Privacy Fence

YOU GUYS. I thought my happiness couldn't get any greater after Z jack hammered the concrete obstrocity. Apparently it was possible to get greater! 

Z designed and built a horizontal fence and gate that faced out to the main street where our house faces. Since we are the second house from the street and our neighbors do not have a fence up, we were lacking privacy in our backyard. Each time we were outside, it was not uncommon for someone on the street which our yard faced, to be looking at what we were up to next, or bluntly asking what we were up to. At the same time, they also gave compliments which was very sweet. But, we were craving a bit more privacy in our backyard without feeling like we were on the "Truman Show." 

I was out of town this past weekend, but Z and his mom assembled this part of the fence! It looks SO good. I was so impressed with the work that was put into it! The only thing that I helped out with was gathering lumber at Home Depot and helping to space some wood pieces. Not nearly as much as they did. 

I already am pinning ideas of what I may want to plant next year, picking out some hostas, and looking at ideas now that the fence is up! 

CORNER OF THE FENCE

FENCE BUILT

 

HANGING BRACKETS FOR BASKETS

Although this is the last night of my summer break, I still have a few projects that I hope to accomplish in the upcoming weeks... finishing painting our bed platform, organizing closets, touching up our bedroom and bathroom paint.I was hoping to have finished them over break, but sometimes, you just need some rest and relaxation! 

Jack Hammer!

Sadly, summer is rapidly coming to an end. I thought surely I would have updated more frequently, but, as noticed, that didn't happen. Instead, vacations, spending time with loved ones (pets included), gardening, and some small house projects took place. Our minds are running wild with what we will do in the upcoming months! 

Although I hadn't updated lately and there are so many pictures of our garden that I intend to share, I had to share this picture because it makes me OH SO HAPPY!

Long stories short. The previous owner said they would take care of things that they left prior to closing. They took everything except these lovely once-were basketball posts. (Cue sarcasm. I would have much prefered the basketball hoop but it seemed like it was gone years ago.) The reminets have been siting on the side of our house until today! TODAY! Z's work had rented a jack hammer for a project there. Coincidently, we were pricing rentals of those earlier this week. After using it at his work, he and two work friends decided to continue the fun and took a try at these hideous concrete spheres. A half hour later, it was broken up into much more manageable and movable pebbles. 

After living with this since we moved in, I am beyond excited to see this gone! And beyond thankful. I can't wait to get it moved out and start imagining what to plant there next year! 

With the week left of summer, I am going to be fully enjoying it. Hope you all enjoy your weeks, too, if summer is ending, ongoing, or maybe never truly started. 

-E

"Must Do!"

The "must do" on my summer list was to work on our master bedroom. When we purchased our house, all of the rooms with the exception of the kitchen and master bedroom, were painted a beige color. The kitchen was sponge painted with a yellow blend and the master bedroom was purple. As in, K-State purple. If you need a reminder, check out this post! I love purple. My bedroom at my parents' house was a shade of purple! However, this was a bit too much, and too dark. 

We had gone back and forth with what we wanted to do in this room. At first, my initial idea was a light gray because I have loved how it made our kitchen and lower living room look. Very calming. Although, as we worked on the master bathroom, we thought that making the rooms feel similar would be best. 

We tried two paint samples and decided on option #2. It was a grayish-green color that felt spa-like! Calming, sophisticated, and complimentary to our end look. 

We took off the doors in the bedroom that we knew we would be keeping. Two sets of doors (both to closets) were not installed correctly and the door jam was not installed correctly, either. Since we will eventually replace those, we did not bother painting them again. We used Valspar Ultra White on the primed doors. 

Z worked on patching the walls where previous cracks had been. 

There were many cracks near the windows.

A preview of the bathroom painted with the color we chose for the master bathroom & master bedroom!

In the last two weeks, we have:

• painted the master bathroom
• painted the master bedroom
• painted ceilings in master bathroom & bedroom
• installed crown molding in the master bedroom
• replaced 1/4 of the baseboards in the master bedroom
• started to paint our bed 

It's funny how my "must do" summer project is progressing so quickly! I am very happy about it, though! In a few weeks, my Mom has graciously offered to help with projects around the house. Hopefully final touches of painting will be done in our bedroom at that time! (Baseboards will be a piece here, piece there kind of project.)

 Next up? Man bathroom. Pictures to ensure of these projects soon.

Hope your June has been enjoyable thus far, whether you have the summer off, have the opportunity to travel, or are trying to beat the heat!

-E

May It Be May?!

Holy guacamole! We're half way through May and I'm long overdue on updating this blog! Although there has never been a set schedule, I do like to keep you all updated! 

With school winding down, I anticipate more of a true update. Until then, here's a quick glimpse of our month so far...

-E

Snapshot Sunday

Not a home update, but a snapshot at what I did this past weekend. A good friend from our hometown of St. Louis visited, so it was a great excuse to be a bit touristy and take in the gorgeous weather. Here's some of the snapshots that I took while we were out and about. The links for the shops that I could locate are listed below! Most are in Lawrence, Kansas - one of the most adorable college towns. Ever. 

The flowers are from our house! The one hundred plus bulbs we planted this past fall are blooming! Beautiful flowers! I cut many of them due to the possibility of severe weather this previous week. Enjoying their beauty from indoors! 

City Market   |   River Market Antiques   |   Ten Thousand Villages   |   Phoenix Gallery   |  unknown  |  Arizona Trading Co.  |   Sylas & Maddy's Ice Cream Parlor   |   The Oread   |   Made on Mass

Are there any towns or areas that you love to shop in? I love Lawrence because of the charm and handmade goodies to be found on Mass Street!