merry christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Love, 

The Hauges

here we go again...

Here is our giant checklist, sorted by room. I reserve the right to add or subtract as we make progress and/or change our minds once we start living in the house. There are a few items with question marks, which means I am already undecided on this project, or I don't know if the project is possible. And I am sure approximately 1,264,327 other projects will come up once we get started on the list. DIY projects tend to multiply like that.

Front Porch:

-paint ceiling and trim (and maybe walls)
-paint front door
-reattach storm door
-remove blinds
-hang coat hooks


Living Room:

-paint walls and ceiling
-switch out light switches
-hang curtains
-sand and stain trim 
-find a fixture to cover old deadbolt hole in door


Dining Room:

-paint walls and ceiling
-switch out light switches
-get rid of extra plastic on thermostat
-hang curtains
-sand and stain trim
-un-stick drawer in buffet
-hang new blinds (to match living room)

Kitchen:

-paint walls and ceiling
-fix leaking pipe under sink
-new, flush mount light fixture
-remove current shelves and random sconce, and replace with floating shelves
-rearrange appliances 
-install dishwasher
-eventually replace counter top
-paint cabinets
-remove blinds and frost windows?
-make back light switch functional?


Hallway:

-paint walls, ceiling, and trim
-stabilize linen closet drawers?
-add shelf to coat closet
-secure door knobs


Bathroom:

-paint walls, ceiling, and trim
-switch out light switch
-fix leaking tank on toilet
-replace seat and lid on toilet
-install threshold in doorway 
-replace vanity
-replace/ relocate towel rods
-replace shower head, faucet, and handles?
-eventually remove tub and surround and re-tile


Guest Bedroom:

-paint walls, ceiling, and trim
-replace miniature ceiling fan with a normal sized one or a light fixture
-replace mismatched blinds with extra from dining room
-hang curtains
-make light switch operational?
-patch hole in closet


Office:

-paint walls, ceiling, and trim
-hang blinds and curtains

Attic Bedroom: 

-paint walls, ceiling, and trim
-tear up carpet, pad, and staples
-replace carpet
-install 3 matching light fixtures
-extend door frame on 2nd closet?
-take down walls around chimney and whitewash brick?
-paint banister and stairs
-eventually replace nook window
-install runner on stairs?


Basement:

  
-replace back storm door
-tear down ceiling
-replace old pipes as needed
-paint walls, ceiling, and floors


Exterior:

-trim front tree
-dig out, then seal front foundation (and change the grade of the yard while the dirt is out)
-mudjack back patio?
-fix gates so dogs can't escape 
-patch missing shingles
-re-roof
-replace missing screens on windows
-thin bushes near AC unit


Garage: (no pic yet!)

-install garage door opener
-install missing cable to garage door
-replace missing facia

I thought about adding things like "get furnace up and running" and "get water heater up and running" to the list, because when you buy a foreclosure like this, these things aren't guarantees, even with an inspection, and we have already spent a fair amount of time just getting these basic things taken care of. But I left them off for some reason, so just know, that even though there aren't that many things crossed off yet, we have been over there putzing around figuring out furnaces, thermostats, water heaters with missing caps, whole house plumbing systems, etc.

 

a southern thanksgiving

For the first time since my parents have moved down to Atlanta, David and I were able to make the trip down there and celebrate Thanksgiving with them. We have been in the summer, spring, early fall, and winter and we were expecting some nice, warm southern temperatures. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and the temperature peaked in the 40s the first two days and then ventured into the 50s for the remainder, which was still slightly warmer than Minnesota, which was stuck in the 20s (however now it is high 60s down there). The cool weather and crazy wind didn't slow us down too much, even though most of our plans were outdoors. If anything, it probably just kept the crowds away. I'm making excuses for why we look so bundled up, it really was chilly and windy those first few days! But enough chit chat, there's a lot of pictures to get through, so let's get started.


Day 1: Our first full day started at the shooting range (surprise, surprise). We followed that up with a trip into downtown ATL, where we visited Piedmont Park, the Olympic Park, and the (original) Varsity for a little lunch.

A little friendly competition

Piedmont Park

 

 The largest fast food restaurant we have ever seen. It was truly impressive the number of employees behind the counter and customers they were serving, and how quickly!

 Enjoying our chili slaw dog

Centennial Olympic Park- not terribly exciting, but I guess if you're already downtown it's worth a drive-by

Day 2: Thanksgiving day, as I previously told you, we got up early to participate in Marietta's Annual Gobble Jog 10k. The race started with temps in the low 20s (and warmed up quickly), and it was a little comical to hear the locals around us waiting for the race to start exclaim things like "I've never run in gloves before!" Nevertheless we were impressed with how many people turned up for the race despite the "arctic temperatures." Following the race was a full day of cooking, eating, football, and card games.

Here we go!

David at the halfway point

I'm in the maroon there crossing the finish- if you take into account the time it took me to cross the starting gate, I ran the 10K with about 9:40 miles, which I am pretty pleased with considering the hills on the course.

Ready for some turkey!

Let's have Thanksgiving dinner twice a year, ok?

Day 3: We met up with David's aunt and uncle who also live in the area for brunch at Cracker Barrel. We hadn't seen them since the wedding (and I had only met them once besides that), so it was nice to be able to sit down for a full meal and conversation with them. Afterwards my mom and I set out to do some thrifting, while David caught up on some football and my dad started his 5-hour rib-grilling process. Later, David and I hit up a local brewery, the Red Hare, for a tasting and tour. We ended the evening with some home-made ribs that just might have made me a rib-liker.

See that glass there? That is one of the six "tastes" we got with our tour!

Day 4: Our last full day in Georgia was jam packed. We headed northeast of Atlanta for a little day trip in the Dahlonega area. We hit up a few antique stores on our way out of town, before ending up at The Wolf Mountain Winery. Again, we participated in a tour and tasting. A wine tasting, especially when accompanied by a delicious cheese plate, is a little more up my alley than a beer tasting. After getting sufficiently full and drowsy, and learning quite a bit about the wine-making process, we decided it would be a good idea to hike up 600 steps to the top of Amicalola Falls. It was getting a little dark to really appreciate the view, but it really was a scenic "hike."

Not a bad view, eh? I can only imagine how gorgeous it was a month or two earlier.

 After the first 175 steps you get a little break to enjoy the waterfall

Part way up the trail

Only 425 more steps to go to the top

I made it!

And FYI, there was also a lot of this that went on in the backyard "shooting range" every day:

Overall we had a wonderful time, thanks Mom and Dad!

christmas wishlist I

Well it appears to be that time of year again. Even though my fall decoration are still out and the advent wreath is buried in the attic, the calendar is telling me there are only 22 days until Christmas. This means I need to get my butt and gear and acquire some Christmas presents, among other more, meaningful things. While I've had my lists for others saved on my computer for months, I just got around to compiling what's on my wishlist. See below if you are in a generous mood and want to spend some money on me! (I will warn you this is the pricier edition of my 2013 wishlist).

You might have seen some of these things come up before, the red handbag for example, but I ended up returning both of those options; or the Garmin, that nobody decided to get me for my birthday (ahem, you know who you are).

And I know some of these are completely unfeasible for someone else to pick out for me, because I couldn't even pick it out for me right now if you paid me (like a new rug)... but the collage needed another pic, and an appropriate giftcard could always be applied to such a purchase. 

Also, don't feel limited to what's on my list, I like most presents ;) Happy shopping everybody!

1. red handbag 2. area rug 3. laptop 4. ice cream attatchment for my KitchenAid (if compatible) 

5. black riding boots. 6. pink Garmin watch