Color Splash

A few weeks ago we finally bit the bullet and had our house painted.  We are thankful the outside of our house no longer looks neglected (minus the brown grass).  We are really happy with the outcome and glad we decided to hire a painter to do this big project!  

Here are a few pictures...

Late Night Blog Post

It's 11:45 on Sunday night. I have to be up in approximately 6 hours for my last week of my first year of teaching. And of course...I can't sleep. It's not like I need any energy for this week. It's not like my sixth graders won't be out of control of anything. UGH! I'm pretty sure the reason I can't sleep has something to do with the fact that my mind is moving at about a million miles per hour. I have a to-do list the size of Texas and about 4 days to get it all done. Man, I will be so glad when this week is done and over with!

It seems like the last few days have just been non-stop. I'm ready for a break. Yesterday I had orientation for the summer camp I work at. Don't get me wrong, I am really excited for camp to start, but the stress of having to pack up my classroom, get grades done, get my camp classroom up and running, finish up end of the year gifts for my students, AND looking for a job is enough keep me up at night. So what do I do when I have such a gigantic to-do list...well blog of course!

I think i'll blog about something other than all the stress in my life. Maybe that will put my mind at ease and I will be able to fall asleep!

We have been landscaping fools around here! After 12 (yes, 12) straight days of rain we have finally had time to get the outside of our house in shape. I'm really impressed with the way it looks, minus the chipping white paint of course. I have been hard at work planting flowers and some yummy strawberries. Duane has been busy mulching and tearing out bushes to prepare for our fence install this Tuesday. Words can't describe how excited I am about this fence. Although obedience school is helping Kaia's listening skills, I will still feel much better knowing she can't take down the street after a rabbit.

Here are some pictures of some of the outside stuff that's been going on at 319....

Peonies are my favorite flowers and the finally bloomed last week!

I made my own hanging baskets this year. They are so expensive and I think this saved a little bit of money!

Flower pots courtesy of TJ Maxx!

Cute basket found at Lowes!

My favorite flower pot! Also from TJ Maxx.

Duane did an awesome job with the mulch! Next on the list after the fence is a much needed paint job!

Both of the above pictures are all of the bushes (or lack there of) that Duane and both of our dads tore out. The fence will be up in place of the bushes in just 2 short days!

Well there you have it. It's now 12:20 and my eyes are getting heavy. I guess blogging was the cure for my insomnia. Thanks for listening to me vent about the busy week ahead. There's a lot to do but I know it will get done. I just want to have a nice last few days with my kids at school. The end of the school year is starting to feel very bitter sweet. Sweet, because I am in need of a break from teaching and have always been a huge fan of summer. Bitter, because I will miss my kids, and am not sure of where I will be next year. On the flip side, I do have a few potentials for jobs next year. I've had a couple of interviews that have gone well. At this point, I am leaving up to God. He'll lead me where he wants me to go.

Have a great week everyone! :)

This Old House

Duane and I live in a very old house. I mean, 114 years old. We fell in love with it the moment we walked through the front door. Both Duane and I love old houses and didn't even bother to look at any "newer" homes during our search. We loved our so much that we placed an offer on it just one day after we saw it. We knew it was the one. It needed a lot of work, but we saw so much potential that we just had to have it! Almost two years later we like it so much more! We have completely renovated the inside and made it our own. When we first bought it it was dark and boring, two years later it is bright and homey. It's great. We love it (have I mentioned the word love enough?!)

I am a big fan of living in an old house; however, sometimes I feel like the work is never ending. There is always something that needs to be done. For instance, this summer we have to conquer the task of painting the exterior of the house. Now I am well aware that my house is pretty little, but it's still a lot of painting. And did I mention that before we paint we have to scrape the current paint off. Doesn't that sound like fun?! Ugh, not so much! The more we think about it, the more tempted we are to just hire someone to do it all. I'm sure it will be expensive, but I think it would be well worth it (hopefully Duane will soon feel the same way).

Although there is always work to be done, I love so many things about having an old house. Things that by far outweigh the massive amounts of work that need to be done. This house has so much character! There are new little things I notice every few days. Details that aren't in newer homes. After living in this house, I don't know that I'll ever live in a new house. Don't get me wrong, I would love having actual "coat closets" but I don't think I'll ever be able to sacrifice the character. The exterior or interior of my house doesn't look like my neighbors, or the house down the street. It's unique, and I love that.

I know I can't live here forever. After all, it is only two bedrooms which means after we have a baby we will probably need to move on. Unless we finish off the attic and add a couple of extra bedrooms...Oh, the possibilities! The day we have to leave this house will be a sad one for sure, so for now I'll just enjoy it (even all the work)! Here are some pictures of some of the unique characteristics I love about our old house...

None of our doorknobs match, but I think they are all so cool!

Another doorknob

Door hinges (I think that's what they're called)

Front door and door bell

Storage cabinets in the bathroom

The wood floors are original to the house. They are really scratched up thanks to Kaia, but they still look great!

Love the door between the yellow room and kitchen! And the windows that are above all the doors!

All of the big windows are part of the reason we bought this house!

Thanks for letting me brag about our lovely house for a few minutes. :)