Before and Afters

 In our new home, we have done a few projects that have made it even homier and happier. The kitchen had this terrible faucet that barely cleared the edge of the sink basin with tight hot/cold handles making getting even a little water a pain. Now, we have a lovely faucet with a pull out sprayer and rubbed bronze finish to compliment the wood work and window. It wasn't easy. Our pal Davy thought it would be a snap, and offered his help but then discovered a mess under the sink of poor previous work and an imminent leak. Cue the landlord and handyman to fix the mess underneath, avoid the leak and install the new faucet. We did have a nice lunch with Davy and Jen that day though!

 Milo's room has a nice big window that faces the side yard. Now he has blue drapes that keep his room even cooler and dark at night.

 His room now has a charming rug that will keep his toes warn in a few months and cut down on the noise now.

 Lyman's office has really come together with a fun rug, desk, shelves and lots of room to play.

 I really loved the light that filled our home, but then it got HOT!  I was panicking about the power bill from the AC, but all is well now with these light filtering drapes in the dining room...

 these blackout drapes in the living room which we pull shut whenever we're not home or in that room...

 and these blackout drapes in our bedroom which we also leave closed most of the time as this room gets a ton of sun. My mom was a huge help in hemming- BY HAND- the drapes in the dining and master bedroom. She's incredible. Also, my Dad helped support the curtain rod with a bracket in the dining room, and he whether sealed the front door!  I think we'll save a lot of money and greenhouse gases this way.

 The backyard is all together now with the dirt being covered by a swatch of synthetic turf, wood chips and several shrubs and plants that will hopefully mature and fill quite a bit of space.

 The best addition to the yard is the grill you can kind of see in the picture. Lyman assembled it all by himself with a little help from Dad holding things still or my smaller hands fitting in screws. We love having a grill and try to cook most things outside when we can. Lyman can make a whole meal- meat, veg to grilled fruit that is so yummy! What a treat this home is for us after so long in our condo!