Making the time...

This past week Brian and I decided to break up the work grind with a dose of nature and a hike.  There is a mountain with a beautiful trail very close to our house. So, off we went...

This is the bridge that greets you at the beginning. 

It really is a very scenic trail.

Now, I didn't get any pictures of all the rocks we tripped over or the trees that I had to hang on to to keep from sliding down the side of the mountain when I was gasping for air trying to keep up with Brian.  Apparently, we chose the shorter but steeper trail and the switchbacks were a killer.  It was a challenge but in the end it was totally worth it.

Look at the view!

You can see Atlanta from the top and a nearby lake.

It was so peaceful & quiet with perfect weather.  We really enjoyed it because rarely do things go this right for us when we try to do something outdoors.

We sat on this bench a good while and talked about everything & nothing.

Sweaty, happy people.

We left our mark..

God is good.

We slept well that night.  I hope you take time to enjoy something simple this week.

Backyard Baby Steps

I've moaned and groaned about my backyard and it's craptastic state for a long time now. I got tired of listening to myself and took two little baby steps in making it somewhere that I would like to spend time.

I have to start by telling you that my mom and I SKIN the plant clearance racks at Lowe's on a regular basis. They always have great plants that just need to be watered (most of the time) for like $1.00 to $1.25 and the same plants were going for $7-$10 a week ago. So with that in mind, I decided it was time to beautify the backyard.

So I took these..

And some of this:

 And we turned this dirt patch (with a lovely stump) ...

 

Into this..

I can see this flower bed from my kitchen window and it makes me happy...worth every minute I had manure compost on me (note to self, next time don't wear flip flops).

 The pinkish-red bell flowers attract hummingbirds & butterflies.  I also have Veronica Lavender and Autumn Joy Sedum in this bed.

And the stump is being very helpful in keeping my lovely pot upright.

And look who is still around!! Here is one of the little black kittens from earlier this summer.  Unfortunately, only 2 of the 5 are still here - we named them Kevin & Pickles.  I don't know what happened to the others.  They're scaredy cats and it has taken weeks & weeks for them to trust us.  They eat by the back door instead of the very back of the yard and I can pet them now. I'm taking them to the vet next week..we're just winging it from there.  I'd love to rehome them but 2 skiddish kittens are a hard sell.  Although, Kevin is turning into a love bug..so I think they will be wonderful little kitties once I can really get my hands on them. 

Ok, moving on...here's the second bed...

I already had some of these plants here but it needed to be cleaned up.  A little bit of hump-busting work on a Saturday and we're done!  It looks a little weinee-ish now but these plants will fill out and be gorgeous next year. 

 I'm going to have some fun in the back with color.

And check out these great pallets!!  I am thinking we'll work these into some kind of outdoor furniture around the fire pit (that doesn't exist yet, but we're working on it).

And one little nod to the garden that we've enjoyed all summer...

They were delicious!

 Thai Basil - yummm! We made flavored oil, added it to salads and gave quite a bit away, too.  The flavor is amazing and it smells just as good!

 

So bye to summer fun...until next year...

(Two posts in 2 days...are you amazed?)

Smell ya later,

Furniture-O-Rama

I'm going to be cramming a lot into this post, so get ready for some picture overload.  By the way, hi! It's me...Jennifer.  Remember?  If you don't, non taken... 

One of the up sides of not blogging for a while is your project pipeline backs WAY up!  I have a nice backlog of posts now. One of my goals was to clear out the garage and  I managed to put a nice dent in our storehouse of furniture.  And let me just say,  Brian is so happy!  It looks like he may actually get to park in the garage this winter...dreams DO come true!

First up is this cute little vanity/desk that I keep in my closet for storage.

Before:

 

The wood on this desk was extremely orange. It doesn't show bad in this picture but I never liked the stain.  I was already in the process when I remembered to get a picture.

After:

This is a couple of layers of paint.  First coat was too light blue, second coat was too green, so I mixed the two, added a little black and got what I wanted.

You can see the layers of color in this pic.  I actually kept the original knobs; that was a new one for me.

Ahhh...solid wood top (without the orange tint).

So, here it is in my closet, along with my tub-o-purses and pile of clothes that need to be Dryel'd. I have an older home with skinny closets...gotta be creative with storage.

Another project that I scratched off my list was this chest..

Before:

Cute little Goodwill find.  Love the casters but the stickers across the top?..not so much

After:

This went home with my sister.  She is as bad a furniture collector as I am..in fact, me, my mom & sister (and it looks like my nieces now, too) are constantly changing furniture out & moving it around.

I painted it a light gray & white and changed out the knobs. 

Another was this simple but very cute dresser..

I don't have a before picture.  I hate it when I forget to take the pictures!  It's already delivered and full of stuff, I'm sure.

And one more thing..

I've been working on our den for a while now.  We've been doing things here and there, a little at a time. Well, I finally refinished my built-in desktop.  I decided to decoupage it in old book pages and I couldn't be happier with it.  My only regret is waiting so long to do it.  We're adding the crown molding in the next couple of days and I'm finally going to show the whole thing finished.  It's amazing what beadboard, old books, paint & some glue can do!!

I'm linking to: All Things Furniture at Perfectly Imperfect,  TDC's Before & After Party


For a while I have wondered how to sign off on these posts.  In an effort to be faithful to my true self, I'm going to tell you like I tell my friends and family all the time...

Smell ya later,

Hallway & Some Befores

For pete's sake!  It's been a MONTH since I've been on here!  I feel like the page creaked when it loaded just now.  When I have to choose between family, work, my sanity or blogging...blogging gets kicked to the curb.

While my job can be demanding at times, I work with some pretty awesome people.  In fact, my hilarious friend & coworker, Leslie, sent me this card.  I got it in the mail today and LAUGHED my head off....

 The inside reads, "A bad day is all about perspective."

Classic.  She's the best & I don't know what I would do without her!

So let me show you the hallway.  We finished it a few weeks ago and I'm pretty happy with the new look.

Before:

I had already taken down pictures and started patching the walls.

After:

Ta-da!!!  Yes, it's a white hallway.  Seriously, though this was A LOT of work.  Brian installed all new trim, added crown molding and then I caulked & painted everything.  The devil is in the details and he whipped me on this one, but it was totally worth it!  

 Here it is at night with the light dimmed.....looooove it! 

 

Here's a view from the back of the hall. I have some blank frames hanging while I work out which pictures go where.  This will also motivate me to get enlargements finally made of vacation pictures.  I'm the worst about getting that kind of stuff done.

What I really like is that I can easily add more pictures and go bananas with frames from ceiling to floor, and it will totally work with my look here.

 Other side.

We used the slip-on corner pieces and I love how easy they are to install (or I should say Brian loved how easy they were to install.)

I flipped the attic cover and found this grooved wood.   Love it!

And yet, another angle.  It feels more open and brighter now. 

Before I run, let me show you really quick what I have going on for the next few days (and next couple of years)...

 I have this chest painted and will be putting the finishing touches on it sometime this weekend.  This one is going up for sale.

 I'm sanding the top of this coffee table and will stain it, then paint the legs. It's a nice solid piece.   

This is what's going to take a few years...my backyard rehab...

We had 2 Bradford Pear trees removed last week.  It's always hard for me to pull the trigger on trees but it had to be done.  (Bradford Pears are brittle and will split in half and make a mess.)  We have a lot of work to do but this was a good start.  Now that we're getting some good sun back here, we're going to relocate and expand our garden for next year.   

And I'm working on this..

  When the guys cut the trees down, they trashed my trumpet vine.  Not a big deal - it needed to be pruned anyway.  A little TLC and some paint and this will be ready to enjoy when the weather cools down some. 

Mom says that as long as you own a home you will never be finished.  And you know what? She's right!  Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you soon!

I'm linking to The Before & After Party at TDC,  Anything Goes at Type A.

Hugs-