Outside

I haven't had time to keep up with the blog the past few weeks because we've been soaking up the beautiful warm weather outside.  Who wants to stay inside on their computer when the sun is shining outside?

Our main priority outside has been working on the landscaping.  We have been very fortunate that one of the previous owners had the yard professionally landscaped.  However, more recent owners did not upkeep the landscaping.  If there was once mulch, we don't see any signs of it.

We decided that the best way to battle the weeds threatening to takeover the plants is to lay down weed fabric and mulch over it.  We decided which areas were most important and are doing small sections at a time.  So far we have two main areas in front of the house completed (using 3 rolls of fabric and 24 bags of mulch).  We know it will take us all summer to get all of it done, but we're working on it.

Most people don't put their lawn as a priority (especially the first summer they're in their house).  However, our neighborhood has several old houses with very extravagant lawns.  We feel in order to fit in, we have to have a semi-decent yard.  Since moving in, we've done little things around the yard that have made positive differences.

(These are the two areas in front of the house that have been weeded, fabric-ed, and mulched.)

(I should have take the pictures sooner when all the roses had bloomed.  You will just have to look at the previous post about Gabbie to see the roses in bloom.  Also, the bush in the left of the picture is need need of much help.  I have no idea what it is, and it once was full of leaves and beautiful, most have died and there are weird seed pods in the middle.  Any advice on caring for this plant is appreciated!)

(View of the sidewalk between the landscaped areas.  One of our lights along the path bit the dust.  The rod broke and it no longer stood upright.  Me tripping on it while pruning the trees may have been the culprit. . . )

(Here's an updated picture of the yard.  No more dandelions!!  Now we just have to kill the clover and wild violets and it will be perfect.)

(Here is the patio area in the backyard.  I spent one day cleaning it up, trimming the bushes, and reattaching the roses to the arch.)

For Memorial Day, Steve and I headed went to Colorado to visit his family.  While in Colorado, we got to spend lots of time with his family, visit some friends, and enjoy the beautiful Colorado weather and scenery.  We went on a couple of different hikes -- one nearby his parents' house and the other up in the mountains.  We also got to go to a Colorado Rockies baseball game (which was the first baseball game I have ever been to).  We had awesome seats thanks to Steve's dad!  It just so happened that we were in town the same time as Steve's best friend growing up (whose name is also Steve) was in town, too.  We got to meet up with him and his wife for a delightful breakfast.  It was so good to see them!

Now that we're back home, we're back to our various projects.  Steve is back to work and has to be in Cincinnati a few days this week, leaving me to tend to the house alone.  Yesterday, I tackled fixing our grill.  Our grill is only two years old but looked a little worse for wear.  We got it when we moved to TN (thanks mom!) and we didn't take the best care of it.  We had a little porch off the back of the house that we just stuck it under, even in the winter (which I was told it didn't get cold or snow in TN, so I didn't think about winterizing it).  After being outside constantly for over 1.5 years, the grill had accumulated some rust.

We decided that a grill should be a lifelong investment (especially since we grill out 2-3 times a week in the summer) so we bought a grill cover and are taking much better care of it this year.  So back to yesterday -- I sanded, washed, and dried the grill really well in prepartion to paint it.  I covered up the areas I didn't want painted and I used a high-heat spray paint from Rustoleum.  Our grill is back to looking brand new (okay, maybe more like a year old) and protected under its cover.

(Here's the grill after I sanded, washed, and covered up the parts not to be painted.  The lighting doesn't show how rusty the grill looked, but don't worry -- I got some closeups.)

(Here's the rust on the front panel of the grill.)

(Here's the gross left side table.)

(This is after I've painted and removed all the coverings!  I was truly amazed at the paint.  I was afraid you'd be able to tell it was spray painted, but it covered so well!)

(No more rust on the front panel!  Woohooooooo!)

(This is the right side table top.  It was hard to keep the lettering around the nob without it looking bizarre, but it is what it is.  You can see it's original state surrounded by the new paint around the know and on the warning table on the panel top.)

(The grill is now nicely tucked under it's cover.  Hopefully, I won't have to repaint the grill again.  I also had to get a new propane tank for the first time in 2 years.  So we literally have a new grill to use this summer!  I'm already planning grilling out steaks sometime this weekend. Visitors are welcome - ha ha!)

A Special Visit

This past weekend, we headed west and stayed the weekends at my parents' house.  While there, we got to enjoy time with my family and celebrate my mom for mother's day (even though she didn't get what she wanted -- peace and quiet!).  On our way back to Ohio, we stopped at my sister's house and picked up her youngest daughter, 3 year old Gabbie!

Gabbie has stayed away from home several times at my mom's and her other grandma's house and she's stayed at our house before but either my mom or her mom were here.  This marks her first solo trip at our house.  I wasn't sure how she would do or how long she'd be able to stay, I shouldn't have worried at all.  She did great!

(On the ride to our house, she was supposed to take a nap.  Instead, she talked the whole time and ate all the ice out of my drink.)

We stopped for dinner at Wendy's on the way home and got to our house in the evening.  We had just enough time to play with her favorite baby doll (which was mine when I was younger) and watch a movie.  Sunday night was the Survivor finale, so Steve and I watched it on our tv while she watched High School Musical on my laptop.  She thought it was cool to wear headphones.

(All ready for bed and watching "Troy Bolten" -aka Zac Efron - sing "Bet On It" from HSM 2)

On Monday, we woke up and watched some Beethoven's 2nd (she calls it the one with Missy) before heading out to go shopping.  We had to get some groceries and find a new slip'n'slide.  When we lived in TN, we bought a small slip'n'slide for the girls to play on when they visited.  I didn't take care of it (it was only $5 and wasn't worth my time - ha ha) and didn't want to mess with packing it for the move, so it got thrown away.  We went to Meijer first for the groceries and to price slip'n'slides.  We of course got slushies to start off.  Meijer didn't have a good selection of slides, so we headed to Walmart where we bought the "Double Wave".  We opted for a 2 lane slip'n'side with 2 inflatable boogie boards for $14.  We'll make this one last longer.

(Waiting patiently for the slip'n'slide to be all set up.)

(It was kind of breezy and the hose water was really cold, but that didn't stop her.  However, towards the end, she claimed a spider was on her -- there was one in the water -- and she had a freak out.  She was done with the slip'n'slide and was convinced that spiders were everywhere.  She wouldn't do the slip'n'slide the rest of her stay because of that little spider.)

(One more shot before the spider freak-out.  She enjoyed playing in the pool at the end.  She would use her "surfboard" to escape from the "sharkies" on the slide.)

After playing outside some, we went inside and played Chutes & Ladders.  After playing it the normal way and then with her made up rules we at a snack and watched Hairspray, which is now her favorite movie.  She absolutely loves Link Larkin  (Zac Efron).  Throughout her stay, I think we watched it almost 2x a day.  After our break inside, we went outside to plant and water flowers and wait for Steve to get home.  When he got home, we headed to a nearby Park to swing and slide (that's all they had to offer).

(She tended to water small spots in front of the flowers instead of the actual plant, but she wanted to do it all by herself!)

(How cute is she??)

We of course ended our day with some more Hairspray and popcorn.  I make my popcorn on the stove the old fashioned way.  I also have different toppings you can sprinkle on your popcorn.  She ate "popcorn with the cheese" every night while watching Hairspray!

On Tuesday morning we played with her baby doll and went to the neighbor's house to play on her swing set and see the fishies in her "pond".  For lunch, we packed up a picnic lunch and met Steve at his work.  From there, we found a spot nearby and ate our lunch.  We brought bubbles and blew them after we ate and watched a groundhog in a field.  We took Steve back to work, made another stop at Walmart for groceries I forgot, and went home to take a nap!  The previous night, Gabbie didn't sleep the best and kicked me all night long (so I didn't sleep the best either!).  We slept on our guest mattress on the floor in our bedroom while Steve had our bed all to himself.  My other neighbor had stopped by and gave Gabbie some books and toys.  Among the books was a Cookie Monster book that we had to read before every nap and going to bed.  After she woke up, we went back outside to have a water gun fight.  Mine didn't work the best, so I guess you can say Gabbie won.  We ended our evening with more Hairspray and popcorn with cheese.

(Playing outside on the neighbor's swing set.)

Originally, Gabbie was supposed to go home on Wednesday, we were having too much fun and she wasn't ready (and neither was I) to go home.  We negotiated with her mom to stay an extra day.  With our extra day, we played American Girls, went to the park (without Steve), met the neighbor's animals, took a nap, played more on the swing set next door, did some laundry (involving Gabbie slipping down some stairs in the basement), more Hairspray and popcorn with cheese, and painted each other's nails.   Gabbie picked all the colors (a different one for each nail).  I painted her nails, and she painted mine.  She didn't do too bad of a job!

(Swinging at the park!  The park also had a really tall (20+ish ft) curly slide that scared me to death.  I was terrified she'd slip and stumble down all the stairs or slip at the top and topple down.  But she was a big girl and did it all by herself.  I stayed at the bottom to "catch" her at the bottom of the slide.  When we went with Steve, he was supposed to catch her once and didn't and she shot off the end of the slide, landing in the dirt. Ooops :)!)

(Check out all those colorful nails!)

On Thursday morning, we got in one last viewing of Hairspray before cleaning up all the toys and packing up her stuff.  I was an emotional mess and wasn't ready to say goodbye.  We had so much fun and I enjoyed having a little companion 24/7.  She, too, was a mess.  Only she is an introvert and just shut down.  She had her shoulders cowered and sat on the floor in my bedroom and wouldn't talk or look at me.  We had a little talk and I explained I was going to drive her to meet with her mommy and we'd eat lunch together.  She seemed okay with that and proceeded to get ready.  We met halfway at a little town that had a Subway sandwich/gas station combo.  When she saw mommy, she shut down and just held on to me.  I told her I wouldn't leave until after lunch and she perked up and went to mommy.  We got lunch and then headed over to a play area across the street to eat outside.  After we ate, we headed over to a little park where Gabbie played on a jungle gym and swings while I got to catch up with my sister.  After a couple hours, we headed back to the gas station and said goodbye.  Luckily, she was distracted by freaking out about a fly in the car to realize I was leaving.  I found out later that she had a fit in the van about going home. and is still not happy about leaving my house today.  The feeling is mutual.  

A New Endeavor

I generally don't share health issues on the blog (other than "we're sick"); but recently, health issues have been popping up with us.  Since we share all of our "antics" on here, I guess we can share the health stuff, too.  (Especially since I will need some encouragement in my new endeavor!)

In the past 6 weeks, I've been to a doctor 3 times for various reasons, and have another appointment today.  The first one was for a sinus infection upon returning home from Europe.  I was given a 10-day antibiotic which cleared up the sinus issue.  A few weeks after that, Steve and I had a joint "new patient" appointment to get set up with a doctor here in Lima.  Steve was given antibiotics that time for sinuses, but I was cleared with "good health".  Not a week later, I was having some crazy lower abdominal pains and a fever so I went back.  I was diagnosed with a bladder infection (even though I had no regular symptoms and know what that feels like because I've had several) and given another round of antibiotics.  The doctor thought the abdominal pain was deferred from the bladder; however, after being off the antibiotics for a week, I still have that constant pain, which is what today's appointment is about.  Plus, the antibiotics the second time really hurt my stomach.

Now we need to go back in time to set up my overall health.  When I was young, I had an unexplained seizure that left me unconscious and in a coma for 3 days.  I snapped out of it and had to do some therapy to relearn basic motor functions.  5 days later, I walked out of the hospital on my own with new explanation of the experience.  A few months later, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism -- meaning, my thyroid not only doesn't function but is slowly killing itself.  For 15 years now, I have taken a small pill everyday to help my thyroid function (okay, I will admit not everyday because I forget a lot -- you'd think after 15 years I'd remember, but nope!).

Recently, I've done some research on Hashimoto's and have discovered that 9/10 people with Hashimoto's also have Celiac disease. That hit close to home since my mom has been diagnosed with Celiac and my brother & niece both are gluten intolerant.  When I went to the doctor for the new patient appointment, I got tested for Celiac Disease (via a blood test) which came up negative.  I have decided to go ahead and try a gluten free diet for a few weeks just to see if I can notice a difference.

I've always fought my mother on the fact that I don't have celiac symptoms; however, after research and talking to other "normal" people, I've discovered I have quite a few on the list.  Just to name a few, I get lots of stomach pains at various times, I have constant skin rashes,, some other digestive issues, and just general lethargy (which can also be from my hypothyroidism).  I figured, I'll never know until I try it.

Now, this is a new and very difficult endeavor.  I LOVE wheat, I LOVE a good crusty bread, I LOVE pasta, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE cakey desserts and brownies!  I know that there are several gluten free substitutes for all of those things, but let's face it.  Eating gluten free is less convenient, more expensive, and doesn't taste quite like the original wheat products.  OH well, I am reminding myself to stay positive on what I can eat.  (By the way, I'm still pretty positive right now because it's only day 2.  I'm expecting to hit a wall during week 2).

I plan on continuing this diet through the end of May.  After a few weeks of no gluten in my system, I'll introduce it back in and see if I notice a difference.  I have no idea if the current paint I deal with is tied into the thyroid/digestive issues I have or if they are unrelated.  I get pretty frustrated over health issues because there are so many different variables when it comes to health.  I'd appreciate prayer and encouragement during this time as I try to figure out the crux of all my health issues.

New Space

After 2 months of waiting, frustration, and more waiting, our new furniture has arrived!  Back in February when Steve's parents came to visit, they took us furniture shopping and bought us a new coffee table and end table.  We were finally able to retire our college iKea tables from the living room (which was about time since the iKea coffee table was in need of some more glue).

We were originally given a 2 week delivery date, but a few weeks came and went before we heard form Ashley Home Furniture.  Our Europe trip was quickly approaching, so I contacted the store to let them know we would be gone in case the furniture showed up.  When we got back from Europe, I had no messages on the phone about the furniture and had forgotten all about it.  Luckily, an Ashley commercial came on one day which reminded me that we still were waiting for our furniture!  I called and found out that the furniture was on back order (nice of them to inform us-- ha!).  They gave us a date for delivery in April.

Halfway through the month of April, I went ahead and called again, just to make sure we were still set for an April delivery.  I was informed that we were put on priority and should get the furniture within the week.  Lucky for them, they were true to their word and it showed up a couple days later!  After all that waiting, we had forgotten what the furniture had looked like, so we got to fall in love with the pieces again.  We're still toying with room set-up.  Our living room is an odd shape (rectangular) with our tv as a focal point on a long side.  It's hard to use the space appropriately while still being able to see the tv (without glare and craning your neck).  We're trying another layout now, we'll see how it goes. . .

(This is the couch that I tend to lounge on.  I know it doesn't really make sense to have the biggest couch perpendicular to the tv, but it does when you lay on the couch to watch the tv.  I don't know if you can see, but on the big window in the upper right area is our newly purchased bird feeder.  Because of all the squirrels, we had to buy one that suctions onto the window.  We just put it up and are anxiously awaiting for a bird to use it.)

(So here's the conundrum -- our furniture is now placed on 2 sides of the living room, and they feel very far from each other.  If we move them closer, it cuts the living room space up funny.  I need a layout intervention.  Any suggestions??)

(The coffee table has a hidden compartment that can hold lots of chotsky)

(Here is where Steve usually sits -- in his favorite iKea chair.  During the day, I tend to sit on this couch since it is straight on from the tv.  However, at night, the chandelier puts a bad glare on the tv from this angle, which is why I only sit there during the day.)

(Here you can really see the awkward layout.  Steve likes to point out that the middle area of the floor is just wasted space.  Eventually, we'll get a big area rug, but it's still an awkward set-up.  Although, Ramses does enjoy having the lay of the land to roam around -- in his ball, of course!)

(I don't remember if I ever showed the tv mounted on the wall with it's permanent set-up.  All the wires have been neatly tucked away -- through the wall and into the bottom of the bookcase/built-in.  Since we don't have cable, we watch our tv via rabbit ears.  Right now, we have them sitting on the furthest right of the mantel (pictured), but when people come over, we can tuck them away behind the tv.  When the ears are tucked away, we lose 3 of our 9 channels, so when it's just us, we like access to those 3 channels and don't mind the ears on the fireplace.)

It's Official. . .

We're Ohio residents!!

Last week, we spent a very productive 2 hours at the BMV (or DMV dependent on where you grew up) and became official Ohio residents.  This is the first time in 3 years that Steve and I both hold driver's licenses from the same state.  

We knew in advance that we would have to take a written test in order to get our new licenses.  We spent the night before studying the handbook and quizzing each other.  The next, I met Steve at the BMV during his lunch break.  We got there just a little after 11, but sadly, they weren't doing written tests until 12:30.  We were going to call it a bust and try again the next day, but we decided to see about switching our car titles to OH and getting new plates (especially since one of our car plates was about to expire!).

We had to go to the main branch downtown to take the test, but it worked out that the registrar (where you get your license), the testing center, and the title office were all in the same building!  We first went to the registrar to get our cars "inspected".  According to the manual that we so diligently studied, someone was going to inspect the car's steering column, lights, brakes, etc.  However, all the person did was right down the serial numbers, car make, and current license plate numbers.  Once that was completed, we headed to the Title office where they switched over the titles to Ohio.  

With new titles in hand, we had to head back to the registrar to get the plates.  The lady was really friendly and asking all about us, why we had moved to Ohio, how long we've been married (people find it hard to believe when we answer almost three years!), etc.  Once we got the plates, it was just a little after noon.  Steve's lunch hour was pretty much over, but he decided that whether he came back the same day or just took an extended lunch would be the same amount of time away from work.  So we waited until the doors to the testing center were opened (quite a line was forming, luckily, we were 4th in line!).  The tests were done on a computer.  You only had to get 30 out of 40 questions right.  Once you got 30 right (regardless of what question you were on), you got a congratulations screen.  

After completing the tests, we headed back to the registrar (where we were very well known by this point).  Another lady helped us out and asked us all the same questions the first lady had (she too couldn't believe 3 years of marriage).  We filled out the paper work, got our pictures taken (which are actually 2 of the best pictures of us!) and got our new licenses!!  As the lady handed them over, she made a big announcement to the room congratulating us on being official residents.  It was comical after being there for 2 hours.  

In other news, blogspot (where my blog is posted) has undergone some updates and shows me different stats about the blog.  According to the stats, I've had almost 10,000 views since starting the blog in 2010.  1,000 of those views were from this month alone (I'll thank Europe for that).  It also breaks down where the views come from -- largely the US, with 5 hits in Germany, 4 in Russia, 1 in Poland (dad???), and 1 in Turkey.  It's crazy to think that people besides just family reads this.  If you are a faithful reader I'd love to get to know you via comments!!  

Spring Cleaning -- Outside!

Since we just moved into our house (I think it still counts after 5 months to say you still just moved), the inside of our house doesn't need any spring cleaning (except for those areas that haven't been cleaned yet from moving. . . ); however, our yard and exterior of the house are in dire need of some attention.  Steve and I have both been busy working on various outside projects.

Steve has a few outside projects that will probably be an all-summer deal.  First off, he has been intently researching via books and internet about slate roofs.  He found a place in Columbus, OH that carries slate tile that we will be visiting in the next few weeks in order to buy some tile to repair the garage.  He has purchased several slate tools and is anxiously awaiting the new tile in order to fix the roof.  I am not a fan of this whole idea.  I'm okay with him fixing the garage since it isn't that tall; however, there are some tiles on the house (3 stories up!) that need to be fixed that Steve wants to do.  by himself.  on a ladder.  I am not a fan.

Since that's not something he can do until he gets the tile, he has switched gears to his 2nd project, which involves repairing some of the downspouts, creating correct draining grade around the foundation, and fixing some gutters.  We went to Menards (Steve's new-found favorite place) and bought some new downspouts that will be used throughout his project.  Most of the spouts just need some added joints at the bottoms, and of course angling spouts for proper drainage.  The most intense part of the project involves wrapping a downspout around a window in order to make the water flow away from the foundation (which we know is a big issue buy the condition of the basement walls and water that we find on the floor).  I don't understand most of this endeavor (like the "how" it will be executed.  Talk to Steve for more information).

(A lot of the gutters are in bad shape.  Steve hopes to be able to bend it back himself and not have to replace the gutters.)

(In the backyard, there is some sort of clay tile drainage system.  We have no idea of the system is clear and working properly or if it's all clogged and causing more trouble.  We are just leaving that as is; although, Steve is going to fix the downspouts to connect to the system properly.)

(In one corner of the house, the connection between the gutter and downspout is nonexistent.  That piece just sways in the wind.  Steve tried to reconnect it once, but it wouldn't stay.  He has purchased a new joint and will properly connect it.)

Originally, there were downspout pieces buried underneath the landscaping in one corner of the house, but the downspouts weren't connected.  Steve dug those up and has come up with a new plan.  He is going to shorten the downspout (pictured) and will create an angle with a joint connector and lay another downspout off of the angle which will take the water away from the house and put into the yard.  We'll do before and after pictures of this process when that project gets executed.)

(Another thing that needs to be done, besides fix the gutter, is to clean all the gutters.  Especially now that all the helicopter seeds -which I detest and will talk about later -- have fallen.)

His 3rd project involves parching up the mortar in between all the bricks. Awhile back, he had bought some mortar and tools and was going to do it the old fashioned way, but on a whim (and again a trip to Menards) he found mortar in a tub that goes on easier.  He did a little area, but the color doesn't match at all.  The mortar in the tube (and from the bag) are grey tones, whereas our house has a beige mortar.  After some quick research, he has discovered that houses pre-WWII were made with a lime-sand-cement mix; whereas post WWII, they dropped the lime & sand.  So, now he's back to square one on that project and has to decide the next course of action.

Lastly, Steve now has a lifelong project of yard work.  He is definitely missing the yard work from TN (we mowed maybe 1x per month in summer because the grass was bizarre and mostly weeds).  Our yard is the saddest yard on the block.  It is full of dandelions and has obviously not been taken care of.  Steve has had several people stop and ask if he needs help (for $$ of course).  Steve hasn't decided yet that that is the necessary route.  After some research (have I mentioned how great Steve is at researching stuff before executing?), he decided to buy some weed killer/lawn fertilizer pellets and a lawn spreader.  He has done one application so far and we are awaiting the results in the next week or so.  His mowing record for this year is already up to 2.

(Our dandelion graveyard or our front yard)

My work has been focused on the landscaping and plants.  Last week, I spent 2 exhausting days outside weeding in the main area of the landscaping.  I filled up 3 lawn bags full with all the weeds I pulled.  I can't believe how many weeds there were, it was very deceiving how the landscaping looked and what was thrown away.  I also moved a flowering bush to a different location ( I think I may have killed it in the process, but the verdict is still out on it), planted the azalea tree Steve's parents bought us, and replanted the window boxes.  I still have a couple more sections in the front landscaping and the entire back to do, but I'm waiting on the wind to die down and the temperature to go back up to continue in that endeavor.

Landscaping Before Weeding:

(Those are rose bushes surrounding some sort of tree that starts the path from the driveway to the front door.)

(Here you can see the weeds on the left, the right side has been weeded (which is why you can see dirt under the bushes).  I think that was bag #1 on the right.)

After the weeding:

(Yay!!  Weeds are gone! )

(Here is a closeup of that tree and rosebushes from the "before" picture.  You will have to disregard all the *expletive* helicopter seeds everywhere.  We will eventually cover the dirt with landscaping fabric (already purchased) and then cover with mulch.  We are waiting on all the stupid helicopter seeds to fall before completing the landscaping.)

(Yay for clean landscaping!!  I still have to do all the weeding on the right side of the sidewalk.)

(I was afraid the flower box would look so puny-- which it does -- compared to the window.  However, once those little flowers start growing, some are supposed to be between 2 - 3 ft tall!  Ha ha, we'll see how they hold up in window boxes.)

(We have 2 window boxes, one on the big fancy glass window in the front and the other under the kitchen window on the side.  Steve and I are not flower experts (although I pretend to be) we didn't know what species of plants would grow well together or hold up well in the flower box.  All I knew was to get plants according to the sunlight specifications.  We'll see how we did in a few months. . .)

(Closeup of the flowers.  I have already forgotten the flower names.  I'm horrible at flowers.  I think the blue one on the left is either a peony or pansy (it was one of those).  The purple ones I know are snap dragons.  There is also a green one all the way to the left that was a mixed variety and we have no idea what color it will be (it may also have been a snapdragon).  I really don't know.  We just chose what looked neat according to the sunlight specifications.  

(So, as a kid I LOVED the helicopter seeds.  I would toss them in the air and run around as they fell.  They brought so much joy in my life.  Now as an adult, I HATE them with a PASSION.  These STUPID seeds are everywhere!!  We have 3 big trees on our property that are dropping them.  They drop on our roof, in our backyard, in our front yard, all over the driveway -- everywhere!  They manage to fly in when you walk in or out of the house, they stick on our shoes and go throughout the house.  I found one on my bedside table (which I was convinced Steve had placed there, but he said no) and one under a candle in our x-fireplace in our bedroom.  I HATE them.  I can't wait for them to finish falling!  I tried to sweep some up, but they stick to the pathway pavers and just flutter around from the wind.  Ugh.  I have a date with our leaf blower as soon as the last one falls.  Then someone has a date with cleaning them out of our gutters but I think we're gonna hire someone for that.)

(No that is not a random branch stuck in our yard, it's a tree!!  Steve volunteered through work to help prepare some trees to be donated and planted around Lima.  Because of helping with the project, he was given one.  We are the new owners of a tulip poplar tree (because we need another tree in our yard).  It'll be interesting to see how fast it grows.)

(Close up of our baby tree.)

Half Bath

I wasn't planning on tackling the half bath on the main floor, but Steve asked me to make it a priority.  He was done with it's gloomy (and bad) paint job.  Plus, the bathroom also had an old, musty smell that I hoped a fresh coat of paint would fix (air fresheners helped, too).

Before:

(Before the color was an orange, but had a bronze overlay. I liked that it was orange because it went with the living room color; however, the bronze overlay was streaky and inconsistent.)

(Here is a closeup at the overlay, crooked lightswitch, and the trim.  The trim was multicolored -- they had tried to spot paint but used a lighter color.  It also had some dents and scratches.)

(Another shot of the bronze overlay.)

During:

(I wasn't sure what color I was going to paint it, but knew it needed to be primed because of the previous paint job.  I went with a mildew resistant primer (which we found in the basement-- brand new!) since it is a bathroom and had a musty smell.)

After: 

(I was going to do it a yellow color, but Steve threw out the idea of the color blue.  I didn't want it to be too dark because of the other colors downstairs.  When I started to paint the blue I had chosen, I was afraid it was too light; however, once it was all done, I really like it!)

(I also got a new towel, rug, candle holder and Kleenex box to tie in the color.  The painting is an old print I bought back in college.)

(Look at that crisp edge between the trim & wall!  Painting all the trim in the house is really daunting, but I love how clean it looks after it's done.)

(The door had lots of scratches and crayon marks.  Not anymore! I even took off the knob, lock, and doorjamb hardware to clean them all up (they had paint on them).  After I got the door all painted, dried, and hardware back on. . . the door won't close!  I dunno if it's from a fresh layer of paint on the door, on the doorjamb, or that I repainted the hinges, but you have to force it closed, and then it pops back open.  Even the look won't hold the door closed.  I decided to start chipping the paint off the hinges (both what I did and the previous years of paint) to see if that helps, but it's not a priority right now.)