debit card from your wallet and Gabriel scoffs. “You ate everything I made when we were little, even if it was weird. Your money is worthless in this establishment.”

“Gabriel...”

“Nope. Won’t hear of it! Now, shoo, I have other customers. Hey Cas. The usual?” You guide Madeline towards one of the corner café tables by a wall of books, all having to do with food.

“You know lots of people here, Mom.”

“I grew up here, so I do know some people. But not lots.” You chuckle, fishing through your purse for your little notebook. You pull a pen from an inside pocket and scribble down what you’ve ordered (you’d keep track, even if Gabriel wouldn’t), before turning the page and tapping the pen against it as Cas nervously approached the table.

“May I sit with you?”

“Of course, Cas.”

“How have you been? Where have you been? California?” Madeline looks from you to Cas before tugging the notebook and pen from under your fingertips.

“Yeah, I’ve been in California since I left here. Uh, I’ve been good. Really good. How have you been?”

“I’ve been well. I teach second grade at Lawrence Elementary now. Do you have a job yet? Or maybe your husband does?” Gabriel appears at the table with a tray, three drinks, a muffin, a scone and a bacon breakfast sandwich.

“Smooth, little brother. Real smooth.” Gabriel mutters loudly, making Castiel blush slightly, dropping his gaze to the tray.

“I’m not married. And no, not yet. I was going to start looking today while Madeline is in school.”

“Ooh, call Dean, Cassie! They need someone to run the office now that Missouri is moving. Do you know how to do that?”

“Mommy helped run the office at her old job. She could do that!”

“Perfect! We’ll get you and Castiel off to school then I’ll take Mommy to the Winchesters and we’ll be all set!”

“We met them! They live by us!” Madeline is nearly vibrating in her seat as she talks to Gabriel.

“Awesome. That means you live by my dad too! Okay, now you eat, I’ll go package up a strawberry cupcake and I’ll walk with you guys to school.” He doesn’t wait for agreement or an argument, he just winds his way through the tables to the back.

“I’m sorry about Gabriel. He is -”

“He hasn’t changed a bit.” You get out between light laughter. Today has certainly been one for the books. “It’s fine. Really.” You place your hand on Cas’s forearm, gripping the tan trench coat briefly before removing your hand to eat. Cas nods and digs into his sandwich before peering over at Madeline.

“What are you writing?”

“My name. And Mommy’s name. And then I drew this cupcake.”

“It’s a very nice cupcake.”

“It’s just black, ‘cause I didn’t have no other colors.”

“Still very lovely. Are you done? May I take your trash?”

“Thank you.” You and Madeline say in tandem, smiling at each other.

’Copycat.’ She signs, sticking out her tongue. Cas and Gabriel join you, Gabriel extending a small clear container with a bright pink cupcake with sparkly pink icing with a neon blue “M” on top of it.

“There you are, Miss Madeline.” You stood, putting your notebook and pen back into your purse, grabbing your cup as you watched your daughter set her backpack onto the table, withdrawing her lunch box and gingerly setting the cupcake on the top of her sandwich, rearranging her banana to lay against the cupcake container and putting the two bags of Disney fruit gummies on top. She carefully zipped the lunch box, settling it back into her backpack.

“Okay. We can go now.”

“You sound like your mom when we were little. Oh, little sugar snap, the stories I could tell you!” Cas’s hand is gentle, barely there, against the middle of your back, Madeline in front of you as Gabriel holds the door.

“What kind of stories?”

“All kinds.” Cas confirms, sticking close to the outside of the sidewalk. Gabriel launches into a story when you were five and they saw you walking around and asked if you wanted to play at the park. You said you weren’t playing - you were collecting dinosaur eggs. Which were just large rocks that were more egg-shaped. Cas and Gadreel had been more than willing to help, only for their other brother, Michael to come over and matter-of-factly tell all three of you that dinosaurs were extinct. And you had told him that Jurassic Park said they were alive again and he couldn’t have one.

“Your mom kept the “eggs” in the sun, kept them all together and lovingly checked on them all the time, hoping they’d hatch and she’d have a dinosaur or two.” The school is in sight now, Madeline laughing at the story.

”I’m still upset I never hatched a dinosaur,” You mutter, tossing your empty cup into a nearby trash can before crossing the road to the school. The four of you make your way to the kindergarten building, you take a quick tour of the room, meeting Madeline’s teacher and leaving her the Emergency Contact packet you had picked up from the school a couple days ago, all while Gabriel and Cas wait just outside.

“Have a great first day. I love you, my squidgy.” You kiss her forehead, tears stinging your eyes. “I’ll be back to pick you up at 1. Okay?” You kiss her again before the first school bell rings. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Mommy. I’ll see you later.” She presses a quick kiss to your cheek before she bounds over to her assigned seat, you back out of the room slowly, watching as her teacher closes the door as the second bell sounds. You manage a short wave before it closes completely, the tears spilling silently from your eyes.

Castiel’s scent envelopes you, his arm wind around you, pulling you against his side. You stand there for a few minutes in silence before another bell rings out.

“I have to go to work. But I’ll see you later, Y/N.” His blue eyes are kind, just as kind as they’ve always been. “It’s been nice seeing you again.” You turn towards him, hugging him as tightly as he first did.

“Have a good day, Castiel. I was glad to see you too.”

“Alright, alright. Stop hogging her!” He jokes as Cas and you separate, Gabriel taking your hand and leading you from the school grounds.

---

John readily agreed to your employment (after seeing your resume - the man wasn’t born yesterday), thankful to have someone who Missouri likes and feels is competent enough to handle not just the garage’s paperwork but also Bobby Singer’s auto salvage yard as well. John also added that he’d let you have time off to pick Madeline up and she could stay up in the office til the workday was over. You nearly burst out in tears again.

“Thank you, John.” You throw your arms around his neck. “Thank you so much.”

“It’s fine, sweetheart. You were like family growing up and now you got your own family to take care of.” He wraps one arm around you, giving a gentle squeeze before pulling away. “You start tomorrow, 8 am. You give all your paperwork to Missouri?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Gabriel is a smirking mess when you exit the garage before tapping his cheek.

“I think I deserve it.” You roll your eyes, but kiss his cheek regardless.

“Thank you, Gabriel. Really. You’re awesome.”

“I know.” He claps his hands then rubs them together. “Okie dokie, hot stuff, I’m gonna head back to work now. But feel free to drop by anytime, Y/N.” He waggles his eyebrows before blowing you a kiss as he starts back towards his bakery.

Taking a deep breath, you head home. Certainly, today had not turned out like you had thought today would go at all...

---

Two weeks later, now settled into your new house and getting the routine you’d set up the second day of school down pat, you drove to the Lawrence Animal Shelter to deliver on your promise to get Madeline a kitten.

To be fair, you had thought maybe with school, moving and the weekly trips on Saturday afternoons to Heaven Sent (Gabriel was always happy to spoil Madeline with whatever sweet she wanted - and a few she had reluctantly tried at his behest) that maybe, just maybe, she’d temporarily forgotten.

Luck was not on your side, since the night before she had slid up onto a stool in the kitchen, watching you pull the two trays blueberry muffins from the oven, a serious expression in her light brown eyes.

“Mommy. Remember before we moved? You said when we go a new house and I started school, I could get a kitty?”

“I remember.”

“Can we go tomorrow and get one? Pretty please? You promised, ‘member?”

“Okay. Okay. We’ll go tomorrow morning and give some muffins to Gabriel and we’ll go look for a kitten.” You gently free the first six muffins from the pan, setting them on the counter to cool. “Now, squidgy, you know you gotta take care of it. Clean its litter box - make sure it doesn’t chew or tear up things it shouldn’t - and make sure to feed it, brush it and play with it.”

“I will! I can do it!” You sigh, raising an eyebrow.

“Alright. First bring me my laptop so we can read over what we’ll need to do and need to go buy. And when we go, we can ask about veterinarians in the area and stuff. I’m not promising you a kitten tomorrow, Madeline - you understand that, honey? Sometimes it takes a little while to find the one that’s just right.” She nods enthusiastically, her long brown hair swinging as she slides down from the stool and rushes into the little office/library down the hall.

You exit the car, opening the back door to release your child, who is talking a million miles a minute, saying potential names and looking at the list you had printed out for her, saying that the kitten needed a pink bed or maybe a red one, or that she would like a black cat, like in Hocus Pocus. You wrap your wallet around your wrist by the thin leather strap and take Madeline’s left hand in your right, silently steeling yourself for either coming home with another tiny life or to face the disappointment on your daughter’s face when it doesn’t happen today.

No one is at the front desk, so you call out a loud “Hello”, watching as a bright red-headed woman comes in carrying a big black cat.

“I’m sorry! I was in the Cattery and didn’t hear the door jingle. My name is Charlie Bradbury, how may I be of assistance?”

“We need a kitty.” Madeline pipes up beside you.

“Is this your first kitty or do you have another one?”

“It’s our first.” You supply.

“Well congratulations on deciding to become pet parents! Now, animals are a lot of responsibility, but you two look very responsible. Come on, I‘ll show you to the Cattery.” She leads the way down a short hallway, Madeline tightening her hold on your hand momentarily before walking cautiously into the room behind Charlie, you follow and close the door firmly behind you. “So, I’ll pull out a few of the kittens first - we got them three weeks ago and they’re all ready to go to good homes.” The door opens behind you, but you don’t really pay too much attention, watching as Charlie sets down the big black cat and lets five little kittens of all colors tumble out of the large clear cubicle they were in.

“Hello, Y/N.” Sweet Jesus, the man was everywhere. You turn, a smile already gracing your face.

“Hello, Castiel. What are you doing here?”

“He volunteers here! Ooooooh! So, you’re Y/N! Cas hasn’t shut up about you since you moved back!” She embraces you as heat fills your cheeks. “This is great! I wanted to meet you! Dean was talking about you too! How well you run the office! How cute you are!” Charlie releases you from her hold, her green eyes dancing as she chuckles, moving to sit cross legged on the floor next to Madeline. Madeline is too involved with the kittens to pay you much attention, she just turns with a white kitten clutched gently against her chest and calls out a hello to Cas before another gray kitten crawls into her lap, making itself at home and falling asleep as Madeline strokes it with her free hand. Cas stoops down in front of you, picking up an errant kitten.

“I apologize for Charlie. She is very,” He gives a long pause, “Enthusiastic.”

“No need to apologize. Gabriel and you had both mentioned Charlie, so I‘m glad to put a friendly face to the stories.”

“Is the black cat the mom?”

“No. Their mom died. She was trying to take care of her kittens and got hurt. They wouldn’t eat the first couple days until we brought Luna in.” She points to the large black cat who is sitting by your feet while a little black and white kitten is batting at her tail. “Luna adopted them and took care of them, showed them how to be good kitties. The little gray one in your lap usually sticks to her like glue. The other kittens are very indep - are you okay sweetie?” Charlie’s voice goes from forlorn to concerned.

Madeline looks up at you with watery eyes while Charlie’s have an edge of panic.

‘Like me and you, Mommy.’ You tear up too, nodding.

’Exactly like me and you, baby.’ You sign back and say aloud, to give Charlie and Cas a little context for the sudden emotional outburst.

“I suppose we can’t separate them then...”

“Really, Mommy?!” She scrubs at her eyes with her sleeve before carefully setting the white kitten down and throwing herself against you. Cas grasps your shoulder, giving it a squeeze. You hadn’t told Cas the story about you, Eileen and Madeline yet - you felt it was too soon. You had simply stated one day when he had come to the garage at lunch - for his regular Thursday lunch with Dean - that he was great with Madeline, maybe because of their similar backgrounds.

Charlie sniffles, rising from her seated position with a kind smile.

“If you follow me, we’ll fill out the paperwork and you can take Luna and your new kitten home. Have you thought of a name?” Charlie leads Madeline out, winking at you as the door closes behind her, Madeline’s arms holding the gray kitten and Charlie’s with Luna.

“I could go with you, if you like - to make sure the cats have everything they require. And then maybe we could all go to lunch?” His cheeks turn a light pink as he set the kitten he’d been holding onto a carpeted climbing post.

“I’d love to. We’d love to. And maybe you’d like to come over for dinner?”

“Like a date?”

“Yes, Castiel.”

“I’d love that. Maybe you would like to come over for Family Dinner Night tomorrow? The Winchesters and the Singers and us, we all have dinner Sunday night... Tomorrow we’re having it at our house. Would you consider coming?” You raise up, pressing your lips against his.

“Sounds good. Madeline already loves John, Dean, Bobby, Gabriel and you. I think it’d be nice for her to meet everyone else I grew up with.”

“As my girlfriend - uh, date - as my guests?”

“Let’s start with date. We can work our way up to boyfriend and girlfriend.” Cas swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing before his hands reach out, cupping your face and kissing you passionately.

“I’ve waited for a long time to do that again.”

“Mmhmm. You’ll have to work a little harder than last time to get to do the other thing though.” You grin against his lips, happily leaning against his firm body.

“I am nothing if not a patient man.” A firm knock on the glass pulls you from your little bubble. Madeline is pointing at you then at Cas, then to your feet. You pull away from Castiel and sign ’Yes’

’Luna and my kitten!’ Her fingers bob towards her hand as she looks to Castiel again. ‘Are you guys gonna kiss more?’

’Probably.’

’Gross.’

“She wants to sign the papers and pay so we can go.”

“And?” He rumbles out, moving away to carefully put the rest of the kittens back into their large cubicle.

“She asked if we were going to kiss more. I told her probably.”

“Just probably?”

“You play your cards right, it’ll be more than probably.”

Funny how life worked out.

[i-mushi]

Broken A/C

I have read almost all the Mercy Thompson & Alpha & Omega series books in a whirlwind since February and absolutely love them!! I haven’t written anything in a long while so I’m a bit rusty, but here’s a toe in the water of Mercy’s world. Written because the dog days of summer are coming and because @mercy-thompson-fanfiction filled these last weeks with her awesome stories.

The Tri-Cities always had a summer heatwave that left everyone sweaty, short-tempered, and feeling smothered like they’d been trapped under a hot blanket all night. ���Blanket” being loosely defined as any scrap of fabric that blocked the breeze from the fan.

Normally, Mercy cranked the A/C up, kept the garage door shut when she was working (and when she had a garage--thinking about volcano gods made her inch closer to heatstroke), and drank nothing but iced tea to survive. This summer though, thanks to the abuses the house had suffered, the A/C had broken down. Adam, of course, was out of town for security work, the lucky bastard.

Jesse was the first to flee, escaping to any friend’s house overnight and eventually a cabins in the mountains owned by her friend Izzy’s family. Mercy hadn’t quite been ready to offer to chaperone, but that had been three days ago and now she regretted it.

“Next week?” she groaned into the phone. “There’s no one who can come sooner?”

“Sorry ma’am, this is our busy season. The soonest a repairman could come would be Tuesday, 10am.”

“And that’s 10am on the dot, right, not anytime-between-10-and-4 10am?” Mercy confirmed with more bite than normal. She had every right to be short on patience; she hadn’t slept in seventeen hours because no amount of nudity, oscillating fans, and bags of frozen vegetables could stop the itchy feeling of sweat pooling and dripping off her as she tried to fall asleep.

“Yes ma’am,” the woman on the phone confirmed with enough cheer to prove that the company could make air conditioners work in one hundred degree weather.

“Great, fine.” Mercy nearly hung up before tacking on a final “thanks” so she wouldn’t be too rude. 

Maybe she needed to find somewhere else to stay. Surely someone had room?

The obvious choice was Warren and Kyle, but one phone call later confirmed that Kyle’s latest case involved three kids who were staying with him, and guests weren’t an option. Tad and Zee had gone to the reservation for the week, supposedly to smooth something over with the fae, but the longer Mercy allowed her bare thighs to stick to the leather couch, the more convinced she became that they’d run away from the Tri-Cities sweltering summers. Zee at least could have fixed her A/C before he left, she grumbled.

Darren and Auriele... no, bad idea. And Gabriel had finally moved back in with his mother, but he had three sisters and no room to spare. Mary Jo was now living with Honey, which was an option... No one she was a big fan of, but she might start panting like her coyote would if she didn’t melt. Mercy unglued herself from the leather couch, almost surprised to see that she hadn’t left skin behind, and walked down to the basement which was perhaps two degrees cooler than upstairs. 

The phone rang three times before Honey picked up. “Hey, what is it?”

“Hey Honey, uh, is your A/C working? Ours has died, and if I don’t get some sleep soon--”

“Sorry Mercy,” she said, sounding genuine for once. “Our hasn’t been working so Mary Jo’s been bunking at her squad house and I’m with Auriele. Try Warren?”

“Already did.” Mercy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Frustration welled up but she was too exhausted to do anything about it. Worst case scenario she’d... what exactly? She couldn’t sleep in the car, the Vanagon’s engine wouldn’t take it and it leaked coolant when she turned the A/C up.

She’d start working down the pack hierarchy if she had to, that’s what she’d do. Eventually she’d just impose on someone and figure out how to smooth things over later. If Stefan didn’t live with his sheep she’d even considering going there.

Three calls and three legitimate excuses later (mother visiting, redoing the kitchen, and gone on vacation) Mercy was at the end of her patience and she’d emptied the freezer upstairs and spare refrigerator downstairs of ice. At this point she might ask Warren if she could climb into his ice chest for the night. Either that or she was renting a damn hotel room, and it would be an expensive one since she could smell the last ten people who had slept in a bed.

“Mercy?” came a soft voice from upstairs. “Why’s it so hot in here?”

“Zack?” she called. She headed up the basement steps with a washcloth against the back of her neck that had been cold two minutes ago. Already it was nearly at body temperature. “What’s up?”

“Guard shift,” he answered, shrugging. There were sweat stains on his short-sleeve button up and his hair was flopping into his eyes. Mercy had forgotten that come nightfall Adam wanted another wolf at the house with her just in case. The last two nights she’d ended up hosing down Ben in the backyard in wolf-form to keep him cool and glaring enviously at George, who was unaffected by the heat somehow.

“There’s no A/C here,” she explained when he glanced around and tugged his shirt up to wipe the sweat on his face. “Wait, Zack... do you have A/C?”

“It rattles like it’s haunted and only works in one room.” He glanced around, and Mercy wondered if the walls were melting or if that was just sweat in her eyes. “Would be cooler than here though.”

“Let’s go.”

When Adam returned home three days later, he was aware that the A/C was broken and Mercy had been sleeping on a futon in Zack’s room with his window air conditioner set to frostbite levels. Walking through the sweltering house Adam couldn’t blame her, even as he laughed to himself at the evidence of her frustration strewn all over. Melted bags of frozen peas were left on the kitchen table, every washcloth in the upstairs bathroom had vanished, all the fans in the house were set up like movie studio lights in the living room, and the sheets in their bedroom had been thrown to the floor in an angry wad. Without any windows open the scent of her clean sweat lingered in the basement and on the bathroom floor, where she’d laid on the cool tile.

“You’re home,” she said, sounding tired but pleased. “How fast did you drive from the airport?”

“Enough to get a breeze with the windows down,” he joked, turning around to look at her. Even with damp patches on her shirt and her hair in a messy bun, Mercy looked amazing in cut-off jean shorts and a loose tank. Adam was already stepping forward to embrace her when she took three quick steps back.

“Oh no, it is way too hot for that.” 

“Too hot?” Adam asked bemused. “Not even a kiss?”

She darted in for a kiss but danced out of his grasp before he could hold her. “That’s all you’re getting until we find a hotel room. The repair people are coming tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” he growled. He’d been away for a week from his mate, and he wanted to hold her at the very least. Seeing her hot and sweaty in the bare minimum of clothes frayed his self-control, which already wasn’t happy about wearing suit pants in this heat. 

“Come on, your car has A/C right? Let’s get out of this sauna and find somewhere cooler.”

It was too hot for her to saunter out, but Adam’s eyes lingered on her legs nonetheless. “Sure,” he said, distracted by the lightbulb going off in his head. Mercy glanced back and rolled her eyes.

“I am not signing up to get even sweatier,” she warned.

Adam followed her out but before she could hop into the passenger seat he was between her and the car, shifting the seat all the way forward. Mercy put her hands on her hips. “What is this?”

He ignored her and went to the driver’s side to do the same, turning on the ignition and switching the A/C to high while he was at it. Slipping into the backseat he leaned back and surveyed the space. “You wanna close the door?”

She did, right in his smug face. 

“Nudge?”

She started to laugh and suddenly their bond was open again between them and he could feel her frustration, exhaustion, and humor mixing with her desire for him. He popped a few buttons on his formal shirt and rolled up his sleeves, knowing how that enticed her. Getting chilly in here, he told her, and the back door opened. 

“Tight fit,” she commented, but when Adam smiled and crooked his fingers at her she climbed in and shut the door.

[mysteryshelf]

MERRY MYSTERY WEEK: BLOG TOUR - The Body in the Casket

Welcome to

THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF Merry Mystery Week Special!

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF by Partners in Crime Book Tours. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

The Body in the Casket

by Katherine Hall Page

on Tour December 4, 2017 – January 12, 2018

Synopsis:

The inimitable Faith Fairchild returns in a chilling New England whodunit, inspired by the best Agatha Christie mysteries and with hints of the timeless board game Clue.

For most of her adult life, resourceful caterer Faith Fairchild has called the sleepy Massachusetts village of Aleford home. While the native New Yorker has come to know the region well, she isn’t familiar with Havencrest, a privileged enclave, until the owner of Rowan House, a secluded sprawling Arts and Crafts mansion, calls her about catering a weekend house party.

Producer/director of a string of hit musicals, Max Dane—a Broadway legend—is throwing a lavish party to celebrate his seventieth birthday. At the house as they discuss the event, Faith’s client makes a startling confession. “I didn’t hire you for your cooking skills, fine as they may be, but for your sleuthing ability. You see, one of the guests wants to kill me.”

Faith’s only clue is an ominous birthday gift the man received the week before—an empty casket sent anonymously containing a twenty-year-old Playbill from Max’s last, and only failed, production—Heaven or Hell. Consequently, Max has drawn his guest list for the party from the cast and crew. As the guests begin to arrive one by one, and an ice storm brews overhead, Faith must keep one eye on the menu and the other on her host to prevent his birthday bash from becoming his final curtain call.

Full of delectable recipes, brooding atmosphere, and Faith’s signature biting wit, The Body in the Casket is a delightful thriller that echoes the beloved mysteries of Agatha Christie and classic films such as Murder by Death and Deathtrap.

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery Published by: William Morrow Publication Date: December 5th 2017 Number of Pages: 238 ISBN: 0062439561 (ISBN13: 9780062439567) Series: Faith Fairchild, 24 Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗

Read an excerpt:

Chapter One

“Have Faith in Your Kitchen,” Faith Fairchild said, answering the phone at her catering firm. She’d been busy piping choux pastry for éclairs onto a baking sheet.

“Mrs. Fairchild?”

“Yes? This is Faith Fairchild. How may I help you?”

“Please hold for Max Dane.” The voice had a plummy, slightly British tone, reminiscent of Jeeves, or Downton Abbey’s Carson. The only Max Dane Faith had heard of had been a famous Broadway musical producer, but she was pretty sure he’d died years ago. This must be another Max Dane.

She was put through quickly and a new voice said, “Hi. I know this is short notice, but I am very much hoping you are available to handle a house party I’m throwing for about a dozen guests at the end of the month. A Friday to Sunday. Not just dinner, but all the meals.”

Faith had never catered anything like this. A Friday to Sunday sounded like something out of a British pre-World War II country house novel—kippers for breakfast, Fortnum & Mason type hampers for the shoot, tea and scones, drinks and nibbles, then saddle of lamb or some other large haunch of meat for dinner with vintage clarets followed by port and Stilton—for the men only. She was intrigued.

“The first thing I need to know is where you live, Mr. Dane. Also, is this a firm date? We’ve had a mild winter so far, but January may still deliver a wallop like last year.”

A Manhattan native, Faith’s marriage more than 20 years ago to the Reverend Thomas Fairchild meant a radical change of address— from the Big Apple to the orchards of Aleford, a small suburb west of Boston. Faith had never become used to boiled dinners, First Parish’s rock hard pews and most of all, New England weather. By the end of the previous February there had been 75 inches of snow on the ground and you couldn’t see through the historic parsonage’s ground floor windows or open the front door. Teenage son Ben struggled valiantly to keep the back door clear, daily hewing a path to the garage. The resulting tunnel resembled a clip from Nanook of the North.

“I’m afraid the date is firm. The thirtieth is my birthday. A milestone one, my seventieth.” Unlike his butler or whoever had called Faith to the phone, Max Dane’s voice indicated he’d started life in one of the five boroughs. Faith was guessing the Bronx. He sounded a bit sheepish when he said “ my birthday,” as if throwing a party for himself was out of character. “And I live in Havencrest. It’s not far from Aleford, but I’d want you to be available at the house the whole time. Live in.”

Leaving her family for three days was not something Faith did often, especially since Sunday was a workday for Tom and all too occasionally Saturday was as he “polished” his sermon. (His term, which she had noticed over the years, could mean writing the whole thing.)

Ben and Amy, two years younger, seemed old enough to be on their own, but Faith had found that contrary to expectations, kids needed parents around more in adolescence than when they were toddlers. Every day brought the equivalent of scraped knees and they weren’t the kind of hurts that could be soothed by Pat The Bunny and a chocolate chip cookie. She needed more time to think about taking the job. “I’m not sure I can leave my family…” was interrupted. “I quite understand that this would be difficult,” Dane said and then he named a figure so far above anything she had ever been offered that she actually covered her mouth to keep from gasping out loud.

“Look,” he continued. “Why don’t you come by and we’ll talk in person? You can see the place and decide then. I don’t use it myself, but the kitchen is well equipped—the rest of the house too. I’ll email directions and you can shoot me some times that work. This week if possible. I want to send out the invites right away.”

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to talk, Faith thought. And she did like seeing other people’s houses. She agreed, but before she hung up curiosity won out and she asked, “Are you related to the Max Dane who produced all those wonderful Broadway musicals?”

“Very closely. As in one and the same. See you soon.”

Faith put the phone down and turned to Pix Miller, her closest friend and part-time Have Faith employee.

“That was someone wanting Have Faith to cater a weekend long birthday celebration—for an astonishing amount of money.” She named the figure in a breathless whisper. “His name is Max Dane. Have you ever heard of him?”

“Even I know who Max Dane is. Sam took me to New York the December after we were married and we saw one of his shows. It was magical—the whole weekend was. No kids yet. We were kids ourselves. We skated at Rockefeller Center by the tree and…”

Her friend didn’t go in for sentimental journeys and tempted as she was to note Pix and Sam skated on Aleford Pond then and now, Faith didn’t want to stop the flow of memories. “Where did you stay? A suite at the Plaza?” Sam was a very successful lawyer.

Pix came down to earth. “We barely had money for the show and pre-theater dinner at Twenty-One. That was the big splurge. I honestly can’t remember where we stayed and I should, because that’s where—” She stopped abruptly and blushed, also unusual Pix behavior.

“Say no more. Nine months later along came Mark?”

“Something like that,” Pix mumbled and then in her usual more assertive voice, added “You have to do this. Not because of the money, although the man must be loaded! Think of who might be there. And the house must be amazing. We don’t have anything booked for then and I can keep an eye on the kids.”

The Millers lived next door to the parsonage and their three now grown children had been the Fairchilds’ babysitters. Pix played a more essential role: Faith’s tutor in the unforeseen intricacies of childrearing as well as Aleford’s often arcane mores. Faith’s first social faux pas as a new bride—inviting guests for dinner at eight o’clock— had happily been avoided when her first invite, Pix, gently told Faith the town’s inhabitants would be thinking bed soon at that hour, not a main course.

Faith had started her catering business in the city that never slept before she was married and was busy all year long. Here January was always a slow month for business. The holidays were over and things didn’t start to pick up until Valentine’s Day—and even then scheduling events was risky. It all came down to weather.

Pix was at the computer. Years ago she’d agreed to work at Have Faith keeping the books, the calendar, inventory—anything that did not involve any actual food preparation.

“We have a couple of receptions at the Ganley Museum and the MLK breakfast the standing clergy host.”

The first time Faith heard the term, “standing clergy”, which was the town’s men and women of any cloth, she pictured an upright somberly garbed group in rows like ninepins. And she hadn’t been far off.

“That’s pretty much it,” Pix added, “except for a few luncheons and Amelia’s baby shower—I think she baby sat for you a couple of times when she was in high school.”

“I remember she was very reliable,” Faith said.

“Hard to believe she’s the same age as Samantha and having her second!” Pix sounded wistful. She was the type of woman born to wear a “I Spoil My Grandchildren” tee shirt. Faith wouldn’t be surprised if there were a drawer somewhere in the Miller’s house filled with tiny sweaters and booties knit by Pix, “just to be ready.” Mark Miller, the oldest, was married, but he and his wife did not seem to be in a rush to start a family.

Samantha, the middle Miller, had a long-term beau, Caleb. They were living together in trendy Park Slope, Brooklyn and Sam, an old-fashioned pater familias, had to be restrained from asking Caleb his intentions each time the young couple came to Aleford. Pix was leaning that way herself, she’d told Faith recently, noting that young couples these days were so intent on careers they didn’t hear the clock ticking.

Faith had forgotten that Amelia—who apparently had paid attention to time— was Samantha’s age and quickly changed the subject to what was uppermost in her mind—the Dane job. “Where is Havencrest?” she asked. “I thought I knew all the neighboring towns.”

“It’s not really a town so much as an enclave between Weston and Dover. I don’t think it even has a zip code. I’ve never been there, but Mother has. You can ask her about it. The houses all date to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I believe there’s a gatehouse at the entrance. It’s an early equivalent of the mid century modern planned communities like Moon Hill in Lexington. Havencrest wasn’t a bunch of architects like that one though. Just very rich Boston Brahmin families who wanted privacy and plenty of space. I wonder how Max Dane ended up there? From what Mother has said, the houses don’t change hands, just generations.”

“I think I’ll check my email and see if there’s anything from him yet,” Faith said. “And maybe drop by to see Ursula on my way home.” Stopping to visit with Ursula Lyman Rowe, Pix’s mother, was no chore. The octogenarian was one of Faith’s favorite people. She turned back to the éclairs, which were part of a special order, and added a few more to bring to her friend.

“I know you’ll take the job,” Pix said. “I’m predicting the weekend of a lifetime!”

***

Excerpt from The Body in the Casket by Katherine Hall Page. Copyright © 2017 by William Morrow. Reproduced with permission from William Morrow. All rights reserved.

Author Bio:

Katherine Hall Page is the author of twenty-three previous Faith Fairchild mysteries, the first of which received the Agatha Award for best first mystery. The Body in the Snowdrift was honored with the Agatha Award for best novel of 2006. Page also won an Agatha for her short story “The Would-Be Widower.” The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at Malice Domestic, she has been nominated for the Edgar Award, the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and the Macavity Award. She lives in Massachusetts, and Maine, with her husband.

Catch Up With Our Author On: Website 🔗, Goodreads 🔗, & Facebook 🔗!

  Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!

  Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Katherine Hall Page and Witness Impulse. There will be 3 winners of one (1) physical copy of Katherine Hall Page’s The Body in the Casket. The giveaway begins on December 4, 2017 and runs through January 14, 2018. This giveaway is open to US addressess only.

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MERRY MYSTERY WEEK: BLOG TOUR – The Body in the Casket was originally published on the Wordpress version of The Pulp and Mystery Shelf with Shannon Muir

[doxampage]

PlingPong, From Dream to Doorbuster: An Interview With Mike St. Martin

Mike and Amy St. Martin

We love it when people who create with Shapeways become successful. And sometimes just how big that success can be blows us away.

Case in point: Mike St. Martin, creator of the brand-new board game PlingPong. In just about a year, he’s gone from 3D printing the prototypes of his game on Shapeways to signing a publishing deal with one of the biggest toy companies in the country. PlingPong is set to be a doorbuster at Target this year for Black Friday. In the obvious whirlwind that he and his wife Amy’s lives have become because of this success, we took some time to sit down with him and talk about just how it feels to become an overnight sensation. 

How long ago did you decide to start creating tabletop games, and what was the impetus?

Game development was not hobby or a passion; it started on a total whim. I’m a civil engineer – I work in site development and construction. In February 2016, I just started brainstorming on how to monetize bag toss (cornhole); it’s a great game and so common, but it’s not really monetized by any one brand. 

I settled on a condensed four-sided version that looked like a Mayan Pyramid or the old Q*Bert video game. Players scored by tossing hacky sacks that landed on levels versus shooting into a hole.

How did the idea for PlingPong come about?

It became apparent that this version was over-engineered. As my wife Amy pointed out: ‘That’s way too much. People don’t want to sit there and do math while they are playing a party game.’  She’s been key when it comes to reviewing game ideas for playability and marketability – as a realtor, she specializes in putting everything’s best foot forward.  

I added removable cups to make keeping score easier, but the real “A-Ha!” moment came when I inverted the game’s shape from a pyramid to a funnel. Now the dreaded black cup was the easiest to hit. That’s when the game really felt like it came together – it felt like I really had something.

Original handmade PlingPong Prototype

Did you have experience in 3D printing before creating the PlingPong prototypes?

No, but I’ve been fascinated by the technology for years. I had a sample 3D printed part from another company sitting on my desk for a few years, waiting for an excuse to design and print something.

How many iterations did it take before you settled on a prototype?

This all happened in a few days on paper and in SketchUp. I then worked out the dimensions and toyed with various sizes of round cups before nixing them entirely, since whatever size of ball I’d use would land in-between the cups as much as in them. Using square flower pots solved the cup gap issue, with the flexible thermoformed pot winning out.

Then it was off to the garage to build the tiered bases out of wood. Then I stapled partial flower pots as a tray hold the game pots in place.  And there it was — my prototype.

Original 3D printed PlingPong Prototype

For such a simple concept, you’ve added a lot of complexity and depth with the game’s rules, notably the black cup and the determining which cups get removed at the end of the game’s rounds. Did figuring out the game’s rules come before, after, or during the initial construction of the physical game?

We used the original hand-built prototype for several months to play the game with friends and family and finalize the rules. We realized that bouncing shots brought the game closer and allowed tabletop play in smaller spaces. The black cup was key to make the game geometry work and became the rule twist to make it unique with the removal of the shooters cup. Everyone loved the game, so I kept on developing it further to see how the bases and cups could be molded from plastic and stack neatly for packaging.

Friends and family playing PlingPong at Mike’s house

Why did you decide to print your prototype on Shapeways?

I researched many 3D printing services and considered buying my own printer. I had a competitor print an early version of the cup and was quickly disappointed when the side of the cup broke from the impact of a ping pong ball! It was clearly too brittle and useless to be my game prototype. I then found Shapeways and was impressed with the website platform. What especially intrigued by the “strong and flexible” material and knew I had to try it.

When I received my first sample cup, I was blown away with how tough it was! I kept drop testing it. After a while, I was just throwing it at the floor, but it never broke. I couldn’t believe it! From there, I was confident that Shapeways was the best fit for prototyping our game.

What would you say is the best thing about the Shapeways community?

I originally sought out Shapeways just as a prototyping source, but quickly learned about the community of talented creators that share their ideas. It’s a great concept: enabling designers to connect with buyers on a seamless platform, and to offer so many materials for printing.

How has our customer service been?

Phenomenal. I’ve ordered various prototypes and was always kept abreast of order status and timing. When we were negotiating with two different toy companies, we needed to be ready for an urgent printing of a possible second full prototype game. James stepped up with personal service, walking me through the entire process.

How did you use CAD design and Shapeways 3D printing to perfect your design?

I designed and printed five versions of the cup to perfect the “ball capture design” feature of the cup. It might look like it’s more for style, but it was born purely from function. The resulting cup design and tray sockets  have a unique and cool look, which is a big part of our brand.

Finally, after all the time you spent creating a game, workshopping it, fine tuning it, and getting it just right, how did it feel to finally open up that box from Shapeways and see the finished product?

I was like a kid on Christmas: opening the Shapeways box with the full prototype, assembling the trays and cups, all the parts fitting perfectly, looking better than I ever could have imagined. My CAD drawing had come to life and the game was sitting on my kitchen island ready to be played.

What an amazing feeling!

Once you had the prototype ready to go, how did you go about getting it published?

We ran a Kickstarter campaign in December 2016 that featured the prototype game, including all of the gameplay footage.

The Kickstarter failed, but we got offers from two national toy companies before it ended. We partnered with Buffalo Games shortly afterwards. Key to closing the deal was sending the Shapeways prototype to Buffalo Games so they could play the game live. They loved the game and were impressed with the quality of the parts and how they performed.

What has the general reception to PlingPong been?

It’s been amazing! We’ve been blown away by the positive feedback it’s garnered, and it keeps on coming!

What’s the most satisfying thing you like to see when other people play it?

When a game ends between a group of players, and the first thing they do is hurriedly re-rack the cups to play again. PlingPong may be simple, but it’s different every time you play it. That brings out people’s competitive nature, hoping to get that one perfect bounce or move that they can talk about at work the next day.

What was your reaction when you found out your game was a doorbuster at Target?

I received a call from the President of Buffalo Games to break the news, he wanted to tell me directly to reiterate how big of a deal this is. He said this is a dream for anyone in the toy business, especially for a brand-new game. I could not agree more, I was floored!

Buffalo Games’ relationship with Target and our exclusive launch there was key to our partnership because Target is based here in Minneapolis, so we were excited to be aligned with our hometown heroes.

Mike spots PlingPong on a shelf at Target for the first time.

What’s the future of PlingPong?

We are riding the wave this holiday season with Target and will look for expanding our reach with Buffalo Games in both the US and abroad in 2018.

Finally, what does the future hold for you? Do you guys already have the next big game figured out, or are you just still grappling with the success of PlingPong?

For now we are just wrapping our heads around this crazy year we have had and enjoying the ride. To put it in perspective, we received our full prototype from Shapeways on 11/17/16 and we are a Black Friday Doorbuster at Target on 11/23/17! We consider ourselves extremely fortunate!

Check out local news coverage of Mike and Amy’s gaming success:

You can find more on PlingPong over at their website, but if you’re like us and need to get your hands on PlingPong, you can order it from Target right now. Once again, we’d like extend our warmest congratulations to Mike and Amy for their success. For our small part in this success, we’re extremely honored. 

All Images via Mike St. Martin

The post PlingPong, From Dream to Doorbuster: An Interview With Mike St. Martin appeared first on Shapeways Magazine.

PlingPong, From Dream to Doorbuster: An Interview With Mike St. Martin published first on http://ift.tt/2vVn0YZ

[sudsybear]

More changes

Something happened at Wooster. These days I don’t remember exactly what that something was. Although, I do remember talking it through with Ross; one of those late night confessionals when we admitted our fears and insecurities, gaining trust in each other. Seems to me there was a story of an unsuccessful suicide attempt; scratching his wrists with razor blades, drawing enough blood to be scary, but not enough to be deadly. I picture him standing in the lobby of the Civic Center, I hadn’t seen him for months, and he had bandages on both wrists. No one else I’ve asked will corroborate that memory. Did I make it up? Is it a figment of my overactive imagination? I honestly don’t know. Later, Ross led some to believe he hacked into the school’s mainframe, and was expelled. With others he joked about eating too many Twinkies and watching too much television. He was good at evasion and kept his own counsel. I don’t remember enough to know what to believe anymore. Whatever the reason, it was a doozy of a sophomore slump and his parents made the three-hour drive on I-71 to the college and brought Ross and his stuff home in January. He needed to sort out what he wanted in life. He needed time to heal. Wooster was not a good experience. I’ll never know all that happened. I just know he came home.

 Along with Liz, my friendship with Shari blossomed in the aftermath of David’s and my demise. We shared choir and Triple Trio rehearsals; and were thrown together for study groups and Teen Counseling sessions. Shari was strong then, She had ideas, plans, dreams. I enjoyed her confidence, a bit amazed by it. Proud of and loyal to her Jewish heritage, she refused to sing the sacred Christmas music our choir director chose for the winter concert. By February we were fully engaged in co-producing the Corral Show together. As producers, Shari and I made sure all the acts had parent sponsors and filled all the show committees (publicity, program, house manager, etc.) Later we followed up with the committees making sure the myriad tasks were taken care of. We had to be at every rehearsal to make sure all the would-be participants showed up. I spent Saturday afternoons with Shari at the Civic Center.

 Since Ross was home from college, he was put in charge of shuttling Scott around. Scott was playing guitar with a re-hash of the band Ross had played with two years previous – some of the same faces, a couple of new ones. They would perform in the show. Ross stayed at the Civic Center and listened while Scott played. He had little else to do. And when Ross showed up, Shari’s and my friendship strained. You remember reader, Ross and Shari had dated a few years back. The three of us tried to joke and laugh together. They had been intimate. I never knew the extent of their attraction. And while I recognized the irrelevance of the relationship, my own insecurity fed my curiosity. I asked questions of both of them, and worried how I compared in Ross’ eyes.

 Ross and I started slow. We really were just pals. Ross drove me home from Corral Show practice. Scott rode in the backseat with his guitar, and Ross dropped me off at the end of our driveway. As the weeks wore on, Ross and I took longer drives home from the Civic Center with detours to an eatery. We were comfortable, natural with each other. No pretense, we thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company.

 I fell for Ross in a big way. Just seventeen, I was sure I could soothe his troubled soul. I knew his struggles. And was smitten with a stubborn case of puppy love that I’m still not completely over. I’m confident declaring that at the time the feeling was mutual.

 *          *          *

 I still had school, homework and rehearsals. So did he. Ross wasn’t home but a couple of weeks, and he was registered for computer classes at Cincinnati Technical College (Now Cincinnati State). That was his Dad’s doing, “If you’re home, you’re going to be in school.” While I never actually heard him say it, the message was clear. “No son of mine is going to be a college drop-out. I don’t care if it is a technical college, you’re going.” So, school it was. He started with just a couple of classes, not a full load. Enough to keep Ross busy, but not enough to overwhelm him. We made time to spend with each other.

 My father was gone much of the time, traveling for work. Mom was busy working to finish up her nursing degree, taking the last class and getting her hands-on training at the local hospitals. Her mother, my grandmother, lived at one of the newer retirement/nursing home villages in town. Mom worked part-time as an aide. She checked in on my grandmother and took her to the grocery store, post office and such. Mom still ran life squad. Sunday dinners were a must-attend, but beyond that, we left messages for each other on the kitchen counter. We were very good at the message system. The back door was never locked; the dogs were let out any time someone was home. Mom fed them and changed their water dishes. We were an active and cooperative household.

 Any time Dad was out of town, I had the Pinto to drive – which was most of the time. And even though we lived less than a half-mile from the high school, I drove half the time. That gave me freedom to ditch class and spend time with Ross. So I did. Not often enough to get in trouble…but often enough to make it worth our while.

 I didn’t take seriously my role as Mark’s first girlfriend, and I dropped him – rather suddenly and inexplicably, I’m afraid. Poor guy, he never had a chance. It was very unfair to him, and I’m truly sorry for the way I treated him. There was nothing wrong – he didn’t do anything to upset me. He just wasn’t Ross. Ross and I had history, friendship, and a connection that Mark could never equal. Mark hated girls for a long time after that, and I should have been kinder.

 *          *          *

 “Boyish Enthusiasm.” That phrase was invented to describe Ross with a new album. Ross picked me up from some activity, either from school after a choir rehearsal or at the Civic Center after a Corral Show practice, and we HAD to get to his house. What was the deal? We pulled in the driveway, ran in through the garage, flew up the basement steps, his mom was in the kitchen. “Hi, Mrs. Jeynes!”

 “Hi, what’s going on?”

 “I don’t know…Ross just bought a new record. We’ll be upstairs.”

 “Okay, have fun!”

 Ross was in his room by the time I finished that quick greeting. “Soozin-X, come up here!”

 “I’m coming, I’m coming! What’s the hurry?” as I ran up the stairs.

 In his room, Ross took the pleasure of slicing through the cellophane wrapping. He inhaled the smell of new cardboard and vinyl, and the delight of a pristine album untouched by a needle. Bliss. The album was Phil Collins’ latest solo release, “No Jacket Required”

 He pulled the album out of the sleeve, holding it carefully, thumb on the outer edge, index finger on the center hole. Placed the album gently on the turntable, put the needle in place (first checking it for dust), lowered it, and cranked the volume. I had no idea music could be played that loud. (The knob must have gone to 11 at least!)  He stood in the middle of his bedroom where the speakers had been strategically aimed to maximize acoustic performance and listened – really listened to the first side. I sat on his bed; sheets and bedspread scattered under me, leaned against the wall and watched him. I was amazed at the intensity with which he concentrated on the music. He stood with his hands by his side, eyes closed, or occasionally glancing around the room, with periodic eye contact and a smile. Air drumming or air guitar…he concentrated on the sound…he absorbed it.

 The first side ended, my ears were ringing by this time, and he turned the album over to play the second side. Entranced by his behavior, I just watched and listened…the album ended, and Ross wanted to play it again. This second time, I convinced him to turn the volume down, and we sat on his bed and listened …together. Then it was time to get home for dinner with my folks and do homework.

 *          *          *

 In April, I started receiving acceptance letters from colleges, and had to decide where to go the following fall. My choices were Ohio State, Augustana, Tufts (I was wait-listed) or UofR. Oh what a decision that was. Money was a huge issue. We didn’t qualify for financial aid at that point, and UofR was one of the most expensive schools in the country. Friends were going to Ohio State, and I thought that might be comforting. I never did take Augustana seriously. I applied on a lark. Basically I had to choose between OSU and UofR.

 While we disagree about it now, at the time, I believed my father pushed for UofR. Dad liked the prestige of the school – he had applied and considered the school back in the fifties. He even pulled out thirty year old slides of the campus that he took when he visited. Dad ended up at MIT. He thought it was neat that his daughter might attend a school he had considered a lifetime previous. He was especially impressed that the dean of Students taught in the Religion Department and was the baseball coach. I had my misgivings, but chose Rochester, and decision made, forgot about it, sort of. More fun to live in the moment.

 *          *          *

 Ross acquired a project car. An old Pinto he bought from a friend for $1, it never actually went anywhere that I ever knew, although others tell of him driving it. Ross worked in the driveway in back of the house, wearing a Rush concert T-shirt overtop cutoff cargo pants, Converse Chuck T’s and no socks. His short bland hair was growing out from the color black he had dyed it. He welded new metal plates to the floor to cover the holes in the bottom, then put in new carpet. Remnants from a carpeting job his parents had done. He repaired the seats and upgraded the sound system (I must say the subwoofers he installed in the back of that thing were "kick-ass") for what’s a car if it doesn’t have decent sound? He tinkered with the engine, learning any and all that he could about cars. I passed tools to him like any smitten female does, but eventually I got bored and found something else to do. If Ross wasn’t working on his own Pinto, he helped his friend Greg with his Dodge Dart.

 The Dodge Dart. Why is it that anyone in High school in the mid 1980s has a friend or acquaintance or drove himself, a Dodge Dart? That was Greg’s fancy. Ross had the Pinto, and Greg had the Dart. They were great friends, and Ross loved to rib Greg about all the time and effort he put into that car. Like the Pinto was such a great car either? They had dreams, and were learning, and it kept them out of too much other trouble.

 *          *          *

 Suffering a severe case of senior-itis, I purposefully gave myself a light academic load. Math was a relaxed affair, social studies required some attention, AP English was supposed to be a tough course, but with the teacher mix-up, I ducked the writing assignments as much as possible. Art and Choir required little effort outside of rehearsals. I had no first period class and standing permission to be off campus for Teen Counseling, I spent my free time with Ross.

 One morning toward the end of the school year, I left for school late and instead of the short ride to park in the school lot, I drove around the corner and up to Jeynes’ house. Our parents were at work. Scott was at school. I parked my Pinto next to Ross’ in the driveway behind the house, walked in through the garage, up the basement steps to the breakfast nook, tiptoed around the hallway and up the stairs to the second floor. Turned right, and sneaked down the hall to Ross’ room. Ross was not quite awake, still in the blessed morning state halfway between, “Do I want to roll over and go back to sleep…or wake up and go take my shower?” Once in his room, I took off my shoes and socks and crawled into his bed. We curled around each other and both fell back asleep.

 We woke up later, enjoying a morning snuggle. We still weren’t motivated to do anything productive. We talked about how much time we were spending together, and how comfortable we were. I asked something about Wooster, and Ross dug around in some boxes and found the letters I sent to him. He kept them in a shoebox. He also had letters from other friends and previous girlfriends. I was thrilled and flattered that he had kept my letters. We re-read them. Sitting on his bed, the covers strewn around us, we started laughing. Oh, how we laughed.

 Ross described walking to his mailbox with his buddies. He checked his mailbox, sorted through the letters, and stuffed the one from me in his jacket pocket.

 “Hey Man, you got mail. Aren’t you going to read it?”

 “Nah, I’ll save it for later”

 “Oh, it’s a good one, eh? From a girlfriend or something?”

 “No, nothing like that. It’s just this girl who writes to me. It’s bizarre stuff.”

 “What do you mean?”

 “Alright, I’ll show you.”

 It was one of the coloring book pictures I colored and sent.

 “You get that stuff all the time?”

 “Yep.”

 “Weird. What do you do with it?”

 “I don’t know, man. I just don’t know. She just keeps sending it.”

 We laughed so hard that morning, looking through the mail I had sent him. Poor Ross, what I had put him through sending him mail. Yes, he was happy to get it, but what strange mail to receive.

 After we laughed, I lay in bed while Ross showered and dressed. By this time we were ravenous, and it was almost noon, so we left the house and drove to Burger King for brunch. He had to go to afternoon classes, and so did I. I was distracted the rest of the day, in anticipation of seeing Ross again. Afternoon classes, and choir rehearsal…my heart wasn’t in it.

 *          *          *

  I had an Eddie Bauer backpack to carry my textbooks and spiral notebooks. Book packs have been all the rage since the mid-70s at least, and in the 80s having the right label on yours meant everything. I begged my parents to pay too much for an Eddie Bauer bag, and I used it and used it and used it. The thing was, the seams were unraveled and I had a terrible time getting my books and notebooks into and out of the bag. I complained about it to Ross one afternoon. He looked at it, said, “Oh, I can fix that. I need a lighter.”

“What?”

 “It will be okay, I promise. Watch.”

 On the back porch of our house, he sat for an hour melting the seam allowances along the entire interior of the backpack. Tedious and dangerous, burned fingers are no fun. I have a healthy fear of an open flame, despite (or maybe because of) my experiences with teenage male pyrotechnics. I was terrified he would burn himself, but fascinated to watch him work. I used that backpack for another couple of years, took it to college, then summer camp and out to California. A strap finally broke. Mom mailed the pack back to the company, and they replaced it with a new one. When it arrived, I sat on the back porch and melted the seam allowances myself.

[additionallysad]

House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation http://ift.tt/2mqaahg

We’ve shared this glorious back porch on Instagram twice (during the holidays, seen below, and last summer, seen here), which belongs to our good friends Carey & Jordan. And based on the reaction to just this view alone from you guys, we figured we should do a good old fashioned House Crash so we can show you guys more of their beautiful home. They’ve also got some really great tips about what wears well with kids and dogs (and what they wouldn’t do again), which was especially helpful since we’re currently mulling over some bathroom renos. But enough jabbering, let’s get on with the tour!

similar storm door / similar black sconces / string lights

Carey & Jordan used to live right behind us (Carey was actually one of the first neighbors to come introduce herself with a giant plate of cookies, which we basically inhaled while laying hardwood floors upstairs). But they recently moved to another house in our neighborhood because of their family of five needing a little more space. Jordan runs a renovation company here in Richmond called Spruce RVA, so it’s no surprise that their own house went through quite the transformation. For instance, here’s what that back porch area looked like when they bought it. Now scroll back up for the after. I’ll wait.

AMAZING, AMIRIGHT? Sorry for the caps lock, but IT’S SO GOOD. We took these pics back before all the leaves left us in the fall (come baaaaack leaves) so I’m thrilled to finally get this post together. Makes me all breathy and drooly all over again. Attractive visual, eh? That old garage that you see above was converted into a downstairs master bedroom since they often have both sets of their parents staying with them, so they needed more bedrooms. And the reason they didn’t mind losing that garage is because Jordan is awesome, and he knew he and his crew could design and construct a new detached garage nearby – with a second floor office for Jordan’s business.

At first glance, the exterior of the house (besides the new garage) doesn’t seem wildly different from how it looked when they purchased it.

But upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the little details they added to amp up it’s original charm. They built out the columns to be a bit chunkier than the original ones. They added some dentil molding along the roofline (I KNOW I’M SHOUTING AGAIN BUT I CAN’T EVEN HANDLE HOW GOOD THAT DENTIL MOLDING LOOKS). They also swapped the double doors for a single door with sidelights. Another neighbor of ours always complains about her solid double-doors making her foyer dark, so this is a great solution to let in more light.

And no, Carey doesn’t decorate with pumpkins year round, they’re just further evidence that these photos were from October. Nothing like getting into the Halloween spirit on the last day of February! UGH, BUT LOOK AT THE BLUE CEILING. AND THE BLUESTONE PATH.

similar black planters / door knocker / similar lantern sconces

The porch ceiling is Crystal Springs by Benjamin Moore, and the door is Poppy by Ben Moore by the way. The white siding is just the stock white that comes with Hardiplank (Arctic White).

The detached garage also acts as a nice anchor to their outdoor patio area, which is what you see when you stand at that pretty back door I’m always Instagramming. Jordan is a trained landscape architect and Carey studied urban planning, so we love that they thought to carve out some space within the paver patio for greenery.

string lights / similar black sconce / similar lantern sconces

Since the back door is the family’s most used entrance, it opens into a spacious mudroom with a nook for each of their three elementary-aged kids. Picture this loaded with a lot more boots and scarves in the winter, except that it has been so unseasonably warm lately here in Richmond, it probably looks like this again.

rug / round baskets / hooks / rectangle baskets

The mudroom leads into the open kitchen & family room (that red door is also Poppy by Ben Moore). The previous owners had already put the family room addition on the house, so Carey and Jordan’s main challenge here was to update the kitchen to be more functional for their family.

stools / rug  / faucet / pendants / dishwasher / sink

One of the coolest things was that they wanted to reuse all of the original cabinetry, but reconfigure some things a little. Well, they found the contact info for the original cabinet maker in one of the drawers, so they hired him to help match some new stuff with the old stuff he built decades ago! It looks so great and you’d never guess some is new but most of it is old!

Here are some of the before/progress photos that that Carey sent us. They were pretty happy with the overall layout, but just wanted to make the stove and the island area work a little more seamlessly.

They moved the island overhang to the far side of the island in order to seat more people and make better flow to the fridge, and they traded their dark counters for a lighter granite (super durable and not too expensive – it’s really close to the stuff we had in our first kitchen!). They also lightened things up by swapping the black appliances for stainless steel. Jordan doesn’t like to send a lot of stuff to the dump, so he sold some of the old stuff that they replaced (old appliances, some old windows, etc) so others can use them instead of trashing them.

stools / pendants / mixer / flour & sugar jars

It was so smart of them to make that a lovely little accent with some tile laid in a herringbone pattern over the stove. And yes, that awesome original cabinet maker made that amazing hood for them! Those thick corbels look like one of those giant blocks of cheese THAT I WANT TO EAT. I WANT TO BITE THEM. I CAN’T STOP.

stove / kettle / mixer / knives / cabinet knobs

The bright and cheery kitchen also leads to the nearby dining room, which is painted with a moody greeny-teal color above the wainscotting (Rookwood Sash by Sherwin Williams). The hutch is a cool secondhand find from a local place called Epoch.

similar china cabinet / rug / cabinet pulls / cabinet knobs / microwave

Carey used an eclectic mix of furniture in the dining room, which simultaneously seems grown-up, but not too serious – and works for her three young kids. When I asked her about how the rug held up with kids and food she said it’s been great. It’s wool and has that faded weathered look so that helps.

rug / table / end chairs / white chairs / similar gourd lamps / similar chandelier / gold mirror / sideboard

I love how the bamboo frame of the mirror over the sideboard ties into the lattice on that chair in the corner. It’s all a mixture of stuff that she either bought secondhand or found in accessible stores like Pottery Barn, Target, and even PB Teen, yet it all totally goes together without looking too matchy.

rug / end chair / similar corner chair / acrylic table / similar gourd lamp/ gold mirror

Beyond the dining room is a more formal living room that I like to call Carey’s “White Rabbit” because she pulled this room out of a friggin’ hat. It essentially only had legos on the floor right after they moved in (I don’t have a before picture but you guys can picture that, right?!), and then I visited a little while later and boom, it looked like this.

acrylic console / gold lamp / gold mirror / rug / similar pink chair/ stick accent table / gold frames

She said she literally didn’t buy a single thing except for the woven ottoman under the acrylic console, and the rest of the stuff was all things she already had (in the attic, or borrowed from other rooms that didn’t need them as much). She just dragged them all in here, moved stuff around a while, and it worked. Gotta love an almost free makeover.

As part of the make-it-work effort, Carey repainted this old dresser, which works so nicely with the gold accents around the room (she forgets the paint color, but September Skies by Sherwin Williams would be similar). Girl committed to not spending a lot on this room and using her wits and what she had around, and I LOVE that about her.

similar dresser / similar hardware / gold mirror

Also you’ve probably noticed all of the live plants around the house. Carey is the plant whisperer. And I am very very jealous. She makes me LOL when she calls me and says “I went to the greenhouse and the guy there introduced me to my new favorite plant!” Although now that I think about it I’m kinda like that with paint brushes. Also: they built these built-ins and are gradually filling them up with books. Standing ovation. Love the brass pulls that tie into the little wood table-turned-plant-stand.

plant stand table / brass knobs / similar frames

I also love that Carey and Jordan are brave. They could have painted their bathrooms, but they opted to try some fun wallpaper in there instead. They’re a smart place to dip your toe into the wallpaper waters because it’s much cheaper than doing a big bedroom or living room – and small rooms like these are great candidates for doing something a little different. This is their downstairs powder room, right off the main foyer.

wallpaper / toilet / buffalo print / similar foyer rug

Upstairs the hall bath, which is shared by two of their kids, sports this fun graphic chevron wallpaper, which strikes a nice balance of formal and playful. I also asked how the wallpaper is holding up in the bathrooms. Carey says it has held up perfectly (no peeling from hot showers or kids spilling on it or scratching it). She said the only issue has been that she’s scared to hang pictures on it because it means making a hole that will always be there – ha! But it’s pretty great on its own. She also mentioned that the dark granite counter in here works so well with kids (it was a remnant so she saved a ton of money that way).

wallpaper / floor tile / hardware / mirror

One tip Carey has for anyone else redoing their home is that although she was warned that marble can stain and be high maintenance, she thought it wouldn’t be too bad in the bathroom on the floor (nobody even has shoes on in there!), but if she could do it all again she’d go with something else. Turns out toothpaste spills and any other liquid that gets on the floor can soak in and stain or leave a mark, which she doesn’t love. Good to know!

Off of their oldest daughter’s room is an ensuite bathroom since it was the original master bedroom. For that room they chose this happy cherry wallpaper and the counter in here is a Cambria quartz remnant so it holds up super well (no staining issues like the marble floor tile) and again by finding it as a remnant at a local stone yard, she saved a lot of money.

wallpaper / similar hardware / faucet / similar mirror /

Perhaps my favorite room in her entire house is their new master (remember, this is where the garage used to be). They were able to carve out this beautiful nook for a big soaker tub along with a nice bright walk-in shower that’s off to the right. ALSO THAT BASKETWEAVE ACCENT TILE. HUBBA HUBBA. (*wolf whistle*)

cast iron soaker tub / basketweave accent tile / main floor tile / similar vanity / tub faucet 

John was talking to Jordan and fishing around for some reassurance that maybe a bath tub wasn’t really that useful (podcast listeners know we’ve been wrestling with the tub-or-no-tub debate for our own master bathroom reno) and John thought he’d get a helpful answer when he asked “So do you guys actually use that very much?” Jordan said “Oh yeah! Carey uses it just about every day!” Nice try, Johnny boy (insert laughing face emoji next to a bath tub emoji here). I’m back on the I-want-one train btw.

So there you have it. A lot of rooms, nooks, and crannies in Carey and Jordan’s lovely home. They’re super inspiring renovators and awesome friends and neighbors, so we’re so grateful they let us slip through and take these pics while our kids ran amok in the backyard (they left some pretty epic chalk drawings behind since we were there a lot longer than we thought! ha!).

If you want to see more of our House Crashing adventures, you can check out the whole collection of ’em here.

*This post contains affiliate links 

The post House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation appeared first on Young House Love.

[vincentbnaughton]

House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation

We’ve shared this glorious back porch on Instagram twice (during the holidays, seen below, and last summer, seen here), which belongs to our good friends Carey & Jordan. And based on the reaction to just this view alone from you guys, we figured we should do a good old fashioned House Crash so we can show you guys more of their beautiful home. They’ve also got some really great tips about what wears well with kids and dogs (and what they wouldn’t do again), which was especially helpful since we’re currently mulling over some bathroom renos. But enough jabbering, let’s get on with the tour!

similar storm door / similar black sconces / string lights

Carey & Jordan used to live right behind us (Carey was actually one of the first neighbors to come introduce herself with a giant plate of cookies, which we basically inhaled while laying hardwood floors upstairs). But they recently moved to another house in our neighborhood because of their family of five needing a little more space. Jordan runs a renovation company here in Richmond called Spruce RVA, so it’s no surprise that their own house went through quite the transformation. For instance, here’s what that back porch area looked like when they bought it. Now scroll back up for the after. I’ll wait.

AMAZING, AMIRIGHT? Sorry for the caps lock, but IT’S SO GOOD. We took these pics back before all the leaves left us in the fall (come baaaaack leaves) so I’m thrilled to finally get this post together. Makes me all breathy and drooly all over again. Attractive visual, eh? That old garage that you see above was converted into a downstairs master bedroom since they often have both sets of their parents staying with them, so they needed more bedrooms. And the reason they didn’t mind losing that garage is because Jordan is awesome, and he knew he and his crew could design and construct a new detached garage nearby – with a second floor office for Jordan’s business.

At first glance, the exterior of the house (besides the new garage) doesn’t seem wildly different from how it looked when they purchased it.

But upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the little details they added to amp up it’s original charm. They built out the columns to be a bit chunkier than the original ones. They added some dentil molding along the roofline (I KNOW I’M SHOUTING AGAIN BUT I CAN’T EVEN HANDLE HOW GOOD THAT DENTIL MOLDING LOOKS). They also swapped the double doors for a single door with sidelights. Another neighbor of ours always complains about her solid double-doors making her foyer dark, so this is a great solution to let in more light.

And no, Carey doesn’t decorate with pumpkins year round, they’re just further evidence that these photos were from October. Nothing like getting into the Halloween spirit on the last day of February! UGH, BUT LOOK AT THE BLUE CEILING. AND THE BLUESTONE PATH.

similar black planters / door knocker / similar lantern sconces

The porch ceiling is Crystal Springs by Benjamin Moore, and the door is Poppy by Ben Moore by the way. The white siding is just the stock white that comes with Hardiplank (Arctic White).

The detached garage also acts as a nice anchor to their outdoor patio area, which is what you see when you stand at that pretty back door I’m always Instagramming. Jordan is a trained landscape architect and Carey studied urban planning, so we love that they thought to carve out some space within the paver patio for greenery.

string lights / similar black sconce / similar lantern sconces

Since the back door is the family’s most used entrance, it opens into a spacious mudroom with a nook for each of their three elementary-aged kids. Picture this loaded with a lot more boots and scarves in the winter, except that it has been so unseasonably warm lately here in Richmond, it probably looks like this again.

rug / round baskets / hooks / rectangle baskets

The mudroom leads into the open kitchen & family room (that red door is also Poppy by Ben Moore). The previous owners had already put the family room addition on the house, so Carey and Jordan’s main challenge here was to update the kitchen to be more functional for their family.

stools / rug  / faucet / pendants / dishwasher / sink

One of the coolest things was that they wanted to reuse all of the original cabinetry, but reconfigure some things a little. Well, they found the contact info for the original cabinet maker in one of the drawers, so they hired him to help match some new stuff with the old stuff he built decades ago! It looks so great and you’d never guess some is new but most of it is old!

Here are some of the before/progress photos that that Carey sent us. They were pretty happy with the overall layout, but just wanted to make the stove and the island area work a little more seamlessly.

They moved the island overhang to the far side of the island in order to seat more people and make better flow to the fridge, and they traded their dark counters for a lighter granite (super durable and not too expensive – it’s really close to the stuff we had in our first kitchen!). They also lightened things up by swapping the black appliances for stainless steel. Jordan doesn’t like to send a lot of stuff to the dump, so he sold some of the old stuff that they replaced (old appliances, some old windows, etc) so others can use them instead of trashing them.

stools / pendants / mixer / flour & sugar jars

It was so smart of them to make that a lovely little accent with some tile laid in a herringbone pattern over the stove. And yes, that awesome original cabinet maker made that amazing hood for them! Those thick corbels look like one of those giant blocks of cheese THAT I WANT TO EAT. I WANT TO BITE THEM. I CAN’T STOP.

stove / kettle / mixer / knives / cabinet knobs

The bright and cheery kitchen also leads to the nearby dining room, which is painted with a moody greeny-teal color above the wainscotting (Rookwood Sash by Sherwin Williams). The hutch is a cool secondhand find from a local place called Epoch.

similar china cabinet / rug / cabinet pulls / cabinet knobs / microwave

Carey used an eclectic mix of furniture in the dining room, which simultaneously seems grown-up, but not too serious – and works for her three young kids. When I asked her about how the rug held up with kids and food she said it’s been great. It’s wool and has that faded weathered look so that helps.

rug / table / end chairs / white chairs / similar gourd lamps / similar chandelier / gold mirror / sideboard

I love how the bamboo frame of the mirror over the sideboard ties into the lattice on that chair in the corner. It’s all a mixture of stuff that she either bought secondhand or found in accessible stores like Pottery Barn, Target, and even PB Teen, yet it all totally goes together without looking too matchy.

rug / end chair / similar corner chair / acrylic table / similar gourd lamp/ gold mirror

Beyond the dining room is a more formal living room that I like to call Carey’s “White Rabbit” because she pulled this room out of a friggin’ hat. It essentially only had legos on the floor right after they moved in (I don’t have a before picture but you guys can picture that, right?!), and then I visited a little while later and boom, it looked like this.

acrylic console / gold lamp / gold mirror / rug / similar pink chair/ stick accent table / gold frames

She said she literally didn’t buy a single thing except for the woven ottoman under the acrylic console, and the rest of the stuff was all things she already had (in the attic, or borrowed from other rooms that didn’t need them as much). She just dragged them all in here, moved stuff around a while, and it worked. Gotta love an almost free makeover.

As part of the make-it-work effort, Carey repainted this old dresser, which works so nicely with the gold accents around the room (she forgets the paint color, but September Skies by Sherwin Williams would be similar). Girl committed to not spending a lot on this room and using her wits and what she had around, and I LOVE that about her.

similar dresser / similar hardware / gold mirror

Also you’ve probably noticed all of the live plants around the house. Carey is the plant whisperer. And I am very very jealous. She makes me LOL when she calls me and says “I went to the greenhouse and the guy there introduced me to my new favorite plant!” Although now that I think about it I’m kinda like that with paint brushes. Also: they built these built-ins and are gradually filling them up with books. Standing ovation. Love the brass pulls that tie into the little wood table-turned-plant-stand.

plant stand table / brass knobs / similar frames

I also love that Carey and Jordan are brave. They could have painted their bathrooms, but they opted to try some fun wallpaper in there instead. They’re a smart place to dip your toe into the wallpaper waters because it’s much cheaper than doing a big bedroom or living room – and small rooms like these are great candidates for doing something a little different. This is their downstairs powder room, right off the main foyer.

wallpaper / toilet / buffalo print / similar foyer rug

Upstairs the hall bath, which is shared by two of their kids, sports this fun graphic chevron wallpaper, which strikes a nice balance of formal and playful. I also asked how the wallpaper is holding up in the bathrooms. Carey says it has held up perfectly (no peeling from hot showers or kids spilling on it or scratching it). She said the only issue has been that she’s scared to hang pictures on it because it means making a hole that will always be there – ha! But it’s pretty great on its own. She also mentioned that the dark granite counter in here works so well with kids (it was a remnant so she saved a ton of money that way).

wallpaper / floor tile / hardware / mirror

One tip Carey has for anyone else redoing their home is that although she was warned that marble can stain and be high maintenance, she thought it wouldn’t be too bad in the bathroom on the floor (nobody even has shoes on in there!), but if she could do it all again she’d go with something else. Turns out toothpaste spills and any other liquid that gets on the floor can soak in and stain or leave a mark, which she doesn’t love. Good to know!

Off of their oldest daughter’s room is an ensuite bathroom since it was the original master bedroom. For that room they chose this happy cherry wallpaper and the counter in here is a Cambria quartz remnant so it holds up super well (no staining issues like the marble floor tile) and again by finding it as a remnant at a local stone yard, she saved a lot of money.

wallpaper / similar hardware / faucet / similar mirror /

Perhaps my favorite room in her entire house is their new master (remember, this is where the garage used to be). They were able to carve out this beautiful nook for a big soaker tub along with a nice bright walk-in shower that’s off to the right. ALSO THAT BASKETWEAVE ACCENT TILE. HUBBA HUBBA. (*wolf whistle*)

cast iron soaker tub / basketweave accent tile / main floor tile / similar vanity / tub faucet 

John was talking to Jordan and fishing around for some reassurance that maybe a bath tub wasn’t really that useful (podcast listeners know we’ve been wrestling with the tub-or-no-tub debate for our own master bathroom reno) and John thought he’d get a helpful answer when he asked “So do you guys actually use that very much?” Jordan said “Oh yeah! Carey uses it just about every day!” Nice try, Johnny boy (insert laughing face emoji next to a bath tub emoji here). I’m back on the I-want-one train btw.

So there you have it. A lot of rooms, nooks, and crannies in Carey and Jordan’s lovely home. They’re super inspiring renovators and awesome friends and neighbors, so we’re so grateful they let us slip through and take these pics while our kids ran amok in the backyard (they left some pretty epic chalk drawings behind since we were there a lot longer than we thought! ha!).

If you want to see more of our House Crashing adventures, you can check out the whole collection of ’em here.

*This post contains affiliate links 

The post House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation appeared first on Young House Love.

[avatarbaby]

February 10th 2017

it's been exactly 7 months since i've talked to you, before that was another 6 months, 2 times in the past 13 months....and it's currently 2:53am and here i am, in bed thinking about you. july 23rd 2012-september 24th 2015 you were my life my everything my best friend my soul. i was never supposed to be able to go 7 seconds, min, hours, days without you let alone 7 months. it's crazy how they say one day you will be a stranger to your ex and you never think that will be true until the day you are on their side of town and drive past their house and realize it's going on the 2nd year of not being together and you are truly strangers. i couldn't tell you how old your sisters baby is i couldn't tell you how your relationship has been with your dad i couldn't tell you if you still live at home or you finally got your own place i couldn't tell you your favorite place to eat i couldn't tell you if you still get nagged everyday to do yard work by mimi i couldn't tell you if you ever finished adding on to the deck in the backyard i couldn't tell you if that lamp is still broken on the garage from missing the basketball goal too many times i couldn't tell you how the new floors turned out i couldn't tell you if you ever stopped being lazy and finally finished painting your room after doing the most sloppy job on only one wall. i never thought the guy i put every ounce of faith hope and love i had into would no longer be in my life. i was so used to you, falling asleep with you, waking up with you, going to dinner with you, going on the typical dinner/movie date night with you, going out to your dads house on sundays to sit and watch cartoons with your little brother, going along with your mom on her tacky date night ideas, knowing that when i got in your car the visor would still be down cause it reminded you of me sitting there complaining about the sun and being a goof singing out of tune to country songs, being so comfortable we could just lay together in bed for hours and not say one word just enjoy each others company, knowing at the end of everyday no matter what happened no matter how bad or good it was i knew if i needed it i could call you and talk to you about everything for hours. i became so dependent on you. no one has ever known me as well as you knew me and now neither of us know anything about the other. you took my first everything. you will forever be my first love. you took everything out of me. because of you i can't let myself get too close to anyone i can't let myself love someone else. everytime i get close to having something amazing with someone again i screw it up. i am truly broken. i do everything in my power to be strong and allow myself to move past everything but when i'm laying in bed with someone else, still, it doesn't feel right. then i finally meet the one person who shows me to look at things differently and flips everything around for me and helps me fall for someone again and naturally i fuck it up. then i choose to drive by your house and it's like everything goes back to September 24th 2015, it doesn't feel like it's been almost 2 years. it doesn't feel like everything has changed. it feels like you just dropped me off after watching me block you on every way of contacting me. and i had no idea that that is the last time i'm ever going to see you as my boyfriend the one that i spent my young teenager years loving and giving my everything to. i think i will spend my whole life missing you. ~I miss you and love you always

[vincentbnaughton]

House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation

We’ve shared this glorious back porch on Instagram twice (during the holidays, seen below, and last summer, seen here), which belongs to our good friends Carey & Jordan. And based on the reaction to just this view alone from you guys, we figured we should do a good old fashioned House Crash so we can show you guys more of their beautiful home. They’ve also got some really great tips about what wears well with kids and dogs (and what they wouldn’t do again), which was especially helpful since we’re currently mulling over some bathroom renos. But enough jabbering, let’s get on with the tour!

similar storm door / similar black sconces / string lights

Carey & Jordan used to live right behind us (Carey was actually one of the first neighbors to come introduce herself with a giant plate of cookies, which we basically inhaled while laying hardwood floors upstairs). But they recently moved to another house in our neighborhood because of their family of five needing a little more space. Jordan runs a renovation company here in Richmond called Spruce RVA, so it’s no surprise that their own house went through quite the transformation. For instance, here’s what that back porch area looked like when they bought it. Now scroll back up for the after. I’ll wait.

AMAZING, AMIRIGHT? Sorry for the caps lock, but IT’S SO GOOD. We took these pics back before all the leaves left us in the fall (come baaaaack leaves) so I’m thrilled to finally get this post together. Makes me all breathy and drooly all over again. Attractive visual, eh? That old garage that you see above was converted into a downstairs master bedroom since they often have both sets of their parents staying with them, so they needed more bedrooms. And the reason they didn’t mind losing that garage is because Jordan is awesome, and he knew he and his crew could design and construct a new detached garage nearby – with a second floor office for Jordan’s business.

At first glance, the exterior of the house (besides the new garage) doesn’t seem wildly different from how it looked when they purchased it.

But upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the little details they added to amp up it’s original charm. They built out the columns to be a bit chunkier than the original ones. They added some dentil molding along the roofline (I KNOW I’M SHOUTING AGAIN BUT I CAN’T EVEN HANDLE HOW GOOD THAT DENTIL MOLDING LOOKS). They also swapped the double doors for a single door with sidelights. Another neighbor of ours always complains about her solid double-doors making her foyer dark, so this is a great solution to let in more light.

And no, Carey doesn’t decorate with pumpkins year round, they’re just further evidence that these photos were from October. Nothing like getting into the Halloween spirit on the last day of February! UGH, BUT LOOK AT THE BLUE CEILING. AND THE BLUESTONE PATH.

similar black planters / door knocker / similar lantern sconces

The porch ceiling is Crystal Springs by Benjamin Moore, and the door is Poppy by Ben Moore by the way. The white siding is just the stock white that comes with Hardiplank (Arctic White).

The detached garage also acts as a nice anchor to their outdoor patio area, which is what you see when you stand at that pretty back door I’m always Instagramming. Jordan is a trained landscape architect and Carey studied urban planning, so we love that they thought to carve out some space within the paver patio for greenery.

string lights / similar black sconce / similar lantern sconces

Since the back door is the family’s most used entrance, it opens into a spacious mudroom with a nook for each of their three elementary-aged kids. Picture this loaded with a lot more boots and scarves in the winter, except that it has been so unseasonably warm lately here in Richmond, it probably looks like this again.

rug / round baskets / hooks / rectangle baskets

The mudroom leads into the open kitchen & family room (that red door is also Poppy by Ben Moore). The previous owners had already put the family room addition on the house, so Carey and Jordan’s main challenge here was to update the kitchen to be more functional for their family.

stools / rug  / faucet / pendants / dishwasher / sink

One of the coolest things was that they wanted to reuse all of the original cabinetry, but reconfigure some things a little. Well, they found the contact info for the original cabinet maker in one of the drawers, so they hired him to help match some new stuff with the old stuff he built decades ago! It looks so great and you’d never guess some is new but most of it is old!

Here are some of the before/progress photos that that Carey sent us. They were pretty happy with the overall layout, but just wanted to make the stove and the island area work a little more seamlessly.

They moved the island overhang to the far side of the island in order to seat more people and make better flow to the fridge, and they traded their dark counters for a lighter granite (super durable and not too expensive – it’s really close to the stuff we had in our first kitchen!). They also lightened things up by swapping the black appliances for stainless steel. Jordan doesn’t like to send a lot of stuff to the dump, so he sold some of the old stuff that they replaced (old appliances, some old windows, etc) so others can use them instead of trashing them.

stools / pendants / mixer / flour & sugar jars

It was so smart of them to make that a lovely little accent with some tile laid in a herringbone pattern over the stove. And yes, that awesome original cabinet maker made that amazing hood for them! Those thick corbels look like one of those giant blocks of cheese THAT I WANT TO EAT. I WANT TO BITE THEM. I CAN’T STOP.

stove / kettle / mixer / knives / cabinet knobs

The bright and cheery kitchen also leads to the nearby dining room, which is painted with a moody greeny-teal color above the wainscotting (Rookwood Sash by Sherwin Williams). The hutch is a cool secondhand find from a local place called Epoch.

similar china cabinet / rug / cabinet pulls / cabinet knobs / microwave

Carey used an eclectic mix of furniture in the dining room, which simultaneously seems grown-up, but not too serious – and works for her three young kids. When I asked her about how the rug held up with kids and food she said it’s been great. It’s wool and has that faded weathered look so that helps.

rug / table / end chairs / white chairs / similar gourd lamps / similar chandelier / gold mirror / sideboard

I love how the bamboo frame of the mirror over the sideboard ties into the lattice on that chair in the corner. It’s all a mixture of stuff that she either bought secondhand or found in accessible stores like Pottery Barn, Target, and even PB Teen, yet it all totally goes together without looking too matchy.

rug / end chair / similar corner chair / acrylic table / similar gourd lamp/ gold mirror

Beyond the dining room is a more formal living room that I like to call Carey’s “White Rabbit” because she pulled this room out of a friggin’ hat. It essentially only had legos on the floor right after they moved in (I don’t have a before picture but you guys can picture that, right?!), and then I visited a little while later and boom, it looked like this.

acrylic console / gold lamp / gold mirror / rug / similar pink chair/ stick accent table / gold frames

She said she literally didn’t buy a single thing except for the woven ottoman under the acrylic console, and the rest of the stuff was all things she already had (in the attic, or borrowed from other rooms that didn’t need them as much). She just dragged them all in here, moved stuff around a while, and it worked. Gotta love an almost free makeover.

As part of the make-it-work effort, Carey repainted this old dresser, which works so nicely with the gold accents around the room (she forgets the paint color, but September Skies by Sherwin Williams would be similar). Girl committed to not spending a lot on this room and using her wits and what she had around, and I LOVE that about her.

similar dresser / similar hardware / gold mirror

Also you’ve probably noticed all of the live plants around the house. Carey is the plant whisperer. And I am very very jealous. She makes me LOL when she calls me and says “I went to the greenhouse and the guy there introduced me to my new favorite plant!” Although now that I think about it I’m kinda like that with paint brushes. Also: they built these built-ins and are gradually filling them up with books. Standing ovation. Love the brass pulls that tie into the little wood table-turned-plant-stand.

plant stand table / brass knobs / similar frames

I also love that Carey and Jordan are brave. They could have painted their bathrooms, but they opted to try some fun wallpaper in there instead. They’re a smart place to dip your toe into the wallpaper waters because it’s much cheaper than doing a big bedroom or living room – and small rooms like these are great candidates for doing something a little different. This is their downstairs powder room, right off the main foyer.

wallpaper / toilet / buffalo print / similar foyer rug

Upstairs the hall bath, which is shared by two of their kids, sports this fun graphic chevron wallpaper, which strikes a nice balance of formal and playful. I also asked how the wallpaper is holding up in the bathrooms. Carey says it has held up perfectly (no peeling from hot showers or kids spilling on it or scratching it). She said the only issue has been that she’s scared to hang pictures on it because it means making a hole that will always be there – ha! But it’s pretty great on its own. She also mentioned that the dark granite counter in here works so well with kids (it was a remnant so she saved a ton of money that way).

wallpaper / floor tile / hardware / mirror

One tip Carey has for anyone else redoing their home is that although she was warned that marble can stain and be high maintenance, she thought it wouldn’t be too bad in the bathroom on the floor (nobody even has shoes on in there!), but if she could do it all again she’d go with something else. Turns out toothpaste spills and any other liquid that gets on the floor can soak in and stain or leave a mark, which she doesn’t love. Good to know!

Off of their oldest daughter’s room is an ensuite bathroom since it was the original master bedroom. For that room they chose this happy cherry wallpaper and the counter in here is a Cambria quartz remnant so it holds up super well (no staining issues like the marble floor tile) and again by finding it as a remnant at a local stone yard, she saved a lot of money.

wallpaper / similar hardware / faucet / similar mirror /

Perhaps my favorite room in her entire house is their new master (remember, this is where the garage used to be). They were able to carve out this beautiful nook for a big soaker tub along with a nice bright walk-in shower that’s off to the right. ALSO THAT BASKETWEAVE ACCENT TILE. HUBBA HUBBA. (*wolf whistle*)

cast iron soaker tub / basketweave accent tile / main floor tile / similar vanity / tub faucet 

John was talking to Jordan and fishing around for some reassurance that maybe a bath tub wasn’t really that useful (podcast listeners know we’ve been wrestling with the tub-or-no-tub debate for our own master bathroom reno) and John thought he’d get a helpful answer when he asked “So do you guys actually use that very much?” Jordan said “Oh yeah! Carey uses it just about every day!” Nice try, Johnny boy (insert laughing face emoji next to a bath tub emoji here). I’m back on the I-want-one train btw.

So there you have it. A lot of rooms, nooks, and crannies in Carey and Jordan’s lovely home. They’re super inspiring renovators and awesome friends and neighbors, so we’re so grateful they let us slip through and take these pics while our kids ran amok in the backyard (they left some pretty epic chalk drawings behind since we were there a lot longer than we thought! ha!).

If you want to see more of our House Crashing adventures, you can check out the whole collection of ’em here.

*This post contains affiliate links 

The post House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation appeared first on Young House Love.