Furniture Dominos

One great feature of fixing up any room is that there are ripple effects that improve other parts of the house - like a rising tide that lifts the whole house-- an endless chain reaction of style.  A new thing replaces an old thing, the old thing replaces something else, and ideally the whole house gets a little better.

[Sidenote- I originally had the impression that when you buy a house, every room is suddenly perfectly furnished, exactly as you want. I realize now that that's not remotely how it works (at least not for us) and instead furnishing a house will be a long, slow process of buying one thing and reshuffling everything else to make it all work a little better].

We just got a bunch of great new dining room furniture (yay!!), which meant that we had an extra table, chairs and a bookcase that needed new homes. The old furniture was all in fine shape, it just didn't work in the dining room. Everything went somewhere, making several improvements around the house.

The bookcase moved into the living room, where it replaced an extra dining chair that was trying to be a side table.

Much more functional! The bookcase fits the corner perfectly.
[Sidenote -the fabric thing in the background is this awesome scarf we got in Thailand that's much prettier in real life.]



The table and a chair moved upstairs to replace a small table that was serving as a desk.

That smaller table came downstairs to serve as much-needed extra counter space in the kitchen.

The remaining four chairs each got new homes:

in the entryway as a mail sorter and place to take off your shoes (not permanent, but it works):

in the living room as extra seating:

 in the fireplace room as extra seating:
 

 



and in the dining room as a liquor cabinet (clearly temporary, but still mildly functional):

In total, my parents' extraordinarily generous gifts for one room ended up improving five rooms. Quite a few things got checked off the to-do list, making the house work a little better. Thank you!

Unanticipated House Guest

It was freezing last night as I walked home from work. I was wearing my winter coat and annoyed I didn't have a hat and gloves, when I heard the most adorable little squeal. I followed the noise to a pile of trash near our house and found a tiny little guy, shivering and screaming his little head off. He didn't have any siblings or a mom cat nearby, and clearly didn't have an human owners. I couldn't stand to leave him there, so I took him home to warm up.

He's adorable and super friendly. He wants to be held all the time. He wants to play, but is still wobbly and falls over when he runs.

Our best guess is that he's around 3 or 4 weeks old, which is really young to be away from his mom. At his age, he needs to eat pretty often, and needs a lot of attention.

He needs someone to take him in, and unfortunately it can't be us. We are only keeping him temporarily, but can't add another permanent cat. Our real cat hates him and is not being shy about telling us.

There are a few animal facilities in the DC area, but from what I understand, they have too many kittens and are likely to euthanize him if we drop him off.

If anyone is interested in helping out a friendly little kitten, please let me know.

Dining Room Furniture

Like the rest of the house, the dining room has been looking a little awkward since we moved in. This is what it looked like on moving day. Big sparkly chandelier, bright white walls, very little furniture.

The starting point.

Of all rooms in the house, I was most eager to fix up the dining room. Eating food is a major priority for both of us, and we wanted somewhere nice to do it. I think the days of eating on the living room couch are (or should be) numbered. We were hoping for something like this mood board below- traditional and formal, but cozy and comfortable. Ideally somewhere we could host a lot of great dinner parties.

1. New Bronze Chandelier
2. New Comfy Dining Chairs
3. New Buffet to hold the China
4. New Dining Table
5. Dark Gray, Cozy Wall Color
6. Our existing Copper Art
7. New rug with orange and brown tones

The first step was to paint the walls a nice, cozy grey color which I did in our first month in the house. It helped with the coziness, but somehow brought extra attention to the absurdity of the table (which is smaller than the chandelier).

 ittybitty table under megachandelier

This table has been with me since my first apartment - purchased specifically because it could fit in my car. It worked pretty well at our old condo, but in the new house, it looks absurd. For a few dinner parties, we brought down another spare table, which sort of worked but also looked ridiculous.

Double table trying to look cool.

So, when Dad offered to get us a new one for our wedding gift- we were both really excited. Having a real table that could actually fit more than 2 people was huge. We also really wanted a table that would stay with us for years, and not just be some crappy material that would quickly fall apart. We hunted around for a while and found E Custom Finishes, a company in Massachusetts that makes tables by hand from reclaimed wood.

We needed chairs to go with the table, and wanted something comfortable to sit in for a while. We picked these from Pottery Barn, and picked the parchment color so they would be a bit darker and stand up to some inevitable stainage.

Meanwhile, Mom offered to get us another good piece of furniture as her wedding gift, so we opted for a buffet to hold all of our new china. We found this one at Ethan Allen to replace the small bookcase we're currently using.

Bookcase overflowing with cookbooks, china, table linens and "misc".

After waiting patiently for the past few months - everything has finally arrived! The buffet arrived first, and was super easy.

New Buffet holds china and table linens easily

I'm just excited to have something to decorate. 

The chairs arrived next. One was damaged, but PB had great customer service, so it was easy to get a new one sent out and have the damaged one picked up. [Sidenote, even though we ordered fabric samples, the chairs seem lighter than we expected. We really weren't hoping for white furniture that now needs to be super protected and kept far from food.]

The table was a total headache. The company that built it was fine, but they subcontracted out to another company for delivery, and they turned out to be a disaster. Even with "white glove" service, they wouldn't call to schedule a delivery. It took me calling every day to leave messages that were never returned, complaining to the original table maker, and threatening them before we finally got our table.

Now everything is finally here, and it looks great. The room is super duper more functional, and we've started actually eating in here.  

with extensions-- should fit 10

without extensions- easy 6.

from the side- check out those sweet trestle legs. 

 Bring it on, Thanksgiving!

We're not done with this room yet, but it's come a long way. 

Dining Room To Do List:
Paint Walls
Get new Table and Chairs
Get a Buffet
Hang Curtains
New Rug
Replace Chandelier
Install Recessed Lights
Turn window into a door to the porch

Open wall into kitchen

2013 Marine Corps Marathon

The marathon this year was really different than last year, and yet, almost exactly the same. Last year was my first, and so I was filled with doubt that I could even finish, worried that I wouldn't be fast enough to beat the max time limits, and afraid that some terrible thing would happen that would injure me for life. This year I was much more confident- I knew I could finish. I knew I had trained as well if not better than the previous year, so I thought I would be faster. I knew the course and where the tough spots would be, so I planned and prepared to have my support team located strategically to help me get through.

Though I originally set out with a goal of running in 4 hours, I quickly revised to 4:30. Just before the race, I hoped that 5 would be possible, which would still be faster than last year's time. Oh, sweet optimism.

Just before the start- feeling great.

The morning of the race day started out well. We arrived in time to drop off our bags and swing by the portopotties before joining the massive line of runners. This race, like most big ones, has different corrals to group people by estimated finish time. We didn't have enough time to join our respective corrals, so we both waited together at the end with the other people who either expected to finish post 6 hours or also showed up a little late. The good news was that we got to start together and didn't have to stand around freezing for long, the bad news was that we weren't in a group of other people at each of our own paces.

My first ten miles were great. I averaged a 12 min mile pace (as needed to finish in 5 hours) and felt really strong. I wrote my name on my shirt, which made all the spectators cheer for me. It was amazing- I felt like such a celebrity. I passed my sister in law around mile 5 or 6, which was a huge boost - and powered ahead. Everything was going great.

Around mile 11, my brother joined me  and things started turning downhill. I wanted him to run that section because I knew it was where I started struggling last year, and right on cue my knee started to hurt again. We did a little walking, but mostly kept running until mile 15.

At mile 15, I found my mother in law, brother in law and nephews all cheering with signs. I picked up some aspirin from the fabulous Kim, dropped off my brother and picked up my mom. My knee was hurting a lot, but the drugs kicked in quickly, so I sped right back up. By 17, my friend Molly joined us, and the three of us were just running along steadily. The sun came out, making it a bit warm but really beautiful. The pace really picked up and I felt great. I was shocked to discover that I only barely beat the time cut off at mile 20, because I felt like I was just flying along.

Somewhere between mile 20 and 21, I totally hit the wall. My aspirin had completely worn off. My knee was excruciatingly painful and felt like it was about to fall off. I pictured the parts of my leg being held together with scotch tape. I couldn't handle the pain. From time to time I would try to run again, fighting the tears, only to give up again quickly. It was also much hotter than expected, which started draining my energy.

My mom and my friend tried their hardest to keep me moving, but I just couldn't do it. I walked as fast as I could, trying to run every now and then, but mostly hobbling for the remaining 5 miles. I was constantly watching my watch, recalculating my expected finish time. For the last mile, I realized I wasn't going to beat my old time and gave it everything I had. I pushed through the miserable pain and charged up the last hill- grimacing and crying as I crossed the finish. I ended up finishing almost the exact time as last year. [Sidenote- whoever thought it would be a good idea to put a steep hill at the end of a marathon course needs to be replaced, and/or forced to run it].

Because I love me some charts - here is the comparison in my speeds between the two years.

 

Both years I started at a 12 minute mile, and slowly crept up to a 15 minute mile. Both lines show a similar trend- I start out strong, get slower as I approach mile 10, and then get slightly faster to cross the half marathon line. Both years I slowed down a lot around mile 15 (when my knee really started hurting), and sped back up between 15 and 20 with the help of some aspirin and my friend Molly joining me for the more picturesque part. Once I crossed the bridge at mile 20 in both years, I started slowing back down, hitting the wall, until right before the end when I gave my last kick. Generally this year was slightly slower than last year, with two exceptions. My brother gets credit for the improvement you can see between miles 10 and 15. My mom was with me for the dramatic improvement in the last mile.

 

After the race, wanting to sit down.

 

After the race, I met back up with R, who finished at an exceptional time, and all of our family that had come out to support us. We headed back to a local bar and celebrated with beers and burgers and traded stories until I inevitably fell asleep. I did not get a chance to eat my celebratory brownie sundae that I was running for.

Now, five days later, things are slowly getting back to normal. My knee still hurts a bit, but gets better every day. Even though I haven't moved, I'm still starving and eating way too much. I'm also just disappointed and filled with regrets.

Instead of vowing to try again next year, I have decided to take a break from running. Maybe I'll try another marathon in a few years, but I think for now, I'm done. I tried. I did it, twice, which is still pretty awesome. Now it's time to focus on getting my knee healthy and strong to make sure I don't have any permanent damage and can run again sometime in the future.

My new goal for the next two months is to try as many different types of exercise as I can to break the rut of running, strengthen my legs and maybe find something fun and new. I'm going to take a full break from running for a while, to let my knee rest and because I just don't want to run right now. The spring is full of shorter races (10 milers and half marathons) that I may think about, but for now, I'm done.

Training for a Marathon- 2 days to go.

We are in the homestretch. The race is in 2 days. There is very little for me to do now, so I thought it would be a good time to recap.

Looking Back:
In general, there are a lot of marathon training plans out there. They all have a few things in common, like long runs on the weekends that increase slowly each week. But there's a lot of variety in the stuff  during the week-- some have you run lots and lots almost every day, others are less intense. I cobbled together a plan with two mid-week short runs and two strength training / stretching days. Even though this is less running than some other plans out there, I still had a really hard time getting them all in. We had a wedding one weekend that threw off the long run. Work has been crazy all month, so I had to miss a few of the midweek runs. Generally, it's really hard / not possible to put your life completely on hold for 5 months for something. I tried to focus and make this my first priority just for the last month and couldn't even do that. I don't know how other people do it. Training was a priority, but not my only priority.

Note the major upswing in October when I clearly started trying harder. 

I did try though. I successfully ran the long runs and at least one mid-week run every week.  I think I have trained better this year than last, but I can't find my tracker from last year to prove it.  Last year I finished in almost exactly 6 hours - my goal this year is 5:30, which is over 1 minute faster for each mile.

I'm disappointed again that I didn't train harder. I wish I could have run all the miles I was supposed to, and I think I also needed to start training earlier. I'm just a slow runner and will never be a contender to actually win one of these things- but I was hoping to get faster as I trained. Instead, the training allowed me to run longer distances over time, but generally at the same average speed. So, I'm still slow. I will not be finishing in 4 hours or likely even 5 hours. Maybe next time (but probably not).

I'm also disappointed I didn't do a better job at strength training. My knee hurts almost every time I run, some days worse than others. I'm worried that it will start hurting early in the race and it will be too painful to manage. I'm also worried that I'm causing long-term damage that I'll regret when I'm 32 and can't go up and down stairs.

Last Minute Prep:

There isn't a whole lot you can do in the final days. It's a lot like the night before your final exam- you either studied and did your homework, or you didn't and you can't make it up now. Over the past few days, we've been doing everything we can to be as healthy as possible.  I made lots of pasta-based meals planned for dinner. I'm taking the leftovers in for lunch, so that everything I eat has been home-cooked and carb-alicious. We're taking a break from all alcohol, and trying to drink 2 liters of water a day to be super hydrated. We're also trying to go to sleep early and be well-rested. We have a few very short runs planned, just to keep the legs moving, but are otherwise taking it very easy.

We have both been reaching out to friends and family for support. Last year, R was my support coordinator- he carried all of my stuff and ran with me for several important sections. Unfortunately, he's running, so I won't have him this year. Instead, we'll both have to mess with the bag check and figure out how to stay warm until the starting bell. We'll both have to carry our own supplies. It looks like his family will be there to cheer us on. I have thankfully lined up my friend and my brother to run again with me. My mom is flying up for the race to run some key parts too. Altogether, I think I can patch them together to cover most of the last 10 miles, which is obviously the harder part when I will start seriously questioning why I'm doing this.

Why am I doing this?

• I'm looking forward to finishing. I don't want to run this thing, so finishing it is a huge triumph over my own laziness. [Also known as the joy of doing something awful, so that you can enjoy stopping it.] 

• I'm looking forward to getting my medal. Not only do I not want to do this- most people don't want to do this. Finishing a marathon is very rare. So it's a huge badge of honor to do it. At the Marine Corps Marathon, actual marines in uniform give you your medal at the finish line and solute you. It's pretty intensely awesome and makes me proud.

• I'm looking forward to the huge burger and fries I'm going to eat at the victory party. We've been really careful about food lately, so junk food has been totally nixed. After the race we get to have burgers and fries a) because we're no longer in training so it's ok and b) because I will have just burned almost 3000 calories. There will also be dessert.

• I'm looking forward to eating like a normal person again. The plus side of the running is that you burn more calories so you can eat more. The down side is that you have to eat more because you are constantly starving. Every day I would like to eat an entire cow. An entire cow dipped in chocolate. This is, of course, where runners get into trouble and eat more than they can run off, gaining weight, so you have to be really careful.  (I successfully lost 3 pounds. Woot Woot).

• I'm looking forward to next Sunday, when I don't have to run and don't have to feel bad about it. Running a marathon is really intense, but it's a lot more than a one day thing. For months now I've been training, which means that every Sunday we had to wake up early and during the week after work I had to run. There's a lot of constant guilt (for me) while training, because I always feel like I'm skipping something or being lazy (because I often was).

• I'm looking forward to getting all of my weekends back. When I did the runs I was supposed to, I felt great, but also exhausted and frustrated because they consumed my weekends. We couldn't do a lot of things on Saturdays (like hiking or staying out late) because it would mess up the Sunday run. On Sunday, we would have to wake up early, prep, run, stretch, shower, and often nap - so that a long run ended up taking over the whole day. We have a lot of house projects I'm anxious to tackle, as well as friends I feel like I haven't gotten to hang out with.

• I'm looking forward to doing other activities. On the same note as above, running has consumed my ability to do anything else. I am really excited to do other exercise things again that aren't running. We pay for a gym membership that neither of us have used in since we got started. I want to try lots and lots of classes. I want to hike before the fall is completely over. I want to try a barre class and wear all of the yoga clothes I own in a yoga studio (instead of the living room). I want to do things that are slightly more interesting and entertaining than trying to decide which foot comes next.

So- homestretch. Next post will hopefully be my amazing success story. Keep your fingers crossed.

House Tour and the Grand To Do List

Okay, so we are coming up on our one-year anniversary in the house, and it doesn't feel as far along as I'd hoped. In many ways, it still feels like our predecessor's house that we're just staying in, not our house.  To be fair, we did get married this year and go on 2 honeymoons, all of which took a lot of time to plan. We are also training for a marathon, which takes a lot of time and exactly 99% of my energy. But still, I'm a nester and I want my home to feel like it's mine.

Since we moved in, I've painted almost all of the rooms, and we've moved in all the furniture from our previous much smaller, 1-bedroom condo. We focused on the backyard as our first big project, mostly because we planned to have the rehearsal dinner out there (which was spectacular, even though the rest of the house was lame). The other projects I've worked on have all been small and somewhat random, just addressing issues as they popped up (ie, curtains and moths).

Moving forward, I want to be more focused and prepared. I think it would be helpful to have one big list of all of the projects I want to address, so that we can prioritize them and start making progress. I think we both like the idea of completing a room before moving on to the next, as opposed to a more scatter-shot approach. This is not the all-encompassing list that makes these rooms 100% finished- just the bigger issues that need to be addressed. [Obviously, every room is very sparse and desperately needs some accessories and wall art]. As I've already laid out, we have a couple bigger renovations in mind, that will take a few years to complete. For those rooms, we have a phase 1 approach for the short term, and the phase 2 longer-term project that we'll hopefully get to in the next three or four years. For the phase 1 projects and all the other rooms, it would be great to get through this list in one year. So not only do I get to plan (I do so love the planning), but I also get to take this opportunity to introduce you to all of the rooms and catch you up on all the work I've done since we moved in (and before I started the blog). [Sidenote, this list excludes the basement, which is a project on a separate track that will hopefully start moving shortly.]



Outside

This space has come the furthest since we've moved in. We added the stone walls and lots of plants. We got a new table and chairs, as well as a fantastic grill.

To Do List for the Backyard:

• Add new shrubs to replace the ones that died
• Add curtains between neighbor's porch
• Remove pealing paint on porch 
• Add an outdoor rug for the back porch area

 

 

 

Downstairs
 

Moving into the house, here's the general layout of the first floor:
 

For most of the downstairs, I painted everything light gray, which was a huge improvement over the peachy-pink that was there before. We have a few projects for the whole floor, with the general purpose of brightening it up. There's very little natural light, so everything feels dark and dreary. I know there are a lot of strong opinions on painting trim, but I hate the dark wood. R feels differently, so we're still working on this one.

To Do List for the Downstairs:

• Refinish floors a nice medium brown color
• Add recessed lights
• Paint Trim (?)

 

 

 

Entryway

 

This space, including the area between the two front doors, isn't very functional. It's often where all the mail and shoes and stuff pile up. So far, all I've done is remove the old wallpaper and repaint. Plus we added a piano!

To Do List for the Entryway:

• Add a bench
• Add coat hooks
• Replace tile by door
• Replace security door
• Add a rug
• Replace overhead light
• Add something to sort mail

 

 

Living Room

 

This is our only living room, so we actually spend a lot of time living in this room. The beige couches and beige rug were transplanted from the old apartment. They didn't look great there either, but here they create an overwhelming ambiance of blah. While we don't have any reno projects for this room, we desperately need some new furniture to make this room a little more functional and a lot more attractive.

 

To Do List for the Living Room:

• Get a bigger TV
• Replace couches
• Replace rug
• Replace coffee table
• Add more seating

Fireplace Room

 

This space is our token odd room. (I think lots of houses, and old ones in particular, have at least one room that just has a weird layout with no obvious purpose. This is ours). It's small. There's no good wall space for seating or furniture. We don't even know if the fireplace works. The only thing we've done (other than paint) is to add a rug, which helped hugely in cutting down on echoes, but totally clashes with the fireplace.



To Do List for the Fireplace Room:

• Have fireplace inspected and cleaned
• Reface fireplace and hearth with tile
• Add screen and log holder thing
• Paint mantel (?)
• Replace overhead light
• Add liquor cabinet
• Add seating
• Finish painting the staircase
• Refinish the bannister

Dining Room
 

All I've done in this room, again, is to paint. Unlike the rest of the downstairs, I used a darker grey in this room to create a cozier feel. The furniture is absurd.

To Do List for Dining Room:

• Get a bigger table
• Get comfy dining chairs
• Add a buffet
• New Rug
• Replace Chandelier
• Add curtains
• Open window into a door onto the back porch

 

 

Kitchen

 

Unlike the rest of the house, we haven't done anything in here. The walls are covered in a painted, textured wallpaper, so I didn't want to add another coat of paint over it, but haven't bothered to try removing it yet. The trim is bright yellow- this picture is true to color (yah- that's neon yellow if you were wondering). The cabinets are all nice with granite counters, and were probably part of an expensive renovation not too long ago. Unfortunately, there is almost no counter space, and only one drawer, so it's really not functional. Plus, it just reeks of the 90s. I would love a bright, white kitchen with more working space and a peninsula that allows guests to talk without being underfoot. This is a room that needs some short term fixes while we wait for the bigger renovation, somewhere down the line.





To Do List for the Kitchen:

Phase 1:

• Paint cabinets
• Replace overhead light
• Paint trim
• Remove wallpaper and repaint walls
• Add temporary counterspace

Phase 2 (maybe in 2 years):

• Create mudroom off back door
• Add half bath to pantry
• Open wall to dining room
• Add peninsula
• Replace all cabinets and counters
• Add backsplash

 

 

 

Upstairs

So, moving upstairs. The layout again, looks like this (not including the sleeping porch running along the top):
 

To Do List for all of Upstairs:

• Add lights
• Repaint trim
• Refinish Floors

Office

The office is one of the few rooms that's gotten some love so far, with the new bookcase and curtains. It also got a nice coat of paint, which replaced one very dark blue wall and three very white walls.
 

To Do List for the Office:

• Add a rug
• Get a real desk
• Make another bookcase

Green Room

The Green Room (Guest Room) has also gotten a lot of love since we moved in and is probably the nicest room in the house. With new green paint to replace the one black wall and three white walls (I don't understand the accent wall thing, but our predecessor loved it), the room has a really nice relaxing feel in the morning light. It's all well furnished, with a mattress (no headboard), two nightstands, a dresser and a mirror, in addition to some fabulous curtains.   

To Do List for the Green Room:

• Get a rug
• Add a tv and side table
• Get a headboard

 

 

Bathroom
 

Like the kitchen, the bathroom hasn't gotten any attention since we moved in because it also has painted wallpaper. This is another room that needs some short term fixes before we can get to the bigger renovation.
 

To Do List for the Bathroom:

 

 

Phase 1:

• Replace sink with a new cabinet
• Replace toilet seat (it's faux mother of pearl).
• Replace mirror and vanity lights
• Clean & scrape skylight
• Remove wallpaper and repaint

Phase 2 (maybe 4 years):

• Remove wall tile

 

 

Master Bedroom
 

I think this is just the saddest room we have. When we moved in, the master bedroom had four white walls. Combined with our white sheets, it was the most boring room I had ever experienced, so I quickly picked a paint color and threw it up on the walls. We wanted a smoky blue color, but it came out kind of baby blue. It's also a darker room that doesn't get any direct light, which contributes to the general sadness.
 

When we moved in, we quickly bought a new mattress to accommodate our first house guest, but we didn't get anything else. That means that whenever someone comes to visit, or when we moved temporarily into the Green Room to sleep, we have to move the nightstands, lamps and bedding from the master. [Note pilfered nightstand & lamp in pic below]. So really, this room is nothing more than a mattress with some sheets. Since it's our master bedroom and the place we spend the most of our time in the house, it should be the best. It definitely needs some short term help, but we also have a bigger renovation planned for the future.
 

To Do List for Master Bedroom:

 

 

Phase 1:

• Get bedding
• Get nightstands and lamps
• Make curtains
• Add rug
• Make headboard

 

 

Phase 2 (maybe 3 years):

• Remove closet
• Close in part of sleeping porch and open into room
• Add skylight
• Add comfy chair

 

 

 

R's Room

This room got another coat of the light blue paint, but otherwise nothing. R uses it to get dressed, which is a little disturbing in the morning, while I'm still asleep. When the bedroom renovation occurs, this room will be dramatically converted to a large walk-in closet and master bath. In the short term, it would be great to add some features to cut down on the noise and light when he gets ready.

To Do List for R's Room:

Phase 1:

• Get a rug
• Add a curtain to separate from master bedroom.

Phase 2 (maybe 3 years):

• Add the new washer/dryer
• Create a walk-in closet
• Close in half of sleeping porch and open into room
• Add a master bath
• Add a skylight

So that's the house. Now that we've got everything down, it's a little easier to prioritize our next projects and track the progress. First up is the dining room, which has some major progress coming very shortly. Next will be the master bedroom, because everyone should have a bedroom that makes them happy. Then we'll tackle the fireplace room in time for the holidays. Stay tuned.



Moths!!!!

So, after I fixed up my closet, I was pretty happy with it. It was smallish but functional, so I had no real complaints. That is, until I started noticing things like this:

 Arrrrggg!!!

 

 

From the top right going clockwise- this is my grey pencil skirt, my best navy pinstripe skirt, my grey jacket sleeve and my black skirt (aka, one piece of each of my good suits).

 

 

[Sidenote- I never noticed anything in the morning. It was only after I got to work, often during a meeting, that I would notice a hole. The best one was when I noticed a string of holes down the front of my skirt while I was in an interview. It looked like I had spilled food all over myself. In your face, moths-- I got the job anyway!]

 

 

Ok, so after some googling, I determined that I definitely have a moth problem, and found a couple good articles for "taking care of them" here and here. Immediately, I moved into full swing Operation Kill the Dirty Little Moths and Save My Clothes!! [Another sidenote, I'm usually not a big insect killer. I generally like to catch and release bugs, or just let them be. But these little demons just destroyed about $1500 worth of suits, which is like 80% of my wardrobe- so the gloves are freaking off.]

 

 

Step 1 - Assess the Damage & Empty the Closet.

I pulled everything out of the closet and inspected it. I found two chewed up work dresses, one chewed sweater, and one pair of pants (basically everything I owned that was made of wool). From what I understand, they eat animal fibers (ie, wool and silk) and they prefer spots that are extra tasty, with food crumbs and whatnot. So I guess it's not surprising that the more I liked a suit, the more I wore it, and the more they chewed. Everything with holes went into a garbage bag. I moved all the rest of my wool to the office, which is well ventilated, bright and sunny, just in case (apparently moths prefer to hide in dark, closed up areas). Everything else got piled up on the bed.

Step 2 - Vacuum and Scrub the Closet.
Once the closet was empty, I vacuumed, and left it open all day with the light on. I washed all the walls and shelves with warm soapy water and let them dry overnight. Then I put in a moth trap and left the closet empty all weekend.
 

Step 3 - Wash everything.

Everything that can be, got thrown in the wash machine. The remaining pieces of my suits went to the drycleaners. Thankfully, I don't really have that many pieces left, so it wasn't super expensive. Yay, silver cloud.

 

 

Step 4 - Partially move back in.

Once everything was out of the closet and clean, it seemed like a good opportunity to do some editing and paring down. I tried on everything, and anything that didn't fit or doesn't get worn is going to  Goodwill. I ran to Target to get a few bins and rehung the sweater thing, so that everything that is staying is well organized and easy to get to. This way, it should be easier to keep an eye on everything. 

 

My empty, well organized closet. Triangle on top shelf is the new moth trap.

 



 



Step 5 - Go shopping.

Seriously. I have nothing to wear.  

 

 

So I'm left wondering- why did this happen? Is it because I recently removed the cedar partition? The walls are still all cedar, but nothing really smells cedary, so I don't think it was working anyway.  I didn't have any moth problems at the old house. Were the moths just waiting quietly for me in the new closet, or did I bring in something infested? Does the fact that all of the closets in this house are lined in cedar imply that this house had a previous problem?


I have never had a moth problem before, but I always kind of assumed it was like having any other pest-- annoying, but not really problematic. Oh no. This was an extraordinarily expensive, poorly timed disaster. I will be ever vigilant from here on out. Fingers crossed they don't come back.

 

 

Total time = 4 days

Total cost = $1500 of ruined clothes, $50 for dry cleaning, $10 for moth traps.