Let us Entertain you!

We have finally received a table! Yes, folks, since we've moved in, Joe and I have been slumming it in front of the TV on TV trays or our laps for our meals. Thanks so very much for the early Christmas gift from Joe's parents, Mark and Sharon. Their generosity has finally given us a place to have meals like civilized people. For the record, the table was supposed to be acquired when we first moved in. I decided that a new bathroom and a cool basement were more important to me. Even though I chose those things over the table, I have been complaining about not having one every day. That day arrived on Friday night :). As I was recovering from a bout of the flu, I helped Joe carry in all the pieces and he helped me put the table together. You read that right, folks, Joey helped! I seem to think it was mostly because I was still feeling quite ill, but I'll take any help I can get. All kidding aside, he was a great help and I was glad to have it. Tables come in about 1,000 pieces for those of you who don't know. To my surprise, even though I really should stop being surprised, we had to put the chairs together. Silly me thinking a thing like a table would come assembled. With some trial and error, we were able to get the table together and in place. I have to say I am tickled pink with the new table. It's a beautiful sight to see coming down the stairs every morning. Since it has joined us 3 days ago, I have had my coffee at it, dinners have been shared, and some planning for school has happened. With that said, come on over, friends, and share a meal with us, but please only a few at a time since we have limited space :).

Feeling nostalgic :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

  It seems like months since my last post, oh because it has been. Well, friends, we're back. I've missed blogging dearly, and as my lovely husband pointed out I don't need to just blog about renovations to the house. Speaking of, things are at a bit of a standstill right now. School began, the holidays snuck up on us, and the budget ran out. So, while we are replenishing the budget for summer work, and preparing for the holidays, you'll have to deal with boring posts about our lives :).
  Christmas seemed like a great time to start blogging again. I mean, who doesn't love Christmas?? As we do almost every year, my mom and I trekked out the day after Thanksgiving to acquire our trees. Thanks to the very lovely selection at Gaver Tree Farm, we have made that our go to place. Joining us this year was my brother, Danny. We have been known to hack down our own tree, but this year we decided to go with a pre-cut tree. I mean why waste the energy if someone is going to do it for you? As usual, Gaver's did not disappoint. Two very nice Douglas Firs were chosen and loaded up and brought home.
  In this tiny 942sqft space a 6ft plus tree might seem to overwhelm the space, but when it comes to Christmas trees I say the bigger the better. Surprisingly, the tree looks very at home in front of the picture window we have upstairs. Joe and I spent the Sunday after Thanksgiving decorating the tree, along with some help from the pups. A new addition this year and one that will be every year is the awesome stockings Joe's mom made for us. As you are all aware, Joe is a huge Muppet fan. I have to say he has sucked me in to his obsession and I am starting to love them, too. Who seriously doesn't have a special place in their heart for Kermit The Frog?

  Well I hope you weren't too bored with this post. Enjoy the pics!

New Project

Since we have been expecting the kitchen to be the next project, I was surprised to find myself planning for our bedroom. Since it's all I think about house-wise, this will be our next adventure. Not only will the bedroom be budget friendly, but it will be nice to have the room that is meant for relaxation feel relaxing.

There will not be much renovation in the bedroom, but I think the small details will have a big impact. Right now the walls are a neutral tan and our bedspread is gray with yellow. These two color schemes don't really mesh. To add to the mismatch we have an old nightstand, a bed without a headboard, brown cloth-like blinds and a new tv and stand. Everything in the room is just thrown together and it shows. I would like to bring harmony to the room by adding a design that flows throughout the room.

In order to make this happen, we will be painting the walls gray, freshening up the ceiling, adding newer, brighter blinds, and some artistic details behind the bed. I don't like big over-sized beds or headboards, so we will be framing out a space behind the bed to give the look of a headboard. To draw in the design on the bed spread, we will either paint or look for wallpaper to fill the frame. We'll be putting in a night stand for each side of the bed as well. To maximize room, we are opting for floating nightstands which gives more floor space. This really helps to open up a small space.

Another aspect that makes the room lack harmony is a portable dog kennel. We love our pets to death, but the kennel has got to go. Meaning Poe is going to have to learn to sleep on a dog bed. He sleeps in the kennel because he likes to snuggle with us at night. I am not a fan of this at all. So, like new parents weaning their baby to sleep through the night, we will be weaning Poe to sleep on a dog bed. We'll check back later and let you know how it goes :).

Below are some before pics. I am hoping to get the ball rolling on this project over the next few weeks. Since it's mostly painting it should be done in a weekend or two. Any suggestions are welcomed :).

View as you enter the room. Notice the blinds. Not terrible, but they just don't go.

Dog kennel on the left will be leaving. The nightstand will be leaving as well, and floating
nightstands put in their place.

New TV and stand. I found a writing desk and turned it into our entertainment stand.
 It gave us the height we needed to enjoy TV from the bed.
The cords will also be dealt with as we make changes :).

If you can't stand the heat...

So, it's been quite some time since our last post. Summer is over and school is in session, and our free time is gone. It's working 7 a.m.-7 p.m., squeezing in dinner, and trying to spend some time together before we collapse into bed each night, that takes up our time right now. Even with our busy schedules back, we have had some time to make some small changes. We were able to hook up the microwave and get the kitchen back in working order.

We are so pleased with the microwave above the stove. I never thought it would be so awesome, but it truly is. It gave us so much more counter top space, that we decided to keep one section of counter and cabinet we were thinking of taking out. As far as the rest of the kitchen goes, we are still researching cabinet restorations and flooring. I'm pretty set with the floor, now it's just a matter of finding the time to lay it. Hopefully, as the school year continues and I get settled, we will have that floor laid in no time!

Here's some pics of the microwave and the lovely new appliances. Hopefully, we'll be back soon!!!

The beautiful microwave and oven :)

Appliances are in, now we need to make the rest of the kitchen as pretty!

It's good to know people

A few weeks ago we received a phone call from Joe's mom, Sharon, informing us that there was this too-good-to-pass-up deal on appliances. Thanks to Joe's aunt, Cindy, who works for Lowe's in PA, and her quick thinking, we snagged a dishwasher, fridge, range, and microwave hood combo all for $500! I won't go in to all the details of how we acquired them, but it was our gain for sure! 

The old appliances- a bit dated.

The new appliances- so pretty :)

We had to wait a few weeks for them to be transported down here to MD, but in the end I think it was worth it. They look pretty nice in that small space we call a kitchen. While we were up there I also snagged this really great vintage radio.  It needs some restoration, but it really is a great piece.

Like I said, it needs some work, but I love it!

With the help of Joe's dad, Mark, who seems to be turning into our own private plumber/electrician. Joe (mostly Mark) was able to get the oven and dishwasher hooked up. We promise, Mark, there will come a day when you have shown us it all and we won't need to call you in desperate need of help :). I was not here for all the fun, I was living it up in Rehoboth, DE, with a dear friend. What I missed I was told in much detail by my exhausted husband. Replacing cords for the range and fridge were on the list. Hooking a up a dishwasher that took 2 days because the pipes just wouldn't align. 


Most of the appliances are in their place, the microwave/hood combo still needs to be hung. The fridge won't cool off so I am on a mission to get that fixed. Our fingers are crossed that it's fixable because we've been without a fridge for a week now. Also, it really is pretty. So, here's to the slow start of the kitchen makeover. 

It's time to play the music!

The walls are painted, the hole is patched and the details are in place. So we can dub the basement as finished! I know that Joe is really excited about this room being complete. Those of you who read this blog probably know that saying Joe is a big Muppets fan is an understatement. Joe's "Man Cave" is not donned in sports memorabilia or animal heads, or a bar even; Joe's "Man Cave" is Muppet themed. Honestly, I am happy about it :). I love my sports teams and I love beer, but having them all over our walls was not something I was down with. When Joe asked about the Muppet theme, I was on board from go! Not only have I started to love them, but the theme itself was much more appealing to me. With the help of Joe's very talented mama, Sharon, who we enlisted to create the great Statler and Waldorf painting, we finished the basement. So kudos to those of you who guessed the theme from previous posts! Enjoy, and please feel free to stop on by and check it out! Oh, but please call first :)

Waldorf and Statler heckling us from the balcony

The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan movie posters

Another view of Waldorf and Statler and the new Kermit trio

The new Kermit trio- all recycled calendar prints- my favorite part of the basement :)

Muppet memorabilia: The Whatnot-Joe Muppetfied 

Ding dong the hole is gone!

The horrible, dreadful, bothersome hole is finally gone. It only took 24 hours to cover, and I am in love with the results! This was one of the easiest projects we have done so far. The first thing we had to do was prep the hole. I cut around the perimeter of the drywall to expose the studs so we would have something to drill into. After that, it was a cakewalk. We ventured to Lowe's for a giant piece of drywall, brought it home, measured and cut it and that was that.

Before-How it looked when we bought the house

After the new drywall was cut to size, we used a drill to secure it in place. Then we added joint tape around the edges to seal them, applied a little putty and waited for it to dry so we could sand and paint. The hardest part was waiting for it to dry because I am impatient and want things done immediately. We let the putty dry overnight, and I sanded it this morning and painted. I am so pleased with the results. Now the basement looks like a place to relax instead of a work-in-progress. If anyone needs any holes patched, I am your girl!

Before-Waiting to be patched-a true eyesore

Prepped and ready to be covered

Already looking better

Patching things up

Waiting to be sanded and painted!

The hole is gone, gone, gone!!

After-room put back together- no more eyesore behind the TV :)