I'm Not Old, I'm Vintage

Now that we have a bigger place, Mr. Grumpbump and I have different ideas about how we should furnish the house.  Mr. Grumpbump wants a pool table and I've agreed to it, on the condition it has a table pad to convert it to a dining table (in my defense, he wants to put it in the dining room).  My wish was for a china cabinet.   I inherited a set of wedding china and I have really want to display it appropriately.

In pursuit of our individual goals, Mr. Grumpbump and I have been searching  the for-sale ads on craigslist.  We have a disadvantage because we don't have a truck and most people selling on craigslist don't deliver.  The other consideration for both of us is the cost; we don't really have a ton of extra cash.  

However, I found a little treasure for sale a few days ago and now it sits in my garage!  I paid $60 for it.  It's small (3' wide x 5' tall x 14" deep) but it has grooved shelving for plates.  It has a scroll work on the top (we had to remove it to get it to fit in my car) and the glass in the front door has no cracks or chips. 

My new cabinet!

My measurements were not exact and I was worried that it would not fit in my car.  Because we don't have access to a truck, it was very important that we be able to get this thing home safely.  Lucky for us, my car is awesome and with a bit of maneuvering, this cabinet fit in the back and the hatch actually closed securely.

Without scrollwork at top

The lady selling it called it "vintage", which means that it has cobwebs and the wood is beat up in some places.  There are a few places where the wood has bowed, but I'm counting on my handyman to help me get it in working shape.

I need some advice on what to do about the exterior.  Should I just clean it?  Or should I take a leap and try to stain it?

Storage space

See Mr. Grumpbump's hand in the corner holding the scrollwork?

Delilah rubbed herself all over this thing when we brought it home.  She has to make sure everyone knows that it is in her house and therefore, by manifest destiny, it falls under her domain.  The house I bought it from had a really cute cat, so I'm sure she was also erasing the scent of the other cat.

America's Next Top Cat

My Delilah is a model.  Seriously, she's so beautiful - on the outside.  Her personality is, well, let's say, not so beautiful.  Delilah could definitely be a contender on the feline version of America's Next Top Model.  If there were such a thing, here's how I imagine it:

All Delilah needed was a trim to her honey-blond locks.  Typical wannabe-model drama when the finished product revealed the cut to be shorter than what Delilah wanted.

It's Makeover Time!

Time for the photo shoot!  The shoot was outdoors, early morning, and the theme was luxurious living by the pool.  

"Delilah, look directly into the camera"

"Delilah, show me vulnerability"

"Show me Madonna vogue-ing but then at the last minute scale it back a notch"

"Great profile shot while showcasing your fluffy belly!"

"Show me relaxed but with controlled lines"

Time for judging panel and we will see which cats will continue in the search for America's Next Top Cat.  Delilah, we edited your film heavily.  There were so many shots of the *exact* same pose.  You can be a bit too boring, and your small body mass and frame mean you have to work harder to get that extra strong photo.  These were the best pictures of your film:

"Your paws look awkward in this picture but as a beauty shot it's good"

"Your face caught the light beautifully"

"At this angle, your paws look huge, but the toe fluff is a nice touch"

"I feel the action coming off the picture - your face is bringing it!"

"You lost your face in this shot but  there is a market out there for paw shots"

And the award for best picture goes to....Delilah!  Congratulations, you are still in the running in the hopes of becoming America's Next Top Cat.

"You are beautiful but you have an anger that makes you push too hard
to the point where you lose focus and become to difficult to work with" 

Making Room for Grumpbump

A few weeks into home ownership and it still feels great!  The cats have definitely settled in and both of them enjoy hanging out by the pool.  The backyard is big enough to let them each have their own corner and Macy stays far away from Delilah.

I managed to unpack all of the kitchen boxes and lined the kitchen selves.  It was hard to decide where everything should go.  I hope I made the right decisions on where to put our plates, dishes, silverware.  I did ask Mr. Grumpbump for his opinion on the placement of everything.  I think it makes logistical sense, which is important when you are searching for the right pot, pan or kitchen tool.

Mr. Grumpbump had to install the over-the-range microwave, but the outlet for the microwave is in a weird spot.  Turns out that we will need to move the outlet (which would require the hiring of an electrician) to the cabinet above the microwave.  We don't have the budget for that right now so the microwave is plugged into an outlet on the side of the range.  For now, I'm hiding the cord by shoving the knife block and toaster in front it.  I can live with it for a while.  

Visible microwave cord

I knitted a grocery bag holder so I could start collecting all my random plastic grocery bags for each dispensing.  The pattern was very easy and I used some of my stash yarn.  It's not the most attractive piece of knitting (looks like a sphincter) but it's very useful.  The pattern is only available on Ravelry.  It's got a ribbing on each end and the lacy middle allows you to stuff the middle with a bunch of grocery bags.

It poops grocery bags

These moving boxes keep multiplying!  My dad is coming over this weekend and he's bringing more!  I have a feeling that I will end up throwing out most of what he is bringing over.  However, I have several boxes of wedding china (it belonged to White, who was my babysitter when I was very young).  I am in desperate need of a china cabinet but I can't afford to purchase one.   

As usual, I leave you with pictures of my favorite cats, Delilah and Macy:

Delilah was not happy to leave the apartment but she's adjusting

Macy hanging out in her cat condo - always a window view for her