Our first guest blog: Sita

For those of you who don't know, I call my mother Sita. I maintain that at some point I heard "momasita" and shortened it and it stuck. Sita asked if she could write today's blog post (and I couldn't see why not, even without editing!) so without further ado, Terri "Sita/Mom" Furman...

First, let me get this off my chest: I had nothing to do with the title of this blog.  If I had been consulted (which I was not), I probably would have recommended a title that you could actually say three times fast.  Oh well!

Let it also be understood, when your daughter tells you she’s planning to purchase a house built in 1910 (even when you are a history buff, rabid HGTV/DIY Network watcher and doting mom), it’s hard not to let something akin to panic set in.  When you’ve watched Nicole Curtis jack an entire early-1900s house 10 feet into the air to pour a new basement, it’s not a stretch to imagine your daughter having to do the same, but not having paid a buck for the house (like Nicole).   So it’s kinda like treading thin ice sometimes when you hear about mold (mold, WHAT?!?) and deadbolts before you find out that the respirator is mold-approved(?) and “of course” she researched code requirements and lock types before putting in a new lock. Tamping down mother instincts is not for the faint of heart!  Fortunately, trusting my kid’s instincts IS a part of my mothering attributes.

When Katie and I discuss the many, um, “features and benefits” of The House on the Isthmus, it’s usually in conjunction with the finds of the day that I’ve made on sites like Craigslist and every thrift store or architectural salvage place within an hour’s drive off the beaten path between her house and mine.  Our conversations are peppered with statements like, “Of course I wouldn’t hire the kids that were skateboarding down the middle of the street to (fill in the blank) without talking to their parents first,” and “Really – WHO does that!?!?” in response to something new that I see in the pictures she’s sent to me (don’t worry: you’ll get plenty of opportunity to see what’s in those pictures to prompt that kind of response). 

The interesting transition for me personally will be this week, when I get to see my daughter’s adventure house first-hand.  I can hardly wait to walk in that door and get the grand tour!  A designer not by trade, but by heart, I am anxious to heat up my own tape measure for everything from curtains to beadboard, play with colors on the walls to see how they look at various times during the day, and just generally encourage the daylights out of my girl in every way I can.  (I run the risk of this ever getting posted on the blog if I gush all over the place about how proud I am of her taking on this challenge, so I’ll shut up on that part.)

Armed with tools out the wazoo, Dad will be called upon for all kinds of brawn and advice, and her equally brilliant and talented sister will now provide not just online and phone design support and critique, but hands-on help as well for several days.  Did I mention that we’re all a bit strong-willed?  Something tells me we’re gonna have a story or two to tell after the week’s done.

Fortunately for everyone, Reilly, our 95 lb. (runt of the litter) black lab will be along for the ride.  Whew!  We’ll all have someone non-judgmental to talk to!

Stay tuned!