The Interior
Ben has continued working on the window and door casings throughout the house. He recently finished the bathroom window- though our new nickel hardware has yet to arrive so all of his handy work is hidden under blue tape!
the bathroom window- before and after
He also outfitted his closet with new shelves just in time for me to paint it!
Ben's closet before 
Ben's closet after 
I can't wait to get it up!
The Exterior
As promised a few weeks back, we did get gutters! Nothing fancy, but they work. Luckily they've been helping to keep our basement dry!
And then there's the landscaping.. Ben fertilized, spread grass seed and has been watering the "dirt" on a daily basis..
With no success. One side of our yard has an abundance of grass..
So he's holding out hope- but I on the other hand secretly hope that we get a call from HGTV ASAP! Oh we need a landscaping makeover like no other!
I'll admit the interior work was a little overwhelming at first, but never did I think we wouldn't be able to get it done. This stuff- the landscaping work all seems so unattainable. I have visions of sitting on our patio, enjoying the warm weather- with the smell of fresh cut grass in the air, but I'm pretty sure that's only going to be a reality if one of three things happen:
1. We hire a landscaper
2. We move to a house with an already perfectly manicured lawn
3. If HGTVs Curb Appeal comes knocking at our door (you know the show that's always on at the Y while you're on the elliptical)
Since 1 and 2 aren't going to happen (due to lack of funds and trying to maintain our sanity), I'm holding out for #3 and I've been putting together my plea to HGTV. So here goes..
Dear HGTV (and the Curb Appeal crew),
We've put blood, sweat and tears (lots and lots of them) into our home for the past 8 months. We've turned a tired, old house into a livable, functional and sometimes beautiful (depending on if we've had time to pick up after ourselves) home. We've done things I never thought we'd be able to do and we're actually beginning to reap the benefits.
But chances are if you were to do a drive by you'd never guess it. Our yard is more like a tree cemetery than anything else. After years of neglect we were forced to cut down tons of trees and brush. Every now and then we find a random slab of concrete and traces of gravel hidden beneath the dirt- which might be why we just can't grow any grass! We have no front walkway and the lifespan of our "temporary" front stairs is coming to an end. This is a job for an army and unfortunately my husband is at it alone because I have the curse of a brown thumb (it's a real thing) and anything I touch shrivels up and dies. Our dog Henry thinks he's helping by digging up rotten roots, but in the meantime he's turned half off our yard into swiss cheese.. I'm really not kidding.
me
I'll let you know how it goes! In the meantime any landscaping tips are very much appreciated.
