Moving right along...

First thing's first—shout out to all the Moms out there! Hope your Mother's Day was filled with happiness and love :)<br /><br />And now, onto our big changes! Yes, it deserves an exclamation point, because this is the biggest stuff that's happened around here since we first moved in and re-did our floors, walls and ceilings.<br /><br />Let's start with something I am super excited about... our kitchen reno.<br /><br />Our cabinet addition arrived on Thursday!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w-HxmksLCpvqSVqwiRAnEwKMo9Ss4FLX4knMSmvki2s1W0SW2rksrRkQIq8OBHB4HMwUO05bIUzrIAADruGIN28RgLwdlUFL0uxbmuljaU43Us6cBynPLTsL7tP5uJwOsyaFtW8ftb9u/s1600/IMG_4847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w-HxmksLCpvqSVqwiRAnEwKMo9Ss4FLX4knMSmvki2s1W0SW2rksrRkQIq8OBHB4HMwUO05bIUzrIAADruGIN28RgLwdlUFL0uxbmuljaU43Us6cBynPLTsL7tP5uJwOsyaFtW8ftb9u/s640/IMG_4847.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Installation shot:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsvz_3yzbmOXwCNeoRiKOMhz5JdufuRlfezFxUyA_EG5vRJ-jTqS2zPKGDqjZdUyr5IUl8FOsR1GV4qg_FUm_zG-80YILkrhFnGWteO1B-ppjq6mM5-WZhtvj91yJMHiqNVGfmLYcjhrB/s1600/IMG_4848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsvz_3yzbmOXwCNeoRiKOMhz5JdufuRlfezFxUyA_EG5vRJ-jTqS2zPKGDqjZdUyr5IUl8FOsR1GV4qg_FUm_zG-80YILkrhFnGWteO1B-ppjq6mM5-WZhtvj91yJMHiqNVGfmLYcjhrB/s640/IMG_4848.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />With the wine fridge:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7FVVAVF0YU9sCTIcEgZVw4fCxjKRuWwcrMkF265YhXHRLrGx5tEzTWFNhTJWd7dWubiGIjVFzWxSdnyxUtQ9hqi-ne9IViNWFmQKlN4mSSunImwCgHuoGjhX6HU6OSC4T1N3ZsRkOTUn/s1600/IMG_4851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7FVVAVF0YU9sCTIcEgZVw4fCxjKRuWwcrMkF265YhXHRLrGx5tEzTWFNhTJWd7dWubiGIjVFzWxSdnyxUtQ9hqi-ne9IViNWFmQKlN4mSSunImwCgHuoGjhX6HU6OSC4T1N3ZsRkOTUn/s640/IMG_4851.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />And stocked with wine and bar glasses:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgYg4ADI1udgKz8VQMHKtfcUcFIs2VIux2makzszD5T90oIFQ5zx95OrRpWD_MNwNtMEmA4dJA44nSBC4r-A7N1pHxgB-n1X0oIqPP019IJUzoT3Z95I3RCQN7cDK3riOJzmnhHaCSH8X/s1600/IMG_4896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgYg4ADI1udgKz8VQMHKtfcUcFIs2VIux2makzszD5T90oIFQ5zx95OrRpWD_MNwNtMEmA4dJA44nSBC4r-A7N1pHxgB-n1X0oIqPP019IJUzoT3Z95I3RCQN7cDK3riOJzmnhHaCSH8X/s640/IMG_4896.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwNZqUC5brHprStI15m5NnxfOh8_Qma6rchBpmCN9NohWK1TCWgvs6S2jAM1_U4x12LXkIYmfSq68j_Fk9WU17BazAE6cv3emlOwdTygVe3XPvKpmL34KNF8LIaZhQmPRPq5tqs0IGtlD/s1600/IMG_4900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwNZqUC5brHprStI15m5NnxfOh8_Qma6rchBpmCN9NohWK1TCWgvs6S2jAM1_U4x12LXkIYmfSq68j_Fk9WU17BazAE6cv3emlOwdTygVe3XPvKpmL34KNF8LIaZhQmPRPq5tqs0IGtlD/s640/IMG_4900.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />I am *so* glad we thought to do this because we've added so much more counter space to the kitchen, which we desperately needed. And we'll also get to install some open shelving above it for even more storage. <br /><br />The counters should be ready by next weekend, and the Lowe's installer was here Saturday taking the final measurements:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieelvq_JuUrxq73DL3QGauhyTe1xLy8uTryaatGlq-G3tTnrpGe8oRQpM2oueUKmJTK_QL5ScCJZZJ3GEUgVfNHTj-4VZL49nOieAbhffR5yOWJ_sExBnqTy1iwgYMXMKjfawodBRDwEDV/s1600/IMG_4860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieelvq_JuUrxq73DL3QGauhyTe1xLy8uTryaatGlq-G3tTnrpGe8oRQpM2oueUKmJTK_QL5ScCJZZJ3GEUgVfNHTj-4VZL49nOieAbhffR5yOWJ_sExBnqTy1iwgYMXMKjfawodBRDwEDV/s640/IMG_4860.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />We decided to save ourselves a few hundred bucks and rip out the old counters ourselves. Here's Brad demonstrating the painstaking process:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNALqhEgHhV1kX5pgFtS5mBJqYe2wlpqfODGOiAhVf70Yiep7n3zQ-oFlEQ1rnU8HqK4CqJI3nXBQwbptUgFCJEzUGKmG6xm5QAharo3TQv8fMY5Z1xyPCpG2_Y8WrVH8juLLuuwcPr4i6/s1600/IMG_4886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNALqhEgHhV1kX5pgFtS5mBJqYe2wlpqfODGOiAhVf70Yiep7n3zQ-oFlEQ1rnU8HqK4CqJI3nXBQwbptUgFCJEzUGKmG6xm5QAharo3TQv8fMY5Z1xyPCpG2_Y8WrVH8juLLuuwcPr4i6/s640/IMG_4886.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8Kd5ZQyfUem2mxyhSkmIn6OtyKNrQhomBDtQ2Qe_V_mf3-CkCXGL9sGJlqJhxzk9hf0wmEmIBtSB5IjsAMRZUD4ODTh-voGQ8pT2RTuRapCrb7uBl4N6rsXHe50NMlmo0UvOanWIgCAA/s1600/IMG_4888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8Kd5ZQyfUem2mxyhSkmIn6OtyKNrQhomBDtQ2Qe_V_mf3-CkCXGL9sGJlqJhxzk9hf0wmEmIBtSB5IjsAMRZUD4ODTh-voGQ8pT2RTuRapCrb7uBl4N6rsXHe50NMlmo0UvOanWIgCAA/s640/IMG_4888.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Ok, so it wasn't <em>that</em> painstaking.... but there was some pain involved on Brad's end...<br /><br /><br />*Warning: graphic image below*<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwkVxQKYdf2z3OWzInL7YJYr9MgUf_mWDKrdSWnTEFKcoEgtQurHZLleRxRWyCqTT-YRzst8qSJU08U5xt9-Ri3k38zBbNcbcZddkMZSS9uPV2djLCeiAtgm5YGXlb651akMiN55c0Gzq/s1600/IMG_4892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwkVxQKYdf2z3OWzInL7YJYr9MgUf_mWDKrdSWnTEFKcoEgtQurHZLleRxRWyCqTT-YRzst8qSJU08U5xt9-Ri3k38zBbNcbcZddkMZSS9uPV2djLCeiAtgm5YGXlb651akMiN55c0Gzq/s640/IMG_4892.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Yep... that's blood... the counter attacked Brad's finger and ripped part of his nail off, trying to get this long piece off:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt57NxOOafPpVTxGRynBVeS87J6h7J6zSKmNwl2YbfQ43P9gBz6xWsbULB0VWREw35DApOAF7aLRi-Lo5Z2yQanfCbiomfxhrixtAqOsTrEVl80CpWLQ_qQzFnfaUgeCsy81tYaE8yUO9o/s1600/IMG_4889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt57NxOOafPpVTxGRynBVeS87J6h7J6zSKmNwl2YbfQ43P9gBz6xWsbULB0VWREw35DApOAF7aLRi-Lo5Z2yQanfCbiomfxhrixtAqOsTrEVl80CpWLQ_qQzFnfaUgeCsy81tYaE8yUO9o/s640/IMG_4889.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />But all is well, because our backsplash is finally off ready for tile:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHJpdzL8_TSY6eFUwKEXqxRHGAFk7BuULd_3SWF4MSjtT5A2-molCgFHJweHZjgvV_7g2WIVZ76j4LCduYKv89rQWFYdXbMkLsQAIOCtHJkW2XqTbbCFK6tGg5xBkJn7W02FaahizB-fK/s1600/IMG_4895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHJpdzL8_TSY6eFUwKEXqxRHGAFk7BuULd_3SWF4MSjtT5A2-molCgFHJweHZjgvV_7g2WIVZ76j4LCduYKv89rQWFYdXbMkLsQAIOCtHJkW2XqTbbCFK6tGg5xBkJn7W02FaahizB-fK/s640/IMG_4895.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />We'll be ripping out the rest of it when they give us the final call the day before the counters are ready. Let's hope no blood is shed in round 2.<br /><br /><br />Ok, enough of the kitchen for now.... our house is no longer pink!<br /><br />Let's do a little before & after... here is the "Before" pic I snapped last week:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnY3DKfxkqMPtUs4U4dFT7OA6PSHvFhNhsvPGxOr_lhEInJ00zQ9omk4VkXdqxVEAViXnjm3PV6MvcIhz7cJ6suquiGoHssdzrF8IsSNGKZ0-Sv1fFg3pKIygAG01ZmUY3UNNSpfarAy6/s1600/House-Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnY3DKfxkqMPtUs4U4dFT7OA6PSHvFhNhsvPGxOr_lhEInJ00zQ9omk4VkXdqxVEAViXnjm3PV6MvcIhz7cJ6suquiGoHssdzrF8IsSNGKZ0-Sv1fFg3pKIygAG01ZmUY3UNNSpfarAy6/s640/House-Before.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />And here is the after!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4GmgIHmKD1ovw2YvO5ZY8MwiE2WG3eP887MeVF2Em5CRezcisxVGMgw0K4sSlaFRCGHlGVJHoQ6p_K6ol8BKIcivM3HzRYIa6CZYBSgLfnpP3CZvpl-fZMRHc5LpI3sGys2gEkboEOe_/s1600/IMG_4905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4GmgIHmKD1ovw2YvO5ZY8MwiE2WG3eP887MeVF2Em5CRezcisxVGMgw0K4sSlaFRCGHlGVJHoQ6p_K6ol8BKIcivM3HzRYIa6CZYBSgLfnpP3CZvpl-fZMRHc5LpI3sGys2gEkboEOe_/s640/IMG_4905.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Originally we had chosen BM's "Herbal Escape", but we ended up going with a different painter at the last minute who used Sherwin William's, so I picked out a similar color called Functional Grey, and I love it!<br /><br />We also had them repaint the door, here is the not-so-lovely mauve before:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkVFarzegto_TYbTpMNqipGKVLZ1dOhJuC8wc-m8YdZb40PR3qrulVJLaZdFlSzdMbo2-wDVwzjPBoQKJEbNEHeySL4srFg7AIyC334Ql3UUw-ciDZVNmosOk-buL-YtRf7miueXos_SW/s1600/IMG_4802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkVFarzegto_TYbTpMNqipGKVLZ1dOhJuC8wc-m8YdZb40PR3qrulVJLaZdFlSzdMbo2-wDVwzjPBoQKJEbNEHeySL4srFg7AIyC334Ql3UUw-ciDZVNmosOk-buL-YtRf7miueXos_SW/s640/IMG_4802.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><br />And after:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr2bIh3DWckXwNJZ9OdNOvwAo4vWmHYuMEftuoGakLj57zuoHNRwzqb411Z3YBQtehsqAPH0LTGv4NlBoYE_ifS8D77-LshfX6gNSGDsQy7w_zr4CZ9TcLX7n8JMSpyb4-E9nFf0CAFS3/s1600/IMG_4901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr2bIh3DWckXwNJZ9OdNOvwAo4vWmHYuMEftuoGakLj57zuoHNRwzqb411Z3YBQtehsqAPH0LTGv4NlBoYE_ifS8D77-LshfX6gNSGDsQy7w_zr4CZ9TcLX7n8JMSpyb4-E9nFf0CAFS3/s640/IMG_4901.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><br />I chose a dark brownish-greyish-blackish SW color called Urbane Bronze, and I also love it :) All we need is some nice frosted glass to replace the outdated glass and metal pattern and we'll be set.<br /><br /><br />But that's not all because..... we have sprinklers! And grass!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeMRMV8zUwKjhIpHNcIFELHzwxvR7toMLah6wf-j4k4yU2t7CQtaVEojwXdGfe90Fkk6scgeMLhXODyhKcoHT5RTG70WTNftw-x29w7swCsv2lWTf-81xBgV1hWuux5lvKWzxpszmbTLw/s1600/IMG_4857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeMRMV8zUwKjhIpHNcIFELHzwxvR7toMLah6wf-j4k4yU2t7CQtaVEojwXdGfe90Fkk6scgeMLhXODyhKcoHT5RTG70WTNftw-x29w7swCsv2lWTf-81xBgV1hWuux5lvKWzxpszmbTLw/s640/IMG_4857.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Here's how the backyard has looked since we've lived here:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5XutlKDoYpER93LicLohZkP26Qfru6Jk5gXqR73qfl9uFAC5nGvGgHxewlJHKWD_JnUWrPImkcG87yLDMt8EOX23gz4vz-Ozy7XRY5b9P_FhiiQ_c7tuMXHNkCJVfHuufNVBNCTgDNXI/s1600/IMG_2086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5XutlKDoYpER93LicLohZkP26Qfru6Jk5gXqR73qfl9uFAC5nGvGgHxewlJHKWD_JnUWrPImkcG87yLDMt8EOX23gz4vz-Ozy7XRY5b9P_FhiiQ_c7tuMXHNkCJVfHuufNVBNCTgDNXI/s640/IMG_2086.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHH7NXbC-VaUiEdKU7yO4nEWa3cXLQ4pW5_PqmvrIVeVsjUxD-S7gdsn2kHZFIkIS7-mKdRcntaG_lAP5Ao_8nbUhLEMsVsQZZZvrX8Lref76YRX4POl-SdBbSOyaZYiohEQBoIu1kILC/s1600/IMG_3664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHH7NXbC-VaUiEdKU7yO4nEWa3cXLQ4pW5_PqmvrIVeVsjUxD-S7gdsn2kHZFIkIS7-mKdRcntaG_lAP5Ao_8nbUhLEMsVsQZZZvrX8Lref76YRX4POl-SdBbSOyaZYiohEQBoIu1kILC/s640/IMG_3664.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Half the yard had become a giant dirt patch and we were over it. So Brad went ahead and had a sprinkler system put in, complete with new sod in the back. And it feels like now we finally have a "backyard."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD-ArrmZGu3MEbQU1gM6ppV8wz8iMRN0CmdQdeiidsfZhIqwYUb0lPnnnk_UKpz1kt57OR4ddVFi6ZVD7NN2Rpc2vGIRMckJs6cDup6aq7bwo7FY1Db_g0Qqqr-Ehm49Y6u2zAB6EgMP-/s1600/IMG_4879.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD-ArrmZGu3MEbQU1gM6ppV8wz8iMRN0CmdQdeiidsfZhIqwYUb0lPnnnk_UKpz1kt57OR4ddVFi6ZVD7NN2Rpc2vGIRMckJs6cDup6aq7bwo7FY1Db_g0Qqqr-Ehm49Y6u2zAB6EgMP-/s640/IMG_4879.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtegix_ErHX6MDT2WabnHTskXo4-2cwMCiCQBjH7rJqJ5jLlWmlWkeSqgB7LFSWLq83A0RGDThffH5fGOTzjCAQHrOTH4qwcVNW__iqtufRJVaq9KtkuysRbDdnqksrI8pa-grO__h9W5D/s1600/IMG_4880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtegix_ErHX6MDT2WabnHTskXo4-2cwMCiCQBjH7rJqJ5jLlWmlWkeSqgB7LFSWLq83A0RGDThffH5fGOTzjCAQHrOTH4qwcVNW__iqtufRJVaq9KtkuysRbDdnqksrI8pa-grO__h9W5D/s640/IMG_4880.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9acRCPJL57lrlLIMN3YikTcrfLlY5o0Td1l4F9x3Zpslb_CKDseoESpjAGKP2Hutuq9eAg5cLPjtQY91d_ez6BVMWk6EqlZkNxnNFLhjT1Fra4OOi3E7czjDDw2rkokM75WyOQc3PyGE/s1600/IMG_4881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9acRCPJL57lrlLIMN3YikTcrfLlY5o0Td1l4F9x3Zpslb_CKDseoESpjAGKP2Hutuq9eAg5cLPjtQY91d_ez6BVMWk6EqlZkNxnNFLhjT1Fra4OOi3E7czjDDw2rkokM75WyOQc3PyGE/s640/IMG_4881.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Now that the big news has been discussed... we had time to squeeze one little project in.<br /><br />Remember how I transformed our brass handles to oil rubbed bronze with a $3 can of magical Krylon paint?<br /><br />Well... I had a dirty little secret.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR35C8kCVpPnsEecTLLouIl1Wcx-uuWiktoiMnzAJvjuJJV3K1nu0ZVW4F6VkwGkQcM9DkjJRYG3e5Q4wDXqqaNQFzTqSkMQXJAARETt2ROU2upsVlbhSXk6iXRo9YJek9FrgMkNR9p7jV/s1600/IMG_4868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR35C8kCVpPnsEecTLLouIl1Wcx-uuWiktoiMnzAJvjuJJV3K1nu0ZVW4F6VkwGkQcM9DkjJRYG3e5Q4wDXqqaNQFzTqSkMQXJAARETt2ROU2upsVlbhSXk6iXRo9YJek9FrgMkNR9p7jV/s640/IMG_4868.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><br />I was too lazy to finish the job and paint all the hinges to match, until last week when I finally had enough of looking at them. So last week I started the long process of removing them, one by one, and scrubbing all the old paint and rust and gunk off to prep them for paint. <br /><br />After about an hour I was starting to think it just wasn't worth my time and energy, and I hopped online to research how much I could buy the real thing for.<br /><br />Surprisingly, they weren't all that expensive online (I'm sure at HD or Lowe's they would have been at least twice as much), but I found them for around $2/pc shipped, hardware included, on Amazon. I had about $30 in Amazon gift card credit, so my total came to just under $12 for all 21 hinges. Sweet!<br /><br />And now we're all matching and happy...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Tf0yRPS8XTnPK3giKTSKQllkTzEZFp0tGvqwBOKLolwjGJ4tVKI3KMgv0TkRUs7vuc5XyJvOL_QBlOnGpl_X8LnfROgk62iHqyCXzch9jUiQaF-VENfwarEGe93HHZaKCN4bstmz7BWG/s1600/IMG_4876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Tf0yRPS8XTnPK3giKTSKQllkTzEZFp0tGvqwBOKLolwjGJ4tVKI3KMgv0TkRUs7vuc5XyJvOL_QBlOnGpl_X8LnfROgk62iHqyCXzch9jUiQaF-VENfwarEGe93HHZaKCN4bstmz7BWG/s640/IMG_4876.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4frSvGnBbSYoDd96lWcVVwsPKKOwL1xFgDtUZwspLgxaIGb02a0FVBFKhHqB1xDlJlwz4CFM1K3RQj5ldlfHR7h74mR78ekeFf6jxXWAEKo8_tTbY0DsPfop_zWT90I8Ma_3V89K6XXS/s1600/IMG_4878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4frSvGnBbSYoDd96lWcVVwsPKKOwL1xFgDtUZwspLgxaIGb02a0FVBFKhHqB1xDlJlwz4CFM1K3RQj5ldlfHR7h74mR78ekeFf6jxXWAEKo8_tTbY0DsPfop_zWT90I8Ma_3V89K6XXS/s640/IMG_4878.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><br /><br />I think I've covered everything that's happened this weekend... so I'm off to finish this Sunday with some chardonnay and crab legs with the neighbors... have a great week everyone!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1k3GJg6hJKCDdgoGcXH9vfD0gax5UJLzLuEMDDb17ckEy4I6yc2NwstRbrxeml8F5iPgvjcvqqX46FcfrxlRuQcUSVFA66idSMnX33G8QH8KvjnKGjm8hXCtt7eybYrKyQ47awx6Z554/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1k3GJg6hJKCDdgoGcXH9vfD0gax5UJLzLuEMDDb17ckEy4I6yc2NwstRbrxeml8F5iPgvjcvqqX46FcfrxlRuQcUSVFA66idSMnX33G8QH8KvjnKGjm8hXCtt7eybYrKyQ47awx6Z554/s1600/Signature.jpg" /></a></div>

Moving right along...

First thing's first—shout out to all the Moms out there! Hope your Mother's Day was filled with happiness and love :) And now, onto ...

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Our new patio furniture!

With pool season in full swing here in Florida, we've been desperately needing new patio furniture. <br /><br />The old PVC-pipe special set had seen better days...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBDTwtJMOVyK4J_gevxje3ovug8U5vegND-vGE3yFnzC3ajhuuCCGNUohr-99608qxSgohu1oRW_ToPwjtLy7Ix4tmE8G_j8Uu1PwJl3TR3dKmIJOx1UfvyKmngF6eivS-sMVwUPL-mBY/s1600/IMG_2085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBDTwtJMOVyK4J_gevxje3ovug8U5vegND-vGE3yFnzC3ajhuuCCGNUohr-99608qxSgohu1oRW_ToPwjtLy7Ix4tmE8G_j8Uu1PwJl3TR3dKmIJOx1UfvyKmngF6eivS-sMVwUPL-mBY/s640/IMG_2085.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />You can't see the broken chair and ripped cloth in this picture, but let's just say we were slightly embarassed making our guests sit on them at pool parties.<br /><br />And so began the hunt for a nice replacement set. We knew we wanted a dining area (with an umbrella) along with a set of lounge chairs. The problem is.... outdoor furniture doesn't come cheap. And with all the other major projects we've got going on around here these days, we needed to keep costs down.<br /><br />Weeks spent on craigslist yielded no results, and I wasn't really feeling the mid-priced sets at HD and Lowes.<br /><br />But then... randomly shopping in Target one day, I happened to walk past the outdoor aisle and this beauty caught my eye:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i53.tinypic.com/ilezhu.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i53.tinypic.com/ilezhu.png" width="319" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>When I went in for a closer look, I was happily surprised to find it was on clearance for $550 for the 5-piece set (4 chairs and table) plus another $100 or so for the umbrella and base. That's still a decent chunk of money, but in the world of rattan patio furniture, it's a steal.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So Brad borrowed his work's truck after work and we got straight to assembly:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcJQ24RTM_IS-dUnyNhkJqhcgIunuN6o2IeRPjaTOWO0HF7pgoNaUQR6Cwg4GumIw0moba01DP3ByLTdsoj08c6DkMGlVeepP0h9qBQu3gHUTugKnm-IHpz4nP8HETC-gY5U8wkrYprEG/s1600/IMG_4808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcJQ24RTM_IS-dUnyNhkJqhcgIunuN6o2IeRPjaTOWO0HF7pgoNaUQR6Cwg4GumIw0moba01DP3ByLTdsoj08c6DkMGlVeepP0h9qBQu3gHUTugKnm-IHpz4nP8HETC-gY5U8wkrYprEG/s640/IMG_4808.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />After an hour or two of labor, we had this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbuEBjFjTxxBixMOI3tUmn_SY5Dd8kqsz472-sy10T0_bPI1dRWy94mFQOW80NgplIGdZH-CHnmmepLrZYknmf2jE8Bd-iMBzl92YCQCk0QNMoncmr5LgZC4TMWQed-1U8IEt6Ql_UBM0/s1600/IMG_4820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbuEBjFjTxxBixMOI3tUmn_SY5Dd8kqsz472-sy10T0_bPI1dRWy94mFQOW80NgplIGdZH-CHnmmepLrZYknmf2jE8Bd-iMBzl92YCQCk0QNMoncmr5LgZC4TMWQed-1U8IEt6Ql_UBM0/s640/IMG_4820.jpg" width="454" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Don't you just want to have a dinner party there? I do! <br /><br />And if we ever miss our old busted furniture, all we have to do is glance to our right...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZc3MhNt_XaAxYBpoZ6TzVIe0WSTF6S3UDDt0ZzhTNHq-egfMfPTSteJG8aoWUIf5vmFOcgSk3wYmwqbUhfnsopwhQR30JHGseqMT4qy-9p0-IPEWS5qOxnR70xfT5Da1dyJD9egcR1xJD/s1600/IMG_4810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZc3MhNt_XaAxYBpoZ6TzVIe0WSTF6S3UDDt0ZzhTNHq-egfMfPTSteJG8aoWUIf5vmFOcgSk3wYmwqbUhfnsopwhQR30JHGseqMT4qy-9p0-IPEWS5qOxnR70xfT5Da1dyJD9egcR1xJD/s640/IMG_4810.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Because they are now living in our neighbor's yard (yes, they wanted them....)<br /><br /><br />But our patio set was not complete without the lounge chairs.<br /><br />Target sold some nice matching chaise lounges, but they were completely sold out (in store and online)... and at $250/piece, I'm not sure I would have wanted them anyway.<br /><br />So we met up the next evening at one of my all time favorite stores, Garden Ridge.<br /><br />(I didn't snap any in-store or assembly pics for this, so let's just skip to the good part...)<br /><br />Here they are!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3R6KaTEK6Ko6i104Ke3nV1yAFim7MJkcVArF2hb-3DI7vZUJ7LSsVeb6n16VtvMeq3Sk4QqcGukiF4ThLfB52_DN3hbHUyKSfns9VEmDzK83GFmz2HY3G03b7xKVqaVx9u3ADjkbQH7cr/s1600/IMG_4813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3R6KaTEK6Ko6i104Ke3nV1yAFim7MJkcVArF2hb-3DI7vZUJ7LSsVeb6n16VtvMeq3Sk4QqcGukiF4ThLfB52_DN3hbHUyKSfns9VEmDzK83GFmz2HY3G03b7xKVqaVx9u3ADjkbQH7cr/s640/IMG_4813.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />The chair frames were $100 each (ouch, pricey for GR, I thought), the cushions were $30/ea and the table was $30, for a grand total of $330 with tax. Not a whole lot more than what just one of those rattan lounges would have cost, not too bad!<br /><br />I think they go with the dining set quite well...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHkOq6qW8XyifpiJ1Fz73WuRtXbUhMlhFJMlLHmnI3Kxr3DmSjAt2azJc-kYUFZYGgQBZWi1uxUL2L8xpFMdg7Zj_p-ai-FOVvkaMAJMlP5ucVzHtEnVMZy56Ag4Wka32LBSUAgJfyLfi/s1600/IMG_4821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHkOq6qW8XyifpiJ1Fz73WuRtXbUhMlhFJMlLHmnI3Kxr3DmSjAt2azJc-kYUFZYGgQBZWi1uxUL2L8xpFMdg7Zj_p-ai-FOVvkaMAJMlP5ucVzHtEnVMZy56Ag4Wka32LBSUAgJfyLfi/s640/IMG_4821.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />So that's the latest from our backyard. With the temps consistently in the 90's now and only getting hotter, this furniture had better get ready for some usage!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1k3GJg6hJKCDdgoGcXH9vfD0gax5UJLzLuEMDDb17ckEy4I6yc2NwstRbrxeml8F5iPgvjcvqqX46FcfrxlRuQcUSVFA66idSMnX33G8QH8KvjnKGjm8hXCtt7eybYrKyQ47awx6Z554/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1k3GJg6hJKCDdgoGcXH9vfD0gax5UJLzLuEMDDb17ckEy4I6yc2NwstRbrxeml8F5iPgvjcvqqX46FcfrxlRuQcUSVFA66idSMnX33G8QH8KvjnKGjm8hXCtt7eybYrKyQ47awx6Z554/s1600/Signature.jpg" /></a></div>

Our new patio furniture!

With pool season in full swing here in Florida, we've been desperately needing new patio furniture. The old PVC-pipe special set had see...

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Project Overload

This weekend began with a quick trip to Lowe's and snowballed into a total house overhall. Here is the mess of major projects we got ourselves into... and I need your opinions.<br /><br /><strong>1. Kitchen granite & backsplash</strong><br /><br />Lowe's recently started carrying a new brand of granite with prices starting at $39/sq ft, with a free stainless steel undermount sink. We thought this was a good deal so we went ahead and purchased 35 sq. ft of "White Pearl":<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVBuYtMY1U_BFFyvs4OpkUXqyBJYeuFN8Pm3ft5HtYI4PsfZv9QEo8rfXqxUDf7XQDJDs4dXc_onp8I8u5RpaqW83dnihacjNXZiu1Jn0dbvVXuKwvx5AQpxOQa0vGiBv0WlePGVH1kni/s1600/IMG_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVBuYtMY1U_BFFyvs4OpkUXqyBJYeuFN8Pm3ft5HtYI4PsfZv9QEo8rfXqxUDf7XQDJDs4dXc_onp8I8u5RpaqW83dnihacjNXZiu1Jn0dbvVXuKwvx5AQpxOQa0vGiBv0WlePGVH1kni/s640/IMG_0032.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(Excuse the iphone pic quality). I liked this color because it was light and neutral enough to flow with the rest of our house and not clash with our new floor and backsplash tile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is the floor tile I was thinking. We haven't purchased it yet, but at under $3/sf, I'm pretty sold:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQLzHRy5zcS6Sr9P1xmFHYN183Jr5fKFAAdos1BAGhoSAq-341mRtggVflkWTiidOwipHBUHaexyLfzp620A2qOugKR44l2kfz3Z6SxEZteyBGDIPMwjiXyqm0jet-10dHHEG53K9eKzK/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQLzHRy5zcS6Sr9P1xmFHYN183Jr5fKFAAdos1BAGhoSAq-341mRtggVflkWTiidOwipHBUHaexyLfzp620A2qOugKR44l2kfz3Z6SxEZteyBGDIPMwjiXyqm0jet-10dHHEG53K9eKzK/s640/IMG_0031.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>I just love the puzzle-piece arrangement and the look of travertine (without the maintenance)—I think it adds a lot of interest. This tile will be going in both our kitchen and foyer. <br /><br />We also bought this new faucet:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/034449/034449637107lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/034449/034449637107lg.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />The total cost for the granite with installation plus faucet came to $1766. We had a ton of gift cards saved from credit card points, birthdays and holidays, so we actually paid nothing and still have about $300 leftover for the floor tile :)<br /><br />So the granite and sink will hopefully be installed next weekend sometime (along with our new <a href="http://jennasuedesign.blogspot.com/2011/04/and-so-it-begins.html">cabinet extension</a>!).... which leads me to the next item on our to-do list<br /><br /><strong>2. Kitchen backsplash</strong><br /><br />We went to a specialty tile store Saturday to search for the perfect backsplash. I fell in love with this one right away:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBArxYQcZs_wsGtdOHU01jw1ext4mPE-Y7QOZhBHNwcYPsWJNL5LLhcOCOdg3yqg-onjTY7pJRoHj6K1Yzw_8MTudQ0DRMX1e4OfiKXbFH4yUa4SSRuymNDKslnA4rOlFqVu7T0OXuAax/s1600/IMG_4758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBArxYQcZs_wsGtdOHU01jw1ext4mPE-Y7QOZhBHNwcYPsWJNL5LLhcOCOdg3yqg-onjTY7pJRoHj6K1Yzw_8MTudQ0DRMX1e4OfiKXbFH4yUa4SSRuymNDKslnA4rOlFqVu7T0OXuAax/s640/IMG_4758.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />  I'm just not sure how busy it will look next to that granite...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDaatXKoD4ZEz1EHFYGCAQDoEtKkm8rzMszjGmYHkRzJnm7IqUrI5VYn88_beAesBtKtxec7QsXEf7ICK-0g4Abuzw0fLdRiSdTnqfyQ5eNBa-L6ulTRctFwIH-Eaafc-FOnzJkidFzDA/s1600/IMG_4784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDaatXKoD4ZEz1EHFYGCAQDoEtKkm8rzMszjGmYHkRzJnm7IqUrI5VYn88_beAesBtKtxec7QsXEf7ICK-0g4Abuzw0fLdRiSdTnqfyQ5eNBa-L6ulTRctFwIH-Eaafc-FOnzJkidFzDA/s640/IMG_4784.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I think I'll have to wait until the granite goes in to make up my mind. There are so many amazing tile selections out there, it's tough to choose just one!<br /><br />But here's where the real tough decision comes in...<br /><br /><strong>3. Bathroom tile</strong><br /><br />Since we're re-tiling the kitchen and foyer, why not just go crazy and do the bathrooms too?<br /><br />This is the tile combo that had me at hello...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCW19qKNkbcEXoHPSIGoH3ScwZzmYd5FnWWhCni31PhJ6JE5a4WZ2IgNmQ39xt-IMTmpwRHAoCT4g69jRUzBJ7uvIyVsxRfrARcJqaXHtWx_EeRzfYp0FG7j7mKvWOwvgcuu8yLYqulbh/s1600/IMG_4770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCW19qKNkbcEXoHPSIGoH3ScwZzmYd5FnWWhCni31PhJ6JE5a4WZ2IgNmQ39xt-IMTmpwRHAoCT4g69jRUzBJ7uvIyVsxRfrARcJqaXHtWx_EeRzfYp0FG7j7mKvWOwvgcuu8yLYqulbh/s640/IMG_4770.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />I've always dreamed about having a cool grey and white bathroom and I was absolutely smitten with this pair. We're going to lay large (12x24") rectangle tiles in a brick pattern throughout the master bathroom and closet, and tile the entire vanity wall with the glass accent tile. I love the look of the modern bamboo pattern on the floors. Just gorgeous. <br /><br />But then I saw this...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06Dk4059GK3QFIDJGMwPqCmcgOGNicBDhb-wBXNeoPlpv8SKaWh4xlrKuL0ktMdJfC8-V-vxIkufMEDez8JaVLnqoPWARkFC_km-6cfiUUED8IreV1yAFu6eselp3D5XV70ii7klDj_n8/s1600/IMG_4773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06Dk4059GK3QFIDJGMwPqCmcgOGNicBDhb-wBXNeoPlpv8SKaWh4xlrKuL0ktMdJfC8-V-vxIkufMEDez8JaVLnqoPWARkFC_km-6cfiUUED8IreV1yAFu6eselp3D5XV70ii7klDj_n8/s640/IMG_4773.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><br />It's the same thing, just in a beige color scheme. Ahhh, what do I do?!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3df6ShCTZCycLpQrgbKzlW5lM5id6tC77_LEn5ocdnhmTmrhp_aMl6epHYJEle0VWjrq71olsIYCLRfcQSjRDhoHs5iz611tZEZCeS1qdkSLjn3MzwF_qbf2zQO2nXjAJaNmJTQV_oNYQ/s1600/IMG_4774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3df6ShCTZCycLpQrgbKzlW5lM5id6tC77_LEn5ocdnhmTmrhp_aMl6epHYJEle0VWjrq71olsIYCLRfcQSjRDhoHs5iz611tZEZCeS1qdkSLjn3MzwF_qbf2zQO2nXjAJaNmJTQV_oNYQ/s640/IMG_4774.jpg" width="538" /></a></div><br /><br />I'm slightly more emotionally attached to the grey set but the beige set will match our existing paint color and shower tile, and the rest of the whole house better. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFh_WG-ttVVNIi6DZZkUr_NF9zwO1xJrovyZpWmasoLrpFcHuoV5PZEfM1ezM_eK1jaaV48zWSc3DT7QWnUyWzuqv_kd9QMBoJcTypc8GXF6VQs3dNW0PkxX1eM1usKfDoPDZkUKcI6Tl/s1600/IMG_4781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFh_WG-ttVVNIi6DZZkUr_NF9zwO1xJrovyZpWmasoLrpFcHuoV5PZEfM1ezM_eK1jaaV48zWSc3DT7QWnUyWzuqv_kd9QMBoJcTypc8GXF6VQs3dNW0PkxX1eM1usKfDoPDZkUKcI6Tl/s640/IMG_4781.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxayAxjPnjya5y59jSueuSYJqB8GGBB3nRuI4uf_J8Pp2F6i9A8gyypdFWN5kjCNUSFFoEUcfBvTO3yyXMMaYeij0RcdfzbpzTRp9ZYoR3pNxtCODG8-xxOx9jPUGRPm2VckTkCWXAF58J/s1600/IMG_4783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxayAxjPnjya5y59jSueuSYJqB8GGBB3nRuI4uf_J8Pp2F6i9A8gyypdFWN5kjCNUSFFoEUcfBvTO3yyXMMaYeij0RcdfzbpzTRp9ZYoR3pNxtCODG8-xxOx9jPUGRPm2VckTkCWXAF58J/s640/IMG_4783.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>This might be the hardest decision I've ever had to make! What do you guys think...?<br /><br />As if all these decisions weren't enough, Brad decides to call up a house painter to get the entire exterior of our house painted...<br /><br /><strong>4. Peace out Pink</strong><br /><br />The days of the pink house were numbered from the start. I know the previous owner loved pink and drenched the house with it inside and out, but we're just not that type of people.<br /><br />So I whipped out my color swatches and began the hunt for the perfect new hue:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfhkB1YB_c15Qhg3aTo8VZ0AKb-tTDVpp2st0_nmtExZXvYxBl4VGS9xmYDy8qE_VGu3uWjyoeCc3oyPQVbQvh81W8elAdQlm8NqKN709mbSZ8cGIGjf66YM67kcMjz4aUhEvEjSi95qY/s800/IMG_4790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfhkB1YB_c15Qhg3aTo8VZ0AKb-tTDVpp2st0_nmtExZXvYxBl4VGS9xmYDy8qE_VGu3uWjyoeCc3oyPQVbQvh81W8elAdQlm8NqKN709mbSZ8cGIGjf66YM67kcMjz4aUhEvEjSi95qY/s640/IMG_4790.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Herbal Escape became the front runner:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKV8LcLVCTRLa1r6Py2rabzaVv3-z7aA4qUx2Qh_XbF8box7z9daK62m0jD7cKG9Z4NGBNM3Re2r8dZ50wCELIlVIm-kYCG4tKwLFvoo96oqZrXJiRlCL2rgnbtHPIsP2lugkjPuO63lj8/s1600/IMG_4801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKV8LcLVCTRLa1r6Py2rabzaVv3-z7aA4qUx2Qh_XbF8box7z9daK62m0jD7cKG9Z4NGBNM3Re2r8dZ50wCELIlVIm-kYCG4tKwLFvoo96oqZrXJiRlCL2rgnbtHPIsP2lugkjPuO63lj8/s640/IMG_4801.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHK5DF32MkVnCUr4edcp12jcO_hCvDImJatlEe4c1Rldb_J1D3L24RUu05axov2P8IAnIFRsrrXmWil5RBjhyphenhyphenrPykWH4rbgvAxjNIAKSNyJ7DixbCK2cTaVkshNDBMiPUg3EVmGeoKkmHL/s1600/IMG_4795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHK5DF32MkVnCUr4edcp12jcO_hCvDImJatlEe4c1Rldb_J1D3L24RUu05axov2P8IAnIFRsrrXmWil5RBjhyphenhyphenrPykWH4rbgvAxjNIAKSNyJ7DixbCK2cTaVkshNDBMiPUg3EVmGeoKkmHL/s640/IMG_4795.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>And here's the progression of before and after, courtesy of Photoshop:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnY3DKfxkqMPtUs4U4dFT7OA6PSHvFhNhsvPGxOr_lhEInJ00zQ9omk4VkXdqxVEAViXnjm3PV6MvcIhz7cJ6suquiGoHssdzrF8IsSNGKZ0-Sv1fFg3pKIygAG01ZmUY3UNNSpfarAy6/s1600/House-Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnY3DKfxkqMPtUs4U4dFT7OA6PSHvFhNhsvPGxOr_lhEInJ00zQ9omk4VkXdqxVEAViXnjm3PV6MvcIhz7cJ6suquiGoHssdzrF8IsSNGKZ0-Sv1fFg3pKIygAG01ZmUY3UNNSpfarAy6/s640/House-Before.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Before</em></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5hJ8adeSmBH5hnjZaO2T88r415wk3toF5eFOdH5pBTARlTHgxZpxExf8E_lKyK-fcKFsLR5IWDrxxRURq_8qKWJ3PWGRY5gV3wviE0-eHi7k29AuCzteSyf65DQgFtxCq0oiXxQBbXhe/s1600/House-Paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5hJ8adeSmBH5hnjZaO2T88r415wk3toF5eFOdH5pBTARlTHgxZpxExf8E_lKyK-fcKFsLR5IWDrxxRURq_8qKWJ3PWGRY5gV3wviE0-eHi7k29AuCzteSyf65DQgFtxCq0oiXxQBbXhe/s640/House-Paint.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>After paint</em></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />But we're still not feeling those red bricks... so after considering staining and painting them, we decided that it would be awesome to replace them with stacked stone:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLa7l06YZotbKhoFe2H7zBjDb_ckePZtq2kRXOlA_LQTSkRiWeghUz9oLYIAWwWOmnXaFIOSxuIpCbRmTs1uxamXivLr-Qa8BI9-x77ffmljUCc9Fs7GONks1xoLqQTbKpAypxd4UnRLh/s1600/House-Stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLa7l06YZotbKhoFe2H7zBjDb_ckePZtq2kRXOlA_LQTSkRiWeghUz9oLYIAWwWOmnXaFIOSxuIpCbRmTs1uxamXivLr-Qa8BI9-x77ffmljUCc9Fs7GONks1xoLqQTbKpAypxd4UnRLh/s640/House-Stone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />L-o-v-e.<br /><br />We'll see how long we can live with the red brick before it drives us insane enough to shell out another small fortune for the stack stone, but soon enough our house will be looking like this!<br /><br />As if all this wasn't enough... Brad decided he was sick of manually watering the lawn, so our yard looks like this right now:<br /><br /><strong>5. Sprinklers</strong><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVRmaQTH1epclxwCt6K1dveUO_u8HnhqvQW374AgEvCgKnuh6CCEzeKM2ft4NJ0NeL_NePDykhk8VMrpbaDfraCNHaOEZVkW1FHPEZFqws_sX5rutgzf6dV44Y8cN9DoWK2llUL2gLvkp/s1600/IMG_4798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVRmaQTH1epclxwCt6K1dveUO_u8HnhqvQW374AgEvCgKnuh6CCEzeKM2ft4NJ0NeL_NePDykhk8VMrpbaDfraCNHaOEZVkW1FHPEZFqws_sX5rutgzf6dV44Y8cN9DoWK2llUL2gLvkp/s640/IMG_4798.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>There's a major flag party going on in our grass for the big sprinkler install on Thursday. This project wasn't my first choice but Brad said it was necessary so there you have it.<br /><br />At least we'll finally get some fresh sod on this poor patch of dirt in the back:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8M5QVEZbat0N1DOXGmy6HrXIbgKkIo6YfMGHBRcCMsspqZ-46H6yJ55spnOGyOuSHpcbBexB8DowDg3JF49B0Z57-sQ6UEo0w9SVWxq8u1O6Ig6MvRYMQuk_aDRoN8jDvT7l_a5bxxsa1/s128/IMG_3664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8M5QVEZbat0N1DOXGmy6HrXIbgKkIo6YfMGHBRcCMsspqZ-46H6yJ55spnOGyOuSHpcbBexB8DowDg3JF49B0Z57-sQ6UEo0w9SVWxq8u1O6Ig6MvRYMQuk_aDRoN8jDvT7l_a5bxxsa1/s640/IMG_3664.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />So... that's what's going down at our house this week. I'm slightly overwhelmed that this is all happening all at once, but I'm excited we're finally making some real progress!<br /><br />Now... which bathroom tile... grey or beige?!

Project Overload

This weekend began with a quick trip to Lowe's and snowballed into a total house overhall. Here is the mess of major projects we got our...

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