"Before" photos

Along with the ongoing project of the basement stairs, we've been working on a couple of projects this weekend so I thought we would share some "before" photos.

Not surprisingly, the kitchen cabinets are not the highest quality. Shortly after moving in, we noticed one set of uppers was falling apart. We decided to take them down and hang open shelving. Imagine our surprise that upon taking them down (with Uncle Matt's help) the previous owners had not painted the wall prior to haning the obviously new cabinets. It appears that the stove and vent were once in that spot and that wall has been patched. Although we found no less than 30 cans of paint in the basement, none of them matched the paint in the kitchen. So, we've had to figure out what to do in order to make that wall presentable. We are going to paint this square of the kitchen wall (a temporary fix until we are ready to repaint the whole room) and hang 3 shelves.I suppose the up-side to having an extra set of kitchen cabinets in our basement is that we can experiment with those to see what we can do with the cabinets. We both prefer the look of painted cabinets so we will be able to test out products and processes until we figure out what will work for these cabinets.

Recently we found this large, square end table on the street. We know it isn't pretty (yet!) but is super-sturdy and a really nice size. All in all, it is a pretty fab dumpster diving find! We are converting it into a TV stand by removing the drawer to add a shelf for the components. Brian has already rolled/brushed on 2 coats of paint and it should be finished by the weekend.

Stay tuned for the "after" photos...

Hot fun in the summertime

Last week, Aunt Kathy was in town for a visit and did not have a car so on Thursday we took her to Columbus and went to the zoo for the day. Afterward we met up with Uncle Danny. It was hot but fun.

Yesterday/Saturday we decided to celebrate Georgia's first day of elementary school by going to Young's Dairy, one of our favorite haunts when we lived in Dayton. We had not been there since we moved in January. It was as enjoyable as we remembered. Take a look at this slideshow for some moments from the afternoon.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/9773107@N06/sets/72157621934230737/

Sunday in the Spraypark with Georgia

We to a break from home improvements to go to the spraypark.

So so so SO hot!

But G had a great time so it was worth it.

Home Improvements

We've had a busy day of home improvements! We finally got rid of the caramel-colored paint (also known as "baby poop brown") in the dining room and replaced it with a pale blue.

Here are some highlights:

Brian: "I love to work! Painting rules!"

That is a direct quote. Almost.

A few "before" snapshots of the dining room...

Georgia kept herself busy with some arts and crafts.

Georgia was very excited to help paint the walls. She actually did a really good job.
(All the while wearing the skimpiest "dress" in her closet! That one has definitely moved from the "dress" to "shirt" category!)

Voila! Here is our new and most definitely improved dining room/office. There is still some work to do (new handles for the cabinet doors, adding shelving to the open space in the built-ins, hanging artwork and draperies/curtains, choosing a rug, and installing a new light fixture) but it already feels fresher.

No big updates in the living room, although I did touch up the fireplace with the same paint that is on the walls. I had to cover that faux finish! We do not do faux!

The little blue cabinet in the fireplace is the one I snagged from a guy at the Goodwill. He debated and walked away, violating Goodwill Rule #1: You snooze...you lose!!

The cabinet will likely get a coat of paint down the road and may just end up in another spot within the house.

In the kitchen, we added a chalkboard wall to an awkward space with little use. Eventually we hope to frame it out with some simple mitered planks of wood. We cannot write/draw on this board until Tuesday, which will be a real challenge for Georgia! Patience is not a virtue that she possesses. (I wonder where she gets that??)

Up next: we have some less-than-exciting work on the basement staircase. Last weekend, Brian pried up 2 layers of old, ill-fitting vinyl tiles to find a nailed-down layer of thick board. He is looking forward to using his new toy, a crowbar, to try to rid the stairs of that board so we can see what we have to work with.

We also found a great sturdy square side table that we plan to convert to a television stand. Brian is going to freshen it up with some paint and replace the drawer with a shelf that will hold the cable box and DVD player.

Red 4, Cubs 0

Not a good night for the Cubbies but Georgia had a great time with her family at the game.

Here is a photo slideshow of Georgia's view of the game.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9773107@N06/sets/72157621834363593/show/

Congratulations to Karen and Tony!!

***This post is overdue but I'd hoped to add photos and I cannot seem to locate the USB cord for the camera. ***

Two weekends ago we traveled to a cottage at the Oglebay Resort in WV to attend and celebrate the wedding of Tante and Tony. It was a wonderful event. Georgia served as the flower girl and seemed to take her role quite seriously. The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing. Brian played a round of golf and took Georgia to both the outdoor and indoor pools.

On the way home when asked what her favorite part of the weekend was, Georgia answered, quickly and without hesitation, "The wedding."

We are glad that our lives have settled down so that we were able to be a part of this important event. Thanks to Karen and Tony for graciously welcoming us to spend part of their special week with them.

In the house!

We closed on the house today! Everything went very smoothly and we were done within 45 minutes. After closing, Brian and I went over to the house to take a look and decide what projects we should focus on. We cleaned a bit - a not so fun but ongoing "project" - then came back to my parents' house get G so she could come over and check it out. On the way, we stopped to buy paint for G's room - very pink! - and the dining + living rooms - a creamy tan that should lighten up the room and make it a little fresher than the current butterscotch walls do.

We managed to put the first coat of paint on G's walls. It looks cute. I am looking forward to seeing it in the daylight tomorrow. Tante/Karen is coming over to help us paint, clean, etc. on Thursday, so that should be fun. Brian and I managed to get all of the living room and most of the dining room taped off so we can get busy with the rollers as soon as possible!

We will take some photos and post those soon!

Company Picnic

Last weekend we went to Brian's company picnic at King's Island. We'd gone in 2007 and Georgia had little interest in most of the rides. This year was different. She loved it! Her favorite was the Scrambler, which we rode 4 times! Here are a few photos that we took before the camera batteries gave out.

Sprayground

We went to the sprayground earlier this week - Monday (with Brian) and Wednesday. Tons of fun!

Hissing Cockroaches and Butterflies

Today we went to a bookstore for a presentation featuring live bugs - hissing cockroaches from Madagascar. Lovely. Georgia enjoyed it, as she loved any kind of animal. Later, we went to the conservatory's annual butterfly exhibit. This year they are featuring butterflies from India. Brian and Georgia both took many photos. Enjoy the slideshow!



http://www.flickr.com/photos/9773107@N06/sets/72157618597823733/show/with/3557885212/

House Inspection: Complete

All in all, our home inspection went well. No signs of radon or termites. Any issues found are manageable. We do hope the sellers will be willing to remove what the inspector determined to be an unsafe roof over the patio - we don't want it so we were happy to hear that he felt it should probably be removed. We are excited to get in and start making it our house.

Exciting News!!

We are officially "in contract" to buy this house! We are so excited! The inspection takes place on Friday; we have our fingers crossed that the inspector will not find any huge problems or deal-breaking issues.

We are so pleased to have found a home that will work for us in a neighborhood with excellent schools (Mariemont) for such a great price! Check it out here!
http://www.sibcy.com/viewlisting.asp?mls=1173887&b=CIN&p=RESI&s=SFRD&m=1&sender=SearchResults&a=6110-Elder-St-Fairfax-OH-45227

The home has are 3 bedrooms - 2 upstairs for all of us and 1 on the first floor that we will use as the craft room/office. We have a lot of ideas about what we'd like to do. The interior is, for the most part, fine and livable. The decorative fireplace surround in the living room needs a facelift and the bathroom may be bumped out down the road. It is the backyard that needs more TLC. The size is manageable with some good grass. But the patio roof/cover was not constructed very well so we are tossing around ideas about how to make that work better for us and suit our taste.

We look forward to getting into the house (sometime in June) and getting back to our normal routines again. And having people over to our new home! We've been so fortunate to have so many wonderful people supporting and helping us, especially for the last few months. Without that help, we could not have made this important and exciting leap.

Happy Graduation!

Georgia graduated from preschool earlier this week. Brian was not able to attend since he is back to work but Georgia was excited that Aunt Kathy was able to come. Georgia really enjoyed her time at Hobbits Preschool and we are all looking forward to new adventures in kindergarten!

Good News

Most already know this but Brian starts a job a week from Monday. He is returning Cengage, the company he worked for when we moved to Cincinnati in 2004 (then called Thompson Learning). He is nervous but excited to get back to work after this mini-break, and is glad that he at least knows some people and something about Cengage His new title is Digital Services Project Manager.

We are still working out our timetable to move but we hope to buy a house. It is challenging but exciting, as well. We appreciate all of your good wishes and support over these last 4 months. It was definitely challenging but we always knew we would get through it.

Milkshake: GO WILD!!!

Just before Georgia's birthday, we took her to see her favorite band in concert, Milkshake. Brian did some work for them so we were able to attend the event for free. It was great fun. Here is some video of Brian and Georgia enjoying the music. Rock on!!

Georgia is 5!! (Part 3: The Final Chapter)

On Sunday we went to Delaware to celebrate Georgia's birthday with Grandad, Nana, and Uncle Matt. After lunch we headed to the Delaware Lanes for some bowling. It was a really fun day. Unfortunately, Nana was called into work but she did get to enjoy some bowling. Uncle Matt treated us to several flavors of Jeni's Ice Cream. Yum!







Even though there weren't any photos of Grandad, he was there, too!

Georgia is 5!! (Part 2)

Yesterday Georgia turned 5 years old! Her day of partying started with a special pancake breakfast, followed by preschool where she passed out her special birthday snack (cookies) while wearing her birthday crown. After school, she stayed for Lunch Bunch. When we picked her up, we took her to lunch (for us) and she opened 2 of her gifts - an animal hospital and a rabbit hutch, both by Playmobil. Later at home, she played with her new toys. Some neighborhood girls came around looking for her so she played outside with them for awhile. Kathy's friend Bobby joined us for dinner and the party. Kathy had gotten some games and a pinata, which was a HIT - pun completely intended!

Georgia had a fabulous day! We are so fortunate to have so many thoughtful and generous people in our lives. You can click below to see a slideshow of the party. Thanks to Aunt Kathy for sharing her photos!


If the above doesn't work, try this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9773107@N06/sets/72157615682161660/show/

Georgia's week of celebrating continues on Sunday when we head to
C-bus for an afternoon of bowling madness with Grandad, Supernana and Uncle Matt!

Georgia is 5!! (Part 1)

We started our week of birthday celebrations last Saturday with a party at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Tante & Tony, Truman & Patty (Tony's parents), and (Great) Aunt Donna and (Great) Uncle Phil celebrated with us. We all had a wonderful time. Georgia loved her cake - made by Grandma - with 2 princesses on top. She loved spending time with her family and received some thoughtful gifts that she will enjoy for a long time, I think. Here are a few photos, courtesy of Patty via Karen. Thanks for sharing, ladies! And thank you to all who attended. I think Georgia felt very special.





On Sunday we went to see Milkshake, Georgia's favorite band. Brian drew a poster for them so we met the band and got some "swag" from Lisa, the singer. It was a really fun experience for all of us.

Toothless Tessie!

Blog on Hold

We are having trouble figuring out how to load photos from the camera onto Kathy's computer, so the blog will be on hold for awhile.