Happy early birthday to me!

My parents wanted to get me some patio furniture for my birthday in October (read between the lines: they're tired of standing around on the deck!). But since patio furniture isn't that available in October, we picked it out early. I got this set from the Home Depot online when they were running a special. The cushions and pillows came with it, and hello! Free delivery! So the nice delivery men brought it to my backyard when I got home one Friday (i left a nice note asking them to take it around back and they were so sweet to do it!). Can't wait for it to cool down a bit so I can enjoy it more!

They're giving the Crape Myrtles away!

I got some awesome deals this weekend at the local nursery and Lowe's. I guess they're trying to get rid of most plants so I got a Crape Myrtle tree for $35 and $16! A Crape Myrtle bush was $5...um can I get more?! Overall some really great deals out there right now and SCORE! my parents were in town to help me haul all this stuff home and into the ground! Looks great so far, and those trees grow fast so more backyard privacy is on the way!

And Addie had a friend to play with as well!

Heat, heat, and more heat!

It's getting mighty hot up here..buuut we have been getting some showers from hurricane Alex so that helps. I have done a few things to the house, mostly small but HUGE impact! I switched out the heavy green drapes from the winter with some cool, white, Ikea panels that make a big difference. I also added house plants to the kitchen and rearranged the chairs in the dining room to accomodate 4 instead of 6. Really, when are 6 people over at a time. So I stored the extra chairs in the office closet and it really eases up the clutter in the dining area. Take a look!

Addie's playground

Addie has taken a liking to my yard, rolling around and resting. I'm so thankful for her, she's made my life so fun and I laugh at her all the time..or maybe with her, but more at her :) Here are some pictures

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I have the BEST yard on the block!

Happy Easter! My amazing parents came into town and for once I didn't have any projects for them to do around my house. But they came with projects, in the form of a big Lowe's trip to get soil, mulch, and flowers. What a difference these few things made! We were in the yard all day Saturday pulling weeds and planting flowers. I had no idea it would turn out so well. On Friday we went and I bought a mower and trimmer..Craftsman of course :) Hey, all my power tools need to match! We were definitely sunburned and tired at the end but I am slowly turning my yard into a mini jungle..like mother like daughter :)

Kitchen. Done!!

Finally done with the kitchen cabinets! Lessons learned: Fill holes and sand AFTER you strip the paint. And also, make SURE you know where the hardware is supposed to go. I can't count how many times I drilled holes only to find out that they were in the wrong corner! Doh..but so happy with how it turned out! Make sure, also, that all surfaces are at least sanded so new paint will adhere to the surface. Or apply primer maybe? But I didn't have the time or energy for that. All in all, this makeover cost about $75-$100. Money well spent!

New baby in the house!

They tell me my life is about to change..and it already has, in the form of less sleep and stepping on toes. I adopted Addie, a 1 year-old Weimaraner last weekend. So the first full week has come and gone. She has heartworms, and technically, until she's cleared by the vet I am fostering her. Therefore, I am supposed to keep her calm and quiet, no runs or even walking. Boo. I got a dog to take running! But once she's healthy she'll love it! Here are some pictures. She's quite the character already!!

Kitchen Cabinet Overhaul

All of my power tools ready to go!

I painted around the drawers and started getting excited about the outcome!

The new drawer pulls didn't match the holes of the old, might I add UGLY old ones, so I filled the holes with wood putty. So easy. Then I sanded it all down to feel like buttah.

Finished product! I did learn a lesson for the rest of the kitchen. make the holes for the hardware before you paint. I did the opposite and the paint started cracking. No bueno. But I knew this would be a learning experience! Ok off to eat the can of soup sitting here in this picture because I'm driving myself into the poor house with these renovations! No actually, this one..painting and new hardware is going to cost me about $60 since I already had the paint. I didn't include the $30 sander in the cost since I will use it over and over again. I am loving it!

I think all this goes together..I may be colorblind though :)

So I am mostly complete with my bedroom. I was going for kind of a hotel luxe style but more comfortable and personal. I'm going for natural colors with sparkle and pops of green. I just got this cute storage ottoman so I have somewhere to store purses and somewhere to sit to put my shoes on! Small houses=no storage, so I am looking for anywhere I can maximize storage. This seems to do the trick. I have filled up this little house pretty well so far and am on to the office! Oh and hopefully a dog by the end of March! That way I have a companion in my house that won't talk back :)

Oh, and yes, that is Cougar Town on the TV. Love this show!

Kitchen Tile Complete!

Here it is! I changed the blue disgusting vinyl for some updated slate-lookalike self-stick tiles. So easy! Spacers really helped keep the lines going, and I used a pre-mixed vinyl tile grout so I grouted over the course of a week. For my first DIY project I'm pretty happy! I will probably paint the kitchen cabinets next with the same color as the living room. Just so happened the color works out fabulous and I already have a ton of it leftover! I like a bargain :)

My Daddy-Do-List

Wow... all this done in a weekend! I will write more about the flooring but it's vinyl self-stick tiles and I am leaving room for a special vinyl tile grout so it looks more realistic. I am so impressed! We also put together these etagere stands that match the rest of my living room furniture and put up a new porch light. Whew! Thats a lot for one weekend. Thanks mom and dad!

My First Snow!

Okay, well not my first snow. It snowed over Christmas, but I wasn't around. I love how this cute house looks with all the snow :) Hopefully work is cancelled tomorrow so I can work on cleaning up the house for my parents to come. I will try to not put them through too much with my daddy-do-list!

The Lighting Begins

Finally got a second to put this up! I finally tackled lighting. My very best friend helped me put this up. How did he possibly know where the ground wire connects and all the wiring? I was just a helper and held that heavy piece for like 10 minutes. I guess that's why I work out, but my arms were killin me! I had been looking for awhile for a chandelier and never found anything that was a little bit more modern. All the others were very traditional and kind of boring for my taste. I saw this one, it spoke to me, and bam! I got it. I think my style is more random. The more I think about a piece the more I hate it. But if I just go with my gut, I feel like I do a pretty good job.

I think my next hobby is woodworking. I found a blog that has plans for tables, benches, beds, you name it. I just need some power tools and courage! Think about it, furniture is waaay overpriced, why not just make it yourself! I will start slow with a small table and see if I like it and then go from there. To be honest it probably wont happen but I am a big dreamer!

Power drills rule!

I don't write a lot, but I am going to hopefully start more. This is about my journey and I can't show my journey if I only write once a month! Lots of things have happened. My parents came in town a week before Christmas and we walked into Ashley Furniture just to look around. I came out with a dining room table and a bed. A real bed, with no risers and a headboard and footboard! Silly that I get excited about those things. So it was delivered last week and I can complete my living room and dining room. It is one big room so I only have one color palate to worry about. I ordered some curtains that will complete the living room and I will be off to the next room. In reality, I want two arm chairs for the living room, but I haven't found anything yet, so that will come when it comes.