Always something to do

 Whenever friends or family ask us how the house is, we say, there's always something to do.  We are always working on a project whether it is inside or outside.
Last week, we painted the downstairs half bath (or powder room, if you want to be fancy).  It was originally a burnt orange and done in semi-gloss paint.  Here's a before photo which was taken before we actually purchased the home:

 

 

I decided to go with a bright green, in matte finish.  I used Clark+Kensington's Briarwood from Ace Hardware.  You may remember a promotion they had a while back, giving away pints of their interior matte finish paint.  Our parents grabbed a couple pints for us, and we purchased a Kilz primer.   The entire project cost us less than $15...and of course, time.

The color was lighter and less saturated than I thought it would be, but I'm ok with it.  Definitely not gonna change it now.  Painting a bathroom is difficult the worst!  So many things to take down and paint around, it's a pain.  Climbing up and down a ladder to reach the 9-foot tall ceilings got old very quickly.  And, since they painted it a semi-gloss, I had to prime it first and then paint over it, so I basically painted the room twice.

However, I definitely like it better than the orange!  What do you think?

Perseverance

From today's Bible study:

"...Solomon succeeded because he persevered. He spent seven years building the temple (1 Kings 6:38), never wavering from his goal. Never give up when God is "building" with you. Though it may seem your work is moving at a crawl, keep doing what you know to do.

Purpose, plan, and persevere, and the Lord will build your house!"

This holds so many different meanings for us.  The obvious literal meaning as well as some, underlying, personal meanings.  And it was a great encouragement today. 

If you are looking for a good daily Bible study that's quick yet meaningful, I recommend the One Year Bible study that our church is currently studying together.  Read along with the One Year Bible via Church of the Highlands.

Front Yard Transformation, Part 4

It has been almost one month since the front yard transformation.  We have had a few days of rain and much cooler temperatures than the weekend we worked.  I've learned some important lessons from all the yard work.

1. God is faithful.  There were many answered prayers that allowed the project to finish when it didn't seem possible.
2.  Line up all help before you need them.  It's a good idea to know what help you need and who can do it before panic mode sets in.  Having a back up isn't a bad idea either.
3.  Hydration and heat cannot be underestimated.  We unknowingly chose the hottest weekend of 2012 thus far.  I am not used to working outside like that, and the heat was a beast.
4.  The better you estimate yard size, the more money you save (I had a full pallet of sod leftover).
5.  Be patient.  Sod work is not instant gratification.  It doesn't become an established yard for at least a couple months.
6.  Always budget for more than you think you will need.  Luckily, we didn't go over budget because I gave myself plenty of cushion.  

  Below, we've got some updated pictures of the yard.  The first few are just after completion and then after a month.

The new retaining wall:

Butterfly bush below: it bloomed shortly after this with pink buds but the recent storms
knocked most of them off

Just to remind you, here's the front BEFORE:

 And here's the yard one month AFTER:

 The boxwoods in the front of the house have been removed.  The shrubs (Ruby Loropetalum) and another Sago palm have been planted. The railings have been painted and then received a second coat.

    

The project was a lot of work and I'm not sure I would undertake such a large project again.  But I am happy with the results.