Casa de Lovely » Uncategorized

Before and after

Jen — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:50:48 +0000

Some before and afters:

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

I think the next time Bryan and I pooh pooh the amount of work we’ve done, we just need to shut the hell up. A great big shoutout to my Mom and little sister for helping out so much this last week. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Yardwork continues

Jen — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:46:55 +0000

I was really frustrated, we put a lot of time and money into our yard. Unfortunately we didn’t lay down any barriers so even though tons of time and money had gone into things, I was in a position to have to do it all again which was horribly frustrating. Weeds and morning glory are dreadful foes. But my mom and little sister had come out to visit, are actually still here. But they got it up their butt to help me get things in order.

We have an entire half of the yard that was covered in bricks and a huge hole where the pond had been.
My mom almost by her lonesome moved all the bricks by herself.

We had all the beds in the front redone with actual plastic laid so that we hopefully don’t have to do this all over again anytime soon.

The amount of work this entailed.. It’s amazing.

Trying to ignore my back, but still feeling smug about the amount of work I got done.

Jen — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 23:37:47 +0000

During the baby’s nap I got a bunch of bark and rock down in the garden today. I can’t believe how nice it is starting to look. It’s like grownups live here.

Only two more beds to do in front.. *sob*

I also managed to get the base in for the raised bed that I am putting in. Now I just have to wait till I have a little more spare cash for additional cement blocks for the second row, and for the soil. I have lots of wants, yet very little cash.

The yard is blooming!

Jen — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 04:02:29 +0000

Not too much of an update, but I just couldn’t believe how pretty everything is. I wish we’d been about to get everything trimmed back already. Damn slow moving tax refund.

The yard work continues:

Jen — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:11:36 +0000

The work continues on getting the beds cleared. The upper beds were easy-ish for me to get cleaned out, but now that we are working the lower beds near the house I have started to take the ‘throw some money at it’ approach. I love this approach, sadly my wallet does not.

But it’s starting to look great, hopefully next week I get the bark and start laying it down.

There are a lot of flowers in the yard, it’s nice when the gardener does the clearing cause she actually recognizes the stuff that is already here, breaks it up, spreads it around. It makes me feel really plant-ignorant but I guess no ones starts out as an expert gardener.

Things are starting to bloom in the yard, the magnolia tree is this riot of color. It’s just beautiful.

I am still a little shocked sometimes that this is all ours.

How about a little pressure with your holiday?

Jen — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:40:06 +0000

We agreed when we got the house that we would host the annual orphans and friends Thanksgiving, with the addendum ‘if we have a working bathroom’ ha ha ha. Well the ha ha ha became a little less ‘ha ha’ and a little more ‘oh shit.. really?? seriously?? It’s not done yet??’ Well I ‘broke in’ our working upstairs wonderful beautiful brand new toilet this morning and hopefully tonight the sink will go in. One way or another Thanksgiving is happening, though there may be some unfinished bits.

This weekend my friend watched the baby while I cleaned the house in preparation for the descending hungry hordes. I am amazed out house actually looks really great, it looks like a responsible grown up person lives here.

Of course if anyone went into the basement, they could potentially be crushed under the toppling of badly stacked boxes of crap.

Today I work from home because we are having the chimney cleaned and some repairs done to it and the fireplaces themselves. Time to get back to work since lunch is about over. Though I am being distracted by A Chorus Line. I’ve had the songs stuck in my head since watching the documentary about it, Every Little Step, which was absolutely fantastic. I had to pull out my old VHS tape, I blew off the dust and stuck it VCR. I’m surprised the darn thing still plays and I didn’t wear it out in my teens. I get to relive my teenage crush on Terrence Mann and listen for my favorite line of ‘Why is it only my ass that ever gets invited places?’

Score!

Bryan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:17:39 +0000

Jen saw this at Amazon this morning and it is ours for the low low price of $99.95!

Even with $80 shipping, it’s still cheaper than Craigslist. No more manual lifting! Woot!

Do I regret our bathroom remodel?

Jen — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:22:50 +0000

No per se, but I sure as hell am not enjoying the process. I got to take a shower in my house for the first time this weekend. Did this take place because the remodel is finished? Nope. We hung plastic and then there was the whole getting clean in our own home.

Personally I recommend if you only have one bathroom, hire a damn contractor, or you like me with gaze upon your child with envy as they are bathing in your sink.

Look at her, rubbing it in. “Look at me, taking a bath, in the house we live in!! Hardy har har!” I know she wasn’t really thinking this but after a while anyone taking a bath when you can’t just pisses you off.

This weekend I let go of a bunch of ‘gee I wish.’ I wanted to actually organize our books before we put them out. Remembering that we had planned to organize and alphabetize our books in the old house, but somehow over the course of four years it just never happened. Though I just threw up all the books all willy nilly, now I actually have a living room that looks like my living room. There are books in the bookshelves and some pictures on the wall. I still haven’t found everything yet. But I will.

I just really want this specific remodel to be over. I know there will be many more, but no other room is as irreplaceable as a single bathroom.

Despite all my complaints, this house is becoming home. I am settling in, the cats are, even the baby.
It is becoming my house. I’m starting to love it despite it’s flaws. It’s a home.