Progress, finally.

Oh boy, has this basement project taken forever!  The funny thing about it is that when we actually focus and just work on it, we can move along pretty quickly.  Unfortunately, we go for months at a time with no ambition for working on it.  We are currently at a point where we just are so sick of having this hanging over our heads and so ready to have the house on the market and so sick of drywall pieces all over the place and sick of not QUITE having a guest room, etc etc that we are just completely motivated to get. it. done.

So yesterday we devoted our entire day to it.  Since it is Memorial Day weekend the kids didn't have soccer games and there was nothing else scheduled to take our time.  It was just the kind of Saturday we needed.  We started at about 9:30 am and by 2:00, we were done hanging drywall.  We went out to lunch (and ice cream!) together to celebrate, then came home and started on the next stage: Cutting the metal corner beading, setting screws that didn't get set the first time around, and mudding and taping.  We are hoping to have the mudding and taping done by next Saturday. 

After that is done, we'll prime and paint, get carpet installed, and get the trim in.  We're also going to try our hand at staining concrete.  We really like the look of it so rather than put tile in the hallway, we thought we'd give that a try.  We will also be pulling out some of the carpet in the family room.  We want to remove the carpet from in front of the door and under the table .  That will get stain and an area rug. 


 In the picture below, the area to the right of the closet will be a utility closet.  It has the wiring for the cable and Dish (which we don't have hooked up) and other such stuff.

So basically, this month will be crazy busy.  But then, aren't they all? 

Every heart beats true...

I want to share a quick little project I did recently.  If you've been reading here for long, you know that the color scheme in my house has been gradually changing over to red, white, and blue.  Not the Americana burgandy, navy, and cream, but a much lighter and brighter version of the pallet.  My summer decor always leans toward the patriotic, so my house feels especially festive this year. 

Months ago I was given this cute little side table:

At first I thought it was going to be white.  I have been painting lots of furniture white lately, and I knew it would be OK, but I realized what I really wanted on this table was a pop of color.  Then it hit me:  It had to be shiny fire engine red. 

It is such a happy bright spot in the room.

Doesn't it look amazing next to my beeutiful couch?  The couch is a work in progress.  I promise it WILL look fabulous with the couch when all is said and done. 

I made a miniature rag rug to put under the lamp to keep it from scratching the table. 

And I placed some fun items on the shelves.
A patriotic childrens' book,

a basket of blocks I made for my oldest her first Christmas,

and this book from the early 1940s. 

Here, take a look inside.  It's so cool.

Our cat is an avid reader.

I can't wait to have my couch back together so you can get a look at the whole room.  I have company coming in a little over a month and my goal is to have it back together before then so we actually have a place to sit when they are here!  Of course, our other goal is to have the basement room finished as well.  Two huge projects.  It's nice to have a deadline, though, even if it is self-imposed.  Tomorrow we'll be working in the basement all day.  It's do or die time, folks.  It would give me great satisfaction to be able to post a picture of completed drywall tomorrow night.  'Til then...

Summer is upon us...

It's been about a month since I last posted here, but this time it was a conscious decision.  I just have so very much on my plate these days, that I decided I needed to let something go for a while.  I'm still very busy, but I actually missed blogging.  The funny thing is, I had decided I wanted to "grow my blog" this year, but in making that goal I put unnecessary pressure on myself and started to resent it.  So yeah, that kind of backfired. 

Today I thought I'd share what I've got going on with my gardens.  That's been kind of top priority of late, so that's what is on my mind.  I have two decent sized gardens: One here in my back yard, and one plot I rent from Lands End.  I also have a teeny tiny container herb garden.  More on that later. 

Here in my back yard I planted scallions, lettuce, beets, cabbage, carrots, onions, green beans, and peppers.  I need to have the green beans here because I need to be able to check them every day.  All of the cooler crops I planted here because there is a section of my garden that is a tad on the shady side later in the day. 

(Flower box I built.  Still need to build another.)

At my Lands End garden I have yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes and potatoes still need to be planted.  I like to put the things that take up a lot of space there.  This is my first time growing my tomatoes at that location, and I'm hoping the all day sunshine will help them do better.  I have not had much luck with them here in the back yard garden.  Fingers crossed. 

A couple of days ago I built a planter box for my herb garden.  I've mentioned a time or two on this blog about some barn boards I hoarded....er, salvaged a couple years ago.  Little by little those boards are becoming useful things.  Some of them became the planter boxes for my deck.  They are just kind of thrown together, which is totally OK with me.  I love the rustic look of them.  The feet on the herb garden box are from an old couch we just threw away.  I knew I would find a project to reuse them on!



(I think the lemon thyme is beautiful.)

In the herb garden I have planted dill, lemon thyme, greek oregano, sweet basil, rosemary, and cilantro.  I absolutely LOVE the smell of the garden and I'm happy to have it right here on my deck where I can go out and sniff it whenever I want!


Meet Me Monday Party @ You're Talking Too Much

Mid-April? What?

Wondering where I've been lately? Haven't missed me at all? Wait, don't tell me. Life has been running on fast forward it seems. I have definitely been busy, just not blogging. Here are a few glimpses of what I've been doing:













Not to mention the things I don't have pictures of yet,like painting my kitchen island, putting up corbels by the tile backsplash, enjoying a visit from my parents and sister, and so on. Hopefully soon I'll get around to blogging some details about some of these projects.

'Til then...

Creating a Farmhouse Kitchen...

...in a cookie-cutter house. As regular readers know by now, I am trying to introduce lots of vintage farmhouse touches in my home.

Because we are getting ready to put the house on the market, I don't want to do anything really permanent that a potential buyer might not like. But I also know that this house could be on the market for quite some time and I really want to be happy while I am still living here. So I have started adding some things here and there. This is still a work in progress, but I am happy to share what I have done so far.
Here are a couple before pictures, just for fun.



The beadboard backsplash is the most permanent thing I have done, and it has had such a big impact.
Just yesterday I was looking at my kitchen and thinking, "I wish I would have gotten that done sooner because I love it so very much!" This has brightened up my kitchen 500%. It looks clean and crisp and adds so much charm!

I love how it looks with my Mason jars and cutting board.



I added the glass tile backsplash behind my stove recently as well. This doesn't necessarily scream vintage farmhouse, but I think it will hold great appeal for a potential buyer. I have corbels to install on each side of the tile which will look a bit more farmhouse.


When you think of a vintage farmhouse sink, I'm sure, just like me, you see a beautiful apron sink. My next home will have one. But for now, the other thing I envision when I think about the sink, is a skirt. I decided to sew a couple curtain panels from burlap and vintage fabric. I just removed the cabinet doors (easy to pop back on for resale) and added a curtain rod inside to hang the curtains from. Easy peasy.


I have a couple other things up my sleeve. Something I'm very excited about involves this vintage cake carrier I bought at the barn sale here in town. Any guesses what my plans might be?



I'm linking up to the Show Us Your House Party at Thrifty Decor Chick