The Back Yard

So much more could be done in the back yard, but I'm thinking this is some pretty big improvement. The fence is complete, the grass is mowed, the porch is clean. I'm happy.



So much more could be done in the back yard, but I'm thinking this is some pretty big improvement. The fence is complete, the grass is mowed, the porch is clean. I'm happy.

The Patio and the Mantle

We are in love with our patio furniture. We've never had any before and it's so nice to sit out there. There are always lots of pretty birds and squirrels running around to entertain us and the houses around ours are pretty. I'm going to miss it!

Remember the crystal ball looking light that used to be on the porch? I would show a picture if I could, but I'm using a different computer now. This was a very expensive light that John got for only $12!

The mantle is finally done! That was a long wait.

Here's a view from further away. (I also raised the curtains in the dining room. It made a big difference.)

And even further....

Flower Bed Pictures

I've never really done a landscaping project before (not any that I'll admit to anyway!) so this was no small thing.

We bought and brought home all the pavers. I carried them all from the truck to the yard and then layed them in the pattern I wanted.

I dug out the grass that John had grown. (I kept telling him I wanted to do flower beds but he didn't believe me.)

I spent a couple hours at Lowe's in the blazing sun choosing what plants to use.

I made several trips to pick it all up because there wasn't enough room in one trip.

I dug big holes for the bushes. I dug smaller holes for the flowers.

I mulched.

I watered.

I LOVE it!!!

I wasn't sure what to do with this area down by the end of the driveway so I mulched it and added some flowerpots.

I thought about cutting down the big oleander bush on the end, but my dad said I should just trim it up like a tree. I'm glad I listened!

So much better now!

Here's the left side - that's the kitchen window there on the far left. It's much better view now!

The Master (mostly) After Pictures

You have to keep in mind that we are still working on stuff as we have time, so most all of the after pictures I've been posting are "mostly" after pictures. The big project lately has been the fence and planting new grass. The fence lacks one front section, but John had to get the grass seed planted before it was too late. So the rest of the fence will come later.

Meanwhile, the inside still hasn't seen many of the finishing touches I'm eagerly awaiting - things like bathroom light fixtures, all the new outlets and light switches, and a light in our shower! I've gotten used to taking dark showers now though.

In case you don't remember how horrendous things looked before, here's the original slide show of pictures.

Here's the master bedroom from the doorway.

The view from the bathroom.

This is my little area where my computer is for now. I had the internet man install wireless internet and my plan was to set up the desktop in John David's room since he has a desk. After going to all the trouble to hook up my computer in his room I realized that there's no wireless card. So now I sit on the floor in the corner of my room.

Here's the bathroom entrance view from our bedroom. We have some really nice slatted doors that still need to go up. Also, can you tell that there's no base trim under the cabinets? And no drawer fronts on two of the drawers? Yeah. I'm patiently waiting. My patience is getting us our mantle for free though and that's worth about $400 so it's okay.

Won't new light fixtures be so pretty? =)

See what I mean about taking dark showers? I guess the people who lived here the last 30 years never wanted to see. Weird.

The cabinets still need the gloss finish, but again, we're waiting for our cabinet man to do some things first.

This is our tub and the new window. I really don't like that picture there because it seems too small for the space, but I had it on hand so for now it works.

Here's the ceiling fan in our room.

John put remote controls with all of the ceiling fans in the house. I love this little luxury!

Living Room and Dining Room

This is the before picture for the living room. Pretty rough. We knew the shelving would all have to go and that the fireplace would need to be redone, but we didn't have a clue how we were going to redo it.

This is the previous breakfast area. The window to the right looks out to a covered patio that separated the breakfast area from the living room.

We took out those walls and enclosed the patio.

The old patio area is now indoor space. This view is from the entry area.

So you have to know that it's still a work in progress. We're having a mantel custom made and it's taking longer than we had hoped. All the cords that are hanging around the fireplace will be hidden by the mantel and behind the wall when we're done. I also made some matching floral arrangements for the top of each tower, but that wasn't done when the pictures were taken.

It's funny when I look at this picture because this room isn't really my style. I don't have the money to create what I want so I have to just do what I can afford - which I like, but it's not really me. Also, I think the towers look much nicer in person than in these pictures. They aren't solid black. They have a distressed finish with a wood color underneath. Not too important, I know.

Here's a picture taken from near the fireplace.

Our table sits where the patio used to be!

Here's that view from the entry area again.

And here's the view from the hallway. I can't believe the original builders made that an outdoor patio - it was such a waste of space! Right in between the two pillars was a big ugly glass sliding door. No thanks!

I would love to have a rug under the dining table, but with my kids I think any rug would be doomed from the start. =)

Some More After Pictures

There's a good possibility that by this point nobody even cares......but for the sake of finishing what I started.....

This is the only before picture I could find of the entry area. To the left is what used to be the dining area (we enclosed it to make a fourth bedroom), the middle is the front door, and the right leads into the front room (which around here is often called "The Miss Goodbee Room" since that's where the girls' Miss Goodbee dollhouse usually resides).

Here's the new entry way:

I'm sorry to say that I have no before picture of the front door, but trust me, it was U-G-L-Y! Here's the new door that I painted green to match the trim which we also did in green.

Here's the view from the entry way when you come into the house. You'll notice that we are still lacking door knobs and many new switches and outlets. These are things that are coming slowly but surely.

Here's a before picture of the front room:

And after:

We took out the lovely paneled wall with the built in desk and added a window. It made a big difference inside and out! We love it!

Here's the view when you're sitting on the love seat in the front room.

Okay, more will come soon. Not everybody was awake when I was taking pictures so I couldn't get all the rooms....

They Have Shadows!

I just went in the kitchen and there are ants all over the cabinets under the sink and near the dishwasher. These things are huge! They have their own shadows!!! Going to the store for ant poison now. Good grief.......