Updates around the house- Sunshade for deck, Firepit chairs, Pergo hallway and picket fence updates (to name a few)

So I've been kind of MIA from the blog-o here, partially due to lots of things happening in life, but also due to lack of energy to blog- I blame my new found exercise regime- wears me out. lol. (You can check out my trials with weight loss and exercise over at Stepping with Smiles, btw.)
Among many things (such as working full-time and rehearsal for a theater cabaret I got roped into doing) hubs and I have been doing some minor updates to the humble abode.
Check out some of the fun stuff we've completed around the house recently:

Sunshade added above the corner benches

Now things are shaded from the sun a little better. 

We originally made it even, but after some thought, we made these two front posts shorter, so the shade would be at a angle- making it better during rain time

It worked out nice when we had friends over- this was where everyone hung out for our Murder Mystery night- along with some tasty dinner also served on the deck.

 Firepit chair update

The before- the metal was a little worn (these actually went with our dining room table- but they just took up too much room- with having the arm rests) 

After- all bright (we did 2 in the yellow/green and 2 in the blue) 

We mixed them up with the other chairs we have (from our patio set- but we could just use the neon chairs if we moved the patio table to actually eat around)

Firepit time!

 Pergo hallway redo

I come home one day, and the hubs has torn up all the old carpet in our upstairs hallway...

...and started to remove all the carpet from the stairs. 

So much under-carpet padding. bleh

The scary stairs...

But, it ended nicely- here is after the pergo is put down.

And now with doorway edger put in. Yay!

Picket Fence update

Hubs tore down all the original fence- and put up new back braces (he fixed that middle spot that was all weird)

So many pickets!

After the new back braces put up- he then re-put up each picket one at a time.

Pickets are now even across the top- however, since our yard is at an angle, there looks like a gap underneath- hence why we want flowers to go in front of the fence. lol.

With the spare old back braces from the old fencing hubs made this cute little plateform/deck to the barshed. Eventually we will paint it to match the shed

 De-weeding flower beds

I spent a good portion of a day de-weeding this flower bed and removing grass that had gotten into the bed. exhausting work.

but our flowers are so pretty!

Oh spring flowers!

Sadly though- the front porch looks a little pitiful till the bucket flowers bloom

Other happenings...

Oh, yeah- we also finally added a ladder to the loft in the barshed!

We cooked on the grill for the first time this season! 

We saw the newest Captain America Movie... 

I got back into tracking my diet and exercising more... 

... and Wendy continued to be cute.

I'm hoping to finish painting the fences all white, painting the stairs (once the staples are ripped out), finish redoing the dining room and possibly adding sheer curtains to the deck sunshade area- whenever I get the free time to do so. (I know, the ToDo list keeps growing). This weekend I'll be doing another "Once Upon a Time" at Barnes & Noble with some friends (aka- a lot of us dressing up as storybook characters and reading to kids), as well as a girls crafty night on Saturday. I'll have to share some crafty projects later too (along with what I finished during the Stampin' Up! weekend getaway with my mom, which I still have neglected to share with ya'll.).

May the todo list keep growing and projects keep getting done to check off that list. lol
Have a great day!
-M

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Crafty gifts and wedding bells

So my best friend got married to my husband's best friend this past weekend. It was a lovely weekend in the hills of farmland, with friends and fun. I had a lovely awesome time, and enjoyed the entire getaway from the usual work stuff.
Here's some pics from the wedding (these were by me) at the Glasbern Inn:

 (the bride the day of)

(my bridesmaid hair)

(The hubs and I at the reception)

So here is what my husband, a friend of ours, and I cooked up for their wedding gift. They are the type of people that if they really want something, they probably already have it, so we decided to go more thoughtful. I apologize that I stink at tissuepaper placement. And the purple ribbons- all from her bridal shower (kind of an inside joke- I promised her I'd find a way to use that ribbon someday, and I did!)

I created the framed piece of artwork that includes their birthdays, first date, engagement, and wedding date all in one lovely framed graphic. After seeing similar ones on Pinterest like this one, I knew I could do something similar on my own with their dates and wedding colors (green and silver). I scored this awesome frame at Michaels, that is silver but shiny so it looks black and silver at times. Later I'll try to upload the original file for anyone who wants a similar printable (once I figure out what's best to upload the file to)

We also got some things together for a "date night"- 3 bottles of wine and 3 gift cards (1 for movie tickets, 1 for dinner, and 1 for ice cream). I also made a card, as well as a mini album.

The mini album was the most labor intensive piece, as the mini album I chose for the base was sort of tricky- it had pages that flip up, as well as over. Here's the layouts and cover. The cover is my fav.

Some pages I like more than others (but's that's how life is, right?). It was a lot of work to put it all together, but I knew it was something I wanted to do. I originally was going to try to do their wedding colors, but that just didn't happen. ;(

Overall the wedding was beautiful and fun. Oh, and the brooch bouquet that we collected brooches for at her bridal shower (see post here) turned out amazing! Her matron of honor did a fabulous job putting it together.

Other great DIY things included the centerpieces the bride and groom put together (apothecary jars and the main table had a dome like that of the beauty and the beast rose!), the bride's mom made her veil and shoes, and her necklace was an antique store find we found while wandering a shop after a day of dress fittings.
It was a blast and I can't wait for the awesome pictures from the photographer come out. So fab!

Oh, I also got this AWESOME steampunk necklace as a thank you for being a bridesmaid (with matching gear earrings) so I am determined to put together a steampunk costume for this year's Halloween. I am in search of some super cool goggles and all things steampunk. Here's my inspiration board for my ideas for the costume.

Anyways, with the housing situation being pushed back to October 29th (we hope) sadly all my Halloween decor hopes went out the window, so if I get to it, I'll try to do a little bit around here, but no promises- which makes me super sad, as Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday! *tears*
I just hope it all actually happens this time! We've been waiting for almost 8 months on this house! (Short sales are anything but short- but that's a post for later).

Lastly, I tried out this super cool program online called Floorplanner, where you can create 3d and 2d models of whatever type of home you want. I basically did it to test out some ideas on furniture arrangement in our future home, though I totally was guesstimating on the dimensions of everything (rooms and furniture). Was a fun waste of a few hours a few days ago. hehe

Oks, time for bed, got work in the afternoon.
Laters!
-M

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