lazy days of summer

Well, the Baltimore humidity must be getting to me...I have been very remiss in posting lately.

We've been doing fun things like this instead:

Kyle's first visit to Fenway

We have been doing a lot of work between fun weekends away- the downstairs is almost finished! We painted the hall this weekend, so now it's a nice beige rather than the former light salmon. I must have really wanted it to be done, because I managed to work for about five hours on it after my 17 mile training run before passing out! We've re-painted the living room a darker shade than the first, which was too close to the ceiling color. It's kind of a mushroom-putty color now and provides much better contrast. So we're just touching up the trim this week and installing the shoe molding, then we can start decorating!


The new bathroom is also coming along. The vanity is installed and the plumbing is all hooked up. The plumber installed the wrong type of pipe for the tub faucet at first, so Kyle had to rip out a bunch of tiles around it...he was not too happy about that! But, the tile guy will be back this week to do the repair and then we can start putting the finishing touches in. I found some good deals this weekend and ended up with these:

Two 18-in. towel bars, in a chrome finish

Gotta have a cool way to display your TP, right?

They match our mod faucet and shower fixtures perfectly, but came in at much less than the Kohler prices! I got some knobs for the vanity from this same line too and can't wait to see it all dressed up.

More pictures soon, I promise!

Happy Belated 4th!

We had our first real party at the new house on July 4. Our favorite neighbors, a few friends from the hometown, and some family- Kyle's cousin and my sis & new man, joined us for dinner, drinks, and sparklers. It was a lot of fun, despite a little rain, and I learned how to use the fireworks setting on camera. Here are a few fun shots from the end of the night.

Tera and Brett

Dunder Mifflin Infinity

My Statue of Liberty pose

N is for Norton!Kyle made this heart for me...awww!

one project closer: us and them

Sorry for the delay between updates- the last few weeks have been chock full of working on the house, having work done on my teeth, and celebrating holidays and a marriage with friends.

I am so excited, though, to share that we were featured on a great Baltimore home improvement blog, One Project Closer! The two couples who host this blog are conducting a before & after contest throughout the summer, featuring one great project each week. And for each winner, they donate $25 to Habitat for Humanity in your honor!

I submitted our huge kitchen re-do and the folks at One Project Closer dug it. Check out the post here and please consider making your own donation to Habitat! And be sure to read through their blog for some awesome DIY tips.

Meanwhile, we really are one project closer to having a fresh first floor. We tackled the second bedroom last week. Kyle tore down and re-installed the window trim and sills, the door trim, and the baseboard. We painted the walls a fresh lemony yellow, which I think looks so clean and just right with the white bed and paisley linens.

Next up we'll paint the radiator cover white to freshen it up a little, and we'll eventually get around to adding some window treatments to finish it off. Until then, we're thankful that we at least have the mini blinds from the previous owner!

Hot Dog! and cruel cats

Kyle and I returned from a long weekend in the NoCo (for those of you not from Northern New York...that's what the cool kids call the North Country) on Sunday night, and stopped at Wegman's on the way for a few groceries. I noticed some Hoffman's hot dogs in the deli case, and decided to get a few to show Kyle that Sahlen's of Buffalo aren't the only good dogs out there. So, we fired up the new grill and had ourselves a little taste test.

On the left is the white Hoffman's, in the middle is the Sahlen's, and on the right is the red Hoffman's. And in the back is the healthier tomato salad.

We both decided that the white would make a good lunch hot dog, having a slightly more breakfast sausage-ey flavor. We preferred the taste of the Sahlen's, but the fluffy texture of the Hoffman's red. Sadly, these are about the best things coming out of both cities right now. Except maybe Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse.

In other news, we are mourning the loss of our two baby birdies. Mrs. Robin was on round #2, and the little guys appeared to be doing well, but were definitely not ready to fly yet. Kyle went outside yesterday morning and found them gone from the nest! We think the culprit is one of the FIVE cats that live with the new neighbors two doors down. Apparently these beasts can jump about 6 feet straight into the air to get over their fence, so one of them probably could have jumped up to our elevated swing to rob the nest of its precious contents too. Neighbors are quickly taking sides in this cat problem...those with dogs hate the fact that these cats are allowed to roam around the neighborhood and terrorize thier pups. And the owners have expressed only beligerrence in response to neighbors' expressions of concern about the situation. So, one neighbor has already gotten his bb gun out, and Kyle is about ready to join him. Another suggestion I heard is a water gun...I may be heading to Toys R Us for a new Super Soaker tonight. Any other suggestions?