Finally!!

Guess who finally showed up today? That's right...Mow Cow. They are only a day late, but better late than never I guess. Today's project: Fix some of the wonky boards on the deck and replace all the top rails. Seems pretty simple...and thank god it was. I don't think we could have taken any more hiccups with these guys.

The team of 3 arrived around 9 am and got started removing the bad news boards. It's amazing how many tools accumulated so quickly!


With the old boards removed, it was off to Home Depot to pick up some new, fresh wood. Lucy and I took advantage of checking things out while they were gone.


The deck looked so weird without top rails, but soon enough the crew was back and installing the new stuff. It didn't take long for the new rails to be in place...and boy did they look awesome! It's amazing how a few pieces of wood can make a 10 year old deck look like new again. :)


Next up...replace 2 of the floor boards. These two boards were pretty scary in that they were almost translucent. Never a good thing for the boards that you walk on. Check out this amazing before and after:


It was more like during and after, but you get the idea. The job was done by 4pm and I'm happy to report that Ed is very pleased. No angry phone call to Mow Cow today! Since Adriana and John are currently in the car on their way down for a visit, we took the opportunity to put the new patio furniture on the deck. Remember this post? Well, those boxes had this stuff in them:


We christened the deck and ate dinner out there tonight since the weather is finally bearable. I have to say...it was worth the wait. I'm IN LOVE with our backyard!! Lucy is a fan too ... especially since she got a new outdoor bed. :)

Those Summer Days

So it's not officially summer, but it sure does feel like here in the DC region. It's going on what seems like the 100th day of 95+ degree weather with a heat index of over 100 degrees. It's hot. Brutal in fact. So much that all you want to stay inside and relish in the beauty of air conditioning. With the exception of a few Lucy walks, we've pretty much been prisoners in our home. The good news is that this intense heat is about to break...just in time for the weekend and for our visit with Adriana and John who are trekking down from NY to see us. The even better news is that we have a pool. And a beautiful pool at that!


It has been a while since I've lived in a complex with a pool ~ it's actually Ed's first pool so we made sure to take advantage of it over Memorial Day weekend. It was totally refreshing and 100% awesome. And the best part was that it was a manageable crowd. Not too many out of control tots or obnoxious...err...feisty young teens. :) The pool boasts a shallow section for young families, a main area for middle-aged farts like us, a lap lane for those looking to actually get some exercise out of their swim and a diving section.


And the best part is that the last 10 minutes of the hour are adult swim. I'm happy to see that this tradition has not changed since I was a lifeguard way back when. I have a feeling a trip to the pool will be weekend staple for the rest of the summer.

Oh My Sod!

Progress! Progress! Progress! I am happy to report that our back yard FINALLY looks like a real yard rather than a gravel pit in a quarry. That's right...the lovely people of Mow Cow showed up unexpectedly this morning and graced us with the green stuff. It only took a few hours to install and I have to say it makes the place look 100% better. It's amazing what a little grass can do.

Before...

...during...

...half way there...


...Lucy checking on things...


...almost done...

...watering...


...and after!

The yard finally feels like a place that we want to spend time. And with the addition of an adorable bistro set and pillows, some fun lanterns and 2 hanging ferns, it is a regular oasis!


I must say, we have been very skeptical about the work we hired Mow Cow to do. I don't want to bash anyone, but they are not the easiest company to work with. We actually had convinced ourselves to cancel the remainder of the job over the weekend because of all the frustration, but after spending WAY too many hours outside sanding the deck (more on that later), we decided to give them one last chance to redeem themselves. Their showing up this morning made way for a check mark in the "Pro" column.

There is one last job in the backyard and it is a doozie. We have hired them to fix some broken floor boards, replace the top railings and stain the sucker. Over the weekend we had the task of choosing the stain color and while you may think that sounds easy, it is not. There aren't a ton of colors to choose from...that is not the problem. The problem is that our deck was once stained using a solid color resembling paint. We were told that after a good power-wash, all that color would come off and we could use a semi-transparent stain.

Not so much.

The power washing did take a lot of paint off, but there was still a ton left which would have made a semi-transparent stain look awful. We actually bought some stain and did a test run. Results = not so good. We were so annoyed that we didn't even snap a photo so you will just have to take our word for it.

We then thought...hmm, why don't we try to sand the paint off the deck which lead to many hours of this...


...and this...


...and this...


In the end, we threw in the towel and picked the solid stain color known as Cedar. It's not ideal, but we know it will look good. We just want it done already!

We are told they are coming this Thursday to do the work so everyone please keep your fingers crossed that they actually show up. If they don't, I can't be responsible for what might come out of my husband's mouth. God love an Italian from New York ~ these people down here won't know what hit 'em!

Three Day Weekend!

We hope that everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and that you live it up in the best way you know how. We are staying local and plan to visit with friends and family. We may even head to Gravelly Point and have a picnic like we did last year. Lucy was a BIG fan of the planes so it may become a Memorial Day tradition.


See everyone on the flip side! xoxo

How's it Hanging?

I know the slang is really spelled hangin', but I am not talking about the vernacular of America's youth. Instead, I am referring to the many new wall hangings that have popped up around the place. We have been living with many blank walls since we moved in ~ but we are working on it and would like to share some of the newest "stuff" that are deemed worthy of putting holes in the walls.

You have all seen our Wall of Frames that lives in the basement near my office. I'm happy to report that Ed is warming up to it...as long as I promise not to do it anywhere else in the house. Such a fuddy-duddy...but that's okay because we have lots of other cool stuff to hang. Like, for instance, this print that I found on Etsy:


Thanks to a tip from my new favorite blog, we decided to pick it up and we are so happy we did. We love it for it's playfulness, but also because it is an homage to where we met and fell in love. We hung it on the wall at the top of the stairs on the 2nd floor so we get to see it every time we head up to our room. We heart NY!

Another Etsy find is now hanging in our 2nd floor hall bathroom. We painted this room a vibrant blue (inspired by several rooms at the Bethany Beach House), and have a very simple white shower curtain to compliment the walls. I decided it was a bit too bland and jazzed it up with some fun yellow towels from World Market and this new print:


It was too adorable to pass up and it works really well with the decor of the bathroom...


We now head into the Master BR to see our 3rd newest wall art. And when I say art, I mean photography. And when I say photography, I mean images of the cutest puppy in the world!!! I put this collage of Lucy photos together and gave it to Ed for our First Anniversary (photos are paper people!) and it now hangs in our room.


Lucy was very happy to see it hanging...after all, she did help me put it together for Ed. But all that work, made her very sleepy...

And speaking of Anniversary gifts, allow me to share with you my gift from Ed...also a wall hanging:


It is a beautiful canvas with the "Love is Patient" psalm along with our names and anniversary date. We hung it in the living room to commemorate the big day that seems like forever ago, but at the same time, just yesterday. Here are a few more vantage points:


So that's what we got goin' on these days...but there is more to come. We are in the market for many more things including a giant mirror for over the couch, a fashionable clock for the living room, some attractive artwork for over the bed and a slew of other things. So much wall space...so little time.