We Blue It.

Since first posting about plans to paint the exterior of the house this summer (here), you have all been patiently waiting for the final reveal. Well, you've come to the wrong post. But, we did make some progress. Finally.

Last weekend (okay, last last weekend) we finally started painting the house. I started by, of course, taking some photos (I know. weird eh? It’s like I have a blog or something). Here is a photo of the house as you drive down the driveway.

Wow. Ug-ly. With a capital ‘ugh.’ So right we were to paint this ol’ house of ours. We’ve been working for so many years on the inside, I guess we forgot people could see the outside of it to. Heh, yeah, we’re those neighbours.

While taking the first few photos, Lucy couldn’t help but sneak into the shot. She was actually chasing me and smiling into the camera. What a diva.

I felt a little bad for Dutch – being over shadowed by her little (but huge) sister. Dutch was just behaving during all this, obviously stacking wood for us. Good dog.

Here is a photo of the back-yard-side of the living room. Yes, the siding is on an angle – which we hate – but we plan on doing a major renovation to this room in a few years, and it wasn’t worth the time or effort (or money) to replace it right now. “We’ll just throw a little lipstick on this pig, and it will be good as new” (we hoped.)

And here are photos of the front-walkway-side of our living room. We hate the sunrise shaped window, but for now, like the angled siding, it stays.

After taking the first few photos of the house straight on, I realised just how dirty the gutters and roof were. I knew they were a little weathered, but it had never made it on to our regular maintenance schedule.

I figured that we (by we, I mean Hubby and Jamie) should give the roof a good sweep and scrub. So I loaded the boys up with a few beers and sent them up to do my dirty work. Yes, Ladies, this photo proves that man can sweep! It just takes copious amounts of alcohol and the danger of falling to get them to do it.

I managed the scene and watched the dogs while they worked.

Then came paintin’ time! [Insert a rendition of Erin singing ACHammer’s never released remix of the original song – ‘Stop. Paintin’ time!’]

From what I remember about the house paint when we bought it (which is very little) I don’t remember it being so blue. This was the point when we started saying “Wow, it’s blue alright” (code for “What have we done?!”)

Here is photo evidence that we did indeed use the back end of a shovel as a stirring stick. Don’t judge.

Finally after one day of Hubby and I painting, and another day of me flying solo, we have [most] of the living room painted!

Before

After

Wow, it’s blue alright! [This is when we started saying this every time we walked past a painted side, or noticed the paint left over on our finger nails.

Before

After

Okay, we didn’t entirely finish. Have I ever mentioned that I’m not a fan of heights? This was as far as I could reach with my ladder without my knees getting too wobbly.

Again, only part way up the wall on the other side to. We hope to finish it - [before the kids move out] - in the next few weekends.

There you have it. One weekend of lazy, ‘hey-lets-sleep-in-first’ work. The blue still scared us to death for another week, but started to grow on us after that. Good thing, because we are far from done, and we already paid for the paint.

Have any of you ever painted the outside of a house? Did you own the house for 4 years first before you even noticed that it maybe needed to be painted? Did you buy paint that turned out to be a lot blue-er than it did in the paint store? Are you free next weekend to come over and help finish?

Anniversary and Other Kiss-y Face Moments

Two years ago yesterday, I married the love of my life! He is my best friend, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him.



Alright, enough of that yucky mushy stuff. Last night was our anniversary, and although our wedding night we promised each other we would make a huge deal out of each anniversary, we opted to stay in and have a low key night.

I came home to flowers (!!!) and we ordered in pizza. Low key? Umm, yeah. Enjoyable? It was perfect! And after a lazy dinner we went up to the bathroom reno and worked together (!!!) on the vanity remodel. Photos to come (oh lord... so many photos...)

Hubby posted this [horrible] photo of me last night saying this: "Married two years and this is how she wants to spend our anniversary...lol and I Still love her... "





And there you have it. A wonderful anniversary night a la Morgan.

PS - the vanity is taking much more time than I had hoped (yet just as much time as I have expected). I will be posting photos of the how-to soon. And maybe soon, dare I say, some 'after photos'?? Hmm, maybe I should get moving on choosing the paint colour then (I know, Erin painting something in her house a different colour than white - shocking!!)

Another Day, Another Project

I don't know what it is about me, but I always have to be working on some sort of project. The second I finish one I spend about 30 minutes thinking about how tired I am and how glad I am that the project is finished. And then my mind races until I find another project to start.

I have to say I feel slightly bad for my poor husband (slightly) for being dragged through reno after reno with me, all because he decided to fall for a girl that loves to start things. As soon as we were done our first reno (downstairs bathroom), I told him I wanted to do the dining room next. He told me to wait for the new year - so what was I doing New Years Day? Why, sanding the walls and ripping off the window trim, of course!

Even as we are working on a renovation, I am usually already looking somewhere in my house thinking 'we should really paint that soon...' or 'I wonder how that room would look if we knocked that wall down...'

So, Richard, this is me saying that I truly appreciate everything you do for me, and everything you put up with. You patiently listen to all my hopes and plans (even though we haven't finished the last project yet), and even help me understand different carpentry practices. You teach me how to use power tools, and are sweet when I tell you that I can't lift something. You are a great carpenter, and I am so excited when I get to see you using your skills in our house (even though I swear I can cut in paint better than you). I can't promise you that I will ever change, but I want you to know that I love you for loving me.