Coming up next!

On Tuesday they finished the installation of central air - and it was an amazing night in our house! When we bought the house in October, we agreed -we can deal without, we grew up without a/c - no.big.deal! Then we had a really hot day in April and we questioned our prior confidence in dealing without. The layout of our house would have required at least 6 window units and by the time you go through all that, we seriously considered just going for it now. SO SO SO happy we did. The heat was one thing, but the humidity, oh my - it literally made me angry.  I'm sorry I sound like such a brat, because I know we're lucky we were able to do it. We had fans going in our bedrooms, and most nights it was up near 80 degrees, regardless of the outdoor temp. We slept at my parents on the crazy-hot nights and made due, but phew - I'm glad we went for it! 

In the next week, we're having a patio put in, and our stair railings updated. We're still sort of on a high from the a/c and fence, but happy there are a few more things to come :) The patio will give us a place to hang/eat outside which we've really missed so far this spring/summer. The railings are as much about aesthetics as they are safety. In addition to dating the house immensely, they are wobbly and definitely not to code. 

After these projects, it'll be a quiet year or two for us, LOL! There are a handful more things we want to do, recessed lighting, a few new windows, then of course bathrooms and kitchen reno. No hurry though, we'll likely be in this house a while, so for now we had to pick and choose what was most important, and I think we picked pretty well :) I think I need to start planning a party because I can't wait to entertain this summer! 

This is a before of our fence from the back of the house:

and AFTER - you can sort of see the extra green space we gained from pushing everything out into the woods. At the bottom of the stairs, among the mess ;) is where the patio will be!

Some before pictures of our railings.... eeeek! Can't wait!

Happy HOTThursday! XO

Just trust me!

When it comes to stuff around the house, I think I have a pretty good eye. I'm not talking like designer quality, but little things - furniture placement, wall decor, etc. My sister and BIL just designed their new kitchen per my suggestion, and are thrilled with the new layout ;) So, whether you agree or not, is totally fine, but I'm confident in it anyway.  Based on said confidence, I ALWAYS consult with Brian on stuff, but if he disagrees, can't say I always listen! Sometimes, I think he disagrees with me, just because he doesn't like to admit I am right. Plus, I can't figure out why someone who is oblivious to details thinks he's a know-it-all when it comes to home decor/design... just saying ;)

One of the first things I noticed when we looked at our house was layout of our fence. It's an old split rail and covered about 80% of our backyard, mostly from our house, straight back in a rectangle. My suggestion immediately, was to open it up a little for bigger yard, and a better look. Using white picket lining our driveway, for improved curb appeal. Brian didn't even consider it, for one minute, he said no way, I like it how it is. I also think he thinks I just sit around thinking about ways to spend money... which isn't true. BUT I'm always brainstorming ways to improve/update, both inside and out.

We're getting ready to put a patio in at the end of this month - which Brian is 100% into it, and we can't wait for that outdoor space. What transpired from the conversation with the contractor, was the best place for a stone wall (extra seating) was along the existing fence. It was the perfect change to reiterate my original vision for the fence and now doing it would be for a reason, not just because. So, I got a quote. When our fence guy got to our house, he quickly goes "that's ugly, why would they do it like this?" That made me feel a whole lot better, that he agreed with me and he's not the type just to appease. Brian hesitantly agreed and I didn't give him any opportunity to change the plan :) He'll use our existing fencing and just had to buy a few sections of new white vinyl to open up our yard. I AM SO EXCITED I could scream. It'll be a few more weeks before the patio work begins, but for now we'll enjoy this.... and I'll revel in how right I was ;)

BEFORE

AFTER

Island Time 2017

Oh re-entry.... It's always tough, but I'm cruising through today sort of happy to be back and getting into a routine after a great time away together. I'll spare you all the details, but we missed our boat over last Saturday (because it took us 7 hours to get to the Cape!).  After another 2 hours of waiting and being promised a stand by ride over on the last ferry at 9:45pm - we were left driving around exhausted and starving to find a (dog-friendly) hotel ON A SATURDAY NIGHT IN CAPE COD BEFORE THE 4TH OF JULY! Shocking, really, that we found one! So anyway, after that start... it was all good and fun. Beach, boat, adventure, ice cream, etc! Martha's Vineyard is such a beautiful spot, and we're lucky to get to go there to vacation. We got back yesterday, and the girls have already asked when we're going back :) Hope you had a nice 4th and are enjoying the summer!