Bringing Back Sligo

Breathing new life into an Italianate home in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Bringing Back Sligo
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  • Category: Holidays

    • Happy New Year, 2020!

      Posted at 9:44 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on January 1, 2020

      Yes, I owe a second part to the story of the Civil War at Sligo.  The folder with the information has been sitting next to the bed for the past month and all I’ve done with it is move it to various other places next to the bed.  First, though, I wanted to say a little something about 2019 and the hopes for 2020.

      This past year has been one big stress ball for us.  I have no qualms with sharing any of this because for me, writing about it is therapeutic.  So, where to begin?  I’m pretty sure I’ve gained at least 10 pounds due to an insatiable sweet tooth that appeared out of nowhere, not to mention I’ve changed my hair more times than I can count and I’m pretty sure both of those things are coping mechanisms.  We have two little girls who barely know how to brush their teeth let alone express their emotions appropriately which causes stress and as a result Marcus’s and my relationship experiences it’s own stress (though I haven’t drafted up those divorce papers yet so we’re good).

      I won’t even go into the financial stress of a project like this because I am sure you can assume what it might take to bring a 130 year old home up to current standards but we have high hopes that once we move-in and are able to start generating an income from the basement apartment and the Cottage that it won’t be too bad.  Although I keep telling folks that we’ll be living in a gorgeous house sitting on bean bags and everyone laughs but I’m being quite serious.  Actually, I take that back.  Bean bags and milk crates will be what we use.

      Another big stressor is the amount of time we’ve not been in our own place.  Two Christmases have come and gone as we occupy two rooms and in an attempt to not completely overtake my mom’s house Marcus’s and my bedroom is, well, stressful especially for someone like me who can’t stand clutter and disorganization.  Marcus hasn’t helped that situation much because somehow two giant TVs have appeared along with a few more cardboard boxes that I don’t recognize nor understand their purpose.  He would probably tell you about my oh so slight furniture hoarding problem that has taken over my mom’s garage but in my defense I got those things at a bargain.

      In the end though we’re doing OK.  We’re all looking forward to being able to move into the house (although I still go to bed with random worries like whether or not my girls will be too scared to use the potty in the middle of the night because I know I will be).  For the year 2020 I can only hope that we are able to make the transition out of my mom’s house without having left too much of a mark on her belongings (because we’ve caused a little bit of damage here and there).  I hope the girls will be able to settle-in to their new home and enjoy the property.  As it stands they’ve already been having a grand time running around the 1.5 acres plus the adjoining park.  I hope Marcus will be less stressed and we can get back to our random Sundays of accidentally getting drunk while working on a project.  I hope I can make the transition of not living with my mom and having her help for the days when the girls have after-school activities and Marcus is on travel.  Most importantly, I hope the house herself is ready for us because we bring two active and creative children, an especially active dog, an especially lazy cat, and of course, Marcus and I.

      Star Wars Girls

      Rey on the left and Princess Leia on the right (in case you couldn’t tell).  I think Sligo will be happy to keep these two entertained.

       

      Posted in Holidays, Life | 0 Comments
    • A Belated Halloween

      Posted at 5:10 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on November 1, 2018

      Happy Halloween!  I know, it’s a day late and a buck short.  Is that the saying?  I tend to get those wrong.  Earlier today I told Marcus that by doing something I would only be adding “fuel to the fodder” and as I said it I knew it was wrong but I didn’t care.  And yes, it’s most redundant but let’s just go with it.

      For a hot second (now I know that’s correct) I had toyed with the idea of having a little Halloween ghost hunt party at Sligo but I lost my nerve.  Plus, it gets complicated with two little ones who actually participate in trick-or-treating and once they heard about the idea of a party they thought they would be involved and everything fell apart before it even began.

      Also, I don’t really think the house is haunted.  It is scary looking but that’s only because of its current state of disrepair.  Besides, when I took our dog into the house he seemed right at home.  He is a giant galoot but I figured if there were an otherworldly presence then an animal would be the one to sense it.  I was concerned he would start staring at something only he could see and he never did so either the house is not haunted or he was too busy being a pain in the ass to notice (honestly it’s probably the latter).

      I am surprised that we didn’t get any calls from the police this past weekend or last night.  I figured there would be kids daring each other to go up to the house on Halloween night.  One day I hope I can be at the house giving out giant candy bars to those brave kiddos who make that long walk up the driveway.  There was a house like that in my childhood neighborhood.  It was scary only because it was old and big and had a small family cemetery behind it.  I remember building up the nerve on the last Halloween living in that particular neighborhood and was greatly rewarded with a giant candy bar so now I’m ready to pay it forward.

      Anyway, on to Thanksgiving and then Christmas we go.  The plan is to be the living in the Cottage House after Christmas but at this exact moment there aren’t any walls and the floors are rotted so…maybe it will be Easter by the time we move.  Again.

      Posted in Cottage, Haunted, Holidays, Main House | 1 Comment
    • Recent Posts

      • Preoccupied December 20, 2021
      • The “Haunting” of Sligo August 4, 2021
      • Rehabilitation Tax Credits April 27, 2021
      • Put Me in Blogger Jail April 6, 2021
      • Virginia Historic Registry and the National Landmark Registry August 6, 2020
      • My Good Boy, Axel July 14, 2020
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    Lauren Tepaske
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