The Biggest Project Yet

In order to move forward with our kitchen remodel, we needed to get the mudroom addition started. We debated and debated about whether we were going to dig a basement underneath the addition or not. We loved the idea of the added value the extra square footage would bring...even if only for storage. Our architect, being almost completely unhelpful, got some bids for us but didn't request the companies to come out and see the site. Well, when they did we got hit by a huge estimate because of the small space they would have to work in and the concrete they'd have to remove...over $10,000 just to dig the hole. After that jolt, we decided we didn't need the basement that badly.

The process to get the permit from the city was extremely stressful. We waited for more than two months while the architect submitted, fixed, and resubmitted the plans. So frustrating! Eventually we got the OK at the beginning of December. Not exactly perfect timing when you live in the cold and snowy state of MN. But, God has been on our side throughout the construction process and we have got most of the outside work complete!

The addition of the mudroom will change the flow into and out of the house from the back. We will add a door from the kitchen into the mudroom where the window now exists. We will extend the stairway leading up from the basement and relocate the back door you see in the picture so that it is on the same level as the mudroom. With this change in location for the doors, we will add a great deal of counter space in the kitchen.

Tomorrow Mark will move the existing door...keep your fingers crossed for us. This will be a BIG day!

Oh...and a big shout-out to Mike O'Brien who helped Mark get the plywood on the roof. I sure as heck was not climbing up on that roof! Thank you!!

Enter at Your Own Risk

We knew when we moved into the house that we'd need to replace the front door...it looked like an original from the 50's. But, we weren't prepared to do it in the first few months after we moved in. Then came that fateful day...the day Mark locked himself out and he had to break the front windows to unlock the door and get in. He did put a band aid on the door (see the plywood over the window on the "before" pic) for the time being AND put in a lock box, but replacement was inevitable.

We were counting on the weather man's prediction and decided to stay home from the lake one weekend when the forecast looked good. We managed to get the project done without any rain...and without any major injuries (just a few cuts and scrapes).

There's something weird about opening your house to the outdoors and to all the neighbors. I didn't like the feeling...wanted my door back on right away! I don't know if it was a sense of vulnerability, but whatever it was I didn't like it.

If you look closely at the "during" construction picture, you can see our FABULOUS dining room light fixture...OK, maybe not so fabulous. It is actually one of the ugliest I've ever seen. Oh ya, you can also see our hole in the ceiling where we had to rip apart the house in order to get our couch inside the day after moving. Can't wait until we get to the living room part of this remodel and we get to close it back up.

For those who know me, you can tell that this project is taking every ounce of patience I have (which admittedly wasn't a lot). I think I'm doing pretty well...but you'll have to ask Mark. On second thought, don't ask him...I don't want to know. I'll just live in my little land of make believe for a bit longer (with the front door deadbolt locked tight).

Closet = Office??

Our previous home had a very large office with big and clunky furniture, and while we didn't need that much room we still needed a place to pay bills, file stuff, and for me to work from home every once in awhile. So, I saw this picture in a magazine and decided that we could do something similar in our extra bedroom. It would allow us to still have a room for guests and a mini-office.
Here's the pic that gave me my inspiration...

Here is what the closet looked like before we started.

Mark tore out the closet door, expanded the opening and then he was ready to start finishing things off.

Mark constructed all the shelving by hand, installed some under and over cabinet lighting and even made a handy little rolling cart for our big printer.







I had another wild idea...because our house was so much smaller than the last, we didn't have much room for hanging pictures or setting picture frames anywhere. But, I still wanted a place to showcase some of our favorite trips and photos. So, I decided that Mark should take a stab at creating a shadow box desk top. It turned out great! Every box is a bit different and they can hold momentos and pictures from our trip. Now, each time I work at the desk I can remember our great trips together.

We also wanted to add some more storage options and again I wanted something unique. With travel the theme, we found some old US state postcards and mailboxes. I aged the postcards and decopauged them to the base and then Mark attached the boxes and the tacks. Now we have a place to put our checkbook, bills, envelopes, etc. Pretty handy!






I LOVE the way our unique little office space turned out. Way cooler and more unique than the inspiration piece was. We have enjoyed using this space.

It's Been Awhile...Finished Pics of the Bathroom!

OK, let's take a trip down memory lane and look at where this glorious bathroom remodel started back in April 2011. We had textured wall paper on the walls (brown and gold), psychedelic gold, bronze, and silver wallpaper on the ceiling, blue plastic tiles on the walls, dingy tiles on the floor...and I don't even want to think about the condition of the tub, sink, and toilet. It was a ROYAL mess...plus, it smelled really bad.

Every time I look at this picture I think to myself, "Why, oh why would I buy a house with such a horrible bathroom?" But then, I remember...I have a vision. And oh, am I glad that my vision and Mark's mad skills created this marvelous bathroom! It really couldn't have turned out any better.

Here are the AFTER pictures. I can't even believe it is the same room. We (well, Mark actually) tore the walls and floor down to the studs. The only original thing left in the room is the bathtub.

Mark tiled the floors and walls with ceramic tile we found at Tile Liquidators (a great buy). The little pencil tiles are actually made of a resin material and are very hard to find. Mark had to be VERY careful making his cuts, because we only had one extra left when the project was finished and couldn't get any more! Mark had a great idea to take the tile from the floor and bring it up onto the walls, which I think ties everything together nicely.

Because the bathroom is pretty small, we decided to forgo the big towel bars and are using robe hooks for our towels instead. Seems to be working very well.



Instead of pulling out the tub and replacing it, we decided to have it refinished. It turned out really well. Unfortunately, it is a bit "softer" finish than the original, so we've already created a nick when the curtain fell down one day. We will have to be very careful in the future!






All in all, it was totally worth it. The house was a mess while the construction was going on, but the finished bathroom makes me happy every time I walk in it (except, of course, after Mark's been in it...ha!)

One of my favorite things in the bathroom is the sink. We searched and searched for the "perfect" one. We even bought one that was "OK" but came broken. God's way of telling us that wasn't the one for us. In the end, we found a hammered copper vessel sink that is perfect!

War of the Hostas

Many of you know the crazy travel schedule I've had this summer, then you can guess about how much time I've spent weeding and pruning in my yard. To be honest, this is not my favorite thing to do anyway, so I must admit that I'd let it get too far by choice. A couple of weeks ago, my mom and grandma came to visit...and much to my embarrassment they wanted to venture out into the back yard for a look. They were both born with green thumbs and have beautiful yards and gardens...and mine was a complete and utter disaster (guess the green thumb gene ended with them). Well, they weren't too hard on me (thank you!), but grandma enthusiastically volunteered to help me in my plight to discern weed from flower and we made plans for her to come help me get things under control.

It took us a good day's work pulling weeds, trimming bushes, and digging out plants in 90 degree heat to get things back in shape...By the way, I am hoping that the hardy genes in Grandma are something I HAVE inherited! Once we cleared the weeds (mostly thistle), we found a few things worth saving and many others that needed to be thinned out or removed. Grandma marveled at the wonderful Hosta that were plentiful in my yard. I just rolled my eyes because I don't share her love for this green, boring, ground cover. Evidently, there are many wonderful variations of these "beautiful" plants...but for me there are two. Green and stripey.


After completing our first task of getting things back to a manageable level, Grandma bid me farewell and went to the lake for a few days. But not before getting her hands on the "mystery plant" that had taken root in the middle of my yard. Under her watchful eye, I'm sure it will be blossoming and thriving in no time. Who knows, it may just make it back to my yard someday when it's ready to be divided and shared.




It was a good thing Grandma didn't hang around for the afternoon's main event...the tragic, yet completely necessary Great Hosta Massacre of St Louis Park. She would have cried at the complete and utter disregard for her prized Hostas! Once the digging was complete, I piled my wheelbarrow full and carted those things right up to the front yard, and mercilessly pounded a "Free Hosta" sign in the ground, posted an ad on Craigslist and waited for the pillage to begin. I didn't have to wait long...it was over in a mere 60 minutes. It was kind of fun sitting in the living room and watching folks come to pick them up. We had people come with garbage bags, clothes baskets, and boxes. When they were gone and I went out to take the sign in, I had people driving by and yelling out the car windows, "Do you still have any Hosta?" Guess there are some other raving fans besides Grandma out there.

No finished pictures yet...there is lots of work still to do. We will be putting in landscape fabric over the next week or so and a few of my favorite Perennials in the Spring. For all you Hosta fanatics...yes, there are still a few Hostas left in my yard. I'm not completely heartless :-)!

This Chick is Delighted!

So Close...
Mark has been a busy little beaver this week. I came home from my travels in Denver to an amazing transformation in my bathroom. It's not done yet, but holy crap is it a HUGE difference from what it was a few months ago. On top of getting about 3/4 of the tiling done, the mirror is installed and so is the bathroom light (which both look amazing). Mark built the mirror right into the tile which meant he had to do some serious precision work...he is SO talented! The vision is coming together and our bathroom is going to feel like a fancy schmancy hotel bathroom. I'm loving it! Mark thinks the tiling and grout should be done next week...then it's on to plumbing and non-dungeonlike showers!!

Take a close look at those clothes Mark is wearing. If he gets any more thinset on those shorts, they're not going to bend. He's going to start looking like a Roman statue pretty soon.




Driveway...Check!
One more project checked off our to-do list. Thank God it finally stopped raining long enough for us to get the driveway laid. Good thing, because the escrow expired at the end of June! Here are a few pics to show the destruction. Forgot to take a pic of the finished product. It's just a boring driveway...you'll have to use your imagination. Mark said I can't drive on it for 28 days until it is at 90% strength. Doesn't that seem just entirely too long? I guess no cracks, means no driving. Melissa is going to have to get over it and park in the street!

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

Trudging Along...

Hello, all! Mark has been busy and our visions for bathroom and bedroom on the 1st floor are coming together.

Bathroom:
I was completely ecstatic last week when Mark texted me that the floor was done. I couldn't wait to get on that plane home so that I could get a look. Love, love the color of the tile, the diagonal install, and the variations in each tile. So happy with it that I'm thinking of using it in the kitchen/dining space once we start tackling that project (Lord, help us...well, Lord help Mark especially since he'll be the one tiling every day!)

This week Mark has spent his time getting tile on the walls in the bathroom. Still a bit to go, but he is making lots of progress. We're not sure we love the light color of the wall tile, so we are thinking that we may use dark grout to tie it in with the floor. Still debating that one. Sorry the pics are so bad but we are using a work light to illumate the whole space as there aren't any lights installed yet.

Mark was a bit concerned that our vanity was too big for the space and so we mocked it up. I don't think it looks bad at all. I am in love with the hammered copper vessel sink and the victorian faucet. Exciting to get a glimpse at what it will look like as things start coming together.

Office:
We are starting to pick up some pieces for organization in the office. Mark and I are WAY into maps and have a huge wall map with little red pins in all the places we've been together over the years. So..the theme for the room is travel and maps. We wanted to carry that through in some unique decorations in the room that could also help serve as storage pieces. So...we purchased a few antique mailboxes (you know, the old thick metal ones) and a bunch of old state map postcards from the 1950's. I am going to decopage the postcards to MDF and mount the mailboxes on the piece to serve as storage for mail, bills, checkbooks, etc. Will be an interesting piece of art that serves a purpose. Mark and I get a kick out of putting old things together and creating a new purpose for them. Once I get all the mailboxes sent to me (bought them off e-bay) and assembled, I will send pictures. Keep your fingers crossed that it turns out as cute as I envision.

Random Cool Stuff:
I have already made three rhubarb cakes from the patch out in back of the house. It is the recipe my dad used so many times for the cakes he brought to his co-workers in St James. Brings back lots of memories because I was the one that made those cakes last year when he was sick. We talked about them for a month and he was SO DETERMINED to get those cakes to the plant and also to the priest.

I haven't seen Lily of the Valley since I was a kid. My grandma Barb had them growing along the house and I loved them so much. Surprise, surprise, they showed up along my house this spring. So exciting...again, loving the memories this house brings for me even though I didn't grow up here.

I think we'll see quite a bit more progress next week...more to come soon! Hope you all have a great weekend!