Step One

Is done. They have poured the concrete to extend our back porch. This is very exciting. Oooh and they are preserving some of the "leftovers" from the previous residents for me, a beautiful pygmy palm tree (it's little) and a few very leafy plants with large red and green leaves. There was a whole "greenhouse" thingy in the back that was overgrown with ferns and old, moldy stones. It was charming at first and seemed to have potential, but the screen and the frame around it were all disgusting and harboring possible insects, so we removed it to extend our existing patio. Anyway, the plants that have nicely survived will go in an area tba of the newly landscaped non-brown-patch lawn to be put in next week. Yes, next week now. I was crushed at first when they pushed it back (I mean, how cool would it be to have a new lawn by Father's Day????) But the excavator bailed at the last minute and now our landscaper has to bring in another one to do all the grating (so exciting, isn't this??) before they can lay the sod (we have a very slopey backyard that we have to level off a bit). I have taken quite a few "before" pictures, but I am actually a little embarrassed by our terrible lawn, so I will post them when I have "after" pictures so I don't have to be as embarrassed. Anyway, enough about the lawn. Let's talk about the inside of the house. I know, so riveting. But I am entirely consumed by fixing up my house right now! It's absolutely crazy! I will be sitting here, trying to relax, taking a break, completely exhausted, but the molding will be calling me from the bathroom, "Paint me! You just painted the whole rest of the bathroom, and here I am, old and off-white and I need a fresh coat! Paint me now!" And I will have to answer the call. There is just no other way. So my bedroom and bathroom are in a current disarray from said painting. I wanted the bathroom "spa-like" like the cover of a Real Simple, baby blue with white trim. I bought new fixtures, towel bars, shower curtain rod, got rid of the old yellowing medicine cabinet, painted the bathroom, the closets, the ceiling, the molding and the cabinets, (oh! and no worries about a pregnant woman painting--I've taken many precautions including keeping it all very well venthilated, wearing mask, fan running, lots of breaks, and no sleeping in my room with the master bathroom's fumes leaking in). And after one more coat of paint on the cabinets and a few touch-ups, I'll be ready to officially move everything back in! Very exciting. Also, my mom and I went to tea on Saturday, which was a lot of fun. We love to visit tea rooms so much (this one was probably our least favorite of the bunch) but afternoon tea really is so much fun and so girly. To the place's credit, they did have hats and feather boas for us to dress up in while we drank our chocolate-vanilla-coconut tea. So before I bore you to death, which I am sure that I am, I will head off to read other blogs and then paint that second coat that's calling out to me as we speak. Hope everyone had a great weekend! One more week till sod and butt shots! Yippeee!