We are having a party...

so things are getting done around the house. It's it how it always goes..lol. So I showed you the patio in this post. Well now we (or really Dave) have been working on refinishing the patio furniture we got from my parents. They purchased it back in 2004 for our engagement party and well the pieces we have were only used then. My parents took the couch and 2 rocking chairs to the lake and use them on their deck (which I would really like those pieces but beggars can't be choosers right). So we got the table 5 chairs and the swing. Well really we don't have a table anymore cause hooligans (man don't I sound old there) dumbed our table one night and broke the glass as well as bent the frame so it does need to be replaced.

Since the furniture hadn't been used in over 5 years, there was a lot of rust on the pieces. Dave sanded them and primed them up with something to stop the rusting (car grade of course..lol) and then because I really wanted black furniture, that is what he painted them. The next step that will probably not happen prior to the party is to recover the cushions. I have some flower pots that I painted earlier this spring in red, orange, and yellow. I would love to find something in stripes or circles in these colors. I also have found a really easy way to make a slip cover for the cushions so you can unzip them and throw them in the washer, how great is that?

Everything is slowly coming together but I guess that is like anyone in a house, baby steps. My dad is going to help with a few things that need to also just get done (not just because we are having Caelyn's party here). I have the office 99.9% done to the way I like it, the TV room is only missing a bookshelf, the dining room is complete (or will be 100% when my Aunt Lisa comes in town for the party to help cover the dining room chairs). Just normal household things that need to be done, but I am super excited to be getting things in better order around the household. It feels like a never ending battle.

Our Office

Okay, with working at home now I needed to do something about a home office. Originally I had the computer in the toy room so I could work and watch the girls while they played, but I needed more room. I had always wanted to bring my scrapbooking stuff back upstairs cause to be honest with the girls I don't go downstairs unless I am doing laundry. It is just easier to be upstairs with them. So The front room was our TV room until Chloe started climbing on the top of the couch (which was next to the stairs). We quickly moved the TV into out sitting room and then the front room because a junk room. So I decided to ask Dave to once again move the computer into the room (it originally started there). I love it and I was able to take all the baby toys out of the TV room and put them in here so I can work and Caelyn can play. I even have a little table for Chloe to do her projects on.

I still need some things like shelves for my family pictures I want to display.. I would like to borrow from my parents one of their nice folding tables that I can keep in the foyer closet for when I want to have some friends over to scrap as well. And of course there are little tings like a cork board or another magnetic board but pretty much it is done and I can function in it. The girls seem to enjoy it as well. Caelyn has all her toys lined up for her to play and Chloe has been enjoying looking out the front window while coloring.

Patio Railing

I unfortunately can not find pictures (and didn't take any) before the railing was installed but here is the after. Please excuse my dead plants, I tried wild flowers and well they ended up looking more like weeds than flowers.

We used Maintenance-Free Outdoor Solutions, Inc. I got their name from the sister in law of a girl I use to go to high school and play softball with. I had gotten 3 bids for the job, which was a job in itself because there were not many companies that actually installed patio railing. This company was WAY cheaper than our 2 other bids. The first bid was 75% more expensive and the second bid was 50% more expensive then MFOS. I was shocked. When they came to install it was done promptly and professionally. It took them about 3 hours from start to finish (including set up and clean up of course). I couldn't believe how fast they were.

I totally recommend them if you are looking for a fencing/railing job. And if you do use them, tell them I sent you. =)

Dining Room Wall Art

So above our buffet is a big orange blank piece of wall. I had originally a canvas print that was my Grandma's there (it was a vertical Poppy about 3 foot tall). But it just wasn't do it for me. Then one day while over at Miss A's house I noticed Megan had this really cute collage of art hanging on the wall going to their TV room in the basement. Well, I asked and she allowed me to copy her idea. I started with 4 - 8x10 pieces of canvas. Then I thought long and hard about the color combination, then I got it; yellow & red and pink & purple. Then the fun part came. Each piece of canvas got a base color, then once that dried I used the other paired color to do hand prints. It is a unique one of a kind piece of art work that while it can be copied it can't be exactly duplicated (and well if I need finger prints for my husband or kids, I have them..lol). I love they way they turned out. I think we are even going to get one more small one (maybe a 4x4 piece) to paint and put Punkin's paw print on it as the center piece.

TL: Cassie

TR: Caelyn

BL: Chloe

BR: Dave