Inside and out...

This is the last 'major' change for a while (at least, that is what my bank account is telling me).  After more than six months of looking at the once blue, now faded blue/green carpet on the porch, I am happy to report that the old carpet is gone and a fresh, new carpet is now in place.  Eventually furniture of some sort will follow.  Luckily, the carpet is soft enough that sitting on the floor isn't a bad option.

The inside of the closet appears to have the original color of the carpet

Fastest leaf blower in the East? Well, not quite, but I am learning.  I was able to check a number of projects off the 'To Do' list this weekend.  With work and volleyball, I have had little time to spend in the yard.  I cleared the calendar this past Sunday in order to dedicate a few hours to the ever-growing piles of leaves and the ever-growing grass.  My recent leaf blower purchase certainly helped with the process.  I am pretty sure that if Tim 'the Tool Man' Taylor made a leaf blower, this would be the end result.  The yard looks great and as a reward, I took some time to enjoy the fresh air and decorate for Halloween.  I hope my spooky porch will attract some local kids who are looking for candy...otherwise, I am going to have to eat all of the candy myself.

Finally, I took a little time to cook this weekend.  Two stews, a casserole and some cranberry/apple sauce.  My new apple peeler made the job much easier.

Shiny and new

A few weeks ago I walked into the kitchen to find water all over the floor.  The culprit?  The older model dishwasher that came with the house.  I knew that the dishwasher had a potential leak issue on one of the settings, but my fingers were crossed that the other setting would work for a while.  After the second run of the dishwasher and the second case of water outside of the dishwasher, I started to think about replacing the old model.  I would have tried another setting, but I only had two to choose from and now they both caused a leak.  After some minor plumbing work in the basement, I am now the owner of a brand new (and shiny) Whirlpool dishwasher.  I plan on cooking a ton of food tomorrow so that I can try out the new addition as soon as possible.  There is one more change coming to Casa Toto next weekend, but I don't want to spoil that surprise, so you will have to wait.

The old model 

The moment when I started to panic because I wasn't sure the new dishwasher was going to fit!

The new model - at least it matches the microwave :)

I have a serious problem when it comes to loading a dishwasher (it comes from 17 years of not having one), so hopefully I can figure out how to fill this one properly :)