House Update

Since moving into this house 6 weeks ago, I feel like I have been going non-stop. Although I still feel like there is a ton that I would like to do, when I stepped back to take a few pictures and share some progress I realized that I have actually accomplished quite a bit!

#1 Sewed Chevron Tie Backs for the boys curtains. They are attached to the backside so that when they are closed you don't see the tie back, but I love the way that they look open! Now I just need to find out how to relocate the window sensors for the security system.

#2 Switched out the 3 ring fluorescent light for this simple "boob-light". Although I am not in love with the boob light and it probably won't stay forever, it was $6 well spent to not have to look at the 3 ring fluorescent light in the kitchen every day

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#3 Re did the boys light fixture for a whopping total of $1.50!!! Although the before wasn't terrible it was brass colored and too girly for a little boys room. I found a big drum lampshade at a garage sale for $.50 that I spray painted, then covered with some leftover chevron fabric, an old T-shirt for the diffuser, and some black ribbon I paid $.99 for! Then I spray painted the brass brushed nickel, took the white glass plate off, and screwed the drum shade to the existing fixture! I am completely in love with it!

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 #4 Painted the fireplace for FREE! If you can remember when we moved in the fireplace had plug in logs, a brass grate, and fake fire tools, initially I just removed all that and called it good. Well something about the bright red and very fake looking brick just didn't work for me. So I picked up a free can of black at Ace's "Free Paint Saturday", and found some white the old owners left in the basement, and did this transformation. I still have to figure out what to do with the previous red tile hearth. Now the question is whether or not to keep it when we drywall and put in wood floors?

BEFORE (Listing Photo)

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#5 Painted the house numbers and mailbox. I didn't take a "before" shot, but all of the accents on the house were brown, except the mailbox and house numbers were a brassy gold. All this took was a bit of brown spray paint, but the after really tied them in to the rest of the house. Even my neighbor commented on how much better this simple detail looked!

 #6 Cleared out the front right planter. I will preface this one by saying it is not going to remain empty, because I know it's pretty bare right now, but we decided to start from scratch, rather than trying to work with the shrubs we had. There was an oddly placed tree that blocked half of the door to our garage. Two evergreen shrubs that were so old and dense that when we started trimming them back from the sidewalk we realized 3/4 of the plant was dead and there was even mold growing on the roots! That left us with the one pretty shrub, but it was too close to the sidewalk, so once we trimmed it back it looked very awkward. That's how I went from "just trimming up the front landscaping", to "clearing it down to nothing". I've got some big plans for that space now though, so I will update you on that soon. We also have to figure out what to do with the area to the left of the stairs because that shrub is also 3/4 dead and has moldy roots.

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#7 Built the "McGurn Prison". I actually can't take credit for this one because my dad and brother-in-law Brian built it. Our back yard was already fenced on three sides, but there was no fence to close off the backyard from the house to the edge. Although our road is not busy, we are 1/2 block from an elementary, and at drop off and pick up time it gets pretty crazy with the moms and their mini-vans. So as a wonderful housewarming gift my parents funded and built "The McGurn Prison". I am loving the piece of mind that it gives when we are all in the backyard!

My Dad and Brian building into the night. 

#8 Tore down the flower wall paper. Although it may have been pretty mod in the late 80's, it just wasn't my style. Something about the mod birdcage light and farmhouse table just didn't look right with the flower buds. Since tearing off the top layer I haven't done anything with it, but Ace has a super paint rebate this weekend, so it may just happen very soon!

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AFTER 

#9 Repaint the Fan. The fan is a really nice brushed nickel fan, but it had really fake looking wood blades. All this took was a quick once over with some white spray paint. I love the way that it looks so much more updated and fresh. Notice how much better the new drapes look too!?!

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 #10 Mega Backyard Cleanup. Along the back fence there are day lilies half way down the fence, the other half looks a bit bare. I am going to relocate some day lilies from the front yard here, but in order to prep it I had to do some major clean up.

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This area behind the shed was filled with years of sticks, leaves, trash, and weeds. I'm not sure what the plan for back here is, but either way the first step was to clean it up. The pictures do not do it justice, but I filled up 7 lawn bags just from back here!

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Even Mason got in on the clean-up action! My dad loves to work, so I teased that it was fitting that Mason's middle name is Curtis (my dad's name) because he was actually excited to help with the clean up!

I've also done a tone of work that isn't really worthy of any before and after pictures:

-I have become a yard geek, spending lots of time spraying, weeding, and fertilizing the lawn with hopes of it become "Barefoot Friendly" by the end of July.

-I stayed up until 2AM the other night scraping, spraying, and scrubbing the porcelain tub. I didn't take a before picture because I was too ashamed that I actually bathed my kids in it, but now it is shiny, white, and clean... the way a tub you bathe your kids in should look!

-I have scrubbed every baseboard and piece of trim on the main floor, including scraping years of weatherstripping adhesive off of every window.

Maybe I could stop a bit more often to document my progress and give myself a confirmation that I actually have accomplished something so that my posts are not so overwhelmingly long. Hopefully my next post involves painted kitchen walls, a painted front door, and maybe a few shrubs in the ground!