Somewhere between moving and remodeling, The Christmas Extravaganza Happened...

One week after we moved into our new home Christmas came and went like a whirlwind. The year 2010 meant it was time for another Metcalf/Lutfi/Miller/Daniels reunion. By chance, we all got together in 1990 where my dad's cousins, Greg and Alex, played airplane Barbie with me and Legos with Joey. It was also the year we received knitted hats from Grandma Ruth and cat or dragon sweatshirts for the girls and boys respectively. Then 2000 rolled around and we all got together again. Except for this time, Joey, Erin, and I were not the young ones in group. Greg had gotten married to Suzanne and they had 2 kids with a third on the way. My Aunt Toni/Uncle Dave Metcalf and Aunt Elizabeth/Uncle Dave Miller each had on baby boy. My Grandpa Joe was still around and it was a wonderful Christmas. We had gravity defying pancakes, a beautiful Christmas, and we Metcalf children got to see our friends the Rawsons who live nearby.

Of course in 2010, we all had to get together yet again. However, it began with a reminder during the 2009 Thanksgiving. I put the idea into everyone's head that we all needed to see each other as it was about to be 10 years, and it was kinda becoming a family tradition. Some how, it all played out well. We had so much fun. The 26 of us for a Christmas whirlwind: my mom and dad, Joey, Erin, Julia, me, Michael, Grandma Ruth, Aunt Toni, Uncle Dave, Jack, Sam, Maggie, Aunt Elizabeth, Uncle Pat, Aaron, Caroline, Nathan, Uncle Aaron, Aunt Judy, Alex, Greg, Susanne, Haley, Owen, Charlotte, and Maya.

The weekend began when my siblings and parents arrived in DC on the 23rd. My siblings and Julia (Joey's girlfriend who really should be part of the family now...) stayed here with Michael and me. That night we made the family drink called Thompson's Cure. Started off the weekend great! On the 24th, we opened presents except the ones from Santa of course. That night the first 26 person gathering began at Maggiano's. It was a blast! Family stories were told, the food was wonderful, and it was a perfect start to the whole weekend.

Christmas day was the busiest Christmas day I have ever experienced in my life! My siblings, Michael, and Julia would agree! I mean, we've taken hikes on Christmas but those were between a few naps and waited until 1 o'clock in the afternoon to open Christmas presents because my dad was on-call, but those were tame years compared to this. It's a tradition in the family to have a pancake breakfast. So, all 26 gathered at my Aunt Elizabeth's for a wonderful meal. My father dressed up in his usual Christmas insane outfit that I love! Greg and Suzanne brought Nerf guns for the younger cousins for a fantastic Nerf gun war in the backyard. After that feast, we had 3 hours to get ready for and drive to the Army and Navy Club for Christmas Brunch. The meal was wonderful. We had a back room all to ourselves and looked quite dapper if I do say so. We then returned to my grandmother's for family Christmas presents for the young ones and White Elephant/Nasty Christmas/Yankee Swap for the adults. It was a wonderful evening! I never knew that Christmas Day could be that full, but it was so much fun.

I think in a few years we are all going to go out to CA for an LA Christmas because as Owen said, "We really shouldn't wait ten years before seeing each other again!" I couldn't agree more.

First Phase of Home Improvements

As soon as we moved into our house, home improvements began... Closing on the 13th to moving in on the 17th does not leave much time for house preparation for family visitors arriving on the 23rd. Thus, we began the cleaning and improvements in the areas that would be the most immediate and quickest to complete.

Our walls were filthy. It was almost as if someone took their dirty feet and rubbed them against the wall to clean them. Gross! Then the previous residents had an artist amongst them, so the drawings had to be cleaned off the walls too. And last, but not least, dried snot could be found on the walls as well. Yea, I didn't take the last part off but delegated the task to Michael. You might ask, why not just paint over all of this? Well, paint doesn't stick very well to dirty walls; therefore, we had to clean before painting.

We have also done lots and lots of yard work. The fallen foliage from autumn littered the ground which meant raking for us. Leaves cannot be left on the ground in the winter because they kill the grass, and if it snows, the grass gets killed even faster as there would be two layers on top of it. Our next big steps are weeding and trimming back our trees which appear to be taking over the yard!

One thing we did which really helped the look of the home was to replace several light fixtures. Many of them were originals from when it was built in 1979. My favorite replacement was the hall light at the top of the stairs. The original looked like a lazy-susan with 3 bulbs attached to it. For those who do not know what a lazy-susan is, it is a corner cabinet with 2 turny things inside to be able to get to everything in the cabinet. I personally think they are really cool, but not as a light fixture. No, the light did not turn, but it may as well have. Needless to say, it was replaced as well as the kitchen, guest bath, front door, and foyers lights to something much prettier and modern.

Our biggest purchase for the home thus far has been a new HVAC. The week between closing and moving I had many work men come out to fix things up while the house was empty. We cleaned the air ducts and had the old HAVC's coils cleaned to help everything run better. However, the coil cleaning led to something bigger the complete demise of the heater. So, what did we have to do 3 days after moving in? You got it, replace the HVAC which is a couple thousand dollars. We could have just replaced the old part, but would have cost a third of a new one. Plus, there could have been more things wrong since it was not properly taken care of by the previous owners. As my mother says, "The joys of homeownership!"

Well, I'll take it because we love our house!

Welcome 2011!!!

I know I've said this before, but this time I mean it. I'm back to blogging! We have so many exciting things going on in our lives that I think everyone should know about.

First, at the end of 2010, Michael and I bought our first house at 4321 Silas Hutchinson Dr. This house prompted our entire house hunting back in May and was the first home I seriously considered when I drove around our new neighborhood with my Aunt Toni. We put on a contract on our home in August of 2010 and went to closing in December. The home was a short sale which is why it took so long from contract to closing.

Our home is two levels with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and a double car garage. Downstairs is our kitchen, dining/living room, and family room. We have a wonderful deck with an excellent backyard. We joke that we have bought Manga the most expensive present ever because she is loving her yard! Squirrels be warned if they enter our yard as Manga chases them right out. We are so excited for warmer weather to get a grill for outside parties and BBQs! Now, to the upstairs. Our bedroom is basically a suite with a sitting room/den area, a double sink bathroom, and plenty of closet space. The remainder of the upstairs consists of 3 bedrooms and a hall bathroom.

The home was built in 1979 so it is lead-paint free! That does not mean we haven't had our full share of home improvements. Many of those details will come in the following blogs along with the Metcalf/Lutfi/Miller/Daniels Christmas Extravaganza!