Planters and Gardens

 We got all of our planters planted and our hanging baskets up. We added a few annuals to the garden beds as well. Everything seems to be thriving.

 These new garden beds in the side/backyard turned out great. They have nice colors and have filled in since being planted last year.

 Our watering helper.

Stained Glass for Kitchen Cabinet

 We still have one kitchen cabinet to complete. We decided to do leaded glass on the face and sides of the upper cabinet, so we designed a simple pattern. Then Kristen drew it out on the glass while Tyler cut.

 Working together, the pieces were all cut out quickly.

 Then they were fitted in the door. We have only cut the pieces for the front two doors, we will work on the sides shortly.

 Next came hours of copper foiling for Kristen. It looks so pretty once the copper is added.

 And then another laying out of the pieces. We built a frame around them to hold them in place for soldering. We will get to soldering it eventually but we have been working on other projects and don't want the lead fumes in the air when Sam is around.

Master Bedroom Carpet Removal

 When Kristen's parents were visiting, her dad ripped up all the carpet in the master bedroom. It is the only floor left in the house that needs to be refinished.

 It looks like it has less paint on it than other floors did so it may be a little easier to finish.

 We also bought new cast iron vent covers to match the rest of the house and will put those in once the refinishing is done. Tyler is just waiting for a warm weekend so he can have all the windows open when he urethanes and Sam and Kristen will need to take a mini vacation for a few days to avoid the fumes.

Cleaning the neighbor's house

 The neighboring house is in rough shape. It is a rental and not very well maintained. Years ago, someone ripped the siding off the side facing us to reveal the clapboards below. However, then never removed any nails, painted, or even cleaned the house. Since it is visible from our dining room, Kristen decided to at least go out and wash off the side of the house.

 As you can see, it was pretty dirty. She tried pulling staples and nails but was damaging the wood because it is so soft and starting to rot. It looks better now that it is cleaned off but we still bought some sheer curtains that we are going to put in the dining room to try to hide it better.

Stove Vent

Our stove unit was completed years ago but we never got around to putting on a vent cover. True to form, we couldn't find one we liked, so, we decided to make it. It was a simple project but we were glad to check another thing off the list.

Door Hardware

 The original door hardware was present throughout much of the house when we moved in. We were missing a few doors worth though because the home was expanded over time. It had layers of old paint and was really in bad shape. The original finish was a copper plated brass but most of the copper was gone. After searching everywhere - ebay, old restoration sites, local salvage yards, etc. - we could not find matching hardware. We wanted the house to have a uniform look throughout so we decided to mold the plates and knobs we had and reproduce them. We have removed all the hardware and cleaned it up a few years ago so we had nice pieces to work with.

 The molds were created. A thin layer of vaseline was put on our existing hardware.

 Then the mold was made using Durham's rock hard cement. Then the bondo was poured and allowed to set. The pieces that resulted needed a little trimming/finishing but were a good replica.

 For the door knobs, we used old brass knobs and then just added the pattern to the face.

Once they were completed, the were sprayed with an antique copper paint - the closest to the original color we could find. We still need to install the knobs to all the doors but at least now there is a matching pattern to go throughout the house.

Front Door

 Our front door is the original fir door that was on the house. Years of dog abuse, changing door knobs, and changing the direction it swings really beat up on it. We decided that although we loved the natural fir on the inside, it need to be painted. First up was filling all the grooves made by dog toenails and moving the old bell to center. We used wood putty and as you can see - it needed a lot. Kristen's parents were in town so her dad tackled the front door project, then her mom painted it for us! It's wonderful to have help on some of our projects.

We decided to put on new hardware. The old porcelain knob was not very secure.

 

 Kristen's dad worked on sanding the old brass mail slot and bell then repainted them to match the new door handle.

Back Steps

 After laying all the pavers last fall, we finally got the steps in place for the back door and garage door.

Garden Update

 Our back garden beds are looking good! They have been weeded and mulched and are ready for adding some annuals in the next few weeks.

The backyard space is so much nicer and more useable now. And we get this beautiful view off of the upper patio. We have been watching sunsets up there the last few nights before Sam goes to bed.

 We planted our vegetable gardens too. Beans, peas, lettuce, carrots, beets, leeks, and one tomato plant. We also have parsley, cilantro, and chives, as well as strawberries and rhubarb.

Blown down tree

 The plum tree on our neighbor's property that is by our front steps blew over in the windstorm we had last week. It was too mature a tree to re-stake so they cut it down.