Home Improvement

We have been very busy for the last few weeks. We have been working on the house inside and out. After 3 or so years of talking, thinking, budgeting, and getting bids... we finally got a fence. We are really loving it. It really makes our back yard cozy and private. It looks so clean and tidy. We also decided we better finally plant something in our flower beds. So we got some starts from my awsome green thumb cousin Rachel and we bought a few things at a local nursery too. We still have some filling in to do. But it is hard to know how much to buy because most of the things we got are going to get much bigger and fill in in the next couple of years.

Here is the inside portion of our improvement. This is the view of the dining room from the doorway. We still need a light fixture and I am going to do some vinyl wording in one area, but that can wait. I had andy do the wainscoating last summer and now I finally finished the rest.

New pillows and the bench I love that andy made out of a bedframe. We had it outside for a couple of summers so it has a real aged look.

This is the view of the living room from the back door. I am loving the rug and pillows. What can I say..... simple pleasures.

I know Andy wanted to make fun of my green chicken. He really thought about it and asked me where I got it. But he didn't. I couldn't resist. It fit in with my "sort of french country style" too well and was on clearance.

Obviously I updated the living and dining room and some of the kitchen. I still have a few projects left for there. I am still loving the green. But I changed to black, white, and silver with a little bit of brown as accent colors. I had andy make me another little bench that I painted black. I put the three metal bins under it. Each of our kids has one with their shoes, so they can sit on the bench and put them on before they go outside. Ok, maybe not peyton yet, but you get the idea.

I am really loving photography lately so I really wanted to make a little gallery area to display the pictures that I love to look at. They all look a little crooked to me, but I used a level on each one, so I know they're not.

The view from the front door.

It is hard to see what all we have. They are little now and seemed scattered. They will all fill in eventually I think.

I really wanted to get a fountain for this area under our bedroom window. I think it will be awesome to hear it at night when our window is open. Andy said he never pictured himself having a fountain in his yard. But he let me get it anyway.

Some views of our yard with the fence. I love that it defines our space.

We planted three clemantis on the far end. Eventually I plan on filling in the rest of the fence line with flowers and vines, but that may be a project for next summer.