Three Guys and a Lady.

May 31, 2012

Progress Report

We've lived in our fixer-upper for 2 full months now. Here are lots and lots of Before and After pictures of the improvements we've made. Mostly paint, floors, new blinds, and taking out a couple walls.
This is a "Progress Report" which means we are not quite DONE with anything yet.

Living Room:

{Dusty Drapes and Blinds went in the Trash, Walls Color= Martha Stewart "Sea Anenome," New Laminate Floors with Carpet insert, Bamboo Shades}

Living Room and Entry:

Opposite View:

Handy Andy put the tv above the fireplace. I know it's not beautiful, but it was the best place for it. We are going to make it look more "built-in" looking, hide the cords, and make the fireplace look pretty by adding a mantle and glass tile.

Entry Way/Angled Wall Removal:

{Painted recessed lights. Wall color=Martha Stewart "Seaglass"}

Living/Dining Room Wall Removal= OUR FAVORITE IMPOVEMENT

WE STILL HAVEN'T FOUND A LIGHT FIXTURE WE LOVE.

Dining Area Wall Removal View:

{Jonny Howells knocked down the wall. HUGE improvement. Need light fixture. Chairs are in process of being painted. Have our eye on this new Dining Table (Ikea Ingatorp in White)

Kitchen:

{Cabinets needed 4 coats of paint (Behr Semi-gloss Bright White) Added knobs, Paint=Colorplace: Sparkling Yellow Shimmer), Added Drawer Liners, and Grandma Kaye cleaned our countertops so they shine.}

Hallway:

{You needed to see the filthy carpet to fully appreciate what an improvement this is. I painted the cabinets, trim, doors, recessed lights white. The walls were painted Colorplace: }

{I found this on clearance at Ross. $25! I know it's kinda weird, but I LOVE it. Painted the mat white and Frame Green. Mat and Frame were both black before.}

Guest Bathroom:

{Improvements: Ceiling Paint(Martha Stewart "Seaglass"), Walls(White), Light Fixture, New Toilet}

Landscape Improvements

We've made some progress on the front yard!
Remember those ugly orangey pink rocks in our front yard? Andy took ALL of them out.
All. by. himself.

NOW YOU SEE THEM:

NOW YOU DON'T:

Remember that big, ugly evergreen that was oddly shaped and too big for the planter? The men (Andy, Brian, and my Dad) took it out last weekend.

NOW YOU SEE IT:

NOW YOU DON'T:

They also helped us plant new stuff and dad almost fixed the spriklers.
BUT, everything we planted ended up looking WAY too small:

The plants probably looked too small because they were too small. But we can't afford big expensive plants. So that's what we get. Someday it would have looked lush and pretty. But I'm impatient when it comes to home improvements. So, as usual, I obsessed about it for a few days and spent long nights thinking about ways to make it look better.

I think I found the solution!

We traded out the tiny Pygmy Date Palm for with a small King Palm. King Palms grow much taller then a PDPalm, but it was cheaper than buying a bigger PDPalm. We also bought New Zealand flax and African Lilies to line that not-so-pretty wall. Hopefully those will grow fast. Here is what it looks like now. Still small, but not quite so bare.

Next we planted the tiny Pygmy Date Palm in our little nook near the front door. I think it will like living there for now. We are going to put plants in to cover up that fence. Someday.

We also replanted some new red apple ground cover in our front, side yard. Then Andy planted 3 New Zealand Flax (AKA: Brownish-Purplish Spiky Plants that get big and full) in between the ground cover. It should look nice when it all grows in.

Lastly, but not leastly, Brian knocked down the concrete compost in the back.

Looks much better.

Random April and May Pictures

We've done a few other things besides home repairs these past 2 months..

Cohen went to Grandma and Grandpa's house so I could get most of the painting done.

Grandma and Grandpa Adams came to visit us.

New scooter.

Wendy and Josh came to visit from Wisconsin

I got a new dreamy handyman named Andy.

Cohen's new wicker monkey Stuart or Stu.

Cohen finally vacuumed the cobwebs in the fireplace.

Loading up rocks for Grandma Kaye's backyard.

Dawn's new thrift store find. Wicker rocking chair - $15.

May 5, 2012

Grandma Daphne

Andy's sweet grandma Daphne died a couple of weeks ago. We attempted to go to the funeral in Utah, but (to make a long story short) Cohen had asthma issues so we had to turn around in Las Vegas. That was fun. Here is the Funeral Flashmob that took place at her funeral. I love it so much I had to put it on the blog. I wish we could've seen it in person.