What can a little paint do?

When we had our original home inspection before closing on our house last year, the inspector told us that we'd want to paint the solid wood garage door before winter (last winter) since the paint was chipping and we didn't want the door to rot.

Well...we didn't get to it last Fall. With weekends filling up with birth classes and baby showers, the clock was winding down to colder weather (not to mention the arrival of a baby) so Chris and Craig, his dad, tackled the job last Thursday.

Chris and I had picked up paint chips on Monday but hadn't gotten around to picking the color to match the house trim before I had to leave for work on Thursday morning. My control freak personality was having a hard time not having input on the color choice...but I let it go. And Chris picked the perfect match - Dutch Boy's Antique White. How fitting, Dutch paint for a couple of Hollanders.

The "before"...

Craig cutting in the panels...

Half done...the new color is quite a bit creamier.

Can't forget the trim...which Chris can paint easily from a 4 ft. ladder...it helps to be tall!

Looks like a brand-spanking new door! All for about $35. Nice on the budget and necessary!

A Nice Breeze and My New Favorite Place

The front porch. It's my new favorite room. Over Memorial Day weekend, Chris and Jack took on the task of putting in all fourteen screens and taking out the fourteen windows. Easy job? You might think so. But you'd be wrong.

 

When we closed on the house, the previous owner's son warned us to follow the numbers on the windows since they were not all the exact same size. But what he didn't say (or may not have realized) was that the numbers were painted over when the screens were last repainted, making it a really big...um, puzzle. 

Trying to find the perfect fit...

Three down, only eleven to go. Only eleven. 

Carolyn helping push out the glass windows to Chris. 

Eleven down, three to go. 

And, the screens are all in. Just before the rain started. 

Jack with his magic paint pen...re-numbering all the windows and screens to make sure the "puzzle" isn't quite as tricky at the end of the season. Smart, smart man.

We provided moral support and lunch, served on the now breezy porch.

I love the porch. Since the screens went in, I have spent hours reading mystery novels on the loveseat in the summer breeze. Now you know where to find me this summer. The front porch.

Improving Curb Appeal: One Plant at a Time

Good 'ole Home Depot...I'm sure they love us. Seeing as we've dropped a few coins there in the past few weeks on landscaping materials like flowers and bushes and pruners and a/c units and potting soil and....the list goes on. But words don't really do justice to the changes around our abode...that's why we take pictures. 

Chris planted Salvia (purple) and Tickseed (yellow) in the front yard. However, he realized he bought medium height Salvia and tall height Tickseed...so he had to do some re-planting since he had planted them backwards. Live and learn and then dig up some plants. 

 The Salvia is still taller than the Tickseed but it will grow to be about 12-24" taller than the Salvia, eventually. 

Chris planted a Barberry bush in front of the mailbox.

Then he had to move the pavers forward a few feet and re-purposed a few from the backyard patio area so the path would reach the driveway. 

Chris planted Creeping Thyme in between the paver stones. 

Watering his handiwork, making sure it packs down to stabilize. 

The man does nice work. To the far right of the front of the porch (under the Evergreen tree), Chris transplanted Hostas from the backyard to fill out the front "bed".