New Basement Floor

Andy has been working hard on the basement for a few weeks now, and we've finally decided on new flooring. Andy wanted a wood floor look, and I wanted a waterproof and durable flooring in case our basement flooded or our future children turn out to be terrors who ruin everything. We compromised on these vinyl "wood" planks from Home Depot. They stick together and float over the concrete. They are fairly simple to install as they just stick one end to the other, but Andy decided to make a beautiful herringbone pattern which has caused a lot more work, measuring and cutting.

Here is the result so far:

The paint looks really drab here, but I assure you that it's a bold bright pumpkin orange.

In case you think we're close to finished with this project, I will reveal the other half of the room:

Slowly but surely...

Basement Project

We have (Andy has?) been hard at work on our basement makeover. We have wood paneling on most of the walls, and didn't want to re-do that, so we used wall spackle to fill the cracks on the top half of the walls. After sanding and washing, we painted the top half Butterscotch by Martha Stewart, and the bottom half Glass of Milk, also by my namesake. You can see in the last picture here that we've ripped up most of the carpet and all of the wood carpet tacking that surrounded the room. We are pleased with the condition of the cement floor underneath, and the battle currently continues about laminate vs. wood floor.

Here is our computer generated vision:

And the progress, don't mind my re-upholstery mess:

And where we began:

Kitchen Hutch Re-Do

Inspired by the blog Better After, Andy and I bought this hutch on Craigslist for not much at all. I needed a place to store my baking supplies all in one place and stay organized, without these extras taking over our food pantry or being stacked in Rubbermaid tubs in the dining room. I don't especially love wood-grain furniture or the visibility that's going on in the top half of this cabinet, so...

We painted it aqua and swapped the metal grate for solid wood. We also switched the old handles for new crystal knobs!

Then Andy took me to the Container Store (which I'd been avoiding, fearing organizational addiction), and we found lots of goodies for the inside! I used a desktop hanging file, turned sideways, to store my baking-specific cook books, 6 clear shoe boxes and 6 clear accessory boxes to store everything from cookie cutters and candy sprinkles to KitchenAid attachments, measuring cups, and food coloring. I have a turn table for bottles: corn syrup, molasses, olive oil, etc. Some bins for flour, sugar, and other random baking ingredients. I have some drawer organizers to hold frosting spatulas (what are those called?) and my rolling pin. I also grabbed a half shelf for the bottom to double my baking dish storage. Here is the final product:

Can't you just hear the angels singing? :)

Garden Clean Up

I decided awhile ago that this fall, I would have to tear everything out of the garden and start over fresh. New soil, plant food, and some crucial plant dividing and re-arrangement.

I divided my daylilies and irises, which took a bit of work. I moved the peonies into the sun, the hydrangea out of the sun, rhubarb into the sun, and daylilies out of the sun because, let's be honest - who cares if they even bloom? Not me! They aren't my favorite among the flower species that make their home in my yard.

(L-R): lilac in the back, daylilies in front, tons (!!!) of irises, balloon flower, more daylilies, and an azalea that isn't in the picture.

Rhubarb on top and daylilies in front, along with my random little "tomato that could." I just couldn't rip him out yet.

(L-R): daylilies, hydrangea, rose, irises (100?!?!), rose, peonies, lilies of the valley, and lilac.

This all took me about 8 hours. I can't move my body.



Fall Garden Plan

We have big garden plans. I'm hoping to complete some of them before the end of September. Here is what I want to do:

This will involve a day in which we take everything out of the garden, split and divide as necessary, till the soil, add new soil, compost, plant food, and then rearrange everything into their new homes. My peonies need more sun, my hydrangea needs less sun, I don't care if the day lillies get enough sun, and so everything will be moving. We're hoping to re-edge the garden and straighten it which will give me more planting space, and also a higher edge so that it can be a little more raised than it is. Hopfully this will allow the soil to hold more water and nutrients and less run off into the lawn.

In front we'll eventually have retaining wall, but for now we'll raise the bed that sits under our crab apple and move some irises and day lillies there. I hope they get enough sun to not die, although I don't care too much if they actually bloom there or not. Anything will look better than a dried out pile of mulch, yuck!

Sigh, I can't wait for next spring to see how my re-arranged plants do in their shiny new flower beds!

Blooms!

I figured this spring that if even one of my flowers started from seed actually bloomed, I will have had a successful summer. Although my garden still needs a major overhaul this fall, I did actually get some things to bloom!

And finally, my little garden friend the squirrel. I'd like to break off the base since I'm not 90 years old, and just have the squirrel.



Blooms!

Nothing that I've planted yet, hopefully the squirrels haven't eaten all my seeds.

Here's what's blooming in my yard:

Guest Room Re-Do

When we moved into our house, we were perfectly happy with the slate blue color that it had been painted by the previous owners. Until about December, when we had an ice dam (damn...) on the roof above this room. One day we found water pouring down the wall inside the house. Oopsies! We had to remove a section of plaster, fill and patch it, and repaint the whole room. We decided on a yummy shade of key-lime green, and Andy finished painting this weekend.

In this room we still have to:

* Fix crown molding and baseboards near the leak site.

* Move desk and computer down to make a guest room/office.

* Hang art.

* Find and sew window valances and throw pillows to tie together the lime paint with navy bedding.

Bathroom Updates!

The bathroom is coming along nicely and hopefully will be fully functional by next week.

We Andy still has to:

* Install baseboards and paint them white

* Paint the radiator (we're intensely debating bronze or copper)

* Paint the medicine cabinet door (bronze or copper)

* Re-install the toilet and sink

* Re-hang the door and door mirror

* Find and install a toilet paper holder, towel rod, and art.

Bathroom is Coming Right Along!

Andy has finished the bathroom prep work, and has taped the room for painting. We're going with Martha Stewart paint (how apropos) in Powder Puff #MSL032 and Seal #MSL268, each in alternating 6" wide stripes. Fab!

Taped!

Powder Puff!

Seal!



Bath Update

Today Andy began installing the molding on the wall to give it some dimension. He also cut the wood for the shelf and added the decorative edging on that. We're painting all of this new woodwork in the same stripes as the wall, so it will be really dramatic!

Spring Cleaning

About a month ago Andy and I braved Ikea on a Saturday (never again). We picked up some wooden hangers and a wire shelving unit for our entry closet, which was quickly becoming a cram-heap where we couldn't find anything. Here's the before and after:

Dog Sitting

Two weeks ago we dog-sat for my dad while he vacationed to Mexico. Here's the beagle snuggling, it was hard to give him back. REALLY hard.

Bathroom Progress

Although I haven't lifted a finger, our bathroom project is coming along nicely. Here is evidence: