Standing While Eating is Good for the Digestion

We finally bought our poker/dining table and it looks fabulous. So we don't quite have any chairs yet but with a table like this I wouldn't really want people using it;)


(laminate dining top)

Pulling off the top will reveal a 10-person poker table.


Other additions to our living room include...

(wine tower)

(entryway cabinet)

The Grass is Greener on The OtherSide

It's just like laying laminate floors.


Hopefully, it will stay this green.

Landscaping SUX!

Here's a quick update...
-Completed...
- trenching and sprinkler pipes laid
- roses planted
- fruit trees planted (plum, persimmon, and fuji apple)
- retainer wall up

To do...
- sod

Landscaping 101

Okay...so we finally committed to working on the backyard. We're doing the work ourselves and hope to get it done before the heat. Right now our battles are the rain and our work schedules but weekend by weekend we are making progress.
Done:
Tree removal (one apricot and two palms)
Weed and grass removal


To Do:
- trenching
- sprinkler system
- sod
- fruit trees, rose bushes

Trust me...Blacks and Grays are Happy Colors!

Finally...the floors and base moulding are done. We still need to do some touch-up work and of course furnish the area that we had left vacant for a year...but we're getting there.


(view from the front door)


(view from the front window)


(view from kitchen)


(view from second floor)

Lunar New Year's, Valentines, and President's Day

To all...'Chuc Mung Nam Moi', Happy Valentine's Day, and Happy President's Day!

(start of the floors...)


(floors about 95% complete; base moulding done...just a little bit of touch up paint left to do)
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(finally got our exterior lights re-wired correctly and installed)

Removing Mortar = No Sex For Weeks

We got busy!...removing the chair rails, patching/texturing the walls, priming and painting. We were able to paint the trim inside the skylight and then got help with removing the chandelier and installing two ceiling fans.

Next we got busy with removing the carpet (fairly easy).

The hardest part was removing the ceramic walkway that led from the front door to the staircase and all around to the family room.

(sledge hammer to the ceramic walkway)

We have not found an easy way to remove the mortar from the cement other than to slowly just chip it away with a chisel and hammer...YES, it's rough of the lower back.

Poo-poo Brown Goes Bye-Bye

Finally, after living with a very bare and brown living room we start on the renovating.
Before...

To do:
1) remove existing chair rails; new paint
2) replace creepy chandelier with updated ceiling fan/light
3) new flooring (ripping out carpet and ceramic tiles)
4) add furniture

Seems pretty simple when you're writing it down. A couple of things...vaulted ceilings with two very awesome skylights where the trim is painted also in a poo-poo brown.

I think we have our work cut out for us!