Over one year later

Now that we're comfortably settled into our new house, we thought it was time to bring you up to speed on what fun we've had finishing projects over the last four and a half months.  We also have some new projects in the works. 

Contrary to beliefs held by those outside the profession, summer is a busy time for us. In between running writing camps at EMU, planning for huge developments with our writing professional development board for the WISD, and hosting an array of thirsty and hungry friends on our back porch, we've somehow found the time to finish all of our indoor projects and get a lot of work done outside.

As soon as the school year ended, we finished the tile backsplash in the kitchen. The project took so long in part because we just couldn't decide on the perfect color tile. Inspiration struck at a birthday dinner out at Mani Osteria where we decided we loved their cream subway tile with dark gray grout even more than our meals. Mike and Sean threw the tile up in record time, complete with herringbone patterning over the range, and Sean tricked Aimee into grouting it early one morning before Peter was even awake. 

Meanwhile, the Motawi tile on the fireplace has been up since the weekend after we moved in back in March. Sean and Mike did all the work while Aimee and Peter were out of town visiting Katie in Maryland. We love, love, love it, and Sean was a fire building maniac when the weather was chilly earlier this spring.

Lately we've been working on a ton of outdoor projects, and there is a definite sequence to them; everything waits for the front steps to be finished. Sean and Mike started on them in early July, and this is what they looked like at the end of the day Saturday. The piers supporting the front steps are getting covered with stone to match the rest of the front porch, then Trex stair treads and painted railings will go up.

 Now that Peter is walking  running, he's getting into everything. He's a chip off the Eldon block; he adores being outside with the guys, watching them work, and hauling around remnants of blocks and bricks and stones. Here he is, caught in the act with a prime find from under the table saw.

Meanwhile, we're anxious to get the flower beds and yard in tip-top shape once the steps are finished. We have grand visions of grass for Peter and the dogs to romp in, a boules court over the what-the-hell-do-we-do-with-this-space? septic field, and a fenced area in the back of the house for the dogs to safely roam without the threat of chasing after deer. Or turkeys. Or squirrels.

We have lots of outdoor projects to go, and Sean and Mike continue to display a boundless energy to work on them. Our road and driveway are being graded and covered in several inches of crushed asphault, and we're looking forward to smoother, less dusty cruising in the car and stroller from now on.

We'll be sure to post pictures of the finished projects that we accomplish in the coming months. Stay tuned!