haven't posted any home improvement updates lately

But that doesn't mean that they haven't been happening.

So, first up, the list of completed (or, nearly completed) projects:

The Backyard
I'm pleased to report that the deck (yeah, remember that one? The project we started last April?!?!) is *this close* to being finished. The only thing left to do is to put the front boards (for lack of a better term) on the stairs. I'm guessing that will happen the next nice weekend day we get. I cannot wait to start using the deck when the weather gets nice again. I'm already visualizing lots of summer entertaining out there.

The front and back hallways
Except for putting down carpeting and removing the unsightly cedar shingles that lined the walls (what were they thinking?), we largely ignored the hallway in our efforts to get the rest of the house in shape and move in. Our rationale was that when we eventually did our big gutting and renovation of the kitchen and den, the hallway was going to go, so why bother fixing it up? Well, after two years of looking at unsightly half primed, half spackled walls and a ceiling stained with old wallpaper glue, I got the urge to do something about it. Evan and my dad were kind enough to do most of the hard work help me with my 'vision'. We painted the ceiling a crisp, fresh white and the walls are a color called 'sundial', which is the lightest shade on the strip that our living and dining room walls are on. It really looks good. Aside from no longer looking like a crackhouse hallway, an added benefit is that the color of the walls somehow lessens the effect of the not so pristine anymore carpeting. We do still need to install a light fixture in the back hallway (right now, we're still sporting the interrogation lightbulb look), but other than that, it is done.

Projects in the hopper:
The Fireplace.

Ah, the fireplace. I, for one, have gotten used to the boarded up look, but Evan has ants in his pants to finish it. Given that I think almost anything would look great (as far as a surround and a mantle), I'm inclined to just let Evan do whatever he would like with this one (and, since I'm such a control freak about all other design decisions, it would probably be good for my marriage to just give him this one). Depending on the size of our anticipated tax refund this year, we may opt to put a gas fireplace in. They really appeal to me, so it is just going to come down to whether or not we have the money to spend on it. If I were a betting girl, I'd say that we don't end up with one, and that the fireplace project won't be completed before the next fireplace season (late fall). We'll see.

The Den

This one is a secret...shhhh! Evan has no idea I am considering doing anything in there, as the den, too, has generally fallen under the 'we're just going to gut it so why bother' umbrella. But, now that the hallway is painted so nicely, to me, the den stands out as the one, unfinished room in the house. I'm not talking anything too drastic, but the walls need to be painted (they are primer white, currently) and the ceiling fan/light set that we bought 2 years ago really needs to be installed. I just need to time it carefully before I spring this one on him. So again, taking a guess, I'd say this is likely to be a late spring/summer project.

There are, of course, a million other things we need/want to do, but those are the biggies until the big renovation happens (whenever that day comes). Slowly but surely, the house is coming together.

Now the the entry way is looking 'fab'....

I'm thinking about getting a new front door. The one we have is...interesting, to say the least. For starters, the doorknob is in the center of the door. Not sure what the previous owners were smoking when they chose that, but it certainly is...unique. It is almost comical to watch people try to leave/let themselves out of our house. They automatically reach for the spot where the doorknob should be, kind of half paw the deadbolt and then step back in confusion.

Secondly, the one we have is just, well, ugly. Really, truly ugly.

So, even though the one we have is functional, for the sake of aesthetics, we really do need a new one. The picture to the left is as close to the vision I have in my head of what I'd like. Evan really had it in his head that he's going to make us one, but given the long list of projects that poor man has on his plate, I don't know if that is a realistic plan. Plus, then I wouldn't get to shop around, which is something I'm really looking forward to.

Ah well, I just realized, as I stare at the front door from my perch here at the computer, that once the door goes, we'll need to shop around for mailboxes, since we have a mail slot in this one. So, one way or another, I'll get some home goods shopping in.

Getting Motivated

One thing I did over the long weekend was finally do the finish work in the entryway to the house. The previous owners had cedar shingles on the walls (don't ask...they had a lot of strange decorating ideas), and we had pulled them down when we redid the living room. However, the glue that was adhering the shingles was impossible to remove, and couldn't be painted over. So, for 18 months, the entryway around the front door has looked terrible (unpainted with black splotches of dried up glue). So, I got motivated on Saturday evening and--with some guidance from Evan-- mixed up some durabond and plastered over it. Sunday morning, I primed it, and that afternoon my dad came over and painted. It looks great! Finally, all the walls match. So, of course, now that the walls look great, I'm noticing what doesn't look so good. And that would be the cheapie light fixture we have in the ceiling. We really did just buy the Home Depot special without too much regard to asthetics, and while it has done a fine job of providing light, I'd like something a little dressier. So, I'm kind of torn between a fancier ceiling-mounted fixture, or possibly a small hall table with a table lamp instead.

Anyway, I guess the point of this entry is to say that completing this mini-project has sort of rejuvenated my desire to take on small projects in the house. We've been so focuses on the yard for so long that I haven't wanted to take on anything indoors. But, buoyed by my durabond success in the entryway, now I have my sights set on doing the same for the hallwayways (yep, they had that lovely shingle look going on, too). I've been eyeing up potential wall colors and lining up a couple of day-long babysitting commitments from the grandparents so that I can get it done. I'll definitely post pictures when it is complete.

I never dreamed I'd be a DIYer

Ok, so in reality I'm not. But, I'm married to one. I think even if we could afford to have other people do the work we need done around the house, Evan would never go for it. At any given time, though, he has more DIY projects in the queue than he can manage. Currently in progress or in the pipeline: Finish painting the exterior of the house, deal with the backyard, rebuild the firebox, mantle and surround so we can have a functioning fireplace for next winter, patch the spot in the floor in our bedroom that got ripped up from restructuring the closet, and choose colors and paint the hallway and den. Phew! I get tired thinking about it, and I'm not the one doing the work.

When I think back to what the house was when we closed on it, it really does make me proud to see how far we've come. We've got a long way to to making it our dream home, and sometimes I forget to remind myself about how much has already been done toward that end. it was too depressing to even take any 'before' pictures of the inside, but here's one of the exterior from just before we closed on it: lovely shade of green, eh?

My mother has good words of wisdom, though about all of it. She reminds me that we have plenty of time to get our house in the shape that we want it, but only a finite amount of time to enjoy our children while they are young. I do take that to heart, and make a point of pulling Evan away from his many projects as often as I can for 'family time.' The projects can (usually wait) - the children (usually) can't. :)