Project List

When my Mom and I toured the new house for the first time, I knew we would make an offer. So walking through the house, I was noting how great everything was, and what I would like to change. Luckily, since the house was built in 1997, the changes were all small cosmetic things. Back then, here is what the list looked like:

1. Paint the living room and trim
2. Paint bedrooms and trim

3. Change the kitchen back splash

4. Pickle the heavy wood paneling in the dining room?

5. Replace the vanities in the master and guest bathrooms

6. Screen in covered porch

7. Install electric fence for dogs

8. Paint the house and the trim around windows, etc.

9. Somehow fix the brick on the floor in the library/office

10. Paint kitchen cabinets and install box cabinets to reach ceiling

Long term: 

- make master bath and closet bigger by extending over garage

We have now lived in the house for a week. The list has changed so dramatically that it is literally crazy. This is why it is so important to take the time to really live in your house for a while before making any dramatic changes. I've been telling friends and family that I am going to try as hard as I can to hold off on any big projects until we have lived there for a year. So let's check in again at 6 months and see if I can control myself?

There are some fairly big projects that I hope will happen soon. However, since they are "Mister Projects" - there is no way to know when they will ever happen (usually it takes him a good period of ignoring my requests, followed by his being totally and completely annoyed with my requests. At some point, something in him snaps and he decides to tackle a project before my obnoxious unrelenting requests drive him to divorce me). Anyway here's what we've learned:

1. I'm not "allowed" to paint anything (even sample squares) until all the boxes are unpacked.

2. It seems he doesn't know me very well. 

3. The whole master closet through the bathroom thing is a complete and utter FAILURE. Who had this idea? In the first 4 days of living there, I have had to stand outside the door and wait for the Mr. to leave the bathroom so that I could get dressed about 7 times. 

4. Men spend waay too much time in the bathroom during the morning. 

5. Our living room has no "center"

6. Most of the paint colors in the house are totally fine, but I want to change: 1. half-bath, 2. mudroom, 3. living room, 4. Master bedroom and 5. trim in bedrooms

7. Our pizza oven is not finished 

8. It is going to take us the entire summer (and probably most of next summer) to get all of the landscaping under control. 

9. The fabric covers I ordered for our couch are way too light for our darker doggies

There's more, but I don't want to tire you out. The two biggest projects that will be tackled first are:

1. Adding a door to the closet that IS NOT through the bathroom

2. Closing up a closet in the living room to create a "center" for the TV, couch, everything. Hopefully we can open this closet up from the other side.

Here's a little inspiration for you to think about:

via Fox Meadow

Hopefully I can share some pictures of the unpacking next time I check in!

Yellowstone Day 9

Day 9: Friday July 16^th, 2010

           

            Mt. Washburn Hike

           

(this day is purposely left purposefully plan-less for re-visiting things we missed, or were so awesome we need to see again, or for general relaxation)

Drive to Jackson Hole late in the day

            Return Rental Car

            Hotel: Motel 6, 600 South Highway 89, Jackson WY 83001

                       

This, the last day in our trip, we planned to hike Mt. Washburn - one of the taller peaks in the Park. Nancy, Diana and Debbie Smith decided to forgo the hike and go on an animal hunt around Lamar Valley. Fortunately, the rest of us didn't have to miss the animals - we saw a Mama Grizzly and her 2 cubs on our way to Mt. Washburn. 

The hike to the top provides a great sense of accomplishment, without really killing you. It is not super strenuous because of the switchbacks. The older guys among us kept the pace slow and steady and made sure we all stopped every now and again to rest our legs and drink some water.  I paid special attention to how the landscape changes as we continues to climb higher and higher. Meadows of flowers turn to snowy hills (yes, even in July!) which changed to red rock and then pure mountain rock at the apex. A great view awaited up at the top. 

The total hike is about 6 miles round-trip (from the Dunraven pass) and gains 1,400 ft in elevation. Compared with the hike JD and I took the day before, this was child's play. I would guess we spent between 3 and 4 hours completing this trek, after which, we had a long drive back down to Jackson. 

When we got back "down" to Jackson, we checked into the Motel 6 one last time, and went out to dinner at this cute little place that had the best fried pickles ever. I can't remember the name of it. We all talked about the trip and how fantastic it had been. The next day, we returned back to sea level in Connecticut.

I fell totally and completely in love with the National Parks on this vacation - and decided that I should visit all of the Parks in my lifetime. 

2 down, 57 to go!

Killer Cacti

Every single time I say the word "cactus" I think of the Hey Dude theme song... Good old Nickelodeon.



Anyway, a few weeks ago I pinned this real cute little cactus pot knowing that I had a very similar pot waiting to be used.

source unknown

Since I was still doing a lot of packing, I decided the only way to avoid packing said bowl was to fill it with $45 worth of cacti. You heard me right... I spent a ridiculous sum to avoid packing a singular planter. My logic is fantastic.

Plus, let's face it: this is kinda cute... in a very prickly sort of way.

Sorry for the photo quality, my Mom is currently baby-sitting all of my plants and I asked her to snap a quick photo with her iphone.

Stay tuned friends, hopefully I will have some updates for you soon about our big move and how we are LOVING...  effing LOVING our new house!