Weekend Day #1

6/27/09

Busy!

So, remember this totally shit-tastic house? Complete with the "Beware of Dog" sign on the mailbox? The final remnant of this crack house's front is now gone!


Surrender mailbox!! Look at our new, shiny one, located on the porch post. I even talked to our mail lady and she doesn't mind walking the steps. She's just happy that we don't have five "free-range" dogs like the old owner did.

Another major improvement to the front of the house is the edging of the front walk.
I grew up in the sticks. We mowed with a tractor. We did not edge. I honestly didn't even know what edging was. Marc grew up in the suburbs. While I was having parties in corn fields, he was hanging out in front of convenience stores. (I seriously couldn't believe that kids really do that.)
Anyway, Marc is busy on the back porch, so I decided to get all 'burban and edge our walk. We only have a manual chopped/edger thing, so it was hard work and I only got 1/2 done yesterday. It looks great though!

Edged..................Not Edged

We are also working erasing any old traces of crack on the back of the house. The before and after shot of this is going to be SO money. We aren't there though, so you'll have to wait. Here is a detail of the screen for the porch though. The frame is all up, tomorrow, we screen!


I messed with the contrast on the above photo to show better the dark bronze aluminum screen track and the brown wood frame. In real life, they are much closer in color.

We did the screen this custom way because we have such huge panels (3-1/2 feet by 7-1/2 feet) and we wanted to easily be able to repair the screen.

Marc is currently hiding with me in the kitchen, because while screening, he angered a wasp nest. They are attacking the aluminum frame right now, so I only imagine what they will do to human skin!

It's like a wilderness vacation everyday!

6/24/09

Sometimes Marc and I miss living in NYC, but not lately. We both love mowing the lawn. Actually, we argue about who GETS to do it. Once the porch is screened in, it will be like staying at a Bed & Breakfast everyday (except we have to do the cooking and cleaning ourselves).

Check it the little guy that we found in the yard last night:
Too cute right? He's an Eastern Box Turtle. Our other neighbor took him and is going to release him. (I hope, she's a little loopy and was going on and on about turtles and mythology, but whatevs.)

Anybunny,
it feels good to be happy in this house even though we don't have a countertop or cooktop, paint is peeled everywhere (thx marc), we desperately need gutters, we still have 2 junks rooms...

All in good time. :)

Arm-ROAR!

6/21/09

More friends are helping me along on my journey to adulthood (i.e. stop living out of rubbermaid tubs). Check out my new piece of 'big girl' furniture!


I picked it up at my friend Stacey's yard sale. It's pretty awesome. Cedar-lined and I love the snazzy wood inlay and lion's head pull.



Also, speaking of new furniture. Check out Princess's bed.

Yes, I got a new iphone and named her Princess.
Yes, googled "pink quilt" and made her a bed (the box she came in) and pillow.
Yes, I know I am a huge dork.

Nothing like Painting at 7am...

6/10/09

... to avoid the mosquitos. Even more proof of why this screened-in porch is going to be awesome.



We installed all the wood trim and frames and I've painted them. Next up, installing the screens!


(Also, we need to build the door and paint the wall that marc scraped.)

Side Tables - Final Act

6/6/09


Remember the side tables that my friend picked up for me at Goodwill for, $5, $6, & $8?

Well, all they needed was some sandpaper and spray paint! Check them out:

Table #1
Before                                                           After


Some additional photos:



Table #2
Before                                                           After


Some additional photos:

We are also currently working on screening in the back porch and I was just doing these during breaks.

Back Porch Progress!

6/4/09

Progress!

See, I wasn't joking about us actually starting to do work on the back porch. The mosquitos are just now starting to come out and they love me. Ugh.

Last night Marc installed the nifty crawlspace vent that he made and scraped over 1/2 of the back porch wall. He can't move his left arm now (he's a lefty) but it looks great! We are tempted now to stain it instead of painting it.

More about the nifty little vent: Marc actually made the fins from the leftover dining room lath  . It's an idea that he had and that we might use to screen part of the back porch and grow the wisteria on. (The part right above where the vent is.) 

Honestly, though, the best part about the vent is that it prevents further expansion of the crawlspace pet cemetery.  (See here, and here, and here.) Can you believe it took us over 2 years to get to this project??


Don't investigate me for child labor laws!

6/2/09

I'm no JK+8, but I do love to put my newphews to work: digging holes, hauling mulch, moving rocks! They earn their keep! :)



Bad thing is, I got poison ivy doing yard work LAST week and its been pretty terrible. It is finally starting to calm down, but is still pretty gross.


Ew. I've never had it before, but now I see it everywhere. I love that we are not longer in a drought, but it's starting to feel like wild kingdom around here.

 

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