28/366

New vinyl words I put up above the mirror in our master bedroom

10/366

I've mentioned our huge remodeling project before. What we (read that "we" as "Hubby") did was finish our basement by adding a bedroom for the boys down there and redo the upper level which had 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom into a level with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We started this project in the summer of 2010, and Hubby has done most of the work himself. Now we're on the homestretch!

This weekend Hubby finished the flooring in the upstairs hallway, with the exception of the trimboards.



The upstairs hallway floor as it looks today

Bathroom is to the left
Master bedroom straight ahead
Girls' bedroom to the right

Project 365(6)

Back in 2009 I participated in Project 365, a challenge to take a picture a day for a year. While I didn't always end up taking a picture a day, I did take one (or more) the next day to make up for it.

I've been thinking of doing Project 365 off and on the past few months. With the start of the new year, a friend of mine decided to take part in this challenge. That spurred me on to do the same. Thankfully I had already taken a picture every day of the new year.* However, with this year being a leap year, that makes this Project 366.

Here are my first four pictures for 2012 ...





1/366
We're nearing the end of a 1 1/2 year remodeling project. This is our working master bathroom. As you can see, it still needs some work, but we can use it!




2/366
Another part of our remodeling project - This is showing that the girls' closet is now painted. (It was blue; now it's white.)




3/366
The Youngest playing with his Christmas present from us

4/366
Feather on the floor

*These pictures will not follow a specific theme other than being a picture for each day of the year. Some may be artsy, some of my family, some poor photo quality, etc. However, I do hope to grow in my photographic ability over the course of this project. Stay tuned ...

Living Room Redecorating

As I've mentioned before, we are in the midst of finishing the basement and remodeling the upstairs level of our house. Redecorating the living room was not on the radar. However, after taking the kids' yearly portraits, I decided I wanted to hang them in the living room on the large wall. I also wanted to get rid of a shelf, but that threw the balance of things off, so almost all the furniture got rearranged!

Anyway ... here are some BEFORE pictures of the wall.




And now for the AFTER pictures ...




What's different?

• Black and white portraits of the kids and one from our wedding in new floating frames on the wall


• New clock


• New stand lamp in the corner (The old one is next to the large couch which is now under the window opposite the loveseat.)


• Finally, after 13 years of marriage, figured out what to do with the "rain" window that was given to us as a wedding present and hung it on the wall next to the black and white pictures (Sometimes I still wonder why we kept the window when we never knew how to display it, but it has meaning behind it.)


• Rearranged piano, big couch, loveseat, rockers, and most lamps


• Packed away the Precious Moments figurines and moved the large wooden cabinet out of the corner (Hope to use it in the girls' room once it's finished)

I really like how it turned out. I think getting rid of the wooden cabinet and redecorating the large wall makes the living room look and feel more open. I really like the black and white pics in the frames, and I think the redecorated wall makes the room look a little more classy.

Your thoughts?

And the Walls Came A-Tumbling Down

We are in the midst of a BIG remodeling project which we are doing ourselves. Please note that "we" means Hubby is doing the bulk of the demolition and building, the kids help here and there as do I, and I am chronicling the process with my camera. I am also picking out colors, decor, fixtures, etc. and will help Hubby with the painting. (We've painted almost all of the rooms in this house now and have it down to a science.)

Our house is a tri-level that actually has a fourth level which is the basement under the main living room/kitchen level. That basement level is unfinished. We are finishing it, dividing it up into a large bedroom for the boys, a laundry room, storage room, and hallway.

Hubby has dug a hole for and installed an egress window and finished the stud walls and duct work in the basement. Here is how the basement looks now:

Looking down the step into the basement hallway - Storage room is on the left, boys' room straight ahead, laundry room on right (There is a door on the laundry room now.)

In the boys' room, looking toward the closet - There will be bifold doors in front of the furnace on the left.

Egress window on the left, furnace on the right

Furnace is on the left out of the picture, door to the hallway is on the left, closet door on the right

The work in the basement has been put on hold for now until Hubby gets the upstairs to the same point because he wants to get all the electrical work and plumbing done at the same time.

The upstairs is currently 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. (We have another bathroom off our family room.) We are remodeling it so that it is 2 bedrooms (master and girls' room) and 2 bathrooms (master bath and another in the hall).

This past week Hubby knocked down the walls and closet separating the girls' old room and ours. The girls are temporarily sleeping in a blocked off corner of the family room.

Here is a look at what used to be two bedrooms upstairs:

Taken from the corner of the girls' room looking through the closet into the master bedroom

Taken from a corner of our room looking into the hallway and the girls' room

Holes and Dirt

As I've mentioned before, we're in the midst of some remodeling at our house. We're finishing our basement to add a big bedroom for the boys down there and remodeling the upstairs to have 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms instead of the 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom that it has now. Hubby is doing the work ... and I'm documenting it on my camera. :)

Because we're putting a bedroom in the basement, we have to put in an egress window. This means Hubby had to dig a big hole (4 ft wide x 5 ft out from the house x about 7 ft deep at the deepest point) in order the install the 4 ft square window and do all the drainage/grading work.

One day at the beginning of June when he was digging, I went outside to find Oldest Son had posted a warning.

(The sign says, "DEEP HOLE AHEAD.")


Too funny! And it fits in with the "Signs of the Times" theme this week at Thematic Photographic. (Follow the link to see more photographs of signs.)

Thankfully, digging of "The Hole" is now done. Most of the kids helped at one time or another with bits and pieces of the digging.


However, the 2 younger boys had more fun playing in the dirt pile than digging the hole.


When I said something about it to Hubby, he said that playing in a dirt pile was fun! I suppose I shouldn't be surprised because, when he was little, he wanted to dig holes for a living when he grew up!