Projects!

Everyone that comes over cant help but be amazed at how much we have done to our house already. Some of it may be ambition some of it may just be my sense to be doing something ALL OF THE TIME but whatever it is we LOVE IT! I had a request for a posting so I thought I should tell everyone what we have been up to (this is just a small handful, trust me). I have learned that I am not very good at the whole before and after thing so you will have to use your imagination on the before part, sorry, i will work on it. So, since moving in at the end of June (with a three week break for Europe and two weeks off for family in town) we have done this:

Re-finished the master bathroom

BEFORE: Not the best picture in the world, Marshall took it when he was talking to his brother finding the best way to rip up linoleum but you get the drift. It was hunter green and GROSS! It was first on our list and it got done 1st thing. All done by Marshall, myself and a little tile cutting help from Walker.

AFTER:

I am absolutely THRILLED with how it came out. One of my favorite rooms in the house.

Painted the master bedroom:

Painted a wall & furnished the office

Finished our basement bedroom - This little delight used to be the "play room" so it was yellow walls with a pretend bright blue fireplace that doubled as a chalk board and the alphabet around the top edge painted in yellow, red, blue and green. It was just darling... NOT!

Built an extra closet in the basement

Built storage shelves in the basement

Built a work bench in the garage

Boarded off the top of the kitchen cupboards

Replaced and painted the pantry doors

Landscaped the front yard

BEFORE:

This one I really wish I had a better before because we really have done a lot in the front yard.

AFTER:

Everything is still pretty immature but I will take some more pictures next summer when things are a little more vibrant!

Started landscaping the backyard

Re-wired and fixed broken heads on the sprinkling system

Moved the back fence

Vigorously worked on repairing our VERY dead grass

Replaced the family room ceiling fan

Like I said, this is not everything we have done and we don't plan on stopping any time soon. In fact, this weekend we are re-doing the second bathroom so I will post about that sometime next week.

A lot of people ask what our secret is and I feel as though I must come clean...We moved in the last couple days of June and since we were leaving for Europe just 15 days later we decided not to get cable until we got back. Well, when we got back we had family in town for 2 weeks and after that we finally to some projects that desperately needed to be done. That was enough to give us the motivation to keep going, so that is exactly what we did. After getting through so much so fast we decided that we like not having cable and the money we were saving from not having it we have been putting back into our house via projects. **Note: it also helps to have a husband with summers off**

"Tin snips, babe"

Marshall and I have been working in our yard non stop since we moved in. It was in desperate need of some TLC so I had my friend Carrie (who is awesome at landscaping) and draw up some plans and Marshall and I have slowly been putting the yard together (it is INSANELY pricey). We final completed the front yard and after all that hard work it sort of becomes your baby. We water daily, check on the new plants, weed, etc. Well we planted about 12-14 day lilies and in order for the roots to grow we needed to snip off the tops. One day I decided I would take on this project, not only to the day lilies but to everything we planted and that was a TON of stuff. It took me forever! Pruning Sheers

Later that night Marshall came in from the backyard and asked me why his tin snips were sitting on the table. I told him I had no idea, I had not touched his tin snips. We then began to discuss what I did that day. Mid conversation Marshall got an ear to ear grin on his face and went out back. He came back in and held up the pruning sheers and said is this what you used to do all that work? I told him yes and that I was not done so I left them out. He started laughing and said "those are tin snips babe". I felt pretty stupid but then he went to the garage and showed me the pruning sheers and they do look a lot alike, and they were both red. The pruning sheers would have been much easier to use though. Cut me some slack... I am new at this!
Tin Snips

Flaming Gorge

Over Labor Day weekend Marshall and I got invited to go to Flaming Gorge with some family and we JUMPED at the opportunity. We left Friday night around 8 and were instructed to stop at the "Mountain Man Rendezvous" in Wyoming at which we would camp. Marshall and I had no idea how much we were about to experience. Marshall and I drove seperately and beat everyone else there but it was pitch black at our arrival. At about 12 we got a call and a hose on Uncle Terry's truck had burst and they were stranded on the side of the freeway in Utah but help was on the way and they were bound and determined to get to us, which they did at about 5 am. So we got rest and some breakfast and headed to the rendezvous. People come from all over for this event yearly and they get IN TO IT!
We forgot our camera back at camp so these are just stock images but you get the idea. There are tons of booths set up of hand made items that are exquisite. And there are several demonstrations throughout the day, such as how to make a fire with 2 sticks. It was a really neat, different experience.After that we headed to the Gorge for some camping FUN! I didn't get in the water because it was FREEZING cold but you know Marshall did.And so graceful might I add.
We had such an amazing time! So glad we got one last trip in before it got too cold!

My handy MEN

The day we returned from Italy my brothers family was in town from Chicago. I was upstairs with Carter and one of the closet doors in the office came off. I told Carter that we would have to wait for Marshall to come home to fix it. Well, the minute Marsh walked in the door Carter was scrambling to get his tools in his tool box, his safety glasses on and his tool belt on and filled up. Marshall being the sport that he is grabbed his tool belt (although it was not needed at all) and headed up stairs with Carter. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Carter was a great help. When Marshall asked for a screw driver Carter gave him his (toy one). It was adorable! Soon after the two of them went up stairs more help arrived...
Little Austin with his power drill.
It turned out to be a bigger job than we all thought, it took 4 of them to get it right.
Later that day Marshall decided to turn on the hose. I took these pictures from inside to say the least.
Initially Austin filled up the bucket full of water, he then began swishing in onto himself, he then dipped his head in it and finally he just jumped in and sat down. Kids just love water.

Our Late but VERY worth the wait HONEYMOON

July 15th - We flew from SLC to Paris, France **Sorry no picture**
July 16th - Our first day in France. We arrived in Paris at about noon (Paris time) and our first adventure was figuring out where our hotel was. French people do NOT like Americans so they were not very friendly or helpful. After about an hour of researching we finally found some help and we were on the subway to the hotel. From the subway we had to take a bus so that was another adventure all in its own. But alas, we made it! We quickly changed out of the clothes that we had been flying in for 9 and a half hours, took the other bus, got back on the subway and reached the city.This is our view from our dinner table. And the Eiffel Tower is absolutely ravishing in person.
July 17th - We visited Notre Dame. Again, totally amazing!
We then continued on to Sainte-Chappell where you walk in and it is just an ordinary, not very cool church but you then take this staircase...And you arrive at THIS
The entire top room is stain glass. It blows you away. They are in the process of restoring it so on one side it is clear and ravishing and on the other it looks like this...You can see all of the dust that is collecting. Crazy hu!
July 18th - We went to the Louvre! We had planned on going the night before but we got there too late so we had to get there when it opened so that we could see the main stuff that we wanted to and catch our flight to Rome.The Louve is HUGE! I wish we could have spent an entire day there. The entrance is under the triangle.A few I wouldn't say our favorites but some of the most famous pieces from the Louvre:
The Winged VictoriaAnd of course... The Mona Lisa