Out with the old....

And in with the new....fireplace screen.  Although it isn't a major change, I am still pleasantly surprised every time I walked through the door. There is another big change coming, but I don't want to give away the secret until the big reveal.

Home Away From Home

Although I love my home, there is nothing like being welcomed into someone else's home and truly feeling like you are part of the family.  My trip to TN was filled with love, friendship and super fantastic little ones who melt my heart each day - just what I needed.  I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to visit with the Perlick's (and the Whorton's) a few times each year.  Here are a few of the highlights from my little vacation.  It may not be my home on Holmes, but it is my home away from home.

Trampoline time in the back yard

Shooting air rockets taller than the house

Enjoying fried pickles with Toto at Toot's

A visit to the small town of Bell Buckle, TN (this is literally the town - very small, but certainly charming) 

Being spoiled with an 'Ultimate Sundae' and Superman ice cream BEFORE dinner - it made everyone happy!

Dinner at Miller's Grocery - a bass/guitar band kept us entertained and fried corn nuggets made our tummies full.

Of course we had to clean our teeth after all of that yummy food!

Building train tracks before leaving for the airport.

Happy 1/2 Anniversary

6 months ago I scratched a big item off of my "To-Do" list.  These past 6 months have been incredible. I fall in love with my home more and more everyday.  Even with the recent bout of poison ivy (I guess it comes with the territory) I could not be happier with my decision to buy.  I am so happy that I will be spending many years in this quiet, friendly, beautiful neighborhood and that I will be in a place that I love.

Father (and Mother) knows best

While my Dad and I may not always see eye-to-eye on may things in life, we were definitely on the same page when he and my mom arrived last week with a full To Do list.  After working non-stop for 6 days (with a break on the 4th) we were able to check everything (and more) off the list.  If you were to walk into my house today you wouldn't be able to see much of the work that we did.  Most of the work was non-cosmetic, but I certainly notice the difference every time I walk through the house.  One of the biggest jobs that my father completed while he was here was removing all of the plywood from the attic and creating storage platforms on top of the existing beams.  This past Monday, 7" of insulation was added to the existing insulation along with air sealing and a new insulated dome over the attic entrance.  In order for the work to be done, the attic needed to be cleared out.  My father spent quite a few hours in 100+ degree temperatures, crawling around on 2" wide beams to make sure that the attic was ready.  No one will ever see this work, but it will certainly make a difference in both the summer and the winter.  I am forever grateful to both my mom and dad for all of their time and hard work! I have added some pictures below, but here is a quick run down of everything that happened while my mom and dad were here.

Dad: Hang kayak rack in basement, fix front door hinge, place safety cables on garage door springs, install a new thermostat, change receptacles and light switches in the main rooms, re-do plumbing for outside faucets, fix bedroom light switch, remove plywood from attic and create storage platforms (to prepare for insulation installation), and connect the garbage disposal.

Mom: trim hedges, fix bedroom shades, re-pot plants, removing the last bit of mulch from the driveway, wax the car (she loves to wax cars - I didn't have this one on the list), make fire starters, refinish buffet, paint kitchen and hall light fixtures and clean/polish brass door knobs that she brought from home.

This is the buffet that my mom refinished while she was here.  I am still trying to work out where it is going in the house, but it looks gorgeous after three coats of tung oil and a bit of paste wax.

The top of the buffet

The insulation was blown into the attic.

This is the AFTER photo with the plywood repositioned to create storage platforms.  The grayish insulation is the new stuff and the pink in the foreground is the extra insulation around the door.

Another look....the platforms are on both sides of the entrance.  Plenty of room if and when I ever need more storage. 

The new insulated dome at the entrance of the attic.  The difference is amazing - I do not feel any heat from the attic in the stairwell.

The #1 item on the list was to figure out what the light switch in the bedroom was connected to & why it didn't work.  Dad worked his magic and fixed the issue - now I can flip the switch and it actually turns something on!!!

Now, you may be wondering what I have been doing while my parents have been slaving away at the house.  I did my fair share of supervising, but I have also been busy working on the yard.  My garden is finally starting to produce vegetables and I have started to work on some of the overgrown areas in the backyard.

Cucumbers starting to grow

My first zucchini!

Tomatoes starting to ripen

Removing some overgrown branches and random small trees that keep popping up in random areas.

It is not easy to really notice a difference, but I cleared out the area of weeds and branches.  I left the ivy because this area does not receive a great deal of sun. 

Another view of the yard - there is a pile of branches on the far side of the yard that I chopped up today. 

While the cat's away...

the garden grows!  I returned from two weeks at sea to find blooming flowers and growing vegetables. What a wonderful welcome home present.

Cucumbers are flowering, zucchinis are starting to grow and there are green tomatoes on the vine.

Flowers from the yard to add a nice touch to the dining room.

Separation anxiety

I am leaving the house for the first time.  Yes, I went away for the weekend when I flew to Pittsburgh for the marathon, but this is a much longer stretch.  I am headed out to sea for my annual whale tagging adventure and I am super excited to go, but a small part of me is having trouble with the fact that I am leaving my house/yard/neighborhood for such a long time.  I know, I know - Welcome to homeownership.  It is amazing how much I love this place - so much so that I find it hard to leave.  Very different from apartment living when I couldn't wait to get away.

The garden is progressing nicely. I have a few blossoms (zucchini and tomatoes) so maybe I will come home to some fresh fruits and veggies after a long, fun trip (or at least the early stages of some fruits/veggies).  Here are a few pictures of the garden and my 'wild kingdom' in the backyard.  I have made a few more updates to the landscaping, but you will have to wait until I get back for pictures - the alarm goes off early tomorrow to start my trek to Woods Hole

P.S. Thanks for all my friends willing to stop by to water my plants - you will be rewarded with fresh produce (hopefully) over the summer.

Garden - First day

Garden now - what a difference a few weeks can make

Zucchini blossom

Tomato blossoms

There were actually some birds around, too, including a male and female cardinal.  I only managed to get a photo of 1 out of the 3 squirrels and 2 out of the 3 chipmunks.  My own personal version of "wild kingdom". 

Bring on the rain...

Sunshine = outdoors working in the yard for 12 hours straight.  Rain = indoors sewing and hanging photos and cooking.  In the past two weeks, I have done a large amount of both activities.  The yard is keeping me quite busy, but certainly in a good way.  I am enjoying the time outside with the sunshine, the birds and even the squirrels.  I have no idea what I am doing in most cases when I start working on a particular area of the yard, but it seems to work out in the end.  I still have a bit more to do before I can claim that I am in "maintenance" mode, but overall I am very happy.  My neighbors are certainly noticing my hard work.  My very kind neighbor commented the other day - "I think you have done more in one day than the other guy did in three years".  I can tell you that it is a good thing I trained for a marathon all spring, because I need the strength and endurance for pulling some of these massive roots and transporting mulch.  Ah - the mulch!  It is almost gone, but not quite.  I have given some of it away and have plans for the rest.  I hope it will be out of the driveway on the next good weather day.

Here are some yard updates:

Just added some mulch and some ground cover plants to the side of the house. 

Removed the bushes and plants from the back of the house and replanted the lilies of the valley.  This was not the original plan, but one thing led to another.  I am not sure what I will eventually do with this area, but for now the lilies will suffice. 

The side of the house near the garage - simply put down a top layer of mulch.

The mulch pile - it is getting smaller - the end is in sight!

My gardening endeavors are also showing signs of improvement.  I have been battling the snacking behavior of some type of animal for some time.  Whatever is visiting my yard seems to like to eat pansies and echinacea.  I have enlisted the help of some blood meal to try to keep away the pesky snacker and it seems to be working.  The vegetable garden is doing very well.  Everything has increased in size and is definitely taking to the bucket lifestyle.

My herbs (forefront) are really starting to grow.  The tomato plants (last 2 buckets) are almost doubled in length and one is already showing signs of flowers.  Most likely, everything will start to really show signs of life in 2 weeks when I have to leave for 10 days to tag whales.  

If you compare this photo with some previous ones from May, you can definitely see the difference.  The pansy in this picture is still not happy after being eaten alive, but the bee balm and Montauk daisy are doing well.  The echinacea on the far right is finally starting to grow now that the animals are leaving it alone.  I spotted a hummingbird at my feeder the other day, so I am hoping that these flowering perennials will help to bring in more.

Although I have not really focused on the inside of the house much, I was able to do a few things this weekend because of the rain.  I am just trying to put a few touches here and there to make the house a bit more welcoming and to add some color.

Trying to choose a new carpet color for the porch.  Probably going with the lighter of the two that I am poining at in the picture.  Sticking with neutral - definitely not going with the green that is currently there :)

Spent yesterday dealing with multiple yards of fabric and sewing up a storm.

The end result - a new curtain for the dining room.  My goal was to add some interesting color/patter and to partially cover the window, while still allowing sun into the room.  I think I have accomplished both.  I have not finished the top seam or the hem of the curtains, but this is the trial period.  I was a little unsure at first, but it is definitely growing on me.

I have never been one to put up many whale photos - it just isn't my thing.  I decided, however, that I should have something dedicated to this amazing part of my life in the new house, so I created this display of my baleen and some of the most amazing moments I have had on the water.  You can see the photos right as you walk through the door.