Clearing the Way

It's looking like the start of construction for our addition may begin in June.
It seems a little far off now, but it'll be here before we know it!
And there are a lot of things we need to do in preparation...

The biggest thing on the list is to remove landscaping (if you can call it that) from around the back of the house.  There are some really nice plants so we're transplanting them to other spots in the yard.  It will save us a lot of money on bushes/plants if they survive the move!



<-- Here's what we started with.

Rhododendron

<-- The 2 big rhododendrons are going to be moved to the side of the house.

Azalea

There are also 2 azalea bushes hiding in there.  -->

Pieris Japonica

<-- On either side of the steps are 2 Pieris Japonica bushes.  I love these- so really hope they survive the transplant!






We also have to remove the rock borders of the flowerbeds, all of the brick pavers leading up to the door, and the bird feeder (at least that's an easy one!)

We had gotten started last week- moving the rocks, and digging up most of the plants.
Mike's parents were here for the weekend, and we made GREAT progress!
His mom is quite the gardener, so helped us with the placement of the plants- plus advised us on pruning some back.

Photos later this week!


More things to do in preparation...
     -Clear out the back porch.
I've got it loaded with a rocking chair, a bakers rack (holding the kids' shoes & hats),  a little chest of drawers ( holding extra utensils & BBQ supplies, since we're lacking pantry storage space!).  Don't ask me where I'm going to put all of this stuff during the construction.  Probably in the dining room with everything else- ha ha!

     -Remove sections of the picket fence.  So the equipment can come in to dig the hole for the foundation & basement.  We'll do this at the very last minute.

REAL Pop Corn

Last fall, our CSA included popping corn in our weekly shares.  They suggested we use it as a decoration, & then store it so it could dry out further through the winter.  Then we could pop it.

Using it to decorate was great.

Then I stored it away in a bag in the cabinet.

I wasn't sure about the whole popping aspect.
I grew up with the transitions from Jiffy Pop, to air popping machines, and finally microwave popcorn.  There's no way popping it directly off the husk could be easier, right?

But last week, we decided to give it a try anyway.
I figured the boys would get a kick out of it.

I didn't have a paper bag handy, and don't like to put plastic in the microwave, so decided to try it in a bowl with a napkin over the top.





The napkin I picked was a bit too small (I had underestimated the power of a popping kernel!)
Though the boys loved seeing the popcorn fly!




Here it is, in progress, taken while I switched to a larger napkin, wrapping it underneath the bowl.

Two ears filled the entire bowl (a 1.5 oz oval casserole dish), which the boys promptly gobbled up.  I'd figure on an ear per person.




Overall, it was a fun activity.
I'd even rate it as slightly easier than microwave popcorn, because you can pop it right in the bowl.  Can't get much better than that!

A New Old... Couch

This sofa was a 10th anniversary gift from my parents last year. 

(how did 10 years... now 11, go by so fast?)  

But we were in the middle of the move, 

so it stayed in storage at my grandmother's house for the past year.

A couple of weekends ago, my brother was kind enough to transport it for us...
not easy since it is about 7 feet long!

Check out the pretty brass feet on it!

It's a "Lincoln Drape Sofa"

Mom got a GREAT deal on it, due to water damage to the upholstery.

We're trying a little diluted bleach to see if it will lighten up.
I may even put it out in the sun for a day.


If that doesn't work, Pinterest led me to this post about a spray dye that I may try, since the fabric is in really good shape.
The third back up plan will be to have it reupholstered (someday!)

The sofa will eventually be one of the main pieces for the formal living room (currently the dining room).
So, that's where we stuck it... yup- the dining room.

I know, it's looking like a used furniture shop!

We weren't about to try to get it up to the attic (too many turns to make along the way), and I was worried about it getting all icky if we put it out in a barn.
We'll get it all sorted out sooner or later!

The indignity of it!

A Monday morning smile...

The hens are ruling the roost!

The Arbor is Looking Pretty!

After fixing up the picket fence, it was time to address the arbor/gate.
It was badly needing to be scraped & painted.

The photos say it all!

My parents were visiting last week, and mom worked on it with the boys while we were at work.
We decided to use a white stain, instead of paint.  This way, it won't chip away as it ages, it'll just fade- and we can add future coats without having to scrape.

I drove in the driveway to see this...  HUGE difference!

Mom even touched up all the hardware with black paint

<---In this photo, you can see the arbor is laughing at the picket fence on the left!

The fence pickets didn't look too bad before... but now... well, we'll just add it to the list!

Earring holder

Another project inspired by a Pinterest Pin...
This time it's an earring holder originally created by Jen at I Heart Organizing

I had this antique frame up in the attic (picked it up at a yard sale years ago).

We had a section of the metal sheet from when we repaired the radiator cover in my son's room.  We cut it down so it would fit inside the frame.

The gold coloring didn't go with the purple/silver colors in my room, so I spray painted it silver.

Once it dried, I just popped it into the frame.
Done!

Fence Finally Finished

Mike finished staining the fence last week.  It took a total of 3 cans of stain (5 gallons each) and roughly three days to complete!
Here it is...

It looks a little greener in the photo than it does in person

Here it is from the road side.  

Since we leveled the yard a little bit, there are big dirt patches running the length of the fence.  

We've put down grass seed there, so hopefully that will fill in soon!

Next stage will be finishing up the flower beds inside the yard, and planting trees on the road side of the fence.

Related posts:

Fence Installation
Staining the fence

Mailbox Post

It was looking a little icky... so while we had the stain out to do the backyard fence, we also stained the mailbox post.

BEFORE

BEFORE- Close up of the ugly!

AFTER

I didn't want the post to stand out- I think the dark green stain helps it blend better, yet still look fresh & clean.

The new flowers in the hanging iron basket also helped clean it up quite a bit.  (I had planned to put evergreen branches & holly berries in there for the Christmas season, but never got around to it... oops!  I'm embarrassed that it looked this bad for so long!)

This morning I forgot to take a photo from across the street, showing the whole house behind it... I will put that on my to-do list and upload it soon.

The backyard fence is also done, so photos of that coming soon!

Easter

Just a quick overview of our Easter activities for this year!

Decorating the house:

My supply of Easter decorations are a bit lacking, but flowers can always do the trick!

I hung blown eggs on the dining room chandelier.

This mason jar vase is in the kitchen.
Heather at Post Road Vintage sells them!

The foyer table

We had fun participating in the local egg hunt:

They looked so cute in their rain boots!

In fact, we all had them on!
(It had rained the night before, so kinda muddy!)

We dyed eggs:

Can't wait until next year when they'll be from our own chickens!

The Easter Bunny filled the kids' baskets & hid eggs all over the yard...

We enjoyed great company & lots of yummy food!

Brunch

Dinner- Ham, green bean casserole,
scalloped potatoes,
& apple/honey glazed carrots

Crab filled deviled eggs- recipe from here
(except I used Old Bay Seasoning,
and nixed the hot sauce.)

I modified this recipe for the breakfast ring,
so easy & delicious!

Lemon bars cut in the shape of chicks-
recipe (and platter!) from Mike's mom.