radio silence

My apologies for the radio blog silence. There has been a lot going on over here...

Unfortunately --with the whirlwind of activity-- I'm a little 'over' posting about it. Having lived it, I don't feel like regurgitating all of it in blog posts. Which makes me a bad blogger. I know this.

It's just a phase. I'll get over it, and I'll be back to regular postings soon. In the meantime, maybe you'll like like a Clif's Notes version of what I should be posting about.

I should write a post about how the fireplace went in on Monday. And I really really should write a post about the fireplace fiasco (not our fault) and how it was supposed to go in on Friday.

I should write a post about how the french doors went in. And then got taken out. And now they're back in.


I should also write a post about appliances. I should tell you the pros and cons of each brand, and I should definitely include information about price differences and rebates, but... blah! I'd rather just tell you that we're thisclose to ordering a few things...

I should write a post about the wood flooring going in upstairs.


And I should really, really write a post about how we're not going to make our May 31st timeline. In fact, I will write more about this topic soon.

 But not now.

a new gas fireplace

One of the things we are renovating is the fireplace.





Right off the bat, John and I decided that we wanted to change the original fireplace to a gas fireplace. An unexpected bonus (in my opinion) was that we could remove the chimney! It's not the chimney itself that bothers me, it's those two funny bumps on top... (see a better picture of the offensive bumps here)


Last weekend, we went shopping for gas fireplaces. This is the first one we saw.



Regency Horizon HZ54E

Well hello there. Love at first sight.



We considered another style, but with only half-hearted effort. This other style was just 'eh'.


GreenSmart Gas Fireplace


We will most likely put a flatscreen TV above the fireplace. There will also be a concrete bench that runs underneath the fireplace for additional seating. It will look very much like the photo below.

image via House & Home


Our new gas fireplace will be more than an aesthetic feature. It will also serve as the only heat source in the entire house. Therefore, we have made sure that it includes a blower. We're thinking --hoping actually-- that along with sufficient insulation, it will be enough. Afterall, we're on the central coast of California... it doesn't get that cold around here.