finally friday

And oh what a Friday it has already been. Is it 8:00 yet? (Notice how I don't even get to be done at 5?!!)

1. It's been storming all week. We've already broken record rainfalls here in MN for the month of June and we still have 10 days left before it's over. There is flooding everywhere. Predominantly southwest of the cities, but Facebook keeps reminding me that streets, creeks, lakes, and basements are flooded just blocks from where I am. As a result of the deluge we have gotten this last week we have gotten some water in our basement (we knew when we were bought the house that waterproofing the basement would need to be addressed). Nothing terrible- no flooding, no damage- but certainly more than we had seen at other times. The good news is that this is probably quite literally the worst rain we will ever see while we are living in the house, and like I said, besides a musty smell (and probably some mold) there's been no damage to either the structure or any belongings. The bad news is that this is a huge reminder/ wake up call that we need to get on waterproofing and might need to make it a little more extensive than we had originally planned. Expect to see (or at least hear of) a jackhammer and a house sans one sidewalk by next week.

2. I did officially start another job about a week and a half ago. If you are counting that is 4 right now (although I will admit vending hardly counts right now as the Twins are doing so horribly). Thus things are a little hectic (as in I have 1 free weekend between now and Thanksgiving...). Luckily David is on his summer break (though still working 3 jobs himself) so I've gotten the luxury of coming home to a full fridge and dinner on the grill. It is going to make vacation in 2 weeks all the more worth it though...

3. I briefly mentioned we trimmed our tree in the front yard. I wasn't home when our handyman got to work, so I don't have any mind blowing before and afters, but if you've been to the house maybe you'll have an idea. Here is the after, and a shot of most of the branches we removed. Eric and David also tackled one of the trees at the duplex, which I can't wait to check out.

                                                                                                ^^Heap o'branches^^

4. Rhubarb! The rhubarb is coming up nicely. I wish I had a better picture for you, but my camera died, and I can't find the charger per usual, so you get slightly old pic at a bad angle. And my grandma just got me a larger rhubarb plant which might be a different variety. That makes 9 rhubarb plants now in the backyard. I could practically make a business of growing and splitting these...

Also, I had a mystery plant amoungst the raspberries that I moved earlier this summer. I saved half because I was convinced it looked familiar and was not in fact a weed, but threw out the other half in case you know, it was a weed. Well, it's daisies (darn it for throwing half out)! So I now have day lillies, hydrangeas, daisies, raspberries, and rhubarb. Plus miscellaneous overgrown bushes.


And that's a wrap folks, my mind is literally blank right now, which is kind of a problem. So four facts is all you get. Happy weekend everyone!

progress

I've come to the conclusion that if I wait until I capture the perfect picture of our house, with the perfect lighting, and no messes, I will never document what we are working on- which is half the point of this blog, to document the journey. And I highly doubt any of you are coming here for my professional quality photos. Here then, is an official progress report on our house with current pictures (taken after our housewarming party this weekend, so the house was actual 95% clean). Still lots of projects to tackle and lots of decorative "tweaks" to make, aka lots more fun to be had (mostly)!

Front Porch:

Before

Progress

(these plants live throughout the house when company visits)

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

-replace broken light
 
Living Room:

Before

Progress

 -paint walls and ceiling
-switch out light switches
-hang curtains
-sand and stain trim
-find a fixture to cover old deadbolt hole in door
-fix broken piano window latch
 
Dining Room:

Before

                                                                       Progress

(excuse the crooked picture on the piano, like I said, I couldn't wait til everything was perfect...)

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

Kitchen:

Before

                                                                      Progress

  

-paint walls and ceiling (halfway there)
-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 lower cabinets
-remove blinds and frost windows?
-make back light switch functional?
 
Hallway:

Before

Progress

-paint walls, ceiling, and trim

-paint doorbell and security alarm cover
-stabilize linen closet drawers?
-add shelf to coat closet
-secure door knobs

-paint doors?
-paint lightfixture

Bathroom:

Before

Progress

(I swear it's not this yellow in person, more of a muted gold)
 

-paint walls, ceiling, and trim
-fix leaking tank on toilet

-get water pressure to shower (replace pipes)
-replace seat and lid on toilet
-install threshold in doorway
-replace medicine cabinet
-replace/ relocate towel rods
-install floating shelves
-replace shower head, faucet, and handles?
-eventually remove tub and surround and re-tile?

Guest Bedroom:

Before

 

Progress

-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 
 -paint closet interior

Office:

Before

Progress

"progress," ha!

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

-paint light fixture

Attic Bedroom:  

Before

Progress

-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:

Before

 

Progress

-replace back storm door
-tear down ceiling
-replace old pipes as needed
-install trim on ceiling
-paint walls, ceiling (and pipes), and floors

-install new washing machine hoses

-move washer to other wall

-install dryer clip

Exterior:

Before

Progress

-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/ general landscaping
-remove storm door grate


Garage:

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

workout recap

Workout recap June 2-June 8  
Monday: off   
Tuesday: run 3.73 miles @ 9:52/mi  
Wednesday: walk 1.71 miles with dogs  
Thursday: off/ vend
Friday: walk 5.57 mile for work  
Saturday: walk 3.9 miles with dogs  
Sunday: run 4.01 miles @ 10:27/ mi; 2 sand volleyball matches

curtains!

I know you have all been waiting with bated breath since I mentioned a big curtain reveal last week, and honestly I didn't mean to go a whole 7 days without sharing the pictures, but here we are.

I spent a long time deciding exactly what I wanted for my curtains (fabric, color, pattern, etc). I brought home a muted-orange pillow from TJMaxx months ago to test out on the couch (there's orange in the rug) and as soon as it was on the couch, I knew that fabric would look perfect as a curtain. Unfortunately, it was a fairly unique color and pattern and I could not find it online or in stores.

I looked for weeks, and even had my mom look down in Atlanta but I finally had to call it quits and move on knowing that specific fabric wasn't meant to be. So I set out to find something similar. I ended up ordering about 5 swatches online and the fabric I ended up going with, while not nearly as small of a pattern as the pillow (which I would have preferred), ended up being nearly the exact same shade of orange. And, as I said before, I really like how this orange looks against the blue walls.

I was fairly nervous ordering the fabric online, but for less than $5 a swatch I could get a sample in the mail, and then I believe I got free shipping on my order (of 12 yards) and the company also offered free returns, so it was relatively risk free. Ordering online definitely turned out to be significantly cheaper than buying something from a local store as well.

All in all, these were about $25/ panel which is significantly cheaper than buying from any name brand store. So even if I tire of the fairly-trendy orange in a few years I won't feel too bad replacing them since I didn't break the bank buying them (there were just a few hours of man power invested, however).

Don't they already make the room feel so much more polished, even without pictures and other knick-knacks in place? I feel like such a grown up!

Oh, and any opinions on that rug under the dining room table that you can barely see? I love it on its own, but am not sure if it's just a little too much going on, especially once i actually get throw pillows in there. Maybe I'll post a better pic to get some solid feedback...

politicking

Workout recap May 26-June 1
Monday: off 
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: off
Thursday: 1.6 mile run @ 10:0m/mi followed by a 1.3 mile walk with the pups
Friday: off
Saturday: leisurely 2+ mile walk for work
Sunday: 2 sand volleyball matches

______________________________

Last night was a fundraiser for one of my reps. I think there might be a few more of these for me this summer. Schmoozing with lobbyists and constituents is not my favorite activity, luckily David doesn't mind tagging along- he's on board to go most places there is "free" dinner and beer though. Last night there was a special appearance by Congressman Paulsen. I think he successfully rallied the troops with his speech and dinner on a golf course with perfect weather provided some nice scenery and solid entertainment: all in all, not a bad way to spend an evening.