Glimpses of Christmas at the Ranch...

...it's sort of like the HGTV special 'Christmas at the White House.'

Only smaller. And better. :-)



It's been a great year at the ranch - from new paint, to a new boiler, and from great new furniture down to awesome and unique accessories. But soon we will all be opening presents and welcoming 2012 without looking back. Although the holidays can be stressful, they offer us the time and ability for reflection: upon ourselves, our accomplishments, our goals, and our many relationships.

We share these small glimpses of our holiday home in hopes that they provide a small break from your hectic week while conjuring great memories of Holidays past. May we look toward 2012 with hope, and may we all see each other more often in the months ahead! Now that we have heat and hot water at the ranch, we can even host. :-)







And it looks as though the new decorations have even pleased the neighbors:



PS - For all of you haters (Tom): I apparently already failed at Rebirth Mondays. Rest assured it's only because I had to make sure the tree was perfect.

Holiday Punk'd

Imagine my surprise when I return home after a 2-day business trip to THIS. A catastrophe beyond words - the trashiest Christmas this home has ever seen.

Apparently, the Michaels thought it would be funny to 'decorate' for Christmas while I was away. Tired from the flight, and starving for dinner, I did not find it as funny. I spent my first hour home taking down the blue tinsel trees, blow up snowmen, and cheetah-printed stockings. The white tinsel wreath and mismatched lights also had to go - did I act too hastily?

A much *classier* Christmas ranch to follow this week, stay tuned!

Rebirth Mondays begin!

You're in luck! On this very special, inaugural Rebirth Monday, there is so much to share - from a new boiler to new furniture, and from new lights to improved water quality, sh*t's getting done. :-)

The first bit of great news: After multiple months of angry phone calls / fighting / yelling / with National Grid, we have a whole new heating system *just* in time for winter! We have made the switch from oil heat to natural gas, we have installed a new hot water heater, and we have installed a new boiler! After two cold months, we can officially turn the heat on again.

And judging by the looks of the original 49-year old boiler, this conversion could not have happened any sooner:



Photos of the new system to follow in the next few days.

We also finished cleaning up our latest Craigslist steal, and this means the living room is almost complete! Check out our new sideboard, direct from 1962.



Also, thanks to your input (both on and off the blog), the new outdoor lights have been chosen, installed, and are letting the new paint and windows shine even more. Thanks to everyone for your input, and a special thanks to Matt C. for bailing on the install.



The lights went up on the front door, the garage door, and the back door (below).



Last but not least, our fight with the Water Department over the quality of our water seems to be nearing its end. We have been suffering from high percentages of iron in our water for months, and have only recently discovered that our friend is Chairman of the Water Board. :-) He arranged for some intense water main flushing, and the department has been very responsive ever since. They will be out again to test samples this week.



Consumed by my impatience, however, I also had an entire house filter installed at the home's water main this week. :-) Pictures to be included with the boiler photos later this week.

As Thanksgiving fades away, we have much to be thankful for moving toward the December holidays and the New Year. Now that we have heat, clean water, and lights, we can have you all over for dinner. Stay tuned throughout the week for more updates!