Day 850: Dinner Party

Last night we hosted a dinner party for a dear friend, and I must say - we got the place spruced up just in time! Touched up paint here and there, got the last of the artwork and photos on the walls, etc. With the added layer of festiveness, it was just lovely!

Hurrah!

Day 798: Paaaaaint

Shannon finished painting the bottom cabinets, and they're lookin' goooooood.

Day 730: Two whole years!

Today marks two years since we closed on our house. The time really has flown by. It was hard to imagine when we were knee deep in drywall dust and musty old carpet that we'd be enjoying a nice, clean, (almost) restored home just a few months later. Now that two years have passed, and there's much more time and space between now and all that hard work, it's fun to look back at where we started.

We finally got around to updating some of the before and afters, so check out our progress on the tab aptly titled 'Before & Afters' above.

Day 697: Smelling the Roses

I can't say enough how much we are loving the deck. We're out there nearly every day, and have enjoyed many delightful meals together in our newly finished space. Shannon strung up these adorable lights for us a few months ago and they really add to the ambiance. It's nice with everything else that's going on in our lives to be able to step out here with no computer, no cell phone, and just enjoy a gorgeous outdoor space.

Day 687: Stayin' Alive

The man's a genius.

I'm on the road quite a bit for work, and when I'm gone, the plants, well, they suffer. Shannon's focused on bigger projects and doesn't often think to water the poor things until they look pitiful. But, genius man that he is, he came up with the perfect eco-friendly solution. Our water filter cycles out water every day at 8 pm. Shannon built this great contraption that redirects the runoff that would go right down the drain to sprinkle my beloved plants on the deck. Now we don't have to worry about a thing unless one's getting TOO much water (rosemary has since been relocated;). 

Day 672: Dining Room, After

And here's the dining room after we replaced the window, painted the new trim and moved in our new dining furniture. It's amazing how much more light comes in through this new window compared to the old one. Made all the brighter by the white gauzy curtains. We are loving it!

Day 665: Outdoor Spaces

Our DIY firepit (which we inaugurated over the winter but probably won't touch over the summer;) is now complemented by two comfy chairs - completing our fourth (and for now, final) outdoor space.

Riley and I frequent the red loveseat out front when I get home in the evenings, and we have a lot of weekend brunches on the sunporch and dinners on the deck.

All our outdoor spaces are lovely additions to our small cottage home and a welcome place to enjoy the beauty of our very green surroundings. Gotta love life in the south!