Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Happy Anniversary!
















Ahhh yes, spending our one year anniversary sitting on the countertop spreading thin set is just how I imagined we would spend our first wedding anniversary. What happened to PAPER?















Here is the full view of -clearly- the island backsplash. We are going to use this same travertine for the kitchen backsplash, behind the stove and the fireplace. If anyone (ah hem...Uncle Dave...) has any idea of what type/color/etc. accent pieces would accentuate this natural stone, we would love to hear some opinions...we seem to be stuck on this.

Luckily, we are headed North this weekend to spend some time with the Schenck family and no more tile will get done until we get back.

The beginning of the end
















Tile work is really the big chunk of work that still needs done- inside at least. I must say, what I might lack in skill for painting and cutting T-molding I make up for in tile work. Not bad for my first try, right?

Brown dog















A quick update on the Mulligan Man...he must have heard us talking about how we were really hoping to find a brown PWD and decided to take matters into his own...paws. We stuck him over in our neighbor's yard for a day of fun with his golden while we did some work on the house. Needless to say, he was a bit of a mess and warranted a bath when we brought him home.

...really pushing it...
















So, for our one or two avid fans who still check up on the house every now and then, this is a bit of stretching for new stuff, but here are a few improvements; small, but improvementes none the less. Above you can see we finally finished the trim around the tub. You may not have noticed before that it was unfinished because I conveniently tried to take previous pictures from the tub up. We are still planning on doing a bit more tile work here, most likely a 6 inch backsplash on the wall and up to the window...yet another pic to check back for! Does it ever end?

This room was recently repainted as well...luckily for me after an entire weekend of "painting" -if that is what you would have called it- Ian decided it would be best for me to put the brush down and just hire someone to do it properly. No complaints here.
















Ian is now a granite fabricator! Be proud Uncle Dave. The guys who did the countertops for us left us a few bits and pieces of granite for the fireplace harth. Ian did have to cut it down to size, and a lovely job he did. With a little tile this will also eventually be placed on the "DONE" list.




















If you didn't think we were pushing it before, now it becomes more painstakingly obvious of how hard I looked for changes. This is a super small detail, but in reality, one that does make a big difference. What you're looking at (if you tilt your head to the side...sorry, forgot to flip it) is simply T-moulding. But, realize that until about a month ago we just had subfloor transitioning between wood and carpet (not very appealing...and really bad for cleaning). We had run short, mainly because originally, someone (probably not the engineer in the family) cut all the pieces too small and we had to re-order. Woops. Oh well, I signed up for this as a learning process...

The Stairs
















There for a while, we had these lovely bamboo floors, with 2 x 12s for stairs. Well, not any more, folks! We're moving up, literally. Finally the stairs to the third floor are complete.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Introducing...Mulligan





















Here is evidence of our fun weekend in Sea Isle when we got the little one. He went right after Triton and Jameson for the Ocean. This one has no fear.
















He does, however, have a complex. Even before he met is big brother, he wanted to be just like him...including the beard. He is constantly sticking his face in stuff so that he looks like Monte.















He also likes to chew...but the good news is, his favorite chew toy is also his idol; again, Monte. Only occasionally does he need to snack on a few fingers.

Landscaping












































At long last

Well, it has only been -what?- two months since the last post...I know, I know. There are no excuses for that. It is quite easy to get comfortable when there is little work to do.















Here are a few glimpses of our landscaping.
















These three photos are of that big hole in the front. We -of course- put it up to popular demand for the question "pond or no pond?". We got a few votes either way...and I think one for a swimming pool (which we decided would just be a hazard on so many levels), but the final product is a combo pond/garden.















We have inherited several fish to reside here at 211 Oak, so we'll have to get a close-up of them one of these days...maybe I'll post that in another few months ;-)