Bleeding Espresso

12 March 2009

Love Thursday: Paving the Way with Love

For various reasons, P and I have been in “house limbo” for quite a while. I won’t get into details, but I just knew that things were taking a turn for the better when, a couple months ago, I noticed this hole in the pavement in front of P’s family house, the one we have been trying to get into for all this time:

Just as I suspected, the housing wheels have *finally* begun turning, and we’ve been able to work on putting in a new bathroom and kitchen (and giving the whole thing a fresh coat of paint) before we move in, which will hopefully be within the next month or so.

Right now, we’re about halfway there with the new bathroom, and after that, the kitchen, and the paint, we’ll do other work on the place little by little–as is the southern Italian way.

P.S. Carol, I hope this answers your question about the new house, remodeling, and when we’ll be in. And to Saretta and others who wanted to know, P will be doing all the painting because he is, by trade, a house painter.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

May all your paths be paved with love.

21 beans of wisdom »

21 beans of wisdom to “Love Thursday: Paving the Way with Love”

Gil on 12 Mar 2009 at 8:03 am #

I thought that you had moved by now as you haven’t mentioned the move in a long time. Good luck and Happy Love Thursday back to you.

Magari…but hopefully soon I’ll have the *really* good news that we’re in for good!
anne on 12 Mar 2009 at 10:07 am #

So exciting, yes the little heart says it all! Happy Love Thursday too

anne’s last blog post..One of our Favourite Pasta Makers……

Very, very exciting…can’t wait to be moved!
nyc/caribbean ragazza on 12 Mar 2009 at 10:33 am #

aaah amore.

Good luck with the renovations.

nyc/caribbean ragazza’s last blog post..AS Roma vs Arsenal

Thanks…we’ll need it!
Judith in Umbria on 12 Mar 2009 at 10:39 am #

New beginnings… but is there room for the kid?

She’s already there! She stays in the cantina below the “new” house and I try to take her out when there will be banging….
Willym on 12 Mar 2009 at 11:44 am #

House renovations – oh dear I think I’ll light an extra candle just for you and to which ever Saint is patron of people going through renovations – I’m sure there must be one, they have a saint for everything here.

But the heart was a sign!

Willym’s last blog post..Stormy Weather

Appreciate the candle. Very. Much.
joanne at frutto della passione on 12 Mar 2009 at 12:03 pm #

Aren’t new beginnings exciting? I know house renos can be horrific, but imagine how happy you’ll be once you are settled and cooking in your own kitchen and scrubing your very own bathroom floor

joanne at frutto della passione’s last blog post..Penne rigate alla Vodka – Penne in Vodka sauce

Yes, I can’t *wait* to scrub that floor
carol on 12 Mar 2009 at 12:25 pm #

When the kitchen and bathroom guys are finished at your house, can you send them up the coast to work on mine? hehehe Seriously though, I do have a construction question. Was the existing plumbing adequate or did you need to upgrade? And if you had to upgrade, did it require trips to the comune/permits etc?
Congrats on your progress!!!

We’re getting new plumbing in one part as the bathroom is entirely new and upgrades on other parts. Permits? Ahem. No comment
Lola on 12 Mar 2009 at 1:49 pm #

Home Sweet Home! Congratulations and thank you for your lovely post.

Thanks for coming by, Lola
anna l'americana on 12 Mar 2009 at 2:32 pm #

Hey, I just moved too (virtually, of course)….And today I’m sort of feeling as though I had the new site remodeled in Italy!

Now we have something to look forward to, a bang-up post on the new digs, and eventually, after the pain recedes, maybe some funny Calabrian renovation stories?

We had a name for these guys back in the day: “Men in paper hats.” They were all the same guy basically, who’s favorite phrase was always “Non si preoccupi, signora, ci penso io” and then they’d go off doing what they were originally doing, which was invariably not what we’d asked for. You just had to live with the results whether they were the finishes you had ordered or not…..!

OK, so maybe moving the blog was a tad eaiser. At least WordPress had a different phrase (though not nearly as charming) “We have received your request, but due to the increased volume….” lol.

anna l’americana’s last blog post..I am mistress of my own domain….

One of the best things about these renovations is that P’s friends from childhood are electricians, plumbers, and builders…and he’s working right alongside them (and keeping an eye on them). So far, so good, but I’m not looking to jinx anything
awedree on 12 Mar 2009 at 2:44 pm #

Awww…thanks Michelle. I will need that! Hope you have a smooth move

Thanks Awedree
Aimee on 12 Mar 2009 at 3:31 pm #

How exciting! I hope that you will share some photos of the house and garden someday. But most of all, I LOVE that you got an omen that was heart shaped. Could not be more perfect!

Aimee’s last blog post..Thankful Thursdays

I couldn’t believe it when I saw the hole in the pavement…and it’s still there in the same shape from months ago, so I’m hoping it stays there for the duration of the renovations (at least this first stage)
Valerie on 12 Mar 2009 at 3:34 pm #

Gives a lovely new meaning to “follow your heart”! Piano, piano…as is the Italian way.

Valerie’s last blog post..Buona Festa della Donna!

Indeed Valerie!
Rosa on 12 Mar 2009 at 5:14 pm #

Ahhhh … house renovations. I sure don’t miss those days.

Just think that once you’re done, the house is just the way you want it.

Good luck with the renovations and thanks for the update!

Rosa’s last blog post..Barefoot Bloggers … Chicken Piccata

Well I’m not sure the house will ever be *just* the way I want it since it was originally two houses that were slapped together in a very strange way, but we’ll deal
Amanda@A Tuscan view... on 12 Mar 2009 at 6:43 pm #

Woohoo! Welcome to the wonderful world of renovations!!
Wishing you and P lots of love and happiness in your new home, I’m so happy for you, dogs, kid and all. amanda xx

Amanda@A Tuscan view…’s last blog post..an uncontrollable urge

Thanks so much Amanda; much appreciated
saretta on 12 Mar 2009 at 7:35 pm #

How exciting to be creating a new living space for the two (or 5, including animals!) of you! Thanks for satiating my nosy curiosity about P’s profession…and you even gave me a link. Wow! Thanks ))

saretta’s last blog post..Dusk

Yeah, it was getting pretty crowded in the three room house…and my pleasure for the link! Thanks for your questions
Ellen on 12 Mar 2009 at 10:07 pm #

Love those signs, and I do beleive that they are signs,
it confirms that I am contected, to the universe perhaps, or to something much more personal. Thank you for sharing. Smiles!

Ellen’s last blog post..Potential….of sprouts.

I definitely believe in signs too…little messages from the universe letting me know I’m on the right track
Elizabeth Barrette on 13 Mar 2009 at 4:01 am #

Good luck getting into your new house!

Elizabeth Barrette’s last blog post..Three Questions: HR 875

Thanks Elizabeth! We’ll need it
Lisa Steinke on 13 Mar 2009 at 5:23 am #

Michelle– I love that picture. I’m a love-a-holic… total heart whore. And incidentally, total whore at heart. I think that’s so amazing you found that shape in front of the house. It’s meant to be
xoxo

Hee hee…thanks Lisa
Irene on 13 Mar 2009 at 8:12 am #

And yours. Always.

Irene’s last blog post..

Grazie cara
Leanne on 14 Mar 2009 at 9:45 pm #

This is a great sign. Exciting news about the new house! (Well old house turning new I guess…) I cannot wait for bel ragazzo and I to start doing up our old house in Calabria but just not sure when exactly we will be making the move! Sooner then later we hope

Leanne’s last blog post..Winter is summer in the Canary Islands

I know…I find it odd calling it the new house, so I usually write “new.” Hah!
Diana Strinati Baur on 17 Mar 2009 at 1:19 pm #

we will be in need of pictures of course. oh yes.

Diana Strinati Baur’s last blog post..Recuperando!

Have lots of “befores”…wish the “afters” were coming along faster