About Kim

Hi! I’m Kim, and I’m one of the two less-frequent writers of OPC – mainly because I tend to be the one to whom falleth the duties of upkeep and childcare in our house, leaving Fred free to blog.  Fred and I have been married since 2003, and we currently have two kids – twin preschool-aged boys.  I “stay home” with them (though rarely actually “at home”) and accomplish what projects I can on the house while also making sure they don’t disassemble the place when I’m not watching.

In my life PRE-motherhood, I was a construction Project Manager for a retirement community, and I oversaw special projects, life-cycles, senior-living apartment custom designing, and space-renovations for a 180-acre campus.   So I’ve spent my fair share of time honing contractor-relations skills and nit-picking designs and installations of everything from carpeting to whole office spaces to exterior directional signage. 

The brick-front colonial in which Fred and I now live is my third house.  When we got married, we decided to keep my small townhome as a rental property.  It’s 20 years old this year (2009), so we’re in that stage where one item after another needs to be replaced.  Lots of good posting material there!

Even before we were married, Fred and I (and some great friends with whom we co-op on house projects) spent MANY a late Friday and Saturday night at Fred’s split-level installing wood flooring, wainscoting, ceramic tile and other upgrades.  We LOVED the way it looked when we started our sons’ adoption in 2005 … and then realized we would probably need a larger house eventually, and it was much easier to move BEFORE kids than after.  So we sold it and bought our 1985 colonial.  A Fixer, with a capital “F.”  No regrets about that decision, but I DO miss walking into a nicely-finished front entry and living area.  Our “new” house still has miles to go before we sleep.  And the journey is much slower with two little men in the house, needing our time and attention.

So far, most of what we’ve accomplished in this house has been painting-related.  However, just before we brought our sons home, I remodeled two of our 3 bathrooms.  And my sister Amy has helped me design and add some gardens in front that will be really nice as the plants mature.  The prior owners didn’t do gardening, evidently, so we just had six bushes that turned out to have Gall and to need to be removed.  Oh, and there was some grass, of course, but not as much as you’d expect in a 24 year old yard.  Still working on filling in those brown patches. 

When Fred’s grandmother left us inheritance money in 2007, we were able to have a fantastic deck built out back.  It’s my favorite place to be when the weather’s nice, and the boys like to play out there, too.  So that’s how we avoid focusing on the lengthy “To Do” List inside!  

We’re mid-process on finishing our basement.  However, we’re also mid-process in a second adoption, so there’s competition for our finances, and the former item has had to take one for the (expanding) team.  SOMEDAY it’s going to be fabulous like our deck though.  We just know it.

Thanks for stopping by our site!  Please comment liberally – we’re often learning as we go, just like many of you.  So any tips or encouragement is most appreciated!

by: Kim | January 3, 2009 | filed in: General
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