Weekend Facelift

You know how when you move into a new house and there are so many things you want to change but then time gets away from you and you start to get used to all the things that you could not stand and you just live with it forever?  Well, that is what happened to us (ok, me) when it comes to the outside of our house.  We did mulch the flower beds several times in the 8 years we have lived here but that was the extent of our outdoor home improvements.  

But it was time for some updates.  Here is what the house looked like on Saturday...

I never was a huge fan of the hunter green on the shutters and front door.

And these light fixtures were hideous!

Step 1: Enlist your parents to come help.

Step 2: Remove old shutters and power wash the house (thanks Dad!!)

Then let your toddler get disgusting dirty in the mud puddles...

Step 3: Power wash shutters and let them dry.  Then prime and paint.  We used Rustoleum Primer and then Rustoleum Ultra Cover 2X in dark grey gloss for the shutters.

Step 4: Put shutters back on the house.

Step 5: Weed, spray, lay down landscape fabric and mulch.

 So lucky we had such a good helper:)

Step 6: Paint front door.

We removed the inner door and spray painted it with Rustoleum Ultra Cover 2X in Chestnut brown in gloss finish (2 cans).

Then sprayed the door frame with Rustoleum primer (1 can) and then Rustoleum Ultra Cover 2X white in gloss finish (1 1/2 cans).

After primer...

Step 7: Change out old, lame light fixtures with new, motion sensor ones.  I got these at Menards for $40 a pair, score!!

Step 8: Add drain spout extenders.

Step 9: Install tire swing.

My Dad added some rope as well as the chains to support this 4X4.  We thought this would be the best way to hang the tire swing so it would not ruin the trees.  There were a few nails used, too.

Step 9:  Stand back and admire your "new" house!!

From this...

To this...

I am so impressed!  We did this in 1 1/2 days, 3 trips to the hardware store and 2 beer runs.

Oh, and my Dad fixed the bottom left side of the garage door that was falling off, too.

I think we need to have a party.

Linked up to TDC before and after party.

Picture of Love

I don't have any pictures of my mom and I from when I was a kid.  Believe me, I looked.  I checked all of my photo albums, my photo sleeves and even my smoky scented little box that holds all of my precious momentos like medals, poems, love letters and senior pictures.  The little box that I rescued from my old bedroom, or at least what was left of it after the fire that destroyed my parents house 10 years ago.  I think that was the hardest loss for all of us.  All of our picture memories were savagely destroyed, leaving us to depend on our mind memories to fill in all the events of our childhood.

This is the earliest photo I have with both of us...

She carefully crimped my hair, section by section, starting at the crown and going all the way down to the bottom.  She bought me a dress I loved and embellished it with peach rose accents and ribbon.  She found the perfect veil and gloves and peach patent leather shoes and purse accessories.  It was everything I wanted and I am sure it took more money and time then she anticipated but she happily did it for me.

I was afraid that I would forget all these details.  That I would forget the love if I didn't have the picture reminders of my childhood.  Would that time of my life cease to exist because I don't have proof of it in my hands?

As I was busy living my college years and then the rest of my 20s, maybe I really didn't think about it all that much.  But she was still there, a constant supporter and cheerleader in my life.

Then I became a mother and suddenly it all made sense.  It made sense why she took so much time and effort making small details of my life perfect.  Until I had a child, I simply did not know it was possible to love another so deeply, so selflessly, so completely.  I needed that experience to understand.  The world came into sharp focus and with that came a confidence I never had before and an appreciation for mothers, grandmothers, aunts and all women that love, nurture and encourage.  And I didn't need pictures of Florida vacations, camping trips or her gazing into my newborn eyes.  Because I now feel it in my bones, in every cell in my body, every time I look at my child I can feel just how much she loves and believes in me.  And I could not be more humbled.

I love you, Mom.  Happy Mother's Day.

Little Man

Just a little update on the little man with big personality...

Making a Terraium, Part 2

Step 8:  Now that the boring, necessary part is done, let's move onto the fun part.  Decide on and gather your decor items.  Instead of gnomes, butterflies or fairies, I decided to go a bit more fun.  

Zombies.

A zombie terrarium is right up our alley.  But where on earth do you find the perfect scale zombies, you ask yourself?  Amazon, of course.  I did scour the toy stores in the area but they didn't have anything I could really use.  So Amazon came to the rescue.  I actually ordered these months ago in preparation for making my zombie terrariums but I am sure they are still available if you type in "zombie figurines" in Amazon.  They cost maybe $10?  

Step 9:  Decorate!

This first one is of some farming zombies.  

They are pretty surprised by their cow.  I am not sure why.  I got the tractor and well from Hobby Lobby in the doll house section.  I got the little cow at Ben Franklin (yes, there is still one of these in existence).

Next up, just two buddy zombies and their truck.  Just hanging out, like zombies do.

It is possible that the sun is killing that one.  Don't worry, I brought them in, away from the sun, right after I took these pics.  The truck came in the same pack as the tractor, from Hobby Lobby.

And finally, some Florida zombies, hanging out at their trailer, with their gold convertible, collecting shells.

The car is a Matchbox car, I had the shells and I crafted the trailer from a cardboard little box, piece of tin and some sticky foam.

Step 10:  Stand back and enjoy (and hope they survive);)

Another option for decoration are these cute gnomes.  I also found these at Hobby Lobby, in the garden section.

The possibilities are endless!  Enjoy!

This project is linked up to TDC!