Happy Fall

In the words of Yogi Berra - It's like Deja vu all over again.

Our house sale and move didn't go as planned (that may be an understatement....). In fact, it didn't happen at all. It's a long story that I won't get into here, but we are in the process of moving everything back into the house we just moved it out of. We have taken the house off of the market and are going to stay here for a while.

So we're in the process of unpacking and putting everything back - like I told Jim, it's really easy to unpack because we already know where everything goes. We don't have to spend time debating the best spot for the coffee cups or the light bulbs -- we know where they go. We will be here to enjoy the holidays with family and friends and then decide on our next step. It was not a decision that came easily, but we are at peace with it. I must admit that I wasn't really convinced it was the right thing to do until the first trip to the storage unit to bring back a load of stuff. We stopped to get some breakfast and when I got out of the car there was a penny on the ground. I knew then was right where I was supposed to be.

September was a long month for us. We're a little older, a little wiser, and a lot more tired!! But we've gone through worse things and choose to dwell on the good not the bad. It's a beautiful sunny fall day here and I am going to enjoy it. Maybe even do some shopping. You know, just to do my part and pump some money back into the economy.

Happy Fall Y'all!!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Still Strolling

One more time.

Here is what the back deck looked like.  It was always really hot on the deck, there was never really a nice breeze, and the neighbors were always a little too 'chattty' when we were on the deck.

 So we renovated  We moved the stairs, made the deck much smaller, and used the space that used to be under the deck as our patio.  We left the stone that was there and thought that eventually we would change that - but we haven't.  It's actually good-draining, cool and cost effective.

We eventually bought a 12' square screenhouse and new furniture and we use it quite a bit.  We used to use it more, but one of the dogs ran through the screen, so it gets a little buggy in there.....

Another Stroll

The living room was very, very plain.  No crown molding, no decoration - just a boxy, plain room

 

So we renovated......

We added a fireplace and cabinet/bookshelves, crown molding and panelwork.

It looks like an entirely different room - in a VERY good way.

The main bathroom - before

and after

The master bath before

and after

Strolling Down Memory Lane

Before I start posting pictures of the next house and you begin to wonder what were we thinking  if we've lost our minds, I thought I'd share some of the before and after pictures of the renovations we've done in this house.  I know some of you haven't seen these - enjoy!!

This is what the kitchen looked like when we bought the house six years ago. 

 It had cabinets over the sink, so if one of us was in the kitchen and one was in the dining room, we couldn't see each other.

 The refrigerator was small - and the oven was so small that you couldn't fit a cookie sheet in it.  We weren't planning to renovate right away but we were having a house full of people for Thanksgiving so how were we supposed to cook a turkey if we couldn't even bake cookies???

 The broom closet was a waste of taking up four feet - and looked a little out of place.

So we renovated. We removed the over the sink cabinets, Jim made all new cabinets, we added tile backsplash and floor, stone counters, new appliances, and turned the broom closet into a pantry closet.

The transformation is amazing.