Working, Working

I have lots of things I want to put up, but little time. The toy room looks like a bomb exploded and I can't take it anymore. All the kiddos are taking naps this afternoon at the same time...miracle, I tell you!...so, I need tackle that room. We've been busy lately with painting, staining, throwing up, migraining, potty training, and lots of other gerunds I can't think of right now.
I took advantage of the beautiful weather last week and did yard work and work on the front door. Folks, are you ready for this? Can you handle it? After almost two years of hard labor, the front door is almost finished. And by almost, I mean it just needs a few touch-ups, a coat of poly and the weather stripping and we're a done deal. Wait, wait...you may think that is a lot, but if you only knew what it looked like before. I'll have to dig up a before picture just so you can get a feel of what it was like. I'm actually thinking of adding some kind of clause in our contract whenever we have to sell this house that states this door can never be painted.

Here Blasen is helping out with the staining. Don't let him fool you...that's all he did.

It's hung, and the house is coming together. I even painted the mailbox to match with the new paint colors.

In addition to the door, the kids and I worked on our small front yard. I cleaned out the flower beds and trimmed the hedges. Now, I just need to get that bedroom door finished and off the front porch and we won't feel so white-trashish. I now think it was worth the work, but won't be doing that again for awhile.
The top picture are some pretty trees next door. Our neighborhood is just beautiful this time of year...colors everywhere. Here is my tree. We get the large oak, which is beautiful in the spring and summer, but not the fall. The only color changing it does is from green to brown, no in between. Then it litters those THOUSANDS of tiny, ugly, brown leaves on my front yard.

Kitchen reno is on it's way. We're done with what I call the "dirty" work...that is the work that makes a mess of dust and such. Now we're on to more aesthetically pleasing things like

paint.

I love this color. It's called "clothesline fresh" and I love it. Did I mention that I love it? I like clean looking colors for baths and kitchens. Two places that need to feel clean and crisp to me. For instance, one of our bathrooms is a color that makes me think of baby poop or vomit every time I look at it. It's not a bad color somewhere else in the house, but it just doesn't belong in the bathroom.
Here's the over the fridge cabinet. Granted it's on the floor right now, but it's getting there. We're putting up upper trim and upper cabinets this week before we start installing the flooring this weekend. Folks, this kitchen looks like it will be done before Christmas! Yeah!