One Year Anniversary

One year ago today I was heading to my closing and getting the keys to my new house.  I can't believe it has been a year already!  I still love my house more and more every day and haven't once regretted my purchase.  Here's a little before and after collection of what I've gotten done (and what I haven't) in the last 365 days.

 Slowly but surely my lawn it perking up.  It's still trial and error at this point but it's definitely in better shape than move in day.

 I love my bargain bench and throw pillows that welcome you in the house.  I have yet to just sit on the front porch and take in the scenery but it's nice to know I have the option.

 Getting rid of the random doorway curtains was such a relief.  Who does that?  I still need to move this furniture out but since I haven't found the pieces I want to go in the space, they just sit there.

 The dining room is getting so close.  Once that table gets painted, the rest will be quick and easy.

 Not much has gone on in my office.  It's pretty much become a storage room for now.  I have a feeling it will be one of the last rooms I get to but I'm ok with that.

 The guest room is good for now and has even had a few guests.  Some day those curtains will go and the walls will be painted.  Some day.

 I love the dining area of the kitchen!  It's just so fun.  Hopefully the countertops, backsplash and appliances will get some attention in the coming year.

The laundry room is cheerful as well.  Notice I have 3 dog leashes...but only one dog.  Hopefully this next year will see me adding one more dog to the house.  I already have his food dish set up below the laundry basket.

 The living room has probably gotten the most attention in the past year, but then again it is where I spend the most time (when not sleeping). 

I'm so relieved to finially have something hanging above my couch.  I don't have too much planned for this room anytime soon, except maybe getting Pablo a blanket that matches a little better than the Christmas colored one he's using now.

 My bedroom is coming together.  The 4th duvet finally won out.  I have art on the walls now but my room wasn't clean enough for more recent pictures.  Story of my life.

I'm toying which changing up this headboard somehow.  I built it about 8 years ago.  I'm thinking I'll either paint it or cover it with fabric.  Who knows.

 The bathroom is actually currently in the middle of a big change.  More on that next week.

 I'm really excited about how far my lawn has come, especially since I've never had a lawn before.  I look forward to expanding the landscaping in the coming year and really turning it into an enjoyable space.

It has been such a fun year.  I've learned so much and can't wait to see what the next year in the house has in store.  I predict many more Home Depot trips and a lot more elbow grease!

Patio Pizazz

I'm all about adding more color to my backyard.  My flowers are still looking good but I know they won't be around come winter and I don't want things to start looking dull back there.  I picked up a few things this weekend that will assure that is not the case. 

While grabbing some things at World Market I found these outdoor rugs that were 25% off. 

The rug is woven plastic and is reversible!  I think I like the yellow background side best but to get it straightened out, I'm going to start with the orange side up first.

I can't believe this was only $15 after the sale.  You really can't beat that.  It looks great with my newly painted bistro set.

I also picked up some Vago chairs at IKEA that I had been eyeing for a while.  They are a little crazy and I love them.

I went with hot pink.  They come in a bunch of colors but my IKEA only had white, black, and hot pink.  I wanted the most bang for my buck.  They are actually really comfortable. 

I've got them sitting out by the side fence just because that area is usually shaded and that should help keep the color bright when I'm not using them.  So now I have seating for 10 people in the backyard.  Guess I should look into having people over soon.

Dirt Cheap Drapes

The search for dining room curtains has become downright exhausting.  Everything I seemed to like was ridiculously priced.  Like these puppies that would have set me back $200:

I have a lot of windows in my house so that is not a habit I need to start now.  I kept searching and searching, all the while getting really annoyed with the old curtains that were hanging on the window and the fact that it was holding up any other projects in this room.

This past Sunday I decided to see if IKEA had any solution for me, even it it was just temporary.  Boy did they!  They had some grey panels that I figured would be fine for now.  I thought they were $9.99 a panel but they turned out to be $9.99 for a set!  At that price I got all fancy and grabbed white ones as well.

After ironing the panels I slide them up on my rod.  I actually love the way they blend in with the wall!  In person they are basically the same color.

They allow the rug to stand out more and grab all the attention...which is good since the rug was not $9.99 and needs to earn all the attention it can.  Once the table and chairs are painted black it is really going to look nice and then I'll be able to focus on bringing in more pops of colors.

The other great thing about IKEA panels, aside from price, is that they are always super long.  Usually you have to pay more for longer panels.  As you can see I still need to hem mine, but that will be a piece of cake!  For now I'm just celebrating the retirement of the gold silk panels, may they rest in peace.

My First (edible) Tomato!

I have been losing tomatoes left and right from my Patio Container tomato.  I think my plant has aphids or something.  Everytime one gets ready to be ripe, a whole appears and then the ants set in.

3 tomatoes down the tube

Luckily my other 3 tomato plants seem to be fairing better.  They are behind as far as their ripening schedule but last week I was able to pick my first tomato from the Talladega plant!  I brought it inside to finish ripening in hopes of avoiding bug incidents.

Last night I decided it was red enough to devour.  I sliced it up and tossed it into a chicken wrap.

I swear this was the most delicious tomato I've ever eaten!  It had so much flavor!  I can not wait for more tomatoes to ripen.  I'm going to be eating them like candy.  My second tomato is already in the house ripening and it looks like I'll be bringing some cherry tomatoes in soon.

More Freebies

A couple of weeks ago my neighbor brought me over a cutting from her Clematis vine.  It took me a while to figure out where I wanted to plant it so it's just been growing in the pot she brought it over in.

I finally bought a pot and a trellis for it this weekend.  Actually I only bought the trellis.  The cashier couldn't find a bar code for the pot so she just gave it to me.  I love free stuff!

Eventually the vine will cover my trellis and having flowers similar to this:

I can't wait!  It's a fun little free addition to my patio.

Free Foliage

Friday at work I spotted a nice surprise when I went into the kitchen after lunch.

Our plant lady had replaced some office plants that had grown too tall for their home on top of our hallway filing cabinets and offered the old ones up to a good home.  Now, I've never been too good with houseplants but I figured I could keep them alive if they could survive in our office, not even near windows.  According to my Googling, they are Zee Zee plants and they are tolerant of "low light and neglect."  Perfect!

I bought two pots at Home Depot and for the time being they are living in my living room.  I'm not sure if this is permanent.  I like the one by the TV but do they look too small to be sitting on the ground?

I may have to test them out in various locations.  I'm also not sure if they will continue to grow taller or maybe even wider.  While at Home Depot I also grabbed this cute succulent garden in a pot.

I like the idea of adding a little greenry to the living room.  I'm just going to have to play with the arrangement a little.  My general avoidance of houseplants has left me with very little knowledge on how to showcase them in the house. 

Just Plain Cruel

First my friend Carol taunted me with her dad's amazing garden...

...only to follow up that move by sending me a photo of the hydrangas growing in her backyard.

You may be thinking, "But why is this cruel?  You, too, have a beautiful hydranga in your backyard." 

Why, yes.  Yes I do.  And it was beautiful for a couple of weeks.  Unfortunately, this is what it looks like these days.

Not exactly as picturesque as Carol's blue beauties, huh?  I haven't lost all hope on mine yet.  The plant itself seems like it might be healthy.  I just don't have any blooms coming in and it hasn't really grown.  Who knows what this plant's fate is but I've got my fingers crossed.  On a positive note, my spinach has sprouted some leaves that have not yet been devoured by bugs.