Landscaping and more

Lots has been happening since our last post, so much that it has taken us a while to get around to updating the blog. We have settled in more and worked on the inside and outside of the house. One major accomplishment was building the deck and stairs of the deck - we even had a little BBQ with friends! We also just finished planting over 60 plants to create some curb appeal, and mowed the sod for the first time. The landscaping looks great and will surely fill in over the years. We went with xeric plants in the beds that are in the hot sun for most of the day, and only receive hand watering by yours truly each evening.

Nick at work!

Nick building the stairs of the deck.

Decking of dark brown trex, no splinters!

Nick leveled and installed this flagstone path perfectly.

Baby room is now pink!

Matt, Kelli & Lily hanging on the deck.

Prepping for the big day of planting.

Kelli & Ellie admiring the plants.

Plants back near the deck.

Curb appeal.

The finished product!

A few more...

Here are a few more pictures from later in the evening after we cleaned up.

Nick put all of the handles on the drawers.
Trevor and Steph built the last "temporary" shelf.
Steph sealed the "temporary" island top and sides.
Kelli & Nicks master bedroom.
Front guest bathroom that Steph is touching up with paint probably as you are reading this blog.
Trev working in the garage.
Late night laundry with the space shuttle washer and dryer.

The Visitors are Among Us

If out of town guests were musical acts, this week would be the Superbowl Halftime Show! EVERYONE IS HERE, including your guest-blogger. The goal of Tuesday was to make the kitchen functional. Dutiful kinfolk put up temporary shelving and unpacked boxes while a team of professional painters put a fresh coat in the kitchen and living room. The evening culminated with a spaghetti dinner that surpassed our wildest dreams. Jet lag, a corporate workday, and home improvements sent everyone to bed early.

On Wednesday Stephanie perfected her yoga poses while adding a coat of paint to the front bedroom. She, Trevor and Matt prepared the front porch by scraping paint, caulking, and adding a primer coat. The only casualty of the day was a small section of the front window that now looks like the back cover of the Rolling Stones’ Through the Past Darkly album. In the afternoon, Nick and Kelli came home and joined the process of fine-tuning the kitchen. We lined the drawers and installed them with cabinet handles and soft-closes. (What?! You don’t now what soft-closes are???) Even the naysayers from HGTV would have to admit that the kitchen is updated!
Stephanie perfects the Painting Doodle Bug pose.

Trevor casts a backwards glance.
Porch Before...
Porch After...


Future site of a deck.
Still life with lumber samples and lawn furniture

In true superbowl halftime show fashion, Trevor shows off his drawers.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Matt and Trevor survey their handiwork on the porch window.

sort-of almost done

Last weekend we had to move out of our duplex, and so we piled all of our stuff into the basement and garage of the new house.  We are living at Matt & Dave's, it's cramped and less than ideal, but we are lucky to have such nice friends.  This weekend, we'll be able to really move in to the new house!  There are still bits and pieces to be finished, many of them little things we thought we would do on our own.  I think we'll slowly work on them, we will need some time to recoup from the last few weeks.  The good news is Steph and Matt get here next Tuesday so we can break the place in all together.  I can't wait!

the Finish Line, or Finishes are Fun!, or suggest your own title

So Kelli and I just returned from the beach in Florida (amazingly relaxing time!) and we are getting very close with the house project now. This is a good thing, considering we are moving in less than seven days. We will actually be sleeping in our house in less than a week, that is a novel idea...

Doors, trim, tile, grout, cabinets, paint.

Master Bath vanity - beautiful.

nice time in the neighborhood